02 – Lures and Bait

Erika spun a pencil around her thumb over and over again, switched to flipping it between her fingers, then spun it around her thumb once more. Growing irritated, she cracked her neck back and forth before snapping the pencil in two. Her watch spun just a little faster as it absorbed the ripples, but a quick pull on time dumped them right where she stood.

She looked left and right down the alley, scowling. “Stalker,” she said, pressing down on the walkie-talkie. “Anything?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Really?”

“Yep. A whole lot of nothing.”

Erika clicked her tongue. “Daniel. Anything?”

It took an extra moment for the walkie-talkie to chirp with his response, but when it did, it was mostly a long, crackling sigh. “Not sure what you think the cameras can see that you can’t, but there isn’t anything interesting on them… Derivative of sine is cosine—”

A loud squeal of static made Erika pull the radio back with a wince. “—bored,” The Stalker said as Daniel must have let go on his end. “When you said we’d go fuck up The Monk or some cultists… I thought we’d fuck up The Monk or some cultists.”

“—vative of tangent… secant squared…” Daniel muttered to himself before speaking a little louder. “This is like the fifth time we’ve been out in the last three weeks. No action. The derivative of cosine—”

“Fifth? I’ve only come out here for three. I didn’t get invited to two outings?”

Erika rolled her eyes at The Stalker’s upset tone. She held up her walkie-talkie, only to jolt back as The Stalker popped into the alley right in front of her with her hand aggressively posed on her hip.

“You were busy ‘expanding territory’, whatever that means.”

“That’s only one night.” The Stalker shifted weight from hip to hip; the chain harness framing her chest clinked with her movement. “What’s your other excuse?”

“First of all,” Erika ground out, “I am not required to involve you in every little thing. We have talked about this.”

“Yes, but—”

“Second of all,” Erika continued, barreling over The Stalker. “I did invite you, and you told me that you had to go drag The Healer out of her rat’s nest.”

“Oh.” The Stalker paused, then quirked her lips into a smile. Her dark eyes took on the distant look of someone lost in memory. “Yeah. The Fool fucked up The Strategist. You should have been there.”

Erika just shook her head. Things were going well with The Eclipse as of late. Or, rather, things were quiet with The Eclipse; The Adjustment hadn’t been around to browbeat anyone lately, which was all Erika cared about at the moment. Inviting trouble by overtly helping The Puppet might make the next god another ordeal to handle.

“Hey,” The Stalker said. Slinking a little closer, she snaked a comforting arm over Erika’s shoulders. “Isn’t this a good thing? You aren’t being chased anymore.”

“I’m only not being chased until I am,” Erika huffed, “and then my guard will be down.”

“Maybe you’re being too obvious, coming out into alleys and breaking things?” The Stalker leaned in, lips tickling Erika’s ear. “Why don’t we get a room somewhere, then you can break my—”

Two crackling radios chirped, making Erika and The Stalker jolt. “I can see and hear you two on the cameras. You know this, right?”

The Stalker leveled a flat look at Erika, one eyebrow climbing her forehead. “Fine with me if you want to watch,” she called out to the alley.

A lengthy silence fell upon the alley. Erika waited for a denial… and did not hear one. She was mostly certain that he was sputtering and stuttering back in Rick’s van, ears turning bright red, but there was always a chance that he was seriously considering The Stalker’s joke. Shaking her head, she nudged The Stalker back a step. “I thought you were studying for your math final.”

“I am,” Daniel answered, just a little too quick this time. “Are we wrapping this up? Some of us have class in the morning and don’t want to be out all night.”

“Yes, yes. We’re done,” Erika said with a sigh. She pointed a finger up, asking The Stalker, “Could you grab the camera off the roof?”

The Stalker shrugged and turned to a static snow before quickly dissolving.

Hopping onto an upturned paint bucket, Erika grabbed hold of the fire escape, pulled herself up, and grabbed the other camera. “We’ll take these to you in a minute,” she said, giving it a grin and a wave before powering it off.

When Erika’s boots hit the ground, she felt a temptation to fracture half the alley. At this point, however, she was certain it would be a futile effort. The Monk wouldn’t come out of the woodwork until he was ready. Moreover, the lesser cultists weren’t even investigating her these days, probably to prevent any other discoveries like the clinic.

“Frustrated?” The Stalker asked, popping back into the alley with the camera in hand.

“Tempted to go to the clinic portal and just start breaking shit on the other side until someone comes to stop me.”

“If there is a chain over there, you’ll likely hit it.”

“And that’s the main reason I haven’t,” Erika said with a sigh. “If The Warrior is right about their subsidiary chains needing proximity to the main ones, every minute I’m in there is dangerous.”

The Stalker hummed noncommittally, swinging the GoPro on its wrist strap as they headed out to the main street. “Weird mimic creatures, huh? Wonder if they’d fool my eyes.”

Erika didn’t have an answer for her. All she knew about them was that The Fixer really didn’t like them and they caused some chaos at an antarctic research outpost. Why was The Mummy interested in Antarctica? The Fixer didn’t know, which meant nobody knew.

“The antarctic version of them apparently turned into the person they chose to mimic, or so The Fixer says. Like, completely. Could do a blood test and…”

Erika trailed off. Rounding the street corner, Erika spotted Rick’s van parked out on the side of the road. Someone leaned up against it wearing a long brown-gray duster and a matching wide-brimmed hat. They flipped a coin repeatedly, compulsively, and checked its face after every catch.

The Stalker tensed at Erika’s side, hand dropping to the gun at her hip, but Erika held out a hand.

She recognized the tight fade visible under that brim.

“You think you’re some noir detective in that ensemble?” Erika called out as she approached, squinting in the dying sun as he looked toward her. Seeing his face confirmed it. “Prescient,” she greeted neutrally.

He caught the coin one more time, and slipped it into his pocket without checking the face. When he pulled his hand back, he held a card between his fingers. He held it out for Erika to see without even looking at its face—a pair of cups.

“An auspicious meeting,” he said, slipping it back into his pocket.

“Uh huh. Does that mean The Monk will or won’t ambush us?” Erika said, tapping her knuckles on the van’s rear doors. “Because I think our definition of auspicious might differ.”

Daniel popped open the door and jolted at the sight of The Prescient.

“You should get cameras on your van,” The Prescient said, flashing straight white teeth.

“Is that a warning about the future or just a quip?”

“Take it however you will.” He shrugged. “I’ve been here for fifteen minutes now and nobody noticed.”

Erika handed her camera to Daniel, eyeing The Prescient the entire time. “Surprised you came out where The Stalker can see you. Have you two met? Stalker, meet The Prescient. Prescient, The Stalker.”

“Good evening,” The Prescient said, tone a little more frosty.

The Stalker curled her lip. “Charmed,” she ground out, eyes flashing a shimmery purple for a brief moment—recording The Prescient. She flicked her camera at Daniel, a bit rough, but he caught it.

“Is… Are they going to fight?” Daniel asked, shying away from the open door.

“I foresee no reason why any of us should fight,” The Prescient said. “After all, we’re all united in the face of a much larger threat. Ancient history of squabbling over territory means nothing in comparison.”

“United?” The Stalker scoffed. “You fuckers scurry off into your little hole and let everyone else deal with shit.”

“And did you help dismantle the Carrion █████?”

The Stalker ground her teeth so audibly that it sent a chill down Erika’s spine. She stepped forward in a hurry, breaking off that line of conversation before it could devolve further.

“We all help in our own way.”

“You’re in a good mood today,” Erika said, frowning at him. “Last time I saw you, something as simple as eating without a table might have triggered a nervous breakdown.”

“Less weighs on my mind today than did then, in partial thanks to you,” he said, sounding… content.

Erika didn’t like it. It was too different. Maybe he had just been having a bad day—it wasn’t like she knew the guy—but… She shot a glance to The Stalker, getting a slight nod in return. Lightly bumping Daniel out of the way, she grabbed hold of The Prescient’s coat. The Stalker didn’t miss a beat, grabbing him by the legs.

They hauled him into the van, slamming the door behind them.

Daniel stumbled back, almost toppling over the back seat, but Erika’s eyes were locked on The Prescient as his hat fell aside. “How do I know you’re the real Prescient?” she hissed.

“This is what I get for trying to be friendly,” he grumbled, smile vanishing. He didn’t struggle under Erika’s grip, looking annoyed. His expression now was far more along the lines of what Erika expected from The Prescient, but it was too late.

“Know what? Sorry, Danny, change of plans. Drive us to Chinatown.”

“To…” He ran a hand through his short hair, eyebrows scrunching up his forehead. “Why?”

“It’s where The Castle dumped me after tossing me out of their asylum. We can go knock on a few walls until one of them opens up.” Erika glared down at The Prescient. “Then we’ll know for sure.”

“This is not necessary,” The Prescient said, though he sounded resigned.

“Either you came here knowing this would happen or you’re not The Prescient, so I don’t know why you’re arguing at this point.”

“Sometimes I like to keep a few surprises in store—a little spice of life, you know? I always regret it after, but I keep doing it.”

Erika gave Daniel a pointed look, and he finally climbed over the back seat of the van. It was a large van with a spacious rear, but it wasn’t designed for someone to move between the back and the driver’s seat on the inside. Daniel had to squeeze between the seats and climb over the center console.

That left Erika frowning over The Prescient. A few weeks ago, before the night The Fixer’s expedition, Erika would have believed he was The Prescient without even bothering to second guess herself. He looked like him, he had those tarot cards, and he sounded like him now that he wasn’t being all cheery.

But The Fixer and The Tower came back with stories of illusions looking too familiar.

Erika glanced over at The Stalker, one knee on The Prescient’s chest and her hand pinning his wrist to the van’s floor. Daniel, up in the front seat, kept glancing back whenever a light stopped him. Technically, she couldn’t verify either of them. She had called The Stalker to meet up for this little outing, and she had picked up Daniel from his home beforehand, but both had been out of sight for at least a few minutes.

Shaking her head, Erika scowled down at The Prescient. She prodded his chest, earning a slight involuntary squirm, but her fingers came away without that familiar film she felt when touching something magical. That didn’t necessarily mean anything. It wasn’t like she had touched one of those clone things to see if they had that film, but it was a point against anything funky going on. She was not going to let paranoia drive her to rash actions. She had done enough of that as it was.

“You guys both see The Prescient here, right?” Erika asked.

“Don’t know, never seen The Prescient before,” The Stalker said.

“Same,” Daniel called out from the front.

Erika let out a short sigh. “Dark hair, brown eyes, dark skin, low fade, stubble beard… he’s wearing a trench coat with a suit underneath.” She paused, then added, “Converse high tops.”

“That’s who I see,” The Stalker confirmed, “but I still don’t know if it is him.”

“Should have guessed,” Erika muttered. She thought back, trying to remember if anyone else had met The Prescient. The only real candidates were Rick and Anna, given their stay with The Castle, but she couldn’t recall either of them mentioning having met him.

Which meant she couldn’t exactly snap a picture and send it off.

Erika felt like slapping her forehead.

She pulled out her phone and dialed The Butler.

“You better hope your friends answer the phone for once,” Erika muttered as it rang and rang… and rang… and—

“Butler speaking.”

“Lucky,” Erika muttered. “It’s ten o’clock. Do you know where your Prescient is?”

“Uh… what?”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“Breakfast, I suppose. He brought coffee and donuts for everyone.”

“Was he acting differently, or did he do anything unusual?”

The Butler hesitated, humming to herself. “Now that you mention it… he did smile. Said he’d be bringing some friends around for dinner. I didn’t even know he had friends outside The Castle.”

Erika couldn’t help but snort, then immediately frowned down at him, this time with less suspicion and more irritation. “And you answered your phone.”

“He told me to expect a call this evening, and I just stepped out of the asylum. Didn’t think it would be you.”

“You trying to get your ears ripped off?” Erika asked, glowering at The Prescient.

“Uh… no?” The Butler answered.

“Not you,” Erika said, leaning back from The Prescient.

The Prescient lifted his one free hand to rub at his earlobe—The Stalker still pinned his other hand down. “Why ears?”

“You think this is funny? There’s clones of people running around and you come out pulling a stunt like that?”

“The Mind did say I needed to…” He trailed off, eyes widening in alarm. He tried to sit up, but The Stalker didn’t let him. “Wait, clones? What clones? Since when have there been clones?” He shouted a little louder. “Butler? Did we lose any subjects recently?”

“Uh… The Monk got out a few weeks ago.”

“What are you talking about?” Erika asked, glancing between her phone and The Prescient. “The Fixer said The Maid was there. Did she not report back or something?”

“She’s been holed up in her room for—”

“Oh.” The Prescient lost all tension, dropping his head back to the van floor. “Those clones.”

Erika had to resist the urge to kick her boot into his side. “What fucking clones did you think I was talking about?”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss The Castle’s private affairs.” Before Erika could actually kick him in the side, he quickly added, “Those clones that The Maid saw aren’t clones, technically, and our clones wouldn’t get loose so easily—”

“What clones?” Erika ground through clenched teeth. “You better not be trying to clone me in your creepy mad scientist basement.”

“No, no. The Maid stuff is part of why I’m here. Or why we’re almost here. Butler! If you could wave down the van—”

“No need,” Daniel said with that resigned tone. “She’s kind of hard to miss.”

Erika hung up the phone as she felt the van slow. She glowered, still debating kicking him, when The Stalker shifted uneasily.

“So…”

“Yeah, you can get off him. It’s probably the real him.” Erika paused, then realized one sure way of testing this whole charade. “You can see The Butler, right? Should be nearby.”

The Stalker’s eyes shimmered as she looked around. It didn’t take long for her to nod her head. “She’s just ahead.”

“Good. Fine.” Erika sighed, her own tension slowly bleeding out as she came to terms with the reality of the situation. “I have a phone,” she said. “Maybe text me next time.”

“I didn’t think you would kidnap me in the middle of a public road,” The Prescient said, sitting up. He immediately dipped a hand into the pocket The Stalker had been kneeling over and pulled out a card. This one, he didn’t share with Erika before replacing, simply nodding at whatever it was as if he expected it. “Last time I don’t plot out my entire day when dealing with you.”

The van jerked to a stop a bit abruptly—Daniel was used to driving a far smaller car—and Erika kicked open the rear door. The Butler stood on the sidewalk, phone still in hand, scratching her head with a white gloved hand. She stood just as tall as she usually did, which was several heads over Erika. “Agent,” she greeted with a warm wave. Her eyes turned notably cooler when The Stalker sashayed up and slid her arm over Erika’s shoulder. “I thought The Prescient said friends.”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” The Prescient said, adjusting his hat as he stepped out.

“She’ll behave,” Erika said.

“I can speak for myself,” The Stalker snipped, a little testier than usual.

Erika frowned over at her. “They aren’t going to let us in if you say no…”

The Stalker met her gaze, eyes fierce for all of three seconds before her gaze started to waver. “I’ll behave,” she said, “but I can say it myself.”

Erika gave her cool skin a light peck on the cheek, before turning to find The Prescient rolling his eyes and The Butler standing with her hands clasped together, awestruck expression on her face. “What? Something to say?”

“Nothing you’d like to hear,” The Prescient said, popping the collar of his duster as he turned away.

The Butler, on the other hand, melted where she stood. “That’s so sweet…”

“Weirdo,” The Stalker hissed in Erika’s ear, just as Daniel rounded the front of the van.

“Okay, I’m ready,” he said, zipping up his jacket. Erika caught a brief flash of dark metal tucked under his arm before the NASA logo on his jacket popped into its place.

“Thought you had a math test to study for?” The Stalker snipped with a curl in her lip.

“That was before something interesting started up.” He leaned over, whispering to Erika, “Don’t worry, I messaged Dad and Rick. If we disappear, they’ll know where to find us.”

Erika doubted they would be able to get inside the asylum, but at least Rick wouldn’t be out another van. Shrugging, she turned to the two from The Castle. “Lead on.”