Return Ticket

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

02/11/97:

"Are you sure about this?" Sora asked over my shoulder.

I smiled to myself. "Yep, should be right on top of the fold
in a few minutes."

She sighed, and speed up her walk quickly until she was
keeping pace with me. "What if it doesn't work this time?"

I rolled my eyes a bit. "What if?? Gods Sora, start taking
me on some faith here! The odds of the fold not working this
time are..." I had no real idea, "well, damn low."

She gave me a sharp look. "Gods? Hardly. This will take a
lot more then some mid-evil beliefs to do if I believe what
little you've told me about your folds. I really won't be
surprised if the same thing happens here that happened last
time you tried this."

I gave her a slow look, trying to come up with a good
retort, and coming up blank, so I just did the next best
thing. I stuck my tongue out at her.

She sighed, slowly shaking her head, pulling her cloak
around her to try and keep out some of the chill from the
night air. We where doing all this in the middle of the
night, as the local Police were trying to find her.

Turning around the corner of a building, we found ourself at
the edge of a small park (night vision is so nice!) Taking a
few steps in, I started to mentally feel around for the
fold. I picked it up not to far away, and headed in it's
general direction.

At the same time I dug into my pockets and pulled out a pair
of temporary implants. Handing them to Sora I said, "put
them over your ears."

She looked at them a second, and then quickly put them on,
adjusting them so they would fit.

As she did that, I pulled out the portal control, and got it
to save the fold's location, so I would be able to use it
again.

Slipping the controller back into my pocket, I stop in front
of the fold, I turned to stand in front of it. Giving her a
small smile, I crossed my arms. "So, you ready to finally
see this?"

She crossed her own arms. "Try me."

I pressed my lips together slightly, and reached out to the
fold. Slowly, in a practiced motion, I raised on right arm
so my paw has about even with my neck. Then, in time with a
snap of my fingers, I opened the fold.

Sora's reaction was instant as the light swelled behind me.
She took two steps back, her paw on her muzzle, her wings
fanning out a bit from under her cloak. "Amazing." She
whispered.

I shook my head. "Believe it or not, this is still physics.
Care to take a journey?" I asked her, stepping aside.

She jerked her head from side to side. "No... no. You go
first."

I smiled. "Better way." I stated, and offered her my paw.
She looked at it for a few seconds, before she place her own
paw in mine. Clasping it tightly I pulled her next to me.
Then giving her a slight smile, we slowly stepped into the
fold.

As we stepped into the hallway on the other side, Sora let
out a low whimper and fell into my arms.

Barely catching her, I slowly lowered her to the floor,
closing the fold at the same time. I started to check her
over, to see if she was alright, before I realized that I
had no idea how to tell.

Though after a few seconds she answered the question herself
by looking me in the eyes and asking, "does it always fell
like that?"

I shook my head. "No, once you get used to it you won't feel
a thing."

She nodded, slowly standing. "That's good..." she trailed
off, her eyes fixed on my arm. "Are you ok?" She asked.

Looking down at my arm, I saw the fur along the inside was
starting to fall out in small clumps. I nodded. "Sadly yes.
Looks like the spell is wearing off."

She gave me strange look. "Spell? As in magic?"

I nodded.

She looked at my arm, the back at my face. "I suppose after
that trip, if you say it's magic, it's magic."

I smiled, starting down the hall. "Come on, I'll show you
how to get to the house, then get you an appointment or two
set up."

She turned her head a bit as she shrugged her cloak, rolling
it up and sticking it under her arm. "Appointments for
what?"

"First of, real implants, not the temps you have on."

She reached up, and finding the devices still over her ears,
removed them and handed them to me. "Why implants?"

"Because without them, or unless your like me, it's a rather
deadly trip."

She blanched a bit. "I see."

I turned a corner. "You'll also need an translator implant,
right now I'm the only one who can talk to you directly."

She nodded. "Where would that go."

I glance at her. "Right in the back of your head."

She paled through her dark fur. "You mean?" she asked,
touching the back of her head.

"Yep, right in the grey matter."

She gave a look of distaste, as I suddenly sneezed. It was
bad enough that it filled my vision with light for a few
seconds. Blinking it back, I found that my old, and rather
bad, vision had returned.

"Damn." I muttered, rubbing the top of my muzzle, which was
also noticeable shorted. Swinging my backpack down my arm
(and from under the cloak) I dug through it until I found my
glasses. Holding them in front of my eyes, I started walked
again.

Sora gave me a puzzled look, but didn't say anything. After
a few more seconds walking, I stopped in front of the door
to the house. Swinging it open I let her get a good look
inside. "It's a teleport curtain, it's safe to walk right
through." Then as a demonstration, I did.

On the other side, I quickly opened the front door to the
house, and slipped in before Sora came though. Looking back
over her should at the curtain, she shook her head.

I just through my bag onto the couch, and followed it with
my cloak. Then stretching my arms, I noticed that everything
was the same way it had been when I had left. No one had
been in here at all, or if they had, they where good at
hiding it.

Motioning to a chair, I plopped down on the couch. Slowly I
scratched at the fur of my arm, more starting to fall off.

"Damn, I'm going to miss this." I sighed.

Sora adjuster the chair a bit, and sat down. "How long have
you been like this?"

"About three weeks." I said.

She nodded. "You enjoyed it?"

"I prefer it." I waved over my body. "This is more me then
me."

Suddenly I sneezed again, throwing my body forward at the
same time, felling like someone had punched me in the gut.
Wrapping my arms around myself, I let out a series of rapid
fire sneezes that left my ears ringing and my eyes tightly
shut. My inter body ached something fierce, and the base of
my spin was in terrible, but quickly fading pain.

Slowly opening my eyes, I crossed them a bit. I defiantly
had a nose again. Slowly uncurling, I brushed off the fur
that had scattered through the air. Rubbing my chin, felling
my beard, I sighed.

Sora just nodded. "I can see why you wouldn't want to look
like that."

I raised an eyebrow, and shook my head, felling my hair
brush along the back of my neck. "I'll let you sleep in my
room, I'll take the couch down here. I don't think it would
be a good idea to let you use Oriana's room until I know
she's not coming back.

She nodded again, I had already told her about what happened
between me and Oriana. "Think she will?"

I shrugged. "I haven't got any idea. I just wonder where she
is right now."