Something decidedly different for you to enjoy. As always, it
isn't quite what it seems at first.

This one will be real short folks. At most, four parts. It is cool
as hell though. ^_^

A new fic from Carrot Glace

Soul Diver

++++++++++++

"Captain?" The wiry thin science officer turned from his station
and looked at his superior officer. His eyebrow was arched as he
stared at the man expectantly.

"Fire photon torpedoes," said the skinny black man as he pushed
his glasses up his face. He was sitting calmly in his chair that
overlooked the bridge of his starship. Everyone worked at their
stations feverently, desperately performing their duties as the view
screen showed the starship in front of them pass by, shaking the
vessel as it fired repeatedly at them with it's phasers.

They watched as the balls of light energy slammed into the
opposing ship's shields, having no effect at all.

"Shields at ninety percent, Captain," said one of the technical
crew from his station nearby.

"About full, keep them in our sights," commanded the captain
firmly. The crew obeyed without question as the man stared at the
screen with a harsh scowl on his face.

"Captain, the Romulans are cloaking," stated the science officer
emotionlessly.

"Fire, three photon torpedo shots at two thousand yards in front
of their vanishing point, just after the ship cloaks."

"Done," said the weapons officer as his hands worked skillfully
across the controls.

The captain watched with cold indifference as his orders were
carried out. The shots streaked across space, seeming to impact on
nothing. Within moments a heavily damaged warship appeared in front of
them. The captain turned towards the science officer and smirked.
"Damage report on the enemy ship?"

"Their engines are inoperable, and their weapons systems are down.
They are at our mercy, Captain," said the man as he glanced at the
screens in front of him.

"Hail them, and accept their surrender," said the wiry black man
as he brushed off his shoulder casually and pushed his glasses up his
nose again.

"Captain! I've got an intruder alert!" said the security officer
as he whirled around at his station.

"What? The Romulans?" said the black man in shock as he turned to
stare at the man in shock.

"No transports were made from the Romulan ship, Captain," said the
science officer casually.

"Sir?" said one of the female officers as she stood up. She had
dark skin and long red hair. Her figure was almost inhumanly
beautiful, but then again, it was fairly obvious that she wasn't.

"Don't worry Alura, I always manage to get us out don't I?" said
the black man calmly as he strolled across the bridge. "Alert
security, I want them apprehended. Yesterday people," said the man
confidently as he walked over to the lift and checked his phaser
coolly.

++++++++++++

Two figures walked down the hallway of the starship, glancing
around in confusion as they went. One of them was a man of a little
under thirty years in age; he had short brown hair with bangs that
almost covered his eyes. He was wearing a black leather outfit that
fit against his body like a second skin. A strange looking blaster
hung at his side as well, and a thick, black leather jacket hung off
his shoulders with a silver shield was hanging over his heart on his
chest. He was fit, but not muscular, and looked rather scraggly with
his unshaven chin.

The other stranger was dressed much the same, but she was a young
black woman in her early twenties. Her hair was pulled up in a tight
bun, and her build was athletic. Her blaster was slightly smaller, and
much sleeker looking, it almost looked like an injector of some kind.

Both of them had black helmets hanging from their hips on heavily
weighed down utility belts, with various equipment hanging off of
them.

"Where are we, Jackson?" said the woman into a large screen that
was strapped onto her right wrist. The screen itself was glowing with
a light green color as the halls suddenly darkened and were lit by
flashing red lights.

"Looks like the living quarters, come on," said the man as he
started to move forward.

"What kind of starship is it? Gimme a class. We didn't have much
to go on, and I can give you schematics," said a voice from the
woman's arm mounted computer.

"You know that won't do us much good," said the man as he pulled
the blaster out and held it at the ready.

"I've got a hunch, you should see this place," said the voice in a
slightly amused tone.

"Come on, we've got to find him," said the woman sharply as she
brushed past the man with a slightly annoyed frown.

"Come on! I've got point for a reason, Lita! Lita come back here!"
said the man irritably as he chased after her with an almost lazy jog.

The wall beside him suddenly burst into flames as a beam of red
energy lashed across the hallway. He spun around, maneuvering himself
behind a wall as a few more appeared from around the corner.

His partner quickly dove onto the ground beside him after racing
around the corner. "Shit!" she muttered irritably.

"I warned you," said the man snidely.

"Shut up, Carrot!" she snapped in retort.

"Come on, they'll only be using stun," said the man with a chuckle
as he peered from behind the corner and saw three men in federation
uniforms aiming their weapons down the hall. "I love cannon fodder.
You know none of these idiots can get us."

"Thinking like that has gotten others killed," said the woman as
she pressed herself against the wall and glared at him angrily.

"We don't have time to waste here," said Carrot as he frowned and
glanced at her.

"What are you planning?" snapped the woman irritably.

"This," said Carrot as he adjusted a knob on his blaster and
pointed it upward just down the hall from where they were standing.

"No! You crazy asshole!" snapped the woman. It was too late; he
fired the weapon and smirked as a large hole was blasted into the
ceiling that went up three floors.

"Where are we going?" she snapped as she followed him as he walked
into the debris and looked up at his handiwork. Several wires hung
from the gaping hole, sparking occasionally as the lights flickered on
and off.

"Up," he replied simply.

+++++++++

Several moments later, the security guards finally made it to the
hole. They moved cautiously and glanced up at the damage in horror.
One of the men pressed the insignia on his chest and stared up at a
few sparking wires for a moment. "Captain, we have a problem."

"What is it?" said the Captain's voice in reply.

"These people are carrying some serious hardware. They breached
three decks in the blast, and I'm guessing they're moving towards
engineering."

"Right, set phasers to maximum, I'll be down in a moment. They
must be after the RX Drive."

"Pirates," grumbled the security officer angrily as he stared at
the hole for a moment.

+++++++++++

"Where are we?" said Lita as she glanced around in confusion. The
men inside the room were laid out across the floor and evidence of a
rather short battle was present in the form of holes blasted into much
of the equipment.

"Looks like engineering," said Carrot calmly as he nodded towards the
long tube-like structure that housed the ship's energy source. "This
looks different." He walked over and noticed a black machine of some
type; it looked completely out of place. It was almost gothic in
appearance, with sharp edges and protruding horns from the top. All
the display screens and control panels glowed red.

"Get away from that," said a firm sounding voice from the doorway.
The pair turned and frowned at the man standing boldly in the center
of the room. He had a phaser pointed at them almost casually. "You
know, the penalty for piracy is execution."

"Reginald Lewis?" said Carrot calmly as he nodded towards the man.

The man froze for a split second and raised his phaser up a little
more. "That's Captain Lewis."

"We aren't here for this...thing," said Lita calmly as she nodded
towards the strange machine. "We've come for you."

"Who are you? Assassins for the Klingon Empire?" said the man with
a small chuckle.

"Looks like we've got an unaware," said Carrot as he narrowed his
eyes at the man. Lita nodded silently in reply.

Lewis stood tall, smirking at them as several officers rushed up
behind him. All of them were members of the bridge crew, and looked
distinctly different from the rest of the crew they had seen thus far.
The most obvious was the stunning redhead that stepped up beside him.

"You'll have to go through us," said the exotic looking woman
angrily. "Isn't that right love."

"Out of the way, I can handle this," said Lewis firmly.

"Sir?" said the woman as she backed away. A pained look of longing
in her eyes.

"Disgusting," commented Lita with a frown. She raised her blaster
up and fired a single shot. "We aren't part of your fantasy Lewis."

"What?" said the man as the redhead moved to intercept the blast.
The shot passed through her harmlessly and she smiled at the pair.

"Ha! You've failed, no energy weapon can harm an Ashtulian!" she
cried triumphantly.

"Target marked, extraction beginning!" said the voice from Lita's
computer.

"Gotya," said Carrot as he smirked at Lewis coldly.

"What?" said the man in horror as he staggered back, putting his
hand over the spot where the blast had struck him.

"Ca-" the redhead froze in place, her sentence unfinished.

"The marker can't be effected by other parts of your fantasy
Lewis, it's time to go home," said Lita coldly.

"What's happening? What did you do to me?" said the man as he fell
forward and onto his knees.

"We came to bring you home, none of this is real," said Carrot as
he closed his eyes and turned away from the man.

Suddenly, the entire room went white. There was a violent
sensation, as they seemed to spin around and tumble through
nothingness.

Carrot was screaming, he jumped upright and opened his eyes. A
cold sweat covered his body as he jerked forward violently and was
forced back by several pairs of strong hands. Various electronic
monitoring devices were being pulled off of him as he was slowly
helped to his feet.

"Damn. I always hate that part," said Lita as she slowly rose from
her own position. They were laying across two leather seats, almost
like dental chairs. Various men in lab coats walked around them,
moving equipment aside as they were helped back to their feet. Both of
them appeared to be disoriented, and staggered around for a moment.

"I always feel sick after that," said Carrot grimly as he wiped a
bit of drool off of his chin. He bent forward and coughed slightly,
but quickly regained himself. Both of them were dressed as they had
been inside the starship. The only difference was the absence of their
equipment.

"We got a hot one!" screamed one of the technicians. It was a man
in his early thirties with a long ponytail of brown hair. He was
dressed in dark blue slacks and a white button up shirt. The collar
was undone, and a black tie hung loosely around his neck. He strolled
up to them and pat them both on the back, grinning dumbly. "Great
job!" He smirked at them and leaned over their shoulders. "Drinks on
me tonight."

"Lewis, Reginald. Age seventeen, he should be on his feet in a few
days or so," said the man as he pointed them towards a small
television. Several men appeared to be inside the room of a teenage
boy who looked amazingly similar to the captain of the starship they
had just been on.

"Great," muttered Carrot as he waved the scene off. The boy's room
was completely filled with various Star Trek models and posters.
Several black suited men were helping him up from in front of a rather
cluttered looking computer.

Carrot watched in silence as an overweight middle aged black woman
rushed past the men and took the boy into her arms roughly. Tears were
streaming down her face as she clutched him almost desperately. The
poor boy looked even more disoriented than he had when he woke up.

"How long was this one under for?" said Lita as she glanced over
Carrot's shoulder at the scene. She had taken off the top portion of
her uniform and was now dressed in a sweaty white T-shirt.

"About twenty hours," said Jackson calmly as he smiled warmly at
the scene. "Not long at all, he should be back to normal within a day
or two. The psyche evaluations should take a bit longer though."

"Yeah," said Carrot with a small nod. He frowned slightly and
turned away.

++++++++

It started about ten years ago. Possibly the greatest scientific
discovery of the century, or so they had thought.

It was during the first ever mining operation on the moon. Digging
beneath the surface of the planet, they discovered a new element. A
slightly radioactive ore that had the potential to revolutionize the
entire world. A new form of energy production that was clean, and
mostly harmless.

Well, that is what we thought at the time. The mining operation
dug deep into the surface, hoping to find more of this substance.
Finally, they found a vein after digging about a two miles into the
surface. A most unfortunate event.

There was a huge explosion, half the moon exploded in an instant.
All two thousand employees of SciTech industries were killed in the
blast. The planet went into turmoil, seas raged out of control as the
tides were thrown off balance, things became a general hell on earth.
Storms unlike any before them tore through the atmosphere for almost
two years.

Eventually, things calmed. The blast left the Earth's largest
satellite a shattered shell of what it had once been. It remained in
orbit, with the innards of the orbiting rock exposed for the entire
planet to see. A sick green glow now lit the night sky. The internal
make up of the satellite much different than had been speculated.

It wasn't the worst part. After things had settled, and humanity
regained itself. People began slipping into strange comas. No one knew
why, but it quickly became apparent. Authors were falling in droves,
everything from amateurs to big names. They would slip into an
unexplainable coma, and then die about a month later.

No one could figure out the reason for this strange illness. It
became apparent that it only happened to those who used computers. It
was strangely selective, in every case; an unfinished story was
burning into the screen when they were found. It was only authors;
desperation gripped terrified parents who found their children at
their computers, and the families of older people as well.

Finally, an American Scientist discovered a way to bring them
back. Analytical Retrieving System. Affectionately known as 'Soul
Diving' to those who perform it.

+++++++++++

Carrot sat at in a smoky bar, a glass of bourbon in his hand that
he sipped at lazily as he watched the row of bottles opposite him. He
hadn't thought about those things in some time.

"Hey partner," Lita pulled up a stool next to him and smiled. She
had changed out of her uniform and was wearing a pair of brown pants
and a white shirt. She put her hand on his shoulder and placed her
beer on the counter. "Still brooding?"

"Naw, just thinking about the past," said Carrot with a small
smirk appearing on his face. "It all seemed so real. I wonder why I
let it go sometimes."

"I wish I could say I understand," said Lita with a small shrug.
"You've been the best partner I've ever had you know. Even if you are
a bit crazy."

"I can't let them die Lita. As easy as it might be, I was almost
one of those statistics you know," said Carrot as he downed the
remainder of his drink.

"Yeah, Jackson told me about that," said the woman as she looked
away from him uncomfortably.

"Did he?" said Carrot with a slightly amused smirk.

"Yeah. It's true then, you really were the first?"

"Yup," said the man calmly.

"What's it like?" said Lita as she leaned against the counter.

"I've seen all kinds. I think it's a little different for
everyone. Some of them don't know, some of them do. Some of them do it
willingly in order to have their ideal world, even if they know
what'll happen to them in the end. Others..." he trailed off and
frowned.

"What? I know it's bad sometimes," said the woman as she smirked
at him.

"Others create a hell for themselves, those are the worst. I've
only seen two like that though. I've heard stories though," said
Carrot calmly. He closed his eyes and gripped his glass a little
tighter.

"I've never encountered one of those," admitted Lita with a small
nod. "I've only been here two years, you've got more dives than the
rest of us combined it seems."

"Seems that way sometimes," said the man with a small sigh. He
leaned back slightly and rubbed at his temples a little. "I remember
the time I had to go get Crighton out of one of his books. That was an
interesting experience," said Carrot with a small chuckle.

"Really? I can imagine. I'm afraid I don't read much anymore,"
said the woman uncomfortably.

"This job can do that too you. Most writers use typewriters these
days," said Carrot with a small chuckle. "Now it's mostly those who do
it to themselves, as a way to escape reality."

Lita nodded silently at this and took a drink. "So, what where
you?" she asked, pretending not to be interested.

"I was mostly unaware, I knew something was wrong though. The doc
came in and got me, and I didn't resist. I miss him sometimes," said
Carrot with a small chuckle. "He was a good friend."

"I never met the man myself, he was quite the geezer though," said
Lita with a small smile. "I wish I could have met him."

"He taught us all an important lesson," said Carrot as he stood up
from the bar.

"What's that?" asked his partner with her eyebrow arched slightly.

"How dangerous what we do is," said Carrot as he walked into the
crowd and left the bar.

"Hey! Where's he going?" said Jackson as he strolled up to the
bar.

"Home," said Lita with a shrug.

"Man, he always was a bit of a stick in the mud," said the man
with a small chuckle.

"He's just a serious type," said Lita with a light smile.

"Don't go falling for him now," said Jackson with a light smirk.

"I doubt if he'd care if I did. He seems so cold," said Lita as
she hugged herself slightly and shivered. "He only seems to be alive
when he's diving. He's so different."

Jackson fell silent and looked at her. "He's...been through a lot
Lita. It's best to leave it at that."

The woman glanced at him questioningly and smiled. "Come on, I'm
tired of being so depressing. Let's dance." She pulled him into the
crowd.

"Hey!" protested Jackson as they vanished into the mass of writing
bodies.

++++++++++++

"Carrot. What brings you here at this time of night?" said the
aged man as he poured himself a glass of brandy. His guest had
politely refused. He appeared to be in his late sixties, and was
wearing a dark red robe. Carrot was sitting in front of a large fire
in one of two chairs that sat across from one another.

"Memories," said the man calmly. The flames danced in his eyes and
flashed off the badge on his jacket. "Sorry to bug you."

"Oh? Don't worry, this is what I do my boy. Tell me, what kind of
memories?" said the old man with a good-natured chuckle.

"I went in today, this one...he was like me. I could see it in
those last moments. He knew something was wrong, but he couldn't quite
figure out what."

"You are afraid for him?" said the old man as he sat down across
from the rough looking man.

"You have no idea how tempted I was to go back to her," said
Carrot as he hung his head. "It hurt to let it go."

"I see, this one bears watching," said the old man with a small
nod.

"Doc," muttered Carrot.

"Well, it is part of my job my boy," said the old man. "I'll admit
I practically begged to become a part of this. Soon our technology
will grow, and we won't need to perform dives any longer. That is a
ways away unfortunately. It seems we are fated to risk lives in order
to save them."

"Right," said Carrot as he nodded his head. "To be honest, I'm
going to miss it."

"You and me both my boy," said the old man as he chuckled again.

Carrot raised his eyebrow at the man for a moment.

"Don't look so surprised. You have a unique opportunity my boy. If
I where a few years younger, I would be with you inside the minds of
those people. You have seen the inner workings of a person's mind like
few others. I envy your position, from a scientific point of view."

Carrot snorted a short chuckle at this. "Of course."

"I'm glad to see that you understand," said the old man happily.

"The thing is, when bad memories start, they all come too me. I
probably won't sleep well tonight," said Carrot coolly. "I remember
them, those we lost. Especially the ones I saw go, from the inside."

"Yes," said the old man somberly. "I recall a few of the earlier
missions that did not go well."

"Yeah, not a pretty way to die, on either side," said Carrot
numbly.

"Tragic indeed. I wish you well tonight my boy, and I hope
speaking of these demons will help curb these demons you carry with
you."

"I can only hope," said the man as he stood up. "Thanks Doc."

"Anytime my boy," said the old man as he shut off a small tape
recorder that rested on the table beside him. "You're stronger than
you realize my boy," he muttered to himself as the man left him alone.

++++++++++++++

"What's happening to him!?" screamed one of the technicians.

An Asian man with long black hair lay out across the chair,
various monitoring equipment was placed on his body and the machines
around him were going wild.

"Shit! Kim! Snap out of it!" cried Carrot as he pushed the man's
shoulder's down onto the chair.

"Shit! The subjects going wild! His readings...!" cried Jackson as
he typed feverently at the controls of his own workstation.

"Kim! Come on, snap out of it!" growled Carrot angrily. "Come on
buddy! Fight back!"

"Get him the hell out of there!" screamed a young blonde woman in
a lab coat who rushed up to Carrot's side and gently moved him back.
"Pull him back!"

"I can't! There's too much going on!" cried one of the techs.

Kim jumped upright, his eyes flying open as he did so. He sucked
in a quick gasp of air, foam bubbling out of his mouth as he shook
violently. Blood began to drip onto the floor from underneath his
uniform.

"What the hell!?" screamed the blonde as she shoved him back down
forcefully and ripped open his clothes, exposing his chest. Three long
bloody scars ran across his chest. Finally, all the equipment went
dead, and the man lay still.

"No," muttered Carrot in shocked horror. "Kim, wake up buddy."

"We've lost him!" screamed Jackson as he jumped up and kicked his
chair over in frustration. "The subject is gone too."

Carrot walked over to Jackson's station as his coworkers rushed
over to the fallen agent. He stared into the screen and said nothing.
Staring back at him was an overweight teenager. His eyes were open,
and a disgustingly satisfied smile was frozen on the kid's face. He
couldn't speak or move as he watched the boy's body for a long moment.
The boy's mother rushed up and took him into her arms, screaming
painfully.

He couldn't take any more, Carrot reached up and flicked the power
off on the screen. It went black, but he could still see the kid
staring at him, grinning anyway.

++++++++++

"NOOOOO!" He sat upright, staring at the wall opposite him. His
breath was ragged and sweat covered his body.

"Shhh," said a comforting voice from beside him. He felt a
familiar pair of arms clutch him suddenly. "It's all right."

"Wha?" muttered Carrot in confusion. He clutched his head, shaking
it from side to side for a moment. "Damn." He was in bed, the greenish
light of the moon shined through the blinds, giving the room a surreal
glow.

"Honey. It's all right," said the woman beside him. She pulled the
sheets up over her naked body.

"I...Mia..." he slumped down moving his feet over the side of the
bed.

"Who was it this time?" said the woman gently. She clutched at his
back protectively, her arms wrapped around his chest. Her long black
hair flowed over his shoulder as she kissed him gently on the neck.

"Kim," said Carrot shakily. "I haven't had that dream in..."

"Days," said Mia as she clutched him tighter. "I'm getting worried
about us. This isn't good for you, you've got to stop," she said
quietly.

"I...I can't," said the man shakily.

"What is it you're looking for? Why do you keep doing this to
yourself?" said the woman as she loosened her grip slightly. Her voice
shaking slightly as she said this.

Carrot grit his teeth, he could feel the tears against his
shoulder as she cried. "I don't know, but I have to do this." He
pulled her into his grip and sat there holding her for a moment.
Finally, he lay back down with her, and drifted off to sleep once
more.

++++++++++++

To be concluded...

Cool. This rules. I know it's short, and there's no anime in it
yet. The next part will be a bit longer, and will cover a lot of stuff
that this one didn't, as well as bring the Anime factor into it.

I'm betting you can't wait to see where I go with this one.