Ok, legal stuff first:
Most of these characters are not mine. The majority of them were created by either Roger Price or Lee Pressman and Grant Canthro and are probably "owned" by Thames/Tetra.
A few of them are the joint work of Jeri Taylor, Michael Pillar, Brandon Braga, and couldn't have been possbible without Gene Roddenberry and are "owned" by Paramount Pictures. Don't worry, this only looks like a Star Trek crossover from this part. :) I admit I've taken some liberties with their timeline, but I refuse to worry about it since Taylor, et al can't seem to keep it straight.
My roommate Maria Sloughter wrote the snail/email letters contained in here, and I'll assume she's not too ticked with me as she's read this and didn't beg me not to post it.
The names of "Clarissa Darling" (only the name is borrowed from Nickelodeon) and "Constantine" have been changed to protect the innocent.
Thanks to:
Maria, I think why will become clear as you read this.
Kyrie Daniels and Jeremy "Jez" Rogers for their inciteful beta reads.
Wendy Kelley for the tapes.
Roger Price- for creating TP in the first place.
Feedback of all sorts is appreciated at epsteinb@carleton.edu.
Beth
(*emphasis* no indent: paper or electronic letter [telepathy])
A lab somewhere outside London, England
[What the heck?] Andrew stared at the screen, perplexed.
"What's wrong, Andrew?" John suddenly appeared over the younger man's shoulder.
"This email to that one girl in Florida we're not sure what to think about, it appears to have come down the time lanes from the 24th century!"
"Appears? How do you mean?"
Andrew sighed. "Even if there was some sort of Dr. Whoish time distortion on the internet, you'd think the 'net would be obsolete by then-- what with all humans being Tomorrow People and all-- so I don't see how it could be coming from the 24th century."
John frowned. "What if it's not an accident, Andrew?"
"Huh?"
"What if something in this email disrupts that future?"
"Who'd want to do that? Besides, it seems a little paradoxical that someone from another future could disrupt our past- er present...." Andrew shook his head in confusion.
"I've told you about Gaius right?"
"The one who held Peter the Time Guardian captive in First Century, AD?"
"That's the one."
"Good point, if he could come from the future he came back to create, then I suppose this email could come from an alternate universe," Andrew sighed, opening the email to look at it. "The question is, how could they hope that this email could change the timeline."
"The answer must be in that code- I'd better go get TIM back on line," John replied, and left.
"Code?" Mike asked, entering.
"Yeah," Andrew's voice was tinged with frustration. "A coded message in an email from the twenty-fourth century."
"Maybe it's time to call in the theoretical reserves," Mike suggested.
"That's more Adam's department...."
"What's more my department?" Adam asked as he entered the room.
Mike filled him in. "What are you doing wandering around here, anyway?"
"The others are all cramming for exams in the spaceship. All the tension makes it hard to work. Who did you want to approach with the message to crack, anyway?"
"I believe that's 'whom', Adam. As for *whom* we want to approach, what about one of those late bloomers we just spotted at that tiny liberal arts school in the states?"
Adam nodded, "Let's start with the one who's actually subscribed to TPDIS, shall we?"
Mike nodded.
Adam sat down at the second computer, consulted the files, opened a word processing window, and started typing- having Andrew dictate the code to him.
Sayles-Hill Campus Center
Carleton College
Northfield, MN
'What? It can't be possible, can it?' Beth couldn't believe her eyes.
She read the letter again:
Dear Beth, Please do not be alarmed by anything in this letter. Also, do not reveal its contents to anyone. No one else must read it. My name is Adam Newman; yes, *the* Adam Newman. My sources indicate that you are a fan of the science "fiction" series, The Tomorrow People and should therefore know what that means. Roger Price, one of us, created the series to make Tomorrow People aware of what they might be before they break out. We have known for awhile that you are one of us, although we are not sure why you haven't broken out yet. Regardless, we believe you may be able to help us solve a very important puzzle. Recently, we intercepted a transmission sent from the 24th century to Clarissa Darling, a 20th century sap. This transmission contains very important information regarding the nature of the universe. Unfortunately, it was in code and we cannot determine how to decode it. I would greatly appreciate it if you would look at the code and attempt to solve it. Get whatever help you need, but be careful who you trust! Here is the code: Fpih;sd Sfs,d esd etpmh/ Yjr smdert od mpy gptyu=yep niy gptyu- drbrm/ You should be receiving more information from us shortly regarding how to deliver the decoded information to us. All the Best, Adam
Three things set off alarm bells in Beth's head. The first and most convincing of which was that The Tomorrow People was just a TV show-- no matter how much she wished otherwise. These second reason was that Clarissa Darling was her friend Maria's best friend from South Carolina and the third that the 24th Century was the era of Star Trek-- Maria's number one obsession. It had her friend's signature on it all right; it wouldn't surprise Beth to learn that the code was something related to _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_.
Beth laughed all the way back to her dorm. It WAS pretty funny. Maria would have to be paid back somehow, though. A letter from Tom Paris containing the same message in a different code perhaps? That would require breaking the code. 'Oh, well. I'm ready for my bio test anyway.'
Tapahini Island (in the South Pacific)
The Spaceship
"Thanks for hacking that account, Megabyte," Adam muttered, typing frantically at a keyboard.
"No problem, I needed the break. Wish I could see the look on that girl's face when she reads that letter, though," Megabyte replied.
"I hung around to make sure she got it. She thought it was hysterical. I hope she takes it seriously, though."
"Does it matter as long as she cracks the code?"
"I suppose not, but if we don't find out what exactly is going on, it could cause serious repercussions and paradoxes."
"Then what?" Jade shoved locks of brown hair out of her eyes.
"The universe blows up," Megabyte replied calmly.
Adam glared at the younger boy. "I think you've been watching too many Michael J. Fox movies, Megabyte."
Goodhue Hall, Carleton
"Hello," her friend, Sebastian, happened to be passing by the open door to Beth's room where she was staring at the code she'd typed into her computer to save paper.
"Hey! This may seem odd, but how're you at cracking codes?"
"Codes?"
"Maria wrote me a letter pretending to be one of The Tomorrow People and it has this code in it that I need to break so I can re- encrypt it and send it back to her."
Sebastian cracked a smile-- Beth and Maria's fascination with the British series was well known among the other members of the science fiction club on campus.
"Let me see," Sebastian requested.
'It *is* just a joke,' Beth handed Sebastian the letter.
He frowned. They tried several different methods.
"It may be just random keys," Sebastian suggested. "it starts with letters on the home row and keeps fanning out."
"I thought it might have something to do with the positions of the characters on a keyboard, but I tried it, and it didn't work."
"Did you shift them one to the right?"
"No," Beth started typing and out popped the coded message: Douglas Adams was wrong. The answer is not forty-two, but rather forty-seven.
"The number that keeps popping up in _Star Trek: The Next Generation_," Beth laughed.
"It has Maria written all over it."
The Spaceship
Adam was pacing back and forth nervously- the laptop was now sitting on one of the ledges surrounding the core of the ship. Behind him, Megabyte lay on one of the window ledges, staring intently at an Economics book.
"Why doesn't she check her email?"
"Will you slow down, Adam? You're making me dizzy!" Megabyte groaned, shoving the book off of his lap and onto the floor next to him. Megabyte was still tired from hacking the email account they had "borrowed" from Clarissa Darling in Florida, and didn't really want to look at supply and demand curves anymore. Money was just so *pointless*.
"Relax, Adam, it's dinner time in Minnesota," Ami soothed, barely looking up from the English paper she was typing into another laptop in a corner of the ship.
"Don't forget Dr. Who is on in the states tonight," Megabyte added miserably.
"Chill out," Jade muttered from the depths of a history text.
"Come on," Adam muttered, impatiently.
[Jade, time for bed,] John 'pathed gently. [It's nearly midnight.]
[As soon as I finish this chapter, Dad,] Jade replied, unfazed.
[Jade, if you don't come home this minute, I'll jaunt over there and *carry* you home to your bed. Now will you get back here? Your mum's getting worried.]
Jade rolled her eyes and started to return to her book.
"Give it up, Jade," Ami advised. "He's done that to me- and he's not *my* father."
Jade sighed and teleported home to Mulberry Village.
Carleton
Beth had- as Megabyte had suggested- watched Dr. Who after eating and finishing her homework. It was 11 PM in Minnesota when she finally came home and logged onto her email account.
She found an email from darlingc@snick.com:
Dear Beth, I have managed to get a hold of an email account, which should be safe for the summer. Granted it's not exactly mine, but with a computer wizard like Megabyte, we can use it for a while. Please send me a response to my last letter. Specifically, please tell me what, if anything, you uncovered in the code. But, also, feel free to ask any questions you may have. Email your response to me at this address. Thank you for your time, and I appreciate your help, Adam
Beth laughed as she looked at the looked at the name of the email address: darlingc- Clarissa Darling. She shook her head and typed "reply":
Clarissa: Tell Maria she's funny. Beth
The Spaceship
Megabyte was taking a turn watching the computer as Adam was sitting nervously trying to concentrate on _The Stars My Destination_ by Alfred Bester, and wondering just what Roger, John, and the others saw in the book, anyway.
"Here we go," Megabyte smiled as he got a message that Beth's email had arrived.
Adam read over his friend's shoulder, "What the...."
"She thinks your letter was a joke, pal!" Megabyte laughed.
"Who's Maria?" Adam wondered.
Megabyte opened another window on his laptop, and accessed Beth's TP central database file.
"Ah-hah, Maria Sloughter, another TP and one of Beth's closest friends at Carleton."
"Boy, Megabyte, we certainly stick together, don't we?" Adam teased, as if to remind his friend that the younger boy had been friends with Kevin before any of them had broken out.
"What now, Adam?"
"Can you tell where she is?"
Megabyte shook his head, "Not without hacking the Carleton system."
"Oh, well, guess I'll find out. Be seeing you!"
Megabyte smiled as Adam teleported out. Beth was going to be very surprised.
Goodhue Hall, Carleton
Adam teleported into a dorm room with bunked beds and science fiction posters up on the wall, including photocopied pictures of the actors from the newer of the Tomorrow People TV series. Adam shook his head at the photos of Kristian Schmid. The man looked nothing like Adam did in real life.
'Beth must be a TP all right, she didn't even notice me teleport in.'
"Hello," he said gently.
Beth was so engrossed in what she was doing that when she heard an unfamiliar voice (without so much as hearing the door open) that she jumped out of her chair and whirled around.
"Adam! How did you get in here? And how do I know your name? Oh, wait, I think I know the answers to those questions," Beth cringed as she realized she was unconsciously echoing Lisa's lines from the Origin Story. 'At least I've got my own clothes on.'
"Now do you believe me?" Adam couldn't resist a grin.
"I suppose," Beth returned the smile.
"Speaking of answers..."
"Douglas Adams was wrong. The answer is not forty-two, but rather forty-seven," she interrupted.
"Interesting."
[Mike!]
[You have an answer for us, Adam?] John replied sternly.
Adam suspected he was going to get lectured when he got back. 'Well, you give and get.'
To John, he 'pathed, [It's rather a cryptic message, John: "Douglas Adams was wrong. The answer is not forty-two, but rather forty- seven."]
[You're right, Adam, that is cryptic. We'll get to work on it right away. You wrap everything up on your end in the meantime.]
While Adam and John were engaged in silent communication, Beth had finally gotten over her initial shock and taken a good look at Adam and burst out laughing.
Adam ran a nervous hand through his blonde hair, "What's so funny?"
"All this time everyone on TPDIS thought Nigel Robinson had tint problems or something," Beth explained through giggles.
Adam shrugged. "Darn casting agents."
A thought struck Beth. "Oh, no! I thought the letter was just a joke, so I let my friend Sebastian read it so he could help me with the code!"
"What exactly did you tell him?"
"That Maria sent me the letter as a joke and I needed to break the code to get her back."
"That's not as bad as you might think. Just stick to that story. Tell the Maria the truth- she's one of us- show her the letter if you need to. The two of you are going to have to engage in a little prank war as a cover, I'm afraid." Adam's blue eyes twinkled mischievously.
"Darn, and I thought I was gonna get out of getting her back."
"What's wrong with another letter?"
Beth gave him a puzzled look, opened her mouth, and then closed it as she realized Adam had read her mind.
"Not much."
"Right then, boot a word processing program and let's get to work."
"What about the code?"
"I told John what it said, you and I will just tie up this little loose end and then I'll get back to work."
"Sorry about that."
"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it by the time you break out- we'll make sure of that."
[John, it'll take a little longer than you might think. There's been a minor security leak- it won't take too much to patch it, though.]
[Great.]
The lab
"That's exactly why you shouldn't be approaching these kids before they break out, Mike. They don't think it's anything more than a TV show and security leaks are bound to happen. The television series was not one of Roger's better ideas." John's voice sounded hollow as his head was stuck underneath TIM.
"And how much calmer have break-outs been since people knew what was happening to them?" Elizabeth reminded. "Besides, don't we have more important things to worry about right now?"
John rolled his eyes and slid out from under TIM, then closed the panel.
"I think it might be wise to discuss just what the implications of this coded message are," Hsui Tai interjected.
Mike glared at her. Why was she always so bossy? Sometimes he wondered how Roger had ever managed to get away with making her namesake on the show so demure.
"What coded message?" TIM inquired.
"One we found in email to one Clarissa Darling-- it was dated the twenty-fourth century, and this young lady has more strange occurrences surrounding her, but is not a Tomorrow Person," John said. "Oh, and it's good to have you back TIM."
"That must be the source of the time warp that led me here," a figure said calmly from the jaunting pad.
"Peter!" John and Liz exclaimed in unison.
"What was the message?"
"Douglas Adams was wrong, the answer is not forty two, but rather forty-seven," John replied.
Peter's mouth dropped open. "Well, it seems innocuous enough. What was this girl's name?"
"Clarissa Darling," Liz replied.
Understanding hit Peter like lightning, "She averted an explosion in a cold fusion power plant by typing in the number 42 into a computer in utter frustration after the security codes had been changed- she chose the number because of _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_. An algorithm had found all but the last two digits, and they were running out of time. If that explosion were to occur, the consequences would be disastrous."
"Luckily, she's on summer holiday. I'll go delete that email right away," Andrew got up.
"Stop right there!" an unfamiliar voice with an American accent commanded. "One move from any of you, and we shoot."
All the telepaths jumped. Two men wearing black jumpsuits without zippers were standing in front of them. The one who spoke was Caucasian, had a red stripe over his shoulders. The other was Asian and had a gold strip where the red stripe was on the other man's jumpsuit. Both wore Starfleet insignia badges on the jumpsuits.
"That explosion may have blown half of the United States into the dark ages, taking out most of the world's food supply at the time with it, but it is what kicked off the wars and devastation that led to our future," the Asian man added. "And Tom and I can't get home unless it occurs."
"Wars, how? And what happened to the Tomorrow People?" Hsui Tai demanded.
"Where are we?" the man in red inquired.
"I'm not about to tell you that."
"What continent?"
"British Isles," Mike broke in.
Tom glared at Mike, then turned back to Hsui Tai. "Well, if you were all in Britain at the wrong time, most of the islands were bombed into oblivion during the atomic horror. Most of the physical structures were collapsed. You could have all been crushed."
[We could have escaped to the Trig also.] Elizabeth said sensibly.
This led to another question.
"What about the Galactic Federation?" Peter interrupted.
"What? The United Federation of Planets? That shouldn't exist in this time!" the Asian man replied.
"We're letting them get to us, Harry. Now, what do we do about this lot to keep them from deleting that email?"
[TIM, send Adam a stun gun,] John telepathed. He was betting whatever weapons those two men had, they weren't so innocuous as the stun guns-- and they were beginning to look about ready to use them.
[Check,] TIM replied.
[John, what's going on?] Adam 'pathed worriedly. [That stun gun scared Beth so much she nearly broke out!]
[There's intruders in the lab. Get over here and surprise them-- but be careful!]
Adam read John's mind and quickly assessed the situation, "I'll be right back," he told Beth, and vanished in a flash of light reminiscent of a computer monitor turning off.
Adam reappeared in the lab and stunned the two very shocked men. "OK, now what?"
"They should disappear as soon as that email's deleted," John replied.
"I'd better go take care of it, then," Andrew sighed.
"Poor Andrew, forced to spend more time traversing the information superhighway," John teased.
Andrew grabbed a convenient pillow and threw it at John- who laughed heartily.
The End