Disclaimer: The Tomorrow People characters and concepts do not belong to me, but instead to Nickelodeon, Tetra Films/Thames Television, and Roger Damon Price. The Power Rangers characters and concepts belong to Saban. The concepts and characters of Highlander: The Series belong to Davis/Panzer productions and Rysher. I am using these without permission.
Georgina “Greer” Lewis, Michael Gardner, and Iz Gladding belong to me.
Note: This is my fifth story in the “Opposites Attract” universe. It’s meant to occur between the stories “Some Things” and “But Keep the Old” on the timeline. Those of you familiar with the “Tomorrow’s Future” universe will note that this occurs after Ladyslvr’s “The Atropos Project”.
This little piece of fluff is a crossover between two crossover universes that I write (whew!). The first universe is “Opposites Attract”, my Power Rangers/Tomorrow People crossover serial. The second is “Tomorrow’s Future”, a crossover universe that I cowrite with a couple of people. That one is a crossover between Highlander: the Series and The Tomorrow People, with some Sliders and other series.
This story was written primarily as a way to introduce people reading only “Opposites Attract” to “Tomorrow’s Future”. However, I hope that people familiar with either will enjoy reading it.
Thanks to: Ladyslvr and Mandi Ohlin for betareading.
Between Worlds
by EstiRose
Rocky walked towards home, hoping that he’d get there in time to watch his favorite show. He wasn’t feeling too great, and he wondered if he should take a nap instead.
“Hey, Rocky!” Adam yelled from behind him. Rocky groaned. Not that he wasn’t glad to see Adam, but somehow he wasn’t blocking Adam’s emotions as he could do with most of the population. He wondered if he’d have this problem with the rest of the Rangers. He hoped not.
“What’s up, Adam?” Rocky asked.
Adam was panting as he finally caught up with Rocky. “We’re supposed to be picking Jason up at the airport, remember?”
“Um, sure, when?” Rocky asked again.
“We’re supposed to pick him up at 6pm on Thursday. I was planning on leaving at 5:30, and I can pick you up.”
“That’d be great, thanks,” Rocky replied.
“Oh, and Kim wrote. She says that she has a break in a month and a half, so she might be coming back for that.”
Rocky wondered if he’d pick up Kim’s emotions as well when she got home. At least he’d know beforehand, if or when he started picking up Jason’s emotions. “I’ll be glad to see her,” he said. He hoped that he wouldn’t have problems. He and Kim had been good friends on the team and he’d hate to have to stay away from her just because he got overwhelmed by emotions.
Adam looked at him oddly. Rocky could feel the worry radiating from his friend, no doubt spawned by his lack of enthusiasm. “Are you okay, Rocky?”
“Yeah, it’s only leftover back, or maybe the painkillers,” Rocky said, hoping that Adam would accept his explanation.
Adam did, as far as Rocky could tell. The worry didn’t go completely away, though, and Rocky could tell that he’d be receiving concerned looks during the whole trip. Adam shrugged. “Okay, see you then.”
“Bye,” Rocky replied. He watched Adam walk away. He was actually looking forward to being with his former teammates again, but he hoped that he’d not be picking up their emotions a lot. He kind of missed the bunch, even if sometimes it seemed like they’d never noticed he was gone a lot.
He got home, passed the TV, and headed straight for his room. Spending time with Adam had taken more out of him than he had thought, and so he found himself drowsing off as soon as he hit the bed.
Rocky groaned, coming awake as a hand touched his forehead. Without opening his eyes, he said, “I’m fine, Momma.”
There was no response from his mother, so he opened his eyes. His first sight was that of an unfamiliar woman. Then he realized that he was in an unfamiliar room as well. “Oh, good, you’re awake,” the woman said, cracking a smile.
“Where am I? Who are you?” he asked. He’d heard warnings from the other Tomorrow People about people who would want to imprison them for their own gain.
“I’m Georgina Lewis, and this is my flat in London.”
London? The woman’s accent was American, but ‘flat’ was a British term, as far as he knew. “How did I get here?”
“You teleported in,” she replied, smiling at him in that way that indicated she was humoring him. “Appeared from nowhere right onto my couch and gave me a right scare. Do you know what teleporting is?”
“Yeah, I know. This isn’t my first time,” he said, vaguely pleased to see a look of surprise form upon her face.
“What happened your first time?” she asked, sitting down. The surprise was gone, as was her prior expression. He’d piqued her interest.
“Uh, well, I was in the middle of the park at home, and there were some bad guys coming towards me. I was about to get pummeled, and then I ended up taking a salt-water bath. Fortunately, Jade was on the beach, and she got me a towel and then summoned Adam.”
The woman whistled. “Wow. What’s today’s date, and what’s your name, anyway?”
He decided that he could trust her a little bit. “My name’s Rocky, and it’s July twenty-seventh, nineteen nintety seven.”
“Rocky, huh? Is that a nickname, or did your parents have a thing for Stallone movies?” Georgina asked. She frowned. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.”
“It’s okay,” Rocky replied. “It’s my nickname. I hate my real one.”
The woman cracked a grin again. “I know how that is. I insisted on being called ‘Geo’ for a lot of years, until I was tired of it. And up until a short while ago, I went by Greer, but that’s no longer me either. How long have you been a Tomorrow Person? Do you call yourselves that where you come from?”
“Huh?” Rocky asked. As far as he could tell, she was off on a topic that she had fully expected him to follow.
“You must be from a parallel universe,” Georgina said calmly. “Adam didn’t recognize you when you arrived, yet you say that he was there shortly after you broke out. And you’re a year behind us, so you’re not from the future. So, you’re probably not from this universe. Adam recognized you as one of his kind, so I know you’re not lying.”
Rocky studied Georgina. “You don’t sound surprised that I’m from another universe.”
Georgina shrugged. “You’re not our first cross-universe arrival. We had another bunch a year or two back. Besides, you kind of get used to that kind of thing after a while.”
“Did they get back home?” Rocky asked.
“I have no idea,” the woman responded. “I certainly hope so. I never met Wade’s double, but I hope the poor woman got home.”
Rocky blinked. Then he remembered he was in a different universe and of course some things would not be fiction. “Wade Welles?”
“You know her?” Georgina asked, looking astonished. “Did she come to your world as well?”
“Uh, no,” Rocky replied. He wondered how to explain things. “There’s this TV show called ‘Sliders’ in our universe. They’re fictional characters. At least to me. They have doubles here?”
“Fictional characters,” Georgina said, sounding amused. “Our Quinn and Wade work for a company that archives records on CD-ROM. They live in New York. Their doubles, hilariously enough, landed in San Francisco.”
“Anything else supernatural or weird around here that I should know about?” Rocky asked. “Not that I mind, really, but I’d like to know.”
“Immortals are the only thing that I can think of,” Georgina said after a moment’s thought. “They take a little more explaining.”
Rocky watched as Georgina picked up a knife. “Let me guess. They can only be killed by beheading.”
Georgina inspected the knife, only glancing up when he said ‘beheading’. “Let me guess, Immortals are fiction in your universe?”
“Yeah. There was this series of movies. The second one was really cheezy.”
“Good. At least I don’t have to explain that,” Georgina said, smiling and putting the knife down. “Makes some things easier.”
Rocky wondered what she meant. “So how did you come to know about us?”
Georgina shrugged and leaned back into the chair. “I almost walked into a bombing, and Megabyte’s dad was part of the investigation. Adam was with him when I was being questioned one time. I felt weird to him.”
“Weird?” Rocky asked. About the only thing weird about Georgina was that she associated with Tomorrow People.
“I don’t feel weird to you?” Georgina asked, looking thoughtful. Then, as if in answer to her own question, she continued. “Maybe you’re not as sensitive to these things as ours are. Or maybe you’re just not recognizing the feeling.”
“Why would you feel weird to me?” Rocky asked. “You seem normal.”
She smiled again. “Thanks. But I’m not. I’m as mutated human as you are.”
“Huh?” Rocky asked. He tried to figure out what she was saying.
“I’m an Immortal, Rocky. I’ve been one for a few years now. That’s why your secret is safe with me, because I share the same fear that someone is going to exploit me for what I am. Besides, I like you guys,” Georgina said, her smile widening into a grin.
“Thanks, I think,” Rocky said to her. “How does someone who is essentially a warrior end up hanging with a bunch of pacifists, anyway?”
“That’s because I’m not much of a warrior,” Georgina replied. “I was a scholar before I became an Immortal. Besides, I’ve been hanging around Adam, and he’s convinced I can be the next Darius. I don’t think I can, but haven’t been able to convince him of that fact.”
“I don’t think the movies covered him,” Rocky said.
“Sorry. Darius was, well, one of our older Immortals. He was a warrior once, and then one day he suddenly gave up war to live in peace. He spent the rest of his life mainly on holy ground, where other Immortals couldn’t kill him. He was a great man who taught many of my kind non-violent ways.”
“Did you ever meet him?” Rocky asked. He could hear the sadness in her voice.
“No. I never left the States until I became Immortal, and he lived in Paris. He died a few months before I died for the first time. Permanently, that is. Bastards killed him because he was Immortal, and because he was an easy target.”
“Who killed him?”
Georgina looked up. “Bigots. Mortals who thought Immortals were out to rule the world and therefore thought we must be destroyed. People who couldn’t see that we were as good and as evil as ordinary folks. Since they weren’t Immortal, our holy ground rule didn’t effect them. They killed him in his own church.”
Rocky got up, ready to console Georgina, who was beginning to cry. “There will always be evil,” he said, wincing inwardly at the trite phrase.
“Yeah. That’s why I’m glad you guys exist. Restores some of the balance,” Georgina said, reaching for a tissue.
“He didn’t fight back at all?” Rocky asked.
“Darius forswore war and violence centuries before either of us was born. He would have loved you guys. None of you can fight much worth of anything. I think he and Adam would have gotten along great.”
“I can fight,” Rocky offered.
“You think you can fight,” Georgina responded. “I could probably beat any of you, and I’m barely trained in fighting. Unless you’re into martial arts or something.”
Rocky smiled. She’d be in for a surprise if she tried tackling him.
“Martial Arts?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Rocky replied.
Georgina whistled. “I won’t take you on, then. Does being a Tomorrow Person affect practicing the martial arts?”
Rocky attempted to figure out that question and failed. Truth be told, he was tired of the incessant questioning. “Not really, and could we quit with all the questions, please. I won’t attack you, you won’t attack me, I just woke up in a strange universe I’m thirsty and I want to figure out how to get home!”
Georgina looked sheepish. “Sorry. I tend to get like this. What do you want to drink? Tea, coffee, water? I might have some soft drinks in the fridge, although I don’t buy them very often.”
“A soft drink is fine,” Rocky said.
Georgina went into another room, presumably a kitchen. Rocky heard the a faucet being run, and a door opening and closing. A minute later, Georgina came back with a glass of water and a can of Pepsi. “As I said, sorry for the barage of questions. It’s just not every day that I get someone from another universe ending up on my couch. And a TP to boot.”
“I can imagine,” Rocky said politely. “I just wish I knew how I got here, and why I’m here.”
“Weird things happen,” Georgina said, plopping down on a chair. “Before I met you guys, I would have never believed that people could teleport. I believed that people could live forever unless they were beheaded, but I never believed you folks could exist.”
“How did I arrive?” Rocky asked. “As far as I remember, I was tired, I went home, I napped, and suddenly I wake up here.”
“One moment you weren’t here, the next you were,” Georgina replied. “No flash of light, no anything. I just looked over at the couch and you were there.”
“Maybe there’s some reason I’m here,” Rocky said. “Like Quantum Leap.”
Georgina laughed. “For some reason I find that hilariously funny.”
“So, how did you get to meet us? You said Adam thought you felt weird.”
“That’s not exactly true,” Georgina said. “It’s the best way he was able to describe it. Not being a telepath myself, I couldn’t comprehend how exactly he felt. But then, I can’t exactly describe what a quickening feels like, either. I can describe certain things, like picking up the experiences of the guy I beheaded, but I can’t describe in words how it feels to have somebody’s energy inside me. I can sometimes feel it, but I can’t tell you how it feels like.”
“Okay, leaving off indescribable experiences,” Rocky said, glad to escape what sounded like a long technical explanation, “how did you meet?”
“Adam was curious about me,” Georgina said, settling back in the chair. “So he took Lisa along to visit. Actually, I understand she was trying to restrain him. They ended up teleporting into a park, only a few feet from me. I followed them to our new apartment, where we all surprised each other.”
“And you befriended him,” Rocky replied, trying to imagine their encounter. Surprised was probably an understatement. “I don’t imagine that Adam would have reacted at all well to the Kurgan or someone like that.”
Georgina shrugged. “Probably not. Actually, I think Adam is capable of befriending anything, but I think he would have had a hard time with one of our more hardened warriors. Actually, I’m surprised he wants to be with me. I’m a murderer and a potential serial killer. I haven’t killed anybody since I met him, but I did kill before.”
Rocky blinked. “So did I. He doesn’t seem to have a problem with me, either.”
“I think he’s more worried about something larger than an insect,” Georgina said, smiling wryly.
“How about giant monsters?” Rocky asked, ticked off with the typical idea that he had no more responsibility than making sure his sisters got to school on time. “I’ve killed plenty of them.”
“Easy, Rocky,” Georgina said, holding her hands up. “I didn’t mean to imply that you’re not able to take care of things. By the way, if you don’t mind me asking one question, where are you from, anyway?”
“Angel Grove. North of Los Angeles.”
Georgina smiled. “I know. I lived there for three months, years back.”
“That’s good. Have you ever heard of the Power Rangers?”
The blank look she gave him was enough to show that she hadn’t. “No. I would guess that they and the monsters don’t exist on this world and we got the Immortals instead. Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”
“The Power Rangers are superheroes that go fight the forces of evil. The bad guys usually send monsters, and the Power Rangers go after them. We’ve had a couple of sets of bad guys so far, but the current threat is a space pirate named Divatox.”
Georgina wrinkled her nose. “Divatox, huh? Can’t do much with that name besides become a baddie. So, you’re a Power Ranger as well? You must be if you’ve killed monsters.”
“Ex-Ranger. I injured my back a month or two before I broke out, and so I got a replacement. He’s doing fine, despite the fact that he’s twelve.”
“So, you’re a martial artist who used to fight monsters and turned into someone who couldn’t kill, while I, a peace-loving scholar, end up having to learn how to fight for my life.”
Rocky smiled at the thought. “Yeah. Opposites. Do you have it any easier than I do?”
“I don’t know,” Georgina said thoughtfully. “If you’re talking about a simple swap of peace vs. war, either of us might have the edge. Humankind does fight easily, but there are many devoted to peace. I certainly didn’t want to be an Immortal. I used to love swashbuckling movies as a kid, but I wasn’t happy to find out my life depended on being able to swashbuckle.”
Rocky tried hard not to laugh at the sudden image of Georgina in a musketeer costume. “I wish I could fight again. I mean, I can spar, but I liked being able to save the Earth from evil aliens.”
“I would like to go back to being a scholar, myself,” Georgina admitted. “I was never adventure-prone.”
“I don’t suppose the no-kill thing excludes monsters.” Rocky said hopefully. “I want to be able to fight if they need me.”
“Well, I’ve been studying your kind for a couple of years now,” Georgina replied, rubbing her chin and then dropping her hand into her lap. “I think that’s about as likely as me getting pregnant. In other words, zilch on our world. Of course, your world may be different from our own and this may not apply to you.”
“Thanks,” Rocky said, feeling a bit sarcastic. “That really helps.”
“Sorry, but that’s the best I can do. I can’t imagine I know everything about you folks on this world. I also don’t know what differences there are in your world that might make any answers I give you wrong for you. I can only tell you what’s right on this world, here.”
“I suppose so,” Rocky conceded. “I just want my life to get back to normal.
“You and me both,” Greer said, smiling sadly. “Although neither of us had a normal background to begin with, even before we became what we are. I imagine being a Ranger was a special thing. I know being a Watcher was. So, what is normal really?”
“I don’t know. What’s a Watcher, anyway?”
“A member of secret society that records the lives of Immortals. I became one when I was seventeen and left twelve years later when I became Immortal. You could say that I never learned to be a normal adult, because I dealt with supernatural things on a daily basis.”
“You were seventeen?” Rocky asked, and then decided to share a bit with her. Maybe it would help her to understand his world and she’d be able to tell him if he could take care of monsters when he got home. “I was fifteen when I became a Ranger.”
“Neither of us is destined to have normal lives, I see,” Georgina said, sounding somewhat morose.
“Hey, you’ve just got to do the best with what you’ve got,” Rocky said, attempting to lighten Georgina’s mood.
“I guess so,” Georgina replied. “It doesn’t make being special any bit easier, though. I may not remember much about what it was like to be normal, but I do miss what passed for normal in my life. Living my life, observing the Immortals I was assigned to, writing reports…”
“Fighting monsters, trying to have a life while doing that and going to high school. Sometimes I forget that I shouldn’t miss that.”
Georgina smiled. “Lives are important things. I didn’t have much of one either as I recall,” she said. She then frowned again. “Rocky, do your friends know about you?”
“Do they know I’m a Tomorrow Person? No, I don’t want them to know. I mean, they know about the Tomorrow People, and they’re okay with the concept, but I’m kind of afraid that they’ll try to avoid me if they find out.”
“Why? I don’t have much contact with my friends because technically anyone who comes in contact with me is breaking the rules, but why would they avoid you?”
“I can’t explain it exactly, but I think they like the concept but are afraid of the reality. I don’t want them to treat me differently because of what I am.”
“If they desert you because you’ve become a Tomorrow Person, then they’re not very good friends, I would think.”
“It’s not like I hang around with them much, anyway,” Rocky said, wanting to defend his friends. “I’ve been uncomfortable with what I’ve become, so I’ve been avoiding them, and besides, I’m afraid that I’d miss going into battle when they do. It would get awkward.”
“You gave up being what you were because you had to,” Greer said gently. “Believe me, it’s not fun in the best of circumstances. I hid what I was for a while, but then I had no choice. The Watchers found out anyway and I had to leave.”
“Oh,” was all that Rocky could think of to say.
Georgina continued on, oblivious to him. “You’ve got to let people know, because otherwise it gets lonely. I remember Lisa talking to me a few times before she cut off ties with the others. She didn’t feel like she fit in. Since I wasn’t a Tomorrow Person but I knew her secret, she felt comfortable talking to me about it.”
“This is different,” Rocky replied. “I don’t think they’ll understand. I’m stuck between the rest of the Tomorrow People, who think violence is awful, and my friends, the Rangers, who think not being able to fight is awful. I don’t really know anyone that’s not in one of those two groups that I could confide in.”
Georgina raised her eyebrows. “Nobody? No girlfriend, boyfriend, whatever? No other close friends?”
“I have a girlfriend,” Rocky said, trying to figure out how to explain things. “But on one end, I swore an oath never to tell anyone I was a Ranger, and on the other end, she’s a friend of Lisa’s, and Lisa doesn’t want her to know about me because she might find out that Lisa is one of us.”
“Lisa is talking to other Tomorrow People? Amazing. Ours just came back, and she isn’t comfortable hanging around other Tomorrow People for very long.”
“Neither is ours,” Rocky answered. “In fact, I do have someone to confide in. Lisa.”
Georgina smiled. “I have my husband on the Watcher end. We were both Watchers once, and so I have someone around who understands my frustrations. People like that are very important.”
“Yeah, I suppose so,” Rocky said, unable to smother a yawn. “Excuse me.”
“You must have jet lag,” Georgina said, getting up. “I’ll find you a pillow and blanket. You can stay here until you get home. If you get home.”
Rocky yawned again. “Anything is possible,” he said. He had no idea why he was so sleepy, but didn’t bother to correct Georgina. He’d have plenty of time to worry about it later.
Georgina returned with the promised pillow and blanket a few minutes later, and Rocky accepted them gratefully. Despite the caffeine, he was rather sleepy. “Thanks,” he said.
She smiled. “You’re welcome,” she replied, sitting down on the chair again. “Just remember, true friends will support you for what you are. That’s the important thing. Don’t wall yourself off. Somebody’s got to understand.”
“Right,” Rocky replied, putting the pillow under his head and drawing the blanket around him.
Rocky woke up and found he was curled up, the covers a mess around him. He’d only been asleep for about an hour. “That was a weird dream,” he said to himself as he yawned and got out of bed. At least he felt better. And his subconscious gave pretty good advice considering, even though he still felt he couldn’t tell the Rangers about his new status.
But there was time for that later.