Despair or Destruction?

Anomaly TrekMUX Episode (#01-011) 8/15/00

You leave the mall and head into the dark atmosphere of the restaurant.

Twilight's Edge - Station 419 - [IC]

The first thing one most likely notices upon entering this establishment is the huge, rounded viewport that fills one side of this room. It looks out and 'up' into a panoramic expanse of stars. A view which dwarfs the otherwise large restaurant within. Numerous tables are set around this cafe styled restaurant. The patrons present here sit within shadows, drinking drinks or eating food over small lamps with soft, dim light, creating a myriad candle effect in the room. An old fashioned theatrical stage with a thick black curtain dominates one side. Relief black columns show curious engravings in them. Twin staircases lead up to the balcony, where a more intimate bar area can be found.

The anomaly can be seen flashing its blue-white streaks of light via one of the transparent aluminum viewports.

Obvious exits:

Out <O>

S'Terik enters from the mall area.

S'Terik has arrived.

S'Terik enters through the restaurant's doors, scanning the establishment for a familiar face. He shifts his unworn hood and spots you.

Jade stands at one of the viewports, arm raised, bent, and placed on the frame of the port; on it, Jade places his weight. As you enter, his attention seems solely on the Anomaly visible out in the depths of space. Eyes still narrowed from its brightness, however, he turns a couple of seconds after hearing the sound of the closing of the door and shrugs his eyebrows silently in acknowledgement.

S'Terik glances around the room, looking at everyone and everything in his scanning. Slowly, all too slowly, S'Terik walks over to the viewport where the civilian he met the other day stood. He does not look at Jade when he reaches the viewport, but rather keeps his eyes ahead of him, watching the anomaly as well. "Your message said you wanted to speak with me here?"

"Yes, and thankyou for coming." Jade murmurs, his own gaze shifting back to the Anomaly, the side of his forehead pressing to the metal just below his crooked arm. Tone different now: no show, more even, paced, neutral. "I am sorry, but what use I thought I might be, ultimately, to your cause I can no longer be. Certain events have transpired that have forced me to take time over this whole situation." A beat. "I know that this must, to you, seem to be the prattlings of a civilian with an inflated ego, bluffing his way into interspecies politics." His lips almost curl at the edges into a smile. "To be quite honest, I'm fine with you thinking that."

"I have taken years of training to become an liason between the Federation and the Romulans." He clasps his hands behind his back. "Perhaps what you wanted to reveal to me I already know."

"Possibly. Possibly it was arrogant of me to presume to instruct you, and if this turns out to be the case, then I apologise in advance." Jade murmurs slowly, on a gradual exhalation rather like a sigh. He tilts his head, so that half of it is bathed in the light of the Anomaly, the other half sheltered in the shadow of the port frame. "Still. I personally doubt it. As I say, we'll see. But I asked you to come here to apologise; what I thought I could give, it is no longer wise to."

S'Terik raises an eyebrow, but continues to stare out into space instead of looking at Jade. "How so?"

Jade's eyes do not move, his expression does not change, nor his tone, as he replies, "I meddle in things I understand. I have learnt there is much in this situation that I do not understand, and that I do not even come close. It is thus unwise to meddle, at least until I have learnt more." A slow drawn breath, and Alex's eyes slide downwards, to the floor. "More I will not say."

S'Terik says "I must admit that what you are telling me makes me more confused than I was earlier. However, if you do not wish to speak of it, then it is your choice."

"It is not worth the confusion Ambassador. Simply, I can no longer try to help, and for failing to live up to my word in this way, I apologise." Jade answers, straightening, tugging at the lapels of his overcoat then sliding his hands into his pockets, gaze finally shifting to the Vulcan beside him. His brows arch, in an unspoken invitation that anything further that need be said, be said.

S'Terik looks at Jade full in the face, but he does not speak. Again, he glances around the room, and strides over to a nearby, emtpy seat. Folding his hands together on the lighted table in front of him, he asks a question completely off the topic, "How long have you known Ensign Tyler?"

That is greeted with a silence for a moment or two as Jade looks back to the Anomaly, facing away from the Ambassador. Tone sounding more controlled than before, but still even and neutral, he murmurs, "Since I arrived. A few weeks." A beat. "Why do you ask?"

"Commander Balin has assigned her to aid me in a task. I wish to know more about those whom I work with before I actually work with them. Do you believe that she is efficient in her job?"

"It is perhaps strange that you ask me." Jade states, quietly, softly but clearly. Then, still turned away, and in a slightly stronger tone, certain, "We don't discuss her work. It's one of the foundation rules of our friendship. From what I have heard and seen however, save for a disposition towards occasional tardiness, she is quite brilliant and efficient."

Pointed ears and Roman-styled hair tells you that he is Vulcan. His 5'9" average build is hidden beneath a heavy black robe with elaborate designs and folds - the clothes of a Vulcan diplomat. A necklace with a symbol imprinted on it hangs around his neck, partially obscured by the raised collars of the robe. There are signs of aging in his comparatively young, olive face, though his hair remained black. He looks around, taking in every small detail of his surroundings, scrutinizing everything.

S'Terik looks at the man who's turned away from him. "A friendship in which one's job is not discussed?" he asks, mostly to himself. "Ahh, is relationship is on a more personal of levels."

"No." Jade murmurs, quickly. Much more emphasis on that word. His head half turns, so that he almost looks around. "It's just that her work is completely classified. Otherwise we would discuss it. You must know that - you're part of this whole story, or will be soon."

S'Terik raises an eyebrow. "What 'story' would you be referring to? And what would it have to do with me?"

A sniff from Jade. "Like I said, right now, I'm saying nothing. I don't know enough. I can see... people, ideas, empires, ambassadors... shifting in their own dances around me, half-shapes in the mists... but I have been told nothing." He shifts and turns now, hands still in pockets, facing his companion levelly. "I suspect you'll see and hear far more than I could tell you."

His face remaining expressionless, S'Terik stands up from his seat and glances around the restaurant. "I am afraid that I still do not understand what you mean. If there is nothing else you wish to say, then I would be taking my leave."

"If I am any judge at all, this conversation will make sense in time. If it does not now." Jade murmurs, adding the second sentence in an undertone. His arms rise from his sides, his hands from his pockets, and fold over his chest as he turns away, leans again on the viewport frame. "Thankyou for coming, Ambassador. I hope your task meets with success."

Fenlo enters from the mall area.

Fenlo has arrived.

Jade stands turned away from S'Terik by one of the viewports near the Anomaly. The latter is standing, facing the young human.

S'Terik says, "The Romulans wish to remain neutral in this war. My task should not be too hard." With a slight nod of his head, S'Terik turns away and walks off.

Fenlo walks in and see's the familiar vulcan waves and walks over as he walks away from a human.

Jade simply smirks, expression unseen, eyes closing for a moment then opening slowly, filling with the white fire of the cosmic swirls of the Anomaly beyond the screen before him

*** Fenlo just looked at you. ***

S'Terik comes to a stop as he sees an ensign dressed in a blue uniform gesture to him. Trying to remember who that person is with little success, he approaches Fenlo. "Yes, ensign?"

Jade turns, eventually, head tilting downwards as he rotates away from the Anomaly. He blinks, getting used to the dimmer light, and then sets off towards the exits, arms swinging by his side as he takes the journey to the exit in long paces, and quickly.

**Later**

Level Four - S1 - Station 419 - [IC](#584RJnh)

Narrow doorways are spaced along each side of this long, gently curving corridor at five meter intervals. Each gunmetal grey door is emblazoned with the standard numerical room code and small control panel is recessed into the wall beside it. Although the lighting is sufficient, the muted blue-grey walls and medium grey carpeted deck serve to soften it, creating a calming effect. Midway along this corridor section, a side corridor leads coreward to a similar inner section, an indication of the deck's concentric ring layout.

Obvious exits:

Clockwise <CW> Quarters <401> Quarters <402> Turbolift <T> Quarters <403> Quarters <404> Counter-Clockwise <CCW>

Jade pauses for some time before pressing the buzzer on the door outside Tyler's quarters, his hand feeling every inch of the journey to the button. He swallows as the entry request chime is made, and glances down.

Sinclaire has arrived.

The door slides open, and an old woman, dressed as Admirality is standing at the other side.

Jade's eyebrows pitch rapidly ceilingwards and he immediately leans back to check the door designation, internally squints at his memory, checking he's got the right place. Caught out utterly, he mouthes for a moment, then murmurs "Ah... Admiral...? Is Ms Tyler around?"

**Sinclaire**

A serious, overtight human woman, if the bun of grey hair on top of her head is anything to judge a person by. She has dark brown eyes, set in an ocean of wrinkles, but even the age can't beat down the bright intelligence behind them. She has thin lips.

She is wearing a tailored, durable black jumpsuit over a red turtleneck undershirt. Along the collar is a single circular gold pip within a small gold rimmed black square. The shoulders of the jumpsuit are padded with a medium grey ribbed material and a single red stripe encircles each cuff. A stylized silver chevron on a matte gold rectangle is attached to the upper left side of the jumpsuit, just below the shoulderpadding. The legs of the jumpsuit are fitted snugly over a pair of polished black halfboots via stirrups.

Sinclaire is carrying the following:

Comm Pin.

Sinclaire nods to the young man. "Come in, Alex. I've been expecting you."

Jade draws a breath, silently, slowly, and nods. His expression shifts, steeling somewhat, preparing as best it can for something both unknown and utterly beyond any expectation. His arms fall to his sides, where they swing with exaggerated ease of spirit as Alex steps over the threshold.

Sinclaire steps aside to let him pass, then gestures for him to sit. The look on her face indicates it's not a very friendly invitation, but rather that she expects it of him. Her entire aura screams of her getting what she wants.

"Admiral..." Jade murmurs as he steps quickly towards the indicated seats, then turns as he arrives, sinking backward onto one. "With respect, I frankly don't expect a straight answer to this question, but I'd hate myself if I didn't try." He draws a breath, glances down, to the floor, then loses most of the intake in a half-laugh. "What...the hell...is going on?"

Sinclaire clasps her hands behind her back and stands at a parade rest. Even for her years, she looks fit enough to take on a Naussican, perhaps even two. She's quite an imposing figure, despite her small stature. Perhaps it is the unswerving confidence in motion and speech. "I understand that you have been seeing Ensign Tyler socially."

Jade simply shrugs his eyebrows. No surprises. He leans back in the chair, quite aware of the psychological scenario which has now been worked out. His face hardens as he resigns himself to it, exhales, and murmurs, tone low and even, "Yes. In the weeks since I've been here."

Sinclaire nods. "And how do you feel towards her?" she asks him, her eyes never leaving him.

Jade meets that gaze, with reasonably steadiness, and leaves a pause before the reply. The cowlick on his forehead keeps invisible a bead of sweat heading southwards down his brow. "Is there a good reason that I should discuss this with you, and if so, what is it?"

Sinclaire states, simply, "If you do not answer my question, Mr. Jade, I know exactly how to make your life a living hell. What is left of it, that is. I suggest you drop the stone-cold facade and start cooperating."

*** Sinclaire just looked at you. ***

"Believe it or not, Admiral, I'm not the enemy here." Jade replies after a pause, brows again rising. His tone and expression have indeed dropped their rigidty. His arms fold over his chest and one leg rises to cross at the ankle over the other. He tilts his head, keeping the gaze of the officer before him. "As you've probably already heard..." The pause comes here, so as to marshal the coherence not to pause in the latter part of the answer "...I believe myself to be falling in love with her."

Something seems to soften ever so slightly in the old Admiral's eyes and features, but an iron veil of stolid rigidity clamps down on it almost at the moment it happens. "She has no such feelings for you, Mr. Jade. Of that I can assure you. I have forbidden her from seeing you again. Ensign Tyler cannot afford any distractions to her work. And the work is paramount to everything."

"...resistance is futile, lower your feelings and prepare to surrender your heart?" Jade murmurs, a direct continuation from the Admiral's sentence. There -is- bitterness in his voice, and an anger in his eyes. "Odd. Just the other day I was warning Lieutenant Poole that the worst thing that could happen to the Federation in its paranoia about being ready for the enemy, would be if it became like its enemy." Now he leans forward, foot falling to the floor, elbows on his knees. Quieter: "Wendy is a -lot- more than an automaton, and it's time she realised this. And if work is paramount to everything, Admiral, then with respect you've lost sight of something important: work is a means to an end, -not- an end. If we forget our humanity then just what the hell are we doing it all for?"

Sinclaire listens to this tirade, but seems nonplussed by it. "Without Tyler's work, there will be no Federation." There is an undertone of ex post facto to the statement. "She is doing her duty to the greatest cause in the universe. Your freedom."

"And I'll, well, just have to trust you on that, right?" Jade retorts, setting his head to the other side. "Admiral, I've heard, and read, words like those used a great deal in history to justify acts both more and less terrible. And standing where I do, I just can't -accept- that."

<CONTEST> Jade contests his Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds! - Noticing the absence of Tyler's surfboard.

Sinclaire's still not moved from her parade rest, her hands still clasped behind her back. "Alex, I will not debate moral phiolosophies with you concerning this. I understand that you are not in Starfleet, and have no obligation to follow my orders. Ensign Tyler, on the other hand, is wholly obligated. And she now has her orders. But Ensign Tyler is /weak/. If I find out that you have exploited that weakness..." She lets the sentence fall where it may.

Jade draws back, eyes narrowing, back straightening. Low, dark, thick with almost spat breath, "How dare you? How -dare- you?" He shifts now, standing. "Admiral, you are, I think, not as wise as you imagine." His jaw is steeled, and he stares at you from shadowed eyes, his head tilted down slightly. "There's a strength in there that no one, least of all you, I or her, fully knows. And how dare you reach such a conclusion about me, or assume the right to control her social life..."

Sinclaire looks at him blandly. "I know more about Ensign Tyler than you could know in a lifetime, Alex. Her strengths and weaknesses. I know her better than perhaps she herself does." Her head turns to follow his movements, but she makes no effort to stay him.

Jade snorts, race rippling with a barely contained fury, and strides to the door, slamming his hand onto the pad to open it, but does not step through. Voice icy with a cold fire, Alex utters, "So that's it, as far as you're concerned? I just forget her, all of this, and step back, for the good of the Federation?"

Sinclaire actually turns around. "Actually, I expect you to go rushing to Holosuite one to ask her what the hell is going on. That's what your impulses are gearing you for. If you were smarter than that, however, you would not be so brash. I think you understand my position, even if your feelings won't admit to it."

"Funny." Jade spits. "I was about to say the same thing." His head tilts down, his hand falling from the pad to his side, joining the other. The light from the corridor falls on him, silhoutetting his form on the floor behind. Another bead of moisture now graces Alex's skin, but it is not sweat, and starts a little lower than his forehead. "Every time I look at that mystery hanging outside in the void, I will think of her. Damn you. You must have forgotten so much." And with that, he makes to step through the doorway.

Sinclaire says quietly, "I never have. I never will."

You head out.

**After Running*

You walk into the Dream Factory.

Dream Factory - Station 419 - [IC]

A long, narrow shop with a high metal counter near the entrance. Along each long, black metal wall of the shop are a pair of heavy sliding doors. A double row of comfortable black upholstered benches runs down the center of the room. Several patrons of a variety of species sit about, either waiting for their turn in the holodeck or waiting for a friend to come out.

Obvious exits:

Holosuite One <1> Holosuite Two <2> Out <O>

You enter Holosuite One.

Holosuite One - Station 419 - [IC]

A gorgeous tropical white sands beach. It appears as Hawaii must have looked thousands of years ago, with no encroachment by man. Lush foliage borders the land side, the air thick with the scent of exotic flowers, only to be carried away by a gentle breeze. The water is a beautiful blue, and approximately 32 degrees Centigrade. Sets of perfect waves, gorgeous tubes of glass, roll in across the water with regularity. The only things spoiling the untouched picture are a changing tent and several beach chairs.

Contents:

Tyler

Obvious exits:

Out <O>

Jade almost falls through the doorway of the arch as it materialises on the beach, and staggers through it with both hands outstreched as if supporting him on the frame of it. He seems breathless, panting, as if he's run solidly for some time. Immediately a hand rises to block the sun from dazzling him, and he begins to scan the holoprojection for Tyler.

Tyler's sitting on the beach, her arms wrapped around her knees which are drawn up close to her chin. The wind is blows up the sunset-reflecting sand, causing a slight chill, and tousling her hair. Her back is to the arch, and she sits beside the surfboard from her quarters.

Jade swallows as he discovers his quarry so close by, arms falling to his sides. Then he slumps where he stands, falls to his knees, still panting, eyes on Tyler, silent. Words fail.

Tyler looks back as the doors close behind Jade. She frowns as she sees him, her face twisting up in concern for him. Standing up, she moves quickly to his side. "Alex?" she asks him. "Are yuh-you okay?"

"W-Wendy...?" Jade whispers, falling backwards from his knees to an unstable crouch, squinting up at her, his 'imitation' of her stammer entirely unintentional. "Wendy, there was an Admiral in your quarters, she said she'd told you not to see me again, she... threatened me, what...what is going =on= Wendy, what the hell is -happening- here?" This time there is no ambiguity in his expression, or his eyes: he's a little short of terrified.

Tyler reaches out to touch him, almost on the verge of tears. She suddenly withdraws the hand, like recoiling from a snake. She nods, then looks down to the sand. She drops down beside it. "Admiral Sinclaire d-duh-doesn't want me to see you any more. She wuh-was in my quarters?" she asks softly, confused.

Jade nods, quickly, more of a shudder of his head. "Waiting..." he murmurs, brokenly. There are occasional tears sliding down from the corners of his eyes as he tilts his head downwards. "I..." He deflates, shakes his head. "Wendy... this is going to drive me utterly insane. There are a billion unanswered questions, I..." His eyes pinch closed and he draws a breath. "Tell me yourself. If you're prepared to tell me not to come to you any more, then do so. It's the only way I'll agree to it."

Tyler reaches out and touches him now, brushing his cheek with the back of her hand. "I.. I can't. B-because I d-don't want you to stop." She pulls away again, wiping her own eyes. "I wish she's stuh-stay out of my life," she mumbles. "She can destroy you, Ah-alex."

"It... seems like she's already trying." Jade replies, sinking once more backwards. His back is against the metal frame of the arch, his head tilted back, its rear also against the metal, his streaked visage, eyes closed, facing slightly up. His hands slide to dangle between his legs. "Wendy... I am -so- tired of having enemies... of watching my back. And now I choose between despair and destruction..." His eyes pinch again and his mouth opens, but no words emerge.

Tyler says softly, "I'm suh-so sorry, Alex.. I. I'm.. This is my fuh-fault."

"No...no, it's not." Jade replies, at once, his silence broken in rejection of this placement of the blame. "I chose my path, took the decisions at each fork. I could have chosen not to come here, I..." His head shakes, and he cuts the babbling off. "Wendy, what are we to do?" Alex's eyes slide open, his head tipping forward, and he watches Tyler, as if searching for answers in her face. With more strength: "I... you know I have feelings for you. She said they were unreciprocated." The first word of the latter sentence almost spat. Something should have followed, but once more, Jade loses his speech.

Tyler glances up to him through her bangs, then looks back down to the sand. "I.. I duh-don't know how I fuh-feel, Alex. I'm.. I'm very confused. Thuh-this is all vuh-very new to me."

In all strangeness, Jade's face cracks for a moment, splits into a smile, which wavers, pulling sometimes down at the corners of his lips. His eyes seem torn as he speaks: "And... believe it or not, to me..." A sniff. "Last night was the first time I've been blown across the room by a mystery blast of power... before confessing my true feelings for someone." A beat. Now, quieter, weaker perhaps, voice half-straining. "And... you're the first to hear that for nearly a decade..."

Tyler continues looking at the sand, but her hands are working furious knits of nerves. "I.. I've nuh-never heard it.. Except from my family." She peeks at him again, then looks down quickly. "Alex.. I wuh-wasn't kidding when I tuh-told you I was dangerous. I'm.. Puh-p-protected, you cuh-could say. Everyone wuh-wants to shelter me."

"I believe you, Wendy." Jade murmurs, swallowing. He raises a hand wipes the tears from his cheeks and runs his hair back once more behind his ears, eyes closing as he does so. Lower, even: "Was... was it her that caused that surge?"

Tyler shakes her head slowly. "Nuh-no," is all she says.

Jade swallows, then murmurs, simply, otherwise not moving, "Wendy, I just don't know what to do. I... feel way in over my head with -all- of this... but I know that I need you."

Tyler sighs softly. "I duh-don't know what to do either, Alex.. I'm so confused.."

Tyler sniffles and wipes her eyes again.

Jade shifts now, pushing forward to his knees, taking his turn to reach out and assist in wiping Tyler's eyes. The lines in his face are falling, shifting from fear to fear, pity and fondness. He swallows, and works to keep the line of his mouth even. "You... asked me to be honest with you, Wendy. Well now... I... I've no idea what you're doing here. Or why you're protected so heavily, or by whom. Or why you alone are so important - in the work you do, I mean. I want to know, but I swore not to ask... but this I -do- ask. Is there room for me to be with you, in the midst of all this? And live?"

Tyler sobs suddenly, "I don't know! I wish I did, but I can't.. see.." She stops. She stands up and offers him her hand.

Tyler sniffles again, wiping her eyes. "Come on, before I change my mind."

Jade looks up, brows rising, but before he can offer comment or question, is galvanised by the un-stuttered final statement. He simply takes the hand, and stands, falling into place beside Tyler.

Tyler says "Computer, end program."

Tyler clears the current program.

Tyler leaves the holosuite.

Tyler has left.

You leave the holosuite.

**More Dashing**

You exit the turbolift.

Science Labs - Level 3 - Station 419 - [IC]

This room seems fairly sterile. Several work tables are scattered around the room and over them containment field emitters hiss with energy. Along the walls, secured equipment lockers hold a variety of tools and devices. Below them, monitors display the results of computer-assisted similations and tests. Towards the back of the room, a series of jars containing trilithium-matrix holding solution give off a slight blue glow.

There are views here. '+help view' for information on views.

Contents:

Tyler

Obvious exits:

Science Lab One <S1> Science Lab Two <S2> Turbolift <T>

Tyler stops immediately near the turbolift doors. "Wait here."

The turbolift doors slide closed.

Jade stops instantly. Wide-eyed, and glancing every second around him, he is silent. His hands are thrust into his pockets, and he obeys.

Tyler walks down the hallway several meters, stopping before the two security posted outside there. She tries to muster every ounce of courage that she can as she approaches them, but it's not really any change from her usual self. "D-dismissed," she says to them. The two guards look at each other, then to her, shrug, and walk off down the corridor. She turns and waves Jade closer.

Jade steps forward as obediently as a well trained dog, having taken the time since last he was spoken to to likewise muster his self control and at least try to appear as if he should be here. Still, when the guards are out of sight, he permits himself a raised eyebrow at the ease with which the Ensign dealt with the security. He joins Tyler.

Tyler places her hand near the door control. Her voice is quiet and fast. "Behind these doors is everything Starfleet is trying to protect. If you sell this, Alex, I'll /hate/ you." And she looks like she means it.

Jade seems initially startled by the fluency of the statement before its content. Then, equally quiet and fast, and watching Tyler closely, he replies, "I understand. I won't. I promise." He swallows, drily, and thrusts his hands deeper into his pockets, realising that that pouding sound -is- just his heart.

Tyler enters science lab two, the doors swishing shut behind her.

Tyler has left.

Science Lab Two - Station 419 - [IC]

This lab is slightly smaller than Science Lab One, but is definitely more interesting. In the center of the room is a large square slab, measuring about four by four meters, and about a half-meter tall. Suspended above it via forcefields (and a backup tether securely fastened around it) is a large stump-shaped object, appearing to be made of a cluster of opaque ice-blue crystals. The 'roots' of the stump branch out into continuously thinning crystals into a delicate-looking structure beneath. It is sheared off flat at the top. The whole thing is about one meter tall, and three meters in diameter at its widest point. A glowing gold ring around the base of the slab indicates a containment field is up around it. Scattered around the stump is a variety of portable scanner consoles, on which is plugged a portable computer. A shelf is recessed into the gunmetal grey wall, a variety of scanning and diagnostic tools scattered on its surface. One wall is nothing but computer displays. It seems this room was hastily converted from the astrometrics lab into a lab devoted to the study of this... thing.

Contents:

Code Master

Tyler

Obvious exits:

Out <O>

Tyler steps aside and lets Jade take the wonders of the lab in for himself.

Jade follows Tyler inside, silently, and just as silently stares on at the contents of the room, face blank, eyes wide.

Tyler walks toward the artifact in the center of the room and presses some buttons at the slab base. The forcefield snaps off with a metallic hiss, and she straightens back up to run her hand across the surface of it. "It's alive, Alex. This is what shocked you." She turns toward him. "It muh-monitors me through the internal security nets. I thuh-think it has imprinted on me." She smiles. "I'm it's mommy."

Staring on in utter silence for a few seconds even after Tyler finishes speaking, Jade finally starts forward, step by jerking step. "I..." One hand slides from his pocket and to his forehead, sweeping hair back. "It's beautiful... and it's... alive?" He swallows. "Is this the thing you got from the Anomaly?" He starts to circle the slab, slowly.

Tyler nods. "Yes. The anomaly is a gateway. This is the key to the gateway." Whatever that means. "I cuh-can't tell you much more than that." She has, however, moved behind a console, and she starts to tap in some commands into it. "I was going to tell you that I couldn't see the future, Alex." She looks up to him. "But I can."

Jade mouthes silently, draws a breath, but holds it, nods. If he was honest, he wouldn't bat an eyelid if she claimed to be a member of the Q Continuum right now. His eyes flit back to the artifact, and he finds his voice: "How?" All he can ask; though he already truly knows the answer.

Tyler looks to him, her mouth growing a little crooked. "Do you want a lesson in tuh-temporal physics or the easy answer?" she asks.

"Option number two please..." Jade half-whispers, eyes shifting quickly from artifact - where they play over its lines, curves and facets with utter concentration - to Tyler's eyes, where they do little different. The corners of his mouth seem to tilt up, in a slowly awakened elation. He looks back again to the object and mouthes, to himself, 'beautiful'.

"Can... can we talk to it? Can I talk to it?" Jade murmurs, stopping his circling pacing, hands clasping behind his back, with nothing else safe to do, a child in a glass store.

Tyler shakes her head. "You can, but it won't say much back. I tuh-talk to it all the time," she admits softly. "It has only the muh-most rudimentary intellegence. Like.. A horse."

Tyler taps up some things on her display. She frowns. "I duh-don't uh-understand," she says, her face showing consternation.

Jade smiles, eyes lighting as, as Tyler speaks, he looks again at the artifact. "Hey there..." His eyes narrow, the hazel of his gaze shifting quickly over the surface of the thing. "So... you're the thing that's caused all this buzzing and worry? Well, you're in good hands..." He does not look away from it, now, trying to freeze this in his memory. He does murmur, though, intended for Tyler, "It doesn't want to show us?"

Tyler shakes her head. "It.. It doesn't want to do anything." The frown remains. "I don't understand."

"Even horses can be recalcitrant..." Jade murmurs, quietly, focus still captivated by the artifact. He speaks distantly. "Perhaps it is because of what I made it do last night?"

Tyler says "Or... It doesn't want to show me my own future."

Tyler frowns again and taps more things into the panel. "Or just you in general."

Jade's gaze does shift back to Tyler at that, capped with rising eyebrows. "A little brighter than a horse then, Wendy..." he whispers, thoughtfully, brow knotting. "I'll kick myself if it is me." Light in tone, but with a heavy heart. Looking back, eyes falling. "This... this kind of vision is something I have -always- dreamed of.."

Tyler frowns again, sighing. "It's b-being stubborn, is all, Alex." She baps the panel lightly in frustration. She looks to him and moves from around it, drawing herself closer to him. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright..." Jade whispers, head shaking. He reaches out, trying to draw Tyler next to him as he goes on: "You trusted me. You let me see this, and gave the chance of seeing so much more... that's... more than I could pray for." Voice soft. Quietly spoken. Gentler than for a while. "I doubt there will be other chances, but for this single one... I know what it means."

Tyler wraps her arms around Jade and presses herself close to him, burying her head in his chest. "We'll buh-be in a lot of trouble if Accolon cuh-catches us here."

Jade's arm draws around Tyler's shoulder, and he tilts his head forward, pressing his face to the side of her head, lips pursing to kiss the hair ever so softly. "That's something of an understatement." His eyes flicker to the artifact. "Do you think we should go?"

Tyler nods, and pulls away just enough to look back over her shoulder at the artifact. "We'll come back sometime, when it's being more cooperative." She turns back to look at him, and is overcome by the urge to tiptoe up and kiss him gently on the lips. She does, and suddenly blushes a bright pink, noticeable even in the bluish glow of the artifact. She pulls away and says softly, "Luh-let's guh-go."

Jade's lips are graced with a smile, subtle, genuine, unexaggerated, after they are graced with those of Tyler. For a moment, he might be a statue, only his eyes shifting to follow the movements of his companion. Then he swallows, and the moment is broken. "Yes..." he whispers, eyes now on this extraordinary girl rather even than the artifact. To which he does, however, offer a momentary nod, and a wink, as he passes it, before falling into step once more beside Tyler. "Well... ah... interesting day."

Tyler takes a moment to reinstate the forcefield, then escorts Jade to the door. She pokes her head out, looks both ways, and sneaks him into the hallways. "I'll huh-have to erase some logs.. So you guh-go ahead."

Jade nods, stepping out, then turning. "Thank you so, so much, Wendy. For trust, and... call me." he whispers, that smile returning. As the doors swish shut, he adds, "Still owe you dinner." And then he is out of sight.