This choice: Hold on, you did choose Malacandra, how could you have mixed that up? • Go Back...Chapter #7A Malacandran Mission In The Mountains by: imaj   A strange sensation sends shivers down your spine and sets your teeth on edge. It only affects you for the briefest of moments before you steel yourself against it, turning Malacandra’s resilience to your defence.
“Did you feel that,” you ask Frank. You shouldn’t use the SoCal accent – Jenny’s memories are long gone – but it’s become habit.
“Feel what,” asks Frank, not taking his eyes of the road.
“Oh nothing I guess,” you reply. “I just had this weird feeling that I was someone else for a second.”
“Don’t you get that all the time,” says Frank with a little smile. “Look at you now. It’s certainly a better look than the last time I saw you.”
You grin weakly. “Miko still doesn’t like it when I use her form. Jenny is athletic enough to fight the way Miko taught me though.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing you in action,” says Frank.
*****
You pace back and forwards impatiently, shrugging off the effects of the cool late afternoon air. The little lay-by is just off the road, screened from the traffic by a line of young trees. Not that there are many cars taking the Saratoga Falls to Cuthbert road in early February, but you need a little secrecy for the next part of Rosalie’s plan.
“What do you think is keeping them,” you call at Frank, who is leaning against his truck in his shirtsleeves. Like you, the cold does not affect him.
“Knowing my brother he got lost,” answers Frank.
“Typical,” you shout back.
“Or maybe he’s stopped to eat.”
Before you can reply, the hire car Rosalie picked up in Saratoga Falls finally turns into the lay-by. You see Rosalie at the wheel – Joe is glowering in the passenger seat. She carefully parks next to Frank’s truck and the pair exit their vehicle.
“I still don’t see why we left my car in Olympia,” says Joe, apparently to the world at large, as he slams the door shut.
“It stands out too much Joe,” answers Rosalie wearily. “And there’s a good chance it would end up being chop shopped anyway.” She turns back to Joe and gives him a little smile. “I know how much you love it.” That seems to knock the wind out of Joe’s sails. He mumbles his thanks.
“So,” says Frank. “What’s this master plan of yours?”
Rosalie flashes a wide smile. “Will,” she says, nodding at you.
“You know,” says Frank to you, a little surprised.
“I’ve been asked to prepare some things,” you reply, hopping off the hood of Frank’s truck and walking round to the trunk. “Rosalie hasn’t told me exactly what for though.”
“Those suitcases,” asks Frank.
“Yeah,” you answer, popping open the trunk. The first thing you take out is a small wooden box. You handle it reverentially, almost ignoring Rosalie as she starts to talk.
“We’ll set up a base at the campsite in the Drury hills,” she explains. “That’s close enough to Cuthbert that we can rush in when the time comes, but far enough away that we won’t get too much attention at first.”
“I hate to bring this up,” interrupts Joe, “Because apart from this it’s an excellent idea, but what kind of idiots go camping in February?”
You pop open the wooden box revealing three polished masks. Since you have the sigils from the Libra within you, you can make masks yourself without using the book. It’s just that you’d prefer not to usually. That said, you made an exception for the request Rosalie has made of you. You examine the reflected image in the surface of the mask and hand it to Joe.
He examines the mask himself. “Ah, high school seniors,” he says with a rueful little smile. “Those kind of idiots…” You hand out the other masks to Rosalie and Frank before starting to unload the suitcases. “I know you like making up life stories for your identities Will, you come with something for these?”
“For you? Beyond the fact the body and clothes will make you a jock, and that you’ll be Rosalie’s boyfriend nothing. You could use your own name if you wanted to.”
“Not a good idea,” interrupts Rosalie. “The Shabblemans will recognise them.”
“You made something up for yourself though, didn’t you,” grins Joe.
“Of course I did,” you almost laugh. The identity you put together for yourself hovers nearby in your minds eye. You pull it close, twirling the imago round you and turning it into your disguise. You barely notice the change at all, for you’ve constructed a new identity as athletic as your more habitual Jenny-guise. “I’m Amanda Lane,” you say coolly, a wry smile on your lips. You’ve modelled her personality on an aloof girl you remember from your own high school days. “Mandy to my friends,” you add pointing at Rosalie. “We’re taking our boyfriends,” you continue, pointing at Frank and Joe in turn. “On a romantic camping weekend. It’ll be cold up in the hills but I know how to keep warm,” you say archly.
“Do you always get so into character,” asks Frank stiffly.
“Since it arguably saved my life in China, I think I’m justified,” you reply sauntering over to him before looking straight into his eyes. “You won’t need to do much acting though,” you titter. “I’m sure Mandy is into dark and mysterious guys.”
“Is this how Malacandrae flirt,” chortles Joe. You snap round and stare daggers at him. “Sorry,” he says, clearly not meaning it. “Let’s see who I am,” he adds inspecting his mask closely, looking for the reflected image.
You move in close to Frank to whisper in his ear. “He won’t be laughing in a few minutes.” He gives you a quizzical look. “A little revenge for the make out scene in China: I might have given his mask a tiny cock.”
There is a moment of silence then Frank laughs uproariously, a laugh that only continues louder when Joe asks him what’s so funny.
*****
Frank stiffens a little as you wrap your arm round his waist and lean your head on his torso. There is a moment of hesitation before his own arm finds its place round your waist, seemingly still uncertain of the role he has to play. You both stand in silence for a moment, staring at the tent Frank has set up beside the truck.
“Very nice Jon,” you say, giving him a little squeeze. It’s the name he’s chosen to give himself for the stay at the campsite. It’s also the name of one of his teammates from his time on the Eastman High School basketball side and therefore completely lacking in imagination.
“Yeah,” he says monosyllabically. This kind of play acting isn’t really his thing, but you decide that Mandy doesn’t mind, she’s interested in more physical things.
“I think we should try it out,” you say coyly. Mandy likes to be sultry, you think. You look to the side where Joe and Rosalie, now going by Ian and Emily, are still trying to get their tent up. Though you really want to poke fun at Joe for his effort, it doesn’t fit with Mandy’s character as you see it. “Don’t worry Emily,” you say slipping clear of Frank and sauntering over. “We can give you a hand.”
Joe gets a couple of syllables into an expletive ridden response before he is drowned out by the sound of a car pulling up. When you turn round, what you see makes you draw close to Frank again. This time he hugs you back instantly.
It’s an old car, noisy as a result of poor maintenance. Spots of rust show here and there through the drab green paint. On the door the words ‘Sheriff Dept. of Cuthbert’ are painted in fading gold lettering. The car grinds to a halt and the driver kills the engine.
A tall man unfolds himself from the driver side door. He pulls on a wide brimmed hat before resting his hand on the gun holstered at his hips. He gives each of you a long hard stare in turn before finally finding an insincere smile to favour you with.
“Evening folks,” he says with an unlikely friendliness. “Odd time of year to be out camping. Winter gets cold up this way.”
“I’m sure we’ll manage,” you say, your mouth half curled into a smile.
“I’m sure you will,” says the tall man dryly. He gives you another long look. “Well, I’ll be stopping by to check you’re alright. Don’t be afraid to call if you run into problems.” He smiles like a shark, leaving you in no doubt that asking for his help would be a very bad idea.
*****
“That was Nate Shabbleman,” says Rosalie, her voice sounding a little tinny. “At the very least he’ll have left a watcher.”
The tents are Nash’s work. You and Frank are in one, Rosalie and Joe in the other. One enchantment lets you talk to the occupants of the other tent as if there was a phone between them. The second hides what is happening within them from prying eyes, whether they are using mundane means or occult.
“But it can’t see us in here,” you state. In fact anyone trying to watch the tents will get quite a different picture of what’s happening inside them. As you said earlier – you'll manage: You have ways to keep warm.
“As far as they know we’re just a bunch of horny high-schoolers,” says Joe. One bit is right there you suppose.
“Tomorrow we’ll make a scouting run into Cuthbert,” says Rosalie. “Will, you’ll be going of course. You and…”
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