8FOLD/HCC: Journey Into # 20, "Her Face In My Mirror"

[Andrew Perron]

On 2/2/2015 10:15 PM, Tom Russell wrote:
>     _____  EIGHTFOLD PROUDLY PRESENTS
>   _|     |.-----.--.--.----.-----.-----.--.--.
> |       ||  _  |  |  |   _|     |  -__|  |  |
> |_______||_____|_____|__| |__|__|_____|___  |
>                               [8F-138] |_____|
>   __         __                 ______ ______
> |__|.-----.|  |_.-----.       |__    |      |
> |  ||     ||   _|  _  |    #  |    __|  --  |
> |__||__|__||____|_____|       |______|______|
>            "HER FACE IN MY MIRROR"
>         ~~A HIGH CONCEPT ADVENTURE~~
>              ~BY TOM RUSSELL~

YAY.

>    - Calliope Morgan, this close to 16,
>      practically an adult already so
>      just leave me alone.

Heeheehee

> She had been relieved, at first. Four days ago, when Snowden leaked
> the DSHA List of Known and Confirmed Secret Identities, it had gripped
> her in sudden terror.

Interesting - I knew you'd mentioned him doing something superhuman-y in this 
world, but I didn't remember what. Has it been said why?

>     But they didn't. The List had it wrong; Dr. Metronome had
> apparently been confirmed to be Paige Pond, happy housewife to a
> prosperous Chicago businessman, with three kids.

Ahhhhhh, nice. Also, ouch.

>     "Well, as far as everyone knows, the good doctor's in a coma,
> probably dying. Might be a good time to let her stay dead."
>     "Like, retire? Why?"

Hmmmmmm. o.o

>     "Let me count the ways, my love.

Hmmmmmm~?

>     "Five," says Kate flatly, "if someone finds out who I am, you've
> been aiding and abetting a known criminal for years."
>     "I was getting to that," says Bethany, a little indignant. "They
> scratch the surface of your personal life a millimeter, and there I
> am. Trimmer might save you, but it's going to be because she throws me
> under the bus."

Eesh.

>     "What was it you said to me?" says Bethany Two. "Oh, yes. 'Knockout
> Mouse, can you get me into this crime scene? Everyone knows you and
> Dr. Metronome are friends, and so you'd take a personal interest in
> this,' says you. 'But how will that get you in?' quoth I. To which you
> did reply, 'I'll pretend to be somebody else. Just find me a costume.
> Any old costume. Any identity. I don't care.' And so I did."

Heeheehee

>     "Ouija, Witch of the Black Narcissus," recites Kate, almost
> phonetically. "Through mine erotic magicks, I safeguard the realms of
> men."
>     "I can see that," says the policeman knowingly.
>     (Oh, gross.)

*snerk* Nice parody.

>                 III. SCHERZO

Ohshi Gallifreyan body horror--

> At midnight, they leave the crime scene and head over to Black Devil's
> house in Hyde Park. The Antipodean avenger

I thought that was Writer's Block Woman.

>     Her first suspect in the easiest to cross off her list; turns out
> the third Kickflip Kingpin was captured two days before the attack by
> his regularly-scheduled nemesis, Rainshade of Naperville.

OFF THE RAIL!!

>     Whereas Bethany put some work and some thought into her somewhat
> plausible "genetically manipulated by rogue scientists" backstory,
> Rainshade's nonsense about having a psionic link with umbrellas is
> bat-crazy and dumb on its face. It's like she's not even trying, and
> the thing that irritates Kate, and that goes double on those nights
> when she had both the law and the baddies chasing after her, is that
> Rainshade actually gets away with it.

Innnnnnnnteresting. I assume someone out there has a policy not to look into 
thin excuses too hard.

>     Also, she's a tramp.

Hm. Are you using that as a synonym for "promiscuous woman"? Because in my 
mental dictionary it's filed under "hobo".

>     "I thought you were dead," says Pinochle. He opens a pack of cards.
> "Or dying."

Hm, I wonder if he's related to... um... wossface.

>     Pinochle crinkles his face up in disgust and looks at Kate like
> she's some kind of monkey playing with her own faeces. "Euchre," he
> says with a shudder. "I'm afraid there's very little we have in
> common, Metronome."

Heeheehee.

>     That was until two months back when Dr. Metronome phased her hand
> into the dentures, slamming them shut, permanently.

Ewgh. Speaking of body horror, you seem to be a fan. (Well, NHOP confirmed that.)

> Simon's volunteering with the animal shelter, and Calliope is doing
> whatever the hell it is that she does, so Kate has the house to
> herself. She doesn't want to be alone, and she doesn't want to be
> around anybody else. It's a sensation she's known her whole life,
> here-and-there. But this last year, it feels more and more like that
> feeling is all there is, that it's who she is. And the weird thing is
> that, the last year hasn't been any harder than all the rest.

Mmmmmm, yeah. :/

> Not Paige's,
> but Paige's sister, though of course it comes to the same thing.
> That's the trouble with twins. Only one way to really tell them apart.

Ahhhhh yes. The ol' twin gambit.

>     "Well, she wasn't deluded or anything when she claimed to be
> Metronome. She was just lying. Apparently, she had always lied,
> without remorse. Psych evaluation isn't until tomorrow, but I bet it
> comes up psychopath."
>     "Never enough jewel thieves," complains Kate.
>     "Apparently she wanted out of her life," says Bethany. "Away from
> the kids, from the husband. She saw her sister, single, free. Wanted
> that life for herself. And when the List came out last week, she
> thought she saw an opportunity. She killed her sister and took her
> place, hoping we'd be looking so close at the Metronome angle that she
> wouldn't be a suspect."

So... why did she lie about it in the first place? `.` I wouldn't think 
random, compulsive lying would line up with calculated, remorseless lying.

> After all, you are my favorite Bethany."
>     "Except for the other one."
>     "Well, yeah."

"Except for the other one" for Favorite Running Gag 2015.

>     "So I noticed something," says Bethany. "Ever since Paige Pond was
> arrested, no one's seen Dr. Metronome."
>     "I noticed that, too," says Kate.
>     "Does that mean that Paige Pond was Dr. Metronome?" says Bethany.
> "Who will be remembered for all time as both a plucky heroine, and
> also an unrepentant and violent psychopath?"

Hmmmmm! Would people make that assumption, necessarily?

Andrew "NO .SIG MAN" "Juan" Perron, hmmmmmmm