Ellie and I were up on the observation deck watching Uncle John monitor a set of drones when Lauretti came up, flexing her hand and smiling. I knew the feeling. After only ten minutes in the chamber, my hand was as good as new. Ellie took over an hour.

"All clear?"

"Seems to be," he replied as he turned to her. "Nothing from IR to UV that shouldn't be there."

A beep made him turn back.

"Spoke too soon. Got choppers coming in NOE. This world, it looks like. At least two."

"I'm sure there's more."

"Probably. I'd guess five if I were doing this."

"We need to—"

"Baemardis, like you suggested, but OJT now instead of the planned briefings. I'm confirming four now. They may be going for overkill. Get them gone, but I need you here."

"Kevin. Elexus. Time to leave. Follow me." She barked orders in a way I felt I couldn't disobey. Ellie acted the same. We ran down the stairs behind Lauretti to the utility area. Diesel and gasoline storage, backup generator, and, Lauretti opened the High Voltage door. This was always locked, but now it wasn't. Why?

The room was dimly lit, with a control panel opposite that Lauretti was already moving toward. Backpacks to our left and a raised walkway that went through three large white rings and ended in the wall.

"Belts and backpacks on the wall. Elexus, yours has the pink tag, Kevin, yours is orange. Get belt and backpack on." She said all this while focusing on whatever equipment she was fooling with. "Now."

That stopped the question my mind was forming, so I pulled the belt loose and found it had a scabbarded rapier hanging from it. A long dagger, suitable as a main gauche, also hung suspended from the belt. Ellie had the same as I belted mine on, though her guard was slightly different.

I lifted the backpack from its hook. Nylon, but with a leather look to it. Maybe forty pounds. Manageable, but where were we going? If helicopters were coming in, bugging out on foot wasn't that great an idea.

A hum sounded, and the three rings began to turn in different directions; inner and outer turned clockwise, the middle moving in the opposite direction. Their colors changed as they picked up speed.

Lauretti turned from the control panel. "Baemardis. You two are going to Baemardis." She stepped closer. "John and I must take care of several other things first, but we'll meet you there...sometime. Who knows...we might even beat you there, though I hope not. That really wouldn't be good."

She placed a hand on my shoulder and the other on Ellie's. "Things will be different, but you've had some training. Respect everyone, but trust nobody. Follow the setting sun to get there."

Ellie and I looked at each other as Lauretti nodded and turned us toward the now-glowing spinning rings. "Step through. You will not hit the back wall. If you do, we're all screwed."

I nodded, not understanding. Now I also hoped that we weren't screwed, stepped up the couple of steps and forward through the rings toward the concrete wall. The light from a rising or setting sun struck my eyes.

I was outside.