4338.209 · July 28, 2018 AD
Calculated Entry
Luke has the keys. He has the address. He has a plan to relocate an entire home office to another dimension. What he doesn't have is enough time, enough luck, or any idea that the man whose house he's burgling had a Dalmatian. When complications multiply faster than he can adjust — a growling dog, urgent messages he can't ignore, and footsteps at the front door — the plan contracts from ambitious heist to desperate grab-and-run. Some days you take everything. Some days you take what you can carry.
The settlement needs fencing. Nial Triffett — currently stranded in Clivilius — has supplier accounts, professional contacts, years of established relationships that could solve the problem overnight. All Luke needs to do is relocate Nial's home office through a portal. The man's not using it. He's not coming back. The keys are already in Luke's pocket, lifted during the original abduction. It should be straightforward.
It isn't.
The Dalmatian emerges from somewhere deeper in the house, teeth bared, growl promising violence. Luke manages to talk it down — sit, stay, good dog — but his heart is hammering and Duke's face keeps superimposing itself over this spotted stranger. Then Jane Lahey starts texting about Thelma's key, messages marked urgent, another crisis demanding attention he can't spare. And just as Luke's fingers close around Nial's laptop — the minimum viable prize from a plan that's already collapsed — a woman's voice echoes from the front door.
"Nial, are you home?"
The portal activates against a filing cabinet. The laptop clutches to his chest. The last thing Luke hears before Clivilius swallows him is her voice calling out again, asking if someone's there.
He leaves behind only questions she'll never be able to answer.
