After I got to my temporary home, a studio apartment in central Long Beach, I called the WSA safehouse and asked to speak to Agent Rickman.
"Hello," asked Rickman.
"It's me, Colin Mallory," I said. "I think I've got a lead."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I saw the guy who tried to kill Angela yesterday. He got into a car with a woman. I recorded the license plate number. Here it is." I gave him the license plate number of that Toyota Camry. "If we can search the DMV records, we could find out where Van Dahl or his people are hiding."
"Excellent work," said Rickman. "Can you meet us here tomorrow?"
"Sure."
And that is what I did. After I woke up, got dressed, and ate a quick breakfast consisting of cereal, toast, and orange juice, I went over to Santa Fe Springs. I briefed Rickman on the details of what I saw at Circus Circus.
"Well, at least we have a lead," said Michael Hurley. "But of course, we don't have any working computers in here to log in to the DMV servers."
"Well, then we should go to the DMV," I said. "Maybe someone there could help us."
"They might have privacy laws here," said Angus Rickman. "We might not be able to check the license plate. We do not have law enforcement credentials here."
"I think I could come up with something," said Angela. "Colin, come with me."
And so I did. Angela got into the driver's seat of a red Toyota Samurai. She insisted on driving, due to the fact that she had a California driver's license.
"We're going to the DMV office near the apartment where the feds stashed me," she said.
And that was what we did. We arrived at a building located on Atherton Street in Long Beach. I read a sign identifying the building as an office of the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The California Republic flag flew proud and tall.
Angela and I entered the office. As I expected, there was a long line. So we waited. After about twenty minutes, we reached the front.
"Excuse me," said Angela, talking to a bespectacled young man. "I need to look up this license plate number."
"Uh, why," he asked.
Angela touched his arm. "Well, I'm considering buying a car from this lady. I just want to make sure it's not stolen. A while back, a friend of mine bought this car for only two thousand dollars. It turned out the car was stolen and the police took it back. The guy who sold her the car disappeared and she never got her money back. Please."
"Well," said the receptionist, smiling, "Okay." I saw him type into the terminal, and then he printed something. It took a minute for the printout to complete. "Okay, here is what we have from the DMV records. And you do not have to worry; it's not reported stolen."
"I'd like the record, please."
"Well, okay."
Angela looked at the printout. "Yes, this is the person I was hoping to see."
"Have a nice day, sweetie," said the receptionist.
"A pretty girl gets special favors whatever the world," Angela said to me. "But you'll be surprised as to who owns this car. I'll show you the printout when we get in the car."
"Is what you said about your friend true?"
"Yes. there was no reason to lie."
So we got back to the Toyota Samurai and Angela started the car. I read the printout.
Search for License Plate CA 3QRM994
3QRM994
VEHICLE INFORMATION
VIN: J1353246212
MANUFACTURER: Toyota
MAKE: Camry
MODEL: 1997
COLOR: Gray
REGISTRANT INFORMATION
REGISTRANT NAME: Van Dahl, Deana Danielle
DOB: 11/11/1977
SEX: F
HAIR: Blond
EYES: Blue
HEIGHT: 5 FT. 8 IN.
CURRENT ADDRESS: 222 La Verne Ave #2 Long Beach, CA 90803
California Republic Department of Motor Vehicles Record # 454244
After reading through it twice, I knew that the WSA had to see this.
"So his daughter is here," said Angus Rickman.
"Well, I figured that was his daughter," said Angela.
"From what I remember, the FBI suspects that Deana van Dahl is involved in her father's business. Apparently her involvement includes traveling to another universe to kill a witness. Apparently she went here and replaced her counterpart and is using her countperpart's apartment as a base of operations."
"So now what?" I asked.
"Well," said Rickman, "fortunately, this world's Deana used her own address to register her car, rather than her parents' address. We can stake out the place."
"Well, I don't think we can just break into her apartment and grab her," said Michael Hurley. "Trying to take her into custody is risky, especially since she is living in an apartment. We could be arrested and if that happens we certainly can't tell the police we're from another Earth."
"I just remembered something," said Angela. "About two hours before that guy tried to kill me, Deana ordered a drink from me. She asked me my name."
"Are you sure it was her?" I asked.
"Positive."
"I know what she looks like," I said.
"You got a good look at her?" asked Michael Hurley.
"Actually,. I met one of her duplicates last month. It was on this world where a plague killed all the adults ten years ago."
"Okay," said Rickman. "We'll have to stake her place out."
And so we did. Rickman drove the white Honda van to Long Beach and parked on La Verne Avenue, right across the street from Deana's place.
Given that Deana probably did not know whom I am, I went over for a closer look, while Rickman and Shays stayed behind.
Fortunately, I had the perfect cover story. Apartment #1 at 222 La Verne was available for rent. I knokced on the door of Apartment #1; no one answered. I decided to knock on Apartment #2. I hoped the man who tried to kill Angela does not answer; he might recognize me.
Fortunately, it was not him; it was some big freckle-faced fellow with shiny red hair. He was dresssed in a red collared shirt and blue jeans. I looked past him, and recorded every detail of the apartment that I could see.
"Yeah," he said.
"Excuse me," I asked. "I'm asking about the apartment across from yours that's for rent."
"Do I look like the apartment manager?" he asked. "The For Rent sign should have a phone number; call them if you want to talk about the apartment."
"Well, okay," I said. "But I'd like to get to know you better. We could be neighbors."
"I don't live here."
"You a visitor?"
"Someone is paying me to watch the apartment. A man's got to take care of his kids, you know." I then heard a phone ring. "Excuse me, someone's calling." I saw him go to a phone in the kitchen. I made sure to take a closer look. The living room had two sofas and a television and a stereo system. I also saw blankets on the sofas, as if people were sleeping there.
I then saw something else. I went over and took a closer look. It was a portable Sony stereo, with a radio tuner, a cassette player-and a CD player.
Compact discs had not been invented here; all the music is either on cassette or vinyl record.
"Hey!" shouted the man in the apartment. "Did I invite you here?"
"Uh, no," I said.
"Then leave!"
So I did.
I immediately told Rickman and shays what I saw.
"A CD player?" asked Rickman. "Well, we now know. I figured Miss van Dahl would bring music from her world to her temporary base of operations. So what we will do is wait for her to come home and then grab her."
"We don't know what she does for a living," I said. "Besides, she'll have bodyguards, and we can't just start a firefight with them. And we certainly can't get close to him. I think our friend with the gold tooth is her personal bodyguard, and he would recognize me."
"Maybe not," said Angus Rickman. "I've an idea."
I did not like Rickman's idea, but I guess it had to be done. I waited with the stakeout teams. Finally, one of them reported a gray Toyota Camry pulling into an alley right behind La Verne Avenue. It went into the garage that was behind the apartment building where Deana lives. Then they reported that Deana left the aprtment on foot, with her Negro bodyguard following closely.
They went to a bar on Second Street not far from the apartment. I went in there, wearing a red wig, with a red blose and red skirt. Netting covered my legs. I saw down at the bar and looked around,. It was a small, narrow place, with a pool table in the back.
I just hoped no guys tried to pick me up.
I had a Corona while I made sure Deana was in my peripheral vision. I hoped everything went according to plan. I then saw Deana head to the ladies room and I followed.
I went into the ladies' room. Deana went into the toilet stall. After a minute, she got out and washed her hands. As hse did so, I pulled out the Colt semiautomatic pistol and placed it at the base of her skull.
"Don't make a sound," I said. "I know you have a timer. Hand over the timer and I won't kill you."
"Who are you?" she whispered. "What timer?"
"I know that you're not of this world."
Suddenly she turned around and grabbed my right arm which was holding the gun. She then punched me in the face, and boy did it hurt! She then kneed me in the stomach and pain traveled up my spine and into my brain. She then pulled a pistol out.
My instincts caused my arm to deflect the line of fire, and a shot rang out. I knew this would attract attention and the plan to grab the timer failed, so I fled the ladies' room. A few seconds later, I was out on the street. I immediately headed back to the white Honda van.
"You managed to get the timer, right?" asked Rickman.
I shook my head.
"We know that Miss Van Dahl is on to us," said Michael Hurley. "She's probably going to hide until her timer runs out and she can return to her world."
"At least she won't be coming after me," said Angela. "We can wait for someone to come here and fix the stuff here and bring me home."
"I don't think we should give up just yet," said Rickman. "Deana van Dahl's timer is the best chance we have of gathering evidence against her and her father."
"She might have left this world already."
"Perhaps," I said. "But she can't leave at any time. She has to use a timer to get home, and she can only use the timer when it counts down to zero."
"You sure know how these things work," said Hurley.
"I've had a year of experience working with those things."
"We know where she is," said Angela. "We can just bust into her place and take the timers."
"You haven't thought this through," said Rickman. "That will attract the attention of the police, especially if it involves a shootout with her and her thugs. We don't know how much time is left on those timers; we can't risk involving the police."
"Deana came here to kill Angela," I said. "She might try one last attempt before the timer runs out. I mean, she would have an escape route. She goes and kills Angela and then she hides out with minutes to spare on the timer and then slides home."
Angus Rickman started thinking. "It's risky, but worth it. The attorney general will be pleased if I had something concrete about Galen van Dahl. After all, I know enough about trials to know that his attorneys will pull every trick in the book to discredit Angela here."
"I hope Rickman knows what he's doing," said Angela.
"Well, Jesus is looking after you," I said. "He didn't send me here to save your life only so you can get killed tonight."
The two of us were back in the casino in Circus Circus. Angela was dressed in a brown trench coat, and I was dressed like a man. We just wandered around the casino, mingling with the crowd.
"Hey!" someone shouted. I wondered if it was one of Deana's thugs.
I looked and saw Angela's boss.
"You didn't show up for work without calling," he said.
"I had other priorities," said Angela.
"Well, missy, you're fired! You'll receive your check in the mail."
"I guess I won't be using him for a reference," said Angela. "I wonder if Deana would try to get me in a public place."
"If she is seconds from getting home and she sees an opportunity, she will," I said. "It's not like the police here can extradite her from another dimension."
"We'd better make sure I'm not in the middle of a crowd."
We walked around and even gambled with some of the money provided to us by Agent Rickman. I then had this feeling. I felt we were being watched.
I knew I had this second sense since becoming unstuck. My guardian angel from another dimension is trying to tell me something.
I then saw him; the red-haired man who answered Deana's door.He was stalking us.
"We're being followed," I said to a hidden microphone. "I'm positive one of Deana's men is following us."
"Good," replied Rickman. "You know what to do."
I waded through the crowd and glanced behind, making sure they were following me. I got on to an Otis escalator that led to the parking structure. I crossed over the pedestrian bridge and entered the parking structure. I kept walking acorss the concrete floor.
I glanced behind, and saw Deana and company enter the parking structure. Then I sensed danger.
I ducked bwehind a car just as I saw a bright flash. I saw two of Deana's men firing laser beams at where they saw Angela. The beams appeared to pass right through her.
They wondered what happened, so they approached. They swiped their hands through Angela. It was then they realized they were dealing with a hologram.
It worked! I was glad those technicians were able to fix the holographic projector. I immediately opened fire on them with my Colt semiautomatic. the red-haired man was struck. I fired at Deana, but she ducked behind a Nissan pickup truck. She returned fire with her pistol, and we were firing at each other.
Then I looked and saw Angela, who donned a scarf and a black wig after ducking into a women's restroom in the casino. We kept our distance from Deana and that gold-toothed man as I opened fire at them. We went down an incline which led to the parking structure's first floor, and then we left through a door neat a stariwell, making sure Deana saw us.
We took cover among the parked cars in the valet parking lot. I saw a laser beam whiz just past my head. I had failed to take down Deana in the parking structure, and we were at Plan B.
Angela and I approached the corner of Pine Avenue and Shoreline Drive. I could see the Pike amusement park. There was no cover, but I had something that would make cover. I threw a smoke grenade and it created a smokescreen, which iobsucred us and allowed us to cross. We were lucky none of the bullets or laser beams hit us.
The Pike was closed, but I knew of a side gate that was unlocked. Angela and I went through the side gate, making sure Deana could see us. I glanced at the surroindings, with the midway games lined up in a row, and the outline of the wooden Cyclone Racer roller coaster in the background.
"We're in," I said. "I hope your team is ready."
"We're in position," I heard Michael Hurley say. "Rickman and his team should be moving in."
Suddenly, I saw a laser beam shoot past us. I opened fire at the direction it came from. I saw Deana's companion go down. Now I aimed the pistol at Deana herself.
I found out I was out of bullets! I had to take cover and load the Colt with another clip, so I took cover behind a trash can and did so. I then emerged ready to fire at Deana.
But then she aimed with her bodyguard's laser and fired. She seemed to miss.
But then I saw a light fixture crash down on me. I covered my face with my arms, but then thing hit me right in the forehead! And it hurt. I was real dizzy. For a moment I wondered if it was a fatal injury.
I saw Deana aim the laser. I was still too dizzy to get up. I fired the pistol in her direction, but the shots were off the mark.
And then I saw Angela fall.
No!
Deana walked up to where Angela fell and then kicked her. I concentrated as hard as my injured head will allow. She pulled something out of her pocket and looked at it intently. I knew it was a timer; she was checking how much time she had left before she could open the wormhole back to her world.
And then I heard shots. I saw Deana fall. I wondered if the WSA agents opened fire. But it wasn't them. It was Angela! She got up.
I ran to her, and then almost fell due to the blow to my head.
"Are you all right?" she asked. She touched my forehead. "You're bleeding."
"Nice idea," I said. "Pretending to fall when Deana opened fire."
suddenly, I saw people wearing helmets and body armor approach, all armed with lasers.
"You all right?" asked Angus Rickman as he approached.
"Well, Colin was hit in the head," said Angela. "Deana van Dahl...I shot her."
I looked at Deana. And then I saw the object she was holding. I went for it and picked it up. It was a small plastic object.
There was a flip panel, and I saw a digital readout. It read 3 minutes 52 seconds and was counting down. It was Deana's timer.
"Here's her timer," I said, showing it to Angela and Agent Rickman. We have a little over three minutes left.
Rickman took the timer. "We'd better do this now, or else we'll have to wait twenty-nine years," he said. He checked his watch. "It seems Daddy is expecting his little girl home at 10 PM sharp."
Angela and I looked as the timer counted down. It reminded me of my watch, which told me I would leave next evening. I saw it count down. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.
Then the timer read all zeroes.
Rickman presse a button, and the air started to shimmer. I saw a light, and the wormhole opened. I had not seen it in a long time.
"Well, let's do it!" shouted Rickman. One of the agents with him threw some things in; I figured they were grenades. "et's go!"
I saw Agent Angus Rickman jump into the swirling vortex, followed by six agents. The wormhole stayed open for quite a while, and then it closed shut.
"Well, there he goes," said Michael Hurley, looking at the spot where the wormhole was. "I hope he's okay."
"We'd better get you treated," one of the agents said to me. "I'll get a first aid kit."
a gauze was applied against my firehead and then it was bandaged. I looked at Deana. I heard that the agents would take her body back to the outpost before sending it back home.
I then noticed a set of keys that had fallen from her pocket; they were the keys to a Toyota Camry.
"We need to check the car," I said.
So we went back to the Circus Circus parking structure, Hurley and Angela and I. The police were already there. They had cordoned off the area where one of Deana's men fell.
"If he's alive," whispered Michael Hurley. "We'll have to bust him out."
As it turned out, the gray Toyota Camry that Deana was driving was in the floor above, and the police were not there. I figured they finished the search. There did not seem to be anything unusual about the car.
I unlocked the trunk and kicked the lid open. there was somethign wrapped in plastic, and it smelled bad.
"I'd better do this," said Hurley, wearing a pair of leather gloves. He drew the plastic back, and it revealed a corpse.
I could teel that it was a female corpse, with long blond hair.
That was the native Deana van Dahl.
"Looks like she was shot," said Hurley. "Apparently, her counterpart from our world murdered her and took her place." Hurley shut the trunk door.
"Now what?" asked Angela.
One of the agents walked up to us, holding a pistol. Hurley wiped the barrel and handle with a handkerchief.
"Holsd this," he told Angela.
"Why am I doing this?" asked Angela as she held the pistol, a nine-millimeter Colt semiautomatic.
"The police will investigate her murder once they find the body," said Hurley. "I am certain that was the murder weapon. By making sure your fingerprints are on the weapon, we can eliminate any chances of the police arresting an innocent person for this crime."
"What if there's another me on this world?" asked Angela. "I mean, she could be living on the other side of the country and you don;t know it."
"Your duplicate here is dead," said Hurley. "She fell sick and died when she was ten. The police will find the gun in the cart, they will dust it for fingerprints, and the only match they will get will match a girl who died at ten."
Angela placed the Colt semiautomatic on the floor in front of the passenger seat and then locked the car.
"Let's go home," said Hurley.
We were back in Santa Fe Springs. I received stitches for the cut in my forehead, and the field medic rubbed HealAll ointment which accelerates healing, something manufactured on their world. I also received drugs to deal with my concussion.
I sat in the waiting room, and I was a little sleepy.
"It was my fault," said Angela.
"What is your fault?" I asked.
"That that girl died."
"She was trying to kill you," I said. "You had to kill her."
"No, not her. Her other self from this world. She was murdered for her life here, so her counterpart could use her car and her apartment and her money so she could kill me. She wanted to kill me to keep me from testifying against her dad, and I wanted to testify against her dad to avoid going to prison, and I faced going to prison because I dealt tobacco, and I dealt tobacco because I started smoking when I was twelve. That cigarette led to that girl's death. I can't imagine how her parents will feel when they find out what happened, and how they will never get closure. It's all my fault."
I remembered Quinn feeling the same way. Quinn had built a sliding generator which led him and his friends on a journey where they eventually encountered the kromaggs. Three years later, the world Quinn grew up in was conquered by the kromaggs. Quinn had told me that the enslavement of his world was his fault; that they found his world because of the sliding machine he built.
"We must all live with our mistakes and learn from them," I said. "But you must know that the only person guilty of murdering Deana van Dahl is Deana van Dahl."
"I don't know," shwe said. "I don't know if I could face myself knowing what happened."
I woke up the next day. My watch told me that I had about fourteen hours left on this world. I had breakfast in the dining room. Angela had breakfast too. She said little.
A few hours later, Agent Angus Rickman returned.
"What happened?" I said.
"We busted Galen van Dahl," he said. "He was on the other side expecting his daughter; I'll never forget the look of surprise on his face when my agents and I emerged from the wormhole. It turned out his QTD was in a warehouse in Carson, and the warehouse corresponds to the location of the Toyota plant on this world."
"Well, I've seen many coincidences," I said.
"It turned out someone from our agency gave Van Dahl the information. She's in a federal jail now. I don't think the U.S. attorney will offer her immunity; she will be going to prison. Headquarters is also sending us the equipment needed to make our QTD functional again."
"What about me?" asked Angela.
"You're going back home," replied Rickman. "You have a court date tomorrow."
And so that is what happened. The QTD, or quantum translocation drive as they called it, was ready to go. Diana Davis was at the controls. Angela and I were in the embarkation room, along with Rickman. It was a huge, cavernous room, apparently it was used to transport cargo as well as people.
"We've established contact with home base," she said. "we are ready to open the wormhole."
And then I saw the wormhole open, glowing green.
"Wormhole destination confirmed as home base," announced Davis.
"Goodbye, Colin," said Angela. "I'll never forget you.
I kissed her on the cheek. "Goodbye."
"I'll look up your counterpart on my world if he exists," said Angela. "I wonder if he's different from you."
"Only one way to find out."
Then Angela entered the wormhokle and went home.
"I'd better escort her," said Rickman.
"You coming back?" I asked.
"In five minutes," he said, showing me a timer with five minutes programmed in. He then jumped in.
The wormhole then closed.
I spent the rest of the day in the Circus Circus casino, gambling what I had left. I made sure to buy snacks and bottled water from the gift shop. I looked back at the events of the past few days.
"I know you're out there, Quinn," I said.
And then it was time for me to go.
The casino disappeared and I looked at my new surroundings. It looked like an office; there was a computer on a desk and some cardboard boxes stacked in a corner. I checked my watch; there was twenty-two minutes left in this world. Not enough time to locate Quinn.
I left the office, and it led to a dark room lit with few lights. There was music on. It was strange and incomprehensible. I looked and saw a whole bunch of people dancing on a dance floor.
I went down and decided to enjoy myself with the little time I had here. It was then I noticed something about the people here.
They were all kromaggs.
"Hello," asked Rickman.
"It's me, Colin Mallory," I said. "I think I've got a lead."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I saw the guy who tried to kill Angela yesterday. He got into a car with a woman. I recorded the license plate number. Here it is." I gave him the license plate number of that Toyota Camry. "If we can search the DMV records, we could find out where Van Dahl or his people are hiding."
"Excellent work," said Rickman. "Can you meet us here tomorrow?"
"Sure."
And that is what I did. After I woke up, got dressed, and ate a quick breakfast consisting of cereal, toast, and orange juice, I went over to Santa Fe Springs. I briefed Rickman on the details of what I saw at Circus Circus.
"Well, at least we have a lead," said Michael Hurley. "But of course, we don't have any working computers in here to log in to the DMV servers."
"Well, then we should go to the DMV," I said. "Maybe someone there could help us."
"They might have privacy laws here," said Angus Rickman. "We might not be able to check the license plate. We do not have law enforcement credentials here."
"I think I could come up with something," said Angela. "Colin, come with me."
And so I did. Angela got into the driver's seat of a red Toyota Samurai. She insisted on driving, due to the fact that she had a California driver's license.
"We're going to the DMV office near the apartment where the feds stashed me," she said.
And that was what we did. We arrived at a building located on Atherton Street in Long Beach. I read a sign identifying the building as an office of the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The California Republic flag flew proud and tall.
Angela and I entered the office. As I expected, there was a long line. So we waited. After about twenty minutes, we reached the front.
"Excuse me," said Angela, talking to a bespectacled young man. "I need to look up this license plate number."
"Uh, why," he asked.
Angela touched his arm. "Well, I'm considering buying a car from this lady. I just want to make sure it's not stolen. A while back, a friend of mine bought this car for only two thousand dollars. It turned out the car was stolen and the police took it back. The guy who sold her the car disappeared and she never got her money back. Please."
"Well," said the receptionist, smiling, "Okay." I saw him type into the terminal, and then he printed something. It took a minute for the printout to complete. "Okay, here is what we have from the DMV records. And you do not have to worry; it's not reported stolen."
"I'd like the record, please."
"Well, okay."
Angela looked at the printout. "Yes, this is the person I was hoping to see."
"Have a nice day, sweetie," said the receptionist.
"A pretty girl gets special favors whatever the world," Angela said to me. "But you'll be surprised as to who owns this car. I'll show you the printout when we get in the car."
"Is what you said about your friend true?"
"Yes. there was no reason to lie."
So we got back to the Toyota Samurai and Angela started the car. I read the printout.
Search for License Plate CA 3QRM994
3QRM994
VEHICLE INFORMATION
VIN: J1353246212
MANUFACTURER: Toyota
MAKE: Camry
MODEL: 1997
COLOR: Gray
REGISTRANT INFORMATION
REGISTRANT NAME: Van Dahl, Deana Danielle
DOB: 11/11/1977
SEX: F
HAIR: Blond
EYES: Blue
HEIGHT: 5 FT. 8 IN.
CURRENT ADDRESS: 222 La Verne Ave #2 Long Beach, CA 90803
California Republic Department of Motor Vehicles Record # 454244
After reading through it twice, I knew that the WSA had to see this.
"So his daughter is here," said Angus Rickman.
"Well, I figured that was his daughter," said Angela.
"From what I remember, the FBI suspects that Deana van Dahl is involved in her father's business. Apparently her involvement includes traveling to another universe to kill a witness. Apparently she went here and replaced her counterpart and is using her countperpart's apartment as a base of operations."
"So now what?" I asked.
"Well," said Rickman, "fortunately, this world's Deana used her own address to register her car, rather than her parents' address. We can stake out the place."
"Well, I don't think we can just break into her apartment and grab her," said Michael Hurley. "Trying to take her into custody is risky, especially since she is living in an apartment. We could be arrested and if that happens we certainly can't tell the police we're from another Earth."
"I just remembered something," said Angela. "About two hours before that guy tried to kill me, Deana ordered a drink from me. She asked me my name."
"Are you sure it was her?" I asked.
"Positive."
"I know what she looks like," I said.
"You got a good look at her?" asked Michael Hurley.
"Actually,. I met one of her duplicates last month. It was on this world where a plague killed all the adults ten years ago."
"Okay," said Rickman. "We'll have to stake her place out."
And so we did. Rickman drove the white Honda van to Long Beach and parked on La Verne Avenue, right across the street from Deana's place.
Given that Deana probably did not know whom I am, I went over for a closer look, while Rickman and Shays stayed behind.
Fortunately, I had the perfect cover story. Apartment #1 at 222 La Verne was available for rent. I knokced on the door of Apartment #1; no one answered. I decided to knock on Apartment #2. I hoped the man who tried to kill Angela does not answer; he might recognize me.
Fortunately, it was not him; it was some big freckle-faced fellow with shiny red hair. He was dresssed in a red collared shirt and blue jeans. I looked past him, and recorded every detail of the apartment that I could see.
"Yeah," he said.
"Excuse me," I asked. "I'm asking about the apartment across from yours that's for rent."
"Do I look like the apartment manager?" he asked. "The For Rent sign should have a phone number; call them if you want to talk about the apartment."
"Well, okay," I said. "But I'd like to get to know you better. We could be neighbors."
"I don't live here."
"You a visitor?"
"Someone is paying me to watch the apartment. A man's got to take care of his kids, you know." I then heard a phone ring. "Excuse me, someone's calling." I saw him go to a phone in the kitchen. I made sure to take a closer look. The living room had two sofas and a television and a stereo system. I also saw blankets on the sofas, as if people were sleeping there.
I then saw something else. I went over and took a closer look. It was a portable Sony stereo, with a radio tuner, a cassette player-and a CD player.
Compact discs had not been invented here; all the music is either on cassette or vinyl record.
"Hey!" shouted the man in the apartment. "Did I invite you here?"
"Uh, no," I said.
"Then leave!"
So I did.
I immediately told Rickman and shays what I saw.
"A CD player?" asked Rickman. "Well, we now know. I figured Miss van Dahl would bring music from her world to her temporary base of operations. So what we will do is wait for her to come home and then grab her."
"We don't know what she does for a living," I said. "Besides, she'll have bodyguards, and we can't just start a firefight with them. And we certainly can't get close to him. I think our friend with the gold tooth is her personal bodyguard, and he would recognize me."
"Maybe not," said Angus Rickman. "I've an idea."
I did not like Rickman's idea, but I guess it had to be done. I waited with the stakeout teams. Finally, one of them reported a gray Toyota Camry pulling into an alley right behind La Verne Avenue. It went into the garage that was behind the apartment building where Deana lives. Then they reported that Deana left the aprtment on foot, with her Negro bodyguard following closely.
They went to a bar on Second Street not far from the apartment. I went in there, wearing a red wig, with a red blose and red skirt. Netting covered my legs. I saw down at the bar and looked around,. It was a small, narrow place, with a pool table in the back.
I just hoped no guys tried to pick me up.
I had a Corona while I made sure Deana was in my peripheral vision. I hoped everything went according to plan. I then saw Deana head to the ladies room and I followed.
I went into the ladies' room. Deana went into the toilet stall. After a minute, she got out and washed her hands. As hse did so, I pulled out the Colt semiautomatic pistol and placed it at the base of her skull.
"Don't make a sound," I said. "I know you have a timer. Hand over the timer and I won't kill you."
"Who are you?" she whispered. "What timer?"
"I know that you're not of this world."
Suddenly she turned around and grabbed my right arm which was holding the gun. She then punched me in the face, and boy did it hurt! She then kneed me in the stomach and pain traveled up my spine and into my brain. She then pulled a pistol out.
My instincts caused my arm to deflect the line of fire, and a shot rang out. I knew this would attract attention and the plan to grab the timer failed, so I fled the ladies' room. A few seconds later, I was out on the street. I immediately headed back to the white Honda van.
"You managed to get the timer, right?" asked Rickman.
I shook my head.
"We know that Miss Van Dahl is on to us," said Michael Hurley. "She's probably going to hide until her timer runs out and she can return to her world."
"At least she won't be coming after me," said Angela. "We can wait for someone to come here and fix the stuff here and bring me home."
"I don't think we should give up just yet," said Rickman. "Deana van Dahl's timer is the best chance we have of gathering evidence against her and her father."
"She might have left this world already."
"Perhaps," I said. "But she can't leave at any time. She has to use a timer to get home, and she can only use the timer when it counts down to zero."
"You sure know how these things work," said Hurley.
"I've had a year of experience working with those things."
"We know where she is," said Angela. "We can just bust into her place and take the timers."
"You haven't thought this through," said Rickman. "That will attract the attention of the police, especially if it involves a shootout with her and her thugs. We don't know how much time is left on those timers; we can't risk involving the police."
"Deana came here to kill Angela," I said. "She might try one last attempt before the timer runs out. I mean, she would have an escape route. She goes and kills Angela and then she hides out with minutes to spare on the timer and then slides home."
Angus Rickman started thinking. "It's risky, but worth it. The attorney general will be pleased if I had something concrete about Galen van Dahl. After all, I know enough about trials to know that his attorneys will pull every trick in the book to discredit Angela here."
"I hope Rickman knows what he's doing," said Angela.
"Well, Jesus is looking after you," I said. "He didn't send me here to save your life only so you can get killed tonight."
The two of us were back in the casino in Circus Circus. Angela was dressed in a brown trench coat, and I was dressed like a man. We just wandered around the casino, mingling with the crowd.
"Hey!" someone shouted. I wondered if it was one of Deana's thugs.
I looked and saw Angela's boss.
"You didn't show up for work without calling," he said.
"I had other priorities," said Angela.
"Well, missy, you're fired! You'll receive your check in the mail."
"I guess I won't be using him for a reference," said Angela. "I wonder if Deana would try to get me in a public place."
"If she is seconds from getting home and she sees an opportunity, she will," I said. "It's not like the police here can extradite her from another dimension."
"We'd better make sure I'm not in the middle of a crowd."
We walked around and even gambled with some of the money provided to us by Agent Rickman. I then had this feeling. I felt we were being watched.
I knew I had this second sense since becoming unstuck. My guardian angel from another dimension is trying to tell me something.
I then saw him; the red-haired man who answered Deana's door.He was stalking us.
"We're being followed," I said to a hidden microphone. "I'm positive one of Deana's men is following us."
"Good," replied Rickman. "You know what to do."
I waded through the crowd and glanced behind, making sure they were following me. I got on to an Otis escalator that led to the parking structure. I crossed over the pedestrian bridge and entered the parking structure. I kept walking acorss the concrete floor.
I glanced behind, and saw Deana and company enter the parking structure. Then I sensed danger.
I ducked bwehind a car just as I saw a bright flash. I saw two of Deana's men firing laser beams at where they saw Angela. The beams appeared to pass right through her.
They wondered what happened, so they approached. They swiped their hands through Angela. It was then they realized they were dealing with a hologram.
It worked! I was glad those technicians were able to fix the holographic projector. I immediately opened fire on them with my Colt semiautomatic. the red-haired man was struck. I fired at Deana, but she ducked behind a Nissan pickup truck. She returned fire with her pistol, and we were firing at each other.
Then I looked and saw Angela, who donned a scarf and a black wig after ducking into a women's restroom in the casino. We kept our distance from Deana and that gold-toothed man as I opened fire at them. We went down an incline which led to the parking structure's first floor, and then we left through a door neat a stariwell, making sure Deana saw us.
We took cover among the parked cars in the valet parking lot. I saw a laser beam whiz just past my head. I had failed to take down Deana in the parking structure, and we were at Plan B.
Angela and I approached the corner of Pine Avenue and Shoreline Drive. I could see the Pike amusement park. There was no cover, but I had something that would make cover. I threw a smoke grenade and it created a smokescreen, which iobsucred us and allowed us to cross. We were lucky none of the bullets or laser beams hit us.
The Pike was closed, but I knew of a side gate that was unlocked. Angela and I went through the side gate, making sure Deana could see us. I glanced at the surroindings, with the midway games lined up in a row, and the outline of the wooden Cyclone Racer roller coaster in the background.
"We're in," I said. "I hope your team is ready."
"We're in position," I heard Michael Hurley say. "Rickman and his team should be moving in."
Suddenly, I saw a laser beam shoot past us. I opened fire at the direction it came from. I saw Deana's companion go down. Now I aimed the pistol at Deana herself.
I found out I was out of bullets! I had to take cover and load the Colt with another clip, so I took cover behind a trash can and did so. I then emerged ready to fire at Deana.
But then she aimed with her bodyguard's laser and fired. She seemed to miss.
But then I saw a light fixture crash down on me. I covered my face with my arms, but then thing hit me right in the forehead! And it hurt. I was real dizzy. For a moment I wondered if it was a fatal injury.
I saw Deana aim the laser. I was still too dizzy to get up. I fired the pistol in her direction, but the shots were off the mark.
And then I saw Angela fall.
No!
Deana walked up to where Angela fell and then kicked her. I concentrated as hard as my injured head will allow. She pulled something out of her pocket and looked at it intently. I knew it was a timer; she was checking how much time she had left before she could open the wormhole back to her world.
And then I heard shots. I saw Deana fall. I wondered if the WSA agents opened fire. But it wasn't them. It was Angela! She got up.
I ran to her, and then almost fell due to the blow to my head.
"Are you all right?" she asked. She touched my forehead. "You're bleeding."
"Nice idea," I said. "Pretending to fall when Deana opened fire."
suddenly, I saw people wearing helmets and body armor approach, all armed with lasers.
"You all right?" asked Angus Rickman as he approached.
"Well, Colin was hit in the head," said Angela. "Deana van Dahl...I shot her."
I looked at Deana. And then I saw the object she was holding. I went for it and picked it up. It was a small plastic object.
There was a flip panel, and I saw a digital readout. It read 3 minutes 52 seconds and was counting down. It was Deana's timer.
"Here's her timer," I said, showing it to Angela and Agent Rickman. We have a little over three minutes left.
Rickman took the timer. "We'd better do this now, or else we'll have to wait twenty-nine years," he said. He checked his watch. "It seems Daddy is expecting his little girl home at 10 PM sharp."
Angela and I looked as the timer counted down. It reminded me of my watch, which told me I would leave next evening. I saw it count down. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.
Then the timer read all zeroes.
Rickman presse a button, and the air started to shimmer. I saw a light, and the wormhole opened. I had not seen it in a long time.
"Well, let's do it!" shouted Rickman. One of the agents with him threw some things in; I figured they were grenades. "et's go!"
I saw Agent Angus Rickman jump into the swirling vortex, followed by six agents. The wormhole stayed open for quite a while, and then it closed shut.
"Well, there he goes," said Michael Hurley, looking at the spot where the wormhole was. "I hope he's okay."
"We'd better get you treated," one of the agents said to me. "I'll get a first aid kit."
a gauze was applied against my firehead and then it was bandaged. I looked at Deana. I heard that the agents would take her body back to the outpost before sending it back home.
I then noticed a set of keys that had fallen from her pocket; they were the keys to a Toyota Camry.
"We need to check the car," I said.
So we went back to the Circus Circus parking structure, Hurley and Angela and I. The police were already there. They had cordoned off the area where one of Deana's men fell.
"If he's alive," whispered Michael Hurley. "We'll have to bust him out."
As it turned out, the gray Toyota Camry that Deana was driving was in the floor above, and the police were not there. I figured they finished the search. There did not seem to be anything unusual about the car.
I unlocked the trunk and kicked the lid open. there was somethign wrapped in plastic, and it smelled bad.
"I'd better do this," said Hurley, wearing a pair of leather gloves. He drew the plastic back, and it revealed a corpse.
I could teel that it was a female corpse, with long blond hair.
That was the native Deana van Dahl.
"Looks like she was shot," said Hurley. "Apparently, her counterpart from our world murdered her and took her place." Hurley shut the trunk door.
"Now what?" asked Angela.
One of the agents walked up to us, holding a pistol. Hurley wiped the barrel and handle with a handkerchief.
"Holsd this," he told Angela.
"Why am I doing this?" asked Angela as she held the pistol, a nine-millimeter Colt semiautomatic.
"The police will investigate her murder once they find the body," said Hurley. "I am certain that was the murder weapon. By making sure your fingerprints are on the weapon, we can eliminate any chances of the police arresting an innocent person for this crime."
"What if there's another me on this world?" asked Angela. "I mean, she could be living on the other side of the country and you don;t know it."
"Your duplicate here is dead," said Hurley. "She fell sick and died when she was ten. The police will find the gun in the cart, they will dust it for fingerprints, and the only match they will get will match a girl who died at ten."
Angela placed the Colt semiautomatic on the floor in front of the passenger seat and then locked the car.
"Let's go home," said Hurley.
We were back in Santa Fe Springs. I received stitches for the cut in my forehead, and the field medic rubbed HealAll ointment which accelerates healing, something manufactured on their world. I also received drugs to deal with my concussion.
I sat in the waiting room, and I was a little sleepy.
"It was my fault," said Angela.
"What is your fault?" I asked.
"That that girl died."
"She was trying to kill you," I said. "You had to kill her."
"No, not her. Her other self from this world. She was murdered for her life here, so her counterpart could use her car and her apartment and her money so she could kill me. She wanted to kill me to keep me from testifying against her dad, and I wanted to testify against her dad to avoid going to prison, and I faced going to prison because I dealt tobacco, and I dealt tobacco because I started smoking when I was twelve. That cigarette led to that girl's death. I can't imagine how her parents will feel when they find out what happened, and how they will never get closure. It's all my fault."
I remembered Quinn feeling the same way. Quinn had built a sliding generator which led him and his friends on a journey where they eventually encountered the kromaggs. Three years later, the world Quinn grew up in was conquered by the kromaggs. Quinn had told me that the enslavement of his world was his fault; that they found his world because of the sliding machine he built.
"We must all live with our mistakes and learn from them," I said. "But you must know that the only person guilty of murdering Deana van Dahl is Deana van Dahl."
"I don't know," shwe said. "I don't know if I could face myself knowing what happened."
I woke up the next day. My watch told me that I had about fourteen hours left on this world. I had breakfast in the dining room. Angela had breakfast too. She said little.
A few hours later, Agent Angus Rickman returned.
"What happened?" I said.
"We busted Galen van Dahl," he said. "He was on the other side expecting his daughter; I'll never forget the look of surprise on his face when my agents and I emerged from the wormhole. It turned out his QTD was in a warehouse in Carson, and the warehouse corresponds to the location of the Toyota plant on this world."
"Well, I've seen many coincidences," I said.
"It turned out someone from our agency gave Van Dahl the information. She's in a federal jail now. I don't think the U.S. attorney will offer her immunity; she will be going to prison. Headquarters is also sending us the equipment needed to make our QTD functional again."
"What about me?" asked Angela.
"You're going back home," replied Rickman. "You have a court date tomorrow."
And so that is what happened. The QTD, or quantum translocation drive as they called it, was ready to go. Diana Davis was at the controls. Angela and I were in the embarkation room, along with Rickman. It was a huge, cavernous room, apparently it was used to transport cargo as well as people.
"We've established contact with home base," she said. "we are ready to open the wormhole."
And then I saw the wormhole open, glowing green.
"Wormhole destination confirmed as home base," announced Davis.
"Goodbye, Colin," said Angela. "I'll never forget you.
I kissed her on the cheek. "Goodbye."
"I'll look up your counterpart on my world if he exists," said Angela. "I wonder if he's different from you."
"Only one way to find out."
Then Angela entered the wormhokle and went home.
"I'd better escort her," said Rickman.
"You coming back?" I asked.
"In five minutes," he said, showing me a timer with five minutes programmed in. He then jumped in.
The wormhole then closed.
I spent the rest of the day in the Circus Circus casino, gambling what I had left. I made sure to buy snacks and bottled water from the gift shop. I looked back at the events of the past few days.
"I know you're out there, Quinn," I said.
And then it was time for me to go.
The casino disappeared and I looked at my new surroundings. It looked like an office; there was a computer on a desk and some cardboard boxes stacked in a corner. I checked my watch; there was twenty-two minutes left in this world. Not enough time to locate Quinn.
I left the office, and it led to a dark room lit with few lights. There was music on. It was strange and incomprehensible. I looked and saw a whole bunch of people dancing on a dance floor.
I went down and decided to enjoy myself with the little time I had here. It was then I noticed something about the people here.
They were all kromaggs.