The Semblance of the Thing, Part 2
Posted on Sat 5th Jun, 2021 @ 2:39am by Lieutenant Damion Ildaran
911 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Waging Peace
Location: Tram Car 707
Timeline: MD-3, 0745 hours
"Aww, Geeze," a Marine near the front of the car lamented to his friend, not looking up from the PADD in his hand. "Simulated land assault training with Captain Sharpe. She's hell on wheels!"
The second Marine raised his eyebrows. "I've heard rumors; is she really that good a shot?"
"Huh? No... I mean, yes, she is, but no -- I meant that she drives an ATAPC[1] like a maniac! If you value keeping the contents of your stomach the contents of your stomach, do not get in her squad on a drop!"
From near the middle of the car, Experiment Number Six Addams turned her attention away from the two Marines, letting her cool and strangely mature gaze sweep along the car's other passengers. She ignored the girls in St. Joan's school uniforms, though something strange was going on with the Human girl with a Lamian girl wrapped around her, having what looked like a very intense discussion. She ignored the lady with the baby with only one shoe, though she did find herself wondering for a moment where that other shoe was. As she completed her scan, she found the person she was looking for: Tall, thin as an Addams, but blonde. Six wasn't concerned; she had a Thing in her bag and she wasn't afraid to use it. She was, however, curious, and she kept her gaze on the tall woman.
As if drawn by the little girl's stare, Aradia glanced around the tram until she was sure it was the child staring at her, and met her gaze. "Hello," she said. "I'm Aradia. What's your name?"
Aradia knew perfectly well who the child was, but she didn't know what the doctor might have told her, in addition to the usual stranger-danger spiel. Strangers weren't so much a problem on SB109, but things could happen anywhere, even a well-patrolled starbase.
"They call me... Kim." Six answered. "I'm your basic, average girl. Who are you?"
Damion had chosen a spot near the set of doors closest to the tall woman in the white dress and Six. He had dressed in business casual--dark slacks and jacket, light blue shirt, no tie. Rather than look toward Six and the mysterious woman, he listened instead and only gave them infrequent glances, more at Six than at the woman. He frowned when he heard the woman introducing herself to Six; that was an escalation from merely watching the girl. Six, on the other hand, was being careful. Good.
"I'm actually a colleague of your mother's," Aradia said, smiling. "Not a doctor, of course. Chlamydia Addams is well known for her medical acumen. I'm more on the ... the magic side, I guess you could say. And if you are an Addams, there's nothing the least bit average about you, which is why I've been watching you." There was no advantage to be gained from continuing to pretend she wasn't interested in the child, though she was keeping her eye on the man whose interest appeared far too casual, and even the Marines, in case they weren't what they appeared to be. She might as well let a little truth circulate in the tram car.
Magic. Damion considered the word. It hearkened back to the kinds of bedtime stories his mother had told him when he was very young. A beanstalk that grew so tall and so thick that a giant could live at the top of it. Women called witches, who could make things happen by reciting bits of poetry. A little boy who didn't die when he was supposed to. The Addamses could do those things? It was more than just bedtime stories? It could explain a lot. For instance, how had Purulence Addams drawn such an accurate picture of a man she'd never seen? Police sketch artists could draw recognizable portraits, but they never got them completely right. Purulence had. Interesting.
"There is no such thing as magic," Six answered. "Only science we do not yet understand." She pointed her chin at the Lamian girl, whose green dreadlocks were stirring in a breeze unfelt by anyone else aboard the tram. "We are all starstuff; all just energy speaking to energy." She paused a moment. "And Doctor Addams is not my mother."
"I know," Aradia smiled with mystery. "I'm afraid we'll have to disagree on magic however. I'm curious as to what has given you the idea it doesn't exist except as unknown science. That's a very mature, but in this case mistaken, concept." Aradia was intrigued, as she'd expected she might be. The adult Addamses were enigmas, each in a different way, but this little charmer ... perhaps she'd be the most interesting discovery of all.
Damion had to smile to himself at Six's assertion. He'd seldom had occasion to think of magic, but the few times he had, he would have agreed with her argument. Whoever this woman was, she seemed certain that magic was real--as certain as anyone else might be that Earth's sky was blue. She also respected Six enough not to humor her or condescend to her. Instead, she stated outright her disagreement with what Six thought.
Polite, not abusive. Interacts with Six on an adult level. Regards Six as intelligent, as someone whose ideas have value--and well she ought. But what this adds up to, I'm not sure, Damion thought.
1) ATAPC -- All Terrain Armored Personnel Carrier.
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