At first, Billy was unsure of what was happening; it just felt good like drinking liquor it warmed from the inside. He searched around his body to see if he could see the balls of light exit.
“Get him out here! Out the back!”
“I can’t reach him, I’ve never seen so many, where the hell?”
Bill was not sure who yelled that but it sounded like Clyde. He looked up and it was like a large wall of rainbow was coming at him quickly. He heard the pounding, steady and rhythmic, and he knew it was not the wall. They had a hum, low and tidal, they zipped at him. He found he could understand them. Not that the small balls had a language to decipher but a mood. They felt joy, they celebrated that he was there.
“Where is here? Is he gone?”
The light blinded him, but he was not looking with his eyes anymore. The light shapes scrambled around him. That must be Clyde and the others, Bill thought.
“Billy, Billy, can you hear me?”
He sent balls of light in his direction, mostly the green and yellow, they would help him best. He was astounded that he knew that. It was not that he was learning anything new, it was all there; he just had to think differently. The pounding increased.
He focused on the door and knew the creature behind it. The giant wolf like creature tore at the hinges of the door, the wood split. Bill moved toward the door and the wall of lights moved with him.
“Fenris.”
The wolf stopped in mid leap and came up short of the door, for the door had dissolved away at the approach of lights.
“Who has freed you? It is not right for you to be out here.”
Approaching the wolf, he did not need to kneel for the wolf towered over him. His mouth was so wide that the lower jaw dug into the floor and his upper jaw lifted to the ceiling. Bill was sure that the wolf could fit him into his mighty jaws and devour him in a bit or two. His body length was half that of the entire room, the cabinets and desk were destroyed by the mere presence of the wolf. Bill brought his arms up and stroked the bristling black fur, wet from perspiration and slobber. In his right hand was a rope, where he had taken this from, Bill knew not.
“Come, Fenris, this world does not know you anymore, it is time to depart somewhere more seemly.”
Bill put his hand in the wolf’s mouth. Fenris whimpered and relaxed to the floor knocking more debris into the walls. With his free hand, Bill attached the rope around the neck of Fenris. When it was secured the lights moved in and took up the rope. Fenris’s eyes loomed large.
“Complete the bargain dear Fenris.”
As the lights dragged the wolf back to whence he came, its great head trembled with a mighty bite. Bill did not scream but slumped back and accepted his escape into eternity.
* * *
“Billy!” Clyde ran to him after the lights had moved on, dragging the hell beast with them. “He’s unconscious Rufus. What the hell happened?”
“Oh my, Clyde, we should of thought of that.”
“What? What should we of thought of?” Clyde was tying a piece of cloth that he ripped from his shirt around Bill’s arm to stop the blood flow.
“He is the gate, the light would naturally be drawn to him. When he comes to, he is going to know much, maybe everything.” Rufus skirted the two and looked at his entire destroyed room. “Then, again he may remember very little. It is hard to say. No record of gate getting that much of a dose in centuries. And this one by mistake.”
Clyde glared up at him. “He’ll be fine, we’ll move to a safe location and then maybe I can rebuild his hand or something. Or come up with a great excuse as to why he only has one hand. And besides, what should we have done. We could not have pulled the Gleipnir out thin air like Billy did.”
“The ancient rope of the dwarfs, it is something I thought I would never see.”
“He disposed of Fenris?”
Two men in black suits stood just inside the destroyed doorway.
9/6/04 9:55am- 10:25am
Clyde turned toward the door. He could hear rubble shifting in the front room and hoped that the sound was Tanya and Lucas moving around and not the building getting ready to come down completely. He glanced back and Rufus was kneeling next to the unconscious Billy. Rufus glanced up.
“He’ll be ok for now,” Rufus said. He had wrapped his belt around Billy’s arm just above the bite, and was wrapping it with a towel that was surprisingly clean.
“I won’t be too long. I’m just going to get some answers.”
Clyde turned back to the two men in dark suits. The newfound power, and sudden rage made the air crackly and shimmer around him. The two men in the black suits looked uncertainly at each other. They turned to leave, wanting desperately to be as far from Clyde as possible. Before they could make it to the door, they were frozen, wrapped tightly in the bad luck they had brought with them.
* * *
Samantha wasn’t sure how long the torture had lasted. She didn’t even remember when the lingering pain had finally faded. Now she was in a cell. She sat on a cot anchored to a cold damp wall. A single iron door was the only way out. Her mind was groggy and tired. She couldn’t remember if she had given up any information, but figured she hadn’t since she was still alive.
A cockroach scuttled along the far wall. Samantha supposed it was there to monitor her, to make sure she didn’t try anything.
She got up and paced the cell. Three steps were all it took to reach the opposite wall. After some time, she couldn’t tell how much, her head was clearer. She stopped in the middle of the cell. Without any thought she drew a perfect circle on the ground and sat inside. Eyes closed, she began to go into a trance. The cockroach scurried over the wall, and for a moment she thought of killing it. If she did that, and it was there to watch her, its sudden disappearance would certainly make someone come.
Gradually, her breathing slowed and the cell fell away. She opened her eyes to the diner where the black cats had first appeared. Through the windows, she couldn’t see the city, but the same white light as in the recharge room. The diner was empty, except for Billy sitting at the counter. There was a cup of coffee in front of her. She tasted it. It was just as lousy as the first time.
“Hello Samantha,” Billy said without looking up.
Samantha jumped, thinking Bill was just a part of her trance.
“He-hello Billy,” she said.
“I know now. I know I am a Gateway, and you a Guardian, a gatekeeper so to speak.”
“Yes…How did you-”
“In an effort to save me from Fenris the mighty wolf, Clyde pulled me into a recharge room. The light came to me and I became whole. I do not know if I will remember when I wake but that is of no consequence now.”
“The light! Oh no, why didn’t he realize?”
Billy walked over to her, coffee cup in his right hand, saucer in his left. As he walked over, his left hand faded out of existence. The saucer fell to the floor and shattered. By the time he reached the booth it was back.
“What happened to your hand,” Samantha breathed.
“I…can’t remember,” he said. “Do not worry about that now. For now I have something for you.”
He set down the cup and held out his hand palm up. Two globes of light floated out of his hand. They sang strongly, their color was almost white. Samantha’s eyes bulged.
“How is that possible?” Samantha asked.
“I am the Gateway. I am a portal.”
The light moved away from him and sunk into Samantha just above her heart. She could feel their power wash over her.
“Now wake up, quickly,” he said, “they’re coming.”
Samantha woke in her cell with a start. The cockroach had gone and there was a key sliding into the lock.
9/7/04 9:57pm-10:50pm
Searching the lines of probability, she sought the one for the key breaking. It was there, but so slight that it teetered on non-existence. The key jangled in the lock, some gruff voices barked out, and Samantha found it. She coaxed it. She did not want to break the continuity thread, but eventually she would have to shove the damn thing through the ceiling to get it to work. Now or never girl, she thought. Holding her breath, she increased the probability to a near certainty. Along the way, the thread wobbled a bit and reality almost took a snipe at it. As if to say, ‘this is not likely to happen, wake up!’
But it worked. The key snapped off in the lock and swearing ensued.
She scrambled to the door, ear pressed close to listen to the voices outside.
“...said she was sleeping, it did,” remarked one rasping voice.
“Ey, she did this methinks. It was a lark and not likely, the prince, the player on the field must knows of this at once, or else the blames will be placed.” She guessed that the oily voice spoke of them selves. “Alas, we need another way in. Have you sights, brother? Can you peels the layers back?”
Panic rose in Samantha’s skin, she jumped back and threw up a shield. Only now, as she was concentrating on projecting an image of a sleeping Samantha on the cot did she realize she had no way to gauge the amount of power she had or was using. It felt good, though. I have never felt so vibrant, like I could do... well anything, what have we done to Billy? Nope, correction, what did Clyde do to Billy? She smirked at the thought, a bit disloyal but she was glad of whatever had occurred to Billy. It has given her a fighting chance.
She felt an intense presence. It probed the room and it played with the image that Samantha provided. Normally, she would have been nervous at this trial, for she knew these two imps were more powerful here than anywhere else, and she weaker. The image held, easier than she would had thought. The probe continued to pick at the room; it came to where she had shielded herself and stopped. It scrutinized the shield, but moved on. Then, it withdrew. Quickly, she was back to the door, ear pressed.
“Naw, sleeping she is, it was right as a tink. Somethin’ tho’s ‘ere.”
“Ey, sures is you? I thinks need to invite us in again.”
“Naw, we’ll crankle thos’un hinges, al’ right?”
“That be well, ey!”
“First, it needs be fed, then we gather Morga and Gorgi. They need nothing with doors, she available always if she’s there.” Her cell door thumped from the outside.
Laughter, raspy and snortish, followed the footsteps down the hall. Okay, so it is time to get out of here. Samantha had no real desire to meet anybody else.
She began by drawing another circle, this time on the wall. She could feel her essence, her power, ooze through fingertips, ripping into the fabric of the universe. The circle took on an appearance of reality. It solidified in the wall; a doorknob took shape and became three-dimensional. Samantha’s face glowed bright blue almost sky blue from the luminance of the door. The rest of the cell remained dark but shadows emerged behind her. She took no notice of a set of eyes, as yellow as a cat's, glowering out at her.
Samantha knocked on the door. Nothing happened. She knocked again, with more meaning behind it. Still, nothing happened.
“Dammit, open up!” She shouted as she kicked the door, which hurt because it was made of stone.
“Ask the question?” The voice came from the door.
“What question?”
“The question that opens the door, you know: the knock-knock question.”
“Knock-knock? What’s going on here?”
“Who’s there?”
“Um...it’s me, Samantha of the third ring, fourth descent of Mercurus(name may change).
“Ah...I still don’t get it.” A small little man pushed the door open and tumbled out the door. He wore a green coat and top hat. His black boots were held together with golden buckles. “Put the door up high enough, did ya?”
“Sorry. What did you mean by not getting it?”
“These mortals who come my way are always laughing and reciting knock-knock jokes. I try them out but it is of no use, I will never be...well, funny. I have boring work.”
“I see.” Samantha tried to move around the tiny man, but he had none of it. He blocked her entrance to the door with a wave of his hand. She slammed into another solid object and again she hurt, first her foot now the rest of her body.
“None of that missy. Why have you summoned this cave? Has a need arisen?”
“Look around tiny, I’m in a cell. Not sure exactly where, but a couple imps were ready to process me just a second ago. I need your cave to expedite my exit from this place unnoticed.”
“Have you the bargain?”
“I’m not making an arrangement with you! This matter can be repaid later. Now, let me through!”
“Always the same with your types, no heed for the traditions. They were set down for a reason you know.” He paced in front of her, sucking on his left thumb, when he turned on her suddenly; he plucked his thumb out which resulted in saliva landing on Samantha. Behind him, the door opened wide and fell away. All the way back along the cave were glittering walls and a blue light, drifting far away. “Follow the light, then when you seem to be almost getting too close there is a branch to the left, well a chute really. Hold on tight, cause you’ll be in for a bumpy ride.” He waited for a laugh or something. Samantha just stared at the cave in awe. “I’ll never understand humor.”
“Thank you, I owe you, big.” With that she was through the door, crawling at first and then the cave widened all around and she was able to stand up. She hurried along.
“You have done well, Lapis.” The yellow eyes moved along the shadows edge. “She will lead us to the gate.”
Lapis jumped and turned. “I thought I felt your presence Lord Tyr.”
“I owe you, Lapis, I shall make the same arrangements as before. As tradition dictates, is that not so.” Lapis did not smile with greed, but sullenly shook his head in agreement. “Which person do you trust will honor their word?”
Lapis looked back at the cave and held his breath, for he was not sure what the question really entailed.
9/8/4 6:13pm – 7:10pm
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