An Enterprise Within The Alternate Cosmos

Prologue

I ran through the hallway of my apartment building frantically, my heart beat pounded in my ear drums. I heard his footsteps slapping the linoleum close behind me. Don't look back. I shoved the fire escape door clean open and dashed for my car, only when I got there, I didn't have my keys. I tried screaming for help, but my throat was dry and numb. Pressure weighed on my shoulders, I couldn't see his face as he began shaking me violently... 

"Red!" A deep voice woke me with a jolt. I looked up in a daze, my partner was standing just centimeters away from me with his hand on my shoulder. "Jones would kill you if he caught you sleeping on the job. C'mon, we've got a case. Let's go." He grabbed my coat off of the hook and handed it to me. I slipped it on as I muttered a tired thank-you and made sure my keys were in my pocket.

As we walked to the door my foot got caught on the frame, causing me to trip. I braced myself for the pain of landing directly on my face, but Davis caught my arm just in time.

"You okay, Red?" He asked as we exited the building. I glanced at him and gave a quick nod before unlocking the car door.

"Just haven't been sleeping well lately," I said as I ducked into the black sedan. He shut himself in the car and moved the seat all the way back to make room for his long, muscular legs.

"Same dream?" He asked, his green eyes laced with concern.

"Yeah, except this time he was shaking me... but it was you waking me up... I couldn't see his face-"

"It's just a dream Red, don't get so worked up over it. It's just a dream." His deep voice lulled me.

"But what if it means something?" I cranked the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"It's just a damn dream, Phoebe." I cringed, no one ever called me by my first name at the station. I gave him a cold glare.

"So are you going to tell me where we're going, Ethan?" I asked as I pulled into the gas station. He gave me an apologetic glance and picked up the GPS.

"Oh, shit. I'll program it into the GPS, I'll brief you when you get back." I got out of the car and went into the gas station. I picked up my usual, an iced french-vanilla latte and a granola energy bar. I got fifteen dollars in gas and after paying I walked out groggily to the car, sipping my latte.

"You and that coffee, no wonder you're so short!" Davis joked.

"Call me short all you want, but 5'6" is average, thank you very much." I said to him through the open window as I started to pump the gas. "So are you going to brief me, or not?"

"Right, briefing. You're going to love this one." I glared at him with intense anticipation. "Alright alright, out with it I know. So there are these twins, Miranda and Marina Blake, and they do almost literally everything together. Get this, they go to the outlet mall and Miranda says and I quote, 'She stepped into air, and vanished.'"

"What? That's impossible. Maybe she's delusional? Are you sure this other twin exists even? Sounds like she needs help." I raised my eyebrow at him as I put the gas pump back in its holder.

"She's not delusional, and she's not the only person who saw it happen, either."