Storm Clouds
Jen Sulzer

Disclaimer: The characters of Adam Newman, Megabyte Damon, Ami Jackson,
Kevin Wilson, Jade Weston, and General Damon and the concept of the
Tomorrow People are the property of Roger Damon Price, Thames/Tetra
Television, ITV Television, Nickelodeon, etc. The characters of Derek
Rayne, Alex Moreau, Nick Boyle, and Frank Karmack, as well as the
concept of the Legacy, belong to Trilogy Entertainment, MGM, and the
SciFi Channel, etc. These characters are used without permission, but
not for profit. Carrie Morgan, the Harrison family, and the cultists of
The New Dawn are my own creations. (I have a twisted mind, don't I? :-
)) Sawyer's Woods is also a fictional location.

Note: Quotes indicate verbal speech, single quotes indicate thought,
and colons indicate telepathy.

Thanks to my beta-reader, Kristin, who's wonderful suggestions greatly
helped to smooth out this story (especially her suggestion to write a
prologue!) Thanks again!



Storm Clouds
A Tomorrow People/Poltergeist: The Legacy Crossover

Prologue
A deserted corporate parking garage in San Francisco

A dark haired man stepped quickly out of the elevator, humming to
himself under his breath. Hastily glancing over his shoulder, the man
speeded up his pace, continuing his tuneless humming. Appearances had
to be kept up, no matter what the cost.

'You should have been more careful!' the man mentally scolded himself
as he nearly ran down the rows of cars. 'You should have known
they'd be watching!' A sudden screech of tires attracted the
man's attention. He gasped as three large and muscular figures emerged
from a dark, nondescript sedan.

"No! I never told them anything! I swear!" the man exclaimed, turning
to flee his attackers. He rushed around a row of cars and down one
aisle at random. The man's heart felt like it would explode, but he
kept running--it was his only hope of escape. As luck would have it, he
ended up back at the elevator. Desperate, the man slapped the button
repeatedly, anxiously glancing over his shoulder the entire time.
Finally, the doors eased open, and he darted inside just barely dodging
his pusuers.

Having pushed the button for the top floor, the man leaned back against
the elevator wall in relief, gasping for breath. He was horribly out of
shape, and his heart felt like it was going to explode. Just as he
managed to get his heart rate under control, the elevator doors opened
once again.

"This isn't my floor..." the man murmured to himself as the
doors opened. Panic filled him as he stared straight into the eyes of
his three pursuers. One of them grabbed him by the shirt, and looked
like he was about to punch him until one of the others restrained him.

"Remember, she needs him unmarked!" the second man reminded the first,
pulling a nasty-looking hypodermic needle from inside his jacket and
pulled off the protective cover. The third man rolled up their
prisoner's sleeve in preparation for the injection.

'How did they get here so fast?' the dark haired man wondered to
himself. It was the last thought he had before the blackness enveloped
him.



Chapter One
Taphini Island, approximately one o'clock in the morning


Adam tossed and turned in his bed, tangling himself in the bedclothes.
The Ship produced a melody of concerned sounding tones, but they went
unheard by the young Australian.

He was trapped in a dreamscape of blood and violence, hovering on the
outside of it all--helpless to do anything to stop it. 

In Adam's dream, several hazy figures emerged from a fog, all dressed
in hooded robes. Each was unidentifiable from the others, save for
their leader, who marched at the head of the group. His robe was the
same as his underlings, but he carried a large oaken staff in both
hands. The group moved silently, appearing to glide across the uneven
ground. They surrounded a dark-haired figure tied spread-eagled to four
stakes sticking up out of the ground. The figure shifted slightly,
raising his head to look at his captors.

"Please," he begged. "I have two children!" The hooded figures ignored
his pleas. The leader raised his staff, and the entire group began
chanting.

Roiling clouds gathered in the sky overhead, rumbling ominously with
thunder. A sudden lightning bolt struck the leader's staff. Adam's
perspective in the dream changed at that moment, shifting from an
outside observer to an actual participant in the ritual--a participant
who immediately lunged at the helpless captive man and ripped a large
gash in his chest.

"No! Don't hurt him!" Adam cried out. Suddenly, he jerked awake. He
pushed his hands to his head, as much to quell his pounding headache as
to block out the multitude of voices that poured into his head.

:Did anybody else just have a really nasty dream?: Kevin asked shakily.

:I did. It was some kind of ritual thing--robes, a sacrifice, the whole
nine yards.: Megabyte answered.

:We must've all shared the same nightmare.: Carrie quickly concluded.
:Is everybody okay?:

:I'm not.: Jade answered. Her mental voice was near tears.

Me either.: Ami commented, sending her a"mental hug."

:Thanks.: Jade said, sniffing slightly.

:I'm not sure if it was just a nightmare, guys. It seemed so real.:
Adam broke in. :Did anyone recognize anything?:

:That fog kind of hid everything, but the, um, victim sounded
American.: Carrie answered.

D' you think it was a cult or something?: Kevin asked. 

:It's too soon to tell. Adam responded. :Anyway, there's nothing we can
do about it right now. Write down as much detail as you can remember,
and then try to get some sleep.: he instructed.

:I don't think I'll be able to sleep after this.: Ami 'pathed.

******

Angel Island, the Kitchen, later that morning



"...late last night, acting on an anonymous tip, police detectives
found the body of Mr. James Harrison tied spread-eagle in Golden Gate
Park. 'It appeared,' said an officer who declined to give his name,
'that the guy's guts had been ripped out.' " Nick read aloud from the
morning newspaper, drawing dirty looks from both Carrie and Alex who
were seated at the table with him.

"Thanks, Nick, thanks a lot. I wanted to actually finish breakfast this
morning!" Alex exclaimed, pushing her half-filled plate away from her.
"How come you can't be a normal guy and read the sports page?" she
wondered, drawing a chuckle from across the room. No one was surprised
to see Derek standing in the doorway. He had a habit of being
mysterious and enigmatic.

"Did everyone sleep well?" the Dutchman asked as he got a plate from
the island, filled it with food, and sat next to his daughter. Everyone
answered his question, except for Carrie, who remained oddly silent.

"I was doing great until Nick got a hold of the paper," Alex commented,
as she rose from the table. "I've got some work to catch up on, so I'll
see you all later."

"In the Control Room?" Carrie suddenly asked, a wan smile on her face.

"Aren't I always?" Alex asked, with a long-suffering sigh, and a
pointed glance at Derek, who was, for his part, looking elsewhere. She
threw up her hands, and muttered "Men!" exasperatedly under her breath
as she left the room.

"You look tired," Derek remarked, turning to Carrie. "is everything all
right?"

"Yeah. We all shared some kind of weird nightmare," she said, ending
the sentence with a yawn. "I couldn't really get back to sleep after
that." Derek nodded. "You don't look so well rested yourself. What were
you doing all night?" she asked.

"Someone had to complete the research on that burial site the London
House ordered us to do." Derek commented, with a sidelong glance at
Nick.

"Hey, I was planning to finish that this morning!" the ex-Navy SEAL
exclaimed, a perfectly innocent expression on his face. 

"Uh-huh,"Carrie remarked. "Is that why you mentioned you were going
into the city today? And I thought her name was Danielle!" Nick made a
face at her, and then left the kitchen, supposedly to do more
"research."

" So, are you settling in okay?" Derek asked, now that he was alone
with his daughter. Once her identity had been confirmed, he had
insisted that she move to the castle. 

"I still can't believe I'm actually living in a castle!" She exclaimed
with a chuckle. "But, yes, I finally got all my stuff put away, so it
doesn't feel so much like a hotel room anymore." Derek smiled at her
joke, but his expression quickly became serious.

"This is your home, now, Carrie. Please don't forget that." He told her
earnestly.

"I know, and I'm incredibly grateful. It's just going to take some
getting used to--I've been on my own nearly all my life, and I'm not
used to having someone watching out for me." Carrie replied, with a sad
smile as she thought of her mother. Derek put a gentle hand on her
shoulder, but the sound of a phone ringing spoiled the moment. 

"Derek?" Nick asked, poking his head through the doorway, holding out a
phone. "It's Frances."

****** 

Taphini Island, a few hours later 



Upon realizing sleep was a lost cause, Adam rose, ate some breakfast
(leftovers from last night's takeout, washed down with the orange
juice-like substance the Ship produced), and went out for a swim. 

He swam out a good distance from the island, and then paused. He
floated for a while, allowing the current to pull him closer and closer
to the island. Adam carefully kept his mind blank, not wanting to think
about anything, especially last night's horrible dream. His reprieve
was disturbed by a familiar voice.

:Adam? You out there, man? I need to talk to you.: The 'path was
hesitant, as if the sender was unsure what his reception would be. Adam
opened his eyes reluctantly, and shielded them from the sun. He sighed
as he saw he was only a few yards from the shore.

:I'm here, Megabyte.: He replied as he swam the rest of the way in.
Shaking the water from his hair as he stood, Adam scanned the beach for
his friend. He quickly spotted Megabyte a short distance away, but
moving towards him quickly.

"Hey, I was wondering if you knew where I left my jacket yesterday. I
could've sworn I had it when I came home last night, but now it's
missing." Megabyte said as he approached his friend. 

"This is what you wanted to talk to me about?" Adam asked, his voice
rising. "I have no idea where you left your bloody jacket!" 

"Take it easy, Adam. It's no big deal." Megabyte backed up slowly from
his friend, hands raised in the classic "I'm harmless" gesture.

"I'm sorry, it's just--" Adam began, immediately embarrassed at how he
had reacted.

"Forget about it. After the night we all had, I'm surprised you didn't
eat me alive." Megabyte commented, trying to lighten the mood. Adam
rubbed his hand across his eyes wearily.

"Thanks. Now, what did you really want to talk to me about?" The two
young men sat down on a chunk of log that had recently washed up on the
beach and made a nice seat.

"Why can't I just come and visit?" Megabyte asked, an innocent smile on
his face.

"Because you never "just visit" unless you need something." Adam
replied with a tired smile. "I take it this isn't about that dream we
shared last night."

"No. I wrote down what I could remember, though." Megabyte said,
handing his friend a sheet of notebook paper. There was a moment of
silence before he continued. "I just don't understand women! One minute
they want to spend time with you, and the next, they can't get away
from you fast enough!" The words came out in a rush as Megabyte rose
and began to pace angrily. Adam hid an amused smile as he watched his
friend.

" This is Ami you're talking about, right?" Megabyte paused in his
pacing to glare at the other teleporter.

"No, Adam, I'm talking about your grandmother! Of course I'm talking
about Ami!" he exclaimed. Adam attempted to turn a chuckle into a
cough, but was unsuccessful. "Geez, Adam! This isn't funny!"

" Sorry," the elder teleporter remarked. "It's just that Ami came by
the other day to talk about you." Megabyte stared at him in surprise.

"What did she say?" he demanded, stalking back over to the log and
sitting down.

"You know I can't tell you that," Adam replied calmly.

"Sure you can. I won't tell on ya, I promise." Megabyte reasoned,
leaning back too far on the log and accidentally sliding off the other
side, much to Adam's amusement.

"That really inspires confidence in you, Megabyte." Adam commented
between chuckles. A sudden laugh came from behind them. 

******

San Francisco, SFPD Morgue



"And there you have it. A very strange case all around." Dr. Frances
Carlin commented to Nick and Derek as they watched her pull a sheet
over the body of James Harrison.

"All his vital organs are missing?" Derek asked quietly. Frances
nodded.

"Every last one," she commented, shielding her eyes as Nick took yet
another picture of the mangled corpse.

"Was there anything unusual found on the body?" he asked.

"Just these leaves," Frances replied, holding up an evidence bag
containing several small green leaves. "But they won't be much help."

"You never know," Nick commented as Derek took the bag from Frances to
examine the leaves more closely. He jerked as the simple leaves
triggered his Sight.

Several hazy figures emerged from a fog, all dressed in hooded robes.
Each was unidentifiable from the others, save for their leader, who
marched at the head of the group. His robe was the same as his
underlings, but he carried a large oaken staff in both hands. The group
moved silently, appearing to glide across the uneven ground. They
surrounded a figure tied spread-eagled to four stakes sticking up out
of the ground. The figure shifted slightly, raising his head to look at
his captors.

" Please," he begged. " I have two children!" The hooded figures
ignored his pleas. The leader raised his staff, and the entire group
began chanting. Derek did not immediately recognize the language, but
some of the words sounded familiar.

Roiling clouds gathered in the sky overhead, rumbling ominously with
thunder. A sudden lightning bolt struck the leader's staff. The focus
of the Vision changed at that moment, shifting from an outside observer
to an actual participant in the ritual--a participant who immediately
lunged at the helpless captive man and ripped a large gash in his
chest.

Derek's body lurched backwards in revulsion as his mind recoiled from
the horrors apparently being committed at "his" hands. Nick leapt to
his side to steady his Precept, but was careful not to bring Derek out
of his Vision prematurely.

It didn't matter, however, for just as Nick touched Derek's shoulder,
the older man's hazel eyes snapped open. Derek stared blankly at Nick
for a moment, until his identity registered. His breath abruptly caught
in his throat, and Derek quickly left the room.

Nick and Frances stared after him, frozen for a moment by shock. As
Nick moved to follow Derek, Frances spoke up.

Will he be all right?" she asked, concern evident on her face.

" I don't know," Nick answered honestly, and followed his Precept out
the door. 


Chapter Two
Taphini Island, The Ship

"Nice move, Megabyte!" Ami exclaimed between snickers as she came up
behind Adam and Megabyte. Adam turned away to hide his smile, while
Megabyte blushed the color of his hair. He jumped onto his feet,
hastily brushing the sand out of his clothes.

"What's up Ami? I haven't seen you in a while," he replied, running his
hand through his hair in an attempt to appear "cool." Adam didn't think
Ami's smile could get any wider, but it did.

:He' so cute when he does that.: Ami blushed as a glance and smile from
Adam told her he had caught her stray thought. 'God, I hope Megabyte
didn't hear that!' Evidently he hadn', since he was still waiting for
the answer to his question.

"Actually, I was looking for you," she replied nervously. Adam glanced
at the two of them while Megabyte searched for something to say.

"Ah, I just remembered something I need to do, so I'll see you guys
later," Adam remarked, barely drawing a glance from either of his
friends.

"See you later," Ami replied absently.

"Yeah, later,"was Megabyte's reply. Adam shook his head with a smile as
he teleported out.

******

San Francisco, Golden Gate Park



Carrie approached the "Police Line: Do Not Cross" tape barrier
cautiously. Luckily, there was nobody around. She ducked underneath the
tape, and glanced around. Her hunch that their shared nightmare was
linked to James Harrison's murder had been proven correct once she had
wrested the morning's newspaper from Nick. The picture of Harrison in
the article was a perfect match for the victim of the ritual in their
dream.

She didn't expect to find any physical evidence, though, not after the
police had been over the area with a fine-tooth comb. The best she
could hope for were impressions from her temperamental Sight. Carrie's
gift didn't seem to be nearly as strong as her father's, but that
seemed to be balanced by her other abilities as a Tomorrow Person.

She sighed as she wandered through the crime scene. This job was
probably more up Jade's alley, but she was not about to bring a sixteen
year old to a fresh crime scene, psychometrist or not. That seemed her
only other option, however; getting anything out of Derek was
practically impossible. All he would tell her before he left to see
Frances was that she had nothing to worry about.

'Nothing to worry about, huh?' Carrie thought to herself. 'Oh, no,
nothing except that there's a bloodthirsty cult on the loose, but I
should just let the adults handle it. Yeah, right.' She crouched down
to better study the stakes that James Harrison had been tied to when he
had met his maker. A shadow suddenly fell over her.

******

An office building in downtown San Francisco



The young man glanced around nervously as he reread the email message
on his screen. He rubbed his temples in a vain attempt to rid himself
of a headache that had been bothering him since he had read the paper
that morning. He looked at the message again, and swallowed. "Come to
the meeting place at 11 P.M. tonight. There are important matters to
discuss." The message was unsigned, but the young man knew who had sent
it.

" I told Jim not to cross them," he thought. "Now we're all going to
get it." A sudden shadow loomed over him, making the young man jump in
his seat. A young woman stood next to his desk, shifting from one foot
to the other.

"What do you want?" He hissed under his breath. "Did you get the
message?" She asked, twisting a lock of dark brown hair around her
fingers.

"Yes."

"What do you think they're going to do?"

"I don't know! Now get back to work before someone sees you," he told
the young woman, glancing around to make sure no one had noticed them.
She scurried back to her desk, and put her head in her hands.

'Oh, we're in trouble now!' was all she kept thinking.



Chapter Three
San Francisco, Golden Gate Park


"Adam! You scared me!" Carrie exclaimed as she squinted up at the
Australian. Adam crouched down next to her.

"Sorry," he said. "Hard to understand, isn't it?" he asked, waving a
hand in the direction of the four small stakes. They would have
appeared simply curious, if it hadn't been for the large splash of
blood in the center.

"Yeah. I can't understand how someone could do this to another human
being." Carrie shook her head sadly. "This is definitely where it
happened though. The victim was a man named James Harrison." She pulled
the newspaper out of her backpack and handed it to Adam.

"Were you able to pick up anything?" Adam asked as he scanned the
article she pointed out. Carrie shook her head.

"Nope. Actually, Jade would probably do better here," she said quietly.
Now it was Adam's turn to shake his head.

"If we tried that, Mrs. Weston would have our heads," he replied,
rising to his feet. "We should talk to some of the people around here.
Maybe someone saw something."

"Yeah, maybe," Carrie echoed, scrambling to her own feet and following
Adam. Neither held much hope of finding anyone who had heard anything,
though.

******

San Francisco, SFPD



Detective Frank Karmack drained what had to be his fifth cup of coffee
that day. He closed the file on his desk in disgust; no matter how hard
he tried, he couldn't come up with that one "magic" piece of
information that would make everything else in this weird murder case
fall into place."Hey, Frank, how's it going?" a familiar voice
asked. Karmack looked up to see Nick Boyle enter his office.

"It's not going at all, Nick," he replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I was out driving and I thought I'd see if there was any new info on
that Harrison case." Nick stated calmly, with just a hint of a smile on
his lips.

"Any new information?!" Karmack exclaimed. "And just how did you get
the old information?" he demanded. Nick only smiled in reply. Karmack's
phone suddenly rang, and he snatched up the receiver before it finished
the first ring.

"Detective Karmack," he answered tensely. There was no response from
the other end, just heavy breathing. "Hello?" Karmack asked
impatiently.

"I-I have some in-information on the Harrison murder," the voice
replied. It was low and quick, and Karmack had to strain to hear the
words.

"I'm investigating that case," he said cautiously. "What can you tell
me?"

"The m-murder was committed by a group calling themselves The New
Dawn," the voice informed him.

"A cult?" Karmack asked as he noted the name on a notepad next to his
phone. Nick leaned over to see what he was writing.

"Oh, no, they're really nice people!" the voice on the other end of the
line exclaimed.

"Yeah, really nice people kill innocent men all the time." Karmack
replied angrily.

"Well, there's going to be a meeting tonight--outside the city, in
Sawyer's Woods." The voice went on to describe the exact location. "At
11 P.M." Karmack noted the time and place under the name on his
notepad.

"Is there anything else you can tell me?" he asked. The only answer was
the click of the receiver. He sighed. This could very well be the
ramblings of a lunatic, but it was all he had to go on. "Now about your
sources..." he began to ask Nick, but looked up to find the ex-Seal
long gone.

******

Taphini Island



Ami and Megabyte sat side by side on the weathered log, neither saying
anything. After Adam had left, their conversation had lapsed into
silence.

"Um, I was wondering..." Ami began.

"Yeah?" Megabyte glanced up hopefully.

"Maybe we could--What was that?" Ami looked around, startled by a
sudden noise.

"What was what? I didn't hear anything." Megabyte replied. A sudden
yelping sound had them both on their feet in an instant. A fast moving
form skidded onto the beach, stopping at Megabyte's feet, which it
began licking enthusiastically. "Hey, boy. What're you doing here?"
Megabyte asked the dog, who only wined in reply.

"How did Jesse get here?" Ami wondered. Megabyte glanced up, and his
eyes narrowed as he spotted the culprit.

"What're you doing here, Jade?" he asked. The young girl blushed
slightly.

"N-nothing. I was just sitting over there," she gestured to a spot a
few feet away, hidden behind a small sand dune. "and, all of a sudden,
Jesse went wild. He must've smelled you or something."

"Or something." Megabyte commented. "How long were you over there?"

"Yes, how long were you eavesdropping, Jade?" Ami asked angrily.

"I wasn't eavesdropping! I was just sitting over there, minding my own
business! It's not my fault if you guys were talking so loud!" Jade
exclaimed. She faltered under twin glares from Ami and Megabyte. "Well,
I was just curious! How else am I supposed to learn!"

"Learn what, Jade?" Ami asked, struggling to keep amusement from
creeping into her voice.

"You know, date stuff!" she exclaimed. Realizing what she had just
said, Jade clapped a hand over her mouth and turned beet red. 

"Is that what you thought we were doing?" Ami asked. Jade nodded.
Megabyte shot Ami a confused look, but she ignored it. "Well, let's
talk about it, okay?" she took Jade by the hand and led her back over
to the log. Megabyte groaned and teleported out.

******

Angel Island, the Control Room



"I found it!" Nick exclaimed as he burst through the hologram.

"What did you find?" Alex asked with a patient smile. She was glad for
the break he provided from her tedious research. She loved playing
historical detective, but this was getting to be too much.

"Not only did I find out the name of the cult responsible, but I also
found out where and when they're meeting tonight," Nick told her.

"Who are they?" Alex asked eagerly.

"They call themselves The New Dawn," he replied. 

"I've heard that name somewhere before," Alex murmured, her fingers
skipped across the keyboard, calling up information."Here it is. The
New Dawn cult has been in existence for years. Its members call on Thor
and other weather gods to "cleanse" the land and bring forth a new age
of humanity." Alex typed a few more commands, and frowned at the
results. "According to this, there isn't an active branch in this area.
The closest one is in Los Angeles."

"They must've relocated," Nick commented, just as Derek stepped
through the hologram. 

"Derek, we know who they are--they call themselves The New Dawn."

"I've heard of them," their Precept answered, reading the
information on the main screen with interest, though his face was an
impassive mask. "Supposedly, there is only one way to stop a cult like
this."

******

San Francisco, Golden Gate Park



As the flash from his teleport faded, Megabyte peered around the tree
he was hiding behind. He quickly spotted the two people he was looking
for a few feet away. Adam and Carrie didn't notice him as he
approached; their heads were bent close together, discussing something
intently.

"What's so important, guys?" Megabyte asked when he reached them. His
friends looked up in surprise.

"We were checking to see if we could pick up anything from the crime
scene," Carrie answered as Megabyte sat next to her on the park bench. 

"We didn't find anything, but now we have a lead on the victim," Adam
mentioned, handing Megabyte the newspaper Carrie had given him. Carrie
pointed out the article on the top of the front page. The redhead
nodded as he studied the picture accompanying the article.

"That's our guy alright. Do we have an address yet?" Megabyte asked.
The other two teleporters smiled conspiratorially.

"The family isn't listed in the phone book, so we thought we'd let you
handle it." Adam remarked.

"Where's the nearest computer?" Megabyte asked, leaning in eagerly.

"We could use the one in my room--I need to talk to Derek anyway."
Carrie offered. "He went to see Frances this morning, and I think it
may be about this case."

"Who's Frances?"Adam asked.

"A friend of Derek's who happens to be the coroner." Carrie replied.
Adam and Megabyte both turned a little green.

******

Angel Island, the Library



The sight that greeted Carrie as she entered the library was a familiar
one. Derek, Alex, and Nick were clustered at one end of the long table,
poring over something. No one had heard her enter, so she walked over
to them and tried to get a glimpse of what was so interesting.

"What are you guys working on?" she asked, causing everyone to jump.

"Oh, you scared me!" Alex exclaimed, with her hand over her heart.

"Looks like someone's inherited the Rayne gift for being sneaky," Nick
commented with a grin. Carrie made a face at him.

"When did you get home?" Derek asked.

"Just a few minutes ago," she answered, neglecting to mention the fact
that Adam and Megabyte were in her room hacking into the Department of
Motor Vehicles so they could find James Harrison's address. "You didn't
answer my question--what are you working on? Is it the Harrison case?"
Derek looked at her sharply, but Nick gave her the answer she was
looking for.

"Yeah. We're not turning up much, though," he said, as Derek quickly
slid the paper they had been studying off the table before Carrie could
do more than determine it was a map of some sort. He forgot to move
another scrap of paper on the edge of the table, though. "New Dawn
Meeting--Sawyer's Woods, 11 P.M." Carrie read upside-down before Derek
noticed the small scrap and swept it off the table.

"I think we have something that should help," she remarked, drawing
everyone's attention.

" 'We' meaning you and the other teleporters?" Derek asked. Carrie
nodded.

"I told you we all shared a nightmare last night, right?" Derek nodded
in reply, while Nick and Alex listened interestedly. "Well, it was
about a ritual sacrifice by a cult of some sort. When I looked at the
paper this morning, I realized the victim we saw was Mr. Harrison." She
paused for a moment, reliving the awful nightmare. "It was pretty gory,
but we couldn't tell anything about the cultists," she finished
quietly.

"Were they dressed in gray robes, and the leader carried a large
staff?" Derek asked quickly.

"Yeah. It almost seemed like they came from the fog itself. The weird
thing was, though, that we all seemed to be, well, 'participating' in
the ritual," Carrie replied. Derek nodded as if he had already known
what she was going to say. "How did you know?"

"Some evidence Frances turned up triggered a Vision," Derek replied
brusquely, turning away from her and walking over to the desk in the
corner.

"Do we know who they are yet?" she asked. Derek stiffened and turned to
face her slowly.

"The Legacy is completely prepared to handle this situation," he told
her tensely. Nick and Alex exchanged nervous glances.

"I know you are, but we're involved, too," she reminded him. Derek
shook his head.

"There is no need for you to get involved." Her father spoke in the
tone of a man accustomed to having his directions followed.

"No need! We're the ones who saw the ritual in the first place!" Carrie
declared. Derek stepped towards her, and the air between them could
have been cut with a knife.

"The Legacy cannot afford to have inexperienced children getting in the
way of our investigation," he he stated coldly, though his eyes were
intense with heat. Carrie flushed with anger. Nick rose from his seat
to intervene, but Alex put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Let them deal with this," she whispered in his ear.

"Inexperienced?!" Carrie snapped."We've seen as much evil as you have,
if not more!"

"Not this kind of evil!" Derek declared, taking her by the shoulders.
"This isn't a game!"

"Was losing my mother a game?" she asked coldly. Derek dropped his
hands from her shoulders in shock, but she continued. "How about being
kidnapped by a telepathic madman? Or tracking his boss in Chicago for
six years, was that a game, too?" Derek began to reply, but Carrie cut
him off with a wave of her hand. "Save it," she told him cooly, and
stalked out of the room.

She didn't notice Derek's anguished gaze follow her out.



Chapter Four
Angel Island, the Foyer, a few hours later


"Everything's ready, Derek," Nick said, coming through the front door.
Derek and Alex were standing at the foot of the stairs running through
some last minute precautions. A sudden sound on the stairs caused Derek
to look upwards, and he spotted his daughter watching the preparations
quietly.

They stared at each other for a moment, each unsure of what to say.
Finally, Carrie broke the silence.

"Be careful," she said quietly, then descended the stairs, edged past
her father and Alex, and disappeared down the hallway. Derek moved to
follow her, but Nick grabbed his arm.

"I hate to say it, but we've got to go. The kid will still be here when
we get back." He told Derek, who glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not so sure of that." Derek said quietly. "Keep an eye on
her--try not to let her go anywhere," he told Alex, who nodded in
reply. The Dutchman favored the hallway his daughter had disappeared
down with one final glance before following Nick out the door.

'Just how am I supposed to keep a teleporter from going anywhere?' Alex
wondered. She headed in the direction Carrie had gone, hoping she
wasn't already too late.

******

Angel Island, the Library 



Stepping into the quiet, book-filled room, Carrie paused for a moment,
looking around cautiously. 

'It has to be here somewhere! They wouldn't be going unless they
had a way to stop them!' she thought to herself. 'If you were Derek,
where would you put it?' A wry smile crossed Carrie's face as she
considered the possibilities. Inspiration struck, and she quickly moved
through the holographic entrance to the Control Room. 

She looked around the room, and quickly dug through the stacks of
materials on each of the desks, but came up empty-handed. Frustrated,
she was just about to step back through the hologram when a sudden thud
caught her attention. 

Carrie smiled as she noticed the source of the noise, an old-looking,
leather-bound book she had somehow missed before. Picking it up, she
flipped through the pages, and smiled again as she noticed the words on
one particular page. 

"Carrie? You in here?" Alex's voice gave the redhead just enough time
to hide the book behind her back before the researcher came through the
hologram. "There you are! Hey, don't feel bad about what happened with
Derek--he was just trying to protect you," Alex told her. 

"I know that--but I'm not a little kid, you know," Carrie replied.
Alex's keen eye quickly noticed the ancient volume peeking out from
behind the young teleporter's back

"What have you got there?" she asked. Carrie winced, then slowly pulled
the book from behind her back. 

"Oh, this?" she asked the researcher. Alex nodded. "Well, I was looking
for something to do--you know, to take my mind off what happened,"
Carrie said in way of explanation, mentally berating herself for how
lame the excuse sounded. "and I thought I could pick up a little in
here." Alex nodded, but her eyes told the young teleporter she clearly
wasn't fooled. 

"Uh-huh. Well, I think this stuff should wait at least until Nick and
your father get back. Don't want to count our chickens before they're
hatched, right?" she asked, gently pulling the book from Carrie's grasp
and setting it back on the desk. 

"You know, I think they're showing "The Haunting" on TV again--the good
version this time. Why don't you go and see what channel it's on?" This
time, it was Carrie's turn not to be fooled. 

"Okay, if you're sure I can't help..." she replied, as Alex all
but shooed her out of the Control Room. However, as soon as she was
through the hologram, Carrie stepped out of Alex's line of sight and
stood against the wall. Closing her eyes in concentration, the redhead
pictured the antique book sitting on the desk. Suddenly, she was
rewarded by a crackling sound, and a heavy weight settling in her
outstretched hands. Opening her eyes, Carrie smiled as she saw she had
indeed teleported the desired book, and quickly disappeared in a flash
of light before Alex could notice the volume was missing.

******

Taphini Island, The Ship



Carrie had hoped to find the alien spacecraft deserted when she
arrived, but this was not the case. As the light from her 'port faded,
she spotted Adam sitting on one of the many ledges that ringed the
Ship. He was poring over several sheets of notebook paper, which Carrie
assumed were their individual accounts of their shared dream.

"What's wrong?" he asked as she perched on the ledge beside him. He
quietly noted the antique book she held in her lap, her arms crossed
over it.

"Derek doesn't think we should be involved. The Legacy doesn't need
'inexperienced children' hindering their operations," she replied,
leaning back against the viewport. Adam chewed his lip thoughtfully.

"And you, ah, 'forcefully' disagreed with him, right?" he asked. Carrie
nodded. 

"It was pretty nasty," she replied. "They did find out the name of the
cult responsible for the murder, though," she changed the subject,
tracing the gilded design on the cover of the book in her lap. "They
call themselves The New Dawn--they're meeting in Sawyer's Woods tonight
at 11 P.M." Adam glanced at his watch and let out a low whistle.

"That doesn't leave us much time," he stated. "What's in the book?"
Carrie grinned.

"The ritual that will stop these nuts," she replied grimly.

****** 

Sawyer's Woods, outside San Francisco



Derek carefully steered his Explorer onto the shoulder of the road. He
and Nick pulled their gear out of the back, and headed for the crime
scene.

"Good thing I went to see Frank when I did, huh?" Nick asked with a
grin. Derek nodded in reply.

"And it was a goot thing I was able to convince him he should meet us
here by himself. The last thing we need is a bunch of innocent
policemen around if these people are calling on supernatural powers."
The Dutchman commented quietly. "This may be our only chance to
determine the identity of the cult members, and get an idea of exactly
what they're planning. Stay alert," he told his young colleague. They
moved forward through the underbrush for several minutes in silence.

"Derek?" Nick asked suddenly.

"Yes?" the Dutchman quietly replied.

"Don't you think you were a little hard on Carrie before?" Nick asked
him. "She was just trying to help, after all." Derek sighed before
replying.

"Nick, I know she was just trying to help, but I want to keep her out
of danger for as long as possible," the Dutchman glanced over his
shoulder before continuing. "Besides, from the stories she told us, as
well as the ones she didn't, I think she could use a break from danger
for a while."

" I'm not so sure, Derek," was the ex-SEAL's reply. "She strikes me as
pretty determined--a lot like you, in fact." Derek simply smiled, and
the rest of the trip was made in silence.

They met Frank near the supposed meeting site, and quickly selected the
most advantageous spot for observing the cult members' activities.

"I' ve got some men on standby," Frank mentioned. "This may be our only
chance to arrest these sickos."

"Unfortunately, these 'sickos' may be calling on supernatural powers,"
Derek told him. Karmack groaned.

"What is it with you people? You're a magnet for weird stuff!" he said.
Derek and Nick smiled in return, and they all settled in for a long
night.

******

Taphini Island, The Ship



The four elder teleporters huddled together in the Ship, each having
committed the ritual from Carrie's book to memory. The two younger
teleporters had been sent to keep an eye on the Harrison home, much to
Jade's objections that they could help better with the cultists. Kevin,
though, had been relieved to sit this one out.

"Lucky thing this doesn't require any props," Megabyte observed.

"Or any telekinetic traps," Carrie added. "My powers still aren' t
completely recovered from that bit with the urn."

"I think we're all still a bit under the weather from that," Ami
commented. "It took a tremendous amount of energy out of us."

"We'd better get going, guys, if we want to get there before they
leave," Adam stated. "Everyone got torches?" Each teleporter held their
flashlights up in turn. "Good. Let's get going, then." Four flashes of
light briefly filled the Ship's main chamber as they disappeared.

******

Sawyer's Woods, outside San Francisco, later that night



A group of people dressed in gray robes, not more than ten in number,
huddled together, as much for protection from the rain as to speculate
as to why they had been summoned. They were oblivious to their
observers just a few feet away.

"Do you think they'll kill us?" One hooded figure murmured to another,
twisting a lock of dark brown hair around her finger.

"No! There's too many of us for that!" the second figure hissed. "They
probably only want to discuss how we're going to handle the press and
the police." Any further discussion was halted by the appearance of yet
another hooded figure, this one gripping a large wooden staff. The
figure stood atop a good sized, roughly rectangular stone at one edge
of the clearing.

"Greetings, Sisters and Brothers!" The figure's voice seemed to echo
off the trees. It definitely belonged to a woman. "We have suffered
greatly, especially from the near-betrayal by our brother James. We
must move forward, though, forward with our cause!" Two more hooded
figures moved out of the shadows, flanking their leader on either
side." Together, we can overthrow the power-mad tyrants and make this
world a better place for our children! For all mankind!"

Derek, Nick, and Karmack exchanged worried glances as the diatribe
continued. The sudden sound of a twig snapping pulled their attention
away from the cultists.



Chapter Five
Sawyer's Woods, outside San Francisco


The three clandestine observers came face to face with four figures,
dressed in gray robes, and carrying nasty-looking pistols.

"I thought this was a cult that worshipped nature!" Nick hissed as he
dropped into a defensive position. One of the cultists fired at him,
but the ex-Seal dodged the small dart without missing a beat.

"Hey, even cultists know about the benefits of technology," Karmack
answered, ducking as another of their assailants threw a punch in his
direction.

Meanwhile, Derek was dealing with the final assailant. He succeeded in
knocking him to the ground, and quickly turned to his comrades.
Unfortunately, a sudden arm snaked around his neck and caught him in a
chokehold. Derek struggled, but his large, muscular opponent had the
advantage. Abruptly, the pressure released, and the Dutchman turned to
see his young colleague make short work of his attacker.

"What happened to yours?" Derek asked quickly. Nick grinned and jerked
his finger in the direction of a figure lying motionless on the ground.

"That's enough!" The sharp declaration from behind them made them turn.
Their throats constricted in horror as they saw the last attacker
holding Frank's limp form in his arms.

******

Outside the clearing, a few minutes later



The four teleporters crept quietly towards the clearing, having
teleported in a short distance away to mask their 'porting flashes.
Voices were audible from the clearing, and they grew clearer as the
teens approached.

"The time has come, my fellow worshippers, to summon our patron and
allow him to cleanse this world of the unbelievers and those who would
see us destroyed, like our brother James!" The leader of the cult
declared, throwing back her hood, revealing dark eyes and hair that
shimmered in the moonlight. They all studied the woman's face intently.

At a gesture from their leader, the cultists moved from their tight
cluster into a nearly perfect circle. To the four observers in the
underbrush, it seemed like most of the cultists were unsure of what was
to happen next. They kept turning to each other and whispering, while
their leader made some secret preparations with her back turned to them
and the teleporters. Ami suddenly noticed Adam had gone a little pale
and was staring intently at the back of the cultists' leader.

:Are you okay?: she asked. Her 'path abruptly pulled him back to
reality.

:Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Just worried about what they're going to do.: he
answered. A loud declaration from the cultists' leader drew their
attention back to their current problem.

"I have news, wonderful news!" The leader suddenly turned to face her
acolytes again, this time with a broad smile on her face. "Through a
favor from the gods, we have obtained three specimens far superior to
those we had originally planned to sacrifice to our patron!" With a
dramatic sweep of her arm, she gestured to two of her acolytes to bring
three figures, who were all tied together, into the center of the
circle and toss them on the ground. Carrie gasped when she saw their
faces.

:Not again!!: she cried telepathically. 

******

In the middle of the clearing



"This doesn't look good," Nick said to the others, and was rewarded by
a groan from Karmack's direction.

"Did you get the number of the truck that hit me?" he asked weakly.

"It was only a tranquilizer dart," Derek told him. "They don't want to
kill us, at least not yet."

"Yeah, they're saving us for their 'patron,' " Nick replied grimly.

The cultists all joined hands, and suddenly began chanting. A shiver
ran down the spines of the three in the center of the circle, as well
as those hiding in the underbrush, as they all realized the cultists
were reciting the Lord's Prayer backwards. Finishing that, the group
launched into a chant in a foreign language. Storm clouds quickly built
up in the sky above the clearing, and the wind began to pick up.

The three in the circle glanced at each other worriedly. What were they
going to do now?

******

Outside the clearing



:What is it with your family?: Megabyte asked. :Every time we turn
around, the Legacy is in trouble!: Carrie shot him a withering look,
and Ami put a hand on each of their shoulders.

:We haven't got time for arguing! We need to figure out a way to stop
them!: she reminded them. The three of them turned to Adam, who was
deep in thought.

:It's safe to assume Derek and Nick know the same chant we were going
to use, right?: he asked. Carrie nodded. :I think we need to act while
we still have the element of surprise and hope they'll follow our
lead.:

:Meaning we teleport into the middle of all this?: Carrie asked.

:We're going to need all the help we can get,: Adam reminded her. The
four teleporters hurriedly worked out the remaining details in their
plan.

:Now!: Adam gave the signal to disrupt the cultists, and the team moved
into action.

******

In the center of the clearing



The cultists continued to chant, oblivious to the crashes of thunder
and bolts of lightning that filled the small clearing. It was so
chaotic that no one immediately noticed the extra flashes of light as
the teleporters entered the clearing.

The three men were working furiously at their bonds when lightning
suddenly struck next to them. Or, at least what they initially thought
was lightning. Derek jumped when he felt the bonds give way. He whirled
to face their rescuer.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded of his daughter.

"We're saving you guys, what does it look like?" Carrie asked, pushing
a hand out to her left. Derek turned just in time to see a sudden
flying branch take out a cultist who had begun to run towards them. "We
know the chant to stop them," Carrie hissed in her father's ear. A
quick scan around the clearing revealed Ami and Megabyte dodging and
confusing the cultists, while Adam teleported in behind the leader.

"Looks like he could use a hand!" Nick declared, running towards the
young Australian. Derek glanced around for his daughter, but Carrie was
already running towards Ami.

"Keep them busy!" she yelled over her shoulder. Derek smiled slightly--
his daughter seemed quite suited to giving orders.\

Ami was having a hard time dealing with two of the cultists. The two
threatening figures had managed to corner her against the stone
"altar." She frantically looked around for some sort of weapon, but
there was nothing within immediate reach. The figures grabbed her, and
Ami struggled to get her mind clear enough to teleport. There was no
need to panic, however, since her attackers were both quickly pulled
off her, and Ami tumbled to the ground.

Ami glanced up in surprise to see Nick nail one of them with a powerful
blow that sent him tumbling, while Megabyte, of all people, was holding
the other off with a large branch. As Ami struggled to her feet, she
found a large rock under her hand. Taking hasty aim, she hurtled it
towards the cultist who was struggling to catch Megabyte. Her aim was
good, and he fell without a sound. Megabyte glanced towards her,
surprise evident in his eyes.

Carrie, meanwhile, was tangling with one of the leader's "guards," who
had caught her as she tried to reach Ami. She had managed to dodge most
of his punches, except for one that caught her in the stomach and
knocked the wind out of her. She sank to the ground, gasping for air,
with the cultist looming above her. He raised his fist to strike, but
was startled by a sudden hand on his shoulder. He turned to come face
to face with a very angry Dutch Precept.

"No one lays a hand on my daughter!" Derek stated icily, knocking him
down with a direct blow to the face. He then turned to Carrie, who had
shakily risen to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she replied. "Thanks for the rescue."

" It's my job," her father replied with a smile. "You all know the
ritual?" Carrie nodded. "We need to get to that stone altar," he told
her. "That's the center of the power." They both broke into a run as
the rumbling of thunder suddenly grew louder.

******

At the stone altar



Adam had managed to surprise the leader of the cult in the midst of all
this chaos, and pried her staff away from her. He was now brandishing
it like a baseball bat, swinging it to keep her pinned against the
altar.

"Give me the staff, boy," she hissed at him. "You don't know what
you're dealing with!"

"No," he told her. "You don't know what you're dealing with." Adam
glanced upwards as the sound of thunder grew louder. The woman seized
her chance, and threw herself at him. They both tumbled to the ground,
and rolled over and over as they each struggled for possession of the
staff.

The cult's leader suddenly got the upper hand, wrenching the staff from
his grasp and hitting him against the head with it. Dazed, Adam laid
where he had fallen, while the woman scrambled up from the ground and
began her chant anew. This time, though, it was in English.

"Oh, Great Thunderer, come to me! Take this sacrifice," she gestured
with the staff towards Adam,"and use the power to cleanse this world of
unbelievers! Come now and--ugh!" she broke off as a rock suddenly flew
up and hit her arm. Then, surprisingly, Ami grasped the woman's arm and
tried to restrain her, but the woman proved to be stronger and threw
her off. "What is going on here?!" she roared. The woman struggled to
fend off both projectiles and assailants with her staff, but strong
arms suddenly closed over her shoulders. "You can't stop it! The world
will be cleansed!"

" I don't think so!" Derek replied, tightening his grip around her arms
and forcing her to drop the staff. Adam, now recovered from his fall,
snatched it up. Carrie, who stood a few feet away, suddenly pointed up
at the sky. The storm clouds were beginning to descend towards the
earth, and rain began to pelt those gathered in the clearing. 

"If we're going to do something, it had better be now!" she yelled to
her father.

"Start chanting now!" Derek replied in agreement. Carrie began,
followed by Adam. Megabyte and Ami soon joined in the Latin chant, as
did Derek. Nick, for his part, kept an eye on the cultists, who were
mostly huddled into a small cluster at one end of the clearing, shaking
with fright.

The first time through, the chant appeared to do no good, for the
clouds continued their descent, and transformed into a large, roughly
human-like shape. The leader of the cultists broke free from Derek's
grasp, and ran towards her "patron," who swatted her to the ground with
a gust of wind like a child's toy.

"Keep going!" Derek yelled to the teleporters, and they all began the
chant anew, louder this time. The cloud-figure slowed its descent,
seeming to hover above them. There was a roaring, angry sound that
seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. They had to
struggle to keep the chant going, but they managed to yell above the
roaring winds. The rain, too, increased, now becoming like slivers
against everyone's skin.

Despite all this, they began the chant for a third time. The cloud
figure began to dissipate about halfway through the chant. With a final
roar, the figure literally exploded from the inside out, and both the
rain and winds ceased. Everyone gazed up in amazement at the now-clear
sky, which was colored by the early dawn.

Some of the cultists began to move towards the edge of the clearing,
but police officers came out of nowhere and surrounded them. Frank
Karmack walked over to the small group by the stone altar.

"Well, Derek, we've done it again," he told his old friend.
"Luckily I managed to find my cell phone and get a call through to get
my men out here. What happened to their leader?"

"She's over..." Carrie's voice trailed off as they all turned to where
the woman had fallen and realized the area was empty. "But how?" Carrie
asked. "She must have been badly hurt."

"She couldn't have gotten far. We'll find her," Karmack assured them,
rejoining his men.

"Why do I have a feeling they won't catch her?" Nick asked his Precept,
who smiled.

"And I have a feeling we've not seen the last of that woman, whoever
she may be," the Dutchman replied. "You four should get out of here
before we have to answer some complicated questions," he told the
teleporters, who nodded in reply. Adam, Ami, and Megabyte quickly left
the clearing, presumably to teleport to their respective homes from
some secluded spot. Carrie remained behind.

"See you at home?" she asked her father with a hesitant smile. She was
rewarded by a quick smile and a brief hug.

"We'll have a talk when I get home," Derek promised as he released her.

"Count on it," Carrie replied, and followed the others.



Epilogue:
Angel Island, several hours later

Nick and Derek trudged through the front doors quietly, hoping not to
disturb anyone. They needn't have worried, however, since Alex met them
at the door with steaming mugs of one of her Grandma Rose's homemade
herbal teas. Carrie emerged from the Library, rubbing her eyes
slightly. With a smile, Alex helped Nick upstairs. Derek and Carrie sat
on the stairs for a moment.

"Did they find her?" Carrie asked. Derek shook his head.

"I doubt they ever will, unless she wants to be found," he told her.
"You really shouldn't have followed us to that clearing--you could have
been hurt."

"You didn't exactly leave me much choice, did you?" Carrie challenged,
her anger quickly returning. "I'm not a kid, you know. As a Tomorrow
Person, I have a responsibility to fight evil, no matter what the
form."

"I realize that," Derek stated quietly, causing Carrie to glance at him
in surprise. He paused for a moment, looking at Carrie appraisingly. "I
apologize for shutting you out of the investigation. If we had worked
together, perhaps things would have gone a bit more smoothly," he
finished, drawing a smile from Carrie.

"Apology accepted. And I apologize for not being more careful, we've
never dealt with an evil that powerful before," Carrie said.

"Apology accepted," Derek said, rising from the steps. "Now, if you
don't mind, I think I'm going to bed."

"Actually..." she began hesitantly. Her father turned to face her.

"Yes?" the Dutchman asked, concern in his eyes. He had thought the
matter was settled.

"I need to apologize for something else," Carrie told him, pausing a
minute before continuing. "I said some pretty nasty things before,
things I didn't really mean." Derek reached out and put a comforting
hand on her shoulder before she could say any more.

"It wasn't entirely your fault, I did provoke you a bit," he admitted
with a smile. "I'll only accept your apology on this matter if you'll
accept mine." He was rewarded with the ghost of a smile.

"I seem to make a habit of blowing up at the people I care about the
most," Carrie told him, thinking back to her clash with Adam six years
before and her ambiguous attempt at reconciliation. "I have one more
apology to make," she explained to her father. "One that's a bit
overdue." 'And this time I'm going to make sure he listens,' Carrie
thought to herself, as her father glanced at his watch and shook his
head.

"I'm sure it can wait. We've all had an extraordinarily long night, and
even you need sleep," he told her, and began to steer her up the
stairs. As if his words had triggered some latent reaction, Carrie
suddenly found herself barely able to stay on her feet. Suddenly, she
felt her body being lifted off the floor and carried up the stairs.

"I can walk, you know," she protested weakly.

"Of course you can," Derek answered. "You may be able to teleport all
over the world in a matter of seconds, but I'm still your father."
Carrie was asleep before they even reached the top of the stairs.


Finis