Los Angeles, present day
"Cut... and print!" the director's voice shouted. "That's it for the day, everyone! Nice job, folks and enjoy your weekend."
Jason Nesmith rose to his feet slowly, wincing as a dull pain ran through his body. He had hit his mark but hadn't fallen down properly. That's gonna leave a bruise, he thought to himself desolately. Maybe it's about time that I get a stunt double.
"Jason, are you all right?" a soft, feminine voice murmured over the stage activity. He glanced over to see Gwen De Marco gazing at him with concern in her soft brown eyes. "That was quite a tumble you took."
Jason smiled in reassurance. "I'm fine, Gwen." He uttered a sharp cry as he straightened up. "Maybe not as all right as I thought I was," he admitted through gritted teeth.
"Anybody with half a brain would know that you're not all right," a rich, English-accented voice interrupted dryly. Jason turned around to gaze at Alexander Dane, who stared at him with arms folded over his chest. The English actor's left eyebrow rose in silent disapproval as amber eyes coolly shifted from Jason then to Gwen then back to Jason. "You're not winning any brownie points by being macho man, Commander Taggart," Alexander continued icily. With a sigh, the Englishman then began pulling at the latex prosthetic atop his head that transformed him into the lizard-like character of Doctor Lazarus of Tev'Mek with gusto.
Jason's eyes narrowed and he was about to make an angry retort when Fred Kwan placed what appeared to be a fancy wrench onto an engineering station console and broke in with a laconic, "Hey guys. Take it easy, huh? Alex is right, though. You might want to head over to the staff nurse and get something for the pain." He grinned as Laliari rose to her feet, put her arms around his waist and began nuzzling his neck. "Anybody got any change for the vending machine?"
Tommy Webber sighed, leaned back in his seat, placed his feet on top of the prop navigation console he had been using to "steer the NSEA Protector" through the galaxy just moments ago and rolled his eyes. "Not me. What about you, Guy?"
Guy Fleegman looked up from reading his script and shook his head as he turned to gaze at Fred. "Dude, you really need to do something about your..." he cleared his throat noisily. "Uh... problem."
Fred blinked. "What problem?" He looked at the others, puzzled. "What's he talking about?"
Guy shook his head and sighed. "Never mind..." He suddenly squawked when a purplish tentacle slid over his left shoulder. "Hey! Laliari, keep those tentacles to yourself!" he shouted, jumping away from the couple. "What if somebody walks by here and sees that you're really not what you appear to be? I don't want to see you get hauled off to some weird research facility for 'experimentation.'"
Laliari had the grace to look embarrassed. "Sorry, Guy. I'll try to be more careful," she apologized. She pressed a button on the utility belt of her costume and the tentacles disappeared from sight. Her eyes suddenly widened and she stiffened, arms falling to the side. Her head cocked to the left and she stopped blinking.
"What's the matter with her?" Alexander asked.
"Dunno," Fred replied, watching the Thermian with a concerned expression on his face. "I've never seen her do that before."
"It's weird," Tommy remarked. "Then again, it's no weirder than some of the things she eats."
"Don't remind me!" Guy shuddered. "Damn, that looks freaky!"
The rest continued watching the Thermian in silence, hoping that any stage crew that happened to walk by wouldn't notice that something odder than usual was happening to their alien friend. After a few minutes, Laliari suddenly came back to life and she smiled sweetly at the group. "Hello!"
"Uh... Hi there," Gwen said, folding her arms over her chest. "Is there something that you need to tell us?" She leaned against a console and gazed at the Thermian expectantly.
Laliari's smile faded and she bit her bottom lip. "Mathesar has contacted me via mind link and conveyed an urgent message for me to relay to the rest of you. He says that the Earth is in dire peril from a new threat and he wishes me to return - and for Commander Taggart and the brave crew of the NSEA Protector to come with me to help."
The rest exchanged uneasy glances before Alexander spoke up, his face twisting in a grimace of distaste. "Let me guess: everybody on the ship has been watching the latest 'historical records of our missions' and we're the only ones in the galaxy who can stop - whoever or whatever - is coming to destroy Earth."
Laliari nodded.
Alexander slammed his hands down on the console he was standing behind, making all of them jump. "Damn it! Why does Mathesar insist that every blasted thing he sees from TV transmissions is for real?! Well, I'm sorry. This actor isn't going anywhere," the Englishman finished with a glower and stormed from the set, heading for his dressing room. The others rolled their eyes and followed him.
"Alex, what's wrong with you?" Jason asked, forgetting the pain that shot through his body. He caught Alexander by the arm and forced him to turn around. "Didn't you feel like you had the time of your life when we defeated Sarris? For God's sake, Alex! We went into outer space and fought aliens for real! We saved countless planets from destruction by a crazed lunatic and his gang of thugs! Admit it! You felt like you were worth something, not just a typecast actor trying to eke out a living by appearing at sci-fi conventions in costume and signing autographs!"
"I'll admit to no such thing!" Alexander growled haughtily. "Tell him to get someone else to save the Earth this time!"
"Like who? Xena, Warrior Princess?" Gwen snickered, pushing a lock of blonde hair away from her eyes. "That finished production over a year ago." She rolled her eyes at the dreamy sigh that came from behind her. "Wipe the drool off your chin, Guy."
"Can't help it. They're both so..." Guy murmured blissfully.
"Married with children," Alexander interrupted rudely, pulling his arm away from Jason's grasp. He started running down the hall, still tugging at the latex prosthetic covering his head and muttering under his breath. Jason and Gwen exchanged glances and followed after him.
"Hey, I liked that Joxer guy too! He was funny!" Guy called out. "Dumbest move they ever made was to..."
"Come on. We better follow them," Tommy interrupted Guy before he could continue further. "Maybe we can corner Alex in his dressing room and talk some sense into him." He jogged down the hall, Fred, Laliari and Guy following him. "Oh boy, here we go again! At least we didn't get the I used to do Shakespeare moaning and groaning this time..."
A few minutes later, they found Jason pounding on Alexander's dressing room door. "Come on, Alex! Unlock and open the door!"
"Not a chance in this lifetime!" Alexander's reply was a muffled roar. "The lot of you can get sucked up into outer space without me!"
Jason and Gwen exchanged glances and Jason sighed. "You think I should?"
Gwen shook her head and rolled her eyes. "It's your funeral, Jason."
Jason gazed over at the others, who all shrugged their shoulders. Guy instinctively backed away a few paces from the group. "Do it. I was just the sci-fi fan who got taken along for the ride the last time," he mumbled finally, covering his ears with his hands for the imminent explosion that was sure to follow once Alexander heard what Jason had to say.
"All right, then. I hate to do this to you, but you leave me no choice," Jason said under his breath. He puffed his cheeks and exhaled loudly. "Alex, what about Quellek? What would he think if the great, wise Doctor Lazarus of Tev'Mek refused to go on this mission simply because he didn't feel like it?"
Jason paused to gather his thoughts and continued, "Quellek died for something he really believed in - the principles of the Tev'Mekian race." He sighed and pressed on. "You want to know something, Alex? I always considered those principles a true code of honor, not just lines that you uttered from a TV show script."
Jason bit his bottom lip and went in for the kill. "Quellek thought of Doctor Laz- no, you as his mentor... Honestly, Alex, are you really willing to cheapen his memory like that? And what about Laliari? She made a huge sacrifice by leaving her own people to live on Earth!"
Gwen winced and covered her face with her hands. "Ouch."
"That was a real low blow, Jason," Fred's mellow voice broke in.
"Do you think I wanted to say that?" Jason snapped as he whirled around to gaze at the others, blue eyes flashing angrily.Ê
"Uh, just a small point, guys. Why hasn't he come out here yet to chew you out?" Tommy asked after several seconds passed by in uneasy silence. "You know Alex's temper."
"You're right, Tommy. He should've been out here by now tearing me a new butt hole," Jason replied thoughtfully. He turned around and jiggled the door handle futilely. "Damn it. Alex, open up!" There was no response from the angry Englishman.
Laliari stepped forward a couple of paces and gently put her hand over Jason's. "Maybe I can open the door," she offered softly.
The others exchanged glances. "Okay. How are you going to do it?" Gwen asked finally.
Laliari smiled and nodded. "I locked myself out of my dressing room once. It shouldn't be a problem. Can I ask everyone to please stand back?"
The rest quickly moved away from the door and watched as a long, slender purplish tentacle came from her back holding what appeared to be a silver pen.Ê Guy immediately moved away several feet, anxiously watching for any stage crew that potentially could come down the hallway. The others moved around in a loose semi-circle in an effort to hide the Thermian's altered appearance.
A single bluish-white spark suddenly emitted from the device she held to the metal door handle. The spark danced around the handle and melted it into a gooey white-hot mass. "Oh no! I'm so sorry!" she apologized to the others. "I had the setting on too high!"
"Don't worry about it, sweetie," Fred comforted Laliari as another tentacle shot out and a fine mist sprayed from it, immediately cooling the metal mass. "Maybe you should just completely melt it away," he suggested.
"All right," Laliari agreed. Her eyes narrowed as she held out the first tentacle and a large spark shot from the "pen" for a much longer time. The acrid smell of metal melting wafted through the air, making everyone's noses wrinkle at the stench.
"Hurry up, will you? You'll set off the fire alarms!" Tommy hissed, turning around to face Guy. "Do you see anybody coming?" he asked anxiously.
"No, but I second that emotion!" Guy whispered back as he hopped up and down, eyes shifting back and forth nervously. "Hurry up or we're gonna be so much dead meat!" he whined.
"Almost done... Yes!" Laliari giggled triumphantly as the metal handle oozed down the door. She cooled it down before it started to melt the rest of the door away while the others waited nervously.
"That's my girl! I'm so proud of you!" Fred praised her and pulled her into an embrace. Several of Laliari's tentacles immediately wrapped around him and they started to go into major lip-lock mode until Jason cleared his throat. They looked up expectantly. "What?"
"Uh, later you two!" Jason growled, experimentally touching the door. Relieved that it was cool enough to touch, he pushed it open and they burst over the threshold...
...to reveal an empty dressing room. Alexander's headpiece was torn in half and thrown on his makeup table and his costume lay on the floor in a discarded heap. "Where'd he go?" Tommy gasped.
"Through that would be my first guess," Gwen replied dryly, pointing to a door at the rear of the dressing room that led to the studio's back lot.
"Come on! He couldn't have gotten far," Jason ran over to the door and opened it, the others following him as he entered an alley.
"Jason, he's probably already gotten into his car and left for his apartment - that or for the nearest bar," Gwen said.
"Listen, let me go get the keys to my van and we can all go look for Alex together," Fred suggested.
"Good idea. We might as well grab our stuff too," Jason decided quickly. They ran from Alexander's dressing room and headed for their own dressing rooms.
"Wait! What about the door? How are we gonna explain that?" Guy whined as he opened the door to his dressing room.
"Who cares? It's more important that we get Alex back than worry about a stupid door!" Jason shouted as he grabbed his wallet and leather jacket from his dressing room and ran back to Alexander's room.Ê The rest arrived shortly after and they ran out the exit towards the parking lot. They piled into Fred's van and he started the motor. Tires squealing, he pulled from the lot and drove out the studio gates, taking a right onto the main road.
An hour later, Fred had driven to fourteen different bars in the area in vain hopes of finding the infuriated Englishman. "You guys wait here in case he slips past us," Jason said as he and Gwen got out of the van and headed inside.
Gwen looked around uneasily as they entered the decidedly seedy establishment. "Jason, Alex would never go in a place like this. It's not his style," she said.
"That's just it, Gwen. It'd make perfect sense for Alex to come here because it is the last place you or I would expect to find him!" Jason replied as they approached the counter. "Uh, excuse me!" he reached out and gently poked the bartender in the back.
The man turned around, scowling fiercely. "Yeah? Whatd'ya want, Pipsqueak?" He leered at Gwen, who rolled her eyes and drew her jacket around herself protectively.
Jason smiled widely and cleared his throat to get the man's attention. "Have you seen a man come in here? He's a few inches taller than me Ð" he held his hand up in a rough approximation of Alexander's height. "Blond guy with silver in his hair, slim build, hazel eyes, kinda beaky nose... English accent? Really upset?"
The bartender leaned over the counter, face inches away from Jason's. "Maybe," he said grudgingly. Jason's smile faltered at the harsh smell of onions and garlic on the man's breath, but he held his ground - barely. "What's it to you?"
"He's a friend of ours and we really need to find him," Jason mumbled, trying not to gag.
The bartender picked up an empty beer bottle and tossed it into the trash. "I don't think you understand what I'm saying, Bub. How much are you willing to pay for that kind of information?"
"Jason, forget it! Alex hasn't been in here. Let's just leave!" Gwen grabbed Jason's arm and began pulling him away from the counter.
"Come on, Gwen!" Jason wrenched away from her grasp. "He knows something!"
"Fine! You give him money for nothing! I'm leaving!" Gwen shouted. She turned around and bumped into a man standing right behind her - a man that was several inches taller than her and twice Jason's width.
"Now, why would you want to leave here, you cute little thing?" the new arrival smiled down at Gwen, revealing several missing teeth.
"Leave her alone!" Jason turned around and raised his fists.
"Aw, the widdle man is gonna defend his giwlfwiend? How sweet!" Missing Teeth sneered as he raised his own fists. The sneer rapidly turned into a grimace as Gwen quickly executed a sharp kick to the groin, making him howl in agony. She followed it up by grinding her boot-heel into Missing Teeth's shoe.
"Jerk," Gwen muttered as she walked away from the man, now doubled over in pain. "Come on, Jason." He nodded and followed her without saying a word.
"They've been in there for some time," Guy muttered as he watched the exit. "Maybe they found him and they're trying to talk some sense into him."
"Maybe," Tommy agreed with an uncertain note in his voice. "Wait! Someone's coming," he said eagerly when he spotted a shadow at the door.
Everyone groaned and slumped down in their seats when Jason and Gwen exited the bar, both of them shaking their heads. "Jason, we should just try his apartment," Gwen sighed as they got inside and she put her seat belt on.
Jason shook his head stubbornly. "There's one more bar about half a mile down this street. If we don't find him there, then we'll go to his apartment." He motioned for Fred to drive on and a few minutes later, they arrived at the bar and were relieved to see that the Englishman's Jaguar was parked outside. While Fred parked his van, the rest headed inside.
"I see him!" Guy whispered excitedly as they entered the bar. "See? Over in that corner," he pointed towards a low-lit area of the bar, where Alexander was sitting at a table. Fred entered just in time to see the group heading towards the Englishman, staring at a full glass of Guinness with a scowl on his face. Fred hurried over to join his friends, putting an arm around Laliari's waist.
"Mind if we join you, Alex?" Jason asked, hoping that his smile didn't look forced.
Alexander's eyes slowly shifted from morosely watching the dark liquid to the small group surrounding his table. "Do I have a choice in the matter?" The group shook their heads. "I didn't think so. Well then," he gestured crossly. "Have a seat."
"Aren't you going to scold me for running out on you? That I wasn't being part of the team?" Alexander muttered bitterly after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.
"No. It's your choice whether you want to come with us or not," Gwen said softly.
Guy's jaw dropped open in surprise then shut quickly as he realized what Gwen was attempting to do.
"You're kidding," Alexander's voice was dripping with sarcasm as he leaned back in his seat to gaze at her.
"No, Alex. You're completely capable of making decisions that are right for you. We can't force you into doing something you don't want to do," Gwen said sensibly.
Alexander's eyebrows furrowed together, leaving an indentation in the middle of his forehead. "Bull! I know what you're trying to do, Gwen - and it's not going to work," Alexander growled as he rose to his feet and gazed at his fellow cast members, shaking his head in disgust. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have more important places to be!" he finished, throwing some money on the table to pay for his untouched drink. He turned around and started walking away from them briskly.
"Are you going to just let him leave? We can't do this without him!" Tommy whispered.
Jason held up his hand to silence further protests. "What about Quellek? How do you think he'd feel?" he called out, pitching his voice just so that only Alexander heard him.
Alexander stopped in the middle of the floor, his back stiffening. His fists clenched and unclenched a couple of times before he turned around, face pained at the mention of the young Thermian's name. "Damn you! That was dirty pool, Jason!" he snarled.
"I'm sorry, Alex. I didn't want to play that card but you gave me no choice," Jason replied as he rose to his feet, the others doing the same. He walked over to Alexander and put his hands on Alexander's shoulders. The Englishman angrily shrugged them off. "We need you, Alex. You know that!"
Alexander looked at the group for a long time before his eyes caught Laliari's. She gazed at him with a pleading expression on her face. His eyes softened and he sighed heavily. "All right. I'll do it!" he growled. Laliari clapped her hands together and smiled in delight as the rest of the group let out a ragged cheer. "I suppose we better go back to the set so I can re-apply that medieval torture device," he continued, pointing to his head as they began walking from the bar towards Fred's van.
Laliari's face sobered. "Actually, I don't think we really have the time," she admitted softly as she got into her seat next to Fred as Alexander stood outside the van to listen. "Mathesar said that we're to come as soon as possible once I provide the coordinates for transportation to the ship."
Guy raised his hand. "How are we going to explain him then?" he pointed to Alexander's full head of silver-streaked blond hair. "Mathesar will freak out if we don't show up with Doctor Lazarus of Tev'mek in tow. No offense meant," he added in hastily.
"None taken," Alexander replied, glancing in Guy's direction. "He's got a point." He turned to Laliari. "Can you contact Mathesar the same way he contacted you and tell him there's been a delay of some kind - a delay in the 'mission' we're on now?"
Laliari nodded slowly and Alexander headed for his car after Jason and Guy pulled the van doors shut. "Fred?" she asked as the group watched Alexander get in his car and turn the engine and car lights on.
"Yeah?"
"Step on it."
"You got it, babe!" Fred put the van into gear and high-tailed from the parking lot, tires screeching in protest, Alexander closely following behind them.
Within minutes, the group pulled inside the studio lot gates, stopping for the security guard, who shone his flashlight inside the van and then turned it in the direction of Alexander's car. The Englishman shielded his eyes with his hand when the light shone in his face. "What are you doing back here? There's nothing scheduled here for your show," the guard mumbled as he consulted his clipboard.
"It's a special rehearsal that was called at the last minute, Phil," Jason said easily. "Mustn't have gotten on there for you." The others in the van nodded vigorously or made general noises of agreement.
Phil frowned as he tapped on the clipboard with his pen for a few moments that seemed like an eternity to the group. "I really shouldn't let you in without the proper authorization," he said slowly. He looked up to see Laliari smiling sweetly at him and he returned the smile. "But, all right. I'll let it slide this once," he relented. He waved the two vehicles through.
"Whew! That was close," Tommy sighed in relief as Fred drove through and parked the van next to Jason's car, Alexander parking on the opposite side of the van.
"Ah, no problem," Fred said airily as the group exited the van, slamming the doors shut behind them. Alexander joined them shortly and they hurried inside the studio.
"How fast can you stick that thing on your head?" Jason panted as they ran down the hallway towards the dressing rooms.
"Fifteen minutes," Alexander replied, coming to an abrupt halt when he saw the remains of his dressing room door. "What the bloody hell... you melted the door?!" he exclaimed.
Laliari cleared her throat noisily. "Sorry."
The Englishman rolled his eyes and sighed. "Never mind!" he grumbled as he stepped over the threshold and shut the door behind him as best as he could for some privacy.
"Do you think he'll take off again?" Guy whispered anxiously as the minutes ticked by.
"No. Alex keeps his promises," Gwen snapped angrily, glaring at him. Guy shrank away from her and smiled weakly.
A few minutes later, Alexander opened the door, fully costumed. "Go ahead," he growled, folding his arms over his chest.
Laliari nodded and pressed another button on her utility belt. Immediately, a holographic image of a short dark-haired, pale-faced man appeared before the group with a huge smile on his face. "Commander Taggart and the brave crew of the NSEA Protector!" the man said, extending his arms out in welcome.
"Mathesar," Jason greeted the image huskily. "How can we help you?"
The Thermian's face immediately sobered. "I would not take you away from your missions, but I am afraid that there is nobody else that we can turn to for something this dire." He paused for a moment. "My people are already deeply indebted to all of you for your previous help," he added in quietly. "Prepare for transport to the ship." Mathesar's image faded away as lights appeared on the floor underneath each person's feet.
"Did I ever mention how much I hate space travel?" Tommy muttered as the clear blue gooey substance emerged from the light underneath his feet and covered him. Moments later, the rest of his friends were covered in the same way. A bright light flashed and the group disappeared from the hallway.