“Nice to see you too, Alice.” Nadine giggled.

“We need to talk.”

“Of course, we do, but I want to have lunch with Katherine, and afterward there are bound to be some interesting papers presented by the Imperial Science Academy.”

“But we can have our talk right now, and you can still go to your meetings.”

“And then you can disappear.” Nadine shook her head. “No, you’re right, we do need to talk, but we can do it over dinner. We’ll share a bottle of wine and put some good food in our stomachs before we discuss serious matters. “Nadine looked around as calculations floated around her. “We still have plenty of time.”

Alice stood there dumbfounded it had been ages since anyone had told her ‘No’ much less told her what to do.

So she did what any immortal being might do in the same situation she whined. “Nadine.”

The young scientist laughed and spun the Spiritual Detective around. “Come on, it will be lots of fun. We can watch the Imperial Secret Service try to figure out who you are, and afterward, we can listen to some interesting science. We’ll make a day of it.”

Hours later, sitting in the back of the conference room with empty ice-cream cups littered around them, the two women quietly commented on the papers being presented before the Academy.

“Bad science, I score it as a 4.5” Alice pulled off the top of another cup of chocolate ice cream and licked it.

“4.5 really, who are you, the East German judge?” Nadine reached over and took a small taste of ice cream from Alice’s cup with her wooden spoon. “She might not be a Ken Wilson or a Joel Scherk, but her paper on quantum chromodynamics wasn’t bad science. They are still working out the Standard Model.”

Alice leaned back, her head resting on Nadine’s shoulder. “Fine, 6.5, but not any higher since you wouldn’t raise your score for that Polish chap who spoke on four space-time dimensions.”

“But, his math was wrong.”

Alice waved her wooden spoon back and forth. “Doesn’t matter, it was still a good paper.”

Throwing the empty paper cup on the ground, the Spiritual Detective straightened the nametag on her dress. All it said was Alice. Nadine had explained that she was one of her assistants and no other questions were asked.

“Katherine, except for those odd looks she gave me throughout lunch, seemed nice enough. Doesn’t she remind you of that other scientist who liked you when you were Jack?”

Nadine stopped eating and stared at her strawberry ice cream for a moment. “You mean Rose?”

“Was that her name?” Alice pretended disinterest. “So, did you ever look her up to see if she was in this dimension?”

“Without the internet, searching for people is difficult, computer records are impossible to get.” Nadine threw the half-eaten cup of ice cream on the ground.

Alice gave a sad smile. Nadine no longer needed something as mundane as the internet to find anyone in this dimension much less this world. The Spiritual Detective gently prodded. “So, did you find her?”

“She’s a Professor at Princeton, married with a couple of children. I even know her husband, well not from this world. What’s interesting, she didn’t go into Physics.”

Alice turned her head up. “Really?”

Nadine nodded. “She teaches Bio-Chemistry.” The pair sat quietly, listening to the next scientist without really listening for a few minutes. “Can we talk about this later after dinner? I really just want to spend the day with you and have a little fun.”

Alice sat up and turned around. “Why me?”

“Because with you, I don’t have to pretend to be someone I’m not.”

The Spiritual Detective looked at the loneliness in her protégé’s eyes and realized they were a reflection of her own. The immortal being than did something she had not done with any other being in ages, she reached over and hugged Nadine.

--0--

Alice looked down and admired her little black dress. She could scarcely believe that Nadine had talked her into going shopping. She had a style and would play around with it, but normally it didn’t change.

Clothes were not something Alice really thought about anymore if she needed an outfit, she just thought about it, but the black dress and shoes were really nice. For someone who was once male, the young scientist was now really a fashion diva.

“Thank you for taking me shopping and yes, even the spa.” Alice had almost put her foot down about going to a spa. “But why are we in a space station.”

Nadine turned and smiled at the Spiritual Detective. The pair had actually gone to a different dimension for each experience. “For dinner, of course, there is a little old-world bistro that I have eaten at a few times. It’s very nice and a popular place for station personnel and travelers to go for a nice dinner.”

“If you say so.” Alice was a little worried about all of the glances and looks the two were receiving. The Spiritual Detective clutched her purse, another thing she wasn’t used to carrying. “Are you famous here, Nadine?”

“No, why?”

“Then why is everyone staring at us.”

“They are admiring two beautiful women.” Nadine smiled.

Alice felt like hiding behind her purse or better yet folding space for a quick exit. “Are we there yet?”

Nadine sat back on her chair and looked out one of the large bay windows. The pair was given one of the small private rooms, which gave a specular view of the world below. The young scientist watched in wonder as the Martian landscape drifted below them. The citizens of these worlds had reached for the stars instead of the gun. Now the Universe lay before them.

“My greatest wish Alice is that my new world will look upwards for glory. The Universe is big enough and full of enough resources that there is no need to fight over scraps like some caged animal.”

Alice had many questions for this night, but she had an idea the first one would be the most difficult. “Nadine, why do you still look sixteen?”

The young scientist turned to watch the Spiritual Detective change herself into a dozen forms from young to old, too different humanoid-like creatures, and finally back again to her normal self.

Nadine turned back to the large window and nodded, her form changing. The young scientist was now in her mid-twenties. Her hair pulled up neatly into a ponytail. Her black dress morphed into faded blue jeans, a baggy maroon MIT sweatshirt, and sandals.

“What do you see, Alice?”

“You look like yourself, or how you should look. A very pretty twenty-something human female, what do you see?”

“My dead wife.”

The Spiritual Detective felt a blow to her heart, long-dead emotions flared painfully. She had done evil. This new life was no reward for saving a dimension in which the damage would have been the same if not worse if the beast had walked through it.

“It just sort of happened. After my memorable introduction to the Imperial Space Administration, we were invited to their holiday party, all very formal, a chance to dress up.” Nadine began. “My mama had scheduled for the three of us to go to the Salon. Our hair was made up, makeup was expertly applied; we both looked much older than our sixteen-year-old selves. My sister wore this pale blue dress that looked very flattering on her, but when I saw her, it wasn’t my sister I saw walking down the stairs. In a panic I ran into the hallway to stand before the full-length mirror. I fainted.” She smiled. “Oh, we went anyway; I said I was just hungry. I really wanted everyone to enjoy themselves.”

Nadine continued to explain that she didn’t realize at first she was keeping herself from looking older. It wasn’t until a few years later, when it became obvious that she realized what she had done. She could handle Maggie getting older, her sister aging normally, but Nadine couldn’t do it, still can’t do it.

“Doctors have decided that I have some sort of weird genetic disorder; others think I had a laboratory accident. Some even have these weird metaphysical ideas.” Nadine made a face. “Most just take it at face value. As I’m pretty eccentric, anyway well beyond the norm, if I still look sixteen it fits pretty well with my image. Since I’m also friends with the Imperial family most people tend not to ask too many questions.” Nadine suppressed a giggle then smiled sadly. “It, of course, puts a damper on any long term relationships. I mean, how many normal adults want to date a sixteen-year-old, and as for myself I’m a little too old to be going to anyone’s senior prom.”

She was still trying to figure out if she could say no to Prince Bonaparte’s invitation to his graduation dance. She had a sneaking suspicion that Cleo was playing matchmaker.

“I have done you evil, and I don’t know how to undo it.” Alice began. “I didn’t even think about long term, it just seemed a simple solution, a reward for a job well done. How many more spirits live in torment because I lack the emotional capacity to feel anymore?”

Perhaps she had outlived her usefulness, doing more harm than good. Is that what happened to the others, did they just decided to will themselves out of existence. It would be so easy just to disappear.

Nadine reached over and held the Spiritual Detective’s hand, anchoring her to the world. “At no time have I ever thought you have done me evil. You gave me a second chance, and what I do with it is my responsibility, not yours.” Nadine knew it to be mostly true, although there were dark times in the past when she cursed the Spiritual Detective.

Alice frowned; it seemed that Nadine wasn’t going to allow her to wallow in self-pity.

“Alice”

“Yes,” The Spiritual Detective looked up from her brooding.

“Is that your real name? I started calling you that as sort of a joke, but it seemed to fit.”

“Since I spend most of my time down the rabbit hole, it does,” Alice admitted with a smile. “I don’t remember my real name, so Alice…well I really like the name.”

“Good, so were those all of the questions. You ready to head back?”

Alice rolled her eyes. “You do know that’s not true, Nadine you weren’t going to do anything more than practice.”

“I did sort of got carried away didn’t I?”

“Sort of…sort of.” Alice yelled. “You’ve gone too far. I didn’t want this for you, Nadine; you’re supposed to have a normal life. I wanted you to be happy. Now you’ll lose everything, your friends, your world, your family all of it. It’s all going to die right in front of your eyes, and there is nothing you can do about it.” The immortal known as Alice started to cry. “You can’t be like me, you can’t. You’re my only friend in existence, and I can’t even do right by you.”

Nadine moved over, circled her arms around the Spiritual Detective, holding her close. “You’ve done nothing wrong, Alice,” Nadine whispered. “I knew what I was doing.”

Alice leaned back and wiped her eyes with her hands. “But why?”

Nadine reached into her purse and handed Alice some tissues. “First of all, I’m a scientist, and I’m like a kid in a candy store with all of this. “She giggled. “I’m sorry Alice I really couldn’t help myself.“

Alice frowned. “But.”

“Plus, I can’t just sit by and do nothing, and in the bigger picture you needed the help.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Come on, let me pay, and we’ll go for a walk.” After leaving the restaurant, the pair ended up in the arboretum of the Martian Space Station.

“Since you have been hunting the Entropy creature, how much time have you spent adjusting this area of the multiverse?”

“None,” Alice admitted that whatever Nadine was doing, it was making it easier for her to hunt down the beast. “So you have been doing my job.”

“Our job?

“Our job, for whatever reason, I came to understand the nature of the multiverse. If it wasn’t to help you then what was it for? Not for me to go shopping across the multiverse, which, trust me is actually a lot of fun. No it’s to help you out.”

“You decided this all by yourself.” Alice turned to Nadine with a half-smile on her lips.

“I did.”

“You must drive the people at your work insane.” Alice took a seat on one of the benches.

“So I’m told.” Nadine grinned. “Admit it, Alice, you need the help. I want to help. You’re my friend, and there is no way I am going to allow you to do it all by yourself anymore.”

Alice looked up and whispered. “How do you know that I’m alone?”

Nadine looked up at the artificial sky and closed her eyes. “Recently, I have been able to feel you out there, and you’re all alone. There were others once, right?”

Alice nodded.

“I thought so; what we need is a recruitment drive. I used to do this at colleges, but instead we’ll go to the more advanced dimensions and see if we can scrounge up some more adjusters.” Nadine raised her hand like an old announcer. “Want to live a life on the edge; be a Multiverse Adjuster? Aunt Nadine and Aunt Alice need you!”

“I like Spiritual Detective.”

“Names are not important; what’s important is that we need more help.”

Alice couldn’t believe she was having this conversation. Going out to other dimensions and recruiting others. It was something the Caretaker used to do. Alice had a thought. She didn’t know what to make of it, should she be upset or excited. “Nadine, can you feel the beast.”

“Since I healed the Empress, that’s when I knew you needed even more help.”

“You healed the Empress?”

“Come on. I can show you better from home.” Nadine reached for Alice, and the pair suddenly appeared inside Nadine’s house. “I had the girls make room for you.”

“It sounds like your planning on having me stay long term.” Alice stood in the front room, looking at the photographs of Nadine’s family. The twins looked a lot like their mother. Nadine didn’t bother to tell Alice that even her own mother was a reminder to her of what she had lost.

“Of course, my home is your home,” Nadine yelled from her bedroom. A few minutes later she emerged dressed a little more casually. “It’s rather odd not having to sleep anymore, but I do like closing my eyes in the morning and listening to the Universe sing, it’s relaxing.”

“The Universe sings?”

“Well, the multiverse does as well, but it can be a bit erratic, kind of like trying to listen to jazz and classical at the same time.” Nadine looked at her guest for a moment. “You have no idea what I’m talking about do you?”

“No, not really, it’s OK. Let’s talk about…”

“Come on to the veranda, come on.” Nadine reached for Alice and pulled her outside. “Take my favorite seat. Now close your eyes.”

“But”

“Close your eyes, Alice, relax.”

“I don’t know how to relax,” Alice admitted.

“I know you’re like a lot of people I work with. You may be immortal, my dear, but you’re on the edge of having a breakdown. I’m surprised you haven’t burned out long ago. Now close your eyes and listen.”

“It’s not working.” Alice tried to rise, but Nadine pushed her back down.

“Being wound up tighter than a watch spring isn’t healthy, Alice. You need to learn to relax. Clear your mind and listen. Trust me, the multiverse isn’t going anyplace.”

Alice sat there, feeling nothing. It wasn’t going to work. There was too much to do for them to just sit around and listen to the Universe. The beast was rampaging worlds, and the two of them were listening to music. Alice felt a finger tapping her head.

“You’re thinking too much.”

Alice sighed. Fine, she would try, and when it didn’t work, she would just fake it, and Nadine would leave her alone. She then listened, really listened. Taking a deep breath the Spiritual Detective let it out, not that she needed to breathe but it helped her concentrate. The immortal suddenly felt the world around her come to life, a symphony of sound.

“Would you like some coffee, Alice?”

Alice opened her eyes. “What?” She looked around and realized the sun was up. “Coffee?”

Nadine giggled. “Seems someone had a long night, Lia, this is Alice she is going be living here with us on and off. So please treat her like you would me.”

“Si Contessa” The older Italian woman gave Alice a warm smile then headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.

“I lost track of time.” Alice didn’t know how she felt, but she felt different.

Nadine giggled. “I know, don’t worry, I’ve been keeping track of things while you were gone.”

The pair waited until breakfast was set on the table. Alice reached for her cup of coffee and added plenty of sugar. "OK, Nadine, what's going on?"

"Remember, I told you that I healed the Empress. I discovered she had Leukemia. My choices were simple, if she was healed and it caused a disruption I would have to let nature take its course. However when I ran the probabilities I found that if I healed her it actually strengthened the dimensional bonds not disrupt them. A healthy Imperial family, in the long run, was beneficial. So I healed her." She smiled.

"So, you continued to strengthen the dimensional bonds?"

"Correct, I no longer did just adjustments in the surrounding dimensions, but I strengthened them. Especially here at home. At every opportunity."

Alice shook her head. "Why did I never ever see this?"

"Because you were too busy fighting fires, you never had a reason to do something that wasn't an adjustment."

"So the creature?"

Nadine picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. "Vile thing, I can feel it now. When I started to strengthen the dimensional bonds, I noticed it had an effect on the beast. I'm not sure it can be covered under the Laws of Attraction, but I have sure attracted the thing."

"It's not even staying in one place to actually hurt anything."

"Good, that was the idea. It needs some energy to move on, but only enough."

"And what are we going to do when it gets here?"

Nadine gave a feral grin. "Trap it...kill it."