ALL NOVEL Chapter 9: University Life
Tessa read over the official cover story they were using once again, as the (obviously not literally) faceless government suits drove them from their apartment to the university. On a very circuitous route to make it a long enough car ride to do any reading.
Tessa didn’t want to get anything wrong and risk losing this gift of freedom they’d been granted, so was trying to memorize all the recent changes. Even if some seemed… questionable to her.
Like claiming that the alien portion of the Entity was actually from a sort of reverse-panspermia event. Terrestrial microbes launched into space by an ancient asteroid impact. That struck her as nonsense, but she supposed the governments wanted to backtrack from revealing aliens if they could get away with it.
Though they couldn’t back track on the whole ‘firing energy beams’ thing, they had insisted in press reports that it had been a form of energy discharge after the Entity had been hit by lightning. And that Garcelle was really quite back to normal.
All in all, a paper thin cover story as they seemed to be trying their best to not upset the Entity. Tessa had gotten the impression the Americans hated it, but the Canadian government didn’t want to risk Halifax getting trashed by an alien temper tantrum.
Since they couldn’t control it appeasement became best option.
“How am I supposed to assure people it isn’t contagious or radioactive?” Tessa asked, after having read the papers over.
“Radioactivity fears are easily disproven with a basic radiation detector,” the agent said. “As for contagion fears, you’ll see we are blaming Garcelle Lefèvre’s infection on purposeful sabotage. No other infections are listed. We will also state that monitoring has shown she is not shedding any sort of spores.”
Tessa nodded.
“And remember, refer to it as Ms. Lefèvre, with the connecting pronouns,” the agent continued. “We are to give the impression she is somewhat affected, but is still primarily herself.”
“That’s boring,” the Entity muttered, while watching the city roll by as they did yet another lap of the peninsula.
“We are attempting to avoid panic,” the agent explained.
“People should be scared. With what I am…”
“Are you saying you can’t control yourself?” the agent asked.
“Even a stuffed tiger should invoke some fear. It is natural,” the Entity said.
“Well, then, don’t worry. Humans are afraid of what they don’t understand, and they have lots of unknowns about you in their eyes,” the agent replied.
With that, they’d apparently finished briefing, and the pair were let out of the car.
They’d been let out in a back lane near a secondary entrance of the brutalist grey biology department building. Tessa reminded the entity to walk instead of floating, though it was getting better at that, and they crossed the short stretch of asphalt and concrete to enter the building.
Then it was a walk down the corridors, which were as imposingly brutalist as the exterior. Not exactly Tessa’s favourite, as used to universities as she was. She preferred studying at home and meeting in either the older buildings of the campus or off campus entirely. She’d never understood why universities in Canada had so thoroughly abandoned stately stone and brick for concrete and minimalism, though even she had to admit to liking the increased natural light in some of the newest buildings.
These ones from the 1970s or so, however… they had even fewer windows that the historic buildings. Like the designers expected to use them as fortresses at some point.
The biology building elevators were also in need of a renovation in her eyes. They felt grungy and dated. And sometimes made weird noises.
She usually took the main stairs, for her own peace of mind, but she wasn’t quite sure she could trust the Entity not to get bored and fly up them.
They reached the fourth floor and the mycology ‘department’ much more slowly than she’d have liked, but she was happy to be off of the elevator all the same. Then it was a short walk down the hallway, and to the small lounge between the few offices of the three mycology professors at the university.
“Ah! Tessa! G-Garcelle!” Dr. Warrens said in a nervous voice. “It’s… it’s good to have you back.”
Tessa gave him a simple ‘hello’, not quite sure where he stood in her books. He’d pulled Garcelle into this whole mess, but he’d also done it out of a naively innocent passion for science. He’d had no ulterior motives.
He’d also tried to help, in the end. And ended up in custody for a while for it. Before the US Navy and the government apparently made him sign similar NDAs to what she and the Entity had been given.
“Garcelle! You’re back!” another man said, Dr. MacDonald. “How are you feeling?”
“I—I am still unusual,” the Entity replied.
“Mhm, you’re still glowing a little,” a third voice said.
The one belonging to the one female member of the ‘fungus trio’, Dr. Shuchuk.
“Yes. There is much energy in me,” the Entity said. “… But less than there was. And… I now have better control. Oui.”
“Do you think you’re up to go over some of Ga—your recent research work?” Dr. Warrens asked, clearly trying to lead it away from the curiosity of the other professors.
“Perhaps.”
With that cryptic response, the Entity followed Dr. Warrens into his office. It was small and rather cramped for two people before you added in the various bookshelves and furniture in the tiny room.
So Tessa sat down in the small lounge, ready to smile whenever the Entity looked up at her. It seemed rather nervous about being even mildly separated from her.
She pulled out her laptop to do some writing of her own. She had a couple of weeks to catch up on, after all.
Dr. Montgomery stared at the departures board, letting out a groan as her flight to New York was delayed yet further. Every flight seemed at least two hours behind schedule.
The desk attendant continued to try to explain to everyone that the delays were driven by a magnetic anomaly. The claim that apparently compases were more important to airplanes than Dr. Montgomery liked to hear. They had navigation satellites for a reason.
Information about the geomagnetic anomaly was also repeated on the news clips playing on the waiting area tvs. Some exhausted looking geologist explained that the geomagnetic north pole was suddenly making a measure shift for unknown reasons.
Dr. Montgomery had only bothered to pay attention to it out of sheer boredom. She supposed it was mildly interesting, but there wasn’t any major reason to get excited. A full flip was unlikely, after all.
She just hoped her plan to avoid being followed would work. She needed to get to the bottom of what was going on. To understand just what their ‘Benefactor’ was up to from unbiased sources. Which meant bringing a female officer with her to New York.
Tessa stepped out of the washroom stall to find the Entity waiting for her.
“We’ve been over this,” she said. “I like a little privacy when I’m using the washroom.”
“You left me alone. With strangers.”
“They’re not strangers. They’re people you know. On your Garcelle side,” Tessa replied, heading over to wash her hands.
“Well, oui. But… It feels bizarre,” the Entity said, hugging itself. “The memories are mine but also so far from me. Everything from before… both befores… they’re blurry. Like someone else’s.”
Tessa turned to it and offered a soft smile. “At least that side has happier memories than the other?”
The Entity nodded. “Indeed. I shall see if I can keep it up… though I think I may like to go home soon.”
“Understandable. You’ve done well for your first day back,” Tessa said, stepping over and giving her girlfriend a hug.
Despite the delays and customs, they had still made it to New York early enough that Dr. Montgomery was rather certain their destination would still be open. Even when you added in the taxi ride to the seemingly quiet neighbourhood in a forgettable corner of Queens.
She and the female officer travelling with her then walked into what seemed to be a dry cleaner’s. Though Dr. Montgomery knew better as she headed up to the attendant.
“Here to pick up?” the man of unclear ethnicity asked, not looking up at her as he continued to read through what looked to be a tv guide.
“Indeed. Something specific, that will change things up,” Selma said, resting her hands on the counter.
“Oh?” the man said, sounding interested, but not looking up.
“Something I can’t get anywhere else, specifically,” Dr. Montgomery continued, before letting out a sigh. “Something… out of this world.”
That last bit left her cringing, but she’d heard it was the official passphrase to get what she needed.
The attendant looked up at her, smiling as she noticed his eyes. The irises were much too large.
“I do enjoy making you serious types say my passphrases,” the man said, before standing up. “Follow me.”
Dr. Montgomery and the officer headed after him, into the back room. To find something that looked rather less Earthly than the front. The sailor behind her seemed mildly surprised at just how exotic it looked.
Then jumped slightly when the alien deactivated his holographic disguise, revealing his true feline form beneath.
“So, what were you ladies after?” he asked, his smile now showing off sharp teeth.
“Personal holographics,” Dr. Montgomery replied. “We need to switch places for a couple of days. We will return the devices when we’re done with them.”
The man nodded. “I can do that. If you have the money.”
Heading back to the offices to pick up her backpack, Tessa and the Entity ran into a couple of Garcelle’s fellow grad students. Kyle Quinn and Anna Leblanc. Both were friendly, and lit up as they saw Garcelle.
“Garcelle! We’re so glad you’re back. After what we heard, and all the questions from the police,” Anna said, stepping forward to give the Entity a hug.
Tessa froze, not quite sure how it would respond. Thankfully, it turned out the Entity had the same response, simply stiffening up at the contact.
Anna stepped back, looking a bit confused about the lack of return on her hug. Garcelle was French after all. They usually returned hugs from friends. At least more so than Anglo-Canadians who were raised on a very British lack of physical contact.
“She’s, um, still a little out of it from everything,” Tessa offered, stepping forward.
“Y-yes. Out of it.”
“Oh. Oh. I’m sorry,” Anna said, stepping back to give it some space.
“Well, we’re still glad to see you back on your feet,” Kyle offered.
The Entity looked down, making sure she was, indeed, standing on her feet, rather than floating.
Tessa had also checked, though more subtly. And she still didn’t understand how the government’s official cover story was supposed to deal with its ability to fly. By this point she half expected government officials just hoped they could boldly lie about everything until people started to doubt their own memories.
“We were heading home now, though. I—Garcelle needs to rest a bit,” Tessa explained, gathering up her things.
Actually getting home, Tessa found that the Entity was being especially clingy. As in, fully clinging to her with arms and legs wrapped around her as she walked about, getting dinner ready.
“You’re very lucky you’re so light, you know that?”
“Mhm,” the Entity mumbled while nuzzling into her shoulder.
Tessa smiled and shook her head, pouring some canola oil into the frying pan.
“I think I deserve all the kisses for today,” the Entity said, its face now buried in Tessa’s hair. (Or, as buried as it could be, considering Tessa kept her hair fairly short.)
“I don’t know if I can physically give you ‘all the kisses’, but I can give you a few,” Tessa replied as she chopped up an onion and a carrot. “By the way, how did you enjoy talking mycology with Dr. Warrens? Do you think there’s any chance you’ll still do your thesis?”
“Mmmm… it seems like lots of work. I don’t know.”
“Not being sure you can manage your thesis is the grad student experience, I think,” Tessa replied, ruffling the Entity’s hair a little. “I’m sure you’ll manage, even if it takes a little longer.”
Getting through security to the under-layer of Rikers was easy enough. Lieutenant Green had clearance to gain access to most of the US government’s more classified operations. And Selma Montgomery looked exactly like her to any outside observers.
Keeping her patience as the two prison guards sorted through the classified prisoners was a bit more trying, however. Like in most such detention centres there were many other types of prisoners here. Vampires. Fae. Sheydim. All those sorts of magical types of beings who Montgomery generally tried to avoid.
Aliens were from other worlds, sure. But they were still the products of evolution. They had the same basic biological pressures humans (or animals) had. One could generally work out what they wanted and what they were avoiding because they still, deep down, had the desire to protect and propagate their genetic material driving their actions.
With supernatural beings, born of… however it was that magical things worked, one was dealing with a far less internally consistent set of rules. They were reflections of human fears or wishes, not biological machines.
“Are Sasquatches aliens or supernaturals?” the one guard muttered to the other.
“I don’t know. No one seems to want to take custody of them,” the other replied. “Oh. We’ve got a Lanthonean in cell seven, though. And… uh, an Issiod’rian in cell nine. I think that’s it, though. This is the east coast, after all. Don’t get as many aliens.”
“Two is a start,” Selma replied.