VOYAGERS! - The Voyager Chronicles
OLD FRIENDS, NEW BEGINNINGS - BOOK 6
(Sequel to A Ray of Hope)
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)
December 2008 (Revised 03/2010)
Previous disclaimers apply
Chapter 4 – INITIATION
The next morning, Bogg and Jeff struggled to pry themselves from their warm and comfortable beds after only a few hours of sound sleep. It had been a long night for the two of them, since they had spent the better part of it painting the town with their friends, in celebration of Mallory's achievement. It was once again another day and unfortunately for these two, there was no rest for the weary and no time to catch up on their missed sleep.
After getting dressed in a rather sluggish manner, the two ate a quick breakfast and made their way to Voyager Headquarters. Mallory had agreed to meet them in the small lounge on the first floor around 8:00 am to prepare for his first mission. While they waited for the arrival of their friend, Bogg was enjoying his second cup of coffee for the day and his partner was grabbing a quick snack.
"Bogg, I wonder where Shawn is?" Jeff asked. "He wanted us to meet him here at 8 o'clock. It's ten after now and there's still no sign of him."
"I don't know, kid." Bogg replied as he stretched his arms and yawned. "Maybe he overslept or something. We were out pretty late last night."
At that moment, the newly graduated Voyager recruit zipped through the door and threw the backpack he was carrying in a nearby chair.
"Well, guys, I finally made it." Mallory announced as he breathed a sigh of relief. "I bet you two had almost given up on me."
"No, not really." Bogg replied as he stood up to shake Mallory's hand. "After last night's big celebration, we figured you probably just overslept. We hadn't given up on you yet. Isn't that right, kiddo?"
"No, not just yet." Jeff responded before taking a sip of his drink.
"Have you had breakfast?"
"Yes, several hours ago. Why?"
Bogg stared into his cup as he swirled it's contents. "Just checking… You might want to get a cup of coffee and a snack or something before we leave. You know, it could be quite a while before we get a chance to eat again."
Somewhat confused by his partner's statement, Jeff glanced at him sporting a quizzical expression. Without saying a word, Bogg smiled and winked back at him as a signal to play along. After a few moments, he again lowered his eyes and continued to observe the swirls of cream as they made integrate patterns in his coffee.
"Are all missions like that?" Mallory asked as he walked over and poured himself a cup of coffee.
"What do you mean?" Bogg asked, feigning ignorance.
"You know, having to go without food for long periods of time."
Bogg slowly raised his eyes from his cup and glanced out a nearby window. "Yes. Sometimes Jeff and I go for several days before we get a chance to eat. If it wasn't for the huge stash of beef jerky I carry with me, we probably wouldn't survive for very long."
Mallory's eyes grew large as he could scarcely believe what his preceptor was telling him.
"They never said anything about that while we were at Voyager Academy." Mallory replied with surprise and a hint of concern in his voice.
Bogg knew all too well the yarn he was spinning was achieving the desired effect. Even though he was about to bust his gut attempting to hold in his laughter, he bit his lip before putting the finishing touches on his latest prank.
"They probably didn't mention it because they didn't want to scare everyone." He said before taking another sip of his coffee. "It's not good to scare new recruits on their first day you know.
"Shawn, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do what you have to do." Bogg said in a carefree, fanciful tone while he continued his quest to keep a straight face. "I really hate to even mention this, but there have been a couple of times when I ran completely out of jerky. The kid and I ended up eating tree bark to keep us going."
With this Mallory spewed his coffee out onto the floor. "Tree bark? Yuck! No wonder you two are so thin! It's all that tree bark you two have been eating. It's no wonder you two ate like two hungry bears last night. All I can say is it's a good thing I brought my backpack with me. From the sound of it, we may just need what's inside."
Jeff walked over and stared curiously at Mallory's backpack. "So, whatcha got in there?"
Mallory took another sip of his coffee before providing an answer to his young friend.
"It's just a few things I packed just in case. And now that Bogg here has told me about having to fast on a regular basis, I'm kinda glad I brought it along. You can call it my survival kit."
Jeff shook his head and casually strolled back over to his partner. "Hey!" He whispered. "Don't you think it's time to let him in on your little prank?"
"Yea, I guess so. We wouldn't want to push this too far. He might have second thoughts about going. " Bogg replied with a smile.
Bogg walked over and put his hand on his colleague's shoulder. "Shawn, why don't we take a seat at the table and go over our mission. Ok?"
"Sure Phineas." Mallory agreed and then strolled over, pulled out a chair and sat down.
Likewise, Bogg and Jeff took a seat at the table and began talking with the new graduate.
"Shawn, before we get started there's one little misconception I need to clear up." Bogg said with a smile.
"What's that, Phineas?"
"Well, what I said earlier about going for days without food…That was just a joke."
Shawn sat back in his chair and breathed a heavy sigh.
"You ol' prankster you!" Mallory exclaimed. "You really had me going there for a moment! I'll tell you this much…I was not looking forward to feasting on freshly harvested tree bark."
"I know… All too well." Bogg replied as he chuckled. "The look on your face, well, it was priceless."
"Consider this your initiation into the Brotherhood of the Voyager." Bogg said as he playfully slapped Mallory's arm.
"Wow, Phineas, I feel honored…I think? Does every new graduate have to endure this torture?"
Bogg laughed. "Yes, it's something that every preceptor does to a new recruit. Just be thankful your preceptor has a soft spot in his heart. My little prank is quite mild compared to some."
"What do you mean?"
Bogg's cheeks suddenly took on a pinkish hue as he began to explain himself.
"Let's just say, some preceptors have been known to swap a non-functioning omni for their recruit's real omni and leave them in a tight spot to sweat it out."
"I take it your preceptor must have done that to you?" Jeff asked his partner.
"Ummm, yea, kiddo. He did. For a new graduate, it's very unnerving to find yourself in the middle of some odd timezone and then realize your omni doesn't work and you have no way to contact anyone or for that matter to get back. I vowed if I was ever a preceptor, I would never do anything like that to a new graduate."
"I really appreciate you not pulling that one on me." Mallory stated with a great sense of relief.
"Shawn, I've pulled some pranks in my time, but I couldn't do that to you." Bogg reassured. "That's just too cruel."
"Cruel?" Jeff interjected. "You think that's cruel. I'll tell you what's cruel…having your partner drop you into a tub of water! Now that's cruel."
"Phineas, why did you do that?" Mallory asked, as he attempted to stir up the issue even further. "Did he smell that bad?"
"No, he didn't smell." Bogg said playfully.
"Yea, I didn't smell." Jeff affirmed. "Ol' Bogg here just couldn't pass up a chance to be mean to me."
"Now, wait a minute!" Bogg interjected with a comedic tone to his voice. "I wasn't being mean to you. It was payback and you had it comin'. Why are you making me out to be the bad guy here?"
Mallory looked over to Jeff, nodded his head and smiled a bit. "You know, somehow I get the feeling that there's a whole lot more to this story than your telling."
Jeff's cheeks flushed with color. Before he could respond, Bogg continued his playful ranting.
"Yes, Shawn, there's quite a bit more to this story than you are being told. I'll have you know, when it comes right down to it, the kid here can be just as mean to me when he wants to. Besides, Mr. innocent is only telling one side of the story…HIS SIDE! And he's doing that to make himself look like a sweet, little angel. But, let me say this, beneath that gooey sweet, angelic exterior, lies a mischievous little pain. Isn't that right kiddo?"
"I am not!" Jeff argued.
"You are! Admit it!" Bogg exclaimed as he continued teasing his partner. "Don't even try to pull the wool over Shawn's eyes."
"What wool?" Jeff said as his voice increased in pitch.
Bogg turned to Shawn and continued with his banter. "He doesn't want to tell you the other part of the story. You know, the part where he was being mean to me."
Mallory shook his head. "Jeffrey…c'mon now, confess! What did you do?"
"Go ahead, spill it!" Bogg teased. "Either you tell him or I will."
Jeff knew he had once again been outgunned by his partner. With the thumbscrews now tightened to the extremes, he was forced to explain the part of the story he so purposely left out.
"I guess I'll tell him." Jeff said as he resigned himself to his fate. "It's like this. I woke up one morning to find Bogg sitting up in bed, staring out into space, silent and motionless. It was at that point, I decided to try my hand at hypnotizing him."
"You're not serious…You were gonna hypnotize Bogg?" Mallory responded, amazed at the concept. "Why?"
"I just wanted to see if I could do it." Jeff replied. "The plan was once I had him under, I'd leave a suggestion that anytime I snapped my fingers, he would do anything I asked."
"Wow…" Mallory said as he laughed. "Then what happened."
"Shawn you are just gonna love this next bit. It's classic!" Bogg boasted.
"Yea, sure…classic. If you say so." Jeff said as he shook his head. "Once I thought I had him under, you know, when his eyes were closed, I put my plan into action. I gave him the suggestion and told him on the count of three he would wake up and remember nothing about being hypnotized."
"Boy was he ever surprised." Bogg said with a laugh. "The whole time he was trying to put me under I was playing along with him. I wasn't hypnotized at all. I was fully aware of what he was doing."
Jeff continued. "Once I counted to three and snapped my fingers, ol' Bogg here woke up and acted as if nothing had happened. So I waited a few moments and decided to put it to the test."
"What happened next?" Mallory asked, now thoroughly engrossed in the story.
"I snapped my fingers in front of Bogg's face and he instantly went into a trance." Jeff explained. "Or so I thought. Then I commanded the great Bogg here to pick me up and carry me across the hallway to the bathroom."
Bogg interrupted. "Here comes the best part."
"Yea, it's the best part alright…at least it was for you." Jeff teased. "Bogg got down out of bed, walked over and picked me up in his arms. He carried me out the door of our room, across the hallway and into the bathroom. Once inside the door, I commanded, 'Bogg, put me down!' Much to my surprise he just kept on walking. I continued to yell at him to put me down and he just kept on going. That is, until he reached a bathtub full of water."
"What did you do Jeff?" Mallory asked before taking a sip of his coffee. "It sounds like ol' Bogg here was out of control."
"Well, I commanded him one more time to put me down. That's when Mr. Pirate of the Century came out of his pretend trance, looked at me with this evil sort of grin and said 'I'm putting you down now.' And boy did he ever! He dropped me right into that big ol' tub of water."
Bogg and Mallory began to laugh so hard at Jeff's tale; they could scarcely catch their breath. After a few moments, the two calmed down and regained their composure. Out of love and respect for his partner, Bogg reached over and put his arm around him.
"I'm sorry kiddo. As I said you had that one coming. Just consider it a bit of tough love." Bogg said as he chuckled a bit. "You have to admit, it was funny. And the look on your face when you discovered that I was out of control was priceless."
"Yeah, I guess so." Jeff conceded. "I guess you're right. I had that one coming."
Bogg stuck out his hand in a gesture of good sportsmanship. "PB & J, ok?"
Jeff grabbed his hand and replied. "PB and J…Ok."
Mallory scratched his head and with a puzzled look, turned to Bogg and asked. "PB & J? I don't get it."
Bogg and Jeff looked at each other and then burst out laughing.
Confused and not knowing what to make of this, Mallory looked at the two of them and asked innocently. "What? What did I say?"
The two Voyagers regained their composure and attempted to explain.
"You see, PB and J stands for peanut butter and jelly." Jeff explained. "It's a type of sandwich on Earth. You can't have peanut butter on this sandwich without jelly.
"So what's that have to do with the two of you?" Mallory asked.
At this point, Bogg chimed in. "PB and J also stands for Phineas Bogg and Jeffrey. We can never be separated. You can't have one without the other."
"Ahhh, now I get it." Mallory replied. "That's a good one."
"Well, now that we've had our little moment of fun, I think we better start preparing for our mission." Bogg said. "Shawn, have you opened up your mission packet yet?"
"No, not yet."
"Why don't you open it and let's see what's inside."
Mallory reached over, unzipped his backpack and pulled out the envelope. He tore it open, pulled out two sheets of paper and placed them on the table.
"It doesn't look like much." Mallory said before beginning to read the first page.
A few moments passed. Mallory turned over the first sheet and began to read the second one.
The suspense was almost too much for Bogg and his partner. Before Mallory could finish, Bogg spoke up.
"What's it all about? C'mon don't keep us in suspense. Tell us, what's your mission?"
Mallory picked up the two sheets of paper, straightened their edges on the table and nodded his head, before he spoke.
"Guys, I hate to do this to you, but these two sheets of paper really don't tell me anything about my mission that I don't already know."
"What?" Bogg said curtly. "Let me see that."
Bogg grabbed the mission papers from the young recruit and began to read over them. After a few moments, amazed at what he had just read, he nodded his head in disbelief and placed them on the table.
"I can't believe this."
"What is it, Bogg?" Jeff asked.
"Kid, they didn't say anything about the mission. All this says is that the mission information is preprogrammed into the omni and it's up to Mallory here to figure out what's wrong and fix it, using his training and his guidebook."
"Wow, talk about throwing someone in the deep end of the pool and watching him sink or swim." Jeff said. "I guess that's the only way a new recruit is going to learn what to do."
"Yea, I guess." Bogg agreed, somewhat reluctantly. "But it's his first mission. The least they could do is to give him a hint or something."
"It's ok, Phineas. Really. " Mallory reassured. "I'll be ok. Besides, I'll have the great PB and J here to help me if I get into a jam. I'm in good hands with you two."
Mallory got up from the table, put the mission papers back into the envelope and shoved them back into his backpack. He zipped it closed and slung it over his shoulder.
"Guys, maybe it's time we get started on this mission. Are you two ready to go?"
"Sure, there's no time like the present." Bogg replied. "Ready kid?"
"Yea, Bogg."
As Mallory pulled his omni from his belt and opened it, Bogg and Jeff walked over and stood beside him.
"Are you sure you know how to operate that thing?" Bogg teased.
The time had come for Mallory to exact revenge on his preceptor for the previous prank he had so eloquently pulled on him. With little or no thought, an idea had hit him. Now sporting a look of confusion on his face, he began to play like he had never seen the device before.
"I really don't know, Phineas. Am I supposed to turn one of these dials or something to make it go?"
"No, NO!" Bogg exclaimed, "Don't turn the dials. It's pre-programmed, remember?"
"Oh, that's right." Mallory acknowledged. "Duh! Turning the dials would get me nowhere. " He began to closely examine the omni from end to end. "I think they said something about a button somewhere. Hmmmm…now where did they put that button. Ahhhh… here it is. If I remember correctly, I believe they said I needed to push it to make this thing go."
Bogg, sensing Mallory was pulling a prank on the two of them, realized what was about to happen next and quickly yelled to his partner.
"Jeff! Grab his arm before he pushes that…"
In an instant, the three were gone.