Entrained

She slammed the door just in time. Her success was awarded with the sound of claws scrabbling glass. Muted barking too as the conductor's hound voiced its displeasure over her escape. That was the third time since she'd woke up here; if you could call a moving train a "here". The third time she had just made it away from getting a piece of her chewed off by some very aggressive patrol mutts, or maybe it was the same one over and over. She was tempted to just stay here between cars this time and see if hands stuck like tongues, but she was too scared.

It was dark, cave like dark out here, but noisy too. The wheels of the train clacked, the wind whistled like a banshee's screams, and the only light Amy had came from the residual glow of the train cars' interiors It was the scariest place she had ever experienced. Added to that was the memory she had of the first train car.

She had woke up in a semi comfortable seat with no idea how she had got there. Adding to her confusion was a surly looking conductor with pale eyes and a big mean dog demanding that she produce a ticket. The encounter had resulted in Amy making a run for it to the door post haste with a dog thing after her. She had succeeded in evading the beast, barely, to almost slide off the coupling between cars in the dim light. She had barely caught herself at the last minute. As her feet had hung out into space during that terrifying moment she had felt the darkness.

The darkness that surrounded the train was more than just the dark of a night time countryside. As her sneakers had scrabbled the air waiting for her arms and belly to reel her back in Amy had felt the pull of an Abyss deep and dark lurking under the train. Gaining her foothold that first time had left Amy shivering and frightened like now, but then she had been ignorant and hopeful. Now as she clutched the railing she was cursed with experience. She knew she needed a ticket to ride that she didn't have, there were things on the train that would hurt her and she couldn't stay here in the howling wind speeding exposed over a bottomless pit.

Amy knew she only really had one choice and that was to go forward again. She could feel the pull of the darkness as she stood shivering clamped to the rail willing her feet to move with little success.

A blood curdling screech cut the air with the howling wind making Amy's choice for her. Her primal brain propelled her body forward. Her frigid fingers clamped onto the door handle of the next car and wrenched it open just enough to squeeze through. The howl came again from the darkness. She had no idea what it was but the sound penetrated her bones. Another round of creepy conductors and their hellhounds looking for ticketless passengers suddenly didn't seem so bad in comparison to whatever made that sound. She threw the latch and spun around with her back to the door ready as she could be for the next thing.

Her breathing slowed and her heartbeat calmed down as she took in the scene before here. As weird as things had been they had just gotten weirder. "Definitely not in Kansas anymore!" she said out loud. But none of the people in the car heard her. They were too busy. Busy dancing, chatting, and milling around. Laughter and music floated around the room. Bright lights of warm golden glow filled the ballroom as glasses clinked and dresses twirled. Amy gaped in open mouthed wonder. It was all too big for a train car, but there it was. She spun back around to confirm that she had indeed just come through a train door. Her chilly hands and feet were a lingering testimony to the howling cold of the Abyss.

But there was no door. At least not the one she remembered. Just an entryway that led in from a hallway. Amy had the impression of a grand old hotel like in one of her old movie classics she liked to watch on late night TV. "Why not?" she sighed. Nothing was surprising her by this point. She turned back to the party.

Everything had stopped. The music, the dancers, all of it. A sea of faces were turned expectantly her way and it was obvious they were fixed on her. She must really stand out in her sneaks and T shirt. Amy blushed self consciously and brushed her hair back nervously. She discovered her fingers and forearms were now encased in long red velvet gloves. They matched her wide heeled dancing shoes that peaked out from a tasteful flared skirt and bodice. She smoothed her outfit painfully aware of every eye on her. Screaming abyss one moment, muted ballroom next. Why not? She put on her game face and smiled what she hoped was a glamorous smile.

Two suits separated themselves from the crowd of gawkers and made a beeline for here. Amy held her ground chin up, smile in place her heart thudding feeling all like the gazelle caught in a pincer move. The suit on her right was so tall and thin Amy wondered if he might be a sinister puppet of some kind. He had a clip board and stylus clamped in his long fingered hands. Grey stringy hair scraped the top of his starched collar. He made it to Amy first.

"Welcome, mademoiselle! May I request your invitation?" He propped the clip board and stylus against his chest with a flourish ready to check Amy's proof of invite off some list. Amy's stomach did a flip flop. She had no idea what to do. Of course she didn't have an invitation any more than she'd had a ticket two cars back. At least then she'd had the footwear to run. What could she do here? Dance her way out? Unlikely. At least there weren't any dogs here, at least none she could see.

But there was this huge concierge and Amy got the impression he wouldn't need dogs to run her down even if she was sneaker clad. He possessed a presence of a poised predator ready to pounce and those arms looked like they gave him a long reach. He watched Amy with an expectant look. His stylus poised.

Amy smiled through her clattering nerves. "Well, of course I have an invitation," she assured him, "I took a picture of it with my phone in case I lost it. Because, you see, I didn't want to miss anything. " She pretended to fish around in her dress. The ball room full of gawkers had turned back to their business as the concierge shook her down.

"Very good miss. May I see this phone picture? I really must insist." The predator man's eyes squinted slightly and the stylus drooped downward.

"Sure! If I could find my phone! I'd show you in a heartbeat, but I ? to have misplaced my phone. Have you seen it? Black, rectangular, about yay big? Picture of my dog, Pals, on the home screen? I think I left it here somewhere. Honest! I'm allowed to be here!" Amy's voice got faster and higher pitched when she was lying. even she didn't believe her.

So it was no real surprise when the predator grabbed her elbow and spun her around. "Please, come with me, mademoiselle! No invitation, no admittance." He started marching here towards the doorway she'd come in. Amy dragged her red dancing heels.

"No! Please! Just let me look around! I've got an invite. I really do!"

"Carl! Thank goodness! She's with me!" came a voice behind them. She and Predator Carl turned around. It was the man who had been coming towards her from the left. He flashed a familiar smile at Amy.

"Dad!!" Amy shrieked throwing herself at him for that's who the second man was. Predator Carl was shaken off like a leaf in a high wind regardless of his foot and half on her.

"But how are you-" she was going to say "here" but her father put a finger to her lips.

"Going to punish you for scaring me?! We'll talk about that later, sweet'ums. I'm just so glad Carl found you! Let's get you a snack and a drink!" Her dad took her velvet clad hand and drew her along back the way he had come. But Carl kept step.

"But, sir! I must have evidence of the lady's permissible presence, " objected Carl as he reached for her father's other arm. 'Permissible presence'? What was up with this guy? thought Amy.

"Oh, of course," complied her dad. He stopped, let go of Amy's hand and cupped Carl's big mitt while whispering into Carl's ear. Whatever her dad said it was effective. Amy watched as Predator Carl's eyes went wide and his mouth formed and "oh" of understanding. About what Amy had no idea. Carl then gave Amy an intense look and glanced back at her father. "Uh-huh. Now you see what I mean?"

"Indeed I do sir! Welcome, mademoiselle! I trust you will enjoy your stay." And with that, Predator gave Amy a smart bow, stowed his clipboard and stylus and slid away. Amy's dad resumed leading her across the floor.

"Wait! Dad! What's going on?"

"Not here, Ames. Not now, " he muttered.

"But, Dad!"

"Quite, Ames. I mean it! I'll explain. Not here though" He cocked his head and looked away. Amy followed his gaze long enough to notice an older, handsomely dressed matron watching them intently. Her dad turned and pulled her gently but quickly along giving her velvet clad hand a squeeze of encouragement.

Amy clicked along behind dutifully in her flouncy dress and comfortable dancing heels. Muted strains of tasteful music, subdued lighting and the clink of glasses mixed in with snatches of polite conversation flowed to Amy's ears as they made their way across the ball room. Her dad never letting go of her hand.

It was so wonderful to see him. Amy watched his every move. It had been years since she's seen him. Amy had no idea how it was possible that he was here, but she had no idea how she was here either. And where was "here" again? A train on no track over a bottomless pit with rabid, sinister dogs and now a fancy dress in a ball room was the data she had. Amy didn't dare think too closely about it all or she'd end up in a fetal position sucking her thumb while any old hell hound who wanted to had her for lunch. No. Better to face only one thing at a time. It'd worked so far.

Her father stopped at a small table up against the wall opposite of Amy's entrance. A small cozy green shaded wall lamp spilled a pool of warm low golden light over the table. The table was covered in a burgundy table cloth that clashed magnificently with Amy's gloves and dress. A small, white haired man was sitting there. Piles of paper with dense scribbles of numbers and graphs lay clustered around the elbows of his dinner jacket. The man smoothed a paper flat with his hand and looked up at Amy's father and her through wire framed spectacles that were perched on a broad nose. Seeing Amy he jumped to his feet in greeting.

"Well, well! Welcome! Welcome!" He smiled at her. He looked vaguely familiar to Amy, but she shrugged it off. he kissed her hand, glove and all. It was so old fashioned and cute Amy couldn't help but giggle.

"Fritz. I'd like you to meet my daughter, Amy. Amy, Fritz."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise. Please. Sit." Fritz gallantly pulled out a chair for Amy. She settled herself as best she could arranging the miles of fabric that surrounded her legs.

Fritz and her dad got down to business. Amy had a feeling her arrival was just a small interlude in an ongoing conference.

"Did you check your calculations like I asked?" her father said.

"I, ah, most assuredly did, " confirmed Fritz, "and it came out the same way. At least before you brought in this other variable." His eyes flicked to Amy and back to her dad. Was old Fritz calling her a 'variable'? That was a new one. Amy had been called a lot of things in her fourteen long years but 'variable' wasn't one she'd heard before. She kept quiet and listened.

"Why would she affect the equation?" her dad asked.

"She would be another observer, and, therefore, may affect the quantum field and the outcome."

"But you still don't know the outcome, right?"

"Right," sighed Fritz. "I can predict the collapse of the wave, tu not the propagation of any new events, or waves".

"So how's one more observer gonna change that?"

"I don't know, but maybe I'd better re-compute." Fritz's hands rustled the papers and tapped his pen nervously. His voice had dropped. Amy had barely heard him over the string quartet.

"No! We're done computing!" said Amy's father in a vehement whisper. His eyes locked on Fritz's face. "I think my daughter being here is a sign. When was the last time anything new, or different, happened here? She's the newest variable, if you will, in eons. Its 'go time', Fritz!" Amy watched him and Fritz study one another, and finally the white haired man nodded slightly.

"You're right, or course. It would be a waste of time to compute again. It all comes down to speed or position." Fritz began piling his scraps of papers. Amy got the impression that he was trying to calm himself with this simple task. Amy's dad looked relieved and excited. She remembered him well enough to know that look. The game was afoot.

"What's he talking about, dad?" Amy asked as she picked up on of the fancy water glasses. She was thirsty after all the running and hiding. It was easy to forget the dogs, the conductors, the cold Abyss while sitting here in a fancy dress with her dad. His eyes looked alive and his smile as bright as ever.

He plucked the glass from her hand. "We're stopping this train!" he smiled in excitement as he put the glass out of her reach.

"Or at least changing it's direction," cautioned Fritz, "I cannot know for certain until we are creating the actual event."

"Fair enough," agreed her father with a nonchalance that revealed to Amy they'd covered this topic a thousand times before.

Amy shuddered as she remembered the darkness, cold, and banshee screams of the space between cars. "But, dad! What good will that do? It's cold and dark out there. We'll be stuck if we stop!" Finally, the freak out session Amy had been trying to avoid was coming on strong. As long as they kept moving maybe they'd break away from the Abyss. Stopping was madness!

"Tell her, Fritz. It'll be okay, Ames. " He took her hand again. "Trust me." He nodded at Fritz.

"Have you ever studied quantum mechanics?" Fritz asked Amy as he pushed his spectacles up his broad nose. At Amy's blank look he continued. "Well, everything is particles and waves, no?"

"Sure," Amy said to be polite.

"Short form it, Fritz, my man. Carl is looking this way". Amy glanced up, and sure enough, Carl was looking at them. No, looking at her specifically like he was a dog waiting for a treat. He gave her the creeps. she turned back to Fritz.

"Okay. Short form. The train is a quantum vector. If we can successfully stop it, we can determine where we are. Once we know that we can plan on what to do next. "

"I don't get it."

"In the quantum world we can know where something is, or where something is going, but not both. So. We stop the train."

"Simple, hey?" smiled her dad.

"Uh, sure. Uh, how are we going to do that?"

"Yes, Dave. How are we going to do that?" Fritz chimed in.

"Can't we just ride 'til it runs out of fuel, gas, coal, or whatever?!" blurted out Amy. She was inside. She was confused, yes, scared, sure, but she really really didn't want to go back out there into the cold and dark.

"We wish." replied dad. "Looks like our schedule just got moved up. Carl is heading this way." Amy's dad grabbed her arm, told Fritz to follow and ducked down a short corridor off the ballroom Amy hadn't noticed. How could this be a train car, anyway? It was too big. How could T shirts and sneakers go all velvet? Why did conductors have hell hounds? One thing at a time, Amy, she reminded herself as they jogged along. Her dad seemed to know the scoop, and for that she was immensely grateful.

They s topped at an alcove with a pay phone. Fritz was panting. Amy bet he hadn't moved that fast in a while. "Here's what we do," instructed Dave, her dad. "When Carl gets here, Amy, you distract him. Fritz and I will grab his keys to the next car's door."

"Me?! Why me?!" she squeaked.

"Well, you're gorgeous, Ames, since you've grown up. And I mighta implied to Creepy Carl that I was going to give you to him anyway."

"What?! Why?! To be his sandwich? What do you mean 'give me to him'!?" Carl gripping her elbow flashed across her mind. Maybe this ." wasn't her father. Who'd give away their own kid? She tried to yank her hand out of his but he held on all the tighter.

"It was a bluff! It was a bluff!! and keep your voice down!" he hissed. "You think I'd really do that, Ames? You're my deputy, remember? Cowpokes forever, right? Come on!"

"Um, guys," whispered Fritz, "I think he's coming." Amy froze. Her latest protest dying in her throat, A shadow loomed against the corridor lamp. Carl was indeed there a little down the hall. They all looked at one another. Dave nodded Fritz nodded. Amy bared her teeth and shook her head. Fritz and Dave widened their eyes and bobbed their heads in Carl's direction miming, she thought, how they would grab keys, or Carl, or something. Not a very detailed plan, Amy thought, but she had no plan B and Carl was fast approaching. She grit her teeth and jumped up.

"Oh, thank goodness, you came!!" Amy announced shooting a few steps Carl's way. Amy fanned herself in a silly way while twirling her dress. "I was looking for the Little Girls' Room and got lost! So good to see a familiar face!" Creepy Carl grinned, or leered at her. She involuntarily took a few steps backwards. He really was huge and his smile reminded her of a shark in a minnow tank.

Her steps couldn't have been better planned. Her dad shot out of hiding and did a professional knee tackle while Fritz did the monkey- on -the -back attack thing on Carl's head.

Carl did not go down easy. he roared a strange sound and flung Fritz off with ease then concentrated on Dave who had a death grip on Carl's calves. Fritz moaned where he'd landed against the wall.

"Ames! The keys!"

"Where??" She didn't see any keys.

"Right jacket. Inside!" He had to be kidding. Carl would make a pretzel out of her if she got near those arms, Inspiration struck Amy and she grabbed a fire extinguisher from its bracket. Fueled by adrenaline, fear and what one of Amy' s friends called "stubborn witchiness" she brought it down on Predator Carl's head. He turned his gaze towards her and stared at her. Did he even feel what she'd done, or did she just make him mad? Amy was really scared now. Could you pee from fright in a ball gown? She was gonna find out in a minute.

And then Carl's eyes rolled and like a huge tree he tipped over hitting his head again on the floor. Her dad crawled out from under Carl, grabbed the extinguisher and brained the giant again for good measure. He rooted around in Car's coat and came up with a ridiculously large set of keys. "Got'em!! Let's go, Ames!"

"What about Fritz?" The wispy haired old gent was sprawled socks showing, tie askew and papers fluttering every where. He gave a moan.

"C'mon, Fritz. Whatty doing? We gotta go!!" They grabbed Fritz on each side and helped him walk. No a moment too soon, for Creepy Carl was starting to huff and moan awake. They scrambled down the hall as best they could Dave directing them. They stopped at a locked metal sliding door. It was identical to the one Amy had come through to the ball room. It looked so out of place in the mute lighting and carpeted floors. Amy held up Fritz while her dad went to the door.

"How's that here?" she asked.

"Even if I could explain it all with Fritz on the mend we just don't have time. But to sum up, Fritz told me we're in some kind of quantum tunnel. Time and distance mean little down here". Dave kept trying each one of Carl's keys in turn on the door.

We could be in New York, on the moon, in Kansas, or on the other side of the universe. That's why, Fritz says, we've got to stop the train so we can observe our location."

"How are we gonna do that?"

"We are working on an assumption," said Fritz into the crook of her neck. Amy was acutely aware that his position gave a straight line of sight down her bodice, but there was nothing she could do about it.

"Which is?" she prompted.

"That when the train stops," Fritz lifted his head, "we'll be back where it started and the train's engine room will have some kind of navigation system or a cooperative navigator."

"But what if they're like Car? Or worse?" fretted Amy. she could feel the freakish giant closing in on them in her mind.

"Ah-hah!! It's this one!! Follow me!" Her dad had fit the key to tghe door and was braced to open it. Amy shrunk away from it jostling Fritz off her bodice in the process. She really didn't want to go back outside! the screech she had heard over the wind was worse than terrible and it replayed in her mind. She was slowly backed away. Fritz was ready for the door. He was through it while her dad was still sliding it open. The cold burst into their warm hallway along with the banshee wind. "You, next, Ames!" her dad held the door. Amy shook her head. this was all happening too fast.

Before she could back away any further, though, her father grabbed her with his free hand and slung her through the door. He jumped after her. A boom sounded against the door as her dad locked it. Carl had closed the distance had almost succeeded in getting her. The predator glared at them and turned and left.

"The jigs up now, Ames! If there is someone up there in the engine you can bet Creepy will let them know we're coming!"

Amy nodded that she heard. Her teeth chattered in the cold. She was back between cars. At least her silly dress was gone and she was back in her T-shirt, jeans and sneakers. Fritz was clutched to the same rail she was. He was dressed like a professor on Miami holiday. Her dad was sporting one of his many flannel shirt and work boots numbers that she remembered so well. Gone was the James Bond dinner jacket.

This time they were coming up onto the engine instead of another car. Amy hoped this meant no dogs and no conductors looking for tickets. She shivered with fear and cold. The three of them bunched up against the engineer's door. Amy still felt the terrible pull of the darkness. Abyss, or quantum tunnel it was still horrible. A hand touched her shoulder. She whirled around.

"Easy, Ames. It's just me," said her dad. I just wanted to tell you how much I love you kiddo and how proud I am of you." They were both blinking away tears as the train drove onward. relentlessly .Fritz watched patiently by the door turning a slight shade of blue in his Cabana shorts as they talked.

"Oh, daddy! I miss you so much! Every day!" she sobbed into his flannel shirt.

"I know you do, cowpoke. I know you do. I wish we could be together too.' He stroked her hair as he hugged her close. Listen to me, Ames. You're not supposed to be here." He gently pushed her out from him far enough to look her in the eye. Tears streamed down her face as she looked back at her father. "You gave me and Fritz a chance. Now you've got to go back. I'm sorry." Dave picked her up and threw her over the rail into the wailing darkness. Amy's screams were drowned by the wind.

Down she fell, at least she thought she was falling. Then with a gasp and a strangled grunt Amy's eyes flew open. When had she closed them? her breath was ragged and she felt so cold again. What had happened? Where were dad and Fritz? Why had he done that? She started weeping openly. She'd had enough.

"Hey, hey! Don't cry! It's going to be all right. Really. It is!" assured a woman's voice gently, but insistently. "Deep breath now. Come on, in and out. In and out. That's it. That's it. Amy started to follow her prompting whomever she was. Crying was making her chest hurt and her nose stop up anyway. She blinked through a cloud tears. Some one handed her a tissue. Amy dried her eyes, honked her snot and took a deep breath.

The woman who'd been speaking to her was a nurse. Amy read "RN" on her sleeve, She was in a hospital room in a chilly, thin gown with tubes threaded into her veins. She panicked. "Did I get hurt from the fall? How bad is it? Where's dad? Why did he do it? Is Fritz okay?" The questions tumbled out. Amy struggled to sit up. The nurse helped her and swooped some pillows behind her back. The nurse saw Amy shivering and pulled the blankets up over her. Then she took Amy's hand in her two.

"Deep breath," she said again to Amy. Was that all this woman said? Amy wanted answers. "I know this is all very confusing. You've been out of it for a couple of days. Give yourself a moment. Are you hungry?" Amy shook her head. She lay back against the pillow. She needed to get a hold of herself if she wanted this lady to take her seriously. Otherwise, she'd get the stressed out teenager treatment. A pat on the head and milk and cookies laced with sedatives or some such thing if she didn't get it together. Amy took that deep breath. "That's it. You take a moment. Here's the call bell. I'll go get your mother and the doctor. They'll be so excited to see you're awake! Don't get up without help now!" and she headed to the door of Amy's hospital room. The nurse stopped and came back to Amy's bedside. "Do you like animals?" she asked Amy.

"Sure." Amy said. She wasn't really paying attention. She was trying to get a handle on her surroundings.

"Great. I'll have them come in , then. Studies show that animals give great emotional and therapeutic support and are proven to speed recovery." She sounded like she had said this a lot before. But at least she was trying to be nice and Amy was going to be the soul of cooperation.

"Come on in, sir. I'll go get her mother. Poor girl lost her father years ago whispered the nurse. Having you visit may be a positive role model."

"I sure hope so." said the man at the door. Amy froze in her bed. It couldn't be!

Creepy Carl folded his long frame through the door to her room. At the end of a thick nylon tether drooled a hell hound. It fixed its brown eyes on Amy and gave a sharp bark. "Easy, dearest," crooned Karl to the dog. "soon".

"Nurse!!!!" screamed Amy. Carl loomed closer as Amy's voice went hoarse. Where was that stupid nurse? Amy slapped the call bell. Instead of a polite ding, she heard the blasting of a train whistle.