[You've got mail, but it's probably crap,] the e-mail sound on the computer rang out, as yet another e-mail entered the mailbox.
Drew turned down the volume on the CD player to see what the audible warning was for. Sliding over to the computer in his wheeled computer chair, Drew opened up the mailbox to see what it was.
"Better not be another freakin' junk mail." The Outlook box opened to show a solitary e-mail message at the bottom of the list. This one was from Jovo channeled through the BIRPG newsgroup. "Probably another discussion on organization." As he double clicked on the message, he noticed something wrong about the e-mail. Horrendous misspellings due probably to the message being sent in haste.
Now, Drew know that Jovo liked Star Trek a lot, but this message appeared to take it to the extreme. "The Virgo is real... Ha! And pigs can fly..." He closed the message and sent it to the delete bin. As he reached over to turn the CD player volume back up, another message came in. This one was from Rich, also on the newsgroup. He clicked to open the message.
"Oh man. He got Rich too." Drew laughed slightly to himself. He read the message, and finally came to the end where it listed picture attachments. Humoring himself, he opened the pictures. They were images taken off of his TV screen from the local news. It was that of a Federation looking runabout flying over trees in a park. It disappeared out of frame. His eyebrow shot up as he looked over the circumstantial evidence. "If this is a practical joke, they're sure doing their homework."
"Turn that music off." Drew's dad walked into the room and took a seat near the table. "I wanna watch the news."
"Yeah, yeah." He reached over to the CD player and flipped it off. Drew put on his headphones and turned on WinAmp. He closed the e-mail and went back to looking up some information for a term paper that he was working on. It was getting late, and the ten P.M. news came on.
Half paying attention, Drew heard over the music and from the Channel Two news, "Our top story today comes from Florida where it appears science fiction has come to life."
"They're talkin' about that Star Trek thing on the news," Drew's dad called over to Drew.
He turned in the chair and took off his headphones to hear the TV. "In Miami today, Star Trek fans have gathered at what appears to be a spur of the moment Star Trek convention. We take you there to Marty Shaw who's on location."
"Thanks. I'm here in Miami where apparently science fiction has become science fact. A group of dedicated Star Trek fans have apparently built and flown a 'Runabout' as the craft is called on the show. The fans became unruly enough at one point where the National Guard was called in to remove the 'Runabout' until further notice."
"Well... this is certainly... odd, for lack of better words." Drew watched on as the instances were replayed on the TV.