Dangerous Designs Read online

  ***

  He hadn't said that, had he? That way? Damn. Yes, he was supposed to get close to her, only he hadn't wanted to get close to her. The night sky had deepened, darkened to obsidian. What he really didn't want was for her to do something foolish that could impact both their worlds. But what that could be, he didn't know. Humans had an insatiable curiosity and a self-destructiveness that horrified his world. If they killed themselves off, it wouldn't impact his world. If they killed the planet though, both worlds would die.

  For that reason, his people had worked hard at not letting Storey's people know they existed. His world had to be protected from the blind humans. A veil separated their worlds and all access had to go through a major vetting process. Only the best of the scientists were allowed over and only with a strict security detail.

  Everything had been in happy harmony for ages, until this. No treachery was involved. Just a simple accident. A team had been dispatched immediately. They'd followed the inherent energy of the ancient tool to its location, only to watch as one of the 'otherworlders' picked it up in front of them.

  Storey.

  "Eric?"

  Eric gave a mental shake. He was being an idiot. Storey was his assignment. Any way that made it work, made it right.

  "Sorry, I was distracted by something else."

  "Yeah, duh."

  "I meant it. I'll go with you. We can try to open the door from this side. If that doesn't work, then I don't know what else to try. It worked last time, though," he added helpfully.

  "Right. I might have another way in. I'm just not sure."

  Eric frowned, all his senses on high alert. "How?" His voice sharpened as he realized what she implied. The only other method to enter that tunnel was through a portal.

  "There are other entrances. Most old mines have abandoned shafts."

  "Hence all those warning signs saying danger. Remember those?"

  Her voice deepened, slowed. "You know, I'm not so sure I do."

  Great. Now she had selective vision, too. "Well, they were there."

  "No need to snap at me." She sniffed.

  He grinned into the phone. She was starting to grow on him. That defiant streak of hers confounded his sensibilities. He couldn't help but be intrigued.

  "I'm going to try again."

  "Try what? The door? Not tonight?" He tried to sound horrified. From what he'd observed, people on this side of the veil avoided going out in the darkness. His side of the veil was the opposite. The sun shone hot so much of the time that many people preferred to go out and about in the dark. The geography of both sides wwas the same, with one sun and one moon, an atmosphere necessary for life and various animals and plant life dotting the countryside. The two peoples resembled each other physically. There the similarities appeared to end.

  Storey's people appeared to be less developed. They relied heavily on what they called technology. They appeared to choose their futures by the type of work they liked or the type of work that found them. Giving away their power instead of corralling it and fine-tuning it. He didn't know if they had the natural abilities of his people where everyone worked in a specialty that helped them to develop further.

  He didn't get it.

  They had so much to give. So much more they could do.

  Yet, they did nothing. They watched an object called TV all day or played games on another box called a computer or a video game. His world had similar machines, but not for games. Never for games.

  "Hello? Are you there?"

  Sheesh. "Sorry."

  "Look, you called me. Not the other way around. I'm going. You can come or not come. I don't care. I'm going to bed now. See you tomorrow."

  "Wait."

  She was gone. Damn it. He stared down at the phone in his hand, something else these people appeared to be permanently attached to. Now what had she said? He'd missed part of it. Something about going back and he could come or not. So, then she wasn't planning on going anywhere tonight?

  He understood only so much of the weird innuendos and body language of these people.

  Was she going back tonight?