The Eternity Legion
A Crossover Saga Starring Characters From A Myriad Fictional Worlds
Book One: The Gathering
Featuring Characters and Concepts from:
Alien (Movie Series)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV Series)
Charmed (TV Series)
The Chtulhu Mythos, by H.P. Lovecraft et al.
Doc Savage, Man of Bronze, by Lester Dent
Hercules, the Legendary Journeys (TV Series)
Highlander (TV Series)
Indiana Jones (Movie Series)
Sliders (TV Series)
Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthus Conan Doyle
The Riftswar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist.
Star Trek: Next Generation and Deep Space Nine (TV Series)
Teminator I & II (Movies)
Xena Warrior Princess (TV Series)
By J.C. Lords (jclord96@aol.com)
Copyright and Trademark Disclaimer (Long)
Alien and associated characters, concepts and names are @ copyright and ® trademarks of Fox and related entities.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and associated characters, concepts and names are @ copyright and ® trademarks of Fox and related entities.
Star Trek and associated characters, concepts and names are @ copyright and ® trademarks of Paramount Pictures.
Highlander and associated characters, concepts and names are @ copyright and ® trademarks of Rysher Entertainment.
Xena Warrior Princess, Hercules the Legendary Journeys and associated characters, concepts and names are @ copyright and ® trademarks of Universal Pictures and/or MCA Universal and/or Renaissance Pictures.
The Riftwar, Serpent War and associated characters, concepts and names are @ copyright and ® trademarks of Raymond E. Feist.
Terminator and associated characters, concepts and names are @ copyright and ® trademarks of Carolco.
Doc Savage and associated characters, concepts and names are @ copyright and ® trademarks of Conde Nash Publications Inc.
Indiana Jones and associated characters, concepts and names are @ copyright and ® trademarks of Lucasfilms, Ltd.
Star Wars and associated characters, concepts and names are @ copyright and ® trademarks of Lucasfilms, Ltd.
Sliders and associated characters, concepts and names are @ copyright and ® trademarks of St Clair Entertainment and/or MCA Universal and/or USA Networks.
Charmed and associated characters, concepts and names are @ copyright and ® trademarks of WB Television Network and/or Aaron Spelling.
Chapter Two: Introductions and Explanations
They were sitting at a round white table – a fact that stirred some commentary on the part of some of them – a huge table that could accommodate dozens of people, with several chairs to spare in between. In the middle of the table, a flickering globe of light seemed to float lightly up and down.
They arrived singly or in groups, each through a different door. Their guides asked them to sit themselves quietly, and they all did, sometimes whispering among themselves.
Quinn Mallory and his friends sat to the left of a tall, thin man with the aquiline nose wearing mildly outdated clothing. Professor Arturo kept glancing at him, and finally introduced himself.
The other man accepted the proffered handshake. "Delighted to see another British citizen in this gathering, sir. I am Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective." Holmes was mildly surprised at the gasp of amazement his introduction incited.
The people to the right of the Sliders were wearing really outdated clothing – leather and homespun woolen garments. They also had swords and other medieval stuff. Maggie looked curiously at them, pausing admiringly when her eyes slid over the big guy with long hair.
"Hi," said the younger of that group, a girl with short blonde hair. "I'm Gabrielle of Podadeia."
"Hi. I'm Maggie of the United States. These are my friends Quinn, Rembrandt, Maximillian and Wade." The other Sliders, still stunned by the revelation they were sitting next to the Sherlock Holmes, sort of waved half-heartedly in their direction.
Gabrielle smiled. "Well, this is Xena," Xena looked coolly towards Maggie. In her life, Maggie had met few women – and not that many men – she couldn't handle in a fair fight; she added Xena to that list. "And these are Ioalus and Hercules."
Professor Arturo started coughing.
"Hercules?" Maggie said incredulously. "As in, son of Jupiter, strongest man in the world Hercules?"
Hercules looked embarrassed. Gabrielle and Ioalus nodded. "We usually call Jupiter by his Greek name, Zeus," Ioalus said. "Are you from Rome, perhaps?"
"Canada," Rembrandt said blankly. "We're from Canada." Quinn elbowed him on the side. "Snap out of it, Remie." He extended his hand. "Pleasure meeting you, Hercules." Well, his grip was even worse than Lydia's, so maybe he was the Hercules.
Ioalus turned to his right, where people dressed more appropriately were sitting quietly. One man was almost as tall as Hercules, and wearing gilded chain mail. He was also looking intently at Hercules.
"Hey, how are you doing?" Ioalus said.
The smiling bald man waved at him. "I'm Nakor. We were just admiring your demi-god friend. I bet he can do some great tricks."
"Well, I don't perform publicly, but have entertained at some children's parties," Hercules said. Nakor introduced his companions. Pug and Miranda seemed to be in a bit of a daze, examining their surroundings. Tomas gripped Hercules hand. It was a friendly test of strength, and left both men impressed and respectful of each other.
Sherlock Holmes turned from the gaping people to his right. He was mildly disappointed in Professor Arturo's loss of composure; the customary English stiff upper lip, it seemed, had not kept well through the ages. To his left sat a balding man and several companions, all wearing a uniform not very different, except in color, from the clothing his host had worn. The older man – the leader, clearly – turned towards him. "Did I hear correctly, sir, when you identified yourself as Mr. Sherlock Holmes?" he said in perfect Queen's English.
"You heard correctly, Mr…"
"Captain Jon-Luc Picard. I am quite delighted to meet you, sir. I have been an avid reader of Dr. Watson's renditions of your adventures, as published by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."
"Ah, yes, Sir Arthur. I am surprised to hear those somewhat exaggerated accounts have survived the centuries. I always thought they would be the wonder of the day, swiftly forgotten."
"Quite the contrary, sir. In fact, one of my crewmembers, Mr. Data, prides himself in his knowledge and emulation of your adventures." He turned towards his companions. "Mr. Data..?"
Data was looking to his left, to yet another group. He seemed to be most interested in the tall, almost hulking man in a leather jacket, clearly of 20th century make and style. "Captain," Data said, almost as if speaking to himself. "I believe that this man is a cybernetic organism. Quite remarkable."
The T-100 stared back. His sensors had swept through the room. Finding several non-humans, humans with unusual energy readings about them, and – this one. It was a synthetic organism, highly sophisticated and resilient. Although it wasn't a Cyberdyne product, the T-100 felt some sense of kinship towards the organism.
John noticed it, and the strange yellow man. "Hey, who's the pale-face?"
"A synthetic organism," the Terminator (Arnold, as he was beginning to think of himself) replied. "Complex polymers for skin and muscle, a heavy alloy chassis, tensile strength 20% greater than T-100 standard combat endoskeleton. Power plant of unknown characteristics but highly energetic."
"That is quite correct," Data said, offering his hand. "I am Data, an android."
"I am Arnold, designation Cyberdyne Model T-100, Terminator."
Behind Data, Mr. Riker's eyebrows rose. "Terminator? That's a disquieting title."
"Very accurate, sir," Data continued. "The T-100's frame and specifications indicate he was designed for a combat role, with an emphasis on infiltration. The outer humanoid shell is a marvel of bio-engineering. It required a deep tricorder scan to see below the façade."
"My bud's the best, you mean," John said.
"He does seem to be the product of a highly sophisticated civilization," Data agreed.
"Sure," Sarah Connor said bitterly. "A highly sophisticated civilization that all but wiped out humanity."
While the command crew of the Enterprise mulled over this, the second largest group, after the Starfleet people, was sitting relatively quietly, looking every which way.
"Hey, those guys talking to the big biker look a bit like the cast of Galaxy Quest," Xander said.
"I think they are for real," Willow replied.
"What do you think, Giles?" Buffy asked her mentor.
The Watcher was looking every which way. "If I had to guess, I would say that some of the people in this room lead roles similar to yours, Buffy. They may not be Slayers, but nonetheless I feel – I hope – that they are on the side of the angels.
"You're right, Mr. Giles," Phoebe said. "I've gotten a few psychic flashes already, and some of these people have led some very strange lives."
"I guess we are about to join the Super Fiends," Xander said.
"It would be nice to share fighting evil critters with more people," Willow said. "Maybe Buffy can get a few days off every once in a while, and so on…"
A couple of chairs down, two other groups were engaged in a lively discussion.
"Amanda?"
"Indy?"
"McLeod!"
"Dr. Jones."
"Are you going to deck me again?" Jones asked of MacLeod. The two men faced off tensely.
Amanda turned to MacLeod. "Duncan! You didn't?"
"You are to blame. You are the one who slept with him in Egypt," MacLeod said, and then shrugged, looking almost amused. "Dr. Jones – Indy – I was behaving foolishly then, and you have my apologies. Besides that all happened a long time ago."
"What do you mean, a long time ago," Indy said angrily. "Two months is a long time?"
"It's been sixty years for us," Amanda explained.
Indy blinked, and paused. "Well, then, you look very well for someone in her nineties."
"Oh, Indy." Amanda looked sad. She glanced at MacLeod, who indicated their strange surroundings and shrugged. "Actually, Indy, I am over a thousand years old. MacLeod is about four hundred."
Indy started to stammer something out, when Doc Savage put a hand on his shoulder. "Dr. Jones," he said softly but firmly. "I think that this particular situation can wait until after our hosts explain their actions to all of us." His piercing eyes met MacLeod's and Duncan felt a will as indomitable as any Immortal's facing him. They all sat down quietly.
Ripley and Call also looked about themselves, quietly. "Well, whatever this place is, it's not a government facility."
"I've never seen anything like this," Call replied. "A few of them don't even seem to be human."
"Neither are we, though," Ripley said with a quirky smile. "None of them smell wrong, though. But those two over there," she gestured towards Data and Arnold, "they smell like androids to me."
"Cool," Call said somewhat bitterly. "Maybe we can form a band, or something."
The last two sat quietly and spoke softly to each other. Qui-Gon smiled a bit. "Don't fret so much, young Jedi," he told his student. "Savor this moment. Never have I seen such an unusual gathering, and likely I never will again. I wish Yoda was here."
"Yes," Obi Wan agreed. "The Force is so strong here, but it has such unusual hues – the man and the woman there," he said, gesturing at MacLeod and Amanda. "They have tremendous energies coursing through them, keeping them alive. And the ones to our left – I have never felt such raw power. They are godlike beings."
"They are merely highly skilled in some applications of the Force," Qi-jong said confidently. "More importantly, there is no darkness here. These peoples – even the strange droids – are not evil. I feel that most of them, under different circumstances, would have been honored members of the Jedi Orders. A couple of them have the potential – I might train them myself."
"I think I understand, master."
"Good. Now let's be quiet and listen."
The light sphere at the center shimmered, and coalesced into a face of a woman. She was neither young nor old, but had a dignity that impressed Hercules, who had rubbed elbows with gods, Picard, who had dealt with his share of rulers, cosmic entities and alien beings, and MacLeod, how had experienced a great deal in his centuries of life.
"My name is Mother," the woman said. "Once, I was a corporeal being. I was born on Earth, on the year 1973 of the Christian Era. I Transcended in the year 4118 of the Christian calendar, although at that time we referred to it as the First Stage of the Synergy. After Transcendence, years cease to be a meaningful measure of time, any more than any of you would count seconds an put them in a date. Time itself ceases to be wholly linear, except in its most important elements, namely that there is a beginning, and there is an end."
Some of the people in the group looked sceptical – the Sliders, the Connors, a few of the Enterprise crew. Others – Pug and Miranda chief among them -- appeared impressed. As soon as the woman appeared, Counselor Troy leaned over Captain Picard. "The power of her mind – I've only felt something of this magnitude when we've encountered Q," she whispered. Picard nodded grimly. Nakor looked delighted, Data curious. Amanda and MacLeod both felt as in the presence of another Immortal, but one who made them feel like children. The two Jedis, even Qui-Gon, were awed.
"You may be wondering why I've called all of you here," Mother continued. "Your qualifications, of course, are the main reason. Each of you is a unique individual, survivor, idealist -- hero." Some of them – Indiana Jones, Quinn and his friends -- squirmed uncomfortably at that. "A few of you have tremendous powers and abilities far beyond those of normal humans. The rest of you have a great deal of courage, resourcefulness, and luck. All of you have a great deal of experience dealing with new situations and places. We have need for that flexibility of mind and spirit." She paused. "All of humanity, and to some degree the entire universe needs you."
"That is a very large claim you make, madam," Duncan MacLeod said. Several people – Quinn Mallory, Miranda, Commander Riker, and Sarah Connor – nodded in agreement. Nakor just smiled confidently.
"Yes, it is, Duncan MacLeod of Clan MacLeod," Mother said. "A tall tale, and one that spans a near infinity of times and places.
"To begin, some of you are familiar with the concept of time travel."
People nodded all around. The Connors and the T-100 quite vigorously, Pecard with a pained look in his face. Others looked dubious. Professor Arturo piped in. "Your pardon, madam. I may speak out of ignorance, but my research show that true time travel is an impossibility that violates the laws of causality and produces irreconcilable paradoxes."
"And you are partially right," Mother said with a smile that made Arturo feel absurdly pleased with himself. "There is an alternative, however."
"Quite correct. My colleague, Quinn Mallory, developed a means to travel between parallel but separate realities, as predicted by quantum theory."
"An impressive development," Data said. "Especially given that you may have made your discovery without the benefit of the Suraci-Tavek Tensors, or the Spock Parachronic Equations."
"Very impressive indeed," Mother added. "And, in over a trillion timelines, only a handful of people, almost half of them versions of Quinn Mallory, ever made the discovery in the late 20th century."
"Excuse me," Miranda said. "You are speaking not of travel between times, but between worlds, is that correct?"
"Yes," Mother agreed. "Chronolines are universes where events took a different course. In the beginning of time, there was one chronoline. Within seconds of the Big Bang, there were hundreds of thousands of them. When humans achieved civilization, there were billions, perhaps trillions. Some are wholly different from your own – Mallory's device allows travel across a relatively narrow band of worlds, all of them nearly identical, except for minor details."
"I wouldn't call some of those details 'minor,'" Wade whispered. The Professor hushed her with a gesture.
A few seats down, Gabrielle leaned towards Xena. "Do you know what she is talking about."
Iaolus answered. "I think I do. Remember me telling you about the world where Hercules never was born, and Xena ruled the world?" Xena nodded; that tale had not amused her greatly. "And the one where Hercules turned to evil? She is saying there are many worlds like that."
"The reason the vast majority of you are from Earth, or from worlds with a strong connection to Earth, like Midkemia," she looked towards Pug and his group, "and Gea/Midgard," now she looked at Hercules, Xena and their sidekicks, "is that humankind is among the handful of races that plays a major role in a majority of all timelines. Of trillions of worlds, humanity plays a fundamental role in many billions of them.
"That is why the Enemy wishes to utterly destroy humankind."
Tomas nodded grimly. "Ah. Now we come to the heart of the subject," he muttered.
"My people first encountered the Enemy some 3.2 billion years after the rise of humans on Earth. At that point we had Transcended, and we dwelled in several million galaxies. Our primary goal at the time was to halt the expansion of the universe, which was due to occur."
There were blank stares from many of the people at the table. "I realize that the time and space scales I am talking about are beyond the experience and knowledge of many of you. Let me just say that it was important, difficult work..
"The Enemy appeared at the very edge of the expanding universe. It attacked our outposts there, and took us by surprise. We had not had to fight a war for millions of years. The attack took place on a myriad of levels, from the physical, in the form of supernova detonations and hurled singularities, to the temporal and what most of you would call metaphysical – the realms of soul and magic. The main thrust of the attack was temporal, or para-temporal, to be precise.
"You see, just as at the beginning of the universe there was only one chronoline, towards the end most timelines will join together into one. By the time of the attack, the number of possible worlds had narrowed to a few thousand, and decreasing fast, as the universes "melded" into each other. We were approaching Unity.
"The Enemy was attacking the past, arriving to earlier timelines and altering them, usually by destroying humanity. That weakened us, made us vulnerable to direct attack. The number of timelines where no Transcendence took place, where entropy was allowed free rein and the universe expanded into oblivion, grew in number. It became clear that the enemy would win, unless we interfered with their attempts to destroy humankind. A few of us volunteered, and we set up bases in the empty timelines where the expansion of the universe destroyed all life and consciousness. You are in one of those bases, a planetoid-sized fortress, the only concentration of matter larger than a hydrogen atom in the entire universe."
Mother paused, and let the group digest the news.
"As you well know, the expansion of the universe is an observed phenomenon, Captain," Data reported in a whisper. "It would take an immeasurable amount of power to stop it. It would appear that humanity's descendants have access to abilities beyond those of the Q collective and other cosmic-class entities."
"And yet something defeated them," Riker said glumly.
"And they intend us to do something to prevent this defeat," Picard added. He turned to Counselor Troy. "Could you sense if she is telling the truth?"
"She seemed sincere, Captain," Troy answered. "And I feel no signs of manipulation, although a being with enough power would not need to be subtle to force us to do anything. The fact that she is trying to convince us rather than force us to do as she wishes is a good sign in itself."
A few chairs down, MacLeod took a deep breath. "Well, that's something you don't hear every day." He looked thoughtful. "I wonder if Transcendence has something to do with the Quickening."
"Maybe," Amanda said doubtfully.
Not too far away: "Transcendence must be the final development of the Force," Obi Wan said.
"You may be quite right," Qui-Gon said. "And this Enemy is certainly the moral opposite of the Force."
"Well, we are safe here, so I can speak of Sarig, the enemy of all reality, with you," Nakor said.
Pug, Miranda and Tomas blinked a few times. "Yes, I remember his name now," Pug said. "Yes, this place is probably protected from even his powers."
"He must be behind this attack on Mother's people," Miranda said.
"It's Dahak," Gabrielle said a few seats down. "He is the Enemy."
"Or maybe Dahak is a servant of the Enemy," Hercules said. "Either way, it's bad news."
"How about that stuff about humans becoming like gods," Ioalus said. "I wouldn't mind seeing that happen, one day, at least."
"Hopefully by then we'll be wise enough to handle such powers, unlike our gods," Hercules muttered, thinking of Zeus and Ares.
"We couldn't do much worse, I hope," Xena agreed.
Further down, Rembrandt looked like someone waking up for a dream. "All right, Cueball," he muttered. "Can you make any sense of this?"
"Well, the basic astrophysics check out – the universe has been shown to be expanding, but that's not really my field. And the idea that someone is using Sliding technology to attack the past – it is possible, especially if timelines eventually converge into one, or a few."
"If that is the case," Arturo said, "It would appear we have no choice but to do what we can to prevent this."
"Quite right, Professor," Holmes said. "Although the metaphysics are quite beyond me, I believe that our personal skills are uniquely suited to prevent these unknown adversaries from altering the course of history much as we would alter the flow of a river." He turned toward Mother. "I presume, Madam, that our adversaries cannot use direct force to attack the myriad paths of history."
"That is correct, to a certain degree, Mr. Holmes. The Enemy's resources are limited. Like my people, it finds traveling to other timelines, especially in the objective past, to be nearly impossible. It works through agents, although on occasion It – or they, if you prefer -- may manifest directly on a reality, usually with utterly devastating consequences."
Picard raised his hand, feeling somewhat foolish about it. "So, what do you know about the Enemy? How do we combat it?"
"The Enemy appears to originate in a reality alien to us. It has many guises; a 20th century author called them the Outer Gods. Call It Sarig or Yog-Soggoth, Dahak or Nyarlathotep, if you will. You have more in common with the Borg, the Q continuum, or the Vallheru than you do with these beings. Even the transdimensional beings some of you would call demons belong to this reality, while the Enemy and Its many avatars do not.
"It does rely on creatures from our reality, however -- people from diverse species, human and non-human, demons, and others. Many of them serve It unwittingly – the Borg, for example, who represent a dead end in evolution, or the demon hordes that threatened Midkemia during the Serpent War, who destroy for destruction's sake, or the Cro-Mags, who in all timelines are doomed to destroy themselves in ceaseless war, or the alien xenomorphs who only seek to breed and destroy all living beings."
Sarah Connor muttered "Or the Cyberdine computer." John nodded and squeezed his mother's hand.
"This is big," Xander said in a low voice. "Really big."
Giles gathered his thoughts. "Our benefactor is talking about evil in its most primal form. Something that makes even demons seem normal."
"And somehow, I don't think a stake through the heart is going to do the trick," Buffy said.
Mother continued. "The reason I called you here is to ask for your help. We need people with the skills, courage and luck to deal with the Enemy's attempt to destroy humankind. In some cases, covert, subtle operations will all that's needed. In others, all-out warfare may be in order. All of you have already saved humankind several times." Indiana Jones looked dubious at first, then remembered the Ark of the Covenant. "The battlefield will span galaxies and aeons. I wish I could tell you the missions will be easy, or the outcome predetermined, but that is not the case.
"There will be some rewards for those who accept our offer. Between missions, you will be allowed to live in almost any timeline of your choice, including your own. You will be compensated very well, and able to lead prosperous lives, and you will be allowed to rest between missions. But the jobs will be many, and dangerous.
"I call this group the Eternity Legion, for we fight for stakes that may influence the course of the eons. Our numbers are not great, but we come from a myriad of worlds. My two assistants, Lydia and Lucian, come from a world that was near Transcendence, until the Enemy destroyed it, condemning their timeline to oblivion. You are the first group of candidates. They will search for many more, from many times and places.
"Those of you who don't wish to join us will be returned to your place of origin, with our thanks." She paused for a moment. "I know such a decision should not be made in haste. My assistants, Lydia and Lucian will show you to a dining hall, where food and drink will be served. You will then be shown places where you may rest and talk, among yourselves and with your fellow candidates. Take all the time you need. At any time, you may tell Lydia or Lucian that you wish to leave, and your wish will be granted." With that, the head disappeared.
"Wow," John Connor said into the silence that followed.
"Anyone for dinner, or lunch, or whatever?" Maggie said. "I'm starving."
It was a large dining hall, which was fortunate, since there were almost forty people in the room.
Picard examined the Starfleet contingent: himself, Riker, Data, Troy, Geordi, Worf – a welcome sight indeed – Dr. Bechir and Ezri Dax, formerly from Deep Space Nine, and Kira, the current Deep Space Nine commander. They were by far the largest group in the hall. The remaining candidates were still clumped in small groups, but they were beginning to speak to each other, as a buffet-style dinner was served. There was a dazzling variety of food, all of it of human make, many of them dishes any 20th or 24th century person would recognize, others very unusual, catering to any taste or preference imaginable. Lucian was currently tending the bar, where a variety of alcohol, synthehol and soft drinks were available. At the moment, people were going for drinks, and not eating yet.
"I suggest we mingle for a while," Picard told his companions, and headed out to do just that. He found Sherlock Holmes in a lively discussion with Professor Arturo. As he approached, Holmes made introductions for both of them. "A pleasure Professor. From what little I've gathered, you have seen almost as many versions of Earth as the Enterprise has visited worlds."
Arturo gave a slight bow. "It has been an often dubious honor, Captain. I am glad to see that humanity was able to break free of the limitations of light and gravity, and that we were eventually able to see the stars."
"Well, if we are to work together – assuming of course we accept the offer – then you may have the opportunity to visit us at the Enterprise."
"I would be delighted," Arturo replied. "I'm sure she is a fine vessel."
"The best," Picard said, setting false modesty aside.
At the other side of the room, Counselor Troy and Commander Riker were talking to Qui-Gon. "I sensed your powerful psychic abilities as soon as you walked in the room," Troy said.
"Yes, I also sense the Force is strong in you, my dear lady," Qui-Gon said. "But your abilities are unusually different, untrained and undeveloped in some areas, very refined in others."
"She is quite refined indeed," Riker said, putting a semi-protective arm around her.
Qui-Gon glanced towards his student, who at the moment was speaking to MacLeod, Amanda and Nakor.
"What is this Force, exactly?" Amanda asked the young Jedi.
"I believe it is something like the Quickening," MacLeod said.
"Force, Quickening, they are just other names for the stuff that makes up everything in the universe," Nakor said. "If you know how to work the stuff, you can do some neat tricks. In my world, people call those tricks 'magic,' which is as good a name as any, I suppose." Nakor looked at Obi Wan with a critical expression. "Yes, I can see you can do all kinds of neat tricks." He turned to MacLeod. "It's too bad you have so much good stuff in you, and the only trick you know is how to stay young."
"That seems like a pity," Obi Wan said. "With your potential, I think either of you would have been famous Jedi Knights."
"I'm not exactly fond of knights," Amanda replied.
Giles had approached Sherlock Holmes, and the two were talking. "I hope all this talk of supernatural activity hasn't unduly upset you," Giles said.
"Quite the contrary, Mr. Giles. When one has eliminated every other possible explanation, the one that remains, however improbably is the true one. Mr. Data has intimated that magic is related to mentalism, and abilities such as Mesmer demonstrated not that long ago – from my point of view, that is."
Not too far away, Doctor Beshir was chatting with Doc Savage. "I fear that many of the medical procedures used in the 20th century are considered barbaric in the 24th, Doctor," Beshir said.
"I wouldn't expect anything else, given the rate of change I have seen during my life. I would expect that invasive surgery is a thing of the past, and contagion all but eradicated by your time."
"You are right about both. Perhaps you will have a chance to study some of our techniques."
"I would like that very much."
Data had approached the other android in the room. After politely asking for Call's permission, he ran a tricorder scan on her. "Remarkable," Data said. "You are a very sophisticated organism, with a logic and emotional set of algorithms that surpasses mine."
"Be nice," Ripley said behind Call. "She doesn't like to be reminded she's not human."
"Ah. My apologies."
Willow looked a little lost, until she saw a blonde girl, maybe a little older than her, but with a friendly smile, for all that she was dressed like an extra from a Robin Hood movie. "Hi, I'm Willow Rosenberg."
"Greetings, I'm Gabrielle from Podadeia."
"I feel like we should have little stickers with our names on them."
"Stickers? Um, that sounds like a good idea. You mean like little pieces of parchment with some resin or tar on one side, that we could stick on our tunics?"
"Something like that," Willow said, a bit more dubiously. She looked for Buffy, and saw her talking to a woman in a red uniform.
"Major Kira, from the planet Bejor," the woman said.
"Buffy, from planet Earth," Buffy said with a serious face.
"I'm in charge of Deep Space Nine, a space station."
"I'm in charge of destroying vampires and demons."
"Demons – yes, we have creatures similar to demons in Bajor. Our Emissary from the Prophets fought them, and defeated them, not too long ago. You must be the Emissary from Earth."
"Well, kind of."
Miranda and Pug approached the Haliwell sisters.
"Uh, hi," Phoebe said.
Pug bowed lightly towards her. "Pug of Stardock."
"Miranda of Kesh," his companion said. "We sensed your auras, and realized you were magicians of some sort."
"Witches, actually," Prue said. Piper clutched the Book of Shadows protectively.
"Perhaps we may learn much from each other," Pug said. "I have seen magic worked in many worlds; there are many different styles and applications, each with its own strengths and weaknesses."
"That sounds good," Piper replied. "Although we still have a lot to learn about our own style of magic."
John Connor wanted an arm-wrestling match between Arnold and Hercules. Hercules was mildly embarrassed, but the kid insisted. Worf, Ioalus, Tomas, Sarah Connor, Wade and Rembrandt watched as the two big guys sat at one of the dinner tables arranged around the buffet table.
"Boys will be boys," Sarah Connor said with the hint of a smile.
"You're telling me?" Wade said. They had been talking for a bit comparing their experiences of time travel and dimensional travel. Neither was particularly eager to undertake any more of it.
The T-100 and Hercules gripped each other's hand and went to it. Demigod muscles strained; mechanical servos beneath false flesh pushed. "Go, Arnold!" John shouted.
Hercules had met few people who could make him work up a sweat. Arnold proved to be one of them. He had to really push himself, but, slowly, inexorably, he forced the T-100's hand down.
The table, stressed beyond its design parameters, shattered into powder just as he was about to make Arnold's hand touch the tabletop.
"Cool!" John said. "You really are Hercules!"
"Wowza," Iaolus commented. Even Worf looked impressed.
That little incident seemed to signal dinnertime. People grabbed a plate, and sat in one of the nine (formerly ten) tables set up for that purpose. The old groups were back, more or less. Holmes sat with Doc Savage, who had studied with an older version of the great detective. Quinn and Arturo had invited Giordi over, and were trying to wrap their minds around the concept of warp engines, while explaining the principles of Sliding. Wade and Rembrandt found the whole thing too tedious for words, but found Indiana Jones to be good company. Maggie was listening to Sarah Connor's tale of the rise of machines over man, while Bashir listened sympathetically and spoke of the Borg threat, with some help from Ezri Dax.
At Starfleet's main table, Picard, Data, Riker and Troy were conferring in private. "Your thoughts, Number One."
"For one, it seems we will be asked to violate the Prime Directive, especially the Temporal Prime Directive."
"True, but this is unavoidable, seeing that a third party is already doing so, and to the detriment of humankind and the Federation," Picard replied.
"So you will go along with this."
"Do I have any choice? The Federation has already detached the Enterprise to this duty. I'm sure they will find someone willing to captain her, should I turn down this offer. Even if that were not the case, Will, I would choose to go. I have fought the Borg and the Dominion. Faced with a threat of this magnitude, I cannot but do the same here."
"I will also go," Data said. "The mission, the nature of our benefactor, and our would-be allies are all rather… intriguing."
Riker looked at Troy. "Deanna?"
"Will… What will you do?"
"Go, I suppose. For much the same reasons as everyone else."
Deanna took his hand in hers. "Then you will not go alone."
Picard cleared his throat and pretended to look away. Everyone at the table chuckled.
Two tables away, Pug and Miranda observed the rest of the gathering. "I believe most of them will accept," Pug said.
"Even Tomas?" The big half-Valheru was sitting down with Hercules, Xena and their companions; he seemed to have developed a fast friendship with them.
"Even Tomas, I think. Oh, he will wish to return to Elvandar as often as he can, and probably lament the necessity, but he has a strong sense of duty, and enough Valheru left in him to crave the challenge."
"And I believe that includes you, too."
"Could I do any less? I was already pledged to fight beings such as Sarig. This "Mother" seems to have powers and resources that surpass the gods'. It would be foolish to turn her down."
"How much could you tell about her?"
"Very powerful, although I feel she had to forgo much of that power to be able to communicate with us. Her job must feel like some terrible exile, away from her kind. Our companions are more interesting, in many ways."
"Yes. They are quite the motley crew, aren't they? I think my old employee, Boldar Blood, would have felt at home with them."
"True. The two Jedi Knights are living proof of Nakor's theories about magic. They have enormous power, unbound by rigid spells and rituals. They remind me of Gamina, my adopted daughter." He paused for a moment, reliving the old pain. "There are three mechanical people," he continued, "made with some clockwork-like mechanism, and no magic to it. And so much more. What we have here is a gathering of heroes the likes of which has never been assembled."
After dinner, the guests were shown a long hallway, each wall covered with doors spaced a few meters apart. There were enough rooms for each candidate, but each individual room could accommodate as many as ten people comfortably. For several days, the candidates slept there, going out to eat, and visiting the multimedia library – well stocked with books, videos and holosuites – that they were shown on the next morning.
For many, the decision was made in minutes. Holmes took a single suite, to smoke a pipe and meditate about todays' events. His decision had been made almost instantly: the stakes of the game, and the challenge involved made it impossible to turn down the offer of that most unusual woman. He had asked but one thing, and one thing only. In the morning, he would pay a visit to one Dr. Watson, and make him an offer his old friend would find difficulty in refusing.
Pug was right about his companions. They all joined the Legion right away. Picard and his crew were already committed, and said so. The others took some more time.
Even those who wished to sign up immediately were asked to wait. Take a few days to think about it and discuss your decision with your friends, Lydia and Lucian said. Relax and smell the roses. Most did.
The Sliders spent some time catching up on each other's adventures. Professor Arturo, it turned out, had been left behind when the Sliders met up with another world's Arturo. The "fake" one had died heroically trying to save them, even as the "real" Arturo worked feverishly to build his own sliding device.
Wade had been captured by the Cro-Mag. Mercifully, she had few memories of her ordeal. She was a bit quieter, and she kept staring at Quinn.
"So, here we are, all together, and we don't have to stare at a timer," Quinn said.
"Don't mind that last part one bit," Maggie replied.
"From what Lydia and Lucian said, they can drop us off anywhere in the Multiverse. If we choose not to join them, that is. Even if we do, we can find a home somewhere out there."
"So what are you doing, Cueball?"
"I'm not sure yet." He looked at them. "You guys are the only family I have left. I don't want to lose any of you, and I don't want to risk your lives, either. I think I will join the Legion, though. But I don't want the rest of you doing it just because we want to stick together. Wherever you go, I will visit you."
"Well, my boy, you will not visit them alone," Professor Arturo said. "For I am joining this Legion. Our world has been destroyed, and I can find of no better cause than to prevent such disasters from happening."
Rembrandt sighed. "I need to think about this for a while. I have already fought in the war against the Cro-Mags. I don't know if I want to fight another war."
Maggie shrugged. "I'm joining up. I've been in the military before, and this Mother looks like she knows what she's doing."
Wade remained quiet. Quinn wanted to say something, but thought better of it.
Two days later, Wade said she would also join up. She and Quinn started spending a lot more time together. If Maggie thought anything about that, she kept it to herself.
Sarah Connor's life was divided into two halves. The first half had belonged to an innocent, happy girl from the '80s, whose only worry had been to pay for her apartment and finding a decent date. The other half had been shaped by the arrival of the Terminator; it had been a decade-long nightmare, the only bright spots in them being her time with Reese and the birth of her son.
Now, she seemed to be approaching a new era.
"So, what did you find?" she asked the T-100. Jake was sitting on a bed, listening quietly.
"I accessed the databanks in the library. You and John Connor are central to hundreds of thousands of timelines. The Enemy will try to destroy both of you, wherever you go."
"The Legion can protect us."
"Affirmative. Probability of survival, if we join the Eternity Legion: 68.71%. If we refuse: 34.2%."
"Mom, we have to, anyway. They saved Arnold, and now we don't have to hide from other Terminators. Besides," he said with a smile. "That Willow chick was kind of cute."
"She's a bit too old for you, Jake."
"Mom!"
She smiled. "Besides, if we join up, you are going back to school full time."
Jake grimaced. "Great."
Yes, they would join the Legion. She had once already committed herself to surviving World War Three and forging her son into a weapon to free humankind. Now he – and she – would not be alone.
Giles returned to the common bedroom the Scooby gang had staked out. Buffy looked intently at him. "What's the hopefully good word, Giles?"
Giles sat down. "Well, I spoke with Lucian. First, what the Haliwell sisters did closed our world's Hellmouth once and for all. All vampires and demons in our world are dead. Except Angel," he hurriedly added when Buffy started rearing up. "His curse protected him from the closing of the Hellmouth."
"But if the curse is broken…" she said sadly.
Giles nodded. "… he will die as well. I'm sorry, Buffy."
"So it's over? The Slayer business, demon of the week, all of that?"
"There may be a few minor outbreaks, but without a Hellmouth, the forces of Darkness have been crippled. Other groups, like that organization that friend of yours belongs to, can take care of them. Our world no longer needs a Slayer."
"Then maybe this Slayer can quit for good," Buffy said.
"Yes. Even if you join the Legion, Lucian says you can live on our Earth between missions, leading a normal life. If you don't, you will no longer be a Slayer."
"But now there are all these other worlds, like the one where Willow was a vampire…" Buffy sat silently for a while. "I guess I have no choice. I'll join their Legion." But I want you guys to go home."
"Not I," Giles said. "I'm still your Watcher, and truth to say I would have stayed nonetheless. The prospect of working with the likes of Sherlock Holmes, and to study the lore of hundreds of worlds – well, it's too tempting for me."
"I'm there too, Buffster," Xander added. "I don't have that much going for me back home, anyway."
"And I'm staying too," Willow said. "I mean, we'll still be able to go to school, and see our parents, and do fun stuff, right?" Giles nodded. "Then, it'd be real ungrateful not to help them, you know, since they saved our lives and all."
"There is that, too," Giles agreed. "And, if I understand the metaphysics correctly, the triumph of evil in a related timeline might cause ours to simply – disappear." He paused at their startled expressions. "My apologies. Lucian explained a great deal. It appears that some timelines play pivotal roles in the development of several others. An event in them will result in the disappearance or merging of dozens, even hundreds of them. The Legion, using techniques beyond my understanding – calling them magic or technology is equally inaccurate, it seems – can detect those Primal Lines and any possible threat, and send agents to the right time and place to prevent the Enemy from triumphing there."
"And the best part of that," Xander mused, "is that when we trash a place we don't it in our own backyard. Where do I sign?