It was some time after 10 PM. Kumiko peeked over at her sister. Kimiko was asleep, probably dreaming about the new cats. Good. Now to sneak out of the room and see what the others were doing.

  There was no light from Okaa-san's door. She'd looked very tired when she got home, so she was probably asleep too. As always the door was open just a hair, presumably so she could come out more quickly in an emergency.

  Ian's door was closed but there was an irregularly flickering light under it. He was probably still working at something on his computer and, knowing him, he likely would be for at least another hour or two.

  Perfect. Kumiko quietly padded down the hall on her bare feet and went to the door of Jane's workshop. As always the door was wide open. She saw Jane bent over some kind of apparatus. She was mumbling to herself, but that was also entirely normal

  INTERLUDE

  Karla called a brief halt to her report and assumed a professorial stance. "OK, listen up. This is important for you if you want to understand what is about to happen. Most people assume that English is the most widely spoken language on the planet.

  "Shut up Grgur, I'm talking. You listen. And, no, I'm not changing the subject on you. Listen and learn.

  "Those who think so are incredibly mistaken. English is the most widely spoken second language on the planet. The actual most common language, which is spoken in one form or another by essentially every single person in the world is, well....

  "Professional linguists have proposed a number of different names for it. Some of these include: 'I'll get around to what I really want to talk about eventually', 'hurry up and read between the lines', 'I'm too embarrassed to come right out and say this', and 'I'm not sure how you'll take this so I'll sneak up on it'.

  "Obviously they're much too long for anyone to take seriously. They are accurate, but sometimes accuracy needs a good swift kick in the pants by expediency.

  "The name most linquists use for this language is 'Indirect.' It's short and sweet, and encompasses the general concept. It was first proposed by that esteemed linguist....

  "Now what Grgur? What do you mean by "same old drill as usual"? Why are you quoting from an ancient French anime all of a sudden? Though I must admit that Asterix and Cleopatra was an extremely interesting example of the genre. It was one of the first...."

  Grgur hit itself on the leg, hard. Maybe pain would help it remember not to ever push "Karla's" lecture button. You'd think it would have learned by now. She had been one of its first teachers after it got out of the nestling stage and started real school.

  It hadn't been long before all the kids had learned that you never, ever interrupted her when she was on a roll. Any random comment, or show of interest and she'd be off like a butterfly flitting from flower to flower. The best way to get her to shut up was to plaster a vaguely interested look on your face and then let her run down.

  "Ahem, ah, where was I. Oh, right. Well then. Truth be told, 'Indirect' is the most common language on the face of the planet. Not all that many are completely fluent in it, but everyone has at least a minimal unstanding. It is probably the Japanese who are most fluent, given the development of their culture and, ah, never mind that. Let's get on with this. You really ought to quit making me go off on these tangents."

  Grgur was completely awake now so it just nodded and banged a fist on an unoffending chair where Karla couldn't see it. He took a quick look and saw that, unless one's bottom were shaped like a lumpy fishbowl, nobody was ever going to be able to sit on it again. He figured that if he swapped it out for an undamaged one, and stashed the broken one in some distant storage room before anyone came in the next morning, he'd probably not have to pay for the damage.

  "Anyway Grgur, the following conversation between Kumiko and Jane has been subtitled in English so as to make it understandable to those who are not fluent in 'Indirect' yet."

  ---------------------

  Kumiko cleared her mental throat and asked Jane, "Jane onee-chan, are you busy?"

  (I can see that you're busy, but I really need to talk to you if that's OK.)

  "Sure Kumi-chan. I'll be at a stopping point pretty soon, then we can talk."

  (I'm really pretty involved right now, but if it's important I can put this aside and talk to you.)

  "Thank you Onee-san. Perhaps we could converse in your room. It would likely be more comfortable in there."

  (Yes it's important. I don't want anyone overhearing us. It's also going to take a while, and your room is more private.)

  "Sure thing. Let's do that. I'll be right there."

  (Oh it's like that is it? This sounds interesting. I'll be right there.)

  [Yes, sometimes people mix in what they really mean in the middle of a conversation in Indirect. It helps throw off any listeners.]

  "You're not wearing slippers Kumi-chan. It's getting a bit cold out. It is November after all. Should I make us some tea?"

  Only the last sentence above was in Indirect. Jane is enough of a master in the language that she is well practiced in combining it with English. It is to Kumiko's credit that she was able to follow along.

  (Is this going to take long enough that we'll want something in our hands to fidget with?)

  "Tea sounds like a wonderful idea Onee-san. You might want to bring the pot as well."

  (Yes, this could take some time. Quite possibly a great deal of time.)

  "OK. I'll get the tea ready then we can get started. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable."

  [The above sentence was entirely in English. No translation is therefore needed, unless of course English really IS your second or third language. In that case, come talk to me privately after class.]

  Once Jane had made tea and they'd settled themselves down for a long talk, and taken that first, obligatory sip of the tea that would thenceforth remain untouched, Kumiko began.

  "Today has been most interesting, has it not Onee-san? What with the cats and all."

  (You wanted to talk to me about what happened at the store, did you not?)

  "To be sure. I was concerned that the stress from everything might have been a bit too much."

  (You scared the heck out of me when we were at Winco. You looked like you were about to collapse.)

  "I deeply regret having caused you concern Onee-san. The circumstances compelled my actions. Having not encountered the particular situation previously, I was unprepared for my physiologic reaction."

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  (I'm sorry that you had to be upset like that, but I didn't have any time. I hadn't realized that the real thing would take so much more energy than practice did. I was totally whipped afterwards.)

  [The rest of the following conversation was conducted entirely in English, thus no further subtitles will be appended. If you have trouble with English, please see my comments above about contacting me after class.]

  Grgur winced. "Karla" was oscillating between personalities. Right now she seemed to be reliving her teaching days. It summoned the Observer into "No-Time" again.

  "What is it this time Grgur? I was just about ready to go to bed. Lord knows that I haven't had all that much sleep lately."

  Grgur replayed the conversation that he'd just had with Karla.

  "Holy shit. That one has much too strong a mind. We need some high powered help. Just 'Wallying' her isn't going to hold any more."

  The Observer sent out a mayday to the one being that he was sure could reset Karla's mind into the proper channels. The he braced himself. He noted, rather absently, that Grgur had done likewise. While the one called "The Lady" wasn't terrifying like Kali, her presence was, to put it mildly, overwhelming.

  "Well, and greetings little ones. What have we here that requires our presence so suddenly?"

  The touch of her mind on theirs was like gossamer, but no less thorough than a vacuum cleaner.

  Then The Lady's voice changed in pitch and timbre slightly. "Ah. We comprehend. That one is very strong willed. But, we would not have chosen her to lead this team were she not. Be at peace. We will amend the situation, and set triggers that will summon us should the situation start to deteriorate again."

  As soon as she said "be at peace" both of them found that they were totally calm. Not only that, they felt as if they'd had a wonderfully restful night's sleep. They looked on in bemusement as The Lady repaired the damage to the Karla persona.

  "There. We are finished. We have layered more protections between her true consciousness and the construct, while still allowing her personality to manifest as it really is. However, if our judgement should prove faulty, and we need to be summoned again, do not hesitate to call.

  "Peace little ones, and farewell for now."

  As she faded away she smiled to herself. She really hadn't needed to be here. Her student had easily repaired the problem, but it was so much fun to put one's own hand in now and then, so she'd stayed and let the student work through her.

  Both Grgur and the Observer breathed great sighs of relief.

  "Grgur, do you realize how incredibly difficult that is? To create an overlay consciousness on one's true self, but still allow the underlying personality to manifest? To tell the truth, if you had asked me as few as 40 years ago, I would have said that it was not possible."

  The Observer shook his head in astonishment. "To think that 'Karla' is exactly her real self, just with part of the memory of her past blurred. There is no difference between the two other than the name and the body. She acts and reacts as she would in her original form. It's truly a miracle."

  Grgur nodded. "Given who SHE is, would you expect anything that wasn't miraculous? And what about that "we" and "our" she was tossing about? I've never heard her use those words to refer to herself before."

  "I think, perhaps, that it would not be a good idea to pursue that just now Grgur. Do you understand?"

  "Not entirely Boss, but I think that you may well be right."

  A companionable silence filled the next few minutes as they contemplated what had just occurred. Then the Observer went home to bed and Grgur returned from "No-Time" and resumed recording Karla's report.

  ---------------------------

  "It began when we arrived at Master Oh's studio last week."

  Kumiko went on to describe the special training she had received when Karla was off buying Chinese food.

  Jane nearly dropped her teacup when Kumiko got to the part about throwing Master Oh for messing up her hair. What a woman she was going to be when she grew up!

  Of course, Jane and Karla needed to make sure that the twins survived until adulthood. That thought was both depressing and sobering.

  Kumiko correctly interpreted Jane's sudden change from mirthful to subdued and thoughtful.

  "Be not afraid Onee-san. There is more that I have yet to tell you. I now understand, at least partially, our purpose. Kimiko is the Teacher. I am the Protector. Even as I am now, I am certain that, as long as I am near, Kimiko will come to no harm from our enemies. She is no longer your responsibility. She is now mine."

  Woah! That was a game-changer if ever there was one. Jane studied Kumiko intently and realized that, somehow, Kumiko was right. Jane's brief time as protector was over. So what was she to do now? That part was unclear.

  Kumiko saw the puzzled look on Jane's face and, again, drew a correct conclusion.

  "Your task remains the same Onee-san. Your instruction and protection of our sister was just an interlude. You are still the, the...."

  Kumiko's face went slack, then she carefully put down her teacup, stood up, walked to Jane's bed, and crawled under the covers. She was asleep in moments.

  "Sometimes that one tries to take on too much. She is impetuous, but she is strong. If you please, help her to curb the former and cultivate the latter."

  Jane turned her head, and then, very precisely, laid her teacup on the table beside her armchair. She stood, and gave a deep curtsey to the being who had manifested in her room.

  "Last time we talked, I was chest deep in a stream and you told me not to curtsy lest I end up with waders full of water. This time let me offer you the full courtesy My Lady."

  The Lady laughed. She hadn't had much reason to lately, but that was the result of her deliberate choices, and thus not worth mentioning. She strode forward and laid her palm on Jane's cheek. "I see that my younger sister Kali has scorched you. That one is much too rash and does not yet understand that not all see as clearly as she does. Fortunately that will pass once she herself passes out of her childhood.

  "For now, let me repair the damage she did. You above all are in need of all of your faculties."

  Once again her touch was like gossamer, but this time it was a healing touch. When the healing was complete, Jane realized that she had been laboring in pain ever since Kali's visit. That pain was now gone.

  The Lady glanced over at Kumiko. "That little one was correct. But she needs to deal with one thing at a time, as do all who are limited by their physical bodies. She will remember talking to you about the Aztith, but not her comprehension of your purpose. If she remembers, she'll try to protect you as well as Kimiko, and she would likely fail. She is not one of the very few who are able to manifest in two places at the same time."

  She chuckled slightly then continued. "Know that I am pleased with you. As one of 'those who seek' your task is to ferret out information, wherever it may be hiding. Without that, none of you will understand where you must go and what you must do. You would simply be reacting, and that would eventually be deadly."

  "I canna say that I completely understand My Lady, but I think I get the gist of it. I'm to poke and pry into all kinds of things that folks don't want poked or pried into. Once we flush the birds from cover, we'll have the advantage rather than them."

  Jane laughed. "It's too bad that I can't think of a good fishing metaphor for that, it'd suit my character better than one about hunting. Oh well, I guess I can't have everything."

  The Lady smiled and levitated herself far enough that she could put her hand on the top of Jane's head. "You have my blessing little one. Continue as you see fit. I shall see you anon."

  Jane sat up with a start. She'd fallen asleep in her chair. She looked around and saw that she wasn't alone in the room. Kumiko had fallen asleep too, but she'd had the good sense to crawl into bed first. That it wasn't her bed didn't stop Jane from giving her full points for common sense.

  As she half-drowsed in her chair, Jane replayed the conversations she'd had with Kumiko and The Lady. The Lady! She'd been in Jane's room, hadn't she? Or was it just a dream like the one Ian had before he'd met the rest of the family?

  Well, in either case it hardly mattered. Ian's "dream" had been entirely accurate, so, even if it had been a dream, Jane decided that she'd better pay close attention to it. That is, if she could remember it clearly.

  Moment by moment it was fading, but a few points remained clear. One was her headache. That constant, nagging, irritating headache that she'd had since they were visited by Aunt Kara. It was gone. Totally gone. Not having her head hurt almost made Jane feel giddy with delight.

  The second point was that The Lady had said something about Jane being, what was it, someone who knows things, or finds out things, or something like that. Whatever the specific wording was, the idea was clear. She needed to intensify her searches for possible threats, no matter how far-fetched those threats might be or how innocuous the possible source might seem.

  It certainly fit in with her basic character. Jane was one of those people who was happiest when she found out something that almost nobody else knew. Not that she'd ever reveal the information. Just knowing that she was one of the select few who knew was enough for her.

  She had an extensive archive of such information, triple encrypted and requiring, in addition to her password, both fingerprint and retinal scans to access. Perhaps it was time to go through all if it again and see...no, wait.

  First she'd get Ian to design her a search algorithm that would let her put in specific key words or ideas and then match them up for her. It would save a great deal of time, and time was something that they were very short on. She wasn't entirely sure how she knew that, but she was certain that she was correct.

  In the meantime, sleep was the first item on the agenda. She crawled in next to Kumiko and was asleep within seconds.