War of the Worlds, Chapter 7
By Lucky_Ladybug
Note: Seymour Talbot is a character from the Diagnosis Murder episode "Flashdance With Death." I liked him so much I decided to bring him back :)
Mark rushed out into the outer office. "Delores, did you just see a man come through here?" he asked.
"Yeah. You," Delores replied.
"Besides me," Mark said. "A tall man, with long sandy hair and hazel eyes."
"Can't say as I have," Delores said.
"It's no use, Mark," Amanda sighed. "He's a phantom. He just vanished into thin air."
"A phantom?" Delores repeated.
Mark went back into his office. "Well, this certainly is a fine kettle of fish. A phantom!"
"Hey, Mark . . ." Jack paused. "There's something we haven't told you."
Mark was instantly all ears. "What?"
Jack and Amanda exchanged a look, then turned back to Mark.
"Well, when we went to open the door, the whole manor morphed into an old English castle," Amanda said.
Mark gave her an odd look, but said nothing.
"Yeah, and then it seemed like we were on the English Moors," Jack added. "That's when we saw that . . . phantom."
"But how could you possibly have been suddenly on the moors?" Mark asked, throwing up his hands. "That's physically impossible!"
"Mark, I think we're dealing with an enchanted place here," Jack said.
"Enchanted?" Mark repeated. "I suppose it could be. But do such things really exist?"
"They could," Jack said. "We've discovered that other strange things do. Remember Moriah?" Moriah was a murderess whom Mark and Jack had discovered was also a vampire.
Amanda gave Jack a funny look. "Moriah Thomas?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah." Mark and Jack were the only ones who knew Moriah's true identity, though Amanda knew of Mark's suspicions about her.
Mark quickly cut in. "You're right, Jack. I suppose there could be such things as enchanted mansions." He paused. "I would definitely like to see this manor for myself." He checked his watch. "I'll be off in a couple of hours."
"You'd better not go alone, Mark," Amanda warned.
"Yeah. We'll go with you," Jack offered.
"That's really good of you two," Mark said. "But I don't want you to have to go back there again."
"Oh, it's fine, Mark," Jack assured him, exchanging a look with Amanda. "We don't mind."
Mark nodded. "Alright, then. We'll leave around six."
******
A little later that day, Jack met up with Jesse coming out of an examination room, looking totally baffled.
"Hey, Jesse," Jack greeted him. "What's up?"
"There's this guy who complains that he keeps having blackouts," Jesse began. "So he came in to find out what was happening. He's so high-strung I couldn't even get his name. His cell phone rang. It was his secretary or something, I guess. He starting yelling something about the velvet being sold for $7 bucks a yard . . ."
"Oh," Jack interrupted, looking amused. "I know who it is. I wondered if he'd ever be back."
"Who is it?" Jesse asked.
"Name's Seymour Talbot. He owns some kind of fabric factory," Jack replied. "He's the son of Norman's mother's bridge partner."
"Oh," Jesse said, understanding. He shook his head. "Norman's not going to be happy. The guy skipped out before I could even find out what was wrong with him. He said he had to get back to the factory on the double."
Jack grinned. "Oh boy. Well, I imagine he'll be back."
"I hope so. And I hope Norman doesn't find out he was here," Jesse said.
Jack started to laugh. "I know what you mean."
He and Jesse started to walk down the corridor. Suddenly Jack stopped short, staring at someone walking by.
"What's wrong with you?" Jesse asked.
"That . . . that looks like the guy Amanda and I saw!" Jack exclaimed. He had filled Jesse in on the strange experience earlier.
The man stopped at the nurses' station. "Hello, Mindy. Any messages for me?" he asked. He had a pleasant voice.
"No, not today," Mindy replied.
"Oh. Well, thank you, anyway. Have a good day!" The man continued on down the hall.
Jack ran a hand through his hair. "The plots thickens. Who is that guy?"
"I think he's a lab assistant," Jesse replied.
Jack looked thoughtful. He went over to Mindy. "Hey, Mindy," he greeted her.
Mindy looked up. "Oh, hi, Jack."
"Hey, uh, who was that guy who was just here?" Jack asked. "I heard that he's a lab assistant."
Mindy nodded. "Oh yes. He's new here. His name is Andrew."
"Andrew huh?" Jack looked down the hall in the direction the man called Andrew had gone. "Thanks, Mindy!" He hurried off down the hall.
******
Jack caught up with him in the lab. "Hey!" he called.
Andrew turned around. "Hello," he said.
"I hear you're new here," Jack began.
Andrew nodded. "Yes."
Jack paused. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" he asked.
Andrew stopped and looked at Jack. Finally he said slowly, "It's possible."
"Dr. Stewart to the ER. Dr. Stewart to the ER," came over the PA system.
Jack turned to the door. "Uh oh. That's me." He paused. "I'll see you around . . . Andrew," he said, hurrying out the door. Andrew watched him go.
******
A couple of hours later, Mark, Jack, and Amanda gathered again in Mark's office, preparing to go visit 332 Rosebud.
"Hey, guys," Jack said, "you'll never guess who I met today."
"The man from the manor," Amanda said.
Jack turned to look at her. "Yeah. You saw him too?"
Amanda nodded. "I did. But you know, he didn't look like the hooded figure."
"Huh?" Jack asked, puzzled.
"Well, remember that man we saw inside the manor?" Amanda asked. "The one in the suit?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah. . . ."
"Well, this new lab assistant looks more like him," Amanda said.
"That's right," Mark broke in. "You mentioned that you thought there were two different people."
Amanda nodded. "Exactly."
"So there's a good one and a bad one?" Jack mused. "Supposing the one working here is the good one, then. Why is he here, and *who* is he?"
"I certainly wish we had the answers to those questions," Mark sighed. He headed for the door. "Well, guys, we'd better get going."
Jack and Amanda followed. "One thing is sure," Amanda said. "The man who was here in your office, Mark, was definitely the bad one."
Mr. Smith watched them leave, invisible to the mortal eye. "Well, I guess I have to go with them," he said.
Mr. Jones appeared next to him. "That's right," he said.
"But how will I protect them from demons and other such things?" Mr. Smith burst out. "I haven't the faintest clue how to deal with them myself!"
Mr. Jones smiled, then turned serious. "You're going to have to learn."
Mr. Smith considered this, then shook his head and groaned. "Ohhhhh boy."
By Lucky_Ladybug
Note: Seymour Talbot is a character from the Diagnosis Murder episode "Flashdance With Death." I liked him so much I decided to bring him back :)
Mark rushed out into the outer office. "Delores, did you just see a man come through here?" he asked.
"Yeah. You," Delores replied.
"Besides me," Mark said. "A tall man, with long sandy hair and hazel eyes."
"Can't say as I have," Delores said.
"It's no use, Mark," Amanda sighed. "He's a phantom. He just vanished into thin air."
"A phantom?" Delores repeated.
Mark went back into his office. "Well, this certainly is a fine kettle of fish. A phantom!"
"Hey, Mark . . ." Jack paused. "There's something we haven't told you."
Mark was instantly all ears. "What?"
Jack and Amanda exchanged a look, then turned back to Mark.
"Well, when we went to open the door, the whole manor morphed into an old English castle," Amanda said.
Mark gave her an odd look, but said nothing.
"Yeah, and then it seemed like we were on the English Moors," Jack added. "That's when we saw that . . . phantom."
"But how could you possibly have been suddenly on the moors?" Mark asked, throwing up his hands. "That's physically impossible!"
"Mark, I think we're dealing with an enchanted place here," Jack said.
"Enchanted?" Mark repeated. "I suppose it could be. But do such things really exist?"
"They could," Jack said. "We've discovered that other strange things do. Remember Moriah?" Moriah was a murderess whom Mark and Jack had discovered was also a vampire.
Amanda gave Jack a funny look. "Moriah Thomas?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah." Mark and Jack were the only ones who knew Moriah's true identity, though Amanda knew of Mark's suspicions about her.
Mark quickly cut in. "You're right, Jack. I suppose there could be such things as enchanted mansions." He paused. "I would definitely like to see this manor for myself." He checked his watch. "I'll be off in a couple of hours."
"You'd better not go alone, Mark," Amanda warned.
"Yeah. We'll go with you," Jack offered.
"That's really good of you two," Mark said. "But I don't want you to have to go back there again."
"Oh, it's fine, Mark," Jack assured him, exchanging a look with Amanda. "We don't mind."
Mark nodded. "Alright, then. We'll leave around six."
******
A little later that day, Jack met up with Jesse coming out of an examination room, looking totally baffled.
"Hey, Jesse," Jack greeted him. "What's up?"
"There's this guy who complains that he keeps having blackouts," Jesse began. "So he came in to find out what was happening. He's so high-strung I couldn't even get his name. His cell phone rang. It was his secretary or something, I guess. He starting yelling something about the velvet being sold for $7 bucks a yard . . ."
"Oh," Jack interrupted, looking amused. "I know who it is. I wondered if he'd ever be back."
"Who is it?" Jesse asked.
"Name's Seymour Talbot. He owns some kind of fabric factory," Jack replied. "He's the son of Norman's mother's bridge partner."
"Oh," Jesse said, understanding. He shook his head. "Norman's not going to be happy. The guy skipped out before I could even find out what was wrong with him. He said he had to get back to the factory on the double."
Jack grinned. "Oh boy. Well, I imagine he'll be back."
"I hope so. And I hope Norman doesn't find out he was here," Jesse said.
Jack started to laugh. "I know what you mean."
He and Jesse started to walk down the corridor. Suddenly Jack stopped short, staring at someone walking by.
"What's wrong with you?" Jesse asked.
"That . . . that looks like the guy Amanda and I saw!" Jack exclaimed. He had filled Jesse in on the strange experience earlier.
The man stopped at the nurses' station. "Hello, Mindy. Any messages for me?" he asked. He had a pleasant voice.
"No, not today," Mindy replied.
"Oh. Well, thank you, anyway. Have a good day!" The man continued on down the hall.
Jack ran a hand through his hair. "The plots thickens. Who is that guy?"
"I think he's a lab assistant," Jesse replied.
Jack looked thoughtful. He went over to Mindy. "Hey, Mindy," he greeted her.
Mindy looked up. "Oh, hi, Jack."
"Hey, uh, who was that guy who was just here?" Jack asked. "I heard that he's a lab assistant."
Mindy nodded. "Oh yes. He's new here. His name is Andrew."
"Andrew huh?" Jack looked down the hall in the direction the man called Andrew had gone. "Thanks, Mindy!" He hurried off down the hall.
******
Jack caught up with him in the lab. "Hey!" he called.
Andrew turned around. "Hello," he said.
"I hear you're new here," Jack began.
Andrew nodded. "Yes."
Jack paused. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" he asked.
Andrew stopped and looked at Jack. Finally he said slowly, "It's possible."
"Dr. Stewart to the ER. Dr. Stewart to the ER," came over the PA system.
Jack turned to the door. "Uh oh. That's me." He paused. "I'll see you around . . . Andrew," he said, hurrying out the door. Andrew watched him go.
******
A couple of hours later, Mark, Jack, and Amanda gathered again in Mark's office, preparing to go visit 332 Rosebud.
"Hey, guys," Jack said, "you'll never guess who I met today."
"The man from the manor," Amanda said.
Jack turned to look at her. "Yeah. You saw him too?"
Amanda nodded. "I did. But you know, he didn't look like the hooded figure."
"Huh?" Jack asked, puzzled.
"Well, remember that man we saw inside the manor?" Amanda asked. "The one in the suit?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah. . . ."
"Well, this new lab assistant looks more like him," Amanda said.
"That's right," Mark broke in. "You mentioned that you thought there were two different people."
Amanda nodded. "Exactly."
"So there's a good one and a bad one?" Jack mused. "Supposing the one working here is the good one, then. Why is he here, and *who* is he?"
"I certainly wish we had the answers to those questions," Mark sighed. He headed for the door. "Well, guys, we'd better get going."
Jack and Amanda followed. "One thing is sure," Amanda said. "The man who was here in your office, Mark, was definitely the bad one."
Mr. Smith watched them leave, invisible to the mortal eye. "Well, I guess I have to go with them," he said.
Mr. Jones appeared next to him. "That's right," he said.
"But how will I protect them from demons and other such things?" Mr. Smith burst out. "I haven't the faintest clue how to deal with them myself!"
Mr. Jones smiled, then turned serious. "You're going to have to learn."
Mr. Smith considered this, then shook his head and groaned. "Ohhhhh boy."