Intelligence Block Read online

  “We’ve got a lovely suit from Gladis and Chello that’s being delivered.” Belle replies. I wince, even as fashion clueless as I am, I recognize the name of one of the most famous designers.

  “I’m a little afraid to ask how much that cost.”

  “Then don’t. It’s still less than some of the tech you’re putting through hell with this new performance. You’re good for it anyways.” Tess chastises.

  The suit is snug, well fitted over defensive tech I’m wearing. It’s thick enough that I look a bit tubby instead of lean, but getting shot makes you kind of paranoid. I would rather people think I enjoy my cake than give up extra defense. Black with clean lines, in the right light an iridescent feather pattern can be seen across it.

  I meet Lily across the street from the club. A bluebird marks the door. Several cameras hover around her, she pretends they don’t exist. If I want, I can get a feed of the comments being made about me having shown up. I checked once. Boo, that loser, she’s too good for him, along with other disparaging remarks are common. I won’t make the mistake of looking again. I bend down and kiss her on the cheek. “You look nice tonight.” She is wearing a sparkling blue skinny dress. It is made up of all little beads that are the shape of feathers.

  “I think Booker coordinated with Tess so we would match somewhat. Thanks for buying it for me.“

  “You’re welcome.” Not that until that moment I had any knowledge that I had. Well, she does look lovely in it.

  We cross the street and enter. Lily is taking the lead because I’m her guest. “Lily Lowman and guest.” A UI announces to the room, my name not even worth a mention.

  Much of the crowd inside stops to peer at us for a few moments before resuming their conversations. A man in a bright red and yellow suit comes toward us. “Lily my dear, I must thank you for accepting my invitation to my humble establishment. Donny Star by the way.” Belle tells me about him, he’s a B-ranker but hasn’t practiced in a long time. Inactive members like that retain their rank but have to put in a lot of work to move up higher if they choose to become active again. You never know what UIs are telling people, so it’s always polite to introduce yourself or others as well.

  “My boyfriend, Talos June.” Lily introduces me. I raise an eyebrow at that and let loose a smug smile. It’s the first time she’s used the B word for me, so I can imagine her fans are going crazy now.

  I extend my hand, “Pleasure to meet you, Donny. It’s a nice place you have here.” It really is. I'm not just being polite. Pictures, some moving and some not of great magicians adorn the walls. A long bar serves drinks and inhalants, but the rest of the place is set up for lounging and conversations with several circles of couches and comfortable chairs. There is a small stage way in the back for performances. It is empty at the moment.

  We shake. “Pretty good grip for someone who lost his hand earlier today.” He says with a wink, revealing that either he or his UI had done some research.

  “It was actually my other arm." I say lifting my left. "But you know what they say about AMU membership, is that it’s all about the medical and the dental.” This makes him chuckle.

  Lily lets out a pout. “Enough joking around boys. It’s our first time here. You got recommendations for people we should meet? I’m pretty sure I was a nobody up until a couple of weeks ago, and Talos here is only my guest.”

  Donny straightens his jacket and looks like he is either thinking or conversing with his UI. “Well, I would love to get your picture for the wall Lily.”

  She blinks, looking at the stars and celebrities everywhere. “It really has only been a couple of weeks.” I can almost see her thoughts on how this will probably be some temporary bit of fame to enjoy, that will pass soon.

  Donny puts a hand on her shoulder. “They’ve got five years of footage and who knows how many episodes they can make out of that. With the lower costs, they are already talking easy syndication. That Joontal knows how to chew the scenery. Pulling a gem like this out of nowhere is rare, but it happens. You’ll at least get to skip those awkward teen celebrity years, but I see you being a big name for decades even. You could retire today, and your picture will still deserve to be up on that wall.”

  She looks like she’s about to panic. Booker is probably working hard to calm her down. I subvocalize a message to her. “You don’t have to think of this right now. I’m proof of how easy it is to disappear and be someone else.” It isn’t easy, but that’s not what she wants to hear right now.

  Someone got through to her. I hear her muttering, “Always expect the unexpected.” Under her breath, as she stands a little straighter. “I would love to have my picture on your wall.”

  Donny turns to me pointing a finger. “You too bub.” I

  I raise both my hands up. “I’m literally a nobody.”

  “You’re ranked with no past, and I saw that performance you put on, you’ve got chops. Sure, I may hang you in the corner of one of the restrooms next to Stinky Pete, and you’ll stay there if you don’t hit it big. It’ll also calm your girl down some to know she’s not the only one getting on the wall today.”

  Lily does a motion one, where she’s blowing a kiss to the camera. I choose a still photo with one of my eyebrows raised. I figure if I’m going to hang near the crapper, it’s best not to trigger anyone's motion sickness there.

  We get numerous invitations to join groups once entering and having our photos taken. We could have our UIs suggest who we should see and in what order, but decide to let our host play his role for our first time here. It’s not like his suggestions will be too far off.

  First is the only A-ranker here tonight. Cecilia Turner, AKA Mistress Mink. She’s been active, grinding her way up the last twenty-five years doing battles, shows, specials. She also only looks twenty-five despite being close to fifty. She also streams her, um, private times for select subscribers and fans. Complying to the kind of requests Joontal sometimes got when he entered The House of Mind and Body to visit Lady Mallory. She has a pleasant, yet cold smile when greeting Lily like she is evaluating her future competition.

  “It’s always a pleasure to see new talent.” She says with a crisp sharp accent that was missing from her earliest works.

  “I’ve been a fan of yours for a long time. It’s an honor to meet you.” Lily responds.

  I do my best to be window dressing. Belle whispers, “Doubly a threat.” and passes on a private message from Mistress Mink for some personal time with her. She gives me a slightly warmer smile when she turns her eyes to me. I’m sure the offer would be recorded and shared widely. I share the message with Lily.

  “It’s widely known I’ll do anything for my fans.” She puts a little emphasis on anything that I feels like it is directed at me.

  Lily grabs my arm and pulls me into her. “I’ve watched your Mink’s Christmas Cheer special for every year since I’ve been born!” I can hear the dagger hiding under the cheer in her voice. Misty’s eyes get harder.

  I angle myself between them a little. “I think I see some people we need to speak to next.” I look to our host Donny for some help.

  The man in the orange and red suit coughs a little. “Yes. Yes. It’s always great to have you in here Mistress Mink, but we really should get going. I believe these kids probably have homework and can’t keep them up too late.”

  I lean in and whisper to Lily, “If you’re looking to set up some kind of rivalry show or Magic Battle give me a heads up first.”

  She perks up. “I can do that now, can’t I? I’m an association member. I just didn’t like her very much. The look on her face if she a battle loses to me. ”

  “You know she’s had hundreds of matches and A-rankers rarely play C ones.”

  She smiles at me. “Good thing I have a great teacher. I even have something she wants that we can play over.” She pats my arm as if it isn’t clear she’s talking about me on both counts.

  “Threats.” Belle mutters in my ear through her UI channel.


  I’ve never played a B-ranker let alone an A-ranker. My goal wasn’t low hanging fruit. It’s that Joontal wasn’t one for issuing challenges, thinking himself above them, not that he would ever refuse one given. Now is probably not the best time to explain that to Lily.

  We’re taken to a group of three old men around a chess set next. “These are our regulars Eric, Mouse and Wilt. They were here long before I bought the place, and I can’t seem to get them to leave. I have some other business to attend too, and they can help you out now and in the future if you make yourselves good guests.” There is a little warning there. I don't blame him after our last patron interaction, and he steps away.

  Lily gives them all the same pleasant smile I’ve seen her give her father’s business visitors or important guests. “Hi guys. So what is the point of this private club anyway?”

  “Networking.” Says mouse who has wispy white hair and bushy gray eyebrows that look like caterpillars on his face.

  “Drinking.” Says Wilt. The bald dark skinned man raises his glass.

  “Friends and a little privacy.” Finishes Eric who gives us a wink. “You’ll notice no streams or fans here. Not that I have many fans nowadays. Still, you can trade knowledge and stories face to face the old fashioned way. I met you briefly three years ago when I had my own battle of magic against Joontal. We all decided to challenge him after he threw us out of the interview. I figured I could shape the gig with your father into a retirement job. “

  I look at the man, trying to think up who I faced back then. “Cosmandious!” Lily states beating me to it either with her own memory or Booker’s help.

  “Exactly! How kind of you to remember. Well, that smart SOB picked an agility based battle and was mighty spry for looking older than I do. Had the perfect finisher lined up, was going to drop a planet on him. Never did reply to my invitation to come here.”

  Lily lets out a small giggle. “You know he never breaks character, hand him some fancy piece of tech that isn’t made up all wizardlike and he would look at it like you were handing him a live snake.”

  Eric shrugs. “Figured that’s the case, some of us are crazy serious or seriously crazy in that respect.”

  “You think he set up that attack on himself for the publicity?” I ask. That is one of the rumors out there that bugs me.

  Eric has the decency to look offended that I asked. “What, no. The gun thing wouldn’t be in character. AMU would be on that fast, and the Joontal account reads inactive, not suspended or canceled. Wouldn’t be the first time someone snapped and took a gun to a magic fight. Happened seven years ago with…” He snaps his fingers trying to jog his memory.

  “Bailey.” Mouse answers for him.

  Eric continues. “Yeah, Bailey, and then like eighteen years ago with Mystic Mike. The job is dangerous enough with all the performance and battle accidents. Don’t let the official stats fool you, they are all underreported. “

  Lily and the guys move onto happier conversations. Next significant tech trends, swapping contact information. I wonder if my new act is a bit morbid and close to home for some of the community. My opponent paled when it looked like my ear had been ripped off. Growing up surrounded by tons of military hardware had my Uncle and Tess drill safety and redundancies into me before I could read. The word underreported had my gut clenching a little. I look at all the pictures on the walls and subvocalize for my UIs to put a red X on all the ones that are dead. I watch as the wall starts to fill up with red Xs like turning on holiday lights.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I wake up to the high pitched screeching of a whistling firework penis near my bed. I wince a and feel a little panicked that Belle forgot the alarm again.

  “Sorry man. Veemature magic explosion.” Dimi says with an apologetic face. At least the rooms are soundproofed, so only I have to suffer. I spend enough nights away that he might as well have a single as it is, or just forget he has a roommate.

  I rub the sleep out of my eyes. Well, I’m not falling back asleep after that anyway. I turn on my tech and see a big blinking light in the corner of my eye informing me I have an important message. ”It’s the AMU audit conclusion.” Belle tells me before I can select it. I was starting to get worried because I expected it a little more than a week ago.

  Belle doesn’t sound down when she informs me; in fact, her musical voice sounds conspicuously neutral. “You didn’t read this did you?”

  “Would I do that?” She responds with her voice heavy with a saccharine quality.

  She totally would. In the weeks that I’ve gotten to know my new UI, that is precisely the type of thing she would do. Tess would wake me up early and tell me not to get my hopes up before looking. Still, laying in my bed, I open it up and start reading. I reread it, there are several peculiarities. “Woah.”

  “Exactly! Soon Dimi will have the biggest and brightest penis of all!”

  I wasn’t talking to him, and he knew that of course. I grab a pillow and throw it at him. That little trick is only a hobby. He’s focusing on the engineering and mechanical track with a minor in business so he can take over his father’s mining collective. “Just got some news.”

  “Vily sending you love letters now?”

  I couldn’t keep my relationship with Lily a secret from him, well I couldn’t keep it a secret from anyone. The truth is I have more fans and followers now as her boyfriend and the magician who blows himself up than I ever had while playing Wizard Joontal. Sure, he’s big now with the show and all, but when I walked around in the suit rarely did I get greetings from people as though they know me, which they do now. “Oh stuff it.” I mutter and get back to contemplating what I just read.

  The biggest news is that they’re ranking me as a B-17. When this all started, I thought the audit would drop me. I suspect it’s just better for the association that the star of the new hit show is at least in the B-ranks and not a C-ranker. The official reason is that I have demonstrated both a technical and aptitudinal competence on par with such a ranking. Before I was only a ranked performer and competitor, the audit filled out a bunch of areas that I will now be ranked officially at in the AMU records. Everything from a B-ranked technician to a C-ranked educator. Some people ask for audits for just this reason, if they want to jump career tracts.

  It looks nice, but I’m still not allowed to advertise the fact I played Wizard Joontal. I guess the AMU still hasn’t satisfied themselves on what exactly instigated the attack. That being said there is a secure note for me that I’m supposed to review. It takes about ten minutes to get the security precautions correct. I start reading and find myself frowning. Time to call Lily.

  “Hey, you want to meet up somewhere private?”

  “Sure, I was thinking about that as well. See you at the base in twenty.”

  The base is the house I own that I keep as secure and off the grid as possible. It’s also where most of our hookups happen. Lily and I both go there frequently enough that paranoid ole me is thinking about purchasing another site. The base is crowded with tinkerings, and I shouldn't also be using it as a private rendezvous. “I’m heading out Dimi; place is all yours.”

  “Ve sure to give Vily your own vig sparkling display.” I toss some more of my bedding at him as I get equipped and head out.

  I arrive. Lily is there. She gets me at my most vulnerable. I figured I might as well allow her access to the base. She plops down onto the well-used mattress on the floor. “I can’t believe it.” she says.

  “You get the news too?”

  “I called my dad on his secure business line the moment I heard. It’s blackmail. He does some business with the Association, and they promised they would do more, even guaranteed they wouldn’t move their business elsewhere if he agreed. Franklin still feels guilty and is all for getting whoever set up the shooting attempt. I can’t believe they are letting someone else play Joontal. This all seems kind of extreme.”

  I think back on the X'd out pictures in the club ZerZu
ra, deaths for practitioners are outside of the norm across the board even for mundane stuff. “Maybe this is a good thing. You should have seen some of the creepy threat mail I got. I’m willing to put my character on the line if I need too.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re thinking about this phantom witch hunter theory.”

  “Well, l, no. The Association is bribing or blackmailing me in their own ways as well. I got my audit back moments before this notice.

  “Oh tell me!” She says bouncing up again, ready to get off the topic of the AMU using my character as bait.

  “They upped my rank to a B-17, it feels a little like cheating.” I was about to earn my B-ranking before all this mess happened, but then I would have started at the bottom with the B-50’s. The cocky part of me wants to feel like I’ve been on my own for so long that I didn’t need a boost. But, I know I’ve never been on my own, my uncle may not have been the most attentive, but the sheer amount of tech his business allowed me to have access to growing up shaped my world. Then there is Tess, Muninn, even Booker. Belle, I’m still not sure of.

  She inches close to me, “You’ll always be an A-ranked to me.” She kisses me, bringing me out of my thoughts. Then pulls me close, so I have something entirely different to think about.

  Lily skips her class this time. She wants to challenge Mistress Mink to a battle but wants my help, training, and tech assistance. I point out she has the money to hire a team of experienced MAGI graduates to help her, and that I’ve no experience in battles of that level. It’s hard not to say yes with her running her hands up and down me. “I’ll think about it, but you would have to go in fully expecting to lose.“ This answer gets her excited again, even though it isn’t a yes. Then we take a nap.