Robert Charrette - Arthur 01 - A Prince Among Men by Robert N. Charrette Page B

this intrusion?"
    "Probably not to your satisfaction, Ms. Martinez. But then, the proof you want will only be obtainable after it is too late."
    It was his standard response. When Sorli had first mentioned the otherworld to her, she had thought he was joking. The very idea of a dimension coexisting with the normal world was weird enough, though it had some justification, according to some of the more abstruse philosophers of physics. But to claim that this other dimension was one in which magic worked and chaos ruled! That was an insane concept, the stuff of tabloid journalism and instant video documentaries. Sorli's hypothesis of an otherworld went far in explaining many of the strange things that happened in the world. If one accepted his basic assumptions. But asking acceptance was asking a lot.
    "Churdy was a motorcycle racer. What kind of connection could he have had with the otherworld?"
    "We have not been able to ascertain any connection at all. This leaves the inescapable conclusion that the connection lay with his passenger. It is likely that the passenger was the real target of the attack."
    "Passenger?"
    "A woman. As yet unidentified."
    "There was no mention of a woman in the police report."
    If Sorli was surprised by her mention of the police report he didn't show it, either visually or on the monitor. All he said was, "Good."
    Confidence, or overconfidence? Or simple insanity?
    "I did not get to where I am today by being a fool." No, indeed. She had taken advantage of every opportunity, equal or otherwise, and gained a high position. She had clawed her way up through the corporate world to her current post with Mitsutomo, and men and women who had thought her a fool had learned otherwise, to their regret. "You have used Mitsutomo resources, and you bring me no results. I have to answer for these expenditures. What am I to tell my superiors?"
    "The truth."
    "That we are being invaded by goblins and fairies?"
    "Your words."
    "Give me other words, then. Something to make this alleged threat more credible."
    "Names aren't important." The monitor jumped a little there. "Call them what you want, it won't change their nature. But do not deny their existence."
    "Bring me proof."
    "In time."
    It was the same promise he had made when he had first asked for her help in combating the intrusions of the other-world. She hadn't believed him, of course, expecting to find real-world monsters behind his fairy-tale dangers. She had
    gone along assuming that the information he gathered would eventually turn out to be useful; she had never found information-gathering to be a waste of resources. An organization as diverse as Mitsutomo Keiretsu had many places to apply information.
    Sorli's investigations had given her some of what she sought, but they had also turned up situations that were less understandable. That was unless one accepted his otherworld hypothesis. But there was never anything concrete, incontrovertible. Proof, hard proof, continued to be elusive, and each day she found herself locked tighter and tighter into his intricate schemes. He was leading her farther and farther down the path he walked. No longer could she deny that something was happening. Whatever that something was, Sorli had some sort of inside line on it. Each day, she found herself closer to accepting his explanation.
    Perhaps it was she who was mad?
    No. That was an unacceptable explanation. There was something real going on, and S5rli knew more about it than he was telling.
    "Tell me about this woman."
    He shrugged. "The powers of the otherworld have agents here. Those agents are working to bring about a full convergence of the worlds."
    The monitor suggested that he was withholding information, but the confidence quotient was not high enough for her to call him on it. "Are you saying that she is some kind of fairy?"
    "My information concerning her origins is insufficient at this time. However, I suggest that we must be prepared to act. It is likely