"Why is your contacting this woman so desperately important?" Sharon asked. "Don't try to fob me off by saying that you aren't allowed to tell me because I'm not an employee. Unless I'm convinced that it really is vital - from my own perspective and not just from yours - then I won't marry Jim."
"Very well. This is in the strictest confidence, of course, and you will have to sign a non-disclosure agreement before you leave this building. This woman - girl would be a better description of her, as she's still a teenager - is a member of the UNA who comes from another Alt - that is an alternate reality. Her name's Karen. We have been able to learn that she has a very close relationship with one of Jim's analogues from yet another Alt. We think that she - or her friends in the UNA - are likely to be monitoring this Alt, amongst many others, and that when she learns about your wedding she won't be able to resist visiting this Alt to attend it. That will give us the chance to contact her."
"And then you will take the opportunity to find out all about their Alt-hopping technology from her," Jim guessed.
"Exactly."
"And what if she won't tell you anything?" Sharon asked.
"Then we shall prevent her from returning to her own Alt. She comes from an Alt where human genetics is subtly different, and staying in this one for any length of time would be very bad for her health."
"That's monstrous!" Sharon said. "I'm certainly not going to co-operate in such a scheme."
Sat Mar 27 04:05:37 2004