"I really shouldn't let her say all that," said Jameson. "Voss shouldn't be filming it either."
"Let her have this moment," said Dane gently. "You can call it a gas leak later."
"I wasn't going to call it a gas leak. It's not a gas leak. But maybe some of these things shouldn't be said to the public. The government might want to explore some angles first. And everything else seems too fantastic. Who's going to believe there was a walking demon?"
"That's the point I'm making," said Dane. "Who's going to believe it? She wants to tell this story, but many are going to suggest it didn't happen, no matter what they say. You don't have to worry. Whatever secrets you're trying to keep will be kept."
"I was there and I still don't believe it was a demon," said Jameson. "It was... well, it was something else. It wasn't a demon, though."
"Of course it wasn't," said Dane. "You believe what you want to believe."
"If I wasn't feeling so strangely calm right now, I'd probably get in your face for patronizing me," said Jameson.
Dane smiled. "Lucky me." He looked over to see a familiar pickup truck that had stopped not far away. "Well, it looks like my ride is here."
"You know, I really should arrest you," said Jameson.
"Oh?" said Dane, wondering if he had another knockout snow globe, then remembering he didn't have his satchel, only the severed robot arm. "For what?"
"You're a person of interest in an act of large scale terrorism," said Jameson.
"An act I helped stop, if you recall. You personally witnessed that."
"I know, but I can't help thinking that the public might be served if we had you in for questioning. Maybe kept a closer eye on you."
"So you're taking me in?" said Dane.
"I'm saying that I'm going to stand here watching the fire for a while. And if when I turn around, you're not here, then I'll tell my superiors that I lost track of you in the aftermath." Jameson turned his back on Dane.
"That's very kind," said Dane.
"Talking is just going to make me turn around," said Jameson.
"Right! I'll be leaving then!"
Dane jogged over to the pickup truck. In the back was a large metal device, vaguely smoking. He got in the passenger side. As the truck drove away, Dane said, "I'm surprised to see you here."
"I lost the toss on who should pick you up," said Jaya. "Wong wanted it to be a gamble. I think he hates that we all cancelled on poker night because of this. Besides, I was hoping to see if I could salvage a few pieces of the Professor's creation. I found this servo motor a few blocks away, probably thrown by the explosion. But it seems like all the good stuff is still in the robot and it doesn't look like I'm getting near it right now."
"You could probably check the salvage market tomorrow," said Dane. "You might not be the only one to find the good stuff a few blocks away."
"Where's your new sidekick?" asked Jaya.
"Her?" said Dane, looking back out the window at the crisis area. At this distance Abby was just red hair in the middle of a circle of cameras. "She's back there living her dream. I think this was just a one time thing, anyway. I don't think I'll see her again. I don't think she likes the risk."
Jaya just nodded.
"It's probably for the best," said Dane.
"One of these times I'm going to hear you say that about someone and actually mean it," said Jaya.
Officially, none of that happened. The official story was far more tame than what Abby tried to tell people. A few essential facts were there, but it was lacking next to the truth. The man who claimed himself Roger Carmichael was branded a terrorist, but he was missing, assumed dead. Carmichael's terrorist cell, which had ties to the Friends of the Terminus Hotel, were responsible for bombings at the hotel, Willowsby Hall, and Avalon's Hope. They were also responsible for ill-explained chemical gas attacks which left many residents dizzy and confused. The Terminus control room team weren't tied to any specific crimes. Under extreme interrogation, it was confirmed that they simply operated equipment, and there were not enough accepted facts to tie them directly with the destruction. The officials would have to admit the demon's existence to truly arrest any of those who operated it. Colette and Gustav were wanted, however. They had vanished in the chaos. A statewide manhunt for them was underway.
To her initial dismay, Abby did not get a job as a reporter. Though in private the network reporters applauded her bearing and work, the network execs were keeping her as their plausible deniability. The story she reported from the wreckage was too different from the official version. Hiring her would put them in an uncomfortable credibility dilemma.
In the end, she decided that it worked out to be a good thing. The networks had given her free publicity when they co-opted her reporting. What they hadn't gotten was her footage from inside the Terminus. She put that up online under her name. Within a day she had an internet channel with more views that most of the major networks. Whether it was believed or not, she had footage the networks lacked. She had video of Carmichael and the control room. She had the interior of the Terminus rubble and the looks of the survivors as they pulled themselves free. She even had shaky footage of the robot falling before its explosion. People wanted to see these things.
She hadn't intended to be, but somehow she had become the new face of the "real" news of New Avalon. Though it was often glossed over and sidelined, there were those in Avalon who felt that things were happening that just weren't admitted, that weren't reported. They knew the town was far stranger than the news admitted and nobody was telling them what really happened. And now they were counting on Abby to be that person and bring them the stories. Abby wasn't sure about this new role at first, but when her internet channel's views became ad revenue and that ad revenue more than paid for her rent, she became surprisingly comfortable in this position.
It was a rollercoaster of a week for Abby and it culminated with a date with Will Voss. She was high on her good fortune and starry eyed to be out with the young hero. At first, there was a reality check. Of course there was no way he was the perfect hero she had built him up to be. He was just a person and of course flawed. Maybe he was a little too rigid, as he was a federal agent. Maybe he had a little too much ambition and maybe he was a little competitive. But reality can be quite good if given a chance. She found that he was a good person, he was surprisingly sweet, and he was interested in her for more than her looks or her sudden celebrity. And maybe it was a little flattering that he went on the date with her even when his superiors would rather he not. That good date lead to tentative plans for another.
The day after the great date and the rollercoaster week led her to another conclusion: she wanted more in her life. This was not just greed for more success, a withdrawal from the recent excitement, or an addiction to new experiences. She instead realized the direction she wanted her life to take. It wasn't about being New Abby or Old Abby. It was realizing that both those views of herself were constructions of a pointless conflict. Her new life was already happening, she just needed to ride it to where she wanted to go.
Jaya answered her door to find Dane. There was a manic gleefulness stretched across his face. She knew that look. He had a case.
"I need to borrow a few things from you!" said Dane, walking past her into the garage without even saying hello. "I think maybe another jammer, and maybe... ooo, do you have a disruption glove? And maybe something that unlocks doors! I mean, surely you could cook up the tech equivalent of an Enochian Omnitool! You're like magic with a wrench and soldering iron!"
"Don't you have your own things?" said Jaya, closing the door and following Dane.
"I do - I did, but Abby had my satchel after the Terminus," said Dane. "Which is fine! I had a few things at home! But I thought I should bolster my loadout, y'know? And I thought, who's my best girl who has all the gadgets?"
Jaya rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you just call Abby and get the satchel back?"
"Oh, you know," said Dane nervously. "I pu
sh! I'm pushy! We both know that, right? You usually before me. You're always saying how I push people into things. I thought, maybe this time I'll listen to Jaya! If Abby doesn't want to do this anymore, I won't pressure her! She's got all the stuff in her life happening, so she's busy!"
"You thought it would be too much pressure on her if you simply asked for your stuff back?" said Jaya.
"Yes," said Dane. "Am I wrong? Is that too much pressure? Well, it doesn't matter right now! But can I borrow a few things? A cup of sugar, a robot deactivation tool, maybe a signal scanner? I'm not sure exactly what I'll need, but I'm sure you have a few interesting odds and ends I could stick into a bag! Oh, by the way, do you have a bag I can borrow?"
Jaya smiled slyly. "Perhaps you'd like a cup of coffee first."
"Coffee? I'd love some coffee! I've only had, like, maybe three cups today! Do you still have that coffee making robot? I loved that little guy!"
Jaya gestured to her kitchen. Dane walked excitedly over to the door, stopping short in the doorway.
"She came over earlier to talk," said Jaya, walking up behind him. "Though honestly it isn't me she needs to be talking to."
Sitting at the table with a cup of tea in her hand was Abby. "Hello Dane," she said with a slightly bashful smile.
"Abby!" said Dane. "How are you? Phenomenal, I hope! You look phenomenal!"
"Flattery really doesn't suit you," said Abby. "So we should talk."
"I know, I know," said Dane. "I'm sorry I pressured you into going to the hotel. You almost died. I almost died. We all almost died. It really wasn't one of my best plays. When I saw the Terminus rubble, I really worried about you. I was glad when I saw you standing there reporting. How was that? But more importantly, I'm sorry. Truly sorry."
Jaya had walked past Dane into the room to turn on the coffee robot. She smiled hearing Dane overapologize.
"I didn't ask you to say sorry," said Abby.
"Then what did you want to talk about?" said Dane.
Abby grabbed Dane's satchel from the floor and put it on the table. "For one thing, I needed to return this."
"My gadgets!" said Dane excitedly, walking over to the table to grab the satchel and hug it lovingly.
"And second, I want to go out on a case with you," said Abby.
"You do?" said Dane with confused surprise.
"But you have to left me film it," said Abby.
Dane frowned. "Are you sure you want to do that? You saw how people treated you when you tried to report the Terminus destruction. I heard how the news networks won't touch you now. You know nobody's going to believe this new story, right?"
"Maybe the networks don't care," said Abby, "but there are people who do. They deserve to know and I'll keep telling them as long as they listen. And whether they believe it or not, I'm going to try. This is for me, not them. And if getting these stories means I'm going to risk my life doing something I love, so be it." She stood up from the table to be somewhat on eye level with him. "So I'm asking again. Dane, can I go on your adventures and film them?"
"Of course you can," said Dane with a smile. "Let's shake on it."
He put out his hand and she took it, shaking in firmly.
"To adventure!" said Dane.
"To adventure," said Abby.
The coffee robot dinged.
"Also coffee!" said Dane. "Never forget the coffee!"
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About the Author
Dennis Liggio is the author of eleven books, including the Damned Lies series, The Lost and the Damned, and the novella Cthulhu, Private Investigator. He is a veteran of the game industry, enjoys long walks on the beach while thumbing through tomes of unspeakable evil, and rumor has it that if you say his name three times in front of a mirror at midnight he will appear and give you Hostess Fruit Pies. He writes primarily in the genres of geeky absurdist humor, horror, and urban fantasy. He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and two furry monsters.
www.dennisliggio.com
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Books by Dennis Liggio
Burning Monday (Dane Monday #2) - Coming 2/22/16!
Dane and Abby ride again - in a modified El Camino using experimental rocket boosters! And that's not even the main story! After a brief stint of ghost drag racing, Dane follows a lead which brings him far below the city where he and Abby escape the jaws of death to find a strange device. Before they can find out what it is, the device is stolen by an outlaw motorcycle club who are harboring a violent secret. Meanwhile, their friend Wong's long buried past is coming back to haunt him with an explosive vengeance. In this Dane Monday adventure there's fire, a gigantic beast, mystical martial arts, a long buried past, and howling enemies. Chinatown is ready to burn - can Dane and Abby stop it? Find out in Burning Monday!
I Kill Monsters (Nowak Brothers #1)
Mikkel and Szandor kill monsters. They're not government funded, they're not from a time-honored lineage of hunters, nor are they rich kids with lots of toys. They're two twenty-something brothers from the poor side of town who have taken it on themselves to rid the streets and underground of creatures who would prey on the innocent. Donning gas masks and using makeshift weaponry, they delve into the labyrinthine sewer system of New Avalon to grapple with snarling zombies, flesh-eating ghouls, insectoid hive creatures, and more. It's a dirty job and it rarely pays, but someone has to do it.
Hired by a woman from the rich side of town who believes she's being stalked by monsters, the two brothers think they've finally gotten an easy job that will pay well. But as they follow the clues, things are not adding up. Kidnappings, jackbooted commandos, and mysterious emails are just the beginning. Soon they find themselves involved in something bigger than monsters. It's anybody's guess whether they'll come through it alive, much less get paid.
I Kill Monsters is an exciting punk rock urban fantasy for those who enjoy their protagonists with a mouth on them and a weapon in their hands.
Jabberwock Jack (Nowak Brothers #2)
Mikkel and Szandor are back! Everyone's favorite monster hunters return for a new adventure, and this time it's a monster that's bigger than they have ever dealt with before! While on a routine job in the city's underground tunnels, they stumble on a creature thought lost for years. They are then invited to join a hastily assembled team of hunters going underground to try to kill the enormous serpent. Delving deeper into the darkness than they have ever gone before, Mikkel and Szandor find themselves searching for this massive beast in dark overflow tunnels and the endless labyrinth under New Avalon. But creatures beneath the city are not their only problem. Soon tensions begin running high among the assembled hunters, threatening to derail the mission and put them all in danger. Will they succeed, or will they fall prey to the gigantic monster known as Jabberwock Jack?
The Case of the Dead Girl in my Apartment
When Jake arrives home to find his not-quite-girlfriend Melody murdered in his apartment, things seem like they couldn't get any worse. But when the killer, a ferocious man turned monster, is still there and looking for something of Melody's, Jake fights for his life, just barely getting out of the apartment to safety. Now he's on the hook for the murder of Melody. To clear his name, his college friends put together a reluctant Mystery Gang: Anna, the mystery-obsessed Criminal Justice Major; Eva, Jake's best friend and escapee from New Avalon's high society; Nathan, cynical Philosophy Major; and Thomas, the weird Physics grad student from across town. Together they investigate the murder and the object they murderer was looking for, stumbling onto something bigger and stranger than they ever imagined. Monsters, memory wipes, magic, men in black, and a secret war of Good versus Evil for the fate of the city and possibly the world. Mysteries have never been this strange.
Damned Lies
Damned Lies is the true story of things that never happened. It is a
fictional memoir of fantastic events. It is a chronicle of self-cloning, of adventure, of magic, of bare-fisted hobo boxing tournaments, of zombies, and more. It's the autobiography of a wild summer adventure out beyond the fields we know. It's the secret of what's hidden in a government bunker, it's the story of helping a nun with a crossbow hunt a vampire, it's the explanation of why you can't have that death ray you really wanted. It's a cautionary tale of just why cloning yourself is a really terrible idea.
Damned Lies is a big fish story for those who don't fish. It's a shaggy dog story for cat lovers. It's the scifi fantasy humor memoir we'll all wish we dictated on our deathbed. It's why we can't have nice things.
Damned Lies Strike Back
Damned Lies Strike Back follows in the great tradition of sequels in that it is bigger, bolder, and dripping with franchise potential. Like a good sequel, it answers all the unanswered questions of the original (except for the ones it doesn't). It is exactly the sequel this world needs.
This time around, our intrepid hero and friends battle the evil apocalyptic plans of his homicidal clone and a dangerous cult. At the same time he is facing his clone in the present day, he recounts the story of his first year in college where he formed a mystery gang to stop the nefarious plot of evil college professors. It all leads to a climactic sword fight and then a desperate epic battle against a true evil that we all know well...
Damned Lies of the Dead 3D
Damned Lies of the Dead 3D is not the zombie novel we need, but it's the zombie novel we deserve. In 1995, Austin, Texas was nearly wiped out by a zombie outbreak. This fact has been long suppressed, but the truth cannot be silenced. Now there is a firsthand account from our intrepid hero of just what happened... and how he survived. Only the dead know the truth...
Manic Monday: (Dane Monday 1) Page 27