The NatPack Makes a Move by the NatPack Time: Time? There's a time? Oh, let's make it first thing in the timeless timeline. In NatPack homes across the continent, phones were ringing. Despite rumours, the Pack communicates primarily via telephone and email, and even in person--not through group consciousness. Really. Really they do. *** "Hello?" "We need to get to Toronto," the voice on the other end of the line said rapidly. "Smegging " muttered Jill as she sat up straight on the couch, dislodging a very unhappy Wonder Dog. "Why would I want to go to Toronto again, Maureen? Been there, done that, bought the Toronto PD key chain." She listened intently for a few moments, then shook her head to clear it. "Got it. I'll be in Ann Arbor in five hours--well, if the clocks were working, anyway. Same place. I'll round up the Chicago area Pack and get the van rented; you take care of the Michigan contingent. Has anyone called Boo?" *** The phone ringing was not a pleasant touch to Catherine's otherwise really poopy day. It required getting out of bed. Very unhappy, even if it late afternoon. She managed to find the phone by stepping on it. It was Amy. "Something weird's going on in Toronto." "I assume you mean more weird than usual?" Somewhere in her room, Catherine heard a noise that sounded like tap dancing. She ignored it. "You know that Little Caesar's commercial, the one with the sheep? Well, it's kinda getting re-enacted up there. Except with vampires and stuff." Catherine paused, more confused than usual, and realized that her clock was tap dancing across the floor. Where had it gotten feet? It was one damn talented clock, by the way. "Oh, and Natalie says hi. She says if you come, she'll give you a freebie, since you're in her faction and all." Catherine threw a blanket over the time-stepping clock. "I'm on my way." "Someone needs to call Lynn..." *** Hanging up the phone, Lynn realized that the bad feelings she'd been having were right on target. Fortunately, despite the fact that the clocks all seemed to be moving backward (what was up with that?), the phones were working. A few quick calls got Eliz and Dawn headed over to her house--and got Kim ready to be picked up on the way to Toronto. The question still remained: how they get there? "Dad?" Not long after, her father was convinced that he should drive his daughter and several of her friends to Toronto in the comfort of a limousine, accompanied by the Due South soundtrack. Lynn, fortunately, was a persuasive daughter. From the car phone, Lynn made two quick calls--to Judy and Sharon B. *** Judy hung up the phone and eyed her closet. Time to pack--the weather would be decent, but you never knew how many clothes you were going to need during a War. Shorts, jeans, Raven garb... Did she own enough luggage? A few minutes later--well, she it was a few minutes, but her clock had stopped ticking and was humming "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" in an extremely off-tempo arrangement--she was packed. Now she just had to figure out how she could afford to go; no one else was driving from Florida and there was no way she could go unless... "Dad?" After a long, tough discussion he lent Judy enough money for a ticket, after making her promise that the business wouldn't suffer. "Of it won't. Oh! I have to call Meredith..." *** Meredith was drinking her warm milk and honey when the clock that friends had given them as an engagement present began to tell jokes. Bad jokes. Lieutenant Commander Data Before His Emotion Chip jokes. And the hands were moving backwards. Understandably, this startled her, and she began coughing so hard that when the phone rang she could barely answer it. "Hello?" she answered, trying to control her coughing fit. Her face grew solemn as she listened. "On my way." Another War. Meredith sighed as she hung up the phone. Not that she didn't like hanging out with the 'Pack, but in her whammied behaviour she'd... Well, she hadn't been able to think straight and had gotten a bit too involved with Jerry Tate. War was hell. And if she had to be in hell, so did the rest of the group. "Gotta call Perri," she mumbled, hoping that her fiance wouldn't get home before she could scribble him a sweet, loving note and get the heck out of Dodge. *** "Are we all in?" Jill surveyed the assembled throng, counting them off. "Amy, Valerie, Tina, Betsy, Maureen... Just waiting for the westernly contingent, I guess. Linda's in Toronto already for that convention, and Sharon B. is meeting us there...along with Judy and Meredith and all the Canadian 'Pack." She paused. "Amy, sweetie, what are you holding?" "Videotapes of Halo Boy!" Amy chirped. "Jennie would kill me if I didn't bring them. I have JetC stuff, too," she added smugly. Tina bounced ecstatically. Jill nodded. "Got it." The 'Pack tends to be less than judgmental about the various obsessions of its members. "Speaking of which, where is Jennie?" "She's in Toronto," Amy said, a puzzled look on her face. "I'm not exactly sure how she got there." "We're here!" yelled voices from across the parking lot, and the assemblage turned to see Catherine and Perri running toward them--as fast as they could, given the enormous suitcases they were carrying. There were general greetings and hugs and squeals and typical annoying long-lost-'Pack-reunion stuff, and then everyone loaded into the enormous, Tardis-like van they were driving up to Toronto. "Off we go!" commented Perri cheerfully. "Can't wait," grumbled someone. "Not like we didn't spend enough time up there last time." "At least we're not going up for the same reasons," Tina remarked, and they were all silent for a moment at the memory--which tells you how serious the memory was, as the Pack is rarely silent. "But it's War, again," Valerie sighed. "Why else would a rift open up in the space/time continuum? Why else would my clock be blinking 'all done, bye bye' at me?" "Well," Amy said seriously, "There are any number of reasons..." Valerie reached out and clapped one hand over her mouth. "No Voyager talk," she said sternly. "None. Nada. Zilch. Zip." Amy attempted to look penitent, and failed miserably. "Didn't we just get back home from all that at PQL?" Betsy shook her head. "I'm so tired of these alternate universe things. We fixed one rift, and that should be enough for anyone, War or no War." "We don't know that it's a rift," Amy reminded the group. "It's a duplicate of the Revenge scenario," Maureen said, carefully fastening her seatbelt. "Once Pod realized we were in the middle of rift in the continuum, she just crawled into bed and started whimpering pathetically. She said something about not being able to take any more of this." "At least this time it's just FK characters," Perri said. Jill adjusted the rear-view mirror. "Funny that none of us are seeing any," she commented, glaring in the mirror as if she expected one to appear there. "When have you known the NatPack to have the same experiences as...well, as else?" Valerie asked, and they nodded at the sagacity of the comment. "Diet Coke," said Jill as they headed out of the parking lot. "Coke," said Catherine and Betsy in unison. "Tunes?" Tina asked hopefully; tapes might drown out the sound of the digital clock warbling "That's Amore." "Advil?" queried Valerie, then jumped as seven bottles of pills were thrown at her. They're everywhere, they're medicated, and they're heading for Toronto.