Lilly Morgan was completely terrified. Her body lay flat and stiff on the cracked wooden beams and slats. She kept her arms out in front of her, grasping the other boards and the splinters painfully prodded her hands. She maneuvered her feet against the other boards until she created a secure wedge for her body; she wouldn’t dare to move a centimeter. Her own personal blend of acrophobia and vertigo was kicking in big time. She looked between the boards and all she could see was the rushing river slamming against the jagged rocks. A gigantic canyon surrounded her and the weather was hot and humid. Sweat began to pour down her face. It burned her eyes and she couldn’t brush it away.

“Please don’t let me puke!” She prayed. Why was she always in trouble that involved throwing up?

After the avalanche incident, the voyagers had found food to eat on the island, and then parted ways. Lilly had lingered, sick to her stomach and nearly devastated. The Wellington disaster was her first time involved in a major tragedy and it shocked her nerves. She didn’t let on to Phineas and Jeffrey though. A Voyager had to be courageous in the face of all danger. They had to be prepared to accept that tragedies occurred everyday and know that preventing them would disrupt the time line. Jeffrey brought that point home when he mentioned the Titanic voyage. Lilly didn’t realize that Voyager Dunne had a semi-sweet relationship with Phineas Bogg and the fact disappointed her. Lilly tried to focus on her career; she didn’t have time to fool around with these Voyager romances. They carried on across the stream of time, but never actually went anywhere. Maybe that’s why Voyager Dunne was sometimes bitter about the men. Lilly decided that when she fell in love, she wanted it to be real and lasting. She also told herself to keep dreaming.

This was her third month of her ‘Voyager Probation’ period. At the close of each month she had to return to headquarters with a full report of her fieldwork. There was no use in lying to the OCC, the omni memory recorder picked up certain activities. She thought for sure that she would be suspended after her blunder with the morphine, but some of the employees actually laughed. When she reported about the avalanche, she was certain they would snatch the omni right of her hands just as the thief did. That didn’t happen either. It seemed as though the OCC merely took notes and made private evaluations. They still didn’t explain the yellow light and she didn’t have the courage to ask, in case they changed their minds. No one even wondered why Voyagers Bogg and Jones just happened to be at these locations every time she was in danger. This confused her, but she didn’t care as long as she still had her job.

Lilly had a chance to catch up with some old friends at the Academy. She was barely surprised when she found out that Jeannie Hornsby was discharged from her fieldwork and placed behind a desk in the back corner of the Voyager’s Archives. Danny, who adored her so much, had nothing but scorn for her now. Apparently, Jeannie was making too many ‘blips’ on the radars with her lusty endeavors. Lilly always knew she deserved what was coming to her; Jeannie was book smart, but knew next to nothing about survival smarts. Lilly wondered what would have happened if Jeannie had crossed paths with Voyager Bogg. The thoughts were making her head spin, Ducky was hers, she decided on a whim. That moment of pure jealousy passed quickly. Who was she to make claims on anyone?

Presently, Lilly’s head was whirling again. She was completely trapped on the suspension bridge and her fears would not allow her to move a muscle. When she materialized ten minutes earlier she took one step forward and tripped over a loose rope. The entire two hundred and twenty foot bridge swayed precariously from the impact. She could only hear the sounds of jungle birds in the distance and heavy winds echoing off the gorge. There was not a soul in sight. Had she not clasped the rope railings she would have flipped over and fell one hundred and twenty feet down to a shattering demise.

-O-

Phineas and Jeffrey made a coarse landing in a patch of shrubbery. Jeffrey rolled to his side and came face to face with a giant snake. Its hissing tongue licked his nose. Jeffrey froze, his eyes nearly crossed staring it down. Bogg was already up and pulling the leaves off his hair.

“Bogg…” Jeffrey whispered. “Bogg!…sssnake…snake!”

Phineas was yawning and with a stretch and turned to his partner. His eyes went wide and he made no sudden moves, realizing Jeffrey’s predicament. The snake moved from side to side and Jeffrey mimicked him, holding his breath. An itch on his nose began to assail him and he started twitching it. Phineas was furtively moving up behind the serpent with his hands outstretched. Jeffrey’s eyes watered and he felt a huge sneeze coming on. The snake sensed his discomfort and drew back, baring his fangs. Phineas had to act now. He wrenched the snake off the ground between two hands and flung it across the shrubbery.

“A...A…A...CHOO!” Jeffrey’s sneeze disturbed a flock of birds nesting overhead and they heard the echoes of the ‘choo’ throughout the gorge.

“Woah, now that woke up the jungle!” Phineas remarked, lifting his partner up. “Are you okay Jeff?”

“Yeah, that was close Bogg, thanks! Hey, where are we? It’s so hot…I hate landing in places with mosquitoes!” He whacked a few off his neck.

“The omni’s a red light…barely though. This old thing is dying Jeff.”

“Looks like you’re gonna have to go to VHQ and replace it.”

“Don’t remind me. I don’t want to, I’ve grown pretty attached to it.” Phineas sulked.

“I guess I understand, well you can always shine it up, mount it in a case.”

“Good idea…we’re somewhere in Peru, Fifteen twenty-six.”

Jeffrey thought a minute then snapped his fingers. “This must be the time of the Inca Empire. In the fifteen hundreds they were conquered by the Spaniards.”

Phineas patted his back as they walked out of the bush. “Good job kid, but what could be wrong? I don’t see a living human soul around here.”

“Hmm...Oh wait! I know who conquered from Spain at this time. It was Piza…Piza”

Phineas shrugged in bewilderment. “The entire Incan Empire was conquered by a guy named Pizza?”

Jeffrey gave him an annoyed look. “No Bogg…Francisco Pizarro! That’s it!”

“Hey, I was close wasn’t I? That’s good to know, but it doesn’t mean that anything is wrong with him.”

-O-

Lilly could have sworn she heard the echo of a sneeze, but it was most likely her imagination, there were hundreds of noises surrounding her. Her muscles were starting to cramp up from her positioning, but she refused to move. She began to call out for help.

Phineas and Jeffrey came to a clearing and saw the vast gorge ahead, Phineas became still, straining his ears. He could have sworn he heard a woman crying. He listened more closely, and the cries became louder. He grabbed Jeffrey’s shoulders to stop walking.

“Do you hear that? It sounds like she needs help.”

“Yeah...yeah I do! Bogg it’s coming from the gorge…that rope bridge!”

The voyagers began running and saw a woman laying across the middle of the bridge, scared for her life. Phineas was in disbelief, that wavy coppery hair was unmistakable now as it hung over her shoulders. She was wearing a pair of jeans with a peasant shirt and vest, similar to his style.

“Jeffrey! It’s Lilly!”

“What? How is that possible? We’ve met her twice already, can that really happen?”

“Well, I don’t see why not, Voyagers cross paths all the time, but it’s just so unusual.”

Phineas ran to the head of the bridge and called to her.

“Lilly Morgan, what have you gotten yourself into now?”

Lilly’s head perked up at the stirring sound of Phineas Bogg’s deep voice.

“Phineas! I can’t move! I’m so scared! I tripped!”

“Aww Lilly, I knew those banana boats of yours were deadly!”

“Listen Ducky, stop making jokes and help me!”

Phineas looked at Jeffrey, how would they accomplish this? Jeffrey’s face grew determined and he looked at Bogg earnestly.

“Bogg…why don’t you let me get her? I’m lighter.”

“No Jeff, I can’t risk it, what if she panics on you? She’s afraid of heights, and you could both go down.”

“Please Bogg, let me try it, if you see there’s a problem, then you can come to us. The Incas used these bridges all the time carrying heavy loads.”

Phineas looked at his young partner with a gleam of pride in his blue eyes.

“Alright Jeff, give it a shot, but I’m waiting right behind you!”

-O-

Jeffrey mustered up all his nerve and stepped onto the bridge, he gripped the rope railings tightly and inched forward, flinching every time the bridge rocked. He kept his focus straight ahead on Lilly. Phineas' whole body was rigid with tension as Jeffrey moved further away. If he had to, he was prepared to run across the bridge to save his kid and Lilly.

After a few more feet, Jeffrey relaxed and within the next five minutes, he was at Lilly’s feet. “Hey Lilly, I’m here for ya, but you’re gonna have to help me out. I need you to grab the ropes on the sides.”

Lilly shook her head vehemently. “Jeff, just leave…I can’t…I’m…too scared.”

“Please Lilly, it’s the only way for you to get off this bridge. Just take your time…look, I’ll hold you steady.”

Jeffrey knelt down wobbly and firmly grabbed her ankles. “Now just start with the right hand…easy…easy…. that’s great, you’re getting it!”

Lilly decided not to be a complete chicken in front of the him. She moved her hand slowly and finally curled her fingers around the rope.

“Okay, now do the same with the left hand…we’re almost home free.”

Lilly’s both hands held on to the opposite rails and she was able to lift her chest off the planks. “Wow, I’m doing it Jeff, you’re amazing!”

“No, you are! Okay, this part is going to be a little bit harder…I need you to bend your knee, and slide it forward so you can start to sit up. Keep using the railings for support.”

Lilly obeyed and raised it up steadily. The wood creaked under her feet unsettlingly. Phineas continued to watch in near helplessness, however he was extremely proud with the way Jeffrey handled it. The bridge began to lean to the right as she maneuvered herself completely up against the rail.

“Lilly! You did it! You’re up!”

Lilly had temporarily closed her eyes to control her dizziness, but she opened them to see Jeffrey standing next to her, holding her hand. Jeffrey leaned over and hugged her gently, understanding that she couldn’t return it. She looked across the distance and saw Voyager Bogg with his beautiful grin, waving; he understood that she couldn’t return the wave either. Jeffrey took the lead and began to walk steadily back to Phineas; he had to stop often because Lilly would freeze up. His confidence was at its full peak. He let go of her hand and walked more quickly.

“Hey Bogg! Look, this bridge isn’t so bad! It’s pretty strong! Look!”

Lilly put out her arm to stop him, but she was too afraid to let go of the rail.

“Jeffrey! Be careful, don’t walk so fast!”

Jeffrey moved his foot forward over another slat and they all heard a deafening snap, then a sharp splintering of wood. Within seconds he fell through the open gap with a scream. At the same moment Lilly forgot her fears and threw herself onto the planks. She caught Jeffrey by the arms and tried to lift him up, but the rotted wood was continuing to fracture underneath her. Phineas tossed his hands in the air with a shout and began running across the bridge.

“Bogg! Help! Lilly! Don’t let me go!” Jeffrey’s legs were kicking through the air and he was slipping from Lilly’s grasp.

The bridge rocked violently as Phineas sprinted to them, landing on his knees opposite Lilly. The ropes and wood sagged in the middle. They began to twirl and the knots loosened. Phineas lifted Jeffrey up with one jerk and Jeffrey landed on top of him, shaking. There was no time to react, the wood gave way under Lilly and she clawed at the railing.

“Ahhhhhh!! Help me!”

Phineas threw his arm out for her to grab it and she did. He pushed Jeffrey further back and was literally hanging upside down through the aperture with Lilly clinging to his arm. Jeffrey clutched Phineas’ omni and opened it; the green light rang and went dead.

“NO! Not now! Stupid omni!”

Lilly tried to reach for another wood plank with her free hand to ease the weight on Phineas’ arm. The bridge started to cave in underneath Phineas; Jeffrey fell back and nearly dropped the omni.

“Let me go! Phineas let me go! Save Jeffrey!”

The muscles in his arm were giving out, but he pulled her higher, gritting his teeth with exertion.

“No Lilly! Jeff! The omni! Hit it!”

I am! Nothing’s happening! It’s dead!”

Lilly stopped struggling for the wood and seized the omni off her belt.

“Bogg the bridge is going down!” Jeffrey grabbed onto Phineas in desperation.

The ropes fully unraveled from either end of the bridge and it completely collapsed. Phineas never let go of Lilly’s arm and Jeffrey was still attached to his back when she pressed her omni.

-O-

“Men! Stop here!”

“What is it Francisco?” His brother came to his side, overlooking the canyon. He raised his hand to halt the others.

“We cannot pass here, the bridge is gone! We must take the original route I had mapped out, through the canyons. It will take us longer, but at least we will be safer.”

The one hundred and eighty conquistadors let out sighs and dropped their bags and supplies for a moments rest.

“That is impossible, the bridge was there just the other day when we checked out the area.”

Francisco Pizarro shook his head sadly. “It was looking rather worn, may God rest the souls that crossed it when it fell.”

-O-

Lilly, Phineas and Jeff materialized in a large blue room; all three were shaken to the core. Phineas grabbed Jeffrey in a hug and then reached for Lilly. She burst into tears and clung to him.

“Phineas…I’m so sorry! I tried to pull him up…I tried!”

“Lilly you did! You overcame your fear and you held Jeffrey up long enough for me to get there.”

Jeffrey came to her and hugged her. “Yeah Lilly, you saved my life!”

The door in the blue room slid open and the voyagers turned to see Councilman Garth beaming at them.

“It’s nice to see you again Phineas Bogg, and young Jeffrey Jones, you have certainly grown since we met last.”

Phineas came to attention and helped Lilly to her feet. She also straightened up and tried to wipe her tears away.

“That must have been quite a voyage you just experienced. I would like to hear all about it, but first I need you to come with me to the OCC.” Garth explained.

The stunned trio followed Garth through the blue room and down the long corridors of the Voyager Training Unit. Lilly had only been in this part of the VTU to have specific evaluations. It's buildings, cleanliness and operations always impressed her. They made it to the large white doors and Garth activated his hand-print to open them. When they stepped inside, all the employees let out a loud applause.

Phineas leaned over to Lilly. “Is there something going on that I don’t know about?”

“I have no idea…umm, Councilman Garth, what’s going on?” She fixed her hair and smiled at the crew like they were paparazzi.

“Congratulations Lilly Morgan, you are a full fledged Voyager! Your three-month Probation is over!” The head of the OCC, Bobby Peters, called out.

Garth stepped to the middle of the floor and called for attention.

“Lilly Morgan, you were given a prototype omni model because VHQ was using you in preparation for the brand new, ‘Voyager’s Assist Others Program!’ Some of the young bucks around here call it, the ‘VAP’ Experiment. You were the last successful test subject.”

Lilly’s jaw dropped, but she was still puzzled. She, Phineas and Jeffrey took a seat and waited for more explanations. Garth held up an exact version of her own omni and opened it.

“I’m sure you wondered why your yellow light went off whenever Voyagers Bogg and Jones were in your time zone and came to your assistance?”

Lilly shrugged and admitted, “Well, it did cross my mind, but I didn’t quite put the two together.”

“This yellow light is a trigger light, when you press the activator above it, a signal is sent to the Voyager assigned to assist you as well as your location. He or she will come to you as soon as they possibly can. We want all our Voyagers to be the best they can be in the field. VHQ has come to realize that organizational teamwork would truly forward the cause in many ways. Not everyone is at the same level and may often need this assistance.”

Phineas now understood why he and Jeffrey were always there for Lilly at the right time.

“So Profess…I mean, Councilman Garth, the OCC was monitoring all of us for this test and knew when to send us to Lilly?

“Precisely. We used the test program on twenty-five graduates and Lilly was the last case. All twenty-five came back with positive results and the lives of our fellow voyagers were spared. We are now confident that the VAP program will indeed be a success and well, it gets a green light!”

Everyone clapped again and Bobby came to Phineas with a sleek, wooden case. He pointed to the omni in Jeffrey’s hand and took it from him.

“I can’t believe this thing lasted as long as it did, Bogg. We nearly panicked when we saw it went dead, but Voyager Morgan’s omni kicked in and we knew you were with her. Open the case.”

Phineas opened it and gasped in pleasant surprise. Inside, was a near replica of his own omni, but it shined brand new like Lilly’s. He flicked the lid and saw the three lights and the globe let off a pale green glow. Bobby put the old omni in the case.

“Hey mate, I know how tough it is to let these things go, we’ll keep it safe for you.”

Phineas nodded happily and gripped the new omni. He looked at his partner.

“We’ll take good care of this won’t we?”

“Sure and maybe you can finally learn how to field strip it!”

Bobby laughed. “That’s another beauty of these babies. They field strip themselves every three months, you don’t have to worry about a thing.”

“Awesome!” Jeffrey yelled out. “I want one too!”

“Oh you’ll be getting one eventually, but we’ll probably have it even more perfected by then.” Bobby assured him.

Phineas stood up and rubbed his shoulder, the pain starting to creep up on him.

“So, I guess it’s back in the field for us then.”

Garth waved his hands. “Not so fast! We need to hear it from you, Voyager Bogg. Do you want to continue with our program? You are not under any obligations, and you would still get a new omni of course.”

Phineas and Jeffrey both gave a resounding ‘Yes.’ They felt extremely honored to be of service to the cause.

“Splendid, we will sort all the necessary details out another day and put you on the activation logs today. We’ll find you a new assignment shortly.”

Lilly looked up and was about to protest, but kept quiet. She was only the test subject? A miserable feeling tugged at her heart, but she swallowed it down and smiled bleakly. Phineas and Jeffrey caught her expression, they wouldn’t have minded coming to Lilly’s assistance in the future either.

You all need to take a break; I’ll have a room set up for you and Jeffrey to rest now. We are having a celebration in honor of the institution of our program. Our most valued members should be there. Now go on, get some clean clothes and sleep, because tonight, we are going to party!”

Garth did a little twist and a rumba and the entire OCC went hysterical. Lilly was looking forward to a long hot bath and getting completely refreshed after so many months. She walked out glumly behind Phineas and Jeffrey.

“Bogg, cool, we have a party to go to! Hey, nows your chance to get closer to Susan.” He nudged his ribs.

Phineas glanced sideways and caught Lilly with her head down. “Yeah kid, maybe if I see her there, but umm...I may have other plans.”

-O-

Phineas and Jeffrey came into the ornately decorated gymnasium. For Phineas, it felt like a reunion of sorts with his old professors and some buddies. Jeffrey ran directly to the food table and stacked his plate high with all the delicious buffet choices. He found a table with Olivia Dunne. She was extremely happy to see them both. Almost an hour passed and Phineas had laughed, eaten and even danced, but he saw no sign of Lilly. He was disappointed. He glanced all around the gymnasium again, in case he happened to have missed her. His eyes rested on a beautiful girl from the back, sipping punch. How could he have not seen her? She looked radiant in a floor length, green silky evening dress and topaz necklace that brought out the similar colors in her eyes. Her face was made-up with glossy pale lips and black-lined eyes. Lilly caught him staring and came over with a bright smile, she wore matching ankle strap heels and she nearly came head to head with him.

“Phineas! Sorry I’m late, but I really took advantage of this and decided it was time I felt like a real woman.”

Phineas couldn’t remove his eyes from her. “Who…who says…you aren’t a real woman?” He stammered.

“Nobody…but after all those voyages it’s nice to play dress-up. You look fantastic in that tux.” Lilly sighed inwardly. Phineas' physique was perfect in every outfit he wore.

“Thanks..but Lilly, you look really stunning.” Phineas held her hand and twirled her around with a grin of amazement.

“You like the green? I figured I’d wear it in honor of the program.”

The lights suddenly dimmed and sweet music began to play. Phineas put his arm around her waist and led her to the dance floor.

“Lilly, would you care to dance with me? You don’t have a choice you know.”

She gazed into his earnest eyes and agreed with a soft laugh. He pulled her closer and they began to sway slowly.

“Mmmm, I love this song, Paul McCartney, ‘This never happened before’.”

“Ahhh, he was lead singer in the Beatles. Jeff introduced me to their music a while back.”

Lilly rested her head on his shoulders and Phineas gently kept his chin in her hair. They continued to dance in silence until the song ended. Phineas decided to tell her his good news now.

“Hey, about the program, I talked to Garth…”

“Phineas, I understand I was just a test subject…you and Jeff could be out there helping the other Voyagers and I…”

“Wait, let me finish…Garth changed his mind…with a little persuasion. Jeff and I are the Voyagers that will be helping you. At least for a while until you find your footing. Eventually you’ll be assisting others too.”

Lilly grabbed his neck and hugged him tightly. “Phineas! Thank you! You and Jeff are wonderful! And I promise not to be so helpless.”

“Lilly, you were never helpless, you just needed that push…kinda like history.”

“I needed more than that, I needed a shove and a smack and a…big bucket!”

Phineas chuckled and gave her a brief kiss. “Yeah you did…but I forgive you and so does Jeff.”

Lilly stepped away from him, glowing. “If you don't mind, I want to sing for you both, wait here!”

She ran to the stage to talk to the band. Phineas gave a big shrug and called Jeffrey to him.

“Lilly’s gonna sing for us!”

“Oh no! not ‘Diamonds are a girl’s best friend’ again? Oh no, I hope it's not 'Big spender' either! Remember the ruckus she caused in the saloon when she put on all that make-up?”

Phineas laughed at his partner's worried face as colorful lights swept across the stage. Lilly grabbed the microphone and quieted the audience down.

“I want to dedicate this song to Phineas Bogg and Jeffrey Jones, true heroes!”

A pulsing rock beat started and everyone clapped along. The voyagers blushed when all eyes stared at them in amusement.

“Hey, that song sounds real awesome, let’s get closer.” Jeff said. They moved their way through the crowds as Lilly began to belt out in rock fashion.

“Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods? Where’s the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds? Isn’t there a white knight upon a fiery steed? Late at night I toss and turn and I dream of what I need!…I need a hero! I’m holding out for a hero till the end of the night! He’s gotta be strong and he’s gotta be fast and he’s gotta be fresh from the fight!…”

Phineas and Jeffrey cheered and whistled; Lilly was bringing down the house. Phineas shouted to his friend over the music. “What do you say? Is she a keeper?”

“I think so! I really like her! How about you?”

“Definitely Jeff! With her, the adventures are just beginning!”