Getting Acquainted
I've been living in Newford for a
year now, but I'd only been here for a week when I first met Jilly. I was working at my job in Penrod's Electronics
Repair Shop, and Sammy, my boss, was out getting some burgers from his
favourite hole-in-the-wall grill ahead of the lunch rush while I held down
the fort. My first glimpse of her was a blur of motion in the front window,
which I caught from the corner of my eye as I cleaned the front counter.
Then she came in the front door, her curly red hair tangled in a pile on
top of her head, flecks of paint on her face, hands and shirt, and one of
the biggest 8-slot toasters I'd ever seen being carried in both arms like
a baby. I found the image pretty funny, but I hid my laughter as a how-may-I-help-you
smile. "Toaster troubles?"
"It's not mine," she said, placing the gargantuan
toaster on the counter between us, "it's from the Cyberbean, around the
corner. I have a friend who works there and she was a little panicked since
this toaster stopped working just after breakfast and the lunch rush is
about to start."
I had the case off already and took a look at the
mechanism. "Looks like this little catching arm snapped. It seems pretty
old. "I started rummaging through some containers for an eye bolt and a
matching nut.
"Yeah, Tanya, my friend who works at the Cyberbean,
has been bugging her boss for a new one, but he's too cheap to replace
anything. I don't think it would do any good to replace it, though."
"Why not?"
"I think they have a gremlin."
Before my trip to Paris I would have assumed that
was a joke, but her tone belied no trace of humour, which caught my attention.
"A gremlin?"
"You know, like from the old Bugs Bunny cartoons..."
"That's what I thought you meant, but you sound serious."
"Don't you believe in that sort of thing?"
Yvette-Marie told me about mysterious extraterrestrials
called Changelings, which is what I thought
this lady was talking about. But my mentor also told me about the Technocracy, and that unless I know it's absolutely
safe, to feign ignorance of all things outside of the publicly accepted
paradigm.
"I thought it was just bedtime stories." I had just
put the finishing touches on the replacement part with a dremel tool, and
snapped it in place.
"You'd get along great with my friend Desmond. He
doesn't believe in any of that either."
I put the case back on, feeling a glow of pride when
Jilly was momentarily speechless, having noticed that the toaster was back
together again. "That was quick! Is it done?"
"Yeah. It was just a little problem."
"I didn't even get to ask when it would be ready to
pick up. What do I owe you?"
"Ten dollars."
"Ten dollars for five minutes labour? Why so much?"
"Sorry about that, it's Sammy's minimum charge."
"Figures. Where is he?"
"Getting some lunch. Do you know him?"
"Not really, but I've been in here before. I haven't
seen you here before today, though, are you new?"
"I just moved here from Victoria last week."
"What for?"
"I just wanted to strike out on my own, I guess."
Actually, I had wanted to put distance between me and my family for their
sake, since the larger reality Yvette-Marie showed me was also more dangerous
for those of us who went against the accepted paradigm.
"But why Newford?"
"Actually, I was aiming for Toronto, but I was traveling
by car and I needed gas, so I took a detour. I wound up getting turned
around, and I saw two signs in that window; Help Wanted, and Room for Rent.
So, I figured, 'Why not check it out?', and here I am." I didn't mention
that I had found a crack in the wall caused by an etheric radiation manifestation, and that I couldn't
help but wonder if I had somehow been guided to such a lucky strike.
"So you just dropped everything and moved here. Do
you know anyone in town?"
"No, I've been too busy getting stuff for my place
to get out yet."
"Well, I'm Jilly," she said, proffering her hand,
which I shook. "Keith."
"You know, there's an open house at Butler U tonight,
it's where most new folk get acquainted."
"I'm not a student there..."
"I don't think that will be a problem. Do you know
how to get there?"
"I have a road map that I use to get around, I'm sure
I can figure it out."
"Great. The mixer's on the second floor of the Student
Union building, there'll be signs. The doors open at eight. See you there?"
"Sure."
We settled up the bill and I gave Jilly a receipt.
She gathered up the toaster and dashed off, leaving the shop as quiet as
it had been before she stopped in.
The rest of the day was largely uneventful. Sammy
came back with lunch, I tidied up until we received a parts delivery, and
then I spent the rest of the day fiddling with a VCR that wasn't recording.
That evening I grabbed a quick dinner and got cleaned up for the party.
I found that the university was outside of town a little way, but easy
enough to get to. I left with plenty of time, and when I arrived there were
signs directing me to both parking and the Student Union building, just
like Jilly said. I felt a little awkward going in because while I am used
to joining in with groups of people I don't know, usually it's for a purpose
beyond socializing. Once I had paid my admission and checked my coat I
went to the refreshments counter and bought a soda, and started to make
my way around saying hello to individuals who didn't seem to be in the
middle of a conversation. I discovered that Butler was for the most part
a University for the arts, which meant that generally I had very little to
discuss with most of the people there, although I did have an interesting
conversation with a goth-clad sculptor named Ben who worked in metals.
Things started to get underway at the mixer, the DJ
started playing some generic top 40 material, and while I did get on the
dance floor for a couple of songs, dancing isn't my forte. After about
an hour and a half I was starting to get a little bored, and was considering
leaving when something caught my attention. There was a man standing off
to the side, and while there were several wallflowers, there was something
uncanny about this one's stance, very rigid and attentive, and he seemed
to be watching something. I moved into some shadows and pulled my ether goggles out from under
my shirt for a bioscan, only to see that his rhythms were way off. Cycling
through the matter and energy scanning settings, I saw that he seemed to
have a lot of metal and electronic components hidden inside his body. For
a moment I knew what it meant for your blood to run cold as I realized that
I was standing no more than 20 meters from a Technocracy cyborg, what my
mentor called a HIT-Mark. Fortunately, it wasn't
looking at me, so I set my ether goggles to their default scan and looked
in the direction that the cyborg was watching. I saw Jilly talking to a woman
dressed in black, who radiated energies in a fashion that I had only previously
seen when looking at fellow Etherites, and drew the conclusion that this
woman was an awakened member of another tradition. I did not want to draw
the attention of the cyborg, but I had to warn this woman of the peril she
was facing, so I steeled my nerves and approached Jilly.
"Oh, hi, Keith! I wasn't sure if you'd make it."
"It was a slow day at the shop, and I had no other
plans," I said with a shrug, "are you having a good time tonight?"
"We were. Have you met Susan?"
"No," I said, holding out my hand, "nice to meet you
Susan, I'm Keith."
"I gathered. Do you know who that creepy guy by the
wall is?" She hadn't taken my hand yet, so I slid it in my pocket. "Never
seen him before. Why?"
"He's been staring at me all night."
"I still think you and I should just approach him
and tell him to cut it out," Jilly interjected, speaking to Susan.
"No, my evening's pretty much ruined, I'd really rather
just leave. Besides, there's something about that guy that creeps me out,
I don't want to go anywhere near him. The problem is, I took the bus here,
and I know that if I go out to the bus loop he'll follow me."
"Maybe Keith and I could go to the bus loop with you,"
Jilly suggested.
"Except that he could get on the bus with you," I
pointed out, "on the other hand, I have to go to work tomorrow and have
been thinking about leaving myself. I can give you a ride if you like."
Susan looked up at the idea. "You wouldn't mind?"
"Not at all."
"When can we go?"
"Does now work for you?"
"Now is good."
We said good-bye to Jilly and went to the coat check
to pick up our jackets. Susan looked over her shoulder and her eyes went
wide. Grabbing my arm, she whispered, "He's coming this way!" I took our coats
from the clerk and walked outside as casually as I could with my heart now
racing in fear. Susan seemed ready to panic, but I didn't want to let her
have the opportunity to do so. "Follow me," I said, tossing her jacket at
her. She took a few quick steps to catch up with me, and I broke out into
a run. I looked over my shoulder and Susan was right on my heels, so I fished
out my goggles and turned to the right around the corner of an adjacent building.
"The parking lot's the other way!" Susan hissed, but I ducked behind some
cement steps and motioned for her to follow. She crouched beside me, giving
me a strange look as I donned my ether goggles. "What are you doing?" she
whispered.
"Don't you know what that guy is?"
"No, what?"
"I'll tell you later. For now, keep quiet and pray
he passes us."
I slid down to the ground, leaving my goggles switched
off, hoping the cement steps would hide our heat signatures. Susan looked
at me questioningly, but I just held my fingers to my lips. Over the muffled
din of the party one building away I began to hear the rhythmic clicking
of hard soled dress shoes on pavement moving at a slow walk. Susan must have
heard it too, because she had frozen as if petrified and needed no more cues
to remain silent. Slowly the footsteps grew louder, both Susan and I remaining
motionless, listening intently. I knew that even though the cyborg wasn't
looking for me, my fate would be identical to Susan's, regardless of what
it intended to do with her. Still, the drew nearer, until we could tell
that the cyborg had come to the edge of the building around which we had
run, when the footsteps stopped altogether. I held my breath, and hoped that
the pounding of my heart would not give away our position. A moment that
felt like an eternity passed, and the footsteps resumed. At first I feared
that they were coming towards us, but after listening carefully I could tell
that they were receding. I dared to peek over the steps and saw that I was
right to assume who the creator of the footsteps had been. I watched the
cyborg walk in the direction of the parking lot, and when it was gone from
view I motioned for Susan to follow me and started to make my own circuitous
route towards the parking lot.
It was about two blocks later that Susan recovered
her voice. "He's not human, is he?"
"Part of him is."
"What's the rest?"
"Machinery."
"How is that possible?"
"Hasn't your mentor told you anything about the Technocracy?"
"The what? Hang on, 'mentor'? You mean one of my profs?"
"No, the person who showed you the true extent of reality."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Haven't you ever made anything weird happen, something
that shouldn't have been possible?"
"How did you know that?"
"That's why that thing is chasing you. It's from an
organization called the Technocracy, which doesn't like people messing up
the reality they've built."
"How can someone build reality? How do you know all
of this?"
"My mentor told me."
We had reached the parking lot by that point, and we
could see the cyborg patrolling through it. Because I had arrived so early
I had managed to get a spot near the exit.
"How do we get out?" Susan whispered.
"That's my car there. Wait until the cyborg is on the
opposite side of the lot, then we sneak in and take off."
Hiding once again behind some bushes, we watched as
the cyborg made its way around the lot. Indicating for Susan to follow, I
scrambled to my car, staying low to the ground. I set my goggles to detect
low-level light and unlocked my car door, all four doors unlocking automatically.
The sound seemed painfully loud in the stillness of the parking lot, and
a commanding voice seemed to come from inside my own head: "Halt, deviant!"
Susan froze. "Get in!" I urged her, as I threw myself into my seat and turned
over the engine. The sudden noise snapped her out of her terror long enough
for her to whip the passenger door open and slam it shut behind her.
I shifted into reverse and hit the gas. Susan looked
out the rear window, muttering an expletive under her breath. When I put the
car into drive and pulled out I checked my mirror and saw why. The cyborg
was pursuing us, moving at an inhuman speed. "You might want to buckle up,"
I said, reaching over my shoulder for my own seat belt.
Fortunately, the party was still happening and the streets
were deserted as everyone was still indoors. I drove as fast as I dared
through the campus, keeping an eye out for pedestrians who might have
appeared running a night errand, but the cyborg seemed to be pursuing us
easily, slowly gaining ground. I took a direct route heading for the main
campus entrance, remembering that the road ran straight before winding down
the foothills back into town. When the gate was in sight I accelerated as
hard as my car could, leaving the cyborg to recede in my rearview mirror.
Despite appearing to have escaped, I kept the throttle open, my speedometer
approaching 200kph to put as much distance between us and the cyborg between
the curves ahead that I would have to slow down for. Susan sighed, relaxing
visibly. "That was close."
"I don't think we'll be through this until I've dropped
you off somewhere safe. Where can I take you?"
"Do you think it knows where I live?"
"I wouldn't doubt it." I braked hard, still taking the
first curve as fast as I dared. "Do you have any friends in town you can
stay with?"
"I've only met Jilly so far, I'm new here. I came to
Newford to take general arts at Butler, but I don't think I can stay here
now."
I thought for a moment on the situation for a moment
and let silence fall into the conversation, the sound of the engine running
filling the space. This made me realize that I was still using my ether goggles
to see, so I turned on the headlights and pulled the goggles down from my
face. Turning to Susan, I suggested, "Well, I have some spare blankets and
a couch I can lend you for tonight, and in the morning I can call my mentor
for advice on your situation."
Susan smiled for the first time that evening. "I'd really
appreciate that. Keith, look out!"
I looked back to the road and saw the cyborg. Its eyes
were glowing green and its left forearm was gone, replaced by some kind
of device with a long metallic barrel extruding from it. The cyborg
pointed it at the car, and I instinctively swerved away as a brilliant flash
of blue-white light flashed past us and into a tree, splitting it as if
struck by lightning. The cyborg took aim again, but I swerved back toward
it, intending to flatten it, but the cyborg leapt up and backwards so that
when the hood of my car was under its feet it landed, falling onto its knees.
The cyborg stood and took aim again, but I yanked on the steering wheel,
sending my car into a spin. As the cyborg flew from the hood I somehow felt
Susan concentrating beside me, and when my car had slid to a stop, I saw
that the cyborg had landed hard against a tree, a broken branch sticking
out of the front of its head. I got myself straightened out and started to
drive back into town at a normal speed.
"Turn right here," Susan said, and I did so.
"Where are we going?"
"I don't know, but I'm sure that this is the way I'm
supposed to go."
She continued to give me directions, and her route took
us into the tombs. She asked me to pull over in front of a dilapidated building
and she got out. She leaned back in the door and said, "Thanks for all you've
done for me Keith. If I can ever repay you, I'll do my best to help you
out. It was nice meeting you."
"It was nice to meet you too, Susan. Good luck."
She shut the door without further goodbyes and started
to walk towards the building. I could see a native man with long black hair
waiting for her in a doorjamb, but I knew somehow that she would be safe,
so I left for home.
I parked my car in the alley behind my building and
inspected the hood. There were two dents where the cyborg had landed, but
I could easily hammer them out and touch up the paint the next day. I let
myself into my apartment but I was still too anxious from the night's events
to sleep, so I made up some ovaltine and started flipping through my old
issues of Paradigma, seeing what they had to say on the topic of gremlins.
Terms for people who are unfamiliar with Charles de Lint and/or Mage:
the Ascension:
Jilly: One of Charles de Lint's major recurring
characters in Newford. A painter who creates beautiful art in messy workstation,
and a firm believer in all things supernatural. <Back
to story>
Yvette-Marie Carnot: Keith Xenos' mentor. See also history. <Back to story>
Changelings: The faerie folk in White
Wolf's World of Darkness setting. The Sons of Ether (see history) believe that their homeworld, Arcadia,
orbits somewhere past Pluto. <Back to story>
Technocracy: A world spanning organization which tries to control
what the world perceives as reality, eliminating all devious elements. <Back to story>
etheric radiation manifestation: what Keith
calls a Node. A node is a wellspring of magickal energies. <Back to story>
Ether Goggles: A magical item which
allows the wearer to see into the spirit realm. Keith also uses his as a
focus when using magick to look at life, matter and energy patterns. <Back to story>
HIT-Mark: Robotic killing machines created
and controlled by the Technocracy. <Back to story>