Hollingsworth

by Tom Bont

  “Impossible with today’s technology,” Dr. Drapper proclaimed.

  “That may be but knowing the process will help us track them down.”

  “Of course,” he agreed. “Hmm. How to stop it. Well, stop the transfer early enough, or increase the energy level on the other side. Lift the hose, in other words.”

  Although the good doctor was relaying the information in layman’s terms, and she understood it as far as he was explaining it, something didn’t make sense. The Forsaken Dweller was supposed to be the one doing the eating. In Lovecraft’s world, the elder gods took eons to do things.

  Do we really have anything to worry about? We’re talking billions of years here.

  Artemis hinted the danger was more imminent.

  “Doctor,” she asked, “Let’s assume there is an intelligence controlling the transfer. What would something like that look like?”

  Dr. Drapper frowned in deep concentration and looked to his keyboard. He punched a few keys, and two large bubbles appeared on the screen. He pushed another button, and they superimposed themselves on each other. “The entire universe would have to be under control.”

  When the simulation finished, a mathematical formula appeared on the screen. The letters and symbols literally meant nothing to Angela, but with a little imagination, they looked like…“Doctor,” she asked, “What do those symbols mean?”

  “That’s the formula that describes the receiving universe…if it were to control a spontaneous absorption.”

  “Do they look like anything? Like maybe two words?”

  He tilted his head up and rubbed his chin, looking at the symbols. “Why, yes. They look like they spell ‘Forsaken Dweller.’” He tapped his thumbs together again. “Wait. That’s…that’s impossible.”

  Angela and Danny both raised their eyebrows and crossed their arms.

  “If I understand this correctly, that formula means spontaneous absorption could only occur if the intelligence was the size of an entire universe.” He stuck a finger in the air. “No, wait, that’s not right. The universe would have to be the, well, it would have to be the intelligence itself. A living being. The universe would have to be a living being!” He slowly picked up the pages of the Spationomicon. “Where did you find these?”

  “Danny, you’re the storyteller,” she said. “I’ve got to go to the ladies’ room. Again.”

  Episode 7: Responsibility

  A ngela stood in the middle of the field and stared across the gently rolling hills to a stand of trees. Bluebonnets were in full bloom, and the knolls looked like someone had colored them by tapping a blue crayon on the landscape. A slight breeze kicked up and blew her hair into her eyes. She reached up and pulled it behind her ear.

  “We’re in position,” her ear comm sounded.

  She knelt down and opened a long, wooden box. Inside, nestled in velvet, was the arrow Artemis had given her months ago. She gently lifted it from the box, and with a shrug, snapped it in half over her knee. “Stand by,” she relayed.

  Which is what she did for ten minutes.

  “Maybe she knows you’re hiding in the woods.”

  “You got friends around here somewhere?” a woman’s voice asked from behind.

  Angela spun around with a startled movement. “Yes, but it’s not a trap!” she sputtered. Artemis stood there with a wide, genuine, friendly smile. Today, she was dressed in black leather. Everywhere.

  Lord, she’s hot!

  “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that,” Artemis said. “I was arguing with Apollo. He wanted me to ignore the summons.”

  Angela moaned and shook her head in disgust. “Di, don’t take this the wrong way, but your brother, he’s a dick.”

  Artemis laughed. “You didn’t grow up with him. He’s a good ally, though. Tough when he needs to be. He’s just used to doing things his way.” She adjusted the bow on her back and stepped forward. She offered her arms out for a sisterly embrace.

  Angela didn’t hesitate to return it. The two-week vacation she’d spent with her had forged a deep friendship. It seemed like a faraway dream but being in front of her brought it all back. “It’s good to see you, Di.”

  “And you, Ang.” Artemis stepped back, but they continued to hold each other’s wrists. It’s been too long.

  Angela blushed. “You only gave me one arrow.”

  “True. We’ll have to do something about that.” They fully broke the embrace. “So, why have you called me?”

  “We’re fumbling in the dark here,” Angela confessed. “We need help. All kinds. Tactical, strategic, logistical…Moving in and out of places like you do, that’s handy.”

  Artemis rubbed her forearms. She stared at the ground before she looked back up. “I’ll ask again, but they still want something in return. You’re one planet in an entire universe.”

  Angela handed her a thumb drive along with a folder containing a briefing of the stored information. “This contains all the intelligence we have on the Forsaken Dweller. We recovered a book that contains a whole slew of math and physics that explains exactly how the dweller is supposed to do what it does.”

  Artemis tilted her head up a smidge but stared at the items. She took the folder and read through the briefing with lightning speed. As she did so, the expression on her face transformed from borderline interest to outright surprise. “The Forsaken Dweller is a living universe?” She wandered in circles for a few moments. “This does explain some things! No wonder we’ve never found the beast. We couldn’t see the forest for the trees.”

  “Will you help us?” Angela asked.

  “I’ll take this information back. I make no promises. But if what’s in here pans out, it will help our case.”

  Angela was pleased she said ‘our case’ and not ‘your case.’

  “Hollingsworth,” Angela gasped out. Answering the phone was the last thing she wanted to do right as she tried to balance two armloads of files and hold the phone to her ear at the same time.

  There was a slight chuckle on the other end, and a friendly voice asked, “Apart from being sexy, what do you do for a living where you have to answer your phone with your last name?”

  “Randy?” A flush warmed her neck. Angela found herself giggling at the lame one-liner.

  Did I just giggle?

  She couldn’t recall the last time she’d giggled.

  Oh, yeah. I remember now. The night before I caught Karl in bed with the cheerleader.

  In either case, girls giggle. Girls with crushes on boys. Not FBI agents talking to contacts.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said. “Who else? Wait! Have I got competition on who’s allowed to call you sexy?”

  “I don’t give up my secrets that easily,” she teased, dropping the files on Danny’s desk. “What are you doing?”

  “Working on wiping out illiteracy,” Randy bragged with exasperation in his voice. “It’s a full-time job.”

  “Well, you keep giving books away, you won’t be able to afford to fund that project.” She sat down at her desk, the files forgotten.

  “I only give books away to people I like. And those I trap under avalanches of shelves.”

  She giggled again and looked up over her desk. Danny caught her eyes and chuckled.

  Oh, shit, he can hear the whole conversation.

  “Okay, Casanova,” she said, “that’s enough.”

  “Well, I’ve never!” Randy said, mock-insulted. “And here I was, doing you a favor.”

  “What kind of favor is that?”

  “Someone came to the store this morning and bought some H.P. Lovecraft. I asked him if he’d ever heard of the Forsaken Dweller. He claimed he didn’t, but he got really nervous after that.”

  Angela sat a little straighter. “I’ll be right over,” she said and hung up.

  Later, as they drove up Interstate 30, Danny asked, “Who’s Randy? And why does he call you sexy and good-looking and sound like he’s lay
ing the Don Juan on as thick as maple syrup on Sunday morning pancakes?”

  “The owner of the Dusty Spine Bookstore. Strictly research on the Forsaken Dweller.”

  “Uh huh,” he said.

  “He’s nice,” she insisted. “Sweet daughter. Clumsy, though.”

  “If you say so, Scooter.”

  They drove the rest of the trip in silence, but whenever Angela managed to catch a glimpse of Danny’s face, he had a smirk.

  When she opened the store’s door, she had to pull a little harder than normal. “Hey!” she said as she stepped in, “you finally put a hydraulic closer on this death trap.”

  Randy came from around the counter, a big smile on his face. “Yeah, I got tired of replacing the window.” He looked over her shoulder when Danny came in, and his smile faltered to nosy. “Hi, I’m Randy Tracer.”

  “Randy,” Angela said, “This is Officer Danny McIver, my partner.”

  The smile disappeared completely. “Partner?”

  She blinked a couple of times as his question registered. “Oh, my gosh!” she exclaimed. “Work partner! I’m, uh,” she stammered, “I’m an agent for the Bederal—”

  “Bederal?” Danny snickered, tilting his head and rubbing his grinning mouth.

  “—shut up, Danny,” she snapped. “I’m an FBI agent. I work with him!”

  Randy stared at both of them for a couple of heartbeats as his smile slowly returned. “FBI Agent?” He blinked again. “So, all this time, I’ve been an unpaid informant?”

  “Um, no. Yes. Not really. A case we’re working on. People think they’re living in a Lovecraftian world. I had to read up on it. I never thought I’d enjoy the stories.” She smiled and put her hand on his arm. “Sorry, Randy. I didn’t mean to keep anything from you. Not on purpose, anyway.”

  “No problemo!” he confessed. “I’m a bit surprised, though. You don’t seem old enough to be an FBI agent. I figured you to be a college student.”

  Angela’s face blushed hotly at the compliment.

  Danny piped in. “You really thought she was that young?” He looked at her with the studious eye of a man evaluating an earthworm for fishability. “Yeah, I guess so. Maybe.”

  Angela elbowed him in the ribs without taking her eyes off Randy. “Good genes, I guess. I’m surprised you remembered our Forsaken Dweller conversation.”

  “What can I say? You leave an impression every time you come in here.” He smiled and held his hands out to his sides. “You aren’t my typical horror junkie. I think you’ve read every Lovecraft book I’ve got.”

  Danny had walked farther into the store and was reading the titles on the New Releases table. He cracked a grin over Randy’s shoulder and shook his head.

  Angela ignored him. “I’m glad you got a good memory,” she said. “So, tell me about your customer.”

  “No one’s known about anything called the Forsaken Dweller. Not until today anyway. As soon as I asked, he got all nervous like, said no, dropped a twenty on the counter, and left without getting his change.”

  “Any idea what his name was?”

  “No. First time here that I recall. What is it anyway?”

  “Cult leader,” Danny interjected, saving Angela the need to lie to Randy.

  Thanks, partner!

  “That’s what he calls himself,” Danny continued. “Can you describe him?”

  “No. But…” He pointed over his shoulder to a small security camera. “Not every part-time employee we hire is as honest as they want to be. That helps them stay that way. I bet I got a picture of him.”

  “That would be awesome!” Angela said.

  As soon as Randy turned around, Danny threw a questioning glance at Angela and mouthed, “Awesome?” To top it off, he put his hands on his cheeks.

  She gave him a Go To Hell look.

  A few minutes later, they were looking at a low-resolution printout of a short, skinny rat-man with mussed hair and clothes that were too big for him. Danny blurted out, “Well if it ain’t Marion Dinkleton, a.k.a. Speed.”

  “Yeah,” Angela growled, “I’ve been looking forward to meeting that little bastard again.”

  “I take it he’s a bad guy?” Randy asked.

  “Not really,” Angela said. “Just a wannabe.”

  “Hmm. Not that I’m greedy or anything, but is there, uh, you know, a reward for his capture? College tuition soon.”

  Danny pulled out his phone and scrolled through the Wanted Fugitive list. “In fact, there is. $2,000.”

  While Danny took down Randy’s contact information, Angela put in a request to get a warrant to acquire all the traffic cams pictures and videos in the area.

  As they pulled out of the parking lot, Danny said, “That man has got the hots for you, you know that, right?”

  “No, he doesn’t.”

  “Angela, you forget about this nose,” he said, tapping it. “I can smell attraction. And unless I’m mistaken, he triggers a case of the Itchy Britches in you, too.”

  “Shut up, Officer McIver.”

  “I never took you for a tattoo fan.”

  “It’s a long walk to Fort Worth, Officer McIver.”

  Danny laughed. “Yes, ma’am, it is.”

  Angela stepped into the rundown single-story house and wrinkled her nose after Clear had sounded. “Dammit, Speed, if you’re going to hide out in a shit hole, have the common decency to at least live like a human being?”

  SWAT had him on his knees, hands behind his head.

  “Front toilet’s backed up,” he said.

  Danny pinched his nose between his thumb and forefinger for a moment before blowing out a long breath. “Shoulda called a plumber.”

  The SWAT team members appeared oblivious through their air masks.

  “How’d you find me?”

  “We put the word out that we were looking for a Rat Man,” Angela said, “and the tips came pouring in.”

  Speed bit down on his lower lip and slumped over. One of his front teeth had disappeared since their last meeting. It gave him an “All I want for Chrithmath ith my two front teeth” lisp.

  “What? Did you honestly think I wouldn’t find you?” She looked around the room and found some newspaper. “Didn’t your daddy ever teach you that you never chase someone?” She pulled a chair from the kitchen and set it in front of him. “Paths will cross eventually.” Covering the seat with the newspaper, she sat down. “And when they do, deal with them then. FBI agents cross many paths, Speed.”

  “Okay. I can tell. Yep. You’re pithed at me.”

  Angela was not amused but couldn’t help sneering and snorting at Speed’s ridiculous new speech impediment. As if he needed anything else to make him appear dumber. And when the snort turned into an edgy laugh, she didn’t realize how horrifying she could be. “Still pissed? Why would I be pissed, Speed? Because you left me at the hands of a smelly biker with a perky tit fetish?” When his eyes drifted to her breasts, she leaned forward and slapped him across the face. “Up here, shithead.”

  Danny cleared his throat and looked at the SWAT team. “Why don’t you guys wait in the hallway. I think the agent has this interrogation under control.”

  They all chuckled but did as he asked.

  “Yeah. Still pithed,” he said. “I’m sure there’s something I can do, right? I mean, I’m a businessman. I know how to work deals.”

  “Do you now?” She stood up. The blood pounded in her ears. Speed’s eyes widened as she handed her pistol and her badge to Danny. “Hold this, Officer?”

  Interrogations work best when the suspect doesn’t know it’s an interrogation. Angela’s Interrogation Tome, page 9.

  “I got a deal for you, Speed. You tell me everything I want to know, and I won’t shove your head in that stopped up shitter of yours.”

  Danny took her items of commission and cleared his throat again. “Agent Hollingsworth? Maybe we should take him downtown.”

  “Yeah!” Speed agreed. “Downtown!”

 
; “Nooo,” she said lightly shaking her head. “I think this place is just right.” She brushed off her sleeves and pant legs. “So, Speed. You want to help us or should I start looking for that bathroom of yours?”

  “I don’t know nothin’!” Speed insisted. “Now get me my damned lawyer!”

  “Okay, Speed, I’ll get you a lawyer,” Danny said. “But I got one question first. Are you on drugs? Is that why you can’t see what’s about to happen?”

  “Whadda you mean?”

  “While we’re waiting on your lawyer, this agent is gonna kick your ass. I’m not gonna be able to stop her. I’m a cop. She’s a federal agent. She overrules me.”

  “No, I’m not gonna kick his ass,” Angela said. “I ain’t got the time to fuck with that.” She turned to Danny and winked. “Bite him.”

  Speed shifted his eyes back and forth between the two of them. “Bite me?”

  Danny grimaced and sighed. “Well, since you asked so nicely, Speed.” He looked down at the floor for a moment. When he looked up, his eyes had turned pale blue. Agony rippled across his face as his cheekbones rearranged themselves, extended his mouth out into a snout. Hair sprouted, Ears moved up and out. He snarled, licked his lips, and took a step forward.

  Speed screamed out, “Get the fuck back! Christ! A fuckin’ werewolf? Help me in here!”

  Angela put a hand on Danny’s shoulder. “Hold on a sec. I think Speed here wants to help out our case. Right, Speed?”

  “Yeah! Yeah! Just get that fucker away from me!”

  Danny backed off into a corner and changed back to human. “Damn,” he growled. “I was looking forward to some rat this afternoon.”

  Angela wasn’t sure how much was acting and how much wasn’t.

  “Christ on a Crutch,” Speed whispered. “I thought those guys were making shit up. You really are a fuckin’ werewolf.”

  Angela sat down again. “I’m not sure I can hold him back again.” She raised her eyebrows questioningly. “Understand what I’m saying here?”

  Speed licked his lips and nodded but kept his eyes on Danny. “Yeah, but know I was just scared, okay? I act out when I’m scared.”