She didn't remember dreaming, but when she awoke she could tell by the tumble of blankets that her sleep had been pretty restless. The sun spilled like handfuls of gold into her room. A new day and so much to do. It was a Sunday, a day she reserved for quiet restful activities. She dressed and went to church, as she had every Sunday since she was very young. She tried to focus on the service, but her mind kept wandering to the boxes on the dining room table. What would she find in boxes 2 and 3?
She pulled up to her house on Infinity Loop and noticed Bob out mowing his lawn. She parked in the driveway. He waved back at her as she grinned and waved. She wondered how much he actually knew about her aunt and her adventures and how she could find out without tipping him to the fact that she was now in what could be considered "the family business.”
Tidbit was curled up in the shade of the bougainvillea that climbed over the archway over the wrought iron gate. When he saw her, he stretched as only cats can do from his front paws to his tail, then sauntered over and stropped her ankles.
It seemed only yesterday she had met Tidbit, but in the short week and a half since she first stepped in the door of her house so much had happened that it was beginning to feel like she had always lived here, and Tidbit had always been her companion. And yet, what did she really know about him?
"Have a good night?" she thought to him, considering how convenient it was to be able to communicate directly.
"Passing fair. The neighborhood is quiet, and Cinder has been cowering in his backyard unless he's on a leash, so I am content."
Jenny chuckled. It appeared this conflict between the big dog and Tidbit was a thing, and she wasn't going to get in the middle of it, figuratively or literally.
In her kitchen, as she prepared her breakfast, her mind went to the boxes. "This is as good a time as any to see what's in there. Can't do any of the business tasks until tomorrow," she thought.
Tidbit had curled up in his usual sunny spot on the window seat and she sat her sandwich and salad on the table next to the 2nd box. She opened the lid and found what appeared to be a stack of journals. On the top of the stack was a lavender envelope.
She grinned. She wondered if her aunt had really liked lavender or if this stationary set had simply been on sale somewhere.
"Dear Jenny:" it read.
"By now you have met The Gatekeeper. Miriha is a great mentor and resource. She will see you get where you need to be. I expect the fact that you are reading this now means you have accepted the charge to become a Guardian.
I want you to know that despite the fact there have been times I wished for easier solutions to some of the challenges involved, I have never regretted making the decision to do this. What we do makes a difference, as you will begin to see as you progress through your training.
I hope you and Tidbit are getting along. Be sure to always address him, even in your mind, as Tidbit when you are on Earth. The name Tarafau has some significance in a dimensional sense and there are those who would like to find him in his Earth form. That being said, there is more to him than appears, as you will discover.
These journals are a resource for you. They are numbered to make them easy to reference and I have tried to make them clear. You will notice the last one is not up to date. The reason for this is that the journals continue in electronic format on the tablet included in the 3rd box. This tablet may be a bit different than those you are used to, but you will get the hang of it quickly enough. Keep it in your wristband for ease of access.
And that's all for now. The 3rd box contains some equipment that I have found useful. Put the entire box into your wristband. You will want it during your training.
Love, Lizzie"
Jenny decided to skip reading the journals for now. She sealed the 2nd box, tapped it and the 1st box with her wristband and the box shriveled and passed into the wristband. It was odd, she felt like her arm should weigh many pounds by now, but it still felt like a light plastic wristband. Shaking her head, she opened the 3rd box.
There was no note on top of this box, but it contained a number of things, some of which did not seem out of the ordinary and some of which she could not identify. She recognized the tablet at once however and removed it.
It resembled any one of a number of generic tablets. The screen appeared to be about 8 inches tall and it was black. But try as she might, she could see no buttons along its edges, nor were there any ports for attaching earphones a usb or a charging device. She felt along the edges, not trusting her sight, and there was nothing. "OK, Tidbit," she thought to the cat with a frown, "how do we open up this cute little piece of tech?"
"Touch your key," Tidbit replied, opening one amber eye lazily.
Jenny reached up to her throat and touched the tiny key. The screen on the tablet flickered to life. The icons on the screen seemed clear enough and she touched the one that looked like a small book.
Aunt Lizzie's smiling face looked up at her. She appeared much older than Jenny had ever seen her and her face was pale, not tanned as in the photo of her and Tarafau. "Oh, there you are!" Lizzie looked straight into her eyes. It didn't seem to be normal video, feeling almost three dimensional. The screen was indeed flat, but it looked as if she could reach in and touch the little key around Lizzie's neck.
"It's great to be able to reach out to you this way. In this journal you will find many helpful resources, as well as an abridged version of my story and how I got started in all of this. Reading this between now and when you start your training may help you get through it easier than I did. However, I don't intend to tell you all of the specifics. Some things must be experienced to be understood.
In this box I have included some of my favorite tools and tech. You needn't sort through all of them at this time, but be sure and store them in the MDP. You'll want all of it at one time or another as you go along.
Any questions?"
Jenny shook her head at this. What? Questions? Lizzie had paused, her head cocked slightly as if waiting for a reply.
"What are you?" was the first thing that came to Jenny's lips.
Lizzy laughed a warm chuckle deep in her chest. "No, I'm not back from the dead. This is me, but not me. I created an AI assistant for you and figured it would be more fun this way. I may not always have the answers you seek, but I know a lot. Most of what I know is referenced in the journals. Just invoke me by saying my name and I will answer."
"Cool…" was all that Jenny could think to say. "What else is on this tablet?"
"You'll find a number of apps that are very helpful, weather, time schemes for different worlds, historical information as you go on new assignments, political briefings and so forth. Oh yes, and Candy Crush," she added mischievously. "You may find yourself doing more waiting than you'd like, sometimes."
Jenny shook her head. This was all too much. But her aunt's warm and humorous nature had a soothing effect. Between Tidbit and Lizzie, she wouldn't really be alone in this. She began to feel like this was going to be doable after all.
"What kind of assignments?" was the next logical question.
"In the beginning, it will mostly be meet and greet. You'll need to get to know the other Guardians, otherwise known as 'agents'. You'll be introduced to the first several 'friendly' dimensions and, at some point, you may end up doing some undercover work. You aren't exactly a spy, but there are some of the cultures we don't know nearly enough about and not all are members of the Alliance. The rest they'll tell you at your mission briefings, since things tend to change quickly in the Dimensional Alliance."
"Is there anything you left off of my to-do list?"
"I don't think so. Just get it all done as quickly as you can and get in touch with Miriha. That and don't forget to feed the cat." The corners of her eyes crinkled with silent laughter. "He gets grumpy when he's hungry. Not that he needs the cat food, really. Tidbit is a mighty hunter."
Tidbit opened his eyes to slits. "A cat can eat just so many pigeons," was all he said, but the t
one was sardonic.
Jenny laughed.
Lizzie then spoke up. "I'm supposed to tell you that from now on, you just need to say, 'Lizzie', to initialize the tablet. The initial connection to the key has already been made."
"How do I charge it? There are no access ports."
"The tablet is self-charging. It's dimensional technology. It actually uses the electrical charge in your body to charge. And not to worry, it won't drain your body's battery," she added with a grin. "This tech is not as bulky as ours is. This tablet, with all its applications, takes a fraction of the system resources of Earth tech with many multiples of capability and storage."
"Awesome," Jenny breathed.
"And I am also to caution you that this tech must not fall into the hands of anyone on your Earth not authorized by the Dimensional Council. It contains applications that your planet and dimensional culture are not ready for, at this time. It will come, but like the MDP, there are too many ways it could affect your culture in a way that will be detrimental. Experience has shown us that each culture must progress at their own pace. When new tech is introduced out of sequence, even the simplest things can wreak unexpected consequences.
Speaking of which, you need time to assimilate all of this. I suggest enjoying the rest of your day. You have a lot to do tomorrow."
The tablet went black and Jenny didn't attempt to turn it back on. Assimilate? She felt like a grain of sand in a centrifuge. Her mind was spinning so fast that she wasn't even entirely sure what she was thinking.
She realized she had finished her meal and had not tasted a single bit of it. She decided she would take Lizzie's advice. "Good plan," injected Tidbit. "You should take a nap." And, taking his own advice, he curled up in a big fuzzy ball with his tail curled over his eyes and went to sleep.
Chapter 7: Skylark
The next four weeks developed a kind of rhythm. Mornings she breakfasted with Tidbit and began reading Lizzie's journals. Lizzie had begun journaling as a very young girl and the depictions of school and home life of the 1930's were entertaining and somewhat sobering. The wars and financial and political upheaval of the time was distressing and yet, she felt inspired by the way her family had stuck together and made it through.
True to her word, Sam had thrown her a house-warming party with their hiking buddies. It had been fun playing hostess, but she couldn't help but wonder how often she would be able to interact with her friends in the future. She was aware that friends did have a tendency to drift over time, but her heart was somewhat wistful as she bid them good-bye at the end of the evening.
Each day was all about tidying up her own life: tying up loose ends for her clients, arranging finances and settling into the house. Sam would come over to chat several times a week and she went hiking with her hiking club. Tidbit had advised her to keep as normal a schedule as she would have if she wasn't launching herself as a Guardian. She would be gone a lot, but her cover story would make that expected. So, while she was home, it would be important to keep good relations with her neighbors.
She had informed Bob about her "new assignment" and that she would be "in and out" a lot. He just grinned and said something about, "It must run in the family." Evidently Lizzie's unpredictability had been well known in the neighborhood and they just thought it an interesting quirk. They knew that she had gotten rid of her old car years ago and only used taxis or rented limos to get around, unless she rode with Bob to the L.A. Farmer's Market or the grocery store.
There were no new boxes, but as it turned out, there didn't need to be. She had totally forgotten about the big shed in the back yard and one day when she finally unlocked the door she took a step inside and realized there was much more in there than she would have thought possible. It was like a small museum.
Besides all of Lizzie's old furniture which had been mostly very good quality antiques, there were artifacts (Jenny could think of no other way to describe them) of such a variety as to be a bit overwhelming.
There even appeared to be a section dedicated to safari-type supplies as well as a wall with a door in it that split the building into two sections. Jenny had just stood there for a very long moment, then backed out and closed and locked the door. She had no time to catalog all of this and she suspected that if she asked the LizzieAI, she would discover it had already been very accurately sorted, listed and described in a document somewhere.
The one thing she had learned about her aunt was that, although she appeared to be this somewhat scattered and eccentric old lady, she had been extremely well organized and surprisingly tech savvy. Considering that she had lived in a time when both horses and cars had co-existed on city streets, she had stayed on top of new tech in a way that most of her peers had not.
So, the time passed until she had made all of the arrangements on the list and, although she didn't think there was any way she could have said she was ready regardless of how much time she had been given to prepare, she was as ready as she could be.
Lizzie had advised her not to pack a lot of things, as most of the things she would need would be provided for her at the training facility or were already stored in her MDP. If she had wanted to, she could have packed half of her household in the wristband, but it made sense to wait and see what would actually be needed, so she packed a few different outfits, her toiletries, her tablet and her documents. Tidbit assured her that his needs would also be adequately provided for and so it was that she walked through the portal once more and entered the hallway of doors.
Miriha had indicated that she was to come to Lanatrix first, so she took a deep breath and went back through the door.
She and Tarafau were greeted on the beach by the gem eyes who did their odd little bobbing dance in front of each of them. It appeared to be early morning here. The Linklings crooned to them as they passed through the trees on the way to the village.
Since it was early in the morning, in the village square the various merchants bustled about, preparing their stalls for the customers of the day. Here and there an occasional early customer perused goods or haggled silently, but for the most part it appeared that the townsfolk were still making their morning preparations for the day.
In no time, she and Tarafau found themselves being welcomed by the chiming of Miriha's automated door.
Miriha welcomed her warmly, her hands outstretched. "I am so excited for you, Jenny," she said, her bright eyes gleaming. "This very day you will begin a journey that will surprise, delight and amaze you. Let me introduce you to Lova." She turned and gestured a woman forward. Lova was tall and it seemed obvious that she wasn't "from around here.” Her blonde, nearly transparent hair was cut very short. Large bluish-gray eyes lit her face, and she was muscular. Her light brown tunic came to her knees where it met breeches (were they leather?) of the same wood tones. Laced up to her calves, moccasin-type boots completed the outfit. Her only adornment was the tiny gold key necklace that peeked out of her shirt collar.
She extended her hand to Jenny who shook it solemnly. "I will be your instructor, Jenny. Your aunt has recommended you highly." She gave Jenny and appraising look, noticing her hiking attire. "I see you came prepared to work. This bodes well."
She nodded at Tarafau. "We've made your usual accommodations, Tarafau," she said briefly. There seemed to be some subtext to this statement, but it obviously had something to do with the fact that these two knew each other from before.
Jenny realized that she hadn't even noticed that at no time had any of them vocalized anything. Mindspeak was becoming commonplace to her already. It never ceased to amaze Jenny how easily people could adapt to new circumstances when they were accepted by a group as normal.
Miriha didn't ask any of them to sit. She simply gestured to a door set into an alcove on the wall opposite the door they had entered. "I look forward to hearing of your progress," was all she said, once more holding both hands out to Jenny. Jenny grasped them with a smile, and with a look at Tarafau, headed through yet another door.
"Where are we?" she asked Lova.
"We are in the mountains of Sweden on Earth. We call our home Sanglarka. It means 'skylark'. We all use mindspeech here as good practice in our other travels and a convenience, since most of the native languages of the Earth Guardians are not English. This is the first step of your training and we find it best to begin in familiar surroundings, hence this first training ground is in your home dimension. In the next stage you will be travelling to the major touch points in the dimensions, but for now you need a place that will allow you to focus on your training. This place was designed with some very special options to be sure we can prepare you for what lies ahead, not that we can prepare you for every eventuality, but you won't go out into the dimensions unequipped to deal with most situations.
Some things you can only learn by experience and there will be some things you will encounter that will be new to all of us. The dimensions are vast and infinite. None of us will explore them all in our lifetimes, but we are doing our best." And at this her mouth quirked in a rueful grin.
Jenny grinned back at her. She had met an older lady while she had been in college who reminded her of Lova. She had gone by her last name, Hibbs, and had been an army veteran. Jenny had always suspected Hibbs had been a drill instructor. She was business-like in all of her communications and, although not unkind, had applied herself to every task with a single-minded enthusiasm, belied only by the intensity of her steely gaze that seemed to take in every mistake and flaw. She had seemed to have radar where slacking was concerned.
The House on Infinity Loop Page 6
