The Way Things Seem

by Mackey Chandler

  David had to reassess his expectations of these other people who had some talent with the same powers Uncle taught him. He expected to find truly frightening wizards who could do all sorts of impossible to believe tasks with long honed skills. Instead he was getting one trick ponies like this fellow. The sword thing apparently was a big deal and widely known. The man obviously had no idea David could drop him dead where he sat and he’d never have time to know he was dead before he hit the floor.

  It made a little sense but disappointed David. If you viewed the other world touching ours from a superstitious perspective you’d be terrified to play with it and experiment to see what you can do. No wonder Ms. Oran in New York had been horrified to see him play with the shield and sphere. Any talent they had was gotten by empirical methods and no real understanding of what made them work.

  The sniper who tried to kill him in New York had done so with a conventional firearm instead of wizardry. Perhaps it was like the old saying that in the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king. Having any skill or ability the general population didn’t and wouldn’t even admit existed could be levered to an advantage. David wasn’t so far removed from them yet, but he intended to study the things he was seeing with every sensor and instrument at his disposal. He was certain they operated by rules, even if not exactly the rules of his universe. He wasn’t even sure at this point that there was only one neighboring universe that seemed to have congruent points with his own. There was so much still to find out before he could make even the most basic conclusions.

  David wondered, did the first people to use fire quickly appointed a priesthood to handle it who were superstitiously afraid to experiment with it after a few people got burnt?

  The talented thug watching him finally woke up to the fact he wasn’t faking a lack of concern and it offended him. He stood up and before he could take a step David shoved at him hard. He was a large mass but within David’s ability to move just like a thrown stone. He didn’t acquire that much velocity. He didn’t splatter on the concrete wall behind him, but he was suddenly off balance and sat back down hard on the bench and hit the wall behind him hard enough for his breath to be knocked out of him with and audible >Hufff<.

  The two rough looking characters glanced at each other. The new man was already acting weird by making motions like he was having a fantasy sword flight. They had already formed the opinion he was on something or was a mental case. When he sat back down so abruptly it just looked wrong. He didn’t change his balance and toss himself back against the wall, he moved like he was yanked on the end of an invisible string. David and he were looking at each other, but David didn’t bother to add drama to his action by throwing an arm out theatrically, like a stage magician who wanted you to believe you knew the cause of the thing you saw.

  A brighter person would have seen they were dealing with something beyond their abilities at that point. Instead, it made this brute angry. He stood back up and formed a sword again. David knew he would attack again. He could probably outlast David’s ability to keep thrusting him away. He wanted to stop him but not make a big show, certainly not a fireball or freezing him solid. He concentrated removing heat from the man’s body, but trying to throttle and control it just to cool him, not freeze him solid as a block of ice.

  The man looked surprised and then confused. He stepped toward Davis unhampered as yet. David kept cooling him, hoping he didn’t have to do worse. It wasn’t until he was half way across the cell he faltered and looked confused. Once he stopped walking David was certain he had him. He tottered and lost his balance, spun around and fell flat on his face in front of the tattooed ruffians who suddenly looked like frightened school boys.

  David hoped it was just hypothermia and the man wasn’t dead. One of the rough looking characters called out loudly for the jailer. “We got a guy sick here. He’s passed out!” They weren’t all that quick to respond and when they did the unarmed jailer stayed outside until he had two armed officers outside the cell to back him up. It was still several minutes before another officer came who felt for a pulse and told the duty jailer to call an ambulance. The man was left on the floor unattended. David out of an abundance of caution, not really wanting the man to die, pushed a little heat back in him faster than his body and the environment supplied.

  When the EMS arrived, they were shocked at how chilled he was to the touch and stuck an infrared thermometer in his ear and triggered it. They wrapped him in an aluminized blanket to wheel him out.

  Everybody sat unmoving for a long time after they left. The drunk slept through it all and the one tattooed fellow finally stretched out on the bench and slept. They other looked like he wanted to but wouldn’t let himself. They had no clock but David was pretty sure it was the next morning before they came for him. It was definitely a new shift with a new jailer.

  They fitted David with a loose prison jump suit right over his clothing, cuffs, a waist chain and shackles that hobbled him. The short chain between his ankles was so irritating he froze a link until it was brittle and snapped it with a longer step. They didn’t even notice. They took an elevator down and rode with an armed officer in a golf cart down a tunnel he assumed went from the jail to the court house. He apparently wasn’t considered a big enough risk to be handled by video.

  He was seated at the left table in the court, the armed officer staying with him. David just had time to meet his lawyer who came in and sat at his other side before the judge entered. His company’s legal firm sent a criminal lawyer by the name of Buddy Roberts. He was young enough he couldn’t have been out of school that long. That was fine, David didn’t expect him to be able to do anything. The only thing the state of Georgia cared about was to confirm his identity and the willingness of New Jersey to pay to transport him. Of course since they intended to kill him in the holding cell maybe they hadn’t fully made arrangements. He asked Roberts and was informed they had thirty days to do so.

  The Bailiff called ‘All rise’ and announced court was in session, Judge Ramaris presiding. The judge came in and was seated. David was horrified and disgusted. There was a rippled golden circle riding behind the judge’s shoulder and a couple thin strands emerging from the hole and framing the judge’s face at the temples like a laurel. The creature visible through the opening was nothing like the crab creature Uncle injured. It reminded David of a shrimp. It was obvious that besides the thin tendrils reaching to the judge it had many others hanging below the face of the creature in restless motion. Its eyes were solid black marbles that no human could read for emotion. This was the first hint David had there were intelligent beings in the other universe and what a shock to see they not only accessed this side better than David knew how, but intervened in Human affairs.

  David looked around the court and the only other Human with unusual colors about him was one at the other table. He must be the one to present the case for the state to extradite him. David planned on letting them transport him to New Jersey and deal with it when he got there, but not now, this changed everything. Looking around the room for a loose missile to use the Bailiff had a gun. David wasn’t sure of his strength and fine control to repeat what he did in his office. At the very least he’d probably take so long doing it that the creature could become aware of his actions and close the window. It creeped him out that he couldn’t even tell if the monster was looking at him. There was a faint odor of rotten fish that had to be from the hole. David wondered why nobody else seemed to notice it.

  The Bailiff had a pair of handcuffs in a holster, but they weren’t covered by a leather flap, instead they had a slot running down the middle deep enough to get a finger inside the cuffs and pull them out quickly. David was confident of his ability to manipulate those. The fellow from the other table walked up while David was deciding what to do and was showing papers to the judge. The hole in the air and disgusting alien seemed invisible to everyone, including the man conferring with the judge almost within reach of the horror.

 
; David slid the metal hand cuffs out of the holster. The Bailiff didn’t feel David playing pick-pocket at all. They lifted straight up and over his shoulder. Once he had a straight shot David didn’t hesitate an instant. He pushed the cuffs with every fiber of his being straight through the hole into the other realm and shattered the head of the alien monster. He expected the hole to blink out of existence the moment the creature was dead. What he didn’t expect was a flash of light so bright it blinded him and a crack so loud his ears were left ringing. The only saving grace was he’d scrunched his eyes closed straining to push the cuffs.

  When the flash blobbies finally subsided enough to let him sort out the gray shapes trying to resolve in his vision the judge was face down on the bench unmoving. The DA, prosecutor or whatever was on the floor heaving his guts out and the Bailiff was sitting on the floor holding his face in his hands. The court room was chaos with people yelling and those who could see clearly enough after the flash to navigate jamming the exits to get out. The window into the nether regions was gone.

  The officer beside him was fumbling with his pistol trying to get it from a retention holster. David relieved him of it and tired from his effort creating the missile did nothing fancy, he just smacked the man across the ear with the pistol and dropped him to the floor. The pistol was a heavy metal sort not a plastic gun. David embrittled his cuffs with cold and used the pistol like a hammer to shatter them.

  His lawyer was sitting frozen, fascinated and horrified to watch him remove his cuffs. The Bailiff recovered and stood up. Seeing the prisoner wielding a pistol he drew his and with his vision still mottled, raised it clumsily in a double handed grip, squinting. David straining to chill his shackles and momentarily drained didn’t try to stop him remotely, he just raised the pistol he was using as a hammer and shot him. He sat back down abruptly and David put three more in him just to make sure he wouldn’t be a threat again. He didn’t really care if the man was aware he was an agent of an alien horror or not. They were all trying to kill him.

  His chains and cuffs off David unzipped the jump suit and considered what he wanted to leave behind. He put the pistol back in the hand of the officer on the floor and pressed his hand firmly around it. All this would be on video. The papers the judge was being shown were in a fan on the floor now and even in his weakened condition easy to set on fire. There were two black dome housings hanging down from the ceiling David had already identified as cameras when he came in. The power colors emanating from their cables let down the wall into the judge’s chambers behind the bench.

  David walked behind the bench and entered the judge’s chambers, his lawyer sat and watched him go without a word. The recorder was in a cabinet and wasn’t even locked. The memory was a simple SD card and he removed it and still had the strength to burn it to a melted mess. The judge’s chambers stank even worse of putrid fish. The other side of the judge’s chambers had a door he took to a public hallway. There were still enough people panicked by the explosion and shots leaving the building for David to blend in among them. It was chaos outside and the police were still disorganized and had no real perimeter yet. He had no phone or wallet and no money, so he simply walked away.

  There was a diner with a steady business a couple kilometers away. David stopped a man coming out who looked warily at him. David didn’t try to step any closer to him or alarm him.

  “I lost my phone and need a friend to come pick me up. Would you do me the kindness of taking a moment and giving him a call for me?” David asked.

  “Yeah, I can do that,” the fellow said suspicious and expecting David to ask for much more.

  David rattled off the number for the fellow to punch in his phone. “His name is Jack. Please ask him to come pick up David at the Ruby Diner.”

  Jack asked to speak to David but the fellow wouldn’t hand his phone over. “He only asked for you to be called. I’m not going to hand my phone over to a guy who might run off with it.”

  The man terminated the call and told David that Jack understood and would be right down and to watch for him to be driving David’s car.

  “Thank you. You saved me a great deal of trouble,” David said.

  “No phone and the other guy has your car?” the fellow asked, curious now.

  “And no wallet, I was relieved of both,” David said with a shrug that said, ‘What can you do?’ “But I’ll be fine now that my friend is coming.”

  “No point in standing out here waiting for him,” the fellow said, softening. “Go inside and have a cup of coffee where you can sit. You looked bushed. This place will even give you one refill and you can nurse it until he shows up.” He held a ten out to David.

  “Thank you, I didn’t mean to pan-handle you but the kindness is appreciated.”

  “Been broke before when it wasn’t any fault but my own,” the fellow said. “Now I have to get back to work,” he thrust the ten at David again and he took it, nodding his thanks.

  The coffee and the seat were welcome. He loaded it with sugar, even though he didn’t drink it that way, for the energy.

  Chapter 21

  “You look like hell,” Jack said when David came out and got in the car.

  “Thanks, the guy who called you said the same. He pushed a ten dollar bill on me to go in and have a coffee waiting for you. He probably thought I was going to drop on my face on the sidewalk and destroy what little ambiance the neighborhood still retained.”

  “Ten dollar coffee? That dive looks more like you’d get a very weak five dollar cup.”

  “It was pretty weak, but they will give you a refill,” David admitted. “If you want to stop somewhere and get me a burger I really needed more than a coffee.” David frowned. “I should have told you to drive your car, but if they haven’t picked you up they must not be looking for my car. You’d have never got past all the scanners this far.”

  “Don’t tell me why,” Jack said, “what I don’t know I can’t answer if questioned.”

  “OK, but I need you to do something for me. Call Joan and tell her I need the FedEx package I had her put in my safe. Can you go do that for me?”

  “You can’t go into your own office?” Jack asked.

  “I was arrested there yesterday and if I go back it might happen again. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re watching the building. If I wait a day or two they may get a search warrant and make Joan open the safe and seize my computers and papers.”

  “You’re out on bail?” Jack asked.

  “Not exactly,” David said. “There was an… incident at the courthouse and mass confusion. I just walked away.”

  “You’re a fugitive? I was going to take you to your apartment, but that’s out.” Jack made a turn at the next light and changed directions.

  “Where are you going then?” David asked.

  “To my own place. I’ll call Joan and take my car to get your package. You seriously need to crash.

  “I need to eat too. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just calories,” David said.

  “There’s about a foot of party sub in my fridge and the usual ice cream bars that I like in the freezer. If you want more than that there is peanut butter and jelly. I’ve got an itch between my shoulder blades. I want to get you inside and hide this car too. You realize I’m going to expect a full explanation eventually?”

  “Tomorrow. I need food and rest and some of the plant specimen in that FedEx envelope.”

  “Is it legal?” Jack asked.

  “I’m pretty sure it is. It’s one of those things they may declare illegal once they know it exists, but I don’t see any way they would be aware of it yet. It’s not a euphoric,” David said to Jack’s questioning look. “It’s a sort of cognitive enhancer, but so effective it could be very socially disruptive.”

  “You using it already?” Jack demanded.

  “For some weeks now and I can show you evidence it works,” David promised.

  “Great,” Jack said, “you were already a tremendous pain in the ass as
smart as you were before.”

  “Thank you, Jack. I love you too.”

  Jack set the sandwich in front of David, called Joan and asked her to have the FedEx package ready for him to pick up.

  “Put David on to tell me,” Joan insisted.

  “You don’t trust me?” Jack said in his hurt voice.

  “Not worth a damn,” Joan agreed. “Put him on.”

  “You have to tell her,” Jack said handing David the phone. He swallowed and took it.

  “Joan, please put the FedEx envelope inside another Kraft envelope and let Jack have it. If anybody asks, you have no idea where I am, but Jack can forward a message.”

  “How much does this have to do with events at the courthouse?” Joan asked.

  “Everything,” David said, without hesitation. “That was a hearing to extradite me to New Jersey.”

  “What for?” Joan demanded.

  “They never told me. I don’t think they really expected the hearing to take place. They sent somebody into the temporary holding cell at the jail to kill me.”

  “Then why are you still alive?” Joan asked, logically.

  “Now it’s my turn to be hurt,” David said. “I’m much tougher to kill than you think.”

  “I guess so. Do you want your pistol?” Joan asked.

  “At this point it would be a liability. I’d much rather you clear a top drawer in your desk and put it there where you can get to it quickly. If anybody comes in who seems off or has an odd story don’t be shy to shove it in his face. I’ll back you up a hundred percent.”

  “It’s a big clunky thing. I like my little .38. Your 10mm is a wrist breaker.”

  “Yes, but if you hit what you are aiming at it with it then it doesn’t matter, one shot settles it and you can go have your wrist treated. You don’t need three more follow-up shots like your silly little pistol. I’m giving you back to Jack.”