Chapter 1: Storm's Coming
Darius trod through the hall, into Professor Gryffen's study. He felt no reason to hurry; all he was looking for was another one of The Department's manuals for something or other. Probably the space-time machine; the Professor hadn't been too specific. It was clear a million thoughts were going through the man's brain. The Professor still hadn't been able to bring his family back, and while it was aggravating him more than ever, but made him more determined still. Darius wanted to help him as much as he could. He didn't know the Professor's family at all, just from the pictures and videos, but after all The Professor had done for him, Darius knew he was more than a decent man, who deserved to be reunited with the people who mattered most in his life.
But for now, there was just him; Darius. And Starkey…and K-9…and occasionally Jorjie. Darius still found the sudden rise in company at the house slightly daunting. But it was becoming somewhat more bearable; even if Jorjie had chosen Starkey, and not him. He didn't have his family around anymore, but The Prof was the next best thing.
He walked into the dim room. It was still morning and little slits of light seeped through the blinds. Darius flicked on the light. He searched around the messy desk. Files, pieces of paper, books, and strange technological devices (some of them alien) were scattered in a most dysfunctional way all over the surface and in the draws. He finally found what he was looking for, near the top of a pile of equation notes, when he noticed The Professor's calendar lying underneath it. He thought nothing of it at first- he knew it was June; the weather had been a clear display of that. But he looked at the days that had been crossed off throughout the month so far. One of The Professor's daughter's birthdays had been on the 2nd. That explained his morbid and distressed mood on that day. He'd mentioned something about his family, but stopped, and changed the topic completely.
No, it was today's date that caught his attention. June 21st; commonly referred to as the official date of the Summer Solstice- the longest day of the year (for the Northern Hemisphere that is) And it was that day, today, that brought something special with it. There was one word written in big, bold, capital letters across the box marked June 21. And it was that one word that caused Darius' face to light up in happiness. He stared at the one word just to check he wasn't dreaming. He wasn't; the word read:
STORM!
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That word stopped every other thought in Darius' mind. Storm… It was today! Of course! Finally, six months after the Winter Solstice, and all that waiting, today was the day. Darius cursed himself for forgetting today's importance. He had been looking forward to this moment since January. How could it have slipped his mind so easily? In an instant, his regret was replaced with joy, uncontrollable excitement. A grin spread across Darius' face like magic. Without bothering to turn off the light, he raced out of the study, and rushed back, down the hall to find to Professor Gryffen. He had to tell him.
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'Prof! Professor! It's today! It's today! Prof! It's today!' he shouted as he leapt up the stairs. Starkey and Jorjie were in the kitchen, finishing breakfast when they heard Darius' racket. They were, to say the least, surprised. Darius never made this much noise, or ran so fast in the building. Their heads shot up in alarm, as they heard him shouting.
'Darius?' asked Starkey.
'What's going on?' said Jorjie, finishing his sentence.
'Where's the Prof? I need to warn him!'
'In the lab-'
'Warn him from what?' they overlapped, interrupting one another.
'It's today! It's happening today!' Darius cried, almost bursting.
'What happening today? Darius?' exclaimed Starkey impatiently.
'Storm's coming!' Darius replied, barely containing himself. His tone was quite mysterious though. And he ran off again, yelling the Professor's name. Starkey and Jorjie stared at Darius' retreating form, then at each other in confusion.
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'A storm? But it's the middle of summer!' Jorjie said.
'Never know, could be alien or something.' replied Starkey. And without second thought, they both scramble as fast as they could to the lab, the remains of their breakfast forgotten.
'Professor! Prof! It's today! It's today!' Darius yelled as he burst into the lab, nearly giving Gryffen the shock of his life when he was close to knocking over one of his experiments. He caught it in the nick of time, but stood up straight, staring quizzically at his young and overly-excited assistant.
'Darius? My boy, what's all this racket?'
'It's today Prof! Today's the day!' he cried with glee.
'What is?'
'STORM!' Darius shouted. The Professor's eyes went wide in realisation.
'Storm? You mean….it's today? It's the twenty-first already?'
'Yes!'
'Storm's coming today? My goodness boy, what time is it?' Darius looked at the clock on the wall, hidden from the Professor's view.
'9:51am Sir!'
'But that means we've only got nine minutes! Quick Darius! Get everything ready!'
'Yes Prof!' Said Darius, as Starkey and Jorjie came up the stairs listening to the frenzied cries.
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'Professor, what's going on?' Starkey asked.
'We're getting ready Starkey, and we don't have much time!'
'Ready for what?' added Jorjie.
'Storm. Our Storm's coming.' said the Professor Gryffen, running from his desk to another section of his lab, fiddling with some buttons. 'Darius! Go get what we need!'
'Right away Prof!' said Darius, pushing past and racing down the stairs again.
Starkey and Jorjie looked at each other in confusion once more, they both walked towards Gryffen.
'Professor?' said Jorjie, with a bit more urgency. 'What do you mean a storm's coming? The weather's going to be hot and sunny all week! And besides, it's the middle of June!'
'I know Jorjie! That's when Storm appears! Every Solstice! And the summer one is today!' Gryffen replied, talking very fast, and pressing buttons at lightning speed. 'Oh, and this isn't just a storm, this is the Storm.' he added, hastily turning round.
'I still don't understand though, what-' began Starkey, but Gryffen cut him off.
'There's no time! You'll see soon enough! Time!' he looked up at the clock. 9:53am. 'Seven minutes to go! Darius!' he called down the stairs. 'How's it going?'
'Almost ready Prof!' came Darius' distant reply. Downstairs they heard loud clatters and crashes.
'Good! But hurry! We've got to make sure everything's in order!'
'In order for what?' Starkey exclaimed.
'Storm!' Gryffen repeated, becoming slightly irritated. He grabbed certain items from the helves, put other objects back, and brought up some cryptic data on his computer screen.
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Time: 9:55am
'Five minutes Darius!' shouted the Professor. Jorjie and Starkey just stood, confused as ever, unsure of what to do. The two of them had never seen the Professor or Darius act in such a way before. They were buzzing around at top speed, in a completely frenzied rush, doing goodness-knows-what, and all because of a storm? Starkey and Jorjie were of the one mind in that they thought Gryffen and Darius' fuss seemed slightly extreme. Storms weren't unusual in England, so why were they being so cautious? If you could call it cautious. More like berserk.
They heard another loud clatter, and Darius called out from the foyer:
'Hey Prof! I'm all set down here!'
'Good job Darius! Looks likes we're ready as we can be!'
'Hey Prof! I think you better get down here! It'll be starting in a minute!' Darius said; his tone of voice hard to comprehend. The Professor looked at the clock. 9:58am.
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'Oh my goodness! Coming Darius!' he shouted, his eyes going ablaze. He went to go down the stairs, when he turned to see Starkey and Jorjie still staring dumbfounded at him. 'Well come on you two! You'll miss it!' and they followed the ecstatic Professor downstairs to the foyer, where Darius was eagerly looking up at the ceiling. The Professor followed suit. The other two children looked up in bewilderment.
'By my calculations, we have approximately 30 seconds before the thunder starts at 9:59.' said the Professor, trying to remain calm.
'Great.' Darius responded similarly.
'I'm sorry; what are we looking at?' Starkey inquired.
'The thunder's about to start, then the lightning follows.' replied Gryffen, trying to explain.
'Wait;' said Jorjie. 'I thought in thunderstorms, the lightning always came before the thunder?'
'Yeah, well this ain't any ordinary Storm Jorjie. Just wait and see.' Replied Darius, still looking up, and smiling. The Professor looked at his watch.
'Thunder in four, three, two, one….'
Their gazes fixed on the top of the space-time manipulator. At first, nothing happened. And then quietly, ever so quietly, there was a low rumbling sound. And it got louder and louder. Stronger, as it turned from a rumble, almost into a deep roar. Louder, louder, louder. And then they heard the wind, only soft, but it was there, they could hear it whistling gently.
'What's going on?' asked Jorjie, now slightly scared. She and Starkey took a few steps back in concern. They had no idea what was going on. Darius and Gryffen however, were nearly breathless in their anticipation. All over a storm? What was this? It was almost like the storm was in the house. It was starting to feel like it. But none of the sources of sound or movement were coming from the machine. No, this…thing was happening of its own accord. But what was it? Professor Gryffen looked at his watch again.
'And lightning in five, four, three, two, one, and-'
There was suddenly a large flash of bright lightning and a loud sparking sound. The light whirled around in a blinding cyclone and in the midst of it; something was coming down from it. And in almost an instant; there was another noise and then, lying sprawled in the middle of the foyer floor, was a person:
.
A female, a… young female. At first glance, her age was indefinable; though, upon closer inspection, she seemed no older than Darius. Even lying down, it was clear she was long limbed and tall. She had a very large black pack slung over her shoulders, a big and strange looking watch device on her right wrist, and she was almost completely covered in camouflage gear from head to toe. Olive green jacket, smudged with brown, grey singlet underneath. Her trousers were faded and dirty, and went right down to her dusty ankle boots. She looked very…well military was one of the only ways to describe her. But it was her physical features that proved more interesting. Her luminescent face was smudged with faint green and black across lightly flushed cheeks, and two slit-thin, white scars were marked diagonally down her face. She had dark almond shaped eyes beneath dark lashes. Her deep pink/purple lips were pressed together as she took in her surroundings. The top layers of her hair were meticulously braided, pulled back into two larger ponytails. The rest was curly and wildly waved. It was dark brown; with many bluey-black streaks weaved in and out of the vicious waves and plaits. The girl had come in on a whirlwind, and seemed as unusual as the pre-entry conditions.
The Professor and Darius stared at her in surprise and absolute glee. Jorjie and Starkey were absolutely shocked at what had just happened. Who was this strange girl? Darius was trying with all his might to contain a grin that could split his face apart.
'Always know how to make an entrance don't you?' he mocked cheekily, his words heavily laden with sarcasm. The girl's eyes rolled up to Darius, raising an eyebrow sceptically.
'Oh, hilarious Darius, I'm in stitches.' she replied with a low challenging deadpan. Her accent had a British lilt to it, but was rather neutral. Not that she looked very British. Slowly, she sat up. The Professor stepped forward.
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'My dear, are you alright?'
The girl looked up at him with a very lopsided grin. 'Well, I've had softer landings.' She admitted. 'Although, hedges in Hyde Park never was my best entry idea; it's a wonder I passed my travel exam at all really.' she responded, rubbing her neck.
The Professor held out a hand to her, and she accepted, pulling herself upright. Her long dark hair fell almost to her waist. She stood close to the Professor, scrutinizing his appearance; and for a moment, there was silence. Gryffen continued the conversation.
'Well, it's good to see you again old friend.'
The girl slid her pack off her shoulders, which fell to the floor with a dull, heavy thud. She and the Profesor both smiled, and hugged each other warmly, like they hadn't seen each other in years.
'It's good to see you too Prof. How've you been?'
'Oh, alright, alright. I keep myself busy.' he said, pulling apart. 'I see you're looking well.'
'Work keeps me on my toes. Not much time to relax. Still, it gives me something to do.' She then turned to Darius, who was waiting silently but expectantly at her. She smiled at him.
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'Hello Darius.'
'H-Hi.' he replied, rather shyly. There was another pause.
'How've you been?'
'Not bad. You?'
'Not bad.'
They looked at each other for a moment, each taking a step forward with every sentence. Then, without warning, they laughed and both lunged at each other, holding together in a tight embrace; not daring to let go.
'Oh Darius! It's been forever!' she exclaimed.
'I know! six months is too long.' he said earnestly.
'Well, you know my schedule. Not the most flexible.'
They broke apart to examine each other for a moment. They smiled as they did.
'So;' the girl began. 'How are you really? You're taller I see.'
'Yeah, well, can't have you catching up on me again. Otherwise, hardly any different. You?'
'Likewise. Same old me I guess.'
'You looked like you've kept busy.'
'Oh yeah. Had to sprint to get back to my station on time. I only just got relieved from 41st Century Milldandro. Nice planet, good place. The natives declared war again with Jumanda, so three weeks in the jungle's been terribly eventful.' She spoke at a very rapid pace, hardly breathing in between. Darius and Gryffen looked thoroughly interested.
'Hence the appearance.' noted Darius.
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'And what news of the outside world?' asked Gryffen eagerly.
'Come on Prof, that's a pretty wide topic. I'll explain, as soon as I know where I am. It is 2051AD isn't it?'
'June 21st, spot on.'
'Oh thank goodness.' the girl replied, her shoulder sinking with obvious relief. 'I thought I might've skipped a year; my coordinates were a bit hurried.'
'Well, you're here now, that's all that matters.'
The girl nodded in appreciation. Looking around the room, checking for any changes, she glanced up at the vortex portal.
.
'Still no luck then Professor?' Gryffen's face fell slightly.
'No, I'm afraid not. I was close, but something's stopping it. Perhaps…?'
'Of course I'll try and help. Least I can do while I'm here again.' It was just then Storm spotted the two teenagers standing against one of the pillars.
'I didn't know you had visitors Prof. Ever.' she commented, staring at them curiously.
'Ah yes, well, they're not just visitors. My dear, this is Starkey, and this is Jorjie. Starkey lives with us and Jorjie sometimes.'
'Really? I am surprised. I thought you two were happy as you were.'
'Yeah, well, they're getting a bit easier to live with.' Darius said. Starkey shot him a look.
'Thanks Darius. The feeling's mutual.'
The girl chuckled in surprise. The boy gave a small smile and began to walk forward. The other girl, however, was not so sure.
.
'Um, Professor, Darius? Who exactly is this?' said Starkey.
They all looked at each other in realisation. None had said her name yet.
'Oh! Oh of course! Where are our manners Darius? Jorjie, Starkey, this is Storm.'
This only gained more stares, as the two teenagers slowly figured it out.
'What? This is the Storm?' Jorjie exclaimed.
'The Storm? I'm given other titles now?' the girl said sceptically. Darius shook his head, close to laughing.
'No, no. Her name is Storm, and she comes in like one too. Her method of transport and line of work is how she got her name.' he explained.
'So, you're name's Storm?' asked Starkey, still a little unsure. She nodded.
'The one and only.'
'No last name?'
'Nope. Just Storm. Don't know if I ever had another name.'
Starkey stepped closer and held out his hand.
'Starkey, of Stark Industries. Technology hacker, code-cracker, and all around genius.' he gushed, sticking his hand out. Everyone but Storm rolled their eyes. She smiled.
'Pleasure to meet you Starkey of Stark Industries.' she replied, accepting the hand.
'What did you say your line of work was again?' he questioned.
'I didn't. I'm a Time Agent. For the Intergalactic Time Agency would you believe?' She said sarcastically. This grabbed Starkey's and Jorjie's attention suddenly.
'Seriously? A Time Agent?
'Yeah, hasn't been established yet in your time of course, but…'
'Our time? What are you talking about?' interrupted Jorjie.
'Well, I'm not exactly from around here. I was born in the 51st Century, so technically, I shouldn't even be alive, but time-travel makes it all happen for me. It's how I get around.'
Starkey and Jorjie's eyes widened. No wonder this girl was so unusual, she was from far in the future, and worked for a universal Time and Space Organisation.
'Yeah, I know, a lot to take on, but it's not that bad when you think about it.' She continued.
'That is pretty cool when you think about it.' Starkey said. You'll have to tell us more about it.'
'Yeah, well, first she might want to sit down and chill a bit. Don't you Storm?' Darius cut in, suddenly trying to distract Storm from Starkey. You already took one girl, you ain't taking this one... he thought. Storm sighed in relief.
'Yes, actually, that would be nice for a change. Three weeks in a jungle isn't smooth sailing.'
'All right Storm, I'll get you some tea.' The Professor offered, as he and Darius guided her to the living room. It didn't take a genius to work out that Darius looked slightly protective of Storm; Starkey and Jorjie figured they'd been friends for a while.
As Gryffen headed to the kitchen, he called his young assistant.
.
'Yeah Prof?'
'She doesn't know about K-9 does she?'
'Err, no, unless she's done some weird time travel thingy in our future or something.' Darius shrugged. The Professor continued making cups of tea.
'Alright, but we might have to explain if he suddenly comes back. He's' still on patrol as far as I know. So just be natural if she asks what we've been doing.'
'Okay, whatever.' Darius agreed, carrying two mugs through the hallway. When he got to the living room, his chest tightened as he saw Storm chatting animatedly to Jorjie…and Starkey. His anxiety was short-lived as he handed Storm her mug, and gave a glowing smile, revealing even white teeth.
'Thank you.'
'Just how you like it.' Darius said, sitting down next to her.
'I'm amazed you remember.' she mused, taking a sip.
'Six months isn't forever.' he reminded.
'It can be when you're a time agent.' Storm replied seriously. Which was true, she had been to countless different galaxies and times since her last visit, it had felt like a long time since she'd been to 21st Century England.
'So how often do you come here?' Jorjie asked curiously. Storm lowered her mug.
'Every six months, for one week exactly. No more, no less.'
'Why then?'
'I'm not entirely sure. I'm linked to the portal in this house somehow; the coordinates on my vortex-manipular are set at December and June 21st, the Solstice dates of Earth.' She indicated the large watch thing on her wrist. 'I think there's some connection to me and the house, or something else. Like I said, I'm not quite sure. Nor is the Professor.'
It's true, we're still trying to find the source of the connection, but it's just a mystery to us.'
'Even after all this time.' Darius added.
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'How long have you been coming here exactly?' Starkey asked.
'Three and a half years. Which means this is my…seventh visit?' Storm looked to Gryffen and Darius for confirmation. They nodded.
'It's hard to explain how it all really came about, but I hardly mind coming back.' Storm added, gaining an approving smile from Darius. Jorjie and Starkey exchanged smirks out of the corner of their eyes.
'So, what's been new since last time?' continued Storm. They all made to answer at once, when Starkey suddenly cut in first.
'Hey Professor, where's…?'
'Patrol complete, and ready to report Masters.' came a robotic voice. Out of the blue, a familiar cybernetic dog flew slowly through the doorway. Everyone's eyes widened as Storm stared at the new presence in the room. K-9 sensed the new presence as well; he immediately began beeping and flashing as he scanned the sitting figure.
'New life form. Partial Human; Female. Era: 51st Century. Time and Space Force affiliations.'
'Ah yes, Storm.' Gryffen interrupted the dog as he began his analysis. 'This is-'
'K-9?' exclaimed Storm, half-gasping as she stood up in astonishment. 'K-9!Is it really you?'
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A/N: Ooh, how does Storm know K-9? When did K-9 meet Storm? All shall be revealed shortly. Hope you randoms who actually watch this show enjoy so far. Ch2 will be up in a week or so when Easter/ANZAC Day Hols start. Reviews and subscriptions, etc are as always, appreciated. I can only imagine what Sarah has to say… ;)
Peace out Earthlings! (Vulcan salutes, then Time Warps for Sarah)
G-4077 :D