Jenny felt the tension go out of her. "But," she said plaintively, "It's all so big!" That had become the only word she could think of to describe the situation she had found herself in.
"Indeed, it is, bigger than any mind can begin to comprehend. But there is an order to it and we are not helpless. You are not helpless. I know you are in conflict, with your friend under suspicion. The outcome may be that you don't see your friend again. If that happens, I won't lie to you. It is one of the most difficult aspects of the role of a Guardian or Gatekeeper. This is why it is important for you to focus on what you have, instead of what you wish you had."
Jenny nodded. She did have Tarafau, who had become like a big brother to her. And it looked like she would also be able to count on Bob's assistance, once he had been vetted by The Council. That was definitely a big plus. She yet had additional training to look forward to and so far, her training had been a very positive experience. She also had the other Guardians who had extended such a warm hand of fellowship to her.
But she couldn't write off Sam, not yet. They had shared so much over the years. She hoped fervently that Burt would come back with a report that her friend had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time and that would be that, but the footage from the security cameras still nagged at her mind and more particularly, her heart.
Chapter 19: Revelations
When Burt arrived that evening, he looked tired and disgruntled. "Your friend, Sam, didn't go to work today," he said, shaking his head. "I gathered from overheard conversations that she called in sick, but there was no one at her apartment. Nor was she at the coffee shop she frequents. Her car was not in her parking space, so I was pretty sure she wasn't on a walk."
Jenny turned this information over in her mind. It was unlike the Sam she thought she knew to call in sick without really being sick. Sam loved her job at the station and she willingly worked extra hours.
"Maybe she went to see a doctor or had some kind of appointment," she mused aloud.
"Perhaps. I hadn't considered that, but she has been gone all day and there are no lights in her apartment this evening. Has she texted you or called you at all today?"
Jenny realized that she had not had any communication from Sam for over 24 hours, which was very unusual. Sam generally texted her with wry observations about her co-workers, ideas for pranks or funny memes they could both enjoy. And it was unusual for them not to speak at least once a day to catch up.
She shook her head. "I don't understand it. This isn't like her."
Burt looked grave. "Did you give her any indication you might suspect her at all?"
"No, I don't think so. I sent her photos of Puerto Rico while I was there, and we had messages going back and forth the whole time. I can't think of anything I might have said or done that would have made her think it was any different than any other time."
"Well, I'm not sure what is going on, but it doesn't look good. I get the feeling that she knows more than we even suspect. The last time you actually saw her was in the security footage, right?"
"Yes."
"So, let's retrace her steps from the footage and see if there are any clues as to what happened that afternoon."
When they went outside, Tidbit was stationed at his usual "happy place" at the edge of the koi pond. He looked up as they headed toward the storage shed.
"She walked all the way around the shed," Jenny said. "She appeared to be looking for a hidden opening."
As they slowly circled the building, Burt held his right hand out in front of him as if he had a flashlight, sweeping his hand up and down the building from the roof to the foundation and the grass surrounding it. He cocked his head, as if listening to something Jenny couldn't hear. She didn't voice the questions going through her head, as it was clear he was concentrating, and she didn't want to break that focus.
When they had circled all the way around the building, arriving at the locked door, he paused, looking at the door and especially the threshold of the door. He bent and slowly swept his hand back and forth, finally stopping above the center of the threshold.
"Stand back!" he commanded sharply. Jenny took several steps back. Burt touched his MDP and suddenly had what appeared to be a debit card in his hand which was flashing a red light. He pointed the card at the threshold of the door and there was a brilliant flash that appeared to be contained inside a transparent cube.
"It was trapped," Burt said in a flat voice. "Without the shield, had you tried to go through that door, the explosion would have killed you. Your Guardian key would have triggered it."
Jenny nodded, her heart in her throat. "Did Sam do this?"
Burt nodded. "I had noticed on the tape that she had returned briefly to the door before she left the second time. It only hit me today that she had a specific purpose to returning, not to just try the door a second time, that wouldn't have made any sense. The trap that was placed here was not apparent with the naked eye. Only my sensors would have detected it. It requires no installation, just drop it where you want it to be triggered. It was probably activated remotely as soon as she was out of sight of the cameras. I think she realized she was being watched.
There is little doubt in my mind that she is an agent of another dimension. Whether that is the Groga is impossible to tell without interviewing her. Your friend is not what she seems to be. I am so sorry."
Jenny let tears flow down her cheeks unnoticed. Sam had been her mainstay, her one constant, besides her family in her changing world. The counsel of the LizzieAI came back to her. Focus on what she had, not what she wished she had.
She wiped her face and realized Burt was awkwardly shifting from foot to foot, as if he wanted to leave until she got hold of herself.
"I'm ok," she said, "or I will be. What do we need to do?"
"Well, the first thing is that we need to get you out of here for a while. Do you think Bob would be amenable to taking a field trip to see The Council right now? I will stay behind to see if I can catch up with Sam. And before I do, I will add a shield to this property. It will allow access to specific people, the gardener and the mailman, for example, but if Sam shows up here again it will set off an alarm and not allow her to leave. I am sure she is aware that her trap has been sprung and I am also sure she will show up here."
Jenny nodded and texted Bob, letting him know it was urgent and what she needed. Tidbit, who had been unusually silent now broke in with, "Tell him to grab his bug-out bag. I know he keeps one by his front door."
Jenny looked at him curiously. "Lizzie spent a lot of time with Bob when she was in the neighborhood. They were good friends and he always welcomed me right along with her," Tarafau sent.
That sounded like Bob, she thought.
After texting Bob, she went through her house quickly, putting things away and grabbing some changes of clothes. It occurred to her that she should keep a selection of clothing permanently in her MDP, so she wouldn't have to pack and unpack all of the time. By the time she had her stuff together, Bob was ringing the doorbell.
He was dressed as if going on safari, khaki shirt and pants, sturdy walking shoes and a knapsack slung across his shoulders. "I activated some special security precautions at my house and the workshop for while we're away," he announced. "Not sure if it will stand up to high tech, but it should at least notify the authorities if anyone tries to break in. I'm ready to go."
He put one hand on her shoulder, sympathy shining in his eyes. "Are you ok?"
"I will be. But we need to get out of here. Are you ready for an adventure?"
"Always," he said with a wide grin. "Are we bringing the cat?"
"Always," she returned, looking forward to his reaction when Tidbit revealed his secret.
"Then let's go."
He was puzzled when she led him to the closet door in the hallway. His eyes widened in amazement. After stepping through that impossible door, he stepped back outside the door, looked up and down the hallway, then stepped inside the gate offic
e again.
"I'm pretty sure this isn't on the floor plan," he murmured, almost to himself. Tidbit had followed him in, nudging the door closed behind them. He looked from the cat to the cat bed. "So, now what?"
Jenny couldn't help but grin. "We're almost there. Follow me."
His eyes widened, but he followed her through the door into the gate room. He goggled, looking around himself down the long hallway that disappeared in the distance, and then he straightened his shoulders, nodded, as if to himself and followed her to the door. He whistled and cleared his throat.
"I always knew Lizzie was up to something interesting," he rasped. "All those years, right across the street…" He trailed off, apparently at a lack for words to describe what was going on in his head.
"I get it. You can begin to see how hard it would be to keep all of this a secret, and we're not done yet. Are you ready?"
He straightened his shoulders, nodded and followed her through the door to The Alliance Council's dimension.
They stepped through the portal and she led him through the scanner. Suddenly there were three of them as Tarafau assumed his humanoid shape. Bob jumped. "Who are you?" he asked.
"Bob, meet Tarafau, otherwise known to you as Tidbit," Jenny said, barely suppressing a giggle at the wide-eyed look on his face. "It's a bit of a shock, I know, but there is so much more. You can begin to appreciate why we didn't sit you down and tell you everything. There is so much more than we could explain to you and doubtful that you would believe it, if we did. Are you okay?"
Bob shook his head and then said, as if contradicting himself, "Yeah, I'm fine. It's all just a little…" he trailed off again.
"Yeah, it is," agreed Jenny. So, let's go meet The Council, shall we?"
"Good to meet you," Bob said to Tarafau, looking up into his face and holding out his hand.
"And you," Tarafau said, shaking hands with Bob and showing his cat fangs in a welcoming smile.
They started down the path, to the city and, as they walked, Jenny told Bob about her first visit to The Alliance Council. Now, finally, here was someone who could relate to her feelings of overwhelm at all of these discoveries coming so quickly one upon another. Now finally she could share her awe of the responsibility that had been placed upon her, with someone who could truly understand how it felt to be exposed to so many alien concepts and experiences one after another.
The guards this time were different, albeit in the same uniforms as previously. They escorted them to a four passenger version of the automated taxi hover-cars, which Bob observed with wide eyes and twitching hands, as if he would have loved to take it apart and see how it worked. Off they hummed down the wide boulevard that let to the huge Council building.
It was gratifying to see Bob's head swiveling back and forth, trying to take it all in, the bustling foot traffic, the little hover cars weaving in and out without traffic lights and seemingly with no particular worries of an accident. Jenny realized this was like the proverbial "kid in the candy store" for Bob's inventive mind.
The vehicle came to a stop in front of the huge double doors, the guards beside them nodding to Jenny and Tarafau. "We're here to see The Council." Jenny told them. "This is Bob. He has been invited to discuss matters with The Chief Councilor."
"You were expected," One of the guards agreed in mindspeech, "Go straight up to the private council room."
Jenny saw the confused look on Bob's face and realized he didn't have the mindspeech ability yet, and she didn't know how to give it to him. Miriha had done this for Jenny. One more thing she needed to learn how to do, apparently.
"To allow us to bypass the language problems, we use mindspeech," she explained. "I should be able to help you gain this ability once we have met with The Council. I haven't yet learned how to do that for other people. There is so much I have to learn, and I feel like there's no time."
She remembered that Miriha had simply touched her key, but Bob had no key. She had no idea how Miriha had done what she had done.
They went to the large elevator and Tarafau said, "Council Room.” The elevator made its silent climb and opened onto the reception area. The receptionist greeted them with a smile. "Gatekeeper, it's good to have you back. Please go in, they're waiting for you."
Jenny realized that the guards who had put them into the hover-car had probably given The Council a heads up about their arrival. "Thank you," she sent back and motioned for Bob to follow her into the council room.
As they entered, all three Chief Councilors were in their usual places on the dais at the front of the room.
"This is my neighbor Bob Reid," Jenny said, as they walked to the front of the room. "He can't hear mindspeech, yet," she added hastily, lest they try to communicate unsuccessfully.
Ingot stood and stepped off of the dais, smiling, both hands extended in greeting. Bob took his hands. "Welcome, Bob," he sent in mindspeech and once again Bob's eyebrows shot up. "Wow," he murmured aloud.
"Simply think of who you wish to communicate with, and think your response," instructed Ingot.
"Wow," sent Bob, "This is amazing. Thank you."
Nodding, Ingot introduced Liliath and Myla. "We have been briefed regarding the situation that brings you to us. We know that Lizzie would have never consciously revealed anything about the dimensional portals, and you are not at fault. What we do today is to determine the best course of action under the circumstances. Please be at ease, all of you." He gestured to the chairs that had been provided at the foot of the dais.
They seated themselves and Liliath spoke. "Bob, we wish to know more about you and your thoughts about all of this." She gestured with a long clawed hand, as if the entire dimensional network were before them.
"Begging pardon, ma'am," Bob replied, "But I'm not really sure what 'all of this' is, if you take my meaning. I have a fairly good grasp of physics and science as they are a large part of my training, but I'm still getting my mind around the idea that there are truly other dimensions, other universes beyond anything we can see from Earth. It's a little mind-blowing."
All three councilors nodded their heads in understanding.
"I observe, however, that you have a quick mind and a good basic understanding. Probably enough to be getting on with. Assuming we decide to, as I feel we must in this case, you will be fully trained in the mechanics of gate travel, or at least as far as we understand it. You should know that much of it is still a mystery to us. We know it works, we use the tech necessary to access it all, but there is so much even our most advanced scientists do not yet understand," said Ingot.
"I see," Bob said. Jenny could see he was now excited. Bob loved to know how things worked and now she could almost see the wheels turning in his head. "So, to my understanding, within these portals, Jenny is now a Guardian and a Gatekeeper, both heavy responsibilities for a young adult, and she has accepted these responsibilities. She is very like her aunt in so many ways. She is very diligent and level-headed for her age, but she lacks experience.
I notice you have provided a mentor for her," and he glanced meaningfully in Tarafau's direction.
Ingot nodded. "Tarafau is her Guide. His function is to give her guidance in her responsibilities, to protect her from harm and to use his own vast experience to make up for that lack in her. All Guardians and Gatekeepers are given a Guide. We find it makes transitions easier and it allows the Guardian or Gatekeeper to focus on their mission.
From time to time our Guardians and Gatekeepers also require additional aid. The reports we have received about your support and encouragement for Lizzie in the past and now for Jenny speak well for you. You have been vetted by Burt, our agent, and I can see why."
He turned to Jenny. "Jenny, what would you say to admitting Bob to the dimensional agent training, if he chooses to accept? He could be a great support to you, and he would accrue many benefits in the process."
Jenny bit her lip, thinking carefully. She had only known Bob a few months, and yet, she had a gut feeling th
at she could trust him implicitly. "I agree. I believe he can be trusted to keep secrets. He does that already for the clients he creates for. He's smart, and he has been a good friend to me and to Lizzie before me. If he wants to do this, I say we give him a chance."
Bob looked at her, a mixture of gratitude and surprise in his eyes.
"What would this entail?" was all he asked.
"You would be under the direction of the Council. Your assignments would vary, but for now your main responsibility would be to support Jenny during her training and in any needs she might have. You would be given a permanent token to give you access to the gateways. We would not ever ask you to do anything that violates your conscience or beliefs. You would be fully equipped with tech that you must promise not to attempt to duplicate or distribute on your planet, regardless of your good intentions. At some point you will be given access to technology that will allow you space travel to visit other species in your universe, but that is much later in your training.
Do you agree to be faithful to this calling, to keep the secrets of the Dimensional Alliance and to serve faithfully to guard and protect the multiverse to the best of your ability? If you cannot, in conscience, swear to this, there is no harm done and the memories that have led you to this point will be erased. You will continue in your life with no feelings of loss or responsibility."
Bob considered this for only a moment, his face somber, then nodded. He held his hand up, his arm to the square, "I so swear," he said simply.
Chapter 20: Pick Up the Pace
They stayed there for three days, in which time both Bob and Jenny were training, counseling with the Council members and resting in their private suites in the building.
During that time, Jenny was glad to have the time to get to know both Bob and the Chief Councilors much better.
She was surprised to find that the draconic entity, Liliath was a gentle person with a mischievous sense of humor who was more than a little amused at the preconceived notions Jenny and Bob had about dragon-kind. She was exceptionally intelligent, often baffling even Bob with her lectures on the science of the dimensional portals. She admitted, again, that there was still much that even the most advanced cultures in the Dimensional Alliance did not completely understand.
The House on Infinity Loop Page 17