The Rescuer Ch. 01

The next neighborhood was even more exclusive, but for years had been plagued by yearly flooding every spring and fall. Keeley remembered the controversy well enough. It had been all over the news her work-shortened freshman year in college. The changes it was going to take, to permanently eliminate that water threat, were supposedly going to cripple the city's entire budget.

Her mind was just pleasantly enough affected, by the four glasses of champagne, to keep from remembering the unique solution right away.

Eventually their cab slowed down, and left the joggers and walkers enjoying the trails on either side of the creek down at the bottom of the little valley. A quick turn to the right and uphill, let them approach a security gate that almost looked like it was leading to an expensive country club's golf course. If the creek side landscaping hadn't been impressive enough, what was beyond the three gates was almost unbelievable!

Perhaps six cars were patiently waiting in line on the right-hand side. Suddenly the middle gate, clearly meant for larger vehicles, swung open. The cab didn't even break it's stride and sped thru, leaving the other cars far behind. Their lane quickly split away from oncoming traffic. Shelly shrugged at her again, but then turned to look out her own window, as the now single width one-way road wound thru the slowly rising grounds of the park.

Eventually the sight of a few glass windows... shining in the sun through breaks in the leaves of huge historic oaks and elms... made Keeley remember this place from the news reports of her freshman year.

Two new identical low office building's had been planned for an international company's corporate headquarters. From the moment it was unveiled, the surrounding residents and activists had been up in arms, about both the design and its impact. But now Keeley could clearly remember the talk about some unique compromise, from one of her fellow college students.

The corporation had offered matching funds to the city to help pay for the cost of the flood control changes. Then they had been smart enough to double whatever the various home owner associations themselves could raise. A few more design changes, including four less stories in height and full parking garages underneath both of the buildings, had sealed the deal.

But wasn't there was supposedly something else, about the wonderful place unfolding before her eyes, that kept escaping her memories grasp?

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Shelly looked over at both her new roommates. Keeley's boyfriend only smiled at her, clearly still pleased by the reaction the little redhead had had over the art exhibition. The sight of the logos, on the gates guarding the entrance to the corporate headquarters, obviously wasn't making a deeper connection with Seth.

Keeley at least had noticed the sudden change to actual cobblestones underneath their cab's tires, and the sight of real vintage Victorian gas lamps just flickering to life beside the little park's walkways. The change in her co-worker's demeanor could be seen most by the set of her shoulders. The horrible tension, that had slowly been building up in them over the last few weeks, was slowly relaxing.

But Seth's secret choice of this second destination, as much as Shelly herself was looking forward to finally getting to see it, couldn't have been just a coincidental choice. Something serious was up, and clearly Keeley's selfish boyfriend hadn't been a part of it's planning.

The trees they were passing underneath were true giants and survivors. Hardly a single arboreal monarch, other than had strictly been necessary to build the new headquarters, had been lost. The cost of redesigning and having all the parking totally underneath the structures hadn't been cheap.

Burying three full levels under the soil, instead of just having two at the ground level, had eliminated every single planned outside parking space. There simply weren't any. Just the required fire lanes, and free twenty-four hour valet service for the traditional handicapped spots. It was that major change that had allowed the buildings to technically 'lose' a few floors in visible outside height. With new already mature huge trees planted further up the 'hill' and a bit more clever landscaping?

No one from any of the residential districts, that had so vehemently opposed the project, could even see the tops of the two buildings. Their expensive views of the city's skyline remained unmarred and unobstructed.

But the design change had only been made possible by digging a huge and innovative drainage tunnel right between the two newly planned structures. Water that had once raced off of the ridges of the valley, and then down the hill to the creek, used to routinely destroy whole houses in its path. Even just normal heavy rains would flood the trails below, for months out of the year.

But someone had finally been clever, and determined enough, to tame all the torrents and put them to good use as well.

Shelly was a bit vague on all the technical details, but her own old boyfriend had been so impressed and excited by the novel idea.

He had jumped on very early to the land speculation boom, downstream, that had followed this one single project's success.

With the additional corporate matching funding, a new second set of higher trails had also been made all along the creek. Now when the weather was good, there was plenty of room for every one to enjoy the green spaces. When the spring and fall rains were at their worst? Amazingly the higher trails stayed high and dry, and only the lower ones got covered up by the rushing waters, and now only just for a few days after the clouds departed.

Gone was all the constant and destructive flooding, and the twice yearly screaming matches down at city hall.

The cab turned a little to the left and slowed down even further. Now even Keeley, trapped on the passenger side facing the wonderful English gardens, could finally get a really good look at the two huge office building's. The two halves, covered in special non-glare bluish glass, were joined by the kind of sky bridges that had become so popular lately.

But instead of the now trite purposefully spindly little spans, the connecting structure here was much much different.

Between the trees, for just a second, they got a single glimpse of the roof covering the gap. Red sun light streamed thru the tunnel-like space, making Shelly curious about why the extra expense had been taken to cover the road they were clearly headed towards. But the one glimpse was enough, letting her fix the wonderful design firmly in her memory.

The two building's only had seven visible floors, with the shadowed solid shapes of the walkways connecting the third and fifth levels. Just before they could get a really good look at the spans, they finished turning onto the tree lined cathedral of a driveway. No oncoming cars heading back down the hill spoiled their view, as the road went straight uphill to join its other half, that was exiting the gap between the two structures.

Then the tall archway of dusk reddened leaves quickly obscured the sky bridges again.

Shelly heard Keeley suddenly let out a deep appreciative sigh, as the redhead finally stopped study the gardens and looked directly forward. On either side of the cobblestone lane was two modern office buildings, but on the hidden faces between them, was a completely different world.

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Ever since they had unexpectedly jumped the line, and passed thru the center gate without having to stop, Keeley hadn't seen a single other car.

Nothing had spoiled the illusion that she had been enjoying so much. The clearly Victorian inspired landscaping, fencing and lamp posts, had set a wonderfully romantic mood for her. No one was jogging, fooling around, or trampling over the grass. Just a few men and women in nice business attire, either walking alone or conversing in small groups. There weren't any visible cell phones, headsets, or people rudely yelling back into their digital devices.

But the moment the two roads joined up again, she got her first glimpse of the magic that had been brought to life between the two modern office structures.

The entire roofed length of the narrow space, separating the two buildings, made the tease of the cobblestones finally make sense. It was as if someone had taken an entire street from 1880's London and transported it to this unexpected setting. Shoppes of all sorts lined both sides. The signs and store fronts weren't clever fakes either.

How she knew that, Keeley really didn't trust her ability to express correctly.

Both on the inside and out, these were real old transplanted businesses. Not inferior copies or cheap facades. There wasn't a modern light, fixture, or bit of shelving anywhere in sight. Every stoop and door was different from every other. The shoemakers, drapers, milliners, haberdashers, bakers, butchers, grocers, fishmongers, booksellers and the flower shoppe were all filled with the correct vintage goods as well.

But what caught her eye the most was the tall man, wearing a period costume, outside of the old hotel front. Another nearly matching competing hotel was advertised on the other side of the gap's road, but it too was unique. The sign directly above where their cab stopped simply said "Bertram's".

Her chuckle seemed to startle her two companion's, who clearly didn't get the reference to the classic mystery novel.

Her cab door was swung expertly open, and the white gloved hand was steady and strong when she grasped it. The doorman's help made it easy to get out on to the cobblestones. The other hand gave just enough pressure on her elbow, until Keeley was certain her high heels weren't going to slide out from beneath her.

By the time they were all out and had stopped gawking everywhere, a young man in a porter's uniform appeared, and waited patiently for the doorman to send them on their way. The older gentleman's deep voice and accent were perfect, pleasing Keeley to no end.

"Welcome to Bertram's, ladies and gentleman. I have your tickets right here, and this young lad will show you thru to your destination. Please make very sure that you keep your return half of the stub's safe! Have a wonderful stay with us."

What looked like an old railway ticket was gracefully placed in each of their hands. Yet another uniformed man held the huge wooden door open. The portal's beveled glass insets glittered from the warm lights inside. Keeley had no problem almost skipping ahead, so she could follow their guide first. She wanted to see everything this wonderful place had to offer, without any distractions or annoying questions.

Once inside though, the huge space almost overwhelmed her.

The lobby looked even better than a movie set.

It was real.

Lived in.

Alive.

Almost twenty feet away, the huge front desk with it's polished wooden key boxes behind it, was the central feature. The deep carpets, dark paneled walls, and furnishings were of a quality she had never seen before in real life. The employees all looked taken right out of time. The few other guests enjoying their late afternoon excursion were in modern clothes, but had obviously dressed up for the occasion, too.

An old fashion lift was straight ahead, but their guide pointed them towards the left hand side of the twin matching grand stairwells. For the first time, Keeley realized what had really sold her on the illusion. Looking up, she saw that the gorgeous paneled ceiling was at least thirteen feet above her head.

She blinked, and looked up their stairwell, and her mind finally gave up trying to make sense of how such a thing could even be inside a modern steel building. Shoving her other and very personal worries away was so much easier now. Keeley quickly forgot her roommates even existed, as she eagerly followed the porter up the wide carpeted stairs.

The second floor was even more special still. It looked just like the sophisticated British clubs from her favorite period movies. But those scenes were always populated only by men, from either the aristocracy, government or the wealthiest of manufacturers. Seeing women in business suits, holding equal sway, made her smile back at them.

Here too, not a single cell phone, tablet or laptop was insight.

Just quiet well lit spaces to sit by the windows, and darker more private areas, often tucked beside real fireplaces filled with crackling flames. Maybe only ten people were scattered about using the second floor. A few drinks were being served from real crystal decanters, by two older distinguished men who also looked the part.

The very idea of speaking loudly in this place affronted her, and she made sure to keep her mouthed clamped tightly shut. Her obvious attempt at courtesy earned her a nod from a server old enough to have been her grandfather.

But their porter kept on going, winding past the billiard table, thru the library, and all the other small private sitting rooms. Eventually they rounded onto a different kind of stairway. Keeley stayed right on his heels as he ascended it.

Her first unobstructed sight of the third floor made her head ache. She blinked, repeatedly, and shook her head several times. It was just that much of a shock.

Once she could take it all in, she came to such a quick halt, that Shelly ran into the back of her shoulder with her right breast. Even Seth let out a confused but appreciative sigh, as he too skidded to a halt on the black flagstones.

What lay before her looked exactly like an outdoor train depot's courtyard. The kind that a small seaside hotel destination might have had, on a 1930's England coastal island. The ocean air seemed cool and a bit breezy, and competed with the sounds of a few sea birds. The little village's center, that they had just stepped right out into the middle of, appeared to just be thinking about settling in for the night.

To her left, was a huge half circle of assorted of shops, almost completely surrounding a real railway turntable. In the center on the train rotation platform was small, almost tiny, steam age British locomotive. To her right, were two sets of iron tracks leading out to sea, and they seemed to vanish in perfect perspective underneath and between the edges of two real covered train platforms.

One station was obviously for arriving guests and their luggage, and the other was used as a staging area to load them on the reset train when they left.

The first of several brightly lit very wide First Class dining cars... was peeking halfway out from underneath the darkened space... as if it was the railcar going to be turned around next for it's return trip.

The porter smiled at her, and stepped even further aside, so she could try and let her brain deal with all of the illusion's impossibilities. The busy shops around the arc were perfect. A few customers wandered in and out of them, all in business attire. The lighting was warm from all of their windows, making the gathering dark feel less lonely. The gas lamps, flickering around the focus of the central train turnstile in clock-like intervals, completed the illusion of an early evening out of doors.

Keeley slowly looked up, already knowing that she wasn't going to be able to see a ceiling. The darkened cloud filled sky above her could have either been a mural or a projection, but the slight amount of sea fog in the gusting breeze kept her guessing about that. A few stars twinkled, and a waning moon seemed to be emerging from the clouds, giving life and movement above.

Looking again to her right, on either side of the rail platforms, she saw the stone rails of a traditional seaside walkway. The promenade cut across the edge of the scenic ocean view. The two sets of train rails ran perpendicular to the few guests strolling along the rails, and appeared to head straight out across the dark and rough waters, on a bridge headed to the mainland.

The young porter chuckled wonderfully in his genuine British accent. After a few silent minutes had passed by, he rambled on, saving her from getting ribbed by her obviously less impressed and fascinated roommates.

"Trust me, it's a lot easier to decide to just enjoy it, rather than trying to figure it all out. Most people can't decide what's real, fake, or merely theatrical trickery. Well, not at least from this particular spot. From here it's tough to tell what is old school sleight of hand, and what is modern technological wizardry. We have visiting engineers, from our east coast offices, that have spent the entire week eating here. Three times a day! All they seem to do is argue about how it was done. If they wish, your friend's can go into the shops, while you look around the village's center, or take a walk along the sea wall. Our own corporate hotel is located here, too. It's split in two halves, one on either side of the Gap. It saves us a fortune in travel expenses each year, by having our own spaces for training on-site. We even let the rooms to the public occasionally, when we're slow with our own visitors. Most of the rooms are modern, but there are a few historically correct vintage suites. Those are all booked up tonight, though. The shops are mostly touristy stuff, or the kinds of things travellers always forget, or reminders from back home for us Ex-Pats living in the States. You're a bit early for your reservation, but you can all go on board now, if you'd like to instead."

Keeley blushed, knowing that her roommates hadn't taken advantage of the food at the art exhibit as much as she had. They all had a long night ahead of them, and frankly, she could have spent a large part of an entire afternoon exploring all the shops, both here and below on the street.

They all nodded towards the dining car. Keeley felt so strange walking on the rough dark flagstones beside the tracks, and then up the long smooth ramp to the depot level. Her breathing got faster and faster, until she stood just outside of the entrance to the restaurant car, and made herself take one last look around.

Looking to her right, the illusion of the sea bridge vanishing into the watery darkness beyond the depot made her heart ache. To her left, the little arc of the village center was nestled perfectly in front of the scattered small houses that were clustered behind it. A white jewel of an old historic resort hotel, lay long low and lean in the distance, stretched along top of the island's main ridge.

Whether it was just a model in forced perspective, or a back lit projection on a screen, Keeley longed with all of her heart to be up there and checking in for the night.

A soft gentle hand touched her arm, breaking the spell, and after assisting her inside it politely took her ticket from her almost nerveless fingers. A warm grandfatherly smile finally got her to focus on the polished wonder of the dining car in front of her. The ticket made a comforting sound as it was precisely torn, and one half of it was carefully returned to her.

The instant Keeley looked down the aisle way, and saw the warm red light streaming underneath thru the window on the right, she smiled back at the conductor. Even though the shades were drawn three quarters of the way down, she knew exactly where she was within the huge modern corporate complex. Her body gave a little thrill of a shudder, as she did her best to push that knowledge back away, so she could just truly enjoy her meal believing in the dreamlike space.

The conductor smiled at her even more broadly, as he belatedly recognized just how far into the illusion she had been drawn. Her roommates' tickets were treated the same as hers, but not so deferentially. Then he began leading the way thru the empty first restaurant car to their table in the exact middle of the second. The wood panels were polished to perfection, all the brass accents shined brightly, and the table settings were immaculate and perfectly symmetrical.