The War Gate

by Chris Stevenson

  Sebastian answered, “It’s just a star—an ego stroke. It’s symbolic of my entertainment achievement.”

  Janus held up a hand. “It’s a legitimate question. I think we’ve gone far enough, Sebastian. You are correct. Our friend is Jewish. It was discourteous of me to relay otherwise. I hope you won’t hold that small fib against me. There was a reason I held back some truths. One cannot pour too much wine into a goblet if the vessel is incapable of holding the amount.”

  “My cup runneth over already,” said Avy, giving Sebastian a surprised look, which prompted him to shrug. She couldn’t understand why Sebastian would lie about the true meaning of the star necklace unless he felt ashamed to admit his faith to her.

  “Let me see if I can’t make this a little easier from the beginning,” said Janus. “You see, I knew your mother. I was aware of her predicament from the start. I found it imperative to intercede on her behalf.”

  Avy raised a brow. “Wait. You mean you knew my mother eighteen years ago? Why would you get involved with her? I don’t get it.”

  She could see Janus looking perplexed for a moment. Why was he hesitating or measuring his next words with such care?

  “Avy,” said Janus. “Have you ever had strange recurring dreams or visions of another time or place? Have you ever found yourself en route to a destination where you ended up lost or a step out of dimensional reality?”

  She squirmed in her chair. “I’ve had some strange dreams, but everyone has them. Dimensional reality? I can be absentminded sometimes, sure. I’ve had some weird things happen in the past. I chalked it up to a stressful home life, schoolwork and other things.”

  Janus inched his chair closer to her. “The most prominent reoccurring dream you’ve had has been the one where you’re standing on the threshold of a wondrous land—a utopia that promises peace and serenity. Do you remember that one? The reason it’s ingrained upon your mind so well is because you completed that journey by entering that Gate. I took you there. It is where a part of you resides. To be more accurate, a part of the old you resides there. Heather hills of green, spring flowers, a cascade mountain range with billowing rose-colored clouds—that is the palate painted upon your mind—the one that you know so well.”

  “How do you know about that dream? It’s written down in my diary. No one knows anything about that, or should, least of all you.”

  His expression turned grave. “Your mother’s physical life was cast off, leaving half of her soul-light in stasis—that part of her rests in the paradise dream. I know about the dream because I’m the author of it. Your real diary is the new beginning. That is the other half of you that lives on in this day.”

  Avy couldn’t believe she was going along with this. “You’re speaking like there are two of us here now.”

  “Half of a soul-light in the paradise dream,” said Janus. “The other half remains with you. The two will be joined when your vessel has withered. The sun and the moon, the key in between.”

  Avy leaned forward to sniff his breath. She didn’t smell alcohol. “Why would somebody go to all this trouble for us? Or me, or is it just my mother?”

  “Few are chosen for redemption. Your mother’s case was unique, special over the others. She suffered an injustice. For that, an intervention was called for. She’s innocent of the charges brought against her. The case required my interaction—a renewal. I am the guardian of pasts, futures, and new beginnings. Your mother received a new vessel to complete an assignment. You are the vessel.”

  Avy looked at Sebastian. “Do you believe any of this pile?”

  Sebastian avoided eye contact. “He’s telling you the truth. You’ll have to hear all of it so you can decide for yourself.”

  “That figures.” She stiffened. “You’re in cahoots.” She looked askance at Janus, but her eyes drilled Sebastian. “So what am I supposed to do about all of this?” Sebastian didn’t answer.

  “You have the chance to right the wrong and derail further disaster,” said Janus. “The choice is yours. Your suspicions have already set you upon the path. Your investigation at the library was the first step. The instincts you feel are correct, but the solution is more complicated than you realize. I cannot help you solve the puzzle. I can only point you in the right direction. Your path from here on becomes a super highway. You have the license to travel it. It will have to be done with haste before the merchant of death strikes again.”

  “You’re talking about Drake, aren’t you?” She shook her head. “Jesus, Sebastian, you told him everything we talked about!” She tried to stifle the rising anger that surged, unable to believe he’d violate her confidence.

  “He told me nothing,” said Janus. “I was there, bearing witness to the commission of the crime. I monitor the Gates when—”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know—during new beginnings or endings. That was thirty-two years ago. You don’t look a day over forty. Unless you were cruising along on your skateboard in the dead of night, then just happened to see something.” She squinted. “None of this is funny. Who the hell are you, anyway?”

  Janus cleared his throat. “I am the keeper of the Gates. I’m also a Walker.”

  “Big deal,” said Avy. “I’m a runner.”

  Janus went on unperturbed. “It requires a certain finesse to negotiate a Gate string. Depending upon the speed by which you travel, the time continuum can be altered. Sometimes it can be altered with severe results. I use this mode of travel, which affords me glimpses or prolonged stays in different time references. Practice is the primary goal for new initiates. You have already experienced a taste of the skill—it has lain dormant in you for most of your life. It happened yesterday—the trapdoor accident. But it was no accident. You are a Gate-Walker.”

  “It’s like moving from midnight to sunrise in the blink of an eye,” said Sebastian.

  “How would you know all of this?” Avy challenged, glaring at Sebastian.

  He pointed to Janus. “I’ve seen him do it.”

  Avy stood up, swapping hard looks between the two. “Dear God. I didn’t think the joy of this night could have been ruined, but between the two of you, you’ve smashed it to bits with your talk of gates, walking, new lives, and all this other crap. I’ll admit I’ve had my suspicions about Drake all along. That doesn’t mean it takes any potions or magic to set those things right. It was the lack of good detective work, bad lawyers, and a clueless jury that ruined my mother’s life.”

  “Janus is just trying to help,” Sebastian offered. “He understands what you’re going through.”

  Avy rolled her eyes. “You’ve sure got bizarre ways of showing sympathy! I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and I’ll thank you for your concern. It’s over, done with. Now if you’re finished screwing around with me, I’ll be leaving. I’m tired, stressed, and more than a little bit fed up with all of this mumbo-jumbo reincarnation crap.”

  Janus stood up. “I know this is upsetting to you. These revelations could test the sanity of anyone. If you allow this to pass, there will be additional funerals—other innocent victims. I’m asking you to reconsider.”

  Avy turned on the priest, fuming. “You should be ashamed of yourself for masquerading as a priest. Forget it.”

  “Permit me to leave,” said Janus. “I’ve caused you grief. It was not my intention. Please listen to your inner voice. Soon it will be screaming.”

  Instead of walking down the length of the room to the back door, Janus stepped through the workbench counter and into the wall beyond, vanishing. The wall he’d disappeared through seemed to ripple like waves in a pond until returning to solidity a moment later.

  Avy looked at the spot. “Awe, crap.” She dropped her coffee cup.

  Chapter 8

  It was no surprise when Drake read the report that indicated Cyberflow lacked the funds to break ground on a new plant in China. It was one more financial snafu that gave him a reality slap across the chops. He wondered if any of the underling departments were solve
nt enough to support the venture, something that might let him reroute the necessary funds. But the fact remained, he was having a serious brush with not meeting his payroll. Never mind venture capital. He could fire twenty technicians, then add a couple hours to the shift so they could maintain the production quota. He could even sell off a few acres of the parking lot for a premium price. Still, he would have to combine all three ideas to make the new plant happen. For once in his life he regretted the absence of Tom Labrador. Not the man, just his head for business—the ability to keep Cyberflow in the black and making a decent profit.

  Thinking about Tom brought back uncomfortable feelings. He remembered how he had tried not to cry after Tom received his first puppy when they were little. He hadn’t been jealous after being forced to attend Tom’s Eagle Scout ceremony, when the whole school had turned up to give praise and acclaim. He hadn’t expressed anger when it was Tom, not he, who had been offered a college education. He hadn’t resented it when Tom had been given a new car upon graduation, even when Drake’s time came and he’d found a secondhand vehicle parked in the driveway. It always seemed that the attention made its way to the firstborn. His parents constantly ran out of praise, energy, or money when it came to him. Oh, they made a good show of it by giving Drake the parental love he yearned for. But in the final tally, there was no getting over the favoritism. He wondered if the ghost of Tom Labrador hadn’t returned to doom him to failure all over again.

  Linda Wu blew a huge bubble that snapped over her nose. A few strands of hair snagged in the gum. She whined, trying to extricate her hair. The distraction reminded Drake of a cat stuck in a cardboard box.

  “Cease!” Drake said. “Please go to the restroom if you have to overhaul your face. I’m tired, and I can’t think. Don’t I have a company rule against chewing gum? Aren’t you supposed to get docked for it or something?”

  “No,” she said, pulling a stringy thread that snapped against her cheek.

  “Well, I should. Find something on your monitor that’s interesting. Please don’t bother me until you have something.”

  “I have something.”

  “What could it be?”

  “It could be an email from security. If you had checked your inbox, you would have seen it.”

  “That’s what I have you for. At least that’s what I keep telling myself day after day. What does it say?”

  “It’s from Auggie. He wants to know if you were aware that your daughter used a pass code to enter the Cyberflow database yesterday. He just wants to confirm that you know about it. He says she’s never been online before. It looks like she was probing some sensitive areas.”

  “I did not know that. Call Auggie up on the house phone, tell him to get in here and to bring one of our head programmers.”

  He’d never considered Avy his real daughter. Adopting her had been done more out of courtesy to the family name. How would it have looked if the child had been adopted outside the family? Nothing honorable to be found in that. He had fulfilled his blood tie to his brother by doing the right thing—raising her to legal age. Then he’d handed her the ticket of freedom, severing the parental bonds. What more could a young woman want than the freedom of choice to pursue her dreams?

  A few minutes later, Drake saw his security chief and a programmer enter his office. He motioned for them to take seats. “Linda, take lunch.”

  “I just got back from lunch.”

  “Eat!”

  He watched her leave, and then he addressed the two. “It’s not an extreme emergency, chief, but you indicated that my daughter logged onto our website yesterday?”

  “That’s affirmative, boss. Just thought you should know about it. She used a code two access to scan several departments.”

  “Well, I did offer her a code card when she was younger. I think it was that Father-Daughter Day occasion or some such. She removed herself from my household not long ago, so I’m unaware of the company she keeps at the present. I wonder if you could trace the signal through the network, locating the origin and time of her inquiry. I would like a solid printout of everything she put eyes on. It’s just a matter of routine.”

  “I can do that,” said the programmer. “Even from this station if you want.”

  “No, take it down to security. I’ll wait for the results.”

  Drake waited for them to leave and made sure the door was shut. He turned his monitor on, punched in the employee database, then scanned the listings. He found her listed under Labrador. Sure enough, he’d authorized the clearance three years ago. He placed the highlight bar over her pass code and hit the delete button.

  When Auggie and the programmer returned to his office thirty minutes later, they gave him a five-page document. Drake read it while the programmer spoke.

  “I traced it back to the Harvey Sibbitt Library. The exact time was quarter to eleven in the morning yesterday.”

  “That’s all. You can go. Auggie, you stay.” Drake waited for the door to close, then dialed the library. A woman answered. Her voice seemed agitated.

  “Yes, whom would I be speaking to?” asked Drake.

  “You are speaking to Abigail Folger.”

  “What are your hours, dear?”

  “Nine to nine, except on Sundays. Then it’s nine to two.”

  “Thanks, goodbye.”

  Drake scrolled through his employee roster again. He found a Riley J Folger, who worked in the warehouse. He checked his emergency contact list, finding both parents listed. One of them was Abigail Folger. Riley’s hire date indicated that he had been with Cyberflow for four years.

  Drake waved the papers. “We’re going to pay the library a visit. It might be nothing, but I want to check it out.”

  He ordered one of his limousine drivers to pick them up at the front entrance. They rode downtown in silence. When they entered the library, Drake eyed a fat woman behind the main counter. He suspected she was the Abigail Folger he had just spoken too. He waited until she was free from talking with some patrons.

  “Mrs. Folger.” Drake produced his Cyberflow identification card, letting her eyes linger on the CEO title. “I’m Drake Labrador. This is my security chief, Augustus Hollywood. It has come to our attention that our security network was breached yesterday around ten forty-five in the morning. It was an unauthorized entry. We know that the person responsible was my daughter, Avy. She’s been disciplined for this type of behavior before. She hacked into our system from this library, which appears in our database records. I’d like to know who she was with, or the name of anyone who accompanied her.”

  Her face insolent, the librarian stiffened. “You’ve got to be kidding. She doesn’t seem like the type to do anything like that. I thought she was researching her family history.”

  “What family history?” Drake pressed

  “She wanted to check the archives. Look, I don’t think I should reveal to you what might be privileged information. I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

  Drake narrowed his eyes. “Then I might have to ask Riley, your son, to leave his position at Cyberflow. That would be a shame, considering he’s been with me for four years.”

  “Are you blackmailing me?”

  “We are investigating an illegal security breach,” said Auggie. “We’re dead serious about this. I can assure you that if you’re not forthcoming with the information, Riley will be dismissed.” He leaned over the counter for emphasis, wheezing close to the woman’s face.

  Abigail backed up a step, her eyes popping like a rabbit’s in the company of two wolves. “Okay, okay,” she said, “just don’t fire Riley. He’s getting married soon, he can’t afford to lose his job. She was in here with Sebastian. He’s the local man who has a magic act over at the old Stadium Theater.”

  Drake hunched his shoulders at Auggie.

  “The Amazing Sebastian, boss. You know, the magic kid that’s been written up in the paper?”

  Drake nodded. “I think I remember somebody like that.” Then to the
woman, “Keep your mouth shut about this. It’s a private matter.” He left a dollar bill on the counter, then turned and headed for the door.

  “What do you think they’re up to, Auggie?”

  “Up to no good and after money. What would you like to happen, Mr. Labrador?”

  “Put some men on him. Run him down—monitor his movements. See if my daughter is with him. I don’t like outsiders probing into Cyberflow business. That goes double for snooping relatives.”

  Chapter 9

  Avy hadn’t slept well, so she’d driven to the theater just after sunrise. She parked in the rear lot, trying to put her thoughts together in some coherent manner. Who could sleep after what had happened? It wasn’t every day that you watched someone walk clean through a wall, then disappear. It wasn’t normal to be told that you were special, capable of the same thing. Revelations like that could put a person’s sanity out of whack, maybe for good. She needed answers—now. She had the feeling Sebastian knew a lot more about Janus than he let on.

  She walked the short distance to the back entrance of the theater and hammered on the door. After a long wait, she tried again, this time ringing the service buzzer. The door creaked open.

  “I was hoping it was you,” said Sebastian. “Sorry, I was in the bathroom. Come on in.”

  After sitting on the cot, Avy looked around. He must have bought a coffee maker, because one now sat on the counter percolating. She noticed the pigeons were loose, perched high up on the joist beams. Two bunnies romped across the floor. A manikin stared down at her with blank, accusing eyes. Even with his efforts to domesticate it, Sebastian’s residence still had a creep factor to it, which didn’t do anything to ease Avy’s mind or settle her nerves. How ironic that these little nuances hadn’t pricked her senses before. She’d had enough crazy magic in the past few days to last a lifetime. To top it off, the man she had begun to have feelings for had demonstrated a need to hide things from her. Not good.