by Matthew Fish
“Right, to business it is then,” Emily said with a short little laugh. “Yeah, let’s just get down to it…”
“Why the fake name?” Mark asked.
“Not important,” Bradley said as his eyes shot daggers over towards Mark direction. “What is the current situation…what are we dealing with?”
“No…he can have his answer—“Emily spoke as she let out a fake exhaustive sigh. “I’m a Zampa, which I’m sure that you already know,” She added as she nodded to Bradley. “My real name is Emily; just spelled with an E at the end—I prefer the Americanized version better. I love my father, I mean…I hate him and wish he’d die in a fire…well, if he could, but still…you get it—he’s my father. Well…I guess not anymore though, never mind, fuck that guy. I, honestly, figured you would trust me less if you knew I was from that family and also I just…passed a Stapes on the way here, and I…like to staple things…a ton? I’m going to use it though, cause I’m not really a Zampa anymore, out of the family…pointless to keep it.”
“Thanks…for answering,” Mark whispered. He realized that he was hijacking Bradley’s job and felt a bit sheepish about it.
“No problem coin tosser.”
“So what does your father want with Mark?” Bradley asked, resuming his position as the head of this little questioning session.
“I don’t think it’s my father that does—it’s that other person that he was talking to on the phone…the conversation I wasn’t supposed to hear. I don’t know who that guy is, but I know that my father seemed pretty freaked over it. If I had to guess, I’d say it was to see if Mark had the same power as his father? I mean, yeah—that’s just my guess.”
“That’s a sensible one,” Bradley said as he nodded in agreement as he shifted in his seat and rested his elbows upon the table. Apparently long life does not teach one proper kitchen table manners. “So since you failed in a task that you were not asked to perform—I’m sure that there is already a backup plan in motion…”
“Two of my older sisters,” Emily said as playfully poked a finger against the table and slid it around for no apparent reason. “Eva and Lola…a couple of real bitches, really…they tried getting me kicked out last year when I accidentally…well—burned down our Florida vacation home. They’re loads older than I am, and better—well at the whole Elementals thing. Eva is a fire wielder—she doesn’t even need lighters or sources like I do. She can just conjure it out of the air. Lola is not an Elemental, but she has had like forty years of training as an assassin—good with guns and knives. “
“How many daughters does your father have?” Bradley asked, he looked concerned over the two named threats.
“I think like…twenty-two that I know of. All different mothers, a few with some…mortal women…”
“What kind of kids does that make…a Perpetual or just a regular?” Mark asked, allowing his curiosity over the subject to take over and cause a slight change in the subject at hand.
“It usually results in a regular birth,” Bradley answered, allowing the question to pass his annoyance test. “There’s a chance that the child would be a Perpetual but I think it’s like one in a thousand or so.”
“He wanted a son so badly,” Emily added. “I think he was turning towards desperate measures and hoping the odds would go in his favor with a mortal. I suppose even having a mortal son would have appeased his odd sense of…passing his name down or some shit like that.”
“How many are gifted?”
“I think about half—I know…that’s high right?” Emily answered with an almost proud tone in her voice. “I mean, even the ones who aren’t gifted are trained to be…in some way. But there’s one that can do the birth dates thing. There’s another wind Elemental who could probably run circles around me and project herself much further…maybe even like half a mile. Who knows though, she ran off after having a disagreement with our father. I have a younger sister who is good with water—but really, that’s kinda a pointless one isn’t it? I mean if someone’s in a pool you can drown them…or make it rain….good job…yeah. We were close though, before my father separated us.”
“So as far as potential threats go…” Bradley spoke, trying to keep the subject on track and save it from its seeming derailment.
“He’s got his best and favorite out looking for Mark,” Emily said as she shrugged and shot Mark a slightly concerned look. “They’re the ones I’d be afraid of—and they technically can’t kill me. They’re cruel, they’re those type…you know—they think they’re better than everyone else, even other Perpetuals. They wouldn’t think twice about turning a mortal into a pile of bloody goo…probably even enjoy doing it.”
“Great,” Mark muttered.
“I’m not trying to scare you…this time,” Emily said as she continued. “At least he ordered you to be taken alive? That’s comforting right?”
“Why not…” Mark whispered sarcastically. “This whole revelation has been nothing more than a comfort.”
“Oh it’s not all that bad,” Emily said as she jabbed Mark in the side. “It’s a bit exciting right? I mean what were you doing before that? Going to school…Pffftt…fun times there right? Spending time with grandma—that house smelled like old lady and farts. This has got to be…a step up, right?”
“Yeah…” Mark said in a long drawn out tone. “Living the dream…”
“Oh come on,” Emily said as she folded her arms beneath her chest and pouted for a moment. “Alright…I’m sorry I burned the place down—okay? But look at the bright side; you can freakin’ kill bad people with quarters! You’re like one of the Avengers, only in real life!”
“Worked out really well for my dad,” Mark added as he got up from the table and pushed in his chair. He had heard enough for the night.
“Well, yeah…there’s that,” Emily said as she looked away for a moment. “You don’t get to live an exciting life without a bit of danger.”
“You don’t get to live a life at all if you’re dead,” Mark retorted, then paused for a moment and attempted to make sense in his own mind of the words he had spoken. “Never…mind. I’m going to bed.”
“Bahaha,” Emily snorted as she slapped her hands against the table. “Night tosser…”
“You should really take it a bit easier on him,” Bradley said as he shook his head. “He’s been through a lot—finding out about this other side of what he thought he knew…his father’s death, the whole Conductor thing.”
“Haven’t we all though?” Emily added thoughtfully. “Life isn’t really nice to any of us—Perpetual or to regular people. At least we should try and make the best of it, it’s definitely going to try and make the worst out of us.”
“If it hasn’t done so already…” Bradley whispered.
“On that subject,” Emily asked as she stood by the staircase. “When are you returning back to work—you know they’ve already found a new Conductor—heard it from my father weeks ago. Makes me wonder why you’re training another one up…not that I’m sure Chicago couldn’t use a lot more. Just…if you’re waiting for him to train up properly it’s kinda silly…cause there’s already one waiting for you at work.”
“News travels fast amongst the Perpetuals regarding Conductors in the area…I guess I forgot.”
“Nah, it’s cool. You think you owe him something. Father was your partner and all that,” Emily added. “I get why you’re doing it. I don’t really think it’s silly honestly. I’m just poking your brain, seeing what kind of response I get. It’s just something I do—but that’s it isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Bradley answered quietly. “Got me figured out pretty good…I’m going back in three days, with Mark—and you with your information.”
“Should be a fun day,” Emily said in a false cheerful tone. “Thanks for the room—I’ll try not to burn I down. A bit…of advice though.”
“Yeah…?”
“If you want Mark ready for when you return to work—maybe you should have t
hat meeting tomorrow and have the new Conductor help get Mark up to speed. I mean…unless there’s some reason you’re trying to keep the fact that Mark is a Conductor a secret…you are going to mention to your superior that Mark is…right?”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Bradley answered quietly. “And…the thought crossed my mind.”
“You can’t keep your little pet project safe from the terrible world forever,” Emily said as she ran her hand against the rough wall. “Or did you think that in three days you’d be able to make him ready to face all the attention he’s going to get as a Conductor?”
“I’m not sure what I’m thinking,” Bradley said with a heavy sigh as he massaged the temple of his forehead with one of his hands. “You have a room…could you go and make use of it…please?”
“One last thing…?”
“Sure…,” Bradley said with a heavily annoyed tone in his deep voice. “Why not…”
“Is there a job for me, can you know…put in a good word—I can be like a bodyguard. I know your job is to handle the big guns and call out unhappy birthdays—but I’ve heard that gifted Perpetuals often get gigs as extra security…”
“You want to work as Mark’s bodyguard?”
“I could just flop around the house here,” Emily said as she shrugged. “Maybe play solitaire, fiddle with my lighter collection….I’m sure I could keep myself entertained.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Bradley woke me up unusually early that morning. I objected, saying something about how training didn’t start for another few hours. However, I was informed that we were not training that day. Instead, we were headed to the Chicago Police Department over on State Street in downtown Chicago; I hadn’t been downtown that much…just the usual tourist activities, or the occasional concert. I had always been fond of Shedd Aquarium—other than that I often found it too crowded or just too…touristy. I remember feeling slightly queasy as I passed over the checkerboard sidewalk and into the entryway of the single story building. The building was full of activity—lots of people in uniforms going about their business. No one gave much notice of us as we made our way through a main hall towards an elevator. As the three of us piled into the large elevator, Bradley pulled out a key and hit an unmarked button near the emergency call button—we then descended into what I would later find out was a hidden part of the agency, a place for Perpetuals and Conductors. In hindsight, it made a lot of sense given the secrecy involved in everything. Still, I worried about coming here. If word got out, I was afraid that they’d come after me in Bradley’s home. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the people in this special division…I just figured that every place of secrecy has its leaks.
“Here we are,” Bradley announced as he held the elevator open for us. “The mysterious fourth floor basement…thanks for dressing up for the occasion by the way, Emily.”
“No problem,” Emily said with a wide smile. She was wearing tight fitting pink jeans, black boots, and a purposefully torn up shirt that read ‘fuck the police.’ She was carrying a bag that she placed beside her as we sat along a row of dusty brown chairs adjacent to an office with a small placard that read ‘Captain of Perpetual Affairs.’
“You two…” Bradley said in a stern tone as he pointed to Mark and Emily, “You stay here…right here. No trouble from either of you. I’m going to talk to the Captain—get him caught up on the situation and then come out for you two. Until then…do nothing. Talk quietly, just don’t be your usual selves.”
“Right-o bossy pants,” Emily said as she saluted. “Go get yourself a promotion…or your job back—or whatever it is. Remember though….Mark needs a coach—so get us that other Conductor.”
“Other Conductor…?” Mark asked, confused. To his knowledge he was the only one in the area. A probably ignorant assumption he realized. After all, he knew that he was special. However, he figured he was probably not that special after all.
“I’ll tell you about it…after,” Bradley said as he rapped his knuckles twice on the door before entering.
“Other Conductor…?” Mark turned his confusion towards Emily.
“Just heard there was one, figured it’d make you suck less at your job,” Emily said proudly as began to sway slightly back and forth and began whistling quietly some unrecognizable tune. “Oh, by the way, I’m going to be your bodyguard. Paying gig and all…blam!”
“Fucking wonderful…”
“I know, right!” Emily added as she pushed over the bag she brought with her, completely ignoring Mark’s sarcasm. “To mark the occasion I brought you a present.”
“What’s this?” Mark asked quizzically as he reached into the bag and pulled out a familiar black, familiar long coat. “Thanks…it’s my dad’s Conductor coat. That’s very thoughtful of you.”
“On the back…” Emily said as she let out a sigh and turned the coat over revealing the design that she had worked hard on. “I’m really good at needlework and embroidery, all that crafty shit. Drove my dad nuts…he’s more into the hobbies that involve killing people.”
Mark looked in disbelief for a moment as his mouth hung agape at the design on his father’s old coat. In silver thread, a coin design had been stitched into the back of the jacket, complete with the ridged design. On the inside of the coin an unhappy face with X’s for eyes filled the center. Mark mouthed the two words embroidered in gold beneath the coin, “Death…Tosser…”
“That’s upped the badass factor right?” Emily asked proudly as she nodded to herself. “It’s on the front right on the chest here as well…Death Tosser! Bad Perpetuals are going to see that and literally shit themselves.”
“That’s definitely…something,” Mark said as he attempted to hide his infinitely huge sense of embarrassment. “Thanks…for…yeah, thanks for this.”
“I don’t sleep that much,” Emily added. “I was going through the house and found that and was just like…lame. You know? So I fixed it up.”
“I’m sure Bradley will be happy that you went through his house while everyone was asleep,” Mark added.
“It needed a dusting anyway,” Emily added. “I know that using wind powers is kinda cheating, but he was nice enough to take me in. You know, not a lot of Perpetuals are like that—helpful that is. Most are kind of dicks to their own kind. But yeah, I figured you needed something to cover that belt that wasn’t so lame. If you look at the wrists it’s got gold and silver flames. It’s kinda like, for when you shoot down death…flaming coin death.”
“I was just…appreciating that,” Mark said as he fought the overwhelming urge to bury his face into his palm. “So about the bodyguard thing…”
Before I could finish, our conversation was interrupted by yelling from within the office. I did not know exactly what to do at that moment. I was under the impression that these two men were friends—or at least on good terms. I had no notion to think otherwise. What a fucking great development, I remember thinking.
“Must be going really well,” Emily added with an evil little laugh as she slid over and bumped her shoulder into Mark’s. “Priceless.”
“What do you think they’re fighting about?” Mark asked, deeply confused.
“Probably us,” Emily said as she shrugged but continued to smile happily. “If I were a betting girl, that’s what I’d put my quarters on…see what I did there?”
“That’s…clever,” Mark said as he shook his head. “Anyway, about the…”
“Don’t worry,” Emily interrupted. “I’m a good bodyguard. I mean, I didn’t get the same type of training as my sisters. I mean they’re like ancient compared to me anyway, so…there’s that. But, I can take a bullet and burn people…got a bag full of lighters. Plus, if the shit really hits the fan I can grab you and project us at least like forty feet away. I think that’s what I’m up too with a person. I could do more by myself…but yeah, that’s what I’m around.”
“That’s what you did at the house…with that puff of smoke?”
>
“You remember that?” Emily asked as though it had happened years ago. “Yeah, it’s called projecting—I think I’ve said that though. It’s just a simple wind trick—we’re at one place one moment and then the next we’re outside. I just have to have been there previously. Can’t just go projecting aimlessly, might end up in a brick wall…or a tree. That’d be messy for you.”
“I’m so fucked…” Mark muttered. He was not trying to be rude. After all, despite her apparent slight madness, Emily did seem legitimately dedicated to Mark’s safety. However, for Mark, just knowing that there were two much more skilled, gifted Perpetuals out there did not make him feel like his life expectancy was to be a very long one.
“What was that?” Emily asked as she only slightly heard Mark’s response.
“I’m…”
“And here we are,” Bradley said as he emerged from the room. “This here is Mark…Daniel’s son.”
“Good to finally meet you, Mark,” A tall man with thin build, a bald head, and dark skin spoke as he extended a hand. He wore dress pants and a suit top and had a golden badge affixed to his chest. He had a very kind face—something Mark had not expected. He had always envisioned Captains of anything regarding police forces to be the angry, bulldog looking type. That and always yelling…however, there was a bit of that earlier. “The name is Captain William Dickson.”
Emily giggled.
“Good to meet you as well,” Mark said as he took the man’s firm hand.
“Your father was a great asset to our division,” William said as a somber look washed over his face. “I am deeply sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” Mark replied, not knowing exactly what else he should say. “We heard…raised voices?”
“That’s just a little misunderstanding between me and Detective Christian here,” William said as he nodded and looked slightly apprehensive for a moment. “I am very happy that you have taken an interest in your father’s profession—if not just a little surprised at the circumstances and the age of our new agents.”
“I heard the new Conductor is only like twenty…that’s only one year older than me…” Emily added with a confused look upon her face.
