TEN
"Well," said Malcolm, putting a device down on the coffee table in the manor, "there doesn't seem to be any unusual radiation in your body. I must admit that healing power of Leo's is quite amazing. I would very much like to examine it closer some time."
"Sorry, Doctor," said Leo. "That would be against the rules."
"So what exactly happened?" Paige asked. "The last thing I remember was trying to orb the cable to me."
"That's exactly what you did," said Piper. "The machine shut down almost immediately. And just like we planned I called for Leo. It seems that this time freeze not only affected us but also affected everything everywhere. Not even the Elders were aware that time had been frozen."
"After that it was a simple matter to heal all of you," said Leo. "I'm afraid the people in that warehouse have a lot more questions than they have answers. But Dr. Spencer has assured us they won't try that experiment again. At least not until they figure out what went wrong."
"If we ever do," said Malcolm. "As I suspected we didn't get any useable readings from the machine. It's like none of it ever happened. But once I've informed the board of what happened I'm sure they'll want to slow down a bit."
"Yeah, about that," said Piper.
"Don't worry," said Malcolm. "Your secret is safe with me. Frankly, I'm not sure they'd believe me even if I told them. I'll just give them some very extended scientific explanation that none of them will understand anyway. They're quite used to that. Most of the board members are businessmen, not scientists. They rarely understand the technical explanations we give them."
"Well I hope it's a good long time before something like that happens again," said Phoebe. "Frankly it's not a pleasant thought thinking that Piper had to use her explosive power on us to get us out of that freeze. I've seen how that usually works often enough."
"As I explained," said Malcolm, "the machine acted as a sort of governor on her powers. I don't fully understand how your powers work but I do know physics. Actions and reactions are constant even if they are supernaturally caused."
"Suddenly I'm very tired," said Piper.
"Yes, I imagine we all are," said Malcolm. "While time held little meaning for us we were still active quite longer than normal. That's bound to catch up with us. But I'm sure after a good night's sleep we'll all be back to normal."
"You think you'll ever try that experiment again?" Leo asked.
"Some day," said Malcolm. "But not without a great deal more research. It's quite clear that we simply don't understand the nature of what we're dealing with well enough yet. I should be able to convince others in the field to take it a bit slower in the future. Now that we have a future."
"You're sure they'll listen to you?" Piper asked.
"I have a Nobel Prize in physics and I've been nominated twice besides that," said Malcolm. "And some of my colleagues weren't sure we were ready to try just yet anyway. I think with a few explanations that don't involve witches and magic they'll listen to me. Now, I should be going. We're dismantling the machine tomorrow. We don't want a repeat of what happened today."
"Take it easy, Malcolm," said Paige. "I hope it's a good long time before we have the pleasure of your company again, everything considered."
"As do I," said Malcolm.
"He's really a nice guy," Paige said after Malcolm had left.
"Yes, he is," said Piper. "I'm glad he was there to help us. I never would have figured out what was going on without him. I was sure it was demonic related."
"Not everything is demonic related," Leo said. "It's just that you usually are involved in the demonic ones. That's why you immediately thought demons were involved. I'm sure before this if something unusual happened Malcolm would have attributed it to some scientific phenomenon. It has a lot to do with your experience."
"What if someone should try this again?" Phoebe asked. "He intimated there were others working on the same project. It's possible it could happen again."
"The Elders are going to keep an eye on the scientists working on these types of experiments," Leo said. "If they get too close to trying it they'll take appropriate action to see that it doesn't happen again."
"That's good," Piper said. "Once was more than enough for me. Well, I think we could all use a good meal. Eating just sandwiches can get old after a while."
"Good idea," said Paige. "I think I'd better give Peter a call and try to explain what happened to me. Once time resumed I would have just vanished and I'm sure he's wondering what happened. I have no idea what I'm going to tell him."
"You could tell him the truth," smirked Phoebe.
"Oh, yeah, that would go over really well," said Paige. "I'll try to think of something. It's not going to be easy to explain, though."
"The hazards of being a Charmed One, sis," said Piper, hugging her sister. "Now, everyone stay out of the kitchen until I have dinner ready."
"You don't have to tell me twice," said Phoebe. "I know how you get when you're cooking."
Piper headed for the kitchen as Paige sat by the phone trying to think of some explanation that her date would believe.
The End
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