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Ben awoke in a soft, four-poster bed with sheer white curtains hanging all around. An open window over his head brought in the fresh breeze from the garden, gently billowing the draperies and carrying the scent of summertime flowers. He sat up slowly, and immediately Olivia parted the curtains and sat beside him, handing him a glass of water.
“Where am I?” he said.
“I know you must have many questions,” said Olivia. “I will explain everything. First, have something to drink.”
Olivia looked exactly as she had the last time he’d seen her. Beautiful. Except, something was missing. It only took a moment to place it – the tiny scar over her left eyebrow was gone.
“You’re wondering about my scar,” she said.
Ben had no words, so he said nothing for a few moments. Finally, he took a sip of the water and said, “Yes. Explain all of this to me, please.”
“Everything I am about to tell you will seem very strange at first. But you know me, and you trust me, and that is one of the reasons I am the one orienting you.”
“Orienting me?”
“Yes. As your Sponsor, I am responsible for your being here, and I am responsible to help you understand.”
Ben could only numbly parrot her words. “My Sponsor.”
“Yes, Ben. You see, although only one in three people in the Program makes it to retirement, only some of the others die on the job. Some begin a journey to this place. Of those, about half of us actually make it here. I did not die – well, obviously,” she said with a sudden smile. “I was sponsored to come here, just as I sponsored you. Only the very best make it.”
“I still don’t understand,” Ben said weakly. “Where are we?”
“The cliff – the one you fell from in the Nepali parbat – it has something special about half way down. It’s a kind of portal. It’s a lot like what the astronomical physicists call a wormhole.”
Again, Ben’s stunned mind could only repeat her words. “A wormhole.”
“The journey through is not easy, as you know. Not everyone survives it. It takes presence of mind, determination, and creativity. Ingenuity. But I knew you would make it. If I’d had any doubt at all, I wouldn’t have sponsored you.”
Ben remembered Field’s attitude about this final assignment. “So, my final assignment – it wasn’t really a legit assignment? It was just a ploy to get me to come here? Did Field know about this?”
“It wasn’t a ploy, it was a recruitment exercise. And, no, Field had nothing to do with it. Nobody on Earth is aware of this Higher Program.”
As Ben let the answers sink in, more questions arose. “And what of those who fail the test? What happens to the ones who don’t figure out how to make it all the way here through the wormhole?”
“I’ve been told that they go mad. They eventually die and their bodies disintegrate in the wormhole.”
“But you knew I’d make it.”
“Yes, Ben. I knew you would make it.”
Ben was slowly becoming more lucid, and he sat up fully, feeling his strength return to his limbs.
“I can see the water is working,” said Olivia. “Our water has amazing regenerative properties.”
Ben looked at the glass in his hand and took another sip. “So, you still haven’t told me where we are,” he said.
“I can sense you are still wary, still having a hard time believing all I’ve told you. But I will not hold anything back from you.” She placed her hand gently on his knee. “Ben, we’re about a billion light years from Earth, in a galaxy barely visible with Earth’s best telescopes. This world is called Na’ej. It is our base of operations.”
The distance from Earth was mind-boggling, but Ben had heard the theories about wormholes. He chose to focus on her use of the word our. “And who are we, exactly?”
“We are the Anxeliss. We are elite professionals, gleaned from many worlds, many races. From here, we have means to travel all over the universe, working special assignments to make things right.” A smile spread across her face. “Ben, this is the best job in the universe! And we are always safe. We cannot be hurt or killed. Well, we can, but we can always return here to regenerate.”
“This is going to take a while to sink in,” Ben said, catching his breath.
“That’s perfectly normal,” Olivia said. “Initiates usually take from four to six weeks to settle in and get their bearings. I was actually the worst – I resisted and was skeptical for nearly two months. But I finally got all the answers I wanted and found my place here. After your adjustment period, there’s ten weeks of training, and after that, you get a partner and you’re off on you first assignment.”
“A partner? I’m used to working alone,” said Ben.
“I was hoping we’d be partners, Ben.”
Ben found himself starting to smile. “I think I might like this place,” he said, lying back on the soft pillow.
“Get some rest,” said Olivia. “When you’re ready, I’ll introduce you to our boss.”