PLANE
Chapter 2
Kate went with Alexis down the stairs, to the left, but she didn't take her down the corridor. Instead, she walked up to a door and opened it. At first, Kate thought there was a room right there, but the other side of the door was a wall with panels to touch.
"Give me your hand." Alexis held hers out to Kate but she didn't take it since she didn't understand. So Alexis grabbed her hand, pressed a panel, and they both vanished, only to arrive elsewhere.
All Kate really noticed was that the main room was gone and replaced with a hallway that was a mix of gray, blues, and greens, with lights glowing on the walls.
"That way." Alexis pulled her behind her.
"What was that?" Kate asked and followed along behind her.
"This is a big city. To get around we use instantaneous transport. Just open the door, select where you want to go, then press the panel. And it takes you there."
"Seriously?" Kate was surprised yet again. It sounded similar to Star Trek, yet different. Star Trek didn't do stuff like that.
"This room should be empty." Alexis let go of Kate's hand and pressed a panel. "And it is." Alexis opened it, motioned for Kate to enter, and followed her.
"Bed, bathroom is through the door, desk. It's simple, but it should work for you. This is the communications panel. You need something, press it, and someone will respond. Food is all served in a cafeteria in the tower, and yes, we're still in the tower. We just happen to be a lot lower down now. You press the panel, ask for the cafeteria, and it will provide you with a map showing how to get there. Simply memorize it. If you still get lost ask someone.
"I'm going to go change clothes since my attempt at finding Mr. Earnest Cline, better known as the Lich, is finished for a while now, thanks to you." Alexis was not happy that she had spotted her and had forced her to return home.
"Wait! How long am I going to be here?" Kate was somewhat concerned.
"Approximately three weeks. We need time for the mirror to cool down so we don't break it. Besides needing lots of power, they're a little fragile." Alexis turned to leave again.
"THREE WEEKS! I CAN'T STAY HERE FOR THREE WEEKS!" Kate yelled.
"Then you shouldn't have been there. Or tried to stop me. Didn't chase me down and touch the mirror. I have no idea how many people he's going to convert into Zombies now, or worse, and we can't do anything about it.
"Get some sleep, just rest, or go get something to eat. No one will hurt you here," Alexis told her.
Kate glanced down at the floor then looked up at Alexis. "You don't like me much."
"I was chasing a Lich that has the capability of not just killing people, but turning them into the Undead. And contrary to what you might think, there are a lot of Undead out there on the Prime Material Plane. Thankfully there are normally very few of them. But that Lich can create more now and has three weeks free to do so.
"It's nothing personal. It's just my job was to stop him. But instead I'm stuck here just like you are. So rest or go eat something if you're hungry." This time Alexis managed to leave her and the door slid closed.
"Undead don't exist." There was a logical reason why all those people looked like zombies. She just needed to find out what it was. Then she'd arrest Alexis for murder.
Kate took a look at the bathroom and was not at all impressed. This entire room was unremarkable. She sat down but couldn't stay like that. So she was up and over to the panel Alexis had pointed out and tapped it. "Cafeteria, please," Kate told it and instantly saw a map. She needed to exit the room, turn right, walk, turn left, and go down the stairs, effectively coming right back to where she was now, only down two levels.
"Got it." Kate went over to the door and watched it open for her. "Motion sensor." Kate walked out and turned right and followed her map in her head. She passed people going the opposite direction, but none of them tried to stop her.
The double wide door opened for her and slid to either side. Almost immediately she smelled food which made her stomach grumble. She did come here to eat, but she needed to know how it worked. Was it a real cafeteria?
Sure enough she had a tray, plate, and a napkin with silverware rolled up inside it. All she had to do was point, select a drink, and she was done.
Now where to sit? There was lots of space, so she chose a spot where she could be alone. She sat down, rolled out her silverware, and looked at what she had selected.
Rather unexpectedly someone sat down across from her. "You look new here," she commented and did what Kate had just done.
"Very," Kate confirmed. "Forgive me, but what are you?" She definitely wasn't human.
"Now I know you're new here. You've never seen a Fire Genasi before?" That was almost a first for her.
Kate shook her head. "Never. What is a Fire Genasi?"
"You've heard of the Elemental Plane of Fire?" She waited expectantly for an answer.
"Recently, yes," Kate nodded. "But I think he said you needed to be able to breathe fire there."
"Quite true, and I don't breath fire so I can never go there. Still, I have a piece of that Elemental Plane in my blood. Mostly it means I'm resistant to all things fire. I'm a Warrior for Good should the need arise. I train and practice till I'm needed.
"You're human, right? So how do you not know about me?"
"Something about Prime Material Plane." Kate saw the look of shock on her face. "I took a wrong turn somewhere."
Kate suddenly had the Fire Genasi's undivided attention. "You're from the Prime Material Plane? Tell me what it's like. I've never been there, at least not yet. I've never gotten the call."
"Not sure what to tell you. It's maybe a little darker, a little more dirty; we have billions of humans that come in different colors. I'm called Caucasian. We don't have your technology or anything close," Kate said.
"Interesting. No offense, but it sounds a little more primitive," she remarked.
"It is based on what I've seen so far." Kate knew it, so couldn't deny it. "Are there really undead?" Not all of them could be liars, could they?
"A lot of them. Demons, Devils, A Yuan-ti, Orc, Gith, Salads—"
Kate stopped her. "Salads?" Kate was thinking green leaf salads that she ate. Put some dressing on it and eat it.
"Big frogs. Oh, and then there are walking ants. There are hundreds and hundreds of different races," she told Kate. "Have you seen an Undead?" She sounded excited. "Those creatures have no excuse for existing. Dead should stay dead, not turn into a ghost and try to kill you back. That's just wrong." She shook her head.
"Where are my manners? I'm Talia."
"I'm Kate, and I think I saw zombies…maybe. It's just that zombies don't exist."
"Oh, they exist. They're easy to kill, though. They're all incredibly slow and dumber than this table." Talia tapped the table where they were seated. That had Kate chuckling.
Talia suddenly jumped up and stood straight as a post. "Commander Castle!"
"Sit, not in the cafeteria, please," Rick asked.
"Yes, sir." Talia sat back down and went back to eating.
"How's the food, Kate Beckett of the 12th Precinct?" Rick inquired.
"You know her, sir?" Talia regretted that instantly. Of course, he knew her. He was the Commander around here.
"She got a little lost and ended up here," Rick answered.
"Lost, yes, and the food is fine. Can't quite place it, but it's fine," Kate said, expressing her opinion.
"Just fine?" Rick frowned. "Things should be great or amazing, not simply fine."
"Things haven't been fine for a while now." But Kate didn't want to talk about it.
"Sorry to hear that. Perhaps we should find a way to adjust that thinking." Rick looked at Talia. "What do you think we should do to brighten her day?"
Talia was quiet for a couple minutes. "Has she gone riding yet?"
"Excellent idea! You're not afraid of heights, are you?" Rick queried.
"No." Suddenly she realized she didn't know what he was thinking. Riding sounded like riding a horse to her, but they were in the clouds. Still, he had said there were lots of green areas under the clouds.
"Perhaps tomorrow. Give her a chance to rest first." Rick settled down to eat and remained silent as did Kate and Talia.
"Would you like to select your ride, or let it be selected for you?" Rick questioned since they were all done eating and just sitting here.
"I hate surprises," Kate told him.
"Really? How unfortunate. Then perhaps we should find you a ride now, so you know what to expect." Rick stood up. "If you will excuse us?" he asked Talia.
"Setheldath?" Talia asked him.
"I think that would be a good place to start," Rick agreed.
"YES! You are going to love this." Talia knew just who he was talking about. She looked at her timepiece. "I have a class soon. It has been a pleasure to meet you, Kate. Perhaps we will see each other again."
"That would be nice." Kate stood as Talia left.
"Shall we?" Rick held out his hand to Kate She didn't usually walk hand in hand with anyone. Still, she took his hand in hers and walked next to him. To her surprise she found out how slow he walked.
"What happened to your leg, if I may ask?" She hadn't seen it yet since he was wearing pants.
"Eaten," Rick revealed.
"WHAT!?" Kate gaped at him as they walked.
"Eaten. You know, chomp, chomp, chomp." Rick demonstrated by chomping his teeth.
"You're serious?" He sounded serious, but Kate didn't want to believe it.
"Very serious, so was it. I was lucky to get away with only losing a leg. I caught hell from Alexis after that. She was just a little girl and spent half the day crying in my arms. Not a day I will ever forget. Now Alexis has my job. I assumed command of the city. It's not nearly as much fun. Full of paperwork and demands on my time I wasn't used to having. Took me a while to learn to delegate and trust that they would do it correctly."
Rick opened a door and since he still had her hand, asked her, "Ready?" It was the fastest way to get there.
"I hope so," Kate told him as she tightened her grip on his hand. In an instant they were back in the main great hall and he was leading her back up those stairs and out onto the balcony.
"I never get tired of this view," Rick murmured and kept her hand in his.
"I can see why." Kate was mesmerized by the view herself. "Are there gaps? Or are these rings?" Kate was looking more closely now.
Just then Rick heard the door behind him open and turned to look. "Yes?" He knew not exactly who it was, but what it was.
"Commander." He held out a scroll-like device.
Kate shifted around to look who had joined them and sucked in a breath. She put a finger on her lips to keep from saying something stupid.
Rick took it and rolled it out to read it. "Permission granted." He handed it back to him since it now held his approval which was law around here.
"Thank you." He spread his wings wide and jumped over the railing. At first he fell, but soon flew away.
"What was that?" Kate asked after she moved her hand before finally lowering it.
"That was an Inevitable. In this case a Zelekhut. An Inevitable is an intelligent construct. An Inevitable's only goal in life is to complete the mission for which it was constructed," Rick made clear.
"This particular Inevitable is to track down those that have escaped or denied justice, and to deliver them their rightful fate as it deems appropriate. If that is death, it will calmly execute them without delay, preamble, or ceremony. Inevitables work alone. Should they fail, another will be constructed and sent on the same mission.
"Capture is preferred. It will attempt to do so and bring it to justice. That one wanted authority to search this level of this Plane, and I granted it."
"You mean an AI?" Kate saw the blank look on his face. "Artificial Intelligence," she clarified.
"Essentially correct," Rick confirmed.
"So what was it exactly?" Kate didn't understand what it looked like. It was almost all gold in color save for areas that were white. Its wings were all gold in color.
"Do you know what a Centaur is?" Rick questioned her.
"Yes, they're half horse, half man. It's a mythical beast or person. They don't exist." Kate outright dismissed them.
"Oh, they exist all right. Think Centaur, only it's a construct with wings. Each Inevitable is tasked with enforcing one certain law. Once it starts it will never stop until it succeeds.
"This one is tasked with finding and retrieving someone if he is on this level, on this Plane. If he finds him he brings him here, and they leave using a mirror to that plane. An Inevitable is free to use our mirrors due to the laws they enforce," Rick said. "I have little choice actually."
"You rule here?" Kate questioned him.
"I do. The paperwork can kill you." Rick rolled his eyes and that had Kate grinning.
"You sound like the captain of my precinct," Kate told him.
"Perhaps we have something in common. Let's find you a ride for tomorrow." Rick raised his hands to his mouth and made a call. When he didn't see anything he did it again. Still nothing, so he did it a third time.
Then suddenly something really big was flapping its long wings to stay in place.
Kate screamed, hit the balcony floor, and covered her head with her hands, praying desperately she wouldn't get killed.
"Is she alright?" Rick was asked.
Rick shrugged. "Prime Material Plane."
"I see. What do you require?" Setheldath questions him.
"Someone suggested Kate here might like a ride tomorrow. Perhaps you can find a friend or family member and be here around three hours after the sun is up?" Rick queried.
"I can do that. Is she going to scream again?" Setheldath questions him again.
Rick started chuckling. "Let's hope not." Rick looked down at Kate lying flat on her stomach. He looked up and watched her fly away only to return tomorrow, probably with a daughter or son or maybe a brother.
"You can get up now." Rick began to apologize. "I'm sorry, I'm not used to dealing with people from the Prime Material Plane. I should have warned you."
Kate looked first, then slowly got up and took a really good look to make sure it was gone. "That was a dragon. An honest-to-god dragon. Right out of the fantasy books."
"Yes, she was. A Silver Dragon to be precise. I told you no one on this Plane would ever hurt you. I guess I thought you understood that. Again, my apologies."
"A FIRE BREATHING DRAGON!" Kate yelled at him.
"Technically she can breathe two different breath weapons. One is a freezing cold while the other is a paralyzing gas. No fire," Rick told her in an attempt to calm her.
"Some difference! One kills and the other paralyzes you. Some choice." Kate looked again just to make sure it was gone. Suddenly Kate found herself in his arms. His face was right in front of her and his lips were literally right there.
"Strictly speaking, Silver Dragons do not enjoy fighting. They happen to be one of the more intelligent beings on this Plane. That and they will outlive us all by hundreds of years.
"I told you no one here will hurt you. I don't lie," Rick assured her. Kate could feel his breath on her lips. His lips were even getting a little closer. He was going to kiss her! Was he going to kiss her? Did she want him to kiss her?
"She will be back with another of her kind so we can go riding," Rick told her.
Kate pulled her head away from his lips. "Ride a dragon!? Have you lost your mind!?"
"Not yet. It's perfectly safe. We even have saddles to ride them with. Just like riding a horse. You have ridden a horse before, haven't you?" If not then Rick would cancel their ride.
"Yes!" Granted the last time she had ridden a horse she was a little girl, and the horse was attached to this wheel. All they did was go round and round very slowly, so she wasn't exactly lying.
"Perfect! Then you're a pro. We're going riding in the morning. I'll come get you, take you to the landing place, and help you put your saddle on. This is going to be fun." Rick hadn't had a reason to do this in years. Somehow Kate was bringing out a different Rick Castle and he was liking it.
Rick studied her face and body. "You look scared."
"NO SHIT!" He was asking her to ride a damn real dragon. Something that didn't exist.
"Relax, take deep breaths. That's it, in and out, in and out… Better now?"
"A little," Kate admitted.
"Hmm, perhaps this will help." Rick kissed her. At first she didn't kiss him back, but that soon changed.
Kate felt a charge of energy hit her. That wasn't just any kiss. It was an amazing kiss. When he broke from the kiss Kate grabbed his head and kissed him again, hard and passionately. She wanted to feel that charge to her system again.
.x{O}x.
Kate barely remembered how she got back in her room. He had kissed her yet again and left her in her room. Now she was sitting on her bed trying to figure out just what had happened.
First, she was about to be eaten by a real dragon. Then, she was expected to go riding on one tomorrow. And after that Castle had kissed her. She had to keep remind herself that he wasn't the Castle she knew. He wasn't the author of the books that she loved so very much. Those books had helped keep her sane after her mother's death. But he wasn't that Castle.
This Castle wasn't a playboy and always in the papers with yet another young woman on his arm. This one wasn't divorced twice. She'd had a case that involved his books but her captain didn't see the need for her to bring him in for questioning, so she hadn't. All she knew about that Castle was his booking sheet and what she read in the papers.
