QUANTUM

by Imogen Rose

  Kellan let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes as he leaned back–with me still attached to him–to rest his back against the wall behind us. It was a stone wall, about eight-feet tall, so I couldn’t see over it. In front of us was a mansion clad in stone. It looked really old, with the stones of uneven shape, but they had been cleaned. My eyes were drawn to the thatched roof. I remember this type of roof from the Tudor mansions I saw on my previous visits to London.

  “Kellan, are we still in London?” I whispered gently, so as to not wake him up had he fallen asleep.

  He stroked my hair and put his head against mine. “Yes. We’re in Wimbledon Village.”

  “Is that such a good idea? Shouldn’t we be further away from Potomal?”

  “Shrimp, we’re safe. Though I’m not going to let go of you for even a sec,” he said, squeezing my hand. “We’re in a different dimension from Potomal. It would take him some time to figure out in which one.”

  “Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense. Where’s David?”

  “He’s inside the house waiting with the rest of them.”

  “The rest of them? You mean Gramadea? How did she get here anyway? How did you all get here?”

  “Well, all I know is that Gramadea and David are in there waiting for us. I have no idea if there’s anyone else. David tracked you using his sense of you,” Kellan said, with a slight edge to his voice. “I want to know more about that by the way. Did you know about his connection with you?”

  I nodded. “So he tracked me to the right dimension?”

  “Yeah. And then he came and got me. We weren’t sure what to do next, but then you called! We reported everything to your grandmother, I mean Gramadea, who came back with us. I hoped she’d have some kind of plan.”

  “We should probably go in. Besides, I want to thank David for bringing you back safely. Then we’ve got to go back to rescue Justin and Simla,” I added.

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  I shook my head adamantly.

  “Arizona, I’m sure they want to be there. But, if they don’t and need rescuing, we certainly can’t do it.”

  “Well, I don’t think they want to be there at all. Simla even tried to run away. I promised Justin I would go back and get him.”

  Kellan nodded. “Okay. We should let Gramadea and the other Wanderers deal with this. They’ll need as much information as you can give them. If you’re ready to be grilled, we’ll go in.”

  I wasn’t feeling particularly ready for a grilling, but I had to do what I could to help Justin and Simla. I got up, still semi-attached to Kellan and we walked toward the house together. We walked through the unlocked, heavy, wooden double doors into the hall to be greeted by David and Amadea. David came bounding up to me and pulled me in for a hug.

  “Sheesh, Arizona. You had me seriously worried. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, David. Thanks for bringing Kellan,” I said, and kissed his cheek.

  “No problem,” he said, as Kellan grabbed my hand again.

  “Children, let’s go through to the pool. There are a lot of people down there who want to see you. They’ve been waiting patiently for some time. Some you know and some will be new to you. Your parents will be here soon, Arizona.”

  “Mom and Rupert are coming?” I asked surprised.

  “Yes,” replied Gramadea. “So is Ella.”

  “What about Harry?”

  “He’s already here. Come on. Let’s go see him and the others.”

  I gave Kellan a quizzical look, but he just shrugged as we followed Gramadea through the corridors.

  “I didn’t know,” he whispered. “I don’t know what’s going on at all.”

  We finally walked down a curved staircase, which ended in a foyer that opened into a finished basement. It was huge. There was a round swimming pool in the middle surrounded by a crowd of people. As I was scanning them, one broke free and walked toward us. I let go of Kellan and met my brother halfway as I flung myself into his arms. “Oh my gosh, Harry! It’s so good to see you,” I said.

  “Likewise!” he said, and put his arm around my shoulder. “Come on. Let me introduce you to the others. Come on Kellan. David, you, too.”

  Harry ushered me to where Gramadea was now standing, which was next to a man who pretty much looked like Rupert, but slightly older.

  “Arizona, this is Granddad.”

  Granddad held out his hand. This was clearly Rupert’s dad and Harry’s grandfather, not mine. Or was he? Sort of. I supposed he was my step-granddad. I took his hand and shook it.

  “I am very pleased to meet you, Arizona. I can’t wait to meet Ella and your mother. They should be here any moment. In the meantime, let me introduce you to some of the people here. Don’t feel that you need to remember everyone’s names.”

  With that, Granddad walked Kellan and me around the pool introducing us to everyone from Katarina to Joel. He was right. There was no way I was going to remember the names, though I may remember some of the faces. They were all wearing Sigma-W pendants clearly displayed around their necks.

  I heard a shriek from behind me as we were nearing the other end of the pool and I turned around ready for action. Something launched itself at me with such a force that I tumbled backwards and despite Kellan trying to steady me, I fell into the pool in a panic with whatever it was still attached to me. It let go and splashed about in the warm water. All eyes were on me, all mouths open in gaping guffaws.

  “Arizona!”

  “Ella, you monkey!” She managed to splash me a couple of times before Rupert and Harry pulled her out the water.

  “Can I go swimming? Pleeeeeze?” she begged.

  I climbed back out with a bit of help from Kellan, though his arms had turned into jelly as he couldn’t steady himself from chuckling so much. “Sheesh, your face, Shrimp. Priceless.”

  I thumped him and stomped off toward Ella, who was now safely in Rupert’s arms or I would have thumped her as well. Seriously annoying.

  “She was just excited to see you,” Mom said, stepping between Rupert and me. “We are all excited to see you, and relieved. Have you been harmed in any way?”

  “No, I was treated like a princess,” I couldn’t help saying.

  “You were?” Ella asked, her eyes wide. “Did you get to wear a tiara?”

  I laughed. “Yeah, actually I did. A really nice one, you would have totally loved it.”

  “Can I see it?”

  “I don’t have it any more,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

  “Aww, that’s a poop,” she exclaimed.

  “Yup, anyhow. I’m glad to see you, Ella. You did frighten the bejeezus out of me, though. And we’re both wet!”

  Gramadea arrived with some towels for us. “Come with me. I’ve got fresh clothes for both of you. And if it’s tiaras you both are after, we’re not short on those either,” she smiled.

  “Awesome.” Ella managed to look awfully like the Cheshire cat, smiling from ear to ear.

  ~

  Olivia was relieved to see Amadea take charge of the two girls. She’d been slightly taken aback by Arizona’s response to Ella, her old Stevens responses almost reappeared–almost. It was a relief when Arizona managed to control them. This would give Olivia some time to talk to Rupert and properly meet her new father-in-law.

  The decision for them all to come over to Spencer’s house–one of his many residences, scattered all over the world–had been a hasty one. One that was taken in order to keep Ella safe. The scary ability of Potomal’s group meant that it was impossible for Rupert and her to protect Ella. They had no way of keeping Potomal from whisking Ella away from them. The only way was to hide her, and where better to hide her than here?

  Spencer Darley–Olivia looked him over carefully and was slightly startled by the uncanny resemblance he had to Rupert. It wasn’t just the physical resemblance; he also emitted a similar aura. Rupert took her hand and pulled her over to his father.

  “Dad, this is Olivia.”<
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  “I am very pleased to meet you at last,” Spencer said, with the same disarming smile that had drawn her to Rupert. “We should talk. Let’s go to the study. Everyone out here will be fine; they seem to be enjoying themselves. I’ll introduce you to them when we come back.”

  The study was more like a library. A couple of large oak tables surrounded by leather-clad chairs dominated the center. Spencer led them to one of the tables and they sat down around it. Harry, David and Kellan joined them.

  “I’m glad to see you all. You’ll be safe here while we work out our issues with Potomal,” Spencer reassured them. “I will be leaving tonight, but I’ll leave you in Amadea’s capable hands and there will also be a group of Sigma-W staff here to watch over you.”

  “Please tell me how you got Arizona back? What happened to her?” Olivia asked.

  “We haven’t had a chance to talk to her yet. She just returned here with Amadea. What I know from our Intelligence is that she was held briefly in Paris and then moved to London.”

  “Held? Has she seen a doctor? Is she traumatized?”

  Spencer looked to Kellan. “Kellan is the only one who has spoken to her properly since she was rescued. She has just arrived, so we haven’t had a chance to get her to a doctor yet.”

  “I don’t think she needs one,” Kellan added. “She seems absolutely fine. She hasn’t shared much about what she’s been up to. Her main concern seems to be Simla and Justin at the moment. She’s adamant that we go back and rescue them.”

  Olivia nodded. “Of course, that has to be our main concern right now, too,” she said, looking at Spencer.

  “Dad,” Rupert said, “I know that you’re absorbed with sorting out the Potomal issue at the moment, but Justin and Simla need to be made a priority.”

  “Son, they are. With Arizona safely back with us, Potomal has lost his bargaining platform. I can’t imagine that he has a backup plan without her as a pawn. He will probably try to find Harry or Ella when he sees that Arizona is missing, which is why I insisted that Ella be brought here. Potomal is not aware that I have any interest in Simla and Justin’s welfare. I would like to keep it like that. It gives us a better chance to rescue them if we catch him off guard. We don’t want him finding out that we are interested in rescuing them so he doesn’t amp up security around them and decide to use them as leverage. As far as we know, for now, they have been brought in to solidify his numbers, so that there are enough of them to make a takeover bid. From what I know, once that is accomplished he was planning to send them home, unless they want to stay and work for him willingly. What I do need to know is whether or not they want to be rescued. Will they cooperate if we send in a team? I heard that Simla was unhappy in her present life. So, it is possible that she decided to stay.”

  Kellan shook his head. “From what I have gathered from Arizona, Simla doesn’t want to be there. In fact, she even tried to escape.”

  “That’s useful to know and be rest assured that we’ll speak to Arizona about this as soon as she gets back from changing out of her wet clothes. I’m sure that we all want to know what she’s been through. Once she’s filled us in, we can decide on a plan. Do you have any other questions in the meantime?”

  Olivia had so many questions, but now was not the time, especially with the kids here. It was, as Spencer–she would have to get used to thinking of him as her father-in-law–said, time to get the Potomal mess sorted out. “Can you tell us a bit more about Potomal?”

  “Potomal used to be my second in command. I have known him for a very long time. When Rupert decided to renounce his future as Sigma-W leader, Potomal assumed that he would take over instead. I didn’t know this at the time, but I did notice an increased effort from him, his work was impeccable. He busied himself in every aspect of our work, learning as much as he could. I was really pleased with him and encouraged him to educate himself by rotating him through the various groups. It was clear to everyone that Amadea would take charge, should anything happen to me. The chain of command then goes to Morten–who you will meet at some point–after that. Morten is my cousin. Potomal has always resented this link in the command and assumed that through hard work I would see that he was better suited and appoint him my heir. When it was made clear that the chain of command would stay static for now, he was very disappointed and angry. Still, Potomal kept doing his duties, but with much less enthusiasm. We later found out that he’d been trying to gather enough of our members to do a takeover. When we found out, I had no option but to have him expelled from our operations. He is independently wealthy, so he has been living in his various residences with his five children. We do monitor him, as we hear whisperings of a takeover plot from time to time. None had resulted in any action, until now. I am guessing that he has finally accumulated enough staff to be able to run the basic operations, which is why he took action now.”

  Olivia noticed Spencer hesitating as the door opened and Amadea walked in followed by two dry girls. Ella was wearing a very expensive-looking tiara. “Ella, my goodness! Look at your tiara!”

  “Mom, isn’t it just the most beautiful tiara you’ve ever seen? It’s a bit like the ones we saw at the Natural History museum in DC, isn’t it?”

  It actually kind of was, Olivia thought to herself looking at the tiara. This was not purchased at Claire’s. It had a definite Van Cleef feel to it. She looked over at Amadea.

  “It’s fine, Olivia. She’s a princess after all,” she said, winking at Ella.

  ~

  No kidding, I thought to myself. Gramadea had that right. No one could argue with Ella being a princess.

  It was clear to me as soon as we walked into the library that they had been talking about me. Although this was not surprising, it was a bit disconcerting. I would have liked to have been there from the start. I looked over at Kellan, who was pointing at the chair next to him. I walked over and sat down. Ella was looking at her new grandfather with suspicion.

  “But I didn’t know that I had a granddad! You’ve never sent me any cards or presents. That’s what granddads are supposed to do….”

  Spencer smiled. “Tell you what, Ella, for starters, keep the tiara. How about that?”

  “Well, yes, but Gramadea gave it to me, and I think she wants it back.”

  Amadea smiled. “I don’t want it back-back, just let me keep it safe for you when you’re not wearing it. Okay?”

  “Thank you, Gramadea and Grand… what shall I call you?” she asked, confused.

  “Just call me Granddad.”

  “All right,” Ella agreed. “Thank you.”

  “You are very welcome. Now there are a whole lot of people waiting at the pool who want to meet you. This is Alexa,” Spencer said, nodding over at a girl who had just walked into the room.

  I guessed Alexa was around fifteen or so. She was very pretty, slightly gothic-looking, wearing all black, nail polish and all. I could see Ella’s little face beaming with appreciation.

  “Hi, Alexa,” Ella said shyly.

  “Hi, Your Highness. It’s my pleasure to meet you. I’ve been told that you’re a talented actress and singer. Shall we head outside, so you can tell me more? I play the guitar myself.”

  Ella skipped off happily with Alexa, just as Spencer expected, no doubt. Was I supposed to call him granddad as well? I guess it was slightly better than having to call him Your Highness or something equally ridiculous. All eyes were on me. They didn’t have to ask. I knew that it was time for me to tell them about my little adventure.

  If there was one thing Raj hated with a passion, it was being excluded. What was the point of having a brilliant mind, like his own, sitting idle while there was work to be done? Why trust Simla to do anything? He would have been more than happy to help Potomal with whatever project he was engaged. Sitting around in this room, magnificent as it was, was getting boring. He’d even spent time in the endless pool this morning. His body didn’t need exercise; it was his mind that needed stimulation before he turned into
a vegetable. Plus, he did need to get back home to deal with his own business. The buyers for the portal blueprints weren’t going to wait around forever. It seemed that Simla hadn’t managed to contact them before she became involved with Potomal. Come to think of it, how had she become involved with this? Why had Potomal chosen her? Clearly, Simla was not a willing participant. Raj had surmised that much from their meeting with Potomal. In fact, the only reason he seemed to have been transported over was to be used as blackmail to get Simla to do whatever they needed her for. Why Simla? She couldn’t even wander. Raj walked over to the couch, slumped back into it and reached for the television controls. The unit didn’t even receive any regular programs; it was set to a movie channel only. He switched it back off, as he heard a noise from behind him.