[LNH] Vel #1/2

[Jesse Willey]

Vel scrubbed the floor with his mop in a circular motion.   The bubbly
water splashed around causing a bright light on the surface of tile.  
Noon was his favorite time of day at the inn.  It was late enough in
the day that Marcia, the innkeeper, had gone down to the kitchen but
early enough that children had not come back from the playground.   He
was alone with his work.   He could scrub the floors and forget the
life he had known.

	He found something in the foothills that he had never known in the
LNH.  Out in the middle of rural mountainside he found piece of mind. 
 As he began to see his face in the tile, he stopped.

	His sensitive ears picked up a soft dripping from the end of hall.  
It reminded him of another time and place.  Shortly after he joined
the LNH, Master Blaster and Deja Dude had him go down to the Peril
Room with Applicant Lad.  One thing led to another and they had
flooded the entire room.
	
	Those were good times.  Times he couldn't think about, without
remembering another day.  The day he left it all behind.



	Vel # ½
	The Man I Never Was Part Seven of Six
	 Epilogue
	By Jesse N. Willey

	Bicycle Repair Man stared down at the wreckage of the hover
skateboard.  It got impaled into Vel's other self, it broke in at
least three places.   He had no idea how it worked.  All he could tell
was that it had once been a beautiful piece of riding technology.  He
wondered what it must have been like to ride it when it was working.

	"Can you fix it?" Vel asked.
	"I don't think so.  Anti-gravity devices are a little out of my
league.  Did you ask Doctor Stomper?" Bicycle Repair Man said.   He
then turned his head.  "Oh... yeah right, sorry.  You two still aren't
talking."
	"Don't worry about it.  Ever since those treaties were signed we've
have the Dorfan consulate downtown.  My father is the Human ambassador
to the Dorf.  I can pull a few strings and get the replacement parts I
need," Vel said.
	"I thought your parents were on Haven when Killfile destroyed it,"
Bicycle Repair Man said.
	"I thought so too.  You remember those soap bubbles we experienced
during the battle with my other self?   Only it turns out as soon as
he went back to ancient Dorfia a giant one appeared around Haven," Vel
said.   "You scan it from one angle you see a dead planet.  Scan it
the other way, you see the same old planet that was always there. 
Essentially, it's a Schroedinger's planet."
	"So he's changing the past?" Bicycle Repair Man said.
	"Yeah. Pretty much," Vel said.
	"And you aren't going to back and stop him?" he said.
	"No."

	Bicycle Repair Man handed him back the pieces to the board.

	"Anyway, nice board. I wish there was something the LNH could to do
to fix it," Bicycle Repair Man said.
	"Maybe someday," Vel said.  "Maybe someday."  

	There was a soft gleam in his eye.  He debated whether or not he
should tell Bicycle Repair Man about what he saw in the future.  He
decided against it.  He had seen enough time paradoxes for one week.

	"See ya around," said Bicycle Repair Man.
	"Yeah.... see ya." 

		============ 

	Vel walked out into the hallway.  Jailbait came strolling up next to
him.  She was smiling widely, with her arms were behind her back.   
Vel's tense shoulders began to relax.   It had been a long couple of
weeks.   He was surprised to find himself smiling.
	
	"Any luck getting your anti-gravity skateboard fixed?" she said.
	"No."
	"I got something that might cheer you up," she said.
	"What?"
	"Annie Hall," she said.
	
	Vel smiled.   One of his favorite movies.   How'd she know?   They
walked up a flight of stairs to his quarters.  He touched the keypad
and the door whooshed open.  He and Jen walked inside they closed
again.  The room was almost empty except for the bed, a couch, and the
entertainment center.  When he had first planned to move out, he had
planned to just give them to whoever took the room next.   He turned
on the entertainment center and placed in the DVD.  He and Jen walked
over to couch, sat back and relaxed.
		
		============
	
	Ultimate Ninja lay comfortably on the Kirbytech bed.  It did nothing
to heal his missing arm or ruptured cornea, but after much fine tuning
the anesthetic field was working fine.   The Ninja turned to Doctor
Stomper.

	"I was wrong about him, Vincent," The Ninja said.
	"About who?"
	"Vel."
	"Yes, yes you were," Vincent Stomper said.
	"Then why'd you go along with it?" Ultimate Ninja asked.  "Following
orders blindly isn't your style."
	"Do you want to know?" Stomper said. He took a step back from the
Ninja's bed.  "Part of me wants to say I was only following orders. 
Another part wants to blame Screw You Over Lad's bad luck powers.  But
the truth is that those powers wouldn't have done anything to me, if I
hadn't been jealous."
	"Jealous of what?"
 	
		============

	As they exited the room, Jen wrapped her arms around Vel's waist.  
Pizza Girl and Sing Along Lass were waiting at door.  Vel sighed.  
This was going to be uncomfortable.
	
	"Vel, I'm glad you haven't left yet.  Ultimate Ninja said he's going
to make you a full fledged member of the.." she said.
	"Too little, too late.  Tell him to take his full fledged membership
and shove it," Vel said.
	"We worked really hard to prove you innocent," Pizza Girl shouted.
	"I appreciate the sentiment, Pizza Girl.  You and Jen are alright. 
It's just that there are still people on this team who don't trust me.
 Most of them never will," Vel said.
	"Maybe if you gave them a chance..." Carina said.
	"I did," Vel said.  "Now if you excuse me, I have to apologize to
Onion Lad."

	He stormed off.

	"Vel!  Wait!" Jen shouted.

	Carina turned to her.

	"Is that the real reason he's avoiding me?   You two disappear for a
few hours and now you're joined at the hip," Carina asked.
	"For your information, it was forty three days our time... and nothing
happened," Jen said.
	"And not due to your lack of trying," Carina snapped
	
	Pizza Girl shivered nervously.

	"Please, don't tell her," Jennifer said.
	"Tell me what?"
	"That while they were in the past, Jennifer got drunk and tried to
seduce him.  But like she said... nothing happened.  Trust me, they way
she talks about him she would have told me.  I mean, she told me about
Alvin..." Pizza Girl said.
	

	===========================================

	Vel walked into the cafeteria.  Onion Lad froze in his tracks.   Meat
and Potatoes Man leapt in Vel's way.  Vel stepped forward.

	"What are you doing here?" asked Meat and Potatoes Man.
	"I-I came here to apologize to Onion Lad," Vel said.
	"Go away," squealed Onion Lad.
	"Look.  I was a little wound up that day.   I'm sorry," he said. "I
want to invoke fau-sinto."
	"That sounds dirty," Onion Lad replied.
	"It's an old dorfan tradition.  It is never entered lightly. 
Especially with outworlders.  It essentially means that I would owe
you a favor in exchange for forgiveness," Vel said.
	"Hrrmmm..." Onion Lad said.
	"It can be anything," Vel said.
	"Anything..."
	"Calm down lad," Meat and Potatoes Man said.
	
	Onion Lad gleamed.

	"Ultimate Ninja wanted me to empty out the quarter trays on Arcade
deck," Onion Lad replied.
	"What?"
	"Hop to it," Onion Lad said.
	"You could use this favor on anything!  I mean anything.  Want
Orioles tickets for next season?  Traditionally it's a life debt but..."
Vel said.
	"I guess you've never seen the Arcade Deck," Onion Lad said.
 

               =============================

	Vel stepped out the headquarters.  Ultimate Ninja, Doctor Stomper,
Sing Along Lass and Jailbait were waiting at the bottom of the steps. 
 Vel walked down them slowly.

	"What do you want?" Vel asked.
	"I'd like you to stay?" Ultimate Ninja said.
	"No."
	"Why not?  Your name has been cleared," Stomper said.
	"He led an operation to have me killed.   You're no better.  You
stood by and let it happen.  I thought you were better person than to
stand by the party line if you disagreed with it," Vel said.

	 He began to walk away.

	"Keep in touch," Sing Along Lass said.
	"Whatever," Vel said. "Oh, one more thing.  Jen, I left those dorfan 
combat instruction programs in the Peril Room for you, just like you
asked."
	
	He walked into the sunset.  He pulled a remote out of his pocket.

	"Where are you going?" Jen shouted.
	"Vienna, Austria..." Vel said.  
	"And then?"
	"Who knows."


Vel created by Jesse N. Willey.  Ultimate Ninja created by wReam. 
Onion Lad created by Tom Russell and Dane Martin. Pizza Girl and
Jailbait created by Martin Phipps.  Sing Along Lass  created by
Drizzt.   All other characters are public domain.