“It does not seem to be a one way portal,” Joe said, “but perhaps it is somehow selectively one way.”
Amy had a question. “Is he in some other place that looks the same or is he invisible and really right here?”
All she received in response were several shrugging shoulders.
Fran called in. “The drone is overhead. I’ve been monitoring your voices and I must tell you that the courtyard in front of you is empty. Bob is not there.”
“Okay, Fran,” M1 said, “keep watching. To M2 he said, “Now I’ll take a look. Grab my belt and if I’m not back by the count of ten—pull.”
Both M2 and Harry took hold of his belt and he leaned forward to stick both his head and arms through the gate.
“What the hell,” Fran shouted. “I can’t see M1’s head or arms. Get him out of there.”
We didn’t have to help. He pulled back after about seven seconds, but his left arm was still on the other side.
“I’m holding his hand,” M1 said. “I’ll see if I can pull him through.”
M1 then backed up and without effort or hesitation Bob walked through the gateway. Other than trembling with relief, he appeared to be unharmed.
“Why couldn’t you walk out of there on your own?” M1 asked him.
“You cannot see it from here,” he said, “but from inside the gate opening is a solid flat black. I tried to push back through, but it may as well have been solid rock. I didn’t know you were there until I saw the coin then the camera. Here’s your quarter. It has to be a lucky piece. I don’t know how you pulled me out of there, but you did it. It must be that once all the way inside, I couldn’t come back until I touched something partially outside.”
As this exchange took place we experienced a new attack from the rear. It was Alice. She ran through us and into our missing man, nearly taking both of them back through the gate to nowhere. The boys pulled them back to safety.
“Bob, you son of a bitch,” she cried, “we thought you were dead or dying in a ditch somewhere. How could you do that to us? We were worried sick.”
Our man from the great forest was a sorry sight. He escaped his prison and walked into a hurricane.
“I’m sorry, Alice I didn’t...”
“Shut up, Bob,” she said and nailed him with blazing eyes. “I know you’re sorry. I know you’ll never do it again.”
“I promise,” Bob began, “I learned a...”
“Shut up, Bob,” Alice said again, “You had better have learned a whole lot. If not for Blue you could have died in there. Of all the inconsiderate, selfish behavior I’ve had to deal with, this tops the list.” The poor fish bent over in pain when Alice pinched him below his ribs. “See? You’re not bloody dreaming anymore, mister.”
Harry and the boys looked on with nothing but admiration for our Wonder Woman. Bob had to endure several more minutes before Alice wound down and topped off her tongue lashing with a great big hug.
To Bob’s relief, M1 took over. “Did you try to climb the wall or the vines on the buildings?”
“I did,” he replied, “but there is some sort of a barrier or force field. I could not get closer than about six inches from the wall or the vines.”
“Could you hear us talking?”
“No. I don’t remember hearing anything until you stuck your head through the wall and said hello. I have to tell you this was a hard lesson, but one I will never forget.”
As he was talking, I saw him glance at Alice. I knew it was a silent request for forgiveness.
“Forget it, Bob,” she said. “It’s just that I… well I mean we all care about you.” She looked around and found a target. “Poor Shan here was beside herself, weren’t you, Shan?” The little girl was bopping away to her headphones and was only half paying attention to the drama. All she did was to turn and look at Alice quizzically. “Well? Weren’t you?” Alice demanded.
“What? Uh yeah totally.” she said. “Or whatever.”
“Okay, Bob,” M1 said, “what else can you tell us?”
“I just noticed something strange. When I was trapped in there I saw a lot of clouds—thunderheads and stuff, but I just looked up and the sky is clear. Oh, yes, there’s also a dead man in there. He’s just to the left of the entrance. He has been dead a long time. He looks like a mummy.”
Harry had a speculation. “Maybe it’s the local jail and you can only get out when the sheriff reaches in for you.”
“How about daycare?” M2 said. “But why make the kids invisible?”
“It’s real easy to get out if one has help,” Amy said, “but if you’re alone, you could die in there. It’s a dangerous place.”
Bebe asked M1 if he had looked for a control console near the gate. He hadn’t and proceeded to stick his head through for a look. When he pulled back, he was smiling.
“Good question, Bebe,” he said to her. “There’s a small post with a white circle on top. I touched it, but nothing happened. How about you give it a try?”
Bebe was invisible from her waist up as she leaned through. A second later the rest of her reappeared—her hand on the post. We followed the boys in to look at the corpse.
“Hey, I can see you guys in there,” Fran said. “I also see the dead guy. I think he was there all along—I just didn’t notice. I’ll save the video.”
“Well,” Alice said. “We found our first Nazi—uniform and all, but I doubt he’ll answer our questions.
M2 said, “I’ll pick his pockets and take a few pictures. That’s about all we can do.
One wonders,” Alice said, “what else lurks in the shadows of Tiberius.”
CHAPTER 15
Our intent was to conduct a thorough and methodical search of Bob’s prison. Shan took Blue to check the interior perimeter and the few objects with no results. Next, M1 had Bebe touch the ring and we were all locked inside the courtyard. Bob did not like this at all, but he said nothing.
I said to everyone, “I hope you noticed the sky was cloud free only moments ago, but now I see some beautiful cumulonimbus overhead.
“Of course we did,” Alice lied, “and it means we're in some other place… I just wish I knew where. And look there—the dead guy came with us.”
“Whoever created this,” I said, “took the trouble to create two identical courtyards. We are definitely someplace else. I hope Blue can find another exit.”
Shan took her charge and began the sniffing routine while M1 and M2 tried unsuccessfully to contact Fran on their radios. About halfway down the second wall, Blue sat down on his haunch and said, “Something.”
At this point the stone block wall was clear of vines, but our close inspection revealed no rings. The entire surface had no marks at all, but even if we had found a doorknob, the continuous barrier kept us from touching any part of the surface.
“Well,” said M1, “the only thing we can do is to have Blue keep on sniffing.”
Part way through our search, I noticed that Bob had left our small group and was standing in the center of the courtyard, looking at the small birdbath-sized fountain. Meanwhile, our pooch found nothing more while completing the entire perimeter. M1 asked Shan to walk Blue around the interior and have him sniff the benches, the fake trees and the fountain. Rather than play tag, the rest of us joined Bob to see what he found to be fascinating about the fountain.
The thing looked as though the builder had placed a solid, three-foot tall stone pillar on the ground, then carved a shallow basin with an ornate rim on the top. On one edge they placed a two-foot high statue of a young child holding a classic water jug, tipped forward, presumably to dribble water into the basin when it was in operation. But now the whole thing was dry and coated with dust.
Alice asked Bob why he found it interesting.
“Look at the child’s face,” he said.
She bent down for a closer look. “Che-wawa, gang… It’s Bebe.”
While we were commenting on the remarkable resemblance, Bob pointed to her eyes.
>
“Although her head is bent down, her eyes do not look at the bowl. Instead, she is looking at the place on the wall where Blue has found something.”
Alice stood up and said, “The designers of this place were as sneaky as hell, but I love it. This is a puzzle lover’s Enigma, and thank you, Amy, for a most suitable name for this planet.”
“I duzz what I duzz,” Amy said, “but I don’t know how I dooze what I duzz.”
“Well,” Alice told her, “just keep doozing what you duzz and we’ll be fine.”
Amy took hold of the statue and tried to twist it, but it did not budge, nor were there any moving parts. “I can’t believe this thing is entirely symbolic,” she said, while pulling on one small arm, “but nothing moves. I hope it’s not deactivated or rusted. I forgot my oil can.”
Shan had an idea. “This thing has not its parts totally. I mean, to be a thing that works it has to have water. Do you dig me?”
“More or less, Shan,” Alice said, with surprise in her voice, “but it’s a very good idea.
“Worth a shot,” I said. “How about we sacrifice the contents of our canteens?”
Without comment everyone pulled out his or her bottle and began to dribble the contents into the center of the basin. The first drops turned the powdery white stone to deep gray. We watched silently as the accumulating drips pooled in the center and from there slowly spread outward. Eventually the water reached a point where the stone did not turn dark. Moments later the stone resumed its dark color, leaving a white ring for us to admire.
“And there’s our white ring,” Alice said. “Beautiful, but Bebe, I really need to know why your face is on this statue. Any inkling? Any theories?”
“I simply do not know, Alice,” Bebe replied, soberly.” I am as anxious as you to know the truth.”
Alice turned to nail me with those big, dark eyes. “James. Come on, fess up. I want the real story. What voice in your head told you to recruit Bebe? Was it Joe who put the bug in your ear? We know now she is vital to our current explorations. Did you somehow know this beforehand?”
“Cross my heart and hope to die,” I said. “There were no little voices. Joe had no part in it as far as I’m aware.”
My second button spoke. “Cross my central processor and hope to short out. I must confess I do have a theory.”
“Whoa there my electronic friend,” Alice said. “This is new news for us. Tell us a story.”
“I was originally a house robot, programmed for specific functions. While at Shenandoah not long ago, YDRII adjusted my functions and also gave me a large package of information. The same package he gave to James. I know that both of us are, below our conscious level, processing the whole piece by piece. At times we both feel the echo of a memory about perhaps a place we have never been.” I nodded emphatically. “I am not sure, but I think recommending we take both Bebe and Jesus was based on knowledge yet to surface. She has proved to be so valuable to our quest that one does wonder.”
Alice was still directly in front of me. “It makes some sense, but I think only Stephen Hawking could understand what’s going on here.”
M1 took Bebe’s hand. “Interesting speculation, but we must forge ahead.”
He walked her to the courtyard entrance and had her touch the ring. We all looked up to see the clouds vanish. We were back in Manheim. M1 reported our progress to Fran, who was apparently now our liaison at Grand Central. I noticed the Manheim fountain was completely dry and poured some of my canteen water into the bowl. There was no white ring. This was more proof that there were two identical courtyards only we were transported back and forth. Bob quickly observed that on this fountain, the girl’s eyes were looking down where there should have been water.
M1 finished his report, had Bebe touch the entrance ring and once more we had a cloud filled sky and a birdbath half full of water.
As the two rejoined us, Alice said, “This place seems to be a double portal, if it is indeed, a portal. It functions more like the transporter Bebe is concerned about except there are no sound effects and no winking lights.”
Right now,” M1 said, “I think it’s time for Bebe to get her hand wet, Okay sweetie?”
CHAPTER 16
Our eyes were fixed on the blank wall as she reached into the bowl to touch the ring. We really didn’t know what to expect. If there was any time involved in the transition, it was so short it didn’t register. I was looking at the blank wall, then instantly I was looking through an arched opening, similar in size and shape to the one at the courtyard entrance. A new background was now visible beyond the wall, but my eyes were still focused on where the wall had been. There was a momentary double image while my eyes struggled to regain their focus.
“Could be a park,” Harry said. “It smells the same. Gravity didn’t change. I think this new circle simply opened a hole in that wall, sort of like the flying saucer cave in Peru.”
From our position at the fountain, our view was limited. We seemed to be seeing the beginning of a hillside. From the archway, a short path lead out to join a wider path that went from left to right following the base of the hillside, mountainside or whatever it was still hidden from view. I saw tufts of long grass and dwarf shrubbery tucked close to a low fieldstone wall that defined the far edge of the path.
We cautiously approached the new opening to expand our view of whatever might be just out of sight because we were not yet ready to pass the threshold. The path went on in both directions, while the grassy hillside continued to rise at a fairly steep angle. We saw a few tree trunks and parts of three buildings made from stone.
“Looks pretty normal to me,” Alice said to M1.
“I think it’s ordinary stone,” M1 said.
“How about using that portal probe thing Moses gave you,” she said, “just in case.”
He moved to the right side of the archway. “Couldn’t hurt—there;s no defining border other than the edge of the arch. I’ll test it here.”
He moved the probe forward, past the front edge of the opening.
“No reaction,” he said. “I get no reading at all. It looks like the courtyard and the hillside are all the same place.”
He pocketed the probe. “What I’ll do is just step through the archway and see what happens.”
He first extended his arm until his hand was in the space beyond the archway.
“Don’t feel a thing,” he said, while wiggling his fingers.
He then took one giant step forward and stopped. Right away we knew something was wrong. He wobbled and spread his arms like a tightrope walker. M2 reached in, grabbed his belt and yanked him back. It was a very awkward, but effective rescue as they both stumbled away from the new danger zone.
“I’m okay, I think,” he said, while shaking his head as though to clear his vision.
Amy took hold of his arm with both of her hands. “You gave us quite a jolt. What the hell happened?”
“I was totally blind,” he said, “and I think I lost my hearing, but I’m not quite sure because it happened so fast.”
“Are your eyes all right now?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, “my eyes are working and obviously my ears are okay.” He flexed his fingers. “My motor functions are all right. Man, that was something. Getting unexpectedly cut off like that is unpleasant in the extreme… Joe, you have any ideas?”
“I can detect nothing.” Joe replied. “Whatever phenomenon you experienced does not betray its existence in a manner I am capable of sensing, nor did Jesus react in any way. Perhaps James could step in there as M1 did. I might get a first-hand look or non-look as the case may be.”
I was apprehensive, but M1 was not injured and we did need to find out what was happening. I asked M2 to hold my belt in case I needed to be pulled back.
“I’ll stay there for a count of ten, then step back. That should give me time to test all five senses. You guys watch my reactions and listen for my voice.”
I stepped into the v
oid. Utter blackness and a profound silence caused me to almost panic. I was drowning, but I could breathe. I was wedged tight in a narrow cave, but I could move freely. The only thing I could think of was to bellow a mighty curse. Its vibrations tickled my throat, but I heard nothing. The fabric of my jacket felt normal to my touch and the candy bar in my clenched fist tasted and smelled like chocolate.
Before I had time to do any more tests, I felt M2’s hand tugging on my belt. I willingly stepped back to a world of sight and sound.
“That was bad,” I said, “even though I sort of knew what to expect. Taste, touch and smell were okay, but sight and sound were completely gone. Did you hear me hollering?”
“We could tell you were yelling,” Amy said, “but we didn’t hear a thing.”
I told her it was just as well because I yelled a dirty word.
Alice tapped my second. “Hey, Joe, How you doin’?”
We heard strong emotion from the lonesome one. “I have been to purgatory and I don’t like it. I know about the sense of taste, touch and smell. I have sensors for detecting smell, but I have only sight and sound. I think if I did not have my link to James's brain I would have blown a fuse. I knew going in that whatever discomfort I would face would be short lived, so I was able to set it aside and search for the source. Although it is no more than speculation, I believe James and I experienced an all-encompassing damping field that selectively affects our perception of sight and sound. There is no apparent source. It behaves like the universal background radiation that arrives from all directions, but there is nothing definite I can analyze.
“Ideas anyone?” M1 asked.
“Couldn’t ask for a more efficient security system,” Amy said. “I got nothing.”
“I am bewildered,” Bob said.
M2 stepped forward. “Why don’t I stick my camera through and take a picture?” At M1’s nod, he struck an archer’s pose, punched the button and stepped back. “It works just fine,” he said. “I got a perfectly good picture. It’s the same as the view from here.”
LOST AND FORGOTTEN: BOOK THREE - ENIGMA Page 12