by V R Tapscott
Georgia held her shoulder and fake cried. Then the waitress came over and asked them for drink orders and the night really got rolling. Parmesan truffle fries to share, mimosas for mid-evening and a couple good steaks followed by a lava cake. Stuffed and sleepy, but still looking for a night out, they hit the latest venue for dancing. Of course, Georgia was up on all that, so a quick trip in a cab and then time spent working off all that food on the dance floor. A round of beers - and finally - back to Georgia’s posh hotel room for sleep. It was a very satisfying evening and all that was missing was Jane. And Debbie - but poor Debbie hadn’t been on anything really exciting in years. They both smirked at the thought, since Jack was about as unexciting a husband as either of them could come up with. Of course, all those kids would tend to grind anyone down after a while. Jane’s Steve had been a jerk, but at least he was a fun jerk. Not that either of them would ever intimate anything like that to Jane - she was not receptive to any positive comments about Steve. After all, it was only through their loyalty to Jane that he’d never slept with any of them, not for lack of trying on his part. They drifted off into a tired sleep brought on by good food, good booze, tired legs and aching feet.
A few minutes later (or ten hours later, depending on your viewpoint) there was a sharp rap at the door, followed by the unmistakably cheerful voice announcing ‘Housekeeping!’ Georgia threw a pillow at the door and yelled, “Go ‘way, we don’t want any!”
She looked bleary-eyed at the clock by the bed. “Holy crap, Bailey, wake up, it’s ‘mos noon!”
Bailey’s eyes popped up above the pillow and she said, “So? You gonna turn into a pumpkin?”
Georgia whacked her with a pillow and said, “No, but I have a plane to catch at 2 and if I miss that one, I have to wait until tonight. I do NOT want to fly out of LaGuardia at midnight.
Bailey whined, “But you have to help me shop! It’s why I’m here!”
“Hey, you were the one that seduced me to Tavern 29, babe.”
“Uh, no way. I said New York and YOU said Tavern 29.” She sighed in memory of the truffle fries.
“Well, whatever, but I still have to be back to Seattle tomorrow morning.”
Bailey’s eyes lit up. “Hey, how about you hitch a ride with me?” As soon as she said this, she realized her mistake, since obviously Jane’s jet wasn’t really a jet, now was it?
Georgia gave her a lazy look, “I thought you’d quit or retired or got fired or something. How are you still using the company jet?”
Bailey lied glibly, “Oh, I still have a few perks for a while.”
Georgia was easy, she nodded and said, “Uh huh. Well, as long as you can get me to Seattle by 10am, I’m fine with it. I want some decent wine for the trip though, long flights make me cranky.”
Considering Olive’s five-minute flights, Bailey said, “Oh, I don’t think that will be a problem, but if you want wine on the flight, I’ll see you get it.”
Georgia was waking up now and she hauled her naked body out of the bed and padded to the bathroom. Over her shoulder, “I’m taking a shower, you want the bathroom first?”
Remembering Georgia’s marathon showers, Bailey said, “Yeah, gimme a minute.” She rolled out of the bed in a slightly more modest thong and tee shirt.
They played bathroom tag for a while and then, fortified by the in-room Keurig, they made their way down to the restaurant, where they had brunch and talked about movies, TV, work crap and finally got around to conference room electronics. Since Georgia wouldn’t even consider anyplace else, they headed down to the lobby and the doorman called them a cab. They pulled up in front of B&H and Bailey was truly flabbergasted. It was a full block long, and once they got inside it was - well, it wasn’t possible to see the other end of the store from the entrance.
“Wow. You weren’t kidding. This is amazing.”
Complacently, Georgia said, “Uh huh. They’ve been here forever too. And it’s just the one store - no worldwide conglomerate. Kinda makes it feel local - even if it’s godzillian in size.”
They wandered around the store, taking in the sights. Every few feet some poor besotted male (and sometimes female) employee stumbled up, asked if they could help the girls, then fell by the wayside. Finally, though, they got to the audio video section and with help from no less than three employees - two males and a female - they found what they were looking for. Nirvana was achieved in the halls of B&H, New York City. Happy in the thought that Jane would be blown away by their purchases, they arranged for it all to be shipped to her house.
Of course, now it got a little dicey. How was Bailey going to explain the “jet” to Georgia without letting the can of worms out of the bag. So, she started off simple.
“Uh, Georgia?”
“Oh crap. You’re gonna tell me you ain’ got a jet, aren’t you?”
“I don’t have a jet.”
Georgia actually growled. “That bites. I can’t believe you DID this to me.”
“Now, just hold your horses. This is going to be a little hard to believe, but ... remember the Great Glass Elevator from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?”
“Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?”
“I have one of those.”
Georgia laughed. “Sure, you do.”
“Hey, I do! Just wait here a sec, I’ll be right back.”
Bailey walked around the corner, called Olive and said, “I have a problem.”
“You are a problem, sugar. What’s up?”
Bailey blinked. “You’re getting more southern all the time, hon.”
“Jane wanted to watch ‘9 to 5’ last night. Don’t ask me why.”
“Oookay, then. Olive, I need some help.”
“Don’t tell me, let me guess. You need a ride back for Georgia too, without her knowing me is me, right?”
“Um, yeah, pretty much. I thought maybe you could just appear like an elevator and when the doors open again, we’re home.”
Olive drawled, “That’s a hell of an idea, sweetheart. Sounds like fun. Where do you want to do the deed?”
Bailey blinked. “That’s it? That’s all it takes?”
“Hey, I’m quick. And you have no idea of the computing power of this ship. And thanks to Jane, it’s getting bigger all the time.”
“I don’t have time to really think about all that. Would it be too much to ask for you to be an elevator on the balcony of Georgia’s room?”
The honeyed tones came back, “Nope, sounds like fun. I’ll be there waiting.”
“How can you be there waiting, I haven’t told you where it is!”
There was an almost visible eye roll in the voice, “I know where it is, sweetie.”
Slightly shaken, Bailey said, “Okay, we’ll be there in about 30 minutes.”
“You got it!”
“And, thank you, Olive. I appreciate this and I owe you one!”
Olive chuckled. “Oh, I know. And I plan to collect. Sometime when you least expect it.” A soft chuckle came across the phone, then Olive dropped the connection.
Bailey looked at the phone for a second and frowned, then shrugged and walked back over to talk to Georgia.
“Ok, let’s head back to the room and get our stuff.”
“My stuff - you don’t have any stuff.” With a slightly suspicious look, Georgia said, “Why don’t you have any stuff? It finally dawned on me just now that you didn’t have any stuff LAST night. Not so much as a nightie.” Slow grin, “Which was fine, but still ... “
Bailey said, slightly evasively, “I did. I had undies and a toothbrush in my purse. I pack light, Georgia. Unlike some people who bring actual trunks with them.”
“Hey, I have my work clothes in there, along with needing clothes for whatever occasion I might run into!”
“Georgia, your ‘work clothes’ could fit in a thimble.”
Georgia muttered, “Well, I have a lot of ‘em. Anyhow, what’s the plan? Call around and see if we can find a private flight to s
omeplace we can fly out of? Taxi? Rental car?”
“I have it taken care of, Georgia. Don’t be such a worry wart.”
“Worry wart? What are you, twelve?”
Bailey giggled. “Maybe. You ever wish you were twelve again?”
“Nope.” She wiggled her boobs. “I didn’t have these, then.”
Bailey said mournfully, “I still don’t.”
“Bailey, would you really want to be twelve again? Have to go through all that crap again? I remember, you were crying half the time in grade school.”
Bailey looked daggers at Georgia. “What are you talking about, that was YOU, not me!”
“Oh, well, I remembered someone crying anyhow.”
Bailey punched her in the arm. “I think I should leave you in New York, now.”
Georgia giggled, “I think we’re gonna wind up here anyhow, I know there’s no flights available on this short notice. We’ll probably have to stay another night here, now. That dreary 2am flight - at least I’ll have company!”
Bailey rolled her eyes. “Just come on; and stop whining.”
Georgia stuck her tongue out at Bailey, but joined her in the cab. The cabbie dropped them at the hotel awhile later and they made their way through the lobby and into the elevator bay. A few seconds in the fast lift and they were at their floor and hopped out. First door on the right, and straight on till morning.
The door popped open with Georgia’s cardkey and they scurried around, finding all the bits and pieces of life that had been scattered to the wind. Suitcases were packed and finally the pile of luggage was stacked somewhat ludicrously in the center of the room.
Bailey shook her head. She dangled a thong and a bra by her fingers, stuffing them in her purse. “I seem to pack a little lighter than you do, love.”
Georgia giggled. “Yeah, looks that way, don’t it?”
Bailey walked over to the balcony, flipped open the curtains, and pushed the UP button on the elevator standing there. It looked like any ordinary stainless-steel elevator, right down to the Otis emblem to the right of the door.
Georgia boggled at the sight. “Th-there’s an elevator here.”
Bailey grinned. “Uh huh. Toldya.”
They hauled all of Georgia’s luggage over and pushed it into the elevator, stacked against the back wall. Pinned behind the luggage, Bailey said, “Hit Seattle, willya babe?”
Georgia pulled up her still-slack jaw and pushed the Seattle button, noting there were many others, such as Paris, Berlin, Beijing, Sidney and Chelan. She hit the Seattle button, overwhelmed by the pure silliness of what she was doing.
The doors slid shut and with a DING, the elevator began to move up. At least, Georgia thought it was moving up, from the feel of things, but then it started feeling like it was moving sideways.
She heard Bailey mutter, “Stoppit, Olive ... “and the elevator stopped moving completely. After another few minutes, the elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Georgia looked out into the bustle of afternoon hall traffic in Seattle’s SeaTac International. She wasn’t quite sure of how it happened, but she found herself standing surrounded by her luggage, looking at a blank wall like she’d expected there to be something there. She looked around, smiled at the kiss that Bailey had pressed on her cheek as they passed in the elevator - which definitely wasn’t there anymore - and started hunting for a luggage cart.
Chapter Eight
Dinnertime
Isat in a blue funk for a while after mother left. Her overwhelming presence brought my whole day down, but it’s hard to ignore the sun, the lake and the rest of the view, including the blue sky above. After sitting feeling sorry for myself for a while, I stood and told Olive that I’d be damned if that woman was going to ruin my day and I was gonna head for the gym to work off some aggressions.
Which I did. An hour of sweaty pushups, pullups, including twenty-seven minutes on the elliptical and a finale on the dreaded StairMaster left me ready for a shower and something more decisive than letting my mother push me around yet again. That woman could punch my buttons like no one else could. All of that was sweated out of me. I sauntered out of the gym, hopped up in Threepio and headed back home. Once I got home, I headed to the “gun range” and practiced awhile with the “pistol” Kit had given me. No recoil, no smoke and no messy stuff, but it leaves a nice round hole. No matter what my mother’s intent had been, she’d gotten me to take the visit by Cai Shun seriously and I resolved to write the letter back to him as soon as I got to my desk.
Greeted at the top of the stairs by Olive’s little green light, I said “Hi! Sorry about being out of sorts there, dear. How was your trip?”
Olive’s characteristic slow drawl came back to me, “It was great. I don’t even have to push it much to impress Bailey.”
I laughed. “Oh? What am I, chopped chicken?”
“No, probably more pork chops than chicken. Chicken is finer and more delicate.”
“Hm. I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Olive snorted. “And well you should.” Her tone of voice changed, becoming smaller and younger, somehow. “I made you something while you were at the gym, Jane.”
“Made me something? What is it?”
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it? Let’s head down to the office, ok?”
I started down the now-palatial steps, looking at the expensive burled wood walls and burying myself once again in the feel of old classic architecture with a touch of technology.
“You’re a genius, Olive - I can’t get over how beautiful this all is.”
She puffed out a “Psh!” but I could tell that she was pleased. “Here, see anything different?”
We stood in the main room, but she was right. After scanning around the room, I could feel there was something different, but couldn’t really put my finger on it.
“You give?”
I said, “I give. I know something is different, but I can’t see it.”
“Well, it’s pretty obvious, actually. See the door in the wall to the right?”
She was correct. Now that she’d pointed it out, there was an almost hidden door in the far-right wall as you entered the main room.
She giggled. “This one is not your surprise. Go ahead, push on it. It’s keyed to your biometrics. No one but you or Bailey can get through this door unless I’m satisfied it’s one of you wanting in.”
I walked over and gave the door an experimental shove. It glided into the wall, leaving no trace of it having been there - except the obvious fact of there being a room beyond the door. I walked inside and looked around - as lights came on inside. I had to admit it was kind of breathtaking. Beautiful solid wood desk, looked like it was made from a single slice of an entire ancient redwood, perfectly matching chair in blood red leather and one of those weird green-shaded lamps, like in the movies. I loved it.
I turned with a big grin and there stood Olive with a big grin on HER face. “Wow, you can project outside the ship now?”
“Yes’m, I can. I can’t go much further than this right now, but I’m working on it!”
I nodded at her. “Well, keep working on it - add some more power to your processors and see what you can do!”
She blinked. “Ok, I can do that! So, this is Bailey’s office - you like it for her?”
“Oh, I think it’s perfect for her. Just enough formal boardroom to appeal to her. And the green shaded lamp is inspired!”
“I thought she’d like it - it just seemed to add something.”
I nodded. “Yes, it brings down the tone enough to keep it from being stiff or too stuffy.”
She took a breath. “Ok, now, your room.”
I couldn’t help feeling a little bit bubbly inside - after seeing Bailey’s office, I knew it was going to be something else. I just hoped that it was something I liked and not something I’d have to try to pretend liking.
She stepped over to the other side of the room and looking closely I could see t
he same sort of door, almost invisible in the wall. I pressed my palm on it and walked into heaven. I felt like I’d stepped across into my favorite spot in my living room, only it was down here. I could feel the breeze from the open windows, and hear the birds outside. Looking down across the lawn, there was the lake and the people, mere spots from here, milling about in the warm sun. I automatically sat in my nook and leaned back. The bench seating felt the same, yet somehow it was softer and more inviting.
“It’s always summer here, Jane. No matter how cold or nasty it is outside - it will always be summer here.”
My heart swelled. I could visit summer any time I wanted to, here. I leaned back and listened, and the feeling was perfect. Nothing marred the illusion.
“Oh Olive, it’s ... words fail me.” She’d taken a seat across from me and was smiling at me. I smiled back. “I could just hug you, if I could hug you.”
She laughed. “I’m working on that. I wanna be a real girl!”
“Well, if anyone can manage that, it’s you, Olive.”
She smirked. “Yep, I’m gonna do it someday. A real person in a real body. More or less, anyhow.” Her expression got more serious. “This room is obviously not normal, I mean, not normal human technology. It will only open for you, not even Bailey can get into this one without you. And you have to want the door to open. You can lean, stand, even hit the wall and it won’t open unless you want it to open. And now that you know it’s here and how to open it, I’ll make it look completely like a wall. No one will ever find it unless you open the door.”
I nodded. It certainly made total sense, and after the invasion by Mother, we could never take a chance on her or any of her minions seeing this. I had a thought. “Olive, what happens when the door is closed? I can’t get locked in here, can I?”
“No, there’s an ordinary door knob on the inside, and it will open like any door when it’s activated. Plus, there’s an emergency exit with a tunnel to the outside right over here.” She pointed out the other door - a simple knob on this side too. I opened the door and looked out - there was a clean concrete walkway that sloped up until it was out of sight.