Through the Looking Glass Ch. 05

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Mitch and Lisa stepped through the vortex, its swirling light fluttering and shrinking as soon as their feet touched the pavement of the parking lot. The energy rushed back into them and the time line resumed, Lisa automatically resetting her watch as they got their bearings. Her eyes flashed at Mitch when she saw his apparel.

"What the Hell are you wearing?"

Mitch looked at himself and was surprised as well.

He wore a white fancy dress shirt, the cuffs flared out slightly and pinned with gold links. His trousers were black with the cuffs fanning out in the same style, and at the belt line hung a sheathed sword roughly the same size as an old gladius with a shiny silvery hilt. His pack was still on his hips, but it was covered by a loose fitting sash of white cloth around his waist with a thin strip traveling up and over his shoulder to hang down loosely off his back, almost toga like. It was clasped at his left breast with a golden eagle pendant with a stylized version of the bottom half of a science caduceus. He then looked at Lisa with the same expression.

"Me? What are you wearing?"

Lisa looked herself over and gasped in wonderment.

Her equally loose fitting blouse left her arms and a good portion of her chest bare, with the exception of the gold slave bracelet on her upper arm also marked with the science insignia. She had a lightweight shawl draped over one shoulder and around her neck, pinned with a small gold crown of leaves. Her skirt matched the white of her tunic, but was hemmed in another piece of fabric to give the illusion of wearing a gown, and her feet were covered with brown sandal straps that laced up her calves. The ensemble resembled the same thing that the Statue of Liberty wore, with the exception of her bare arms... and the fact that the right of her outfit was slit up the side almost to her breast, with tiny gold chains holding the folds in place but still flashing a provocative amount of skin. A brassy sheath hung from one of the chains, holding a bejeweled dagger.

With her bag still strapped to her shoulder, Lisa scratched her head, quizzically, "Are we going to a costume party?"

Mitch wanted to make sport of it, but his gut told him that this wasn't a joke, "C'mon, let's go inside." He ushered Lisa towards the doors of the science building, and both of them gawked at its appearance.

The facility was about the same size as their own and others they've seen, but the construction style was radically altered. Pillars of white stone lined the front with two large and fat columns guarding the entrance, with the actual 'guards' standing in front of them. The two men wore light gray tunics buttoned all the way up to their necks, with a black leather belt and matching shoulder harness. Swords hung from their belts too, as well as holsters with regular looking pistols in them, and the white helmets chin strapped to their heads were faced with clear shields and marked at the top with four letters stamped in black. The pants were black with gray stripes up each outer leg and flared at the thighs, with knee-high shiny black boots to complete the military style cut of their outfits.

Mitch and Lisa carefully went up to the entrance, noticing the sign etched into the glass said 'Ener-Dyne Technologies' but with the lettering slightly off, when they stopped with a start. Both guards adjusted their stances ramrod straight and brought their fists over their chests, then extended their clenched hands at them in a salute.

Mitch nodded carefully and returned the salute, going along with the 'feel' of this dimension; Lisa nodded slightly as well.

The two guards swiftly turned to the doors and opened them for the pair. Once inside, two more guards in the foyer straightened and saluted. Mitch replied with a nod.

They both headed towards the lab, but froze when the duty guard behind the desk rose and saluted them. They were only slightly distracted by his attire, the same as the guards at the door but with a pleated leather kilt-like skirt and a gold medallion hooked to the shoulder strap.

But what stopped them was what was hanging on the wall behind him.

"Uh... Lisa," Mitch quietly whispered, "Remember what you were saying about '...when in Rome...'?"

A huge flowing square of red cloth covered most of the wall, its bottom hem decorated in golden fringe. At the top of the flag-like banner sat a brass eagle, its wings spread out and claws poised to strike.

And set in the field of bright crimson was an upturned crown of gold laurel leaves, with the letters 'SPQR' emblazoned in the middle. It was a vexillum, proudly displaying the official emblem... of the Holy Roman Empire.

Mitch leaned into Lisa and muttered, "How's your Latin?"

...to be continued.