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[Guest]

AMAZINGNESS!!! MORE MORE!!!!

[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
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Weblog | SH.net | Ed-sprite by Janette

[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.
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[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.
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Weblog | SH.net | Ed-sprite by Janette

[Nez]

I see.
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[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!
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I loveses my Ger-bear! (me and Ger-bear>>)

[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!
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[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!"


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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.
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Weblog | SH.net | Ed-sprite by Janette