Alive
Book 2
Pt 9
1
The Nexus Plaza was growing on the horizon, its glittering facade appearing warped and melting through the rain-soaked copter window. Of course it was just an illusion, produced by light being detoured as it traveled through the soaked glass. David wiped a palm over the condensation as he studied the distortion of light through the water. 186,000 miles a second. 299,338 kilometers. That's how fast the photons striking his iris were moving. They could travel around the earth in 7 times in a second. An incomprehensible speed. Incomprehensible distance, at least to the human mind. It could not wrap itself around the magnitude of such numbers. But it was these very photons, the fastest energy in the Universe, that allowed for sight. It was all anyone ever really saw; light. It bounced off everything, creating the sensation of color and intensity, brilliance, depth and distance. And from this illusory phenomenon of energy acting on energy, interacting with energy… the Universe becomes visible. Amazing.
And what was the speed of events? David suddenly wondered. Did duration itself have a maximum velocity? What was the speed of time? The idea amused him and he chuckled.
"Helloooo?"
Amanda's voice broke David from his pondering. He sat back and smiled at her. He was feeling much more comfortable than last time, because he'd chosen his own attire for this trip. 'Bohemian Casual' is how he might have been described by those who paid attention to such things. Faded jeans. Plain white dress shirt, made of real cotton. Increasing rare in this day and age. Plain black tie, knotted loosely at the neck, and a simple jacket of soft brown suede. It was comfortable. Casual. Unpretentious. It was David.
"Ground control to Major Dreamer," Amanda teased.
"Sorry," he said. "I was just… thinking,"
"About?"
"Um… the rain. It's been going on for three days now. Wondering when it was going to let up. That's all."
Amanda didn't grace this lie with a response. She knew he was 'floating' again, letting his mind drift out towards whatever port of introspection his mental currents took him. He'd been doing that more than usual lately.
"We're getting ready to land," she said.
"I can see that."
"Then you know what you're going to say… right?"
David rolled his eyes, a pointless gesture in the dark of the cabin, and shrugged the question off. A week earlier he had unintentionally asked Frill on a date. Now he was going to show up and not only have to tell him it had been a misunderstanding, but he was also going to inquire about Frill's ex, Myron; a line of questioning that could easily create the wrong impression. And he had to do all that without making Frill angry. He needed the boy's help.
"C'mon, Mandy. Of course I have something ready," he said.
Amanda shot him a sideways glance and clucked her tongue. It was a 'give me a break', kind of sound; like a disappointed teacher might make when a student says the dog chewed up his homework.
"You have no idea, do you?" she said. "You're just going to waltz in there and break his little heart." She sighed. "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch."
"Amanda," David sighed.
"David," she sighed back.
The two teenagers frowned at each other for a moment before David finally broke the silence.
"So, who is this Mr. Grinch?" he said.
Amanda's jaw dropped and she slapped her forehead with an open palm. "G'uh?" she said, incredulously. "Were you ever a little kid?"
"Sort of," David replied. But Amanda wasn't playing anymore.
"Look David, Frill is a good friend of mine. He can rumble as good as any other guy, and he's not afraid of the occasional black eye. But deep inside he's as sweet as cotton candy and just as soft. Now, it's not really your fault that he took you wrong, but it's not really his fault that you're so … so charming and … irritatingly cute!"
David smiled. "Really? You think I'm-"
"Shut up!"
"Sorry."
"Now, even if it was by accident, you started this damned thing. You'd better end it gracefully, without hurting his feelings!"
David was quiet a moment, trying to shield himself from Amanda's accusing stare. He was about to reply when her phone suddenly went off. She answered, giving David one of her 'do not mess with me!' looks before she spoke.
"Jazzy gal!" Amanda said, suddenly cheerful and carefree. "Yeah we'll be parking in a minute or two. Where you guys at?"
David didn't listen to the rest. He was pretty sure it would be the usual Shiny jib-jab the girls talked about, and it had all begun to wear on him. Just a few weeks ago it had been so alluring, this realm of the Bright Flock; their world had seemed an enticing mystery. But the illusion was best at a distance. In the midst of it he saw on only more of the human obsession with flashing lights and noise, sound and fury; the incessant clamor of the mundane. The thrill was wearing off.
He set his sights back on the rain-drenched panorama outside, letting his mind wander on the incomprehensible reality that everyone else seemed to have long since taken for granted. These introspective moods always hit him at the most unexpected and, usually, inconvenient times. But he never tried to shrug them off. Something mysterious was at play in his subconscious. Something important. He had to let it run its course.
As the copter descended into the parking bay, David once again found himself pondering the strange notion he'd had, of a maximum velocity of events. Crazy idea, wasn't it? And intriguing. Could such a limit exist? He'd have to do some more reading on quantum physics before the subconscious thought thread could form a lucid idea, but he really hoped it wasn't true. Because, the faster this night was over, the better.
He had absolutely no idea what he was going to say to Frill.
2
They made their way from the parking bay under a passageway of floating transparent rain shields, which automatically deployed when the weather demanded. Security was tighter than the first time he'd been here, and a few of the kids dressed like CJ's were turned away. The Security Mecha scanned David and Amanda quickly. They probably looked an odd couple; he. dressed so dismissive of fashion, and she, glittering in her usual 'I will rock your world' attire. But David was pretty sure the bot didn't care about their clothing. It was probably linked up to a network, using facial recognition to compare their features to a long list of known troublemakers.
After a moment it waved them on.
The deluge hadn't dampened the enthusiasm of the crowds, and kids were flocked around their usual tables, laughing and taunting under floating awnings. A few carried their own umbrellas. Others just seemed to be enjoying the rain, and let themselves get drenched. Instead of a concert, The Nexus One, (which David was surprised to see open so soon after the fiasco last week) was hosting a game industry convention. Rather than the rowdy rockers that would usually be hanging around the entrance, trying to find a way to sneak in, young adults in dark business suits mingled with costumed kids, dressed as the heroes or villains from their favorite games.
Lex, the guard Mecha, paced a few dozen feet behind as David and Amanda located the place where they were to meet Frill. It was off the main plaza, at the end of a quiet cul de sac. When they went inside, Lex waited on a bench beneath an awning, and pretending to read a magazine it had brought as prop.
The restaurant was unusually tame, for The Nexus. Stained wood décor. Framed landscapes on the wall. Acquiescent serving Mecha with calm, generic features. Booths with thick separation walls, so adults could engage in adult conversations, or just enjoy the Mozart piano concerto that was streaming softly into the room. It was the kind of eatery where parents and chaperones took refuge while the kids were at concerts or Games Zones, or gathered in the plaza, engaged in something their guardians might disapprove of.
"Are you sure this is the right place," David said to Amanda as they stood in the foyer.
"Yep," she replied. "This is where he said he'd be. If you'd taken his call you'd know that."
"I didn't want to mess anything else up," David said.
"Good thinking," Amanda said, "You'd probably propose by accident."
A greeting Mecha in dark suit approached, smiling softly.
"Good evening," it said, it said with a light bow "Table for two?" David noticed the simulant's faint British accent. That was a marketing decision. It created an air of sophistication. Funny the presumptive associations people made.
"We're meeting someone here," David explained, looking around the softly lit room.
"He's meeting someone here," Amanda corrected. David turned a quizzical eye on her.
"I wouldn't want to interfere with your date," she said with a wink.
"It's not a date," David hissed.
"Oh? Well, it just looks like the kind of place for a date, so I figured-"
"Amanda!" David said. "It's – not - a – date!"
"Shhh," she replied. "Don't be a spectacle. People are trying to enjoy their dinner."
The serving Mecha stepped back, eying the teens with robotic patience while they settled their peculiar dispute.
"But seriously, this is guy stuff," Amanda said, cocking her eyebrow. "I'm going to hang with Jazzy and the girls in the plaza. You two have work this one out."
David was about to object when someone nearby made a hissing sound.
"Would it be safe to assume that is the party you're looking for?" the greeting Mecha said, gesturing to someone seated a few booths from the entrance.
It was Frill, waving and hissing 'psst-psst' though his teeth, eliciting annoyed glances from the adults at the next booth. He was dressed uncharacteristically somber; a dark dress coat over a black shirt and slacks. No facial enhancements except a solitary earring and the faint hint of lip gloss, neither of which was uncommon these days. And his ordinarily purple hair was now a dark shade of blue. No one would mistake him for one of the Shiny kids that flocked to the plaza every weekend.
"What's with him?" David whispered from the side of his mouth as he flashed Frill a welcoming smile.
"He's trying to impress you," Amanda replied, blowing her friend a kiss. "He thinks you're 'mature for your age'. It's all that polysyllabic gobbledygook you spew. I haven't told him about your Teddy bear and toy copter…. Yet."
"Gee, thanks," David sighed.
"Don't screw this up," Amanda whispered as she turned to leave.
3
"So, that will be the crème brûlée sauce, then?" the serving Mecha said.
Frill stared at the menu a moment longer, biting his lower lip in indecision. It was clear this was not his usual type of dining establishment.
The bruises from the fight last week, were almost gone already. All that was left was a barely noticeable dark splotch above the ridge of his nose. David finally realized that he was staring at Frill, and looked away.
"Yeah, that sounds alright," Frill said finally. The waiter took his menu and turned to David.
"Your Vegetable Platter will be ready much quicker, sir. Would you like it when it's done, or shall I bring both meals together?"
"No hurry," David replied. "Together is fine"
"I'll bring your drinks momentarily," the waiter said before he bowed courteously and walked off, leaving the boys in an awkward silence.
"So where's Mandy off to?" Frill said.
David sighed louder than he'd intended. "Girls," he said with an expansive shrug. "Who knows?"
Frill guffawed at this and David suddenly wondered if he'd said something else that might be misinterpreted. Time for a quick change of subject.
"You know how they used to make veal?" he said.
Frill thought for a moment. "It's cow meat, right?"
"Calf actually," David explained, adopting an unintentional professorial posture. "They'd take a young calf and shackle it, so it couldn't move, just lay there and eat til it got fat and soft. By the time it was ready for processing it couldn't even stand. Legs are too weak. Bones never developed properly so they usually broke. Then they would…"
David stopped abruptly when he noticed Frill sitting up straight, face aghast, a troubled crease on his brow.
"Why didn't you mention this before I ordered," Frill said, genuine alarm in his voice.
"No, no! They don't do that anymore," David explained quickly. "I don't think it's even legal. Veal is all produced in a lab now. I would have told you."
He was happy to see Frill's face finally relax.
"Good," the boy said, shaking his head. "Because that's just gross. And evil. I couldn't even…" he shuddered and made a retching sound. "Yeck."
They grew quiet as the waiter stopped by and placed their drinks on the table. David sipped in silence, watching Frill pick up his cup, drink and set it back on the table. Such peculiarly graceful movements for even so simple an act as drinking from a cup. He thought about what Amanda had said: 'sweet and soft as cotton candy'. Most people wouldn't have cared how their food was made. He shot Frill an apologetic glance.
"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to ruin your meal. Probably shouldn't have brought it up."
"Don't phase," Frill said." It's all good. I know you're that kind of guy."
David found his curiosity piqued. How did Frill see him? Usually he didn't really care about people's perceptions. They were always wrong. But…
"What kind of guy is that?" he said, toying with the condiments, pretending to not really care.
Frill shrugged and relaxed back in the booth.
"All mental," he said. "You're smart about things, but a bit clueless about people, so you don't always know when you're stepping out of line. You zone sometimes. Probably a lot. …. I mean, I don't know that for sure, I only met you once, but I'd bet you do. So you miss half of a conversation because you're obsessing on some little detail of something someone said, or did. And it just fascinates you like something shiny in a gutter across the street, so you have to leave in the middle of the conversation all the time, and that makes you say 'huh' a lot and sometimes people think you're stupid, but you're really not… you're just paying too much attention to the little stuff."
He paused there. "How am I doing so far?"
David opened his mouth to reply, but didn't know what to say. It was surprisingly accurate for only meeting once. He cleared his throat and hoped he wasn't blushing.
"Huh?" he replied finally.
Frill's laughter was a pleasant sound. David found himself laughing along. This was turning out easier than he'd expected.
"Ok. I'll take that as a confirmation, " Frill said. He was quiet a moment. His face grew serious, his manner pensive. He spoke slower now, rhythmic, something almost hypnotic in his voice.
"You're a loner. I can tell. Something probably happened that made you that way. I don't know what it was, but it's something you can't talk about… something people would never understand. Or at least you think they would never understand. And whatever it was, it's still affecting you… makes you keep people at a safe distance so you won't have to answer too many questions."
David shifted uncomfortably in his seat, hoping the waiter would show up with their dinner soon. This was suddenly bothering him in a way he didn't understand. He felt exposed. Naked. He wanted Frill to stop now. But didn't know how to ask.
"You don't even like what I'm saying right now," Frill continued. "but don't know how to tell me to stop."
This made David look up, shock on his face. Was this some type of trick? Frill smiled without looking at him.
"You probably think I looked all this up on the web or something, or used some weird profile grabber…. but you'd be wrong." Then he looked straight into David's eyes and for the first time David really saw him; saw the raw emotive force of the quiet boy with the cotton candy soul.
"The truth is, you're not really that different from someone else I know, Blue," Frill continued. "He was mental and abstract too. Not as smart as you are, nowhere near as deep, but just as distant. The difference is that you're ok with your solitude. You have… some purpose I guess, keeps you going. You're at peace with yourself. He isn't. He has secrets too, and won't share them with anyone either. But he never made peace with it. So he ran from clique to clique, always looking for where he belonged, never able to deal with the fact that none of us really 'belong' anywhere."
David pondered this.
"C'mon. You know it's true," Frill continued. "We're all really alone, in the end. We have to compromise, give up a little of ourselves to fit in. Or else we're always floating at the edge of the crowd. Like… being in limbo."
David was stunned by the unexpected insight. He nodded in silent agreement.
"But he never wanted to give anything," Frill continued, "always wanted to take and take and take. And the more obvious it became that he was alone, the louder and angrier he got. Until one day he was just …" Frill looked down and shrugged. "He was just somebody else. He changed completely… became someone as loud and angry as whatever secret burned him."
"Myron," David said. Frill smiled and nodded.
"That's why you're here, isn't it?" he said.
"Amanda explained?" David said.
Frill laughed.
"Mandy? She would just as soon secretly record our conversation and play it back for a laugh," he said.
"She's not that mean," David said, defensively.
"No," Frill said. "She's not cruel. But she's still a little girl" He pointed to his head. "I mean up here."
David struggled with this. But after a moment he sighed a concession. There was truth in the words.
"I know something else about you," Frill said. David wasn't sure he wanted to hear any more, but Frill spoke before he could object. "You're kind," Frill said. "You don't want to hurt anybody, and that's why you can't figure out how to tell me that… that you aren't really here to see me."
David looked down, embarrassed by the emotion of the subject. Frill chuckled.
"It's ok," he said. "I'm a big boy. At least now I won't have to lie to Zee about anything."
"Don't phase, eh?" David said, trying to not show how relieved he was.
"Yeah, don't phase," Frill laughed. "You're after Myron, aren't you? You wanted to talk with me because we used to go together."
"I couldn't say it over the phone," David explained apologetically. "Ever since the snoopers were caught, security has been really tight and I … I need to do this myself."
"He was my first, you know," Frill said, crossing his arms and leaning on the table, gazing off at a memory. "Used to drive me crazy keeping up with his damned moods."
David was quiet until Frill's dark nostalgia passed.
"What's this about?" Frill said at last. "I hope it's not revenge. And not because I care about that crazy Crash Jamming assbite anymore, but because something so petty would really be beneath you."
"Not revenge," David said. "I already got pay back last week. Remember?" They shared a quick laugh at that before David continued. "The whole fight was a ruse, just to plant the spiders. I know Myron was part of the scam. I need to find out where those snoops came from. It's a long story and I can't share most of it. But I think I might know whose behind this thing, and… well, it's important."
Frill thought for a moment. He ran a finger across his smooth forehead, swiping his long blue hair from his face.. Then he smiled mischievously.
"Ok," he said. "I tell you anything you want. But first you must tell me something… about me."
"Huh?" David said. Frill scolded him with a playful frown..
"Ok," David said in surrender "I'm not as good at this as you obviously are, but here we go." He thought a moment. "You're very insightful. And… smarter than you let on."
Frill rolled his eyes. "Boooring!"
"Okok, hold on," David said. "You… uh." David forgot himself for a moment. He'd learned how to read people long ago, when he was with Sy's gang. Perhaps his senses had been dulled by so many years of isolation, nothing but Mecha and rusty old scavengers for friends. Or perhaps this was a much more complicated game than simply spotting marks.
"Quitting already?" Frill teased.
"Not quite," David responded, rising to the challenge. "You … like to read, but rarely finish a book. Computer games bore you, even holo-decks, because no matter how good they are, you know it's not real. You learn quickly but hate to study, so you know a little bit about a lot but everything about nothing." David paused there. "How am I doing?"
Frill raised his eyebrows. "Wrong on the holo-decks but, by all means, continue."
"Ok," David smiled. "You like being in crowds… but mostly because you can disappear in the noise and the madness. They're almost like a disguise you wear… because even though you can play rough when you have to, inside you're gentle… as soft as cotton candy… and you know that makes you vulnerable."
Frill shrugged this off. "Not bad," he said.
"Not finished", David responded. "You're lying about Myron, I can tell. You're not being honest about the way you feel. When he started Crash Jamming, it broke your heart. You felt betrayed, because … because you really loved him … and you still do. Thinking about what he's become makes you sad. So you pretend you don't care."
This one made Frill grow quiet, look away. David was thinking he may have gone too far when the boy started chuckling to himself.
"What?" David said. "Tell me I'm wrong."
"Well, it's not that I loved him so much," Frill replied, "It's just that in spite of appearances, he's a really, really excellent kisser. A wild man where it counts, you know what I mean?" The blue haired boy punctuated this admission with a wink.
"Oh," David said, unsure how to respond. "I… uh… I mean. I guess that's… Oh, where's our waiter?"
"You know, you're really cute when you blush." Frill said.
Fortunately the waiter showed up then, with two steaming plates in tow. Not a moment too soon.
"Now," David said as their plates were set on the table. "Will you tell me how to find Myron?"
Frill poked a fork in his lab generated Veal, and studied it curiously.
"I'll do better than that," he said.
4
"So?" Amanda said as The Nexus slowly receded behind them.
David didn't respond at first. He peered out the window as the city lights below gave way to the dark stretch of ocean. The rain had finally let up a bit, and small pockets of stars were peeking through the cloud cover ahead.
"So what?" David said at last.
"How'd things go? Did you two work out your … issues?"
"Did you ever wonder if time has a maximum speed?" David said.
"What?"
"Time," David replied. "According to Einstein, should you surpass the speed of light, you would begin to witness time slowing and stopping, and then even see past events because you are now traveling faster than the photons that carry the information we use as sight. Now this is all impossible, of course, but it made me wonder if time and light are somehow the same phenomenon. Is the speed of light also the speed of time?"
"David!" Amanda blurted, causing Lex to look back from the front of the copter. "Stay with me for a moment, ok? What happened with Frill?" she said, exasperated.
"Oh yeah. Frill," David said. "We worked things out."
"Aaaand?"
"Don't phase, girl!" David snapped, in his best imitation of a Shiney, waving his hand as if to shoo her off.
"You don't wear that very well," Amanda said. David conceded with a laugh.
"Let's just say, you're going to be helping me do some shopping this week," he said. "I'll need something dark and leathery; full of unbridled machismo, sexual insecurity and teenage angst."
Amanda crossed her arms, glaring at him. He let her steam a bit before he explained.
"I'll be going Crash Jamming with Frill next week," he said at last. "I'll need to look the part."
(cont...)