From mhv.net!news.sprintlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!news-e1a.megaweb.com!newstf01.news.aol.com!newsbf02.news.aol.com!not-for-mail Thu Sep 28 22:19:25 1995 Path: mhv.net!news.sprintlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!news-e1a.megaweb.com!newstf01.news.aol.com!newsbf02.news.aol.com!not-for-mail From: superelf@aol.com (Superelf) Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: NEW: Time for a Change (part 1--mega x-over) Date: 28 Sep 1995 17:08:11 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Lines: 108 Sender: root@newsbf02.news.aol.com Message-ID: <44f2rr$afn@newsbf02.news.aol.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: newsbf02.mail.aol.com X-Newsreader: AOL Offline Reader Time for a Change By Les Bonser This is a work of fan fiction. The characters used in this story remain the copyrighted and trademarked property of their respective owners. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Part 1 Present day... UP -- New York. The Latvian Embassy said today that various scientific and technical works of the late Victor Von Doom will be auctioned next week. The embassy indicated that the auction items are available for preview at the Latvian Embassy here in New York. Political analysts feel the sales of advanced technology developed by the late "Dr. Doom" are the inevitable result of the ever changing political climate of Eastern Europe. Economic analysts on Wall Street felt that a move toward open commerce with the remainder of the world is necessary to reverse the economic and social stagnation of Latvia. Latvia is a small Baltic nation that has suffered under the dictatorship of Von Doom for the past twenty years. Among the items allegedly for sale include various particle beam weapons, robotics, and a purported "time machine." Central Perk, a coffeehouse in New York City... "A time machine. Wow." Ross put down the newspaper and looked at his friends. "Think about it. A time machine." "Ross, do you *really* think he invented a 'time machine'?" his sister, Monica, asked. "Well, maybe..." Ross pondered the thought. "Anyone else want more coffee?" Rachel asked. "Sure," Monica said. She handed her cup to her friend. "Sounds like something out of the 'National Enquirer,' if you ask me." "But, think about the possibilities," Ross said. "Someone could go back in time and stop Hitler. Or prevent JFK from being killed." "Or prevent Monica from getting that really bad haircut," Chandler chimed in. "Hey!" Monica yelled. "Hey, it's not that bad," Phoebe said. "Yes, it is," Joey said, laughing. The rest of Monica's friends tried to hide their amusement and politely turned away from her to prevent her from seeing their grins. "She's right," Monica pleaded, "It's not that bad." She turned to look at each of her friends, one after the other. The pleading look on her face was ignored by everyone, including the gaunt man in the corner who had become very interested in the group's conversation. The man was wearing a long overcoat and a large hat. The brim of the hat was pulled down to cover most of this face. After the group left Central Perk, the gaunt man strode over to the couch at the center of the coffeehouse and snatched up the newspaper Ross had been reading. That guy's spooky, Rachel told herself as she watched him. He needs some sun, she thought. When the man reached out for the newspaper, the sleeve of his overcoat slid up and showed the skin of his arm between the cuff of the sleeve and his purple glove. His skin was a pale white. "Time travel," the man muttered under his breath. This would make a very amusing practical joke, the man thought, choking back the urge to giggle. The strange man left Central Perk quickly. Rachel steeled herself and went to the man's table. The bastard stiffed her. No tip, just a neat pile of compulsively stacked sugar packets. The man's a nut case, Rachel decided. *** Stark Enterprises, Pacific Palisades, California... Tony Stark dropped the "Wall Street Journal" he was reading. He shook his head. "This is very bad," he mouthed to himself. He picked up the paper and reread the article. This time, after reading the article, he throw down the paper and cursed. "Morning, Tony," Bethany Cabe said as she came into Stark's office. Cabe was Stark Enterprises Chief of Security. Tony grunted. "You're in a good mood today," Beth noted. "Stark stock down this morning?" "Read this," Tony said, thrusting the newspaper into his former lover's face. "Oh, shit," Beth said after scanning the article. "Yeah," Tony agreed. He was busy dialing his private video phone. Seconds later, Natasha Rominov's face appeared on the screen. "Ton From mhv.net!news.sprintlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!news-e1a.megaweb.com!newstf01.news.aol.com!newsbf02.news.aol.com!not-for-mail Thu Sep 28 22:19:28 1995 Path: mhv.net!news.sprintlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!news-e1a.megaweb.com!newstf01.news.aol.com!newsbf02.news.aol.com!not-for-mail From: superelf@aol.com (Superelf) Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: NEW: Time for a Change (part 2--mega x-over) Date: 28 Sep 1995 17:08:31 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Lines: 107 Sender: root@newsbf02.news.aol.com Message-ID: <44f2sf$agg@newsbf02.news.aol.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: newsbf02.mail.aol.com X-Newsreader: AOL Offline Reader Time for a Change By Les Bonser This is a work of fan fiction. The characters used in this story remain the copyrighted and trademarked property of their respective owners. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Part 2 Latvian Embassy, New York City... It was late evening by the time Mulder and Scully reached the Latvian Embassy. The flight from Washington had been delayed by a computer glitch at National Airport. The two FBI agents were weary by the time they walked up to the front of the Embassy. Although it was so late, the Latvian ambassador met them, along with their NYPD liaison. The Latvian Embassy was huge, old, and very European in style. Each room had high vaulted ceilings, with arched windows. Scully was very impressed. Mulder, however, was apparently only interested only in the gargoyles that decorated the entryway of the Embassy. "We have the most advanced security, you understand," the ambassador was saying. "However, even the most advanced system can sometimes be fallible." "Where were the guards?" Scully asked. "Everything is computerized. We do not employ security personnel." "Why?" "There are obvious issues recruiting personnel. Loyalty to the crown is hard to ensure, you know. Issues like that. We have found in the past that our automated security systems have been more than adequate." Mulder listened to the ambassador's explanation. He decided that it sounded a little weak. "Can we see the room where the equipment was stored?" Scully asked. "Yes, yes, of course. This way, please," the ambassador said. "The New York Police have already searched the room. The only thing they found was a dead cat." "A dead cat?" Fox Mulder asked. "Well, yes. We have a bit of a rat problem. The embassy staff keeps a number of cats on the premise to help with the problem. Apparently one of the cats died. The body was found in the Exhibit Hall." "The 'Exhibit Hall?'" Mulder started to ask. Just then, a roar arose from outside. It sounded as if an airplane was landing in the street outside of the Embassy. "What is that?" Scully asked. "I don't know," the Latvian ambassador said. One of the Latvian officials ran up to the ambassador. "Eminence, the Avengers are here. They just arrived." "The Avengers," Mulder muttered. This is very interesting, he thought. He smiled at Scully. "Oh, hell," Scully said quietly to Mulder. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" A moment later, a three men and a woman strode into the entryway of the Embassy. Iron Man and the leader of the Avengers, the Black Widow, walked directly toward the ambassador. Dr. Henry Pym and the demi-god Hercules followed. Mulder watched the Latvian ambassador. He figured that the ambassador would resent the interference of so many parties. Bad enough to admit that your country's security isn't good enough to stop a cat burglar, but to have first the NYPD and then the FBI come into the Embassy. Now, the NSA had sanctioned the Avengers to investigate. Mulder was surprised to see the ambassador smile. "Ah, Iron Man," the ambassador strode forward and thrust his hand into the Avenger's gauntlet. "Our late Royal Highness spoke often of his respect for your technical prowess. I'm sure he would be honored to have you involved in this investigation, humble thou it be." "Um, yes. Thank you, Ambassador." The Golden Avenger turned to his companions. "This is the Black Widow, leader of the Avengers." "Lady Rominov," the ambassador said. The ambassador took the Widow's gloved hand and lifted it to his mouth. He gently kissed the back of her hand in a traditional European gesture. "Smooth operator," Mulder whispered to Scully. "Are you jealous?" she countered. Being the leader of the Avengers, the Black Widow stepped forward and addressed the ambassador. "As an official representative for the United States Government, I would like to thank the Latvian people for the honor of allowing the Avengers to speak with you. Y From mhv.net!news.sprintlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!news-e1a.megaweb.com!newstf01.news.aol.com!newsbf02.news.aol.com!not-for-mail Thu Sep 28 22:19:33 1995 Path: mhv.net!news.sprintlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!news-e1a.megaweb.com!newstf01.news.aol.com!newsbf02.news.aol.com!not-for-mail From: superelf@aol.com (Superelf) Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: NEW: Time for a Change (part 3--mega x-over) Date: 28 Sep 1995 17:08:53 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Lines: 87 Sender: root@newsbf02.news.aol.com Message-ID: <44f2t5$agr@newsbf02.news.aol.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: newsbf02.mail.aol.com X-Newsreader: AOL Offline Reader Time for a Change By Les Bonser This is a work of fan fiction. The characters used in this story remain the copyrighted and trademarked property of their respective owners. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Part 3 Avenger's Mansion, New York City... The meeting room at Avenger's Mansion was impressive. Scully looked at the various portraits on the walls. It reminded her of the official Agency portraits that graced the public areas of FBI Headquarters. Only here, instead of FBI Director photos, the portraits were of androids and demi-gods, monsters and geniuses, former spies and carnival acts. The Black Widow, Natasha Rominov, was at the head of the table. Around the table, some of the other Avengers and their guests sat. Some, like Scully herself, stood around the room instead of sitting. "Hank, did the NYPD provide those photos?" the Widow asked. "Yes," Hank Pym said. He pressed a control on the briefing table and the video monitor behind the head of the table lit up for all to see. "As you can see by this digitized image of the cat," he explained, "the animal was found behind the base of the time machine." Hank took a small hand-held laser pointer and aimed it at the monitor. He pointed to the animal's head. "As you can see, the cat's mouth seems to be pulled back tight. Almost a 'grin,' if you will." "Cats don't 'grin'," Iron Man pointed out. He moved to stand in front of the monitor. Hank Pym moved the laser pointer from the monitor to avoid pointing it in Iron Man's face. "No," he agreed. "They don't. But if the animal had been poisoned, it might have died in a violent convolution. A muscular spasm might have twisted the cat's mouth into this shape." Mulder stepped forward and asked, "What's more important here? The theft of the time machine control or the death of a cat? Are the two events related?" Scully spoke up from across the room. "I agree with Mulder. The cat just ate a bad rat and died. The ambassador said they had a rat problem. If the cat caught a rat that had just eaten some rat poison, it would explain this. The time machine is the important issue here." "I agree, Agent Scully," the Widow said. "But the cat might still be a clue. The key issue at hand here is the fact that a potentially dangerous piece of Dr. Doom's arsenal has been stolen. If the person who stole the time machine control used it for sinister purposes, and we have to assume they will, then we could all be in a great deal of trouble." "Yes," Dr. Pym said. "I just wish Dr. Richards were here. He had a lot more experience with Doom and Doom's time machine than any of us." The room was quiet for a moment as each person reflected privately on their memories of Dr. Reed Richards. Richards was publicly knows as "Mr. Fantastic" and was the founder and leader of the Fantastic Four. He was a former college friend of Victor Von Doom. Later in life, Doom would have numerous conflicts with the Fantastic Four. Dr. Richards and Von Doom had apparently died last year in the same tragic accident. "I've had enough experience with the time machine to know that we're dealing with trouble," Iron Man. Although it wasn't common knowledge and the two FBI agents didn't therefore know what he was referencing, the Avengers knew of Iron Man's several encounters with Doom and the time machine. One such encounter had resulted in Iron Man and Doom meeting King Arthur. Scully winced at the sound of Iron Man's voice. She was sure that he used some sort of electronic device to mask and alter his voice. She was also sure that he used it to amplify his voice when he wanted to take control of a situation. As he apparently was doing right now. "Whoever controls the time machine could wipe out all of creation with it," Iron Man continued. "Why don't you just turn it off?" Mulder asked. Before anyone could answer, the Vision walked into the room. Although the rest of the Avengers didn't seem to take notice, Scully and Mulde From mhv.net!news.sprintlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!news-e1a.megaweb.com!newstf01.news.aol.com!newsbf02.news.aol.com!not-for-mail Thu Sep 28 22:20:05 1995 Path: mhv.net!news.sprintlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!news-e1a.megaweb.com!newstf01.news.aol.com!newsbf02.news.aol.com!not-for-mail From: superelf@aol.com (Superelf) Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: NEW: Time for a Change (part 4--mega x-over) Date: 28 Sep 1995 17:08:54 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Lines: 104 Sender: root@newsbf02.news.aol.com Message-ID: <44f2t6$ags@newsbf02.news.aol.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: newsbf02.mail.aol.com X-Newsreader: AOL Offline Reader Time for a Change By Les Bonser This is a work of fan fiction. The characters used in this story remain the copyrighted and trademarked property of their respective owners. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Part 4 The 24th Century, USS Enterprise... "Captain's Log, First Officer William Riker, recording. The Enterprise is currently engaged in a stellar mapping survey of the Maronda system. Although the Stellar Cartography department is staying busy with the survey, the remainder of the crew is enjoying the lack of excitement. Engineering is using the 'downtime' to perform routine power system maintenance and Medical is conducting crew physicals." Riker looked up as Captain Picard stepped from his office off the bridge. Riker stood to relinquish the captain's chair to Picard, but paused as Picard motioned for him to remain seated. Picard stood on the side of the bridge and looked at the holographic display of the main monitor. The monitor showed the interstellar void between stars. The Enterprise was proceeding between star systems at warp one. "Status, Number One?" Picard casually asked. "Everything's nominal, sir. Engineering reported about 30 minutes ago that they had completed the maintenance on decks 15, 16, and 17. They are estimating that decks 18 and 19 will be completed by the end of second shift." "Good," Picard said. "Everyone else is enjoying the quiet," Riker continued. "There is a concert planned for 1830 this evening in the arboretum." A bright flash of light filled the bridge. Picard turned to look at the source of the light. "Ah, Captain Picard," Q said. "A concert would be so enjoyable, wouldn't you say?" "Q!" Picard said. "Get off my ship!" Q held up his hands in a gesture of submission. "I come as a friend." He paused. "Really, I do," he said as he saw the look on Picard's face. "But the concert will have to wait. We have more important matters to deal with." "What sort of matters?" Riker asked. Q turned to the first officer. "If you'd have kept my little 'present,' you'd already know, wouldn't you?" Q was obviously referring to the time he had given Riker the powers of the Q Continuum. "What are you talking about?" Picard demanded. "I am here as an official representative of the Q Continuum. We have experienced some problems lately." "What sort of problems?" Picard prompted his nemesis. "Your language is limited. The words I have to use to describe it are so...inadequate," Q explained. "You might call it a 'timequake'." "A timequake?" Riker asked. "Like an earthquake, expect in the time/space continuum?" "That's as good as any explanation I can provide," Q said. Picard was still skeptical. "What does this problem have to do with us?" "Nothing. Absolutely nothing," Q said. "But, we have reason to believe that cause of the timequake is a human being. That's why they sent me. I'm their 'Human Being Expert'." Q had a look of distaste on his face. "Who is causing this problem?" Picard queried Q. "I don't know," Q answered, testily. "That's what I have to find out." "If this has nothing to do with us, why are you here?" Riker demanded. "This crew has some experience with time travel and alternate universes. Also, this universe has access to a device that might be of some help." "This universe?" Picard wondered. "The problem isn't in this universe?" "Well, no," Q admitted. "But the solution might be." "Number One, have the senior staff in the conference room in 5 minutes," Picard ordered. He lead Q into his office. "Yes, sir," Riker answered. Exactly five minutes later, Riker entered the conference room at the back of the bridge. Geordi La Forge, Worf, Dr. Crusher, Counselor Troi, and Data were already here. Riker took his seat without saying anything. In nearly eight years of serving on the Enterprise, everyone had fallen into a comfortable rhythm; everyone had met around this very table numerous times before. A moment later Picard walked int