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David Banner gives Sylvia another contact number.  Paul . . . what was it?  Padillio?  Peta-something?  She transcribed it as best she could, but in the end, when the other phone picks up, she has to fudge it.  "Hello, Mr. Pe--?"  She stretches that out, hoping he'll fill in the last few syllables.

"Patillio.  And most people mess it up.  Bruce sent me a text, well Betty.  You must be Sylvia.  What can I do for you?"

Sylvia imagines a shaggy-haired physicist, living off instant ramen in a sweaty-smelling UC lab.  It takes her a few seconds to try to present a strange situation in a sensible way.  "We've had visitors from another dimension at our school, and we're trying to figure out how it happened.  Can you help?"

"Well, it happened because every few years the natural barriers that separate one dimension from another wear thin.  And it becomes possible to open wormholes with low powered pinch generators.  You can scan for the disruptions, but the traces fade after a while.  People hold the resonance longer, until they become totally acclimated.  Objects hold the resonance much longer.  I can Jack a few of the scanners.  They're not hard to use.  I got a call already from the NSA, they suspect you're having some trouble, as well as a few other places across the country."

"What kind of expertise would you have to have to use a generator like that?  Are there instructions on the Internet?"

"As much as I hate to say it, yes.  There are a few technical forums and some tech-geek websites with the basic principals laid out.  It's something you could expect from a third year college physics major, or someone gifted with an interest.  That's the build one.  Operating one is even easier, so long as you've built the generator right.  They can be about the size of a mobile phone, so they're pretty easy to conceal.  Once the NSA figures out what's going on they'll probably take some steps to shore up the barriers, but that might be a while before it happens."

"Does the person with the generator know which universe he's dialing?  Or does this sound more like a random prank call?  He's just opening barriers because he can?"

"That depends on how much you know about trans-dimensional physics.  It's a little complicated.  You can dial a specific universe, but knowing what the universe will be like is highly speculative.  There are some mathematical formulas that can be applied to give you an idea of what it might be like, but they aren't a whole lot better than random guesswork.  You usually just hop through, look around, and try to figure things out.  There are some risks, one of which is jumping out before the shock to your central nervous system fades.  A good pinch generator will have an acclimation clock, it tells you how long you should wait before making the next jump.  Too many jumps without acclimating will have an effect on the nervous system, and the brain.  It can impair judgment, and develop into paranoia and any number of other mental disorders if it happens too frequently."  There is a pause.  "You're not considering going to another dimension, are you?"

"No," Sylvia says, but now the idea is planted.  "I just wanted to know if the person who did this had some plan or if it was just random experimentation.  Do you think this guy could have gone to another world and the girls who came through just followed him back?"

Donnie listens in on the call via the speakerphone and furiously scribbles notes. He lets his braniac girlfriend ask the important questions since she seemed more mathematically inclined than he.

One pale eyebrow does raise in confusion when Sylvia mentions a third person who might have been the source of the transdimensional hopping. He wonders what she's talking about but waits until she finishes her conversation with Patillio before asking her about it.

"Well, once a vortex is open anyone can go through it.  A good pinch generator, also called a key sometimes, can be calibrated for higher energy efficiency by setting the gate to collapse after a certain amount of mass has passed through it.  Otherwise a vortex is usually open for just under a minute.  so if you witness a vortex then that can give you a clue as the the level of expertise of the operator of the key and it's level of sophistication."

"I guess that means those girls might have seen their opportunity and taken it.  The person who opened the portal might just have been exploring.  Would he have had to order anything special to put that pinch generator together?  Something expensive or hard to get that we could track?"

"Twenty years ago when this stuff was new yes, but now it's all pretty much over the counter stuff.  you can get it in just about any decent electronics store."

"You said those guys from the NSA would fix it so that whoever's got the device can't open any more portals?  So we could just wait, and this situation would fix itself?"  Yes, that's what he said, and Sylvia's only asking to reassure herself.  "Can you please send us those dimensional-rift-detecting thingummies?  And--"  She grimaces, anticipating trouble.  "--if one of us should happen to get lost in another dimension, is there some way to send for help?  What are you supposed to do?"

"Once the NSA can determine there is a risk they'll do something to keep more rifts from opening.  I'll put a few detectors in a care package and send them to Jack.  As for getting lost in another dimension, that's tricky.  I have it on good authority that there are ways magic can be used to find someone.  If you find the site of a vortex quickly enough then you can also determine where the vortex was going and go there if someone is lost.  If you do find yourself in an alternate dimension, the only thing I can recommend is getting in touch with someone you know from here, if there is a version of them there, that you think could help.  My best advice, stay clear of dimensional vortexes."

Sylvia's mouth rumples as she fastens her lips over an impolite reply, and she rolls her eyes a little at Donnie.  "Thank you, Dr. Patillio.  I really appreciate your help.  We'll do our best not to leave the universe, and I'll put my magic people on figuring out a way to track strays."  She nudges Donnie with an elbow.

"I wish there was more I could do.  good luck, and if you have any problems just call."  Patillio ends the call.

Sylvia stares glumly at the phone.  "Do you ever get the feeling we're totally expendable?"

Donnie grins. "Nah. I am totally necessary. Border Lord of the Dragon Lands and all. In training, of course."  

He taps the tip of his pen against his cheek several times. "Do you think we should mess with it or leave it alone? I am kind of stoked about making a spell to find them, but I sure as hell don't want to screw up and get us lost in a bizarro-world or something."

"I was thinking of it as a preemptive measure.  Paranoia's coming easy these days."