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For copyright and disclaimers, please see chapter one.
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12 – Interlude Two, Third Year
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Thursday, February 1, 2001: (Gregorian)
Triton, Neptune Orbit, Cassidy Yates: 06:00
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"Good morning, Miss Bundy," Alfred said as the stasis field collapsed. "Welcome to the twenty-first century."
"I'm... I'm alive? It worked?"
A soft chuckle, "It certainly did. Careful, now," he warned, as he moved the remote to assist, "The gravity is weak, step carefully."
"Gravity?" she asked.
"The force you feel pulling you 'down'," he replied as she sat. "Push up very gently against the chair arms; you should feel some straps you're sitting on. Buckle them about your waist to stay in one place." She played with the catch on the seat belt; then he asked, "Would you like anything to eat or drink?"
"Water, please. I'm dry as a bone." She watched, fascinated, as the remote floated over to her, carrying a bottle of water. She puzzled out opening the bottle, asking, "What's next?" as she rubbed the goose bumps on her arms.
"Are you cold?" Anne nodded, he replied, "My apologies. I do not require an atmosphere or more than minimal heat. When I pressurized the ship, I set what I thought was an adequate temperature." She heard a door hiss open, "I have replicated a ship's suit for you. Please hold on to the remote until you become accustomed to low gravity."
She released her seat belt, asking, "Can you not increase the... gravity, was it? Yes, can you produce your own gravity?"
"Very good, Miss Bundy! Indeed, I can produce a range of gravities. However, there are several reasons I have not. Gravity above the moon's ambient will be detectible, and we are hiding. The power expenditure for greater levels of heating would also be noticeable, and you need to learn how to maneuver in low and null gravity. You do not require underclothing, is that what you are searching for?"
"Yes, how do I put this on?"
"Meaning no insult, but do you wish to bathe first? Some people find it more comfortable to do so first."
"Yes, thank you. I remember something about a 'sonic' shower?"
"Ah, yes. There are three 'seashells', smallest to largest, which correspond to increasing strength. I would suggest the lowest level; also look about in there for a silver tube labeled 'suit lubricant'. Some find it easier to don their suit when the interfaces are coated. I shall not monitor you while you are bathing, unless you call me."
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"Do you feel better, Miss Bundy?"
"I do, thank you, Alfred," Anne smiled. "How do I put this on and what about when I need to..." she motioned to the small head.
"Your natural processes? The suit will handle biological waste, including the female menstrual cycle. All you will need to do is to take a hydro shower at least once a month while wearing it, which will flush the holding tanks and regenerate the oxygen cells. If you wish to wash your hair before then, a sonic will handle that task." He cleared his throat, "Some persons prefer to cut their hair short, or shave it off altogether, as long hair interferes with the helmet seal."
"Where are these 'tanks' you mention?" Anne asked, holding up the black garment. "Is the helmet the glass bowl?"
"It is. To don the suit, you enter it from the back. Do you see paired bumps on either side of the opening slit, at the bottom, middle, and top?" Anne nodded, "Pinch them together, one hand on one pair, the other on the next one, and they will seal."
"It vanished! All I see are the bumps!"
"When the helmet is on, you cannot open the suit, a safety measure. Pinch the bumps again, the suit will open." Anne did so, with a soft cry of amazement as she sat on her bunk. Alfred chuckled, "Given your background, Miss Bundy, you are handling this very well. To continue, pull the legs up, making sure the toes are properly seated. It will stretch a bit, did you bring the lubricant?" She nodded, "Inside, there are three connectors, take a bit of lubricant on your fingers, not too much, and coat it over them. The thin tube is for urination, the second is for..."
"Thank you, Alfred, I can guess. Might you... turn away for a moment?"
"Certainly, please ensure they are well seated. Call me when you are ready."
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"Alfred? I believe this is correct, and thank you for your discretion."
He re-enabled his camera, and saw that she had done up the back of the suit, wearing what appeared to be a high, tight black turtleneck leotard over white tights. "It appears so. I have taken the default settings for Miss Yates and Miss Wayne regarding the support of your mammary glands, I do hope it is comfortable."
"'Tis so, much better than the 'bra' I wore before. It does not pinch. Even the connectors are not uncomfortable, just... unusual. I am not accustomed to feeling them there, or sitting on them." She moved her arms about, fluffing her hair. "I shall become adjusted to them."
"Excellent. You should find a pair of black boots in one of the drawers under the bunk. They should cover your lower leg, and close in the same way." He watched her hunt, finding them and sliding them on. "Miss Yates prefers a higher heel on hers, some ten centimeters, while Miss Wayne prefers none. I have averaged them; please inform me of your preferences." She nodded, "On the inside of each wrist, there are medications panels, on the outside are control panels. Pinch the wrist to show and hide them." She did so, "Do you see a black circular button to the upper right of the panel? Touch it; an emergency field will protect your head. You will then have three minutes to don your helmet." She nodded, "To don your helmet normally, make certain all your hair is inside the helmet, pull it on and rotate it a half turn to the right, then press the black button." The helmet sealed shut, and she experimented with it. "This is most interesting, Alfred."
"Indeed. If you use the helmet for several hours, the suit must be recharged. In the same drawer as the boots, did you see a metal collar, about three centimeters wide?"
She slid the drawer open, "About an inch wide? Aye, I do. I presume I remove the helmet, and place it on my suit?"
"Correct. It latches and releases with the two bumps. Put it on before you sleep, remove it when you awaken. Finally, the current settings for the suit are the standard. On the control panel, press the yellow button twice, then 68, and the green button, you will have a school uniform identical to Miss Wayne's."
"Oh, my!" she looked about, "I did fancy the standard, though."
"Yellow twice, then 00, and green," The suit shimmered back, and she closed the control panel, asking, "What next?"
"Communication, after you had entered stasis, Headmistress Oldridge visited. Miss Yates asked that you send Headmistress McGonagall a message. They will see each other across the temporal field, and she can reassure them of your safe arrival."
"And my family," she said sadly. "I wonder if this has been a mistake, despite all the wondrous things I have experienced."
"Miss Wayne and Miss Yates anticipated your asking that question. In the drawer above the one you store your boots; they have some personal correspondence for you."
"Oh, thank you, Alfred!" Anne said, dropping to her knees and twisting the handle to unlatch the drawer. A bundle of letters rested there, along with one on top:
December 26, 1379
Anne:
If you're reading this, then you've decided to go ahead and make the big leap ahead. You're also probably feeling sad, you miss your family, and you're wondering if you've made the right decision.
For what it's worth, I lost my father just before I came to visit you. I know what you're feeling; you're thinking, 'My family will know!' and then realizing that you can't ask them anymore.
That's true, but don't forget, you have a much larger, extended family now, not only Cassidy and myself, but also Karen and Kelly, your blood relatives here in this century. You also have the support of Slytherin, Professor Snape and the rest of the faculty, and whatever else you might need. I've also taken the liberty of copying your letters from home, the originals, along with your trunk, went back to your home. Your wand is bundled with the letters; Professor Oldridge created a false one to send home.
Cassidy and I will see you April first!
Mattie
Anne sniffled, the replicator hummed, and Alfred's remote handed her a handkerchief. "Thank you, Alfred," she said, looking at the stack of letters. A note floated loose, she picked it up and read:
26-12-1379
Anne:
I've left a recording for you that Mattie doesn't know about – it concerns her future. Ask Alfred to play it, with 'code 255'. Even if Mattie sees this note (she shouldn't), the recording is keyed to you.
As far as you're feeling lonely, while Alfred isn't the best conversationalist, he does have a detachment we need sometimes. I've spend quite a few hours talking to him myself – you're not the only one far away from family.
As the saying goes, 'Hang tight' for a couple months (assuming you're reading this on first Feb), and study with Alfred. Mattie and I have revised his syllabus to help you fit in as best you can; you do have blood relatives here.
Cassidy
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Wednesday, February 15, 1380: (Julian)
Hogwarts, Great Hall, Slytherin table: 19:09
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"I'm sorry, Anne, but you can't come with us, and that's final!" Mattie shouted, Anne bursting into tears and storming out the doors. Mattie stood, clearly frustrated; then stormed out after her.
Once she passed through the main doors, she gave Cassidy the 'go' signal; the Yates' running lights flashing in reply. Picking up the pig, she flew up toward the top, reflecting on the scene in the Headmistress' office where with a borrowed wand, she had cast 'Avada Kedavra' on the unfortunate pig.
'Give her a few minutes to get to the top, there's a lot of stairs to climb,' she thought. 'She won't see me, but she'll see the green light I flash,' she mused, as Anne made a noisy entrance to the parapets, screaming about something. She paused, looked down and saw Mattie's green flash of light. Brushing her hair back in acknowledgement, she 'slipped', and fell with a piercing scream.
"Oof!" Mattie told her as she was caught, the transformed pig plummeting downward to hit with a 'crack' on the rocks below.
"Can we be seen?" Anne whispered, and Mattie backed off to watch, as Cassidy rushed out to 'help'.
"No, we can be heard, though," Mattie whispered in reply. "Have you ever thought about a diet?"
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"Why are you changing your shoes?" Anne asked as she stripped down for the stasis chamber.
"I was out running about the lake, thinking," Mattie replied with a grin. "See, I've got mud on them."
"And on my clean deck," Alfred complained.
"Why must I be naked?" Anne asked, Alfred replying, "It is necessary for the stasis field, Miss Bundy. I would need to cut your clothes off, this way, you shall retain them whole. They will be available when you awaken on February first."
"I thought she was going to be woken on April first," Mattie said.
Cassidy waved her hand, "My fault, Cap. I thought a bit of acclimatization would be best. Two months sound all right?"
"Two months that I might adjust myself to the twenty-first century? Will it be enough, I wonder," Anne said.
"I shall consider an instructional plan from my mountain cave," Alfred said.
Mattie asked, "I thought you were going to dig one on the Moon."
"Luna's too noticeable, it's too close," Cassidy said. "I suggested Triton, way out orbiting Neptune. There's nothing there but methane lakes and hydrogen sulfide. It's boring, boring, boring."
"As long as I can find you," Mattie said.
Alfred replied, "I shall relocate to Luna on March first, I surveyed a suitable cave overlooking Tranquility Mare, whereupon I shall release a probe. Is there anything else we need to discuss with Miss Bundy?"
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"Has Miss Bundy gone to sleep yet?" Headmistress Oldridge asked Cassidy soon after greetings were exchanged. She wanted to know that the plan had worked, that her student was safe. She wanted to see with her own eyes, not a bit of mysterious equipage.
"She climbed in a couple hours ago and 'blip'. Instant popsicle," Cassidy replied, stifling a yawn. "Sorry, it's been a long day. She's asleep, and Alfred's watching over her, she should stay that way until it's time to wake her up."
"Might I see her?" the Headmistress inquired.
"Certainly, this way, please." Cassidy replied, leading the way.
To her eyes, the stasis chamber resembled nothing less than a large coffin. She had to remind herself that it was an advanced medical device. Cassidy touched controls on a gleaming black glass panel, the lid turned transparent.
Surprised, the Headmistress exclaimed, "She's naked!"
"Well, of course. It works best that way," Cassidy explained, adding, "We've got her clothes set aside for her. We duplicated her letters from home, so she'll have them to remember her family.
"The poor dear looks positively mortified," Alberta said, and Cassidy grinned. Whispering, she continued, "Oh what glorious things you shall see when you awaken, little one. I but wish that I could see them too. May Our Lord watch over you always, child."
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Monday, February 27, 1380: (Julian)
Hogwarts, Great Hall, Slytherin table: 08:22
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The Korugarian Lantern gestured, the doors flying open with a crash. Her quarry was within, the false Lantern! One who dared to falsify the sacred Ring!
Mattie stood, holding up a hand to the High Table. "I think this gentlebeing wants to speak to me," she said.
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(Your Ring and Lantern are clearly of Guardian craft,) she admitted. (They are also clearly more advanced than mine. If you were taken unawares, sent back in time, it would also explain why you are not listed in my databases, why my ring is unfamiliar with your ring-code. Your pardon for the intrusion,) she started to rise.
"One moment," Mattie said, raising her hand. "By entering the way you did, you yourself may have endangered my timeline. These people are uninformed; I have been trying to keep knowledge of other life and star systems from contaminating their world-view." She smiled, "I will also need someone to operate my device, and ensure that the temporal parts are removed, to prevent temptation, you see. The other parts, the generator, beams, and so forth must be moved to my ship. Tungsten is tungsten, after all."
(That it is. Tell me of your ship.)
"We have installed and manumitted an AI aboard it," she ignored her shock, "At the time of transfer; it will be parked in a cave on a moon of the eighth planet. If you can operate the device, and then move the parts onto my ship, I would be appreciative."
(This I can do. Let me see your device.)
Privacy shield banished, they walked over to the control panel, their rings allowing them through the security screen. The Lantern examined the controls. "The device is synchronizing with the up-time device now," she told her. "You would need to monitor the power supply, and then create the transfer field at the correct time."
(When will you be transferring?)
"Thirty-four days."
(I shall arrive the day before, then.)
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Thursday, March 1, 1380: (Julian)
Hogwarts, Great Hall: 08:11
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Headmistress Oldridge stood, tapping her goblet with a knife. "May I have your attention, please? While I know that we're all upset with Miss Bundy's death, Miss Wayne has asked to say a few words."
Mattie stood, clearing her throat. "Thank you. You may have noticed my time-travel device in the Entrance Hall. The reason it's been humming is for a final alignment with the 21st century."
A loud buzz of conversation erupted, Mattie tapped her goblet again. "Thank you. This is your final notice, if you're going to write letters to your kin, you must give them to me by Friday the thirtieth. Please seal them and write your clan name on the outside, so I'll know who to give them to."
She took a sip from the goblet; continuing, "You may have noticed some vague shapes moving about. Those are your descendants, attending Hogwarts some six hundred years from now. The reason they're indistinct, as opposed to the ghostlike shape you saw on the first is to protect you from finding out the future, no matter how much we all would like it. It removes temptation." She raised her hand at the resultant buzz, "There will be about ninety minutes to an hour before and after the actual twelve o'clock transfer process, you'll be able to see them once again as fairly solid, colorful ghosts. You still won't be able to hear them, though, but they'll be eating lunch with us. For the Slytherin and Hufflepuff people, I'd like to mention that the dorms in the year 2001 are mixed, so don't be surprised to see girls in there. To simplify things, if you want to put a bit of paper with your name on your clothes with a sticking charm, we don't think it will do much harm."
Once again, Mattie had to tap her goblet. "Thank you. Just to give a word of advice, if you see your counterparts holding a small box that flashes a bright light, don't be concerned. It's a device called a 'camera', which is a way to take a quick portrait. It won't harm you."
She cleared her throat, "I've compiled a list of the people I know are at Hogwarts. If I don't call your clan's name, don't assume the worst, it may simply be that there's nobody school-age. I've jotted down every one I remember, so I apologize for anybody missing." Clearing her throat again, she began to read, "Abercrombie, Ackerly, Baddock, Belby, Bell, Binns, Black, Bundy..."
"What if she doesn't read your clan's name?" Melanie asked.
"You may not have any descendants at Hogwarts," Augustus shrugged.
"... Fawcett, Figg, Flitwick..."
"Or your clan's dead," Melanie replied.
"I think she's trying to avoid saying something like that," Augustus mentioned.
"... Hagrid, Higgs..."
Augustus poured another cup of tea, and listened with half an ear.
"... Malfoy," Mattie cleared her throat, and Augustus sat up, "... MacDonald, McGonagall, Potter, Pritchard, Quirk, Sinistra, Snape, Tonks, Trelawney, Vector and Weasley." She cleared her throat again, "You may have noticed a guest of mine. She's from a ... place called Korugar; she will be dismantling and removing the machine."
"Her skin was red," someone observed.
"So?" Mattie asked. "She's dismantling it so nobody, including myself, gets ideas about time travel. Once Cassidy and I have passed through, she'll dismantle it and dispose of the time-travel bits; I won't know where."
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Thursday, March 1, 2001: (Gregorian)
Triton, Neptune Orbit, Cassidy Yates: 05:00
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"Miss Bundy? Please awaken, it is oh five hundred. Miss Bundy?"
Anne groaned, throwing an arm over her eyes, and said, "Thank you, Alfred. Please move the lights to half." The cabin lights rose from their normal ten percent night-time setting (Anne had panicked at the pitch-blackness of her cabin the first night.), as she reached behind her to disconnect the cable from her suit's charging collar. "'Tis the first of March, is it not?" she asked, sitting up and twisting about from the waist to stretch.
"Yes, it is. Today we move from our icy cave to a rocky cave. You will have a much greater view of Earth from Luna." He added, "You do not need to remove my shielding generator from the mouth of the cave, my remote is perfectly capable."
She pulled her dark grey blanket aside, swinging her legs over the side. She wiggled her toes, reaching down to twist open a drawer, she pulled out her own creation, her black felt 'house slippers' (which had a mild magnetic charge on the soles); turning to make her bunk, fluffing the pillow. As she pulled the restraining net over the bunk, she told Alfred, "As it is the first of the month, a water shower for this morning, then breakfast, and I shall assist you in your preparations." She turned to regard her desk and his camera, "Yes, I am aware you do not need me, however, I wish to do something; I wish to be useful in some way. Do you not understand?"
"I believe so, Miss Bundy. Please remove your suit's charging collar; it is not designed for submersion, or use with the vacuum helmet." He chuckled softly, "Will you tell me why you insist on connecting it every night? It is not necessary."
"Thank you for reminding me," she said, reaching behind her neck to remove the updated charging collar and ignoring his question. While Alfred had done the actual construction, she had made several suggestions regarding it and her suit, and regarded it as 'hers'. Squeezing both upper and lower pairs of bumps, the gleaming silver collar was placed in the open drawer, which slid shut. "Cannot I simply say that it is pretty?" she asked.
"There is no one to see it," Alfred said, but Anne tisked, "There are you and I, Alfred, and as you have learned, as a woman I have a 'right' to confound you." She giggled, "The shower, please? I am so looking forward to going 'outside'!"
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The white cargo hatch lowered silently in the vacuum as Anne kicked off from the personnel lock, her practiced hands catching a grab rail at the edge. Uncoiling a short white ten meter tether from the belt around her slim waist, she moved to the outside of the ship, where she clipped a 250 meter blue tether line. Moving back, she released the white tether, coiling and securing it to her belt, then kicking off to move forward, the line playing out behind her. "I am reconsidering my hair, Alfred," she commented. "It does obscure my peripheral vision. Still, I wish to have the long, silky hair as we saw in the adverts." She whistled a jingle's tune.
"Those adverts are made on earth, not in space," he said. "It will depend on how much zero-gravity work you will do. The current fashion is for longer hair, and you will not be living aboard me when we return, much to my regret."
"Mine also," she said, pulling on the tether to come to a halt twenty meters ahead of him, at the edge of the cave's overhang. A golden shimmer hung before her, leading from a small shoebox sized device, tracing around the lip of the cave. Anne paid out another twenty meters for working room; then she secured the tether. "Please turn off the generator, Alfred." The gold field died, and Anne crouched in the microgravity as she started to unscrew a line that led along the floor, up and around the perimeter of the cave.
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Anne floated in the zero-gee of the cargo bay, past the beams and other equipment she remembered seeing in the Entrance Hall in the fourteenth century, which she had carefully secured with nets and lines. They had been carelessly dumped by someone, she smiled, her first lesson for working in space – secure everything! She had also learned the hard way about mass and momentum, a practical demonstration of Newton's first law when she broke several fingers moving the generator, crunching her hand against the bulkhead. The auto-doc quickly repaired her hand, and as she serviced the generator, it had been the first time she had worked in detail in vacuum. She smiled again as she recalled asking for the most difficult way to do the task, reasoning it the best way to learn. She had become so involved that she was amazed when she had finally looked up to find some twelve hours had passed, and she was not particularly fatigued!
Moving to the upper level, where there was a workshop and small equipment storage, she unclipped the short tether from the shield generator. "Alfred, where should I connect this?"
"There are diagnostic ports to either side of the workbench; they have blue and yellow stripes around them. Plug the cable into any of the larger ones."
"I see them. I'll use the lower left." She clipped the generator into a frame, uncoiling a length of the cable from the generator, resecuring the rest of the thirty meter length. Tightening it down, she asked, "What about the line that went about the perimeter of the cave, and the clips that held it?"
"There should be some smaller diagnostic ports, plug both ends of the cable in there. I installed five bolts; they should go in a drawer to the left. Don't forget your tethers."
"Good, I thought I had miscounted, I have all five, then." She worked for a few moments; kicking off toward the main cargo hatch. She secured the short white line, floating outside to disconnect her longer blue tether and coiling it. "Oh, my, this is fun!" she exclaimed. "What else might I do?"
"You are a natural spacer," Alfred said with a chuckle. "I propose a surprise for the Captain. If you continue to apply yourself, I have received updated materials for Guild certification. Would you like to sit the examinations along with Officer Yates?" She squealed in delight, he added, "Now, you have completed EVA work, what remains?"
"Equipment is secure," she mused, "You close the cargo hatch, and I return my personal equipment to storage."
"Correct, Miss, or should I say, crewman Bundy." She grinned happily as she floated toward the personnel hatch, the cargo hatch closing silently behind her.
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Thursday, March 1, 2001: (Gregorian)
Hogwarts, Great Hall: 08:45
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"Finally, for the Hufflepuff and Slytherin ladies, be aware that the dorms were not co-ed in the fourteenth century, so it is possible that you will see gentlemen from that time," Minerva said. "Your heads of house will be passing out copies of the school list from that year, if you have a kinsman on that list; it is very possible they will be sending you a letter for Miss Wayne to deliver." She glanced at the clock, "Off to class with you!"
The bell rang, the third-years instantly falling silent as Professor Snape appeared. He pursed his lips as he surveyed the class, finally saying, "This is one of the classrooms that we share temporally. For both of us, April first is a Sunday; unless you have a burning need to work on a potion, you should not be here."
He stalked about, "There are a total of one hundred fourteen persons at Hogwarts, faculty and student." His eyes glittered, "Yes, even I have relatives, a Miss Melanie Snape, who is fortunately a Slytherin."
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Thursday, March 1, 2001: (Gregorian)
Luna, Tranquility Mountains, Cassidy Yates: 15:28
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"Here we are," Alfred said. "For your first attempt, you did very well in plotting a course and at the helm," he added. "Much better than Miss Wayne's, but don't tell her I said so."
"Of course," Anne said. "My lips are sealed," and moved her hand across, then over her shoulder.
"What was that gesture?"
"'Tis something Cassidy taught me, one seals the lips, then throws away the key," she giggled. She sat up in the command chair, asking, "What is next?"
"Are you certain you do not wish to try a nap?" Anne shook her head, ponytail bouncing across the back of the chair, and he sighed, "As you wish. There is quite a bit of work ahead, and you do not need to perform all of it." She nodded reluctantly. "Very well, in the cargo hold we have some light mining equipment. I will use my armament to bore a hole, enlarging the cave ahead. This rough bore then needs to be enlarged to a thirty by thirty meter square, carried back inside the mountain to a minimum distance of three hundred meters. The rough cavern walls are then fused and pressure sealed. I know you enjoy working outside; however, cracks in the surrounding rock might cause cave-ins. Will you please let me perform the dangerous work? We do not have a miner's hard suit, a gross oversight, and I would much rather lose a remote than you."
Anne bit her lip, "I will still be able to help?"
"Yes, I would prefer that you practice with the maneuvering unit while I dig the holes. If you need assistance, I can override you remotely. Scanners and communication equipment needs to be installed on top of the mountain, holes bored for cable runs to an equipment room, the radiation shield reinstalled and an entrance ramp created. Officer Yates informs me that this will become a fairly substantial mining operation within a few years; we can give them an advantage. However, this also means you keep your studies up, they are your primary task." Anne reluctantly nodded, and there was a whine and 'thunk' as Alfred locked his main guns in position. "We shall review two dimensional trigonometry before moving on to three and four dimensional mathematics."
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Saturday, March 10, 2001: (Gregorian)
Luna, Tranquility Mountain Base: 19:04
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Anne attached her second one-meter tether to the quick-bolt in the rock, bracing her feet on either side of the ridge. Checking the co-ordinates again, she held on to the excavator in front of her, mounted to its series of quick-bolts. Pressing her helmet to the sights, she started to level off the small plateau on the mountain, hundreds of meters above the plain. As the controlled lightning blasted the rock, she thought of her former schoolmates, 'Augustus would never have dirtied his hands, and Melanie would have been too frightened to do this.' she mused. Releasing the trigger, she waited for the fine dust to settle in the one-sixth gravity. "I need a broom," she said.
"You need what?" Alfred asked.
"A broom, this little plateau is simply covered in dust!" she said as she pulled the yellow safety interlock out of the excavator, letting it dangle on its own tether. Coiling one of her tethers, she replaced it with a blue 250 meter one; then removing the other red one-meter tether. "Can I name this little plateau?" she asked.
"I do not see any difficulty with that," Alfred replied. "What would you like to call it, and why?"
"I should like to call it 'Oldridge Plateau', for the Headmistress, she would very much have enjoyed this." She sniffled a bit, "Pity she will not know."
"She can, Miss Bundy. Once we have this communication equipment installed, we can send email to Miss McGonagall. While Headmistress Oldridge will not have a physical copy, there is no reason Miss McGonagall cannot show her a photograph or a map."
"A photograph! I had forgotten about those! Oh, curse this medieval brain of mine!"
Alfred chuckled, "Do not concern yourself. My remote is on the way to you, it has the remote sensors, navigational beacons and other equipment."
"Other equipment? What else am I to install?"
"Not install, use. A camera, and a broom."
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Alfred detected an incoming signal on the new comm equipment:
To: Alfred, c/o Cassidy Yates
From: Batgirl, c/o JLA
Date: 10 March, 2001
Subject: Welcome
Alfred, if you're anything like your namesake, you're the soul of discretion. Our private sensor net detected your flight in from Neptune; the local Lantern has given us your registered engine signatures. From what Miss Yates has passed on through Hogwarts, you'll be there for a few weeks more, and she is how we got this comm frequency.
Minerva has already set up accounts for Anne, we've pre-authorized you to send and receive mail and Internet traffic through the JLA until you can get your own comm tied in.
Superman, our local Kryptonian, will be doing a high-altitude scan of you tomorrow to check and see if you need help. If you do, send an email to Help at this frequency, we're just a few hundred kilometers away.
To: Batgirl, c/o JLA
From: Alfred, c/o Cassidy Yates
Date: 10 March, 2001
Subject: Re: Welcome
I am indeed the very heart and soul of discretion; it is one of the strongest subroutines in an AI's programming. I thank you for the welcome, I have my comm channels set up, but I do not have mail servers as yet. If I might relay through you temporarily it would be appreciated.
To: Alfred, c/o Cassidy Yates
From: Oracle, c/o OracleSecure .net
Date: 10 March, 2001
Subject: FW: Re: Welcome
Attach: servers.encrypt
Please pardon the imposition, Batgirl forwarded to me your need for mail servers. I will have a server established for you within twelve hours; the details are in the attached file. Decrypt using your thruster engine signature.
As you may know, getting a new Top Level Domain is a very long, drawn out process. Your server is therefore registered under yates. wayneinterstellar .net (with Mrs. Wayne's permission). This will propagate out to the Internet within 72 hours.
Oracle
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Tuesday, March 13, 2001: (Gregorian)
Hogwarts, Headmistress' office: 16:56
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Minerva's computer 'pinged' with new mail, she sighed, just as she was about to go to dinner. Turning, she opened the new mail.
To: Minerva McGonagall
From: Anne Bundy
Date: 13 March, 2001
Subject: Hello from the moon!
Attach: Pictures
Hello, Headmistress McGonagall!
This is my very first email thing I have written. It is strange indeed to use this 'keyboard' contraption, instead of quill and ink! Alfred has somehow linked in with the planet's communication network, he calls it the 'Internet'. A marvelous thing, indeed, we have both been studying it most assiduously, although neither one of us can deduce why there is such a great interest in naked ladies. Have the men none of their own?
Setting that aside, this is a privy letter to you. My understanding of upcoming events involves Miss Wayne, once she properly arrives in this time, finding us and returning all of us to Hogwarts. As such, we have tunneled deep into this mountain, that we might be safe from the radiation. (This is pictures one through five that I have included.) In order to find our little hole, we have installed a 'beacon' and other equipment atop the mountain, drilling down to connect it. (These are pictures six through twelve.)
I must beg a kindness from you. As I understand the process, you will be able to see and write, but not hear or touch my former schoolmates. In honor of the Headmistress' sacrifices on my behalf (Alfred has played the recording of her visit to me.), I have named the highest point on our mountain 'Oldridge Plateau', it has been duly marked on Alfred's maps. (I have attached a copy.) I have also so engraved the rock there, where it shall last for eternity. The last series of pictures are of that engraving, and photographs of Earth from that spot. Unfortunately, clouds covered most of Scotland and Ireland at the time, although southern England, France, the Iberian Peninsula and the Italian boot are clearly visible.
If you could show these to her, as well as the last photograph, which Alfred took of me in the Captain's Chair, I would appreciate it greatly.
Miss Anne Bundy
Sniffling, Minerva paged through the photographs, including the one that showed, harshly lit, a smooth grey slab of rock. Etched into it in black were the words:
OLDRIDGE
PLATEAU
2001
To: Anne Bundy
From: Minerva McGonagall
Date: 13 March, 2001
Subject: Re: Hello from the moon!
Miss Bundy:
I shall be honored to do so.
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
PS: I am looking forward to seeing you in the flesh in a mere 18 days!
Still sniffling, she forwarded the photograph of Anne to Karen and Kelly's email accounts while a set of photos printed out for her to share.
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Friday, March 30, 2001: (Gregorian)
London, St. Mungo's locked psychiatric ward: 06:29
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Healer Fairburn stopped outside the ward, turning to Roger Webster and saying, "For the record, I am against releasing her. She is still delusional, still suffering from gender confusion. She has been through a traumatic experience and needs continuing therapy." He snorted, "Half of the time, she refers to herself in the feminine, half in the masculine. In addition, she has finally started her menstrual cycle in addition to the development of her breasts. Her masculine self is rejecting this, but her feminine self is using it to manipulate the nurses and orderlies."
"Our psychologist disagrees with you, Healer. She believes that returning her to school will be the best therapy for her, and the order committing her was only valid through the end of March. Today being the last business day of March..."
"Your so-called healer visited her once. Once! She has been the subject of professional inquiries..."
"All of which she has answered to the satisfaction of the licensing board," Mr. Webster said. "Face it, Healer; you do not have legal grounds to hold my client. Once she is released, I will transport her to another place, where she will no longer be your concern. I have clothing for her, if you will be so kind as to unlock the ward?"
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Friday, March 30, 1380: (Julian)
Hogwarts, Entrance Hall: 11:45
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"Miss Wayne," Augustus Malfoy called. "A moment of your time?" She turned, and he asked, "The other day, you seemed to hesitate when you mentioned the Malfoy name. Might one of my descendants be involved in your visit?"
Mattie considered, "Yes, she's the cause of it. I don't know if the spell she used is illegal or not, but I'm worried about my friends and relatives."
"I thought that might be the case." He pulled a scroll from his robes. "Please give this to her, something from her ancestor. What is her name?"
"Lucille. Lucille Malfoy."
"Thank you," he said with a small bow. "Please accept the Malfoy family's best wishes." He gave her a small smile, "You mustn't be late."
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