Reflection, p.28
Reflection, page 28
part #2 of The Infected - Mirror Man Series
That was practically in code, which no one bothered to explain to Sally. The truth was that she simply wouldn’t be sticking around long enough to need all the insider data.
Instead they went into the main conference room, which was to the left and Yi started playing files that were handed over by Price, Nancy and Peggy, which were mainly video of them talking to different fighters.
The first one, Jelana pretty much summed things up, as far as he could tell. It was Peggy talking to her. From the sound of it, on the first day.
“This place… Is it safe? I mean, we’ve been in some tough places before. Not everyone treats Infected all that well. Even if they’re supposed to be friends, you know?”
The woman, who didn’t have anything unique or interesting about her, meaning Gary couldn’t tell who she was at all, without being told, snorted a bit.
“We’ve all been there. This place isn’t bad, though. Sally looks out for us. Even Ronaldo does. It’s like a giant, totally dysfunctional family. We look out for each other here.”
Peggy leaned forward and stopped the vid with a single tap.
“Jelana’s first mode is that she can only tell the truth. We have hours of her going over everything but that pretty much sums it up. We covered the whole operation, then double checked it with nearly everyone else. It’s just a fight club and they don’t hold death matches.”
Bridget, who’d settled in right next to Sally, bounced in place a bit. Trying to get comfortable at a guess. The movements seemed hyper and twitchy. Now that he had time to pay attention, it was pretty clear that she was just moving normally, at a faster rate than most people did by far. It left her seeming energetic. What that meant for her mental processes, he didn’t really know.
She seemed to catch on quickly enough.
“So, you brought their real boss in to get her first mode taken out? That way you can go back and talk to the others with a glowing recommendation, if it works? It seems to. I was even thinking about getting mine removed. I mean, I’ve learned to handle it…” She seemed almost ashamed for a moment, as if seeing to her own needs would be an issue for anyone.
They had room in the schedule, after all.
Gary nodded at her.
“We’ll take you in with Sally? We’re planning to take you anyway. Peggy mentioned that she didn’t like your face anymore and wanted to make you look older, to match your advanced years? It was that, or she might have said something about a birthday present? I can’t remember which.” He did and it was neither of those things. The girl didn’t freak out about his comments in regards to her face.
Instead she just hopped up and started hugging everyone. Almost. Sally didn’t rate yet.
When she was back around the table, sitting again, she looked at the large, two headed woman.
“I hadn’t wanted to ask. There are only so many people over there that can do the work and if I take a turn it means that someone else might miss out that day. As it is we’ve been running slowly for a while, since the people on their side, the trainees and the government over there kind of figured we might have a problem with some of our people dying. As in, you know, go to war with them over it?”
There was no talking for several seconds. Then Yi waved his left hand a bit.
“It’s a different mindset. To them they tend to think of things in terms of honor and war. Losing people, even if not meant as an attack in any way, could be thought of as one for them. To us it was just people not making it during complex medical procedures. So they paused everything and still aren’t really getting that we could pick up our full schedule tomorrow. Their people over there stopped getting almost any changes at all after the first deaths.” Smiling, the thin, rather intense young man looked at Gary. “What he’s doing, being changed like that and going back? That’s huge over there. We need to get you in for that soon, if you’re making the switch? Erath seemed to think that you might just want to have the correct number of arms and eyes for a while.”
It was, apparently, a joke. At least everyone else chuckled over it for a while.
Except Sally. She just sat, seeming rather still.
When he spoke he did it carefully, since anything he said could be taken the wrong way, if it were ever reported to people in Noram.
“It isn’t bad, really. I pretty much do like the extra arms. Very useful. Obviously I’m better looking, too. Still, there are some mental differences that are a bit hard to take. When do we need to be ready to go?” The trick was to hurry things along without seeming like a jerk about it.
Lydia pulled a Noram style magical cell phone out, which had glowing letters on the front that he couldn’t read, as well as being on a solid sheet of white glass that had slightly rounded corners. It wasn’t huge but was larger than the IPB issued phone he had.
Almost as if the two actions were linked, his phone rang, just as he thought about it. Everyone looked at him, probably realizing that he didn't have a lot of friends to be calling that late in the evening. Lydia kept working on hers, even as he found the right button to allow him to talk.
“Gary here.” It seemed like a rude way to answer a phone to him. Gary didn’t have a last name though, so using one would be out of place.
“Gary! This is Tom Scarpetti…” There was a long pause then. When the words came they were all in a rush. “They’re in. We have the funds you requested, which will be delivered at a time and place you request. I had to tell them who was doing the work… That sold them on it.”
Which only made sense.
“Understood. Don’t spread that around, if you can help it. We have… Well, you understand. This isn’t official. One month, or less. I’ll give you updates when we have anything.”
Then he hung up. As if the line might be traced. He doubted that Marcia Turner was going to give him a phone that could easily be done on, however. As soon as it was put away, he looked up to find a woman walking into the space. Mableton. He could tell, since unlike the others there, she was actually in uniform. That meant having a handy name tag above her left breast pocket.
“Cindy! You know who we need for the trip?”
She seemed to be reading something in the air, her eyes shifting back and forth a bit as she did it. There was a tight smile for him.
“I do. Lydia, we need to bring in a nearly full load of people this time. Can that be set up?”
The girl with the magical cell phone tilted her head a bit.
“Not a clue. Let me…” A face popped up on the screen. Who it was didn’t make any sense at all. He thought that it might be a woman.
“Lydia! How wonderful to hear from you. I was just suggesting to Collette that we have you and some of your friends over soon. For a party?”
The voice was deep, which meant that it was probably Tor Baker.
Looking around, clearly seeing some of the others there, even if they were upside down, he went on. There was a huge time delay on the devices. That meant everyone tended to speak all at once, then wait for the other person to go first. It was a horrible way to have a conversation. Still, the other end was in a different reality that ran eight times faster than they did. That they could manage it at all was incredible. Even using magic, it showed skill.
Tor kept speaking, seeming fairly pleasant.
“The incoming fleets are excited to hear Richard Drake’s report on being a Ysidril. Several of their scholars and scientists wish to examine and interview him. If that isn’t too invasive? We can, of course find a way to excuse him from that kind of thing.”
There was a long pause then, so Lydia went, looking at Gary first.
“Richard?”
“I’m willing to speak to anyone about it. I think that we planned to have the whole thing televised? Put up on their data net? I’ve been mentally collecting information for it, in fact. The point is to show how safe this kind of change is, so I’m willing to do whatever is needed for that.” He didn’t really stop, only pretended to. “Oh… Would it be all right to bring some people in for a round of practice? Mainly to change Sinclair back and to get a consultation with Tim on my friend Sally. Wonderful woman. You’ll like her. Tall. I know that’s a thing over there.” That had Lydia moving the device around to show who he meant.
They waited then, the woman in question seeming almost scared. As if her having two heads would have her rejected by the man on the screen.
Instead, the wizard on the other side of thing seemed almost ready to cry.
“That would be wonderful! I know that you said your people weren’t afraid to do this but some here have been very concerned that you might just be being polite and planned to withdraw from us. Hence the party idea. How many can you bring with you? We can host up to… Say two hundred, for a month?”
Gary, which he was going to call himself until he changed back into Richard, to stop the confusion that would arise from doing that, sat up a bit straighter.
“How about twenty or less, for about a week? We have jobs to see to here, after all. Though, if your students are ready, we can start a more regular flow of practice subject through again? We can start with me. You have your wife and the others who lost people set up to do that?”
That part was dangerous, of course. They were good at what they were doing and needed the confidence boost. At the same time, they weren’t the best and Gary had probably undergone the most extreme changes that anyone ever had under their system.
The screen went so still that Lydia started tapping the side of it, like it was a frozen computer. When Tor went again, he seemed slightly scared. A bit in awe, as well.
“I will… Tell them that you requested them by name. We do have some new protocols and techniques for extreme changes like that. They’re as trained for that as anyone now… Yes. We’ll do that.” Then the man stood and bowed, which Gary knew meant doing it back. Everyone in the room did that, with Sally going last. Even if they couldn’t be seen on the screen.
Lydia took over then.
“I’ll bring people in, using the transport booth in front of the embassy there? When will you want us?”
That, it turned out, was going to be in about four hours, their time. Mainly because Tor wanted a little over a day to arrange his party. That made sense.
It also gave them time to review a lot of the video from the fighters and workers at the club. After a while, Marcia stood up.
“We should get going then. Packed and ready. Who all is headed that way?” It was her job to pick, though Gary had some plans as well.
Which was probably her point. He’d suggested they all meet up to chat. That was code for getting off base to do it. The Director was letting him select who was going for that.
“Denis, Kerry, Brian, Cindy, you, if you have the time… Sinclair, unless she loves her new look? Sally, of course. Price and Bridget. The rest can just fill in. Whoever wants to go visit? We need to start calling people in from the waiting list. Phoebe can do that?” Not that he didn’t want the girl along with them. She was just on the communications team and didn’t need any changes that he knew about.
Cindy scribbled the names down and started to walk out of the room.
“I have the rest. We’ll be at the box in… Call it twenty minutes?” That was for Lydia, who was the one with the power to transport them all. At least she had that job going on.
Brian could have done it as well. Faster even, if Gary understood the idea correctly. Which he did, having traveled with both of them in the past. It was important for the young girl to have responsibility, so they were having her do the work this time.
Despite what Cindy had said, it was closer to half an hour later when everyone was ready. On the good side, Lydia had started to take people in earlier than that. He didn’t recognize anyone in the crowd that was assembling there, except Kerry, who was in uniform, being a sweetheart like she was. Her boyfriend was right there with her. Tobin.
The pop star.
It would have been easy enough to hate the man, having already won Kerry’s heart like he had. The problem there was that the fellow was actually nice. In fact, the first thing he did was shake hands with Sally. She blushed. Both of her heads did.
“You’re going with us to the other world, too? Have you been before” She didn't stammer, even if it was clear she understood who she was speaking to. The man was famous, even if Gary just thought of him as Kerry’s Tobin.
“Yep! It’s nice over there. They have magic all over the place. They also don’t care if you’re Infected. Though… They do seem to think that anyone too different looking is an alien. Which, well, that’s kind of true.” There was no staring at the two heads or anything.
Kerry moved over a bit and reached down, putting her hand on Gary’s back.
“How are things going? Being different, I mean?”
That got him to think for a moment. After all, that part of things had been a different experience as well. Most of his life he’d looked fairly normal. A bit short, without it being a major problem in life. That was it though. He’d never even let himself get fat, so didn't know what that kind of thing was like.
Then, for a whole week, he’d been easily seen as different. Not in a good way, either.
“Most people were nice enough. A few less so. Sally mentioned that things are better now than even a few years back that way. Hopefully that means things are going to be getting even better, over time.” There was no real reason to think that.
Then again, there was no reason not to.
Lydia worked slowly, taking people at a rate of about one every minute or so. That was mainly spent on the other side, where standing for four seconds would take up about half a minute or so in their world’s time. Gary went in last, for no particular reason. It felt right to him.
On the other side, they were near a black stone tower, that had a wall around the whole place to the tune of being twenty feet high. A glowing river on the top of that made it feel a bit less like a prison. That and the fact that there were no visible guards.
When they got inside, being shown in by a polite boy who looked to be about ten and who dressed like he was important, in a very dapper suit that seemed almost military, Gary was separated out and drawn off to the right, into a sitting area. One that had several people in it, all wearing red robes. That and several Ysidril. One of those was in robes as well.
That was Erath, who was clearly a boy. Not old or anything. Near him was a girl of his people who was easily identified as Ambassador Neesa. The other, older Ysidril looked different, though they seemed pleased to see him. They were new to him but as distinctive as anyone would be on first meeting.
It was the Ambassador that came and gave him a hug first. It was close and lasted for a good long time. It still hit him nearly like a drug.
“You are well? We have come with doctors and those who study the mind to poke and prod you.” It was clear that was both true and a joke at the same time.
“Nifty. We should do that first, then get an interview done up for your data net? Then we need to go over the changes and get footage of the work being done and my transformation back. I have a lot to share, about being Ysidril. Some of it’s pretty strange…” Everyone looked at him then, as if he held the secrets of the ages or something.
Neesa bounced in place.
“What do you have?” She seemed interested, not afraid he was going to give away the big secrets. Whatever those were.
“Oh… Well, everything smells the same. I mean, coffee is coffee and all that. A little stronger, but that’s all. Taste is like that too. It all looks different. Everything. You folks see in about a million more colors than humans do. How you process memories is different as well. Also… It’s really clear that you aren’t bi-pedal by nature. Walking like this instead of on all six feet has to kill the lower back.” He’d felt that a bit and was smaller than the others by a good bit. Then, Erath had mentioned he was a child of their people in form.
Which also explained why he didn't have a gender, while everyone else there clearly did.
One of the human women, who wasn’t in a red robe and had a very large chest, with blonde hair, meaning she was probably Alyssa Baker, walked over to him and bowed. A thing that had everyone in the room doing that back.
“Tor told us that you asked for this group to do the work on you?” She sounded hesitant. As if there might have been a trick or a lie in what she’d been told.
“Exactly. We should do the first interviews and tests, then see to that? To your schedule, of course.”
Pushing them a bit to rescue their egos was one thing. Forcing them to go when they weren’t ready would probably get him killed. Being brave was one thing. Foolish quite another.
The rest of the evening was spent on planning what he wanted from his transformation, as well as talking to the Ysidril about everything he’d experienced and how he found it different than being a human being. They didn’t need to sleep, so the grilling went on for a long time, well into the late hours of the night.
The Mages were all allowed to get to sleep, since they’d need to be fresh in the morning. Everyone else was off being entertained. That and worked on by the others there. At least that would have been a good use of time.
After sunrise, he was taken into the same front sitting room, with five people standing behind him. Alyssa was the one doing the actual work, however. At least to start with. Then, almost silently, they used their magic on him, over the course of ten hours. It got uncomfortable, sitting there. From what they were saying, it seemed that a lot of the work was being double, then triple checked. After that, one of the Mages, who was a man, handed him a healing amulet.
The thing was on regular stone. The kind you might pick up out in a field. Except that the front of it glowed, showing a tiny green man in profile. It looked three dimensional, once he could see it in full color. There was a tap to the front of it, then the unit was handed over. A thing that Gary was used to now, having done it before.
