"Hello?"  The familiar voice, kind and rich with experience, a gentle but always somehow amused alto.  At least this anchor to reality had not become unmoored.<br/><br/>"Pegge," you say, relief in your voice.  "I'm having the strangest day."<br/><br/>A pause on the other end.  "Who is this?" she asks, the smile still in her voice.<br/><br/>"Pegge, it's me, Calliope."  Your voice falters slightly and your heart starts to thump harder in your chest.  A long pause and the crackle of a wireless connection.  Though the pause is short in seconds, it feels like it lasts forever, stretching in time and space as you experience a kind of vertigo, feelings tightening in your chest and throat.  The tension is like the shell of a balloon inflated just a little bit too far, now teetering on the edge of complete and utter structural failure, a loud, destructive 'pop' just on the other side of that crisp threshold of time.<br/><br/>"Calliope Techne," she says, her voice lilting in recognition.  "How are you?  What is going on that is so strange?"<br/><br/>It doesn't take you long to recount the oddities of your day -- they are dramatic, but actually few in number.  Your voice is shaky by the end of your story, the several minutes seeming to drag on and your throat raw with the combination of narrative and the confusion you're choking on.  It's also an incredible relief to be talking to someone so important -- a relief, in fact, to just be talking to someone you know who seems to know you back.  Her next words throw you for another loop.<br/><br/>"Calliope," she begins, clearly choosing her words carefully.  "I have always been a firm believer in following the hypothesis with an unfettered mind.  Like Professor Data in 'All Good Things...'  Now, I can clearly see that things are strange for you right now -- and from my vantage point, I can't explain them.  I even appear to be in a unique position to see a few things that you do not -- which is itself a strange coincidence, considering your call."  A thoughtful pause.  "This is an investigation now, Calliope, one that you're in the driver's seat for.  You have the resources you need to figure this all out -- this I am certain of.  Center yourself and follow each lead as it appears to you.  The nearest one is Case, so you must seize that opportunity.  I strongly suspect that the next one will show itself rather quickly after that."  The smile returns to her voice.  "You have always had a sharp mind, dear, the sharpest I've had the delight to teach.  You're going to figure this out.  Funny -- this is like one of those moments from 'Jacob's Ladder' where Robbins is with Danny Aiello, isn't it?  Well, one can only hope."  A beautiful laugh.<br/><br/>Though you're not entirely sure you followed everything she said, her advice was clear.  After a few brief pleasantries, the call is over and you're left with a choice.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>A.  Take a deep breath.  Straighten your clothes.  March back into VRS and meet with Case.<br/><br/>B.  Decide that enough is enough and get the hell out of there; attempt to follow another lead of your choosing.<br/><br/>C.  Opt out of deciding immediately and leave the building to find the nearest Starbucks for a rejuvenating cup of coffee.