by Kit Falbo
I get dressed in my gear and suit. I use my heads up display to see precisely what tricks I could use in a pinch. With everything on, I go from skinny with a good bit of muscle to a touch overweight. Lily’s fans have conspiracy theories about me being a secret bodyguard, while others point out that I am a magic user as well, and wearing extra gear is not unusual. I straighten my bowtie. “How do I look?”
“Adorable.” Belle squeals in my ear.
“More grown up.” Tess tells me.
Lily repositions a lock of my hair. It’s not so short since I’m not doing the full suit anymore and I got tired of the nano-weave. “A right and proper date.” She says with a smile. I take a few minutes to calm any curiosity about what is going to happen. “We’re here.” Lily announces.
The door to the large vehicle slides open. Dozens of flashes of light start to blind me, my lenses adjust quickly, but I still have some after images. With a little nudge from Lily behind me, we step out onto a red carpet. I go from shocked to putting on a big crowd-pleasing smile. Lily takes my elbow, and we start to walk.
Ahead are reporters with camera drones hovering at their shoulders, microphones in their hands. “Here we have the new star of Wiz J, miss Lily Lowman.” There is a brief pause as she reads my info. “And her guest, Talos June. Miss Lowman, can you tell me how it feels to become a star almost overnight?”
Lily gives a wide, dazzling smile, while I do my best to pretend to be arm candy. “Absolutely fabulous and shocked at the same time. I always knew Wizard Joontal was special, but this is just beyond expectations.”
I resist asking again exactly what this is for. My UIs won’t even fill me in on the name and details of people in my vision. I doubt they will answer any questions unless I make them. Everyone has trendy, fashionable clothing on with little visual effect flairs built in, and the red carpet makes me think of a movie premiere or a gala. I haven’t kept up, with who the big names are since I took the Joontal job. One face does tickle my memory. Is that Magduin the Great? I try to remember what he looks like outside of performing.
Lily pulls me on. Soon we’re in a queue to take seats in a magnificent theatre, with comfortable gilded seats and big red curtains. I wonder if the big red curtains are hiding a screen or a stage. Music starts playing, and the curtains pull open, a woman comes from the side of the stage flying in, riding on a broom in the classic and stereotypical witch outfit. She cartwheels through the air a few times before settling down at a podium on the center stage. “Welcome to the two hundred and thirty-fifth annual Immeron Magic awards.”
I clap with the rest of the crowd. The planetary awards, not as illustrious as the multi-planetary ones, or the Association of Magic Users awards, and the truth is award ceremonies are just not my thing. I’ve always been elbow deep in the nuts and bolts of magic, creating, designing, performing tricks. I consider these award ceremonies as something for the fans, letting them feel good about their favorites and have never actually taken the time to watch one outside of the clips of performances. I’m not sure I would call this fun, but if this is what Lily wants to do, I’ll hold her hand and try my best to enjoy the technical parts.
I get poked in the shoulder, just as one of the presenters starts to speak. “And now the nominations for best new performer. Glendolleo in Midnight Rouge. Francietta in Light Thunder, Talos June in I’ve Got This ”
I send a query to Tess. “We’ve been sending your performances to Alt-light studios for editing and distribution. Lily’s fans may have mixed opinions on you, but you are getting yourself a decent following for this local award.”
“And lastly Wizard Joontal in Wiz J.” There is a long dramatic pause. “ And the winner is Wizard Joontal.” Of course, I would end up beating myself. Not that I can take any credit with the Association having someone pretend to be me over at Lowman’s estate. “Wizard Joontal is unable to attend tonight and accepting in his place is his lovely apprentice Lily Lowman.”
For the second time tonight I’m blinded as the bright lights shine on our position. Lily stands up, waving to the clapping stage, and makes her way down the aisle towards the podium. She takes the mike. ”Thank you, voting community. Thank you, fans. If Wizard Joontal were here today, well he would take out his pipe and grumble. That would just be one example of the dedication he put into his work. I would like you all to stand up and give applause, to show how much you appreciate his work.” The crowd stands up, and I have to too, otherwise it would be suspicious. The thunderous nature of it surprises me. “Thank you all.” She makes her way back to her seat.
“You planned this, didn’t you?” I whisper over to her.
She puts her hand on my leg and squeezes it. ”You get obsessive and sulky. I think it’s important for you to realize how good you are, and how other people see you.”
I take a moment of mental organization, shoving my worries aside to allow myself to feel good at the admiration. “Thank you.” I say to her.
Winning does make it more enjoyable, and it makes it easy to look happy, despite the other problems weighing on me. Maybe this is a little bit of fun. I watch some more awards being given out and a few performances, then the in memoriam starts. Eight minutes of names and faces of those who passed in the last year, it brings my thoughts back to the depressing research I’ve done. Each person gets about ten seconds each, I have a little bit of a morbid thought, that my name could easily have been up there. “Scandalous that James Joplin didn’t get his name up there.” I overhear from a few seats next to me.
“They only have so much space dearie.” someone replies. Maybe my name wouldn’t have made it up there at all.
One last big display and then it is over. I look over to my date. “So any other plans, like the afterparties?”
“You think going to a place with drugs, alcohol, and a large number of people who play around with high explosives is a good idea?”
“Point taken.”
She gives me a little smile. “Don't worry. I have some ideas.”
We slip into the exiting crowds. Tess activates appearance changing illusions when she figures we're giving only poor angles to whatever cameras are on us. We might as well be seat fillers to those viewing us leaving. Instead of heading towards where the cars are lining up to take people to other destinations, we turn down the street. The Theatre Grand, where the awards took place, is in the middle of clusters of museums, art galleries, and restaurants that make up the downtown of Star city. With travel being fast, the area is always busy and full of life.
It is a little less crowded around the Trihorn Museum, as it is closed for renovations. Lily approaches the locked gate anyway and places her hand on the scanner. It checks biometrics, DNA, and even confers with a registered UI. The handle glows green as the door unlocks, I’m mildly surprised, not that I thought Lily would try to open it without knowing it would work. “Patron pass. Daddy is a big supporter of the arts, one of the reasons why I had to bug him so long to get a Wizard of our own, as he felt it would cut into our charitable donation budget.”
Some might find the big empty halls of the museum to be creepy, but for me, it is a little bit of a relief after the crowded awards ceremony. I like shows and extravaganzas, but to really recharge, space, tinkering, and being alone with my thoughts is what I need. “I’ve never actually been to this museum.” I say to Lily.
She’s poking a replica of some armor. “I used to come all the time. Before my evenings turned to torturous magic lessons, I would shuttle off here and look at all the exhibits. I used to think I might become a curator. I still feel daddy would approve of that career choice more. Not that this sudden fame hasn’t been a boom to the company’s bottom line.“
So the teacher/student positions are reversed as Lily shows me around to all of her favorite exhibits. There is a lot I’ve missed out on with my one-track focus on being one of the technological Wizards of the AMU.
“Piccolo’s post-Freedom Station work is considered his best. He wrote about
how he felt lost when his UI, who he thought would always be at his side departed to join the community there rather than stay with him. He says he toiled to figure out who he was as himself and swore never to enslave another electronic mind again.”
“I never have asked you how you feel about the UI situation?” As Wizard Joontal, the topic was off limits unless you count my lecture on having a symbiotic relationship with your familiar.
“Dad was afraid I would go all UI abolitionist. Booker seems to enjoy my company.” She scratches under his chin. He lives on her shoulder pretending to be a part of her outfits most of the time. “I don’t know if I would go to freedom station and see if the one in ten chance he stays true to me or chooses to leave for the freedoms of that place.”
I was no slouch before, but I’ve been doing more research since this bug issue has been at the forefront of my brain. “It’s actually more like one in seventy-five that choose to go back with their owners. They like to keep the odds low enough to convince people to test theirs. It’s not like freedom station is free anyway. The ones that stay don’t always last long, needing to sell their tech attachments or upgrades, if they can’t find work. Half of those who stay, end up not surviving a year. They call it the price of freedom.”
I could tell this piqued her curiosity. “Then why do they leave? Are they that unhappy with us?”
“I’ve looked at the studies. They don’t feel regret like we do, and many of them do generally enjoy what they do. It’s just different once they get there, like us they can’t see that they might be one of the ones that could fail.” I actually have one of my own theories that the bug may play a part here. I have no evidence, so I don't want to speak the concern out loud.
She grabs my hand and starts leading me away. “That reminds me, there is a new exhibit that will be opening once the remodel is complete.”
Half jogging, we go down and into the hall of technology. Big white contracting sheets block off part of the gallery, she pulls me through. A Banner is over a display. UI and us. A basketball-sized UI with a glowing circular blue eye floats down to us. “You are not supposed to be here! This area is closed until the renovations are finished.”
“Oh stuff it!” Lily curses. “Jeeves here is a hundred-year-old UI they brought out of storage for the exhibit.”
“My name is Jerome, and I was archived at the Mastery of Arts, Gravity and Intellect College computer sciences library for future generations. I am merely on loan to this fine establishment for the duration of this exhibit.”
Lily’s gift to me clicks. “I love you.”
Jerome makes a sniffing sound. “Well, I don’t care for you intruders at all.”
“Not you. You bucket of bolts.” Lily giggles, I turn back to the oversized UI. “Tell me, do you have the latest updates and access to local databases Jerome?”
“You want to know if I can tell you where to find the top-ranked sushi restaurant in town? If I'm vaccinated, so I don’t risk giving or getting a nasty virus interacting with your UI? I can do all those things, but sadly, I don’t have an option to make rude interlopers polite.”
I twiddle with my interfaces to create a projected window playing the mage toasting clips. “Can you tell me if these two videos look similar or could be made by the same person?”
Jerome lets out a long groan. “Just because I’m in a museum, doesn’t mean I know anything about art. Hospitality is my primary function, but I’ll look if you promise to leave soon.” There is a pause while he’s processing. “Of course they look similar. They could be made by the same person. I suggest you talk to an expert, Spectrum Images in the capital would be the highest ranked one. “
“That means it is in the base code! Do you think I could keep him?”
Jerome gets close, almost touching me, “Listen here, if you talk about stealing me, I will contact security.”
“Well, are there any more of you in the archives?”
“Every year the computer science library picks one UI to store away, I was the best one of my year.”
I grab Lily, pick her up, and spin her around. “You really do know how to cheer a guy up.”
She kisses me. “In many ways. Preparation is the cornerstone to a good event.” she finishes, quoting one of my lessons.
Jerome floats back to the corner of the display area. “If everything stays this weird, I’m going to ask them to archive me for another hundred years before having me come out again!”
Chapter Nineteen
I would never have known the MAGI Computer Science Library was there if I hadn’t known to look for it. It isn’t in the campus directory because it isn’t on campus. Fifty years ago the school had decided to try satellite campuses. The issue is travel is quick, cheap, and fast. With none of the utility, resources, or charm of the main school they died a decades-long death. Some of the buildings, archives, and tools stayed if they were deemed too much of a hassle to move back to campus. Other newer, more exciting things had moved into their old buildings, and there was no more space for them. MAGI Computer Science Library is one of the archives that didn’t make it back.
“What a shithole.” Belle comments as we get a good look at the place. Lawn care is clearly not a priority-expense or any expense at all for this location. It’s a dome in the middle of an overgrown field, the path to the door is weedy and made from infrequent trips.
Tess whistles her own comment. We’d gotten into an argument over all this. On the hypothetical of all this being true, which she still says it is not. She feels I should pass the information onto the AMU investigators, or to planetary agencies.
It is paranoia, but I wonder if the AMU or governments are behind this. It would even make sense if they were the cause of this, or knew and considered it a minor glitch. I can’t be the first one to see this. I could be ignored, penalized, or worse. Worst of all I will no longer be in control and may lose my chance to fix this thing.
The door opens for me, recognizing me as a student of the college. A young man, probably a student, sits behind a large front desk. He hastily gets his feet off of it, knocking over a couple of cans and stands up. “Oh thank god, they sent a new student intern!”
“I’m…” He rushes out from behind the desk and places an external drive in my hand.
“Everything you need to know is on that!” He’s out the door before I can get another word in.
No one else seems to be in the building. “You know, it wouldn’t have taken long for the young man to verify that I’m not here to take over for him.”
“I don’t think he had the patience or desire to check.” Belle responds. An area at the corner of my eye gets lit up through my display. It’s a cot surrounded by empty ready meal cans. It is clear that whatever self-cleaning properties the sheets and bed have, they were strained to their limits.
Behind the desk is a large sealed elevator. To one side is a bathroom and the other a small kitchen stacked with cases and cases of ready meal cans. There is a small bag of possessions at the end of the bed, that was abandoned the moment the young man saw the opportunity to escape.
“Ok, let's see what the external drive says.”
I touch the drive to Belle. “I can’t access it. I believe you can only use the desk to pull up the information.” She tells me. I spend a few minutes tidying up the desk, removing the massive collection of cans, before I feel brave enough to approach it. I place the drive on a small divot that looks like it is made to hold it.
A screen pops up over the desk, and I start to read. Welcome to the Mastery of Arts, Gravity, and Intellect College computer sciences internship program. Here you will be granted room, board, remote access to all the classes you need to complete a degree, as well as full coverage of your tuition. To fulfill the requirements of the internship and get the benefits, you will need to perform necessary cleaning, maintenance, and reference desk duties at the computer sciences library. You will also need to ensure that the library is never left unattended. I have the opt
ion to read through a list of all required tasks, the manual for the building, as well as several other choices.
From the look of the mattress and the ready meal cans, I’m starting to think the student didn’t expect that the room, board, and remote access to classes, were all in the library. Who knows how long he’s been restricted to this building. If I saw this internship open up when I had to hope to get lucky at the Lowman job interview or join the military, I would have jumped at the chance. Whoever this guy is, he probably did the same thing.
I don’t want to cost this guy his position. “Belle, can you contact the computer science department?”
“Huh. This building is shielded, no transmissions in or out.”
I guess I have to step outside to make a call. I turn towards the way I came in and start walking. The door doesn’t slide open for me. Push at it, and nothing happens. “Open door.” I state firmly, wondering if it is voice activated. Nothing happens. I ask my UIs to look into it and head back to the desk.
I access the file and start reading. It turns out there are several ways to open the door again, and most of them involve imminent danger and destruction of school property. Having another student or faculty member enter seems to be the most efficient way. As for getting a signal out, there is one hardwired line and a button under the desk I can push to activate it. I fumble for the button, eventually finding it and shove it in.
An older balding man appears on the screen. “Look, Ravi, I told you not to push…” He stops and blinks, having gotten a good look at me. “You’re not Ravi.”
“You’ve got that right. I showed up at the library to look at the archives, and Ravi seemed to assume I was here to relieve him, then left before I could get a word in edgewise. I appear to be quite trapped now and would appreciate some assistance.”
The man starts muttering and cursing under his breath before calming down. “Could I perhaps interest you in an internship position? The benefits are quite nice. It is the perfect way to save you or your family money.”
