The remainder of Lynn’s slumber was peaceful. Tack had also slept while Lug kept a watch over the small camp. Lynn woke, opening her eyes slowly. She had never slept so well in her entire life. Her body felt rejuvenated, and her mind was tranquil. She sat up slowly and looked around. The time of day hadn’t appeared to change.
Everything was still and quiet everywhere she looked. The only sounds she heard were Tack’s light snoring and Lug’s heavy breathing inside his helmet. She pulled back her cover to look at her leg. The wound had nearly completely healed. What once were savage rends across her leg were now no more than light abrasions that looked more like rug burn, and the pain was gone entirely.
She lightly ran her hand over her leg where it had been doused with the mend potion in disbelief that it was nearly healed and somehow also seemed better than the skin around it. She felt a warm sensation ripple gently through her body.
She looked up and saw Lug staring at her with the same intense gaze as always.
”H…Hello,” she stammered quietly.
Lug nodded and grunted a reply, and the two sat in silence until Tack woke from his slumber. He sat up and stretched noisily.
”Nothing like a good chak nap,” he said cheerily. He stood up and turned to Lynn, “I think we should be on our way. We don’t want to stay in one place for too long.”
Lynn raised an eyebrow and asked, “On our way to where?”
”Anywhere, really,” Tack replied. “We just don’t want to stay in one spot, especially with that dead nyline over there. The stench will attract other, much larger, visitors.”
Lynn stood for the first time since her leg had been sundered to shreds. Her mind was still racing with the events; however, the rest had significantly calmed her nerves. She now thought with clarity and acceptance rather than an adrenaline-fueled reaction to everything.
”Is there anything I can do to stay here?” she asked mournfully.
Tack shook his head, and Lynn looked down at the ground quietly. She knew the answer but hearing it out loud solidified her thoughts. Lynn was beginning to accept the unreal situation she had fallen into and looked back up at Tack.
”Is there any way I can leave a message for my friends and family?” Lynn asked hopefully.
Tack tilted his head slightly and stroked his chin thoughtfully, “Well, sort of,” he said.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blue object. He held it up and looked Lynn squarely in the eyes.
”Normally, anything that doesn’t stick to the sticky reality stays in the original reality, and since your reality wasn’t sticky, things can’t be left behind. There are a few ways around that, and I will let you use this, but you must keep it private. I mean anyone. Don’t ever mention it. Don’t even think about it,” Tack’s tone and expression were severe.
Lynn stepped back and held up a hand, “I don’t want you two to get into any trouble because of me,” she objected.
Tack’s expression softened, and he held out the device for Lynn to take.
”It’s all right. There are rules, but I don’t fully agree with them. You have the right to let your loved ones know you’re not dead. This will let you record a short one-time message. Once the message is played, the device will essentially evaporate. The playback time is about five seconds, so don’t dawdle. Also, you absolutely cannot talk about the realities, things you’ve seen, or Lug and myself,” he said.
Lynn nearly dropped the small device as she took it. Despite being about the size of her finger, it had an unexpected heft and a blue metallic sheen, reminding Lynn of a thumbstick. At the very end of the device was a white button.
”Push the button and hold it for three seconds to activate the recording session. Activating the session also triggers the scatter effect when the message ends, or the device is tampered with. Think about what you’d like to say and practice a few times before you record. Lug and I will give you some privacy, but we won’t be far off in case of danger,” Tack explained.
Lynn nodded and looked at the device in her hand. Tack and Lug walked to the other side of the small park and sat on a bench. Lynn decided to keep her message simple vague, and straightforward. She knew her friend, Jen, would understand and relay the news to her family. Lynn took a deep breath and held the button down. There was a soft chime, and then a calm female voice came from the device.
”Your recording time starts now,” it said.
Lynn started, “Jen, this is Lynn. I’m alive. Please don’t worry. I love you all.”
Just as she finished, the button on the device turned the same color as the rest. She held the device tightly to her chest, and silent tears ran down her cheeks. Tack and Lug came back over, standing in front of Lynn. Tack gave Lynn a sympathetic look, and Lug remained quiet.
”What now?” Lynn sniffled.
”You can leave that with whomever you wish to find it,” Tack said.
Lynn nodded and put the device in her blazer pocket.
”Let’s go back to my friends then so I can give this to them,” Lynn said.
Tack and Lug nodded, and they returned to the cafe where Lynn had left her friends. Lynn led the way but slowed down every once in a while, taking in a sight for the last time.
”So why is it we can’t see the sticky reality right now?” Lynn asked abruptly.
”There’s a barrier around each reality which essentially separates reality from the Void. When realities collide, that barrier is shattered on the non-sticky reality. Sticky realities have an extra membrane around them, making them sticky. When that happens, you’re momentarily trapped in the sticky membrane, hence why everything is stuck.”
”However, anything part of the sticky universe can still move freely within the membrane. Hence, why Lug and I can still move around freely. Anyway, you can’t see the sticky reality right now because you’re stuck in the membrane.”
”Once the realities separate, then you’ll be absorbed through the membrane into the sticky reality,” Tack explained. “At least that’s the layman’s way of explaining it. It’s certainly much more technical, but you’d need to learn from a Scientologist.”
Lynn stopped dead in her tracks and turned to Tack, “Did you say Scientologist?” she asked with disbelief.
”Yes, they’re the foremost experts in Void studies and reality interactions,” replied Tack.
Lynn stared blankly at Tack for a long time and then simply turned and continued walking. Tack shrugged his shoulders and followed suit with Lug training behind.
After a short time, the trio reached the cafe where everything had started. Lynn squeezed back in through the door, and Tack followed. Lug was too massive to fit through the door, so he waited outside, peering in through a window. Lynn slowly walked over to the table where her friends were. She took the device out of her blazer pocket and placed it in her friend’s backpack. Lynn embraced her friend tightly while holding back tears. She stood slowly and then bent down to give Jen a peck on the cheek.
”Goodbye,” she whispered mournfully.
Lynn turned, nodded at Tack, left the cafe, and joined Lug outside. Lug stared at Lynn, and Lynn simply nodded.
”I’m alright,” she said.
Lug nodded in satisfaction and turned to Tack with a grunt.
”Well, yes, I suppose we should. The Shift should be ending soon, and we want to ensure we collect what we need,” Tack agreed.
”How can you understand him?” Lynn asked Tack. “All he does is grunt and yell incomprehensibly into his helmet.”
”I have a module that allows me to communicate with any life form with a verbal communication system,” Tack said. “It doesn’t even need to be very complex. Just enough to be able to express basic concepts.”
Lynn quirked her brow, “A module?” she asked.
Tack nodded, “We can explain more after the Shift; however, for the moment, Lug and I have a bit of a mission to accomplish before the Shift ends.
”A mission?” Lynn questioned.
”The two of us belong to what’s known as the Shifters Guild. Shifters have special modifications which allow them to pass out of the membrane of a sticky reality and into the reality it’s stuck to. The goal of a Shifter is to collect information and new technology from the reality we’ve collided with and bring it back to ours. We follow an entire code of sorts, but it certainly is a life of adventure. You never know what kind of reality you’ll bump into.” Tack said excitedly.
”What if you accidentally take something that someone needs to live?” Lynn asked.
”That does occasionally happen,” Tack said sadly. “There are field tests we’re supposed to conduct on anything we take to help ensure we don’t take anything critical to the inhabitants of the reality we bump into. It’s not foolproof, though, and sad enough to say that sometimes bad things happen. Taking something that would cause death or mass destruction is quite rare.
There’s only one recorded instance of mass destruction of reality and a handful of probable deaths. That’s relatively small compared to the chaos that ensues when two or more sticky realities bump into each other. Now that, my dear, is actual carnage.”
Lynn nodded understandingly. Despite her impending separation from everything she knew and loved, she was beginning to embrace life in a new reality. Her life wasn’t terrible, but she could never relate to others. She also dreaded the feelings she would get when people paid attention to her.
Lynn had always wanted to be more outgoing with people but feared what might happen to them. She thought this was a way to start fresh and genuinely push herself to be the person she always felt she should be rather than the timid animal too afraid of socializing.
”RrrrMmmmMrrrr,” mumbled Lug.
”Great idea, Lug,” exclaimed Tack cheerily. “Other life forms rarely get stuck to our reality, so we should take advantage of it. With Lynn here, we might be able to speed up the process of gathering things. Lynn, does your reality have any sort of mass information system?”
”We have the internet, but I’m not sure it will be any good to you like this,” Lynn gestured around her.
”Yes, this always does pose a bit of an issue. Is this internet thing something physically tangible?” asked Tack.
Lynn shook her head, “Not really?” she asked, questioning herself also.
”It has physical parts, but it’s a way to share information. It’s like a big hive of computers holding information, and I don’t know how it all works. I have this, though,” and Lynn held up her cell phone.
Tack’s eyes lit up, “That’s perfect! What is it?”
”It’s a smartphone. Well, it’s a phone, but it has many more features, like communicating via digital means instead of analog voice calls. We can also send text messages, play games, read books, and do many other things with it,” explained Lynn.
”May I?” Tack asked, reaching out a hand.
Lynn handed the phone to him, and Tack took something out of his pocket. He held it up to his eye like a monocle, and it floated in front of him. Tack held the phone up and turned it over several times, viewing it from several angles. He finished and put his monocle away.
”This is marvelous!” he exclaimed. “Albeit a bit primitive. Tell me, is this the peak of your civilization’s technology?”
Lynn shook her head. She explained that while the phone was a modern marvel of technological advancement, there were likely much more advanced devices and software at facilities run by governments or corporations.
”Do you know where we can find one of these places?” Tack asked excitedly.
Lynn thought for a moment. She had never paid attention to where some of the larger tech companies incorporated other than places like Silicon Valley. Even then, it was known that just because a company had a headquarters somewhere did not mean its most valuable technology was there. She had never been to military or government installations other than her local City Hall.
Suddenly, it dawned on her. It is one of the most infamous military installations and with a prominent location.
”Area 51,” Lynn said with a smile spreading across her face. “It’s quite far from here, though, and I don’t know the exact location. It’s well-marked, though, since it’s such a famous military base.”
Tack reached into his pocket and pulled out another device that was larger than what should be able to fit. Lynn began to wonder what kind of suit jacket had pockets that deep.
This new device was a long metallic cylinder that Tack placed his arm through like an armband. As Tack finished pulling the device over his forearm, there was a light chime, and the band lit up. There were all sorts of symbols that Lynn couldn’t read. Tack poked at the device a few times, and suddenly all the symbols changed into letters and numbers that she recognized. A holographic keyboard projected above the device, and Tack moved over next to Lynn.
”Just type the name of the place here,” instructed Tack. Lynn hunted around for the proper letters since the keys displayed differed from a standard QWERTY layout.
Lynn found the A key and went to push it. To Lynn’s surprise, her finger did not go through the key she pressed and instead felt like she was pressing against a pane of glass.
”Whoa!” she exclaimed, finished typing in Area 51, and then nodded at Tack.
”You might want to let Lug hold onto you for this. It’s very disorienting the first few times,” Tack said, nodding at Lug.
Lug scooped up Lynn like a parent picking up a newborn and held her gently. Lynn blushed a bit, and then Tack nodded.
”Here we go,” he said and pushed a blinking green button on the keyboard.
At first, Lynn didn’t feel anything. Tack and Lug just stood still like nothing was happening. Then Lynn noticed that the two were standing unusually still. Then, suddenly, everything around her melted away like a bad acid trip.
Colors filled her vision like melting rainbow wax on a hot plate. More colors exploded across her view, and then just as suddenly, it all stopped. Lynn’s head was spinning. She was nauseated and disoriented, and the smell of blueberries oddly filled her nose.
Lynn’s blurry vision was beginning to recover, but she couldn’t even glance around her before she vomited. Fortunately, Lug was prepared for this and had already aimed her away from everything and everyone. Once Lynn had finished, Lug handed her a small flask. Lug pointed at the flask, then at his helmet where a mouth would be, and made a swirling motion with his finger.
Lynn took a sip off the flask and swished it in her mouth. She spat the liquid out, and her mouth felt like she’d just come back from cleaning her teeth. Lug took the flask and then handed her a small cloth making a wiping motion across his helmet. Lynn cleaned herself up, and Lug took the fabric back. He gently set Lynn down and held onto her for a moment until he was sure she had her balance.
”I don’t think anyone ever gets used to phasic transportation,” said Tack woozily.
The trio finally recovered and got their bearings.
”Where are we?” Lynn asked.
”Area 51,” replied Tack.
”Area fifty-what?” Lynn cried out in terror. “Are you insane?”
Tack and Lug both laughed, and Tack motioned around them. They were in the middle of a lobby surrounded by dozens of people, all in suits or military uniforms, and all stopped in time.
Lynn’s mouth gaped in amazement. Her mind and heart raced with fear, anxiety, excitement, and wonder. The prospect that she would be able to get into Area 51 sent her into a giddy frenzy of excitement. She hopped up and down, cheering loudly. She suddenly remembered others there watching her, and she stopped abruptly, blushing brightly. Lug chuckled, and Tack simply turned and started walking toward the security checkpoint at the end of the lobby. Lynn and Lug followed suit.
The three walked through the checkpoint metal detectors where a large sign with “WING I” was printed on a sign above. Lynn looked around nervously, waiting for alarms to start blaring and for a team of Special Forces operatives to appear around them, but nothing came. They finally came to an elevator bank with six large steel doors with elevator call buttons, and badge readers attached. Lynn looked around, finding the door to the stairwell near the elevator bank.
”Well, this would be the easiest way down since the elevators aren’t working, but how do we get in?” Lynn pondered.
Tack tapped the door lightly and then nodded at Lug. “There, it should be part of reality again,” he said.
Lug walked up to the door and smashed it and the frame with his massive foot. Lynn once again looked on, shocked, mouth gaping in awe. She looked at the giant hole where the door had been. The frame had been reinforced with steel girders and colossal lag bolts bolting them to the floor and other beams.
Lynn looked over at Lug, and Lug stared back at her, unblinking. Tack stepped through the hole and proceeded down the stairwell. Lug followed, leaving Lynn shaking her head in disbelief. After a moment, she came back to reality and chased after the two men.
Lynn had been counting the floors as they passed the doors for them. As soon as they came to the 51st floor, there was a chime from both Tack and Lug. They looked at the door, which had a small label above the handle with “I51” printed on it. They then looked at each other, and Tack tapped the entrance to the floor they were on, and Lug proceeded to kick it.
The door wasn’t instantly destroyed this time, and Lug had to kick it again to break it in. Lynn noted that the metal surrounding this door frame was different. It seemed lighter in color and shiner than the previous door fortifications. She wondered if it was titanium or some alloy stronger than the steel beams above since Lug had to use two kicks. She shook her head again in disbelief.
”Two kicks,” she muttered to herself.
Tack and Lug were already heading down the hallway before Lynn finished inspecting the doorway. The hallway was featureless, with unmarked doors lining it. The lighting was sparse, and everything was a dull, light gray.
They proceeded wordlessly, their feet tapping lightly against the hard tile floor with each step. Tack and Lug suddenly stopped and turned toward one of the doors. Tack tapped it again and turned the handle to open the door. The door clicked as he turned the handle and the door opened noiselessly.
The room inside was pitch black. The Tack went inside first, followed by Lug and Lynn. The door closed by itself behind them. Lug tapped on his helmet, and it lit up like a lantern. The light filled the room with a soft glow and there in front of them was a giant smooth metallic-looking orb hovering just above the floor.
”Lynn, get behind Lug,” Tack said, suddenly turning serious.
”What? Why?” Lynn asked, puzzled.
Just as she finished asking, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. The air in the room suddenly felt odd, like electricity was filling the air. There was a low whirring sound coming from the orb.
As soon as Lynn heard it, she ducked behind Lug and peeked out from behind him. The whirring sound intensified and then stopped abruptly. The massive orb split horizontally across the middle, and the outside peeled back to reveal a giant red glowing eye with its gaze now fixated on the party.
Long thin tendrils began to protrude from the floating eye, each with a sharp point at the end that glinted slightly off the light of Lug’s helmet. Lug detached the giant sword from his back, and Tack pulled something akin to a gun out of his pocket.
”Lynn, you need to keep either myself or Lug between you and this thing at all times, do you understand?” Tack said urgently.
Lynn nodded, and Tack grinned fiercely.
”Good, then here we go,” he said.
