Disclaimer: I own Catherine. I own nothing else. I own... monkeys. Yeah,
right. You want to know the bottom line? I DO NOT own ALIAS or anything
remotely associated with it. I am, however, an avid fan, and will join a
Sark cult one day (if my parents will pay for membership...). Also, I do not
own The Facts of Life Theme song. It just fit.
Catherine slid down the rope silently. She was testing the lasers surrounding the disc.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Sark asked for the twentieth time that night.
"If I didn't, you would be up here, numbskull." Catherine muttered. "Now LET ME CONCENTRATE!"
"Yes, ma'am" Sark replied, making him feel like he had shrunk some.
Catherine flipped over on the rope so that her head was inches away from the beam. Reaching in with one hand, she maneuvered around the red beams to get to the disc. The rope swayed, and the lasers turned off.
"Oh man!" She exclaimed, flipping back over. Swinging over to a ledge on the far wall, she unhooked the rope and began to descend down the ladder.
"Did the rope sway again?" Sark asked.
"Yeah" Catherine nodded. "It keeps moving!"
Sark shrugged. "Maybe you should double the knot up at the top."
Catherine shook her head. "No go. If I knot it anymore, then I'll have less rope to play with down at the bottom. The only way to get to the disc is through the tunnels, and those are sealed off in most places. I don't think Vaughn or Weiss will be able to get it."
"You seem... cocky." Sark replied.
"I need to be. If this goes wrong, it's my head for once, not yours." Catherine told him. "I actually need to be more right than cocky. No... I need YOU to be right."
"I'm pretty sure it should work..." Sark began.
"You need to be /i completely /i sure." Catherine interrupted.
"I am!" Sark exclaimed in defense.
"Good." Catherine nodded. "Now, I'm going to try to get it one more time."
"Seventh times a charm?" Sark joked.
Catherine laughed. "More like seventieth..."
Grabbing the rope that was dangling down over the disc, Catherine tied herself on, and proceeded to climb up it. Once she got to the top, she nodded to Sark, who turned back on the lasers. Sliding down cautiously, Catherine got halfway before she accidentally slipped, and was dangling from just the knot around her waist. With a sharp intake of breath, Catherine swung her body so it was parallel to the rope. Grabbing it with her right hand, she waited until she was stable before continuing her downward path. Once she got to the beams, she flipped over, and snaked her hand down through the lasers. Her gloved hand touched the disc, before the rope swung again, cutting off the beams.
"There is no way to get to the disc without the rope swaying." She told Sark, turning over and then dropping to the floor of the warehouse.
"That's good." He nodded, opening up the case that held the tactical gear Catherine had been using.
"You take the good, you take the bad, but most of all, you take the bad..." Catherine muttered.
"What's that from?" Sark asked, as Catherine began to climb up the ladder to get the rope.
"Some American sitcom, I think." She called down.
"It's a shame that you can't sprint up a ladder..." Sark began.
"Why?" Catherine asked, glancing down at him.
"I would really like to get some sleep tonight." He replied.
Catherine chuckled. "That's nice. But, you can't sleep until I can sleep, and let me tell you... we are no where near done with this little alien facade."
"How much more could we possible have to do?" Sark whined. "You've checked the accessibility at least a bazillion times, and there's no paper work to fill out... what more could you possible have to do?"
"Coming down!" Catherine called, dropping the rope. Climbing back down the ladder, she responded, "I've got to do a system's check. You know that, don't be stupid. Also, I have to make sure that our story is believable. It was hard enough getting the supernatural activity in the parking garage to work and be accepted... imagine how much work I'm going to have to do for the return."
"We're returning her?" Sark asked, coiling the rope up and throwing it in the case.
"Depends" Catherine shrugged. "We'll see how I feel when the time comes. The joy is in the hunt, you know."
"No, I don't. What are you driving at?" Sark asked.
Catherine grinned, "You'll see, dear, you'll see." Taking the case from Sark, she headed off down one of the tunnels, leaving the disc exposed without any sort of precautionary measure surrounding it.
"I don't know where on earth you're going!" He exclaimed. The remark was said to thin air, for Catherine had already disappeared down the maze of tunnels.
"Oh man!" Sark muttered, "Now I've got to find her!"
"Catherine, wait up!" He called, running into the tunnel.
Catherine slid down the rope silently. She was testing the lasers surrounding the disc.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Sark asked for the twentieth time that night.
"If I didn't, you would be up here, numbskull." Catherine muttered. "Now LET ME CONCENTRATE!"
"Yes, ma'am" Sark replied, making him feel like he had shrunk some.
Catherine flipped over on the rope so that her head was inches away from the beam. Reaching in with one hand, she maneuvered around the red beams to get to the disc. The rope swayed, and the lasers turned off.
"Oh man!" She exclaimed, flipping back over. Swinging over to a ledge on the far wall, she unhooked the rope and began to descend down the ladder.
"Did the rope sway again?" Sark asked.
"Yeah" Catherine nodded. "It keeps moving!"
Sark shrugged. "Maybe you should double the knot up at the top."
Catherine shook her head. "No go. If I knot it anymore, then I'll have less rope to play with down at the bottom. The only way to get to the disc is through the tunnels, and those are sealed off in most places. I don't think Vaughn or Weiss will be able to get it."
"You seem... cocky." Sark replied.
"I need to be. If this goes wrong, it's my head for once, not yours." Catherine told him. "I actually need to be more right than cocky. No... I need YOU to be right."
"I'm pretty sure it should work..." Sark began.
"You need to be /i completely /i sure." Catherine interrupted.
"I am!" Sark exclaimed in defense.
"Good." Catherine nodded. "Now, I'm going to try to get it one more time."
"Seventh times a charm?" Sark joked.
Catherine laughed. "More like seventieth..."
Grabbing the rope that was dangling down over the disc, Catherine tied herself on, and proceeded to climb up it. Once she got to the top, she nodded to Sark, who turned back on the lasers. Sliding down cautiously, Catherine got halfway before she accidentally slipped, and was dangling from just the knot around her waist. With a sharp intake of breath, Catherine swung her body so it was parallel to the rope. Grabbing it with her right hand, she waited until she was stable before continuing her downward path. Once she got to the beams, she flipped over, and snaked her hand down through the lasers. Her gloved hand touched the disc, before the rope swung again, cutting off the beams.
"There is no way to get to the disc without the rope swaying." She told Sark, turning over and then dropping to the floor of the warehouse.
"That's good." He nodded, opening up the case that held the tactical gear Catherine had been using.
"You take the good, you take the bad, but most of all, you take the bad..." Catherine muttered.
"What's that from?" Sark asked, as Catherine began to climb up the ladder to get the rope.
"Some American sitcom, I think." She called down.
"It's a shame that you can't sprint up a ladder..." Sark began.
"Why?" Catherine asked, glancing down at him.
"I would really like to get some sleep tonight." He replied.
Catherine chuckled. "That's nice. But, you can't sleep until I can sleep, and let me tell you... we are no where near done with this little alien facade."
"How much more could we possible have to do?" Sark whined. "You've checked the accessibility at least a bazillion times, and there's no paper work to fill out... what more could you possible have to do?"
"Coming down!" Catherine called, dropping the rope. Climbing back down the ladder, she responded, "I've got to do a system's check. You know that, don't be stupid. Also, I have to make sure that our story is believable. It was hard enough getting the supernatural activity in the parking garage to work and be accepted... imagine how much work I'm going to have to do for the return."
"We're returning her?" Sark asked, coiling the rope up and throwing it in the case.
"Depends" Catherine shrugged. "We'll see how I feel when the time comes. The joy is in the hunt, you know."
"No, I don't. What are you driving at?" Sark asked.
Catherine grinned, "You'll see, dear, you'll see." Taking the case from Sark, she headed off down one of the tunnels, leaving the disc exposed without any sort of precautionary measure surrounding it.
"I don't know where on earth you're going!" He exclaimed. The remark was said to thin air, for Catherine had already disappeared down the maze of tunnels.
"Oh man!" Sark muttered, "Now I've got to find her!"
"Catherine, wait up!" He called, running into the tunnel.