Making Do

(Formally Unexpected Jumper)

 by Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Chapter One

Theory is one thing

Kiko Nao Rhy's yawned as she entered the labs small dressing room. Still sleepy, but a happy sleepy, as it had been a late night again with Lynn. She was still feeling the effects of too much alcohol, too little food and too much Lynn. As she began stripping off her street clothing the Japanese American sighed, remembering. Lynn was usually so predictable yet last night she'd surprised her. From out of the blue she'd offered Kiko an engagement ring. "This is 1998 Kiko, not the Dark Ages. One day women will be allowed to marry women again."

'90's the soft skinned girl thought as she started pulling on her insulated body suit. Maybe one day, but this was Texas, and San Marcos at that. Home of the Raving Rabid Fundamentalist Party. Even so she'd accepted the ring, had it on now. Mom would pitch a screaming fit they'd hear from San Antonio to Fort Worth but her father already knew his eldest daughters tastes. Buddha, he'd asked Lynn when she was 'going to make an honest woman out of my daughter' last Christmas. Kiko giggled softly as she slipped on the thin insulated slippers. Poor Lynn. She'd had no idea he knew. Packing her clothing away she took a last look at her purse before closing her locker. The letter she'd written this morning sat inside there. A time bomb to be mailed after today's test runs. It told her mother everything, something Kiko hadn't been able to do face to face. It told her that, like it or not, her daughter was marrying another woman after graduation in May. Even if it wasn’t legal by her mothers religious views. It would be by Lynn’s Neo-Pagan faith, and that was all Kiko needed. Turning away from her locker she headed out to the laboratory.

"Are we all ready?" gray haired professor Markem asked. He was sitting calmly at his control position, well away from the massive handmade ball of metal coils that dominated the rooms center. Their conversation created a comfortable background as the small woman walked to her own station. "All set, all the power we'll need" Phillipe Andrews, their co-worker on the project called back. A familiar joking patter filled the room.  

"Camera's running?" she asked.

"All twelve, magnetic and the nine 35's are on auto. Lets use mouse number A-37 this run. Be careful Kik's, we're already on standby power charging the capacitors. You'll feel it when you enter."

Kiko waved, changing direction to head for the animal lockers on the West wall. Wiping a thin sheet of sweat from her forehead, for her latex rubber outfit was far from cool this near the semi-active coils, she picked up A-37's non-magnetic cage. A female charcoal gray mouse, not even as large as her hand looked out at her. Walking back to the huge sphere she carefully opened a single small access panel at its top, slipped her legs in and dropped to the 'floor.'

Magnetic forces pulled at her, even though she had no metal fillings or implants, the natural iron in her own body was enough to affect her noticeable in the massive fields. Fields so powerful an MRI scan was like a child's play magnet . Thank God her laboratory glasses were totally non-metallic, thus unaffected by the field. She'd worried about having to work in an area where everything close up was a soft blur without them. Opening the brass wire cage she reached in, taking the mouse out carefully. It'd have to remain in an unfamiliar open top plastic box for several minutes. No need to upset it more than she had too.

"Here, give me the cage" Phillipe's voice called. Looking up she saw him leaning over the opening, his long arm just above her head.

"Sure, just don't eat this one okay" She laughed. “There expensive.”

"Very funny little lezzy. Sheesh. The things I put up with to work on a time machine. Say, I heard from Lynn that she popped the question last night. What was the answer?"

"A confirmed YES!" Kiko laughed brightly. "Letters in my purse to mother right now. Its going in the mail no matter what."

"Oh still my beating heart" he sighed. “I lose another beautiful woman. First Lynn, now you. Such a life I lead. Oh well, can I at least give the bride away, and which ones the bride?

"Ask Lynn about that Phil. She's busy making plans for the wedding right now. And time machine? Dork. We're trying to duplicate the Swedish anti-gravity experiments on a larger scale, you chigger bitten dweeb."

Phillipe laughed in response. "I know, but anti-gravity's about as possible as time travel. So what's the difference. Oh yeah, there's a storm brewing West of us. Bossman says this'll be the last run until it clears."

"Fine, let me put A37 in her place. Then you can help me out of your 'time machine.'" Their conversation ended as Phillipe gently took the brass cage from her. Even though they joked, both knew Kiko's situation was dangerous. Directly in the center of massive magnetic fields, each fighting for dominance, wasn't exactly the safest place to be. In fact, driving drunk down I-35 on the wrong side of the road blindfolded at rush hour was almost safer. Kiko soothed the little mouse while waiting for Phillipe to set the cage aside, then return with the only way out of her current position. A heavy yellow knotted plastic rope.

"Heads up short stuff" Phillipe called. She watched as the rope dropped neatly next to her. She could have jumped and pulled herself out, but that might have damaged the coils. Months of work would be ruined. No reason to take chances when there was a safer way out. Phillipe, a confirmed amateur caver, had come up with the idea of a rope with loops. It'd been their mainstay since the start of their runs some nineteen months ago. Setting her mouse down into its little plastic box she grabbed her way out.

Outside the late Spring storm finally rolled in. Heavy with lightning, it savagely slammed bolts into the earth below, trying to beat the dry stony earth into submission. One rare positively charged bolt, fat with power, blue white with heat, impacted a transmission tower. Sparks flew as a bubble of energy flashed down the lines like a deadly plasma bomb. Kiko had just lifted her foot off the deck when she suddenly felt weightless. Phillipe screamed as sparks snapped, pushing him away from the outer coils. In the background she could hear Professor Markem yelling for her to get out. There was a metallic sound as the spheres access way closed automatically under the conditions. A safety device she’d helped design and test herself. Her ring finger felt strange and then the world twisted.

Chapter Two

A New Life

Cold air was suddenly hitting her face, her eyes focused just in time to close again as she impacted water. Her glasses probably saved her eyes, only they plastic rope kept them from being washed away though. Opening her mouth she tasted warm, salty, deep water. Instantly spitting that out she clawed for the surface, unaware of the length of plastic rope still held in one hand. Breaking the surface Kiko sputtered, drew in a deep breath, and began treading water. Huge waves lifted her, pushing her backward. Waves this size meant a storm or... Twisting around she saw a stretch of beach. "Land" she gasped as the wave carrying her crashed down, tossing her across the wet sand. Impact sent waves of pain through her body, causing her to pass out. More from shock than exhaustion.

"e'll, wha have we here? Ad drowned rat?" she heard hours later. A mans voice, Australian from the accent. Opening her eyes she found herself looking at worn boots. 'Combat boots' she thought absently. With a groan she pushed herself up to face the man.

'BLOODY HELL" he barked, backing fast while swinging an old style rifle towards her. "Wha tha hell are you? Some kinna monster?"

"Huh?" she asked. Her body felt strange, there was pain in her lower back and her balance was off. Nothing one wouldn't expect after what she'd just been through. Sitting up she slowly, dropping the bright yellow rope as she carefully raised her hands. "Kiko Nao Rhys, student at SWTeeeee....." She stared at her hands. No... paws. PAWS? Shaking she carefully looked down. Her slippers were gone. Where her carefully manicured feet had been was fur covered, it looked like... "The mouse. Oh my God..." Raising her hands to her face she inhaled.

A scream that would have been heard from Australia to Japan never happened. The mans hand wrapped itself roughly around her mouth, killing her scream before it could be born. She struggled, tears falling from her eyes as she fought to voice her horror. "Na child. Na noise. Yah get tha bloody nips onus inna second." That caught her attention. 'Nip' was old slang for her race. A slang term made popular during World War Two. Still she struggled, finally wearing herself out against the larger mans strength. "Shhhh... Na noise. Unnerstand?" She nodded in acceptance and he released her mouth. "Nah, what are yah and wher yah com from?"

"My name.. Kiko.. Kiko Nao Rhys. I'm a student at South West Texas University, in San Marcos. Texas. The United States of America? We were setting up a physics experiment when something happened..." She stared again at her hands. "South Pacific?" she asked absently.

"Rennell Island, South Coral Sea ta be exact" he replied. "Look, names Sanders, Billy Sanders. Call me Bill. Yer ah far bit from Texas. U-S righ?"

"Uh-huh, next to Mexico. How far are we from Australia? I gotta call, tell Lynn I'm okay. Get dad to help me get home. Oh God the experiment, what will Professor Markem think?" She looked down at her changed body. "What will Lynn think?"

"Easy girl. Firs we gotta get offa this beach for ah Nip patrol wanners by. Then we'll see bout Australia. Buh New Zealands better, Nips aren't bombin there." He lifted her up by one arm, "Pretty Shela, fer a mouse."

"Human" she snapped in automatic response, fighting to find something that would help her hold onto her sanity. "Something happened. I think my lab animal and I've been... mixed together somehow. Japanese patrol? World War Two ended over fifty years ago. You okay?"

"Inna head? Yeh little Shela, but tha wars only been goin on ten years. Now com'mon..." 

She followed Sanders through thick jungle for over an hour before she suddenly stopped. Sometime during their march it had dawned on her why her lower back hurt so much. "Loan me a knife?" she asked sheepishly. A single cut released the tail packed tightly in her outfits once form fitting embrace. Once released the pain vanished, and her outfit ceased being quite so form fitting. "Thanks" she said, returning the blade hilt first.

Minutes later Bill held up one hand. "Don girl, patrol." She dropped to her knees beside him, listening. Several men walked nearby, chatting as they followed a well worn path. "Probably talkn about some poor bloke what they strunk out tah dry" Sanders cursed softly as the patrol moved past.

Kiko kept quiet, waited until the group passed and her guide relaxed. "Actually, they were discussing child care. The older mans daughter..." She found her mouth closed again. "Nah so loud. You speak their language?"

Tired of being treated as a thing she reached up, grabbed his wrist and twisted. With a soft yelp of pain he released her. "I am twenty four years old, working on my Doctoral in Magnetic Physics Theory, an American Citizen and full blooded Japanese. Of course I speak 'their' language. I speak fluent German and Spanish too. What in the hell is so damn strange about that?"

Sanders looked up from rubbing his hand. "Fighter too? You a spy for the Allies or Axis?"

Kiko stared up at the trees, "Why me. What in the name of Buddha did I ever do to deserve this?" Shaking her head she turned her companion. "I took Ti Kwon Do for eleven years. I'm no spy, even if I were would I tell you? Now, since part of what you've said seems true, mind telling me what year this is?"

"1947, April 11^th." Kiko sat, shocked. "Yah better close yer mouth Shela, afor it fills with bugs."

She closed her mouth. "Months wrong, days wrong, years WAY wrong."

"So, when is it?"

"June 18th, 1998."

"Uh-huh... Well, les get tah camp, I'll mak ah call an get yah picked up. While we wait, yah can fill me in on whats goin on."

"Uh... Sure, okay" she managed. 'Damn, Phillipe was part right. We DID build a time machine' she thought as she followed dutifully behind her guide.

Two hours and a bit more found them in Bill’s current hideaway, a small natural cavern high on one of the islands hills. Things however, were not going as expected. "Busted" Bill cursed as he punched the heavy military radio. "Well, pickup’s schedule in six weeks, we jus’ wai’."

"Six WEEKS? God poor Lynn..." She looked up as music suddenly filled the cave. "I thought you said it was busted."

"Yeah. Well this'ss mah radio. Civilian, picks up tha New Zealan station and Tokyo Rose. Yer boy Lyn can wait. He'll survive."

"Lynn" Kiko corrected, "As in Lynnette. She's the prettiest Computer Sciences major in all of SWT. Let me see that radio. Got any tools?" She totally ignored the shocked expression on Bills face.

"Yah. Rucksac, belo tha radios. Lemme get yah some cloths an shoes, yer feet mus be worn out."

"Great and yeah, I could use some shoes. Hard as my feet are from all that barefoot running, they aren't a match for that jungle. Now give me that damn noisemaker your so proud of."

"You can fixtha tran’mitr?”

"Maybe. Dad learned vacuum technology as a teenager. I read his books. Maybe. Things are pretty much interchangeable at this level of technology." She brushed at a bug crawling up her leg, almost unaware of its presence. "Thought these islands were bug heaven, haven't been bit yet. What'd you do. Shoot 'em all?"

Bill snorted, "In tha outfit yah otta be Swiss Cheese bah now." He watched as she carefully opened both radios, setting their access panels aside. "You sur yah know how tah fix tha?"

"I built 286's from scratch when I was eight, this isn't nearly as complicated. Now why is there so much heat... Oh yeah, filaments. Sheesh... Ancient technology at its worst. Bet you still use Navaho as a code language right?"

Bill watched silently as the mouse woman worked, her tail absently swinging in counterbalance to her movements as she examined the radios guts. "Think I found it" she suddenly announced. Reaching in Kiko pulled a black metal cylindric object. "Burnt out."

"Ho can yah tell? Things wrapped in steel."

"Yep, and cold as ice. The rest you could fry and egg on. Now, lets look at your radio." In minutes she was closing the mil-tech equipment, Bills own radio was now as dead as a doornail. "Same component, different ruggedness" she explained. "Now, where the Ladies room? I gotta pee"

"Outside, ten meters tah yer right. Lotta leaves" Bill replied as he reached for the microphone.

When she returned Bill was packing up. "Tah don believe me, buh yah kno wah too much. Sub'll be here bah midnigh, I gotta ge yah on it. Lessgo." He tossed her a packet,

"C rations? Ahh mann.. Got the breakfast bar?"

"Yah, an its min so keep yer lil’ nose outta it yah hear?"

"Great, I get the twenty year old fruitcake and you get the cheese breakfast bar."

"Yeah, ain't senyarity great?" He laughed when she stuck her tongue out at him, "Damn, sometims hard tah remember yer ah... ahh......"

"They call'em furries I think, big in certain parts of the internet."

"Furry? Yeah, tah fits. Lessgo. Say, wassa tha internet?" 

“A mess” she answered.

Chapter Three

Military Necessity

It was more early morning than midnight before the American marines landed. They talked with Bill for some time, transferring supplies and accepting a notebook from him before turning their attention to Kiko herself. Their shock was evident, one even swung his carbine towards her, to be knocked down almost absently by what must have been an older, higher ranking NCO. Since she had no gear they packed her into the rubber rafts center, hurrying away from the enemy held island.

Her ride to the submarine was silent. Not a word, hardly a sound. The last she'd seen of her guide Bill had been a dark form vanishing among the rocks, carrying replacement parts for his radio among other delicacies the rubber raft had brought. As much as she hated to admit it, she was beginning to believe Bill. It was 1947 and Japan and Germany was still at war with the United States. Her welcome aboard the SEA SPRITE had been less than warm, several armed and jittery guards remained near her at all times. "We... Like, we're not going underwater are we?" she asked one man nervously as they entered the submarine.

"There called Submarines for a reason Mam" he replied. "In here please." She found herself in a small room, from the smell their version of a sickbay. "Captain'll be with you soon as we clear. Please don't try to leave. Subs are really small, there isn't anyplace tah hide we don’t already know about." He shut the door, leaving her alone. She sat, took two long breach, then events slammed in her. Moments later the room was filled by the sounds of a woman crying.

Hours later her solitary confinement ended as her jailers arrived. "I didn believe it mahself when the orders came in" a strong male voice was saying as the door opened. Kiko looked up, midnight dark eyes red from crying. Two men had entered the small room, one obviously the Captain. From old war movies she thought the other might be his second in command. She soon learned that she was right. They sat down, staring at her. "So, your supposed to be an accidental traveler from the future" the Captain stated bluntly. "This planet or another? Where are you from really? Venus? Mars?"

Suddenly Kiko was in an element she felt comfortable in, an element that let her gain a grip on reality. Easily she rose to the challenge. "Certainly not Venus Sir" she answered. "Not with a ninety atmospheric pressure at the surface and hot enough to melt lead. But Mars is dry. It had an atmosphere and free water once, but probably not life as we know it, if at all. Ganymede's the next best choice. Thick ice covering a liquid sea." She leaned forwards, staring him in the eyes. "Listen mister submarine Captain. I just spent the last four hours or so, according to that clock over there, alone in here trying to come to grips with the fact I'm not human anymore. That the one person I love is fifty years in the future and I'll be an old maid long before I see her again. I could have gone mad for all you care, but I made it. I think. Maybe. So thank you very much and now what do I do?"

The second man grinned, "She got you Jake. And from the sound of her she's human, or raised as one. Don't know about the planets, but I'm sure you've got friends back at Harvard that'll know." He reached out his hand. "Franklin J. Matthews, second in command. Glad to meet you. Call me Frank. This here's High Lord Captain Jacob William Farnsworth, the fourth."

"High Lord?" Kiko asked softly, confused. "I don't remember the English in command of American ships. At least not in the history I learned.

"Just Captain" Jacob growled. "High Lord's little Frankie's idea of a joke. My family's related to the English Crown."

"Aren't all Europeans?" she asked gently. "This is an awfully large sub, at least compared to the one I saw in Mobile Bay. That was the DRUM as I remember."

"You'd think so" Frank admitte. "New type. We do recon and carry a small troop load. With Hawaii lost it's a long way without supplies. Now we really have to know. How do you know about our code? It's been driving the Japs and Krauts mad for six years. But you let it drop like everybody's business."

The next two hours were spent in talk, Kiko surprising both men with her version of history and they her with what was fact for them. Finally the Captain excused himself. "Have to get this to Command. If ten percent what you claim to know is real your more important than this whole ship and crew. If you'll help us."

"I'll be proud too" she agreed. "I know the facts of how my parents country treated people. I'm not proud of that in any way shape or form. I certainly don't want Hitler ruling the U.S."

"Hitler? No... You wouldn't know would you? Hitler was murdered two years ago. Rommel's running the show now."

Kiko gasped in stunned horror. "Rommel? He's the best tank commander they have. My God, why haven't you done something?"

Captain Farnsworth stopped at the door. "Germany has England and Ireland. We've got Iceland and Greenland. My God woman, we know he's the best armor commander they have. There's over two million Americans and Canadians fighting a two front war. What do you expect us to do? Send in the Seventh Cav? There isn’t enough oil to support much more than we’re already doing."

"What about Mexico and her Gulf oil fields?"

"Neutral, the same with everyone South of your home state. And what oil fields?"

She swallowed, "I'm sorry" she husked. As soon as the Captain left another man, much older, came in. "Can I start my examination now?" he asked politely.

Frank shrugged, "Doctors. We're big enough, barely, to warrant one. It's rules you know."

"I understand" she sighed, frowning. "B positive blood, near sighted, left handed. All my shots including plague, Yellow Fever and polio. Anything else?"

"B what?" the doctor asked. "Oh well, I'll just take a blood sample. Figure out what your talking about in a few minutes. Left handed? Right arm please." With a grimace she extended her arm, closed her eyes as she felt the doctor shave a small patch of fur away, then the sting of a needle. "Don't take it all" she joked, "I may need it later for the firing squad. So they know they hit me.."

Silence answered her. She opened her eyes. Both men were staring at the hypo drawing her blood. Frank whistled. "Honey dear mousie girl, you ummm... What color is your blood?"

"Red, like that" she answered as she watched the slowly filling glass tube. "Normal iron rich blood. I take my vitamins daily. Why, yours green or something?"

"Uh, noooooo.... Not green..... Doc?"

She waited as the needle was withdrawn, to be carefully packed away. Another was removed from the tray while Frank raised his sleeve. She watched amazed as he took the needles bite without a flinch. And horror as a dark blue fluid filled the glass tube. "Every living thing on this planet has copper based blood" the doctor explained, removing the tube after taking a few cc's. "Except for a few sea forms. Horseshoe crabs, some smaller life forms. They have red blood, but nothing as dark as yours. I understand now. B positive is your blood type. Mines A-3, the most common. The Lt. Commander has B-1, not that rare but we've only a handful of people aboard with it. The Captains A-1, really rare. If nothing else, this proves your not from our world."

"Not??? Then..." Her mind made an instant leap. "I can go home. I'm not fifty plus years in the past." She looked at the two confused men and laughed. "I jumped between realities, your clocks just running slower than mine. I can rebuild the globe, reverse everything and go home!"

"I don't think so" Frank said slowly.

"Why not?"

"Your knowledge. They'll want to pump you dry. And even if your right, from what I saw in the chart room you'd have to jump from Nazi occupied Russia."

"No. From where I arrived. Or near it. Couple hundred yards one way or another. And high up with a parachute, or I chance bouncing off something not too soft. Like a concrete bench or the side of a building."

Frank shook his head in dismay. "First, your talking about an airplane so big we can't build it, enough power to kick start a battle group and all inside Japanese waters. Who's going to pay for it and why bother? Your only one.. woman."

"I'll give you one good reason" the doctor answered. "Medical advances. She mentioned being vaccinated against things we still have no cure for. That's one good reason. How about technology advances? Digital watches? What is aq home computer and how could it help us? Just what she's tossed off in her few hours here already are science fiction dreams. What's a transistor? Or an IC? Cellphone? Cars that can go fifty miles on a gallon of gas... Think man, she's a physics major. Her girlfriends a computer sciences major. We've just started building computers and they weigh tonns. God man, even her knowledge of the solar system is far ahead of our best guess's. What the two of them could bring back alone would be worth the cost."

"In mens lives?"

"I'll learn to fly the damn plane for her then. She could save millions in this generation alone."

"wait wait Wait WAIT" Kiko yelled. "What makes you think I'd come back?"

"Because we need you" the Captain answered from the hatchway behind her. "The Japanese have just invaded Australia. If we lose that...."

"You lose the war. New Zealand can't hold alone. They'll walk up South America through Mexico. Lose the Panama Canal and your naval yards in the East can't help you." She looked at the man, seeing understanding and agreement in his eyes. "Dad's father was in WWII, he pretty much relived the war through his dad. I read the books, watched the movies and basic geography was part of grade school. I can even read a map. Oh, tectonic plates isn't a theory, its real."

"We're to take you directly to New Zealand. You'll take a fast military courier plane back home. To San Antonio. Times short, they'll grill you to death there."

"Kelly? There's no scientific institutes around Kelly. Not until the '60's."

"There will be by the time you arrive. You may know something that can save us. Maybe. Its worth the effort."

Kiko closed her eyes, slumping down into herself as reality came crashing down on her like a ton of stone. "Fine, no bill. No deals. I'll help you. Maybe someday someone will send me home. Maybe not. But I can't say no." She looked up at the Captain. "I won’t be the first person to lose someone they love, have to start over. At least I know Lynn’s alive. So... How do you want your mouse steaks, medium or well done?"

Chapter Four

A Lab Rat

Six months later and she was still getting used to her new body. No periods was apparently part of it, though the month before she'd gone almost mad with her need for Lynn. 'In season' some vet had explained to her. A dozen other medical doctors stood ready to poke and prod her, learn everything they could about her. They stood at the end of a long line. Tape recorders ran full time, recording her every word to be transcribed then copies passed around. Small comments gave rise to in-depth questions the next day. She was quickly learning to watch her mouth.

"The plane you'd need can't be built, it'd have to be mostly wood. Even then the forces, it'd pull the engines right out of her wings."

"What about turning the Spruce Goose into a glider?"

"The what?"

That'd ended up being another four hours of chat, with agents vanishing to appear at a certain ex-millionaires home, asking to see what he thought were forgotten, and secret plans.

Some scientists, their pet theories debunked, stomped off calling her a circus sideshow freak with delusions of grandeur. But it was Einstein she hurt the worst. "But the bomb doesn't work. We tried it four times. No joy, they were all duds."

She'd looked startled. "Any real differences in physics between our realities and I couldn't exist this long without it showing up. I think Einstein was.. is a God freak right? He invented Quantum Mechanics then couldn’t accept what it told him. As I remember, and I'm real hazy about it, he once admitted that he'd been tempted to ruin the project. That the bomb was too dangerous."

"It isn't?"

"Oh the atom bomb? Yes, but its her big sister the Hydrogen bomb that's the real scary one."

"Then it works?"

"Oh yes, it works. We have tens of thousands of them. Turned a Pacific atoll into a hole a mile wide and hundreds of feet deep I understand. Enough to kill every living thing on the planet four or five times over. The big problem isn't building the damn things. Its getting rid of them and their waste once you have them."

Two days later she heard the elder scientist and a large group of his friends were under arrest. Written proof found in his own home how he'd spiked all four bombs. She gritted her teeth, one time she'd really shot her mouth off... And people were getting shot for it. 'Dammit' she thought, 'I wanna go home.'

But Japan held most of Australia now. She hated to admit it but she might be the free worlds only real chance. Already she'd advanced knowledge twenty years, fifty in some cases. New projects were being started, new weapons. "Oh God" she prayed one night, "Tell me I'm doing the right thing. Don't let me cause more suffering, more deaths, just because I can. If I'm wrong, kill me now."

The next morning a priest was waiting. "No one realized you were Christian my child."

"And Buddhist" she responded tiredly. "But mainly Southern Baptist. It sort of goes with living in the United States. Being at least a little Christian I mean." She started to walk away, then stopped. "Can we talk? Without the tape recorders, without the listeners? Please?"

"I think I can arrange that. Give me a few minutes. Go eat breakfast child and I'll see what I can do."

It was the beginning of her real recovery.

Three years after her arrival and she felt drained. Oh there was still information she could give. It was surprising what years of collage pumped into your brain. But the big stuff was gone. Mostly she talked with Geologists and Astronomers now. But a lot of her day was left to her alone. She was still the biggest secret on the base, probably the planet. More than a dozen assassins had been caught already, five times that many spies. But she was lonely. Lynn was on the other side of some wall, a wall neither could see or feel. But a wall Kiko knew how to find. She'd recreated the plans already, noticed they were checked nightly. Never wondered why. It was just part of her life now. They were probably checking her notes watching for new clues. Australia was free again. New weapons based on her own memories had pushed them back. Surprised them. Her memory of the C-130 SPECTER gunship had stunned many military planners. Their version of it had crushed several invasion fleets already. She understood it was extremely effective against troopships.

A transistor radio sat on her window sill. One of the very first. An armored window to be sure, but still a view of San Antonio. It looked strange without the tower, without the smog. Transistors alone were changing things. Equipment was lighter, took less power, took rougher usage. Books had been written based on movies and shows she'd enjoyed. Pre-empting their real creators, and not quite the same. Moral, both civilian and military, rose as new stories and movies not based on the war became available.

She was a female Leonardo DaVinci, and she hated every second of it.

Chapter Five

Going Home

"Miss Rhys?" a voice asked one morning. Female, it had to be the nurse Margaret.

"Yes?"

"They'd like you to come to the front please, and bring that suit you were wearing when you arrived?"

"Sure, why not" she groaned. Another dog and pony show, and she was the pony. Opening a drawer she dug out the suit. Clean, and unworn since she'd arrived at Kelly Air Force Base. Throwing it over her right arm she followed the brunette.

"Your what?" she asked in surprise as it was first explained to her.

"We're sending you home. At least we hope we are" the General said. "With New Guinea ours again and most of the smaller islands, along with all the Solomon Islands. It seems we won't have to worry much about the Japanese around there." He walked her to a waiting car. "If you'll get in I'll take you to your plane."

"But... Why?" she asked as she slipped into the car.

"Because of what you gave us. To you it wasn't much. Words, old ideas and some new ones. But those words shortcut generations of R&D. You put the Allies thirty years ahead of the Axis. Just showing us Einstein was cutting our throats was a major help. When the Germans trotted out their bombs it wasn’t a crushing surprise. We were able to meet them one for one, though it was dicey for a while. Where we can we're pushing the Japanese back."

"What about the Germans? Stalin? I hear so little I can be certain isn’t propaganda."

"We've strengthened our bases in Siberia. Holding against both Japan and Russia wasn't easy, it still isn't. But they'll have to wait. Stalin... Stalin had a rather nasty accident last week. His replacement seem's to be a bit more open minded."

"God, all those poor Jews..."

"Prices Miss Rhys, Prices. There's always a price in war. Sometimes its awfully high, maybe too high this time around. But when we win we'll give them all the Mid-East. Germany's killed every non-European from Turkey to the Belgian Congo already. Razed the cites and holy places. It's pretty much wasteland now. I know its not much, but we're pressed for every little advantage. At least now we give them priority in evacuations. Before... They were pretty low down you know."

"I'll come back, if I can" she decided suddenly.

"Why?"

"I'll bring Lynn. She has knowledge I don't. Space is her hobby, computers her life. She may miss her Mac but she'll love re-building everything from scratch. At least I hope so. She bitches enough about things she wishes she could change."

"Then we'll look for you. Do we look for a mouse or a woman?"

"A woman I hope" she laughed. "I want to get a tan. Mice don't seem to tan."

The trip to New Zealand was filled with excitement. The new jet engines ate gas, but with the new State of Mexico fields opening it didn't matter. She thought about that. Mexico was now officially part of the United States. All Central and South America. All the way down to Terra del Feugo. Resources were the reason. And when it'd been discovered Brazil was secretly letting Germany build bases... That'd ended all bets. Two days later she was at ten thousand feet in the worlds biggest glider, its belly filled with a replica of her own sphere. Heavy power cables led to generators packed everywhere, surrounded by capacitor banks the size she'd never seen outside a bad science fiction movie. Abruptly they roared into life. It was time.

"Ten minutes Miss Rhys" the loadmaster warned her. "Better get your chute on."

She struggled into the device, a parasail designed off her rough sketches from half remembered air shows. It alone had improved jumpers survivability. And accuracy. Specifically designed for this one jump, everything was made of precious silk or the newest high impact plastic. "Okay" she yelled back. "Time?"

"Six minutes. We jump just before it triggers."

"You better. I think this gliders gonna be match sticks when I jump."

"I'm not sticking around to find out. Hope it works." He suddenly leaned over, kissing her square on the lips. It burned. She hadn't been kissed since that last night with Lynn. Climbing up the wooden ladder she opened the hatch, struggling to get in. Finally the loadmaster joined her, giving her the last push she needed. As she looked up he waved, closed the hatch and she was alone again. For the first time since she'd met Bill, she was truly alone.

Magnetic forces pulled at her, lifting her. Now was showdown. Mathematicians had worked with cartographers, checking and rechecking for months. If everything was right she'd appear somewhere over San Marcos. If luck was with her, as a human not a mouse. All she could do was.....

She was falling again. Below her a city opened up, wind streamed across her eyes and she wished she'd brought her glasses with her. Too late now. A quick glance at her hands confirmed her worst fears. She was still a mouse. But in a collage town it might not matter. If this was the right collage town it wouldn't matter at all. Not in her 1998. No, it would be 2002 wouldn’t it she realized. She waited, finally pulling the ripcord at what she thought was a thousand feet. Two minutes later she slipped out of the device, leaving most of it behind, hanging from the old live oak she'd dropped into. Time to find out what was real. Time to find Lynn.

Chapter Six

Things are never the Same

Having dropped all of her parachute’s remains that she could strip from the tree into a nearby dumpster, Kiko had barely taken three quick steps out into the parking lot when her body froze. Something was watching her. Something evil, dark and very, very nasty. She could feel its eyes watching her, that feeling caused her skin to crawl, which caused the fur on her body to lift under her latex suit. Something wanted to have her. As dinner. She glanced around, not moving her head more than she had too. Nothing. It was a well lit parking lot and there were people around, abet in the distance. Why the fear she wondered, confused. Suddenly the sound of an owl's hoot drifted over the lot and before she realized it she'd crawled under a car. 'Owl's are dangerous' her mind screamed at her. 'They eat mice. Run. Run. Hide quick!'

At that moment she realized what was going on, not only her body had changed, but part of her instincts as well. Yet even with that knowledge it was a battle to force herself out from under the vehicle she'd hidden under. Her black insulated suit was filthy, grey dust and tiny stones had stuck in the most embarrassing places. Even aware of the problem, even with the knowledge she was too big for the owl to consider a meal... Even with all that, while she cleaned herself off a part of her mind kept track of that owl. Only relaxing when it leapt into the air to fly away. "Stupid mouse" she cursed at herself as she finished.

"Hey sweetmeat" a male human voice called. Turning around she saw several obviously drunk young men staggering her way down a set of concrete stairs. One, apparently the 'designated driver, walked a little more steadily behind the group. It had been his voice that she'd heard. Spotted, her only choice was to run or bluff. Unlike the owl, her human side had no fear of lower classmen. Hands on hips she waited until the four arrived. Those that were drunk wouldn't believe their own eyes anyway, for the semi-sober one she'd already worked out a story hours ago. "Listen Junior" she snapped, guessing at his grade. "That's Almost-Doctor Sweatmeat to you."

He stopped as if he'd hit a wall, "Holy shit... A Rat! No.. Wait... That's a costume right? Doctor? Your doing your Doctorate?"

"Bingo, Give the man a rubber cigar. He's right on both counts. Gee, you might even make some junior collage with that kind of intelligence. Try SAC. I hear their desperate. Look, my roommate ran off with my bike and I was supposed to be at rehearsal ten minutes ago. Can you like, maybe give me a ride?"

His face broke out in a massive grin, "Oh I'd love to ride you Doctor Sweetmeat" he giggled. At her look he giggled again. "Okay, sure. Where too?"

"Northridge, seven hundred block. A problem?"

"Kiss first?"

She looked up at the young mans face. "Sure. But for that price I get to sit up front."

"Deal." He walked forward, puckering up. With a 'why me' groan she let him hug her, doing her best to respond to his oh-so sophisticated kiss and following clumsy attempt of seduction. "Great costume" he commented as he pulled away slowly. "Couldn't find the zipper."

"Isn't one, it's a stretch fabric. I'm sewn in." she lied, following him to his van. In the company of all these young men, drunk or not, she felt a lot safer.

"Bitch when yah gotta go potty" one of the drunks slurred.

"Nah, I just sit on a drunk underclassman and let him clean me up after" she cut back.

One of the men gagged. "God what an image. And me with a stomach full of beer" he coughed as he heaved his stomachs contents out into a parked convertibles front seat. The rest just laughed, dragging the poor man into her benefactors van, a converted utility machine. From the interior she had no illusions as to what it had been converted for. Considering her own experiences, Kiko wondered just why the waste of time since almost none of these 'love machines' ever saw action. At least, not unless the owner felt like paying. She settled into a seat that had been reupholstered with some kind of gel-pak. 'God' she thought, trying to get comfortable in a seat that felt like a cheap waterbed. 'I hope he didn't screw with the seat belts too.'

Their drive had to have been the slowest on record. She had to put up with 'Frank's' constant groping, often in places she'd rathernot think of, along with a course humor she'd heard in high school. Still it was an enclosed vehicle. From her owl experience she realized this was the lessor of two evils. Getting across campus, much less into the older part of town would have taken all night. If she'd been able to manage it at all. She wasn't certain her heart would be up to it. Suddenly the vehicle stopped. "Here' ya-are. Need extras?" her driver asked. She shook her head, abandoning them as quickly as she could. Finally free of her badly tarnished knights vehicle, and his hands, she stood again on solid ground. Waving cheerfully as the van roared away. They'd have a story to tell in the morning, but no one would ever believe them.

Her Professor lived on the block just past where they'd dropped her, and another street. Less than seventy yards away, yet she crossed the distance aware of every birds nest, every sound and worse, every cat. That fear she was well used to, she'd been allergic to cats before her accident. Now instead of only making her sick they simply terrified her. Hurrying up the well remembered weathered wooden steps she pounded on Professor Markem's front door. Although his house was dark she knew he'd most likely be up. Most likely in his second floor study, reading some esoteric report. If not surfing the Internet for Gods knew what. Almost fifteen minutes passed before the inner porch light flickered on. Professor Markem had grown up in abject poverty. If it wasn't in use or needed within ten minutes, it was off. Add to being elderly, he was slow to respond to any knock on his door. She waited nervously as he opened the inner door, walked slowly through the tiny alcove, flicked on the outside light and opened the outer door.

Chapter Seven

Old Friends

"My Lord" Markem managed as she pushed past him. There were owls out, and cats. Standing in that light made her the A number one target her mind kept screaming. "Who? What's going on young lady.... Oh dear... Ms. Rhys? I think? Maybe... Where...."

"Kiko Rhys” she agreed quickly. “More later" she hissed, pressed up against his inner door. "Just close the door. Please. Cats."

"Cats? Of course there's... Oh yes" He shut the door, waving her into the house. "Now tell me where you've been dear girl, and why that strange outfit?"

"In your study, please?" she begged.

"Very well. You know the way. I'll be up as soon as I get us something to drink." He looked at her a moment, "And eat."

Kiko nodded, hurrying off. Professor Markem always seemed to know when his students were hungry. While he walked to the kitchen she nearly ran up well remembered stairs to a room she'd spent more time in than in classes. Originally a pair of bedrooms, one inner wall had been removed, converting the two rooms into a comfortable study slash library. All four outside windows had been walled over from the inside. Windows simply couldn’t be afforded, they took up precious shelf room for his books. She dropped comfortably on a long remembered pile of cushions. A nest of sorts she'd spent hours curled up in arguing theories. Now it was a haven from the outside.

"Now tell me everything" Markem ordered as he entered the room. Without looking he sat a can of cold tea on a chair near Kiko's nest, along with half a package of peanut butter cookies. Having worked with her nearly two years he well knew her habits, even having anticipated where she'd end up. As he settled in his own chair, sitting a soft drink down, he took her in for the first time. "My, that isn't a costume is it my dear."

"No sir" she whispered. Opening her canned tea she absently spun the tab ninety degrees. "Its A-37. We Grok."

"Grok? Gro.. Oh yes, Robert's Stranger in a Strange Land. The two of you are one then. Amazing, I really must call Susan later. She'll be fascinated. But how?"

Kiko swallowed a mouthful of tea before trying to answer. "Your Gate Professor. When it opened we somehow combined on the genetic level. Since I massed more I got to stay mostly myself. It appears... Maybe. But the change is more than just cosmetic. Apparently I've inherited a few... Instincts."

"Fear of cats of course but then you always disliked cats. Owl's and snakes must give you the shimmies, but where have you been all this time."

"Shimmies? I almost pee'd my non-existent panties tonight thank you." She munched a few cookies, enjoying the long missed taste. Peanuts simply hadn't evolved in the world she'd left, nor had a lot of things. "Another world sir, a completely 'nother world. Its inhabited, they are just like us except their blood is copper based, and... Its 1949... and World War Two is still going on. Before you ask, they sent me back. For Lynn."

"Lynn, oh dear me yes your bright young Computer Major. She's not here my dear, she went back to San Antonio oh, three, four months ago. Right after she finished her last class. Didn't even stay around for graduation. I have several letters from her. She's kept in touch, hoping I'd find a way to get you back I imagine. Or at least consent to send her after you."

"Send her after me? Then our projects still working?"

"The project? No dear. After the investigation... They were unable to reproduce your disappearance by the way, I'm afraid the Dean ordered everything dismantled. All I was able to keep were the records, programs and a few parts. I'm afraid everything else was sold for scrap at auction. I really should have mentioned that power surge but.. They never actually asked you understand."

"Then how could you send her after me?"

"Oh, well... You see she and young Andrews hooked up. That boy took everything that was left, packed his little nubian princess into Lynn's old delivery van and off they went to San Antonio. I've been getting weekly reports from Andrews. They live out near Medina Lake now. He's about rebuilt half the system now with surplus parts. All those military bases you know, and they shut down Kelly so there's even more cheap parts I guess."

"Wait, hold it. Andrews has a girlfriend?" Kiko asked. She remembered Phillipe's rather dense way around women, and his loneliness. "We are talking about the same man. Abut six three, heavy glasses, has about as much interest in a social life as a mouse does a stone? When how who..."

Markem laughed. "Dear girl, we both know it took a special kind of female for that boy. Ruth just showed up one day, grabbed his arm and told him they were going steady. I imagine their married by now, delightful couple they are too. But back to you. Tell me everything."

So she did, from her sudden swim to her parachuting back. How everyone had looked at her as a gift from the Gods or something, her desire to return. "I'm taking Lynn back, if she'll come."

"Oh she'll go. That I can assure you. If you go back. That bolt was a random factor dear. It wasn't even recorded properly. Impossible to reproduce, quite impossible."

"Not really. They figured it out enough to get me back didn't they. They gave me notes too. Look, can I... Can I use your phone?"

"Certainly, use the hall phone. Her numbers in my book. I'll wait."

Her fingers trembled as she dialed, pressing each button as if a bomb might go off. Finally she heard a ring, another, then... "Andrews, what's Gnus" came a cheerful voice.

"I'm back" was all Kiko could manage as tears suddenly flowed from her eyes. Something large had slammed up into her throat, stopping further words. Her heart she thought.

Silence, long silence. Then hushed voices. "Its Markem's number." Your certain?" "Check yourself, see?" "Yeah, sounds like her. Go wake Lynn." "But..." "Yeah I know she just went to sleep but wake her up. Now." She could hear footsteps hurrying away then Phillipe's voice came back. "Kiko? Is this really you?"

"Sort of" she managed, sobbing. "Oh Gods Phil, is Lynn okay?"

"If she isn't she will be. What's wrong? What do you mean 'sort of?'"

"A-37 and I merged. I look like a mouse now."

"KIKO?" Lynn's voice screamed in her ear. "OH MY GOD... Where... San Marcus? I'll be right there."

"Hang on I'll go" she heard the other woman's voice argue. There was nothing to do but wait as the three fought it out. She leaned against a wall, listening to her loves voice so far away. Finally it calmed down and Phillipe came back on the line. "We're sending Ruth up. She's driving Lynn's old van. You'll be at the professors house right?"

"Where else would I go Phil" she asked shakily. Emotional dams had burst, it was all she could do to answer.

"What are you wearing?"

"A mouse's body Phil, and that insulated suit I had on."

"Hang on, a what?"

"A-37... When I jumped A-37 and I merged. Warn Lynn. I look like a damn mouse now."

"Mouse... Uh, Ruth's got a cat... Oh hell you always disliked cats. If your telling the truth... Damn, okay look. Ruth'l will be there in two hours max. I'll put Fargo out in our trailer. He likes it there anyway, lotta mice... Shit damn fine sorry about that. Look, we'll figure it out. Gotta go, Lynn just peed the floor. Be there."

She smiled as a click came. Gently she sat down the receiver, returning to Markem's study. "How long and who?" he asked.

"Ruth, maybe two hours."

"Ruth? Oh dear me no, she likes race cars. Not much more than eighty minutes I should think. Even with the construction on thirty-five. You better wash up dear, I'll warn her before you go out. Oh.. I better send them your picture, so they know... Where's my camera.... It’s one of those new silver digital ones you know. Just got it when school started this year."

"Probably in the lower right hand drawer where you always keep your camera" Kiko laughed. She watched as the old man looked, an expression of wonder coming to his face as he found the object.

"Your certain your not a witch now" he asked, putting the camera case on his desk. "I've been looking for this all week, your sure your not supergirl?"

She laughed again as emotions warred with each other. "You always put it there, and you always forget. Standard seductress pose?"

"No dear, just as your are. After you leave I'll send it through the Internet." He took a few dozen frames, some with Kiko vamping for fun, before sitting the device down. "Off with you, you know where the bathroom is."

Kiko stood, started to leave then turned back. "Why?" she asked.

"Why what dear."

"Why are you being so kind, so understanding?"

"That should be obvious Ms. Rhys. I've been in love with you since the day we met. Too old, wrong sex. But that hasn't mattered. I've been alone since my Sandra died. Having you here all those nights. Young, exuberant, always asking questions it was so hard to answer. So much like my Sandra, so different. But I couldn't tell you. Oh no, at first... At first it was the teacher student thing. Then one afternoon I saw you and your Lynn embracing. Knew I had no chance and decided to enjoy what part of you that you'd give me. Its always been worth it my dear."

She smiled at his words. Walking over to the sitting man she bent down, pressing her lips against his. Their kiss was short, chaste, yet as she stepped back there was a shine in the old mans eyes she'd never seen. "Thank you dear, you've no idea how many times I've dreamed of that. Now off with you, it is a long drive to San Antonio with no rest stops. Off with you now. You'll tell me everything while we wait."

True to his word Professor Markem spent nearly five whole minutes explaining things before letting Kiko step into sight. From the girls voice she'd expected someone more her size. Ruth however was nearly six feet tall, weighing almost two hundred and fifty pounds. Ruth was an Amazon with the voice of an elf queen. She was as brown as dark chocolate, and looked just as delicious. "Like Duh, your not kiddin Prof. She's a mouse." She held out her hand, "Hi Kiko-mouse, I'm Ruth. Vans waiting, Lynn's waiting. Gotta rush, we can talk onna ride."

Markem took her hand, squeezing it a moment. "Now don't forget to buckle up dear. Ruth's rather a unique driver.

She soon learned that unique wasn't nearly the word for it.

~end~