You know your email's pathetic when you can't even send a large text.
::sighs:: Yes, that's right. My computer ate a piece of the text. Ah
well, I'll send it out in another part. For all those following this is
part 11 of PPF.
	For simplistic reading- **** below the text signals the end of a time
period. The segment that follows will take place with a different person
or at a completely different time. ^^^^ indicate that you are with the
same person or a simultaneous action is occuring else where. All times
are for the Vertutech HQ in New York City. (Which means that what ever
time is listed, that's what time it is in NYC)
	As always, comments are appreciated. 
	*Suze, could you please archive the a&b sections as one part? It really
should be together. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own TRA or the characters used on the show. I do own
Bryne and any other characters not from TV.
Date: 1/20/00
Catagories: DBN HR, F, Fam, AE
Archive: Yes
Author: Bryne/Michelle
Rating: This one is definitely PG-13 (Yes, Peggy, it's like the spin
off)
	**Note: This is probably the most lemon scented of the parts in the
series and though I don't think there's any thing here you wouldn't find
in a PG-13 movie (actually, there's quite a bit less) I thought I'd let
people know so they can make their own decisions. 


Part 11: Past, Present, and Future
			
By Michelle Curtin

		            November 27, 5:52 p.m.

	Bryne whistled. "How'd this happen?" he asked, making a motion to
indicate the blocked stream in front of them. He and Jessie had followed
Estella to the blocked area after their 'meeting' in the middle of the
stream. He flipped his hair slightly, shaking off droplets of water.
	Estella sighed. "There's been a lot of logging going on lately. The
companies are trying to get as much done as they can before the latest
environmental bill passes through the legislature. Some days they've got
so many machines here we can feel it over at the site. You get too
close, you'd swear you were in the middle of an earthquake."
	Next to Jessie, Bryne took a step closer to her side. "You see those
cuts over there?" He motioned to the side of the stream. Jessie followed
the line his hand made to the bank. Pockets and cuts lined the ground on
the sides of the stream, a foot deep in some places. "That's where the
rocks must have come from." He lowered her voice.
	"So, they popped out during all the shaking and rolled down the sides
of the embankments," Jessie concluded for him. "The sides look steep
enough to let them pick up the momentum they'd need to wedge as a dam." 
	"I'd bet so," he said softly. There was something in his voice.
Jessie caught it. "This must have been some party to budge those
things." Bryne nodded and gave her a look. "You think Mom's lying?" she
asked, her voice as quiet as his. 
	"I don't know," he replied, shaking his head. "But something doesn't
feel right about all this." He looked at her and saw her eyes clouded
with worry.
	"I can't think of a reason why she'd make this up," Jessie said, biting
her lip in worry. 
	"I know you trust her Jess, but I can't shake this hunch that there's
something wrong . . ." *Then again, I'm paranoid all the time.* A twinge
of guilt struck him. *Am I worrying her for no reason?* Looking at her,
"Keep your eyes open, Jess." She looked worriedly up at him and nodded.
"Just in case."
	"I'm going to go head back no." Neither of Estella's two companions
seemed to notice she'd said anything. "You hear me? Jessie?" Nothing.
Estella shook her head, a happy little smile on her face, as she looked
fondly over at the two. She could remember when she and Race had first
started dating. All the secretive glances, the little touches for no
reason, the hazy little world where only they had existed. It had
annoyed the hell out of her parents. And now Jessie was doing it to her.
Estella smiled contentedly. It was so cute to see her baby in love. She
wished she had a camera so she could take black mail pictures. 
	"Now Jessie," Estella said loudly, "I want you and Bryne to stay here
and make out while I go back to camp. When I get back I expect you two
to be firmly entangled. That sound all right to you?" Two heads snapped
around. 
	"I'm sorry, what did you say mom?" Jessie asked. Estella smirked.
	"I'm going to head over to camp for the others," she said, looking
vaguely amused. 
	"Okay, mom, we'll see you in a bit." Jessie paused to study her mother.
*Why does she look so smug?* "And be careful would you?" Bryne nodded
his agreement.
	"Watch your step, Estella." Estella looked at Bryne curiously.
"Wouldn't want you to fall in the river or anything."
	"I will," Estella returned with a grin. "Be good you two."
	"Yes Mommy," Jessie said, making a face, but she didn't get upset.  
	"You know," her mother said, wagging a finger at the red head, "one day
your face is going to freeze like that and then won't you be sorry." Her
daughter promptly stuck her tongue out. "I'll be back in a bit." With
that, Estella hiked off. Bryne and Jessie watched her go.
	"What does she think we're going to do?" Jessie asked rhetorically.
	*Bet I can guess,* Bryne mused, but he didn't feel it was necessary to
share that particular thought. 
	"Who knows," Bryne answered instead, trying to sound innocent. He added
a shrug for effect. Jessie glanced over at him and for a minute he had
the distinct feeling her thoughts had drifted to where his were. "So,"
he broke in to change the subject, "which side you want?"
	Jessie looked at the small pool and the rocks in front of them. "I'll
take the right if you don't mind." Bryne shook his head.
	"Not at all. Manual labor is manual labor, no matter which side of the
river you're on."
	"Cute." Jessie said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "You think of that
all by yourself?"
	"As a matter of fact, I did," Bryne said. Wading through the water to
the left side, he bent and grabbed hold of a loose looking rock, tossing
it over his shoulder. Trudging over to the other side, Jessie did the
same. They worked without talking for a while, the sounds of the running
water and bird calls enough noise.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
	"Race?" Benton called, walking into their joint room. "You in here?"
	"Right over here Benton. You need something?" Benton nodded and came
over to sit next to him on the bed. Carefully, he picked a spot not
covered by loose papers. 
	"You busy?" Race shook his head.
	"Nah, I was just going through some files Bennett faxed over this
morning from the Pentagon. Seems he was making a requested appearance
and he had a moment so he stopped by the archives for me."
	Benton shook his head in amusement. "Another one who can't get out of
the system. Can't they ever let you retired guys be?"
	"You know the way things work, once a government man and all that."
Race shrugged. "And it's a good thing they don't. He wouldn't have been
able to get a hold of these." He waved a wad of papers at Benton.
	"It's times like this that I'm glad I'm a private citizen." Benton
looked over at the various sheet of loose leaf. "What did he send you?"
Benton asked curiously.
	"To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure. I tried reading through
the papers, but they don't make any sense. It's like he just grabbed a
handful of stuff from a bunch of different files and stuck them
together." 
	"How do you mean?"
	"The first ten or so talk about a mission a decade ago with some
corporate executives in a newly forming business, then the next talk
about an MIA from 'Nam, and the next about a leak in the department."
	"Well that's strange. Why do you think Bennett sent them to you?"
	Race sighed and shook his head wearily. "I don't know Benton."
	"Why don't you give him a call? Maybe he could-"
	"I already tried. I had the security team back at Vertutech go through
a couple of lines, but we couldn't get through."
	"That's odd." Race nodded and his blue eyes got a far away look to
them. "You think something's happened to him?"
	"You know it." Benton sighed this time.
	"Then I guess all we can do is hope for the best."
	"Guess so. Say, Benton? What was it you wanted?"
	"Wanted? Oh! Right, I completely forgot. Race, do you know what today
is?" Race rubbed his temples.
	"No mind games Benton, it's been a long day."
	"It's the day before Thanksgiving," he informed his friend.
	"So? What's the day before-" He stopped mid-sentence. "Oh no," he
groaned miserably and put his head in his hands. "No no no no nonono . .
." his voice tapered off into a moan of absolute suffering.
	"Race," Benton said, trying to be kind, "it's not that bad."
	"Not that bad?" Race repeated, his voice rising. "Not that bad?" He
reached over and shook his friend. "Benton, Estella's flying up to Maine
tonight." Benton made a little shoulder motion. He knew that already,
that was why he was here. "Do you know what she's going to say when she
gets there and no one's home?" he demanded. Benton grimaced. "Yeah, my
thoughts exactly." He ran a hand through his short-cropped white hair.
"As if we weren't at each others throats already."
	"Why don't we just call the dig and tell her to come to New York?"
Benton suggested, trying to be helpful.
	"And then we'll explain why we're in New York right?" Benton shut his
mouth. "You know as well as I do the moment she finds out what happened
Estella's going to personally rip me to shreds." Benton nodded, but
couldn't think of anything helpful to say. 
	"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll think of something to tell her." His
friend groaned again and slumped backwards against the bed. "Your
optimism is under-whelming Race." 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
	As Bryne and Jessie worked on clearing the black, the light through the
trees shifted in the sky, the angle changing as the sun crept along its
daily journey. In New York, the sun would already be close to dipping
behind the horizon, preparing for the shortest day of the year on the
21st of December. In the Southern Hemisphere though, the sun still shone
brightly above the treetops, a result of the south's approaching longest
day of the year. The light would remain well on after eight.
	"Looks like the others got lost," Jessie commented to no one. 
	"Looks like," Bryne said in agreement, straining to pry a large boulder
out of the muck.
	"If Mom even got back to the camp at all." Bryne grunted in a way that
was neither agreement nor disagreement as he shouldered the rock and
staggered to the nearby shore. "That looks heavy," Jessie mentioned,
"you need any help?" 
	"I'm fine," Bryne replied, the effort in his voice. Jessie looked at
the water and his pile of rocks as he dropped it and started back for
another. This one was even bigger than the last. 
	"You sure?" she asked doubtfully, eyeing the next one.
	"Uh, yeah." Up went the next one, onto his back and over. The thing
landed heavily on the mud. Bryne wiped his brow and sat down on it,
resting for a minute. 
	"Well then," Jessie said, sounding embarrassed, "could you help me?"
Bryne looked up at her and with a nod, stood and plodded over to help
her. Jessie silently thanked him. She hated having to admit when she
couldn't handle something herself.
	"The trick," he began, moving to get under the closet rock, "is to use
your legs, not your back." With a grunt he forced the rock out of its
spot. 
	"Not much of a trick," Jessie replied, smiling at Bryne as she bent to
grab the other end. The raven-haired man looked over at her and smiled
that way that made her stomach flip flop. 
	"Guess not." 
****************************************************************************************
					6:00 p.m.

	A soft rap sounded against the wood door.
	"It's open," Sara called, not looking up from her laptop. From around
the corner, Jonny appeared, peeking into the dark room.
	"You okay Sar?" Jonny asked as he sat down on the couch next to the
brunette. They were in Jessie's office at Vertutech. Jonny had passed a
very worn looking Malana in the hallway seconds before and, hearing that
his fiancée was still working, had decided to come see how she was. 
	"Hm?" she asked, looking distractedly up at him. 
	"Are you okay?" Jonny repeated patiently.
	"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine Jon." She tried to sound reassuring, but just
came out sounding exhausted. *Yeah right.* Jonny looked suspiciously at
her. 
	"You sure?" he asked warily. "You don't look so good."
	"Thanks Jon," she said sarcastically, her eyes locked on the readouts
pasted before her. 
	"You know what I mean." He brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
She pushed his hand away absently. Jonny reached over and gently shut
the computer. Sara tuned to him. "This past month's been hard on you-" 
	"It's been tough on everyone. Have you looked at your brother? Or how
about your dad?" She shook her head slowly. "I'm the one you should be
least worried about."
	"You haven't been getting enough sleep."
	"No one's been sleeping much, you included Jon."
	"That's hardly the point." He rubbed a dark smudge underneath her right
eye. *At least I haven't been getting up in the middle of the night.*
	"Then what is the point?" Jonny rolled his eyes at Sara's attempt to
weasel out of dealing with him.
	"The point," he said, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling
her toward him, "is that you need to take a little time off."
	"Jonny," Sara said, gently disconnecting his arms from her, "you know I
can't." 
	"Can't what?" he asked, befuddled. "Take the night off to take a
much-deserved nap? Sar, you're worse than Race!" Sara looked angrily
away. 	 
	"It's just this is so important!" 
	"You're obsessing, Sar. It's not good to be this worried."
	"Jessie's your best friend and your sister and I know this is killing
you to have her in danger." Her voice softened considerably. "You know I
hate to see you hurt." Jonny touched her cheek.
	"Jessie is a part of my family, but she's in a place where I can't help
her right now. And because I can't help her, I'm all the more intent on
helping you." He leaned forward to kiss her, but she pulled back.
	"So you just want to hole up for the night and leave things alone?"
Sara demanded, moving the laptop off her so she could stand. "Is that
what you're saying?" Jonny nodded.
	"It certainly is," he responded calmly. "All we have to do is go back
to the hotel and lay low for the night."
	"But it's not that simple!" Sara cried. Stepping away from the couch
she walked over to look out the large windows. Jonny's eyebrows knitted
together.
	"Sara," Jonny said softly as he stood and walked over to her, "listen
to me sweetheart." He took her chin in his hand and made her look at
him. "We've all been working our butts off to get Jessie home for a long
time, but everything that we could possibly do has been done."
	"There's got to be something-" 
	"There's not," he interrupted gently. Sara looked at him hard. "I
checked with the security team." Sara nodded and leaned against him. "I
also talked to Myshell today. She assured me that Jessie's alive and
well. That's the most important thing." He wrapped his arms around her
again. 
	"I know," Sara replied, lying her head on his shoulder, "but I want so
much for her to be back so things can get back to normal." *In more ways
than you can imagine.* Jonny smiled and kissed the top of her head. 
	"I know how you feel. Right now though, all we can do is sit back and
let the work we've done come together. Okay?" Sara sighed.
	"I suppose you're right." Sara's sigh turned into a yawn. She made a
tired mumbling sound into Jonny's nearby ear. 
Jonny smiled and rocked her in a dancing motion. The two swayed together
in the middle of the office room, bathed in light of the rising moon as
it poured in through the large bay windows. Even as the moon rose on
this side of the building, on the other the sun was only beginning to
set. The stark contrast was one of the most beautiful things in the
city. 
	For a little while the two danced, following the music only they could
hear, content to be in each other's arms. "Come on, you," he said
finally. Sara mumbled in his ear again. He chuckled softly and kissed
her head tenderly. "Let's get out of here and head back to the hotel."
Jonny brought Sara up from her slumped posed and lead her toward the
door. "I'm starving." 
	"That's a big surprise," Sara commented with a sleepy laugh.
	"Thanks," Jonny growled and pulled her to his side, tucking her under
his right arm. "So, dinner in or do you think the others will want to go
out some place?"
	"Do we have to?" Sara asked from her comfortable position against
Jonny's side.
	"Yes we have to," Jonny said patiently. "You can't afford to miss any
more meals, Sar." He poked her playfully in the side. "You're skinny
enough as it is!" Sara made a lemon face at him.
	"I meant," she replied, "do we have to invite the others?" Jonny looked
down at her. "If I'm going to spend time with you, I'd rather not have
to share." He smiled.
	"Your wish is my command." Sara smiled back at him.
	"Oh really?" she asked playfully. He nodded emphatically. "How about if
we order room service and eat in then?" Jonny grinned wickedly.
	"I can't think of anything I'd rather do."
	"Oh." Sara sounded disappointed. "That's too bad, because I was
thinking we could-" Jonny cut her off with a kiss. 
THIS is the real b section of part 11. ::sighs:: I hope that the last
line makes a little more sense this way.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ming or FlashGorden either.
		
				6:30 p.m.

	"Oohhh . . .," Jessie groaned, "I hurt." With effort, the two hoisted
up the last large rock. As the site had been cleared the river had
picked up and work had been increasingly difficult. Finally, the water
was moving smoothly once more. The current could take care of the
remaining bits and pieces. 
	Straining together, they stumbled under its weight as they moved to the
right side and dropped it, letting it fall where it would. "Thank g-d,"
Jessie breathed as she practically collapsed on the muddy bank, falling
half in and half out of the water. Her eyes slid closed and her head
rolled face down in the muck.
	"Come on," Bryne said. Bending down next to her he gently tugged her
arm. "You wanna end up soaking wet?" 
	"Too late to worry about that now," came the mumbled reply. Bryne
smiled. She did have a point.
	"Up," he commanded, slipping an arm under her. He easily pried her from
the muck and pulled her to her feet, supporting her weary body as they
struggled awkwardly to higher ground. "There you go." He set her down on
her back on a relatively dry spot.
	"Thanks," she murmured quietly, but her eyes stayed open this time.
Bright and green, they watched him intently as if waiting for him to
make a move. Jessie raised an arm to him. That was all the invitation he
needed.
	Taking a step toward her, Bryne slid down on top, covering her body
with his. His mouth came down on hers, locking them together. The arm
Jessie had raised wrapped itself around his neck, pulling them closer.
Not to be left out, the other hand wove its way into Bryne's hair. Like
a comb, it raked its way through the wet coils, playing with the soft
pieces. Bryne's arms held her tightly to him, pressing them together.  
	A groan rumbled up from somewhere in Jessie's throat and she felt her
face flush in embarrassment. Bryne chuckled against her mouth and pulled
back a bit, moving his mouth to the soft spot behind her ear. Nibbling
gently, he made his way down and around to the front where the top of
her mechanics suit zipped. One of his hands came around and tugged
gently on the zipper, parting the worn and still wet material. 
	"Bryne," Jessie moaned, pulling him closer to her. The sound of his
ragged breathing filled her ears. His mouth touched the exposed skin and
she gasped, her eyes sliding closed against the feeling of his mouth on
her. "Bryne," she moaned again.
	Bryne's head jerked up quickly, causing Jessie's eyes to fly open.
	"What's wrong?" she asked, surprised at his sudden withdrawal. Bryne
didn't say anything, but his eyes darted back and forth over the forest
line in front of him. Lifting himself into an almost sitting position
over her, Bryne cocked his head to the side, he looked as if he were
listening to some far away noise. Jessie struggled to sit up and see
what had caused him to move. Bryne's arm caught her and pushed her
gently to the ground.
	"Don't move," he whispered urgently. Jessie opened her mouth to say
something, but a quick look at Bryne's intent expression silenced her.
Instead, lay still. Together, the two listened intently, but heard
nothing unusual over the sound of rushing water and loud animal calls.
"False alarm I guess," Bryne said. He sounded apologetic. Jessie smiled
weakly.
	"I suppose it's for the best." Bryne looked at her, but she couldn't
tell what he was thinking because his face had suddenly closed off. 
	"You're right," he said emotionlessly. He moved to get up, but she
caught him and rested a delicate hand on his cheek. 
	"That's not what I meant, Bryne." 
	"I know what you meant," he replied calmly, almost coolly, and went to
move again. Jessie smiled softly and shook her head. 
	"It's not that I don't want to," she reached up to brush a stray piece
of hair out of his eyes, "this just isn't the most private place to-" 
	"JESSICA!" bellowed an angry voice. "JESSICA BANNON! FOR THE LOVE OF
PETE WHERE ARE YOU?" Jessie sighed and rolled her eyes heavenward. Her
father was right; the sound of Estella Velasquez shouting your name WAS
the loudest, most annoying sound in the entire Southern Hemisphere. 
	"See what I mean? People barging in all over the place." Bryne nodded,
but his face remained stony and impassive. Jessie sighed. "I'm sorry,
Bryne," she said softly, apologetically. 
	"For what?" 
	Her hand waved vaguely in the direction of the jungle. "If it wasn't
for me, you wouldn't be stuck here; trudging through the woods, putting
up with my mother," she swallowed, "going through all this." She shook
her head. "You don't belong here." Bryne seemed to consider this.
	"But if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be feeling any of this either."
He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "Do you know how long
it's been since I've felt all of this?" She looked curiously at him. "I
can't even remember the last time I was angry. Or sad, or hopeful, or
happy." He leaned down and kissed her, the brush of his lips on hers as
gentle as the breeze off a butterfly's wings. "There's nothing for you
to be sorry about."
	"Then why do you look-" He cut her off as he kissed her again. His kiss
was so tender Jessie forgot what she was saying and couldn't help but
answer it with her own. Her fingers trailed up to play with the lobe of
his right ear. Bryne's deep laugh filled the air as he broke the
strengthening kiss. "I thought we didn't want to do that."
	"Of course we do," she told him, an impish glint in her eyes, "just not
here." He fought a persuasive smirk unsuccessfully. Jessie pulled him
back down.
	"JESSICA!" 
	"GAAH!" Jessie cried in frustration, letting go of Bryne and throwing
her head back to bang against the ground. "I swear! One day, mother . .
." She turned her head to the side to glare at the area where her
mother's voice had come from. Bryne snickered as he looked at her.
Jessie looked like she was ready to kill somebody.
	"How's it possible you two haven't killed each other yet?" Bryne asked
in wonder as Jessie gnashed her teeth. 
	"There's always been someone around to stop us from getting to that
point," she ground out. 
	"You're kidding," he replied, disbelieving. "I can't imagine anyone
suicidal enough to get in between you two when you're fighting."
	"My dad has this incredible timing." Jessie sighed and shut her eyes. 
	"And that's all it takes? Him showing up?"
	"Hardly. Normally, his showing up usually involves a swarm of
psychopaths trailing hot on his heels. Mom and I usually end up helping
him out and ending up neck deep in quicksand. By the time it's all over,
we've forgotten why we were fighting."  
	"Sounds logical."
	"As logical my family could ever be." Bryne grimaced. 
	"That's not encouraging."
	"Not that I'm uncomfortable or anything, Bryne, but would you mind
getting up? I don't think it's a good idea for my Mom to catch us like
this yet." 
	"Yet?" Jessie crinkled her nose and smiled devilishly.
	"Uh-huh." Bryne quickly rolled off her and stood. Bending at the waist
he offered his hand, which Jessie gratefully accepted, pulling herself
off the ground. 
	"Thank you," she said, her green eyes bright and shining with
unreleased passion. 
	"We should probably get you cleaned up before the others get here," he
said awkwardly. Jessie looked at him. 
	"Why?" she asked, "We spent the afternoon working, we're supposed to be
dirty." 
	"No, we're supposed to be wet." Bryne plucked a leaf from her hair. His
hand moved and went to the front of her suit. Jessie's breath caught in
her throat.
	"Bryne-" 
	"JESSICA!" Up went the zipper. She let out the air she'd been holding.
	"Did I mention I was going to make her pay?" Bryne snickered. 
	"There you are!" Her mother's hair appeared from behind a bit of brush
at the river's bend and she rushed up, splashing along through the murky
water. "What are you doing all the way over there?"
	"We were sick of looking like prunes," Jessie said. "What took you so
long anyway?" Estella rolled her eyes and hiked up the hill to them.
	"I had to convince the others to break themselves away from my surprise
party to come help." She looked at her daughter. "Speaking of which, why
didn't you warn me before I left?" she demanded.
	"That would have been too easy," her daughter countered dismissively.
"And what makes you think I knew to begin with? It was a SURPRISE party.
The key word being surprise." She crossed her arms. "You weren't suppose
to know about it."
	"Then it's not my fault I'm late, is it?" Estella said pointedly.
	"Well if it's not yours, then whose is it?" Jessie demanded. Estella's
face took on a look of righteous fury.
	"Jessica Bannon," she began, her voice getting louder on each name.
	"Would the two of you give it a rest already?" Harvey asked from
nowhere. A slight crashing came from behind as he hiked through the
brush, shaking his head in disgust while his right hand steadied a khaki
canvas bag on his shoulder. "Like dogs on a bone."
	"Who asked you to butt in?" Estella snapped at Harvey.
	"No one." He pointed at Bryne. "Poor Bryne's only been around a month.
It wouldn't be fair to expose him to this too early." He cupped his
mouth with one hand and leaned in conspiratorially, whispering roughly,
"It might scare him off." Jessie and Estella refocused their glares to
Harvey. 
	"Since this is obviously disturbing you Harv," Jessie said sweetly,
"how about if instead of fighting, Mom and I team up and kick you're a-"
	"I have a better idea," Harvey interrupted cheerfully, "why doesn't
Estella head down to tell the others that they wasted the past twenty
minutes hiking here?" Estella crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow in
that way that said 'who the hell is going to make me?' 
	"Doctor Velasquez?" called a young man in long pants, now soaked to the
knee, from the river. Jessie looked over, noticing the group of rather
water logged people standing in the river with him. Several others
looked questioningly up at her. "What's going on?"
	"Nothing much Tony," she replied, lips pursed and eyes still on Harvey.
"Seems everything here's already been taken care of. We can go back to
camp and finishing closing off the site." 
	"What about the party?" he asked.
	"I suppose we could finish that up too." 
	"All right." The man nodded and the group of about six turned and began
sloshing back through the water. 
	Estella looked straight at Harvey, her green eyes steely in the shadowy
forest light. Her voice was dangerous and low. "You've won this round,
Ming, but I'm not beat yet. Not by a long shot."
	Harvey flashed her a dazzling smile with his synthetic teeth. "Bold
words, Flash Gordon. I hope you intend to make use of them." Estella
snickered and tossed a wave as she hurried to catch up with her
colleagues. "Now," Harvey began as he reached into the sack, "here's
some dry clothing that's, dare I say, a tad bit cleaner than what you're
currently wearing." 
	"I'm going to have to remember to check your circuits when we get home,
you're far to perky," Jessie said with a sigh. Harvey ignored her.
	"The 'pool' is down that way." He pointed vaguely east. "I'll let you
two get washed and changed for our flight. I should spot trouble before
if gets to you, but if there's a problem, don't hesitate to call me.
I'll be close enough to hear if something happens."
	"Ah, the all knowing Harvey," Jessie said sarcastically.
	"Don't forget all powerful." Out came a plastic bag, khaki tinted and
stuffed with borrowed clothes. Bryne reached out and took the bag. 
	"Thanks, Harvey," Jessie said. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
	"Not a problem." He seemed pleased by Jessie praise. "You two better
hurry, Estella's not going to take that long to get ready for the
flight." Jessie nodded. 
	"Come one Bryne." She took him by the hand and dragged him towards the
woods. 
	"I have mentioned I dislike the forest, right?"
	"Uh-huh," Jessie said with a nod. "On several occasions."
	"Just making sure."
	"Be careful," Harvey called after them. "And this time, watch where
you're walking." Jessie turned to look at him. "I wouldn't want Bryne to
fall on you again."
****************************************************************************************
					     6:52 p.m.
	"And you say they've met up with her mother?" the man asked the phone.	
	"This is not good," the little man next to him moaned, wringing his
hands with worry. He began pacing nervously around the room.
	"I see. When's the flight?"
	"They've got a flight?" he asked, his voice raising in panic. He
clutched his companion's sleeve. The man on the phone waved him away
with his free hand. 
	"Uh-huh. Okay, I understand. Do the best that you can and keep us
updated, we'll take care of the rest." The phone clicked as he set it
back in its cradle.
	"What did they say?" 
	"Exactly what I thought they would. The President reached her mother.
She's on a private flight to New York later tonight."
	"Oohhh," he groaned, sounding like he was going to be sick. "This is so
not good." He took a deep breath and readjusted his wire-framed glasses.
"What about the raven-haired man that was with her?"
	"Still with her. As of yet, no one on our side's been able to determine
their connection."
	"Great!" he shouted, smacking his hand against the nearby desk in
anger. His whole face turned bright red. "This is just great. First she
gets off the base and past Xanthus, then she gets to her mother." He
shook his head. "What are we going to do?" he asked plaintively. "How
are we going to explain this?"
	"Relax, will you? There is nothing to worry about. Everything is
totally under control." 
	"How do you figure that?" he demanded, still red faced. 
	"I spoke to Xanthus today, he assured me that things on his end were
running smoothly."
	"So? If I remember correctly, he said something very similar right
before she escaped." He folded his arms in front of him. "Give me one
good reason why we should believe him now."
	"Because other than us, he's the most competent man involved in this
whole deal." 
	"Once a screw-up, always a screw-up. He lost her once AND managed to
supply her with a means of escape. The least he could have done was kept
her there so our guys could deal with her."
	"Maybe," the other man conceded, "but he's got something up his sleeve
for getting the Alphaomega plans."
	"Didn't he last time?" he snorted. "That certainly bombed, not to
mention it almost backfired. What was he thinking dragging O'Brien into
this?" 
	"At least O'Brien didn't tell her anything on his way out."
	"Thank goodness for small miracles, but what does it matter that he can
get the plans from her if he doesn't have her?"
	"He's working on that too."
	"Great. Wonderful. Spectacular," the short one huffed. He pushed his
glasses back up his nose again. "We're still in a fix. How can we trust
him not to screw up again?"
	"Guess we'll just have to cross our fingers." 
	"I don't think so," he said emphatically. Shaking his head, the
spectacles slid down his nose and he ripped them off his face in fury,
throwing them against the wall. "What if he can't pull this off?" he
demanded. "You went to his base," he said, "you saw how disorganized
things were."
	"He had just been infiltrated by several of Vertutech's best
operatives," the other man countered calmly.
	"And once again I ask, so? He's supposed to be a criminal mastermind
and yet he was beaten by a girl. I'm not talking outsmarted, I mean
physically pummeled by someone who, by definition, is supposed to be
weaker than he is. What does THAT say?"
	"He was having a bad day."
	"Why are you making excuses for him?" he shouted.
	"I'm not making excuses," he replied pointedly, "as you so inaccurately
referred to them, I'm trying to be reasonable."
	"Reasonable?" He snorted. "Is that what you call it?"
	"Besides, no one is perfect all the time." 
	"I'd like a second opinion."
	"Take Zin. He was one of the best criminals of the twentieth century
and yet every time he came up against the Quests he lost."
	"So we're picking a loser because you feel bad for him?" he cried in
disbelief.
	"I think you're being overly analytical." 
	"Overly analytical?" he repeated in disbelief. The red color deepened
to a shade closer to maroon. "IF THIS GUY CAN'T PULL THIS OFF-" 
	"BUT HE CAN," the calm one shouted over him. The little man shut his
mouth but a vein in his temple ticked. "Listen," his companion said in a
reasonable tone, "I said before I'll take care of this and I will.
Xanthus will come through for us and if he doesn't, we'll deal with
him." 
	The short one took a deep breath. "I want to be prepared. We can't
afford to mess this up now."    
	"I know," the taller man said with a nod, "but I'd hate to rush into
something unnecessarily. Remember, it's easier to kill someone then to
bring them back from the dead. If we have to eliminate him, I promise
I'll be the one to pull the trigger."
	"Don't you mean to sign the paper work?" The short man sat wearily down
on a nearby chair and rubbed his head.
	"Either way. Now quit worrying. With or without Xanthus' help, the
President of Vertutech and Alphaomega will be property of the United
States government on schedule."
****************************************************************************************	
					6:58 p.m.

	"I don't believe him," Jessie said sourly as she stomped through the
foliage. Bryne shrugged, or tried to shrug, Jessie was still firmly
attached to his arm.
	"It's his job to protect you. How's he supposed to do that if he's not
watching you?" Jessie grumbled a bit.
	"Even so. I oughta rewire him," she growled. Several nearby birds
scattered. "Hunk of junk." She pushed a piece of something out of the
way.
	"You could," Bryne said, his voice non-committing, "but he wouldn't be
nearly as useful." He ducked under a low-lying vine, stepping into
something he'd rather not try and identify.
	"He wouldn't be nearly so annoying either," Jessie countered.
	"True." Bryne shrugged again. 
	"When we get back to New York, I swear I'm going to rip him apart and
piece him back together."
	"Sounds time consuming," Bryne said, not really listening. He was
actually paying more attention to where he was walking, trying to make
sure he didn't step on anything still moving. If he had been listening
her rant, the thought of pulling someone apart, mechanical or otherwise,
would have thoroughly disturbed him. Bryne could be a bit squeamish when
it came to disembowelment.   
	"Yeah, but it'd be worth it." 
	"Hm," he replied, moving his hand from the tree before a swarm of ants
could cover it. "How?" 
	"If I kept his visual receptor and recording units intact, I could loop
it so the footage would replay every time he misbehaved."
	"What good would that do?"
	"How would you like to see your innards lying on a table?"
	"Uh-"
	"We're here." The two stepped through the brush and into a little
glade. "Ooo, plushy. Gonna have to compliment Mom on her taste."
Enclosed by thickly twined trees, the area was invisible from outside
the area from both people and most sensor equipment. Blooming flowers
grew on the tree trunks; symbiotic, they depended on the great trees for
life. It was quite beautiful and in the middle of it all a small pond
sat peacefully. They walked down to the edge of the motionless pool and
Jessie moved to step forward, but Bryne grabbed her arm.
	"Jessie, are you sure it's safe?" Bryne asked, eyeing the water warily.
Jessie rolled her eyes. *Honestly, Bryne.*
	"My mother and the other archeologists have been taking baths here
since the dig started, Bryne." She sounded like she was talking to a
small child about to get a needle in a doctor's office. "I'm sure it's
perfectly safe to go in." 
	"But couldn't something be living in there?" 
	"I'm sure there is." 
	"Hm." He seemed to consider this.
	"We really do need baths." He nodded in agreement, but still didn't
move. Jessie laughed at the serious expression with which he regarded
the small pool. "Don't worry, Bryne," she said evilly, a wicked grin
lighting her face, "I promise to protect you from all the little
beasties that might want to make a meal out of your-" 
	"That's comforting Jess," he replied sarcastically, "really it is." 
	*Oh lord, he's going to be difficult.* Jessie sighed.
	"Bryne," Jessie said, giving up teasing him in order to convince him to
go in, "the most dangerous stuff you'll have to worry about in a
stagnant pond is some algae. The dangerous stuff, like Candiru-" 
	"Candiru," he repeated. "What are they?"
	"They're fish. They suck blood."
	"Ah. . . so now I have to worry about leeches."
	She kissed his cheek. "Candiru only live in the Amazon River. And
they're not leeches, they're fish. About this big." She held up her hand
to demonstrate the tiny toothpick length of the notorious Candiru. 
	"What about Piranhas?" 
	"Piranhas?" she repeated and shook her head. "You should catch up on
your geography, Bryne. Piranhas are only found in moving bodies of
water." She thought for a second. "No, I take that back. Piranhas are
only safe to be around when found in moving water. Oops, my bad." She
giggled.	
	"Now you're playing with me, aren't you?"
	"Yup." Jessie gave him a naughty smile.
	"Great," Bryne said sarcastically.
	"If you like, I'll go first."
	"No, no, I'll do it."
	"Well in that case." She looked at him. "Take off your pants."
Disclaimer: I don't own HB's characters and I am not making any money.
Date: 6/4/00
Catagories: F, DBN HR, Fam, AE or EA (whichever)
Rating: *blinks* Um . . . PG-13? Why not . . .
Title:

Part 12: Past, Present, and Future
 by Michelle Curtin

   November 27, 6:54 pm

     Bryne blinked at her, once to clear his vision and a second time to
confirm that she had not grown a second head. “What
did you just say?” he asked slowly, eyes a little wider than he would
have liked. “Did I hear you right?” he asked, choking on
the word. Jessie covered her mouth with a hand, physically holding in
her laughter. “Guess I did.” A peal of shrill laughter
managed to find its way around the back of Jessie’s hand.
     “You don’t have to look so angry about it!” Jessie cried, her face
brightening to a flushed shade of red as she laughed at
him. Bryne quirked an eyebrow at her.
     “What do you mean, I don’t have to be angry? I’m not angry.” A
slight scowl brushed his face and turned down his brow in
annoyance.
     “YEAH RIGHT!” Jessie doubled over, holding her stomach. “You should
SEE yourself!” She pointed as best she could to
the calm water next to them. Bryne glanced down at himself. A set of
dark eyes stared back at him, their displeasure barely
hidden by the mop of mussed black hair that fell over them in disarray.
A thin line set at his mouth and several stress wrinkles
surrounded his lips, just branching out on both sides of his face in a
sign of controlled anger.
     Self consciously, Bryne unfolded his arms and let them hang idly at
his sides. He hadn’t even noticed moving them. With a
deep breath, he let his back relax from its militant position. Next to
him he could hear Jessie’s laughter subsiding. An
unintelligible sound followed it, then a sad kind of gasping wheeze.
     “Jessie?” Bryne asked, easily swinging his head around to look at
him. She waved him off, one hand making a ‘leave me
be’ motion while the other gripped her throat. She wasn’t really
standing up right, more folded over as if protecting her
stomach. Bryne’s eyebrows raised slightly in concern. “Is there
something I can-” She shook her head vigorously ‘no’ and
focused on something off in the distance, as if trying to remove herself
from her body. After a moment the color in her face
subsided and returned to normal; she moved to bring herself all the way
into a standing position. Another choking cough seized
her and she was totally doubled over again, only this time not from
something as harmless as laughter.
     Two steps and Bryne was at her side. *What the heck?* Wrapping an
arm around her, he supported her body as it shook
and jolted with every wrecking expulsion. The coughing, choking
continued for a little while, getting progressively better.
Finally she was able to stop and just stood there. Leaning against him
for support Jessie closed her eyes and rested her head
on his shoulder. Bryne blinked in puzzlement. *What just happened here?*

     “You okay?” he asked instead, keeping his voice from sounding too
worried. She nodded and swallowed as if forcing
something down her throat. “What happened?” She shook her head and
pushed him, but Bryne didn’t let go. “What
happened?” he asked again, this time more insistently than the last. She
didn’t move or even look at him. Bryne let out a sound
of frustration and seriously considered shaking her to get her
attention.
     “Annoy you, do I?” Jessie asked in a teasing tone, looking at Bryne
for the first time. Her green eyes were shiny and watery
from coughing and had an almost translucent quality. Bryne couldn’t help
but notice the serious light underneath her question,
buried in her eyes.
     “No.” He shifted his arm around her to help her stand. *You just
frustrate me sometimes.* Jessie sighed and looked at the
ground, but let him do it. “So, are   you going to answer my question?”
Jessie’s mouth bent in a frown as she seemed to
consider it.
     “I . . . I have this heart problem,” she said finally,
concentrating really hard on a patch of Earth. “Condition, I mean
condition.” She corrected herself and looked back up at him. “Sometimes
my heart will skip beats or stop all together.” Bryne
gave her a hard look, searching for something.
     “That’s it?” he asked, trying to get her to look him in the eye.
She made a noncommital sound and gave a deep shrug with
her shoulders. “That’s why you were, what, choking?” He looked at her
for confirmation when she nodded he continued.
“That’s why you were choking?” His voice was positively incredulous but
his face didn’t say anything.
     “Yeah.” Avoiding his eyes she pushed him away and walked to the
edge of the water. “The Cardio-Pulmonary system
relies heavily on both the heart and the lungs; Cardio- as in the heart
and Pulmo- referring to the lungs from the Greek base. Or
maybe it’s Latin . . .” she trailed off. Bryne went and stood by her
side, but kept quiet. He needed to know this and if she
wasn’t going to tell him he’d just have to- “When my heart skips several
beats or stops it throws my Pulmonary functions off,
same as it does the Cardio ones. You see, in order to keep the body
working the blood must be continually circulated through
the heart and the lungs and pushed on to the other parts in order to
exchange the carbon dioxide for oxygen needed for
respiration. When the heart stops or skips the blood flow is disrupted
and your parts don’t get the oxygen they need. The
longer your heart is stopped the more deprived for oxygen your cells
are. They begin to starve . . . Your body begins to
suffocate and . . .” she stopped speaking. Bryne placed a gentle hand on
her shoulder. Jessie didn’t notice, or if she did didn’t
acknowledge it.
     “Jessie?” She didn’t respond. “Jessie, did your heart stop?” Jessie
stared sightlessly out at the pond or the lake; the ocean
for all she cared. Her eyes seemed glazed over and the light hitting
them gave them a strange color. It seemed to bring out
some . . . quality he couldn’t identify. Bitterness? Resentment?
     Her eyelids slid shut and she raised a clenched fist to her chest,
balling it over her heart. Her jaw worked and knotted
tensely before she slumped in a type of mental exhaustion. “Sometimes
when I get excited,” she began, swallowing to remove
the lump in her throat. Bryne could feel his heart ripping, but he was
still. “I get too worked up and . . .” Jessie shook her head
and blinked like she was waking up from a dream. They were silent as she
came back to the world and Bryne; when she
spoke again her voice was normal. “I’m used to it.” A self derisive
laugh as she crossed her arms. “At least I don’t need my
medicine this time. It’s with Harvey.” She swung her head to look at
him. “So, how about that bath now?”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

     Malana took another bite of her dinner and tried to focus on her