Wanted

by Laurence E. Dahners

  Ell gave another tiny shrug, “Maybe?”

  “Well,” he grinned, “It was a pretty sweet surprise, I’ve gotta admit that.”

  Ell and her in-laws sat in light jackets out on the big deck of the Wildberry lodge. The big rustic lodge had been built high on the east side of a valley. Chairs out on the deck let them sit and talk, drinking hot chocolate while looking out over the beautiful valley. During a lull in the conversation Morgan turned to Ell and asked, “Do you ever have trouble maintaining the different accents you use with the two identities?”

  Ell chuckled, “It’s been worse at times. I’ve got a couple of other identities that you’ve never seen, each with their own accents. I haven’t been using them much lately. But I’ve been using this Raquel identity for so long that it’s pretty much second nature.”

  “I keep feeling surprised that I didn’t figure out that you were Ell before you told us. Now I immediately see through your disguise, so I can’t figure out why I didn’t tumble to it before. It’s not like you make huge changes.”

  “Yeah, I feel surprised too when I think about just how few people have figured it out without me telling them. But, I think it has a lot to do with just how well the human mind carries out precise measurements of the dimensions of our features to recognize us. I don’t know if you ever tried to do a portrait of someone in art class?”

  “Oh man, I suck at that. I’m not bad at painting or drawing but whenever I try to do a particular person it never looks like them! My portraits look like someone, just not the person I tried to paint.”

  Ell nodded, “Even professional artists very frequently use some kind of projection system to lay out a face they’re painting so that the dimensions and alignment of all the components of a face are perfectly sized compared to one another. The colors can be all wrong, but if the dimensions are correct you’ll recognize the person. If the dimensions are wrong, everything else can be perfect and it still won’t look like the person you painted. So, a really big part of the disguise involves subtly changing the size or shape of some of the parts of my face.”

  Morgan frowned, “Really?”

  Ell grinned, “Really. There’s a funny story about a well known actor a while back who got tired of people bugging him in public. He got a Hollywood make-up person to build him a facial prosthesis that subtly changed the shape of his face. Then he went out in public and sure enough, no one recognized him. It worked great, but he didn’t like it. He found that he’d gotten used to people giving him preferential treatment and didn’t like it when they dealt with him like he was an ordinary Joe.”

  “Who was that?”

  “Kevin Bacon, have you heard of him?”

  “Oh yeah. I really liked some of his movies!”

  “If you’re interested, on the net you can find a funny interview where he talked about it.”

  Malcolm Kinrais stepped out on the deck, “Hey, we’ve got reservations at a restaurant called The Market Place in Asheville, you guys up for heading into town?”

  After a nice dinner, Lane wanted to go out bar hopping, though Shan’s folks were heading back to the lodge. “Come on Morgan, the lodge is nice and peaceful, but you’re too young to just sit around. Go out with me! I can’t cruise the Asheville nightlife all by myself.” She turned to Shan, “You too brother. Let’s get out and live a little. Ell stood next to her so Lane nudged her with an elbow, “You’ll go, won’t you Raquel?”

  Shan chuckled, “Come on guys, we’d just as well give in now. She won’t let up ‘til we do.”

  The four of them walked down Wall Street and around a couple of corners to a small bar that featured acoustic musicians. A young man sat on a stool, playing a “bass box” with his stockinged foot and a guitar with his hands. An older woman sat a few feet away playing mandolin. A bass box is a tuned wooden box with metal plates on the front which can be plucked to produce bass notes. Though most performers sit on their bass boxes, he’d laid his on its side so he could use his toe to pluck the notes. With the bass box for the low end, strummed mandolin for the high tones and arpeggiating guitar in the middle, the two performers produced a spare but nonetheless full sound, rich in tone and sparkle.

  Sipping her usual Coke, caffeine free because of the baby, Ell leaned forward, intently focused on the sound produced by the two musicians. Entranced in a fashion that she hadn’t been since the first time she heard Velos, Ell glanced around quickly to see if others were similarly affected. Morgan and Shan appeared to be focused on the musicians as well. To her surprise, she noticed Lane flirting with the guys at the table next to them.

  Ell’s head tracked back around when the young man began to sing. He had a warm baritone that seemed to fit well with the three instruments.

  And so you came to me

  Asking for forgiveness

  For sins unremembered

  And words oh so senseless

  The woman’s raspy alto produced a perfect harmony supporting the chorus.

  Don’t go without me

  On your lonely ways

  Through this life’s journey

  And these golden days

  A glance around the room during the next verse showed Ell many other people just as entranced as she. She wondered how such wonderful musicians came to be playing for tips in such a small venue. How can some of these people continue their conversations when something this beautiful is happening on the stage?

  Then the next chorus began. Many of the people in the room joined in to sing quietly along. Resisting the desire to sing along because she knew she wouldn’t do the song justice, Ell closed her eyes to enjoy the gentle chorus washing over her from all sides.

  Another verse passed, sung with passion by the young man, then Ell’s hair stood on end. The musicians obviously had intended an instrumental break, the melody of the chorus played on the guitar. But, from the back of the room a bell clear, young, soprano voice began singing the chorus. When Ell turned to stare, she saw that most of the people in the room had also looked around in amazement. The girl looked like she might be ten. Eyes closed, the platinum blond girl sang as if in a trance, so beautifully that, a few at a time, even the people who had initially continued their conversations stopped and turned to look.

  When the chorus came to a close the young man whispered into his mike, “That was magnificent, folks, let’s sing it with her this time,” and he started the chorus again.

  This time the young man sang a harmony to the girl’s clear lead and the crowd quietly sang along again. Ell felt prickles in her scalp and her eyes blurred with amazement at just how gorgeous it sounded. The young man took over for a bridge, then said, “Sweetie, would you do us the honor of singing the chorus for us one more time?”

  Ell looked around and saw the young girl nod and take a breath. Once again she sang lead and the crowd’s susurrus filled in the background.

  The chorus repeated and then the song wound down. Obviously just as touched as Ell, the young man leaned near and whispered into the mike, “I feel privileged to have participated in this musical experience.” He paused a moment, then said, “We’re going to take a short break so I can talk to the star of our show there in the back of the room.”

  Excited chatter filled the room as he got up and moved off the stage. Many people glanced repeatedly at the girl as they spoke to the people they were with. So blond her eyebrows looked like little streaks of white, she sat down in her mother’s lap. She looked like someone who’d just come out of a trance, startled and embarrassed. She still had her eyes closed. For a moment Ell thought she was trying to shut out the crowd; then she realized the girl was blind.

  Ell turned to Shan, “Did you think that was as amazing as I did?”

  He shook his head wonderingly, “Well, now I’m glad that Lanie talked us into going out tonight.”

  Morgan uttered a heartfelt, “Amen to that brother.” She sighed, glancing back at the girl, “Breaks your heart to see a little girl that’s blind like that though.�
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  Lane seemed unaffected. She still leaned to the side so she could talk to a muscular young man at the next table. He had on a lot of leather as if he rode a motorcycle. The other three guys at his table also wore leather.

  Ell glanced up to see the young musician walking back toward the stage. His trajectory would take him near their table so she stood and as he approached she said, “Excuse me?”

  He glanced at her, obviously reluctant to encourage conversation when he had a set to finish. Ell said, “I’ve got a friend who knows the owner of Vic’s in Chapel Hill. You know, where a lot of acts have been producing their live recordings?”

  His eyes had widened a moment, but then obviously concluding that “a friend” probably wouldn’t have any real influence, he said, “I’d love to record there, but we don’t really have a chance. Sorry, I’ve got to get back to the stage.”

  Ell said, “Call down there tomorrow. Tell them you’re the Asheville act that Belle told Vic about. I’ll guarantee you he’ll give you a date there if you can get that little girl to sing with you.”

  He frowned, “How are you going to ‘guarantee’ something like that?”

  Ell winked, “I’m going to send Belle a copy of the audio track my AI recorded tonight to give to Vic. That was truly special you know?”

  He stared at her a moment, then nodded, “That it was. I’ll call down there tomorrow. I hope you aren’t just blowing smoke.”

  They stayed for the rest of the set, but the little girl didn’t sing again and when the musicians took a break, she and her mother got up to go. Ell turned to Shan and winked as she said, “I’m feeling pretty tired. How do you feel about heading back to the lodge to get some rest?”

  Morgan said, “Yeah, I’m ready to head on back myself.” She turned to Lane, “Hey, Lane. Let’s head for the barn.”

  Lane turned, eyes wide, “You guys are turning in already? What are you? Sixty?”

  Morgan rolled her eyes. “No, just not into the bar scene. You coming?”

  The handsome blond guy that Lane had been talking to leaned her way, “Hey, Baby,” he said in a raspy voice, “I can give you a ride back to wherever.” He waved a dismissive hand, “let the dead weights go beddy-bye.”

  Lane glared a moment at Shan, Ell and Morgan, then turned to the biker and gave him a little shrug, “Sure, I’d be glad to hang with someone who actually wants to live a little.”

  Ell narrowed her eyes at the biker, uncomfortable with his swagger.

  Shan also looked uneasy but looking at Lane, he only said, “You’re sure you want to do this?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. Go on home.” Lane turned back to her new friend.

  “OK,” Shan said, “We’ll send my car back and tell it to park in that same lot for you.”

  Ell turned to him, “I’m going to visit the girl’s room; then we can go.”

  In the restroom stall, Ell held her hand just below her umbilicus and a tiny AV port fell into it. She spoke to Allan, her AI, again and another small port fell into her hand followed by some small gray disks. Ell peeled a tab off each of the disks and stuck them to the backs of the little ports. Then she peeled the tabs off the other sides of the disks and palming the ports headed back out.

  Morgan and Shan were standing near the entrance of the bar but Ell walked over to Lane who now sat at the table with the three guys. Ell came up behind her chair. Leaning down behind her Ell stroked her fingers with the ports up under and out through the back of Lane’s hair while saying, “Hey Lane, if you need anything, just call Shan’s name. Or mine.”

  Lane leaned to one side and looked back at Ell with a look somewhere between confused and irritated. “OK, sure.” She turned back to the guys.

  Ell glanced down at Lane’s hair. The adhesive on the tiny ports had stuck to the deeper hair as Ell had hoped and the ports weren’t really visible. She turned and went to join Morgan and Shan, telling Allan to notify her if Lane said their names or sounded distressed. She didn’t want to eavesdrop on Lane’s evening but she wanted to be able to help if the guys Lane were with turned out to actually be as dangerous as they acted. Allan had algorithms to detect stress in the human voice that would let him tell Ell if there were a problem, even if Lane didn’t ask for help.

  As they walked to their car, Ell wondered just what it was about those guys that set her hair on end. After all Lane was an adult, capable of making her own decisions, as her brother had obviously decided. The fact that the guys rode motorcycles certainly didn’t make them dangerous. A lot of guys liked to cultivate a dangerous image, even when they were anything but.

  Back at the lodge, Ell and Shan had a pleasant late evening with his family. Shan and his mother started a game of scrabble. Ell put on her “Belle” voice and called Vic. “Hey Vic, you staying sober?”

  “Yeah,” he chuckled, “Haven’t been in a fight for ages. My life is getting to be really dull!”

  Ell chuckled in return. “I’m thinking you might be getting a little excitement out of all those big name acts you’ve been booking?”

  “Well, there is that. I’d really like to thank you and your aunt for getting me started.”

  “You’re welcome, but I’m calling in a debt.”

  “I thought I was ‘paid in full’ on that loan?”

  “You are, monetarily, to my aunt. I’m calling in the ‘favor’ of me helping you get the loan.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, I heard the most amazing thing this evening. It was forwarded to me by a friend.” Ell went on to describe the musicians and the little girl and their performance of “Forgiveness” as if she had witnessed it second hand. “Anyway, my friend promised them you’d talk to them about playing at Vic’s so you could record them. I’m forwarding the AV recording her AI made. I think you’ll see the potential they have.”

  “OK,” he said dubiously, “I’ll look at the recording and get back to you, but don’t get your hopes up. I need to maintain high standards if I don’t want to lose business.”

  Ell could understand the doubt in his voice but in about five minutes, he called back and said, “You’re right, that was amazing. I’d love to record them so please do give them my contact info. I’m not sure they can create that same magic again, but if they can, it’ll be worth it.”

  Ell woke from a sound sleep to the sound of Allan saying in her ear, “I have detected stress in Lane’s voice.”

  At first Ell tried to glance up at her HUD for the time, then muzzily realized that she didn’t have her HUD on. She looked at the ceiling where a projected glowclock displayed “02:56.” Reaching for her HUD she put it on and said, “Play back the audio where she began to sound distressed.”

  Lane’s voice immediately sounded in Ell’s ear, “No, dammit! I said ‘no!’ Let go of me!” She sounded a little slurred as if moderately drunk, but still pretty aware of her surroundings.

  In the background a familiar raspy voice said, “Laney, Laney. You might have been able to tease some of the little boys you’ve known in the past, but now you’re hanging with some real men. You ain’t gonna be able to just tease us.” Other male voices could be heard chuckling a little farther in the background.

  Ell slipped out of bed, “Give me real time audio now and bring the hoverbike here. Do you have a location on Lane?” As she picked up her jeans she turned to look at Shan, wondering whether to wake him. And tell him what? That I bugged his sister’s hair?

  Ell stepped into the bathroom and found her running shoes, a fresh long sleeved t-shirt and her light jacket. Lane’s voice said, “I haven’t been teasing you. I thought we were just going out on the town?”

  Allan said, “I have no location data for Lane. If she still has on her HUD she has not authorized it to provide GPS data.”

  “Extrude a GPS antenna through that second port in her hair and figure out where she is.” Ell wondered whether to call Lane and ask for GPS data, it would tell Lane that she’d bugged her though. Should I be letting my embarrassmen
t over attaching those ports to her stand between me and providing her help? “Put through a call to Lane please.”

  “OK” Allan said, then fed more of the audio from the port in Lane’s hair to Ell. “Yeah, sure. To a real biker bar, remember?” Then Allan said, “Lane’s AI says she is not taking calls.”

  Ell said to Allan, “Call Steve for me, let him know I’m heading into Asheville and a possibly dangerous situation.” Ell’s security team had, to her surprise, shown up out in Texas right after she’d re-entered the States. Some of them had taken other jobs when she’d been arrested, but six remained. They’d apparently been about to cross into Mexico to follow her when she’d crossed back. They’d begun their usual tactics of following her from place to place. As she’d originally requested, they tried to stay out of sight, but be close enough to assist if she were to be captured by someone.

  As soon as Ell stopped speaking to Allan, he fed her the most recent audio from Lane. Ell heard Lane’s voice, “Yes, ‘to a biker bar.’ Not to your ‘crib’ or whatever you call this dump.”

  “‘Mike’s Bar.’” The gravelly voice said, presumably Mike himself. “That’s what I call this dump. We got a fridge full of beer. Makes it a bar in my opinion.” He snorted, “We’re bikers, so that makes it a ‘biker bar.’”

  A voice further in the background said, “Yeah, girl, and you’re this biker bar’s entertainment!”

  The bike had just landed by the lodge and she got out her helmet but passed on the Kevlar suit in interest of time. Pulling on the helmet, Ell swung a leg over the saddle of the hoverbike. A moment later she swung the bike up over the ridge behind the lodge and turned toward the lights of Asheville.

  In a desperate tone, Lane’s voice said in Ell’s ear, “911! Help! Hey, give me that!”

  Mike’s voice said, “Sure, you can have it back, soon as I get this here chip out of it.”

  “Lane’s HUD has just gone dead,” Allan said. Then, “The antenna fed through the second port in Lane’s hair has now allowed determination of her GPS location. Would you like the coordinates?”