🚀 go-pugleaf

     Trudy's eyes slowly opened.  She felt hands helping her up.  Her head
throbbed -- where--
     She saw them then.  Saw the bars.
     "No," she whispered.  All a dream.  Her freedom, everything... it was
all a dream, it wasn't real...."
     "NOO!!!!!" she screamed, throwing herself against the bars.  "NO NO NO
NO NO!!!!!!"
     "Unorthodox Girl!  Trudy!  It's all right!"
     "NO!!!!  Please God, No!!! I can't!  You can't--"
     Hands ripped her from the bars, and spun her around.  her eyes locked
onto brown eyes.
     Mike Green's eyes.  "We're here together," he said.  "We're together!
Do you hear me?  They don't have you, I swear!"
     Trudy collapsed against Mike and sobbed into the shoulder of his
uniform. He held her tightly, murmuring.  She felt arms enfolding her from
behind, and a voice -- female, someone she maybe knew -- speaking too.
     "It's all right, it's all right," she sobbed, trying to believe it.
If Mike was with her, it was okay.
     Slowly, ever so slowly, she relaxed.  Finally, drained, she
remembered. The fighting.  The war.  Scholarman.  Radian.  Someone decking
her.
     Mike had been on the other side.  Why were they together.  Where were they?
     "Where are we?" she sniffed.
     "Bob City jail.  The cops pulled everyone in -- from Andy Awesome to
Ted the janitor."
     "Radian?"
     "Got away."
     "How?"
     "She had a twenty-four hour safe conduct."
     "Who was the idiot who offered her that."
     Mike laughed nervously.  "Well, we... uh, we needed her."
     "Be kind to him," the woman said.  "He's had a hard day."
     Trudy tried to feel rage.  "Then... every one of us--"
     "More or less."
     "--more or less was taken into custody... except the most wanted
person on the planet, because she had a safe conduct?"
     "Yeah, that about covers it."
     Trudy kept trying to feel rage, but finally dissolved into a
hysterical laughter.  It was a release -- the tensions, her doubts, her
fears, the war all flowed into it, and Mike and the woman were laughing
too.  Finally, they collapsed on Trudy's bunk.
     After a few minutes, Trudy flipped over, jostling the other two
somewhat. "Hi," she said.  "Do I know you?"
     "Oh," Mike said.  "Uh, this is... um...."
     "Nora," the woman said.  "I work out of Seattle.  Keep the name under
your hat.  And you're?"
     "Trudy.  Nice to meet you."
     They sat a while longer, Trudy drinking in the acceptance.
     "Mike?"
     "Yeah, Trudster?"
     "Do you hate me?"
     Mike laughed lightly.  "Of course not," he said.
     "But -- I was on the side of the Revolution.  Even when I could see
what they really were -- all that death, and all that violence -- I stayed
with them.  How could you not hate me?"
     "Trudy... I fought for what I thought was right.  You fought for what
you thought was right.  In that fight, we had to face some ugly truths we
didn't want to.  And now we're older than we were.  How could I hate you
for any of that?"
     "Oh.  Okay.  I can accept that.  So where's Di -- uh, Spandex Babe."
     Mike stiffened noticeably.  "She's... across the hall, in a cell with
Spectrum."
     Trudy turned and looked at Mike.  His face looked cold.  "Mike -- what
is it?  If you can forgive me--"
     "It's not the same thing.  Not at all."
     "What do you me--"
     Nora put a hand on Trudy's shoulder, even as Mike moved to the other
end of the Cell, brooding.  "Trudy," she said carefully, "I saw part of
their fight.  I don't think Mike's ready to talk about Spandex Babe."
     "Mike fought Spandex Babe?  But why?"
     Mike turned.  "Because she beat a defenseless man to death, that's
why," he snapped.
     "What?  No... not--"
     Nora nodded.
     Trudy sat back.  "Damn," she said.  "It's my fault.  I got her into this."
     "She's a big girl, Trud.  It's her fault and her fault alone."
     There was the sound of shouting down the corridor.  Trudy jumped up
off the bunk and moved to the bars.  "What's that?" she asked.  Anything to
get Mike off the subject.
     "There are a lot of bubbas and magi kept in the same cells," Mike
said. "There's been a lot of problems because of it.  We're overcrowded,
exhausted, and there's a ton of bad blood."
     "We need to do something," Nora said.  "There's going to be a riot if
we aren't careful, and that isn't going to help any of us."
     "Wait a second," Mike said, thoughtfully.  "Wait a tick...."
     "Uh oh," Trudy said.
     "What?" asked Nora.
     "Mike's getting an idea.  Keep your hand on your wallet and
double-check to make sure you're still wearing your underwear."
     Mike stuck his tongue out.  "I'll tell the Dash you said that.  Hang
on, I have a plan, and you, my dear Unorthodox Lass--"
     "Girl."
     "--Girl are an important part of it.  But first--"  He hit the
Xolchacomm button connected to his uniform.  "Superuser?  Come on, I *know*
you're still wearing your uniform."
     "G'day Bruce!" Superuser's voice announced over the comm.
     "Superuser, drop it already.  The battle's over."
     "But Bruce, your nickname and codename *is* Bruce."
     "But -- oh yeah.  Okay.  Anyhow, I have a little plan to calm some of
these tensions.  Are you in a position to talk to any magi of power?"
     "Sure thing."
     "Great -- and do you know which cell T's in?"
     "Yeah, two down from me."
     "Fan-freaking-tastic.  I'm gonna send Nora down to talk to him, and I
need you to do something for me.  Call you back in a minute."  He
disconnected. "Good old Bill."
     "Bill who?" Nora asked.
     "You know -- Superuser.  Uh, you *did* know that, didn't you?"
     Nora shook her head.
     "Oh great."
     "Smooth, Mike," Trudy said.  "Even Superuser wouldn't be that much of
abonehead."
     "It'll be our secret.  So what's your plan?"

        *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *

     "Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you, Richard.  I died when my youth
spells wore off," the Decrepit One said.
     "I had a flaw in my Aorta, and it collapsed," Richard said.
     "Shot to death by the Sorstrata in disguise," Doctor Bizarre said,
shaking Richard's hand.
     Polly barked.  The Decrepit One nodded.  "Cancer can be rough," he said.
     "The Sorstrata?  Hunter was the Sorstrata?" Scholarman asked.
     Doctor Bizarre nodded.  "So how did you die, Scholarman?  Don't be rude."
     "Rude?"
     "Sure, sure.  After all, the one thing we all have in common is death.
So how did you shake off that mortal coil?"
     "Uh, Bulletproof shot me in the back."
     "That would do it.  Sounds like you need a cup of tea."  The Decrepit
One waved the waitress elf over.  "A cup of tea for my friend, and make it
properly.  I think a Gabriel's Pale Ale for his friend, and Lincolnville
Tap Water for the Cockapoo."
     "Give me half a sec, okay?"
     He nodded.  "So, dead already, Scholarman?  A pity."
     Scholarman glanced down at the earthbound corpse.  It was having
trouble breathing.  "Well, mostly dead," he said.  "I wonder who became
Sorcerer Superfluous."
     "No one, until your death becomes final," Doctor Bizarre said.  "But
they'll be ill-prepared."
     "There have been new, untrained Sorcerer Superfluouses before," the
Decrepit One said, "I was one.  Guinevere's death was sudden."
     "Yeah well, I guess it's out of my hands.  Some run, eh?"
     "You saved the universe, Eric.  That's a pretty good tenure no matter
how you look at it."  The Decrepit One smiled.
     "And maybe you stopped the end of the Age of Magic," Doctor Bizarre
added. "That's not bad, no matter what you think."
     "Well, I suppose."  The half-elf set a cup of tea with milk added in
front of Scholarman, as well as a mug of good looking ale in front of
Richard and a porcelain bowl of water in front of the dog.  Richard nodded
to the girl and took a long pull.  "Mmm... a good one.  Gabriel outdid
himself."
     "The Archangel?" asked Scholarman.
     Doctor Bizarre nodded.  "Think of the advantage having all of eternity
has when you're homebrewing."
     Scholarman nodded.  He lifted the cup to his lips, and sipped the tea.
     All the eyes, including the dog's, turned to him.
     "Wow," he said.
     "The best cup of tea you've ever had?" Richard asked.
     "God, no," Scholarman said.  "It was oversteeped, the water wasn't at
a full boil, and the milk was too cold.  But it's a good try."
     The Decrepit One nodded.  "I know exactly what you mean."

        *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *

     Thane leaned against the bars, his arm hanging out into the corridor,
his head twisted sideways enough that he could barely see Rainy Day Woman's
cell.  He blinked in surprise as she suddenly evaporated.  What was she up
to?  Escape wasn't her style.  He didn't think, anyway, he didn't exactly
know her well.
     "You like her, don't you?"
     He turned to look through the bars into the next cell over.  Anna was
there, her face still red and wet with tears.  "Yeah," he said, walking
over to her.  He reached through the bars and stroked the back of her head,
kissing her forehead.
     "She's pretty."
     He smiled.  "Yeah."
     "And she seems...nice..."
     "Ah, come on, come on," he said as she began to cry again.  "It's
okay.  Let it all out."
     "No," she said, wiping at his eyes, "it's not okay.  He'd be sticking
his finger down his throat and making gagging noises if he knew I was
crying over him."
     "Well, it was always his adolescent charm that attracted you, wasn't
it?"  Thane mussed her hair.  "That and the way he could turn his eyelids
inside out."
     She smiled a bit.  "No, not that."
     "You're sure?  I always thought that was one of his best talents."
     "No," she said.
     "Positive?  I mean, if it would help, I could try to turn my eyelids
inside out."
     A chuckle escaped between sniffles.  "Thane, no-"
     "I don't think it's that hard, really," he said, taking hold of his
eyelashes.  "I mean, all you do is pull up like this..."
     "Oh, god!  Thane, that's disgusting!  Cut it out!"
     "Oh, wait, that one popped back down," he said, making another effort
on his left eyelid.  Anna finally broke down and laughed, slapping at his
hands to make him drop his eyelids.
     "See?" he said.  "Don't you think he'd rather be remembered this way?"
     She nodded, laughing.
     "Okay, but there's one other thing you should do."
     "And that is?"
     "His favorite trick."
     "Oh, no, Thane.  I don't even know these people-"
     "So what?  They'll like it.  You'll like it, won't you?" Thane asked,
looking around at his fellow cellmates and nodding encouragingly.  Most of
them were bubbi, and blinked uncomprehendingly.
     "Come on," Thane smiled.  "Do it for John."
     She looked at him in silence, a slight smile on her face.  "All
right," she said at last.  "Stand back."
     He stood back.  She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began to
mutter the words.
     An electric charge seemed to fill the air.  The bubbi in the two
adjacent cells looked at each other nervously; Bullshit, a minor paranormal
who had fought on the side of the magi, watched cautiously.
     And then Anna harnessed the ineffable power of the cosmos, the
mysterious force we call magic, and drew it into herself.  She bent it to
her will, invoking the name of an ancient god of the northwest, drawing in
the mana, shaping it, molding it.  A strange aroma began to fill the cells,
and across the hall those with particularly acute senses of smell began to
sniff the air and look around themselves.
     Wielding the power that had made her a hated foe of the Industrial
Revolution, that had caused her to reveal her abilities to the world by
joining in the fight against them, that had enabled her to earn a modest
living on the streetcorners of Seattle, Anna produced a tray of espresso
drinks.
     "Orders, please?" she said primly.
     "Uh..." said a bubba.  "Latte?  Single short?"  She handed him one.
     "Single tall mocha," Bullshit requested.  He accepted it and sipped.
"Mmmmmmmmmm," he commented after a pause.  The rest of the drinks were
quickly accepted by the occupants of the two cells.  Somehow, Anna had
exactly as many of each kind as was desired.
     "You know," said Thane, "this is the best damn latte I've ever had."
     "Of course.  How do you think I got John's attention in the first
place?  Nothing like a pipeline to the Universal Elemental Espresso Machine
to get a date in Seattle."  She glanced across the hall into Andy Awesome's
cell, where Rainy Day Woman was huddled with the awesome hero and his
guitarist, T.  She nudged Thane and pointed the trio out.  "You might give
it a shot," she whispered.
     "What is she up to?" he mused.  He watched for a moment and then
turned, clinking his no-spill mug against hers.
     "To John," he said.
     "To John."  They sipped.
     "Right!" shouted a cop from the door as he began making his rounds for
the next batch of prisoners, collecting a new group as he returned the
others to their cells.  "Let's go, time for your phone calls.  You!
Unorthodox Lass!"
     "Girl," she mumbled at him, sounding miserable.
     "Shut up.  You were asleep when your cellmates made their calls.  Come
on, out with you."

        *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *

     A fight was brewing in one of the cells.  Two minor mages and a couple
of bubbas were exchanging angry words.
     "Stupid hick!"
     "Devil Worshiper!"
     "Close-minded twit!"
     "Zima drinker!"
     "Take that back!"
     "Make me!"
     "I'll make you into a toad, you gun-toting-"
     "SHUT UP!" Spectrum roared at the quartet from an adjacent cell.  "Its
over.  Now dammit, start thinking of some way to settle things peacably."
     The mage that was nearest Spectrum looked at the hero with distaste.
"Shut up yourself, loser. You and your revolutionaries lost, and you can't
take it.  Whats going to stop us next time?"
     "Bulletproof." Spectrum growled. "Or I will."
     "That walking corpse?" She-Devil growled from a cell further down,
"He's  in the hospital. "And you can't even stay clothed, not much of a
threat."
     "Angi, you are more obnoxious in person than I'd ever imagined."
     "And thats another thing! Where do you get off calling me by that
name? I don't even know you!" She-Devil hissed.
     Andy Awesome put his hand on her shoulder. "Do not provoke him
anymore," speaking softly, but awesomely. "You can settle personal issues
with Spectrum later, if you wish.  But the Awesome Force needs you now."
     Spandex Babe put her hand on Spectrum's shoulder. "That's enough,
Spectrum.  It's all... it's too much.  You can't -- you shouldn't... look,
you've lost your armor, right  So--"
     Spectrum turned away from the taunting mages and looked at Spandex
Babe. "I don't _need_ the armor."  He said softly, his voice like iron.  "I
could gate enough energy into this jail to vaporize the whole building. But
that would mean killing all my friends too.  And I'd be on the expressway
to Hell for the rest of my life."
     "You forgot the (tm)." Spandex Babe interjected. "What happened?  Did
you... did you kill someone?"
     "Not during the war.  Not on purpose, at least. But I killed one
before the Revolution..." Spectrum retold the events of the Gould
Conspiracy. "...and then when I got back, I heard Benedict was recruiting,
so I joined."
     Spandex Babe's eyes were closed, her breathing slow.  "The children,"
she whispered.  "All the children...."  Her eyes opened -- they were still
beautiful, but they seemed flawed.  Broken.  "I understand, now.  I know
why you hate them."
     Spectrum sighed. "I lost the fight then, too.  Maybe I should buy a clue."

(Continued in Part Four, following)


===========================================================================
| "There were promises to break and dreams to kill."                      |
|                                          -Elvis Costello, "20% Amnesia" |
|                                                                         |
| "He'll rekindle all the dreams it took you a lifetime to destroy."      |
|                                          -Nick Cave, "Red Right Hand"   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| William R. Dickson, M00se Illuminatus...................wrd@beer.wa.com |
| Co-Author, Internet Explorer Kit for Macintosh..........iek@tidbits.com |
| Author, "Team Cynical," Superguy Digest......listserv@ucf1vm.cc.ucf.edu |
===========================================================================