and water. You can’t eat or drink anything there, or you’ll have to stay. There are several other useful items in here, but Phil has the inventory. The most important is that you have transportation.”
“A spell?”
“A motorcycle.”
“Uh...in that bag?”
“It’s very versatile and roomy.”
“And red.”
Phil stopped them. “Enough. It is time to go.”
Tony nodded. “No monk’s robe for Phil?” She looked around. “Uh, Phil?” She looked around once again, with Glinda giggling all the while, and at that moment she heard Phil whispering in her ear, so close to her that the heat of his breathe tickled her neck and sent a chill down her back. It also made her remember her dream from last night and suddenly she was very glad that neither Glinda nor Phil could read thoughts since hers had suddenly gone a bit R-rated.
“I’m right here,” Phil breathed into her ear. “No look-away spells needed.” She turned to the voice and bumped her head against his nose as he suddenly reappeared next to her.
“Ouch!” He rubbed his nose.
“Nice trick. Let’s go.”
Phil shrugged at Glinda and the two of them headed out of the armo ry to the station’ portal door.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Any city in the United States with a Super population over 5,000 Beings had a portal. Again, like so many things after the Outing, those just appeared. They were generally linked to some kind of law enforcement building where the Supernatural Crimes Investigation branch supervisor had dominion over the traffic through the portal. In cities like D.C., where the population of Supers rose considerably above 5,000, more than one portal existed. Oddly, in some really small towns, like Pumpkintown, North Carolina, for example, more than one portal existed. While Pumpkintown had only one stoplight, it also had close to 15,000 Supers in the form of several colonies of pixies living in the Appalachian foothills, and accommodating that much potential foot traffic seemed to be the main criterion for portal manifestation. Any Supernatural creature could travel between the portals, but not all could do so safely or permanently. The situation was a little like musical chairs. When the Geas went into effect, everyone had to grab a realm and most had to stay--the music had essentially stopped for most. Most Supers just knew whether or not they could travel, but the ability to go through the portal didn’t seem to have any kind of clear, logical criteria. Several different universities with large, new Supernatural Anthropology divisions were exploring the issue, but so far they had no clear conclusions on it.
Oddly, Naturals could go through the portals, but the problem with hopping realms came from the Supers in those other realms. Unlike those in Mundania after the Great Change, they weren’t required to play nicely, and few Naturals had the defenses needed to survive such encounters. For the most part, portal travel involved quick visits home by Mundania’s Supernatural community. The exceptions to that generally involved criminal activity or sad attempts by homesick Supers to return to their origin realms. Those never worked out, and the Supers who tried found out that they cou ld not, in fact, go home again.
Naturally, the portal that Tony would be going through was in her District office because her unit was there, near Dupont Circle. Near the edge of D.C. in Upper Northwest D.C., a second Super Uni t also had a portal. The FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover building housed a third portal since the Federal government had its own Supernatural Crimes Investigation division as well, though they dealt specifically with kidnapping cases, especially changeling incidents, which were at an all-time high, despite the Geas. The fourth portal in D.C., oddly enough, had manifested in the basement of a fire house near the Southwest/Waterfront district. The spread of portals in highly populated areas corresponded to where the Supers lived rather than any
“A spell?”
“A motorcycle.”
“Uh...in that bag?”
“It’s very versatile and roomy.”
“And red.”
Phil stopped them. “Enough. It is time to go.”
Tony nodded. “No monk’s robe for Phil?” She looked around. “Uh, Phil?” She looked around once again, with Glinda giggling all the while, and at that moment she heard Phil whispering in her ear, so close to her that the heat of his breathe tickled her neck and sent a chill down her back. It also made her remember her dream from last night and suddenly she was very glad that neither Glinda nor Phil could read thoughts since hers had suddenly gone a bit R-rated.
“I’m right here,” Phil breathed into her ear. “No look-away spells needed.” She turned to the voice and bumped her head against his nose as he suddenly reappeared next to her.
“Ouch!” He rubbed his nose.
“Nice trick. Let’s go.”
Phil shrugged at Glinda and the two of them headed out of the armo ry to the station’ portal door.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Any city in the United States with a Super population over 5,000 Beings had a portal. Again, like so many things after the Outing, those just appeared. They were generally linked to some kind of law enforcement building where the Supernatural Crimes Investigation branch supervisor had dominion over the traffic through the portal. In cities like D.C., where the population of Supers rose considerably above 5,000, more than one portal existed. Oddly, in some really small towns, like Pumpkintown, North Carolina, for example, more than one portal existed. While Pumpkintown had only one stoplight, it also had close to 15,000 Supers in the form of several colonies of pixies living in the Appalachian foothills, and accommodating that much potential foot traffic seemed to be the main criterion for portal manifestation. Any Supernatural creature could travel between the portals, but not all could do so safely or permanently. The situation was a little like musical chairs. When the Geas went into effect, everyone had to grab a realm and most had to stay--the music had essentially stopped for most. Most Supers just knew whether or not they could travel, but the ability to go through the portal didn’t seem to have any kind of clear, logical criteria. Several different universities with large, new Supernatural Anthropology divisions were exploring the issue, but so far they had no clear conclusions on it.
Oddly, Naturals could go through the portals, but the problem with hopping realms came from the Supers in those other realms. Unlike those in Mundania after the Great Change, they weren’t required to play nicely, and few Naturals had the defenses needed to survive such encounters. For the most part, portal travel involved quick visits home by Mundania’s Supernatural community. The exceptions to that generally involved criminal activity or sad attempts by homesick Supers to return to their origin realms. Those never worked out, and the Supers who tried found out that they cou ld not, in fact, go home again.
Naturally, the portal that Tony would be going through was in her District office because her unit was there, near Dupont Circle. Near the edge of D.C. in Upper Northwest D.C., a second Super Uni t also had a portal. The FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover building housed a third portal since the Federal government had its own Supernatural Crimes Investigation division as well, though they dealt specifically with kidnapping cases, especially changeling incidents, which were at an all-time high, despite the Geas. The fourth portal in D.C., oddly enough, had manifested in the basement of a fire house near the Southwest/Waterfront district. The spread of portals in highly populated areas corresponded to where the Supers lived rather than any
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