"Freeman!" October called, sounding like a drill sergeant.
"Here!"
"Adams!"
"Here!"
"Duncan!"
"Yo-yo, ma!"
October hit her colleague over the head with her clipboard, then called, "Potter!"
"Here!" Harry called.
"Granger!"
"Here!"
"Weasley!"
"Here!"
"Other Weasley!"
"Here!"
"Malfoy!"
"Here!"
"Aaaaaaaand… Lovegood!"
"Here!"
"Okay, that's everyone," said Gigi. She and Missy were tracking Sapphire. "The reader says she's currently in the Star Trek Universe. She's on the Enterprise as a new doctor."
"Wait, which series?" asked Charlie.
"Original."
"Got it," said October. "Aphrodite, do you have that new spell?"
"Yes, boss," she said. She pulled it up on her tablet. "It'll help us blend in with any universe we go to."
"Excellent. Does everyone have their transporter packs?"
The team made a noise that sounded like a low rumble, but was actually composed of people saying "yeah" or "yep" or "uh-huh" or something else of that nature.
"Now, pay attention," October said. "This is important. I want you to type in exactly what I tell you to, and don't do anything else until I say it's okay. We can't have you being transported to some random universe. It'd take forever to track you down."
"Um, excuse me," said Ginny, raising her hand.
"Yes, other Weasley?"
"I have a question."
"Shoot."
"What happens if you mistype and put in a universe that doesn't exist at all?"
She paused, and then said, "Do you really want to know?"
"Aw, come on, boss," said Charlie. "She's not a kid. She deserves to know."
"Tell me," Ginny insisted.
"Yeah, I wanna know, too," agreed Harry. The others nodded in agreement.
"If we can't find the creator, or if we can't convince the creator to erase the Sue, we transport the Sue to a universe that doesn't exist."
"And what happens to them?" asked Hermione.
"That's the worst part," Brandon said. "Since a Sue can't really die unless it's erased, they're just trapped in Nothingness forever. They're awake, but they're just surrounded by darkness. No sounds, no sights, no feelings, just… nothing."
"That's terrible!" said Ginny, clearly horrified. "No one deserves that!"
Aphrodite nodded. "We know. We don't like doing it if we can possibly avoid it, but sometimes it's our only option."
"We never do it unless absolutely necessary," Charlie added. "Destroying it is really kinder in the end."
"Wait, what happens if a human is sent to the Nothingness?" asked Draco.
"Well," said October, "they die."
There was a long, very tense pause.
"Sooo… are gonna go kill something, or what?" Charlie finally asked.
"Right," said October, "type 'Trek_Original_Series' into the universe space, and 'CoatCloset2' into the location space. That should be out of the way enough. Is everyone ready?"
Once again, a low rumble of "yeahs" and "yeps" sounded.
"Okay. Hit the 'transport' button when I say' go.'"
"Dammit, Jim, I thought we were done with this crap when we got rid of Ensign Sue!" McCoy said, glancing at the new doctor, Sapphire Eleanor Rose Suzette de Mont.
"I know, I know," Kirk sighed. "So did I. She just showed up out of nowhere!"
"What should we do? Give her another red shirt?"
Suddenly, a group of people neither Kirk nor McCoy had seen before walked by.
"How come I have to wear a red shirt?" a girl with blue hair groaned.
"Shut it, Adams," another young woman said. "It's just for the mission. If you get put into mortal peril or something, we can get you out easily enough."
"Jim, should we get security?" McCoy asked.
"Probably," the Captain said.
"Now," said a boy with red hair and freckles, "if I were a Mary Sue, where would I hide?"
"I just hope she doesn't notice us so we can kill her."
Kirk turned to McCoy. "Let them stay."
Missy Shadows was alone in the room. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Gigi was out of the hallway and well on her way to the lounge. Good, she was. Missy shut the door and locked it. She couldn't afford to risk anyone butting in on this conversation.
After deactivating the room's microphones (October insisted on recording their conversations, just in case they forgot something important), she went to the computer and opened up a video chat. Her employer appeared on the screen, her features obscured in shadows.
"Ah, Miss Shadows," her employer said. Missy could see just enough of her face to see that she was smiling.
"You wanted to speak to me?"
"Yes. I wanted to find out what your progress was. Have you been carrying out your assignments?"
The teenager nodded. "Yes, ma'am. But posing as an intern restricts where I can go. I have to be really subtle whenever I listen in. If I'm caught, I'm sent to mop the floor someplace."
"Yes, interns always get stuck with the boring jobs, don't they? But it's for the best. People wouldn't expect someone like you to be a threat. We have to use that to our advantage."
"They've found out that Sapphire is a reality warper," Missy reported. "They have transporter packs that allow them to follow her and spells that allow them to blend in as well as she can."
"This isn't good…"
"I'm trying to find out more, but Gigi keeps me on a short leash."
"Keep a close eye on them, Miss Shadows. And listen in on all their conversations. Especially when Gigi tells you not to."
Whoo! It took forever to write, but this chapter is done! And I have more news. On my profile, I've posted a link to my Polyvore account, where I've made outfit sets for October, Charlie, Aphrodite, Gigi, and Missy. Check them out, and comment on them in your review!
~ Cookie VanDeKamp ~
