Difference between revisions of "Alex and Hannah"

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Eventually, Alex escorted each of them to their respective rooms.  Dave/Maul confused him.  While walking next to him, he could sense the roiling power of the Force within Dave, but the man seemed totally unaware of it.  "Perhaps it just as well," he thought.  "But, someday he's bound to find out.  I just hope he finds a way to cope with it.
 
Eventually, Alex escorted each of them to their respective rooms.  Dave/Maul confused him.  While walking next to him, he could sense the roiling power of the Force within Dave, but the man seemed totally unaware of it.  "Perhaps it just as well," he thought.  "But, someday he's bound to find out.  I just hope he finds a way to cope with it.
  
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Alex spent the entire evening and well into the wee hours of the morning on his search.  He wandered through the grounds and back into the convention center, speaking first to every Vulcan he could find (there were quite a few), then to everyone he met about what happened at the Darknight section when the change occured and if they knew what had become of the people who worked there.  He also spoke to the police and the newly arriving National Guard.
 
Alex spent the entire evening and well into the wee hours of the morning on his search.  He wandered through the grounds and back into the convention center, speaking first to every Vulcan he could find (there were quite a few), then to everyone he met about what happened at the Darknight section when the change occured and if they knew what had become of the people who worked there.  He also spoke to the police and the newly arriving National Guard.
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                                     Master Yoda
 
                                     Master Yoda
  
Disappointed, Alex wadded it up to toss away, then changed him mind and put it in a pocket.
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Disappointed, Alex wadded it up to toss away, then changed his mind and put it in a pocket. Again, the room was unchanged.  He set the alarm for 8:30 then collapsed onto the bed into a deep sleep.
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The alarm

Revision as of 14:24, 20 January 2011


Part One: In Media Res

With some trepidation, Alex approached the mirror. "Alec Guiness wouldn't be too bad," he thought. "Ewan McGregor would be better." When he looked, however, it was his own familiar face that stared back at him. But wait. Where were his glasses? "I guess Jedi don't need glasses." Before, without them, Alex functioned at about the white cane level. Now, he couldn't even remember when he lost them.

"How long has it been?" he glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Ninety minutes, an hour and a half and Hannah was not there! Dread crept back into his heart. Surely the hotel room would be the logical place to come to. She was a creature of logic now, wasn't she? There were two other costumes. What were they? He didn't think to ask. It wasn't important then, unlike now. And what did sushi have to do with it?

There was nothing for it but to find her. First, he left a note under her cell phone, asking her to stay put and call, if she came while he was gone. Next, he needed to get out of his Jedi garb, no sense in setting off another Sith Lord. He stripped and put on jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers. He had just stood-up when things began to change. The sneakers climbed his ankles and became boots, the jeans turned white and the t-shirt expanded into a kind of kimono, also white. "Curiouser and curiouser," he said aloud. "We're really down the rabbit-hole now." He headed for the door. "No time to quarrel with it. I'll have to go as is."

He turned the door-handle, but found he couldn't leave. There was nothing wrong with the door, he just couldn't leave. "Now what! . . . Oh, right." He extended his hand, the light-saber lying on the bed lept into it. "I'll probably need that anyway."

Part Two: A First Step Into a Larger World

Alex met Hannah through Central Florida University's Sci-Fi and Fantasy gamers' club when they were both juniors. He was a local boy, she was from North Carolina. They had a lot more in common than just their tastes in gaming, literature and movies. So while it wasn't quite love at first sight, it was pretty close. A month after graduation, he gave her a ring. The date was set for the following Spring.

Neither had really gotten into the costuming aspect of their interests, so when the heavy costume emphasis of this years Kubla con was announced they did not make any plans in that direction. They were both going of course. Alex had not missed a Kubla con since he was a pre-teen. Hannah, this year, was going as an employee of Darknight Books, a fantasy and sci-fi publishing house.

Because of financial support from from Eric Winters and some others, the con was expected to be much bigger than previous years. Todd Grimes, Darknight's owner, expected to sell more books and gaming material there that weekend than Christmas. He intended, therefore, to make a large presence. Hannah would leave a day early to help set up. Alex would arrive on Saturday afternoon.

Alex never quite knew why, but almost at the last minute, he decided to go in costume afterall. He figured he already had the basics for a sort of generic Jedi knight, and began rummaging through closets. For the base, he found an old black t-shirt and matching sweat-pants; next, an old pair of boots from the garage; a leather belt; and a tan kimono from when he had a brief interest in learning Kendo. To top it off, he found an old, brown bath-robe that had a hood and came down almost to his feet. He put it all together and looked in the bathroom mirror. "Well, I'll be winning no prizes, but from a distance, the effect ain't too bad," he thought. There was still something missing, then he remembered. He dug through some boxes in the garage untill he found a short length of PVC pipe and some electronic bits. Then, in his garage, with some duct tape and super glue, he constructed his own lightsaber.

"This ought to suprise Hannah," he thought while in front of the mirror again. This time with the 'lightsaber' tucked under his belt. Since he was running late, and to experience what an old SCA friend had called 'freaking the mundanes', he kept the costume on for the 45 minute drive to Orlando. He got some odd looks while getting gas at the Jiffy-Mart, but rather enjoyed it. He smiled and waved at some kids while thinking. "This is not the Chevy Malibu you're looking for."

Alex was completely unprepared for the sheer size of the new and enhanced Kubla con. It was a long walk from where he had to park to the hotel, and an even longer wait to get his room key. Once in the room, he found Hannah's things neatly packed in the drawers and a note left on the nightstand, telling him where to find Darknight's booths. He sighed as he dropped his bag and flopped down on the bed. He considered leaving the bathrobe behind. Even in November, Orlando was a bit warm for his get-up. But he decided to go for the whole effect in suprising Hannah. So, after a quick shower, he redressed in the full Jedi ensamble and left for the convention hall.

He was in for some additional scale-shock when he entered the main hall. "There must be more than ten thousand people here!" he thought. And what people! There must have been costumes and uniforms for characters from every genre and myth known to mankind. There were Klingons, Spartans (both Halo and Greek), Elves, Goblins, Sith and Jedi. There were Vulcans (or were they Romulans?), wizards, Orcs, dryads and "Isn't he a bit short for Darth Vader".

"Alex!" That was his fiancee's voice. He looked around. "Over here!" Not five feet away was a female Vulcan with a Star Fleet officer's uniform, from circa Wrath of Khan. A female Vulcan with Hannah's face.

"Sweetie! I coulda walked right past you!" said Alex

"You did, about five seconds ago. Cool costume! Did you do that yourself? Is that terry cloth?"

"Just something I threw together at the last minute to suprise you. Speaking of surprise."

"You mean this?" she pointed at herself and laughed. "Todd decided all the employees should get with the theme. It's a professional job, his treat."

"I'll say! Those are the best looking Vulcan ears I've seen. Even from here, I can't see the join. I knew I shoulda brought the camera. The cellphone won't do it justice."

"You'd best admire while you can. I have two more costume changes before the evening's over. You heading for the Darknight booths? You have to see Todd. He makes an awesome ringwraith."

"At 6 foot five, I'll bet he does," thought Alex. "Not yet," he said. "I wanted to see the award presentations. Want to come with me?"

"Can't, I'm on break and..." she looked at her watch. "I'm due back to help at the register."

"OK then. See you in a bit. May the Force be with you."

"Live long and prosper."

They gave one another a quick kiss and parted ways.

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Alex hurried along to the dining hall, where the awards were to be given. He figured he just had time to get there. There was so much to see that he was tempted to stop, but for some reason, he didn't know why, he wanted to not be late. The dining hall was crowded, but not too densely packed. He easily worked his way to within a few yards of the stage. A lady dressed as a dryad was just introducing Eric Winters, who was wearing all black with a peculiar sort of raven headdress.

This, Alex remembered later, was when things started to go sideways. First, a hush fell over the crowd, as though they expected Eric to speak. Instead, Eric appeared distracted and agitated. One of his entourage, a man in cat makeup, touched him on the arm and spoke qietly to him, as if concerned. All this while, Alex felt a building anticipation, again, he did not know why. Then, he was distracted from what was going on on stage by a commotion to his left. A group of people dressed as Na'vi had started shouting about something, he couldn't quite see what was exciting them.

At that point, things started in ernest. Alex felt a sudden surge of energy from the stage, coursing into and through him, sucking his breath away. Then came hightened awareness. Suddenly, he knew how many trees were on the lawn around the convention center. He could sense the birds nesting in them. He could also feel the presence of thousands of people, including those he could not see, and they were...TERRIFIED! The rush of their emotions brought Alex to his knees. "No! No! It's not supposed to be like this!" he didn't know whether he was thinking or shouting. "Control, I must have control!" Gradually, he reined in the chaos. The noise outside slowly subsided as well. "Oh my God," he said softly. "That's what a great distubance in the Force feels like!"

Alex opened his eyes and looked around. The room was emptying now. The Na'vi were already gone. The stage was clear, except for a cat-man helping up an injured dryad, and a young Asian girl in a sailor outfit who sat dangling her legs over the side. She smiled at him, he smiled back. "Not everyone is afraid," he thought. There were other strong emotions as well, confusion, elation, joy and despair.

What had happened gradually became clear. All who had worn costumes, no matter how casually, were now what they had portrayed. How and why it happened were still mysteries. Alex raised himself to his feet, then groaned, not from pain, but from realization. This is too big! Hannah could not have escaped it. She was almost certainly in need of help. He had to find her.

Alex hurried toward the exits. They were mostly clear now, he was definitely behind the wave. He was nearly to one of the exits when he heard a moan. He hesitated for a moment, but knew he had to stop. Chairs and tables lay about as though tossed by a whirlwind, but he had no trouble sensing where the sound came from. Alex carefully lifted one of the tables. Underneath was a small faun. The little creature's eyes were wide with fear and pain. "The minotaur! Where is it!"

Alex looked about nervously, "It seems to be gone. Are you hurt bad?"

"It's my foot," He looked at himself in bemusement. "...er, hoof."

"I'll take a look. I'll be careful, but it might still hurt." Alex gingerly lifted the hoof and felt along the shank. "There's no break, must be a sprain." He then moved his right hand over the faun's eyes. As he did this he felt something leave him, like a small pulse of energy. The faun immediately relaxed.

"Thank you, that feels much better."

Alex lifted his hand. "What did I just do?" He thought. "Will you be OK now?" he said. "Paramedics should be here soon."

The faun nodded and closed his eyes.

Alex headed once more for the exit. "If I didn't know better, I'd think I shot the little fellow up with morphine," he thought. "I don't remember this Force power. Does this knowledge come out of my head, or is there another source?"

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The main hall was wrecked. Tables, chairs, displays and indeterminate stuff were tipped and scattered about. Banners trailed down from the ceiling where they had hung, as though flying things or giants had ripped them down. Here and there people, changed and unchanged wandered about dazed. It looked like the aftermath of a dry tsunami. At least there was no one seriously hurt in the immediate vicinity and the distant sound of sirens meant help was coming. Alex began picking his way through the debris, then stopped. "God, why am I such an idiot? Why don't I just call her?" He fished through his robes, but what he brought out was not a cell phone. It was a communication device, however, and with a touch here and there, Hannah's cell number was ringing. "Now how did I know to do that? The same way I now know how to fly a starfighter, of course. I need to stop asking myself stupid questions." The number rang and rang, no answer. He now felt worse than if he hadn't thought of calling at all. Wherever she was, she was out of touch as well.

The main hall was slow going. There was a minor stampede when somebody shouted, "THERE'S A GRIZZLY BEAR IN THE LADIES ROOM". After that, Alex thought he smelled smoke. In confirmation, the fire alarm began sounding, causing more chaos. Alex decided he needed to try a different route. While the Kubla con had never used the whole complex before, over the years, it had used nearly every section of it, so, this being his eleventh convention here, he was quite familiar with the location. He knew, for example, that to his right, there were a number of smaller halls with a single door leading to each adjacent hall. That way might just be easier.

The first hall he entered contained nothing but a few tables of abandoned fantasy miniature games. In the next, several assorted anthropomorphic furry creatures were huddled in a corner, talking quietly. They barely glanced at him as he passed through. The third must have been used for storage. It was stacked with boxes of snacks and cases of soda pop. The fourth was also deserted, and pitch dark. Alex was only mildly surprised to find that this was no obstacle. He entered the room and quietly closed the door behind him. The final door should lead him to an area near Darknight. The hall was laid out as if for a lecture. The tables were arranged along a central isle, the chairs behind them facing a stage on the opposite end. Behind the curtain, the exit.

Alex hurried forward, then paused for a moment. There was something new here. Now that he was in the dark, depending more on the Force than his own senses, he noticed it. Had it been there before? It was like a small stirring, a ripple in the Force, quiet but powerfull. Something started moving near the curtain. "I've got a bad feeling about this." Suddenly, there was a crack and hum of an activating lightsaber and in its lurid light stood an all too familiar shadow.

"Holy crap!"

"Your powers are weak, old man," said the shadow.

"Holy crap!" Alex repeated. He pulled out his own lightsaber. "If this hasn't changed too," he thought. "What comes next will be short and ugly." Much to his relief, a bright blue blade of light emerged from the former PVC pipe. He held the weapon at high-ready.

"At last, the circle is complete. When I left you I was but the learner; now I am the master!" The shadow loomed forward and stepped lightly off the stage.

"Can't you say anything but movie quotes?"

Now, the shadow rushed in and launched a swift series of probing attacks. Alex parried each one and managed a couple of reposts, but it wasn't easy. After a pause it attacked again. This time there was no probing. Alex found himself being driven back. "Damn, he's good," thought Alex. "Of course he's good! He's Darth freaking Vader! What did I call myself? A generic Jedi knight. How long can a generic jedi knight last against the Dark Lord of the Sith?" He knew he wouldn't like the answer.

A twisting feint put Alex out of position, the next strike nearly got him. A small piece of his robe floated to the floor. The bantha wool smoldering. Vader stepped back for an instant and made a motion with one hand. A chair launched itself into the air. Alex destroyed it with a back-handed stroke, not taking his eyes off his enemy. "If I rely on brute power, I'm going to die," he thought. "There has to be someone in there other than just this killing machine!" He searched, then he felt it, a brief moment of conflict, of doubt. "So this one is not utterly lost to the Dark side."

Backing again, Alex felt something brush against him, a table. Without thinking he lept up onto it then lept again as Vader tried to take his legs out from under him. Now the Dark Lord was out of position. Alex swept his saber into a downward strike, but hesitated. "I can't kill him, not knowing what I know now." Vader quickly parried him and split the table in half. Alex landed lightly on the next table and prepared for the inevitable. He knew there would be no more opportunities to defeat Vader directly. He tried indirectly again. "I sense a conflict in you. You don't want to do this! You know it's wrong."

"There is no conflict!" The masked shadow destroyed the next table. Alex lept to the third, but now there was wall behind him.

"If I just knew his name, I might get through to him!" There was another alternative of course. It crouched there, seething like a cauldren, the Dark side. Alex could sense the Vader drinking up its power, using it against him. "He wouldn't be so powerful without its crutch. It isn't fair! What if I..."

At that moment, a door behind the Vader flew open, allowing light to stream into the room. Silhouetted in the light was a white robed woman. "Tiffany no! Stop!" she screamed.

"Tiffany?! That's the name?! Dear God!"

The woman in white, who looked exactly like Princess Leah, rushed into the room. "Please stop! Don't you know me? I'm your sister, Sandy."

Alex doubted that Sandy still looked much like Sandy, never-the-less it worked. The red lightsaber switched off and clattered to the floor. Tiffany/Vader slowly slumped to her/his knees. Terrible, heartwrenching, wheezing sobs then followed. Alex stepped down from the table and collapsed, exhausted, onto one of the folding chairs. Sandy/Leah wrapped her arms, so far as she could reach, about her sister's sholders and cried with her.

All the commotion had attracted others. Among them Alex recognized the gray uniform of an Imperial naval officer "Perfect! You! Do you have any stormtroopers under your command?" He put a subtle bit of Force persuasion into his voice. The man gawked, then shook his head. "You'll have to do. Lord Vader has been injured. Guard him and his sister with your life. See to it that no harm comes to them!" Alex added some stronger persuasion and hoped that the man's change made him inclined to obey.

"Yes, sir!" The man saluted and began ushering the other beings away.

Alex knelt down in front of the two sisters. "I don't know what to tell you other than that you aren't alone. Many others have been changed as well. There are people coming. They'll do all they can to help." He turned to the black-armored figure. "Tiffany, the Force is strong in you! Let it help you. Do not give in to anger." He knew this was woefully inadequate, but he was totally at a loss and he knew better than to try to lie. Whatever power, be it god or demon, was responsible for all this, Alex now hated it. He hated it for its capriciousness, its gift/curse giving without regard for desert. If it were a mindless force of nature, like a tornado or earthquake, it would be blameless, but he knew somehow, that there was an intellegence responsible. He stood and walked away. There was still Hannah.

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The chaos and destruction on this end of the main hall were even worse. Stuff was drifted up into small mounds. The footing was treacherous in many places. On the other hand, there were fewer people. Also there was a higher proportion of books in the detritus, including books with familiar Darknight titles. Alex was close to his goal, and this is where he found Beth.

He did not recognize her, but he could not help but notice her, sitting on a broken book case with tears in her eyes. She recognized Alex however, despite having only met him twice. What he saw, calling his name, was Arwen, not just Liv Tyler in pointed ears, but a two-thousand year-old Elven princess with all the aura, dignity and and stunning beauty one would expect, and more. He had difficulty believing that this could actually be Beth. He remembered her from the last darknight get-together Hannah and he had both been to, last July. She had been shy, self-conscious, a bit over-weight, but not unattractive. She was also blonde and about six inches shorter then.

Unfortunately, she had no idea what happened to the other Darknight people. She had been away on break when the change occured and had only made her way back a few minutes before, to find all the booths destroyed and deserted. In addition to herself as Arwen and Hannah as a Vulcan, she remembered Todd had been dressed as a Nazgul, Randal as a Star Fleet medical doctor and Sarah as a Dark Jedi from Knights of the Old Republic. As for Jim, Allen and Tracy, she hadn't a clue. They were all changing costume almost constantly, keeping Amy, the professional makeup artist busy, and everyone guessing what would be revealed next. They had attracted a large crowd watching Amy apply the makeup, and applauding each time a Darknight employee stepped out of the curtained-off changing area. The only maddening hint was Todd joking about something he had reserved especially for Hannah, since she hated sushi so much. Sushi?!

Alex and Beth picked throught the wreckage, looking for anything that could tell them what had happened to the others. Alex found Hannah's cell phone and what he thought might be the dark wig she had worn earlier as a Vulcan. Beth found the uniform jacket she had worn and part of Todd's ringwraith outfit. They hoped that meant he had not been wearing that particular costume. Todd could be a jerk sometimes, but that's not a fate to be wished on anyone.

Eventually, Alex decided to check back at the hotel. The land-line wasn't working, so he needed to go. There was nothing more he could accomplish among the ruins of Darknight. Beth decided to stay a bit longer, in case anyone came back. She promised to contact him if Hannah showed up. If Alex had any doubts about leaving Beth there alone, they left him when she drew her elven longsword and laid it across her knees. She looked like a queen, sitting on that broken book case.

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Alex was much more cautious on his way to the hotel room. His brush with the Dark Lord had taught him not to rely on his senses and to remember that just because he knew all that Jedi stuff didn't mean he knew how to do it well. At least not yet.

It was nearly dark now. Emergency vehicle lights were everywhere. It looked like the authorities were really trying to bring things under control. This made Alex more cautious. To the emergency responders minds, the Xanadu Center had just become a huge insane asylum and Alex looked like one of the inmates. Fortunately, the cordon they were building included the hotel and there seemed to be no attempt to control traffic between it and the Center. He didn't know until he entered it that the hotel was within the radius of the phenomenon.

He could hardly believe the lobby was the same place he had stood in line only a couple of hours before. Several of the light fixtures were broken, one, still working, was slowly swinging back and forth, giving even a stronger crazy-house feel to the half-lit room. The walls and carpets looked scortched in places. The air was filled with the stench of burnt acrylic. Alex reached out with his feelings, though he saw no one,the place was far from empty. Many had apparently shut themselves into their rooms to contemplate their gains and losses in private. Now would be a good time to travel the halls.

He didn't venture to use the elevator, the power could go at any time and he did not relish the idea of having to cut his way out with his lightsaber. The stairwell wasn't too bad, but the third-floor hallway had seen some action. In the closer environment, the combination of odors was incredible, human, animal and other. There were blast-marks on the walls, which wasn't a good sign, and a long, wide trail of slime leading from the elevators to the room across from Alex and Hannah's. A disturbing, bubbling/belching sound came through the door. Alex searched his pockets for the key-card and was relieved to find it. He seemed to have an awful lot of pockets with a lot of things in them. He would have to take an inventory later. He inserted the key, the lock clicked and he entered the room.

It was just as he had left it. Closing the door behind him, he could almost believe that nothing unusual had happened that afternoon. He sighed, rubbed his temples, then noticed the full-length mirror over the dresser. He hadn't really had a chance to look at himself yet.


Part Three: Immovable Logic and Irresistable Force Powers

Alex left the Room in a hurry. Frankly, he was running out of options. There were no more obvious places for Hannah to show up on her own. He wasn't sure what he would do once he left the hotel. Describing her or showing her picture wouldn't make much sense. She may not look like that at all anymore.

Speaking of that, would he be able to deal with whatever did happen to her? What if she isn't a she anymore? That gave him pause. He'd seen that happen more than once this day. He stopped in the stairwell and sat on a step. He had to think this through. What kind of relationship would they have then? He knew he loved her, but he also knew he was not at all sexually attracted to males. Could they have a relationship without sex? Why not? He loved his brothers, He loved his parents. This just wasn't the same though. He batted this around his head for a while longer, then, finally, he sighed and continued down the stairs. "Edward Alexander Harris!" he thought. "It's a waste of your time and effort to worry about those things you can't alter. What ever we have to deal with, we will deal with it together." At least he could take comfort in knowing that none of the costumes Todd comissioned were outrageously bizarre. "I just wish I knew what sushi has to do with any of it. When I see Todd, I don't care if he's now bloody Sauron himself, he's getting a piece of my mind."

Alex was approaching the lobby when he stopped again. Once more he felt a tremor in the Force. It was very similar to what he had felt in the conference room, but not quite the same. "I don't want to start another rukus," he thought. He readied his lightsaber then began to slowly back away from the fire-door, hoping that whoever or whatever he felt was not also feeling his presence. Then, the fear and panic of others nearby were impressed upon him. "Oh no, what do I do now?" he thought. "Is this thing attacking them? Can I allow that to happen?" Just then, a large, white rabbit anthromorph crashed through the door. By instinct, Alex activated his weapon and went into a defensive stance.

"Shit!" went the wide-eyed lapine, and fainted dead away.

"So much for surprise," muttered Alex. Beyond the door, now conveniently propped open by the inert furry-person, was the object of all the consternation, a large black-clad man with red and black tattoos covering his face and horns sprouting from the crown of his head.

"You've got to be freaking kidding me!" said Alex. Then, the young, 'generic' Jedi just lost it. He lept over the rabbit and swept his blade up for attack. "YOU WANT SOME OF THIS? COME AND GET IT YOU HORNY-HEADED SON-OF-A-BITCH!" He felt his anger flow around and through him like molten metal, bringing with it power from the dark side of the Force. He felt strong, he felt invincible, he felt good.

Then, the unexpected happened, as if to put the crowning touch of weirdness on Alex's already frightfully weird day. Darth Maul dropped to his knees and raised both hands in supplication. "Don't hurt me man! Please don't hurt me!"

Alex seethed. "IT'S A TRICK!" the Dark Side screamed at him. "KILL HIM NOW! HE'LL GIVE YOU NO MORE CHANCES!" But he knew it was no trick. For what seemed an eternity, Alex struggled with himself.

"I'm not really Darth Maul! I'm just dressed up like him! I'm just a guy!" the man pleaded. "Everybody's scared of me or wants to kill me! I just want to go home."

Alex turned off his lightsaber and lowered it. He felt drained, a bead of sweat dripped off the end of his nose onto the ruined carpet. "Too close. Way too close," he thought. "That's twice I've been tempted by the Dark Side, and I've only been a Jedi for a little over two hours. Is it going to be like this every time I'm stressed?"

Alex looked about, the others who had been 'menaced' had evidently made their own escapes. That left only the unconscious lapine.

With the help of Dave, the Sith lord didn't wannabe, Alex carried the humanoid bunny to a chair and tried to bring him around. "Dave, you'd best not be the first person he sees when he wakes up. Why don't you go find a clean cup and something drinkable to put in it?"

When Tony came to he was rather apologetic about passing out. "When I got this," he pointed at himself. "I seem to have inherited a rabbit's nerves. I guess I just went tharn."

"Tharn? You a fan of Watership Down then?" Alex asked.

"Yes, but not that big of one. I was here to get some anime dvd's, but it seemed everyone was putting something on. It was why I chose the rabbit nose and ears though. I wish now they'd been brown not white. I look like a pooka."

When Dave returned with a can of soda, Tony nearly went 'tharn' again. He gave Alex a start too. Dave was trying to smile, but it looked more like a vicious snarl. "Sorry, I guess I just can't help but look mean and nasty," he shrugged.

"That's OK." Tony tried to sound sympathetic while struggling to hold and drink the soda with his new paws.

Eventually, Alex escorted each of them to their respective rooms. Dave/Maul confused him. While walking next to him, he could sense the roiling power of the Force within Dave, but the man seemed totally unaware of it. "Perhaps it just as well," he thought. "But, someday he's bound to find out. I just hope he finds a way to cope with it.

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Alex spent the entire evening and well into the wee hours of the morning on his search. He wandered through the grounds and back into the convention center, speaking first to every Vulcan he could find (there were quite a few), then to everyone he met about what happened at the Darknight section when the change occured and if they knew what had become of the people who worked there. He also spoke to the police and the newly arriving National Guard.

The authorities were, to say the least, a bit frazzled, and had a difficult time taking anything he said at face value. In the end, however, he got several promises to contact him if a Hannah Mendenhall happened to turn up.

Alex met and spoke to several Jedi. He was not surprised to find that there were probably hundreds of newly minted Force users, both Dark and Light, now out there. They all agreed that something needed to be done to keep the peace and prevent any more 'incidents' from occuring. The 501st, an organization of Imperial cosplayers was already beginning to reign in their people. Something similar for Rebel and Republic people was needed.

He was also learning more about the nature of the change that had happened to them all. For example: some changes were still happening, like aftershocks following a major earthquake. This made the area around 'ground zero' still risky for the unwary. Also, it seemed the more deeply into character the changed person was, the more likely his or her personality was affected. Some, already being called 'strangers', were almost totally lost into what they had become. The 'clothing phenomenon' was fairly common as well. Alex's particular manifestation of it was benign, at least compared to some.

Alex returned to the Hotel room seeming to know more about everything except what happened to the person he was hunting for. He was encouraged to know that she was as unlikely as he was to be mentally altered. They were so much into each other the last couple of years, and preocupied with plans for the future lately, that they had spent very little time with role-playing. Her physical situation, however, was still very much an open question, and the physical could be even more dangerous. He had been chilled earlier to see paramedics carrying about a half-dozen filled body bags out of the convention center.

When he finally arrived, exhausted at their hotel room, he found a note taped to the door. He snatched it down eagerly. It read:

    A meeting is called.  A Jedi order founding is needed.
    9 am is the time and tomorrow it will be.
    To  hotel meeting room 1A to meet.  Come you will?
                                    Master Yoda

Disappointed, Alex wadded it up to toss away, then changed his mind and put it in a pocket. Again, the room was unchanged. He set the alarm for 8:30 then collapsed onto the bed into a deep sleep.

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The alarm