Sore, I went back to Paddy's Pub where I found Cynthia regaling all the customers with her version of All Hands Down, a catchy country song that had become popular awhile back. She had a spectacular voice. Low, throaty but could hit the high notes with ease.

Amid cheers, she wended her way toward me. "Why didn't you ever tell me you could sing?"

"Just some dream I had that didn't pan out. My parents thought it more practical for me to get an education then sing in dive bars. Sorry, I guess I should have told you."

"It's okay. We all have secrets we don't share."

"Ooh. Do tell. I want to hear some of yours."

"You already know everything about me." A white lie but a necessary one. After all, the Cynthia of this time line was not the Cynthia of my time line. I had forgotten that for a moment. Never again. 

"Spoilsport. I don't know. I think you've got some juicy secrets bubbling around in your brain. No matter. I'll suss them out eventually." She clinked her beer bottle with mine. "What do I always say?"

"Anticipation is half the fun," we chorused. Cynthia told me that the first day we met. Aside from the change in Government, she hadn't changed a bit. Have to give the matter some more thought.

"So, what happened with the old man?"

"He left," I answered vaguely.

"Good. Now, where were we? Oh yes, scoping out guys."

I set down the beer. "Listen, I'd love to stay but I better get home. I'm dead tired."

"Aww. Do you have tea at your place?"

"Just bought some."

"I'll come with you. The place is dead anyway."

"You had quite a few guys admiring your singing."

"Eh. I'm not in the mood anymore."

"All right. Let's go."

Back in my apartment, I set about making us both tea. "Chamomile okay?"

"Sure." Cynthia lounged on the couch, shoes off. She wriggled her red painted toenails an affectation she tried to get me to adopt. I never wore sandals so I thought the point moot.

I handed her a cup and sat down in my chair. I sipped some of my tea, lost in thought. I had to find a way to stop Celia from turning on that portal. 

"All right, spill it. What's going on with you?"

"Celia needs to be stopped. She doesn't know the consequences of her actions will affect the entire planet."

"Let me guess. You do."

"Yeah. I do."

"Sounds serious. Tell me."

 "I don't know how much you'll believe but I have to talk to someone about this so please suspend any comments until I'm finished."

"Sure. No problem."

I paused for another sip. "I really don't know where to begin."

"From the beginning I suppose."

"Yes. But what beginning?"

"I don't know. It's your research."

I sighed.  "All right," I said, setting down the cup. "When I was little I used to have these vivid dreams of a world called Alluvia. It was straight out of fantasy novels with magicians and magic."

"And what does that have to do with Celia's portal?"

"I'm getting to that. The dreams felt so real that I believed they were real. Or at least I wanted to think so. When the dreams lasted into adulthood, I was determined to find out if Alluvia was indeed real and not tricked out of my imagination. I know it's an odd thing for a theoretical physicist to pursue but really how it is any different that trying to prove String Theory exists or multiverses?"

"I see your point. But still--" Cynthia appeared reluctant to finish her thoughts lest she insult me.

"I know. It sounds way out there. My analytical mind thought so too until the morning I jumped through a mirror and landed in the very place I used to dream about."

"You can't be serious."

"I'm telling the truth, I swear. After my shower, the most peculiar thing happened. The mirror rippled like water but wasn't wet. It broke the laws of physics you know? Mirrors don't do that. So I tested it by first putting a finger in, then an arm, then my head. I recorded the whole thing on my phone. I thought, what the hell, why not just jump in?"

"Sounds like you. Go on."

"When I got there, I found out my mom was alive."

"Your mom is alive? That's tremendous."

"You would think so but my mom was not happy to see me."

"Why not?"

"She left home to go back to Alluvia in order to protect me and Dad."

"From?"

I sighed. "Again, it's going to sound weird. From a dangerous magician named Mordok."

"Mordok?" Cynthia let out a belly laugh. "Oh, brother."

"I didn't name him," I protested. "His mother probably did."

"What does he look like?"

"Like Gandalf."

"Oh, wow. Middle Earth stuff. So, you accessed the Portal through a mirror?"

"Yeah. Grendel sent it."

"Who is Grendel?"

"A magician I thought I knew only in my dreams but when I went to Alluvia I recognized him. He was the one who informed me that my Mom was alive."

"Oh, wow. Heavy stuff to hear." Cynthia drained the last of her tea in one gulp. "I think I'm going to need something stronger."

I brought her some wine in a glass. She drained it too. "So, let me get this straight. You went to Alluvia through a mirror, met some man you've only known in your dreams and found out your Mother was born there?"

"Yep."

Cynthia held out the glass. "More." She sipped it slower this time. "If you're the one who did this and not Celia, then how did she find out about it?"

"Because of me. Mom sent me back through the portal. I didn't know my phone recorded the whole trip until I got home. It all got sent to Celia who took the info and ran with it."

"That's your proof right there. You should contact the Administrations office. Lodge a complaint with the ethics committee."

"No one was supposed to know about it. Ever. I would've been discredited, called a quack for my beliefs in fantasy worlds made up in children's stories." I poured myself a glass of wine. "There's more."

"More? I'm not sure I can take much more."

"You'll have to, because I need your help."

"Lay it on me."

"When I got back, I very quickly learned that this world as it is now was not the world I left. In my world we don't have scientists in charge. There aren't any guards in supermarkets, no cameras in homes, and all the programming is sports, movies, dramas and sit-coms. Not scientific forums."

"You mean this is an alternate earth?"

"For me it is. It might not be for you."

"Shit. You got any bourbon?"

"No. I need your head clear."

"What can I possibly do to help you?"

"I need access to Celia's portal."

As Cynthia's jaw dropped, our phones chimed simultaneously.

"Crap, she's starting early."

"Who, Celia?"

"Yes." Cynthia showed me the bulletin on her phone. "Turn on the TV."

I flicked it on. There she was, standing next to her newly built portal. Celia smiled widely, showing white, even teeth. She was always a hog for the press. Adored the spotlight. Took whatever accolades that came her way and ran with them. Even stole some from other well deserving scientists. Now she was showing off her quote/unquote expertise in portal building. She would have never gotten the idea if it weren't for me. I had to shut that Portal down and fast. After I rescued my Mom of course.

I would need help. Cynthia's kind of help. She had higher access to the Labs above my office. Since I was now relegated to desk duty, I'd lost my lab and any chance of getting close to the well secured portal with encrypted multi-faceted tech. Celia had done it on purpose. Keeping me down with the paper pushers just so I couldn't go anywhere near the portal. 

Seeing her next to it now, was a thumb to her nose taunt saying, see? I can do anything I want. She spoke of the portal in scientific terms, a lot of techno babble that the masses were swallowing whole. Celia put on a show of getting into lab gear complete with helmet and gloves.

Her voice, now muffled, spoke through a mic in the suit. "Now we'll demonstrate the use of the portal by tossing an object into it, proving that there is a stable end on the other side." She tossed in a red rubber ball through the portal. The clock at the lower right hand of the screen counted the seconds. At 15.2 seconds, the ball returned.

She held up the ball. "As you can see, it has returned in the same size and shape as before," Celia continued. "We will test some larger objects next."

I sat up. "Who on the other side could be throwing the objects back?"

"I don't know. You suppose one of the lab assistants is already there?"

"No. Why should they be? She just turned it on tonight."

We watched with stupefied fascination as other objects were tossed in. A toy truck went in, a baseball bat, football, and a pillow all made it safely there and back without harm. With each object, Celia placed them on a clear plastic tray to be examined later.

I kept my eye on the red ball. It was bubbling on the surface, the red dye fading rapidly. The parameters of the portal altered the ball's shape, a sure sign that something was wrong. Celia missed one key component, magic. She had assumed it could be built purely by science but magic held the portal together, not science. 

"Look at the tray of returned objects. What do you see?"

"They're changing shape. Returning to a liquid state."

"Means there's something wrong at the other end."

"She can't send anyone through there. They'll meet the same fate!" Cynthia got up and paced, muttering under her breath.

"I can go through. It won't hurt me."

Five minutes later, we were at the lab riding the elevator down to the sub levels. "I hope you have a plan because my brain is fried."

"Working on it," I answered. "We need some hazmat suits."

"This way." Cynthia indicated the direction and we took off at a run.

The storage room was right next door to the control room. We put the hazmat suits on, checking the mics. "Ready?"

"Ready." 

"Real quick. You distract Celia while I jump through the portal." 

"That's the plan?"

"The only one I can think of at the spur of the moment."

"I'll think of something. Good luck."

''You too."

Cynthia waylaid Celia, occupying her attention by directing it to the cart full of melted returns. This was it. This was my chance. I went for it, ignoring the shouts and the warnings. 

I jumped. And the world went black.