[Syera]

CHAPTER 10
Button, Button


Aladdin sighed in dismay. Bits and pieces of mechanics and machinery laid here and there. Large gadgets, small gadgets - and everything in between. Crystal-powered. Pulley-powered. Carrot-powered. It was all there.

Aladdin bent down and picked up a small, round device with a crystalline button. He pressed it. Something landed on his head. He reached up and pulled it off. It was a piece of baklava. Just to test it out, he pressed the button again. Another piece.

"Hey, I'm hungry," Farid announced.

Aladdin handed him the device. "Here."

He walked the length of the room, munching on his own piece of baklava. One of these devices had to be the time-thing. But what? Was it one of the smaller items laying around, or one of the larger ones? This could take hours, if not days, he realized.

Not watching where he put his foot, he tripped over something and fell to the floor with a splat. No, more like a splap. When he tried to get up, he found that he had a very difficult time of it. Nor could he see. Hey, he needed to see!

The world came into view. Then he saw himself. He wasn't sure what he was, but whatever he was was on a gelatinous pile on the floor. In a desparate move, he willed himself to be shaped into a more humanoid form, and to his relief, it worked... mostly. The finer details - like separate fingers - were absent, but at least he was standing.

"Aladdin, what did you turn into?"

Aladdin tried to answer that he Didn't Know, but found that for some reason, it didn't work out too well. The only noises he made were some kind of peculiar low-pitched moans and grunts.

"Well, let's see," Farid said, searching the area in Aladdin's immediate vicinity, "I think you tripped over this. Here, let's see if it'll turn you back."

Farid pressed the button, and Aladdin was back in human form. He scrambled to sit up... but knocked against another piece of something.

Lights danced about the room, and music began to play. He found what he'd activated - a large, black box with all sorts of buttons and knobs. After some trial and error - several times he managed to make it worse - he got the thing shut off.

Then he heard a thumping sound. He followed it, and came upon a large chest. "Carpet, is that you?"

More thumping... rythmic thumping. Familiar rythmic thumping.

"Hey, that's the song I sang - yeah, it's you." He picked up what looked like a sturdy piece of metal and gave the chest a good, hard smack. The wood shattered, and Carpet flew out joyously.

An elephant trumpeted behind Aladdin.

Aladdin looked at the elephant. Then at the thing in his hand. Ooops. The item he'd just used to liberate the carpet had several buttons on it, one of which it must have pressed by accident. Well, if one turned Farid into an elephant, another would surely turn him back into a human. So, he pointed the thing at Farid and pressed a button at random.

The elephant turned into a duck.

He pressed another.

A penguin.

Then he tried again.

A walrus.

He managed to get through a llama, a tiger, a monkey, a lion, a rat, and a yak before Farid was back in his usual form. "Sorry about that," Aladdin apologized.

The prince rolled his eyes. "Watch where you point those things next time."

Meanwhile, Aladdin turned to Carpet. "Carpet, would you know what a time... time... dilation device is?" he asked hopefully.

Carpet nodded vigorously, and flew over to a rectangularish piece that came up to Aladdin's knees. He instinctively reached over to press the first button that he saw, but stopped. It was covered in knobs, buttons, and dials. Who knew what could happen if he pressed the wrong button?

"Now I don't suppose you know how to deactivate it," he began.

The carpet made it very clear that it didn't.

"Maybe we should take it upstairs," Farid suggested. "See if Zarah knows."



"How long is this going to take?" Jasmine asked.

"Well, it could be days before the real thing sets in," Zarah said with a shrug.

Jasmine screamed.

"Or we could get lucky and have this over in the next twenty-four hours."

"Lucky?" Jasmine asked once she'd regained her bearings.

"So, you were in this room for six months, huh? I bet you were ready to go crazy," Zarah said, changing the subject.

"I think I went crazy."

There was a thump outside the bedroom door. The door opened, and Aladdin and Farid stared inside apologetically.

"Ah, we were hoping that you could turn this thing off," Aladdin said. "Or tell us."

"Can't you just destroy it?" Jasmine asked.

Zarah shook her head. "Bad idea. Time might be distorted forever. Or until the effects tear the universe apart."

Aladdin swallowed. "Then how do we turn it off?"

Zarah was silent for a few moments. "I think it's the switch on the far left."

"You think?" Aladdin asked.

"I haven't seen that thing for twenty years. I don't really remember."

"Well," Farid said, "I guess we can take a risk."

"But if we..."

"What've we got to lose?"

Aladdin could tell that Farid was just as scared as he was. Somehow, oddly, it made him feel just slightly better. It wasn't that Farid was scared... it was that Farid was scared with him. Biting his lip, Aladdin nodded. He took a breath. And he flipped the switch.

"How'll we know if it worked?" Farid asked.

"Wait until the sun comes up," Jasmine suggested.



Later, Farid and Aladdin found their way to the pantry. A barrel of apples, some bread, and a little beer were located, and they quickly fell to.

"I guess we know where all those supplies've been going," Aladdin remarked. "Now we're eating 'em."

"Yeah... even with just a few people around here, with time sped up, they'd go through a lot in a hurry."

"So, the mountain raiders...?"

"Just a story he made up, I guess." Farid sighed. "Aladdin... I never wanted it to go down this way."

"Neither did I. But... well..."

"Well what?"

Aladdin sighed. "What were we supposed to do?"

Farid nodded. "I guess you're right." There was a very long pause. Then Farid grinned. "So, looks like you're becoming a father quicker than you thought you would."

"Yeah. You know, just a few weeks ago, I thought I'd have months... ha. We never even decided on a name."

"I always thought 'Jafar' was a good name," Farid remarked. "Hey, don't look at me like that!"

Then Aladdin groaned.

"What's the matter?"

"I was just thinking... how'm I going to put this on my official report? 'After I arrived in El Radi, Jasmine was kidnapped and held prisoner for six months. Three days after my arrival, Prince Farid and myself launched a successful rescue."

"Hey, you're a vizier," Farid said with a grin. "You'll think of something. And stop glaring!"



"How long has it been?" Jasmine asked.

"Nearly eight hours," Zarah answered. "You're doing fine."

"What's it like outside?"

"Pardon?"

"Outside? What's it like outside?"

The genie looked out the window. "Clear skies, a slight breeze... and the sun's rising."



"Hey, Aladdin... that's your name, right? Aladdin?"

Aladdin woke up to see Zarah standing over him. He'd taken to one of the servant's rooms that night, more than ready for a full night's rest. "Yeah?"

"It's over. Jasmine's fine. The baby's fine. Come on."

For a brief - very brief - moment, Aladdin considered waking Farid, but decided against it. This was his moment. Well, his and Jasmine's.

Jasmine was lying on the bed, looking more exhausted than Aladdin had ever remembered her. Beside her, a tiny baby slept. Jasmine smiled.

"Does... does the baby still have any magic?" Aladdin asked, pulling a chair up to the side of the bed and sitting down.

"No," Jasmine said. "Zarah said that he'll be just like any other human boy."

"Probably... probably just as well."

"Yeah. So, have you thought of a name?"

Caught off-guard, Aladdin grinned sheepishly. "No."

"I thought you were thinking about Cassim."

"I was thinking."

"Oh." Jasmine closed her eyes.

There was a long silence. "Babkak," Aladdin said at last.

Jasmine opened her eyes. "What?"

"Babkak. I... like it."

"If you really want to... but I'm naming the next one."



EPILOGUE

Several days later (once Jasmine was up to travel), they rode Carpet back to El Radi.

"Well, Al, I stood by that door day and night, and nobody came through," Genie informed Aladdin inside the house. "Except for a singed tentahundt." Genie pointed out the window. Aladdin looked, and saw a huge cage containing the creature he'd fought in the caves earlier.

"Good job, Genie."

Meanwhile, Zarah flopped onto a couch.

"Zarah," Farid began. "You said you were a... literary type?"

"Yeah."

"We could use a librarian around here... what do you think?"

The lavender genie immediately sat up. "I'm your man."

There was a pause.

"I was speaking figuratively!"



That evening, Aladdin and Farid told their side of the story, and Jasmine told hers. Pretty soon, they determined that Kateb, knowing that he was in a corner after Aladdin had found the records amiss, had decided to kidnap Jasmine then and there.

"And what you said about that... that... time thing earlier..." Aladdin began.

"Time dilation device," Zarah supplied.

"Yeah. About twisting up time..."

"I don't know for sure, but I think time in that particular area may slow down slightly until it's caught up with the rest of the world."

"Farid, you said earlier than your father was prematurely graying. How long was he in that thing?"

"I'd estimate years. But what I want to know is what we're going to do with all that stuff."

"If time does slow down..." Zarah began.

"Yeah, probably better leave it alone," Aladdin said quickly. "It's not like anybody even knows about that place. It's almost impossible to get in unless you fly in or go through the cave."

The young sheik nodded. "I'll get that entrance sealed off as soon as possible."


The next day, Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, and Carpet returned to Agrabah, where they recounted their story again to an incredulous sultan, a skeptical nursemaid, and several others who found the whole adventure difficult to believe.

"It's a good thing I sent you when I did," the Sultan remarked later. "Who knows what might have happened if I hadn't!"

Aladdin shrugged.

"And you know, there are many other small towns that need checked up on... and since you did such a wonderful job in El Radi, I'm going to get you started right away!"


******************





Whew. Well, that's it. At long last, after keeping you all in horrific and unimaginable suspense, this story's over.

Hey, while we're here, mind if I ask some questions?

-How were the characterizations of the canon characters?
-How were the fan characters?
-How was the plot?
-What was your favorite part?
-What was the best line?

Remember, this is for posterity's sake, so... be honest.

[Myrissa]

I'm loving it Syera!! You've got to get that posted up soon!!! And no I didn't finish Crossfire.... That ones to boring for me.... Not saying your not good! But I'm enjoying this one more!

[IRideAladdin'sCarpet]

freaking genie of the inkhorn! i love it! you and Paul P.S. Sullivan, and suzu are my favie authors! you guys are all pure brilliance!

[Nez]

I see.

[Syera]

Y'know, I never even thought of Ghostbusters. Heck, I don't even really remember the Twinkie. Isn't that sad? (Sounds like I should watch Ghostbusters again.)

Anyway, now you can see why I needed somebody who could technobabble.

[Nez]

Genie of the inkhorn ...that's great, as well as Zarah using a napkin in her explanation. It brings to mind the "Twinkie" in "Ghostbusters".

I look forward to the next chapter.

[Syera]

CHAPTER 9
Time And Tide Wait For No Man


After Farid left, Jasmine waited for him and Aladdin to return. But hours passed, and she was still alone. For a moment, she worried that they'd been caught - but then she remembered. Time was different inside than outside. So while they were out there for just a few moments...

Desperate times called for desperate measures. Kateb would shortly be coming to drain Jasmine's magical energy - and who knew if she or the child would survive?

She was not going to let him harm her child.

She pulled a knife from beneath her bed - a knife that she'd tucked away that day, just in case. She held it behind her back, posing in an inconspicuous manner. When Kateb came, she would be ready.

Then she felt an unsual sensation in her legs. Not the discomfort from the swollen ankles she'd had now for awhile... in fact, that entirely disappeared.

And she had a pretty good idea her legs had gone, too.

Under some circumstances, she would have... reacted a bit more. But not this day. This day, she was far too focused. She was going to save herself and her child.

The door was pushed open. "Princess, it's time," Kateb said simply. "Now, come on. The sooner you come, the sooner we can get this over with."

"It's over now."

"What?"

She floated toward Kateb, raised the knife, and plunged.

But it never hit him.

It stopped just short of his chest, but refused to go any farther. In shock, she dropped the blade.

"Genies can't kill anyone," Kateb said, grinning with some warped amusement. "You're not technically a genie, but right now, the magic's so strong that the rules apply even to you. Now come on... I can start draning you here and now, you know... and I can make it very, very uncomfortable."


Aladdin and Farid raced inside. "The princess was in her room - up there," the prince said. He dashed in the direction of Jasmine's room, Aladdin following close behind. Aladdin had to admit, Farid's long legs sure let him sprint.

Upstairs, Farid pushed open a door and stepped inside. "Princess?"

Aladdin also stepped inside and looked around. "I don't think she's here."

"And what's this?" Farid picked a knife up from the floor. "Well, no blood. Nobody got hurt."

"Yeah. Let's get going before somebody does, too. Okay, how exactly would this energy transferance thing be done? Some kind of machinery?"

"I haven't the faintest."

"Right. Well, let's just say that you were going to have a roomful of scientific equipement, where would you put it?"

"If I had a fortress to myself... wherever the heck I wanted it."

"You're no help."

"Sorry."

A scream cut through the silence.

Farid raised his eyebrows. "I think we should go that way."



Every time she had tried to struggle, Kateb touched part of her skin... and she could feel the life, the vitality draining from her. It would leave her momentarily weakened and breathless. In this way, he dragged her all the way to a room that was filled with various odd pieces of machinery.

He picked up a manacle attached to a chain through which tiny, braided wires ran and clamped it to one wrist. Then he clamped another manacle on the other wrist.

"Just... one last... question..." Jasmine began weakly.

"What?"

"What are you going to do after this?"

"Oh, probably run Agrabah. Something like that. Running a small town's pretty dull, really."

"Why did I even ask?" she wondered rhetorically.

He reached over to what Jasmine assumed ran the whole thing and flipped a switch.

She braced herself.

It wasn't exactly what she thought it would be. There was no agonizing pain. No screaming. Just the dull sensation of having her life-force... her baby's life-force sucked from their bodies. She felt her legs reform. She saw her skin dull back to its normal color. Unable to stand, she fell limp to the floor.


:"Well, this has got to be it," Farid muttered as they stopped outside the door.

"Ready?" Aladdin asked.

"When you are."

They pushed the door open and charged through.

"In the name of Agrabah, stop right there!"

Aladdin quickly spotted Jasmine, who was chained to some device. "Aladdin!" she called.

"And under authority of Sheik Farid of El Radi, stop right there!"

"All right. I was done, anyway." Kateb reached over and flipped a switch on some kind of... well, Aladdin wasn't sure what it was. He was, however, quite certain that it was capable of doing a lot of harm For a second, Aladdin was afraid that Kateb was turning something on, but to his relief, realized that he was turning something off.

Kateb opened a compartment and pulled something out.

It was an orb, roughly the size of a fist. Although Aladdin couldn't get a very good look at it, he could determine that it was glass, hollow, and cased a delicate work of metal and crystal.

Holding the orb in one hand, he tore off his cape and tunic with the other. Light began trailing up to his fingers, through the wires, and into his body and chest. He took a deep breath and raised his hand.

Aladdin and Farid barely dodged the blast of white-hot energy that Kateb fired at them. Kateb, seeing that one tactic didn't work, tried another. A whirlwind formed, which immediately chased after Aladdin.

Aladdin ran. Farid, seeing that Kateb's attention was on Aladdin, threw himself at the ex-sheik, nearly knocking him over. His attention broken, the whirlwind disappeared.

"You... my own son... I don't believe this!" Kateb spat. "You'd betray your own father?"

Farid rolled his eyes. "Oh, what's left to betray?"

Kateb easily threw the young man off, and he hit the floor with a whump. "You will be punished."

"I'd rather be punished for doing the right thing than rewarded for doing wrong," he grunted.

"First your wife. Then your son. Then you."

"Don't think so!" Aladdin shouted. He pulled his sword from his belt and charged.

Kateb raised his hand. Aladdin's sword began to glow bright red, burning into his palm. Shocked by the sudden pain, he dropped the sword, flexing his injured hand against the residual sting.

"The two of you are outmatched... can't you tell?"

"I didn't notice... did you, Farid?"

"Can't say as I did."

"And I've been through worse. You, Farid?"

"Uh... now that, I can't say as I have."

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

"You impertinent, impudent brats!"

"Either way, I think we can take this bully down... wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah, I'd say," Farid agreed, rising to his feet. Then a dreamy look crossed his face as he looked upward. "Oh, look... rafters."

Aladdin was confused. "Huh?"

Meanwhile, Kateb began his assault on the two, and they had to dodge.

"A good... king... is like... rafters," Farid panted, dodging the blasts. "Support... the roof - ouch! - of the country... keeps the rain of enemies from coming in..."

Daylight glimmered.

Aladdin clambered onto the machinery - some of it was at least five feet tall - and from there, jumped into the rafters. Kateb didn't miss a beat - and aimed for Aladdin.

But then again, he wasn't supposed to miss.

Aladdin barely dodged out of the way as the white flares shot upward, hitting, scorching, and breaking the wooden rafters and stones of the ceiling. Before Kateb had time to realize what he'd done, the ceiling above him came crashing down.

"Wow," Farid said once he'd caught his breath.

Meanwhile, Aladdin ran toward Jasmine.

"They're locked," she said quickly.

"Where's the key?"

"I don't know."

Farid bent down to the floor and picked something up. "Hey, an inkhorn," he said. "Wonder what it was doing here." With one finger, he wiped some of the debris from it.

"How can you think of an inkhorn at a time like this?" Aladdin demanded.

"Hey, I'll look for the key, I'll look..." he sighed. "I can't believe it... my... my own..." A tear ran down his face.

"I'm sorry," Aladdin said. "Let's just get out of here for now, okay?"

"Yeah. Okay."

Suddenly, something lavender appeared and grabbed Farid from behind. "I'm free! I'm free!" it - Zarah exclaimed giddily.

"What?!" Farid exclaimed.

"Now I don't have to guard here anymore! I can get on with my life! Oh... ah, that's my inkhorn."

"A genie of the inkhorn?"

"What can I say? I'm a literary type. So, what do you wish of me?"

"Well, we need to get out of here..."

"What about that... that... time-whatever?" Aladdin asked.

Zarah dropped from Farid's back. "Time dilation device. Yeah, you'd better shut it down. I was just about to mention it."

"Oh, why bother?" Farid grumbled.

"Because it might do bad things. Very bad things. Who knows."

"Bad things?"

"Here, let me show you what I mean. See, here's a round napkin, right? Now, this napkin is rotating around in a happy little circle, sorta like our own planet. Now, let's say the inside of the napkin starts spinning faster than the outside... see what happens? The middle bunches up. And it takes more with it eventually."

"I'm not sure I understood all that..." Aladdin began.

Jasmine screamed.

"Jasmine, are you all right?"

"Probably as 'all right' as I can be," Jasmine grumped once she'd caught her breath. "Aladdin, it's time."

"You mean..."

"Yes, I mean."

"You two find the machine, shut it down," Zarah said. "I'll take care of Jasmine... if one of you will wish it."

Farid tossed the inkhorn to Aladdin.

"Zarah, I wish you'd make sure Jasmine's baby is delivered safely." He paused. "She will be all right, won't she?"

Zarah glanced at Jasmine. "She's been exhausted... but she's still strong. Good luck. I think the time-dilation device is kept downstairs in the basement, but I'm not sure." The genie hurried to Jasmine's side, and instantly, the two disappeared.

Aladdin lost no time in heading for where he had seen a staircase going down earlier. On his way, he grabbed a torch from the wall. It'd be dark down there, he knew. He found the stairs, ran down, and stared.

Behind him, he heard Farid whistle. "So which is it?"


Coming Next: Chapter 10 - Button, Button

[Guest]

AMAZINGNESS!!! MORE MORE!!!!

[Syera]

CHAPTER 8
The Fortress

Hours later, they reached an opening, and tumbled out into the open, blinking and bleary-eyed. "I hate caves," Farid said at last.

"Well, look on the bright side. The worst thing we found was a monster."

"Yeah," Farid agreed, though he didn't sound very enthusiastic.

They were now in a very small and very steep valley. No doubt about it, there was no obvious or easy way in or out. It was now well into evening. If Aladdin was any judge of time, they'd probably been in there for at least thirty-odd hours. How far had they come? They'd made several wrong turns, but all the same, they'd covered a lot of ground.


"Hey, what's that over there?" Farid asked, pointing.

Aladdin looked. "I'd say it's a... fortress or something. What's it doing out here?"

"I was going to ask the same thing."

"Well, why don't we go find out?"

It ended up taking well over another hour to walk to the fortress. By the time they reached it, it was nearly dark. Suddenly, Farid whistled.

"What?"

"See that light in the window?"

"What about it?"

"Watch."

At first, nothing happened. But then it abruptly went out. And a moment or so later, was lit again. And repeated.

"See?"

"Yeah. Weird. Well... I guess we go in. Wait... does this place seem unguarded to you?"

Farid nodded. "Yeah, but I think that's because he thinks nobody can get in. He's like that."

"You're probably right," Aladdin agreed.

They continued on. They had just about made it to the open gate when, from out of nowhere, a tornado suddenly formed. If Aladdin had known more about tornados, he would have thought it very odd that it blew him away rather than sucking him inside. As it was, he found himself laying on the ground and staring up at he whirlwind. And he was pretty sure it was staring back.

Then, the whirlwind became smaller and took on the shape of a human female with lavender skin and straight, glossy white hair in no particular style. "Sorry, only those with proper authorization can go inside," she said in a bored voice.

"Proper authorization?" Aladdin echoed, standing up.

"From the Sheik."

"And who are you?" Farid asked.

"I'm the Genie Zarah. I keep the riffraff out of this place." She sighed. "For what it's worth. I'd rather be anywhere else, really, but-"

"So the sheik is inside?" Aladdin asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"'Cause we have business with him."

"Sorry, but you can't get in unless you've been authorized by the sheik of El Radi."

"I'm the Vizier of Agrabah. I think you can make an exception in this case."

"Actually, I'd love to, but Kateb's third wish clearly stated that I keep everyone out who is not personally authorized by the sheik himself. So, you're S-O-L."

"I'm the sheik's son," Farid said. "I think you can let me in."

"Nope."

"Come on," Aladdin whispered. "There's gotta be a back entrance somewhere."

"In which case, I'll have to follow you and keep you out of that entrance, too," Zarah said. "Nice try, though."

At that moment, Aladdin caught sight of a figure walking outside the fortress. Instintively, he ducked behind a rock, yanking Farid down for good measure. He held his breath and watched.

"Oh, Sheik Kateb," Zarah said to the figure. "What are you... oh, please, not that again!"

The figure - Sheik Kateb - suddenly reached forward and grabbed the genie by the arm. Aladdin could see that he was wearing some kind of metal sheaths on the tips of his fingers. These tips began to glow, a glow going up his arms and toward his chest. Zarah, meanwhile, was clearly in pain.

Kateb turned loose of her, and she fell to the ground. Without taking and more notice of her, he walked back inside. Once Aladdin was sure he was gone, he ventured from his hiding place.

"See what kind of crap I have to put up with on his job?" Zarah groused. "He does that every so often."

"Does what?"

"Saps my magic. Who knows what he does with it. Just awhile ago, he came in here with this woman who he said had a lot of magic in her, better than mine-"

"What?!"

"I"m not very powerful, magically-speaking-"

"No, the woman! Was her name Jasmine?"

"How am I supposed to know? I didn't ask, he didn't tell. He just brought her in one night and locked her up. 'Course, I have no idea how long they've been in there now, not with that time-dilaty-thingy he's got."

"Time-what?"

"It's a contraption that affects time. You ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

"I'm here to rescue my wife!"

"And I'd let you if I could. But... I can't. Sorry about that."

"Wait," Farid said quickly. "The person has to have authorization from the sheik, right?"

"That's right."

"Did he say what sheik?"

"The Sheik of El Radi."

"Any sheik of El Radi in particular?"

"No, but there's only one. Your point?"

Aladdin saw where Farid was going with this. "With the power vested in me by the Sultan Hamed of Agrabah, I officially give the title, all responsibility, and all power of sheikdom of El Radi thereof to Farid son of Kateb!" He knew very well that his speech wasn't the most proper, but hopefully it would work. "Farid, you are now Sheik Farid of El Radi."

"And I, Sheik Farid of El Radi hereby grant permission to Aladdin and myself to enter the fortress of ex-Sheik Kateb. Now, miss, if you'll let us in..."

"Sorry. I can let you in, but not the vizier."

Farid's face reddened in ire. "Why? I just gave him permission!"

"It has to be written permission. Signed with the Sheik's signature."

"Why didn't you tell us that in the first place? Aladdin, I don't suppose we have parchment and ink and all that with us, do we?" Farid asked sarcastically.

"No."

"Didn't think so. So this means we'll have to go all the way back and get the stupid written permission!"

"There's writing materials inside the fortress, you know," Zarah pointed out. "You could go inside and write up some permission."

"And I'll do that!" With that, Farid stomped inside.

Zarah, meanwhile, slumped to the ground. "I hate my life," she muttered.

"Why?"

"I've been guarding this place for twenty stupid years against nonexistant stupid people! Do you know how often people come here? Never! And that's not even the beginning of it. No."

"Well, uh, while we're waiting, why don't you tell me about it?"



There was something about that place that gave Farid the creeps, and it wasn't just the lack of decorating. It was a lack of... people. Life. How, he wondered, could his father steal away to such a place for who knew how long on end?

But that didn't matter right now, he thought. Right now, he had to find some parchment and ink.

Or did he? Couldn't he take... no, he couldn't. He was not the athletic type that Aladdin or his father were. He was just scrawny Farid, who had been too happy to while away his time designing grandiose buildings, half of which would probably never, ever be built. And write poetry, when the mood struck.

"Hey, who are you?" a voice called from behind.

Farid froze, then turned around. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Just a maid."

"Well, if you tell anyone that I'm here, I'll kill you," he said, trying to sound threatening.

To his surprise, the maid chuckled. "I wouldn't tell the rats you were here, if you're here to stop Sheik Kateb."

"Well, that's what I'm doing. Except he's not sheik anymore. I am. So, where's the office?"

She pointed behind him and to the left. "Upstairs, third room on the right. Anything else?"

"Nope... that'll be... wait, where's he keeping the princess?"

"Servant's quarters - that way." She pointed to the right. "Good luck, m'lord."

"Thanks. Remember, not a word!"

"Of course!"

He briefly wondered if she'd just been putting on an act and was actually plotting to betray him, but quickly decided not to worry about it. If she did, she did, and he'd find out soon enough.

So he set off at a brisk jog. Upstairs. Third room on the right. He pushed on the door, found it unlocked, and stepped inside.

Well, he was in the office, all right. In short order, he grabbed a pen, inkhorn, and parchment, and set about writing an entrance permission for Aladdin with all the formalities he could think of for good measure. To his annoyance, the farthest he could get on Aladdin's pedigree was to his father, Cassim. After he finished, he quickly folded the parchment, put it in his tunic, and hastily exited the room.

However, he had to duck back inside, as he heard what he recognized as his father's footsteps. He held his breath. If he was discovered...

"Get the equipment set up. I want the transferance done in no more than six hours."

Transferance? Oh, yes. Zarah had mentioned that he was planning on draining Jasmine's magic. Jasmine had magic? Farid's mind made a few circles wondering about that, but he quickly forced himself to think on his current mission.

Poor Jasmine, he thought. He'd stop and let her know that they were there to rescue her, he decided. Even if she had turned him down for marriage.

Once he was certain that his father was gone, Farid softly made his way to the servant's quarters, and to the room where Jasmine was staying. To his surprise, the door was unlocked, and pushed open quite easily. "Princess?"

"Who is it?"

"It's Farid, and..." his eyes widened and his voice trailed off as he spotted Jasmine. Her skin was a vivid greenish blue color - perhaps not as bright as Aladdin's genie friend, but bright enough.

"And what?"

"Aladdin and I are going to try to rescue you. What did my father do to you?"

"It's a long story. Your father didn't do this."

"Are you a genie?"

"No. I have genie powers, but..."

"You do? Well, maybe I can get you out of here now."

"No, I can't. He's got this thing stuck to him, and..." she sighed. "It's a very long story."

"Right. Hey, did he take the carpet?"

"Yes, but he never said where it was."

"Okay. You stay here, and I'll be back with Aladdin in a few minutes. I'd get you out myself, but... look, Princess, I'm really, really sorry that I couldn't have been your true love... I realized that I was a selfish, spoiled brat back then, and-"

"Farid, this is no time to get sentimental!" Jasmine snapped. "If you're going to go, get going!"

"Right!"



Zarah sniffled. "I never knew my parents... I mean, do genies even have parents? I guess I never did. Or maybe I did, but they didn't want me. I don't know. I'll never know, probably!"

Aladdin gave the lavender genie a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"Anyway, I'm maybe only five-hundred years old, just-"

Suddenly, Farid barreled outside. "Aladdin! I got the permission! Come on - they're going to do some kind of energy transferance in about five or six hours!"

Aladdin raised an incredulous eyebrow. "You just went in!"

"I was in there long enough to write this-" he pulled out the parchment and handed it to Zarah, "-and tell Jasmine we're coming to rescue her."

"You were in there for maybe thirty seconds."

"I was?"

"It's the time-dilation device," Zarah said. "It makes time inside go faster than it does outside. So while Farid was inside for probably an hour, we were outside for under a minute."

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Farid demanded.

"I did."

"So, we don't have five hours at all," Aladdin said grimly. "Zarah, how long would you say we have?"

"I'd say you'd better get moving."



Coming next: Chapter 9 -Time And Tide Wait For No Man


I think Chapter 8 could've just as easily been titled "Oh! The Vogonity!" But since this story doesn't involve Vogons or even their jewelled scintillating crabs, it's probably just as well.

[Syera]

Well, you lucky little duck, it just so happens to be post-a-chapter day. Enjoy.



CHAPTER 7
Evening Falls


After... however long, Jasmine began to lose all sense of time. The sun moved at an agonizingly slow rate. She knew that it should have been night several times over - at least, from her perspective of time.

She'd feel homesick, but mostly, she missed Aladdin. And everyone in the palace, really. Her father. Rajah. Abu. Sometimes, to amuse herself, she'd conjure something or other with her genie powers, but even that grew stale. She had no-one to spend her time with, and with no-one around, previously enjoyable activities had no point.

Every now and then, the sheik would come to her room and make notes of how she was doing. At first, Jasmine tried to show her defiance, but eventually it sunk in that it wasn't going to do her any good. If there was one good side, it was that the sheik's interest in her was purely scientific. Even if he is an evil, twisted man, Jasmine decided, at least he's not trying to take my heart.

"Have you had any skin discoloration?"

"No."

"Any cravings lately?"

"Not really."

"Not really?"

"The food you've been giving me is fine."

"All right. Any magical fits?"

"What?"

"You know... times when you can't control your powers."

"Oh, those... no, I've been doing fine."

"Good."

Once the sheik was satisfied with her answered, he would leave. She wouldn't see him again for a long time - not until he came back to ask more questions. Sometimes, she'd try to ask him a question or two - like what he was going to do with the power when he had it - but he'd tell her that she didn't need to worry herself with such questions - or something to a similar effect.

Then, much later, he brought in a bowl filled with an unusual fruit. Jasmine might have thought they were grapes, except that she'd never seen blue grapes with a slightly fuzzy skin. "You need to eat these," Kateb told her simply.

"Why?"

"Because carrying a magical child can have an immense strain on the mother," he answered. "Especially as the child grows. These fruits have a magical quality; they will help prevent your body from converting too much of your own strength into magical energy for the child."

"Did Sheik Asad's research tell you this?"

"Yes."

"You do realize, don't you, that Aladdin won't just let me rot here?"

"Yes, but I'm not too worried about that."

"Why?"

"One: time is now going so fast that it will only be a matter of days in the rest of the world's time before you have your child. Two: I have your husband's flying carpet. He can't get in here."

It took every ounce of self-restraint that Jasmine had not to fly into a rage then and there.



Aladdin and Farid had been making their way though the cave for several hours now. They'd taken countless wrong turns and had almost lost themselves a time or two.

They'd even had a few narrow scrapes. After wandering around several caverns and finding only dead ends, Aladdin was contemplating where to go next when he heard the sound of something sliding down a slope. Sliding downward and away from him.

"Farid?" he inquired, looking toward his companion. Farid wasn't there. What Aladdin did see, looking down, was a rather sharp slope. From the looks of it, Farid had fallen down. So he lowered himself to the ground. "Farid?"

"I'm here," the prince's voice called. "Fell."

"Are you okay?"

"Well, I got dirt and rocks and stuff up my... everything, but yeah, I think I'll live."

"Should I come down?"

"Not unless you can fly back up."

And to think, Aladdin thought, once he could. "Should I throw a rope?"

"Yeah, but be careful that you don't fall yourself. The edge isn't stable. And the hill isn't much better."

Aladdin unwound his rope and threw the end downwards. "The rope's down."

"Okay, got it. Hey, look behind you."

Aladdin looked. There was nothing. "I don't see anything."

"Oh, good." There was a pause. "I just figured that if a cave monster was going to sneak up on us, this would be the time it would."

"A little jumpy, aren't we?" Aladdin asked. He could feel Farid's weight on the rope.

There was a pause. "Anything behind you yet?"

"No."

After a few moments, Aladdin could hear Farid's breathing, and soon the prince's extremely dirty face appeared over the edge of the slope.

And he was looking at something behind Aladdin.

Aladdin briefly turned around. Nothing. "Will you stop that?!"

"Stop what?" Farid wheezed as he hauled himself over the side.

"There is nothing behind me."

"I know that. I was just making sure. I thought I was hearing something earlier."

For a minute, the two stood in silence as they caught their breaths. "Well, let's go," Aladdin finally said.

They began walking again, but not before Farid took another quick glance around the area.

Except for their own breath and footsteps, it was completely silent. Aladdin soon determined that they were walking along a rather narrow path between where, to the left, it dropped about ten to thirty feet, depending on the area, and to their right, rose sharply upward.

"Hey, footprints," Farid observed.

"Huh?"

"Footprints. People've been in here."

"People?"

"Yeah. This must be where the mountain raiders've been hanging out. We're probably on the right track now."

Then something wrapped around Aladdin's foot.




Jasmine glanced out the window. For the second time in what felt like months - or what might have even been months or the equivalent thereof, the sun was reaching the lower end of the sky. It was nigh impossible to determine the passage of time.

As she reached for another mazan fruit - Kateb had been keeping her supplied with them for awhile now - she noticed something peculiar.

Her skin had just a tint of... green? No, she thought, more of a blue tint. But mingled with her own skin color, it looked green.

She needed to read those books, she thought.

"Hey!" she called, hoping that there was someone outside to listen. "Open the door!"

No response.

I will not be ignored, Jasmine thought. With a flash of inspiration, she conjured the noisiest thing she could think of - musical instruments playing in cacophony. The fact that she didn't know how to play any of them didn't hurt the awful sound, either.

A few moments later, the door was flung opened. Sheik Kateb stood in the doorway, an irritated look on his face. "What's the meaning of this?"

Jasmine let the instruments disappear. "I was trying to get your attention," she said.

"Well, you've got it," he said dryly. "Now, what do you want - well, your skin's starting to change. So, you must be around your sixth month."

"Sixth month? Has it been that long? I've been in here for two months already?"

"Nearly three, princess. The time does get away from you without those subtle hints... the sun... the moon. Anyway, what was it you wanted?"

"May I read Sheik Asad's research?"

"Absolutely. I'll have it sent-"

"I'd rather go to where you keep your books."

"Have it your way. Just don't... touch anything. There's a lot of delicate equipment around here. Follow me."

She followed him, and he led her through a few hallways and passages to a small room where a few books and scrolls sat on shelves. "The ones you want are here," he said. "Now, can I leave you unsupervised for a few moments?"

"Oh, please... where would I go?"

Kateb shrugged and left the room, leaving Jasmine alone. Licking her lips in anticipation, she began searching through the scrolls. It wasn't long before she found what she wanted, and sat down in a chair to read.

Half-genie offspring, although not common, have occured with enough frequency that I feel they are worth writing about.

I have determined that it is normal for the mother to begin expressing magical tendancies around the third to fifth month, depending on the potency of the child's own magic. Around the fifth month, however, the child's demands on the mother's strength become so great that she must either eat constantly, eat something that contains magical energy, or be infused directly with magical energy.

My longtime friend and colleague Sherkan son of Douban felt it worth mentioning that the mazan fruit are excellent at such a time, not only being magical in nature but nutritious as well. He had, he said, discovered their qualities when he discovered several plants growing in the wild, which would often be visited by various magical animals.

Here Jasmine found a drawing of the fruit. Indeed, it was the same kind that Kateb had brought her.

During the time in which the mother begins to express the child's magic, it is common for her to subconciously conjure up images from her own mind. One woman said that she had seen her husbund, years after he had died in battle. Once they become aware that they themselves are creating the illusions, they can, with practice, learn to control their thoughts better and thus stop the images from appearing. They can also learn to use this magic in the manner of the genies, although prolonged use is taxing and, therefore, not advised.

Around the sixth or seventh month, the mother's skin begins to take on an unusual hue, generally that of the child. This color becomes increasingly more vivid until after the child is born, after which it resumes its natural color.

The child, once born, seems to grow at the normal rate of a human child. Although they have some genie magic, they are still mortal and their powers are much weaker. Unfortunately, many of these hybrids met tragic ends. Some overestimated their own abilities, either exhausting themselves to the point of death, or putting themselves into dangerous situations believing that they would be able to fend for themselves. The hybrid's magic can often be sporadic, and not necessarily very strong. Horribly, some of these children were killed outright-"

For a moment, Jasmine had to tear her eyes away from the page. Was that the fate her child would suffer?

Horribly, some of these children were killed outright by those believing that such hybrids should not be allowed to live. Of course, it is also my opinion that the type of woman who would have a genie's child would probably not make a very good parent.

Jasmine rolled her eyes.



Aladdin hit the ground with a wumph. He gazed upwards toward the top of the slope to see Farid peering down at him.

And then he heard something very large inhaling behind him. He rolled over..

It had a large, hairy face. It had large, sharp teeth. It had huge, insect-like eyes. And it was preparing to grab Aladdin with huge, hairy tentacles.

"Of course they'd keep a cave monster," he grunted as he sprang to his feet to evade the creature. "Can't have caves without one, can you?"

"Aladdin, got your sword?" Farid called.

He reached for his belt, and found to his relief, that it was still there. He quickly unsheathed it, holding it at ready and backing from the monster.

"Want me to come down and give ya a hand?"

"You gotta pull me up, remember?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

The creature seemed to have no legs to speak of, but rather moved on more tentacles than Aladdin could count at the moment. One of the hairy tentacles got dangerously close; he slashed at it with his sword. Mostly, he succeeded in giving the creature a partial haircut.

"I can't pull you up if that thing eats you," Farid commented.

"Look, let's just see how this goes, all right?" He dodged another tentacle, slashed at another, and barely managed to evade the thing's mouth. Disgustingly, the creature was positively drooling in anticipation of eating him. He could just tell it.

Another tentacle caught one arm. He swung at it. It dropped off. Another grabbed his foot. Then his left arm. He tried to free his foot with his right arm, but another tentacle grabbed that one, too.

"I'm coming down!" Farid called.

"No! Not yet! Throw your torch at it!"

"What?"

"THROW YOUR TORCH AT IT!"

"Right!"

Aladdin watched as Farid armed and threw. The torch fell down... downward toward the monster. The creature, being focused on Aladdin, didn't notice a thing. If Farid missed, Aladdin thought, he'd would have another shot with Aladdin's torch. But they'd be left in the dark.

It didn't miss. It landed on the creature's back. It suddenly looked very surprised, then stiffened in pain. Then a patch of fur began to burn. With a yowl, it let go of Aladdin and ran away.

Farid tossed down the rope, and Aladdin climbed back up. "All right?" the price asked.

"Fine," he grunted, hauling himself over the edge. "Good shot."

"Thanks."



Coming Next - Chapter 8: The Fortress

[IRideAladdin'sCarpet]

HOLY CRAP THIS IS AMAZING!!!!! i can't wait for the next chapter!

[Syera]

CHAPTER 6
An Evil Plot


Next morning, Aladdin ambled into the sitting room. Farid was already awake, reading a scroll. "Ah, good morning," he said politely. "You have something to tell me?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I'll tell you over breakfast, okay?"

"Okay."

"But maybe we should have breakfast where people aren't going to be... y'know, listening."

"Right. I'll just tell 'em to take it to the back terrace."

This was done, and the two young men were soon sitting out on the terrace enjoying their breakfast. Aladdin quickly recounted his discoveries to Farid.

The prince whistled. "You're right. That is more damage than has been reported. Weird."

"I was thinking last night-"

"Thinking. Last night. You astonish me," Faried interrupted. "But go on - what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that maybe somebody else is using the raiders as a... well, cover for some kind of operation. But it'd have to be someone who has direct control of the records."

Suddenly, Farid turned an unpleasant shade of green.

"Hey, are you all right? What's the matter?"

"Up until a few years ago, my father had a secretary in charge of the records. Then he died. We haven't hired one since."

"And?" Aladdin pressed.

"My father's been doing it all since then." He paused, and for a moment, Aladdin thought he was going to be sick. "It all fits in," he said at last. "The lack of guards... everything."

"Why would he do this?" Aladdin inquired.

Farid shrugged. "I have no idea. Financially, we were pretty well off - until the raiders started coming in. That's what doesn't make sense. Things were great here." He paused. "Look, are you sure you didn't make a mistake? It was late last night..."

"We can check them again."



Jasmine felt that she could cry.

But she wasn't going to, she decided. Just because she'd been kidnapped, flown across the desert by who-knows-what, locked into a miserable cell and left to rot... well, she wasn't going to give whoever had done it the satisfaction.

With little effort, she conjured a candle so she could better see her surroundings. Yes, a dungeon cell of some kind. Too bad she didn't know how to pick a lock - otherwise, she conjure a lockpick. What about the bars? Was there anything to be done about them? They looked like ordinary wooden bars...

A knife. She needed a knife. With a toothed edge - just the kind for cutting through wood.

And then it was in her hand. Perfect.

She knelt down by the floor, held the knife ready, and began trying to saw through.

Trying was the operative word. The knife didn't penetrate the wood. Looking down, she saw no damage to the rod whatsoever. That was odd. She checked her knife. It was sharp.

She was about to try it again when she heard footsteps. She stood up, letting the knife disappear. Soon, a figure came into view - and if she wasn't mistaken, it was the same figure who had kidnapped her.

She'd been expecting a monster of some kind, but to her surprise, it was - or at least looked like - an ordinary human man, tall with a muscular frame.

"The bars are enchanted. You can't break out." He paused. "But if you'd rather not stay in there, there's a room prepared for you."

She was silent. In her experience, evil maniacs weren't nice unless they thought they had something to gain "What's your price?" she finally asked.

He shook his head. "No price. Just don't try to escape. Not that you could."

"Why have you brought me here?"

There was a long pause. "That's not important right now."

"It's important to me."

"You want the long answer or the short answer?"

"Just answer the question."

"All right: you have something I want."




"See? No mistakes."

Farid slumped down in his chair and leaned forward, shaking his head. "I just can't believe it."

"Well, everybody makes mistakes. We just need to find out why he's doing it."

"Yeah," he agreed weakly.

Just then, something that Aladdin at first thought was a gust of wind blew into the room. However, the "gust of wind" poofed into a recognizable form... Genie. A very frantic, panicked genie.

"Al - it's Jasmine! She's gone!"

"Gone?" Aladdin demanded.

Genie nodded. "We searched everywhere! She's nowhere around the palace!"

"When did she go missing?"

"Who knows? The last time we saw her was last night."

Aladdin fought the urge to fly into a panicked frenzy himself. "Okay, okay... did anyone see anything last night?"

"Well, some of the staff were talking about a falling star... a big one But those happen all the time."

"A big one? How big?"

"Who knows? I didn't ask! I was trying to find Jasmine!"

"Which, they also said that the falling star was going toward El Radi and it was a bad omen for Aladdin... but that's all silly superstition." Genie muttered.

"They did?"

"Come on, Al, you don't believe in those old superstitions, do you?"

"Maybe it wasn't a falling star," Aladdin ventured.

"Then what?" Farid asked.

"Maybe something to do with why Jasmine's gone. Farid, find the sheik. We've got to get some questions answered around here."



Jasmine watched in fascination as the sheik removed his outer cloak and tunic. It wasn't that she was fascinated with his body - but rather, what was all over his body.

Bits and pieces of metal gleamed here and there, some crisscrossing across his arms and chest. Some trailed downward toward his wrists, attaching to metal sheaths on his fingertips. Even stranger, as far as Jasmine could tell, they seemed to be growing from his body in various places. Or at least coming from his body. "What...?"

"What you see allows me to absorb and modify almost any form of magic," he said.

It didn't take long to put it together. "So... you want my baby's magic."

He nodded. "Despite the fact that the child is only half genie, the magic is young, fresh, and potent. I was watching you, you know. You were looking for Sheik Asad's writings."

"Yes."

"They're in here."

"In here? Where are we?"

"This... is where I do most of my work. It's completely inaccessable, except to those who know about it."

"So, do Sheik Asad's writing say anything about..."

"Oh, yes. He managed to document a few cases. Don't worry, princess. You'll be well cared-for."

"What about the baby?"

"I don't know. Nobody's ever tried this before."

"You fiend!" Jasmine spat. "And how long do you plan on keeping me here?"

"Until it's about time for the baby to be born, when the magic reaches its peak. Now, princess, there are much more accomodating chambers available to you... and this cell isn't a healthy place; for you or the baby."

Suddenly overcome with anger, Jasmine found herself flinging small, magically-created knives toward the sheik. But he raised his hands, and as the blades approached, they disintegrated and were absorbed into the metallic fingertips he wore.

"Well, thank you for allowing me to demonstrate how well this works," he said, a grin on his face. Then he took a deep breath. "It's so strong! If this is what you've got now, I can't wait to see what's a few months in the future!"

Still grinning insanely, he pulled his tunic and cloak back on, and then proceeded to unlock the door. "Well, out you get."

Although Jasmine would have preferred to have steadfastly refused his hospitality, she knew that he was right about one thing - staying there would be unhealthy. And it was difficult to say how long it would take to be rescued, if she was rescued. So, she stepped outside - making special effort to look as rebellious about it as possible.

"Come along - your room's this way."

Jasmine followed Sheik Kateb through the hallway. As near as she could tell, they were in some kind of cave. A torch here or there provided a little light - just enough to get around by.

Jasmine followed him up a hewn staircase, into another cavern, up another staircase, and finally, into a hall that had obviously been built of bricks. But he didn't stop there. He eventually went up another staircase, and finally, into what was clearly the wing where the servants - if there were servants, anyway - would stay. At last, he unlocked a door and ushered Jasmine inside.

Although it was obvious that he hadn't gone out of his way to make the room particularly lavish, he had clearly gone to the effort of making it fairly comfortable. At least, Jasmine noted gratefully, the bedding was clean.

"I'll have servants sent to make sure that your requirements are met," he said. "Until later, princess."

With that, he shut the door and locked it.

Now, left all alone, Jasmine could finally do what she'd felt like doing for several minutes.

She laid down on the bed and cried.



Prince Farid was positively stomping through the hallway toward Aladdin. "You're going to love this," he growled.

"What?"

"He's not anywhere. He's gone again, and guess what? Nobody saw him leave. Nobody!"

"Nobody?"

"Look, unless he was invisible, there was no way he could get out of this place without being seen by somebody. And nobody saw him!"

"You're saying he was invisible?"

"No," Farid said darkly. "I'm saying there's a secret passage around here. We gotta find it."

"Ah. So, how do you plan on finding a secret passage?"

"I'm an architect, remember? I know how to find these things. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a secret passage to find. You go to the library. See if you can find the plans for this place."

With that, Farid stomped off.

Aladdin blinked. No doubt about it, that guy was in a bad mood. "Wait," he said, running up behind the prince, "how do you exactly find a secret passage?"

"You look for it in the blueprints."

"No, I mean..."

"You look for something that doesn't make sense architecturally speaking."

"Like what?"

"Like a room that's smaller than it should be. Or you can look for a draft that doesn't have an obvious source. But the easiest way for you non-architects is to check the plans!"

"Would they still be around?"

"How am I supposed to know? There's only one way to find out!"

Aladdin rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. I'll take a look. But I think you need to remember that I'm the one acting under the Sultan's authority."

He heard Farid mutter "I'm sorry," then quickly shuffle off elsewhere.

Gritting his teeth, Aladdin began walking to the library. He hadn't gotten very far, however, when something large hit him from behind, knocking him onto the ground. He rolled over to see Farid looking at him with an insane grin on his face. "What, find it already?" he ventured.

The prince nodded. "Uh-huh." He quickly sprang up again. "Sorry about that, Vizier. You're okay, right?"

"I've lived through worse."

"Good. Come on!" The prince dashed off in a fit of excitement, Aladdin close behind.



Jasmine laid on her bed and glanced out the window. She'd felt like the day had been creeping on forever... but it clearly wasn't even noon.

She heard the door open behind her. She sat up, and saw a maidservant walking through with a dish of food. Immediately, her stomach rumbled, and as soon as the servant had set the plate on the table, she began to eat.

"Everything all right, lady?" the servant inquired.

Jasmine decided there was no point in correcting her in that she was a princess. "Well, as well as it can be, for being a prisoner of some insane guy."

The maid nodded. "After you eat, lady, you should get some sleep."

"Why? It's not even noon."

"No, it's not, but... time doesn't work the same here."

"What?"

"In this place, time moves more quickly. It's been over twelve hours since you were brought here from the dungeon."

Jasmine nearly choked. "Excuse me?"

"The sheik uses it to his advantage," the maid said. "He can get more work done here while nothing much happens out there. So, you can't really trust the sun to tell you when to sleep. You'll get used to it."

"How long have you been in here?"

"A few years... in this place's time. Maybe only a year or a few months in the rest of the world. I don't know. I don't know much about how it works."

Jasmine sighed. If that was the case, she could be waiting a very long time before she was rescued.

"The Sheik said that, if you behaved yourself, he'd let you around the place more freely."

"Did he."

"He said he didn't see the point of keeping you all locked up for... how long?"

"Five months."

"Five months, if you behaved yourself."

"Behave myself," Jasmine snorted.

"It's no good trying to defy the sheik," the maid said. "He's extremely powerful."

"But I can't stay here," Jasmine said. "He's... he's going to..."

"Going to what?"

Jasmine explained her story to the maid. Although she looked sympathetic and offered her condolences to Jasmine, she explained that there was nothing she could do.

"He'd have anyone killed who tried to interfere," she said. "I'm sorry, lady."





"So, where is it? Fireplace?"

"Nope."

"Under a rug?"

"My dad's smarter than that!"

"A switch behind a pillar?"

"Too complicated."

"Where?"

Farid stopped in front of a wall made of wooden planks. "Right here. Feel the draft?"

"Yep."

"This means that we've got a secret passage. Hurry - help me find how to open it!"

"Some kind of mechanism?"

"Maybe. Could be simpler."

"Oh?"

"Maybe there's no mechanism. Maybe you just have to pull it."

Aladdin tried this, but found that, although the planks gave slightly, there was something on the other side that prevented it from moving. "It's locked on the inside, I think."

"Naturally. We'll just have to tear it down. I'll go find an axe." Farid turned around, but suddenly stopped. Genie stood, holding an axe, in the guise of some metallic man-like creature with a pointed head.

"I might be a little rusty at this, but I think I've got the heart to chop through a door."

:"Er... be my guest." The prince hastily stepped aside, and Genie quickly set to hacking away with gusto. Everything from large chunks of wood to tiny slivers flew this way and that, and the young men cautiously turned aside to avoid getting hit.

A few moments later, Genie stopped hacking away, and Farid and Aladdin turned to look.

They now stared into the mouth of a cave. After grabbing a torch, Aladdin took a few steps inside. "It's big," he called.

"How big?" Farid asked.

"Hard to say. We'll definitely need to take supplies, though. Looks like a real maze in here."

The prince whistled. "All right. Let's get some stuff together and go."

"You're going?" Aladdin asked as he walked back out of the cave.

"Of course. If it's my father who's causing all this trouble, I might be able to talk some sense into him."

"Right. I'll just go find Carpet, and..." Aladdin furrowed his eyebrows. "Farid, have you seen Carpet today?"

"No, I haven't. Why?"

"I think our ride's been heisted."

Several hours later, Aladdin and Farid were prepared to go. Farid, Aladdin noted, just didn't seem like the type of guy to be doing some kind of underground exploration. Unless it involved spinning a web, he thought, noting afresh his gangly frame.

"Genie," Aladdin said, "we need you to stay here in case anyone comes through - and if it's Sheik Kateb or any other evil wierdo, restrain him and tell us immediately."

"Aye aye, captain!"


Coming Next - Chapter 7: Evening Falls



Well, I think you can see that the story just got a whole lot weirder. Once again, my love of sci-fi has wibbled its way into another story.

And, just for the record, that was chapter 6 of 10. Whew - it's more than half-way posted!

[Syera]

IRAC, I don't release stories until they are virtually completed. So, it's all written... it just isn't released. So don't you worry about me writing more.

[Nez]

Wow, it's getting exciting.

[IRideAladdin'sCarpet]

OMG!!! please write more!!! yet again, you've gotten me hooked on one of your brilliant stories!!!!!