IC-Prologue-Time Will Crawl(Bill/Yeager/Rawlings/Harry)

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Don't worry about it.

Harry shrugged. "Sorry, didn't hear a thing," he said. "Never known a clock to beep anyway."

"You must have better ears than I do," said Amy. "I didn't hear it either."

"Could've been a truck backing up out on Race Street, maybe," said Charlie.

Harry returned his attention to the thermos. Picking it up in both hands, he began to drink its contents.

The phone on the desk where Bill sat continued to ring. Nobody else seemed to be paying any attention to it.

[Philulhu]

Bill looked at the three officers. He'd clearly heard the sound of a digital clock. That said, they didn't seem to be able to hear the phone ringing either. Bill started to get the strange feeling that the phone was ringing for him. Glancing up to make sure no one was watching him, he picked up the phone receiver and tentatively said, "Hello?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Bill, can you hear me?" said an unfamiliar woman's voice on the other end of the line. "We need you to be strong for us. We're trying to bring you back, but you have to keep fighting."

Harry continued to drain the thermos until it was empty. He set it down on the desk and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "That was good stuff," he said, stifling a yawn.

[Philulhu]

"Back? Back where?" blurted Bill, his voice starting to rise. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

[Mr. Handy]

The woman on the phone gave no sign of having heard Bill. "I think we're losing him!" she said, apparently to someone else. The lights overhead dimmed. "Get me 20 cc's of epi, stat! Bill, you hang in there! Don't you die on us!"

Harry yawned again, louder this time. Slumping forward, he folded his arms on his desk and rested his head on them.

Charlie turned when he heard Bill's voice rise. "Who are you talking to?" he asked.

[Philulhu]

Bill started to panic. "I'm not dying!" he yelled into the phone, "I'M NOT DYING!" He looked up as the lights dimmed and saw Charlie staring at him. Hands trembling he slowly replaced the receiver on the cradle. "I need some fresh air," he said, wiping his hand across this forehead as he stood up and headed for the door.

[Mr. Handy]

Amy Cooper stood up and took Bill's arm. "I'll go with him," she told Charlie. She walked Bill out into the hall, concern evident on her face. "Are you all right, sir?" she asked, guiding him back to the central hall outside the elevators. Nobody else was around right now. He felt weak, his breathing was shallow, and his limbs were heavy. The lights in the hall were just as dim as those in the office. "I don't know what you've been through, but I gather that you recently witnessed a crime, and that kind of experience can be very traumatic. Would you like to talk about it?"

A moment later, the lights returned to full intensity. Bill felt normal once again. What in the world was happening to him?

[Philulhu]

Bill glanced around, a haunted look on his face. "Did you see that?" he said to Officer Cooper, "Did you see the lights?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, they went dim for a few seconds," said Amy. "They do that sometimes. Are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor? It looked like you were have palpitations or something back there. Do you have any heart trouble?"

[Philulhu]

"No, well not that I know of," replied Bill. "I think I'll be ok, if I sit down for a few moments." He looked down the corridor to see a bench against the wall. He lowered himself gently ontothe bench and sighed heavily. "What do you think will happen to the guy who attacked me?" he asked Officer Cooper.

[Mr. Handy]

Amy Cooper smiled and sat beside him. "I don't know the specifics of the case," she said, "but I think he's going to go to jail for a long, long time. The drugs he was caught with alone will add years to his sentence. Lieutenant Yeager made a good, solid bust by the sound of it. You can always depend on him. If that guy ever gets out, he'll be older than you are now. I don't think you have a thing to worry about."

[Philulhu]

"Older than me..." muttered Bill, thinking of the older version of Brian who had attacked him, "Perhaps that's what he was talking about?"

He thought about it but realised that there must be more to it than that. Brian had said Mary knew about it. Perhaps he needed to speak to her and tried to think where he'd first met her.

OOC,Does Bill remember where he met Mary or is it lost to the mists of time?

[Mr. Handy]

Bill recalled vaguely how he met Mary. They had both taken part in a psychological experiment about sleep and dreams over a weekend in July 1969 at the University of Pennsylvania, where they were both students. The exact dates eluded him, at least for now. Her maiden name was Walters, which was the name she would be going by now - she wouldn't marry him for a few years yet.

OOC,[b]Bill[/b], roll Idea to see what other details you can remember.

[Philulhu]

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2073924/]Oh Mary, how do I remember thee? (1d100=19)[/url] That should do it...

[Mr. Handy]

Bill thought back some more, and finally he remembered that the experiment began on the evening of July 18. How many times had Mary chided him for not remembering the anniversary of the day they met? She had drummed it into him in the end, for he recalled it now. Since the newspaper had said that today was Wednesday, July 16, that meant that the experiment would begin two nights from now. It had lasted three nights, and all of the students who had taken part had slept in the lab overnight while hooked up to electronic equipment to monitor their brainwaves while they were asleep. After they woke up, they were immediately interviewed as to the contents of their dreams. The moon landing had been on July 20, this coming Sunday, and they had watched Neil Armstrong step out of the Apollo 11 capsule and walk on the moon on TV the final night of the experiment. Another detail came back to him now. The professor in charge of the experiment was a Dr. Gregory Anderson. He had the same last name as Brian Anderson. Now that Bill thought about it, he did resemble Brian somewhat.

[Philulhu]

Bill knew he had to meet up with Mary somehow and wondered how to get in touch with her. If he was due to meet her at the experiment then that's where he needed to be. If he'd been in his office, it would have been a simple matter of looking up a map or some contact details for the university online, but here? He looked at Officer Cooper thoughtfully. "Do you have a phone directory?" he asked.

[Mr. Handy]

"Of course," said Amy. "We've got some back in the office." She helped Bill to his feet and led him back inside. Harry was still leaning over the desk, his face buried in his arms. Every so often he snored. Charlie was seated opposite him, leaning back in his chair and reading a magazine. Amy picked up a copy of the Yellow Pages from Harry's desk and took it over to the empty desk where Bill had been sitting earlier, placing it down on the surface. "Here you go. You need to dial 9 first for an outside line."

The door to the lieutenant's office opened, and John Yeager emerged and began to make his way over. Charlie suddenly sat up straight. He rolled up his magazine and flung it across the desks at Harry. It bounced off the young detective, but he didn't even seem to notice. "Wake up!" he hissed. "The Lou's coming back!" There was no response other than another snore.

"Having fun playing with the evidence, Charlie?" said Yeager as he arrived. "Harry, get your ass back up! If you want to sleep on the job, join the Fire Department." Again, Harry just snored in reply.

[Philulhu]

Trying to ignore the noise made by the others in the office, Bill flicked through the Yellow Pages, looking for the listing for the university. He quickly found it and noted down the number, not wanting to call from the busy office - not even sure what he would say. He decided to collect his thoughts before he called. "Officer Cooper," he asked, "Do you have a pen and paper?"

OOC,I presume that Yellow Pages is the same as in the UK i.e. business listings only?

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Yes, it is. The White Pages contain everyone's phone numbers (except unlisted ones), and you can ask for a copy of that if you like.

"Sure," said Amy. She fetched a notepad and a pen while Bill flipped through the book. There were several phone numbers for the University of Pennsylvania, but the Registrar's Office was probably the one he'd be interested in. She placed the pen and paper on the desk.

Yeager shook Harry's shoulders vigorously, but there was no response. "What's wrong with him?" asked Charlie.

"I ask myself that same question every damn day," said Yeager. He shook harder. "Hey! Get up!" Harry still didn't move.

[Philulhu]

"Is he ok?" asked Bill, beginning to wonder if there was something seriously wrong with Harry. He tried to remember a long-ago first aid course he'd taken at the university but the details were vague. "Have you checked his pupils?" he asked.