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Jenny stood in the middle of her cozy little living room. The week she had spent with the members of the council and her fellow Guardians had been exhausting. For one thing, the planet wasn't on a 24 hour day cycle. Days were approximately 37 hours long and they had taken advantage of every minute. When she first got home, she had slept for nearly 12 hours without stirring once.
Her fellow Guardians were wildly assorted in temperament and background. Each of them had been helpful and, since most of them had held their posts for long enough to know what they were doing, they were generous in their willingness to instruct and advise her. By the time they had concluded her initial training she had felt like her brain couldn't absorb a single additional fact or idea. They had said warm good-byes at the gateway door and as each had departed to their duties, Jenny had felt a pang of loss.
She had discovered that much about the gateway system was automated and, although that automation kept track of the comings and goings of all those passing through that network, she would not see most of the activity from her side. Those using the gateway system would enter a gate from their side and go directly to the door that would take them to their destination. Most of the time she wouldn't see any of them, unless they had business with her directly. Her previous fear of beings seen coming and going from her house had been assuaged. No one would have any idea that her house was a very extended version of Grand Central Station.
That sense of unreality returned as she looked around her. Tidbit lay in the sunny window seat contemplating the garden outside. Evidently his time as a cat was a restful interlude that he enjoyed immensely. He had already gone to terrorize Cinder this morning and chase butterflies out in the herb garden.
It all seemed so normal, and yet, Jenny now knew that what she thought of as normal was such a tiny, insignificant part of something so big, so alien and so amazing that her little house, with all its secrets, was just a speck on a bigger speck of the total picture.
She jumped when her cell phone beeped. A text message from Sam. "What's up, Jenn? Lunch today? My treat."
She texted back her agreement. Her instructions were clear. For the next few days she was to appear among her neighbors and friends to be doing all the usual things. It had been made clear that part of her responsibilities included interacting on Earth and keeping track of goings on in the world, as far as she could. It was not her responsibility to influence the events around her, but to observe and report, something she had already been doing for a long time.
She had been told, as part of her orientation, that this particular neighborhood had been built up around the house, and the neighbors were accustomed to the residents of 888 Infinity Loop being somewhat reclusive. And in that particular neighborhood, most of the residents were too absorbed in their own enterprises that they didn't have much time for interaction with their neighbors. This lack of curiosity on their part, insured that Jenny's extended absences would largely go unnoticed. And when Jenny was home, she should let herself be seen going about normal business, like going to the grocery store or picking up her mail. She routinely kept her little blue SUV locked in the garage so this would be harder to track her comings and goings.
It surprised her how much her experience as a writer had prepared her for her new roles. Not that anything could have completely prepared her for this. Her ability to think through scenarios and abstract potential outcomes would come in handy in creating strategies and tactics. And her inherent ability to communicate clearly would help as she was thrust into a leadership role.
Bob had dropped by earlier with a little pile of mail and had caught her up on the neighborhood. Cinder had gotten lost at one point earlier in the week and had been rescued from the local pound in the nick of time. Miss Longtree had won an award for her cross-stitch embroidery at the State Fair and two of the neighborhood teens were out doing a food drive for the local food bank. In other words, normal.
Sam arrived in her little red car. She took her to a local restaurant that served homestyle meals in a country kitchen atmosphere. The cozy little booth gave the feeling of privacy, even though the off-the-beaten path place was always full of customers.
"We missed you at the hike," Sam began. "I got some photos on Lake Arrowhead of the gang, though. I'll send them to your cell."
Jenny sighed. "Emergency meeting at work. You know how these executives can be. Everything's an emergency and then you find out they're just changing the branding or launching an ad campaign and they need, 'All hands on deck'."
"Yeah, I get it. We'd get so much more done without all of the staff meetings, most of which could be handled in a memo or email."
"So, tell me about your new gig," Sam said, after the waitress had taken their order, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
"I'm still in training," Jenny replied carefully. "There is so much to learn. I met my team this week and we got to know one another. They're a really varied group, but they've been really supportive of the 'new girl'."
"Yeah, it's hard being the new kid on the block, for sure. I remember when I first came to the station. It was all pretty overwhelming. None of my training prepared me for the reality of working in a professional studio or the politics of working in a large group of creatives. Some of them are real prima donnas."
This was an old rant of Sam's. Sam was a technician, really good at production tech, but she had little patience for the eccentricities of the "talent" on the set.
"Have you gotten your first assignments yet?"
"Not yet. I have to do a tour of the company facilities. It will take me a few weeks of hard travel, but I have to familiarize myself with each area before I get my first assignment."
Part of what they had discussed during her training sessions had been the importance of learning to say just enough of the truth about what they did without giving anything away. There had been more than one story of near disaster when something slipped out that shouldn't have. Her team members had all agreed that the effort required to clean up these mistakes made it well worth the effort to get it right in the first place.
They had drilled her from different angles on how to reply to common questions and some not so common ones that could take you by surprise. Jenny had felt much better prepared by the time they had parted company.
"Hey! I could see you off at the airport!" Sam said suddenly. "I always hated having to park my car in those public garages. It will save you some cash, since you won't have to hire a cab."
Jenny paused. This had not been covered in her orientation. But the waitress arrived at that moment with their food and this gave her some time to think. There was nothing saying she couldn't fly to her first gate stop. Her passport was in order and it would give her another layer to her cover story. She would have to remember to be seen taking a cab from time to time, to give the impression that she usually got a ride to the airport when travelling.
"Sounds great, Sam. I haven't gotten my tickets yet. I'll let you know when I get them."
Jenny was starting her training in Puerto Rico. She would be spending a few days at each Guardian station. After having met all of her fellow Guardians, she was looking forward to spending time with each one, individually and learning what they had to teach her.
"So how are things at the station? I hear your 'weather woman' is quitting to pursue her acting career."
Sam laughed. "I think she just got a walk-on in a B movie from some director no one has ever heard of. I'm sure she'll go far. The studio is bringing on a meteorologist who just finished school. He's cute. Our female ratings are about to go up.
And, I hear I may be up for assistant director of the morning show. It's still in the works, but it's looking good."
"Oh, Sam, that's awesome! I'm sure you'll get it. One step closer to your dream."
"I won't be directing anything big for a long time, but it's one step higher on the ladder. Good experience and the director of the show has his act together. I'm sure I'll learn a lot. A nice change from being a floor director, working in the control room or mushrooming in the post-edit suite."
"So, have you dug into that shed out back yet? I know you've been busy with your new job and all."
"I've only just peeked in," Jenny admitted. "There's so much stuff in there. I think Aunt Lizzie was a serious pack rat."
Jenny really didn't want to get Sam involved in weeding out the storage shed. There was no telling what was in there.
Sam seemed to ignore the hint. "But that's half the fun! Maybe there is some pirate treasure or an ancient crystal with magical powers!"
Her enthusiasm made Jenny laugh.
"Or maybe it's just a lot of dusty old stuff I'll need to haul off to a thrift shop. At any rate, I won't be able to get around to it for awhile. This training tour is going to take up most of my time for the next several weeks, I'm afraid."
"Well, keep track of your adventures. I'll want to hear all about it. And take lots of pictures. I'm going to have to live vicariously, I'm afraid. The only travelling I'm going to be doing is to and from the studio in L.A. traffic."
Photos, what kinds of photos could she take that wouldn't give too much away? But as she thought of it, she realized she had gotten so used to the inter-dimensional nature of her life, that she had forgotten that people would never have any idea that this was why she was travelling, so as long as she was on Earth, she would be able to send photos of her travels without worrying about it too much. Just as if everything was...normal.
They spent the afternoon chatting and Jenny promised to make it to the next hike, as long as nothing came up in her "job".
When they pulled up in the driveway on Infinity Loop, Jenny was glad she got some time with Sam. It reminded her how important it was to get trained and why she had to do what she could to help prevent the Groga from raiding through the dimensions. She recalled with a shudder the utter devastation of the little Gateway village and tried not to picture what that would mean to her family and friends.
She invited Sam in, but Sam begged off, citing an early morning production meeting. So, hugs ensued, and Jenny waved her off. Bob was out in his yard and he too waved at Sam as she left.
"Hey, neighbor! Got a minute?"
"Sure, come on over."
Jenny let them into the house and Bob settled himself on the couch. Ensconced in her reading chair, Jenny noticed that Bob was somewhat soberer than usual.
"What's up, Bob?"
"It's the portal."
"The portal?" Jenny replied carefully. Was it possible Bob knew about the gateways?
"You know that Lizzie was very sick, and she was adamant that I not call any of her relatives during those last days. I stayed in the hospital with her. At the last, she was in and out of consciousness. Out, more often than in. She started to talk, as if to someone I couldn't see. Understand, she wasn't aware that I was there.
So, she started talking to Tidbit. I cottoned on that she was talking about something real, not a fantasy, but it sounded crazy. Lizzie wasn't the type. She was telling Tidbit to keep the secret, to not let anyone into the gateway. She talked about the Dimensional Alliance and someone called The Gatekeeper.
She said a lot of things I don't have any reference for, but she mentioned your name more than once. It's been keeping me awake nights. I have to know, if you can tell me. What has Lizzie gotten you into? And what does your friend Sam have to do with all of this?"
Jenny shook her head. How should she handle this? Nothing like this had come up in her training.
About that time, Tidbit wandered in.
"And I know about the cat. The cat who is not a cat." Bob said, pointedly looking directly into Tidbit's eyes. "I just thought you ought to know."
"We have a problem," Tidbit sent. "No one is supposed to know."
"I know," Jenny sent back. "What should I tell him?"
Bob sat there, his blue eyes going from Tidbit to Jenny and back again.
Jenny sighed. If he knew, he knew.
"O.K., Bob. Tell me what's going on in your head right now." No need to panic, she thought, until she knew where he was heading with all of this.
He leaned forward, earnestly searching her face. "All my life I've worked in the sciences, watching technology go from basic engines and mechanics to rudimentary space travel, high end computers you can carry in a pocket and high speed communications that extend to nearly every quarter of the earth. I've seen research on dimensional physics, but nothing we have done so far even tells us that it is more than theory. And, yet, if I believe Lizzie's imaginary conversation with her cat," he paused and gave Tidbit a piercing look, "then there is something going on here that I want to be involved in.
I wanted to wait until I knew you better, before I approached you. But, unless I miss my guess, you're up to your neck in whatever Lizzie was doing and I want in."
Tidbit stared at Bob, his gaze intent as only a cat's can be. "Tell him. I'll take responsibility for it."
Jenny made a mental note to hold him to that.
"Bob, if I tell you any of this," she hesitated, then took a deep breath and plunged forward, "well, it has far-reaching consequences. I'm not even sure I'm authorized to tell you anything. If you know anything about world politics, you know that some things cannot be made public, especially if it has the potential to increase conflict or cause panic. This is big, much bigger than I imagined, and I still don't know enough to tell anyone.
I do know that there is danger here, danger none of us are prepared for nor are we equipped to do anything about it. The fact that you know as much as you do already may actually put you into peril down the road and I would hate to be responsible for that."
Jenny knew Bob was probably old enough to be her father. He had a grown son of his own close to Jenny's age. It felt odd to be counselling him like this. But she hadn't even told her own father about any of this and she wouldn't. She somehow felt she could trust Bob to take her seriously and to not reveal any of this to anyone, however. Her friend, Sam, would call it "going with your gut".
Her friend, Sam. What had Bob said about Sam?
"Bob, what did you mean, how is Sam involved in this? She isn't involved at all."
"You couldn't prove it by me." Bob said, folding his arms across his chest. "She sure pokes around a lot when you aren't here, and she has been asking some pretty pointed questions about your new "job" and did I know where you were travelling to. I even saw her talking with Miss Longtree the other day. Of course, Miss Longtree doesn't really know anything about you, but it seems Sam spends quite a bit of time in the neighborhood.
I've even seen her letting herself into the backyard more than once."
"I think she likes the koi pond," was all Jenny could think to say. But, even to her, it sounded pretty lame. "I'm not sure what you're getting at."
"Isn't she a reporter or something for that little station in the valley?"
"She's a production assistant and may be getting a gig as an assistant director soon."
"Well, all I'm saying is to pay attention. You've got a pretty big secret and news folks seem to think that everything is their business. How fast they move up the ladder often is in proportion to the number of other people's secrets they can put on the chopping block."
Jenny really looked at Bob, as if for the first time. She never saw him in anything but his work clothes, not an imposing person at all. Salt and pepper hair, his close trimmed moustache nearly all grey, dark eyes framed by bushy brows and laugh lines that indicated character more than age. On the surface, he looked like a middle aged man who no one would take a second look at. And yet, something about him was solid and strong, no doubt because of working with machinery of one kind or another all of his life. One of the most attractive things about him was his intelligent curiosity. And Jenny wagered, if she went into his workshop that it would be as orderly as an operating room.
Bob had already proven himself to be a staunch friend of Lizzie and had always treated Jenny with kindness and respect. His easy-going nature had charmed her from the beginning. Now she was seeing a side of him she did not expect.
She wondered what her aunt would have said about this development. The revelation of the gateways certainly wasn't anything Jenny had done, but somehow, she was the one who was going to have to deal with it.
