It's about 11 o'clock in the morning and my tummy is announcing that it's time to start looking for food.

But it unfortunately needs to wait a while, because Katie asked me if I wanted to give the shower a quick test run, to which I wholeheartedly agreed. She said she would take care of some last minute stuff, so I should take my time and relax.  

I step into the bathroom and take in the scenery. The shower is pure luxury, there's a rather generously sized  bath in here too. Did they design this place for royals? I think I can get used to this life, even though I don't really have my freedom anymore.

I undress and fold the training suit, then put it on a small table in the corner. I put my slippers aside and am standing barefoot on the floor, while still in my underwear.

The white tiles on the floor are warm to the touch...floor heating! This place really has all the creature comforts a....a....person could wish for. I'm not really human anymore, or am I? 

I decide not to think about that and open the shower doors. Yep, a glass door with privacy coating keeps the rest of the bathroom dry. I drop my underwear where I'm standing and just enter the shower, closing the door behind me.

 

After a very relaxing, but longer than usual shower, I feel ready to get dressed again. It might be a good idea to remember that I need more shower time than before, as I now need to take care of my longer hair. And don't forget the extra time I need for my tail and ears. Why the ears you say? Simple, they are covered with plenty of hair, or should I say fur, unlike human ears. 

Speaking of my tail...my reflection in the bathroom mirror relentlessly shows the state of my freshly washed tail. It's wet to the core, looking more like a drowned cat than a tail. How am I supposed to dry that thing, it's not like this body came with an instruction manual, now did it?

White, fluffy towels are neatly folded, ready for use. And I take several to dry all this hair and fur. My tail is now at least dry, but it's not very fluffy. Whatever, maybe it just needs some time to recharge its fluffiness? 

The water in my ears is anything but comfortable, it reduces the sounds I can hear to nothing more than whooshing and sloshing sounds. The tip of the towel worked to some degree, but there's still some water left where I can't reach with the towel. Another issue I need to find a solution for.
For now I'm just violently shaking my ears while bent over. "Brrrr," I shudder...that's just too sensitive but it's at least good for now.
"Ouch," within seconds I find myself feeling dizzy and sitting on the bathroom floor in an unladylike fashion: on my bum. Note to self: don't shake your head to dry your ears.

Wait....did my underwear mysteriously vanish into thin air? Where did the fresh underwear on the table come from? And more importantly, my clothes...where's my training suit? 
This can mean only one thing....  I quickly put on my underwear and shout  "Katie?"

"Yes, I'm right here. Did you find the underwear?" I can hear her reply, but her voice sounds a bit muffled from the water in my ears.

"Yeah, thanks. But where's the rest? Did you take my clothes?"

"Yes, come here for a minute. I want to show you something."

"But Katie, for gods sake. I'm naked!" I open the door so we can understand each other without shouting, and Katie can barely see two furry ears poking out.

Did she giggle? Nah, it must be my imagination.

"Panties and a bra don't make you naked, now get here!"

I open the bathroom door all the way and may or may not have cursed at that moment, but I bravely walk in my underwear to Katie nevertheless.

"See, you're not naked. Look what...wait....what happened to your tail? Is it still alive?"
Oh she was grinning alright. It took one of my death glares to quiet her down. 

"Do you want some help with that?" She looks at my tail, which tries moving to the opposite direction of where she's looking. 

"You think you can fix that?" My sorry excuse for a tail really seems utterly lifeless. It's a disgrace for my race, whatever they may be.

"I'm sure of it. Now look what Ewan got for you." She pointed at something behind me.

I turn around and see a pretty large clothing rack, filled with kimonos, dresses and other unmistakingly feminine looking attire. I swallow...this is going to take some time getting used to. There's no going back, there's only one style I can choose from: feminine. In a way this is what I always wanted, but still...so sudden. I can't even get used to things and am already forced to dress as a woman. At least the training suit was more neutral, and quite comfortable.

"Ehhh...you mean he picked this out for me...himself?" I said while letting my hand touch the fabric of a kimono. It's definitely soft, but maybe also too cold for this time of the year? 

"What? NO!  Now stop daydreaming and choose something already." Oops, I think I hit a nerve. Did I really insult her? Nah, she seems fine again. 

"You really want to see me in a kimono, don't you?" I squinted for a second to show my dissatisfaction. 

"Ah ha ha. Of course I do. How about....this one?" Katie settled on a pink, cherry blossom style kimono. 

"Ah that's a no, Katie. That's more for a special occasion or something." I shook my head and touched another kimono. Well at least let me pick the style and color myself.

"Oh ho...a special occasion, huh? So you already picked your kimono?" She crossed her arms and gave me a warm smile. What is that woman up to now?

I keep looking at a dark blue kimono, not much different from what I wore when we met. 

"Dark blue again? Well it certainly looks good on you. Try it on!"

Minutes later I was dressed in a blue kimono. I can't believe they made me wear this. I mean, kimonos are usually for special occasions only, and they want me to wear them all the time. You know what? 
I will wear it this time only, then find something else entirely. 

My tail is very visible...and for some reason it's swaying vividly....traitor!

"Wow, that really suits you. And I think you really like it, too. Admit it, I was right, you do look good in a kimono."

I choose to ignore that comment and only nod. I see my reflection in the mirror and then fasten the ribbon around my waist a bit more. "Katie, only this once, alright? I think that kimonos should not be used as everyday clothing, they are too special for that. Can't you find me some more regular clothes?"

"Yes and no. Again, your tail is the limiting factor here. Or do you want me to cut it off?"

"No!!!" I grab my not so fluffy tail in a reflex and cuddle it as if I were petting a plush toy.

It seems my tail is also perfect to hide a blushing and pouting face behind... 

"Easy..it was just a joke. But still, you got used to that tail pretty fast. First you wanted to get rid of it, now you want to protect it. Or was that instinct? The way you are hiding your face is cute by the way. My daughter has the same reaction but she mostly hides behind her teddy bear."

I drop my tail and my mouth is agape. 
"You have a daughter?"

"Well, don't look so surprised. Yep. Little Allie is three now. I'm sure she would love to pet you."

"Mmmm, yeah. Wait...pet me? Ah why not. Maybe one day?"

"Sure, one day."

The next fifteen minutes are spent enjoying Katies combing of my hair and my tail fur. 
We are both sitting on my bed where it's easier for Katie to use the comb on me.

She then uses two blue hair pins to keep my hair together, so it no longer ends up in my face or even worse...in my mouth. "There, all done."

"Wow..That's...totally different." The blue color nicely contrasts against the silvery white hair.

"You like it? Also your tail?"  Katie points to my tail with the hairbrush still in her hand. 

"Yes! It's fluffy again!" I take it in my hand and it's fluffiness is back to 100%!

"Told you. It honestly is not much different than brushing the fur of a big dog." Katie shrugs, as if this is the most normal thing to say.

"What? You compare me to a dog?" I faked being upset by putting my hands against my waist

Our little giggle is suddenly interrupted by the most hideous dark and evil monster you can imagine. It just entered this room and is most certainly unwelcome.

"Awwwwww, Snooooowball, what are you doing here, you lazy cat? Did Ben leave you alone again?"

My eyelids open wide and I jump back from the bed to end up standing a few feet away from...THAT!
"Oh no. A cat. What's it doing here?" I said, now walking backwards until I hit a wall. 

"It's Ben's cat. Remember? The security guard?" She saw me nod.  "Well, they allowed him to keep Snowball up here, but it seems that she got out. Eh...don't tell me you're afraid of cats?"

"No...I just don't like them and they don't like me either. See these scars? They attacked me when.....wait.
My scars, they are gone!" I inspect my arms by pulling at the kimono's sleeves. 

"Interesting. But back to the cat, maybe try petting her? She's really nice. And fluffy." Katie keeps petting the creature.

"Ahh....I don't know about that, Katie."  I shake my head while focusing on the cat.

For some reason, Snowball comes over to me and starts sniffing my legs, then my tail. The cat then puts her paws on my tail but isn't doing anything to hurt me. My tail sways, trying to get away from the cat, who sees it as an invitation to start playing with it as if it were a prey.

Then without warning, the same thing that has happened many times before, happened to me again.
Snowball hisses at me, the hairs on her back are standing up straight, like if she were being electrocuted. I coincidentally know that feeling because I had experienced that before.
I'm still standing with my back against the wall, feeling somewhat threatened.

"Snowball!" Katie tries to get the attention of the cat, but it's fully focused on me.

Then something unexpected happens. My vision..it changes. I can suddenly see the cat in even more detail than before. Her eyes now seem to glow, just like nocturnal animals do at night in documentaries, when someone points a flashlight at them. The rest of the room is a blur.

My hands suddenly hurt, and when I look at them, I can see that my nails have extended to form actual claws. Then I lose all common sense. My body switches to some kind of primal mode and returns the hiss to the cat. 
"Hisssss!" Then my mouth opens wide, showing my fangs that I didn't know I had. 
I can feel my tail straightening, all hairs are standing up, just like Snowball did a moment ago.

The cat suddenly backs off with a loud screech "mwaaa!" and then decides to retreat at near-light speed as if her life depended on it.

"Snowball!" Katie runs after the cat but Snowball is just fine. Maybe one life less, so probably only eight cat lives remain. She pickes up the now trembling cat and starts petting it again. Then she asks me "what happened?"

I blink and come to my senses again. Of course I keep my distance from the cat.
"I...I don't know, Katie. This must be instinct or something, I didn't even know I could extend my nails. And my teeth felt really sharp for a second."

"Let me see....yes you're right. You have four fangs visible now, they are slowly returning to wherever they came from. You were scaring me for a second there! And it looked like your eyes were glowing red for a moment."

"Eh...I guess that's exactly the purpose of whatever this was, to scare the cat away. Let's just say that cats and I don't see eye to eye."

"I will add this to your file and get Snowball back to Ben. Then you and I will need to see Ewan, he's probably already waiting for us."

"Won't we have lunch first, Katie?" I put my right hand on my tummy.

"What, you're hungry already?" There's that mischievous smile again.

"Yeah, it's about noon, so why not?" I shrugged. Is it really that strange to be hungry now?

"It's barely 11 o'clock. And after such a breakfast...  We will have lunch soon, I promise."

At this point, my stomach insists to join the conversation and tell her that it really is running out of fuel, "growl."

"I guess you really are hungry. Okay, I will fetch something for you, see you in a minute. The mirror is on ground level."

"Thanks Katie, you are a lifesaver. Literally."

She didn't think I would see her rolling her eyes, but I did nevertheless.

 

While she got rid of that darn cat, I made sure that my kimono was looking the way it should. I will ignore the slippers for now. But whatever. Now I'm probably expressing a more homey kimono style. 

I met Katie at the elevator after I had sufficiently recovered from whatever happened to me a few minutes ago. 
The mirror in the elevator shows that my fangs and claws have fully retracted, all is back to normal again. No pain, no visible marks or signs of scarring where my claws were.

Katie says I don't have to fold my tail in here as this elevator is for staff only. No public can see me. My tail is proudly swaying behind me while I'm munching happily on the sandwich Katie managed to obtain for me. Katie doesn't say a word, but I can see her smile in the elevator's mirror. The elevator's floor indicator slowly reduces the floor number until we are at ground level.

The elevator doors slide open and we step outside. 

We now seem to be standing on what looks like a parking deck. If you told me it's late at night, I would have believed you. This is one of those huge paid parking decks, where the only visible light is coming from an enormous array of fluorescent lights spread out over the area. Without those it would be utterly dark here.
Sturdy looking concrete pillars, each about thirty feet away from the next, keep the place from falling apart. There are seemingly endless empty parking stalls available. But why aren't there any cars?

I follow Katie to the front entrance of the parking deck, which is completely sealed from the outside world.
This place is quiet, too quiet.

Katie's classic heeled shoes are click-clacking all the way to our destination, while my slippers are completely quiet. If she wears an Air Force uniform, shouldn't she also be wearing boots or something?

The sound of her shoes on the concrete reverberated all through the parking deck, announcing our arrival to the armed guards I just spotted. And now I see Ewan too.

"Major Davies and not-Ayaka, nice of you to join us." Ewan said with a grin.

"Sorry, I was hungry."  I shrugged and tried to make an excuse, so Katie wouldn't get into trouble. I also ignored the not so funny joke about my name. The way she smiled for a second told me she appreciated the gesture.  

"Well, we can't work on an empty stomach, now can we? Are you ready?" Ewan seems to be ready for business.

"Yes, ready as I'll ever be, Ewan. Where's the mirror?" I look around, but don't see anything remotely resembling a mirror.

"We placed it right in front of the exit. In case things go south we have some backup on the outside as well.
You learn to be prepared in this business." He casually points at the sealed exit behind him with his thumb.

I didn't want to ask what kind of business that was, as he would surely evade the question anyway.
Ewan then points towards a square object near the exit...it seems to be covered in a hardwood shipping crate.

We follow him to the crate where he orders one of the guards to lift the top of the crate by using a forklift. There are hooks on top of the crate for that purpose, creative bunch, these people. 

The protective locks on the crate are removed and the forklift's engine starts.

The top part is slowly moved upwards and the fork lift reverses ten feet while beeping, to warn people it's  backing down the parking deck. The forklift's engine is then stopped and everything goes quiet again. 

In front of me is the source of my misery. The mirror. The gateway to hell. My personal nemesis. Oh how much I want to introduce it to a nice hammer, but I can't.

"You seem to hold a grudge against it." Ewan understood the expression on my face all too well.  

"Yes, it's the source of my misery. I would love to destroy it, right here, right now, before it can do any worse."

"You really are serious, aren't you?" Katie says with obvious concern for my well being.

"You betcha. But I am here to do as I'm told. What are your orders, Ewan?" I asked him without losing my focus. I keep staring at the mirror all the time. 

"First...relax. It's probably just a mirror. We have armed guards all around us here and armored vehicles are waiting on the outside. See there, at the end of this parking space? That's an armored vehicle with a roof-mounted machine gun. Trust me, nothing is going to leave this place alive if we don't want it to. And look there, see that man in army uniform? He and his buddies have ten stinger missiles, ready to blast the mirror to high heaven. Are you feeling better now?"  

I grinned. "Honestly? Yes, I'm happy that you don't underestimate the potential threat of that thing."

"Excellent. Now that you know that we take your and our safety seriously, can you please approach the mirror? Nice and gentle. One step at a time. Don't do anything without discussing it with me, okay?"

I glanced at him, then focused on the mirror again. "Yes, Ewan. I will do as you ask."

"Splendid. Now slowly approach the mirror and stop three feet before it."

I slowly approach the mirror. It's the exact same thing. What will happen this time? Will it be a gigantic waste of time and effort? Or will it zap me again? I hope I don't end up somewhere else like last time. I swallow my saliva, created from my nervousness. 

"And stop." Ewan's voice helps me focus again. I stop instantly and don't move a muscle.

"Can you confirm that it's the same one?" Ewan asks.

"Yes Ewan, I confirm. There's no doubt, that's the one. What do you want me to do next?"

"Nothing happened to the people who brought it here, but it may react differently to you. There's only one way to find out what will happen. I want you to slowly extend your right arm....and prepare to touch the top right side of the mirror.
Whenever you're ready, make a fast movement from left to right so your arm will leave the mirror by your momentum alone, thus preventing any possible electrocution."

I nod and slowly extend my right arm and hand. The index finger of my right hand is only inches away from the right hand top side of the mirror. Then I make a swift movement from left to right while only barely touching the mirror. Nothing happened.

 

But then....ZAP!  Like being struck by lightning, I'm thrown back and land right before Ewan's feet.

"Ouch! You piece of shit! You are so fucking dead!" I stand up and want to hit the mirror, but Ewan grabs my right arm.

"Easy there. Are you alright? Did it hurt you?" Ewan asks.

"Did it hurt me? Really? Yes it freaking hurts, Ewan! Can't you see it's toying with me?!"

"We don't know that. Let's wait a bit. Katie, did you see that spark coming from the mirror?" Ewan said.

"Yes I did. There's absolutely no logical explanation for it. It has no powersource and it was brought here without any issues, so why does it react to her alone?"

"That's the one billion dollar question." Ewan said, his hand covering his chin while thinking about the next move.

Only now do I realize that the armed guards were ready to shoot the mirror, just waiting for the command to be given. Lucky for them I'm unarmed, I don't think I have that much restraint anymore. 

Then something happened, which removed the need for Ewan to make up his mind. The mirror....it came to life.

First a flash, then another. And suddenly a beautiful picture of a beach at sunset appears. But slightly above the horizon we see a hazy green planet with rings, just like Saturn. It's so big that it fills half of the sky. The mirror now acts as if it were a normal TV screen. Then we hear the sound of waves gently hitting the beach. Am I imagining things, or can I also smell the salty air and feel a gentle breeze? 

"Mmm.. it seems we owe you an apology. That's definitely not a normal mirror," Ewan stated the obvious.

"Apology accepted." I said with a smug smile. "What do we do now?"

"Let's throw something small against the mirror. See what happens. It might just be a projected image.
Katie, do you have something with you?"

"Sure." She checks her purse and finds her lipstick. "Will this work?"

"That's perfect. I will buy you a new one. Can you throw it at the mirror? Without too much force please, I don't want to break it."

Katie nods and throws the lipstick without much force against the mirror. It falls right through!  

"Where did it go?" Ewan asked, obviously surprised with the results. He carefully checks the back of the mirror, but can't find the lipstick anywhere.

"Alright, let's throw something with a bit more force. If it really is a gateway of some sort, we should see the object on that beach once it arrives."

He asked one of the guards to take off their shoes, because it would take too much time to find another object for this purpose. He then throws one shoe with enough force through the mirror, and we all see it land on the beach in real-time, as if there were no mirror at all.

"Interesting." Ewan said. "It really IS a gateway. Okay, we now officially believe your story."

"Thank you for that. Now please be careful, you don't want to end up wherever that place is," I said.

 

 

Ewan ordered a small drone to be delivered here and once everything was set up, someone piloted it through the mirror while it streamed a live image to us. Ewan asked to keep a cable attached to it, perhaps we could pull it back. 

The drone then approaches the mirror and it appears on the other side without delay. The video feed immediately ends and we lose control of the drone. Ewan then orders the drone to be pulled back by using the cable and surprisingly it worked. The drone is safely back on our side now.

"Show us the footage." Ewan ordered a review of the drone's onboard camera to see what it had recorded. 

When the images appeared on the small screen, we could see the drone looking back to us. There was another mirror on the other side! What we couldn't see from our original perspective, was that next to this beach stood some kind of structure, having a mirror on the outside of it, under some kind of protective roofing.

"I can't believe it. That actually seems to be a real alien planet." Ewan said.

Katie and I exchanged glances. I shrugged and said "probably, but I've never been there.
So, now what do we do?" 

"Alright. We will attach a cable to you, just to be safe. I don't want you to step through that mirror. I just want you to touch a symbol on the top of it. Nothing more, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir" I said, feeling excited that I was going to be useful to these people after all.

I slowly approach the mirror again, while they gently pull on the cable, with just enough force to keep me from moving too far. Then I touch a symbol on the top part of the mirror, just as Ewan has ordered me to.

The image flashes, but nothing else happens. It also didn't zap me this time.

"Alright get back here for a second," Ewan ordered.

I backed off and we all waited for what would happen, if anything.
The image flashes three more times and then we see ourselves. 

"What is that? Is that us? Or are they another us from another reality looking back at us?" Katie asks.

"Only one way to find out." Ewan said while gently throwing the other shoe at the mirror. The shoe bounced off the mirror and fell down in front of it.

"Excellent," Ewan said. "That seems to be the off button. It's back to being a normal mirror again. Normal for us, that is." He looked at me for a second. 

"Now how do we get it working again without zapping me?" I asked.

"Try touching the same symbol again. It might just do the trick."

I did as requested but nothing happened, but more importantly, also no new shock.
"Try the next one." Ewan said.

I did as he asked and the mirror flashed. At that point they pulled the cord really hard, making me gasp for air. But at least I was safe.

We watched in anticipation. What would it do next?
Then the mirror flashes three more times, with about ten seconds between each flash.  
What happened next, nobody could have anticipated.

The mirror changes from a reflection of us, slowly into an image of three female looking beings who are looking at us in surprise. They look exactly as I do! But their fur is brown/reddish in color. They appear to be in a large wooden room, maybe a mountain lodge of sorts? It definitely doesn't look like a high tech place on that side, but it might not represent the whole planet.

They are wearing something similar to what I wore when I first arrived in New York.  

But what's more important, they seem really interested in me for some reason. One of them points at me and is shouting something, but there is no sound. They seem to motion for me to join them on the other side of the mirror. When I just keep staring, one of them steps forward and might want to come over here. But then the image is suddenly shut down before anyone can step through. 

"What happened, did you do something?" Ewan asked with obvious disappointment in his voice.

But I couldn't answer the question. The mirror did. Yes, you heard me alright. The mirror did.
"If you don't mind, let me explain. I bring you peaceful greetings, ancient one."

Ewan, Katie and I exchange glances while we all take a few steps back.

"Do not be afraid, as I mean you no harm. May I show myself to you?"

"Yes, but no sudden movement please." Ewan said.

Then the mirror flashes again and suddenly some kind of transparent being is standing before us.
If I had to guess, I would say that it seems to be a holographic projection of some sorts. 

The guards behind us immediately raise their guns, ready to shoot, but waiting for Ewan's order to do so. 

The strange being looks mostly the same as the beings we saw a moment earlier, but this one is a male.
He looks around, forming an image of who or what we are. His fur is the same silvery-white as mine.

"I am the guardian of portal 73184. I am an artificial being. It took some time for me to learn your language, so I humbly apologize for the belated introduction. Again, I mean you no harm. Ancient one, would you please step forward?"

That...guardian or whatever it is, is staring directly at me. I point a finger at myself and I see it nodding. 
I look at Ewan for approval, and he nods, while adding "careful. We will pull you back if we need to."

I nod and slowly step forward towards the mirror and the guardian who stands directly next to it.

"Ancient one, it is a privilege to meet you. Let me explain. I am the one responsible for stopping the connection you had earlier with the Enkirians. As a guardian I need to inform you that this portal is of old age and may not work as expected. I was merely protecting your and their lives."

"Alright guardian, thank you for that. But why would you call me an Ancient one?" I said, while tilting my head. I guess I need to keep talking to it, or Ewan would have said something by now.

"Simple, the color of your fur is of the purest white as is mine. I was made to resemble our people from many years ago. Of course they weren't called Ancient ones back then. Due to natural evolution, over countless millennia, Enkirians have developed brown colored ears and tails. That is why those people from a moment ago were surprised to see an Ancient one. Do you perhaps not know of more recent events, which make you special among your people?" 

"Honestly, I have no idea what I am. You should know more about this, guardian. We have met before, you did this to me!"

"We have met before? How strange. I have no memories of that event. Might I scan you? I promise that I won't harm you."

I see Ewan nodding.

"Alright, but be careful please."

"Yes, Ancient one. I would never harm anyone."  Two bright and very wide green laser-like beams come out of the mirror, scanning me from top to toe and back in less than three seconds, while making a strange humming noise.

The guardian seemed lost in thought for a few seconds before continuing. "You are indeed an Ancient one. You biologically precede the Enkirians of more recent times. Your life signature matches that of what the Enkirians call their honored ancestors or Ancients ones.
But more importantly, you indeed used a portal recently, but not this one. Your quantum signature does not correspond to the quantum signature of this universe."

"Excuse me? What does that even mean?" I scratched my head, looking back at Ewan who shrugged.

"It means, in simple terms, that you stepped into another reality. My people were still researching this topic while I was being constructed. But perhaps they succeeded in your originating reality where our people failed in this one."

"So...can I go back to my own reality?" I asked, hopeful to undo whatever was done to me.

"I am afraid not. I do not have that technology. But perhaps you can contact your people and see if the technology has been invented in the meanwhile. This portal has been asleep for the last millenium, so anything is possible. But, dear Ancient one, might I inform you about the most recent developments of your homeworld? Even though a  thousand years have passed since then?"

"Yes, please continue," I said, while occasionally making eye contact with Ewan. He seems to agree with me.

"While the people, who the Enkirians now call the Ancient ones, roamed the galaxy and installed portals such as myself on developing planets.........a disaster happened in their home world. An experiment with revolutionary technology that promised to yield unlimited energy, had unforeseen side effects. Let me show you."

The mirror then showed an image taken from space. It shows a huge blue and white blast reaching the planet's core and immediately causing volcanic eruptions, ending all life in a matter of hours. 

"The only survivors were the ones who were living in a distant colony and the ones traveling through space, such as the ones who were installing portals. All Enkirians decided to join the colony and make it their new home world. After several thousands of years, their biological structure adapted to their new home, causing a coloration in the ears and tails. I do not know how you could live as long as you have, Ancient one. But you can't return to the original Enkiria. That planet is no more."

"I am sorry to hear that. But why would you think that I have lived for so long?"

"You haven't? Then how is it possible that your life signature is that of an Ancient one, but you haven't aged at all since the Day of Destruction? You also do not have any markers in your blood that would show that you were exposed to the new home planet's atmosphere. Did events in your original reality perhaps unfold differently?" The guardian seems quite confused. But not as confused as I am, though.

"Maybe I can answer that with a question of my own. Hypothetically speaking, what would happen if a portal malfunctioned?" I asked. I can feel my ears twitching, I'm feeling nervous.

"It depends. Hypothetically speaking, due to countless years without any maintenance, you might find yourself at another portal, one not of your own choosing. That is the first symptom of an aging portal. A malfunctioning portal however should shut down automatically, but that is no guarantee."

"I think I may have experienced a malfunctioning portal. If you are correct, then it sent me to another universe too. And it changed my physical body as well."

"Interesting. My sincere apologies. I must admit that your theory is plausible. Portals were designed to experience life on other worlds. You would exit the portal on another planet in either your own form, or a form known to exist on the other side. When you return to your original portal, your body will always be restored.

If you really aren't an Ancient one, then this might explain why your quantum signature is different and why your code of life matches that of the Ancient ones. The portal you used might have accidentally used a stored body image from an Ancient one to restore you on the other side."

"Then how is it possible that I ended up in a place without a mirror? I thought they were connected?" I sighed, this is getting technical, isn't it?

"They should be. But because you originated from another universe, that might be another variable in their transportation equation. Such a thing should not happen in this universe. Our technology was not that advanced yet." 

Ewan slowly shuffles over to me. The guardian glances at his intentions for a moment, then waits for us to speak again.

"Can we use the mirror to travel to other worlds?" Ewan asks in a polite and calm way.

"Yes you can. But I advise doing a diagnostic on the portals involved. Most portals are ancient and might fail any day. This portal is still functional but even I see the degradation of the circuits. I therefore advise against travel. Within another thousand years, this one will stop working too. Should you decide to travel anyway, I would not stop you."

"Can you tell us how to use this portal?" Ewan asks. He obviously expects a lot from this little project.

"It is easy. If you are telepathic like the Ancient one here, just think of the place you want to visit. Otherwise say out loud where you wish to go. I will remember where you have been, so just describe the destination and I will find it for you. You will also see an image on the portal to see if it is the right place for you. Just try it. Or ask for my assistance as I will always monitor all activity." 

"Wait a second. Did you just say that I'm telepathic?" I asked.

"Yes you are. You would be able to talk mentally to me and others of your race, assuming they continued to develop the telepathic capabilities in the last thousand years of my slumber. Perhaps you could try speaking to the other beings who are standing around you now?"

"Interesting. Ah, one more thing. Why did you only react to my touch? Lots of people have touched the mirror, but nothing happened to them?" I asked. 

"That is to prevent unauthorized races from reaching the Enkirian home world. When you touched the portal, you were recognized as an authorized user, thus enabling you to interact with or perform maintenance on the portal."

"I see...alright guardian, thank you very much for your answers. I need to think about this stuff first. You have been very helpful. Can we talk to you again when we have more questions?"

"Of course. It was a great honor to meet you after sleeping for so long. I will return to my slumber now. I look forward to meeting you again, Ancient one."

The guardian then appeared to step into the mirror, which then looked like a regular old mirror again.    

 

Katie joins Ewan and me who are still staring at the mirror. "Wow, did that just really happen?"

I look at her, "either that or we are all hallucinating. Which might be just as plausible if you consider what we just talked about."

Ewan then turns to me. "I had no idea what had really happened to you. But everything you said seems at least plausible now. We will need your help to figure things out, and you have proven your usefulness to us.
So, I have been authorized to offer you a junior position within the ATF. The same restrictions apply of course, but it would make things easier in our organization. What do you say?" Ewan seems elated about the prospect of me helping them along.

"If it means that I can get out of this building at some point, then yes." I look at Ewan, hoping he will see my point.

"Of course. But we need time to think about how we can do that. Any other...demands?" Ewan said.

"Are you going to pay me?" I couldn't resist asking this. I'm only teasing Ewan here.

"Yep. But we are not going to discuss that now. There's a time and place for these matters, and now is not the time for that. Anything else?" Ewan asked, he was getting a bit impatient.

"Nope. I'm just relieved that I will be of use to you. I couldn't stand the thought of being a prisoner forever.
But this is just so unreal to me. The only thing I want is to live my human life. But now I have to accept the fact that I really am an alien."

"I understand your feelings all too well. But for now at least, we still need you to stay here. You were never a true prisoner, but...we really can't have you running through the streets of New York." Katie said.

"Yeah, I understand."

"Just give it some time. We will find a way to give you more freedom." Ewan said in a way that shows me he's serious about this.

I lean over to Katie and whisper in her ear "Katie, I'm hungry...can we.."
But before I can finish my sentence, Ewan's radio beeps. 

"Ewan here. What? Everywhere? Are you kidding me? Mmm? Yes, do that. Who? Yes, let him handle it then. Ewan out."

"What's happening?" Katie asked, trying to read Ewan's expressions.

"Let's go HOME. We will discuss things there." Ewan said while turning around and walking towards the elevators on the other end of the parking deck. 

"Whose home?" I asked, looking confused, then quickly following the two.