She cocked her head a little. “Like what?”
His mouth twitched. “Coffee, tea, milk, sandwich, donut, popcorn, jell…”
“Okay. Stop. I get the picture. Tea. Hot. Earl Grey if you have it. Sugar.”
“We do have it, but don’t call me Sugar.” She just stared at him. “Just trying to lighten the mood.”
“You’re gonna have to do better than that.”
“I can tap dance.”
“You cannot.”
He chuckled. “Want to see?”
“No.” His mouth looked like it was warring between pouting and smiling. “Are you French?”
“No. Belgian.”
He stared for a minute as if he was evaluating and then said, “I’ll order your tea and then we’ll get started.”
Lana shrugged and went back to looking out the window. Cal looked past her to see what might be so interesting.
“See that woman with the outrageous hair?” Lana didn’t turn and didn’t answer. “The one playing with that monster of a dog? You might be interested to know that she arrived here under similar circumstances.”
That got Lana’s attention. She turned and stared at Cal for a few seconds. “Is this an asylum?” Cal was taken aback by the question, but understood how she could reach that conclusion. “You’re a psychiatrist.”
She jumped when Cal laughed out loud, because she hadn’t been expecting it, then blushed from the silliness of being startled. She’d never been the jumpy sort, but the experience of being taken into custody and being questioned repeatedly right after the rather unsettling experience of returning to her marina after a couple of hours to find that it had been renamed, her friends didn’t know her, and the entire Boston skyline was different? Well, she thought she deserved to feel a tad rattled.
As she felt the blush subside, she admitted to herself that, whoever, whatever, Cal Magnus was, he had a great laugh. A disarming laugh, which could be a problem because she didn’t think that becoming relaxed was a good idea. At least not until she figured out what he was up to.
“I’m going to take that to mean you’re not a psychiatrist, but it doesn’t matter because that’s not what I want to know. Here’s what I do want to know. When is it going to be my turn to ask questions? I want to know what’s happened, why I’m being held against my will, and when this is going to be over.”
Cal pursed his lips. “All good questions. In your place that’s what I imagine I would be asking. So I’ll be straightforward with you.
“I know you’ve told your story several times.” That understatement caused her to bark out a sarcastic laugh. “But if you’ll just be patient and indulge me with telling it one more time, it may be the last time. I’m the person who has the authority to make changes in your status. If I believe what you say to me next, you’ll find the pattern has been interrupted and we’ll be on to other things including answering all your questions.”
When she said nothing, he went on. “I’ll be telling you the answers to everything you ask me and many things you wouldn’t think to ask. Is that agreeable?” Lana nodded. “Good. Let’s get started.”
“I was taking my boat out alone for the first time. The weather report was clear. My friend, Josep, who had been teaching me boat operation had insisted I wait for a day with unquestionable weather. He acted like a mother hen about it.
“So I left the harbor and was feeling, I don’t know, exuberant about it all. The sky was a hundred percent blue, no clouds, and the water was calm for the Atlantic. First I thought I saw a haze on the horizon. I squinted thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me. Like a mirage.” She stopped as if waiting for confirmation that he understood. His features were studiously passive as if he intended to give nothing away, but he nodded, encouraging her to continue.
“It didn’t go away. The haze, that is. It kept getting bigger and creeping closer. At first it was gradual, but then I was surrounded by a dense fog. It wasn’t like any fog you’ve ever seen. It was thicker than mist or steam. Hard to explain really.
“I went over the procedure I’d learned for dealing with fog and decided my best choice was to stay still, quiet, and try to wait it out. And it didn’t last long.”
“What made you decide to wait it out?”
“All the instruments had gone black, but there was an old school compass attached to the console - digital. It was going crazy. I figured it was some sort of extreme magnetic variation, although I had studied the chart for the route I’d planned that day. I was in the middle of a fairway and not close to any warning.
“So I decided to make a cup of tea to calm my nerves. The stove top was working, which made me wonder why all the instruments were offline, but it was just another mystery.” She shrugged like she was reliving the feelings. “By the time I was finished with my tea, the fog had lifted as suddenly as it came. No. Even faster than that. And I was looking at completely blue sky.
“I heard a beep behind me. The instruments were back on. I decided I’d had enough adventure for the day. So I turned around and headed back. When I was about five minutes out, I radioed Myrna. She’s my friend who manages the marina. She acted like she didn’t know me and said I didn’t have a reservation for a slip. I thought she was joking. She called it the Consolation Marina.”
“Why is that noteworthy, Ms. Ravin? Do you know it by another name?”
“Yes. Constitution Marina.” Cal nodded. “She was sticking with the prank, said she didn’t have any slips for the night, but I could do a Mediterranean mooring.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s like parallel parking.” He nodded. “When I saw that another boat was in my slip - the slip I’d paid for and claimed, I thought the joke had gone way too far. I practically ran to the office to give Myrna what for, but she acted like she’d never seen me before, that made me even angrier. So I stormed out of there to find Josep and let him know that enough was enough. He, uh, didn’t know me either.
“That’s when I started to get scared. I turned my back on him to try and process and that’s when my whole reality came crashing down. The entire cityscape was different. And I should know. I spent a lot of time enjoying that view. Breakfast in the morning. Glass of wine at night. I know what it’s supposed to look like, where the buildings are. They weren’t where they were supposed to be.
“I guess I just kind of sat down right where I was.” She chuckled. “Maybe that’s a modern girl’s version of fainting. Josep, or I suppose it would be ‘Joe’, got dressed and helped me to the office. Myrna had planned to take off early. She had a date with a guy from the Charlestown Navy Yard. I think they were going to try to catch a movie or something while Jimmy, that’s her little boy, was still in daycare.”
She looked perplexed.
“Is there something about that that’s disturbing?”
“In my… So far as I know, the Charlestown Navy Yard is a museum and national park. Has been for decades. But apparently in this, uh…”
“…reality?”
She lowered her chin and focused her attention on Cal. “Okaaay. In this… reality, the Navy Yard is an actual operational U.S. Navy facility.”
He nodded. “Go on.”
“Well, Myrna, who doesn’t date by the way, had a date with a guy who works at the Navy Yard and he had come to pick her up. So he was sitting there, in the office, when Joe and Myrna were trying to sort out what had happened. They kept looking at each other like, ‘Which one of us should call the paddy wagon?’
“Then the guy, Myrna’s date, started asking questions and wanted to take a look at my boat. He took me back to the office and told me to wait there. I could see through the window that he was making phone calls. I figured I wasn’t going to like the outcome and thought about making a run for it, but my practical side piped up with questions like, where are you going to go and what are you going to do for money? So I waited.
“An hour and a half later, more or less, Myrna’s date said there were some pe
ople at the Navy Yard who could help me and asked me to accompany him.”
“I said no - that I’d rather stay with my boat and my things. He said he was going to need to insist. I said, ‘I’m not crazy.’ He said, ‘I didn’t say you are.’ I said, ‘And I’m not going.’ He said, ‘One way or another you are.’ I thought about making a run for it again and came to the same conclusion. So I went peacefully.”
Cal’s careful control broke into a small smile at that. He suspected that most people would be wrecked if they’d been through what she had, but all in all she was holding it together remarkably well.
She sighed, then continued. “There was an odd sort of helicopter waiting for me and it brought me here. That’s it. That’s all I’ve got.” She spread her hands in front of her to emphasize the point that she wasn’t holding anything back.
Cal’s eyes drifted down the front of her sweater to her hands and to the empty tea cup. “More tea?”
“No.”
“Well, Ms. Ravin, we deal in odd things here and one of those things is the regular appearance of what most people would call coincidence. It just so happens that Myrna’s date…” he looked down at a file in front of him. “…Lieutenant Commander Seagrams, is in a position to keep an eye out for signs of unexplained events such as the appearance of an unknown young woman claiming to be out of sync with her understanding of the world.”
“Does that mean you believe me? Is this the part where you tell me what’s going on?”
“Indeed I do believe you and, yes, this is the part where you’re going to get answers. I know you’re eager, but I must make a phone call and get final authority to change your status.”
Lana smiled. “Guess I’ll just wait right here?”
Cal returned her smile. “I won’t be long.”
The office of the acting Sovereign of Jefferson Unit was just down the hall from where the party of interest was being questioned. Cal told the two guards at the door to get her anything she needed, but to not let her wander around. In a few strides, he was standing outside Rev’s threshold knocking on the door.
Rev waved him in as he was getting off a phone call. He hung up and turned to Cal. “What do you have for me?”
“I think she’s the real thing, sir and I’m unsure how to proceed. What do we do with her? About her?”
Rev crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Cal for a minute before smiling and picking up the phone. “We take the path of least resistance and least responsibility.”
Rev put the phone on speaker and they both listened to it ring once, then twice before being picked up. “What up?”
“What up?” Rev chuckled. “Simon, when did your stuffy old British persona begin fancying yourself hip hop?”
“Not that I have to answer to you, but perhaps I’m still experimenting with who I want to be.”
“Right.”
“You need something, Sovereign?”
“Sitting here with your boy, Cal Magnus.”
“Mr. Magnus is not my boy.”
“He is to hip hop Simon.”
“What you are now hearing is patience wearing thin.”
“He’s concluded that she’s the real thing. How shall we proceed?”
There was a pause for a minute or so. “It’s fortunate for all of us that you have someone on site who is the ideal person to help her adjust to her new circumstances, since she’s experienced something similar.”
“Elora Laiken.”
“Recruit the Lady Laiken to ease the way for… what is her name?”
Rev looked at Cal who then answered loud enough for Simon to hear. “Atalanta Ravin.”
“Yes. Well, you, Mr. Magnus should work together with our resource to help Ms. Ravin make a suitable transition and adjustment.”
“Then what?” Cal asked.
Simon cleared his throat, which Rev suspected was a ploy to give him a minute to think without appearing to be at a complete loss. “Then bring her here and give her aptitude tests. We’ll figure out something for her to do.”
“Let me be sure I understand, sir. You want the Lady Laiken to break the news to her that she’s not in Kansas anymore. Then you want me to determine when she’s processed that information. At that time you want her brought to Headquarters where we’ll try to find some occupation suitable to her talents, education and interests.”
“I believe we understand each other.”
‘Yes, sir.”
“I’ll be requesting that Mrs. Storm be assigned to look into the accidental crossing.”
It was Rev’s turn to say, “Do we need to assist with that?”
“No. Just keeping you informed. Since she currently resides at Jefferson, she’s part of your inventory.’
“Yes, sir.”
“Anything else, Sovereign?” It was clear that Director Tvelgar was ready to end the conversation and return to what he was doing before the interruption.
“You wearing baggy pants?”
The only answer to that was a dial tone.
After a conversation with Rev, well more of an argument really, in which Elora insisted that she was ill suited to function as anyone’s counselor, she agreed with prejudice when the request turned into a direct order.
Wearing a smile and a red sweater that made her hair look like it was on fire, Elora opened the door to the room where Cal was chatting with Lana about the paranormal investigation branch of The Order.
“Lady Knight,” Cal got to his feet and smiled at the newcomer like she was the sun bringing warmth to the tundra.
“Cal.” Elora crossed the room with confident, athletic strides and initiated a hug. When she pulled back she gave him a good looking over. “You know you’re starting to remind me of Monq.”
He laughed. “Oh. No. Not a chance. The world is my lab.”
“Catchy phrase.” She cocked her head. “You sure?”
“Not the tiniest slice of doubt.”
“If you say so.” She turned to look at Lana. “Hi. I’m Elora Laiken.” To Cal she said, “We’re going to take a stroll to the Hub and have a chocolate together.”
“She hasn’t made any pledges,” Cal said it in a tone that he hoped wouldn’t scare Lana, but conveyed warning to Elora nonetheless.
Elora looked at Cal like she thought he’d lost his mind. “What do you think are the chances she’s going to get away from me?”
He’d momentarily forgotten that Elora had extraordinary strength and speed and only looked like a human female. “Yeah. I guess that’s not likely.’
“Tell the boys on the other side of that door,” she pointed for effect, “I don’t want to have to hurt them.” Turning to Lana, she said, “Come on. You hungry?”
Lana rose and followed the other woman toward the door. On the way out, Elora said, “Have dinner with Ram and me one night while you’re here,” as she passed Cal.
Lana looked at Cal to see his reaction, which was to grin and nod.
It was the first time in days that Lana hadn’t felt like she was under armed guard. She tried to carry on a social conversation, but her thoughts were caught up in the blender of what Cal Magnus had told her. She had accidentally traveled to another dimension that was similar to, but not identical to her own? And more important, there was no way to go back?
She realized that Elora had asked her a question and was waiting for an answer.
“I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
“I was saying that you can get just about anything to eat or drink here. Do you like chocolate?”
Lana managed a little smile. “Who doesn’t like chocolate?”
“Well, see, we have that in common.”
When the elevator doors opened, Elora gestured for Lana to go first. The Hub was busy. People smiled at Elora and looked at Lana with open curiosity.
“It’s like a small town,” Elora said. “At least it’s like my understanding of a small town. I’ve never actually lived in one. Have you?”
“Uh, no.
City girl.”
“Yeah. Me, too, but I love getting away. My husband and I are going to retire to a place in the country. In Ireland. He’s Irish. Is there an Ireland where you’re from?”
“Yes.”
Elora stopped in front of the deli and turned to ask Lana what she wanted, but Lana was looking at the ceiling three stories overhead. “What are you looking for?”
“Oh. I noticed the deli has a canvas awning and thought the roof might be retractable.”
Elora laughed. “No.” She shook her red and pink hair. “Just decorative. A retractable roof sounds like a cool feature though. What will you have?”
Lana got a complicated coffee. Elora got a hot chocolate and a scone. She winked at Lana when she took a nibble from the scone’s corner. “Don’t worry. I’ll share.”
They sat down in the farthest corner of the solarium so they could talk without being overheard. When they were settled at the table, Elora said, “Look. I’ve never done this before and really don’t know where to start. They asked me to spend a little time with you because I’m not from here either.”
Lana took a sip of her coffee and studied Elora. “You mean you’re not from this, um, reality.”
“This dimension actually. I didn’t intend to end up here either, but my passage left me a lot worse for wear than yours did. Apparently.
“The trip did a lot of damage. Physical damage. Took me months to recuperate. You look fine though. How do you feel?”
“Physically? Okay.”
“Have you noticed anything unusual?”
Lana gave Elora a look that said, “Are you insane?”
“Yes. Well, of course you have. What I meant to ask was if you’ve noticed that you’re either stronger or weaker than you were before. In your world of origin.”
Prince of Demons 1-3, Box Set Page 5