"What about me?" Fuyuko asked. "I know him. Maybe it wouldn't seem so strange for his daughter to be there. Could you somehow put me there?"
Angie turned a pale shade of green.
"Do you have any idea what you're asking me to do?"
"Yes, and I already said I'm sorry. I'll apologize a million more times if it means you'll help me."
"Do you really think there's more to Katsuro's death?"
Fuyuko grasped Angie's hands. "I'm sure of it. I wouldn't be here otherwise."
Angie stared into her eyes, perhaps searching to see if she meant what she said. Finally, she nodded. "Ok, I'm in."
7
First Day Jitters
Gwynn awoke from a dreamless sleep. He reached to his chest and felt the amulet Alice gave him. Had it really kept the bad dreams away, or was it just the power of suggestion? Still, given his current roommates—Jason, Caelum and Brandt—would never let him live down crying out in his sleep, he was thankful for the reprieve.
They occupied a number of trailers outside the quarantine zone established by the military and local state troopers.
"Since we have no idea what currency will be used," Njord explained upon their arrival the evening before, "all our supplies and housing arrangements will be handled outside of town on our side of the dimensional fence. So, if you think you'll need snacks, make sure you pack ahead of time. Also, each of your teams is being assigned a vehicle. These have been outfitted with transmitters that should create a small cellular network, so we'll be able to communicate. The transmitters have about a three kilometre range, so with us spread throughout the city, our coverage should be decent. But remember, if anything happens to a vehicle, it will cause a decrease in our coverage net, so treat them with care." Njord eyed Brandt directly.
"What?" Brandt blurted. "I smashed one car, one time, and now I have a reputation? Bullshit."
"In terms of supplies, that goes for gas as well. Make sure you have a full tank each day before heading into town."
Natalie raised her hand. When Njord nodded toward her, she said, "I still don't understand why we're here. Why didn't they send in one of the brainiac teams?"
"Speak for yourself," Caelum said. "I happen to count myself as being intelligent enough to carry out this mission."
It struck Gwynn everyone seemed more at ease without Woten in the room. He doubted any of these conversations would've taken place in Suture.
"Look," Natalie continued, "I'm not saying we're dumb. Well, maybe not all of us…" She looked at Brandt.
"Man, why is everyone shitting on me today?" Brandt said. Caelum gave him a reassuring pat on the back.
"…I'm just saying we're usually the combat team. Why send us in for a pure recon mission?"
Some others nodded their agreement.
"Were you in that cornfield? Because when I was there, I watched some guy who was normal and harmless turn into a Curse in a matter of seconds. While this may not be a combat mission right off the hop, it could become one at any moment. The idea here is to reduce the likelihood of casualties. Hence send in those who can handle a fight right from the start. Anyone else have some doubts they'd like to express?" Njord asked.
"Not doubts, sir," Jason said. "Just wondering, with us split up, what's the procedure if we get into trouble?"
Njord pointed at Jason with a smile. "Now there's an excellent question, and the point I was about to address next." Njord held up his arm, displaying the watch/tether. "On the side of the tether, there are two buttons. If you press them simultaneously they will send a distress to all of our watches, which will vibrate and the face will turn red. The tethers are also tied into a GPS that will triangulate based on our ad-hoc cell network to indicate the location of the member in distress. It won't be precise, but it'll get us close. Best thing to do if you get into trouble, try to make it close to your vehicle. If you're right next to it, the GPS will pinpoint you much easier. That said, under no condition should you attempt to Fold out. Research Department says you'll hit a dimensional wall and probably have your atoms scattered." He surveyed their expressions for understanding. Their grim looks satisfied him. "Anything else?"
No one volunteered anything, so Njord assigned the bunking arrangements and everyone grabbed something to eat and split to try to get some sleep. Gwynn hadn't gone right away. Even with Alice's reassurances, he dreaded sleeping and meeting that man again. It felt too real for him to be comfortable. After almost a decade of recurring nightmares, he'd become well acquainted with them. This felt totally different.
Alice found him sitting on a small hill, staring out at the flashing lights of the distant blockades.
"Do you think they know?" he asked.
"Who knows what?"
"The people, over in that city." Gwynn nodded toward the haze of lights several kilometres further away than the blockade. "Do you think they know something is wrong? Have they seen someone turn into a Curse and live in constant fear of it? Is that why no one seems to be trying to leave?"
She sat down next to him, close enough he felt her warmth. Odd how—late August, in Florida, the air hanging about them like a warm, wet, towel—he could still tell the difference between the warmth in the air and the warmth of a person.
"I don't know." She drew her legs up and rested her chin on her knees. "They might not even know something is wrong."
"How's that possible?"
"Zeus said this is an incomplete resolution of a paradox."
Gwynn laughed. "Wow, and I thought Woten's calling it a 'bleed through' approached being technical."
"Yes, well, Zeus likes to sound wiser than anyone else in the room. Probably comes from an inferiority complex because he has a daughter far smarter than himself. That town is in between places. If one of its citizens walked out of town, they might still be in their own world, or perhaps they would end up on another and become a Curse, or maybe they'd just slip between the cracks of our physical world and cease to exist. It's hard to tell. Since I haven't seen anyone try to leave, I'm guessing they know some reason they should stay in town."
Gwynn nodded slowly, "Do you suppose that's because something happened, or because of some other reason, like…" He frowned, searching for the right word.
"Instinct?" Alice suggested.
"Yeah, I suppose. I mean, if this is something the universe, the Veil, God, or even Fate, are trying to make happen, maybe some instinct kicks in telling them to stay put. It seems stupid going to such effort to save something, just to have everyone get killed in the process."
"I hope you're right. I'd hate to be in there if it suddenly decides to tear itself apart." She stood and touched Gwynn's shoulder. "You should get some sleep. Tomorrow will probably be…stressful."
"Right."
He stood, brushed himself off, and followed her back to the trailers. Walking into his assigned trailer, he shivered as the air conditioned air struck the perspiration on his skin.
"Incest is wrong, bro." Jason laughed.
"What?" Gwynn asked.
Jason, Brandt and Caelum erupted into laughter. Heat rushed into Gwynn's cheeks.
"It's cool, we're not really laughing at you," Caelum said, probably in response to Gwynn's visible discomfort. "It's funnier because Jason's been sitting here the whole time waiting to say that to you. Thank God you came in when you did. Another five minutes and I think he would've charged out there just so he could get it out."
"Yeah, the boss here doesn't come up with good lines often. He gets pissed if he manages one and doesn't get to use it," Brandt said.
"Wow, here I am trying to give Gwynn a hard time, and now it's all turning around on me."
"You know the old saying, Karma's a bitch," Caelum said.
"Whatever. Anyway, Gwynn, how is Alesandra? Is she all right?" Jason asked.
"Yeah. She's smart and easy to talk to. I think we're good with her on our team."
"Good. Cause there's no way we're blowing our mission before these other two jokers.
"
Brandt and Caelum raised such a rowdy denial Njord hammered on the door and told them to stifle it. A few quieter laughs and discussions later, the lights were doused and the boys agreed to try for some sleep.
The dread of what waited in his dreams kept Gwynn awake for some time. While he lay there, he cast his thoughts back on the day. He'd met the Zeus. During their conversation, he'd realized how far away from his new companions he was. But after, he'd found a new friend in Alice, and these final moments of the day with the three boys in the trailer, he'd felt like he belonged. Perhaps for the first time, coming to Suture seemed right.
Morning brought the hustle of preparation. Quick showers, dressing in civilian clothes with their labels removed—who knew what clothing brands existed in this world—heading to the mess tent for a quick breakfast, and meeting in another trailer serving as the mission headquarters.
"The first team of Gwynn, Jason and Alesandra—"
"Please, call me Alice."
"Very well, Jason, Gwynn and Alice, will drive to their destination and I will follow in another vehicle. I'll be posing as their father and will try to negotiate the hurtles of building a cover story and getting you enrolled at the school, so listen to what I tell the administration. Assuming all goes well, I'll return and do the same thing with the other school team. The rest of you, you have your postings at the other various points in town. Standby until I return from dropping off team one. That way, if we run into trouble, it's just us. Clear?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good people, let's move out."
"Did either of you look at the cars?" Jason asked.
Gwynn and Alice shook their heads.
"Man, three teenagers being given a car and we didn't even bother to check it out. We really are messed up."
"That's yours over there," Njord said from behind them, pointing to a four-door sedan with all the boxiness of a car from the eighties.
"So obviously we're not posing as the cool kids," Alice said.
"Based on the surveillance, these are the predominant style of vehicles on the roads. While it may insult your finer sense of style, the point is to blend in."
"Huh," Jason said. "Why couldn't we have a city pop into our reality where everyone drove Ferraris?"
The three of them piled into their car—Jason at the wheel. Njord hopped into another car which, to Gwynn's eyes, seemed far nicer than theirs. They crawled away from the compound and made their way toward the barricade. Space had been cleared for their passing. The combined military and state troops eyed them suspiciously as they waved them through.
What must they be thinking? Gwynn wondered. Being told to guard this area as it's so dangerous and yet a bunch of kids just cruise in.
None of them could say the actual point they crossed over into another world. Both Gwynn and Jason felt a slight tingling and the similar sense of wrongness, but it started shortly after the blockade and continued well into the city limits. Alice sat in the passenger seat, navigating Jason based on maps the surveillance team had put together.
They pulled into the school parking lot. Several spots were already occupied with, Gwynn had to begrudgingly admit, cars similar to their own. They arrived late—missing the start of the school day hustle would make keeping track of Njord's story easier.
Gwynn had been so tired and distracted, he hadn't read what little information they had. Now he took the time to read the school name.
He began to tremble.
"Gwynn, what's wrong?" Alice asked.
The words wouldn't come. He just pointed to the sign dubbing the school North Field High.
"Damn, that's creepy," Jason said.
"What?"
"That's the name of Gwynn's old high school. The one he kinda destroyed fighting his principal who'd become a Taint," Jason explained.
"Oh. That is odd." She turned around to look at him in the back seat. "You went to school in Canada, didn't you?"
Gwynn nodded.
"Then it's just a coincidence," Alice said. "Zeus told me this city isn't here randomly. It exists in this spot on some other Earth. So it can't be related to your old high school because it's half a continent away."
"Still doesn't strike me as a good omen," Gwynn managed to say.
"Too late to cry about it," Jason said. "We've got a job to do. Just forget the name of the damn school."
They exited the car and joined Njord, who assumed a fatherly air and escorted them into the school to the main office.
Several tense moments went by where everything threatened to fall apart before they even started. Only Njord's gift of conversation and quick thinking rescued them. A week before, the city was placed on quarantine. The office staff acted suspicious that three new students should be arriving. Njord convinced them he'd been posted on government business associated with the quarantine. Since he would be here for a long time, the government agreed to let him move his kids to town. The quarantine delayed their paperwork, Njord explained, but he assured them it should arrive in no more than a week's time.
With timetables in hand, they left the office and prepared to set out into the school.
"So to keep it easy, you're all registered under your own first names, but your shared last name is Smythe, just like the briefing notes said. Clear?"
The three nodded.
"So what do you think the quarantine is all about?" Jason asked. "It seemed like even the staff weren't sure."
"My guess is it had to do with the odd energies detected around the city. We knew what they were, but if this world has no Suture, it's likely their scientists aren't sure. Just keep a low profile. Remember, your father is here on business and you've been assigned to this school for the duration. If anyone asks you about where else you've been, just try to deflect it by saying you move around too much to even bother keeping track. Try to snag a map or something so we can flesh out the story a bit more tonight. I'm not too thrilled about both my Scripts in the same basket, but this is Gwynn's first infiltration mission. You're my best Jason, I expect you to keep him out of trouble. Good luck."
After Njord left, the three took a moment to compare schedules.
"So Gwynn and I are supposedly twins," Jason said. "So we've got math together in the last period."
"Meaning I have nothing with you because I'm the younger sister," Alice said.
"We'll meet at lunch and compare notes. I've got physical education first. What about you, Gwynn?"
"History."
"Could be useful," Jason said. "Hopefully they give out text books. Alice?"
"English."
"Right. Ok. Well, see you all at lunch."
Parting from the others filled Gwynn with dread. Though he'd felt the outcast, he realized he hadn't been entirely on his own for the past eight months.
It's all just muscle memory. He told himself. I spent years as a ghost, it can't be hard to remember how.
Of course, that had been explained to him. It wasn't he'd been great at going unnoticed, it was because on a subconscious level, his classmates sensed the 'otherness' of him and steered clear. It explained the empty seat awaiting his arrival at lunch in the cafeteria. Would these kids be the same? Or would the fact he awakened to his powers, and gained some comfort with them, make him less foreign?
I'm from another world. I couldn't get more foreign.
The back of his neck tingled and rippled with goose flesh. He turned his head.
No one in sight.
Gwynn made his way to history class. The sensation of being watched didn't lessen. No matter how many times he searched, with both eyes and heightened senses from the Veil, he still couldn't find the source.
I'm getting jumpy. Better keep it together, or I'll never hear the end of it from Brandt.
Arriving at the classroom, he knocked on the door and waited for the teacher to motion for him to enter. He handed a slip of paper to her, explaining he belonged in the class. She indicated an empty desk at the front.
It's goi
ng to be hard to go unnoticed when everyone is staring at the back of my head.
"So, we were discussing the importance of the date April Fourteenth, Eighteen-Sixty-Five. Can anyone tell me the significance?"
"It was the date of the attempted assassination of President Lincoln and the successful assassination of Vice-president Johnson," a student behind Gwynn said.
"Very good. Is everything all right Mr. Smythe, you look confused."
It took a moment for Gwynn to recall she was speaking to him when she used the name Smythe.
"No ma'am, I just… I was just thinking it was bad I had forgotten that date."
"Well, it is an important date. After the coordinated attempts on the President, Vice-president, and Secretary of State, President Lincoln became even more bold in his plans for the reconstruction after the Civil War. This riled some Southerners who became, what we would call nowadays, a domestic terrorist cell called the Brothers of the Confederacy. Over the past one-hundred and fifty years, they've claimed responsibility for a number of assassinations and public acts of terror. Though at this point it's hard to see why they still bother."
So it went. Names and dates, as they were explained, demonstrated a significant number of differences in this world from his own. Though things still seemed very similar. Chancing the odd glance at his classmates, he saw cell phones, MP3 players, and the odd brand name logo he recognized. Flipping through the text book, he saw major events occurred in common with his own world. The rise of the Nazis, 9-11, they'd all happened, but with slight variations. Did this indicate a world in proximity to their own, or did fate ensure some events always happened?
Two more periods passed before Gwynn reunited with Jason and Alice in the cafeteria.
Unlike the cafeteria at Suture and his old school of Northfield, this one had its tables laid out in a chaotic pattern. There was no attempt to maximize the space by lining the tables in straight rows, instead they seemed to encourage small groups to congregate around individual tables. Was it due to low enrolment, or were they actually encouraging the creation of cliques? Along one wall ran a food counter. The smells were familiar and the kids walking away had trays filled with burgers and chicken fingers. Gwynn regretted his standard issue bagged lunch.
Suture (The Bleeding Worlds) Page 9