The house was a small two brick affair on a faux Tudor Style. While many of its kind bore white plaster and dark support beams, this house was brick topped with slate. The walls were tall and moss covered. The windows bore braces dividing each into a collection of smaller squares.
Around the house was the lush and rambling grounds of the Claremont Academy. Ancient native trees stood alongside aged specimens from England. The grounds rolled and twisted. Each curve and divot revealed a different feature of the grounds. The Japanese Zen Garden. The sports fields. The tennis yards. The Workshop. And among these was the Carriage House in faux Tudor style.
The house had many names over the years: the Carriage House, the Gate House, the Servant's Quarters, the Groundskeeper's Lodge and many others. In recent years it had been given over various members of the academic staff of the Academy. The current occupants of the house had been in residence for little over a year. Their tenure with the Academy was far longer and far more complex than their tenancy.
Adrian Hooper had been a student of the Academy many years ago, before returning to accept his current teaching post. Upon graduation, he had pursued a career in teaching. He had traveled for a time, even literally vanishing from the face of the Earth, only to return with a fiance in tow. He had worked as a teacher at Claremont once before. That tenure ended abruptly when Adrian announced he secured a position with AEGIS and while the Headmaster of Claremont had given his official blessing it was clear that the decision had caused a rift between Adrian and Headmaster Summers. Despite this schism, it was Adrian and his family who rushed to keep the Claremont Academy open when Headmaster Summers and the faculty mysteriously vanished. It was several months before the Faculty returned from their absence and by that time Adrian had felt no need to leave. He resigned his commission in AEGIS and remained at the Claremont Academy full time.
Tara Breen was a fascinating woman. That she was Adrian's wife was probably the least noteworthy thing about her. Many a person who knew of Adrian, or indeed the Claremont Academy's history, were struck at how closely Tara resembled Adrian's former schoolmate Cara Avonmora. The two were only tangentially related. Tara was, in the vernacular, "not from around here". Tara was from a very different place indeed as she was born on now a destroyed parallel Earth. Essentially Tara was a version of Ms Avonmora. There were only three real points of correspondence between Ms Avonmora and Ms Breen. Both were physical doppelgangers. Both were hydro-paths (albeit with quite different power sources and manifestations). Finally, both were at some point engaged to Adrian Hooper. While Adrian's engagement with Cara was called off after a tragedy, it was his relationship with Tara that had stood the test of time. Tara and Adrian's relationship has endured for almost seven years and showed no sign of risk. That the couple had a daughter simply brought them closer together.
The third resident of the house was the three-year-old Jennifer Hooper-Breen. Like any young child, she was willful, curious, temperamental, loving, cruel and everything in between. Unlike most other children Jennifer had also manifested strong superpowers shortly after her birth. This presented an additional level of challenge for her parents Tara and Adrian, but being likewise gifted, it was a challenge they were well placed to meet.
At the moment the house was even more chaotic than normal. The parlor was strewn with torn paper, new toys, cake and balloons. Jenniffer was starting to reach the point where overstimulation was ebbing and sleep was being delayed as long as possible. All guests, adult and child, had departed but for one; the adopted member of the family known as Jane Doe.
Jane shared many characteristics with Tara. Both were from alternate Earths. In Jane's case, her particular Earth was "further down the timeline" with Jane's proper temporal equivalent being somewhere in the 2050s. A far greater similarity existed between Jane and Jennifer. While being maintained as a "family secret" Jane and Jennifer were much like Tara and Cara: doppelgangers of each other. Both shared the same power set. Both had the same parents (if separated by different realities and several decades).
The adults were attempting to clean when a sharp rap was heard from the door. Jane offered to answer it while the parents continued to clean and fuss over their daughter. It was of some surprise when Jane called to both Adrian and Tara to come to the door.
Framed by the doorway stood a slightly built man with dark eyes and hair. His face wore an uncomfortable smile. His posture oozed discomfort. He was plainly dressed in jeans and collared shirt but looked like even those clothes were unfamiliar to him.
Jane met the man's gaze with a broad smile. "Chase Atom. Well," she corrected herself, "my Chase Atom at least. Not yours, Adrian."
Adrian and Tara guided the man inside and firmly closed the door behind him.
Tara embraced Chase and he returned it awkwardly. No sooner had he freed himself then Adrian swung him into a bear hug.
"Down. Down please." Chase continued to be smothered. "Adrian. please."
Chase was lowered to the floor and Tara guided him into the parlor and onto the couch. When he was seated, a plate of brightly coloured cake was thrust into his hands. Adrian flopped down in the opposite couch. Tara wiggled her way on the same couch while Jane simply opted to perch on the arm of Chase's couch. Chase looked at the cake, unsure what to do with the plate.
"You eat it, Chase," Jane mockingly suggested.
"Thank you." Chase nodded at the cake as he placed on an armrest. "Sorry to come so late. I didn't want to bump into myself or the rest of this reality's version of my family."
Tara continued to smile. "You're timing is fine Chase. I don't know why you want to avoid them though. They like you. Vicki, not so much. But you? They like."
"I don't really see the need to talk to myself. I'm told it's a sign of poor mental health."
Tara leaned forward. "Something bothering you?"
Jane rocked back and forth taking pleasure in the man's discomfort. "He's acclimatising. It's his first time to Earth Prime from the Ark of Worlds. You don't get out much do you Chase?"
"Well yes but you needn't enjoy my situation so much Jane." Chase looked genuinely hurt. Jane immediately stopped her rocking. "I'm sorry but this wasn't intended to be a social call."
Adrian cut in. "Come on Chase, we've lost count of the number of times we've invited you and Vicki to visit. What could drag you out of the Ark?"
"Well..." Chase paused, "the mission here is coming to an end. Nat's worked out what Director Thorne is up to and Vicki has decided that's it time to intervene."
The trio facing Chase gave a collective blink.
It was Jane who responded first. It was phrased with a mix of caution and apprehension. "How exactly?"
"Vicki wants you all the come in to debrief. She has a plan."
Adrian let loose an exasperated sigh. "Of course she does. But now Chase? Come on, it's Jennifer's birthday."
"Is it really that urgent Chase?" Tara ventured.
Chase looked down sheepishly. An embarrassed look slowly dawned on his face. "Well. No. It's not urgent. I want to discuss something else with you. Away from the Ark."
"So it wasn't the promise of cake that lured you here?" Adrian sounded vaguely disappointed.
"Not entirely. I admit to growing quite fond of Jennifer while she was staying on the Ark when you were recovering from your injuries. I've come to think of her as an adopted niece. A foster niece if you will."
Adrian and Tara softened. Jane elbowed Chase. "You old softy."
"Well. Let's not make an event out of it." Chase's discomfort continued. An idea occurred to him and he seemed relieved to have remembered something. He started going through his pockets before finding a small object.
"I brought a gift for Jennifer. I hope she likes it."
Adrian and Tara leaned forward to examine the piece of wood that Chase had revealed. It was roughly the same size and shape as a pencil but it was warped and knotted in ways that the eye kept losing track of.
Tara rubbed her eyes. "What is it?"
"It's a stick with only one end."
Jane rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you dug one of those up."
Adrian's eyes started to cross. "How's it work. I mean only one end? How does that work?"
Chase slowly relaxed as the focus shifted from himself to the stick. "It's omniversal. Various parts of the stick slide into and out of this reality as it moves. It's also perceptual. As the observer moves, the observable parts of the stick move in the opposite dimensional rotation."
Jane shook her head. "He brought Jen an educational toy. That's our Chase."
Tara avoided looking directly at the stick. "Educational how?"
"Jen's powers are ominversal but she has difficulty focussing them at her age. The stick provides a useful tool for focussing multi-reality perceptions. Jane found hers to be very..."
Jane abruptly cut in. "That's enough of that. He gave me a stick too once. End of story."
Tara considered the interjection. "Oh, I doubt that very much. But it will wait. Thank you for the gift Chase. Jennifer will love it."
Adrian took the stick and turned it over and over it. "It can't have just one end.."
Jane pried herself from her perch and took the stick from Adrian's hand. "And there's your proof that it will keep Jen amused for hours. Don't try it Daddio. Chase built the stick out of the same technology we use in the Ark dimensional hopping cubes. Unless you can see into six dimensions you can't find the other end."
"Challenge accepted!"
Everyone else shook their heads and sighed.
Jane placed the stick on a nearby table. "You and your sticks. Why the secret rendezvous Chase man?"
"Oh," Chase's discomfort immediately returned with an intensified force. "I'm worried about my sister."
That caught everyone's attention.
Jane spoke. "Is Vicki okay?"
"I don't think she's been well for a long time."
"But..." Adrian stumbled, "Isn't she, like, the smartest person in the Omniverse? Can't she... I dunno fix herself?"
"It's not that easy, Adrian. Before you can fix a problem you have to admit you have one."
Tara breathed her concern. "Oh dear."
"Well fear not. I wouldn't have come if I didn't have a solution." Chase smiled. "Vicki might be the smartest person in the Omniverse but I'm on the genius list too. With your help I think we can help Vicki in ways she doesn't know she needs."
Adrian had shifted to a sitting position as people talked. "Of course Chase. Anything."
"I know." Chase finally picked up the plate with the cake. "You three would do anything for family so I knew I could rely on you."
"What do you need?" Tara had voiced the question on all their minds.
"We can speak of that later. First, I believe I need to try some of my niece's birthday cake."
If the implications of Chase's conversation were not immediately apparent to Adrian, Tara, and Jane, then they would become so in the coming days...
Around the house was the lush and rambling grounds of the Claremont Academy. Ancient native trees stood alongside aged specimens from England. The grounds rolled and twisted. Each curve and divot revealed a different feature of the grounds. The Japanese Zen Garden. The sports fields. The tennis yards. The Workshop. And among these was the Carriage House in faux Tudor style.
The house had many names over the years: the Carriage House, the Gate House, the Servant's Quarters, the Groundskeeper's Lodge and many others. In recent years it had been given over various members of the academic staff of the Academy. The current occupants of the house had been in residence for little over a year. Their tenure with the Academy was far longer and far more complex than their tenancy.
Adrian Hooper had been a student of the Academy many years ago, before returning to accept his current teaching post. Upon graduation, he had pursued a career in teaching. He had traveled for a time, even literally vanishing from the face of the Earth, only to return with a fiance in tow. He had worked as a teacher at Claremont once before. That tenure ended abruptly when Adrian announced he secured a position with AEGIS and while the Headmaster of Claremont had given his official blessing it was clear that the decision had caused a rift between Adrian and Headmaster Summers. Despite this schism, it was Adrian and his family who rushed to keep the Claremont Academy open when Headmaster Summers and the faculty mysteriously vanished. It was several months before the Faculty returned from their absence and by that time Adrian had felt no need to leave. He resigned his commission in AEGIS and remained at the Claremont Academy full time.
Tara Breen was a fascinating woman. That she was Adrian's wife was probably the least noteworthy thing about her. Many a person who knew of Adrian, or indeed the Claremont Academy's history, were struck at how closely Tara resembled Adrian's former schoolmate Cara Avonmora. The two were only tangentially related. Tara was, in the vernacular, "not from around here". Tara was from a very different place indeed as she was born on now a destroyed parallel Earth. Essentially Tara was a version of Ms Avonmora. There were only three real points of correspondence between Ms Avonmora and Ms Breen. Both were physical doppelgangers. Both were hydro-paths (albeit with quite different power sources and manifestations). Finally, both were at some point engaged to Adrian Hooper. While Adrian's engagement with Cara was called off after a tragedy, it was his relationship with Tara that had stood the test of time. Tara and Adrian's relationship has endured for almost seven years and showed no sign of risk. That the couple had a daughter simply brought them closer together.
The third resident of the house was the three-year-old Jennifer Hooper-Breen. Like any young child, she was willful, curious, temperamental, loving, cruel and everything in between. Unlike most other children Jennifer had also manifested strong superpowers shortly after her birth. This presented an additional level of challenge for her parents Tara and Adrian, but being likewise gifted, it was a challenge they were well placed to meet.
At the moment the house was even more chaotic than normal. The parlor was strewn with torn paper, new toys, cake and balloons. Jenniffer was starting to reach the point where overstimulation was ebbing and sleep was being delayed as long as possible. All guests, adult and child, had departed but for one; the adopted member of the family known as Jane Doe.
Jane shared many characteristics with Tara. Both were from alternate Earths. In Jane's case, her particular Earth was "further down the timeline" with Jane's proper temporal equivalent being somewhere in the 2050s. A far greater similarity existed between Jane and Jennifer. While being maintained as a "family secret" Jane and Jennifer were much like Tara and Cara: doppelgangers of each other. Both shared the same power set. Both had the same parents (if separated by different realities and several decades).
The adults were attempting to clean when a sharp rap was heard from the door. Jane offered to answer it while the parents continued to clean and fuss over their daughter. It was of some surprise when Jane called to both Adrian and Tara to come to the door.
Framed by the doorway stood a slightly built man with dark eyes and hair. His face wore an uncomfortable smile. His posture oozed discomfort. He was plainly dressed in jeans and collared shirt but looked like even those clothes were unfamiliar to him.
Jane met the man's gaze with a broad smile. "Chase Atom. Well," she corrected herself, "my Chase Atom at least. Not yours, Adrian."
Adrian and Tara guided the man inside and firmly closed the door behind him.
Tara embraced Chase and he returned it awkwardly. No sooner had he freed himself then Adrian swung him into a bear hug.
"Down. Down please." Chase continued to be smothered. "Adrian. please."
Chase was lowered to the floor and Tara guided him into the parlor and onto the couch. When he was seated, a plate of brightly coloured cake was thrust into his hands. Adrian flopped down in the opposite couch. Tara wiggled her way on the same couch while Jane simply opted to perch on the arm of Chase's couch. Chase looked at the cake, unsure what to do with the plate.
"You eat it, Chase," Jane mockingly suggested.
"Thank you." Chase nodded at the cake as he placed on an armrest. "Sorry to come so late. I didn't want to bump into myself or the rest of this reality's version of my family."
Tara continued to smile. "You're timing is fine Chase. I don't know why you want to avoid them though. They like you. Vicki, not so much. But you? They like."
"I don't really see the need to talk to myself. I'm told it's a sign of poor mental health."
Tara leaned forward. "Something bothering you?"
Jane rocked back and forth taking pleasure in the man's discomfort. "He's acclimatising. It's his first time to Earth Prime from the Ark of Worlds. You don't get out much do you Chase?"
"Well yes but you needn't enjoy my situation so much Jane." Chase looked genuinely hurt. Jane immediately stopped her rocking. "I'm sorry but this wasn't intended to be a social call."
Adrian cut in. "Come on Chase, we've lost count of the number of times we've invited you and Vicki to visit. What could drag you out of the Ark?"
"Well..." Chase paused, "the mission here is coming to an end. Nat's worked out what Director Thorne is up to and Vicki has decided that's it time to intervene."
The trio facing Chase gave a collective blink.
It was Jane who responded first. It was phrased with a mix of caution and apprehension. "How exactly?"
"Vicki wants you all the come in to debrief. She has a plan."
Adrian let loose an exasperated sigh. "Of course she does. But now Chase? Come on, it's Jennifer's birthday."
"Is it really that urgent Chase?" Tara ventured.
Chase looked down sheepishly. An embarrassed look slowly dawned on his face. "Well. No. It's not urgent. I want to discuss something else with you. Away from the Ark."
"So it wasn't the promise of cake that lured you here?" Adrian sounded vaguely disappointed.
"Not entirely. I admit to growing quite fond of Jennifer while she was staying on the Ark when you were recovering from your injuries. I've come to think of her as an adopted niece. A foster niece if you will."
Adrian and Tara softened. Jane elbowed Chase. "You old softy."
"Well. Let's not make an event out of it." Chase's discomfort continued. An idea occurred to him and he seemed relieved to have remembered something. He started going through his pockets before finding a small object.
"I brought a gift for Jennifer. I hope she likes it."
Adrian and Tara leaned forward to examine the piece of wood that Chase had revealed. It was roughly the same size and shape as a pencil but it was warped and knotted in ways that the eye kept losing track of.
Tara rubbed her eyes. "What is it?"
"It's a stick with only one end."
Jane rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you dug one of those up."
Adrian's eyes started to cross. "How's it work. I mean only one end? How does that work?"
Chase slowly relaxed as the focus shifted from himself to the stick. "It's omniversal. Various parts of the stick slide into and out of this reality as it moves. It's also perceptual. As the observer moves, the observable parts of the stick move in the opposite dimensional rotation."
Jane shook her head. "He brought Jen an educational toy. That's our Chase."
Tara avoided looking directly at the stick. "Educational how?"
"Jen's powers are ominversal but she has difficulty focussing them at her age. The stick provides a useful tool for focussing multi-reality perceptions. Jane found hers to be very..."
Jane abruptly cut in. "That's enough of that. He gave me a stick too once. End of story."
Tara considered the interjection. "Oh, I doubt that very much. But it will wait. Thank you for the gift Chase. Jennifer will love it."
Adrian took the stick and turned it over and over it. "It can't have just one end.."
Jane pried herself from her perch and took the stick from Adrian's hand. "And there's your proof that it will keep Jen amused for hours. Don't try it Daddio. Chase built the stick out of the same technology we use in the Ark dimensional hopping cubes. Unless you can see into six dimensions you can't find the other end."
"Challenge accepted!"
Everyone else shook their heads and sighed.
Jane placed the stick on a nearby table. "You and your sticks. Why the secret rendezvous Chase man?"
"Oh," Chase's discomfort immediately returned with an intensified force. "I'm worried about my sister."
That caught everyone's attention.
Jane spoke. "Is Vicki okay?"
"I don't think she's been well for a long time."
"But..." Adrian stumbled, "Isn't she, like, the smartest person in the Omniverse? Can't she... I dunno fix herself?"
"It's not that easy, Adrian. Before you can fix a problem you have to admit you have one."
Tara breathed her concern. "Oh dear."
"Well fear not. I wouldn't have come if I didn't have a solution." Chase smiled. "Vicki might be the smartest person in the Omniverse but I'm on the genius list too. With your help I think we can help Vicki in ways she doesn't know she needs."
Adrian had shifted to a sitting position as people talked. "Of course Chase. Anything."
"I know." Chase finally picked up the plate with the cake. "You three would do anything for family so I knew I could rely on you."
"What do you need?" Tara had voiced the question on all their minds.
"We can speak of that later. First, I believe I need to try some of my niece's birthday cake."
If the implications of Chase's conversation were not immediately apparent to Adrian, Tara, and Jane, then they would become so in the coming days...
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