A/N: I recently decided that I wanted to be an actress. But I kind of just want to work on a little show like Strange Days or The Zack Files or something like that. I wouldn't mind working with Michael Seater...ahhh...if wishes were pennies or something like that. The biggest problem I'd have with that is the whole fan thing. How do they do it? I've always wondered about that...how do they handle knowing there are people out there who obsess over them.The whole celebrity worship thing scares me a little...I don't know if I could deal with it. Fanclubs and people talking about me and judging me and feeling like they know me even though they've never met me. You see these people who post on the internet, "Marry me, such and such" , "I love you, such and such", "I could be your girlfriend/boyfriend, such and such". Blech. I don't know if or why anyone would still be reading this when there's a whole chapter to be reading.
ENJOY!
Chapter 9:
Vaughn frowned impatiently, watching Marshall working at the fuse box. Finding it hadn't been too difficult. Marshall just had to hack into the city archives and find the blueprints for the Pearson Estate and then, on a hunch, the separate Pearadyne labs blueprints. All the while he sat at the computer congratulating himself on not only hacking into one but two city hard drives that day. Now Marshall was skimming the labeled fuses until he grinned broadly and looked proudly over at Vaughn.
"Do you know what causes a blackout?" he asked. Vaughn stared dumbly at him.
"Now really isn't the time for a quick science quiz," he answered. Marshall rolled his eyes, quickly getting back to work. They had made a short stop at his and Lucas's dorm room to grab a few supplies that he'd loaded into his backpack. Now he was busy rummaging through them, producing several different wires, all the while talking in his usual upbeat manner.
"Blackouts are generally caused by a short circuit. Now it can attributed to a malfunction in the systems design, various human faults, or…in this case, an electric surge," Marshall finished, clapping his hands together and stepping back, looking proudly down at his masterpiece, "Now I've jimmy rigged this sucker with an archaic timing device. Do you see this spring here?" Vaughn nodded somewhat, staring at the fuse box door as Marshall held it open, "Slowly it will swing this box shut. Now do you see these wires that I've set up?" Vaughn nodded once more, his brow drawn together in deep concentration, "When this wire," Marshall pointed to one attached to the inside of the door which was thus attached to a strange black plastic box, "Touches this wire here," he then pointed to a wire unraveled amongst the various other wires in the fuse box, "It will create a powerful enough electric surge that could very well black out the entire city. Fortunately, Pearadyne has a separate electric source than the rest of the city, so it will really just be the labs and your house. So, basically, when I let this door go, we will have five minutes, give or take a few seconds, before the blackout to get down the elevator. From there we will have thirty seconds to get Lucas and get back to the elevator. If we time this right, the elevator will be open when the blackout occurs, which is important, because we need to be on that elevator when the electricity comes back on. We can't be in the hall. And do you want to know the beauty of my device?" Vaughn stared blankly in reply, "This fuse box will be so fried, they won't be able to tell my wires from their own. Which will only further the deception that the blackout was caused by the storm." Marshall grinned, his chest puffed out, looking expectantly at Vaughn who was mulling things over in his mind. He looked to Marshall with a raised eyebrow.
"You've done this before, haven't you?"
Marshall shrugged modestly, "Me and Lucas may have pulled a few pranks over summer using a similar method. The spring was Lucas's design, the electrical surge box was mine."
"I'm glad I'm on your guys' side," Vaughn muttered, then worriedly, "My house will be alright though, right? And my dad's things…"
"There shouldn't be any permanent damage to the house or Pearadyne. Unfortunately, the computers in the lab will most likely automatically create backup files for anything the scientists are working on down there. As well, all that equipment is undoubtedly set up with surge protectors. I don't think any real harm will come to anything," Marshall explained, "Are we ready?"
"You're the boss, I'm just the muscle," Vaughn replied with a shrug.
Marshall took a deep breath, checking his watch before releasing the door. For a moment, they both stared at it as it slowly creaked forward. And then they met each other's eyes and without a word took off in a mad dash for the Pearson house. Vaughn was first to get there, being the in-shape football player that he was. He swung the door open and was followed in by a, surprisingly well-kept-up Marshall. They raced up the stairs and paused outside Victor's office to catch their breath momentarily.
"Time?" Vaughn choked out. Marshall glanced his watch.
"We have about three minutes," he stammered. They gasped and wheezed and Vaughn leaned against the closed office door, listening for sounds of his father or anyone else that could hinder their plan. He jumped back when the doorknob turned and looked wide-eyed to Marshall. They grabbed one another's arms, sprinting behind the corner and watching, out-of-breath and alert, as the door opened and Victor along with Milton Schiller walked out.
"The results of the MRI and the CAT scan are fascinating," Mr. Schiller was saying and Victor nodded agreement, "It would appear that the brain is still functioning fully, however…" their voices trailed off as they disappeared down the stairs. Marshall exchanged a look with Vaughn and then checked his watch.
"We have less than two minutes," he announced, and they raced back to the office door.
With sweaty palms, Vaughn edged the door open and they entered. Vaughn pulled out the panel and pressed the button for the elevator. Marshall tapped his foot impatiently, saying warningly, "One minute." The door slid open and they leapt inside, pressing the button for the lab. The door slowly shut and both boys itched with anxiety as it slowly traveled downward. Marshall was trying to breath, Vaughn was trying to concentrate. They came to a stop and the doors started to open when…they stopped, with only a crack of an opening. A wave of darkness flitted through the building and there was a whirring sound as the electricity in the labs winded down.
There were shouts and cries of panic in the labs. People demanded explanation or were cursing at their computers over lost data that they hadn't saved yet. Marshall produced a tiny flashlight from his pocket and switched it on. He looked to Vaughn.
"It's your show now," he said.
Vaughn nodded, forcing the doors open with strained ease. He took the flashlight from Marshall and, with a deep breath, led them down the hall. They dodged people who were rushing about, looking for lights, or shouting about the backup generator. He flickered his eyes over various doors, mumbling under his breath. He stopped, turned around, ran the light over different doors, reading their labels or door numbers. He scrunched his brow and licked his lips.
"Is there a problem?" Marshall asked worriedly.
"I…I don't remember which door it was," Vaughn admitted in shock. Marshall gave out a groan of disgust, glancing at his watch.
"We have less then twenty seconds," he cried, and they began flinging doors open in desperation and hopelessly calling out, "Lucas."
"In here," Vaughn finally shouted.
"Ten seconds," Marshall announced, rushing to his side and staring at the limp body laid out of the table.
He stared dumbly at his friend, tears brimming his eyes. He hadn't realized he would get so emotional over this. He hadn't realized how much getting Lucas back had really meant to him. Vaughn had already moved to the table and was busy yanking wires out with no grace or care. He didn't even pause as he looked over his shoulder and growled, "Marshall, we don't have time for that! Help me!" And Marshall went into action, helping lift the form up and, between the two boys, Lucas's arms strapped over their shoulders, head lolled forward, they raced out the door, jogging down the hall. Marshall winced as Lucas's head bobbed up and down, silently apologizing for not being able to be more gentle. There was a whir of life in the background.
"The backup generators are kicking in," Marshall shouted, the elevator about a yard away, "The security system should be last to come on, but that doesn't leave us much time!"
Vaughn nearly tossed Lucas in, which dragged Marshall through the elevator as well. Just as the lights flickered on and the camera was back, Vaughn leapt into the elevator practically on top of them. The door finished opening and Vaughn, laying in a jumbled heap amongst his friends, stretched his hand out and pressed the up button. The doors slid shut.
They took the short elevator ride to straighten themselves, grimacing from the pain of diving onto the hard metal ground of the elevator and one another. Supporting Lucas between them once more, Marshall examined his seemingly lifeless best friend. There was a new cut on Lucas's lip and a golf ball sized bump forming on his forehead from where he'd landed in the elevator. Marshall looked guiltily to Vaughn.
"You think he'll notice?" he asked sheepishly.
"Notice what?" Vaughn returned, mock innocently. They both chuckled slightly before falling silent. The door slid open and they both hobbled out, supporting their friend between them. As soon as they left the Pearson estate, they let out their breaths, relief washing over them.
"Hey," Marshall commented, "That was kind fun. Let's do it again!" Vaughn shot him a dangerous look and they broke into almost maniacal laughter washed from the stress, anxiety, and grief of the past four days.
-00000-
Josie took a step back and Corrine leaned back on her heels, brushing her hands off and placing them on her hips. The finished product of their labor was a tall rod made of a copper band and various other parts. It was hooked up to wires, which were thusly hooked up to a slightly modified generator, which was then hooked up with jumper cables. Theoretically, the lightening rod would attract a bolt of lightening, which would collect the electricity in the generator. They would have the jumper cables, of course, hooked up to Lucas, and, with the right specifications, it would allow only a certain amount of electricity through to his body. Hopefully enough to jolt Lucas back to himself. The generator would undoubtedly fry in the process, taking the brunt of the electrical surge, which meant they only had one shot at this.
The door to the science lab opened and Professor Z waddled in wrapped in a raincoat, goggles, rubber boots, and a rubber hat. He was soaked and dripping onto the floor, various devices clutched in his shivering hands. He looked to Josie and Corrine.
"The storm is almost overhead," he yelled at them and they winced. He took a moment to ring his ears out and then spoke softer, "As soon as Vaughn and Marshall return with Lucas we have to get this equipment outside, hook Lucas up, and hope that everything works out." He looked to Josie, "How's Lucas doing?" Josie looked to Lucas.
Lucas hadn't moved from his seat on the ground. He had spent most of the time watching them in silence, which in itself was eerie. One would have expected he'd of spent the time huddling about them, making comments and taking notes on the project. But what really bothered Josie was that she could vaguely see through him. He hadn't seemed to notice his own translucency yet, or if he had, he hadn't said anything about it. He seemed unfocused at the moment, a bit dazed and out of it. She forced a smile at Z for Corrine's sake.
"He's doing good," she answered. But Corrine caught the hint of worry edged in her friend's voice and frowned.
"What's wrong?" she demanded.
"Nothing," Josie replied, attempting a bit of cheer. Corrine crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at the redhead.
"I know you, Josie. Something's up, and I want to know what."
"You might as well let her in, Josie. She has a right to know," Professor Z spoke up. Josie sighed, glancing wearily to Lucas.
"He's almost gone," she said softly, "He's been slowly disappearing over the past half-hour," she explained, "If this doesn't work…well…I'm just going to say, we don't have much time for trial and error. He doesn't look so good, and he hasn't said a word in the past twenty minutes."
"Oh god," Corrine breathed, looking to the door with pursed lips, "Marshall, Vaughn…hurry up."
For about five minutes they stood in anxious silence, before Professor Z checked his watch and looked to the girls. He glanced at Josie questioningly. She lowered her head.
"I don't know how much time we have left," she mumbled.
"Let's start moving this stuff outside," Professor Z decided, "I don't want any delays. As soon as Marshall and Vaughn get here, we hook up Lucas and…"
"Fry him?" Josie supplied. Professor Z nodded.
"Corrine, you help me. Josie, since you're the only one who can see Lucas, you stay with him. Come get me if anything happens," Professor Z said. Josie took a shaky breath, nodding. Corrine and Professor Z got to work. The took the generator first, carrying it out the door between them. When they came back for the lightening rod, Professor Z covered it with tarp and they lifted it with grunts, shuffling out the door awkwardly holding it between them.
They chose a place far enough from the school that no one would notice the lightening, but close enough near the Pearson Estate that they could see Marshall and Vaughn drenched in rain, carrying a soaked and slightly battered Lucas between them. Corrine grinned and Professor Z let his own relief show through running over to help them as Corrine went about finishing setting and hooking things up.
"How did things go at Pearadyne?" Professor Z questioned the boys. They glanced to one another before both smiling broadly at their teacher.
"Everything went smooth," Vaughn claimed.
"Like I said, Z, no sweat," Marshall agreed. They proceeded to lay Lucas flat on the ground and Professor Z ran a hand over the unconscious boy's forehead.
"We've been looking for you," he lamented, "Now let's get you back to normal." He stood then, straightening and looking to his students, "Any minute now, the storm will be right over us. Corrine, hook up those jumper cables…be sure not to cross them." Corrine nodded, kneeling down and placing the cables one in each of Lucas's hands. She stepped back, waiting for further instruction from Z, "Now I want all of you far away. Over there." They did as they were told, glancing warily back at Lucas. Professor Z took a few deep breaths as lightening and thunder clapped over head. He bent to make a few final adjustments to the generator before grabbing a hold of the tarp covering the lightening rod and pulling it off. He ran over to join his students and turned back just in time to see a brilliant flash of light.
-00000-
Josie crossed the room, plopping down next to Lucas. He didn't even move to acknowledge her.
"How you feeling?" Josie questioned. Lucas murmured an inaudible response. She pressed her lips together, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, "That good, huh?"
"This…isn't going to work, is it?" Lucas questioned, his voice so quiet she barely heard him.
"Of course it will," Josie replied as brightly as she could muster, "It was your idea. Your ideas always work."
"Not always," Lucas muttered. He was growing so quiet, she had to lean in close to hear him.
"You seem to understand how the black hole works better than any of us," she told him, then admittedly, "Even better than me. Which is why this is going to work. Because it has to. Because we need you, Lucas, to help us solve the black hole mystery." He scoffed slightly.
"If it wasn't for that I don't think you'd notice if I wasn't here."
"That's not true," Josie cried, hurt evident in her tone, "We all want you here. We're all glad you're here! We all care about you. I care about you. We don't just need you here to help us figure out the black hole mystery. You're our friend, Lucas."
"Friend…" he muttered, as though it had some deeper meaning.
"Maybe more than a friend," Josie mumbled, meeting his eyes, "I like you, Lucas. I don't want to lose you." She placed her hand just above his own so that it didn't go through, pained by the thought that she couldn't even touch him. He stared dimly at it with some interest.
"I can't feel your hand," he murmured.
"You will when you're back to normal," she told him determinedly. He smiled at her.
And then disappeared.
END A/N: There's only one more chapter left. I hope you guys don't hate the ending...I would be kind of sad.
Please excuse any grammatical or typing errors. Please REVIEW! And thanks for reading.