Across the Omniverse (Mel x Sonja)

Lisa shook her head in confusion at Thomas' question. Did he not know how she got here either?

Or maybe this was a language miscommunication.

She studied the drawing, and saw that it looked roughly like part of the map Thomas had shown her earlier. And the two tiny heads were, she assumed, supposed to be her and Thomas.

So the blank circle, with just one head, was supposed to be where she came from. Maybe Thomas might know where she came from, if he saw a map? And maybe he could then get her back to her world?

Lisa took the sharpie from Thomas, and with as much care as she could, drew the triple continents on the hemisphere where she lived, including the archipelago that laid in the center of the great Inland Sea. She then drew an arrow from the little head that represented her, to the location of her home city, that laid on a small bay on the western edge of a continent in the northern hemisphere.

Once she was done, she pointed at the map of her world and said, "Lisa, thini." She then tried to make an explosion noise, and used her fingers to simulate an explosion. She then pointed at the two heads on the map of the Earth and said, "Lisa, Dumbass, thini." Lisa repeated this two more times, then asked, "Lisa disharj thini..." she pointed to the map of her world, then made the explosion noise and motion again and pointed at the map of the Earth "...kawk thini?"

Thomas nodded. Partially in understanding at her attempts to explain herself, and partially to reassure himself that, yes, he totally understood Lisa. He flipped the notebook back around, swiftly doodling on the notebook again. The scent of sharpie slowly filled the room, stinging at his nostrils. He ignored it however, focused as he was on the drawing. After a few moments he flipped it back. His new illustration showed a little more artistic skill, his old hobby slowly coming back to him.

The new page was a comic, seemingly starring Thomas. It showed a picture of the man in an anime style. The first panel showed him looking at a power plug, the device in the background and a questioning look on his face. The little question mark over his head helped drive in his cluelessness. The next showed the man plugging it in. In the third, Thomas was laying fast asleep on the couch, napping as the device sparked to one side. The fourth on the other hand showed a furred model of some sort, a beautiful figure with shining hair and dewy eyes leaping out from the device.

Now for the hard part.

He took the pad back, sketching quickly--and watching her just in case she got the idea to plug the device back. After a few moments, he flipped the book back. The machine was in the middle, with arrows pointing to what he thought might happen if they turned it back on. One, to an explosion. Then one of the machine catching fire. Then, another to a book, leading to the two of them standing and smiling alongside a glowing device. Then he frowned. He wasn't sure she would understand quite yet. He flipped it back before doodling again, and flipped it back to face her. In his mind, the collection of chocolate, candy and gold coins was supposed to make it more appealing, though the pile of black squares and circles could have been seen as something very different.

There was a definite furrow in Lisa's forehead as she tried to follow Thomas' drawn explanation. Truth be told, there were a lot of extraneous details in his drawings she didn't understand. But the one thing she did understand was the device that Thomas had prevented her from approaching earlier was somehow central to all this.

Lisa pulled the two 'maps' out of all the drawings Thomas had made. Lisa pointed to the map of her world, and then tapped herself lightly between her two scantily covered breasts. Then she pointed at the machine. Then she pointed at Thomas' world, and motioned between herself and Thomas, and gave the human an inquiring look.

The man almost sighed at her lack of understanding. This was not how he had expected his first day on welfare to go. Even if it was more exciting than welfare critics made it out to be. As she gestured though, he was reminded of a very obvious fact he had somehow forgotten. That there was a very beautiful, almost naked woman in his house. Granted, a very alien one. But he could not help but appreciate her figure, despite the wealth of fur that covered her. The rest of her was quite cute too. Her fur was downy, and a very soft brown. Such a sharp nose, small chin, piercing eyes...he wondered how well she could smell. If she could smell his hormones, the way the girl in his last doujinshi could.

Thomas came back to reality as he felt his head shifting. He was nodding to Lisa's apparent question, regardless of the fact he hadn't really noticed it. He'd have to thank his subconscious for taking over later. He raised the pad again, taking a moment to doodle before turning it back to her with a very simple comic. It showed Lisa on her world, with an image of Thomas above her pressing a button. The next showed the two of them on Earth, leaping in surprise. The final column showed her pressing the same button, a giant question mark underneath. Hopefully she got the idea but just in case...he circled the mark several times, before putting the pad down. He had been completely uninvolved in any scientific proceedings at his old job. He had no idea how this thing worked. For all he knew, if Lisa pressed the button again, she would go home. Or would be dragged into another dimension made of tentacle monsters with no concern for personal space. Or turned into a hamburger.

Speaking of which...

His stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him he hadn't eaten since his shift started nearly twelve hours ago. He gave his belly a quick rub before he smiled apologetically over to his guest. He opened his mouth, nearly asking her if she was hungry before he remembered it. The whole 'can't understand me' thing. At least this was a chance to teach her about this new world.

Thomas reached out, taking her by the hand before leading her to the fridge. It felt so soft... The interior of the fridge was fairly sparse. About as much as you could expect from your typical early twenties bachelor. Inside were some cans of soda, bottled water and orange juice. A packet of hamburger meat sat thawing in the corner, his planned dinner. Apart from that, there wasn't much. A few apples in the fruit drawer, carrots and cucumbers in the vegetable, as well as spices, seasonings and cheese in the cheese drawer. He gave her a moment to look it over before he began pointing to the items inside. Maybe he could learn what a creature like her ate, before he tried to kill his hunger.

"Soda. Water. Juice. Meat. Fruit. Vegetable. Cheese." He crossed his arms and looked into her face. In part to keep himself from eyeing her breasts again. "Questions?"

Lisa allowed Thomas to lead her into what must have been some type of kitchen. Or it looked like something where she would prepare a meal. She was a bit startled at the feel of his smooth skin. In her mind, she half expected him to feel...she didn't know...reptilian? It was hard to describe the way his hand felt in hers, but it wasn't disagreeable.

Lisa was in a half daze as Thomas opened the refrigerator, as she mulled over what he had shown her. She wasn't quite sure what Thomas had been trying to demonstrate by all the drawing associated with the machine, but one thing was clear to her. The machine she thought was a battery was what brought her over to Thomas' world, and she was certain it was her way to get back to where she belonged.

Lisa was brought back to reality when Thomas began naming the different contents of his refrigerator. She gingerly took a bottle of water and, after a few seconds, opened it. She took a careful sniff, then a sip. She suddenly found herself guzzling the entire bottle, then ducked her head bashfully. "Shan crahay qua shan kid," she announced.

Lisa set the empty bottle down and looked to be reaching for a second bottle when she suddenly spun around and leaped across the kitchen. Before Thomas could even think about reacting, she was in the living room, punching buttons on the device.

And then the living room was filled with a blinding light.

"Wait! LISA!"

The moment she hit the button, Thomas was sprinting towards her. He had no idea how this device worked, or what it was capable of. For all he knew, turning it back on would kill the two of them. But there was no way he was going to let Lisa get hurt because of his ignorance.

He dived for her, catching the girl in his arms and throwing them away from the machine. They landed safely on the couch, her laying on the cushions, him above her on his arms and knees. Had he been a few years younger, he might have thought this an oddly romantic scene. She gazing up at him, he moments from brushing her hair. Kissing her lips. But he had more important things to worry about. He flipped off the bed, taking a position in front of where she had been thrown to the couch as if to shield her. He had no idea what would happen next. For all he knew, a massive ogre in a top hat and cockney accent would stumble through the portal. Though somehow, Thomas felt reality would be far different. He gave it a 50/50 chance between nothing happening, and the machine exploding and killing them both. Still...if he could keep her safe, he had to try.

May 3, 2268, somewhere in the space claimed by the United Federation of Planets

"Bridge to Lieutenant M'yitr," the intercom called.

Even though she was alone on her bed, Lieutenant M'yitr guiltily sat up, quickly stripping off the stockings she had bought on the last trip that the USS Endurance had made to Earth. Not that M'ytir was known for being anything but a professional at her job on the starship. She was probably the youngest and most accomplished Assistant Chief Engineer in the fleet. Still, she had her guilty pleasures, even though she was the only one who knew she indulged in the them. And truthfully, the occasional wearing of risque lingerie in the privacy of her quarters was the most risque thing she had ever done.

M'yitr hit the comm panel by her bed and answered, "M'yitr here."

"We'll be beaming down in fifteen minutes, Lieutenant. The away team will meet you in the transporter room," the intercom informed her.

"I'm heading there now. M'yitr out."

M'yitr straightened her uniform before leaving her quarters. She stopped at the armory and picked up her phaser before heading toward the transporter room.

And somewhere between the armory and the transporter room, M'yitr disappeared.

=====

Somewhere on Earth in the early 21st century

The next thing Lisa knew, she was looking up at Thomas, who had her pinned on the couch. For a moment, she was frozen with indecision.

Then she pulled her feet up, planted them on Thomas' stomach, and literally launched him off of her.

She quickly came to her feet, literally growling, furious that Thomas might have prevented her from getting home. For a moment, she even forgot about the blinding light that was now fading.

And out of the blinding light stepped a feline Star Fleet officer, her phaser pointed at the room's two other humanoid occupants. In clear, precise English, she asked, "Where am I and who are you?"

Thomas flew over the side of the couch, striking the wall with an audible thud. He scrambled to his feet as quickly as he could, ignoring the bruise to his side as he stood up. He wasn't sure what was going to come out of the portal this time. Anything from a Xenomorph to a Tyrannosaurus Rex could emerge in mere seconds. He had to...

His body, tense with momentum mere moments before, eased as the outline of the figure appeared in the rift caused by the machine. It looked similar to Lisa. Had she summoned some other woman from her own dimension? A moment later, his question was answered. A feline woman, dressed in the red dress typical of Star Trek Redshirts was standing before them, phaser in hand. Thomas was...stunned to say the least. So much so that he didn't react at first, merely raising his hands to show that he was harmless. Still, his interest was clearly palpable as he stared at her. His eyes glistened with stunned recognition, before he mastered his voice.

"Ah...Thomas. I'm Thomas. This is Lisa." He said, pointing kindly to her. And trying not to think about the dent he may have left in the wall from her kick. "Its alright, you aren't in any danger. I'm an American."

"American. You look human to me," Lieutenant M'yitr said, a look of confusion on her face. She had no idea where she was, or how she got here. But the good news was that she appeared to be the only one in the room with a weapon. Not that she planned to use it. She was a Star Fleet officer, after all, and trained to diffuse situations like this peacefully. But it did make things easier in a situation like this when you didn't have to deal with other people having weapons as well.

The other two people in the room were, well...unusual looking. The one who identified himself as Thomas, from a race known as American (though he still looked human to her) was dressed in attire that she think she saw in a museum one time. The person known as Lisa...

Well, she was definitely female, M'yitr thought with a blush. What she was wearing (barely) was proof of that. Had M'yitr somehow appeared here and interrupted a tryst of some sort? And what kind of a name was Lisa for someone who looked like that she might be from a species distantly related to M'yitr's own?

And then a light bulb went on in M'yitr's head.

"American? Do you mean South and North America, like on Earth?" M'yitr asked Thomas, lowering her phaser.

Before Thomas could answer, Lisa said something excitedly to M'yitr. And M'yitr found she could understand her.

Well, roughly understand her. Lisa was speaking a form of Caitian, but it wasn't the modern Caitian M'yitr had grown up speaking. It was roughly the Caitian equivalent of Old English. Which made M'yitr wonder how this feline woman who wasn't Caitian came to be speaking an ancient form of it. But that was for later.

M'yitr hesitantly answered Lisa in an odd mix of modern and old Caitian, and Lisa excitedly sprung into a conversation. After a few minutes of the conversation, a grim M'yitr raised her weapon and Thomas found himself looking at the business end of a phaser held by one of the best markspersons in her Academy Class.

"Lisa says you took her from her world and prevented her from getting home," M'yitr told Thomas, the tone of her voice no nonsense. "You did the same to me. Want to tell me what's going on?"

"Great, not again..."

Thomas raised his arms, looking much more tense than he had a few moments before. Though fear of being instantly vaporized clearly had him cowed, he couldn't resist rolling his eyes. Yeah, judging by the outfit she was Starfleet. That meant there was a decent chance he could tackle her without one of her shots connecting, but he didn't feel like sealing a hole in the wall. Not to mention Lisa would probably jump him from behind.

...Wait a moment, was he seriously considering jumping a Starfleet officer in his own house?

"Look, all I did was plug in that machine, and try to take a nap. Next thing I know, she jumps out like a furry ninja. Seriously, do I look like I could kidnap her?"

He pointed one finger accusingly over at Lisa before his hand went to his side. Nursing the spot where she threw him against the wall. Nothing felt broken, but he felt like he had a serious bruise there. He'd have to take a look at it after he calmed down these two...somehow...

The phaser remained unwavering on Thomas as the two feline women exchanged words. At one point, Lisa said something and M'yitr snickered.

"So, is your name Thomas or Dumbass?" M'yitr asked with a barely suppressed giggle.

"..."

Thomas was silent, hands still in the air as he stared back at her. He wasn't sure how to react at first. Was this an attempt at a joke, or some attempt to coerce him into looking like a fool. But the giggle that escaped her lips convinced him she was trying to defuse the situation. He let a nervous smile cross his face, and a chuckle soon followed. He lowered his hand, before offering it to M'yitr. Intending to take her hand, or perhaps take and kiss it.

"Thomas Hatter."

"Lieutenant M'yitr," the Star Fleet Officer offered, "And let's get a few more questions answered before we become too chummy." M'yitr motioned for Thomas to take a seat on the couch.

M'yitr said something to Lisa, with the words 'Thomas' and 'Dumbass' the most pronounced words in the conversation. Lisa pointed at Thomas and carefully pronounced "Tho-mas." M'yitr nodded then turned to Thomas.

"So why don't you give me your side of the bringing us here to your domicile. I presume that's the device in question?" M'yitr asked, gesturing toward the device with her phaser. "I presume that's the device in question?"

Thomas turned, strolling over to his couch. He waited until M'yitr and Lisa were just out of eyeshot before he let himself roll his eyes in frustration. He was not resentful of the two's actions, or attitudes. He would certainly share their strong feelings if he were in their place. Still, the situation he found himself in was irritating at best. To think this all started with a bit of salvage and a nap...now he was practically the hostage of a Starfleet engineer and a kung fu wiz in lingerie.
Thomas managed to bring a neutral expression back to his face as he turned to face the two. Even if he wished they would both just disappear, neither of them deserved a resentful attitude. Lisa at least seemed quite nice, if only she could speak with him. He took a seat on the couch, crossing his arms and offering a neutral look to M'yitr, before he finally spoke.

"Not much to say. My employer was going under, and it was my last day on the job. While I was cleaning up, I grabbed a bunch of the tech they...my friends and I had been working on. I put everything I could in my car, hoping to sell most of it. Give me some grocery and gas money while I find another job. I hadn't worked on this junk, so I plugged it in to see what this thing was, and how it worked. I was tired, so I lay down to take a nap. Then, Lisa appeared. After offering her food and trying to teach her a little English, she turned it back on to try to get home. That's when you appeared."

"So I'm here because of the failures of a primitive economic system," M'yitr said with a sigh. "And since you don't know how it works," she added, "I take it you were only peripherally involved in the project," the Caitian engineer added grumpily. "Would it be too much to ask that you brought some engineering and operating specs on the device when you appropriated it?"

"What can I say? We tried Communism, all we got were a few million dead and the Troll Song."

Thomas said, with a faint smirk. He knew he shouldn't talk back. This wasn't funny. Lisa and M'yitr were thousands of light years from home. In M'yitr's case centuries from her native time. It was possible they were from another dimension altogether. But after the day he had, he was starting to feel in the mood for just a little biteback. His snark done with, he let the triumphant look slip from his face before a sigh escaped him. "Y-yes, this wasn't a project of mine. I had no knowledge of it until I started 'cleaning house' after the announcement. As for the blueprints, I don't know. I think I got them in my car, though they might have fallen out of the trunk on the way back. The road up here's a little bumpy sometimes."

M'yitr sighed, and put the phaser back on her side. "Why don't you see if you can find the schematics to this device, while I question Lisa about what she can remember."

"...Sure. I'll let you know if I find anything."

Thomas's reply was gruff. Really, could one blame him? Over the past twenty-four hours, he didn't manage to get even a single minute of sleep. He had lost his job. He had no way to pay for his cottage or food. And now, his home had been co-opted by a pair of Tsundere Neko. While part of him wanted to tell them to get lost, he still felt guilty about what had happened to them. He stood up, his legs begging him for a rest as he started for the door, the jumpsuit tied around his waist slowly shifting with each footfall. The front door opened, and then closed before he stepped out into the sunlight. He groaned, rubbing his forehead with one hand. He should be in bed now...after a moment to nurse his headache from lack of sleep, he walked past the car and down the road. He didn't remember grabbing any schematics for that machine. To be honest, most of the blueprints and user manuals he had grabbed had been in his rush to grab anything that looked valuable enough to sell. But it was an excuse to get out of the house. He walked down the sloping driveway, glancing at the ditches to either side. If there was a schematic for that machine, it had probably blown away an hour ago. Who knows, maybe he would get lucky for the first time today.

As if.

After ten minutes of traversing the drive, Thomas realized this was pointless. He had no way of knowing if he had grabbed the schematics for the machine. He had no way of knowing if it had blown out the back during the long drive home. He had no way of knowing where it would be now, hours after he started for the trip home. What he could do though was relax, for the first time in days. Thomas turned to the side, leaping over the ditch before walking into the loam and overgrowth of the forest nearby. He had taken a walk here some time ago, and had found a nice sheltered pool at the river nearby. It would make a nice place to unwind before going back to the house. It took him only five minutes before he heard the river. His boots shuffled as he hurried, despite the protests of his feet. At last, he came to the small pool. Smooth river stones surrounded this patch of clear water, easily waist-deep. Trees and shrubs served as a natural barrier for any curious eyes that might stumble upon him here, and the riverline was coated with soft moss. Thomas took a seat on one of the rocks, quickly removing his boots, jumpsuit and pants before he slid his bare form down into the water. The water was warmer than he might have thought...after washing his feet, he allowed himself to drift smoothly into the water, letting out a sigh as he felt the water wrap around him. Yeah, he'd just take a quick break here. Maybe five minutes. Then he would go home...actually, maybe he'd take a nap first. He didn't want to seem like he was slacking off.

For the umpteenth time, M'yitr wish she had gotten a tricorder as well as a phaser before this human had somehow dragged her to his world and time frame.

Not that she was an expert on reading human facial and body language, but she felt confident Thomas was telling the truth. He didn't know how the device worked, or the principles behind it. And despite the fact that he had somehow managed to abduct two attractive females, she was fairly certain that was not his intention. Truth be told, M'yitr was getting the distinct impression that Thomas was resenting the two females being there, even if he was responsible for her and Lisa being there.

"Do you think it's safe to let him go look by himself?" Lisa asked her. "Perhaps one of us should have gone with him?"

"Trust me when I say that it would be safer for both of us to stay of out sight," M'yitr told the younger woman. From what M'yitr had been able to gather from her conversations with Lisa, the younger woman came from a world similar to Thomas', at least technologically. M'yitr couldn't remember having encounter someone from Lisa's race in her time, but that didn't necessarily mean anything.

"So do you think you can get us home?" Lisa asked M'yitr.

M'yitr gave Lisa what she hoped was a reassuring expression. "I feel confident we can." As M'yitr made a visual inspection of the device, she hoped that she would be able to decipher the schematics that Thomas would bring back. Assuming Thomas could find them, she reminded herself.

Thomas rose from the stream, water dripping from his body as he quickly wiped himself off with his shirt. He wasn't overly fond of the brisk water usually. But after the stress of a long day of work and the shock of the morning, the cold stream was a relief. The chill was enough to shake him out of his sleepiness for now as well. But he'd have to wipe himself up quickly, to avoid freezing. As his t-shirt finished wiping the water from his face and torso, he tossed it to one side, stepping into his jumpsuit and pulling his underwear and jumpsuit up to his waist. As he tied the arms beneath his waist however, something caught his eyes. At first he thought it was a pale leaf, drifting along the near non-existent current. As his gaze rose however, he could see it was a sheet of paper. No, quite a few of them, all shifting downstream. His brow furrowed at the sight. They might have come from anywhere, but something told him they might be the ones he was looking for. He considered leaping into the stream for them, but he was already dressed--apart from his exposed chest--and wasn't in the mood to wash off again. Barring that idea, he glanced around briefly for something to grab them with. His eyes settled on a long elm branch in the loam nearby, which he grabbed before returning to the stream. It took him a couple moments to fish the first one out. It was very thin paper, almost transparent. The kind the scientists drew their schematics on. The writing was smudged and hard to make out. From the looks of it, it was for some type of miniaturized oxygen recycler. Well, who knows. Even with the lines blurred, he might be able to make a little money from the design. He lay it on one of the rocks, hoping the sun would be enough to dry it out before returning to his fishing. He had picked out three more pages--two he couldn't make out--before he pulled the fifth, and final paper he would find that day. As he raised the schematic to the sky overhead to consider his find, his eyes widened in recognition.

"I-I found it!"

Tired as he was, he couldn't resist a shout and a leap, nearly tearing it in his excitement. Placing the paper against his chest to avoid dropping or ripping it, he ran back up to the cottage, shouting triumphantly at first. As the house came into view though, he reassessed his situation. He didn't want to come tearing through the undergrowth like a maniac. Especially given how the two had met. He should be calm. Suave. Slowing down, he walked on bare feet over the rough gravel road--silently cursing how he had forgotten to grab his shoes before making the trip. The cold stone of the porch was a welcome relief as he stepped to the door, and rapped at the wood.

"Lisa? Its me. Open up. M'yitr, you there?"

Lisa looked at the knocking and shouting from the door, obviously the sound of Dumbass --- No, it was Tho-mas, she corrected herself but wasn't sure what to do.

The slightly older M'yitr strode across the room with all the confidence of a Starfleet officer, phaser ready, as she looked out the tiny viewing port set inside the door. It only took her a half a minute to figure out how to operate the door.

Thomas looked to be in an even greater state of disarray than he had before, and was clutching some type of hard copy diagrams to his torso. Finding a sense of hope rising, M'yitr opened the door.

"In! Now!" M'yitr instructed, staying out of sight. The Temporal Prime Directive was front and center in M'yitr's mind, which meant she needed to keep as few as people as possible aware of an alien presence on this planet.

"...Why are you talking like that? Its my house, and we're miles from anywhere."

Thomas shook his head as he stepped inside his home. It felt different now, his sleepy little cottage, what with two cute feline companions running around. He didn't know how to explain it. It felt a little more homey, but just a little. Lisa, M'yitr and he were neither really friends nor enemies, but still deciding how they should see one another. Still, it was nice to come home to hear someone's voice, even if it was a pseudo-military officer hissing orders at him. Thomas slammed the door behind him, making sure the lock was on before he pulled the diagrams from inside his jumpsuit, briefly giving a glance at the lean muscles of his chest. He had put it there in the hopes that it wouldn't tear in the wind, or rip under its own weight. He was glad to see as he set it on the floor in the middle of the room his instinct had been right. Its closeness to his warm chest had even dried the thin paper somewhat. He spread it on the floor carefully, holding in a hiss of disappointment. The writing was smudged and faded in places, and some of the parts were hard to make out...hopefully the two girls could make something out from it.

He leaned back on his hands, turning to watch Lisa and M'yitr to see their reaction. After only a couple moments however, his tired mind began to wander, as did his eyes. The two were kind of hot, he reflected to himself. A little more fur than he might care for at first, but definitely quite cute. Their outfits weren't helping either. Lisa of course was wearing little more than lingerie, practically begging attention. M'yitr on the other hand was in a Starfleet uniform. One of the old ones from the sixties, that ended at the thigh and clung to her figure. It looked good on her, he thought.

M'yitr growled in frustration as she looked at the diagram. The mathematical symbols weren't what she was used to, and the electronics were both more primitive and, in some ways, more advanced than she dealt with on a day to day basis.

"I believe I might be able to reverse the effect that brought myself and Lisa over to your dimension. Maybe," M'yitr quickly added. She translated what she said to Lisa, who immediately became excited. M'yitr quickly tempered her optimism, which quieted Lisa down.

"Tell me, Thomas, were there any other devices that you brought from this laboratory that this device came from?" M'yitr asked.

"Hmm?" Thomas blinked briefly before he crossed his arms with a smile. It looked like he might finally have something to say that she might approve of. "Yeah, since the company was going under, I grabbed whatever I could. I thought I could sell the designs, or at least the parts. Most of it is out in the car, though there's a few things here."

He bent down, grabbing a couple items that were laying nearby. They didn't look like much to him. Some computer chips, those collars fitted with some gadgets and some kind of canister not dissimilar to a deodorant bottle. Hmm. Maybe it was some kind of pheromone enhancer? The scientists who had been working on this were clearly perverts trying to capture catgirls. Who wasn't to say they had...devious intentions? The old cliche about bright guys being virgins was one he had heard a few too many times. Though maybe it could give him an edge with these two if he needed a better bargaining position. It was easy to argue with someone who was attracted to you after all. He spun the bottle in his hand and glanced down at the label.

'Wasp Spray'.

The can whizzed over his shoulder, landing harmlessly on the couch. He placed the pile of junk on the side table, by where he had left his games. "I'm guessing none of this looks useful. I'll run outside and see if there's anything that can help out in the car."

"I would appreciate it," M'yitr said absentmindedly as she continued examining the device that had brought Lisa and her to this universe. For the umpteenth time, she wished she had a tricorder, a hypospanner...something modern that could be used to examine this device.

Lisa was even more frustrated. M'yitr was having whole conversations with Dumbass --- no, it was Thomas, she reminded herself --- that she didn't understand. And although M'yitr might look more like her than Thomas, and could talk to her in her own language, M'yitr was still an alien.

And she was probably her best chance of getting home.

"Any luck?" she asked M'yitr.

M'yitr gave Lisa what she hoped was reassuring smile. "Don't worry, we'll figure something out."