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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Story [TURN / L&O:SVU / SG:A] Bucephalus

Discussion in 'Non Star Wars Fan Fiction' started by Tarsier, Sep 23, 2017.

  1. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    Title: Bucephalus

    Fandom: Yes, you read that correctly - this is a TURN: Washington’s Spies, Law & Order: Special Victim’s Unit, and Stargate: Atlantis crossover. I don’t have much explanation, other than this is where my muse took me.

    If this story focuses more on one fandom than the others, it would be TURN. And if there is one main character it is Anna Strong. That said, the POV will vary and all twelve of the characters should get some screen time.

    Summary: Three worlds in crisis, twelve people find themselves in a mysterious forest.

    Genre: Mostly character interaction, dialogue, and introspection.

    Characters:
    TURN: Anna Strong, Abraham Woodhull, Major Benjamin Tallmadge, Lieutenant Caleb Brewster
    SVU: Detective Olivia Benson, Detective Elliot Stabler, Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak, Detective John Munch
    Atlantis: Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, Teyla Emmagan, Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Dr. Carson Beckett

    Timeline:
    TURN: 1778 - Right before the last scene of the Season 2 finale.
    SVU: ~2005 - Approximately Season 7 (not directly related to a specific canon event or episode).
    Atlantis: ~2005 - Approximately Season 2 (not directly related to a specific canon event or episode).

    Notes: I've been wanting to get back into posting, so I'm going to try this. No guarantees about when it will be updated, but I'm hoping I can get a few short sections up somewhat regularly. I have an ending in mind, but there's a lot of meandering character interactions in the meantime....

    Also, I'm not much of a history buff, so if I get anything historically wrong, especially with the TURN characters, please let me know and I will correct it. Thanks!

    Constructive criticism is welcome. There are no chapters, so each section of the story will be set off by blue stars (* * *).



    * * *
    They were sharing a roof, but Anna had never felt further away from Abe.

    Abe was not a killer. In her heart, Anna knew this. He had spilled blood before. That had been inevitable. Even Anna’s hands were not entirely without stain. But this, his current plan, was something altogether different. It crossed a line that could not be crossed. Not even for the cause.

    If he did this—if, come morning, Abe did what he intended—he might as well be dead. It would mean the Abe she knew and loved was already dead. And the shell that remained was not likely to last long in this world.

    * * *

    “It’s nothing. Just bleeding a lot.”

    “I’m not sure those two sentences are supposed to go together.”

    “Just make the bleeding stop. I need to get back out there.”

    “It could use a stitch or two…”

    “No way. Just give me a band-aid and I’ll be fine.”

    Dr. Beckett sighed. It was a big enough gash, he would have like to have stitched it. But faces were notoriously hard to stitch, and there was no way Sheppard would hold still long enough to get the job done properly without a heavy sedative. The wound, just over Sheppard’s right eye, had mostly stopped bleeding. Dr. Beckett turned toward the supply cabinet in search of a butterfly bandage.

    “How bad is it out there?” Dr. Beckett almost didn’t want to know, but he figured it would be better to know what degree of influx to the medical center he should expect.

    “It’s crazy. I mean, this girl disappears and the Athosians blame us. Like we don’t have enough problems, we need to kidnap some girl to keep things exciting. So they say if we don’t have the girl, she must be lost in the city and they want to look for her. Except we’ve got a very specific protocol for exploring the city, since the city has a tendency to try and kill us all. But they just want to blow through the whole place turning on the lights and starting up who knows what kind of technology on their way. We say no, and they take that as proof that we’re holding the girl, hiding her from them.”

    “So then, is this shiner you got from a piece of rogue technology?”

    “Not exactly.”

    “One of the Athosians, then?”

    “Doesn’t matter.” Sheppard rose to his feet. “Anyone asks, you never saw me, I was never here.”

    Dr. Beckett watched Sheppard depart, hoping he wouldn’t be the first in a long stream of patients that day.

    * * *

    Captain Cragen and Detective Stabler were nose-to-nose. “You need rest, Detective. Take a break, get some sleep. That’s an order.”

    “I’ll sleep when the case is closed!” Stabler slammed the palm of his hand into the wall behind Cragen.

    “Take a walk!”

    Fuming, Stabler headed toward the elevators, brushing by ADA Novak as she entered the squadroom. Novak looked from Stabler to Cragen and then made brief eye contact with Detective Benson, who was seated at her desk. Benson shook her head, and Novak turned on her heel. “I’ll come back later.”

    * * *
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 5, 2018
  2. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    Well, you definitely have Doctor Beckett's voice down, and that explanation of the situation with the Athosians from Shepperd was pretty true to form.

    Never heard of TURN, but given that I don't watch television, it could be over here in the UK, and I'm simply not aware.

    As a die-hard fan of Homicide: Life on the Street, where Detective Munch originated, there is a more than fair chance that I will re-visit to see how he gets on.

    8/10, so far.
     
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  3. Mira_Jade

    Mira_Jade The (FavoriteTM) Fanfic Mod With the Cape star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2004
    TURN and SCIFI?!

    *pulls up seat and pops down with popcorn*

    First off: you have an excellent Anna voice. This moment in the series was such a turning point for her, in so many ways, and I'm interested to see how the introduction of these characters will lead! SVU is the Law and Order I watched least - the same goes with Atlantis, but I am going to follow this as well as I can. You already have such a wonderful knack for characters and their voices that I know it won't be hard.

    Again, I am very, very intrigued to see where this goes. [face_thinking]=D=
     
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  4. brodiew

    brodiew Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 11, 2005
    Nice Work, Tarsier! I have minor knowledge of SVU and SGA, but other than having heard of it, I got nothing on TURN. However, I really enjoyed your writing here. It will be interesting to see how you draw these unconnected points together. :)
     
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  5. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    Wow! This little bit of craziness got a lot more attention than I expected. :D

    One general note: I hope and intend that this story will be accessible to everyone, whether or not they are familiar with the fandoms. Each character will be totally unfamiliar with the characters from the other fandoms, so there will be a lot of explaining within the story. I may add some endnotes to some parts if I feel more explanation is helpful. Any and all questions are welcomed and encouraged. :)

    I'm so happy Doctor Beckett's voice sounded right! I was worried about that - I didn't want to overplay the Scottish accent, but I didn't want to completely ignore it either.

    Well, since it's about the Revolutionary War, I expect TURN is less popular in the UK than the USA. :p That said, I don't know that it is very popular even over here - it is a cable show, and Mira is about the only other person I've met that watches the show.

    I've heard of Homicide: Life on the Street, but I've never gotten to see it. I want to, but I'm also afraid it may be too gritty for my taste. I'll admit you mentioned the two characters I'm least confident about writing - Beckett and Munch - I hope I can do them justice, but please let me know if I'm off the mark.

    Thanks so much for your comments!

    Technically, there's not a ton of sci-fi elements, other than them all ending up where they do, which I'll go ahead and tell you now isn't ever really explained. But I'm hoping the various character interactions will still be entertaining. :)

    Yay! I'm so glad Anna sounds okay. As you can probably guess, I really didn't like that next scene. I haven't watched much of Season 3, in part because of that.

    SVU is actually the only Law & Order I watch. If you avoid it because of the subject matter I don't blame you. In fact, I don't like the subject matter myself, I just like the characters, and I sometimes wish the characters could investigate different crimes. But then again, part of what makes the characters who they are is the Special Victims Unit and why they're there... Anyway, there will only be vague general references to any sort of crime, so I hope that part won't make anyone uncomfortable.

    Thank you very much for your comments!

    Thank you!! Well, there's not a lot of art to how the points are drawn together, but I hope it will be an interesting ride once we get there! :)
     
  6. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    [​IMG]


    * * *

    Ben awoke and immediately realized he was lying on the forest floor. He sat up, gingerly at first, afraid of being confronted with a wave of pain from a fresh wound. There was no pain, no evidence of injury, but he still moved cautiously.

    “Caleb?” he called quietly as he looked around. Waking up in the middle of nowhere with no idea how he’d gotten there was not that unusual for Ben. He looked for signs that Caleb had ridden off, perhaps searching for water. There were no tracks in the soft ground. No sign of horses, or of Caleb. Not good.

    Waking up in the middle of nowhere with no idea how he’d gotten there without Caleb nearby was not just unusual, it was absolutely unheard of. He got to his feet and was comforted to feel the hilt of his sword at his side. “Caleb!” he cried as he chose a path at random and headed deeper into the forest.

    * * *

    “Bennie!” Caleb yelled as he jogged down the forest path. He came to a stop at the top of a small hill. “Ben!” he screamed as loud as he could.

    No response.

    What happened? Was he on a mission? Why couldn’t he remember what it was? Had he been drinking too much? He didn’t have the pounding headache usually associated with too much drinking. In fact, he felt perfectly fit and clear-headed, except for having no clue where he was or why he was there.

    Nothing looked familiar, he wasn’t anywhere near Valley Forge, Setauket, or anywhere in between.

    Caleb was pretty sure he would remember if he was on a mission for Washington. And if Ben was nearby he would have found him by now.

    That left…Abe and Anna. Those two were almost as good as Caleb at getting into trouble. But they weren’t nearly as good as he was at getting out of it.

    “Woody! Annie!”
    * * *


    Author Note:Just a short update this time. I'm hoping most updates will be a bit longer, but I want to try to keep the momentum up, so I'm going to try to update at least every couple weeks, even if the updates are short.

    Next up: [SVU] Detective Olivia Benson
     
    Last edited: Nov 30, 2018
  7. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    Okay, that wasn't as inaccessible as I thought it would be.

    I liked your play on the cliché of someone waking up alone, and just as they get worried that they are alone, their companion turns up with the water / fire wood / a just caught rabbit [delete as applicable]

    Good introductions for both Benjamin and Caleb.

    Woody and Annie had a Toy Story vibe to it, which isn't your fault if that is what the TURN characters are called. Ah, research indicates the cowgirl was Jessie, not Annie. You are in the clear.
     
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  8. Mira_Jade

    Mira_Jade The (FavoriteTM) Fanfic Mod With the Cape star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2004
    :D This was sooo Ben; Caleb too. Yep, waking up alone with no idea of what's going on isn't outside the realm of possibility for Ben. But I love the process of elimination for both characters and, of course, their concern for one another and for their friends. Ben and Caleb share such a wonderful bromance, and that bond was nicely highlighted here.

    A short update, but enjoyable! I am eagerly looking forward to more. :) =D=
     
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  9. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    That's good to hear! I always strive for accessibility :)

    I wasn't specifically thinking of that cliché at the time, but I'm glad it worked for you!

    Thanks!

    Haha, interesting point! Actually, Caleb is the only one who uses those names (he seems to call everyone, or at least his friends, by something ending in an "-ee" sound). Woody is Abe (Abraham Woodhull) to everyone else. Annie is Anna.

    Thanks so much for the comments!!


    Aww, thanks! Glad the characterization was okay. I agree, they do have an excellent bromance. :)

    Thank you for reading!!
     
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  10. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Oooh, is this cool or what?! A Revolution era fandom crosses with SVU and Stargate. =D= Ben and Caleb's disorientation is quite understandable.

    I watched Law and Order Criminal Intent more than SVU, but I too like the characters -- Benson and Stabler especially.

    Tarsier -- you really know how to draw readers into unfamiliar fandoms and keep them engaged in lieu of lost [face_laugh] -- as I discovered with Final Fantasy @};-
     
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  11. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    This story is not dead! I honestly don't know how it's been over a year since the last update, but the story was never abandoned.

    @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha I'm sorry I didn't respond to your comment earlier! I kept thinking I would respond with the next update, and it wouldn't take long to get the next update written, but it just never happened. Anyway, thanks so much for your comment, I really appreciate it! If you ever do feel lost, please let me know. :)

    As promised, Olivia Benson! Also, Anna and Teyla. I decided to include images of every character, as they are introduced going forward.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]


    * * *

    Anna Strong did not know how she had gotten here. Had she become lost and disoriented in the forest? Why would she have been in the forest? Especially alone? Perhaps she hadn’t been alone. Perhaps Abe had been with her. Or Caleb. Where were they now?

    Or…

    What if she had been found out? What if this was her punishment for treason? Abandoned in the wilderness to die alone? Then why could she not remember being discovered, or who had done the discovering?

    Simcoe. He was more than capable of this. Even if he hadn’t found out her allegiance, he might have done it just because she spurned his advances. Or just to punish Hewlett.

    Hewlett. Another possibility. He would not have been able to bring himself to kill her, so he would dump her here, and let the wild do his dirty work.

    Her breath caught. What if Abe had been discovered as well? Hewlett would not have had much trouble executing Abe. Simcoe would have relished it. Anna shuddered at the thought and decided to keep moving. Finding a town, or at least an outpost, was likely her only chance of survival.

    * * *

    What happened? Detective Olivia Benson peered around the dense forest. Did I black out?

    Olivia took a deep breath. She didn’t need to worry about that now. She had a job to do.

    She just wasn’t sure exactly what that job was.

    She must have been chasing a perp. Or maybe finding a victim. Why couldn’t she remember? And why here? There weren’t a lot of forests in Manhattan, she must be out of her jurisdiction. Where was her partner, anyway?

    Of course! Her partner! She shook her head at her silliness and grabbed her radio.

    “El, where are you?”

    Static.

    “Come in, El.”

    Static.

    She adjusted the dial.

    “SVU Portable to Central. Do you read?”

    More static.

    Olivia lowered the radio and clipped it to her belt.

    No need to panic, I just need to find the road.

    How had she gotten so far off the beaten path anyway?

    No, don’t think about that now, just find the road.

    Olivia heard a sound behind her and spun around, hand resting on her holstered gun. She saw a young woman, perhaps in her early twenties, wearing an impressively accurate colonial dress, complete with corset and layered skirts. Was this the victim? Was there a reenactment occurring nearby? Surely Olivia couldn’t have traveled all the way to Williamsburg and not even remember it.

    “Who are you?” There was a tremble in the young woman’s voice, and she looked at Olivia with, if not outright fear, extreme distrust.

    Olivia displayed her badge. “I’m Detective Olivia Benson. I’m a police officer.”

    Usually, that was all it took to put a civilian, especially a victim, at ease. But the young woman’s eyes narrowed and she clutched her skirts tightly, looking perhaps even less at ease than she had before. She opened her mouth to speak, but a motion to the side caught her attention, and Olivia’s as well.

    Another woman approached. As out of place as the younger woman looked and Olivia felt, this woman looked like she was right where she belonged. She had a tight-fitting top and long pants, but Olivia hardly noticed, her attention drawn to the two long sticks the newcomer carried, one in each hand, as she walked purposefully toward the other two.

    “Where did you come from?” She kept her sticks low at her sides, but Olivia felt confident the other woman would know how to use them if she needed to.

    When she didn’t get an immediate response, she added, “Were you pursued?” and her eyes flicked to the sky.

    Pursued? From the sky?

    “I wasn’t followed,” Olivia asserted with more confidence than she really felt. Surely she would have seen or heard someone if they were following her. Especially in a helicopter.

    The woman with the sticks nodded to Olivia and turned toward the woman in colonial dress, who shook her head slightly.

    “Good. We must keep moving. Come on.”

    “Wait.” Olivia stopped, refusing to follow until the other two faced her. “I’m Detective Olivia Benson, Manhattan Special Victims. Who are you?”

    Scowling slightly at the waste of time, the stick-wielder replied, “Teyla.”

    Once all eyes were on her, the young woman in the dress quietly stammered, “A-Anna.”

    Teyla turned to Olivia with her eyebrows raised. Satisfied? she seemed to ask, but she did not wait for a response before moving ahead.

    “I need to find my partner.”

    Teyla paused. “I am searching for my team as well. We will not find them just standing here.”

    * * *
     
    Last edited: Nov 12, 2018
  12. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    @Tarsier -- fascinating confluence of times and persons [face_thinking] I wonder how they will eventually get back to when/where they belong? ;) =D=
     
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  13. Mira_Jade

    Mira_Jade The (FavoriteTM) Fanfic Mod With the Cape star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Gah! [face_love] I was so, so happy to see this most intriguing tale updated! And I remain the same going forward. [face_dancing]

    Anna remains the character I am the most familiar with, so I have to comment on how I love that you showed her attempts to keep a cool head and bravery parse out her new situation. She certainly has no list of possible explanations, and yet no clear answers in sight! [face_thinking]

    The same goes for Olivia and Teyla! All three ladies are certainly right to feel some level of confusion. I share it as a reader, and remain intrigued to figure out exactly what's going on. [face_thinking]

    =D=
     
  14. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    Thank you!! That is a very good question!

    Aww, thanks!! It's definitely a different situation for Anna, and things are only going to get stranger for her...


    This has nothing to do with anything, but I was just really happy to see this GIF existed, so gibbon hugs for everyone reading!:
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2020
  15. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    Author Note: Abe's a funny guy. He's...I want to say complicated, but I don't think that's right. Hard-to-define, maybe. Anyway, I didn't really even intend him to be a POV character, I'm not sure where this came from, but here it is. Hopefully he's somewhat in-character, considering that character is mostly confused.
    [​IMG]
    * * *
    When Abe awoke, his first thought was that he was dreaming. But that didn’t make sense—he’d never awoken into a dream before.

    Since he wasn’t dreaming, he was sure he must be dead.

    He was bleeding from his head. That was strange. If someone was going to kill him in his sleep, he’d always imagined they would stab him in the heart.

    He felt around the wound. It didn’t really feel like he expected a gunshot wound to feel. It was bleeding—the side of his face was wet, and now so was his hand—but not as much as he would have expected a fatal wound to bleed. Not nearly.

    Peculiar.

    Why would a dead man be bleeding anyway?

    Next he wondered who had killed him. Mary was the first name that entered his mind. That would explain her sudden desire to help him—or at least pretend to. She wouldn’t have killed him out of loyalty to the Crown, he knew her at least that well (or at least he thought he did). It would have been because she wanted to be safe. And wanted her son to be safe. He could hardly blame her for that. But Abe didn’t really think she had it in her to kill him (though she had surprised him before).

    Hewlett was another obvious choice. Perhaps he had found out after all. (Perhaps Mary had told him.) Abe smirked a little. Hewlett wouldn’t have wanted to do it. Both because he was perhaps just a little bit fond of Abe, but also because he didn’t want to get his hands dirty. No, if Hewlett had found out, there would have been a trial and a formal execution. Someone else would have pulled the lever.

    Then there was Abe’s father. Perhaps he could no longer stand the disgrace, no longer stomach the risk. (It would have been a long time coming.) But no, his father would have turned him in, lest there be any doubt about his own loyalty. Trial, execution—Abe was pretty sure he would have remembered those things if they had happened.

    That left…

    Anna. Abe sighed. Anna. She would have done it to save him. To stop him from being found out, to save him from a worse fate. To save his very soul. Abe smiled. It was beautiful. And ironic. And oh so bitter.

    Maybe he was getting lightheaded. Seated on a log, he bent over, lowering his head between his knees and taking several deep breaths.

    He raised his head slowly, carefully taking in his surroundings.

    Well. No pearly gates, but no flames either. Purgatory, then. That sounded about right.

    Abe knew he should probably feel sad, but mostly he felt relieved. The weight of the world, or at least the Continent, was no longer on his shoulders.

    He’d failed, probably. Mostly. Ben and Caleb would be disappointed. Washington would be…angry? Anna would be…

    Anna.

    …she would be…

    …Beautiful.

    No wonder he was here, when his thoughts flitted so quickly to Anna, and not to Mary. Or even to Sprout.

    Thank you, he thought to Anna, for saving me from the fire.
    * * *
     
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2018
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  16. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Wow! Abe has some really interesting speculations as to who is behind his predicament. Are he and Anna in the same place/location? [face_thinking]
     
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  17. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    Hi! Yes, Abe has no shortage of enemies.... It's safe to say all the characters are in the same general proximity. In fact, that is probably the last section where a character is all alone. :) Thanks for reading!

    A quick update now, should be a longer section next time!


    * * *
    Anna had fallen behind. She paused to catch her breath and watched as the other two continued on with little trouble.

    Immediately ahead was Olivia. Olivia, with her short hair and peculiar outfit—a man’s outfit. And she had what might have been a small pistol at her waist. It was smaller than any dueling pistol she’d ever seen, yet larger than a muff pistol, and barely concealed by her jacket—Anna had caught just a glimpse of it when Olivia had first turned around.

    Where could such a woman have come from? Another colony, perhaps? Or had she come from the old world? Could it have changed so much, in such little time? Unlikely. Those who stayed behind did not do so because they were quick to embrace change.

    Anna dared not ask. Revealing her loyalty was a fatal mistake that Anna had thus far avoided. Better to say nothing until she had sorted out what was going on.

    Farther ahead was Teyla. Anna had never seen a native woman, but Teyla was not entirely unlike what she imagined them to be. She looked strong, and confident with the sticks in her hands. Anna wondered what it would be like, to walk around with bare arms revealing taut muscles.

    Perhaps Anna should not have followed them. But she knew the wilderness held many dangers that she was not prepared to face alone. And, truth be told, she was fascinated by the other women. She wanted to know more about them.
    * * *
     
  18. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Enjoyed Anna's speculations and natural curiosity about Olivia and Teyla, 2 vastly different women indeed. =D=
     
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  19. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Thanks! :)



    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]


    * * *

    Hard metal pressed into Detective Elliot Stabler’s back. He raised his hands as options raced through his head.

    “State your allegiance.” The voice sounded young.

    “I’m a police officer. I’m going to reach for my badge.”

    The metal was shoved harder into Elliot’s back. “State. Your. Allegiance.”

    “I’m on whatever side you want me to be on right now.” Elliot thought he might be able to drop to his knees and wrest the metal object away from the kid. The problem was, he usually knew exactly what he was going for before he tried that kind of thing. He was inclined to think he was being threatened with a gun, but the object felt too large for that. It wasn’t pointy enough to be a knife. But who in their right mind threatened someone in the woods with a metal pipe in their back?

    “How dare you walk through these woods out of uniform! Last chance: Are you loyal to the Continent or the Crown?”

    Continent or Crown? Stabler was glad he hadn’t said anything—he never would have guessed those were his options. This guy was either seriously high, or seriously off his meds.

    “Hey! What’s going on?” A new voice approached from the right.

    Stabler took advantage of the distraction dropping to the ground and reaching for his attacker’s weapon. They tussled, ultimately resulting in Stabler getting a few feet away, but without the weapon. Stabler blamed this in part on being distracted by bright blue and white fabric, tassels, and lots of buttons.

    He did manage to his pull his own service revolver. He leveled his weapon at his attacker; his eyes flicked to the distractor.

    Holy—

    Submachine gun. The guy had a submachine gun. Instinctively, Stabler shifted his aim.

    “Whoa! I just saved your butt! What are you aiming at me for?”

    The guy—another kid, really—was wearing a dark uniform and looked far too at ease with the powerful weapon in his hands. What in the world was going on? Had he stumbled into a war zone?

    A movement to his left reminded Stabler there were two armed suspects pointing weapons at him.

    As startling as the submachine gun was, the other kid was certainly remarkable in his own way. He was dressed in a garish, revolutionary-era uniform, complete with old school revolver.

    A crazy person with a gun that, even if it worked, probably wasn’t accurate enough to land a kill shot with; or a potentially sane person waving a submachine gun around the wilderness—Stabler wasn’t sure who was more dangerous.

    Buttons had drawn a short sword and was pointing that towards Mr. Machine Gun. “State your allegiance.

    “The kid is off his meds. He thinks we’re in the Revolutionary War,” Stabler explained.

    “Revolutionary War? The American Revolution? Out here?” He paused, seeming to contemplate this information. Then, with a shrug, he asked, “I forgot: was the North or the South blue?”

    Stabler clenched his teeth. “Not the Civil War. The Revolutionary War. You know, freedom from the British Empire?”

    “Oh, well that’s easy. He must be American. The Brits wore red. I remember that. The redcoats are coming, the redcoats are coming!

    Still holding the machine gun, but no longer aiming it at anyone in particular, he looked toward Buttons. “Great news! We’re all American here! So why are we pointing guns at each other?”

    Buttons just looked confused. And scared. Not a great combination for a tightly-wound war vet with a weapon. Two weapons.

    “Look! Look at this!” Kid with Machine Gun was gesturing to a United States flag patch on his sleeve. “See? United States Air Force. Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, at your service.”

    If he’s even seen a U.S. flag, it didn’t look like that, was Stabler’s first thought. Then he cleared his head. Obviously, this guy wasn’t really from the Revolutionary War. Hopefully, he’d be willing to break character enough to recognize other soldiers on the same side.

    “And I’m Lieutenant Elliot Stabler, United States Marine Corps.”

    Buttons looked more confused than ever, but his expression softened, ever so slightly. His arm was starting to tremble from the weight of the gun in his hand. “Major Benjamin Tallmadge, Second Continental Light Dragoons.”

    Dang. So much for pulling rank. How do both these kids outrank me?

    “Dragoons?” Sheppard’s eyes lit up. “You ride dragons into battle?”

    “It’s a cavalry unit,” Stabler corrected, to Sheppard’s clear disappointment.

    “Okay, Ben. Colonel Sheppard and I are going to lower our weapons, and I’d like you to do the same.”

    Stabler lowered his gun first. Then Sheppard. Finally, Ben lowered his weapons as well.

    Stabler released a deep breath. But his relief was short lived as he realized he was still in the middle of a forest with two half-cocked kids with guns. Meanwhile, wasn’t there a trafficking ring he was supposed to be investigating?

    And where the hell was Olivia?
    * * *
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2020
  20. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Super characterizations! Lots of clear thinking in the midst of confusion! :p =D=
     
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  21. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    Thanks very much, @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha !


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    * * *
    Teyla led the trio through the forest. The terrain was uneven, and Teyla’s chosen path required climbing over a number of rocks and fallen trees. Teyla moved quickly and efficiently, seemingly oblivious to all obstacles.

    With a little effort, Olivia could keep up. Anna, however, was struggling. The hem of her dress was constantly caught by branches, her stride was necessarily short, and her face was flushed with exertion.

    Anna was halfway over a fallen tree trunk when Olivia noticed her short, shallow breathing. Despite her difficulty, Anna had refused all assistance from Olivia up to this point. Fearing for her safety Olivia helped Anna over the log and into a sitting position on the ground.

    “Hey!” Olivia shouted ahead. “Slow down. We have to take a break.”

    Teyla returned, not appearing to be even slightly out of breath. “We must keep moving. We do not have time to rest.” Her eyes flitted to the sky, as they often did.

    “Give her a break. She can barely breathe.” Thanks to her college days, Olivia had some idea what it was like to wear a corset. It would certainly not be her choice of attire for hiking through the woods.

    For the first time, Teyla showed genuine concern. “What has happened? Are you injured?”

    Still struggling for breath, Anna did not respond.

    “Not an injury. Her clothes. Poor girl is laced up so tight she can’t properly expand her lungs.”

    Teyla narrowed her eyes at Olivia. “Why would someone wear such a garment?”

    Olivia shrugged. “You’ll have to ask her.”

    Teyla knelt beside Anna. “If I gave you other clothes, would you wear them?”

    Anna, who at least seemed to have her breath back, though she was still flushed and looking miserable, shrugged noncommittally.

    “This way.” Teyla grabbed Anna’s arm and hauled her to her feet. She held onto Anna as she forged a new path through the forest.

    Olivia followed.
    * * *

    “Are you hurt?” A woman’s voice behind him startled Abe so badly he nearly slipped off the log.

    He righted himself and turned to face her—he thought it was a her, despite the short, curly hair, gray jacket and gray pants.

    “You’re bleeding,” she commented as she approached. Once close enough, she examined the wound without touching it. “Doesn’t seem too deep.”

    She straightened and offered her hand. “I’m Dr. Elizabeth Weir.”

    “Abraham Woodhull.” Abe stood, his hand automatically moving towards his blood covered head. If he’d known he would have company, he would have made a better effort to clean himself up.

    “You’re a nurse?”

    “No, a doctor. But not a medical doctor. I have two, PhDs, one in Political Science and one in Diplomacy.”

    Abe had narrowed his eyes, wondering if there was any way what she just said made any sense, when he heard another person approaching.

    “Hey. I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m lost. Like…really lost. Can you tell me where I am and how to get back to civilization?” She had reddish hair of a shade he’d never seen before and was wearing a outfit unlike anything he’d ever seen—a suit, sort of, but with a short, tight skirt instead of pants.

    “Hello. I’m Dr. Elizabeth Weir. I’m afraid I’m not quite sure where we are either.”

    “Casey Novak.” The women shook hands.

    Were they women? Abe wondered. Other lost souls like himself? Or angels sent to guide him?

    They didn’t have wings or halos. But they were both taller than him, and somewhat imposing, with their easy confidence out here in the wilderness.

    They were both looking at him now, waiting for a response. If they didn’t already know they were in Purgatory, should he be the one to tell them?

    “We aren’t too close to Setauket, I can tell you that much.”

    “Setauket? Where is that?” Casey asked. “I’d like to get back to Manhattan as soon as possible.”

    Manhattan?” Elizabeth sounded very surprised. After giving the thought a moment to settle she added, “And Setauket is on Long Island, correct?”

    Abe nodded.

    “And where are you from?” Casey asked Elizabeth.

    “I’m…a professor at Georgetown.”

    Angel or not, she was not a very good liar. “I thought you were a doctor. Who doesn’t know anything about medicine.” Abe turned to Casey. “And what are you? An attorney who knows nothing about the law?”

    “Actually, I am a prosecutor. How did you know that?”

    “How many seats in the House of Commons?”

    “The House of Commons?” Casey thought for a moment. “Six-hundred and fifty?”

    Abe laughed, and considered whether he ought to correct her. Perhaps this was some sort of test.

    Ultimately, he just shrugged and shook his head. This is not at all what he expected of Purgatory.

    * * *
     
  22. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    I'm glad Olivia insisted that Anna get looser less restrictive clothing. Corsets! :eek:

    LOL at Abe's inner musings about who and what exactly Casey and Elizabeth are. =D=
     
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  23. Mira_Jade

    Mira_Jade The (FavoriteTM) Fanfic Mod With the Cape star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Ack, I've grown remiss in commenting! But I am so, so happy to have so much of the story to delve into. I'll say it again: this is one of the most unique crossovers I've ever read, and I am really enjoying the characters trying to figure out both their circumstances and each other out as they go. [face_thinking]

    I have to apologize, again, for starting from so far back, but I didn't want to leave anything out. ;)

    [face_laugh] [face_laugh] :rolleyes: Nope. You've captured Abe's character perfectly. Which is quite the feat. ;)

    Oh, Abe. Again, I really wish that he had taken the time to try to know his wife, and make the best of the circumstances instead of pining after Anna. Mary will do anything for him - even treason to protect him, and she has. (And she's so much better at it than him, that said! [face_whistling]) It would take quite a bit to move her to those extremes. But, in the end, if it came down between their son and him - yeah, maybe then Abe should be worried. [face_mischief]

    Yep. That was an Abe line if ever their was one. [face_plain]

    Between the mess of his personal life and the burdens of being a spy, I could completely understand Abe feeling this way. He's really walking a rough road. :(

    &
    Aw! I loved these lines from Anna. Of course she would be intrigued! She's doing her best to take her own world by storm, as much as she can. One can only wonder how she would have fared without the constraints of her time. [face_love]

    A pity Ben didn't have his feathered helmet. That really would have completed the look. [face_laugh] [face_love]

    [face_rofl]

    [face_laugh] And Benjamin and Caleb aren't even the youngest, by far! (What would he think of Lafayette as a 19 year old general to start the war!?) Poor Stabler. I really felt his frustration and bewilderment! And Sheppard was Sheppard. :p

    Ack, poor Anna! I can't imagine hiking in that many layers of skirts, let alone with a corset. Thankfully Olivia is sensible and empathetic! And yay! Modern clothes for Anna. She's never going to want to go back. :p

    Yep, definitely an Abe line! [face_laugh]:rolleyes:


    This continues to be a most interesting tale! I can't wait to see where it goes next. :) =D=
     
    Last edited: Dec 25, 2018
  24. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    Thanks so much for reading! It is always such a treat to read your comments!!



    Never apologize for that! More comments are always better! :) Your comments were a most lovely Christmas gift.

    Aww, thank you! I'm so happy to hear that!

    Almost everyone is better at espionage than Abe! And yes, I completely agree!

    You know, I went back and forth on that. I think I only left it out because he didn’t happen to have it in the picture I found. Maybe I should have added it!

    I have a feeling Stabler would be rather unamused by that!

    Thank you so much for reading! Your detailed comments are really helping to keep me going on this (slow as I am).
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2019
  25. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    The story is not dead! I don't have any particular excuse for not posting an update sooner, other that DRL and an easily distracted muse, but I don't think I did myself any favors by putting all the characters I'm least comfortable writing in the same place. Ah, well. After this chapter, all the main characters will have been introduced. I usually like to keep a lean cast and twelve seems like a lot of characters. But when you think of it as three groups of four, it doesn't seem like so many....
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    * * *
    Detective John Munch had a lot of questions, but they were all going to have to wait until after he found his glasses.

    He’d been standing, staring, trying to take it all in, when he felt compelled to clean his glasses. He knew that a smudge or speck of dirt would not make him see a forest when he should have seen a stationhouse, but still, he’d removed the glasses and reached for a cloth in his pocket. The cloth wasn’t there, and he’d thought it must be in his desk and he’d turned around, slightly comforted by the fact that he couldn’t clearly see the dirt and the trees and the utter lack of cinder blocks and cold metal, and then he stumbled and he dropped them, the glasses, and now he had to find them.

    The thing about looking for your glasses is, you can’t see very well, because you don’t have your glasses on.

    With a sigh of reluctance, he bent down, onto his hands and knees, and started feeling around in the dry leaves.

    Ah-hah! He found them. He tucked them into his front pocket. They still hadn’t been cleaned and he still wasn’t ready to see clearly that he had tripped over a tree branch and not Fin’s carelessly displaced trash bin.

    He was taking a deep breath, preparing for the burst of effort it would take to stand up, when he heard the bang of a gun. In virtually the same moment, he saw the deer bolt and felt shot pellets rain down on him. Then there was a whoop, and some footsteps, and a man standing over him.

    The man had stepped right off the silver screen, Munch was sure of that. He was less sure of whether he was a cowboy heartthrob or a horror flick serial killer. Maybe he was both.

    “You missed,” Munch said, wanting to get the first word in.

    “Your bony backside blocked my shot.” The cowboy serial killer slung his shotgun over his shoulder exactly the way he would have in a movie, western or horror, and that was when Munch noticed the pain. The realization that he’d been shot began to sink in.

    “Ow,” Munch said, in a belated understatement, as he collapsed to the ground, not that he was that far from it start with, trying to land on the undamaged cheek. “Learn to aim, would you?”

    “Eh, you ain’t hurt much. Just a little bird shot from fifty yards. Ain’t nothing.”

    “Easy for you to say,” Munch muttered under his breath. Killer cowboy offered a hand to help Munch up, which Munch waved off, which resulted not in the other man contritely backing off as any reasonable person would, but instead in him leaning closer to grab Munch around the chest and drag him to his feet.

    “Is everything alright? I thought I heard a gunshot.”

    Munch turned toward the new voice, scooting away from his attacker/unwanted assistant as he did so. Pain shot from his hip down his leg and his muscles gave out and he would have fallen except that shooter/savior caught him.

    “I’m lost in the freaking forest and I’ve just been shot in the keister, other than that everything is dandy.”

    “You’ve been shot? Set him down and I’ll have a look.”

    Munch noticed the newcomer was wearing a white lab coat. “You a doctor?”

    He nodded. “Dr. Carson Beckett, Chief Medical Officer of Atlantis.”

    “Detective John Munch, Manhattan PD.” Munch rolled over so the doctor could get a look at his injuries.

    “And your name, lad?”

    “…Caleb.”

    “Wait, did you say Atlantis?” Munch twisted to look at the doctor over his shoulder.

    The doctor continued his exam, conveniently avoiding eye contact. “Uh… Well, you’re likely to have a nasty bruise, but the skin isn’t broken. A few days of rest and some ice and you’ll be just fine.”

    “Ah, well I guess I’ll just lay down on this comfy couch with an ice pack for a few days then.”

    “Shut up, both of you. I hear something.” The man with the gun took off, disappearing into the trees.

    The doctor watched him go. “Should we follow?”

    Munch removed his glasses from his pocket, pausing briefly to wipe them on his jacket before putting them on. Finally seeing and thinking clearly, he replied “I guess that depends. Do you think there’s anything here more dangerous than him?”
    * * *
     
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2019