Follow the
Sorceress back to Teela's He-Man and She-Ra Fanfiction page
This is a continuation of a story that I wrote called "Parallel Mother" on
my Time Trax Fanfiction
Page. You may want to read that if you haven't, just to
get a feel for some of the characters. If you are unfamiliar with He-Man and
She-Ra, you may want to read some of stories on my He-Man and She-Ra
Fanfiction Page. I hope you enjoy this story....
Darien woke to Selma's beeping in his pocket. He got up,
rubbing his head.
"I'm awake, Selma!" he grumbled. "How long was I out?"
"Thirty minutes, forty seconds. Are you all right, Captain?" Selma
asked.
"I'm fine, thanks." He looked around. "Where are we?"
"In the basement of the Smithsonian, Captain. The fugitive you were
after apparently has an office here."
"Right...let's go get him," Darien said as he carefully rounded the corner.
The office door was closed. When he burst through, he found the fugitive, stupidly
enough, was still there. "Hello again, Hershal!"
"You've become a bad penny, Lambert," Hershal growled, his english accent
nearly making it harder to understand him than usual.
"I get that alot. Where's Sahmbi?"
"I don't know. I haven't heard from him in almost a year," Hershal
replied.
"Too bad...well, since you can't help me--"
Lambert shot him with a txp pellet.
"Transmission tone, Selma," he ordered. A moment later, a flash of light
claimed the fugitive. "Let's go home," he said as he walked out of the office.
Selma watched as her captain drifted off into sleep in mid-sentence, as usual. She was concerned that he was pushing himself too hard and she knew that he desperately needed a vacation. Unfortunately, there hadn't been time for one. Whenever he found a new fugitive, he insisted on going out right away and taking care of it. When he found out where Sahmbi's new location was, each time, he went out, still tired and ragged, and tried to capture him. She wished that he wouldn't push himself so much, but being who he was, he just did.
She knew that, eventually, it could be the end of him. If Sahmbi ever found out how hard he pushed himself, even when exhausted, he could use that knowledge against her captain and that was something that Selma knew she had to prevent, at all cost.
She devised a plan. She would store each incident that came up over the next few days in her memory bank and refuse to give her captain the information until he had rested.
If only he would rest!
The next day, Darien woke and found, as usual, Selma standing in the living room, watching tv. He smiled and got up, pulling on his jeans as he walked.
"Good morning, Selma," he greeted as he walked into the kitchen.
"Good morning, Captain," she replied as she looked up.
"Anything new today?"
"Yes, Captain. I have found another on your fugitive list."
"Good....let's see the file."
"No, Captain."
"Why not?"
"I am concerned, Captain--"
"About what?"
"About your health, Captain. You have been working 20 hours a day, 7 days a week, for the past six months. You have not had a vacation since your mother died in 1994 and since you arrived here, in the second parallel universe we've encountered," she replied.
Darien sighed; it was a familiar argument.
"I know. But, I haven't had time, Selma. Debra asked me for help and I'm giving it to her. She's got a few more fugitives on her list, all of which are in contact with our Sahmbi," he replied.
"Captain, you must have rest! I know as well as you that humans need rest in order to maintain their health--"
"I know, Selma! Please, just get off my case," he said.
"I will not show you the file, Captain, or any file related to your mission until you have had some, slang phrase, R and R," she said with a bright smile.
Darien sighed and nodded.
"All right, we'll play it your way, Selma. Shall we go see Mom?" he asked.
"Yes, Captain. I will make the arrangements. Would you like me to call her for you?"
"No, I'll do that. What's her number?"
Kit Logan smiled as she picked up the phone. She knew as she looked on her caller id that it was Darien who was calling.
"Hello, Darien?" she said as she picked up.
"Yeah...how'd you know?"
"I have a device connected to my phone called ‘caller id.' How are you?"
"I'm fine. Tired, though," he replied, a yawn threatening to erupt. Kit smiled.
"You push yourself too hard, Darien. Is Selma there?"
"Yeah, she's here...she's the reason I'm calling. She won't let me look at any of her files until I take a vacation. Mind if I drop by for a visit?" he asked.
"Of course I don't mind! Debra left a couple of days ago, but she might be persuaded to come back--"
"No, that's okay. I'll be seeing her in a couple of weeks anyway. How is she?"
"She's fine and just as desperate for a vacation as you are. Maybe she should take a tip from your Selma--"
"She may regret it if she does," he laughed.
"Well, I'll be sure to tell her that. It's been too long since I've had you both under one roof and I definitely want you both here for a while. I'll give her a call and see if I can't convince her to make this a family affair. I'll take time off of work--"
Just then, there was a crash and the shattering of glass at her front door. Two monsters ran in and grabbed her.
"No, who are you? Where are you taking me!" she cried. "Darien, help!!!" she cried as she dropped the phone. She struggled as a large orange energy field appeared and she was thrown into it!
"Mom? MOM!!! Selma, get me on the next non-stop flight to Chicago and inform Debra that something's wrong with Mom," he ordered as he threw on a shirt and his shoes.
"Done, Captain," she reported and switched to voice mode.
"Thanks, Selma," he cried as he ran out the door, his ppt and keys in his hand, Selma in his pocket. He only hoped that it wasn't too late.
Darien ran into his mother's, no his parallel mother's, home and found Debra there, tears streaming down her eyes. He put his hand on her shoulder and grabbed her arms.
"Selma's scanned the whole place. She's gone, Darien. There was some sort of energy surge here--Selma thinks that Sahmbi somehow sent her back to the future," Debra said.
"Or to the past...or worse. It's all my fault! I should've been here," he said as he sank down onto the floor.
"There was nothing you could have done," Selma's voice said from his pocket.
"Thanks, Selma, but I should've known--"
"KAT, Captain. And there was no way you could have known," she said.
Darien nodded. He couldn't have known. He'd been tracking Sahmbi for months, but he had lost him a couple of weeks before. Hence his helping his parallel sister.
"I think I may be able to help," a man's voice rang out. Darien and Debra looked up and gasped. There before them stood a tall blond man with muscles that could easily challenge Arnold Schwartzenegger and a broad smile. At his side stood a tall blond woman that had the man's eyes and a smile equally broad. It seemed, to Darien, that they were related--possibly even twins.
"Who're you?" he asked as he looked them over. They both wore what looked like renaissance warrior's clothing--including furry underwear for the man.
"I'm Adam and this is my sister, Adora. What happened?"
"Someone kidnapped our mother," Debra replied. "We think it was a man named Morticai Sahmbi," she said.
"I think you'd better come with us. It would be easier for us to explain what we've found if we were someplace safe," Adora said as a large orange circle of light appeared behind them.
"What's that?" Darien asked as he stood.
"A portal. Come, you're with friends," Adam replied as he stepped through. Adora waited. Debra and Darien exchanged surprised expressions and, making sure she had her Selma with her, stepped into the portal, Adora coming in behind them.
They stepped out into what looked like a medieval dungeon.
"Welcome, Captains Darien and Debra. I am pleased to meet you at last," a woman dressed in little more than bird feathers said. Upon further inspection, Darien could see that it was a feathered cloak attached to a cloth leotard that looked like feathers. She wore blue high-heeled boots with white fur at the top and he suspected that they were lined with fur as well. He found her quite attractive and saw that the light in her eyes revealed a strange sadness...and much wisdom there as well.
"Who are you?" Debra asked suspiciously.
"I am the Sorceress of Greyskull...of Eternia. I have watched you for some time through the window of knowledge. Now, tell me what happened," the Sorceress said as she led them all into a throne room.
"I was talking to my mother on the phone when she dropped the phone. She was crying out at an intruder to let her go, asking who they were. The last thing she said was ‘Darien, help.' Sahmbi's goons must've grabbed her--"
"No, Darien. Sahmbi was not there, nor were his men. Yes, I know of them, too and of your promise to Elyssa. And of your computer. Hello, Selma, Kat," she said kindly.
"You know of us?" Kat's voice said from his pocket.
"Yes, I have watched you both for some time, remember? Please, go on visual mode," she said. "It will be easier to explain to a person rather than a phantom," she explained.
"Captain?" Kat asked. Darien turned to Debra. She nodded.
"It would be easier...and if it helps us get Mom back, I doubt the Chief would mind. Besides, she already knows their secret," Debra replied.
"Agreed. Override the third person subroutine, Kat. Visual mode," Darien ordered.
"Do the same, Selma.Visual mode," Debra commanded.
Selma and Kat appeared and turned expectantly to the Sorceress. Adora and Adam didn't know their secret--the shocked looks on their faces made Darien smile. It was nice to shock them as much as they had shocked Debra and Darien.
"Now, you are on the planet of Eternia and are in the walls of Castle Greyskull, a keeper of magic. I am the guardian and protector of Greyskull, the Sorceress. This is Prince Adam and Princess Adora, the only children of the Royal family," she introduced, indicating the man and woman standing nearby. "Please, go and send He-Man and She-Ra to us, Adam and Adora. We will need their help. Give my regards to your father and mother...and to Man-At-Arms and Teela."
The twins nodded and left.
"Now, our most dangerous enemy, Skeletor, has found a dimensional gate to your world and he used it today for the first time. He kidnapped the first person he saw, so that he may learn more of your world. Unfortunately, the person he saw was your mother and the gate landed him right at her door," the Sorceress said.
"Where is she?" Darien asked, a cold, deadly anger filling him.
"In his dungeon, inside Snake Mountain," the Sorceress replied.
"Where is it?"
"Captain, surely you are not thinking of going there alone--"
"Can it, Selma!!! You've been on my case to go on vacation and when I did, my mother was kidnapped. I saved her once, I can do it again," he shouted. Selma's image blipped for a minute as she computed only god knew what. He didn't care that she looked frightened for a moment before she composed herself. He just wanted to help his mother.
"Darien," the Sorceress said. "You are upset. To send you like this would be a great risk. Skeletor is very dangerous and he would not hesitate to do you or your mother harm. You must get control of yourself, or else stay here. The choice is yours," the Sorceress said firmly.
"It was my fault, Sorceress! I should've been there," he said.
"It was not your fault. You didn't even know of Skeletor until just now. Nor could you have done anything to prevent him. If you had been there, he would also have you...and Selma. And, if he had Selma, the damage he could do to your world would be irrepairable," the Sorceress told him.
Darien nodded and closed his eyes, tears threatening to burst through.
Suddenly, a pair of arms came about him and a large puffy sleeve brushed his face. He put his arms around the woman and let his tears burst forth and leaned on this comforting shoulder for awhile. When he finally looked up, he saw--
"Selma! What...how--"
"I have been given new software, Captain, remember? Part of that was the ability to become a solid hologram for a time," she replied, a bright smile on her face.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, his arms still about her.
"You did not ask, Captain," she replied as she brushed another tear from his cheek. Darien smiled...then kissed her cheek and held her closer to him.
"Thanks, Selma," he whispered in her ear.
"You're welcome, Captain," she replied. "Now, shall we construct a plan?"
Darien looked again to Debra, who was being held by the Sorceress. She looked up and nodded.
"Yes, Selma," he said as he let her go. She became her normal hologram again and smiled again. "Let's make sure that Skeletor has a very....bad day."
When He-Man and She-Ra arrived, they found the two holograms, the Sorceress and Darien and Debra seated on the floor, using a holographic projection as a planning table. A map of Eternia, probably provided by the Sorceress, lay underneath the hologram as they made a plan of attack.
"It looks like we got here a little late," She-Ra said teasingly, an amused smile on her face.
"I think you're right, Sis. Well, can we join the party?"
"Of course, He-Man and She-Ra. This is Darien and Debra and these women here are Selma and Kat. Everyone, may I present to you the champions of Eternia and Etheria, He-Man and She-Ra," the Sorceress introduced.
"Adam and Adora told us what happened. What can we do to help?" She-Ra asked.
"We need to locate and rescue their mother, Kathryn Logan," the Sorceress said.
"She prefers to be called ‘Kit,'" one of the holograms said.
"All right, ‘Kit.' Now, what've you planned so far?" He-Man asked.
"The Sorceress says that Snake Mountain is here, so we'll go there by...however you travel, land about forty meters away from it and walk in, unnoticed. We'll stun whomever we come across with our PPTs and you guys lead us to the dungeon. If there was some way we could find out where she is inside Snake Mountain, it would be helpful, but seeing as how that's probably not possible, we'll have to do a systematic search, starting from the bottom up," Debra said.
"Wait a minute...check your PPT and tell me how many pellets you have," Darien said, remembering when he had run out a few years back in the middle of a mission. Debra nodded and they both opened up their little devices.
"Twenty."
"Ten. Damn! That takes out that idea," Darien said.
"Can you fight hand-to-hand?" She-Ra asked.
"Yeah, but I'd prefer not to. From what the Sorceress tells us, your technology is even more dangerous than ours. And I really don't want to have to take someone on with a sword with nothing but Miosh Ti on my side," Debra replied.
"Do you know how to use a sword?" He-Man asked.
"Not really," Debra said.
"I can...but not as well as you guys, I imagine."
"That doesn't really leave us with much choice....we'll have to train you before we can rescue her," He-Man said.
"Unless we handle it ourselves, Brother. We're a match for Skeletor and his troops," She-Ra said.
"You're right. I'd forgotten about how you'd trounced Skeletor and his warriors without any help! Would it be all right if we handled it?" he asked Darien and Debra.
Darien and Debra exchanged looks.
"I don't know--" Debra said.
"I think we'd feel better if we went with you. We've got Miosh Ti and no one here has ever heard of it. That could give us an advantage," Darien said.
"True. Well, shall we try it?" He-Man asked.
"Captain, may I remind you that I have scanning capabilities?" one of the holograms spoke up. Darien slapped his head.
"Of course! Kat and Selma both can scan within--"
"A few miles, Captain Darien Lambert. If we split up into two teams, one Selma per team, we should find her within a half hour," Selma replied.
"In that case, come along. I have a wind raider out front and She-Ra has Swift-Wind," He-Man said.
"Debra, why don't you go with She-Ra and I'll go with He-Man," Darien said.
"Boys against girls, eh, Darien?"
Darien smiled at the amusement in her eyes and smile.
"Exactly. They don't know how powerful you are and that'll be an even better advantage. Take care, Sis."
"You too....Bro."
Debra smiled as they landed within the Snake's mouth inside Snake Mountain. She had been shocked at how Castle Greyskull had looked from the outside, but she smiled when she remembered its name. A grey castle with a skull on its outside would certainly fit the name "Castle Greyskull."
Then, as they approached Snake Mountain, she had seen why it was called "Snake Mountain." A large stone snake winding around a large mountainous fortress would certainly fit the name. It seemed that these people were simple when it came to names and it certainly made sense.
Some places on Earth could've done with simpler names, she thought.
Now as they landed in the Snake's mouth, She-Ra and Debra hopped off.
"Go back to the wind raider, Swifty. I'll meet you there when we're through," She-Ra told the flying unicorn. Swift-Wind nodded and flew off. From what Debra gathered, Swift-Wind was able to talk, but he didn't seem to do it much. Especially when it could give away their position. "This way," She-Ra said as she led Debra into the mountain. She followed the tall, blond woman with white loincloth and white and golden bodice. She-Ra's cape drifted slightly behind her and Debra was hard put to keep a straight face. She kept thinking of Superman or Supergirl when she saw that cape. She followed her guide and took out Selma.
"Selma, start scanning. Any human life-forms...from Earth, that is?"
"I'm reading one human, two levels down," Selma whispered back.
"That's down by the Throne Room. It's a good thing that my brother had me go on a lot of rescues with him these past few weeks," She-Ra whispered.
"Very good thing...especially for Mom," Debra whispered as they went down a winding path. "How far, Selma?"
"Fifty meters more."
They walked in silence. Suddenly, a green monster that looked more like a fish than man jumped out at them.
"Merman!" She-Ra cried.
"Yes, Fools," he laughed. "Now you will be fun to toy with--oh!" he cried as She-Ra threw him against a wall.
"Not today, Fish-Face!" She-Ra exclaimed as she began to run. Debra ran after her, trying to keep focused on their task. Just then, an alarm went off!
"The alarm!"
"Don't worry about it. Just keep up and we'll be all right," She-Ra replied as they ran. Just then, an orange beast jumped out at them. It missed.
"Arrgh!" it cried as they continued running. Debra knew it was running after them and ran harder than she ever had in her life. As far as could tell, She-Ra was running at her top speed and was surprised that Debra was able to keep up with her.
"Quick, this way!" She-Ra cried as she dove around a corner. Debra dove after her as She-Ra held up her sword. "Sword to quarterstaff!" she cried. Debra gasped as her sword changed into a large metal quarterstaff. She held it out just before the beast ran by--
Boom! The beast hit the pole right on the chin--it had been running upright, like a man, Debra noticed--and was knocked out cold!
"That takes care of Beast-Man. That leaves....ten more to go...at least," She-Ra said. Debra's eyes widened.
"Ten! At least!"
"Yeah....and that's not including Skeletor. Quarterstaff to sword! Come on," She-Ra said as the pole changed into the sword and she started running again. Debra started running after her and wondered how she'd ever gotten herself into this mess.
He-Man and Darien weren't having as much luck, it turned out. He-Man counted their foes and it numbered at about twelve. Not that it mattered....much. Skeletor had been expecting them and had laid a trap to catch them. He-Man and Darien stood back-to-back and waited.
Skeletor's henchmen, as expected, took the first move.
Evil-Lyn threw a fireball at Darien.
"Duck!" Darien cried, pulling He-Man down with him. It narrowly missed them and they jumped to their feet after it flew over. Darien rushed Evil-Lyn. "Take that!" he cried, firing his PPT at the woman.
Evil-Lyn jumped to the side. Apparently, she'd had lots of practice at dodging small projectiles. He-Man turned and used his bola on a nearby robot and it crashed into another robot. He blocked Ninjor's move and threw him into the wall. He kicked Trap-Jaw in the stomach and threw Clawful onto Evil-Lyn.
"Thanks!" Darien called and he hit Skeletor on the jaw. "Where is she?" he demanded.
"Who?" Skeletor asked.
"My mother! You took her!"
"Are you so sure?"
"We know it was you, Skeletor. The Sorceress witnessed the entire thing through the window of knowledge. You were the only one to access that particular gateway. No one's else has opened it. Now, where is Kathryn Logan?" He-Man asked.
"Darien!" Kit's voice rang.
"Mom? Mom!" Darien cried, spotting her. He-Man turned and saw She-Ra, Debra and Kit standing by the door. Kit ran to Darien and threw his arms around him.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
"I'm fine...Are you--"
"I'm okay.. Let's just get out of here," she said, brushing his hair back from his head.
"Not so fast, He-Man!" Skeletor's voice rang. They all turned to Skeletor and found a weapon pointed at them. "You're not going anywhere!"
"Think again, Bone-Brain!" Kit's voice rang again....and yet, it was not Kit. A woman, who looked exactly like Kathryn, appeared behind Skeletor, holding a poker for a fire. She smashed Skeletor over the head with it and smiled at Darien as he went down. "Hello, Darien," she said.
"Mother?" he asked. She nodded.
"Yes, Son...it's me. Come here," she said, holding her arms wide. Darien ran into her arms and held her close. "I'm proud of you...you saved my sister in her dimension and spared your counterpart the pain of losing a mother," she whispered. "I've missed you so much!"
"Mom, I can't believe it's you! How--"
"No time to explain now. I'll meet you at Greyskull," she said and she disappeared.
"Come on! We've gotta get out of here!" Debra cried, grabbing Darien's arm. He-Man grabed him as well and they all ran out together, through the "door" He-Man had created to get into the dungeon.
They ran all the way to the wind raider. She-Ra and Debra jumped onto Swift-Wind while He-Man, Darien and Kathryn all jumped into the wind raider and took off.
"He-Man, I'll get you!!!!" Skeletor's voice cried. He-Man smiled.
"Not today, Skeletor...not today."
The Sorceress watched as He-Man, She-Ra, Darien, Debra and another woman, presumably Kit Logan, walked into the throne room.
"Mission accomplished," Darien said, his arms around Debra and Kit.
"Yes, Darien and you did quite well," another woman said as she appeared. She looked just like Kit. "Hello, Sorceress. I'm back, as promised."
"So I see, Kathryn. I sent your real mother to you when I sensed danger waiting inside Snake Mountain. I hope you don't mind--"
"Of course not. You said you would explain--"
"When I died, I spent a bit of time on Earth. There is an afterlife, but nothing that I felt I deserved. So, I elected to be a...Spirit Guide. I was sent here to Eternia, to watch over and help the Sorceress inside Castle Greyskull. Well, she sensed me, being the person she is, and I was forced to reveal myself in an...unusual fashion. I was allowed to follow your life through the Window of Knowledge and I checked on a few personal matters for the Sorceress in return. We've become good friends. She knew how I had died, so when you were in danger, I asked to go to Snake Mountain. She gave me the use of her body and used a little magic to allow it to look like my own. So, I came to Snake Mountain and was given the chance to save you again...and to hold you again. Selma, visual mode, please."
KAT appeared and smiled at the woman.
"Yes, Kit?"
"You've done a terrific job of taking care of my boy...you're like a Spirit Guide yourself. I've talked to a few of the boys upstairs...when your batteries run out, I'm expecting for you to be given the highest reward ever given...the chance that I turned down. To go on to the next life," Kit said.
"I don't understand--"
"I'm giving you my soul, Selma. My human soul. I'll never be happier than I am right now and this, for me, is a taste of the next life. I plan to go on being a Spirit Guide...will you go on...for both of us?"
Selma considered, then nodded.
"If you wish, Kit. I am only a computer and I do not understand what the ‘next life' means to a human, but I will accept your offer."
"You're much more than a computer, Selma. Much, much more! Now, touch my hand--"
Selma touched Kit's hand and, for a moment, they both glowed brighter than any sun! When that glow faded, Kit stood there, holding Selma's hand and all as it was before.
"It is done. Darien, I have to go. Take Selma's advice. Stay here on Eternia...and take a long rest from your duties. When you return, you'll have a lot of work to do, but you'll be able to give it your all and more than your best." Kit hugged Darien. "I will always love you!" she whispered and she disappeared in a ghostly whisp of wind.
Selma touched Darien's shoulder as he stared at the spot, then he turned and looked up at the Sorceress.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"You're welcome. Would you like to stay for a time? We can make arrangements for you at the Palace--"
"I...have to accept. If I don't, my computer may take the initiative and knock me out," he said jokingly.
"Really, Captain."
"What do you say, Kit and Debra? Shall we take their offer?"
Kit and Debra looked at each other and nodded.
"Definitely!" Kit said.
"Well then, I'll send a message on to King Randor to expect some guests. He-Man, She-Ra, why don't you escort them to the Palace...and take your time. All will be ready when you arrive," the Sorceress said.
"Will do, Sorceress. I'll put the wind raider on autopilot and we can all walk back," He-Man said as they walked out of the throne room.
"How long will it take?" Kit asked.
"Oh, about an hour is all. It's not too far away," She-Ra replied.
"That close? I would've thought it would be farther--"
The Sorceress smiled as she stood and changed into Zoar the Falcon. As she flew over them, she knew, at last, that Darien's wound had healed and that Kit's eternal debt...had been paid in full...
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