A TANGLED WEB Part 4: FAMILY TIES
By Charlie Nelson

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters written in this story. All major characters are owned by rich corporations and I am just borrowing them for this story. Also, I am not making any money by writing this story. I write this for the fun of it as well as to better my creative instinct and grammatical skills.

Classification: Crossover
I think I should explain that part of what I am trying to do with this story is to mix as many storylines together as possible and still make it interesting and true to the characters. The challenge to myself is to effectively blend some old sci-fi with some new sci-fi shows. At least some of those that I am familiar with.

This story will include many crossovers starting with Doctor Who, Sliders and Star Trek. Star Trek, who will always be the main contributor in these stories. This part of my story will also star V - the series, Battlestar Galactica (the 1978 series), Quantum Leap and Starman. If anyone is unfamiliar with any of these shows I recommend that they look them up on the Internet. It will help, and the information is out there on them. Think of it as a learning experience.

The recipient of this Borg invasion will be V - the series, along with Battlestar Galactica. For the V-series, I will be starting up right where the series left off at their cliffhanger ending when they stopped filming - Aargh! I will explain both the history and the cliffhanger ending of V - the series in my story. As for Battlestar Galactica, I will be using the original series cast just a few years after the show ended and bring them to Earth, which happens to be under attack.

There will also be other crossovers included in this universe, but I'm keeping it to myself for now.

V - V started off as a TV movie in 1983. Aliens came down in a series of motherships and hovered over 31 of the largest cities of the world. They stated that they came in peace and were seeking minerals that were rare on their world, but abundant on Earth and very necessary to saving their own world. Earth accepted them with open arms especially after the Visitors said they would share their technology with the Human race. Unfortunately, their true motives were anything but beneficial. The Visitors claimed to have discovered that Earth's scientists had been keeping technological advances such as a cure from cancer from the main populous. They had even brainwashed a few scientists and key politicians to do and admit whatever they wanted. Sure enough, a Resistance formed against the alien invaders and they were dedicated to exposing the aliens' true nature, stopping the alien agenda, and getting them off the Earth.
Important note: It was at the end of this TV movie that Juliet Parrish and the Resistance managed to send a message into space asking for help from any other species that could hear them.
V: The Final Battle aired in 1984. The Resistance came up with a bio-toxin that was lethal to the Visitors but safe for Humans. After distributing it around the world, it was released everywhere, and the Visitors were forced to flee. This became known as V-Day.
V- The series starts with a return of the Visitors. It seems that the red dust toxin needs a climate that has extreme temperature changes in order to survive. This being the case, wide areas of the world are now habitable for the aliens again. To make matters worse, it is discovered that a second dose of the red dust toxin would be lethal to the Earth's environment. Earth is now a war zone. All references to where I continued with the story will have to be read in the story.

I've included some character bios since not everyone will be that familiar with them.

- Juliet Parrish: A young biomedical student who was overlooked when the Visitors began causing scientists around the world to disappear. She and some friends started a small Resistance group in L.A. and was soon surprised when everyone began to turn to her as the leader of their group. It was Juliet who discovered the red dust bacteria that forced the Visitors to leave Earth and after their departure, Juliet began doing scientific research at Science Frontiers. When the Visitors returned, and Nathan Bates forced the aliens into a stalemate, she remained working at Science Frontiers in order to spy on the interactions between Nathan Bates and the Visitors. When her cover was finally blown, she rejoined the Resistance full time.

- Michael Donovan: A news cameraman who managed to get footage of the Visitors that exposed their true reptilian nature. Hunted by the Visitors, Mike joined the L.A. Resistance and soon proved to be a key player. He also had an on and off again relationship with Juliet Parrish.

- Philip: A high ranking officer sent to take charge of the Earth fleet during V: the series. He was also the twin brother of another high-ranking officer, Martin, who had served on Earth before him. At first Philip had not known that his brother had been one of the leaders in the Visitors Fifth Column, a secret group of Visitors that were trying to stop the Humans from being annihilated. It was Diana who had killed Martin, but she claimed that Mike Donavon had done it in the hope that Philip or Donavon would kill each other. Philip eventually saw through the ruse and secretly became friends with Donavon even as his brother had. He also secretly joined the Fifth Column in hopes of somehow finding a way that the two races could co-exist.

- Willie: A Visitor technician who has never fully gotten a grasp of the English language. The Resistance kidnapped him so that they would have a live specimen to study, however his genuine kindheartedness and sympathy soon had him accepted by most of the Humans in the Resistance and he soon was able to help them with their raids and other activities. When the red toxin was distributed into the atmosphere, Willie was given an antidote that he took regularly. After V-Day, Willie stayed on Earth and worked as a waiter at the Club Creole restaurant and became a vegetarian.

- Elizabeth: Diana had a young Visitor named Brian subjected to a series of experiments, and then had him mate with a young Earth girl named Robin Maxwell, who was enamored with him. Shortly after birth, Elizabeth, also known as the 'Star Child,' began growing at an alarming rate until she looked like a ten-year-old girl within a short time after her birth. On V-Day, Elizabeth prevented a mothership's doomsday device from detonating by the use of her myriad of undefined powers. A year later when the Visitors returned, Elizabeth began aging again, this time taking on the appearance of nineteen-year-old woman. While she should have the mind of a child, her racial memories have been helping her to mature mentally. Somehow none of this has kept her from getting Kyle Bates as a boyfriend. She has demonstrated the abilities of animal control, some premonition, and telekinesis.

- Kyle Bates: Kyle first met members of the Resistance in a Visitor work camp. After escaping, he again ran into Resistance members at the Club Creole restaurant where he also ran into Elizabeth. Despite his relationship with Nathan Bates and his rebellious attitude he soon became part of the Resistance. He also became romantically involved with Elizabeth.

- Ham Tyler:
An agent of a secret U.S. task force, Tyler helped to set up communication lines and distribute arms between Resistance groups throughout the United States. When the L.A. Resistance began to prove their initiative by effectively taking on bigger battles against the Visitors, Ham and Chris Farber went to give them support and guidance. About a year after V-Day, Tyler was hired by Nathan Bates to kidnap Diana before she was to be executed for crimes against humanity. Bates wanted to force Diana to show him how the alien technology that had been left behind worked, while Tyler only agreed as long as when Bates was through with her, Tyler could kill her personally. During the kidnapping, Diana managed to free herself and was saved by the returning Visitor fleets. The Earth being at war once again, Ham Tyler again joined the Resistance. After many battles and a time of being mind-controlled, Tyler decided to leave L.A. for a while and agreed to take Robin Maxwell to Chicago where the red dust toxin still kept the Visitors away.
Note: I hope to bring Ham into the story later, which is why I am mentioning him now.

- Diana: Diana was a former lover of the Leader, who had decided that Diana was too ambitious and dangerous to keep nearby, so he sent her as the Chief Scientist and one of the main delegates to Earth. On Earth Diana involved herself in various power plays with those above her. She also involved herself with the brainwashing of various Earth politicians and scientists. One of her many bizarre experiments had to do with cross breeding a Human with a Visitor, which resulted in the conception of the 'Star Child', Elizabeth. When the Visitors were fleeing the red toxin on Earth, Diana had the 'Doomsday Device' on her ship set to blow up the Earth. Fortunately, the Resistance saved the day and Diana was apprehended. For a year she was imprisoned and set on trial for her crimes against humanity. Shortly before her scheduled execution, she was freed by the efforts of Nathan Bates and managed to be rescued by the return of her people. Diana once again found herself with power and in power plays with those around her.

- Lt. James: A specialist in covert operations, Lt. James became Diana's right-hand man in her attacks against the Resistance.

- Lydia: When the Visitors returned to Earth, Lydia came as the Fleet Security Officer in charge of the Fleet. However, once Diana set foot on board the mothership she took command and made Lydia her second in command. Fortunately for Earth, Diana and Lydia became instant enemies and spent a great deal of their time and energy trying to kill each other.

- Thelma: On the very last episode of the series, when a few key Resistance leaders were being shown around a mothership during a sudden truce, Willie ran into an old girlfriend. Thelma, also a technician, had thought Willie had been dead for years but was overjoyed to see him because they had been pledged to be marriage even before they had been hatched. When he got a chance, Willie had explained to her that he couldn't go back with her and that Earth was his home now. She took that hard, feeling as though she had been rejected, but later she came to him and decided that she would make her life on Earth, too, if it meant she could be with him.

- The Supreme Leader: The leader has never been seen in either of the two TV movies or the series; I am actually debuting him in my story. Little is known of the Leader and how he took control of his home planet, Sirius IV, but he is loved by his people. When the water and food shortages became too hard for his planet's population to bear, he sent ships out in search of other planets. They came across a few planets similar to theirs in resources of food and water. Developing large ship that could be used for battle and haul large amounts of cargo, the Visitors returned to these worlds and conquered them. Once defeated, the Visitors took the water and other usable minerals with them. They also took whatever they could use for food, including the sentient species of those planets. Still the demands of Sirius IV's people could not be met. Finding Earth and its vast water resources seemed like the only thing that might save the depleted world of Sirius IV. But even as the Visitors launched their second invasion of Earth, Sirius IV had already become an irreversible wasteland. While waiting on his home world, the Supreme Leader received many reports from Philip insisting that Humans and Visitors could co-exist together. When Philip mentioned the 'Star Child' and her abilities, the Leader's interests led him to come to Earth and check on matters himself.

Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) - In another galaxy far, far away the twelve colonies of Man took steps to end a 1000-year war with a robot race called the Cylons. The Cylons used that moment to attack the twelve home worlds, forcing the Humans to flee in whatever space-worthy vessels were available. Forming a caravan of over two hundred and twenty ships, the twelve tribes of Man fled their pursuing enemies deep into unexplored space. Hoping to find another habitual world, allies, or maybe both in the form of the mythical 'lost' thirteenth colony known as Earth, they continue their search of space.

Time units of the colonists.
micron(s) - second
centon (sen'-tawn) - minute
centar, centares (sen'-tar, sen-tar'-ays) - hour
secton(s) (sek'-tawn) - week
sectar, sectares (sek'-tar, sek-tar'-ays) - month
yahren (yah'-rain) - year
millenium - 1000 years

Quantum Leap(1989-1993) - Sam Beckett built his time machine based on his theories of quantum physics. When he finally tried the device on himself, he vanished and woke up in another person's body in the past. His friend, Admiral Al Calavicci, used another device to tap into Sam's brainwaves so that they could see holographic images of each other. Ziggy, the AI computer that Sam had created, theorized that if Sam were to historically change something in a particular person's life for the better that Sam would 'leap' back home. However, each leap seems to just take Sam to another person's life that needs helping. Sam, a staunch Boy Scout, was more than willing to take up the task before him and with the advice from the future provided by Al and Ziggy, he is usually up to the challenge.

Starman - In 1984 a movie came out about an alien crashing to Earth. Not having a body that could survive in Earth's atmosphere, the alien cloned the cells the cells of a dead man's hair clipping to create a body that would last him longer. The dead man's wife, Jenny, was shocked at sudden return of her late husband and even more so by the alien inhabiting his body. Federal agents chased the two across America as the 'starman' tried to get to a location where the aliens could retrieve the stranded alien. Along the way, the 'starman' impregnated the woman with a child as a gift to her.

Starman (1986-1987) - A series based on the movie started, the alien returned to Earth after finding a means to make it safe for him to stay indefinitely in the atmosphere of Earth. Taking on the body of Paul Forrester, a freelance photographer that had died in a helicopter crash, the 'starman' went in search of his human lover and their son. He was united with his son, Scott, in an orphanage, but it took some effort to convince Scott of his extraterrestrial origins. As they went in search of Jenny, who was hiding from federal agents, Paul taught Scott how to use his powers by focusing through the alien metallic marbles that Paul had. Toward the end of the series they were reunited with Jenny, but were soon being chased by George Fox and other federal agents again.

Sidenote: Love the reviews. Keep them coming.

Warning: There will be some character deaths.

When I originally wrote this, it was around 2000 or 2001. Well before the second Battlestar Galactica came to be. So, please remember this is based on the old Battlestar Galactica show.

A TANGLED WEB Part 4: FAMILY TIES
By Charlie Nelson

Summary: What came before. The sliders were traveling between worlds and bumped into the Doctor's TARDIS, thus getting bounced into the 24th century of the Star Trek universe where the Borg got a hold of the Sliding technology thanks to interference from Q. Now the Borg are in orbit around the Earth's sun sending drones out into the multiverse, spreading themselves around to take over new frontiers. Meanwhile, Q was forced by the Q Continuum to fix the problem by recruiting others to stop the spread of the Borg. Two universes have been cleansed of the infestation and this is the third. So sit right back and read the tale.

DEEP SPACE NINE, CURRENTLY ORBITING EARTH
SICKBAY

Counselor Deanna Troi silently slipped into the room, but still all heads turned toward her.

"Everything all right, Counselor?" asked Captain Picard.

Deanna Troi blushed. "Yes. Worf just wanted someone of flesh and blood to examine his son instead of a hologram." She saw a number of people in the room wince at the imagined sight of the belligerent Klingon and the outraged holographic doctor from Voyager arguing with each other.

"And...?" asked Captain Picard.

Deanna shrugged her shoulders. "My mother worked it out. Voyager's doctor has agreed to treat her and Mr. Homn while Beverly is looking after Alexander." Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "I think mother likes him!"

Jean-Luc's eyes widened in surprise, and possibly alarm. "The hologram?"

"I had a look at its programming," commented Geordi La Forge. "It's become pretty sophisticated since its startup."

"Sentient?" asked the captain. His mind immediately returned to the troubles he and his crew had encountered when a holodeck version of Professor Moriarty not only became sentient, but also tried to take over the ship.

"I don't think the medical program will be a problem," commented Odo, who was also the head of security for Deep Space Nine. "From studying the program's detailed history aboard Voyager, I think it is safe to say that he is on our side."

Picard nodded. "Times are changing. First sentient androids, now sentient holographic physicians."

"You have a holographic doctor?" interrupted the figure lying in the bed.

Everybody's attention turned to the patient lying down in the middle of the room. The closest to him were Dr. Julian Bashir and the patient's friend, Rembrandt Brown. Dr. Bashir began to scan him again while Rembrandt talked to his friend.

"Hey, Q-ball. How are you feeling?"

Quinn tried to sit up; it didn't happen. He tried to reach up to touch the ache in his forehead and that didn't happen either. He looked at his friend with fear. "I can't move," he whispered fearfully.

Rembrandt smiled. "It's alright. They have restraints on you." He didn't add that the restraints holding him down were actually an invisible energy field. Knowing Quinn, he'd probably want to have them explain the technology behind it.

Quinn relaxed at his friend's explanation. "Head hurts," complained Quinn. Even though most of the wound on the man's temple had been repaired thanks to the surgical expertise of Dr. Bashir and Dr. Crusher, there was still a light purple mark where the injury had been.

"I don't doubt it. You gave us a good scare there, pal." The former singer gave his friend a big grin.

Quinn closed his eyes to keep the room from spinning round and round. "Where th'others?" he mumbled.

Rembrandt bit his tongue for a second and took a quick look at the Starfleet personnel in the room before returning his gaze on his wounded friend. "Ah, well, a lot of things have been happening while you've been out of it."

Quinn risked opening one eye to look at Rembrandt's face. "Where-"

"Long story, Q-ball. But these people are already doing what they can to find them." He leaned in closer to his friend. "Trust me, right now the best thing you can do is let yourself heal. I'm all over any information these guys can get that could lead to our friends."

Quinn swallowed, his one open eye was now tracking the instrument that Dr. Bashir was slowly waving over him. "You trust them?"

"Yeah. And they have a stake in the whole mess this has become, too. But I'll tell you about that later when-" He stopped. Quinn was already asleep again.

Julian put a comforting hand on Rembrandt's shoulder. "I'm afraid he will be sleeping for hours. Recovering from his head trauma has exhausted him."

"But he'll be alright?" asked Rembrandt.

"I believe so, yes. The nanoprobes that Seven of Nine administered are restoring the last of the damaged synapses. We won't know until he wakens and can talk to him if there will be any lasting effects."

"'Lasting effects?'"

"Possibly loss of some of his motor control or maybe memory."

Rembrandt shuddered and stole a quick glance at his unconscious friend. "But no signs of anything like that right now though, right?" Julian nodded. "Good. Quinn's a man that likes to use his brain. I don't know how he would cope with not being able to think clearly." He reached down to take his friend's hand but found that the restraining field wouldn't let him.

"In the meanwhile, perhaps you could answer some of our questions."

Rembrandt looked up at the bald captain and nodded. "Sure. Don't know much of the techno specifics, though."

Captain Picard smiled. "Right now it is your experience in which I am interested." The captain slowly walked to the other side of the bio-bed while he looking at some of the readings Dr. Bashir was checking on. "The last away team had a rather unusual encounter there."

"Yeah. Amazons and Greek gods. I know. I saw on the view screens down in the bar."

Picard gave him an intense look. "That wasn't what I was referring to. I meant the similarities found between the ones called Joxer and Tim O'Neill. Then there is also the similarity between the man known as 'Howling Mad' Murdock and one of the Starfleet officers on this station, a Lieutenant Barclay."

Rembrandt shrugged. "Maybe they just looked a lot alike. There are so many parallel worlds that sooner or later there are bound to be people who look alike."

Odo shook his head. "We did a scan. They were the same to the genetic level."

"Well, we've sometimes run into doubles of ourselves when we slide to different Earths," commented Rembrandt.

"But the doppelgangers that you met were all in the same time period, had the same names, and had similar lives as you," pointed out Picard. "The ones I refer to live in different time periods, have different names, and different personalities."

Rembrandt just shrugged. "Sounds like a problem you should ask Quinn about. When he's better," he added.

"Maybe we've all got copies of ourselves living different lives elsewhere," reflected Deanna.

"All the world is a stage," Picard said in a very hushed tone to himself. Everyone heard though and gave it some thought.

"I could see you as a Shakespearean actor," commented Deanna. She almost laughed at his surprised look. "Well, if duplicates of us could live lives very different than ours, then why couldn't one of yours be a Shakespearean actor?"

He chuckled. "I have a hard time seeing myself as anything other than a captain of a ship."

"Maybe on another world you're Captain Ahab," laughed Geordi. He had recently borrowed the book 'Moby Dick' from Picard's private collection.

"Are you suggesting that I should apply the same rugged discipline that Captain Ahab did?"

Geordi hesitated. He felt the familiar tingle go down his spine whenever he wasn't sure if the captain was actually joking. "Uh, no sir!"

Jean-Luc smiled. "Very well then. I say we leave Mr. Mallory so that he can get the rest he needs. Maybe he will have some answers when... ah, Beverly, nice of you to join us."

The redheaded doctor strolled through the door grinning from cheek to cheek. "You'll never guess what I just saw?"

Deanna thought for a moment. "Hmm, could it be my mother flirting scandalously with Voyager's holographic doctor?"

"No fair! You were only there for a moment! How could you know that?" demanded the doctor with mock anger.

"Easy. It's my mother we're talking about. Got any other news?"

She huffed halfheartedly. "Well, Alexander will be fine. As long as his father doesn't mother hen him to death. Luckily the boy is unconscious for now. Oh, and looks like the two Qs are going to start picking teams again."

Geordi sighed. "I suppose we should get down to the bar then."

Odo shook his head. "Not me. I've already done my tour of duty."

"Well, I should be there," replied Picard. "Just in case something needs to be dealt with."

"You mean if someone has to deal with Q, it would be better if it were you." Bashir just shook his head while they all started moving to the door. Bashir nodded to Rembrandt as they left him there with his resting friend.

As they left the private room, they made their way through Sickbay. They could see Commander Riker sleeping on one of the bio-beds. On the bio-bed next to him lay Alexander Rozhenko, whose father was keeping vigil over his unconscious son. Picard nodded to Worf in passing and also at Counselor Troi's mother who did indeed seem very smitten with the holographic doctor treating broken hip. At the entrance Picard noticed Dr. Bashir and Dr. Crusher lagging behind. "Are you two coming?"

Beverly shook her head. "We're going to mind the store. More for us to do here. Besides, we figure if one of us is selected, Q will probably teleport us down to the bar the same way he did Naomi Wildman."

"Very well. I'll tell you later what-"

Interrupting him was a flash. And just as quickly he realized that Dr. Beverly Crusher was gone.

"No." It had happened right in front of him and there was nothing he could do. Or was there? He tapped his comm-link. "Picard here. I need a site-to-site transport now. Myself to the bar on Deep Space Nine."

There was a brief moment of disorientation and then he was there in Quark's bar. Many of the seats had already been taken in spite of the early hour but those seated were not what he was focusing on.

"Q!"

Q stood there wearing an old twentieth century military uniform. "Ah, Jean-Luc. We've started the selections without you. Hope you don't mind. Essence of time and all that." Next to Q was Beverly Crusher, and next to her stood an angry B'Elanna Torres and a nervous Harry Kim from Voyager who had also been selected for the next trip.

"I'm taking her place." The words were out there before he knew he had said them. He could see more than a few eyebrows raised at his announcement. There would also be speculation as to why he didn't offer himself to take the place of others of his crew that had already been chosen.

For once Q looked genuinely in pain. "I'm afraid you can't do that. My choices are final."

"Q-"

"Besides," interrupted Q with a gentler tone, "those that are selected for earlier missions will be facing the Borg before they have had a chance to advance too far. It's safer for her to go now instead of later."

"It's safer for her not to go at all!" bellowed Picard.

"Jean-Luc." Beverly Crusher had not heard a man speak with such passion about her since her husband had passed away many years ago. "Jean-Luc," she started again. "It'll be alright." She put a hand on his shoulder. "And when I get back," she made sure to stress the 'when', "we will have a long talk. With no holding back."

Jean-Luc Picard stood there for a moment. He felt naked and vulnerable with everybody watching him. "A talk would be good," he managed to say.

"This is love?" asked Q2. "Seems conflicting and confusing to me. I find it vastly overrated."

"I agree," responded Q.

"And yet..." Q2 stood for a moment thinking, which for a Q could be a millennium. "He has had other love interests. Perhaps one of them will make this more interesting."

"What are you talking about?" asked Q. A flash next to him took the shape of a woman. "Oh...Vash. Um, hello."

"Wha-" The woman spun around to get her bearings. "Jean-Luc, how did- Q! You bastard!" The female archeologist/tomb robber rushed up to Q while continuing to berate him.

Q, for his part, dodged behind Jean-Luc Picard. "I didn't do it! He brought you here! Not me!"

"Oh, and that makes everything else you've done to mess up my life alright then, huh? I don't think so!" In spite of herself, she gave Q2 a glance. "Who is he anyway?"

"Yes. I do think she makes things more interesting," Q2 said thoughtfully to himself.

"Vash." Picard had to grab both of her arms so that she would stop trying to reach around him to grab Q. The last time he had seen Vash, Q had volunteered to take her on a trip around the universe. Later, he had heard that Q had dumped her in the Gamma Quadrant and that she had managed to return to the Alpha Quadrant by way of the wormhole near Bajor. "Vash, I think I should explain a few things to you."

She stopped trying to hit Q for a moment and saw the serious look in Picard's eyes. "What kind of things?"

"You're not going to like it."

"Why am I not surprised." She looked over at the bar. "Tell me over a drink?"

He nodded. "You're going to need it."

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THE BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
SPACE

The battleship flew through the darkness of space followed by a couple of freighters and various other patchwork ships. Their voyage had been long and perilous. For seven years they had been traveling, sometimes even pursued, as they sought to find a new home world, and possibly even reunite with the legendary lost thirteenth tribe which is said to have populated a faraway world called Earth.

Commander Adama paced with his hands behind him as he walked in front of the room of seated pilots. "About twelve centares ago, we intercepted a message. A message asking for help against an alien invasion force attacking their world." He gave the pilots a hard look. "The message is about three yahrens old."

A groan came from among the pilots.

Adama's sharp eye turned to the offender. "Question, Lieutenant?"

"Uh," Starbuck hated when his personality got him into trouble, but that's who he was. "Well, it's three yahrens old. The Cylons took over all twelve of our worlds in a few centares. How can we even be sure there is anybody to even rescue?"

"A good point." Adama resumed his pacing while looking out into his audience. "However, the recording says that they have already lasted about a yahren against them. They may have lasted three more waiting for help."

"But, sir," Lt. Boomer raised his hand. "Do you think it wise bringing the colony near a war zone?"

"No. I do not," answered Commander Adama. "That is why we will be sending twelve Viper fighters to assess the situation, and then we will make a decision as to whether we can or shall help." He turned to look out a viewport into the vastness of space.

"What's the name of this world?" asked Captain Apollo.

Commander Adama turned to them with tears flowing down his cheek. "Earth."

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1986
LOS ANGELES
A spiral of blue and white energy cut through the air of the alley. One by one, twenty Borg drones flew out and hit the hard pavement. Nineteen were able to get to their feet again. Seventeen drones headed for the alley entrance while two drones stopped to take vital parts off the twentieth drone that had died in the initial fall. When the two drones finished their salvage, they turned to join the others while the fallen drone disintegrated in a green glow behind them.

As the two drones joined the others, they turned their sensors skyward in the same fashion as the seventeen that had preceded them. Hovering over the city above them was a saucer-shaped ship five miles wide.

An objective had been selected and analyzed.

"Hey, Theodore. Save the rat for later. We have to have the transport loaded and up to the mothership in less than an hour. Come on and help me with this. It's stuck."

Nineteen heads turned as one to the female voice that had come from the other side of a large dumpster.

"Lori, with you around it's a wonder I ever get time to eat anything."

"Stop complaining and help pull this," complained Lori.

"Hey, you got it really wedged in here. Jeff, give us a hand here."

The drones came around the corner one after the other. Nine of the drones moved toward the three people in red uniforms and dark sunglasses that were struggling with a cart in the docking bay. The ten remaining drones focused on the transport vessel.

"Hey, what- Watch out!" Lori drew her laser pistol and aimed it at the drones approaching her and her co-workers followed her example and did the same.

"Halt!" called out Theodore.

"Why aren't they stopping? Why do they look like that? It's horrible! I didn't even think even Humans would do that to themselves!" Jeff rambled as his eyed the various prosthetic limbs on the drones.

Theodore fired a shot killing a drone. Then another. Lori and Jeff began firing also, but no more drones fell. The Borg had adapted. Two had fallen, but in the end the Borg had gained three new 'recruits' bringing their number up to twenty again. They also gained the transport vessel that would bring them up to the mothership.

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PARALLEL EARTH
1989
ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO

"Paul! Scott!" Jenny Hayden ran into the house calling to her family. She ran as if the hounds of hell were after her. They weren't. But it was somebody who she felt was almost as determined.

They had been here in Roswell, New Mexico almost six months. She had laughed at the idea of coming here, but Paul had pointed out that that was the very reason to do so. She had become a receptionist for the local paper and had loved it in spite of her squeaky chair and the terrible coffee the editor insisted on. Paul had taken a job in landscaping and six months later was sought after by every homeowner in the area for the 'miraculous' green thumb of his. He had even taken an interest in working with some children in the area whom he said were gifted. Michael, Isabel and Max also seemed to be very fond of Paul, yet for some reason they were always shy around Jenny. Their son, Scott, was enjoying the summer break from school and had gotten a girlfriend that he was just sure would be 'the one' for him.

Now that was all to change.

"Paul!"

"Mom?"

"Scott! Oh, thank God!" She wrapped him in a bear hug. "Where's your father?"

"Mom! You won't believe it! One minute there is just an empty space. Then there is this grating noise. Then - you won't believe this!"

"What?"

"There was a telephone booth!"

"What? Scott, I-"

"An old British phone booth! And you wouldn't believe the guy and woman that travel around in it!"

Jenny shook her head to try bringing some sense to what she was hearing. It didn't work. "Scott." She took him by booth shoulders and let him look in her eyes. When he saw the fear in her eyes he stopped babbling. "Where is your father?"

"In the study. With the Doctor and the huntress lady. Mom, what's wrong?"

"I saw George Fox on my way home."

The blood left his face and his jaw dropped. "No. We- We have a life here. I like it here." He sat down on an old couch they had bought. He looked up at his mother in anguish. "Are you sure?"

She could only nod.

"I got to go talk to Debbie. Explain that-"

"No. I saw Fox outside the police station. I don't know if he was going in or coming out so we have to go now."

"But, mom. Debbie and I-" He never did get to explain his side of things as a number of vehicles pulled into the driveway. Jenny could see out the bay window that George Fox, the FSA man that had been hunting them for the past couple of years, was leading the men with him. The mother and son ceased talking and ran to make their escape.

George Fox rushed through the door with his gun drawn, looking for signs of any activity. Behind him came the sheriff of Roswell. The sheriff didn't seem to like him much, but Fox was used to that sort of thing, not caring as long as the sheriff did what Fox told him to do.

"Hey, you may be in charge here but you can't just charge into people's homes! You idiot, you haven't even given my deputy a chance to cover the back," called Sheriff Valenti. Valenti was rather miffed about this FSA man. Coming to him with this story of national security and needing to apprehend the man that does his lawn every week. The whole thing was crazy. And this FSA man comes to him saying he had been chasing him for years. And then the man just charges into the house without waiting for backup. "At least give me a decent chance to cover you. What if he has a gun?"

"He doesn't like guns," Fox snapped back. "He would never allow one in his home."

"What? You're charging in here like Dirty Harry to arrest a pacifist?!"

"An alien pacifist," Fox responded as he searched room to room.

The sheriff scratched the stubble on his chin. "Huh, and here I thought he was a born and bred American. Doesn't even have an accent."

Fox turned his head to give him a look. "You're thinking of the wrong kind of 'alien'."

"What other kind- You don't mean...?"

Fox heard something down the hall and took off towards it. Sheriff Valenti followed a moment after, wondering if the dangerous man he should be looking out for might be the very one who brought him here. A lot of alien-seeking nuts came to Roswell. Some were way crazier than others. The trick was to spot the dangerous ones.

It was later when he was writing his report on the incident that he chose to leave out certain details. For instance, when he got to the door at the end of the hall, he didn't see the FSA run into an old phone box that was oddly enough in the middle of the room. He also didn't see that same telephone box fade into nothingness while making a loud grating noise like nothing he had ever heard of before. The sheriff had no idea what had happened or where George Fox had gone, but he was certain that if he added the story about the FSA agent disappearing like that it still wouldn't help anyone find him. Besides, Valenti had his career to think about.

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SOMEPLACE OUTSIDE OF TIME

Sam Beckett drifted in the blue static haze that seemed to surround him. He had just completed his latest leap in which he fouled up a counterfeiting frameup of Bo and Luke Duke while also preventing the accidental death of Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. All of which he had had to accomplish while in the body of the sheriff's dog, Flash. If Sam never saw another bowl of dog food again, it would be too soon.

"Funny," Sam said to himself as he studied the energy field around him. He noted to himself that he had on the same white outfit that he had worn the day he had stepped into the quantum accelerator. "I should have leaped into another body by now."

"Sam?"

Sam turned at the sound of the voice and was surprised to see another person covered by the same blue static that covered him. Even the blue energy in the air couldn't protect him from the sight of the bright Hawaiian shirt the admiral was wearing. "Al? How'd you get here? Is this a new attempt to bring me home?"

Admiral Al Calavicci stared in awe around him. "Will you look at this place? Where are we, Sam?"

"Didn't you bring me here?"

"No. The last thing I remember was watching you take a bite out of crime as you chomped on to Boss Hogg's backside so he couldn't hide the counterfeiting evidence Deputy Enos found from those feds that were taking the Duke boys away." He shook his head while chuckling. "And I'll never forget how funny you looked when you drove that car after the Boss Hogg's henchmen while as a dog."

"Mind focusing on our present problem and stop living in the past." Sam bit his lip as soon as he had said it. His problem for the past couple of years had been that he literally lived in the past. Other people's pasts. And for some reason or other, he had to change those pasts for the better.

"Sorry, Sam. Where are we anyway?"

"I've only caught brief glimpses of it before, but it's where I go when I travel through time. At least I think it is."

"It is."

Both Al and Sam took a step back as a figure appeared in front of them. Unlike them, this figure didn't have the blue static covering him. He was dressed in a red and black spandex outfit that may have been a uniform of some kind. "And who are you?" asked Al.

"I am Q," answered Q, as if that should explain everything.

"And is the rest of the alphabet going to be coming along anytime soon?" Al responded snidely.

"Al, I don't think we should annoy him." He looked over the man in front of him. "Are you the one that controls my leaps?"

Q looked rather uncomfortable. "No."

"Then why are we here?"

"Ah, just the question I wanted to hear. I believe I shall simplify my answer by making it a question. I've brought you both here because I have a proposition for you." He gave a rascally grin towards both men. "How would you like to help save the world?"

AUTHOR's NoTeS

Characters in order of appearance or mentioned:

Troi, Councilor Deanna (Mirina Sirtis) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

Picard, Capt. Jean-Luc (Patrick Stewart) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

Worf, Lt. Cdr. (Michael Dorn) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1995-1999)

Rozhenko, Alexander (Marc Worden) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990-1994), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1997)

Troi, Ambassador Lwaxana (Majel Barrett) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

Doctor, The holographic EMH (Robert Picardo) – from the TV series Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)

Homn, Mr. (Carel Struycken) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1992) (mentioned only)

La Forge, Lt. Geordi (LeVar Burton) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

Moriarty, Prof. (Daniel Davis) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1988, 1993) (mentioned only)

Odo, Constable (Rene Auberjonois) – from the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

Mallory, Quinn (Jerry O'Connell) – from the TV series Sliders (1995-1999)

Bashir, Dr. Julian (Siddig El Fadil) – from the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

Brown, Rembrandt 'Crying Man' (Cleavant Derricks) – from the TV series Sliders (1995-2000)

Crusher, Dr. Beverly (Gates McFadden) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1993)

Seven of Nine / Hansen, Annika (Jeri Ryan) – Star Trek: Voyager (1997-2001) (mentioned only)

Joxer (Ted Raimi) – from the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess (1996-2001), Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1997) (mentioned only)

O'Neill, Lt. Tim (Ted Raimi) – from the TV series SeaQuest DSV (1993-1996) (mentioned only)

Murdock, Capt. H.M. 'Howling Mad' (Dwight Schultz) – from the TV series The A-Team (1983-1987) (mentioned only)

Barclay III, Lt. Reginald 'Reg' (Dwight Schultz) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990-1994) (mentioned only)

Ahab, Capt. – from the book Moby Dick; Or, The Whale, 1851, by Herman Melville (mentioned only)

Q (John de Lancie) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-?), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager

Riker, Cdr. William (Jonathan Frakes) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

Wildman, Naomi (Scarlett Pomers) – from the TV series Star Trek: Voyager (1998-2001) (mentioned only)

Torres, B'Elanna (Roxann Dawson) – from the TV series Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)

Vash (Jennifer Hetrick) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990-1991), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)

Adama, Commander (Lorne Greene) – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979)

Starbuck (Dirk Benedict) – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979)

Cylons – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979)

Boomer, Lt. (Herbert Jefferson, Jr.) – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979)

Apollo, Capt. (Richard Hatch) – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979)

Forrester, Paul (Robert Hays) – from the movie and TV series Starman (1986-1987)

Hayden, Scott (Christopher Daniel Barnes) – from the TV series Starman (1986-1987)

Hayden, Jenny (Erin Gray) – from the movie and TV series Starman (1987)

Guerin, Michael (Brendan Fehr) – from the TV series Roswell (1999-2002) (mentioned only)

Evans, Isabel (Katherine Heigl) – from the TV series Roswell (1999-2002) (mentioned only)

Evans, Max (Jason Behr) – from the TV series Roswell (1999-2002) (mentioned only)

Doctor, The 4th (Tom Baker) – from the TV series Doctor Who (1974-1981) (mentioned only)

Leela (Louise Jameson) – from the TV series Doctor Who (1977-1978) (mentioned only)

Fox, Agent George (Michael Cavanaugh) – from the TV series Starman (1986-1987)

Valenti, Sheriff Jim (William Sadler) – from the TV series Roswell (1999-2002)

Beckett, Dr. Sam (Scott Bakula) – from the TV series Quantum Leap (1989-1993)

Duke, Beauregard 'Bo' (John Schneider) – from the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985) (mentioned only)

Duke, Lukas K. 'Luke' (Tom Wopat) – from the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985) (mentioned only)

Coltrane, Sheriff Rosco P. (James Best) – from the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985) (mentioned only)

Flash – from the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985) (mentioned only)

Calavicci, Adm. Al (Dean Stockwell) – from the TV series Quantum Leap (1989-1993)

Hogg, Boss (Sorrell Booke) – from the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985) (mentioned only)

Strate, Deputy Enos (Sonny Shroyer) – from the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985) (mentioned only)