Interlude – This isn't what I thought you meant by 'meet my family'
by Commander Chelsea Dunham & Commander Richard Dunham
Post Details
OLD:
"Stop!" said Rick finally coming to breaking point, he stood still to the spot. Rooted and not going anywhere. "Would somebody please tell me what the Hell is going on!"
Chelsea stood right up close to him, side by side, bending forward a little with both of her hands on her knees as she got her breath back and together they faced Eric Dunham, waiting for his reply.
Eric was about to open his mouth for a reply when the man they had downed early, animated and walking, hobbled up the corridor after them firing his phaser. The small party threw themselves down a side corridor.......
NEW:
Once again on the run, Chelsea was trying to keep up physically with the two men and mentally to keep up with what was happening to them all.
"Ok...." said Eric, a little bit out breath as they ran. "I can't tell you everything, in time....you will understand. No pun intended. Basically you..." he said pointing at Rick, "....Rescued me, I can't tell you how because it hasn't happened for you yet. I need to get you on track so you can do this, capiche?"
Chelsea caught up and looked at the man who was the third generation of Dunhams she had been talking to today, all of them at a similar age in their lives but in the wrong point in time. This time, the likeness to Rick was slightly less obvious but it was still there. Eric held himself in the same way, some of his expressions were very similar and he had the same lock of white hair at the left parting.
"..... our son..... " Chelsea began. "He said I shouldn't be here..... will that spoil whatever this *right track* is meant to be?" she asked, her fingers searching for Rick's as she dreaded hearing that Eric was going to send her back alone.
"Our Son!" said Rick in surprise, he had had a feeling this was the case but this was the first time anybody had spelt it out for him. Even though he had suspicions he was still surprised when somebody had said it out loud. "I think I need to sit down."
"Aww!" Chelsea stood very close to Rick so he could lean on her if he wanted support. "Baby, how else would he have had your watch... ?" Mentioning the watch she glanced across curiously at Eric who wasn't wearing it. Her brows creased in a question that she didn't ask.
Eric's face softened at his son's bewilderment. Rick had only been little more than a lad when Eric had last 'seen' him and more to the point, when Rick had last seen his dad. It had to have been devastatingly hard for the boy to have grown into the man he was today without his father and now, here he was, large as life, dragging Rick and his fiancée too - that had been a surprise, she was right, it *would* change things.
Eric wondered why his grandson had allowed Chelsea to get tangled up in this. He ran his hand through his dark hair again, ruffling the white streak the same way that Rick was in the habit of doing.
That familiar gesture alone made Chelsea feel safer. She moved towards Eric and said quietly. "Pleased to meet you Captain Dunham. I'm sorry the circumstances are so difficult. Could you please tell Rick and I at least a small overview so that we don't go crazy charging around in time like lunatics? That man you shot, he wasn't human was he? Is there robotic AI in our son's time?" She guessed ahead of what Eric might say.
"Your great one in a crisis aren't you." said Eric with that charming Dunham smile. "My wife must love you...." he frowned a moment. "But urrrrm in answer to your question. No. No I cant tell you what's going on, as I don't really know either, I'm mostly making this up as I go along. I am working on a plan, well its more of a thing, but its a thing with style."
Chelsea blushed and lowered her eyes. "Actually, no. Your wife thinks very little of me." she replied turning aside briefly, hiding a brief hurt look that she didn't want Rick to see, which passed within a split second.
Turning back she remarked with a grin. "Style is good" Her confidence returned as did the 'doctor's professional impervious expression'. The moment to tell what she really felt about this was gone.
Dunham senior smiled that famous smile again. "I can see why he likes you....you have no idea how amazing you to are going to be together.....anyway...." he said distractedly but still smiling "...what was I thinking about?.....ah yes." he clicked his fingers together as inspiration hit him. "we need to get things back on track.....what were you two about to do before you bumped into me were you going anywhere, doing anything?
Dunham junior mulled that over in thought. "we were on our way to the science labs..." he was quickly cut off by his dad with a very enthusiastic response "Brilliant do that!" he said pointing at them both. "I'll get that guy off your tail."
"Um... but hang on a sec....you happen to know how we could get back to our own time?" Chelsea ventured a question to Rick's dad before he could rush off. "We were only going there because we had no-where else to go and no idea what to do next..."
"Don't argue with the thing" said Dunham senior with a smile. "Look....its all relative, you were on your way to the science lab right?" he didn't pause for an answer, "if you go on the premise that I have been informed what happens, then yes I know how you get back and that it involves going to the science lab, and to prevent more bends in the time line, you've got to go alone."
Chelsea shook her head as if to throw off the confusion. "Ok" she submitted and moved closer to Rick. "If you want to, then I'll come too....." she inclined her head down the corridor towards the Science Department and waited for Rick to make up his mind.
"Dad......" said Rick to his Father. So many things coming to his mind that he wanted to say but he just couldn't seem to voice them. Now that his dad was here - a dream he had had since he was a teenager. No words seemed to want to come out, even though he had gone over the scenario in his mind many times. Instead they just hugged as they parted ways. But in a way that was all that needed to be said. Rick and Chelsea began to make their way to the Science lab.
"Are you doing okay babe?" Chelsea could imagine what he must be going through. What if her own dad were suddenly in front of her again for only a brief time. What would she say? What would *he* want to say or do? It was mind-boggling. And here they were, under pressure to escape from someone or something and unable to stop and say *anything* much. It seemed cruel. Of course he replied automatically that he was 'fine'.
They arrived fairly quickly at Science - or what was *going* to be the Science department when it was finished. With nothing to do now but wait, Chelsea nestled into Rick's arms and nuzzled his neck.
"You're not fine, I know you're not, how could you possibly be?" she murmoured gently. "I don't know why though, i just have a feeling we'll be seeing him again. He didn't try to quickly say things as if this was going to be his only opportunity - you'd do that if you were him and you knew this was a once only chance."
Rick was uncharacteristically quiet. He had his arms folded across his chest as he leant against unidentifiable piece of science equipment. His mood and body language could possibly be described as brooding. This analogy however would be a little inaccurate, as it would indicate he was still lingering on past events. He had moved beyond that now....well set aside those feelings for analysis on another day. Instead he had moved into anger. Anger at their immediate situation and annoyed at the shear stupidity of it. ~Who the hell ever got lost in time anyway?~ He'd had enough it was time to turn towards getting home. His eyes scanned around the room looking at the equipment he had to work with.
Chelsea sensed the tenseness in his body and his movements. She had never seen Rick angry so she couldn't recognise it per se, but she could tell Rick was holding himself back and he clearly wasn't holding back joy! His tension didn't indicate that he was lost or sorrowful either but until he said something or did something she wasn't going to be sure. She didn't provoke him nor pry. She gave him space to work through it.
As he let go of her, Chelsea looked at him closely, taking in the frown and the way he folded his arms. He'd been a little boy when his dad had gone missing and now he was a man who had lived with that hurt for a long time. Watching him putting together equipment, Chelsea wondered what he was hoping to do. She offered to help, filled with love and admiration for the man, willing to do anything for him.
"Can I help with anything?" she asked gently, moving a little closer to the stack of oddments he was accumulating.
He didn't turn around instead just waved his hand in the general direction of the room, "pass me that modulated pulse controller unit....the blue...blue... thingy with the green coil."
Dunham pulled another box of parts into the middle of the room to add to the continuing pile of science equipment in the middle of the room. He began to talk as he worked, scavenging bits of technology from the the pile of equipment as well as dismantling part of the rooms replicator, light units, and computer.
"If I can find a way to harness the temporal phase disturbance running through my body I may be able to use it to get us out of here. I can use a nadion inversion, to trace the time space signal, their by locking onto it and using the phase energy to lock onto it and get us home. In theory the time space signal should be the closer anomaly to our point in the time line...." Dunham was beginning to get excited as the idea began to take more effect. By this point he was taking apart a tricorder and adding its parts to the device he was building.
"yes this quantum frequency network, hooked into an ionic e-m pattern generator, will create magnetic artificial domain through the sonic nano-network. If I then alter the flow into this oscillating alternating conduit, that should processes the linear spatial pattern into a temporal flow. Come on we need to go." he said picking up his construct off the floor. It was about half the size of himself.
Chelsea watched him in awe. Picking up and carrying the things he pointed out, listening to him explaining what he was doing, she was completely amazed at how inventive and inspired he was.
"Rick, I've always known you're totally awesome but today...... you've taken my breath away.... yet again." she marvelled.
"And you only just figured that out?" he said jokingly with a grin and a wink. He kissed her on the cheek and said. "I've known that I was awesome for years. come on we need to head to the transporter room and hook this thing up."
Chelsea laughed. "I *said* I've always known that... 'why you no rissen'?" she invoked a strange accent. "I can't run up there when I'm already out of breath, now can i?" But she did.
Luckily the nearest transporter room was not that far away. Only a quick and brisk jog away through several corridors and around several junctions and intersections. Only once or twice having to take a de tour all small scenic route to their destination as the direct approachable route was not yet finished and was in fact a exposed vacuum to space. Eventually they got to the transporter room. It was in one of the smaller cargo bays. Which was eerily dark and empty as they entered. Dunham leant down in front of the terminals and began to hook up his invention. An invention he was not a hundred percent sure how he had put together. "Can you shine a torch light onto this while I work?" he asked.
Chelsea looked around and soon found a torch the constructors had left lying amongst the bits and pieces of the unfinished cargo bay. She brought it over and shone it as asked. As Rick worked so Chelsea moved the beam of light to it's optimum angle still watching in amazement as he constructed a piece of scientific history before her eyes.
"Ready?" asked Dunham with a smile as he stepped onto the transporter pad, gesturing for Chelsea to join him there. "Time to go home." He said sincerely. He'd had enough of stupid time travel.
Chelsea stepped up and joined him without a qualm. It didn't matter that this was a machine constructed from what looked like it all came out of a sci-fi movie of the 20th Century, it didn't even matter if it hadn't been tested and they might end up in molecules floating in space, if she was going wherever with Rick, she would be happy. Besides she was still overcome with awe at his ingenious ideas and mind-boggling scientific insight to be able to have constructed it at all. She stepped up with pride in him and total faith and stood waiting for the beam to engulf them.
As they stood on the teleport pad, Dunham commanded the computer to 'energize.'
He scratched his beard in momentary wonder at how quickly the last half hour had gone, in fact it was all a bit of blur to him. He tried to rationalise putting every together and bringing them both here, but he couldn't. Rick was finding it a little difficult to remember.
The blue haze of light surrounded them and their bodies dispersed in a beam of energy.
Chelsea felt the familiar tingle as the transporter disassembled them and reassembled them somewhere else, but amongst the usual feelings, there was something that felt like the rush of a soft puff of air on skin, which of course wasn't possible as they had no skin, nor any sensory feelings at all. It could only have been a mental interpretation of something slightly odd in the whole experience.
Only to re-materialise in the blue pulsating glow of a nearby warp core, in what appeared to be a starfleet engineering bay. This however was not the first thing on the mind of Rick Dunham. The first thing on his mind was that they had beamed into the middle of some sort of fire fight.
TBC......
Off
A JP Between:
Lt Commander Richard Dunham
Wing Commander
&
Lt Commander Chelsea Adams
CMO - DS5
by Commander Chelsea Dunham & Commander Richard Dunham
Post Details
| Title | This isn't what I thought you meant by 'meet my family' | |
| Mission | Interlude | |
| Author(s) | Commander Chelsea Dunham & Commander Richard Dunham | |
| Posted | Sun Oct 10, 2010 @ 3:39pm | |
| Location | DS5 - Under Construction | |
| Timeline | SD 34 & 2376 |
"Stop!" said Rick finally coming to breaking point, he stood still to the spot. Rooted and not going anywhere. "Would somebody please tell me what the Hell is going on!"
Chelsea stood right up close to him, side by side, bending forward a little with both of her hands on her knees as she got her breath back and together they faced Eric Dunham, waiting for his reply.
Eric was about to open his mouth for a reply when the man they had downed early, animated and walking, hobbled up the corridor after them firing his phaser. The small party threw themselves down a side corridor.......
NEW:
Once again on the run, Chelsea was trying to keep up physically with the two men and mentally to keep up with what was happening to them all.
"Ok...." said Eric, a little bit out breath as they ran. "I can't tell you everything, in time....you will understand. No pun intended. Basically you..." he said pointing at Rick, "....Rescued me, I can't tell you how because it hasn't happened for you yet. I need to get you on track so you can do this, capiche?"
Chelsea caught up and looked at the man who was the third generation of Dunhams she had been talking to today, all of them at a similar age in their lives but in the wrong point in time. This time, the likeness to Rick was slightly less obvious but it was still there. Eric held himself in the same way, some of his expressions were very similar and he had the same lock of white hair at the left parting.
"..... our son..... " Chelsea began. "He said I shouldn't be here..... will that spoil whatever this *right track* is meant to be?" she asked, her fingers searching for Rick's as she dreaded hearing that Eric was going to send her back alone.
"Our Son!" said Rick in surprise, he had had a feeling this was the case but this was the first time anybody had spelt it out for him. Even though he had suspicions he was still surprised when somebody had said it out loud. "I think I need to sit down."
"Aww!" Chelsea stood very close to Rick so he could lean on her if he wanted support. "Baby, how else would he have had your watch... ?" Mentioning the watch she glanced across curiously at Eric who wasn't wearing it. Her brows creased in a question that she didn't ask.
Eric's face softened at his son's bewilderment. Rick had only been little more than a lad when Eric had last 'seen' him and more to the point, when Rick had last seen his dad. It had to have been devastatingly hard for the boy to have grown into the man he was today without his father and now, here he was, large as life, dragging Rick and his fiancée too - that had been a surprise, she was right, it *would* change things.
Eric wondered why his grandson had allowed Chelsea to get tangled up in this. He ran his hand through his dark hair again, ruffling the white streak the same way that Rick was in the habit of doing.
That familiar gesture alone made Chelsea feel safer. She moved towards Eric and said quietly. "Pleased to meet you Captain Dunham. I'm sorry the circumstances are so difficult. Could you please tell Rick and I at least a small overview so that we don't go crazy charging around in time like lunatics? That man you shot, he wasn't human was he? Is there robotic AI in our son's time?" She guessed ahead of what Eric might say.
"Your great one in a crisis aren't you." said Eric with that charming Dunham smile. "My wife must love you...." he frowned a moment. "But urrrrm in answer to your question. No. No I cant tell you what's going on, as I don't really know either, I'm mostly making this up as I go along. I am working on a plan, well its more of a thing, but its a thing with style."
Chelsea blushed and lowered her eyes. "Actually, no. Your wife thinks very little of me." she replied turning aside briefly, hiding a brief hurt look that she didn't want Rick to see, which passed within a split second.
Turning back she remarked with a grin. "Style is good" Her confidence returned as did the 'doctor's professional impervious expression'. The moment to tell what she really felt about this was gone.
Dunham senior smiled that famous smile again. "I can see why he likes you....you have no idea how amazing you to are going to be together.....anyway...." he said distractedly but still smiling "...what was I thinking about?.....ah yes." he clicked his fingers together as inspiration hit him. "we need to get things back on track.....what were you two about to do before you bumped into me were you going anywhere, doing anything?
Dunham junior mulled that over in thought. "we were on our way to the science labs..." he was quickly cut off by his dad with a very enthusiastic response "Brilliant do that!" he said pointing at them both. "I'll get that guy off your tail."
"Um... but hang on a sec....you happen to know how we could get back to our own time?" Chelsea ventured a question to Rick's dad before he could rush off. "We were only going there because we had no-where else to go and no idea what to do next..."
"Don't argue with the thing" said Dunham senior with a smile. "Look....its all relative, you were on your way to the science lab right?" he didn't pause for an answer, "if you go on the premise that I have been informed what happens, then yes I know how you get back and that it involves going to the science lab, and to prevent more bends in the time line, you've got to go alone."
Chelsea shook her head as if to throw off the confusion. "Ok" she submitted and moved closer to Rick. "If you want to, then I'll come too....." she inclined her head down the corridor towards the Science Department and waited for Rick to make up his mind.
"Dad......" said Rick to his Father. So many things coming to his mind that he wanted to say but he just couldn't seem to voice them. Now that his dad was here - a dream he had had since he was a teenager. No words seemed to want to come out, even though he had gone over the scenario in his mind many times. Instead they just hugged as they parted ways. But in a way that was all that needed to be said. Rick and Chelsea began to make their way to the Science lab.
"Are you doing okay babe?" Chelsea could imagine what he must be going through. What if her own dad were suddenly in front of her again for only a brief time. What would she say? What would *he* want to say or do? It was mind-boggling. And here they were, under pressure to escape from someone or something and unable to stop and say *anything* much. It seemed cruel. Of course he replied automatically that he was 'fine'.
They arrived fairly quickly at Science - or what was *going* to be the Science department when it was finished. With nothing to do now but wait, Chelsea nestled into Rick's arms and nuzzled his neck.
"You're not fine, I know you're not, how could you possibly be?" she murmoured gently. "I don't know why though, i just have a feeling we'll be seeing him again. He didn't try to quickly say things as if this was going to be his only opportunity - you'd do that if you were him and you knew this was a once only chance."
Rick was uncharacteristically quiet. He had his arms folded across his chest as he leant against unidentifiable piece of science equipment. His mood and body language could possibly be described as brooding. This analogy however would be a little inaccurate, as it would indicate he was still lingering on past events. He had moved beyond that now....well set aside those feelings for analysis on another day. Instead he had moved into anger. Anger at their immediate situation and annoyed at the shear stupidity of it. ~Who the hell ever got lost in time anyway?~ He'd had enough it was time to turn towards getting home. His eyes scanned around the room looking at the equipment he had to work with.
Chelsea sensed the tenseness in his body and his movements. She had never seen Rick angry so she couldn't recognise it per se, but she could tell Rick was holding himself back and he clearly wasn't holding back joy! His tension didn't indicate that he was lost or sorrowful either but until he said something or did something she wasn't going to be sure. She didn't provoke him nor pry. She gave him space to work through it.
As he let go of her, Chelsea looked at him closely, taking in the frown and the way he folded his arms. He'd been a little boy when his dad had gone missing and now he was a man who had lived with that hurt for a long time. Watching him putting together equipment, Chelsea wondered what he was hoping to do. She offered to help, filled with love and admiration for the man, willing to do anything for him.
"Can I help with anything?" she asked gently, moving a little closer to the stack of oddments he was accumulating.
He didn't turn around instead just waved his hand in the general direction of the room, "pass me that modulated pulse controller unit....the blue...blue... thingy with the green coil."
Dunham pulled another box of parts into the middle of the room to add to the continuing pile of science equipment in the middle of the room. He began to talk as he worked, scavenging bits of technology from the the pile of equipment as well as dismantling part of the rooms replicator, light units, and computer.
"If I can find a way to harness the temporal phase disturbance running through my body I may be able to use it to get us out of here. I can use a nadion inversion, to trace the time space signal, their by locking onto it and using the phase energy to lock onto it and get us home. In theory the time space signal should be the closer anomaly to our point in the time line...." Dunham was beginning to get excited as the idea began to take more effect. By this point he was taking apart a tricorder and adding its parts to the device he was building.
"yes this quantum frequency network, hooked into an ionic e-m pattern generator, will create magnetic artificial domain through the sonic nano-network. If I then alter the flow into this oscillating alternating conduit, that should processes the linear spatial pattern into a temporal flow. Come on we need to go." he said picking up his construct off the floor. It was about half the size of himself.
Chelsea watched him in awe. Picking up and carrying the things he pointed out, listening to him explaining what he was doing, she was completely amazed at how inventive and inspired he was.
"Rick, I've always known you're totally awesome but today...... you've taken my breath away.... yet again." she marvelled.
"And you only just figured that out?" he said jokingly with a grin and a wink. He kissed her on the cheek and said. "I've known that I was awesome for years. come on we need to head to the transporter room and hook this thing up."
Chelsea laughed. "I *said* I've always known that... 'why you no rissen'?" she invoked a strange accent. "I can't run up there when I'm already out of breath, now can i?" But she did.
Luckily the nearest transporter room was not that far away. Only a quick and brisk jog away through several corridors and around several junctions and intersections. Only once or twice having to take a de tour all small scenic route to their destination as the direct approachable route was not yet finished and was in fact a exposed vacuum to space. Eventually they got to the transporter room. It was in one of the smaller cargo bays. Which was eerily dark and empty as they entered. Dunham leant down in front of the terminals and began to hook up his invention. An invention he was not a hundred percent sure how he had put together. "Can you shine a torch light onto this while I work?" he asked.
Chelsea looked around and soon found a torch the constructors had left lying amongst the bits and pieces of the unfinished cargo bay. She brought it over and shone it as asked. As Rick worked so Chelsea moved the beam of light to it's optimum angle still watching in amazement as he constructed a piece of scientific history before her eyes.
"Ready?" asked Dunham with a smile as he stepped onto the transporter pad, gesturing for Chelsea to join him there. "Time to go home." He said sincerely. He'd had enough of stupid time travel.
Chelsea stepped up and joined him without a qualm. It didn't matter that this was a machine constructed from what looked like it all came out of a sci-fi movie of the 20th Century, it didn't even matter if it hadn't been tested and they might end up in molecules floating in space, if she was going wherever with Rick, she would be happy. Besides she was still overcome with awe at his ingenious ideas and mind-boggling scientific insight to be able to have constructed it at all. She stepped up with pride in him and total faith and stood waiting for the beam to engulf them.
As they stood on the teleport pad, Dunham commanded the computer to 'energize.'
He scratched his beard in momentary wonder at how quickly the last half hour had gone, in fact it was all a bit of blur to him. He tried to rationalise putting every together and bringing them both here, but he couldn't. Rick was finding it a little difficult to remember.
The blue haze of light surrounded them and their bodies dispersed in a beam of energy.
Chelsea felt the familiar tingle as the transporter disassembled them and reassembled them somewhere else, but amongst the usual feelings, there was something that felt like the rush of a soft puff of air on skin, which of course wasn't possible as they had no skin, nor any sensory feelings at all. It could only have been a mental interpretation of something slightly odd in the whole experience.
Only to re-materialise in the blue pulsating glow of a nearby warp core, in what appeared to be a starfleet engineering bay. This however was not the first thing on the mind of Rick Dunham. The first thing on his mind was that they had beamed into the middle of some sort of fire fight.
TBC......
Off
A JP Between:
Lt Commander Richard Dunham
Wing Commander
&
Lt Commander Chelsea Adams
CMO - DS5