A different America (for julesx )

[justmedk]

*Wellington Army Base, ten miles outside of Wellington City, Colony of New York, March 20th 2019*

Captain William Mitchell had thought that this would just be another normal day like any other. He'd gotten up in the morning, had breakfast, had his morning tea, and read the morning newspaper like most other days. The news were the same as always. The border skirmishes between the Viceroyalty of India and Persia were still going on, though the Persians still managed to walk the fine line that allowed this squabble to go on without it being worth the effort of bringing the full might of the Empire down on them.
He had scoffed. These incursions had been going on since at least his grandfather's time in the Royal Army. His grandfather had fought in them. His father had too. He himself had as well. And if things went the way they usually did, his son - should he ever find a woman to bear him a son - would likely do the same.

The trip from his small but comfortable home on the base grounds - officer's privilege - to the main facility of the base itself had been like it always was, though today was special in a way that made him antsy.
This was the chance of a lifetime. His Majesty was coming. To their base! Today!
He knew it had something to do with the secret work that was going on the in top secret parts of the base that even he didn't know about. He didn't know about it, though, because he hadn't cared to ask too many questions. His was neither to make reply, nor to reason why, but just to make sure that whatever it is they were doing downthere, wasn't putting the rest of the base at risk.
He knew only enough to ensure his ability to do that job: Some kind of high-brow physics experiments that were apparently interesting enough that the ruler of roughly a third of the planet had seen fit to spend part of His tour of the American colonies by paying a visit.

The brass had been going completely insane for weeks, putting the cleaning staff through hell, and the men only slightly better - Limbo perhaps. Everyone's dress uniforms had been taken to the cleaners at least three times to make sure that they were ready for the royal visit.

When he arrived and had signed in, William smiled up at the flag blowing briskly in the biting spring wind, atop the flag pole. The sight of the flag always filled him with pride and a sense of privilege that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He quickly realized, however, as soon as he entered the base, that something had gone terribly wrong. People were running around like stuck pigs looking just as confused and only slightly less terrified.
He frowned, and quickly went over to the head scientist to demand an explanation:

"Might I ask what, pray tell, you people think you're on about?", he demanded somewhat angrily. "We have the visit of a lifetime in only a few hours, and you lot are looking and acting ostriches with no sand to stick their heads in!"


"There's been a....complication, Captain", the scientist - an Indian fresh off the plane from Bombay - said before continuing: "There....there is somthing you need to see. You wouldn't believe me if I told you", he insisted, and gestured for William to lead the way.
William raised an eyebrow, but decided to indulge the egghead and follow down the corridors of the top secret area.

"I'll end up knowing more than I really want to, won't I?", he asked rhetorically and with a sigh.


"More than you know" came the immediate response, in a way that shook William more than a little, but he soon saw the reason the scientist was so freaked out:
In one of the offices sat a child, a girl of around 13-14 years, who was talking with Dr. Prakesh, the base's resident psychologist. William stared at the scientist who'd escorted him, and the look on his face apparently said it all, as the only reply he got was a nod, at first, but then an elaboration:

"She appeared right after we'd finished the latest high-energy experiment", he began. "A short tale to make, she claims to not be from around here, and she says a lot of very odd things."

William looked back at the child, and then noticed something that made his blood boil.


"Why does she have bruises and cuts?!", he demanded angrily, pointing at the girl, fixing the scientist's eyes with his gaze. "I know of enhanced interrogation techniques, but it takes a real scum to even CONSIDER using those on a CHILD, not to mention actually DOING it", he nearly shouted in rage as he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Calm yourself, Captain!", the scientist replied, equally animated, and seemingly just as upset. He had the look of an innocent man on his face, which stunned William. He considered himself a decent judge of character, and could always tell when people were lying. This scientist wasn't lying.


"I quite frankly find your implicit accusation offensive!", he declared. "I have not laid one hand on that child, and I have not allowed anyone else to do so either, and if you think otherwise, then you really are the big dumb loaf the news on the grapevine claims!", he finished. The certaintly and confidence with which he delivered this rebuttal made William reconsider his certainty.

"Well, that begs the question: If not here, where did she get those injuries from?"

"I don't know", came the reply. "She claims to be from a different world as well...listen", came the reply as he pushed a button that turned on the secret microphone that was designed to record everything said in the room without those in the room being any the wiser.

[julesx]

"What's it to ya, Freud?" Florence Reed sneered back at the gray-haired, bearded man in front of her, clearly irked by the man's inquisitive questions. Tourism must be at an all-time high, she pondered, taking in the accent being thrown around by the various individuals in lab coats that kept scurrying in and out of the room. Do not talk to strangers was the objective motto, and had that value been instilled into her, the chit-chat she had made up until now would've been entirely too much already.
Whose questions was she dodging, anyway? Was she looking at her kidnappers? And why in the world could she not remember a damn thing about how she had gotten into this office, inside a building at all? Her mind raced through possibilities. Maybe she had rolled down a hill and hit her head rough-housing with the mountain lion cubs again.

The last time anything had made sense to her, she had sat in the grass on the very top of her favorite spot in the Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, breathing in the crisp spring air and thoroughly enjoying feeling the sun rays kiss her skin. Florence had closed her eyes, trying to make out all of the different bird calls around her, when a sudden, biting purple light appeared, paired with complete and utter silence. Florence could hear the voices and noises around her before she saw those they belonged to, opening her eyes and adjusting from the bright color to the fluorescent lights on the ceiling. The white coats had rushed to her side immediately, shouting at one another, then at her, frantically waving their hands, until finally the elderly man with a clipboard and tie – soon explaining his occupation as a shrink – had crouched down to her, obviously with the intention of helping her get over the shock. And probe.

When the girl finally snapped out of her thoughts and stopped tuning out the people around her, her attention was caught by two unlike figures - apparently in the middle of a heated dispute - who had made their way to stand in front of the window that allowed them to observe the ones inside the room she currently found herself in. The two men stared at her, rather rudely, she thought, even pointing fingers while nearly at each other's throats in argument. Noticing the taller man's disturbed, scrutinizing gaze on her, she looked herself up and down, letting out an inaudible sigh. Her grass-stained blue-jeans overalls, simple white t-shirt, black Chuck Taylor's and uneven, disheveled blonde braids were a far cry from the uber-presentable picture he was displaying. A stark contrast to the doctors – scientists – whatever and the psych-guy, he was sporting all black, his fancy dress coat lined with golden details and what she perceived to be…medals? She shook her head in bewilderment, wondering just how the hell she had gotten herself into yet another tornado of problems and trouble.

[justmedk]

William looked at the man as if he'd just said "And then she jumped over the moon on her way inhere": A look of annoyance and intemperance.

"Yes, of course she did. And I'm the Shah of Persia", he replied using the common expression of "No way in hell", which brought an impatient look from the scientist as well before he took the tablet computer in on his desk and replayed parts of the security camera footage for William's benefit.
He stood mesmerized and stared as this girl seemed to have popped into existence from out of nowhere. She hadn't snuck in - the alarms would have detected her, even if the grunts on guard duty hadn't. But people do not just appear out of nowhere, especially not little girls.



"Well.....she can't stay here", he said. "What efforts have been made to find her parents?"


"None so far", came the reply. "To be honest, the things she says makes me certain that one of two things has happened. Either she is mentally disturbed and delusional to the point of not knowing reality from her own imagination, or she IS, in fact, from another world"


William scoffed at him, but decided to hear him out.

"I'm inclined towards the latter", the scientist said, holding up a hand to signal to William that he wanted to be allowed to finish. "And that is also Dr. Prakesh's preliminary assumption, bonkers as it sounds. She tells of events that have never happened and people that do not exist, with a certainty and matter-of-fact expression on her face, as if she's reciting something trivial known to everyone, and not something that "the voices in her head" told her.
Thing is", he went on, hesitating now, "that she tels of a "United States" that has a "President" instead of a Governor-General. Clearly she believes that the traitors won the rebellion of 1776."

William normally spat on the ground at the mention of that rebellion, but he wouldn't do it downhere, especially not with a royal visit upcoming, so he merely made the motion and gesture to indicate his displeasure.


"Well, in that case, she's already come to a better place, then", came a very, very familiar voice from behind both men, who immediately spun around, and dropped to one knee in front of their King.


"Your Majesty", William said, his head reverentially bowed, "Forgive me for not being there to greet you in person. I was called downhere"

"Yes, and I can see why", came the reply from Charles III in a tone that was both amuzed and amazed at the same time. "Rise, gentlemen", he said casually, and the two men got back on their feet. "There's nothign to forgive, Captain", he said calmly. "You responded to what was thought to be a threat to the base. You did your duty.", he assured William before looking at the scientist. "I will assume that this....strange incident....has somethign to do with the nature of your experiments?"

"I'd wager it has, Your Majesty", came the reply, "But I do not know how, as of yet".


"Until you do", Charles III replied, "you are to cease operations immediately", he stressed the word. "I don't want this to happen to anyone else. Either from our world, or theirs. "

The scientist clearly was not happy, but he was not about to disobey a royal command.

"As Your Majesty wishes", came the deferential reply, and the King looked back at William.


"And now, Captain", he said with a kind smile though also one that indicated he was VERY serious, "I charge you with finding a good home for her here. From the looks of it", he gestured towards the window and the psychologist who had his back turned, and therefore hadn't seen the new arrival, "you seem to be the only one here who cares tuppence about her as a child, rather than as a mystery to be solved.", he finished with some disdain in his voice that cut into the scientist present, without the man saying a word in response.


William bowed deeply, though he was less than happy with this assignment.

"As Your Majesty desires", he said, then looked at the girl again, sighing. He was now, almost literally but not quite, left holding the baby. And he wasn't sure how to handle this.

[julesx]

"Child, would you please just give me your attention for one more moment?" Dr Prakesh pleaded with the girl, having exhausted all of his techniques to get her to focus and open up to him.
Florence swayed her gaze from studying other people to meet his eyes, clearly less than thrilled.
The psychologist did his best to put on a fake smile in order to keep himself in her good graces. "It is important for you to tell me the truth as to where you are from so we can do our best to help you. I am not sure why you are making up these incredulous things, but if you do not like what we would be sending you back to, I am sure we could work something out and arrange for you to stay with a foster parent for the time-being. And please do tell me your name."

She scoffed at that, glaring as menacingly as possible for a young teenager in overalls and braids. "It's Hannah Montana," she snorted, snickering lowly. "And I do not need another foster-, step- or related douche-parent in my life. I've had more people take me in than you've seen patients in your practice," she stated, exaggerating to make a point. "Trust me, you do not want to deal with me, so how about you tell me who’s going to be showing me the way back to real life?"

Florence was pretty tired at this point, not in the real sense of the word, but tired of being gawked at; being questioned; being held in unfamiliar surroundings, all while feeling like she had just ridden the same high-speed rollercoaster for the umpteenth time after having ingested approximately three pizzas and five cones of ice-cream.
Her mind wandered to JANET, and she groaned. Janet “Beelzebub” Downing. Undoubtedly waiting for her on the front porch, ax in hand, ready to murder her for not showing up in time. The sun was probably beginning to set by now, and the assigned social workers had certainly walked past that white-picket-fence of hers by now to discover Janet’s foster child being nowhere to be found. Again. The last time she had dared not show her face for the CPS check-up…Jesus Mary and Joseph. Florence had spent weeks being yelled at about the checks she had almost cost that woman, confined to the house for days and “making up for the stress she had caused her”, polishing pearls and alphabetizing magazines until the middle-schooler had actually begged to be let back to the equally hellish place called a classroom.

The Doctor hesitated, then took a moment to carefully consider his next words, raising his hand to rub the back of his neck. "Listen, whoever you are, I believe the situation you and me – and frankly, all of my colleagues around us – are currently faced with is unique to the history of mankind. I do trust you’re being honest, we just had to be sure it was even possible at all. I am not at liberty to reveal any specific circumstances, I will leave that up to individuals that know what they are talking about, but I do know this: This is an incredible opportunity for both sides. I believe the time has come to doubt everything we have been taught about reality, dimensions, all of what this world is made of, so to speak. If you just give us a chance, we might–"

Before Dr. Prakesh was able to finish his appeal, Florence was up and squinting at him, jaw set in a hard, sarcastic smile, unable as well as unwilling to comprehend what was going on. "My man, that sounds like the beginning of a lovely philosophical essay, but I really have bigger problems to handle." She made her way past him, turning her head in a look back while strutting forward. "You tried, though, so thanks, and peace." Turning the door handle, the girl stepped outside, raising her head – while simultaneously bumping into a black-clad chest. Hard.

[justmedk]

Charles III was the King of Great Britain, of America, Australasia, Protector of Africa, rightfully - though not in reality - King of France, and Emperor of India. But he was also a man. And a curious one at that. So he could not stop himself from approaching the door to take a closer look at this girl who had appeared out of nowhere from a world which was obviously very like the real world, but also very, very different and strange.
He stood a couple of steps back from the door and looked at the scene unfolding behind the door with a sense of almost juvenile exitement. He didn't really have time to respond, though, before the door flew open, and the girl almost ran straight at him, dressed in his travel uniform which consisted of a black jacket and trousers, the various medals he earned from his time as Crown Prince on his chest, and his hat in his hand.


"Whoops", he merely said as he looked at Florence with a bit of a smirk. "Didn't see you there".
Dr. Prakesh froze to the ground before dropping to one knee. "Your Majesty", he said deferentially before getting up when the King signalled for him to do so.

"I've heard your tale, child", the King said. "Quite frankly it is one that would boggle every man's mind, but there seems to be no other explanation for your being here, and someone once wrote that when one has ruled out the impossible, whatever's left must be the case", he mused, before looking at her again:

"I must say that meeting someone from another world, even one very like ours except it took a turn for the worse, was something I did not expect when I rose this morning", he said with a chuckle as he looked around the room to deferential nods of agreement, before looking back at her:

"But you're welcome here", he declared with all the authority in his voice that the ruler of half the world could muster. "You will stay with Captain Mitchell here", he gestured to William, "until a suitable permanent home can be found for you.", he finished before looking at the head scientist again:

"Once more, this project is over", he decreed, in a voice that just as certainly as before, said that this was most definitely NOT a request, but an order. "You will erase all data retrieved from it, all data regarding the contraptions construction and operation, and everything to do with the project. This cannot be allowed to happen again. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty", said the head scientist deferentially, but clearly unhappily too.

"Good", came the reply. "Now, this was a much briefer, but also much more interesting, visit than I had imagined. I do think that Governor-General Martin would be pleasantly surprised by an early arrival.", he chuckled before looking at William and handing him a small card, that looked almost like a business card.

"I do not give orders without giving the means to obeying the orders", he said, before explaining further: "Taking a child in is a difficult enough task in itself. Doing it without proper preparations and the required financial means, is an unreasonble expectation. Any reasonable arrangements you have to make, you get in touch with the Court", he said. "I will direct my personal steward to treat your requests as matters of urgency".


William paled, but bowed deeply

"Your Majesty, I am not worthy of the honor....", he began, but was interrupted:

"Nonsense", came the King's reply. "No one here is more worthy than you. I've read up on your history of service, Captain. Your squad faced down a hundred Persians at Queens Pass", he said, referring to a minor skirmish that happened at the border between India and Persia, "and you won. A man who can do that, can handle a child, surely", he smiled confidently, meaning to instill the same feeling in William.


"Now, adieu, gentlemen", he said with a smile, then smiled at Florence as well, before leaving, as the men bowed deeply before the King exited the room.

"So....", the scientist and the psychologist said almost in unison, before William interrupted: "So....", he began, "you heard His Majesty. Hop to it. Clean house", he said, gesturing to the area, meaning to indicate that they should get to work destroying the machine who brought Florence here, so it wouldn't happen to anyone else.


The scientist unhappily nodded, and began complying with the order, as William knelt down next to Florence and smiled warmly.

"I'm Captain Mitchell, child. What's your name?", he asked kindly.

[julesx]

Florence stepped back after the unwelcome collision, raising her head and looking straight into another stranger's face. She hadn't taken notice of this particular man until now, but this way of meeting was entirely too close for comfort to her.
Her cheeks immediately started burning with embarrassment, but before she had a chance to apologize or get any word in at all, the psychologist the girl had previously been talking to practically threw half of himself down onto the floor in front of both of them. The gesture, which Florence recognized as one of protest - at least where she came from - seemed to have been elicited by the formally-dressed man, who looked rather amused at the situation.

"Your Majesty," Dr. Prakesh greeted him, still in what she now identified as a bow.
It clicked, then. The scene unfolding right in front of her was not some sort of outlandish dream. Not a product of her imagination, but cold, harsh reality.

"I've heard your tale, child. Quite frankly it is one that would boggle every man's mind, but there seems to be no other explanation for your being here, and someone once wrote that when one has ruled out the impossible, whatever's left must be the case."

Florence still found herself speechless, even after having been addressed directly by the apparent head of...this world, also unable to come up with a remark about his irritating choice of title for her.

He went on to mirror the confusion she felt with his words, then announced her decided fate, casually, while shattering any remaining hope she had grasped onto of her returning back to normalcy. 'This project is over?' That's all she was to these people, a project gone wrong?! Typical adult behavior, she seethed, experimenting with no regards to who was going to clean up the mess, or pay the price for that matter...namely the following generation.

His Majesty kept talking, explaining, throwing around orders, referring to her as a child. Florence bit the inside of her lip as she felt tears well up in her eyes, anger causing her heartbeat to sky-rocket. She swallowed the lump in her throat, desperate not to be seen as the youngling they obviously all perceived her as. She watched as the leader gave some final instructions, then excused himself, leaving her with the shrink and the man that had been introduced as Captain Mitchell. Nevertheless, he repeated his name, crouching down in front of her as he requested to know hers.

Barely keeping it together, she glared down at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Frankly, I couldn't care less about who you are, and I would appreciate it if you could drop the act of giving a damn about me, too, because it's been made crystal clear I'm nothing but a failed attempt to that oh-so-powerful bonehead of a nobleman, you, and your entire posse! Collateral damage," she scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief, "That's what I am. What I am not, though, is a goddamn toddler, so quit treating me like one!" Aware her display of a temper-tantrum suggested otherwise, she clenched her jaw, granting the man and any bystanders the chance to process her outburst. Florence couldn't help it, a storm cooked up inside of her. She had been pulled into this, against her will, completely unaware because of someone else's choices, and now she was to simply accept her fate because some dickhead that held power in a world that wasn't hers wanted her to? Hah! Messed with the wrong girl there, pal.

[justmedk]

A collective gasp of shock, horror and outrage went through the assembled men at Florence's dismissive mentioning of the King. William, however, raised his hand as he heard the angry pacing towards them coming from behind him.
Having served on the front lines of the Persian border skirmishes had made him quite adept at detecting movement outside of his immediate field of vision.

He knew, as the psychologist would also have known if he hadn't been busy being starstruck, that it was the shock and despair of Florence's situation talking. And he needed to handle it calmly.


"I can understand why you're angry, child", he said in the same kind tone as before. "You have every right to be. You didn't ask for any of this", he gestured to the surroundings, "and to be honest I said from the beginning that the project that ended up bringing you here, was a classic case of those eggheads", he gestured to the lead scientist, "being too busy figuring out IF they could do something, to give any though to whether or not they SHOULD. But", he went on, stressing the word, "you are not colleteral damage. I don't think even they thought that what has happened - you coming here - was one of the possibilities that could happen. Am I right?", he looked up at the scientist with a look on his face that said "Don't test me now".

"You are", came the simple reply, and William looked at her again.


"His Majesty was outraged. I know that he didn't look it. He looked calm, collected, as if this was just another day at the office for him", he went on, "But I've gotten pretty good at reading body language, child", he said with a kind smile. "His Majesty was seething. And you heard him order this project - the science project they've got going on inthere", he gestured behind him to the restricted sections of the facility. "terminated down to the last byte of data", he went on. "Never again will this be tolerated. I know it's too late for you. And I can't promise that you won't have some trouble adjusting", he continued, "But I CAN promise you. I swear to you by all that is good and holy, that I will do my best to give you the best life you can. It's true that we've only just met, but you remind me of my sister", he said, and there was real affection on his face. "And, besides", he said, now a smile on his face that said that he also meant what he'd just said: "I've been given a royal command. Those are NOT to be disobeyed under any circumstances. Now....", he said after a pause "You cannot stay here, child"; he went on kindly again. "Even disregarding the fact that this base's existence is secret, it is cold, clinical, sterile, and not a nice environment at all. We are here because we have to be, to do our jobs. And you deserve better. You will stay with me in my home instead", he said somewhat authoritatively, "where you will have a room of your own, and everything else you need. I will look after you, I promise", he said with a kind smile towards the end.

"Now....may I know your name, darling?"

[julesx]

Upon noticing the reactions to her performance, Florence gulped, peering over at the obviously offended men that looked just about ready to give her a piece of their mind. Luckily for her, William stepped in, keeping the angry bystanders at bay with a gesture. She observed him, impressed by his evident natural ability to lead others and his confident, poised attitude.

He spoke to her, softly and kind, even after having been screeched at and insulted by someone less than half his age. The girl studied him as he did, taking in his affirming words, thankful for the emotional validation. He talked about the...well, royal ruler, and she had to hold in a chuckle. Wherever, whenever she was, the situation surrounding the man referred to as His Majesty was certainly interesting. It wasn't anything she was familiar with, tales of kings; queens and other monarchs only faint memories from books she had read.
The Captain explained the "experiment" and where it had gone wrong, but again, stated the fact that it would now be terminated immediately – leaving her behind, far away from the life she had once known.

Florence lowered her head, her thoughts lingering on what she had considered normalcy up until now. She really would have to come to terms with the fact that from now on, everything would mean change. It wasn't like she hadn't experienced plenty of inconsistency, having bounced between foster homes in different states for years, but a new reality altogether... She figured she would just have to suck it up and take it one step at a time, having been influenced by enough strong women in sci-fi literature she considered role-models not to lie down and surrender like a dying dog.

William promised, swore, even, he would do his best to help her settle in this new world and provide her with everything she could possibly need. She didn't take him for a dishonest, insincere person, so she couldn't help but smile back at him. It was plain to see that this was – he was – the best available option to her. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed by a feeling of genuine gratitude. The caring and cautious treatment she had received by a total stranger was without a doubt not something to take for granted, that she knew with first-hand certainty. So when William once again asked her for her name, she held out her right hand to him.
"My name is Florence Ivy Reed."

[justmedk]

William smiled when she told him her name, took her hand, and gave it a quick kiss, in the gesture used to show respect to a young lady by someone she'd just met.


"Nice to meet you, Florence", he said. "As you know, my name is Mitchell. "Captain" is a title, my rank. It means that I am an officer in His Majesty's army", he explained. There was no condescension in his voice as he explained - he genuinely didn't know if the titles and styles used would be completely alien to her, given the strange place she came from. "My given name is William, but in this world it's not considered proper for children to call their guardian", William chose his word - very - carefully there, having been within a hair's breath of saying "parent", which he was sure would not have ended well "by their given name, so "Captain Mitchell, or "Captain", or "sir" will do for now", he went on as he got up, looking at the other men.


"Now, if you gentlemen will excuse us, I think it's high time to get Miss Reed out of this place. Come along dear", he then said to Florence, and led her up, through the base's secret area she'd arrived in, to get to the front desk.


"Captain Mitchell, what is the meaning of this?", came a voice, more genuinely confused than upset, and William turned to see the base's CO, one General Hartwell, looking confused. "His Majesty just told me to shut down the base for the day, and to grant whatever request you made shortly, and then left while he mumbled something about "eggheads". What the blazes is going on, man? And who's this girl?", he gestured to Florence.


"This is Florence Reed, sir", he said. "As for who she is, that is a rather difficult question. I'm not sure that the royal command I was given gives me the freedom to discuss that with anyone, but if you insist, I could find out if that's the case", he went on, "And for the moment my request is this: Two weeks' leave of absence with pay, to help Miss Reed settle in", he explained, not wanting to get greedy, nor to be away from work too long, but also knowing that he needed time to help Florence adjust.
It was obviously going to take her more than a couple of weeks to adjust to a new world, but the first couple of weeks should be at least sufficient.

Hartwell frowned a bit, but then nodded, deciding that while he WAS a General, he was not paid enough to even think about interfering with a royal command.

"Granted", he said curtly. "Go.....do whatever it is you need to do".


William nodded, led Florence through the main doors of the base, into the brisk spring air of the outside world. The world looked very much like the world she'd come from. New York State was still New York State, temperate, mostly, and the base was isolated in an area of forest.

"My car is here, darling", he said kindly as he led her over to a sensible-looking vehicle. The design, of course, was basically the same as the cars she knew. A car is a car, generally speaking, the differences aesthetic more than anything else. This particular brand, called "Denton" was known to be a practical vehicle konwn for its mileage and added safety features.

"Hop on in", William said as he opened the passenger side for her. Normally children rode in the backseat, but this one time he was going to make an exception. Time enough to explain that later. Right now all he wanted to do was get her out of there.


The trip was much like any others. Forests and roads look the same in any world, and the buildings were not too different either. Until they entered the town he lived in:
A gigantic Union Jack was waving above the town hall, with the flag of the American colonies slightly beneath it, and at the entry into the town was a giant banner that read:

"Scarsdale bids Your Majesty welcome". William smiled. Everyone knew that the King did not have time to visit Scarsdale, nor occasion to, but the town had put it up anyway, just in case that the royal entourage would pass through the town.


"We're almost home", he assured her, as he made a few more turns, before stopping in front of a decent-sized house in the town center.
The town was larger than its real world counterpart, home to abount 50.000 people. Of course still dwarfed by cities like New York city with its 10 million people, and the capital of the American colonies, the city "Loyalty", built after the defeat of the rebellion of 1776, on the east coast a good way south of New York. Becoming the administrative center of the entire American colony, both the 13 colonies, Canada, and the Carribbean holdings, had seen the city grow rapidly from its early start, to now being home to some 15 million people as well, making overcrowding and outskirts slum real problems to be dealt with.


"Welcome home", William said as he got out of the car and gestured to the house. It was a two-floor house, in excellent condition, and built in a style that would have reminded someone from Florence's time of the baroque period. It was not a vast sprawling mansion, of course. William was a Captain, not Field Marshall, but for a two-story house, it was definitely both imposing and impressive to look at from the outside.
Once she'd gotten out of the car too, the door to the house opened, and a woman in work clothes came out.


"You're home early, sir. Is anything the ma....oh, hullo!", the woman said as she saw Florence. She was in her early 50s, a kind-looking matronly woman. William was happy that he had much experience hiding his emotions. He had not considered the fact that they'd need to come up with a convincing cover story. And he knew he needed to make it convincing, so he couldn't just say something now, because he'd have to stick with it later. The story would need to be carefully constructed.


"Yes, Miss Patrick, I am. I know it's rather confusing, especially me bringing the young lady here", he gestured to Florence. "I swear to you, that I will explain everything, but I would ask that you, for now, simply show Florence here to the guest room. She will be staying with us permanently, so there's plenty of time to catch up and get acquainted, but for now, I'd appreciate it if you'd only take care of her needs, get her something to eat, draw her a bath, and the questions for the morrow", he instructed. There was no malice or anger in his order. There was kindness, but also firmness. He was not usually this direct or firm with his housekeeper, so the woman knew that this time was serious. She nodded.

"Of course, sir. This way, Miss", she smiled at Florence calmly and William nodded to Florence to signify that it was okay, to follow.


He immediately went for his own office and wrote an electronic letter to the contact information the King had given him, explaining the predicament. He knew that Charles III would have notified the people immediately of his instructions to William, so they ought to be ready.
And indeed they were - within a couple of minutes, he received a reply from someone identifying as "Agent Nightingale, Special Divisions, Royal Intelligence" asking him to be patient, and that all relevant papers would be ready - forged is what he meant, and both men knew that's what he meant - by day's end.
William smiled.

"Ah, the efficiency of Imperial intelligence", he said with a satisfied grin as he leaned back in his chair and contemplated.


________________________________

"Here you are, Miss", the kind woman said. "It's not much as far as a room for a young lady goes, but I'm sure Captain Mitchell will help you remedy that presently. Would you like a cup of tea?", she asked, as she opened the door to the room which was little more than a bed, a desk, a closet for clothes, and on the wall a picture of the Royal family: Charles III with his queen Charlotte and the twins Crown Prince William and Princess Mary.

[julesx]

Florence blushed when instead of taking her outstretched hand and shaking it, like she had expected him to do, William brought it up to his face and kissed it briefly...Like a knight in a movie, she thought. Only fitting that the unfamiliar customs would start with something as simple as greeting rituals. He then talked about his position in the royal army and instructed her to call him "Captain", explaining what was considered proper etiquette in this version of America.
She tilted her head at that and frowned slightly, finding it a bit odd, but supposed she would get used to it. She had spent most of her childhood in the South, after all, and was used to addressing adults respectfully. Reminded of the way she had spoken to the Captain and the other men not too long ago, she felt a pang of guilt. As William had said, she couldn't really be blamed for being upset at the situation, but it wasn't in her nature to treat others rudely. Apparently, her outburst had also caused him to very carefully consider the way he handled her, which didn't help her conscience. She tried her best to put on a friendly smile, nodding every so often as she listened to what he had to say.

"Now, if you gentlemen will excuse us, I think it's high time to get Miss Reed out of this place. Come along dear," William finally stated, leading her through corridors to the very front of the building.
Florence couldn't help but take in as much as she could while following behind him, amazed by all the different areas and people that kept everything running, earning quite a few puzzled stares. As of now, she hadn't spotted anyone even close to her age, and she hoped "getting her out of this place" to what she presumed would be the Captain's home actually meant somewhere that resembled a normal residency in an environment that didn't have a smell like a hospital.

They stopped at what looked to be the front-desk and William briefly discussed her with another important-looking man. She wisely kept quiet, interlacing her fingers behind her back. For the first time since arriving here she was aware that she was literally only in possession of the clothes on her back, the few things she did have left behind where she had come from. It wasn't much, but her heart sank as she thought about how much she would sorely miss her collection of sketches and art-pieces; notebooks full of poetry and photos she had taken with a friend's camera.

The Captain pulled her out of her thoughts as he led her out of the building, having come to an agreement with the other man she had only gotten bits and pieces of. To her surprise, the outside did not look particularly different to any part of the world she was used to. She breathed in the fresh air, spotting nearby trees in part of a forest, and felt a sense of relief.
Soon enough, Florence found herself in his car on the journey to her soon-to-be home. It felt familiar, seeing as she had taken countless trips to unknown cities and unknown families in the course of her lifetime, but her stomach still felt a little unsettled in apprehension of what was to come. They passed scenery that looked pretty ordinary to her, but she liked what she saw. The city they were making their way into didn't seem to be too large, it wasn't sporting huge skyscrapers like downtown Nashville and it had a lot of green spots. She also spotted different flags instead of the star spangled banner she was used to seeing, and she made a mental note to ask Captain Mitchell for a quick revised history lesson sometime in the near future.

Not much later, the car pulled into a driveway in front of a house and came to a halt.
"Welcome home," William announced to her, gesturing to the two-story building as he got out. Florence followed suit, not taking her eyes off of the beautiful architecture in front of her. It was vastly different from the modern-style homes back where she stayed, but she took an immediate liking to it, turning her head to smile at the man. Before she had a chance to speak up, though, the front door opened and a woman came walking towards them, seemingly in a state of some turmoil. Florence regarded her, wondering if she was the Captain's wife, but her question was answered when she addressed him as "Sir". He immediately started enlightening her about the situation, though not being very specific, she noticed. Instructions as to how to proceed were given to the apparent member of staff, then the Captain excused himself, leaving the girl in Miss Patrick's care.

Florence followed the motherly woman into the house and upstairs, overwhelmed trying to take in all of the interior design. She had never seen anything like it, except for maybe in a museum, but the classical furniture was accompanied by era-appropriate tech gadgets and other items she recognized, which awed her. Miss Patrick led her to one of the doors in the first-floor hallway, opening it for her while assuring her that Captain Mitchell would be helping her make the room her own in time. Florence declined the woman's offer of tea, so she was left alone with the promise of a bath to be drawn for her. She walked over to the bed and sat, facing a wall across with a desk and a picture frame above it. It held a photo, and to her surprise, she recognized the man in it to be whom everyone referred to as His Majesty. At his side, his presumed wife and two small children. All were dressed in clothing that made her think this had to be the Royal family, and she had actually had the honor of meeting the king of this world today. She shook her head, trying not to dwell on that awkward encounter.

"Your bath is ready, Miss," The Captain's housekeeper spoke up from the doorway, giving her a warm smile.

"Thank you," Florence replied, getting up to follow her into the bathroom, her throat dry from not having talked in quite a while.

"I laced the water with lavender essence to help you relax. If you need anything, do not hesitate to call for me," she added, kindly, then left the room and closed the door behind her.

The girl took in the lovely smelling tub, then walked over to the counter and stood in front of the sink, leaning down and getting herself a drink of water from the tab. The water felt nice and fresh, and she splashed some on her face before standing straight to look at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks still flushed from general excitement, blonde hair unruly and barely kept in check by the braids it was in, her clothes stained with grass and her arms bruised and spotting a few random cuts. She pulled a face at her reflection, almost pitying herself in this state. I look like a proper orphan alright, she thought and started to undress before getting into the bathtub. Ignoring any burning sensations, she leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to let go and find some peace of mind.