As the battle waged on....exhaustion began to overcome the men of Anor and with exhaustion came despair and then fear.  The dynamic Shoggoths morphed themselves again and again into gigantic, noisome monstrosities which pressed and closed in on the forces of Middle Earth from all sides, and it seemed as though the creatures relentless thirst for human blood would never cease.

  The night was filled with death as the terrible, frightening and unrelenting abnormalities prepared to deal their final blow and consume the life essence of all that were living.

  A dark Shadow closed in around the fortress, and warriors looked to the skies of Medieval Earth where could be seen dark shapes which had in the past meant certain and undeniable doom...Black Riders!  

  ...but they were not Black Riders...they were Black Helicopters. 

  Out of the darkness...there came a flash...and on the bare hills in the midst, and amongst the land where the Shoggoths were most dense appeared a figure clad in bright white...to his side another robed man wielding a glowing green blade!

  "Behold...the White Rider!!" a cry and resounding cheer went up!

  "It is Mithrandir!  Mithrandir has come!!  ...there was a roar of thunder, and a blast of fire and the Shoggoths scattered...

  ...so had returned...Gandalf the White!

8

 ……………….…..Time itself seemed to stand still……………………….

42

  Mulder watched his life’s work going up in flames as tossed more of his research into the metal trashcan.  The ‘X-Files’ were closed, and he pondered what his next assignment from the Bureau might be.  He hoped it would interest him… but either way, he could always take Dr. Jones up on his recent offer... he only wished he knew more about it.  

  “There’s still one thing I don’t get,” said Scully as she helped Fox burn many of the still undecipherd pages they had been studying. 

  “What’s that?” replied Mulder not missing a beat as continued to incinerate more data.

  “How did he know?”

  “Well.. you read some of the documents Scully….The incomplete Jones' transcription of the R'lyeh text offered a lot of foresight into realities our world is not prepared to accept.  All the answers were right in front of him, but no one would believe.  Sounds Kinda familiar doesn’t it?”

  Scully ignored his last comment as she opened a nearby window.  “I know what you are saying Mulder, but NORAD's best computers couldn’t crack the ENTIRE code.  How did he know?”

  “The Truth is Out There,” interrupted a calm, deep, yet sly voice.

  Leaning on the doorframe leading into Fox’s office was Indiana Jones.

  “Dr. Jones!!”

  “I came to thank you two personally for persuading me to heed my own warnings, and take action.  I thought you might want to know the real story………..” 

  “Yes, please Dr. please come in……...” Fox ushered the doctor into his small paper laden office space.

  Hunched over, Indy, with a quivering hand took off his favorite hat.  He slowly closed the door behind him and began…………………….

  “You see….. I discontinued my work long ago when I realized that even if the world did believe me, nothing could stop the return of the Great Old Ones…….that is, until I encountered….shall I say….a temporal vergence.”

  “A What?” Scully stopped him.

  “A…for lack of better words, or understanding….…a displacement in time.”

  “You see….in all the galaxies there is a symbolic relation to the Force patterns produced by matter and energy.  This coherence between the two is focused into an ancient artifact shaped as a trapazhedron that was recovered from a crashed Grey saucer in 1947.  This primordial avatar draws its very power from the epoch of the universe itself. 

  “Then it was true!” Mulder exclaimed jubilantly and Scully gave him a slight head nod and roll of her eyes.

  “I knew it!  Tell us more please doctor….”

  “That vergence in the time/stream originated from a being in another reality….a little dwarf like humanoid known as a hobbit.  His name was  Frodo Baggins, and although the name is unimportant, using a combination of Force energies the young hobbit was able to see things before they happened; to glimpse into the future.  With the help of Skywalker and the Stargate we assisted in turning a wizard named Gandalf from the inherently evil bidding of the Darkside.  With our combined efforts we made contact with Mr. Baggins.  He was the One who ultimately knew how to harness the paradoxical trapazhedren’s energies, and to contain its secrets inside a magically crafted cube which was later locked by another ingenious being and given somewhere in time and space to an individual who would know when to use it.”

  “I always thought when I finally knew the big picture I’d be ready,” said Mulder as Scully was already moving toward a chair to sit down on.

  Indy also seemed to follow suit as he pressed his Palm against his forehead.

  "Are you alright?" asked Dana.

  "I feel as if a billion billion voices suddenly cried out and then silence............must be the aftermath or some last remnant of an alternate timestream. 

  "Anyway...." he continued, “You read my work, you should be able to follow here………In conjunction with some mysterious stones bearing fated seals, which were also retrieved from a mid-dimensional Earth, the pitiless Great Old Ones and their minions were driven back into the eons past and once again put back into their eternal dreaming slumber.  In addition, the Elder beings from "Outside" never entered our reality, and by circumventing a chain of cascading temporal events and loop holes, effectively eliminated was the 'Anti-time' Terror from Beyond Space.”

  “The cultures of the multiverse found their true place among the ever-grinding mill of the cosmos…….. Accordingly, all the beliefs, characteristics, mannerisms, memories, hopes, and other unique traits of all beings in the universe were merged with their respective timelines and realities………“

  “This leads us to where my offer to you is extended Mr. Mulder, and to you Ms. Scully. The timestreams have righted themselves….yet undoubtedly, the history of the future may still somehow be changed……………and inevitably, one destined day in the future, the stars will once again, come right.

  And thus, for now…Time/Space would be Running Free, orderly and sane as time continued to flow unhindered....yet clearly something was still different….not all individual personalities of multiple timelines were wholly reunited with their relevant identities………………

  Although the Space Odyssey had come full circle, the helical journey in effect, again started anew........

  Excelsior lurched again under the heavy weapons impact.

  “I’m still in command of this ship mister, now beam me to the bridge!”

  “Ayeeeee!” was all Captain Sulu heard as his image faded out, and re-materialized alongside his command chair.  Even before he could move, his eyes focused on the hell encompassing the bridge. 

  "The Romulans?" Sulu yelled out.

  "No sir....like nothing we've ever met before."

  "Damage report."

  "Most primary systems are offline! Engineering is trying to restore warp capability."

  "Damn."

  "Cargo Bay 12 to bridge."

  Sulu keyed the comm-link, "Go ahead."

  "Sir, we've gotten the last of the survivors.  No other life signs on the planet."

  "How many?"

  "84 Sir."

  "Damn." That meant that he had just lost over two-hundred of his crew.  To an unknown enemy.  Damn them...he'd make them pay.  But he had to get his ship to safety.

  "Engineering, where's my warp drive?"

  "You've got up to warp three sir, but I can't promise it will hold up."

  "Helm, course set to nearest nebula....warp speed."

  The Excelsior shot away as its attacker continued to pillage the planet.

  "Science....who the hell was that?"

  "Our primary sensors are down sir, I'll have to review the sensor logs in order to tell. They were definitely not Romulan." "Or just not any Romulan configuration we are familiar with." or maybe there was someone new in this sector...if so the Romulan's wouldn't like it either. 

  Lt. Commander Janice Rand turned from the communications console.

  "Captain, the attacker has just begun to broadcast a message on all subspace channels….."

  "On SCREEn!”

  Sulu's spine turned to ice.  He remembered this from some logs he had looked at when they dealt with the 1701-D....that incident had been so highly classified no one was supposed to know about it.  And Sulu didn't even like to think about it...yet the harsh and strangely harmonic voice coming over the communications link forced him to think back to the events of five years ago. 

  "I am Locutus of the Octorg.  In strange aeons even death may die.  Cthulhu fhtagn."

  Sulu couldn't believe his eyes....or his ears...through some extra sensory perceptions, he actually had a clear view of the enemy ship's interior.  The Borg individual was communicating telepathically.….He recognized Jean Luke Picard! And behind this Locutus, were other members of what would be the future Enterprise-D crew - The Klingon Worf, the android Data.....his view panned out and also in company was a Vulcan, who he couldn't help but do a double take on; it was Commander Spock along with other members of the NCC1701-A.

  “You will be assimilated!”

  “Resistance….is futile!"

  Techs scurried about the operations room as the experiment had been a success...Starfleet's latest advancement of technological Wizardry.  Kirk and Spock had volunteered for the program.  With all their seemingly infinite and diverse experiences while being the Federation's frontmen of exploration, clearly, they relished the qualities needed in being the best candidates for the simulator's first test run.

  The distorted scenery of the simulator's cyber-world phased out, and was replaced by ceramic gold on black grid lines which gave the distinct impression of being 'in' a computer.

  The phenomenal representation of the 'real world' was nothing more than a universal image field generator and holo-graphic projector. The simulation allowed for users within the field to interact with each other and the generated holograms as if they were 'real'.  Users were able to control the storyline to certain extents as the machine drew upon pre-programmed past memories, but engraved in the code was the unpredictability of choosing your own fate and suffering the consequences of command decisions.

  Perhaps, future generations of Star Ships might even include such holo-technology as this in their design as an 'escape' during the tormentive stress's officers and crew often encountered during deep space explorations. 

  "Pretty amazing stuff ensign!" Kirk slapped a young tech on the back.  "A little bit 'too' real for me I'm afraid...how about you Mr. Spock?"

  "Indeed Captain, the consequential Showdown with Cthulhu, Azathoth, and the relevant cohesion with the Greys and the Borg was awkwardly strange and different, yet also remarkably familiar as if the experiences had actually occurred before.  Fascinating, that they may well be a warning or sign of times ahead, visions of a possible future, or remembrance of events in some forgotten past."

  "Deja Vu Spock? C'mon...it's time I checked up on that old antique store....."      (See Story Base I)

  James Kirk thrashed about uncontrollably in an attempt to break free of his binds.  His efforts were noted, however useless they were as his limbs were no longer attached to his body.  His eyes opened in protest, and burned as the clear fluid in which he was immersed in sought to blind him.

  To his horrified and blighted dismay, staring directly at him through some transparent window was a creature he knew all too well.  The sinister beings' oval black eyes alluded to his grave predicament as their reflection shown his head in a jar sprouting tentacles from newfound orifices.

  This was no dream, and the unrelenting realization he was trapped in some living nightmare assaulted his conscious thoughts.  All that he was and all that he knew could very well have been staged and manipulated in his mind, for what was real anymore?  Here in this bubble, time meant nothing.  A forgotten pawn lost in the infinite cosmos, he was now some demented lab experiment.  Helpless throughout all eternity for their would be no escape.

  The Grey just mocked a puny smile.

  The users pulled their headsets off.   

  Mike, Brian and Dave marveled at the new Virtual 'Reality' gadgets they bought at Gencon.  It wasn't often that the old friends from High School got together...but attending one of the largest Science-Fiction conventions of the country made all the troublesome tasks of traveling worth it.

  Essentially the high-tech peripherals allowed users who were 'jacked in' to the same server to experience an adventure scenario unparalleled by any other computer game.  By selecting from a predetermined list of characters and scenes the processor could generate a ‘virtual world,’ and an unfolding plot line full of suspense, intrigue and uncertainty, which, to the user would seem completely real.  The possibilities were endless as a ‘virtual’ character could be an astronaut in one ‘world’ a ‘knight’ in another, or a combination of something merged in between and altogether different.

  As they climbed out of their virtual reality suits, a terminal across the room flickered on.

  The Arena BBS was back online through the Internet, and Solar Realms Elite was the main attraction.  The classic planetary conquest spacewar game specifically written for multi-player interaction and combat was an instant hit now that it could be played over the web.

  "Let's see who's online..." Dave quickly punched up a series of access codes.

  "INTERFACE 842 READY FOR INQUERY," the artificial-Intel voice of the computer calmly announced.

  A users' handle flashed onto the screen - The Kingpin.

  It was their friend Randy who couldn't make the out of state trip...

  "Figures...it's past midnite....new 'SRE' turns!" said Mike as he walked towards the screen cracking open a Bargs, and barely missing wiping out on a Battletech board in front of him.  "What a geek........."

  Among the layouts of Battletech grids, and scattered about the entire hangout were all sorts of games; Axis and Allies, Risk, Empire an Atari ST, even an old 130XE loaded up with The Cosmic Balance.  The video camera was still on the tripod, and ‘paused’ on the television screen was a scene from the recently filmed Teriminaper 2 home movie parody.   Old Star Trek episodes were cluttered about one shelf as well as uncountable numbers of heavy metal CD's, and an amplifier light was still on and the effects processor for the guitars as well.

  Brian sat down at the computer terminal now and began to log in.  It was Deathstrikes’ turn to post in the new Story Base. 

  But, something was not right….. Brian swore under his breath.……something was definitely…wrong.

  Gathering around the screen a silent fear began to haunt their subconscious.  There were new posts in the Story that none of them had remembered writing. But that was insane, how could all of them not remember writing something they HAD done? Unless..... it hadn't happen YET....unless....  it wasn't REAL.....What if this was some lucid dream or still the VR simulation?

  All at once a random code of gibberish green text and characters began to flow down the screen until certain unutterable words manifested themselves in the midst of hieroglyphics............

  Then the lights cut out!

  "What happened?!" yelled Brian as the computer's power was gone, and the link lost.

  Through blurred windows they could see rain beginning to fall, and the winds picking up, evident signs of a coming storm.  The darkness of night was lit only by the surreal glow of moonbeams shimmering through oppressively low and ominous looking clouds.

  "Somebody's out there," said Mike as they all saw the rapid descent of a black helicopter....and almost immediately, the lock being tried on the door.  In an instant it was forced open, and with a sharp clatter and rush of footsteps, two men in camouflage faced them fully armed and wearing night vision gear.

  "Come with us if you wanna live!"  One of the men announced, and the trio noticed his armband that read DELTA GREEN!

  They looked to each other in disbelief......was this for real?.....was it a dream?...were they trapped inside the tangled VR-world within their minds?  Or was there a larger universe out there hidden beyond the stars and all of the known cosmos?  Was the fragile cradle known as humanity about to be shattered as it glimpsed into the monumental and shocking horror of some veiled Alternate Reality?

  Have you ever had a dream you thought was real?  What if you could not wake from that dream?  How would you know the difference between the dreamworld and the real world?  Perhaps that disturbing, cryptic sense of lingering timelessness and vertigo one feels while experiencing the most curious of moments between waking reality and lucid dreaming is actually caused from memories awakened from a forgotten past or of a distant future........Imagination at these levels can conjure up images, ideas, and so fearful of thoughts that describable words only serve to distort and twist their insinuating meanings.......For when nothing is the way it seems, and there's no sane reason to the endless madness and delusion, the unbearable misconceptions can only signify one thing...

  Unbeknownst to all the peace loving, and war mongering creatures of the universe....something had gone horribly wrong in the timestream.....

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