16 – A Hug and Orange Tang

“I don’t believe it.” Rick slumped back in his chair, cupping his hands to his face like Erika had broken the news that The Mummy murdered his dog. “They’re Tangers?”

“Tangers?”

“They want to give everyone a hug and-or turn them into orange Tang. We’re going to get Tanged.”

Erika raised an eyebrow, baffled as to what he was going on about, but not altogether surprised. Rick and Leslie both often spouted nonsense. “Is that… some kind of slur?” she asked.

“What? No. I mean… maybe it should be.”

“Okay…” Erika looked around the rest of the room.

In the wee hours of the morning, she had called everyone in. Sofia was still in the midst of handing out cups of coffee to everyone, though from the exhausted expression on her face, she would drink it all herself if given the chance. Leslie accepted his with a quiet, “Thanks.” Anna didn’t seem to notice as Sofia slid her mug across the table, brow wrinkled in thought, while Daniel accepted his without even opening his eyes.

“Life was a lot simpler before I met you,” he said in a tone of total neutrality.

“Sorry?” Erika said with a shrug. “Anyone other than Rick have something useful to add?”

“No, no,” Anna said, still staring off into space as she thought. “He has a point.”

“Et tu, Anna?” Erika sighed. “You’re supposed to be the level-headed one.”

“It obviously isn’t exactly like Human Instrumentality,” she continued, picking up her mug without drinking, “but shoving everyone into a god so we’re all ‘equal’ sounds close enough. Of course, as you mentioned pointing out to them, the fact that they aren’t all equal calls their actual motivations into question, but that’s just the way these kinds of things go.”

These kinds of things, like she had experience with situations like this. Erika skipped over Leslie, not even wanting him to add to this conversation, and frowned at Daniel and Sofia. Both were paying attention despite their exhaustion, but from the expressions on their faces, neither knew what the other two were talking about.

Turning away from the usual Hunters, Erika said, “What about you three? Anything to add?”

Delilah stood, stiff as a board, to Erika’s right, looking more focused on keeping watch on The Fixer than Erika’s report.

“I should have been here. We’d have fucked them up.” The Stalker, acting as a partition between the two, took an aggressive step forward.

Delilah squeaked and took a hasty step forward as well, keeping The Stalker directly between her and The Fixer.

“Aw, thanks… sweetie?”

The Stalker blinked, then shook her head. “Nah.”

“Nope,” Erika agreed at the same time.

Erika wasn’t actually sure why The Stalker was here—she hadn’t called her in with the others. Knowing how The Stalker worked, she probably saw people around Erika, got jealous, and popped in to see what was going on.

She was a handful, but at least she wasn’t stalking anyone.

Guised as Mister Dice for the morning, The Fixer stroked their beard, drawing Erika’s gaze. Thus far, to the best of Erika’s knowledge, they hadn’t so much as glanced toward Delilah. “Did they put any time limit on their ultimatum, or an end date on their alleged grace against attacks on this place?”

“I don’t think so, no.”

“Then we ought to be vigilant. They may have said that only to gather us together, then barge in saying their offer expired five minutes after it was given.”

For one single second, that sounded entirely reasonable. Erika thought about it one second more and couldn’t help but frown. “Would you have trusted them if they said next Tuesday?”

“Maybe. Explicitly given promises have a certain power among some supernaturals. I doubt The Mummy enforces or is subject to such honor, however.”

Erika turned to Delilah, hoping for a confirmation one way or another, but the girl was too distracted trying to keep watch on The Fixer.

Between the exhaustion, the two opposing supernaturals, and whatever nonsense Rick and Anna were spouting, Erika felt like she was in the midst of herding cats. Except cats were cute and soft, unlike anyone present.

Erika turned back to the table at large. “I’m not going to help them.”

“Naturally,” Leslie said.

“I don’t know who they thought they were convincing, or if they thought they were being even mildly persuasive, but I think all they really accomplished was pissing me off even more.”

“Let’s fuck them up!” The Stalker said, slamming her fist against the table. The rattling of mugs made Delilah yelp in the background.

“Are you going to try breaking things to draw them out again?” Sofia asked, holding her mug close to her face. “Because that didn’t go so well last weekend.”

“They’re probably wise to that tactic now, if they weren’t already before,” Leslie said, wiping up spilled coffee with a paper towel. “I was thinking that those men who checked out the scene didn’t look like they were in a hurry. Either they aren’t ready with another chain for Erika, or they knew it was a trap.”

“Nya doesn’t think those sub-chains will work if they’re too far from the main chain.” Delilah looked around, eyes tracking something that nobody else could see. “So unless they had a plan to capture Erika, there wouldn’t have been much point. And it is much harder to plan when you’re spontaneous…”

“So if she always dumped ripples at the same place and on regular intervals, they would show up?” Daniel asked, squinting his eyes open just enough to jot down a few words in his notebook.

“Yeah, sure, if she actually wants to get herself caught,” Sofia scoffed. “Even if we go with her every time, they’ll figure it out and plan around it.”

“They’ve proved they know where we work. They don’t need to plan around her breaking things, especially since they must know that she can pick the time and place to signal that…” Anna trailed off, suddenly tense. “I doubt it is a stretch to think that they’ve figured out where we live as well, and they only said they wouldn’t attack here.” Grabbing her phone, she stood. “I… I should check on my mother.”

Erika grimaced as Anna hurried out of the room. Once again, her existence was putting everyone around her in danger. She looked to Leslie, half expecting him to rush out to contact his family as well, but he simply took a drink of his coffee, unperturbed.

“If they are truly trying to garner your support, they wouldn’t strike at your family and friends,” he said, noting her gaze. “Not until you prove without a shadow of a doubt that you’ll never agree. And if they do attack… Piper can handle herself.”

Erika’s eyebrows popped up. Piper King was a wonderful woman and Erika truly had not a single bad thing to say about her. But to suggest that she could handle herself in the face of these nigh-immortal cultists was a conspiracy theory far and beyond Leslie’s usual fare.

She waited, but he did not elaborate.

“I hope so,” Erika said slowly, turning back to address the rest of the room. “Because want to prove that we’re not going to be pushed around as soon as possible.”

“Shouldn’t we wait?” Daniel asked. “They’re giving us a window to prepare, so shouldn’t we use it?”

Erika shook her head. “I don’t think they’re giving us a window at all. They’re giving themselves a window. We know where another portal is since we found that clinic. They know that we know. And if they know that we know that they know—”

“Erika,” Daniel said, rolling his eyes. “I get it though. They don’t want us poking around there until they’re ready for you to break a chain?”

“Exactly. Maybe they were genuine, but like I said, they were about as persuasive as a box of angry wasps. So, the only thing I can think is that they’re scrambling to get whatever they need ready.

“So we fuck them up early. Stalker!”

The Stalker stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Erika’s shoulders. “What do you need, babe?”

Erika scrunched up her face, feeling the word in the air. She shook her head. “Nope.”

“Nah,” The Stalker agreed at the exact same time.

“I want the equipment The Warrior offered. As soon as possible. You think you can go light a fire under her ass?”

Erika could feel the way The Stalker wilted against her, though she didn’t let it go on for long. “I… can talk to her.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

The Stalker reinflated, just a little. “I’ll figure something out.”

“Thanks, honey,” Erika said. The word hung in the air for a long moment.

“Nah.”

“Nope.”

“You two are making me sick,” Sofia grumbled to herself.

Both Erika and The Stalker ignored her, with the latter stepping away. “Better get on this as soon as possible,” she grumbled to herself. “I’ll be back tonight. Those bastards come by again and they’ll get a black bullet through their brains.”

Erika doubted that they would show up two nights in a row, especially if they were just trying to get Erika to leave well enough alone for now, but she appreciated The Stalker’s sentiment. As The Stalker headed out, Erika turned back to Delilah. She was happy to see that The Fixer hadn’t tried anything while her back was turned, though Delilah looked concerned that her partition had up and left her side.

“Delilah and Nya… The Daughter?” Erika shrugged, realizing she didn’t actually know what name the latter preferred. “Can you open portals on your own?”

“Um…” Delilah trailed off. Judging by her gaze, Nya was currently lounging on the mini-fridge. “Like here? No. There are thin points and thick points in the world.”

Leslie spoke up from behind, leaning toward Delilah with interest. “And this is a thick point?”

“I… guess?”

“Good to know,” Leslie said with a reassured nod. “If we are attacked here, it won’t be from within.”

“Agreed,” Erika said, “however, that isn’t exactly what I meant. I can open the portal at the clinic, but I was wondering if you could as well.”

Again, Delilah turned to consult Nya. “Yes. Constructing a new gateway from nothing would be considerably more difficult, but where the groundwork has already been laid, it is as simple as opening a door. So says Nya… not me.”

“I figured.”

“In fact,” Delilah continued, “just about anyone should be able to open it, even without your abilities.”

The Fixer perked up, looking to Delilah for the first time since the meeting began. It was news to Erika as well, and made her stop cold. At no point had she even considered that anyone but her and maybe The Daughter could get into those portals. She was still formulating her plan, trying to figure out the logistics of juggling herself and Delilah, but that changed things.

Erika sat back, half-listening to The Fixer and Rick discuss the mechanics of portal opening with Delilah. Her mind was already elsewhere.

If anyone could open these portals—not just her or Delilah—then her burgeoning plan didn’t have to hinge on them being separated or in two places at once.

It was dangerous to just barge in. The maggots had been a known factor and one that, with The Puppet’s aid, had been easily handled. The birds were more complicated, but again, proper preparation would mitigate the threat they posed. Before they rushed head-first into some other domain filled with unknown threats, Erika wanted to scout ahead just to see what they would have to deal with.

Delilah needed to lead her to the Carrion Eater, making the logistics of sneaking someone into the clinic portal more difficult.

But now…

“Anyone want to go on a really dangerous mission?” Erika turned around, meeting the silence she fully expected. “It will probably help out in the future?” she added, though the flat stares and silence did not shift.

“Maybe it will help if you explain a bit more?” Sofia said, halfheartedly.

“I need someone to sneak through the clinic portal, find out what threats are on the other side, and get back here so we can plan some countermeasures before properly assaulting that place.”

Erika looked around, again knowing that the response would be muted at best. She did not expect to hear the tap of dress shoes against the tile behind her.

“I’ll do it,” The Fixer said.

Erika turned slowly, not sure what kind of expression she was making. If it was just The Fixer, she would have agreed in an instant. Or, she might have pushed them into it. Taking down The Mummy was their purpose, after all. But The Fixer dragged her mother with them everywhere they went. Part of her knew it was hypocritical—she had just asked Daniel’s father and the others the same question. But there was a difference between people who had chosen this lifestyle and her mother.

“Do you have another guise?” Erika asked. “You aren’t going to walk in there as my mother.”

“Mister Dice should suffice,” they answered neutrally. “If I run into trouble, I can transform.”

“Won’t that draw the Terminator?”

“If it does, and the guardian finds its way into that other world, it might just take care of the problem for us.”

That got Erika to pause, her mind slowly shifting gears back toward a more analytical mindset. “You think it might focus on something that isn’t you?”

“It depends on the nature of what lies within, though everything I know about The Mummy indicates that it is a threat to reality—and your recounting of what happened last night confirms my theory. They outright threatened to end the ‘tyranny of reality’ to your face.”

Delilah shifted in discomfort, but stepped forward as if urged by some invisible cat. “Nya doesn’t know about this Terminator thing, but if it doesn’t like broken reality, it won’t like most of Nya’s… siblings. Powerful entities have a habit of breaking reality—it’s how the maggots escaped, and is probably how the birds are loose as well.”

The Fixer nodded, agreeing with her to Erika’s surprise. “What I’ve seen isn’t quite the rending I cause, but if I draw it there, then manage to escape, it might focus on the next biggest threat.”

Another new data point, another potential shift to her plans. Erika had to sigh. “I really wish I knew everything before I started thinking about stuff,” she muttered, earning a small laugh from Rick.

“If only,” he quipped.

“How do the two of you rate the Terminator’s ability to handle aspects of The Mummy?” Erika asked The Fixer and Delilah, looking between the two.

Delilah scoffed, looking a little more relaxed with the way The Fixer wasn’t focused on her or on ignoring her at the moment. “I just said Nya doesn’t know what that is.”

“It’s a hunter of my kind,” The Fixer said, answering almost absently with their brow furrowed. “It is a powerful entity on its own, but it is hard to say. It might just get crushed under the force of what lies within.”

“Which would be good for us, right? Gets it off your back?”

“Until another one is sent after me, yes.”

Erika looked back and forth between the two, then turned to look over the rest of The Hunters. “I don’t see a downside to this plan. Either way, it sounds like a win for us. Draw the Terminator in and let it run rampant. One way or another, a thorn gets out of our side.”

“If it is as powerful as you say,” Delilah said, speaking slowly, “it is possible that it might free aspects, accidentally or otherwise.”

Erika frowned, once again wishing these people would tell her everything before she got to planning. Turning, she looked to The Fixer for confirmation.

“I… doubt it would, at least intentionally. And if it did, it would likely focus on the entity, as freeing them does cause more damage, as evidenced by maggots and birds seeping into the world.”

“In that case, I’m not seeing a major downside,” Erika said. “If it breaks a chain, it’ll stick around and try to fix what it broke, which is more than I’ve managed. If it is too weak, it’ll get pummeled and get out of our hair, and if it doesn’t actually detect you, then you have free rein to run about in your real body and cause havoc on your own, or just quietly scout out the place for a future operation. Am I missing anything?” she asked as she turned to The Hunters.

“I mean…” Anna started, having returned from her call. She looked a little more reassured now, though still a bit distracted. She frowned down the table to the others for a moment, then continued. “I think we have to take your word for this. We haven’t seen your Terminator, and probably know less than Nya does about it.”

Daniel held up a finger, flipping through his notebook. “It attacked The Fixer at the motel where they met Delilah for the first time,” he said, running his finger over a note. He flipped forward a page before adding, “After she and Carter escaped the bridge, it appeared where she made her exit hole. And The Stalker said it caused problems for The Puppet and The Eclipse back in September, but doesn’t know more than that.”

“Yes, we know that much, but we don’t really know anything about it, do we? Even if we did, how much can we infer? These two are the experts, so…” She shrugged. “Like Erika said, I don’t see major downsides.”

“Maybe we talk with The Eclipse,” Rick added. “They might want to send someone with The Fixer to check the other realm out. Two people can still be sneaky, and there would be backup if something went wrong.”

“Good point,” Erika said. “Although, I do know that The Emperor is pissed off about the Terminator, so anything to get rid of it would probably get us points.”

“What isn’t The Emperor pissed off about?” Anna asked with a small laugh.

Erika dipped her head, acknowledging the joke, before descending into thought once again.

They had a much better plan now, at least on the clinic side of things.

They were treating symptoms rather than curing the disease, but it bought breathing room to figure out how to strike directly at the cult or The Mummy. She didn’t know how to figure that out, but with the discovery of this new portal—and with the means to access it—Erika felt like she was dictating events, rather than just running and hiding while they plotted and planned.

Erika wanted the momentum on her side. Anything to jostle the cult enough for her to step in and break this whole charade down.