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~ represents telepathic communication. (Thanks to Light for the idea.)
"That should do it," Greg comments to himself as he closes the panel, setting the soldering iron down in its rack. "I hope it can handle the infinite positive feedback loop for a bit longer."
Greg steps back to look at the machine he has invested so much of his time and effort on. It stands from the floor to the ceiling of his first floor apartment. It looks like a mass of wires, computer components, and pieces of plastic. Four monitors, missing cases, are embedded in the mass, clusters of switches are labeled with sticky-notes and pencil scratching. Although the machine takes up most of the small living room, the most prominent feature it the portable door, missing the door, with has Electromagnets, Ion ray generators, and aluminum foil attached around the frame. A pair of three-inch thick cables run from the frame to the machine, disappearing in the dense tangle of wires, and plastics.
Stepping over to the large circuit breakers on one side of the machine, he closes them one at a time, the fans kick in as the first circuit breaker closes, a hum fills the room as each of the remaining breakers are closed. The computer screens flicker on and the machine starts to load its operating system. After a second the Computer completes its boot and offers a prompt. One of the other three screens alert Greg to the physical status of the machine, temperature, pressure in some of the vacuum tubes, and power usage of each module of the device. The next monitor displays information specific only to the frame. The last shows the current levels of the positive feedback system. The feedback monitor indicates the loop has no power.
"And the monkey pushes the button," Greg quotes as he types in the initialization string for the feedback loop. As soon as he presses the send key, the feedback monitor immediately indicates a slight power consumption from the loop, graphing the steady increase with each passing second. Greg watches the feedback growth, having typed in another string of code, and sends the code as the level reaches the minimum necessary power level. The power level in the loop drops suddenly as the frame systems start triggering, the hairs on the back of Greg’s neck stand on end as the magnetic fields in the room shift and the Ions around the frame polarize.
Greg watches the monitors of the system, jotting down notes into a small notepad. Sparks start jumping around inside the frame, drawing Greg’s attention from his notes. The sparks intensify as the feedback loop increases in power. Greg watches with interest as a blue light forms in the space between the edges of the door frame, a circle of about two feet diameter.
An alarm on one of the consoles diverts Greg’s attention for a moment, alerting him that the systems were nearing critical levels and wouldn’t be able to maintain this much longer.
An odd feeling passes across Greg’s consciousness and he turns toward the frame to see a red blur shoot through the two-foot rip in space-time, sending the system into overload. Out of the corner of his eye, Greg sees a series of sparks in the machine and the room suddenly goes quiet, the slight hum of winding down hard drives, and the smell of ozone fill the room. Greg looks curiously at the red object that had come through his rip, doing who knows how much damage to the machine. The object had hit the wall, which was about 5 feet from the frame, and landed on the small desk sitting against the wall. As Greg approaches, the object takes on the shape of a rather small female, only a foot tall or so, with pale red skin, fire red hair about to her waist between a pair of gorgeous transparent wings, red tinted. She was wearing a brown leather top and skirt, accenting her already enchanting appearance. Greg gazed at the being for less than a second before she sat up, and fluttered into the air, looking around confused and a bit anxious.
"Uh, hello?" Greg asked the small creature as she surveyed the room.
She jumps at the sound of Greg’s voice and turns toward the sound, looking curiously at Greg.
~Whom are you?~ a sweet voice rings in Greg’s mind.
"Um, I’m Greg, who are you?"
~Geg? I’m Antra Kove Pertinax, why’d you bring me here?~
"It was an accident. And it’s Greg, not Geg." Greg follows Antra as she circles the room looking at the contents.
~Geg, what’s that?~ Antra points to the device that Greg had been working on.
"That’s the machine that brought you here. It broke down when you came through."
~Geg, machine? What’s a machine?~ Antra flies back to Greg fluttering, like a mini helicopter, right in front of Greg’s face. Greg clearly sees the confusion in her dull red eyes.
"How can you not know what a machine is? I don’t even know how to start explaining that." Greg takes a step back, falling into a chair by the desk.
~Geg, I don’t understand.~ Antra gracefully lands on the desk and looks Greg over.
Greg almost cringes as she starts examining him. 19 years old, he wasn’t much to look at. He had dishwater blond hair, shoulder length, which was in a pony to keep it out of the way. He had minimally tanned skin, and hazel eyes. When standing he’s 5’ 11" tall. The only feature he really liked about himself, besides his intelligence and thinness, were his eyes, which are hazel like his dearly departed mother had.
Greg notices a slight smirk cross Antra’s face before receiving, ~Geg, you’re kind of a cute human, did you know that?~
Greg almost blushes but shakes his head slightly.
~Geg, well it’s true, I’d guess you are about 20 earth years, right?~
"Well, I’m only 19 years but that’s pretty close. What are you exactly?" Greg hopes she’s willing to tell him what she is, she’s obviously not a human.
~Geg, what? How can you not know what I am? I’m a Windling of course, surely you didn’t mistake me for a girple?~ the thought comes over lightly, with a telepathic laugh.
"No, I’ve never heard of a girple before either. Is that another fairy type race?"
~Geg, what is a fairy?~
"Well, a fairy is a mythical creature that is about your size, with wings and has some sort of magical abilities."
~Geg, doesn’t everyone have magical abilities?~
"Not to my knowledge. I don’t have any, for example."
Antra gives Greg a quick look over again and flies up to his shoulder, taking a seat, ~Geg, then how did you open a rift to bring me here?~ She sits down on his shoulder.
"That machine generates an ionized magnetic field which distorts space until a rip forms. My problem is the power needed to rip space is only attainable through a positive feedback loop, which after a period of time, exceeds the limits of my equipment." Greg explains, slowly.
~Geg, whoosh~ Antra flings her hand over her head.
"Never mind. You mentioned magic?"
~Geg, what do you want to know?~
"I don’t know, what kind of magic can you do?"
~Geg, what do you mean? Kind of magic?~
"What can you do with your magic? How do you use it?"
~Geg, oh, I see, we can do anything with our magic, if we are powerful enough. Each person decides how to use their magic. I thought you were trying to kidnap me. That reminds me, Geg, would you let me go home now?~
"I can’t, I have to fix the machine, before I can open another rift, and I don’t know if it’ll even open one in the same general area." Greg sighs as he looks toward what remains of the machine.
~Geg, that’s ok, I almost left the moment you told me you had no magic, but I was curious as to how you opened the rift.~
"Oh, so you can open similar rifts?" Greg cranes his neck to look at Antra, still sitting on his shoulder.
~Geg, of course. Hey! Wanna come with me?~ Antra flutters off Greg’s shoulder to look him in the face.
"Oh, well, sure. I haven’t done much traveling. What’s the weather like?"
~Geg, it’s sunny, warm, happy,~ Antra sends good feelings and pleasent memories with her answer.
"Ok, let me pack some things." Greg moves off toward his bedroom.
Greg enters his bedroom and takes a small leather backpack and throws a spare outfit into the pack. He also throws a second pair of socks into the pack.
~Geg, what’s that?~ Antra startled Greg.
"That’s a hairdryer. I use it to dry my hair after I shower." Greg explains, after looking where she is pointing. "Should I bring some food?"
~Geg, no, food is plentiful. Ready?~
"Yea, I guess," Greg picks up his backpack, grabbing his lighter off the dresser.
~Geg, ok, give me a second to open a door big enough for you and me.~
"Ok," Greg pulls the pack onto his back and watches the little Windling summon her power.
Antra flies a bit away from everything. She closes her eyes and a red glow starts to envelope her. She moves her hands in a complex pattern and a small black spot appears before her. Her glow brightens and the black spot grows larger, the center becoming window-like, showing a green meadow with other flying creatures flitting about. The doorway opens larger, enough for Greg to get through, Antra opens her eyes, breathing heavily and motions Greg through the portal. Greg steps through the passage into the meadow, followed closely by Antra.
Greg looks around as he stands at the edge of the meadow, flabbergasted at the number of Windlings flitting about the clearing. He stands there watching the windlings play in the meadow for almost five minutes, with Antra hovering about a foot behind him and to his right, before one of the playing Windlings notices him standing there. All play in the clearing stops immediately as the Windlings all look at Greg, most curious, many with anger, a few with fear, and a couple with pure hatred.
"Great, I just get here and already people hate me." Greg mentally moans as he sees the expressions on some of the Windling’s faces.
~Lena Frugle Diamondbreath, this is Geg,~ Antra points at Greg, apparently communicating with a pale blue Windling, about an inch shorter, but what distinguishes this Windling from the others is that she has gold glitter throughout her hair and skin. Her wings glitter in the warm sunlight.
~Antra Kove Pertinax, how dare you bring a human into my palace!~ Lena flies to just outside three feet from Greg, and waves her arms around in an oddly graceful series of movements.
~Lady Diamondbreath, this human is different from the others, he doesn’t know he has any magic!~ Antra flies past Greg to hover half an inch from Lena.
Greg suddenly realizing this is the queen or ruler of the Windlings, drops to one knee and bows his head to Lena saying, "My apologies your grace, I didn’t know she would be in trouble for letting me visit your land, I’m at your service."
Antra and Lena both turn towards Greg, a surprised look playing across both their faces. Lena looks at Greg confused for a moment and then tells him, ~Geg, please rise, I don’t like being bowed to.~ Turning she continues, ~Kove, why didn’t you tell me he was this polite?~
~Lady Diamondbreath, I didn’t know he was, before hand.~ Antra whines, dropping a few inches in the air and backing up above a foot.
~Geg, come with me. Kove, you have some things you need to clear up with Hortiva.~ Lena flies back toward a large tree.
Antra flies off toward another Windling, apparently Hortiva, and they move off together into the forest. Greg follows Lena toward the largest tree in the clearing. Most of the other Windlings return to whatever they were doing, a few follow a respectable distance behind, their curiosity getting the best of them. Greg reaches the tree, it’s a beautiful Oak, about 6 feet in diameter, probably 50 foot tall. Looking at Lena, knowing he wouldn’t fit into the tree, he sees her concentrating on something. He watches Lena for a few seconds before noticing that she seems to be getting larger. Looking around suddenly he realizes that everything around him is becoming larger. Logically then, he deduces, he must be shrinking. He continues to shrink until he is the same height as Antra is. Looking again at the tree, it now appears close to three hundred feet tall and 36 feet wide.
~Geg, Come~ more than a little force follows Lena’s order.
"Fine." Greg shrugs and follows Lena up to the tree.
Lena reaches the base of the tree and flies up to an entrance about fifty feet up. Greg watches Lena with a air on confusion until he sees that the bark formed an natural ladder up to the entrance. Again shrugging, he begins the long climb toward the entrance.
Greg reaches entrance platform and Lena is in deep mental conversation with a green toned Windling. The green Windling immediately notices Greg’s presence and turns rushing toward him with a thorn looking dagger in her left hand. To Greg’s startlement, about halfway between where the green Windling was and were Greg is standing, the Windling suddenly shifts into a slow motion movement. Looking about, everything is in slow motion, Lena’s startled turn, the Windlings outside, the movement of the Windling time pieces, even sound is drawn out. Greg steps to the side as the green Windling nears him and she goes charging off the platform. As the Windling flies past, time restores its normal flow.
~Idenilia Antra Elfhuntress, he is my guest.~ Lena’s order echoes through Greg’s brain.
~Lady Diamondbreath, my apologies,~ comes the emotionless reply and Idenilia glides back to Lena’s side.
~Geg, this is Idenilia Antra Elfhuntress, she is the guardmistress of this palace,~ Lena motions toward Idenilia. ~Come with me.~ Lena starts walking deeper into the tree palace.
"Pleasure," Greg nods toward Idenilia as he walks past after Lena. Hurrying back to Lena’s side he asks, "Is she why you call Antra Kove Pertinax, Kove?"
~Geg, yes, however Antra is actually an extremely highly honored name. That’s also why Kove wasn’t punished for bringing you here. She wouldn’t of if she didn’t think you were special in some way. Here we are,~ Lena stops at a door, almost indistinguishable from the walls around them.
Lena raps twice on the door with her knuckles, and almost immediately the door opens, another female green Windling holding the door open for Lena. A startled look appears on her face when she sees Greg.
"Why does everyone here give me such odd looks?" Greg inquires as he passes the Windling.
~Geg, you’re male.~ Lena offers nothing more.
"What? So males are uncommon?"
~Geg, no, just not allowed in the palace.~
"Oh, I see. I guess," Greg’s confused look fades slightly.
The room Greg has just entered looks like a waiting room, couches, chairs, even magazines.
~Geg, wait here for a moment. I’ll be right back.~ Lena disappears through a doorway on the other side of the room.
Greg, not knowing how long Lena will be, decides he might as well read something. Looking around he chooses a copy of the "Transworld News". Sitting down on one of the odd chairs, apparently for winged people (what a concept) and, opening the paper to a random page, starts reading.