SG: Subtler Than Light #4 (3/3): My Superhost

[Gary W. Olson]

(continued from part three, preceding...)

***

In Cendra Seconds' office on the ground-bound _Subtler Than Light,_ Cendra
studied her guest, the new-at-least-to-her superguy who'd identified
herself as Psywave. Some of the bravado and brightness on her masked face
had gone, and Cendra thought she was making an effort not to look down or
away from her eyes.

"What I'm going to tell you... some of it's not something I'd like to see
spread around," said Psywave. "I'm not gonna demand secrecy, but I'm hoping
you'll want to keep it on the down-low with me once you hear it."

"People don't say that any more," Camila called from her couch.

Psywave glanced back at Camila, and returned her attention to Cendra. "Are
you sure...?"

"Talk," Cendra ordered. "I'll figure out how down low I want to go after."

"I'm not from this world," said Psywave. "Not going to say which one I'm
from, or how long I've been here, but... well, put it this way... Galaxy
Hunter... the one I'm working with, I mean... knows me from when I first
came to this world. That's how I got involved."

"And this Hunter became involved with hidden Hearts of a subterranean
alternate dimension on our backwater planet Earth... how?"

"As far as almost anyone who knew this Hunter is concerned, they think..."
Psywave paused, furrowed her brow, then sighed. "They think *she* was
killed in a battle on Reptilos, the capital of the..."

"I know the Reptiloids," Cendra interrupted, even as she silently wondered
why giving up a pronoun required a pause for decision. "One I count as a
good friend, though I don't see him much anymore. I've gotten ssss... I've
hung out with others at Burning M00se through the years."

"You're not fooling anyone, mom," Camila said.

"You know about the separatists, then," said Psywave, ignoring the
one-wolf-girl peanut gallery behind her. "About how the Ottsamaddawidu
Confederation coalition government fronted by the Scary Clown Party upended
the work done to shore up post-Imperial relations with worlds forcibly
incorporated into the Empire long ago, and how the Scary Clown faction on
Reptilos decided--after the Party On Party won the next election, retook
control, and started undoing the damage done--it was time to get on with
the violent secession they've always wanted?"

"I'm told the Hunter Corps has, so far, kept them in check."

"Until three weeks ago, you'd've been right. Then the Scaled Order took
delivery of the Heart, and fired up the transmat for Earth, just as Hunter
tried to deliver said check."

"It's not the Heart of Mu you're talking about, then," said Cendra, as
Psywave took a sip from her water bottle. "We had that up until this
morning."

"This one was the 'Heart of Hy Brasil.' Which has been in the Treasury for
a century-and-a-quarter, though there's not a lot of details regarding the
Hottentotian expedition that returned with it."

"I thought the Treasury couldn't be breached. That it's where
Ottsamaddawiduans stored things acquired through the millennia of their
spacegoing existence... things thought to be too dangerous for anyone,
including themselves, to mess with."

"It's apparently been breached once before, a couple decades back," said
Psywave, looking increasingly uncomfortable with the topic she'd raised.
"But this was a little different than that incident. This was an inside
job."

"Who...?"

"Someone replaced the Keeper with a finely-crafted duplicate. Hunter only
found out after their bodies were discovered. Her investigation revealed
that the Heart was taken... and that the takers went straight to Reptilos."

Just then, the office door opened.

"Have you spilled everything yet?" Galaxy Hunter asked.

Cendra looked the armored hero up and down. The armor looked heavy as hell,
even though it was no different than the functional suit that the original
Galaxy Hunter, Ragna Rok, had forged soon after coming to Earth for the
first time nearly thirty-four years ago. It was the metal itself, Cendra
thought. Though it was cut to resemble standard-issue Hunter gear, it
looked... it felt, in her mind's eye... far older, giving it an impression
of weight its current owner probably didn't experience.

In fact, the more she stared at it... and she was staring hard, now, she
realized... the more she could feel something in the back of her mind
squirm.

A flight reflex. Something deep in her biology knew the armor, more to the
point knew the metal it was forged from, and wanted to escape.

Psywave showed no similar struggle in seeing the Hunter she'd earlier
referred to as her partner. Instead, she breezily flipped Hunter off and
gestured to the other chair.

"I copped to you having been in hot pursuit of the Heart of Hy Brasil,"
said Psywave, "and that the Corps thinks you're croaked. Also that you're a
fine, comely wench beneath the armor."

"Says you," Hunter said. "Only thing *I'd* cop to is I need to amp up the
AC in this thing. I'm sweating my comely ass off."

"You smell like stale patchouli," Camila interjected. Hunter regarded her
as if surprised the furry child was there.

"Reptilos wasn't in my assigned sector," Hunter said, as she took a seat in
the other chair before Cendra's desk, "but I knew it pretty well, which is
why I got put on the case. I got in touch with sources I have there... and
learned about the Scaled Order. Bunch of cranky twats... okay,
*cultists*... who claim Reptilos had a star empire long before being
forcibly incorporated into the Ottsamaddawiduan Empire. And apparently at
one time... we're talking tens of thousands of years ago, though how many
tens is a matter of dispute within the cult... Earth was counted among
them. Late-pleistocene-ish."

"Just about teatime," Psywave interjected, before taking another swig of
water.

"These guys have some pretty wild ideas about what their ancestors were up
to on Earth," Galaxy Hunter doggedly went on. "Supposedly it was just used
as a way-station for war campaigns in this sector, but... there are rumors
they were conducting experiments here. And not just getting with *your*
ancestors to see who's up for some 'cave painting and chill.' There was
some kind of superweapon being worked on, though what it was... even they
don't know."

"Ooh, ancient superweapon," said Cendra. "I was wondering if one of those
old chestnuts'd pop up."

"Chestnuts are as chestnuts do," Hunter noted.

"But the cult does claim that they're the ones who brought the Seven
Engines to Earth, millennia later," Psywave said. "And not the
Hottentottians, despite what's in *their* occult histories. A deal with at
least some of the underground civilizations extant at the time in what we
now call Terra Subterrene. For what purpose... again, even they don't know.
I mean, we know Terra Subterrene uses the engines as portal creators
between themselves and the Hollow Earth in the Aetheric dimension, but we
don't know if that's what the Reptiloids intended. But the cult thinks that
if they can gain control of them... or, more specifically, the Hearts that
power them... it's 'hello galactic empire' time, with Reptilos ruling all,
and them ruling Reptilos. If their lore is correct, the Heart of Hy Brasil,
while not powerful in and of itself, can be made to reveal the locations of
the other hidden Hearts. Including the one that was yours."

Cendra tried to think about what, if anything, that Dr. Gigawatt, her
resident expert on all things Hidden Empire, had said specifically about
the Heart of Hy Brasil, or if he had even mentioned it by name. She wanted
to say no, but somehow, the name 'Hy Brasil' was familiar.

"So they brought the Hy Brasil Heart to Earth to find its companions,"
Cendra said, "and that's how they found out about us having the Heart of Mu
in our floorboards. And then they subcontracted its theft out to a
red-feathered utahraptor and/or a group of Hawaiian-shirt-wearing demon
monkeys?"

"T'shamka's got allies, it seems," Hunter said. "He's the head tw... er,
cultist, though I can't say for certain which faction he's aligned with."

Cendra frowned. The name triggered a memory.

"Not..."

"Maybe the same T'shamka as in Richard Cartier's journals," said Psywave,
"maybe not." She held up a hand. "And before you ask, yes, I know about
those, too. I've been reading the annotated editions Gigawatt's put out."
She frowned. "Is he ever gonna get to volume 8?"

"I understand he's hung up on a side essay about Shaverology," Cendra said.
"Specifically what Richard Shaver got wrong about Deros, and why his
daughter Evelyn won't return his calls. Gigawatt's calls about Shaver's
daughter, I mean."

"Back to the saga," Hunter said, gesturing at Psywave to shush. "And maybe
back it up to Reptilos for a bit. The Scaled Order found out who I was
under the armor, soon before they collapsed the cavern that they'd been
meeting in on top of my head. They'd been tipped off that I was on their
tails, see. Not just *a* Hunter. I mean, they knew my identity under the
mask. Which means they have a mole high up in the Hunter Corps, in addition
to whoever let them into the Treasury. After I crawled out from under, I
snuck into a transmat queue for this year's Burning M00se festivities with
forged credentials. Same way they came to Earth."

"I was at Burning M00se when she showed up last night." Psywave gestured at
Hunter. "Just soakin' up the weird with all the humans and
other-than-humans and people-sized kaiju and the like. Saw her. Recognized
her. Confronted her. She spilled."

"Then she took me to Ragna Rok, who as usual since his retirement was also
on hand for the festivities," said Hunter. "She said he'd been on Earth for
a few years now, one of Malaga's more recent year-round residents, and if
there was a Hunter I could still trust, it was him. I spilled to them some
more. We decided we had to keep my and her identities secret while we were
unsure of where the Scaly Order Reptiloids were, or how far along they were
with their plans or who they might be allied with here. We figured if they
found out we were there, they'd accelerate their plans, and we'd lose our
only chance to catch them."

"Clever," said Cendra. "Maybe too clever by half."

She pursed her lips after saying this. Something about their story felt...
off. Like they were lies that were also true. From a smooth-talker like
Lemon Rydell, she expected it. From an unknown like Psywave, she had no
reason to discount it. But to get this vibe off a Hunter... that was
disturbing.

"Their plans were pretty damn accelerated already," Psywave said, taking
over the narrative. "Way too early this morning, after she spilled but
before we could make much of a plan to investigate, we intercepted a
transmission on an old Imperial frequency. Apparently someone else was
going after the Mu Heart, and *that* accelerated *their* plans, so they
made a panicked call to whoever they contracted with, who in turn contacted
their demon monkeys... who were the loud-shirt-wearing ones you encountered
this morning."

"I made the call to beam you a warning," said Psywave. "It led with the
Hunter Corps brand logo so you'd know it's legit..."

"I've been meaning to ask since forever," Cendra said. "What the hell is up
with that?"

"It was something the first President of the Confederation came up with,"
said Hunter. "The hand with the flower is supposed to symbolize peace. Or
maybe that's the bird? I can't remember. The beer was meant to symbolize...
partying, I think. Not sure about the little armored dude in it. I think
maybe after the first three symbols the designer worried we might lose the
thread."

"So, also Rad," Cendra noted, "the first symbolic President of the
Confederation, back in the nineties. Guess it makes sense Ragna'd give him
something like this to work out, and it shouldn't be surprising this was
the result. Kind of 'on brand' for him."

"People..." Camila started. "Okay, people *do* say that. But they should
stop. It's stupid."

"Psywave and me were translocated to L.A. through a spell cast by Shadebeam
Moroboshi," said Hunter. "Ragna tried talking her out of it, but she
insisted, though I'm told took a lot out of her. You know how far downhill
she's gone, right?"

"From what Erin says," Cendra said, "she might make it to next year's
Burning M00se... but it'll be her last." She shook her head. "Despite his
best efforts to halt her decline. She's been tied to Malaga, New Mexico for
21 years now. Being near that crashed cathedral-sized elevator from the
Earth's core and holding that annual festival of hers is what keeps her
from descending into gibbering madness... but I guess 'alive' is too much
to ask on top of that."

"She keeps saying Leviam00se wouldn't do her dirty like that, though,"
Hunter noted, as Psywave picked up her almost-forgotten water bottle from
her arm rest. "Which she says means something bigger's at play and she'll
heal up after next year's bash and people should stop being all sad-faced
at her so much. Not that I know who the hell Leviam00se is, but... I hope
she's right and everyone else is wrong."

"Back to the Heart of Hy Brasil for a second," said Cendra. "Why does the
Scaled Order even need the Demon Monkeys, if they have--"

She was interrupted by a knock at her door.

"Hey, Cendra," said Johnny Clark as he zipped in, still shirtless, but now
sweaty and bearing a tablet computer.

"What is it?" Cendra asked.

"You said you wanted to know when the _Subtler Than Light_ hull was
patched," he answered, as he set the tablet on her desk. "We just finished.
Trice said they don't need me for fixing the lower level floors, so if it's
all right with you, I'm going to see if I can catch up with Bonnie's team
before they port out to Malaga."

"If she's got an extra seat, have at it," Cendra said. "Oh, can you take
Camila to my quarters on your way down?"

"Aw, moooommmm," Camila complained. "I was being good. Kind of."

"Don't worry, squirt," said Johnny. "I'll take you through the big holes in
the next couple decks. It's pretty twi... oh! Um... hello!"

Johnny, Cendra realized, had just realized that Psywave had been looking
him up and down, though what she thought of Johnny was not entirely clear.
Johnny, for his part, appeared surprised that she was there. Surprised...
or perhaps flustered at her scrutiny.

"Hello, yourself," said Psywave. She looked him over once more... and
smiled. "I don't suppose you're into karaoke, long moonlit flights, and
showing visiting ladies the finest drinking establishments around here, are
you?"

"It's kind of early," Johnny replied, a smile dawning on his face as he
wiped sweat from his brow. "But if you're around tonight, I should be back
from Malaga, and then maybe we could hit Dicey Ned's, and after that, I
could interview you for my web series..."

"Ahem." Cendra gave the word a gravity that pulled Johnny's eyes her way.
When Johnny saw her glare, he gulped, nodded, and looked at Camila. "Come
on, squirt. Time to go. Nice meeting you, Psywave! Oh, and you too, armored
person... Galaxy Hunter? You look like a Galaxy Hunter. Um, nice. Did I say
that? Right."

Camila leaped onto his shoulders and waved to her mother as Johnny carried
her out.

When the door closed, Psywave gave Cendra a baleful look.

"Not to complain," she said, "but it's been a while for me, and he looked
cute, capable, interested, and..." Her smile grew wider. "...durable." She
took a long drink from her bottle of water.

"Thirsty?" Galaxy Hunter asked.

"Damn right," said Psywave. "Also, I didn't realize I wanted so much water."

"I thought you were done with... all that."

Psywave gave Hunter a sour look.

"I was," she said. "I am. I mean... do I have to be?"

"Your words."

"So?" she asked. "I'll eat them."

"Also, 'my lovelife is an armada-wreck,' 'every time I think it's right
it's so, so, so very wrong...'"

"I didn't say that!" Psywave protested. "I mean... one 'so' at most."

Hunter tilted her head.

"Okay, two!" Psywave exclaimed. "It was late, we were all as spilled out as
we could get, and I was buzzed. I always repeat my 'so's' when I'm buzzed.
Also, I apparently get all maudlin or something. It's not like I'm
*looking* for someone. Just, you know... some recreation."

"'Always how it starts.'"

"Now you're getting nasty, saying things I said at me." She frowned. "I
didn't get that guy's name, though."

Cendra thought back. Johnny had left before Psywave showed up in the
_Subtler Than Light's_ lobby with Esteban, and Psywave had gone on to
Cendra's office before Johnny had bounded up onto to the main deck to catch
the giant nectarisite deck plate he'd casually tossed up.

It occurred to her that, while the world in her experience tended toward
taking things away... it sometimes gave as well. In this case, it had given
her one more chance to find out what she hoped was true.

"He's a grown man," Cendra said. "Quite capable."

Psywave looked at her oddly.

"Of making his own choices, I mean. Wouldn't know about the other. You
should be careful, though. He might... and I don't mean to put you off...
he might actually want to interview you for his web series. Something about
lair flipping, I think."

"You mean that wasn't a line?" Hunter asked.

Cendra shook her head.

"I'd chance it," Psywave said. "Worst comes to worst, I've got a friend and
a new place to get buzzed at."

"Also great for a great bloody brawl, some nights," Hunter noted. "So I've
heard."

"Now you're trying to get me excited again," Psywave said. "But... this
guy. He's not the type who thinks he's entitled, is he?"

"He's good about that, both from what I'm told and from what telepathic
impressions I've gotten off him," said Cendra. "He might prefer the
so-called friend zone, given the romantic trainwrecks he has in *his* past."

"Shares a lot, does he?"

Cendra nodded.

"Oversharers are my people," said Psywave, as she raised her bottle to her
lips. "Introduce us next time."

She took a long drink, sending a couple large bubbles glorping up the
bottle.

"His name's Johnny Clark."

The massive and involuntary spray of water out of Psywave's face, through
both mouth and nose, was intensely gratifying to Cendra. The half-empty
bottle toppled to the floor as Psywave looked frantically back at the door,
then at the space where Johnny had greeted her, and finally at Cendra.

"But... but... he was just... I mean, he was only this tall last time..."
Psywave sputtered, waving her hand at a roughly foor-foot level. "And he
was skinny and he wouldn't just sit still and watch a movie when I had to
hang out with him and his hair... hey, he had midnight blue hair, how come
I didn't notice that..."

A clanging sound echoed in the office. Cendra saw that it came from Galaxy
Hunter's faceplate, which Hunter had slapped her own armored palm against.

Psywave gibbered a bit more... then stopped.

She glared at Cendra...

...then groaned and pulled down her mask.

"How did you know?" she asked.

Unmasked, Cendra could now see aspects of both her father and her mother in
the wideness of the woman's eyes, the angry curve of her lips, and the two
small, conical horns on her forehead hairline. Strange how they weren't
visible when the mask was on, she thought.

"I didn't know," said Cendra, a smile breaking across her face so hard she
thought the top of her head might fall off. "I just saw how Esteban looked
at you, down in the lobby, when you both saw Lemon. I saw that look, which
I'd only *ever* seen him give you or Lemon, and later on when you stopped
on the photo, I had the idea. Which I gave up on, after I couldn't get a
rise out of you with anything I said about it. The rest was hope and,
finally, a small bit of lucky timing."

"And she told *me* to be careful," Galaxy Hunter muttered.

Psywave shook her head... then laughed.

"I thought I was ready for anything anyone brought up from the past," she
said. "When you caught me looking at the picture and started talking about
the boys... I kept my game face *on,* just like I learned how to... in my
time away. But this... *damn.*"

"It's what you get for being a stranger for so long," said Cendra, abruptly
standing. "And for trying to fool me of all people, no matter how good your
reasons were. Which I'd *really* like to know, now. But before that...
bring it in."

Psywave flew over the desk. Cendra pulled her into a fierce embrace before
her boots could touch the ground.

"Welcome back to Earth," she said, pressing her cheek into the other's red
hair. "Welcome back... Rumi Moroboshi."


WHY DID RUMI COME BACK TO EARTH?
WHY DID SHE LEAVE?
WHY DIDN'T SHE SAY WHO SHE WAS?
WHY DOESN'T SHE STAY PROPERLY HYDRATED?
WHO'S GALAXY HUNTER?
WHY DOESN'T SHE SAY WHO SHE IS?
DOES SHE STAY PROPERLY HYDRATED?
IS KAZZA STAYING PROPERLY HYDRATED?
WILL SHE WALK *REVERB* THE PATH OF BONE *END REVERB*?
DOES SHE HAVE *REVERB* EIGHT DOLLARS *END REVERB* ON HER?
WILL MIGUEL DEAL WITH HIS BAGGAGE?
WILL MIGUEL'S NEW PACK THRIVE?
WILL THEY SUCCESSFULLY TAKE THE PROGRAMMER INTO CUSTODY?
WILL THE PROGRAMMER CHEW OUT HIS SUPERHOST?
WILL JOLENE BOGART THE OXYGEN DESTROYER?
WILL JOHNNY PUT ON A SHIRT?
WHAT IS THIS, KALE?

Find out someday, on an upcoming... SUPERGUY!
--
Subtler Than Light #4 (c) 2023 by Gary W. Olson. All Rights Reserved.

For behind-the-scenes notes on this episode, visit my posting in
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https://superguy-list.livejournal.com/41580.html

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