Liliath, chortled aloud, startling Jenny. It was a deep, rumbling sound. "Dragons…yes, I know we were called that anciently by your kind. We call ourselves, Alani."
Liliath sat, reclining on the specially made chaise set aside for her use. Ingot stood and said, gesturing to the tall birdlike creature to his right. "This is Myla, my Third."
Myla stood from a seat that looked very like a nest. He had arms as well as wings. His colorful plumage, orange beak and bright eyes were very birdlike, but he gestured with his arms and hands in a very humanoid manner. His long slender legs were encased in feathers to his knees. "Welcome, Jenny. I am of the planet Langtrey in the dimension, Alluvia. Our species, the Calyx, is one of several intelligent species in our universe. We have yet to visit your planet other than to pass through the gateway network. I doubt we will find our way there any time soon, but I have enjoyed a close association with Lizzie, your aunt. You can count on my support."
He sat, and Ingot stood again.
"Now to introduce you to your fellow Guardians of Earth."
They each stood as he introduced them. "Allow me to present Juan of Puerto Rico."
A short, tanned man in a white shirt, white cotton pants and a hemp belt stood with a nod. His dark brown eyes twinkled in a big welcoming smile stood with a nod, his hands clasped in front of him.
"You already know Lova, of Sweden."
Lova stood grinning at Jenny. It was evidence of Jenny's shocked state that she had not noticed her when she had come into the room.
"Adelle of Switzerland."
A large blonde woman of square build stood and nodded to her soberly. Her pale blonde hair was put up into a braid that wrapped around her head like a crown. Her bright blue eyes reminded Jenny of the forget-me-nots that she had loved to make into garlands as a kid.
"Mustapha, of Pakistan."
A wiry man with a short beard and dark tan complexion stood, his dark serious eyes looking into hers. He also nodded to her to acknowledge the meeting.
"Brendan of Australia."
Brendan's muscular frame topped Mustapha by a head or more. Brown hair and tan, his smile was welcoming, and he cocked his head slightly as if measuring her.
"Xao Ting, of China."
The short, serious, elderly Asian man bowed slightly in her direction, the streaks of silver in his black hair reflecting the light in the room.
"Leonora of Czechoslovakia."
She was large, but not fat. She looked to be in her middle years. Her short-cropped hair was dark as were her serious, piercing eyes. She nodded slowly to Jenny.
"Dhakirah of Ghana."
The woman who stood was very tall, easily as tall as Brendan. Her large dark eyes were slightly upturned, and she wore her black hair braided tightly around the cap of her head which streamed down her back in tight braids. Her African heritage was clear, the colorful tunic she wore contrasting beautifully with her dark skin. She smiled a beautiful smile of welcome.
"Aliki of Samoa."
The Polynesian man was perhaps in his 50's with a touch of gray in his dark curly hair. He smiled, gesturing welcome with open hands towards her. He had a kind of warmth about him, reminding her of a favorite uncle.
"Leland of Ireland."
The short, red-haired man stood grinning. He reminded Jenny of a gym teacher she had known in her high school years, always up to something mischievous.
"Guaray of India."
The dark-eyed man with wire-rimmed glasses stood and solemnly nodded towards Jenny, his hands clasped in front of him.
"And, Megan of Canada."
A freckled older woman with auburn hair and green eyes, she reminded Jenny of photos she'd seen of farmer's wives. Her light brown hair was in a braid over her shoulder and she was dressed simply in a sweater and slacks. She also nodded to Jenny.
They all sat at that point and Ingot said. "This is your Earth Guardian team. They are all experienced Guardians and have knowledge and resources you may rely upon in your duties. You will find your gate network now includes a portal directly to Sanglarka and all other Earth gates, so you can meet, plan and train together. Lova is the team leader for the Earth Gateway network. You will continue to train in your role as Guardian as you will train also for your role as Gatekeeper.
Tarafau's role is The Guide. His centuries of experience will be invaluable to you. The role of The Guide is to mentor Guardians and Gatekeepers. You can trust his counsel and his wisdom to get you through this. Each Guardian has a Guide assigned to them. For the first few years, they constantly monitor and support the Guardian as they learn their duties."
Jenny gulped and stared at Tarafau, the awe in her face needing no words. Centuries? How old was this cat?
Ingot smiled at her reaction. "It will take time for you to get to know your compatriots and to build the trust and teamwork that will become vital as we face the threat of the aggression of the Groga. At this time, Earth is not in danger, as far as we can tell. Based on what we know, our current theory is that they are accessing an ancient gateway that is not fully associated with the entire updated network. This still puts potentially millions of gateways at risk. All Guardians have been notified of this and the entire network is on alert.
I will not lie to you. The options we have are few. We have become lax over the years. Evidently a remnant of the Groga has been nursing its wounds and growing their numbers and recovering old technologies. We thought we had taught them to keep to themselves. Obviously, the lesson did not sink in.
Our scouts tell us that the Groga no longer inhabit their former planet in their former dimension. It has become clear that our first task is to locate their base of operations. Then, we must determine the extent of their defenses and any new technology they have acquired.
Finally, we must prepare a plan to protect those who are most vulnerable and work to eliminate the threat permanently.
This is the task before us. And you, as Gatekeeper, are crucial to all of it. Do you have any questions?"
Jenny stared at him, her mind spinning. Questions? Questions?!
But she simply said, "When do we start?"
Chapter 15: Besties
Jenny stood in the middle of her cozy little living room. The week she had spent with the members of the council and her fellow Guardians had been exhausting. For one thing, the planet wasn't on a 24 hour day cycle. Days were approximately 37 hours long and they had taken advantage of every minute. When she first got home, she had slept for nearly 12 hours without stirring once.
Her fellow Guardians were wildly assorted in temperament and background. Each of them had been helpful and, since most of them had held their posts for long enough to know what they were doing, they were generous in their willingness to instruct and advise her. By the time they had concluded her initial training she had felt like her brain couldn't absorb a single additional fact or idea. They had said warm good-byes at the gateway door and as each had departed to their duties, Jenny had felt a pang of loss.
She had discovered that much about the gateway system was automated and, although that automation kept track of the comings and goings of all those passing through that network, she would not see most of the activity from her side. Those using the gateway system would enter a gate from their side and go directly to the door that would take them to their destination. Most of the time she wouldn't see any of them, unless they had business with her directly. Her previous fear of beings seen coming and going from her house had been assuaged. No one would have any idea that her house was a very extended version of Grand Central Station.
That sense of unreality returned as she looked around her. Tidbit lay in the sunny window seat contemplating the garden outside. Evidently his time as a cat was a restful interlude that he enjoyed immensely. He had already gone to terrorize Cinder this morning and chase butterflies out in the herb garden.
It all seemed so normal, and yet Jenny now knew that what she thought of as normal was such a tiny, insignificant part of someth
ing so big, so alien and so amazing that her little house, with all its secrets, was just a speck on a bigger speck of the total picture.
She jumped when her cell phone beeped. A text message from Sam. "What's up, Jenn? Lunch today? My treat."
She texted back her agreement. Her instructions were clear. For the next few days she was to appear among her neighbors and friends to be doing all the usual things. It had been made clear that part of her responsibilities included interacting on Earth and keeping track of goings on in the world, as far as she could. It was not her responsibility to influence the events around her, but to observe and report, something she had already been doing for a long time.
She had been told, as part of her orientation, that this particular neighborhood had been built up around the house, and the neighbors were accustomed to the residents of 888 Infinity Loop being somewhat reclusive. And in that particular neighborhood, most of the residents were too absorbed in their own enterprises that they didn't have much time for interaction with their neighbors. This lack of curiosity on their part insured that Jenny's extended absences would largely go unnoticed. And when Jenny was home, she should let herself be seen going about normal business, like going to the grocery store or picking up her mail. She routinely kept her little blue SUV locked in the little garage so this would be harder to track her comings and goings.
It surprised her how much her experience as a writer had prepared her for her new roles. Not that anything could have completely prepared her for this. Her ability to think through scenarios and abstract potential outcomes would come in handy in creating strategies and tactics. And her inherent ability to communicate clearly would help as she was thrust into a leadership role.
Bob had dropped by earlier with a little pile of mail and had caught her up on the neighborhood. Cinder had gotten lost at one point earlier in the week and had been rescued from the local pound in the nick of time. Miss Longtree had won an award for her cross-stitch embroidery at the State Fair and two of the neighborhood teens were out doing a food drive for the local food bank. In other words, normal.
Sam arrived in her little red car. She took her to a local restaurant that served homestyle meals in a country kitchen atmosphere. The cozy little booth gave the feeling of privacy, even though the off-the-beaten path place was always full of customers.
"We missed you at the hike," Sam began. "I got some photos on Lake Arrowhead of the gang, though. I'll send them to your cell."
Jenny sighed. "Emergency meeting at work. You know how these executives can be. Everything's an emergency and then you find out they're just changing the branding or launching an ad campaign and they need, 'All hands on deck'."
"Yeah, I get it. We'd get so much more done without all of the staff meetings, most of which could be handled in a memo or email."
"So, tell me about your new gig," Sam said, after the waitress had taken their order, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
"I'm still in training," Jenny replied carefully. "There is so much to learn. I met my team this week and we got to know one another. They're a really varied group, but they've been really supportive of the 'new girl'."
"Yeah, it's hard being the new kid on the block, for sure. I remember when I first came to the station. It was all pretty overwhelming. None of my training prepared me for the reality of working in a professional studio or the politics of working in a large group of creatives. Some of them are real prima donnas."
This was an old rant of Sam's. Sam was a technician, really good at production tech, but she had little patience for the eccentricities of the "talent" on the set.
"Have you gotten your first assignments yet?"
"Not yet. I have to do a tour of the company facilities. It will take me a few weeks of hard travel, but I have to familiarize myself with each area before I get my first assignment."
Part of what they had discussed during her training sessions had been the importance of learning to say just enough of the truth about what they did without giving anything away. There had been more than one story of near disaster when something slipped out that shouldn't have. Her team members had all agreed that the effort required to clean up these mistakes made it well worth the effort to get it right in the first place.
They had drilled her from different angles on how to reply to common questions and some not so common ones that could take you by surprise. Jenny had felt much better prepared by the time they had parted company.
"Hey! I could see you off at the airport!" Sam said suddenly. "I always hated having to park my car in those public garages. It will save you some cash, since you won't have to hire a cab."
Jenny paused. This had not been covered in her orientation. But the waitress arrived at that moment with their food and this gave her some time to think. There was nothing saying she couldn't fly to her first gate stop. Her passport was in order and it would give her another layer to her cover story. She would have to remember to be seen taking a cab from time to time, to give the impression that she usually got a ride to the airport when travelling.
"Sounds great, Sam. I haven't gotten my tickets yet. I'll let you know when I get them."
Jenny was starting her training in Puerto Rico. She would be spending a few days at each Guardian station. After having met all of her fellow Guardians, she was looking forward to spending time with each one, individually and learning what they had to teach her.
"So how are things at the station? I hear your 'weather woman' is quitting to pursue her acting career."
Sam laughed. "I think she just got a walk-on in a B movie from some director no one has ever heard of. I'm sure she'll go far. The studio is bringing on a meteorologist who just finished school. He's cute. Our female ratings are about to go up.
And, I hear I may be up for assistant director of the morning show. It's still in the works, but it's looking good."
"Oh, Sam, that's awesome! I'm sure you'll get it. One step closer to your dream."
"I won't be directing anything big for a long time, but it's one step higher on the ladder. Good experience and the director of the show has his act together. I'm sure I'll learn a lot. A nice change from being a floor director, working in the control room or mushrooming in the post-edit suite."
"So, have you dug into that shed out back yet? I know you've been busy with your new job and all."
"I've only just peeked in," Jenny admitted. "There's so much stuff in there. I think Aunt Lizzie was a serious pack rat."
Jenny really didn't want to get Sam involved in weeding out the storage shed. There was no telling what was in there.
Sam seemed to ignore the hint. "But that's half the fun! Maybe there is some pirate treasure or an ancient crystal with magical powers!"
Her enthusiasm made Jenny laugh.
"Or maybe it's just a lot of dusty old stuff I'll need to haul off to a thrift shop. At any rate, I won't be able to get around to it for a while. This training tour is going to take up most of my time for the next several weeks, I'm afraid."
"Well, keep track of your adventures. I'll want to hear all about it. And take lots of pictures. I'm going to have to live vicariously, I'm afraid. The only travelling I'm going to be doing is to and from the studio in L.A. traffic."
Photos, what kinds of photos could she take that wouldn't give too much away? But as she thought of it, she realized she had gotten so used to the inter-dimensional nature of her life, that she had forgotten that people would never have any idea that this was why she was travelling, so as long as she was on Earth, she would be able to send photos of her travels without worrying about it too much. Just as if everything was…normal.
They spent the afternoon chatting and Jenny promised to make it to the next hike, as long as nothing came up in her "job.”
When they pulled up in the driveway on Infinity Loop, Jenny was glad she got some time with Sam. It reminded her how important it was to get trained and why she had to do what she could to help prevent the Groga from raiding through the dime
nsions. She recalled with a shudder the utter devastation of the little Gateway village and tried not to picture what that would mean to her family and friends.
She invited Sam in, but Sam begged off, citing an early morning production meeting. So, hugs ensued, and Jenny waved her off. Bob was out in his yard and he too waved at Sam as she left.
"Hey, neighbor! Got a minute?"
"Sure, come on over."
Jenny let them into the house and Bob settled himself on the couch. Ensconced in her reading chair, Jenny noticed that Bob was somewhat soberer than usual.
"What's up, Bob?"
"It's the portal."
"The portal?" Jenny replied carefully. Was it possible Bob knew about the gateways?
"You know that Lizzie was very sick, and she was adamant that I not call any of her relatives during those last days. I stayed in the hospital with her. At the last, she was in and out of consciousness. Out, more often than in. She started to talk, as if to someone I couldn't see. Understand, she wasn't aware that I was there.
So, she started talking to Tidbit. I cottoned on that she was talking about something real, not a fantasy, but it sounded crazy. Lizzie wasn't the type. She was telling Tidbit to keep the secret, to not let anyone into the gateway. She talked about the Dimensional Alliance and someone called The Gatekeeper.
She said a lot of things I don't have any reference for, but she mentioned your name more than once. It's been keeping me awake nights. I have to know, if you can tell me. What has Lizzie gotten you into? And what does your friend Sam have to do with all of this?"
Jenny shook her head. How should she handle this? Nothing like this had come up in her training.
About that time, Tidbit wandered in.
"And I know about the cat. The cat who is not a cat." Bob said, pointedly looking directly into Tidbit's eyes. "I just thought you ought to know."
"We have a problem," Tidbit sent. "No one is supposed to know."
"I know," Jenny sent back. "What should I tell him?"
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