He took out the small walkie and radioed back up the hole. There was a faint impression of light up there, but he couldn’t see Marie staring down at him now as she had when he first shimmied into the hole. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Someone looking, caring as he left. He hadn’t had that since his grandparents passed away. After that he’d just been too busy.
“I’m here,” he radioed.
“Copy,” came the answer. “If you’re ready, you can point the drill in the right direction and turn it on. Once you break through you should come out behind a bank of computers. After that it’s up to you.”
“Acknowledged. I’m ready. I should be back on in a couple of minutes.” He oriented the drill in the correct direction, reflecting for a moment. He had no idea what was on the other side, but just promised to take care of business in a few moments. Was it false bravado or experience? He liked to think it was experience. He knew he was good at this job, that he had prepared for these types of engagements, and that nobody behind this wall knew he was coming. If anything, he had a tactical advantage. Forget the layout of the room, or the numbers there. Surprise was on his side.
Smith got to work, adjusted his bearings and set the drill to go. The device was quiet, and slowly but surely the wall around the drill disappeared until a hole appeared. Smith shut it off from behind and dragged it back into his little den. Then he crawled through and found himself behind a bank of computers just as Bridges had said.
He peeked around the obstruction to get a sense of the layout of the room and caught a glimpse of a sight that was like nothing he’d ever seen. This was definitely the place. Now to secure it.
_____
Smith looked back at the two techs tied up on the floor before walking over to the main control panel. He checked in with his scientist crew via the walkie-talkie.
“We’re secure on this end. Are you guys ready?”
“Copy,” replied the voice of Dr. Bridges. “Place the remote on the closest portal and activate it. It will connect with our portal up here.”
“Got it,” said Smith. He set the device and switched it on. He was going to radio back but he was already beginning to see their hazy shapes through his end.
In moments Marie, Hoppy and Bridges joined him. He felt a sense of completion as he did any time a plan came together. After a moment, he relaxed and took in the contents of the room.
The energy streams from several different spires along the perimeter of the room coalesced into the center, creating something that was difficult to look at. Smith did his best, but every time he did the very essence of reality was shifting. Quickly developing a headache, he looked away.
“This is some getup you guys have here, Doc.”
Bridges and Hoppy were already peering intently into a bank of monitors and didn’t seem to hear him. Marie was right beside Smith staring with rapt attention at the singularity in the middle of the room. Smith gently turned her, but had difficulty getting her to look away, so he stepped in front of her eyes, blocking her view.
She blinked and shook her head. “Wha?” She kept blinking, as if she were not quite there. Smith turned her away and she shuddered. She kept blinking and shaking her head, but she managed a weak “Thanks” as they went over to where Bridges and Hoppy were. Obviously the singularity affected different people in different ways. Hoppy seemed to be making every effort to keep his eyes averted. Perhaps they should have had a warning before coming in here.
Smith peeked over Bridges’ shoulder to see what they were looking at. The monitors showed a room full of mirror portals and equally full of people loaded with backpacks and luggage. They were lining up at a large portal about six feet wide in the center of the room.
“Are they doing what I think they’re doing?” Smith asked.
“Yes,” Bridges answered. “I think we’re just in time.” He typed in some commands on a nearby keyboard and every portal in that other room simultaneously went dark. Although there was no audio, it was obvious there was a lot of commotion. Smith could see one woman step out from the group and begin ordering some men in suits around.
“I take it that’s Penelope.”
“Yes it is,” came a voice from behind. Agent Street was coming through the portal he had set up for the scientists and he could see Penelope’s look-alike.
Agent Street smiled wickedly, “We spoiled her appetizer and you guys just ate her lunch.”
That was when Smith noticed the other Street, already in the room, smiling that same wicked smile. “Anybody ready for dessert?”
The Way Back
Bridges rushed over to Penny and Nik and enveloped both in a warm embrace. Smith allowed it for a moment, but knew they needed to get moving. Penelope was probably not going to stand for her situation much longer; their team needed to act soon.
Bridges pulled back for a moment. “Have you seen the kids?”
“Yes. We decided to leave them with Braden and Jodi for now. If we can help, we want to do everything we can to get home,” Penny said.
“Probably a good decision. We can swing through my apartment before we leave and gather up the young’ins,” Dr. Bridges said. Smith coughed under his breath, and Bridges briefly turned his attention to the agent, and then back to his family. “Look around Penny. This...this is my life’s work.”
“Oh Dad,” Penny started.
“And I’m going to leave it all behind to come back with you. I’ve seen who I am on different worlds—different realities,” Bridges gestured at the singularity in the middle of the room. “The only one where I am complete is where I am a father to you. That’s where I made a mistake. When I should have gone home, when I should have gone to you on a night when everyone was with their families on September 11...I went back to the lab and kept working. This room is impressive, but it’s nothing compared to the best thing I’ve ever helped make, and that’s you.”
The father and daughter stood face to face for a few moments, as if they needed to capture this moment for all time. Beside Penny, however, her husband grew visibly restless.
“Please tell me you don’t need me to go down a tunnel of mirrors again.” Nik’s eyes grew wide. “I’d really rather not do that again.”
Smith walked over and clapped Davidson on the shoulder. “No worries, pal. I already volunteered for the trip this time and we’re out on the other side. I don’t think you’ll be needed for that today.”
Nik visibly relaxed. “Good to hear. I mean, I could do it. I did it once, but…”
“But you’ve done your job. You’ve got your family back. Congratulations,” Agent Smith said to Nik. He couldn’t help but feel glad for the man and his family. “Now, let me do my job. I’m going to get us back and prevent Penelope from staging an incursion on our world. Right, Doc?”
Bridges took a few steps back to the instrument panel and gestured at Smith, but Hoppy was the one who spoke up. “Looks like there are twenty-three others in the portal room besides Penelope. After looking at most of them, I can tell you the typical traveler is a politician. The Minority Leader of the House, a Supreme Court Justice, the White House Chief of Staff...so on. But there are more than a few other agents. Over there,” he said, pointing at a man leaning up against a darkened portal,” is Agent Yellow, and to his immediate right is Agent Cavendish. She and my Marie were good friends at one point. But that was a long time ago. Looks like she and Penelope are tight now.”
Smith nodded in agreement. He had to assume each of the people in the portal room were allies with Penelope, and were therefore their enemies.
“Now that we’re here, we can control interdimensional travel again, right?” Nik piped up. Everyone turned to look at him. “I mean, back in Arizona...this Arizona at least...I turned it off so Nicholas couldn’t get through. But that turned it off for the entire world until we turned it back on. Which we just did, right?”
Marie, feeling more confident after spending time with Hoppy and Dr. Bridges, answered Nik. “Ye
s. We had to get here to be able to control travel between worlds again. The ability to travel between portals on this planet was never going to go away, but that was part of the mission and simply by being in this room, we have completed that part of the mission.”
“So…” Nik prompted.
“So we need to get where they are,” Hoppy said. He pointed at the screen. At Penelope and her tour group headed for their version of Earth.
“That’s the Portal Room. The Grand Central Station of travel between dimensions, as you might say. We had the same thing in Arizona, but from what Hoppy told me, the portals were in pretty rough shape after you finished with them. Am I right?” Bridges asked.
Nik smirked. “Perhaps you’re right.”
“So we can’t just conjure up a new interdimensional portal here. It’s too close to the source—the Engine Room—anyway, but we already have them set up. And even if we don’t end up using them, we do have an obligation to stop Penelope from getting through as well, right?”
Nik looked at Smith and both men nodded. “Right. Just checking.”
The pair of Agents Street walked up behind Dr. Bridges. A. Street pointed at the screen. At Penelope in particular. “Hey. What’s she up to?”
Everyone clustered around the monitor on the instrument panel.
“Is there sound available?” E. Street asked.
“No. Just video,” Bridges replied.
Penelope was addressing the entire group, speaking like a career politician might. Even without audio, Penny could tell that her double was a skilled orator. Without words to go with the shape of her mouth, it was difficult to tell what she was trying to communicate, but even Penny was almost willing to follow her to the ends of the earth.
Almost. But not quite. Penny had seen that ball of crazy firsthand.
In the midst of her speech to her waiting followers, her phone must’ve sent her an alert. She looked down, surprised to see anything on her phone’s screen. She, along with everyone else there was hundreds of feet below the earth’s surface, but whatever was on her screen must’ve been enough to make her pick up the phone connected to the wall’s intercom and talk animatedly for a few minutes. After ended the call, she looked up and began speaking to her followers again. As she spoke, there was an unmistakable smile on her face.
“What’s she smiling about?” Smith wondered.
E. Street realized then he and his group might have failed to properly inform everyone when they reached the Engine Room.
“Um. We successfully protected President Hanson just now,” E. Street began.
Agent Smith looked at him quizzically. “What does that have to do with this? Why would she be happy we won?”
Nik put his hand to his head and explained. “We may not have everyone accounted for. In the midst of rescuing my wife and protecting the President, we kinda let Agent Green—Nicholas—get away.”
Smith’s mind spun around. Green...Nicholas Davidson was perhaps the most dangerous man still out there. He’d just assumed if the Streets along with Nik and Penny were back that they’d taken care of Nicholas in the process. Damn. He was getting overconfident. Again.
He tried to process the information.
“Doc, can anyone besides us get into that Portal Room at this point?”
“No. I’ve shut down all the portals in or out of that room. If we want to go through, I just need to press this button and we can get in and leave this world. But to answer your question...no.”
Agent Smith knew he was missing something. There was something still wrong about everything. Penelope seemed too confident in her room where she could do little more than breathe and sleep.
Smith slammed his hand down on the desk before him. “What is going on?”
As if on cue, an icon popped up on the computer screen in front of Bridges, accompanied by a loud chirp. Marie, next to Smith, jumped at the sound, apparently on edge from the tension in the room. Bridges glanced at the faces on either side of him, and clicked the image.
Nicholas Davidson’s face filled the screen. A fairly nondescript background behind him, but no one was looking at that. They were looking at the smile of the man some in this world knew as Agent Green. A vengeful smile.
“Hello. I don’t know exactly who will be receiving this video message, but I know whoever it is will take this with the utmost seriousness,” Nicholas said, and then moved the camera around the room. Gasps followed as everyone could see the kids they’d left behind in Dr. Bridges sealed apartment tied up and gagged. Apparently sealed, but not, Smith realized.
Tears streaked the faces of Kira and Sisco, as the two children struggled against their bonds. Jodi lay on her side, perhaps unconscious, and Braden showed signs of fighting back. Bruises were already blossoming on his cheeks and a trickle of blood ran down his forehead. His wild eyes screamed for violence he was unable to visit upon his captor.
“I have them. I have what you came here for,” Nicholas continued. He turned the camera back around and focused again on his face. He glared through the lens as if he could see each of them gathered in the Engine Room. “And don’t bother coming to get them. I’ve rigged the portal in Bridges’ closet to blow if it’s activated from the other side. There is one way in and one way out and I’ve got control over both routes right now.”
He set the camera down on something. Maybe a desk or a table, but the image was still centered on his face. Nicholas leaned back in a chair.
“So here’s what you will do. You will engage the portals for Penelope and her entourage. You will ensure safe passage for them to their destination. When you have...and only then...I will release the kids. I’ll wait for,” he checked a clock somewhere off-camera, “twenty-six minutes. If I receive a call from Penelope at the end of that time, I’ll know she hasn’t gone to safety and I’ll know you didn’t fulfill your end of the bargain.”
Nicholas toyed with something for a moment. Smith had trouble deciphering what it was, but soon it was clear Nicholas had a gun in his hands.
“If I get a message telling me she’s still here at the end of that time, you can count on one thing: none of these kids are going to make it back home. Well...alive at least.”
Rescue Operation
The room was in an uproar, but Smith had started a mental clock as soon as the message came through from Nicholas Davidson. He’d known something was off about this version of the man when he’d met him on his side of reality in Southern Indiana, but it wasn’t until much later that he confirmed it for sure. Now, he realized he should have put a bullet between the man’s eyes when he’d had the chance.
That clock, though, couldn’t go backwards. He couldn’t change the past—he could only alter the future. His eyes scanned the room, the people, and the tools around him, and he hatched a plan. A crazy one, but a plan nonetheless.
To combat the tumult, Smith issued a sharp and staccato whistle. Immediately, the gathered agents, doctors, scientists, along with a teacher and lawyer, calmed down.
“I’m going to go get the kids,” Smith said.
“You can’t!” Penny half-whispered, half-shouted. “He said…”
“He said the only entrance is booby-trapped. Of course, with all that ol’ Doc Bridges has lying around here, we all know that is a lie.” Agent Smith pointed at the drill with mirrors on the front end of the bit. “I’ve seen first-hand how this S.O.B. works, so we’re going to use it to tunnel into the bedroom and get those kids back.”
“I’m going with you,” Nik said, stepping forward.
Smith had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. “Look Nik, this isn’t a Hollywood movie. I’m trained for situations like this. Okay, not exactly like this, but situations nonetheless. You aren’t. If you want to get killed and probably kill me in the process, go ahead and follow me. But if you can leave the rescue business up to the professionals, I know we can bring them home safe.”
Nik hesitated, and looked at Penny. “Are you sure, Agent
Smith?”
“Nik, you trusted me before—trust me again. Believe me. I have twenty-two minutes left, and I’m running out of time.”
Penny took a deep breath and squeezed her husband’s hand. “I don’t know you, Agent Smith, but if Nik trusts you, I suppose I will too. Go. Get my kids back.”
Smith bent down and grabbed the mirror-tipped drill and began to walk towards the tunnel they’d dug to the Engine Room. An exchange of words occurred behind Smith’s back and the voice of Dr. Bridges stopped Smith.
“Agent Smith. I know you think you need to do this alone, but take Agent Street—this world’s version. He’ll be a great asset and knows the layout down here perhaps even better than I do,” Bridges said.
Smith half-turned and found A. Street already walking towards his position. “Fine. Let’s go.”
_____
Penelope looked around the room. What a bunch of idiots she’d surrounded herself with. She couldn’t wait to be rid of them once and for all when they reached the other Earth, but for now, she needed them. To be honest, she regarded most of those in the room—fellow politicians and diplomats—as warm bodies and shields. If it came down to it, she had over twenty pawns that she could sacrifice before she would be in true danger.
Speaking of which, a sniveling senator from Wyoming was headed her way right now.
“What...what are we waiting for? What’s happening?”
As if she could magically transport herself to another world, Penelope shut her eyes for a brief moment and composed herself. Unfortunately when she reopened her eyes, Senator Dipwad was standing in front of her face, his onion-breath stinking up her personal space.
“What’s happening is that you and the rest of your fellow Congressmen felt the need to putz around until it was too late. We had control of the portals—we had the advantage, and it’s slipped through our fingers. All this work and I let myself get saddled with you and your merry band of morons instead of going through with things myself.”
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