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"Ooof!" grunted Angelica as Chloe landed on top of her.
"Sorry," Chloe squeaked, blushing.
"At least we're in our right bodies now," Angelica said as she brushed the dirt out of her hair, "This heat, ugh!"
Both Angelica and Chloe looked around the forest glade they were in. It was sultry and perspiration beaded on their foreheads. The flora ran towards flowering bushes and conifers. A bee buzzed lazily by, floating over to a bush and landing on a golden flower.
"Ok, where are we?" asked Chloe, "and what's that crashing sound?"
"Something is coming through the forest and it sounds big," replied Angelica, "Maybe this is India and it's an elephant."
Through the bushes they saw something grey. Chloe and Angelica moved closer to get a better look.
"That's not an elephant" whispered Chloe with delight, "It's a triceratops!"
"Don't move any closer, you don't want to spook it, that's a big dinosaur!" warned Angelica.
Chloe was bouncing with excitement. "I've always loved dinosaurs."
Together they watched the triceratops lumber out of sight. Suddenly the sky got brighter. Chloe and Angelica looked up to see a large fireball streak across the sky. The ground shook violently beneath then, knocking them both off of their feet.
"Angelica, I think we just witnessed the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs" said Chloe in awe, watching the stampede of mammals and dinosaurs spooked by the impact.
"We need to get out of here, now," said Angelica, pulling Chloe away from the stampede, "We're climbing that magnolia and taking a nap!"
The women scrambled up the tree. "I'll never be able to go to sleep" complained Chloe.
Chloe fell asleep.
"What happened?," asked Chloe staring at the fires of creation thoughtfully, "I didn't think I'd be able to sleep with the ground shaking and all."
"I put a little suggestion in your mind that you needed to sleep when crisis presented itself," responded Angelica, "Don't worry, I did it to myself, too. I think it will help us on this journey."
"I'm not sure I like anyone fooling around with my mind, but if it had to be someone, I guess I'm glad it was you, Angelica."
"We're a team, Chloe! Ready to take another crack at it, if you'll pardon the pun?"
"Ewwww. Meddling's with my mind is fine, but let's skip the puns, OK?" groaned Chloe as she drifted towards the rift in reality.
Angelica and Chloe stood on a muddy path, looking at the holly bushes and birch trees. It was a grey day with the rain slowly dripping off of the trees, making plopping sounds as the fat water droplets hit the puddles. Whereas the Cretaceous period was warm, this place was relatively cold. Birds twittered in the bushes. Some where off in the distance, they could hear a church bell chime.
"One extreme to the other," thought Angelica. "I wonder where we are now," she said aloud as she shivered.
"Oh look, Angelica!" exclaimed Chloe pointing into a tree, "What kind of bird is that?"
Angela looked. It was a black bird, with a white eye ring, with some blue on its wings. It sort of looked like a crow. "I'm no expert," replied Angelica, "I think it might be a magpie. If it is, we're in Europe, possibly the UK."
"Wow, a magpie? How did you know that?" asked Chloe, obviously impressed.
"It's the same kind of bird that's on the Windex commercials," admitted Angelica sheepishly, "and those are magpies."
Chloe laughed, "I guess I remain the science geek on this trip."
Angelica walked a few paces down the path. She stood silently in the rain, turning her head one way, then the other, as if she was listening for something.
"What are you doing?" asked Chloe.
"I'm looking for people, listening for their thoughts," explained Angelica, "We need to know if we're in our time or not. OK, there are a few people down south on this path."
Chloe and Angelica sloshed along the muddy path. "My feet are getting really cold in this slop" complained Chloe, "When I think of living my life awake, it's always scenarios like this that make me happy for life in dreamland."
"It's not too far now, Chloe. Hold on."
They rounded the bend in the road and saw a small field. It was plowed in an unusual way, with u shapes at the end of each furrow. A series of small rickety shacks that appeared to be for storage stood by the field.
"Somehow I don't think we're in the right time," said Chloe, "Look at the smoke coming from that far shed."
Both watched as a thin curl of grey smoke wafted its way towards the sky.
"I suspect you are right, but I think we need to make sure this is not a historical reenactment center," replied Angelica.
As they waded across the mucky field towards the shed, they heard the sound of hooves. Angelica and Chloe stopped and turned, waiting to see who was riding down the path. Out of the woods burst a series of riders, each dressed in rusting iron chain mail and carrying pikes and long swords. One of the riders noticed the two women in the field, and yelled something to his fellow riders. All of them stopped and stared. Angelica and Chloe stared back.
"Ewwww," whispered Chloe, "What's that *smell*?"
"I'm afraid it's the smell of unwashed humans," responded Angelica, "Let me do the talking with these men. I suspect I am going to have to use telepathy to translate."
One of the men started yelling. All of the riders dismounted, drew their weapons and started walking menacingly over towards where Chloe and Angelica stood.
"We're in big trouble Chole," Angelica said flatly, "It's time for a nap. REALLY time for a nap."
"I suspect we were in medieval Europe," said Angelica, gratefully floating in the light of creation, "That guy started bellowing about what evil bedevilment we were, two women dressed so strangely and out unescorted on the land. He rattled on about how we had to be tempted by Satan, that perhaps we were escaped from the convent."
"I guess that's a part they never cover in the Society for Creative Anachronism."
"Evidently not. So Chloe, do you think we should try traveling down the rift a ways before we try reinserting ourselves into reality?"
"Sure," said Chloe, "I could use a break from all of this excitement myself."
The two floated together gently down the rift in space time.
"Third time's the charm," smiled Angelica, as Chloe pulled her through the crack.
The sun was red. Chloe and Angelica stood staring at the landscape. Aside from a cockroach trundling along the road, the flora and fauna looked alien. To their left, there appeared to be a prison, if the towers and the apparent crackling of electricity flashing between the towers were any indication.
"Are we even on Earth?" asked Chloe, staring at the scenery in wonder.
"I think so," replied Angelica, "At least those are humans behind that barrier over there."
Angelica and Chloe made their way over to the force field fence. The humans behind the barriers huddled around the other side. They bowed as Chloe and Angelica approached. They started to talk at once, a mish mash of disjointed sounds.
"One at a time," Angelica telepathically broadcast, "We can't understand you."
A man stepped forward. His green jumpsuit looked as worn as his face. "How did you escape?" he asked, "Why haven't the Zestrrz caught you?"
"Who are the Zestrrz? And who are you?" asked Angelica.
"I'm Granz," replied the man, "and the Zestrrz are our masters."
Angelica scanned his mind. A picture of a greenish reptilian creature in a black uniform and a golden feathered headdress appeared in her mind. "Where did these creatures come from?" she asked.
"We don't know, but 20 years ago, they landed. There was a war, which we lost, and we were all placed in prison. They take us out to do work they don't want to do, but with their advanced monitoring systems, none of us have been able to escape. How have you done it?" asked Granz.
"We haven't," said Angelica, "but I think . . . "
Chloe tugged frantically at her arm, "Turn around! Look!"
Angelica turned. In the sky she saw a flat black craft silently speeding towards her and Chloe. She could see the lizard men staring darkly at her from behind the smoky glass.
"I know I'm sleepy, Angelica," announced Chloe, "How about you?"
"Definitely, Chloe, definitely."
"Promise me one thing, please," said Angelica, floating in the dream realm, grabbing onto Chloe's hand.
"What's that?" asked Chloe.
"When we get back, and get Joe Bridge and his disciples taken care of, I want you to help me lead The League of Explorers back here and liberate Earth from the Zestrrz."
"Can I have a real sleep, first?" asked Chloe, squeezing Angelica's hand.
"Sure," smiled Angelica, "That's the nice thing about time travel . . . the future is always waiting for you."
Chloe felt someone bumping her butt from behind. She turned around and joyfully yelled, "Tuffy!"
"Miss me?" asked Tuffy, his tongue lolling.
Chloe hugged him tight. "Things seem to be falling into place."
"It's time we went home," said Angelica. The three of them floated towards a shining spot that appeared in the rift.
Angelica and Chloe stood in Andrew Weinstein's office. Andy was shaking hands with Joe Bridges. The Wolf Pack stood beside them.
There was a horrible crash. Everyone turned and stared at Chloe, asleep on the floor.
"I guess I should remove that post hypnotic suggestion now," said Angelica, delicately delving into the minds of her companions.
Next: Revelations
Characters created by Jesse N. Wiley and various authors
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