Mara tensed and roared. “Run to the other house, you’ll be safe there!” The walls of the house the occupants had taken refuge suddenly collapsed outward. “Run! Run now!” Mara shouted, her muscles barely restrained as she crouched among the children around her. Some of the children held on to her fur, others buried their faces against her sides. The three doomed occupants fled the destroyed building and ran to the second house. They closed the door just in time as the wolf arrived and pounded on the door. “I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house down,” shouted the wolf. Mara watched in horror as the wolf blew a great breath at the house and its walls collapsed outward, again exposing the three little pigs huddled together inside the now fallen wooden house. “Run to the brick house!” shouted Mara lifting her head and letting out a mighty roar. The children around her mimicked the roar until all the children were roaring at the Big Bad Wolf. Unlike the Storybook Forest of the future where the stories were told with holographic A.I.’s, the Storybook Forest of this era still used live actors. The actor that played the Big Bad Wolf turned and looked at the tiger in the audience with some concern. A teacher stood and raised her arms. “Okay children, settle down so we can hear the story.” Mara lowered her head a little in embarrassment, but still kept a wary eye on the wolf. The three little pigs ran to the brick house next, probably more in fear of the tiger than the wolf. The wolf followed to the brick house and shouted. “I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house down.” The Big Bad Wolf blew a mighty breath, but the brick house held. Mara jumped up, with several of the children still clinging to her. “I knew it, the brick house was the good one.” The teacher hurried over and retrieved the children from Mara’s back. The children roared and clapped their approval of the story. Mara carefully stepped over and around the children and hurried to where Jack was sitting on a bench with parents watching their children. “Did you see, did you see, the brick house was the good one!” said Mara. “I saw,” said Jack with a fond smile at Mara’s enthusiasm. Mara looked around Jack at an exhibit on the other side of the walkway. “Oh look, a big shoe house!” Mara took off at a run across the wide walkway, much like any walkway you would find in an amusement park. Jack stood and watched her run off. The display she was headed to was a giant boot with a roof, chimney, a single window, and a door. And lots of children running around and climbing on the exhibit. Marshal Cyness shook his head. “She solved the equation of quantum entanglement, built the first World Bridge, and understands quantum physics better than anyone I’ve ever met, yet she has a child-like innocence, and I really thought she was going to attack the Big Bad Wolf.” Jack shrugged. “She grew up in a place completely shielded from the evil of men and wars. Her life has been to care for her family and search for a cure to the sickness. I’m worried though, she’s almost at the age the sickness begins.” The Marshal raised a brow and glanced at Mara across the walkway. “What sickness?” Jack sighed. “The researchers that created them made a mistake when they re-sequenced their DNA. At around 4 or 5 years old, they develop a terrible anxiety problem that makes then unable to cope with almost anything.” “I don’t see how it could be possible for them to get sick,” said the Marshal glancing at his deputy. Toran’Sar shook his head. “I don’t see it either, they have a World Bridge.” Jack looked back and forth between the two men. “I don’t understand.” “We don’t use World Bridges anymore because of the side-effects, but the medical profession does,” explained the Marshal. “When you go through a World Bridge using quantum entanglement, the origin point and destination point has to be the same, so the Bridge compares your somatic cells to the germ line to ensure that you have two genetically identical cell divisions based on your original stem cell structure. If there is a deviation, the World Bridge resets to your base DNA and removes or repairs all defects.” Jack pursed his lips and squinted an eye, his knowledge of genetic science was limited. “So, there’s a cure?” Marshal Cyness shook his head. “It won’t be that simple. We’ll have a medical team look into it.” Jack shrugged it off and followed the crowd leaving the little open theater. He doubted the Marshal was going to look into the medical needs of the tigers. The Marshal had his own agenda, and Jack knew it didn’t include Mara. Jack was only thankful Mara had insisted on coming to the Storybook Forest and given him time to think. He’d almost blindly gone with the Marshal. Jack chuckled to himself that the Marshal thought he would be willing to spend ten years in some military training camp. Jack walked over to the boot house exhibit and sat down on a bench. He could see Mara climbing around the boot with a group of children. “Okay, she’s had a story, we should be going now,” said Marshal Cyness as he arrived at the bench Jack was sitting. Jack unfolded the map he’d been given at the entrance to the park. “There are 22 small theaters, 75 play area exhibits, 25 rides - the sky lift sounds fun - 5 restaurants, a water park, 4 gift shops, 6 outdoor cafés, an interactive storybook hiking trail, 17 arts and crafts centers, 2 library annexes specializing in fairy tales, 19 wishing wells, a petting zoo, a big theater performing Pinocchio at two o’clock this afternoon, and then this evening there’s a fairy tale parade, followed by a fireworks display.” Jack looked up at the Marshal and smiled. “I don’t think Mara is ready to go yet.” “And what are you going to do if the Ravens find us here?” Jack’s temper flared and he stood to face the Marshal. “I’m done playing nice. I’m not going back to their prison, and I’m not going to yours. I only came to meet with you and ask about the five Jack’s you trained, but you’re being evasive about answering, so I’m done with you. You can leave now.” The Marshal’s eyes flared with the same intensity as Jack’s, but Mara chose that moment to come running and slide to a stop in front of Jack. “Can I have some money, my new friend said I need to try the caramel apples, preeetttyy pleaasee.” “I have some Ruk money, if they take it here,” said Jack. Toran’Sar raised a hand to interrupt. “The exchange rate in the park is ridiculous, you need to link Mara’s library card with yours and set a daily fund limit for her.” Toran knelt next to Mara. “Dearest one, you would not like the caramel apples, they are a human taste only. There is however, a food kiosk near the entrance to the Storybook Train Ride that caters to sentient tigers. They have a glazed meat you would very much enjoy.” Mara nodded her head emphatically. “That’s where I want to go next, pleeeaaase, Jack.” Jack’s temper faded and he smiled. “Of course, glazed meat sounds perfect.” Jack’s eyes shifted to Toran. “How do I add funding to her card?” “Tap on your card and ask for librarian assistance,” replied Toran. Jack tapped on the card. “Hello, can I get a libr…” An apeirogon door opened and one of the Zilinth librarians emerged. “Yes Sir, the transaction is completed. Mara’s card is now linked to your card with a 1000 daily limit in Aeden currency to be drafted from your bank account as needed. If you require anything further, do not hesitate to ask.” The lizard man stepped back through the door and was gone. Toran laughed at Jack’s expression. “They are efficient, aren’t they,” said Toran. “A Zilinth exists as three persons, past, present, and future self. His Future-self already knows of your request, since it already happened for him. So, Future-self told Past-self, who prepared the transaction with their agents on Aeden, and Present-self completed the transaction.” Jack sighed. “I can’t understand how their technology is so advanced.” “Their species came from another universe at the moment this one formed, so they have quite an advantage over the rest of us. Just be glad they’re not interested in politics or expansion,” replied Toran, then looked down at Mara. “All you have to do is show the vendor your library card and he’ll deduct the funds to pay for what you want.” Mara shot off like an arrow. “I’m going with her, thanks for everything, but don’t bother us again,” said Jack. Jack wasn’t twenty steps away when Toran called out. “Jack, hold up.” The Deputy Gunslinger came up alongside Jack, but Jack didn’t stop walking. “I’ve got a confession to tell you.” “Walk and talk, it’s a free world,” said Jack. Toran’s long stride easily kept up with Jack, despite Toran being in his late 60’s. “I’d gone out for a swim, when I got back, a World Bridge formed in front of me on the beach. I didn’t know who Jack 432 was, or anything about what the Ravens were up to, but I could see a battle raging on the other side of the bridge. I think Jack 432 was trying to make a path for Mara 432 to escape, but she was surrounded by Eroden at least a hundred yards away, she wasn’t going to make it, and Jack 432 knew it, I could see the defeat on his face. It was one last desperate attempt to save Mara, but he knew they would die. He didn’t know who I was, or if I would honor his last request, but he threw the library card through the gate and said, ‘Give it to the next Jack, the fate of the universe depends on it,” and then he closed the World Bridge. It took me four years of hard investigation to discover what was going on, and then it wasn’t until Jack 641 that I discovered where the Ravens were hiding the Jacks. I was able to help Jack 641 and next four Jacks escape the Ravens, until the Ravens figured out how I was doing it, after that, I couldn’t get any more Jacks out, until you.” Jack gave the deputy a side glance. “I got myself out.” “I put the map on the shower wall, and the tracking device, and those summary sheets originally said, ‘Report by JB’. I snuck in and replaced them with Colt’s initials, his name is better known than mine, and I thought you might figure out who CC was before you would TS. It was just another clue I was dropping to help you. Jack, I trained the other Jacks, not Colt. Colt told me to take Jack 641 back to the Ravens, but I disobeyed and took Jack 641 to a place not even Colt knows about, and I did the same with the next four Jacks,” explained Toran. “Why do I think an important detail is missing in all this?” said Jack. “Jon Black is the leader of the Gunslingers, he’s our boss. I was dishonorably discharged from the Gunslingers as an outlaw for disobeying an order and kidnapping Jack 641.” Jack turned an angry eye to Toran. “And you want me to go with him, the Marshal sold you out?” “No, Jack, he didn’t.” Jack stopped walking. “Oh, I get it. One of you had to stay in good graces with Jon Black to be able to feed information, and with him being the Marshal, he would be able to get more intel. Still, seems a cowardly thing to do. I wouldn’t have done it like that.” Toran chuckled. “All or nothing, is that it?” “Something like that,” said Jack. “Colt was like that when he was your age. We had a great team back then, but they’ve all gone their own ways now. Wes is the Supreme Justice General, Blackjack passed away a few years ago, Garth returned to Cormon to be the Planetary Justice, and Austin passed away during training.” Jack studied the man’s face for a moment. He had a scar above his eye ridge, and another on his chin. Lines were etched into the edges of his eyes, but overall, he looked very healthy for someone nearing 70. “What do you want from me?” asked Jack. “The Eroden Queen isn’t in the Command Ship.” “Ah, so that’s why your five Jacks were attacking the supply train, you were looking for her.” Toran’Sar nodded. “Yes.” “I almost made a bad mistake and left the library,” said Jack. “I’m not doing that again and returning home ten years older.” “Colt wants you to go to the Cettise training camp, but I can get him to compromise. We’ll go to the library room I was hiding the five Jacks in. You can study what they were studying, and since Colt is going with us this time, you can learn a little about the Cettise.” “Another cage?” said Jack dryly. “You have Jack 432’s library card, you can leave whenever you want.” The sound of several angry tiger roars caused Jack to spin around. “That was Mara, she’s in trouble!” Jack took off at a run in the direction of the roaring tigers. Park guests were running the opposite direction with their screaming and crying children in their arms. Jack saw apeirogon doors opening and other guests fleeing through them from whatever was happening. He dodged around the fleeing crowds… and saw Mara backed up against the brick wall of the miniature train station that served as the ticket booth for the Storybook Train Ride. Huddled behind Mara were three small Eroden… children? Mara was crouched in a fighting stance and roaring at two very large Sherata tigers. Jack’s heart swelled with pride as he realized what had happened. The two Sherata had either been bullying, or attacking the small arachnid children. It would be just like her not to care that they were arachnids, in her mind they were just children and her instinct would have been to protect them. One of the big Sherata tigers had its paw raised and claws extended to swipe at Mara. Jack willed himself into a state of molecular acceleration and ran into the big tiger at full speed. The tiger and Jack tumbled across the dirt in a tangle of arms, feet, paws, claws, and fangs. Jack extracted himself from the stunned tiger and ran to stand in front of Mara. The second big Sherata roared its anger and leapt at Jack with every intent to rip Jack apart. A loud crack of thunder sounded and the Sherata froze in mid-air. Jack tried to move aside, but he was frozen as well. A dozen apeirogon doors appeared and Zilinth lizard men in uniforms rushed out of the arched doorways, followed by the first elderly Zilinth Jack had seen. The elderly Zilinth walked over and looked at the two Sherata, then at Jack, and Mara behind him. “Fighting on library grounds is a violation of the membership contract, all of you are permanently banned from The Great Library.” “HOLD!” shouted a slightly mechanical voice. Jack could see a large Eroden approaching from the corner of his eye. Jack recognized the markings on the legs of the large Eroden – it was the Eroden General he had seen earlier at the Tumul ceremony. “General Cluth, your children are safe,” said the elderly Zilinth. The Eroden made a chittering sound, and then a device around the Eroden’s neck translated. “They are safe because these two warriors protected them, not you. Is your justice to be so blind as to punish those that defend Eroden children? Are we regarded with no value here among the enlightened Zilinth. I witnessed the unprovoked attack against my helpless sons from the second floor of the Fairy Tale Library where I was choosing stories for them. The small Sheros tiger showed much courage against a superior force in their defense, as did this Aeden warrior of such honor that though he is our enemy, he did not hesitate to defend innocent Eroden children.” The elderly Zilinth held up a hand. “General, I understand you concerns, and I assure you that we hold the Eroden in the highest esteem.” Another chittering sound and the device translated: “If these two of such honor are punished for protecting our young, the Eroden people will consider such a thing as a grave insult.” “Your words have value to the Zilinth, General, I have reconsidered the punishment on your recommendation,” replied the elderly Zilinth. “The two Sherata attackers will be permanently banned from the library, however, the Aeden and the Sheros will receive warnings only.” The Eroden General pounded his legs against the ground. “Warnings! You would give warnings to the courage displayed by these two heroes of the Eroden people! My blood-line nearly ended here today, and you give warnings! The Eroden cry out for justice, is there to be none for us?” The elderly Zilinth took a step back. “Perhaps I was too haste, I will… enter commendations into their membership records… and… upgrade the Sheros to a complimentary Blue Sapphire Membership, and perhaps a Red Sapphire Membership for the Aeden boy.” The Eroden General continued to glare at the Zilinth man. “Or perhaps a Red Sapphire Membership for both of them, and your sons as well,” added the elderly Zilinth. Jack almost felt sorry for the Zilinth man, the Eroden were a terrifying species to begin with, but then add an angry father to the equation and Jack wouldn’t have wanted to be in the Zilinth man’s shoes. There was another crack of thunder and the two Sherata vanished. Jack felt himself released and turned around to check on Mara. The three little Erodens had climbed onto her back, and she was nuzzling them. Jack also noticed her library card had turned red. He checked his own, it was also red now. The Eroden General stepped between the elderly Zilinth man and Jack, with his back to the Zilinth man in a gesture of contempt. The General leaned down and chittered a whisper the device translated in a hushed tone. “If you stand on a path with a charging mortho beast running towards you, it would be prudent to find a different path to stand upon.” The General made a chittering sound that Jack thought might be laughter. “It is an ancient Eroden proverb,” added the General waving a dismissive leg and looking past Jack to his three sons atop the tiger. “You and the tiger are safe to continue your day in the park, the Ravens that pursue you have suddenly found themselves occupied with more pressing business.” The General chittered and the three Eroden boys climbed down from Mara and ran to their father and climbed onto his back. Jack had a vision of the winged people and Jon Black suddenly finding themselves on the Eroden lunch menu. Jack bowed. “Thank you.” The General turned and walked away. Mara stood and leaned against Jack. “Weren’t they just the sweetest boys, they said we should come visit them at their home,” said Mara. “I want cubs someday.” Jack glanced down at Mara. “Oh, look,” added Mara. “Nobody is in line for the Storybook Train Ride, let’s go there next.”