Part Two

Susan hated that. She had read about how the heroes and heroines in stories, after they were knocked out, came to and how "the world swam into focus". But in her case, it was simply not happening.

She knew, vaguely, that she was in trouble. She had been captured, and she was now, judging from the pressure on her arms, being restrained. The very fact that the world refused to swim into focus was testimony to the unavoidable realization that she, Susan Gwyndel, was in big trouble.

Yet, there was a feeling that all was well. Susan wasn't sure where the feeling came from, but it was there all the same. It was slowly but surely pervading her consciousness, that she was safe, and that this lack of optical focus was merely a minor detail.

Susan hated that.

From very far away, though somehow Susan knew that it was perhaps only three metres away, a voice said, "So you're finally awake."

The world snapped into focus.

Susan blinked heavily. She expected a slow return to alertness, not this sudden jolt. Besides, there was this huge lamp right above her that glared down on her.

Susan turned her head as best as she could. There was a trolley of some sort, and an instrument on it that was hooked up to a large console. Everything was light green and white; Susan could smell a vaguely antiseptic smell.

Suddenly it hit her.

"Who are you?" she called out. "What did you do to me?"

The voice had apparently moved to Susan's side. "I'm a doctor. I do have a license, so you can be sure that you're in safe hands."

"Why did you capture me?"

"I needed someone for my experiment. Not as a guinea pig; more like another essential part of an ongoing experiment."

"So that's why I'm on your operating table? I'm an experiment?"

The voice sighed. "Don't give yourself airs. You're not the experiment. You're only a peripheral part of the main thing."

"What did you do to me? Did you take out my spleen or something?"

The voice laughed. "Very droll, but nothing as crude as that. You weren't harmed; I give you my word on that."

"The word of a felon? That's reassuring."

"I'm not a felon; I'm a certified doctor. And you could say that this is state-sanctioned."

"Now I know who to address my letter of complaint to."

"Very droll. But you should know that you really can't do anything to me. So it would be in your best interests to at least give me your trust."

"Oh, right, that's easy to do."

The voice sighed. "You have to trust me."

"How do I know I can?"

"You don't. But you have no choice."

"Oh yes I do. My friends are coming to save me, and when they do, you're gonna be in big-"

"Alpha group, right?"

Susan bit off a half-formed curse. "Is that why you kidnapped me?"

"In part. I'm counting on their rescuing you, actually. It would help my experiment proceed a lot faster."

"Don't underestimate them. Others have made that mistake."

"Oh, I'm not planning on destroying them. That would be at cross-purposes to my experiment. As far as I'm concerned, they're welcome to take you."

"And you'll be away in your secret escape tunnel."

"In a nutshell."

Susan peered in the darkness. "At least tell me your name."

The bright surgical lamp suddenly went out, and the room lights came on. Susan's eyes adjusted to the change in lighting, and she focused on the man in a white lab coat.

The man was tall, and seemed to be of powerful build. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and looked strangely familiar. Susan put his age to be around forty.

"I'm Doctor Warren Cochrane," the man said. "One of the researchers in Project SAIC. The rest you can figure out for yourself."

He looks so familiar, Susan thought. Is it his hair, his face, his eyes-

"And now, we wait for your friends," Dr. Cochrane said, flicking a few buttons on his console. "This should be enough to convince your friends that this is not a trick, but not enough to hinder them significantly."

.... or is it the way he speaks? Susan wondered.

"So long as we're here," Dr. Cochrane said conversationally, "why don't we pass the time? Perhaps you could describe your life to me."

Susan stared at him.

"I mean it," Dr. Cochrane said. "How things are in the Academy, how you're coping with your school-work, what are your friends like, things like that."

Susan groaned. This was going to be a long day.

When no answer was forthcoming, Nick groaned. "Okay, did you go away when I wasn't looking?"

The chair melted.

"Didn't think so," Nick muttered. He waited until the Gloob re-shaped itself into a table lamp, then continued his tirade. "I mean, I could be of great help to them. I can scan for Susan's life signs as well."

"But they do have their keytools," the Gloob pointed out.

"Yeah, well, okay. But even so, why put me in charge of communications? I mean, why not get Sarah, or Ril, or maybe even Kathy...."

The comlink crackled. "We're in the building," Kavi said. "Nothing yet."

"Okay, keep me posted." Nick pressed a button. "Kathy, you there?"

The comlink crackled again. "I'm here," Kathy said. "But there's a small problem."

"What?"

"There's this reservoir of goo or something. I can't get across."

"Is it toxic?"

"Well, no...."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I hate goo! I don't want to have to swim through that stuff."

Nick chuckled. "Do you have a choice?"

There was a pregnant pause, then Kathy said, "I hate you, Nick."

"Don't worry, you can take a nice long bath when you get back here."

"Shut up, Nick." The comlink went dead.

Nick glanced at the Gloob, then burst out laughing.

"You're kidding," was what she finally said.

Nar shook his head. "No, I'm not. It's there, and it's what Theta said it is."

"But..... a wall of marshmallows?"

Nar shrugged, trying hard to keep a straight face. "Whoever set these traps has got an extremely warped sense of humour. And it's not a wall of marshmallows, it's one huge marshmallow that's filling the corridor."

Ril grimaced. "This sort of reminds me of Nick."

The comlink crackled. "I heard that," Nick said. "I do not believe that I have a sense of humour like that."

"You're right, Nick," Ril said with a straight face. "You don't have a sense of humour like that. In fact, you don't have a sense of humour."

They enjoyed a good laugh before cutting the connection. The two of them then went to work, cutting through the giant marshmallow.

Embedded in the wall, though, a tiny sensor began to activate.

"I take it you're about to make your daring escape," Susan said dryly.

"You could say that. But it's not really as crude as a tunnel." Dr. Cochrane flicked several more switches on his console.

Realization dawned. "A portal generator," Susan said.

"A small one, with a limited range," Dr. Cochrane said modestly. "But enough for my purposes." He hit a button.

The portal generator gained in power, and its whine increased in pitch, as it prepared to open a portal to parts unknown.....

Then it died down again, as if its power had been cut.

"What the-?!" Dr. Cochrane frantically tried the button again, to no effect.

The door to the operating room burst open. "Freeze!" Kavi shouted, leveling his keytool-gun at Dr. Cochrane.

Sarah stepped into the room. "Too bad, doc," she said, holding up a severed cable. "But we cut your power."

Dr. Cochrane looked frantic for a moment, then relaxed. "I suppose you have me there. I seem to have made the mistake of underestimating you."

Peter entered the room, and placed restraints on Dr. Cochrane's wrists. "You're under arrest for the kidnapping of Cadet Susan Gwyndel. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, the state will provide you with one. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in court...."

Crysta walked over to Susan. "You okay?"

Susan nodded. "Can you get these off me?"

Crysta nodded, and stepped back. "Apollo, cutter!"

The thin beam of energy cut through the straps holding Susan down. Susan sat up, and glanced quizzically at Kathy, who had just come dripping in.

"Don't ask," Kathy muttered. "Please don't ask."

Ril, meanwhile, had just come in, and looked around the place. "Fancy stuff," she said. "What is it you do here?"

Dr. Cochrane shrugged as best as he could. "This and that."

"You'd better come along now. We're extremely interested as to why you kidnapped our friend here."

"Don't worry, Cadet al'Tana, you'll find out."

Ril looked momentarily startled. "How did you know my name?"

"You'll find that out as well. For now, I believe there's a Guardian hovercar outside to take me to the Supercomputer. So if you'll lead the way...."

Mystified, Ril did so. Just before she left, she glanced back at the myriad consoles in the room, and she shuddered as half-remembered images went through her mind.....

Nick grinned. "Good. Who's our mysterious felon?"

"He says his name is Dr. Warren Cochrane."

The grin vanished from Nick's face, and he blanched. "Oh my god....."

The other members of Alpha group exchanged glances. "Why would Nick want to rush all the way here for?" Kavi asked.

"I don't know," Kathy admitted, "but something about that Dr. Cochrane bothers me a lot...."

Nick approached the cuffed Dr. Cochrane. His steps were slow and heavy.

Dr. Cochrane brightened up when he saw Nick. "Oh, hello, Nicholas."

"Hello." Nick didn't look at Dr. Cochrane directly.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Now Nick looked Dr. Cochrane in the eye. "Yes, Father. It has."