Season 4, Episode 1: Escape
Written by Lexie Richards, spindoctor, Shelbs, Nekka, Mina Skywalker, and Justin W. Toner
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You ask and I deliver...
Lexie decided to stay cautious when answering spindoctor's statement that W.A. is a murderer. It is never good to give too much away. "First off, sir...how did you get that tape? It looks like it was made off away from your compound."
Lexie's attention is caught by other t.v.'s that were revealed when spindoctor decided to play this last hand. Those t.v.'s showed different areas throughout the whole city. In one there was the bridge that Lexie was originally taken in at and on another was the telephone booth.
Lexie angrily began speaking to spindoctor (all the while getting closer and more threatening). "I've never been free, have I? Ever since the beginning you've known where I was..."
Just as Lexie was about to turn into a hell cat, something on one of the screens catches her eye...it was spindoctor with Mina, only spindoctor was in front of her. Blinking several times, Lexie waves Shelbs over to the screen and they both whisper in unison..."W.A."
Lexie
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Following Lexie's gaze, spindoctor sees himself on one of the monitors. "Your friend is revealed as more than a murder suspect. I now accuse him/her of being a spy."
spindoctor reaches toward the monitor and presses a button on its panel. A signal is emitted from the camera at the other end, causing W.A. and Mina to collapse to the ground. Noticing the look on Lexie's face, spindoctor continues, "There is no need for alarm. This device is simply a means to facilitate capture. My people have been alerted and are already on the way. There is, however, a side effect. Your friends will awake very disoriented and have a very difficult time remembering recent events. But we are now able to treat this condition. You are proof of that. Now then, you were about to offer me some assistance?"
spindoctor
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Shelbs, who had been quiet way too long, decided to speak.
"First of all, I don't believe our friend is either a murderer or a spy. He just has a fancy toy and seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Secondly, I think the other one, Mina, may be the one you want."
Both heads turn abruptly toward her; Lexie's is filled with shock.
"I think we should all be there when those two wake up." spindoctor nods in agreement and the three head back outside toward spindoctor's car. Falling behind the others so as not to arouse suspicion, Shelbs grabs the nearest thing she sees that might offer her and her friends some protection in case something goes wrong.
Shelbs
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And now for something totally unrelated . . . . .
Nekka stumbled to regain her balance on the rocketing craft. The Manta Ship pitched and rolled as it stumbled to follow its pre-programmed flight path with damaged equipment. It began to level off and maintain a slightly stable flight path. She took this opportunity to use her laptop to let someone know what was happening. Nekka braced her back against the bulkhead and opened up the laptop, hoping that the ride had not damaged it. An audible beep signaled that it was not damaged. She breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm so glad that they decided to trust me with the prototype!" If anyone else would have been there, they would have laughed out loud. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, with more than half the strokes hitting the backspace key. Within a few seconds, she had called up her messages and discovered the note from spindoctor. She regarded it, and then furiously typed a reply.
"Umm, aboard it, yes, under control, no . . . can you get someone to help me?"
It pitched again, which caused her to hit the "send" button prematurely. Her eyes grew wide as a large, red swirling mass appeared in front of the Manta ship.
"Yay . . ."
Her stomach felt really strange, yet somehow familiar as the craft rocketed through it. Nekka saw out of the window, a large tube of colorful light. Within a few moments, the ship rocketed through the other side and skidded on the ground in the middle of a humbugs forest. Nekka remained huddled in the small crevice in which she had taken refuge from the shaking ride. She slowly made her way to the hatch and pushed it open with a hissing sound. She reached back and grabbed her shoe and looked at it disgustedly.
"This is all your fault!" Nekka said, shaking her shoe. She then proceeded to snap the heels off and place them back on her feet.
Nekka cautiously stepped out onto the moist, mossy ground.
"Ick, gross . . . where am I?" She looked around, and then up at the gigantic trees that surrounded her. Nekka crawled out of the hatch and moved over to a large rock that was not too far away. She opened up her laptop and again found it to be still working. The only difference is, the information that was coming up was strange, and written in an odd hieroglyphic language.
"Now what have we here?" she typed at the keyboard and found some very interesting information. She couldn't read the language, but she recognized some of the faces. There were files on many humans, Manta ship specs, and some other things that looked familiar, but she didn't have enough knowledge to comprehend it. Nekka scanned down through the files and came upon a recognizable face: it was one of the witnesses! She scanned down farther and found files on the other witnesses (whose reports and photographs she had reviewed).
"Wow, how did I access this?" Then she thought . . ."I guess if it worked in Independence Day. . . "
Nekka whipped around when she heard motion in the bushes . . .
Nekka
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Back to the main plot . . .
Lexie jerks free of spindoctor's guiding hand and snarls, "I can walk without assistance, thank you." spindoctor's eyebrows raise and he merely shakes his head in exasperation at females in general.
Lexie looks back to see why Shelbs fell back and is relieved to see her grab one of the timers from spindoctor's collection. This may come in handy in the very near future, Lexie thinks to herself.
The three climb into spindoctor's car and they head back to the lab. This lab is located under the "protective custody" housing where Lexie was originally kept. As they approached the doors to the lab, Shelbs tucks the timer under her shirt.
W.A. and Mina were stretched out on very uncomfortable looking tables. Both had IVs coming out their arms. Lexie asks spindoctor..."Why the IVs?"
spindoctor rolls his eyes at Lexie's lack of knowledge. "The IVs are feeding them the cure that we fed you when you came to us...it will help them to remember."
Lexie
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Mina was asleep but awake. She was conscious of her unconsciousness. She could feel a million different emotions, yet she felt numb all over.
Mina had no idea what was happening to her. The last thing she could remember was denying Mary, almost killing herself and going off with W.A.
Right now she couldn't see anything. She tried to open her eyes, but it felt like she had cement stuck on her eye lids. She tried to raise her arm, but got the same result.
Mina let herself lay there, a stiff, hard pain in her right arm. That was the only place there was real feeling. It was like Mina had been encased in carbonite. She felt a flood of memories coming back. Lexie, Shelbs and W.A., her friends ....... The only people she had been with from their Earth.
After it was destroyed they were the only ones left. But Mina was taken away from them.
And a Kromagg had taken her and put a dead Kromagg's mind in her. There were two people fighting to live in Mina's body. Thank the Force that Mina was able to fight the Kromagg and take over her own body.
But Shelbs and Lexie would never forgive her. W.A. had helped her. But Shelbs and Lexie would probably never trust her.
The memories kept on flooding back to Mina.......... And some weren't her own.
Mina Skywalker (pick up all of the Star Wars references)
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He sensed something was wrong. He knew that a terrible incident was about to occur, but he couldn't pinpoint what it would be. He had to know, and to know, he had to go there. A very concerned man ended his trance-like state and opened his eyes.
"Blast it, what is going to happen?" He already knew Mina had the Kromagg under control, but he would assist her if needed. She, W.A. and her other companions must survive, or something terrible will happen, but the wise and bewildered Justin could not see what it was.
As his master once told him: "Difficult to see, always in motion the future, hard to read."
A smile came to his face as he remembered his fallen Master Tain, who had sacrificed his life so his student could escape the Kromaggs. Over his dead body Justin vowed to make the Kromaggs suffer for what they had done. But he also knew that he must help these people; Tain would want no less.
Justin exited his meditation room and onto the bridge of his ship.
He had still not reached the coordinates, and was becoming inpatient. Through the calming techniques Tain taught him, he became at peace again. He was still not a Shambala Master like Tain was, but he was close. He still had much to learn.
"Computer!"
WORKING.
"How much longer till we arrive on the world where Mina and her friends are?"
APPROXIMATELY 29 MINUTES AND 34 SECONDS.
"Thank you; inform me when we arrive."
UNDERSTOOD.
Justin did not know Mina and her friends, but he knew they would need his help. Suddenly alarms all over the ship went off!
ATTENTION! ADVANCED SENSORS DETECT MANTA SHIP CRASH AT DESTINATION COORDINATES!
The sudden alarm and warning startled Justin, but he quickly asked, "Bad news, indeed; did anyone survive?"
AFFIRMATIVE.
"Who?"
THE ONLY PASSENGER....NEKKA.
Justin was surprised and shocked. He knew he might run into her, but was she friend or foe? So much of his time as a prisoner of the Kromaggs was a blur, until Master Tain rescued him. He had to wait and see if she would be a threat or help to Mina and her friends.
"Thank you, computer; continue normal operations."
AFFIRMATIVE.
Justin decided to return to his room and meditate further; he needed to check on how Mina was doing. He knew that the false memories would hurt her, but she was strong in the Force; if she had any doubt or fear she would die. He closed his eyes and reached out across the astral plane to monitor Mina's mind. And what he saw and heard was.........
Justin W. Toner
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PAIN......ANGUISH.....
The memories of the dead Kromagg were weakening Mina! She needed his help. The evil, the hatred, the very essence of the horrific being were washing over her like a monsoon! But Mina had a connection to the Force, like he did. The Order of the Shambalas, like The Jedi, knew and understood the Force. He stretched out with feelings as he remembered the teachings of his dead teacher Master Tain: "Let the Force flow through you!"
Mina did not know how much more she could take, seeing these images of innocent humans executed at the hands of the Kromagg whose mind desperately fought for control of her body. Then...she heard a voice call out to her.
"Mina....Mina Skywalker....Can you hear me?"
Who was that? It was not the Kromagg; it was a human, like herself.
"Yes!" she replied. "But who are you?"
"A friend. Listen to me; feel my strength combine with yours, feel the power of the Force! Fight back the evil of this dead abomination of nature!"
Mina concentrated, and could feel his presence, his strength combine with hers, but the Kromagg was not finished.
"You can't win, human!" it said. "Your body IS MINE!"
"NEVER!!!" shouted Justin and Mina, and with the power of their voices combined the Kromagg cried out for the last time as its evil essence was destroyed forever!
Mina felt at peace again, she reached out to the mysterious man whose strength helped to save her mind.
"Thank you, but who are you?! What about W.A. ...Shelbs ...Lexie?"
"Patience, Mina. All your questions will be answered in time. My name is Justin. I am from another parallel Earth. I am trained in the ways of the Shambala, an order much like the Jedi. We know about the Force, and how to use it wisely. I sensed your anguish through the astral plane. I knew your spirit was good, but the spirit of that Kromagg was fighting for dominance. I knew you needed my help, as much as your friends."
"How do you know them?" she asked.
"I was traveling through the plane between parallel dimensions. While I was meditating, I had a strange vision. It was of you and your friends. You were in pain; I heard a Kromagg laugh, and I sensed an explosion, and then there was nothing!"
"Nothing? What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing as in no Earths! All the Earths populated by Humans were wiped out, gone!! Exterminated by those Kromagg bastards!! It was a vision of the future, but when, how or why, I do not know, but what will happen is connected to you and your friends. That I am certain. I have come to help."
"My God! what can we do?!"
"What you can do is this: you can now awaken from the coma this fellow spindoctor put on you; but not yet, listen to what is happening. If you, Wrong Arturo or any of your friends is in danger, help them. I am less than 5 minutes from your Earth. I will tell you and your friends more when I arrive. May the Force be with you, Mina Skywalker; I will be there soon."
"Wait; I sense a great hatred of the Kromaggs from you. Why?"
"That is not important right now. I will discuss it later. Open your mind and listen to what they say. Goodbye, and good luck."
Before Mina could reply, his presence was gone. This Justin had provided grave news of the future of the human race. She open her mind as Justin said, and could hear them talking.....
Justin W. Toner (Sorry, but I just had to continue)
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Just then an aide walked in the door. "Mr. spindoctor, you have a call."
"Drat! Talk about lousy timing!" spindoctor exclaims. He turns to his two companions. "You wait here." He hurried out of the room, locking the door behind him. The aide left too.
What neither of them noticed was that the door didn't lock very well. It swung slightly ajar again.
Shelbs and Lexie stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do next. The two walked toward W.A.'s unconscious body. Quickly finding the carotid artery, Shelbs checks his pulse. Slow but steady and strong.
Relieved, she nods and smiles at Lexie. They begin removing the IV's, monitoring equipment, etc. and together are able to move him toward the door. It is this instant that he awakes.
"What's going on?"
"Shh, we're getting you out of here. We've got to find someplace safe so you can recover. Can you walk?"
Shaking his head groggily, W.A. climbs to his feet.
The coast still clear, they open the door and walk out.
Shelbs' next question was simple. "Mom?"
"Definitely," Lexie and W.A. reply in unison.
No sooner had they taken two steps outside when they come almost face to face with their worst nightmare.
Gasping, the three struggle to quietly hide behind a bunch of garbage cans.
With horror, they can do nothing but watch the two Kromagg scouts continue down the street in the opposite direction.
"Do you think they saw us?"
"If they had, they surely would have recognized us and stopped, right?"
"Right...maybe."
Wasting no more time, the three head off in the night.
Shelbs
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Mina concentrated all of her energies. She needed to wake up from this stupid coma. She didn't care what Justin said. Who was this guy anyway??? He just comes to her through the Force and helps her, then bosses her around? It sounded exactly like her Uncle Han; he had done the same thing twenty years earlier, with her Aunt Leia.
What???? What was Mina saying? She was making the connection between a stupid Force-powered guy and her aunt and uncle? It made Mina shudder a bit. She had not made the connection between her and a guy and Aunt Leia and Uncle Han since Alex.
Alex. Mina felt a lump in her throat when she said his name in her head. He was the same guy that had left her right before she had started Sliding. Actually, he was the reason she had started Sliding--to get away from her ex-boyfriend.
Stop. I don't need to think about this right now, she said to herself. What I need to do is come out of this coma.
It should have been easy. Like when her dad taught her to lift rocks. Like Master Yoda had taught Luke Skywalker, her dad, on Dagobah. Like when Leyta Skywalker, her mother, healed her father when he was injured with a light saber on Janaya. She had to trust in the Force.....
There is no emotion.... there is peace.
There is no ignorance.... There is knowledge.
There is no passion.... There is serenity.
There is no death.... There is the Force.
Mina opened her eyes and blinked so she could focus in on what was around her. Mina looked over at her right arm and pulled out the needle sticking out of it. Immediately she started to feel better. Mina looked around; she couldn't see anybody else in the room. Mina then looked down at her hands and saw they were handcuffed. She concentrated.... She grabbed the lock with her mind....
The handcuffs clattered to the ground. "So, you know how to undo handcuffs. Quite a feat for somebody so young."
Mina turned around. There was a average sized man with brown hair and brown eyes. HE LOOKED EXACTLY LIKE ALEX!!!!!!
Mina took a deep breath and stared at the man in front of her. No, not exactly like Alex; this man was older, and had a certain sense to him.
Mina knew immediately who it was. "Nice to meet you, Justin."
"Nice to meet you, too, Mina. By the way, who is Alex?" Mina looked him up and down. "He's my ex-boyfriend."
Justin rolled his eyes. "Don't get any ideas about falling for me, kid. I just want to get these Kromaggs."
Mina choked back a laugh. "Falling for YOU? Come on, you've got to be kidding." She then thought a moment. "Why do you hate the Kromaggs so much?"
Justin took a deep breath. God, he didn't even want to think about the moment when he saw Master Tain killed. It was too hard. Mina got the hint.
"Fine. I won't ask again."
Mina then started to look around and said, "Where's my light saber?"
Justin's eyes widened. "You carry a light saber already?"
Mina kept on searching. She said, "Yeah, I usually have it clipped to the inside of my skirt."
Mina then looks down and notices she is wearing a pair of short cut off jeans and a short tank top, the stuff she usually wears UNDER the skirt. "Which I realize I'm not wearing right now. OH, MY GOD, I LOOK LIKE MAGGIE BECKETT!!!!!"
Justin puts his hands on his hips.
"What's wrong with Maggie Beckett?"
Mina looks panicked and said, "Nothing. It's just I don't want to dress like her!"
When spindoctor returned, he could see that Mina was awake, and a man was with her. The one named "W.A." was gone, as were the two women.
spindoctor headed back towards the office and noticed, to his dismay, that the two young women and the one young man were missing. Mina was awake and talking to someone he hadn't seen before. Blast! I must find out where Lexie and the others went. In the meantime, I have something to take care of, he thought as he grabbed a small machine off a nearby table.
Mina clenched her fists. "Where the hell did spindoctor hide my ligthsaber?"
Justin stood calmly. "That's the difference between the Shambala and the Jedi. The Shambala are strong enough in the Force to not carry lightsabers."
Mina waved her hands in the air sarcastically and said, "Well, excuse me, all powerful Shambala Master! But the Jedi aren't that efficient."
Justin then yelled, "Don't ever say that! There is only one all powerful Shambala Master! And he's dead."
Mina looked at him. She could see the hurt in his eyes. "The Kromaggs killed him."
Justin nodded his head.
Mina said, "I'm sorry. I know what's it’s like to lose somebody to the Kromaggs."
Justin looked at her back. "Who did you lose to the Kromaggs?"
Mina looked as if she was going to cry. "My best friend, Shen Ra. She went sliding with me and we were caught by the Kromaggs."
"So the world you are from is not the one that was taken over by Kromaggs?"
Mina nodded. "I'm sure my world is fine. My parents are probably worried sick. But hey, what can they do? Dad is too busy being a Jedi and Mom is too busy being a Princess."
"Quite a family you have."
"My dad is a hero in the New Republic. While my mom is just the girl who got knocked up by Luke Skywalker."
"You mean your parents got married because of you?"
Mina shook her head. "No, they got married because of my brother. He's probably about your age, now. But you know, those are the breaks."
"Did they love each other?"
"Yeah, my parents are the kind of people that would only do it if they were in love. Total opposite of me."
"You mean you'd do it with anybody?"
"No. I just say I would. Guys let down their guard when I say that. Most of the time they're thinking with their pants and not their brains."
"Not me."
"Yeah, I realize that. But then you Force strong guys forget about physical stuff." "You have quite an insight on things."
"Yeah, I know. I get this way when I'm nervous."
"Why are you nervous? Still think I look like your ex-boyfriend?"
"That wouldn't make me nervous, that would make me kill you. But, no, it's just that spindoctor is behind you. And he has my lightsaber!"
Mina Skywalker -- Note: I really don't know if Toner looks like Alex, it's just I needed something to get some tension between me and Toner. I hope you don't mind. It's just crap.
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spindoctor grinned evilly at Mina and Justin. He said, "So, you finally came out of that coma. I thought somebody like you would come out sooner."
Mina glared at him. "What do you mean, somebody like me?" spindoctor laughed. "Don't play coy with me, Miss Skywalker. A Kromagg like you!"
Justin came forth. "She's not a Kromagg. The dynasty had her implanted with a dead Kromagg's spirit. It wasn't her. But I've help her free herself of the Kromagg."
spindoctor activated the light saber. He said, "How can I be sure you're safe? The only way is if I kill you. Your lightsword will work well. I just hope you didn't lead other Kromaggs to this building."
Mina ran forth and before spindoctor could react she had punched him in the face. The light saber deactivated and rolled on the ground. spindoctor fell face first on the floor. Mina picked up her light saber and said, "Lead that."
Justin grabbed Mina's arm and started to drag her out of the room. He said, "Come on, I bet any minute his friends come in here and throw our butts in jail."
Mina and Justin ran out of the room. spindoctor just lay on the floor.
Damn, his boss wasn't going to like this.
Mina Skywalker
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Justin and Mina ran down a dark alley. Mina fumbled, something unusual for her. Mina usually used the Force to keep her on track. But now the Force felt fuzzy, hazy. Mina could hardly see straight. Justin stopped running.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked.
Mina nodded, leaning against the wall beside her. Her legs gave out from under head and she slid to the ground. She said, "I just need to rest for a moment."
Justin slapped his forehead. He said, "How stupid can I get? I guess your power is weakened because of the coma. Come on, the next block is where the Dominion Hotel is. We can stay there. I don't think spindoctor will look for us there."
Justin put his hand out and Mina took it and pulled herself to her feet.
They walked along now. Mina looked straight at him and asked, "Why are you so concerned about me? You could have left me behind a long time ago."
Justin answered, "I think you can help me save the entire multiverse. So I have to help you." He then jokingly added, "Plus, you're the daughter of Luke Skywalker. I thought I would be able to get on his good side."
Mina took in a deep breath. "So you know my dad?"
Justin nodded. "Yeah, on my earth the Jedi and Shambala work together. Your father is a great Jedi there. At least he was, the last time I was there. But he worked a lot with my Master."
Mina sighed. "Oh, if you don't mind me asking what happened to you and your master--"
Justin curtly responded, "I mind."
Mina looked at her feet. She felt sorry for offending Justin. He sighed too; he hated when Mina got upset, at least the Mina of his world.
"So, what about your Luke Skywalker. How'd he get a kid my age?"
Mina thought back at her dad. Her parents, they really loved her. And they were probably freaking out because she had never come home.
"On my world, my parents, Luke Skywalker and Leyta Kenobi, had been going out when they were teenagers. (Footnote 1) Shortly after the Battle of Yavin (2) my mom got pregnant with my brother, Ben. My dad, being the honorable Jedi, married my mom. Then about three years after the Battle of Endor (3), I was born."
"That makes you how old?" Justin asked.
\"15," Mina replied. "How old are you, Justin?"
"19. And if you're wondering, that is the only thing you're going to find out about me."
"Okay. Fine. I guess you still want to know more about me."
"Yeah."
"What?"
"What's your problem with Alex Starkiller?"
Mina shook her head. "Damn. I knew you would ask that. Alex and I went out for about four months before I slid. He dumped me for an exotic dancer from Zorba the Hutt's palace. That's it."
Justin looked at his feet. "Sorry I asked. Why do you think I would do that?"
"Just do. I haven't trusted guys for a long time. Seen too many scum buckets to think any guy isn't just trying to get into my pants."
"I don't do that."
"Yeah, generally Jedi, and I guess Shambala, don't do that. It's only when they are in love."
Then as an afterthought Mina added, "Maybe I should do like my mom and find a nice Jedi and get pregnant so I can have a good guy around."
Justin nearly choked on his breath when he heard this. "No, trust me, you don't want to do that."
"Why not?" she replied sharply, stopping and turning to face Justin. She bit her tongue, trying to hold in her anger. She continued, "No guy is interested in me for who I am. It all comes down to one thing: sex. That's why Alex left me. I wouldn't sleep with him. And I don't think I'll ever find a guy who just wants me for me, not for my body."
Mina then, taken in by her anger, before she knew what she was doing, leaned forward and fiercely kissed Justin square on the lips.
Mina-- (Another note, Justin, don't take this the wrong way, I have a boyfriend)
(1) Leyta Kenobi is a character from my Star Wars fan fiction. These fan fictions are actually where the character of Mina (pronounced My-na) comes from. I have taken the background of this character and used it for the Mina in this story.
(2) as seen in the original Star Wars on our world.
(3) as seen in Return of the Jedi on our world.
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Read Unsolved Mystery: Season 4, Episode 2