Reflection, p.9
Reflection, page 9
part #2 of The Infected - Mirror Man Series
Now he had youth and even power. Time was… Well, as far as the doctor could tell, he wouldn’t die unless something killed him. A shot to the head, a fall from too great a height or a meteor landing on him would all do it. Age wouldn’t though. Not as long as he entered the mirror world occasionally.
Which left only the fact that decades of conditioning had trained him not to bother being concerned with pretty much anything. It was a good way to die or end up arrested. Somehow, he had to find that spark again, before it was too late.
That was what he was dwelling on as he drifted off to sleep. After a while his bladder demanded that he get up for the day. Rather, it was telling him that he needed to use a restroom or else, which by the time he found the right room and figured out how to use the facilities, meant he was well and truly awake. A shower and a good tooth brushing later had him ready for whatever was likely to come at least.
That part was interesting. His hosts had provided both toothbrushes and paste for everyone to use, marked individually with their names. In English. They were more or less the same type of thing he would have seen at home, only with finely carved handles. Some kind of etched ivory, at a guess. The paste for that was marked as well. It tasted of licorice and had to be scooped out of a tub with a tiny paddle but worked.
The toilets were actually harder to master at first. They were used the same way, in that you sat or stood over them to do your business. Instead of a handle they flushed using a metal rod with a hand on it that you had to pull straight out. The little metal thing had five fingers and a palm, for some reason. The look of the equipment was different, too. Still, they were the right basic shape for him to get the idea, so he wasn’t relieving himself into someones extra low wash basin or anything.
He hoped.
There was daylight coming through the windows. From the line of shadows cast it was still pretty early in the day. Probably about seven or eight. He had a watch on his wrist, having slept with it near his bed, of course. The thing told him that it was about two and a half hours since he’d left home, in their time. A lot more than that had passed for him, of course. Almost a full day on the watch.
That didn’t help him know what time it was in either place, of course. Everything he had on that was just going to be wrong.
Wandering down the stairs led him to one of the front spaces. There was a bit of noise going in it already, which, when he looked in the door made a good bit of sense. It was two boys, Dumas and another young fellow, who looked like his brother, arranging packs for a trip. They were more like duffle bags than backpacks and seemed to hold enough for several days. There was a woman with them as well. The older seeming boy was taller than she was by about four inches. All of them were taller than he was.
The place was probably going to give him a complex about being short, he decided. At five-six he simply wasn’t a vast person and never had been.
That put the lady at a few inches taller than he was. She was a fit looking, if a bit hard through the face. Her eyes were a mid-tone blue and she was showing honey blonde hair in a single braid down her back. Her skin was a golden tan color, even if her features were Caucasian. She was matching the older of the boy in uniform though.
Black from head to boots, with a military feel to the cut. Austere. Practical as well. The kid had two blue lines on the cuff of his sleeve on either side. The woman, who looked to be about the same age as Cindy from the base, had four lines of orange. At a raw guess that would mean she was in charge. The Admiral, possibly. At least if Clemance Thomson was her protégé. That had been mentioned. Then again, this could be his babysitter, or even his date. It was kind of clear that the Noram rules for things like that were different than back home.
Holding a hand up, slowly so as to not scare anyone, Richard waved.
“Good morning. Um… Hala?” Then he bowed, draping his right arm gracefully over his middle and going low, in case the woman was as important as she might be.
No one looked at him like an idiot at least, just doing it back, so he was probably close to doing it right. If not, they were being dammed polite about it, which still counted in his book.
Dumas stood up first.
“Right! This is… You know, I don’t have your use title for here down exactly, Mr. Drake. How should we address you?”
He got the concept but really didn’t have a specific job title at all. He wasn’t the liaison or anything, just the guy who arranged schedules and conned people into doing free work for them.
“Richard, Rich… Drake. All of those work well enough for me.”
The words got an honest laugh from the lady with them.
“Ha! Good. That will make it easier. I won’t have to memorize twenty new strange sounding things to call you then. Richard Drake… You’re the fool that’s going to let yourself be turned into a Ysidril? You do know that you’ll probably die doing that, don’t you? Dumas was telling me about it. So that we could put it up on the fleet’s net.” She grinned, even if there was a bit of name calling involved in her statement. It was in really good English though and that counted for a lot, he decided.
He’d heard worse insults, anyway. The ones she used smacked of just being the truth.
“The very same moron, indeed! It fits with a mission that I have coming up soon anyway. Plus, it will be good practice and show the people here that this is pretty safe. As long as I don’t die, like you mentioned. Otherwise it won’t be a good example at all. Then, no one claimed life was without risk, did they?”
Rather than act offended by the banter that she’d started, the lady moved in and stuck her hand out, to shake. She’d bowed already, so it was different. No one else had done that there yet at least. Her clasp was firm. Nearly a test. One that he passed, it seemed.
“Stronger than you look. I’m Alice Orange. Fleet Admiral. I think we can show that, though on a time delay. That way if you melt into a puddle of goo it won’t scare the teams I want to have some alteration work done. In the last three months we haven’t had any new volunteers for that program. They’re all afraid. Most of them. The bravest already went, of course.”
They’d shaken hands, so he automatically stuck a paw out to the new kid. The one he didn’t know. It was returned almost instantly. Easily, even if it was a foreign custom.
“Clemence Thomson. I’m pleased to meet you, Drake.” It was a bit obvious the boy was playing at being grown up. He nearly nailed it though, which was honestly close enough. They looked to be in the same rough age range, after all.
“The one that we need to get data on the fleet maneuvers for us back home? Very good. You’re packed for it. Are you heading out with the others today, then?”
If any of what was being said was news to the three standing there, it was hidden so well as to be nearly professionally done.
“That’s the plan. Today or in the next few. I probably won’t get a lot of information. Last time I was kept on the base the whole time. When we weren’t in space. What kind of information are you looking for?”
That got him to shrug.
“Honestly? Not much, as far as specifics. We’re just grooming you for later. In case anything comes up down the road. You know, we ply you with liquor and women now, then later you’re our pal when the chips are down. That kind of thing.” Rich glanced at Dumas, who seemed slightly surprised for some reason. “Don’t worry, the little kids will just get sweets and television shows. Movies and things like that. Also, I was joking about the women. I don’t know anyone like that back in my reality. I can hook you up with booze though, if you want.” It would probably require some theft, or bribery. His mind started to work out the best way to do it.
Really, it wasn’t hard. He was old enough, even if his I.D. said otherwise. That meant he could get someone else to buy for him, without it being a moral issue for them, then pass it along to the boys, if they wanted. Cindy seemed like she’d be good for something like that.
Given her powers she might also find a girl for the older kid, too. If he needed the help. It was kind of clear that his little brother had gotten the looks in the family. That or someone had smashed the kid’s nose for him a few times and then tried to yank his ears off. There was a hard edge to the kid that way. A good look for a man, really. Not too pretty.
Alice nodded, as if he was seriously planning to bribe the kids.
“Do you have good ice cream there? It’s been ages since I’ve had anything like that. I tried for some in Austra a few years ago, but the quality wasn’t great. Dressed up ice milk.” She pretended to shudder a bit, as if that was gross or something.
“We do all right that way. Really, we can have some made up for you, if you want? Gourmet stuff. Get Dumas or Lydia to bring it to you. Well, after a while. Lydia is our transport and communications chief for the next mission. It’s sort of a promotion for her. I don’t think anyone mentioned that part to her yet. I kind of led with her having the job, not that it was a step up.”
Admiral Orange blinked at him then, her lips curling up to one side.
“That’s the way to a woman’s heart. You’re a bit old for her, aren’t you? Old enough to be in the military…” She seemed a bit skeptical about that, for some reason.
So, he was honest in return.
“I’m older than that. I used to be a marine, back in world war two. That’s…” He was about to describe the conflict to the woman, when she twitched a bit.
Then relaxed.
“We had that here, as well. About three thousand years back? I was born about a hundred years after that, myself. How old are you in your time frame?” She seemed curious about it, for some reason. Which probably had to do with aliens and people from other realities being kind of interesting.
“Ninety-four. That means that Lydia is older than I am. Dumas, too. From their time learning to travel between worlds.” He’d gotten that choice bit of data from Eve Benson.
A person he needed to track down soon, if he didn’t want to be the kind of creep that banged a woman once at a party then lost her number and address. Which he didn’t. She was a real peach. A vampire, so there was that. He could walk into mirrors himself, so the thought of casting stones that way kind of missed him in the moment.
Vampires existed in some places. Rich was fine with that.
Clemance sighed then.
“I know. They told me about that in the introduction to Line Walking class that I’m in. It doesn’t start for several more weeks here. It will come faster now though, if I’m in your world. At this rate I’m going to look fifteen when I’m supposed to be twenty-five.”
Dumas laughed at his brother then. Not unkindly.
“Just get yourself aged up to match. I’m planning to do that soon. By a few years, anyway. I could have already done it but mother still thinks of me as a child. I don’t want to push her too hard that way. Father either, of course. I left one day and came back a week later, nearly a thousand years old. They can’t really accept that. I doubt that anyone can. Not easily.”
Looking at the kid, Richard just had to agree. He didn’t seem that old. Nearly a thousand. With the twenty-five-year-old woman next to him being over three thousand, if he’d heard her correctly. Near that, anyway. That kind of left the other boy out, since he was close to the age he looked.
Rather than make a deal out of it, which could set the guy to thinking he wasn’t going to be taken seriously, Rich forced a smile. Making sure it looked genuine.
“We need to make sure everything is ready. I don’t suppose anyone knows if Brian and Cindy got back in yet?”
It was Clemance that had the answer for them.
“They did. About two in the morning. I was just getting in about then, myself. I don’t have to sleep if there isn’t time for it. A built-in thing. We weren’t planning on waking anyone up for the day. Just waiting on them to rise on their own.” For some reason the boy bowed toward him then.
The others didn’t. Still, Richard did it back. When in Rome it was best to be polite. Otherwise you’d end up being taken as a slave and that couldn’t really end well.
“What time is it? My watch is set to home, so I’m a little off that way.” It would take math to work back to the exact time. The poor chronometer was working perfectly but they’d changed the framework it had to move in.
Before he could convert the time since he’d left by a factor of eight, which wouldn’t help him there much at all, Dumas pulled out a pocket watch. It was an old fashioned looking thing made of silver, with a fine glass face to it. The cover that flipped open had fine scrollwork engraved into it and there was writing on the inside. It wasn’t anything Richard knew how to read, of course.
The boy looking man nodded firmly.
“Seven-forty… Now.”
Scrambling a bit, he adjusted the time on his watch to match that. No one spoke while he did it, just seeming to understand the idea. Even if he was pushing buttons instead of twisting a knob. The device made little beeping sounds as it was changed. It wasn’t set to match the other time piece exactly but was close enough for the time being. Unless they were going on a precision heist or take down, it wouldn’t be needed.
“We’ll get them up at eight. Is it possible to have food ready for Rachel and Bridget? They have wicked fast metabolisms. They’ll need something as soon as possible. The rest of us can wait or go without.” He doubted that anyone there would make them do that but it was true enough.
He didn't really need three full meals a day, himself. The others might not be perfectly comfortable without eating, which was probably good for them. They were supposed to be on the job. That wasn’t always going to be comfy for them. Practicing that first would let him get a feel to how they’d handle hardships later.
Clemance bowed again.
“I’ll see to that directly. We can take them trays, directly to their rooms. Should we serve everyone that way? I don’t want to seem like we’re stinting them.”
Richard considered the idea, since it sounded rather nice. Then shook his head.
“No. The IPB isn’t exactly the Marine Corps but they aren’t that soft, either. We have some people with special needs. The rest of us need to actually hold to some kind of discipline. Especially since we’re here to get some things done. Visiting and all that. We can’t do that locked in our own private rooms.” The work as well.
Honestly, it was as much about keeping ties strong between them as anything. That was something to keep in mind.
Alice slapped him on the arm. Good naturedly. It nearly knocked him down. That had to be on purpose, since it didn’t hurt when she did it. She connected and then pushed instead of striking him full out.
“Yes! I knew I liked you people. I was afraid I’d be sitting around bored all morning waiting for people to sleep their hangovers off. Noram has many charms. I can’t love their drinking culture, though. Half the recruits from here think that a good way to spend an evening is passed out on the floor, in a puddle of their own drool.” She grimaced a bit and gave Clemance a side long glance.
Which had him nodding.
“I know… It was just the once. I haven’t touched a drop since then…”
Then, without saying anything, the kid jogged from the room. A bell rang gently in the background about half a minute later, as Dumas set to making sure he had his gear arranged correctly. Then he did the same for his brother, as Alice called off a list of things from memory.
Richard stood and listened, paying attention to what was going into the bag.
It was a lot, including real clothing, several clothing amulets, four shields, six different weapons systems, real knives to the count of three, glass tiles that supposedly held things like toothpaste, brushes, combs and even houses, two different vehicles and a large box filled with things like lights and noise makers to give as presents. As well as a small food producing unit, in case he had to feed himself while he was away.
In short, the kid could have moved to a different world and set himself up almost instantly, with no more than he was carrying on him that day.
Dumas looked at Rich when he was done, seeming ready to explain the idea. Alice grinned first.
“We need to get the size of this down. Double up on the amulets. Condensing them so that they’re all on one tile? Tor has some things like that, I hear. I can’t work with him most of the time. Too good looking.” It was said with a serious air, as if that were a real problem for her.
Nodding, Richard just agreed. After all, calling the man too pretty was just true. It also probably wouldn’t be an insult, if he heard about it later.
Dumas rolled his eyes then and tapped at his throat. His face blurred a bit, shifting him from being a nice enough looking kid into being kind of homely. A lot like his brother. The nose matched, in fact. So did the ears. The disguise being used now probably meant the other kid was doing that as well.
“Sorry, Aunt Alice. I must be tired. I totally forgot about that. Then, I’m not Tor, so you seemed to manage well enough with me.”
She slapped the smaller guy on the shoulder, rocking him a bit less than she had been with Richard.
“This is better though, still. You seem a lot more trustworthy now. I can handle average pretty well but the technicians that made me all that time ago placed… Well, it’s complicated. Basically, programing that makes it so I can’t trust attractive men. It’s been an issue over the last few decades. I know, on a deep level I can’t shake, that even my own friends, ones that have never lied to me at all, want to trick or fool me.”
Thinking for a second Richard touched his own face.
“I’m pretty middling that way. This is okay for you? I could put on a disguise as well, if it will help.”
There was a bit of a funny look then. It seemed confused for a moment. Really he figured that she was trying to work out how to tell him that he wasn’t good looking enough to count for her. Instead she smiled at him. It was warm. Friendly even.
“It would be good, if you could? These new amulets for that are amazing. It’s not really the kind of thing you ask an Ambassador from another world, though. Luckily yours, Mableton, is a woman. I have no problems that way. Some of the men with you are a little attractive for me. Not too bad.”
