The place was desolate. There were miles of coarse, reddish sand punctuated by boulders, ringed by huge red rock mountains. The only inhabitants were scorpions and lizards congregating by the cacti, watching the tumbleweeds blow by.
Nearly a centuries ago the area was an archaeological dig. The place's ancient curiosities had long ago been collected, cataloged and hauled off to universities and museums, or, through the forces of nature, re-buried. This place wasn't visited much these days because the Great California Quake had its origins in shifting tectonic plates right here. This entire area had become geologically unstable. Universities, even private foundations, were loath to fund any more massive (and fatal) projects here.
Amateur fortune hunters in search of a long-lost archaeological artifact, adrenaline junkies, and the criminally inclined were the only ones who ventured out here. Well, and investigators chasing clues regarding the criminally inclined. Sydney was in the last category. Sydney was here because she knew there would be clues.
There wasn't something specific that she sought. Trace evidence ... a thread, a paint chip, a shard of broken glass, something had to be there. She was sure of it. Her partner Colin told her she was barking up the wrong tree. He wouldn't stop her from looking, but he would have no part of her quest. "Coward," she thought to herself, "what a wuss!"
###
A Masters degree, four years as an officer in the Marine Corps, and now this. She was ready to pack it all in. Sydney was disgusted, sick and tired. She was better than this, and here she was, slogging it out by herself. "What a stupid career," she thought, "Who said chasing the bad guys was glamorous, like on the holos." Oh, it was for some people, just not her.
She should have been running her own team by now. That wasn't going to happen until hell froze over. And maybe not then. Inspector Captain Jim Blake was long gone. But the damage he did to her career would last for years, maybe forever. At least she had the satisfaction of knowing that she was right, and outlasting that bastard.
Too bad being the last one standing didn't make the gritty red sand in her hair, ears and nose any more pleasurable.
###
That's when she saw it, a glimmer, a bright reflection about 20 feet away under a huge overhanging ledge. She could see it through the mirage that made the ground look like a pool of silvery mercury topped by hazy air that distorted her vision. A high desert mirage would fool the eyes. But the bright object in its center was no distortion of her vision or figment of her imagination. It certainly wasn't natural and definitely didn't belong there. As she drew closer, the mirage didn't vanish as they usually do.
She could see that the object was actually a tiny, rapidly blinking strobe light attached to a small box. She bent over to pick it up.
###
When she awoke, the nausea was acute, burning her throat. Her skin looked like an uneven sunburn. There were tiny little blood blisters spread over the exposed skin. She looked like hell and felt worse.
"Don't sit up too fast," said a female voice. "The vertigo will wear off in a minute. But, you'll look sunburned and have that rash for a couple days. I'm Dr. Montaigne, but you can call me Chloe," the mystery woman said as she knelt down and extended a hand to help Sydney sit up.
The place was desolate. There were miles of coarse, reddish sand punctuated by boulders, ringed by huge red rock mountains. The only inhabitants were scorpions and lizards congregating by the cacti, watching the tumbleweeds blow by.
Nearly a centuries ago the area was an archaeological dig. The place's ancient curiosities had long ago been collected, cataloged and hauled off to universities and museums, or, through the forces of nature, re-buried. This place wasn't visited much these days because the Great California Quake had its origins in shifting tectonic plates right here. This entire area had become geologically unstable. Universities, even private foundations, were loath to fund any more massive (and fatal) projects here.
Amateur fortune hunters in search of a long-lost archaeological artifact, adrenaline junkies, and the criminally inclined were the only ones who ventured out here. Well, and investigators chasing clues regarding the criminally inclined. Sydney was in the last category. Sydney was here because she knew there would be clues.
There wasn't something specific that she sought. Trace evidence ... a thread, a paint chip, a shard of broken glass, something had to be there. She was sure of it. Her partner Colin told her she was barking up the wrong tree. He wouldn't stop her from looking, but he would have no part of her quest. "Coward," she thought to herself, "what a wuss!"
###
A Masters degree, four years as an officer in the Marine Corps, and now this. She was ready to pack it all in. Sydney was disgusted, sick and tired. She was better than this, and here she was, slogging it out by herself. "What a stupid career," she thought, "Who said chasing the bad guys was glamorous, like on the holos." Oh, it was for some people, just not her.
She should have been running her own team by now. That wasn't going to happen until hell froze over. And maybe not then. Inspector Captain Jim Blake was long gone. But the damage he did to her career would last for years, maybe forever. At least she had the satisfaction of knowing that she was right, and outlasting that bastard.
Too bad being the last one standing didn't make the gritty red sand in her hair, ears and nose any more pleasurable.
###
That's when she saw it, a glimmer, a bright reflection about 20 feet away under a huge overhanging ledge. She could see it through the mirage that made the ground look like a pool of silvery mercury topped by hazy air that distorted her vision. A high desert mirage would fool the eyes. But the bright object in its center was no distortion of her vision or figment of her imagination. It certainly wasn't natural and definitely didn't belong there. As she drew closer, the mirage didn't vanish as they usually do.
She could see that the object was actually a tiny, rapidly blinking strobe light attached to a small box. She bent over to pick it up.
###
When she awoke, the nausea was acute, burning her throat. Her skin looked like an uneven sunburn. There were tiny little blood blisters spread over the exposed skin. She looked like hell and felt worse.
"Don't sit up too fast," said a female voice. "The vertigo will wear off in a minute. But, you'll look sunburned and have that rash for a couple days. I'm Dr. Montaigne, but you can call me Chloe," the mystery woman said as she knelt down and extended a hand to help Sydney sit up.
###
Sydney was indeed from the United States of America. She had even been stationed in Colorado. But, large portions of her California slid into the Pacific Ocean. Most of Colorado was tectonically unstable. George Herbert Walker, George W. and Jeb Bush had not been the 41st, 43rd and 46th presidents.
There were an amazing number of similarities. The language was almost identical except for a few colloquialisms. Sydney's USA and Chloe's USA were definitely not the same, just as Chloe had suspected. Nobody on Sydney's Earth, which Chloe dubbed "E2," had yet discovered the portals.
Sydney was indeed from the United States of America. She had even been stationed in Colorado. But, large portions of her California slid into the Pacific Ocean. Most of Colorado was tectonically unstable. George Herbert Walker, George W. and Jeb Bush had not been the 41st, 43rd and 47th presidents.
There were an amazing number of similarities. The language was almost identical except for a few colloquialisms. Sydney's USA and Chloe's USA were definitely not the same, just as Chloe had suspected. Nobody on Sydney's Earth, which Chloe dubbed "E2," had yet discovered the portals.
###
Not being one to dawdle, it didn't take Sydney long to make up her mind. Goodbye US Marshals Service, hello Nexus. Sydney was here for the duration -- whatever that might be.
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