ClassicComedyFan2
06-27-2002, 10:42 PM
Actually, "Talent Show" was 17 and this was 18, but I though this would be less confusing! :)
“Crypt Course”
Episode 18 of Gopher’s Gateway by Sean Sporman
“Are you sure you know where you are driving?”
“Yes! I’m sure of it!” Ben Matlock, at the steering wheel of Limousine XB-474, yelled back.
“Well,” Dr. Mark Sloan complained, “I don’t think it was wise to call the limo driver a what you called him…”
“Anyways,” Jessica Fletcher interrupted, “Do you know where you are going?” The people in this limo were on their way to the “Neglected Detective Conference” in Birmingham, Alabama. These were either real detectives that were exceptional at their duties or not detectives that helped in numerous murder investigations.
“Yes, I do know where I’m going.” Ben Matlock replied. He himself was a great lawyer from Atlanta, Georgia that had a 99% win rate on his cases. His partners were Michelle Thomas, his assistant and Conrad McMasters, his private investigator. Both were trailing him in another car.
“Well, that’s good to know. I would hate to have to doctor the steering wheel.” Mark Sloan chuckled, a chief surgeon from Los Angeles. He also had two friends with him to the conference, a doctor that he worked with, Amanda Bentley, and his police officer son, Steve Sloan.
“Now, can we stop the bickering? I think I just got a story idea.” Jessica Fletcher, a famous detective novel mystery writer from Cabot Cove, Maine, insisted. Her two friends were Sergeant Amos Tupper and her cousin Grady.
Suddenly, another car attempted to fly into the side of their car as well as the car behind them. “My lord, it’s Richard Bahn.” Jessica Fletcher, Ben Matlock and Mark Sloan all knew him. He had almost killed three people, near where the three lived each. But, thanks to the three, he had been stopped before he could try to kill whom he had unsuccessfully attempted to before. “He’s running us all into an exit!” Matlock exclaimed.
As the limos were forced into the exit, the car that Bahn drove, flew off, just under the speed limit. “What exit did we get forced onto?”
“Exit 119B, something called Hueytown Academy.” Matlock responded to Mark Sloan’s inquiry.
“Keep going.” Jessica Fletcher insisted. “I have a good feeling about this place.”
Teachers Jim Maitland and Kevin Sugarman roamed the halls of Hueytown Academy. They had gotten their jobs only a week ago, thanks to the many new classes in the school. Jim Maitland was in charge of the Star Trek class, a really big fan of all the Star Trek series. Kevin Sugarman taught the lifeguard class at Pool 12 on Fun City, the playground that was bigger than almost every building in the school. However, he had heard Heather Allgood was a lifeguard before her job at the largest school at the nation, and she was better than some of his best students.
But, they both enjoyed the school. Discipline was almost painless thanks to Sporman’s new rules and systems; keeping grades was just as easy thanks to that computer system, called the LCARS. They were heading toward a class that was easily considered a class that students’ thought was just an “easy pass” class, but Sean Sporman had only counted it a ¼ credit. This was the Playground class. Instead of the quiet he was used to, it was noisy with the sound of an argument. “An argument in Hueytown Academy? That’s a rarity.” Sugarman commented.
But, just as the argument started, it stopped.
“Principal’s Log, School Day 9, the tertiaries from Pittman are arriving in two hours. Meanwhile, Meagan Hall and her sister and parents have taken a vacation to the sunny state of Florida for two weeks. So, newest ally June Gabert has been promoted to cover her position during her vacation. Also, as celebrities Britney Spears and Christina Aguliera rest and relax here at Hueytown Academy, superintendents Andy Blackerby and Kay Lindsay are back at the school as well.”
In the control center of Hueytown Academy, better known as OPS, Heather Allgood and Sean Sporman were conducting a routine systems check using the Level 3 LCARS Diagnostic system. “How do the shields check out?” Heather inquired, as she looked at the Master Situation Monitor. Meanwhile, Sean worked hard at the computers performing the diagnostic.
“Functioning normally in all sections.” Replied Sean.
“You know, in my other jobs, people told me what to do. I enjoy being on top of the chain of command. And, while you could tell me what to do, you don’t abuse your power.” Heather walked over to where Sean was.
Sean blushed as she smiled at him. After a few seconds of silence, they almost kissed…
Jordan Reeves entered the room. Sean sighed in annoyance, as did Heather. “Something wrong, Jordan?”
“Nope. Just seeing where you were.” Jordan responded, smiling because he knew what he had interrupted. Sean and Heather shook their heads, annoyed by Jordan’s obvious intrusion.
At Pittman Middle School, a young boy named Bud Gabert was loose in the halls. But, he was not loose by a teacher’s order, or because it was a free day. He was loose because he wanted too. A friend of one of his two older sisters’, called Peyton Freeman had bribed him to turn against his now-good sister and join the fight against Sean Sporman. Two of the Gabert kids had become allies of Sean, Alicia and June. Bud had no intention of doing the same thing that his older sisters did.
There was another thing. His mother had joined the Parental Council of Hueytown Academy, thirty-six parents who had volunteered to help in the school functions. And, his dad continued his daily job.
He was going to help Peyton in a big operation, but it would start out little at first. Peyton behind him, he armed the smoke bomb that he held in his right hand. His target was Mr. Thrash’s room. One could theorize he had been called ‘Chief’ one too many times if one knew Mr. Thrash. So, he placed the stink bomb in the window and then activated his personal cloaker.
The personal cloaker was a Starfleet device that had never made it out of the Research and Development phase. It worked by projecting the user slightly out-of-phase using a subspace modulator. But, there was a reason that it never made it out of the testing phase. Many in fact. One, it could only place the user out-of-phase for five to six minutes at a time before its rechargeable power cell died. Two, sometimes it caused a medical condition, some cells would be killed by too much dilok radiation, emitted by the subspace modulator. So, the Federation scrapped the device. But, Peyton had uncovered the replication plan and replicated two of them, using a replicator stolen from Hueytown Academy.
The stink bomb exploded with a thundering explosion, since Peyton had enhanced it with a nanoounce of antimatter. The door was ripped open and smoke flooded in. Students, screaming prepubescently, ran into the halls. One of them pulled the fire alarm that was on the wall and the fire alarm went off. All the classes began to evacuate. Behind her personal cloaker, Peyton Freeman smiled deviously.
“You think that Meagan has another boyfriend?” Sean Sporman, currently in OPS, asked to his girlfriend and vice principal, Heather Allgood, as the both sat at “camera wall”.
“Yes, she told me, but just look at her personal logs.” Replied Heather, “Computer, access logs for Primary Meagan Hall for Stardate 9911.09 through Stardate 9911.12.”
“Files loaded.” The computer replied. “Playback initated.”
Both Sean and Heather began to watch the screen. “Personal Log, Meagan Hall, Stardate 9911.09, I’m afraid that Sean isn’t the cutie that he was last week. Frank is now my cutie. But, I don’t want to interrupt the operations of Hueytown Academy, so I’ll wait to tell him.”
Sean stopped playback before the next log played. Surprisingly, he was smiling. “I wonder why she didn’t tell me. There would have been no hard feelings.”
“Really?” Heather replied, pleasantly shocked.
“Just like when Rachel Waters informed me she didn’t want to go out with me anymore back in the cool seventh grade, the first thing I said was ‘Can we still be friends?’”
“What an enlightened philosophy.” Heather responded, still smiling.
Jordan Reeves, and his good friend Tiffany Davidson were in the elevator that led up to the Hueytown Maze-Slide, still over fifteen thousand feet tall. “Doing well today?” Tiffany asked to Jordan.
“Just peachy.” Replied Jordan.
“That’s cool.” Tiffany replied, “Have you heard what happened with Ms. Toomey?”
“What’s that?” Jordan inquired, as the elevator continued to gain altitude.
“Well, it’s not anything bad, it’s just that she volunteered to be the new commander of the Enterprise-D’s night watch.”
“Really?” Jordan responded, shocked. “I thought that the Emergency Command Holograms—“
“Well, Ms. Toomey accompanies the holograms sort of like a captain. I’m surprised that you didn’t know, since you are third-in-command…”
“I might as well be a janitor. Sure, Sean tells me some things, but lately, he’s talked to Heather, Britney Spears and her friend and even our newest ally June more than me. He’s girl-crazy.” Jordan responded, obviously flustered, as the elevator continued to rise toward its destination.
“I never thought I would ride in a monorail.” Amanda Bentley, a friend of Mark Sloan and co-worker commented as everyone from the two limos began to step out of the monorail.
“Quite an interesting experience.” Jessica Fletcher commented.
“Agreed.” Mark Sloan added.
“Now, let’s go see what this Hueytown Academy is all about.” Amos Tupper said, as all of the passengers from the two limousines began to enter the school. The first thing they saw a dead, limp body. “My lord.” Michelle Thomas blurted.
“Well,” Proclaimed Jessica Fletcher, “It seems we’ve stumbled on yet another mystery.”
“Can you get it to work?” Michelle Thomas asked to her friend, Private Investigator Conrad McMasters. Each of them had been trying to get the LCARS panel to work for the past two minutes.
“I’ve worked with computers,” McMasters replied, “But none built into a gosh forsaken wall!”
Suddenly, a friendly face appeared on the small LCARS screen. “This is June Gabert, fourth-in-command of Hueytown Academy, may I help you?”
The group of adults looked at each other, amused and baffled at the same time.
“You say he is dead?” Sean Sporman, now in the Monorail Station that the “Neglected Detectives” had arrived in, inquired.
“Yes. We were about to come in and the first thing we saw was a dead body.” Ben Matlock stated matter-of-factly.
“It’s almost spooky,” Jessica Fletcher, replied, “It seems that everywhere I go, someone gets killed.” The comment hung in the air until the silence was broken.
“Who is he?” asked Mark Sloan.
“He’s Lenny Markim, just transferred from a teaching job at Oak Grove High today. After a tornado destroyed it April 8th of last year, the construction was taking too long, he said, so he came here.” Superintendent Andy Blackerby replied.
“True.” Agreed Assistant Superintendent Kay Lindsay.
“Which class did he teach?” inquired Ben Matlock. Meanwhile, Jessica Fletcher scoured around the dead body. Her eyes lit up when she saw a brass button. She picked it up unbeknownst to the others.
“He was going to teach the 1/4th credit class, Playground 1.”
“Playground class?” Mark Sloan stammered.
“Yes.” Sean responded in reply. “So…”
“Me and Amanda should examine the body.” Mark Sloan suggested.
“You can collaborate with our school doctor in our Sick Bay.” Replied Sporman.
“Sick Bay?” Bentley replied, “This should be interesting.”
“Amos and I should pull some strings with the police and get some background on this Lenny Markim.” Steve Sloan added.
“And,” Michelle Thomas suggested, “Me and Conrad will ask around the community.”
“Finally,” Jessica Fletcher said, “Me, Grady and Ben Matlock here will scour for clues and talk to the teachers.”
“Then it’s settled. Let’s go.” The adults spread out, including Lindsay and Blackerby, leaving Sean Sporman alone in Monorail Station. Suddenly, he remembered about the Pittman Tertiaries. He didn’t want them exposed to this kind of stuff. So, he should go and tell them not to come just yet.
He also wanted somebody to accompany him. Jordan was in the Slide, Heather was happily eating Lunch, Lucy had left school to take care of some business and Meagan was on vacation, so… He tapped his Starfleet combadge. “Sporman to June.”
“June here.”
“I need your help on a mission…”
Their first deed done, Peyton Freeman and Bud Gabert prepared for their next act of destruction.
This time, they planned to give a prank announcement. Thankfully, for those two, Bud’s voice could be manipulated to sound like Mr. Redcross with the help of a Starfleet Voice Synthesizer.
Personal cloakers engaged, the two in the office walked passed Mrs. Swanson and the rehired Mrs. Swiney. “This is going to be great.” Peyton said as the entered the Vault.
They slowly closed the door and decloaked. “Alright, go.” Peyton said and Bud picked up the PA. He activated the voice synthesizer and began. “Good day, Pittman family. For being so good, go out to the field and play your hearts out!”
The two swore they could hear the footsteps of stampeding adolescents even in the Vault.
In the Federation Proto-Council Headquarters, Commander Data, a Soong Android, operated the controls. On one of the many LCARS panels, an indicator went off. This particular indicator meant an incoming comm transmission from the orbiting USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-E.
Data tapped the button beside the indicator, allowing the transmission to come in. “Data here, sir.”
“Captain Picard here. We’ve just received a disturbing report from Sean at Hueytown Academy. A new teacher has been found murdered at Monorail Station 1.”
“Fascinating.” Data replied, his emotion chip offline, “Do they require assistance?”
“No.” replied Picard; “They’ve already gotten some of the nations best detectives on the job. But, I do want you to keep a cautious eye out for trouble.”
“How would removing a video receptor help me watch for trouble?” Data replied innocently. Picard smiled.
“Never mind, just watch out for trouble then.”
“Understood, sir. Data out.” The screen quickly showed the great Federation of Planets insignia once more.
Jessica Fletcher stopped at Mrs. Stuckey’s room. Mrs. Stuckey was an English teacher of the ninth, eleventh and twelfth grade. She was also quite new to the school, having just joined when the school was completed. She tapped on the LCARS panel and heard the chime that had replaced knocking. Slightly, it worried her.
Then, Mrs. Stuckey walked to the door and it slid open. Curious students all looked toward the door. “May I help you?” Mrs. Stuckey asked politely.
“I’m Jessica Fletcher, investigating the…well, you have heard.”
Mrs. Stuckey nodded.
“Have you seen Mr. Markim today?”
“Not today, I’m afraid.”
“Well, thank you for your time.” With that, Mrs. Stuckey stepped back and the doors slid shut.
Ben Matlock, in the great multi-restaurant Cafeteria of Hueytown Academy, chowed down on a hot dog while he worked on his investigation. He noticed Mrs. Barnes, a sub and mother to student John Barnes, at a vacant table. “May I join you?” He asked.
Mrs. Barnes smiled. “Of course. What can I do for you?”
“First, let me say that this food is great here.” Ben Matlock said.
“Of course.” Mrs. Barnes replied, “Everyone likes it.”
“You have heard of the—Markim right?”
Mrs. Barnes nodded, smile gone. “Yes, we have. I can’t believe it.”
“Anyway, I was wondering if you saw him earlier today?” Matlock took another bite out of his hot dog.
“No, I haven’t.” she replied.
“Well, thank you then.”
Hueytown Academy’s Sick Bay surpassed even the most fancy of school Nurse’s Rooms. Neither Pittman Middle School nor Hueytown High School had one, for reasons Sean Sporman did not understand. By Heather Allgood’s suggestion, it was manned by the Mark I Emergency Medical Hologram, who did not have a name.
“I’m a doctor, not a private investigator.” The Emergency Medical Hologram had responded to Mark Sloan’s request to help solve a murder in a literal sense.
“Ok,” Sighed Mark Sloan, “Let me put this another way, I’m a doctor, and we need your help in examining the dead body.”
“Ok, I’ll get the medical tricorder.” The hologram replied.
“Tricorder?” Amanda Bentley inquired.
“A multi-function scanning device with audio-visual output.” The hologram responded with a smile.
“Oh, yeah, I heard about that thing. Out of prototype stages at NASA, is it?” Bentley asked.
The hologram stifled a laugh.
“Now, let’s take a look at Markim.” Sloan ordered.
Back at Pittman Middle School, all of the students had rushed outside thanks to Peyton’s trick. She took full credit now, as she had beamed Bud down with the other students for whining too much. Now, it was onto phase three of her plan.
A modified vessel constructed by the replicator originally stolen by June, it had three decks and could hypothetically seat forty. It had no warp-speed drive, yet it was equipped with impulse drive as well as thrusters. Armament consisted of four Type VIII phaser banks, one photon torpedo launcher and antimatter flares as short-range emergency weaponry. Hopefully, they could destroy Pittman before Sean interfered.
But, that had caused an interesting possibility. The new allies, Amanda Epperson of the ninth grade and Po Gey Smith had suggested the blow would crush the morale of Hueytown.
But, Peyton knew better. She knew that if Pittman was indeed destroyed that Mr. Redcross and staff would request a new school to Mr. Blackerby, whom in turn would enlist Sporman’s assistance and yet another new school would be created, resulting in an expansion of Sean Sporman’s power.
“It’s now or never, Peyton.” Amanda Epperson proclaimed, on the bridge of the still unnamed spaceship that was currently in the atmosphere.
“Well, let’s think about—“ Peyton was cut short by an alarm.
“Amanda, what is it?” Smith asked.
“Sean and June are approaching in one of their armed ground vehicles.”
“What kind of vehicle?” Peyton inquired.
“Luxbus—Mark III.” Replied Amanda.
“That one is a spaceship/atmospheric/ground hybrid based on the Danube-class runabout.” Peyton realized.
“They are now hailing us.” Amanda stated.
“We are being hailed on a frequency of 47.38 Megahertz.” June Gabert said, temporarily in the first officer’s seat of the Hueytown Academy Luxbus Allgood.
“47.38…” Sean’s voice trailed off, knowing something about that frequency he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
“Open the frequency.” Sean ordered. As soon as June pressed the button, the console exploded violently, raining sparks down on the two. June was knocked unconscious by the explosion.
Sean knew it was wise to install an Emergency Medical Hologram in every vehicle related to Hueytown Academy. “Computer, activate Emergency Medical Holographic program.”
“Please state the nature of the medical emergency.” Thankfully, the holographic systems were undamaged.
“She was hurt by a tachyon wave frequency explosion.” Sean stated.
“I’m right on it.” The EMH instantly set to work.
“Well, look at that!” Peyton Freeman laughed diabolically as she glanced at the sensor readouts of the now-damaged Allgood. “Vulnerable as a young puppy. Amanda, lock phasers.”
“Phaser locked.” Amanda replied.
“Fire!” Peyton yelled, and the battle had begun.
As the phased energy beam shook the Allgood, June awoke from unconsciousness.
“Shields at 89%.” The computer warned. Sean and June struggled back into the cockpit as the inertial dampers strained to compensate.
“June, take tactical. I’ll get us into flight mode.” Sean readied his controls. “Computer, code 13, tactical alert and initiate flight mode.”
After returning to the school, Steve Sloan had been told that the man who had been killed was actually…a hologram.
Now, it was to find out who could have done it. He gathered with the others in OPS.
“We have determined that it was indeed a holographic fake with false sensor readings. The question is,” Lucy Camden continued, her business now taken care of, “Who created him?”
Suddenly, the Red Alert alarm sounded an intruder alert.
Heather Allgood, in command now, took her seat in the command chair. “Lucy, arm these people with type one phasers. I’ll try to contact Sean. Good luck.”
The vehicle Allgood was now in the air, its weapons fully armed. “Can you get through to the Enterprise?” Sean yelled over the hiss of leaking plasma.
“Yes! What should I tell them?” June inquired, as she used her other hand to repair the leak.
“We need all the shuttles now!”
“Understood! Signal sent!”
“Now, evasive maneuvers, Sporman-five!”
Ms. Toomey, in command of the Day Watch aboard the USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-D, a Galaxy-class Starfleet vessel given to Sean and his friends by Starfleet Captain Jean-Luc Picard. The Enterprise-E was currently back in its future time, giving its first report to Starfleet Command.
“We’re receiving an emergency transmission from the Sporman, they are under attack and need us to launch the shuttles.” Tiffany Davidson reported from Tactical.
“Understood. We’ll launch all shuttles.” Ms. Toomey replied, “Now, let us get down to the shuttle bays.” As the crew exited the bridge, Ms. Toomey was the last left. “Computer, activate ECH.”
She smiled as the spitting image of the Emergency Medical Hologram appeared, but in red and materializing pips. “ECH,” Toomey began, “I want you to go to red alert and stand by.”
The ECH smiled broadly. “Yes, Ma’am.” Mrs. Toomey then stepped into the turbolift, the doors sliding shut.
Amanda Epperson, phaser compression rifle in hand, gleefully fired her phaser at an LCARS panel, which exploded in a shower of sparks.
“Well, now, this is fun. But, I need to get to OPS to blow it up.”
Suddenly, out of the corner emerged Lucy Camden, type-1 phaser in hand, and fired at the intruder.
But, Amanda Epperson ducked and fired back on heavy stun, knocking Lucy unconscious on the floor. She proceeded on her mission.
In OPS, Heather Allgood monitored the situation. In OPS, Jordan Reeves and Rachel Waters were also at their stations. “Lucy has been stunned.” Rachel reported.
“She’s in section 5B.” Jordan reported.
“On the fifth floor.” Heather reported. “Send groups three and four to intercept at 6A. Maybe they can stop her.”
In the Main shuttle bay of the Enterprise, all six shuttles were prepped and ready for launch. Ms. Toomey and Ben Smith were in the leader shuttle, the Huygens. “Ben, do the report sweep.” Ms. Toomey ordered.
“All wings, report in.” Ben piped over the comm system.
“Jessica Ward and Sean Two in Shuttle Cassini.”
“Lacey Sullivan and Allen Johnston in Shuttle Copernicus.”
“Cathy Frederick and Liz Larson in Shuttle Cochrane.”
“Stacie Tucker and Mr. Morrison in Shuttle Hawking.”
“Meagan Harris and Jacob Allison in Shuttle Kirk.”
“And Meagan Hall in Shuttle Alpha.”
“Meagan?” Ben Smith reacted in surprise. “I thought you dumped Sean and were on vacation.”
“What? Dump cutie? I don’t think so. I was just making sure he would react like Heather said he would.”
“You know that Sean and Heather almost kissed right? Jordan interrupted them.”
“Hmm…” Meagan Hall realized. “Now, let’s go kick some Inbiot fanny.” Cheers erupted over the intercom as the shuttles launched, heading down to the third planet in the solar system, Earth.
“Peyton!” Ally Susan Enbasil, exclaimed, having been rescued from Hueytown Juvenile. “I’ve got incoming, six shuttles at atmospheric attack speed!”
“On screen.” Peyton turned to see six Federation shuttles approaching at high impulse speeds, weapons obviously armed and trained on her.
“We are being hailed by the lead shuttle, the Huygens.”
“On screen.”
“This is Leslie Toomey of Hueytown Academy. Please cease this act of violence at once.”
“I have a policy,” Peyton replied, “Never do what a teacher says.”
Suddenly, Peyton’s vessel was rocked by six phaser blasts.
“Shields at 47%!” Enbasil screamed.
“Return fire. Use the photon torpedoes!”
In the shuttle Copernicus, Lacey and Allen visibly shuddered as glistening red photon torpedo flew within only meters of hitting them. “That was close.” Allen sighed.
“Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen again.” Responded Lacey.
“Gladly.” Allen smiled, his finger on the weapons control.
“Our shields are down!” Susan Enbasil screamed as an EPS conduit exploded above her head, knocking her out.
Peyton frowned as her armchair console, which was amazingly still working, indicated a hail from the vessel Allgood, which June and Sean were currently in. She tapped the button, which allowed the hail to get through.
“This is Sean Sporman. Your shield generators are offline. Please surrender at once.”
Peyton smiled and shook her head. “Not today.”
“What’s happening?” June asked to Sean, in the cockpit of the vehicle, Allgood.
“She’s cloaking! She must have salvaged a cloaking device from one of the Klingon Birds of Prey we destroyed…or it might have been you.”
June smiled innocently, and then noticed something blinking on her console. “We’re receiving a Priority I signal from Hueytown Academy. Amanda is loose in the school!” June responded.
“Relay this signal to the other shuttles.” Sean said, “Take us back to Hueytown Academy and thank you for not responding to that hail with, ‘You go, girl!’” June laughed as the vehicle turned.
Mark Sloan, Amanda Bentley, Ben Matlock and Jessica Fletcher stooped behind an LCARS extension panel, Type-1 phasers armed and ready.
“My first ray gun.” Bentley commented.
“Just press the large button, Sean said.” Mark Sloan commented. “And, don’t worry about your Hippocratic oath. It’s only stun and this is an emergency!”
“That’s good to know.” Jessica Fletcher said, as the turbolift in front of them opened.
Amanda Epperson, whose appellation of “Eppy” had stuck, fired first, leaving a scorch mark on the back of the panel the “neglected detectives” hid behind. Ben Matlock raised and fired, but missed by only a meter.
Amanda fired once more, stunning Jessica Fletcher. Mark Sloan turned to check her health, and was stunned also. Amanda Epperson raised her phaser and Matlock and Bentley raised their hands, letting their phasers fall to the floor as Amanda directed them to the nearest room. She shoved them into the run and as soon as the doors slid shut, she locked them in. “Well, that was easy.”
Sean Sporman had beamed into OPS while June operated the vehicle Allgood and landed it.
“What’s the situation, Heather?” asked Sean, stepping quickly the Master Situation Monitor.
“It seems—“
“Duck!” Sean yelled, in reaction to something he saw on the monitor. The turbolift doors on one side of OPS exploded; sending huge pieces of metal and debris across the once perfectly clean OPS. Thankfully, Sean and Heather were under the master situation monitor, avoiding injury.
But, before they could react, Amanda Epperson placed a device onto an LCARS panel and twisted a knob. The freshman and former friend of June Gabert smiled as she exited the room. Sean and Heather both heard her beam out to safety.
Then, the computer warned for something that both Sean and Heather feared. “Warning, successive EPS overload to begin in five seconds, and repeating every five seconds.”
Heather and Sean activated their personal shields and prepared for the first explosion.
Monitor one on the well-known ‘Camera Wall’ exploded, sending glass, isolinear circuitry and sparks flying. The lights in the room and other monitors flickered from the circuit interruption. Both of them saw on the wall Systems Status Display, the damaged areas blinking red. Apparently, other sections were exploding as well. Sean only wished that he could get Heather away from danger and also to help the rest of the school.
Mrs. Ware, in the new Art Room of Hueytown Academy ducked as her LCARS Teachboard exploded violently. Thankfully, she was in another part of the room at the time. Just seconds too late, the automated evacuation alarm blared over the speakers and blinked on every operational LCARS panel and desk. Students were jumping out of windows and running wildly out of the doors in a sea of chaotic panic. But, she saw the students were actually running into the Playground and not away from school. So, she stepped on the transporter pad by what was left of desk and beamed herself onto the Enterprise-D, the safety in orbit.
Transporters aboard the Enterprise-D were running at their limit. Just seconds ago, the shuttlecraft had docked, and the evacuation alert had sounded. Now, hundreds of teachers, students and holograms were being beamed up at an astounding rate. Mrs. Toomey along with Andy Blackerby and Jordan Reeves headed this effort. Meagan Hall was close behind, while Lucy Camden lie recuperating in the Sick Bay, under the care of the Emergency Medical Hologram.
On the bridge, where this operation was being controlled, everything was, thankfully, falling into place. Half of the school population had been beamed up and the other half were in the safety of the Sporman-Allgood Maze-Slide, that was so well known by the students. Only Principal Sean Sporman and Vice Principal Heather Allgood remained unaccounted for.
Temporarily in the role of Captain of the Enterprise, Jordan Reeves sat in the main chair. “Have you found Sean and Heather yet?”
“No.” replied Meagan Hall from Science I, “There is a ton of EPS interference around OPS! I can’t punch through it.”
“Mr. Blackerby, any report on the Enterprise-E’s position?”
For a second, he did not respond. But, when a smile formed on his face, Jordan Reeves assumed the best. To his delight, he turned on the viewscreen and the Sovereign-class starship flew into Earth orbit. “They respond that they have cut thru the interference and Sean and Heather are shook up and disheveled, but are on board! They are now beaming them directly onto our bridge!”
Two swirling masses of blue coalesced into Sean Sporman and Heather Allgood on the bridge of the Enterprise-D. Jordan stood up as well as Ben Smith and Sean sat in the center chair, Heather in the chair beside him. “We have to shut down that program. Lock phasers on OPS.” Sean said.
“What!?” Andy Blackerby responded. “That will destroy half of the OPS building.”
“There won’t be anything left if we don’t fire now. Do it!” In space, a red beam lanced out from the Enterprise-D, piercing through all of the layers of Earth’s atmosphere and coming into contact with the top of OPS. It instantly penetrated the titanium and in a brilliant explosion, it was finished. The detonation program was stopped, but at what price?
Hueytown Academy was the pride of not only Sean Sporman, but also his friends and the entire Jefferson County School System. Twice, the school was nearly destroyed, but in a note of irony, June’s acts had not nearly caused the level of destruction that Peyton Freeman, Erin Wesson and Amanda Epperson had wrought. Perhaps, that was why June had turned to the side of good. Sean and his friends had laughed at the idea.
But, now, the school was a wreck. The OPS building, taking the brunt of the damage, would take weeks to rebuild, even with the assistance of the crew of the Enterprise-E. Other buildings had almost all taken damage, except the Recreation Rooms, Gym, and Lunchroom. Days more of repair, and weeks of enhancement. But, the students still wanted to come back. Sean and Blackerby reached a compromise. A second phase of the Hueytown Olympics would be held while the school was being repaired, until it could be reopened.
As for the threat of further destruction, it was still there. Peyton and Amanda were nowhere to be found and Hueytown Juvenile reported almost 75% of its prisoners had escaped somehow. Everyone knew who was behind it.
But, the staff of Hueytown Academy was optimists, especially Sean Sporman and Heather Allgood. The project would continue…
On the next exciting episode:
The new Hueytown Olympics…a new enemy or the same old, same old? Find out next time on Gopher’s Gateway!!!
“Crypt Course”
Episode 18 of Gopher’s Gateway by Sean Sporman
“Are you sure you know where you are driving?”
“Yes! I’m sure of it!” Ben Matlock, at the steering wheel of Limousine XB-474, yelled back.
“Well,” Dr. Mark Sloan complained, “I don’t think it was wise to call the limo driver a what you called him…”
“Anyways,” Jessica Fletcher interrupted, “Do you know where you are going?” The people in this limo were on their way to the “Neglected Detective Conference” in Birmingham, Alabama. These were either real detectives that were exceptional at their duties or not detectives that helped in numerous murder investigations.
“Yes, I do know where I’m going.” Ben Matlock replied. He himself was a great lawyer from Atlanta, Georgia that had a 99% win rate on his cases. His partners were Michelle Thomas, his assistant and Conrad McMasters, his private investigator. Both were trailing him in another car.
“Well, that’s good to know. I would hate to have to doctor the steering wheel.” Mark Sloan chuckled, a chief surgeon from Los Angeles. He also had two friends with him to the conference, a doctor that he worked with, Amanda Bentley, and his police officer son, Steve Sloan.
“Now, can we stop the bickering? I think I just got a story idea.” Jessica Fletcher, a famous detective novel mystery writer from Cabot Cove, Maine, insisted. Her two friends were Sergeant Amos Tupper and her cousin Grady.
Suddenly, another car attempted to fly into the side of their car as well as the car behind them. “My lord, it’s Richard Bahn.” Jessica Fletcher, Ben Matlock and Mark Sloan all knew him. He had almost killed three people, near where the three lived each. But, thanks to the three, he had been stopped before he could try to kill whom he had unsuccessfully attempted to before. “He’s running us all into an exit!” Matlock exclaimed.
As the limos were forced into the exit, the car that Bahn drove, flew off, just under the speed limit. “What exit did we get forced onto?”
“Exit 119B, something called Hueytown Academy.” Matlock responded to Mark Sloan’s inquiry.
“Keep going.” Jessica Fletcher insisted. “I have a good feeling about this place.”
Teachers Jim Maitland and Kevin Sugarman roamed the halls of Hueytown Academy. They had gotten their jobs only a week ago, thanks to the many new classes in the school. Jim Maitland was in charge of the Star Trek class, a really big fan of all the Star Trek series. Kevin Sugarman taught the lifeguard class at Pool 12 on Fun City, the playground that was bigger than almost every building in the school. However, he had heard Heather Allgood was a lifeguard before her job at the largest school at the nation, and she was better than some of his best students.
But, they both enjoyed the school. Discipline was almost painless thanks to Sporman’s new rules and systems; keeping grades was just as easy thanks to that computer system, called the LCARS. They were heading toward a class that was easily considered a class that students’ thought was just an “easy pass” class, but Sean Sporman had only counted it a ¼ credit. This was the Playground class. Instead of the quiet he was used to, it was noisy with the sound of an argument. “An argument in Hueytown Academy? That’s a rarity.” Sugarman commented.
But, just as the argument started, it stopped.
“Principal’s Log, School Day 9, the tertiaries from Pittman are arriving in two hours. Meanwhile, Meagan Hall and her sister and parents have taken a vacation to the sunny state of Florida for two weeks. So, newest ally June Gabert has been promoted to cover her position during her vacation. Also, as celebrities Britney Spears and Christina Aguliera rest and relax here at Hueytown Academy, superintendents Andy Blackerby and Kay Lindsay are back at the school as well.”
In the control center of Hueytown Academy, better known as OPS, Heather Allgood and Sean Sporman were conducting a routine systems check using the Level 3 LCARS Diagnostic system. “How do the shields check out?” Heather inquired, as she looked at the Master Situation Monitor. Meanwhile, Sean worked hard at the computers performing the diagnostic.
“Functioning normally in all sections.” Replied Sean.
“You know, in my other jobs, people told me what to do. I enjoy being on top of the chain of command. And, while you could tell me what to do, you don’t abuse your power.” Heather walked over to where Sean was.
Sean blushed as she smiled at him. After a few seconds of silence, they almost kissed…
Jordan Reeves entered the room. Sean sighed in annoyance, as did Heather. “Something wrong, Jordan?”
“Nope. Just seeing where you were.” Jordan responded, smiling because he knew what he had interrupted. Sean and Heather shook their heads, annoyed by Jordan’s obvious intrusion.
At Pittman Middle School, a young boy named Bud Gabert was loose in the halls. But, he was not loose by a teacher’s order, or because it was a free day. He was loose because he wanted too. A friend of one of his two older sisters’, called Peyton Freeman had bribed him to turn against his now-good sister and join the fight against Sean Sporman. Two of the Gabert kids had become allies of Sean, Alicia and June. Bud had no intention of doing the same thing that his older sisters did.
There was another thing. His mother had joined the Parental Council of Hueytown Academy, thirty-six parents who had volunteered to help in the school functions. And, his dad continued his daily job.
He was going to help Peyton in a big operation, but it would start out little at first. Peyton behind him, he armed the smoke bomb that he held in his right hand. His target was Mr. Thrash’s room. One could theorize he had been called ‘Chief’ one too many times if one knew Mr. Thrash. So, he placed the stink bomb in the window and then activated his personal cloaker.
The personal cloaker was a Starfleet device that had never made it out of the Research and Development phase. It worked by projecting the user slightly out-of-phase using a subspace modulator. But, there was a reason that it never made it out of the testing phase. Many in fact. One, it could only place the user out-of-phase for five to six minutes at a time before its rechargeable power cell died. Two, sometimes it caused a medical condition, some cells would be killed by too much dilok radiation, emitted by the subspace modulator. So, the Federation scrapped the device. But, Peyton had uncovered the replication plan and replicated two of them, using a replicator stolen from Hueytown Academy.
The stink bomb exploded with a thundering explosion, since Peyton had enhanced it with a nanoounce of antimatter. The door was ripped open and smoke flooded in. Students, screaming prepubescently, ran into the halls. One of them pulled the fire alarm that was on the wall and the fire alarm went off. All the classes began to evacuate. Behind her personal cloaker, Peyton Freeman smiled deviously.
“You think that Meagan has another boyfriend?” Sean Sporman, currently in OPS, asked to his girlfriend and vice principal, Heather Allgood, as the both sat at “camera wall”.
“Yes, she told me, but just look at her personal logs.” Replied Heather, “Computer, access logs for Primary Meagan Hall for Stardate 9911.09 through Stardate 9911.12.”
“Files loaded.” The computer replied. “Playback initated.”
Both Sean and Heather began to watch the screen. “Personal Log, Meagan Hall, Stardate 9911.09, I’m afraid that Sean isn’t the cutie that he was last week. Frank is now my cutie. But, I don’t want to interrupt the operations of Hueytown Academy, so I’ll wait to tell him.”
Sean stopped playback before the next log played. Surprisingly, he was smiling. “I wonder why she didn’t tell me. There would have been no hard feelings.”
“Really?” Heather replied, pleasantly shocked.
“Just like when Rachel Waters informed me she didn’t want to go out with me anymore back in the cool seventh grade, the first thing I said was ‘Can we still be friends?’”
“What an enlightened philosophy.” Heather responded, still smiling.
Jordan Reeves, and his good friend Tiffany Davidson were in the elevator that led up to the Hueytown Maze-Slide, still over fifteen thousand feet tall. “Doing well today?” Tiffany asked to Jordan.
“Just peachy.” Replied Jordan.
“That’s cool.” Tiffany replied, “Have you heard what happened with Ms. Toomey?”
“What’s that?” Jordan inquired, as the elevator continued to gain altitude.
“Well, it’s not anything bad, it’s just that she volunteered to be the new commander of the Enterprise-D’s night watch.”
“Really?” Jordan responded, shocked. “I thought that the Emergency Command Holograms—“
“Well, Ms. Toomey accompanies the holograms sort of like a captain. I’m surprised that you didn’t know, since you are third-in-command…”
“I might as well be a janitor. Sure, Sean tells me some things, but lately, he’s talked to Heather, Britney Spears and her friend and even our newest ally June more than me. He’s girl-crazy.” Jordan responded, obviously flustered, as the elevator continued to rise toward its destination.
“I never thought I would ride in a monorail.” Amanda Bentley, a friend of Mark Sloan and co-worker commented as everyone from the two limos began to step out of the monorail.
“Quite an interesting experience.” Jessica Fletcher commented.
“Agreed.” Mark Sloan added.
“Now, let’s go see what this Hueytown Academy is all about.” Amos Tupper said, as all of the passengers from the two limousines began to enter the school. The first thing they saw a dead, limp body. “My lord.” Michelle Thomas blurted.
“Well,” Proclaimed Jessica Fletcher, “It seems we’ve stumbled on yet another mystery.”
“Can you get it to work?” Michelle Thomas asked to her friend, Private Investigator Conrad McMasters. Each of them had been trying to get the LCARS panel to work for the past two minutes.
“I’ve worked with computers,” McMasters replied, “But none built into a gosh forsaken wall!”
Suddenly, a friendly face appeared on the small LCARS screen. “This is June Gabert, fourth-in-command of Hueytown Academy, may I help you?”
The group of adults looked at each other, amused and baffled at the same time.
“You say he is dead?” Sean Sporman, now in the Monorail Station that the “Neglected Detectives” had arrived in, inquired.
“Yes. We were about to come in and the first thing we saw was a dead body.” Ben Matlock stated matter-of-factly.
“It’s almost spooky,” Jessica Fletcher, replied, “It seems that everywhere I go, someone gets killed.” The comment hung in the air until the silence was broken.
“Who is he?” asked Mark Sloan.
“He’s Lenny Markim, just transferred from a teaching job at Oak Grove High today. After a tornado destroyed it April 8th of last year, the construction was taking too long, he said, so he came here.” Superintendent Andy Blackerby replied.
“True.” Agreed Assistant Superintendent Kay Lindsay.
“Which class did he teach?” inquired Ben Matlock. Meanwhile, Jessica Fletcher scoured around the dead body. Her eyes lit up when she saw a brass button. She picked it up unbeknownst to the others.
“He was going to teach the 1/4th credit class, Playground 1.”
“Playground class?” Mark Sloan stammered.
“Yes.” Sean responded in reply. “So…”
“Me and Amanda should examine the body.” Mark Sloan suggested.
“You can collaborate with our school doctor in our Sick Bay.” Replied Sporman.
“Sick Bay?” Bentley replied, “This should be interesting.”
“Amos and I should pull some strings with the police and get some background on this Lenny Markim.” Steve Sloan added.
“And,” Michelle Thomas suggested, “Me and Conrad will ask around the community.”
“Finally,” Jessica Fletcher said, “Me, Grady and Ben Matlock here will scour for clues and talk to the teachers.”
“Then it’s settled. Let’s go.” The adults spread out, including Lindsay and Blackerby, leaving Sean Sporman alone in Monorail Station. Suddenly, he remembered about the Pittman Tertiaries. He didn’t want them exposed to this kind of stuff. So, he should go and tell them not to come just yet.
He also wanted somebody to accompany him. Jordan was in the Slide, Heather was happily eating Lunch, Lucy had left school to take care of some business and Meagan was on vacation, so… He tapped his Starfleet combadge. “Sporman to June.”
“June here.”
“I need your help on a mission…”
Their first deed done, Peyton Freeman and Bud Gabert prepared for their next act of destruction.
This time, they planned to give a prank announcement. Thankfully, for those two, Bud’s voice could be manipulated to sound like Mr. Redcross with the help of a Starfleet Voice Synthesizer.
Personal cloakers engaged, the two in the office walked passed Mrs. Swanson and the rehired Mrs. Swiney. “This is going to be great.” Peyton said as the entered the Vault.
They slowly closed the door and decloaked. “Alright, go.” Peyton said and Bud picked up the PA. He activated the voice synthesizer and began. “Good day, Pittman family. For being so good, go out to the field and play your hearts out!”
The two swore they could hear the footsteps of stampeding adolescents even in the Vault.
In the Federation Proto-Council Headquarters, Commander Data, a Soong Android, operated the controls. On one of the many LCARS panels, an indicator went off. This particular indicator meant an incoming comm transmission from the orbiting USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-E.
Data tapped the button beside the indicator, allowing the transmission to come in. “Data here, sir.”
“Captain Picard here. We’ve just received a disturbing report from Sean at Hueytown Academy. A new teacher has been found murdered at Monorail Station 1.”
“Fascinating.” Data replied, his emotion chip offline, “Do they require assistance?”
“No.” replied Picard; “They’ve already gotten some of the nations best detectives on the job. But, I do want you to keep a cautious eye out for trouble.”
“How would removing a video receptor help me watch for trouble?” Data replied innocently. Picard smiled.
“Never mind, just watch out for trouble then.”
“Understood, sir. Data out.” The screen quickly showed the great Federation of Planets insignia once more.
Jessica Fletcher stopped at Mrs. Stuckey’s room. Mrs. Stuckey was an English teacher of the ninth, eleventh and twelfth grade. She was also quite new to the school, having just joined when the school was completed. She tapped on the LCARS panel and heard the chime that had replaced knocking. Slightly, it worried her.
Then, Mrs. Stuckey walked to the door and it slid open. Curious students all looked toward the door. “May I help you?” Mrs. Stuckey asked politely.
“I’m Jessica Fletcher, investigating the…well, you have heard.”
Mrs. Stuckey nodded.
“Have you seen Mr. Markim today?”
“Not today, I’m afraid.”
“Well, thank you for your time.” With that, Mrs. Stuckey stepped back and the doors slid shut.
Ben Matlock, in the great multi-restaurant Cafeteria of Hueytown Academy, chowed down on a hot dog while he worked on his investigation. He noticed Mrs. Barnes, a sub and mother to student John Barnes, at a vacant table. “May I join you?” He asked.
Mrs. Barnes smiled. “Of course. What can I do for you?”
“First, let me say that this food is great here.” Ben Matlock said.
“Of course.” Mrs. Barnes replied, “Everyone likes it.”
“You have heard of the—Markim right?”
Mrs. Barnes nodded, smile gone. “Yes, we have. I can’t believe it.”
“Anyway, I was wondering if you saw him earlier today?” Matlock took another bite out of his hot dog.
“No, I haven’t.” she replied.
“Well, thank you then.”
Hueytown Academy’s Sick Bay surpassed even the most fancy of school Nurse’s Rooms. Neither Pittman Middle School nor Hueytown High School had one, for reasons Sean Sporman did not understand. By Heather Allgood’s suggestion, it was manned by the Mark I Emergency Medical Hologram, who did not have a name.
“I’m a doctor, not a private investigator.” The Emergency Medical Hologram had responded to Mark Sloan’s request to help solve a murder in a literal sense.
“Ok,” Sighed Mark Sloan, “Let me put this another way, I’m a doctor, and we need your help in examining the dead body.”
“Ok, I’ll get the medical tricorder.” The hologram replied.
“Tricorder?” Amanda Bentley inquired.
“A multi-function scanning device with audio-visual output.” The hologram responded with a smile.
“Oh, yeah, I heard about that thing. Out of prototype stages at NASA, is it?” Bentley asked.
The hologram stifled a laugh.
“Now, let’s take a look at Markim.” Sloan ordered.
Back at Pittman Middle School, all of the students had rushed outside thanks to Peyton’s trick. She took full credit now, as she had beamed Bud down with the other students for whining too much. Now, it was onto phase three of her plan.
A modified vessel constructed by the replicator originally stolen by June, it had three decks and could hypothetically seat forty. It had no warp-speed drive, yet it was equipped with impulse drive as well as thrusters. Armament consisted of four Type VIII phaser banks, one photon torpedo launcher and antimatter flares as short-range emergency weaponry. Hopefully, they could destroy Pittman before Sean interfered.
But, that had caused an interesting possibility. The new allies, Amanda Epperson of the ninth grade and Po Gey Smith had suggested the blow would crush the morale of Hueytown.
But, Peyton knew better. She knew that if Pittman was indeed destroyed that Mr. Redcross and staff would request a new school to Mr. Blackerby, whom in turn would enlist Sporman’s assistance and yet another new school would be created, resulting in an expansion of Sean Sporman’s power.
“It’s now or never, Peyton.” Amanda Epperson proclaimed, on the bridge of the still unnamed spaceship that was currently in the atmosphere.
“Well, let’s think about—“ Peyton was cut short by an alarm.
“Amanda, what is it?” Smith asked.
“Sean and June are approaching in one of their armed ground vehicles.”
“What kind of vehicle?” Peyton inquired.
“Luxbus—Mark III.” Replied Amanda.
“That one is a spaceship/atmospheric/ground hybrid based on the Danube-class runabout.” Peyton realized.
“They are now hailing us.” Amanda stated.
“We are being hailed on a frequency of 47.38 Megahertz.” June Gabert said, temporarily in the first officer’s seat of the Hueytown Academy Luxbus Allgood.
“47.38…” Sean’s voice trailed off, knowing something about that frequency he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
“Open the frequency.” Sean ordered. As soon as June pressed the button, the console exploded violently, raining sparks down on the two. June was knocked unconscious by the explosion.
Sean knew it was wise to install an Emergency Medical Hologram in every vehicle related to Hueytown Academy. “Computer, activate Emergency Medical Holographic program.”
“Please state the nature of the medical emergency.” Thankfully, the holographic systems were undamaged.
“She was hurt by a tachyon wave frequency explosion.” Sean stated.
“I’m right on it.” The EMH instantly set to work.
“Well, look at that!” Peyton Freeman laughed diabolically as she glanced at the sensor readouts of the now-damaged Allgood. “Vulnerable as a young puppy. Amanda, lock phasers.”
“Phaser locked.” Amanda replied.
“Fire!” Peyton yelled, and the battle had begun.
As the phased energy beam shook the Allgood, June awoke from unconsciousness.
“Shields at 89%.” The computer warned. Sean and June struggled back into the cockpit as the inertial dampers strained to compensate.
“June, take tactical. I’ll get us into flight mode.” Sean readied his controls. “Computer, code 13, tactical alert and initiate flight mode.”
After returning to the school, Steve Sloan had been told that the man who had been killed was actually…a hologram.
Now, it was to find out who could have done it. He gathered with the others in OPS.
“We have determined that it was indeed a holographic fake with false sensor readings. The question is,” Lucy Camden continued, her business now taken care of, “Who created him?”
Suddenly, the Red Alert alarm sounded an intruder alert.
Heather Allgood, in command now, took her seat in the command chair. “Lucy, arm these people with type one phasers. I’ll try to contact Sean. Good luck.”
The vehicle Allgood was now in the air, its weapons fully armed. “Can you get through to the Enterprise?” Sean yelled over the hiss of leaking plasma.
“Yes! What should I tell them?” June inquired, as she used her other hand to repair the leak.
“We need all the shuttles now!”
“Understood! Signal sent!”
“Now, evasive maneuvers, Sporman-five!”
Ms. Toomey, in command of the Day Watch aboard the USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-D, a Galaxy-class Starfleet vessel given to Sean and his friends by Starfleet Captain Jean-Luc Picard. The Enterprise-E was currently back in its future time, giving its first report to Starfleet Command.
“We’re receiving an emergency transmission from the Sporman, they are under attack and need us to launch the shuttles.” Tiffany Davidson reported from Tactical.
“Understood. We’ll launch all shuttles.” Ms. Toomey replied, “Now, let us get down to the shuttle bays.” As the crew exited the bridge, Ms. Toomey was the last left. “Computer, activate ECH.”
She smiled as the spitting image of the Emergency Medical Hologram appeared, but in red and materializing pips. “ECH,” Toomey began, “I want you to go to red alert and stand by.”
The ECH smiled broadly. “Yes, Ma’am.” Mrs. Toomey then stepped into the turbolift, the doors sliding shut.
Amanda Epperson, phaser compression rifle in hand, gleefully fired her phaser at an LCARS panel, which exploded in a shower of sparks.
“Well, now, this is fun. But, I need to get to OPS to blow it up.”
Suddenly, out of the corner emerged Lucy Camden, type-1 phaser in hand, and fired at the intruder.
But, Amanda Epperson ducked and fired back on heavy stun, knocking Lucy unconscious on the floor. She proceeded on her mission.
In OPS, Heather Allgood monitored the situation. In OPS, Jordan Reeves and Rachel Waters were also at their stations. “Lucy has been stunned.” Rachel reported.
“She’s in section 5B.” Jordan reported.
“On the fifth floor.” Heather reported. “Send groups three and four to intercept at 6A. Maybe they can stop her.”
In the Main shuttle bay of the Enterprise, all six shuttles were prepped and ready for launch. Ms. Toomey and Ben Smith were in the leader shuttle, the Huygens. “Ben, do the report sweep.” Ms. Toomey ordered.
“All wings, report in.” Ben piped over the comm system.
“Jessica Ward and Sean Two in Shuttle Cassini.”
“Lacey Sullivan and Allen Johnston in Shuttle Copernicus.”
“Cathy Frederick and Liz Larson in Shuttle Cochrane.”
“Stacie Tucker and Mr. Morrison in Shuttle Hawking.”
“Meagan Harris and Jacob Allison in Shuttle Kirk.”
“And Meagan Hall in Shuttle Alpha.”
“Meagan?” Ben Smith reacted in surprise. “I thought you dumped Sean and were on vacation.”
“What? Dump cutie? I don’t think so. I was just making sure he would react like Heather said he would.”
“You know that Sean and Heather almost kissed right? Jordan interrupted them.”
“Hmm…” Meagan Hall realized. “Now, let’s go kick some Inbiot fanny.” Cheers erupted over the intercom as the shuttles launched, heading down to the third planet in the solar system, Earth.
“Peyton!” Ally Susan Enbasil, exclaimed, having been rescued from Hueytown Juvenile. “I’ve got incoming, six shuttles at atmospheric attack speed!”
“On screen.” Peyton turned to see six Federation shuttles approaching at high impulse speeds, weapons obviously armed and trained on her.
“We are being hailed by the lead shuttle, the Huygens.”
“On screen.”
“This is Leslie Toomey of Hueytown Academy. Please cease this act of violence at once.”
“I have a policy,” Peyton replied, “Never do what a teacher says.”
Suddenly, Peyton’s vessel was rocked by six phaser blasts.
“Shields at 47%!” Enbasil screamed.
“Return fire. Use the photon torpedoes!”
In the shuttle Copernicus, Lacey and Allen visibly shuddered as glistening red photon torpedo flew within only meters of hitting them. “That was close.” Allen sighed.
“Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen again.” Responded Lacey.
“Gladly.” Allen smiled, his finger on the weapons control.
“Our shields are down!” Susan Enbasil screamed as an EPS conduit exploded above her head, knocking her out.
Peyton frowned as her armchair console, which was amazingly still working, indicated a hail from the vessel Allgood, which June and Sean were currently in. She tapped the button, which allowed the hail to get through.
“This is Sean Sporman. Your shield generators are offline. Please surrender at once.”
Peyton smiled and shook her head. “Not today.”
“What’s happening?” June asked to Sean, in the cockpit of the vehicle, Allgood.
“She’s cloaking! She must have salvaged a cloaking device from one of the Klingon Birds of Prey we destroyed…or it might have been you.”
June smiled innocently, and then noticed something blinking on her console. “We’re receiving a Priority I signal from Hueytown Academy. Amanda is loose in the school!” June responded.
“Relay this signal to the other shuttles.” Sean said, “Take us back to Hueytown Academy and thank you for not responding to that hail with, ‘You go, girl!’” June laughed as the vehicle turned.
Mark Sloan, Amanda Bentley, Ben Matlock and Jessica Fletcher stooped behind an LCARS extension panel, Type-1 phasers armed and ready.
“My first ray gun.” Bentley commented.
“Just press the large button, Sean said.” Mark Sloan commented. “And, don’t worry about your Hippocratic oath. It’s only stun and this is an emergency!”
“That’s good to know.” Jessica Fletcher said, as the turbolift in front of them opened.
Amanda Epperson, whose appellation of “Eppy” had stuck, fired first, leaving a scorch mark on the back of the panel the “neglected detectives” hid behind. Ben Matlock raised and fired, but missed by only a meter.
Amanda fired once more, stunning Jessica Fletcher. Mark Sloan turned to check her health, and was stunned also. Amanda Epperson raised her phaser and Matlock and Bentley raised their hands, letting their phasers fall to the floor as Amanda directed them to the nearest room. She shoved them into the run and as soon as the doors slid shut, she locked them in. “Well, that was easy.”
Sean Sporman had beamed into OPS while June operated the vehicle Allgood and landed it.
“What’s the situation, Heather?” asked Sean, stepping quickly the Master Situation Monitor.
“It seems—“
“Duck!” Sean yelled, in reaction to something he saw on the monitor. The turbolift doors on one side of OPS exploded; sending huge pieces of metal and debris across the once perfectly clean OPS. Thankfully, Sean and Heather were under the master situation monitor, avoiding injury.
But, before they could react, Amanda Epperson placed a device onto an LCARS panel and twisted a knob. The freshman and former friend of June Gabert smiled as she exited the room. Sean and Heather both heard her beam out to safety.
Then, the computer warned for something that both Sean and Heather feared. “Warning, successive EPS overload to begin in five seconds, and repeating every five seconds.”
Heather and Sean activated their personal shields and prepared for the first explosion.
Monitor one on the well-known ‘Camera Wall’ exploded, sending glass, isolinear circuitry and sparks flying. The lights in the room and other monitors flickered from the circuit interruption. Both of them saw on the wall Systems Status Display, the damaged areas blinking red. Apparently, other sections were exploding as well. Sean only wished that he could get Heather away from danger and also to help the rest of the school.
Mrs. Ware, in the new Art Room of Hueytown Academy ducked as her LCARS Teachboard exploded violently. Thankfully, she was in another part of the room at the time. Just seconds too late, the automated evacuation alarm blared over the speakers and blinked on every operational LCARS panel and desk. Students were jumping out of windows and running wildly out of the doors in a sea of chaotic panic. But, she saw the students were actually running into the Playground and not away from school. So, she stepped on the transporter pad by what was left of desk and beamed herself onto the Enterprise-D, the safety in orbit.
Transporters aboard the Enterprise-D were running at their limit. Just seconds ago, the shuttlecraft had docked, and the evacuation alert had sounded. Now, hundreds of teachers, students and holograms were being beamed up at an astounding rate. Mrs. Toomey along with Andy Blackerby and Jordan Reeves headed this effort. Meagan Hall was close behind, while Lucy Camden lie recuperating in the Sick Bay, under the care of the Emergency Medical Hologram.
On the bridge, where this operation was being controlled, everything was, thankfully, falling into place. Half of the school population had been beamed up and the other half were in the safety of the Sporman-Allgood Maze-Slide, that was so well known by the students. Only Principal Sean Sporman and Vice Principal Heather Allgood remained unaccounted for.
Temporarily in the role of Captain of the Enterprise, Jordan Reeves sat in the main chair. “Have you found Sean and Heather yet?”
“No.” replied Meagan Hall from Science I, “There is a ton of EPS interference around OPS! I can’t punch through it.”
“Mr. Blackerby, any report on the Enterprise-E’s position?”
For a second, he did not respond. But, when a smile formed on his face, Jordan Reeves assumed the best. To his delight, he turned on the viewscreen and the Sovereign-class starship flew into Earth orbit. “They respond that they have cut thru the interference and Sean and Heather are shook up and disheveled, but are on board! They are now beaming them directly onto our bridge!”
Two swirling masses of blue coalesced into Sean Sporman and Heather Allgood on the bridge of the Enterprise-D. Jordan stood up as well as Ben Smith and Sean sat in the center chair, Heather in the chair beside him. “We have to shut down that program. Lock phasers on OPS.” Sean said.
“What!?” Andy Blackerby responded. “That will destroy half of the OPS building.”
“There won’t be anything left if we don’t fire now. Do it!” In space, a red beam lanced out from the Enterprise-D, piercing through all of the layers of Earth’s atmosphere and coming into contact with the top of OPS. It instantly penetrated the titanium and in a brilliant explosion, it was finished. The detonation program was stopped, but at what price?
Hueytown Academy was the pride of not only Sean Sporman, but also his friends and the entire Jefferson County School System. Twice, the school was nearly destroyed, but in a note of irony, June’s acts had not nearly caused the level of destruction that Peyton Freeman, Erin Wesson and Amanda Epperson had wrought. Perhaps, that was why June had turned to the side of good. Sean and his friends had laughed at the idea.
But, now, the school was a wreck. The OPS building, taking the brunt of the damage, would take weeks to rebuild, even with the assistance of the crew of the Enterprise-E. Other buildings had almost all taken damage, except the Recreation Rooms, Gym, and Lunchroom. Days more of repair, and weeks of enhancement. But, the students still wanted to come back. Sean and Blackerby reached a compromise. A second phase of the Hueytown Olympics would be held while the school was being repaired, until it could be reopened.
As for the threat of further destruction, it was still there. Peyton and Amanda were nowhere to be found and Hueytown Juvenile reported almost 75% of its prisoners had escaped somehow. Everyone knew who was behind it.
But, the staff of Hueytown Academy was optimists, especially Sean Sporman and Heather Allgood. The project would continue…
On the next exciting episode:
The new Hueytown Olympics…a new enemy or the same old, same old? Find out next time on Gopher’s Gateway!!!