It wasn’t like Smith’s teleportation. The warp was far more violent. Alli felt her body rip through space and time. It felt like a roller coaster, but one that ran a hundred thousand times too fast. Her stomach lurched as she saw the stars fly by around her. It was all a blur, beautiful and confusing all at once.
She came to a sudden stop just a moment before the sight could drive her insane. She was used to the corners of reality, but this was far past her comfort zone.
As she lurched to a stop, she dropped to her knees on to cool wet grass. It had been hours since her last meal, but the remnants of it still came up in violent heaves.
She wiped her face clean just as she heard the wisp of wind and energy as the portal activated again. Phoebe fell through the portal a moment later. Unlike Alli, she landed comfortably on her feet.
She walked over to Alli’s side. “I am sorry. I did not think about the effects the transition might have on a mortal’s constitution. It will pass.”
Alli climbed to her feet. “Yeah, I guess. Uh, welcome to Earth, I guess.”
“Yes, thank you. I—” Phoebe’s head snapped back. Her body started to shake wildly. Her eyes rolled back.
Alli rushed to grab Phoebe, but it was already too late. Phoebe’s body pitched back. She landed hard on the ground, the grass far from enough padding as her head snapped against the ground.
She continued to shake violently, her body seemed locked in some kind of epileptic attack. Alli wasn’t even sure how to treat a human epileptic during a seizure, let alone an immortal being from outer space.
“Phoebe? Phoebe? Are you all right?”
Alli coughed as a strange mist rose off the immortal woman. It smelled of ozone and something unique, something not quite of this world.
The portal whisked open again behind her. She heard Ian fall through and hit the wet grass with a dull thump and a sharp, surprisingly high-pitched scream.
“What’s going on? What happened to Phoebe?”
Ian rushed over to Alli’s side and stood over the unconscious immortal.
“I don’t know. One second we came through and talked. The next she was falling down. Something came off her, but I’m not sure what.”
Ian reached down and pressed two fingers into the side of her neck. He wasn’t sure if it would do any good. He didn’t know much about her anatomy. But he felt a dull pulse there, so at least in that regard her human appearance seemed correct.
“Her hair,” he said. “It’s different.”
Alli hadn’t noticed, but he was right. Phoebe’s formerly black hair was now a deep blue. Though dark, it was clearly a color not seen in human hair. She wasn’t sure she ever saw anyone even dye it such an odd shade.
“What took you so long?”
“I heard something,” Ian said. “It was Peach and Smith. I heard them yell, just as Phoebe passed through. They were saying something about not letting her go through. I tried to stop and wait for them, but I lost my footing and fell into the portal.”
“Why wouldn’t they want Phoebe to come through the portal?”
Ian looked at the unconscious woman. “You heard her story. She said it was a prison. We only had her word about her crime. Maybe she did something much worse. Maybe we unleashed a monster.”
Phoebe was unconscious. She seemed almost at peace, just asleep on the carpet of grass. She didn’t seem like a monster, just an ancient being free from her personal hell.
None of it matters, Alli thought. She looked around the grounds. They were in Rhode Island. They were where Marilyn was.
“We have to leave her.”
“What? We can’t.”
“Marilyn is here. Phoebe’s breathing. We can call a doctor for her, but neither of us has any way to diagnose her. But Marilyn may be in trouble. She might be in danger.”
Ian scowled. She could see on his face that he cared. He was worried about the strange woman they just met, even if he didn’t quite trust her. She could understand the feeling, but she couldn’t let it stop her. Marilyn needed her.
“Look. You can stay here if you need to, but I need to find Marilyn.”
Ian nodded. “I understand. You’re right. We can come back to her. We can call a doctor. Is your cell working?”
Alli pulled it out. The screen showed no service.
“We’re in a city. How do I have no service?”
Ian shook his head. “Come on then. Let’s find Marilyn.”
But before they could take another step, the portal flashed again.
Smith came through the portal, but he was alone. A row of cuts bled down the side of his face.
“Smith! What happened?”
Ian rushed to his side. Smith groaned as the boy closed.
Ian didn’t even see it coming. Smith took a wild swing, but the blow was perfectly aimed. The blow caught Ian hard in the jaw. Ian’s head snapped back. His body seemed to float in mid-fall for a long moment before he crashed down to the ground next to Phoebe.
“What is this?” Alli said. Her hand whipped the Sticky Gun free. She trained it on Smith a second later. “Why are you doing this?”
Alli realized the four cuts were from fingernails. Peach.
Smith smiled despite the gashes. “Just following orders, baby.”
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