Ramble

by D. B. Goodin

  Alice tried getting out of bed. She held onto the nightstand; it rattled, and she almost fell.

  Probably not the best idea, Alice!

  She got back into bed then redialed Lindsey. Someone picked up on the second ring but didn’t say anything.

  “Hey, Lindsey, you there?”

  Lindsey didn’t respond.

  “It’s me—Alice!”

  “Where have you been?” Lindsey cried. “I’ve been worried sick, we thought, you—”

  “I’m back now—just a little tired,” Alice said.

  “Thank god. An officer named Rollins has been looking for you.”

  Alice remembered the painful memory of Officer Rollins arresting her.

  “What did you tell him?” Alice asked.

  “I told him I had not seen you since that day at the hospital.”

  “It sounds crazy, and it’s hard to explain, so I’ll just say it. Officer Rollins arrested me just a day or two after I saw you last.”

  Lindsey said nothing.

  “You still there?” Alice said.

  “If Officer Rollins arrested you, why was he—”

  “We have an imposter. I think the real Officer Rollins called you,” Alice said.

  “I don’t understand. Why?” Lindsey said.

  “That is what I have to find out. When did Rollins contact you last?”

  “I don’t know . . . A few days ago.”

  “They took me to some kind of facility in Central Park and subjected me to all kinds of strange experiments.”

  Alice could hardly believe what she was saying. Both women were silent for a long moment.

  “Where you at now?”

  “I’m at Queenies.”

  “I hope you know that you can come here, Alice, this is still your home,” Lindsey said. “I’ve been looking after Alfred.”

  “Thank you,” Alice replied. “Yeah . . . I’m just taking things one step at a time for now. I wanted to let you know that I was okay. I will be in touch.”

  Alice placed the phone on the nightstand and collapsed back into sleep.

  5

  Alice woke up again when Lawrence’s phone emitted an ear-piercing screech; it sounded like a cheap, out-of-tune musical instrument.

  That sounds horrible—is that his ring tone?

  Alice picked it up without thinking.

  “Lawrence, are you ready to execute the plan?” a familiar voice said.

  This sounds like Elias.

  Alice remembered back to Elias’s tent, and his fascination for musical instruments. She remembered his exiled followers wandering in the woods around the compound; that mental image gave her chills.

  “Lawrence is not by his damn phone,” Alice said.

  “Oh well hello, Emissary, it’s an honor.”

  “What plan are you going on about?”

  “That’s between us brothers—for now. I shall inform you at the appropriate time, my dear.”

  Lawrence entered the room. Alice held the phone out. “It’s your brother,” she said. He grabbed the phone without another word and left the room.

  Alice walked over to a nearby window. A comfortable oversized easy chair was positioned nearby. She fell asleep watching the normal traffic of New York.

  Later that day, Alice awoke to the sound of clanking dishes. She got out of bed and followed the sound to a nearby room.

  It feels good to walk again, Alice thought. Her body was feeling much stronger. It had been several days since Grace had rescued her from Central Park. Alice had slept so much since her white room experience and was ready for a change of scenery.

  Grace was setting up a makeshift dinner table out of some packing crates. The room was large; Alice estimated it was about the size of her old apartment’s living room.

  “What’s going on?” Alice asked.

  “I thought it would be nice to have some dinner. You must be hungry—you’ve been sleeping all day,” Grace said.

  “Yeah, I am. I hope the food isn’t white.”

  Alice’s mind flashed back to some of the horrific meals she’d had while in the white room: the half-frozen white chicken breast, white rice, and white bread. Alice cringed at the memory.

  “Oh . . . right! Don’t worry about that. Barry is making steak,” Grace said, trying to sound cheerful.

  Alice’s stomach growled when Grace mentioned food.

  “Sounds delicious,” she replied. “The food in that place didn’t have a taste—it was like I was eating paper.”

  “Well, Barry has filets and rib steaks for us all. He also made spinach and . . . potatoes, but you don’t have to eat those.”

  Alice smiled. “That sounds wonderful.”

  Moments later, Barry walked in carrying a plate with several steaks. Lawrence followed with bread and red wine. Grace tossed the salad. When dinner was served, Alice ate like it was the last food on the planet. She finished before anyone else, and then asked for seconds.

  “I have no more steak, but I do have some chocolate cake,” Barry said.

  After dessert and coffee, Alice was feeling more like her old self, but something still felt . . . off.

  What was Lawrence’s call with Elias all about?

  “I think it’s time that we bring the Emissary up on current events,” Grace said.

  Barry and Lawrence both looked at Grace and nodded.

  “I’ve been working with Elias again,” Lawrence said. “MuseFam has been up to no good for quite a while. This latest kidnapping stunt confirms it.

  “About five years ago, Walt Scruthers—who owned a big music company—and other Purists in Nashville held a competition to find local musical talent. The prize for the winners was a handmade vintage instrument and an exclusive music contract. Musicians from all over the country traveled to Nashville to compete,” Lawrence said.

  “When I spoke with Walt a couple months ago, he was worried that MuseFam would try to control original music in Nashville. Grace, I believe you were there for that conversation,” Alice said.

  Grace nodded.

  “MuseFam started buying smaller music labels in the Nashville area—some with very influential music catalogs,” Lawrence replied. “They were able to take the music and run it through an AI to produce hundreds of other songs based on the original popular tracks. The strategy worked, and most of the new songs sold millions. Walt found out about this and outbid MuseFam for the remaining studios for sale. He formed a coalition with the other labels and kept MuseFam locked out of Nashville—until recently.”

  “Where did Walt get the handmade instruments?” Alice asked with interest.

  “The last manufacturer of handmade musical instruments, Bellgrade Music, had financial trouble and was about to close. Purist groups across the country raised money for Bellgrade, and Elias was charged with delivering the funds from the Purists. The night of the delivery, something went wrong. Bellgrade burned to the ground after Elias delivered the money.”

  “What happened to it?”

  “Travis Rockham, the owner of Bellgrade, was killed in the fire. We never recovered the money,” Lawrence said.

  “Do you think that Elias was involved in the fire?”

  “We didn’t have any proof that he was involved directly, but many of us suspected he had some involvement. A few months after the fire, Elias formed his church and bought Pasture’s Field from the state. When we questioned him about the source of the funds, he claimed his fellowship had donated generously. I might have believed him had his timing been better.”

  “That’s not all he did,” Grace said.

  Lawrence looked sad for a moment. Alice could see he was conflicted about the actions of his brother.

  “Less than a year later, Elias was cash-strapped again, and he asked for a generous donation from the Purists,” Lawrence continued. “His beliefs had been diverging from Purist ideals for a long time. Elias was becoming obsessed with control rather than freedom. When aid was refused, Elias received some generous donatio
ns from MuseFam. The transactions were well hidden, but they still left a paper trail.”

  “Does anyone know what Elias was doing for MuseFam?” Alice asked.

  “Great question, we suspect that members of his church were infiltrating Purist music groups and stealing music. We could not prove it,” Lawrence said.

  “Elias also started gathering and destroying—or sometimes hoarding—more handmade instruments,” Grace said.

  “Elias became an enemy of the Purists when these betrayals were uncovered. He didn’t try to deny it, either,” Lawrence said.

  That explains why Charlie had to deliver a musical instrument to Elias the night Lucy disappeared.

  “So why are you working with Elias again?” Alice asked.

  Lawrence sighed. “After the E-Bomb incident, Elias’s financial support from MuseFam was eliminated. Elias has a lot of underground connections, so we formed an alliance until the threat to our music is eliminated.”

  Alice felt the familiar guilt and shame over the E-Bomb catastrophe come back in a rush. Her heart rate increased, and she started sweating.

  “Are you okay, Alice?” Grace asked.

  Alice nodded.

  “The E-Bomb was effective, but it caused a lot of unintended damage to life and property,” Barry said. “The police traced evidence of the E-Bomb’s inner workings to Scotty. They raided his loft and found the proof they needed for a conviction. Although he insisted he’d worked alone, the authorities were able to find some of your DNA at the scene. But somehow that evidence got contaminated in the evidence lockup.”

  Barry smiled.

  Alice’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  Did Barry destroy evidence for me?

  “The district attorney was eager for a conviction and charged Scotty,” Barry said.

  “How long is he going to be locked up for?” Alice asked.

  “Sentencing is scheduled for next month. The DA is asking for twenty years for a half dozen counts of manslaughter, but he may only have to serve five to seven years if he accepts a deal.”

  “Still—that’s terrible!” Alice said.

  Grace looked sad. She said nothing, but Alice could tell that having her brother in jail was distressing.

  “My friend Lindsey said that Officer Rollins came by to see me in the hospital,” Alice told them. “I remember speaking with someone by that name, but after my fake arrest, I’m not sure who to believe—”

  A loud gong sound emanated through Grace’s house. It silenced the dinner conversation.

  “What was that?” Alice asked.

  Barry ran out of the room.

  “That’s announcing a visitor on the club side,” Grace said.

  “Club side?”

  “Sorry—I thought you knew. My living quarters, where we are now, is connected with my club.”

  Barry rushed back into the room; Alice noticed that he was out of breath.

  “Can you walk?” Barry asked, pointing to Alice.

  “I can manage,” she replied.

  “We have a very special guest awaiting us in the theater downstairs,” Barry said.

  “Who?” Alice and Grace said in unison.

  “You’ll see,” Barry said.

  “How did they get past our security?” Lawrence asked.

  “He is a friend to the Purists—to most of us, anyway. Now, follow me,” Barry urged.

  With the help of Lawrence and Grace, Alice made her way to the theater. It was located in the basement of Grace’s club and was large enough to hold dozens of people.

  I forgot how large this place was, Alice thought as she entered.

  A middle-aged man with white hair and a white suit to match was waiting for them. He was sitting on a stool in the center of the stage area, holding a cane.

  “No fucking way!” Alice said, recognizing the white-haired man.

  She stopped so suddenly that Lawrence almost tripped.

  “What’s the matter?” Grace asked. “You look pale—are you ill?”

  Alice stared at Elias for several moments.

  He’s wearing white! Why does it have to be white?

  Alice turned away from Elias.

  “We weren’t expecting you,” Lawrence said, walking toward Elias.

  “Yes, brother . . . I thought I would surprise you.” Elias looked over at Alice. “What’s the matter with the Emissary?”

  Lawrence gave Alice a thoughtful look. “It’s your white clothes.”

  “What do my clothes have to do—”

  “Brenton Morris tormented Alice with white in a reprogramming facility. She was in a white room for weeks,” Grace said.

  “I see,” Elias said. He took off his white coat and handed it to Barry. “I need to speak with the Emissary—can you provide me with a robe or other covering that isn’t white?”

  “I’m on it,” Barry said as he ran to a nearby closet backstage.

  Moments later, Barry returned with a red robe. “Good thing Grace keeps a full supply of stage clothes.”

  Elias put the red robe on, being careful to cover all the white clothes underneath. “I’m ready to receive you, Emissary.”

  With Grace and Lawrence’s help, Alice made her way over to Elias. Lawrence fetched a chair for Alice.

  “Leave us,” Elias said.

  Alice examined Elias with a wary determination. He looked like a mad wizard with the red robe, white hair, and cane. Her eyes gravitated toward a small, golden gramophone on the top of his cane.

  “How are you feeling?” Elias asked.

  Alice sighed. “Very tired.”

  “When my brother told me you were missing, I sent word to Purist groups in the area. Desmond contacted me and offered his help. I was wary at first, because of his fake raid at Roxy’s club, but I accepted his help knowing he has the skills necessary to uncover the truth unlike anyone I’ve ever known.”

  “He had that ability—he’s dead now,” Alice said.

  “How do you know this?” Elias demanded, the blood draining from his face.

  “Because I saw him get skewered by a robot. He had multiple stab wounds in his throat and chest. I cannot see how he would have survived. There was blood everywhere.”

  Elias gave Alice a pained look as he processed this information.

  “Why was he there in the first place?” Alice said.

  “Desmond has . . . had a lot of underground contacts. The last message I received from him contained information about a fake protest in Central Park. He tracked you there. We knew his location because of a tracking bracelet we gave him. You can imagine our surprise when we found you alone,” Elias said.

  “I don’t know why, but he seemed to be waiting for me—in the facility, that is. He was behind the only unlocked door I found when I was trying to escape. He must have known I was there.”

  Elias was silent for a moment before continuing. “While we still don’t know when you were kidnapped, we know that MuseFam has been integrating itself into people’s everyday lives. For instance, they just received government approval faster than anyone thought possible to acquire NorthNet, a communications company. Even with fewer states, congress doesn’t move that quickly.”

  “I don’t get it. What do they want with a communications company?” Alice asked.

  “The real reason MuseFam wants the communications business is to gather information about people’s personal likes, dislikes, and social patterns. People’s behaviors are being surveyed to offer more musical suggestions.”

  To serve them more synthetic garbage! Alice thought.

  “Didn’t the E-Bomb destroy most of the robots in Manhattan?” Alice said.

  “All we did was slow them down by a few weeks. MuseFam has slowed, but not eliminated, the production of new robots. Soon MuseFam will reveal a new more powerful artificial intelligence than the world has known. Once the robots interface with it, they will learn much faster.”

  Alice gasped.

  If this is true
, then Elias is an important ally—for now.

  “What do you propose?”

  “Their AI is not in one location as we thought, but multiple locations. Nigel Watson helped us track down the AIs in the New York area, but a couple of months ago, MuseFam acquired the Confederated Music Company in Nashville. Our contact Walt Scruthers has provided some useful information about a redundant AI being housed there,” Elias said.

  “Why is it important that we know the location of the AIs?”

  “If we can gain access to one of the AIs, then we can defeat it.”

  “So, are you proposing that we take out these AIs?” Alice said.

  “Yes. Since the AIs are linked and we don’t know where their backup location is, we have to do destroy them at the same time.” Elias studied her a moment before asking, “Would you be interested in being our third agent?”

  I got burned for helping the Purists once, Alice thought bitterly. Then she realized the implications of his question.

  “Wait—are you asking me to go to Nashville?”

  “Yes. We believe it’s best for you to leave New York. Nobody knows you in the south,” Elias said.

  “Who are the other two agents?”

  “I believe you know them.” Elias consulted his smartwatch. “Nigel Watson and a Simon Peters.”

  Elias tapped his smartwatch. “Lawrence, please come back now. Bring your associates.”

  Lawrence, Grace, and Barry reentered the theater and sat in the front row.

  “I have informed the Emissary of the situation,” Elias said.

  “Wait a second,” Alice said. “I don’t feel comfortable making the trek to Nashville alone right now. Besides, aren’t I a wanted woman right now?”

  “You were never charged with a crime. I have confirmed that,” Elias said.

  Alice looked confused.

  “I have some US Marshal friends who owed me favors,” Lawrence explained.

  “Brenton Morris will be looking for you here, not in Nashville. You will be safe—I promise,” Elias said, smiling.

  Alice leaned back in her chair and sighed. She rubbed her eyes.

  It might be a good idea to get out of town for a little while, she thought.

  “I will look after you, Alice. I promised your father I would protect you, and I will. Even if I have to go to Nashville with you,” Lawrence said.