After following Caw Eh Carve to his apartment to retrieve a key to Crows Hollow, the group were confronted by a vision from Rain’s past, in the form of Elvin Lightfeather, a mafia heavy. The group fled with most of their lives intact from Elvin Lightfeather and his goon through the streets of Bollons. Peggy was badly injured and needed a place to rest up before the group can move on.
* * * * *
Peggy winced and stumbled as they wormed their way through the crowds of the main street of Bollons. Instinctively, Bruce stepped her side, supporting her and protecting her from the buffetting of the crowd.
“Where does it hurt?”
“Where I was stabbed, “ Peggy replied in her usual curtness, now without the energy. Shock was setting in.
“Okay…okay…okay…” Rain, a whirlwind of panic, threw the cloak from the phantom of the opera costume over Bruce, the hat he gave to Peggy and the mask to Algernon. Bruce shrugged off his makeshift disguise in disgust.
“Oh, can I wear the cloak, I have to hide this thing.” Algernon pointed behind his back to the large crossbow. The cloak was thrown over his shoulders and Rain sighed at Bruce standing out even in the crowd.
“Ah..We need a place to hold up for a while.” he looked around trying to see above the heads of the busy city at the shops and buildings, “I think there were some Inns closer to the docks, I”ll go see.”
“Do I need to hog-tie you to keep you with the group?” Bruce said stopping the little man in his tracks, “What if those guys find you and I’m not there?”
“I’ll go with him,” Algernon suggested, Bruce shook his head sternly. In the end they travelled together walking down the hill to the docks, Bruce supporting Peggy.
Even in a panic, Rain was aware of what he was looking for. Somewhere that had rooms to rent but also a bar full of customers that wouldn’t notice them arriving and staff too busy to interfere. Fortunately, with a few trains in at the docks that day, it didn’t take long to find what he was looking for. Rain paid for the room overnight and ushered everyone upstairs and behind the safety of wooden walls. That done he collapsed into a corner, eyes closed and clutching his puzzle box to his chest.
As Peggy laid out on the only bed in the room, Bruce pulled out his first aid kit and went to work patching up the knife wounds inflicted by Lightfeather.
“Okay, so what’s our next move?” Bruce asked when he’d finished, “Is there anything we need to do here or can we report back?”
“Yes, “ Rain whispered from the corner defeated, “We need to report back. I can go without selling my rumour now.”
“No, “ Algernon spoke up, “ I want to see the rumour markets and talk to people in town. Maybe there’s something we can find out before we leave.”
Waxen faced, Rain opened his eyes and looked up at his younger protege in surprise.
“Really?”
“I think we need to go.” Algernon held his gaze, and Rain gave a faint smile.
“Ah…you’re becoming a bad influence.”
“Well, can we can go while Peggy rests up and Bruce stays with her.” Algernon added looking to the other two for support.
“Right and how long do I wait before I have to leave here and come rescue your sorry asses.” Bruce folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. “You know they could be out there looking for you right now, they know Rain and may want to tie up loose ends.”
Rain slumped again clear he was now a liability to everyone.
“You don’t have to. If we don’t come back translate with Peggy. Rain and I can translate back by ourselves.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Bruce shook his head, then stopped as what Algernon suggested sunk in, “Wait, could we do that?”
“Both Algernon and Peggy can initiate translations. If we were to split up, that would make the most natural partnerships.” Rain added from his corner with no real hope that it would help.
The discussion went backwards and forwards, but Algernon wouldn’t be put off the chance of seeing the town with the hope of finding out more about Lightfeather and Caw Eh Carve. In the end it was settled that they would rest up overnight and all go as a group. At least that way if they were attacked they’d be together.
A cramped uncomfortable night eventually gave way to morning and the group started waking. Without their favourite stimulant both Algernon and Rain were sluggish. Bruce suggested push ups and demonstrated by doing a few himself before giving the floor to someone else. Rain wasn’t interested, but Algernon always ready to try something new, got down on his hands and attempted the push ups. Supported by locked arms he thrust his hips up and down in what he thought simulated Bruce’s movements.
“You have to bend your arms. Press down onto the ground.” Bruce instructed and though the results were slightly better, of course it was harder to do. Rain now stepped in with his putter, wrapping the shaft under Algernon’s chest he helped pull up, from above, but now he was straddling the thrusting Algernon in a pose that no one needed to see including the now rested Peggy.
“Peggy, “ Rain pulled her aside for a moment as the other two talk about morning exercises and quietly asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m good now, thank you.” she replied in her usual curt way without humor or bitterness.
“I’m…I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? For what?”
“Don’t mind him, he just feels guilty for a misspent life.” butted in Bruce. He and Algernon had been listening in the whole time. “Nevermind Rain, remorse is the first step to redemption.”
“Well, it had never been a problem until now.” Rain mumbled morsley.
“Was it misspent? Did you live a deliberate life?” she turned to Rain with her odd turn of phrase in complete sincerity.
“It’s been a very deliberate life so far.” he smiled, despite how he felt about her being injured, “It was pretty good at the time.”
“Did you throw a dagger at me?”
“He threw a dagger, but to try to save you.” Algernon added in defence.
“But…”
“Then, you have nothing to be sorry about.” she finished and left and headed down to the common room to find breakfast.
Breakfast was substantial with a bacon made of molemeat, eggs, beans and bread. For those with more adventurous tastes there was also naked mole rat (of the standard size) on a stick. Bubbling away on a stovetop, a black beverage drew both Algernon and Rain to it with little thought for anything else. The Louisanna locals who regularly added chicory to their coffee knew the smell as soon as they hit the common room, but kept that knowledge to themselves until first Rain then Algernon complained about the quality of the coffee.
“That’s because it’s chicory and not coffee at all.” Bruce replied enjoying their looks of dismay and disgust.
Rain forgot breakfast after that and talked to some of the bar’s customers who either hadn’t left from the night before or had come in for an early morning pick-me-ups. From them he was able to glean the way to the rumour markets without too much problem.
“Okay, so if we’re doing this, we should agree to a set of safe words, so if those guys turn up at the market we can all run in the same direction.”
“Oh, I know about safe words, “ Algernon added with some of his research into Earth culture, “they use them in the porn films.”
Bruce and Peggy stopped and stared at the youth before them. Peggy in particular looked shocked. Her stunned face moved from Algernon to Rain.
“Don’t look at me. Yes its my laptop but….” Peggy’s eyes narrowed, “I said, don’t look at me!”
“I was thinking more substitutions for left or right, or up and down as in the case of Bollons, as it’s all on a slope.” Bruce moved the conversation back on topic much to Rain’s relief. “Maybe Canada and Mexico?”
The discussion moved through several ideas from substitution to actual cardinal points or their mnemonic replacements. Eventually it was brought down to simply warning of danger.
“Danger, Will Robinson!” Algernon parroted from one of his many ‘documentaries’. This was shortened to the name, Will Robinson.
“Will Robinson, is a good safe word.” Rain agreed when it was finally chosen, ‘Oh look there’s Will Robinson.’ ‘Hi, my name is Will Robinson.’”
Fed and now equipped with a new safe word, the group headed into the morning streets to find the Rumour Markets. Bollons was famous through Railsea for the Rumour Market that was only second to the Salvers markets on Scabbing Street, Manikiki. Here salvers could buy and sell information about almost anything from prominent members of society, where good salvage could be found or where the molling grounds were abundant.
Everyone came to the Rumour Markets at some time and even in the morning the place was full of foot traffic, carts of salvage and stalls all ready to sell. Rain moved through the crowd looking for something specific. He ignored the first two tents that advertised rumours for sale and spotted a third. The tent was older and worn at the edges, but had an air of prosperity about it shown by the brightly painted sign and quality of the furniture. The stall looked like it had been there a while and was doing well.
“Good morning, buy or sell?” The owner greeted the group as they all tried squeezing into the tent.
“Trade actually. I have information on a unique salvage site that has only just been uncovered. In return, I’d like some information on some individuals in town.” Rain cleared his throat, now unsure he wanted to voice the next part of his spiel, “Tell me …do you have information on either a Caw Eh Carve or Elvin Lightfeather?”
The trader thought for a moment,
“Eh Carve, I do. Nothing about Lightfeather, but I’d be willing to give good currency to know what you know.”
“Hmm, how about a place called Crows Hollow or even stories about individuals travelling between worlds.”
At that the trader started,
“Funny you should say that… crows, yes…but I don’t know what use it will be to you, though.”
Rain agreed and told the Rumourmonger about the theatre, it’s contents (showing the quality of the items found as worn by Algernon) and its location. In kind the Rumourmonger gave Rain a small collection of copper and silver coins and the requested information.
“Caw Eh Carve arrived out of the blue a few months ago, no one seems to know from where. With him he brought two things, money enough to get a broke Captain by the name of Alaventi back on the rails and his cargo of chalky blue rocks. Where the rocks come from nobody knows but he pays well to have them shipped over Railsea. He has an apartment here in town, neighbours say that he can spend days in there when he’s here and keeps mostly to himself if he’s not here in the salvage markets looking for trinkets.” The Rumourmonger then coughed as if nervous to even take good money for the next piece of information.
“As for your crows…a drunk by the name of Gurf has been spreading a story about being transported to a world where crows walk around like men. Where there are giant trees.” He gave a description of Gurf and where he usually hunts through trash for things to sell. “But surely that’s just a drunk’s fantasy.”
In return Rain gave a loose story of Elvin Lightfeather, saying he was a known organised crime figure from Manikiki instead of the truth that would not be believed anyway.
As the group walked away, Rain sidled up beside Peggy.
“Crow people. Could be important.”
“I don’t know.” she replied non committedly.
“If there are bird people there could be fish people.”
“I never doubted it.”
“One step closer?”
“I’ll have to see them to know.” she finally relented.
“Then crow people are important.” Rain announced to the group, sounding more like himself again after this small success.
“I want to look around the markets.” Algernon announced and Rain promptly handed over the small bag of coins he received from the Rumourmonger. The markets were array of all sorts of junk from familiar Earth garbage to unidentifiable items, even materials that were labeled Alt-salvage. Of all bits and pieces on offer, Peggy was drawn to three items that seemed to have a touch of The Strange about them.
The store owner had the three items on display in different corners of their shop. The first was a plastic Jack-o-Lantern bucket which looked in remarkably good condition for being, as listed, arche-salvage and from the ancient past. Another was an empty med-kit box, the third a signet ring with the symbol of crossed sword and hammer etched into it.
“I think these are recursion keys, simple ones. Maybe one use.” Peggy commented almost to herself, but everyone including the store owner heard her.
“What did you call them?” Asked the owner sensing a sale.
“Ah, slang from where we’re from.” Rain butted in as Bruce drew Peggy aside, “Just one use simple trinkets, but she’s taken a liking so how much for the three?”
“I’ll take a silver for the three, rare items those.” The store owner offered and Rain tried to counter offer without success.
“No really they’re obviously only worth 5 copper.” Peggy barged back into the conversation annoyed at being left out. She planted five copper from her own money supplies onto the counter, “I have that. You can take it or leave it.”
“Well if you say so, I trust your judgement.” Rain encouraged her. A look came over her and she stared the store owner in the eye with a poise she rarely showed.
“As the lady says then, “ the storeowner grumbled and took the offered coppers, “Five coppers it is.”
The group took their treasures and headed for the dock, to hunt out the drunk called Gurf and see if there were any more details to his story. He wasn’t hard to find, scavenging around in garbage behind one of the dockside pubs. Algernon went to the pub and bought a cheap bottle of whatever was on offer. When he returned to the group it was confiscated by Bruce.
“You’re too young.” Bruce handed the bottle on to Rain.
“Don’t worry about his puritanical leanings.” Rain commented, a cheeky glint in his eye, “You have to remember they’re whole country had no alcohol for years, it’s a bit of a phobia for them. You could always try with Keaton though, he’s not afraid of alcohol.” He walked away to talk to Gurf.
“No alcohol? But how did they clean their wounds?” Algernon asked unsure of why someone would fear alcohol.
“You’re too young to drink it, buy it or possess it. Do you know at your age it will actually hinder the growth of brain cells?”
“Drink it?” Algernon seemed genuinely disgusted at the thought initially, but then his natural curiosity took over. “Why?”
“The moderate intake of ethanol lowers inhibitions which is usually considered beneficial in some social settings.” Peggy commented interested in expanding Algernon’s knowledge of their world.
“Oh. What’s it like?”
In the meantime, Rain had made contact with Gurf, gaining his attention by brandishing the Algernon’s bottle.
“Hi I’m Havel. I understand you can tell some amazing stories about giant crows?”
The old bum, lured by the offer of a drink, started at the mention of crows.
“I was…um… fossicking ‘ere… among the stuff they leave behind when I touched somethin’ and found myself in another place. There were tall trees full of market stalls, a whole city. And the crows, giant crows walking around. Some of them saw me and chased me. I hid and then… I was back here again.”
“You touched a thing, do you remember what it was?”
“Huh…uh…no.”
Rain looked at the bum critically, there was something missing from his story. He handed over the bottle.
“You know I’m not the law or anything. If there’s something about the story that you’re not proud of you can tell me, I won’t tell anyone.”
Gruf took a swig from the bottle, gathering some dutch courage and nodded his head sheepishly.
“Well yeah, there’s this dude called Eh Carve whose hardly home. I went by his place when I knew he wasn’t there and had a little look around.”
Rain nodded, this made more sense.
“And the thing you touched?”
“It was a pebble, a dumb stupid pebble with a clawed foot engraved on it. I just touched it as I was reaching for a coin with a crow on it.”
“Good. And how did you get back from this other place, you were hiding and ….”
“That was it, I found myself back in the apartment and I ran out of there.” Gruf looked past his bottle to the little man asking questions, “Do you believe me?”
“Let’s just say that it’s a great story. Thank you Gruf, enjoy your drink.”
One last stop in Bollons, back to where it started at Caw Eh Carve’s apartment. As they turned into his street Bruce noticed a suspicious looking character lurching outside the apartment building. He was new to the group, though his distinctive large hooked nose gave him an almost family resemblance to Caw Eh Carve, Lightfeather and his goon.
“Do you think their noses look like beaks?” Algernon asked the group and Rain groaned.
“Uhh…Light-feather. Caw eh Carve.”
“Oh no,” Peggy picked up on the connection, “they’re all crow people.”
“They’re beaks must translate into large hooked noses. Why didn’t we see that before?”
“Well do we talk to him or what?” Bruce wanted to know, as standing in the middle of the street was getting them noticed.
“What if Peggy and I go around the back and wait for you and Rain to open the window.” Algernon suggested as Rain watched the guy noting his body language and posture.
“Yeah, he’s just a bouncer. We can get past him, eh Bruce?”
“It’s your show, do your thing.” he replied, readjusting his sledgehammer on his back in preparation.
“Don’t worry, “ Algernon added, “I’ll plug him full of lead if he looks like a threat.”
Rain with Bruce behind, walked confidently up to the man on guard as if they had every right to be there.
“Mr Lightfeather sent us. We need to get into the apartment.” Rain said quietly so only the guard and Bruce could hear.
“Huh, he never sent word.” the guard replied. He wasn’t suspicious as yet, but he was certainly taking an interesting their story.
“Yeah, new information just in. It seems it has something to do with that group that were working with Caw Eh Carve. We’ve been sent to let you know to keep an eye out and to let us in to look for clues.” Rain’s patter fell on the guard and he shook it off uninterested.
“Yeah, yeah whatever.” he waved them both in.
Once inside and the window opened the group were reunited in the tiny apartment. It looked no different. One room with a bed, a chest of draws, a small kitchenette with the cupboard door open from when Caw Eh Carve had searched for the key.
Peggy closed her eyes and used her other senses to ‘feel’ for signs of The Strange in the space. Nothing. Algernon and Bruce used their eyes and searched everywhere for a pebble with a crow’s claw imprint or the coin but all they found were impressions in the dust where they had once lay. There was nothing left for them there.
Now sure they’d tied up as many loose ends as they were likely to in the backwaters of Railsea, the group locked the door and window and formed their circle for translation. For once Bruce did not argue the holding of hands as Peggy focused her thoughts on Earth and home.
The translation was swift and painless and they all found themselves back in Peggy’s old lab now empty and dark. There was nothing to show how much time had past or they had been away at all.
Rain and Algernon went straight to Lawrence Keaton’s office. They quickly debriefed, informing him about the world linked to the mole rat skull and the shipments of Spiral Dust as chalky rock from a recursion called Crows Hollow.
“We know of Crows Hollow.” Keaton informed them, “It is one of the older Earth-based recursions. It is a society of crow people governed by a number of families, think of the mafia. Don Whitecliff is the head of the Drood family, one of the largest and most powerful families in Crows Hollow.”
Rain laughed almost hysterically as he shook his head in disbelief.
“It is…interesting to discover that the Droods are caught up in all this. The Lightfeather connection is a good lead. Well done.”
“So how do we take him out?” Algernon, straight to the point sobered Rain and focused Keaton on him.
“You need more firepower than you currently have.”
“I’m pleased you mentioned that, I realise that an anti-tank gun….”
“You’re not getting an anti-tank gun.”
“So you said, but what about a crossbow?”
The question was such a departure from what Keaton was expecting that he stopped and thought for a moment.
“Why a crossbow?”
“I got used to handling one out on the Railsea and I’d like to keep training with one here.”
“He did practise a lot while we were travelling to Bollons.” Rain added supportively.
“I guess. I’ll write up permission for you to train with one here in the gun range.” Keaton started filling in a note to the master of arms. “Anything else you gentleman want?”
“Yes, several things. Lightfeather is a figure from my past that I would be interested in knowing more about. Please, and yes I am asking, please could I have access to any records on Lightfeather and his operations?”
“Yes, I think that would be appropriate, you said several things?”
Rain looked at Algernon and took a breath.
“While we were out in Railsea the other three, Algernon, Bruce and Peggy, all displayed extraordinary powers all linked to The Strange.” Rain said quickly as if ripping the bandages from a wound. “Does the Estate know about such…abilities amongst those who are awakened”
Keaton sat back in his chair and watched Rain for a moment,
“Just the other three.”
“Yes.” Rain replied curtly sure he’d shown a weakness to this Keaton he may come to regret.
“You must understand that those who are awakened are a very small number. But it has been noted in those rare individuals, that overtime they gain…an affinity with The Strange that allows them to do some amazing things.”
“I would like to study all The Estate has on those powers if I may?”
“Certainly. You’ll want to talk the Hertzfeld about that.” Rain nodded and Keaton made a note, “There was something else?”
“You said you’d looked into pay for Algernon and myself?” Rain replied somewhat more cherrily at the prospects of being liquid again.
“Ah yes.” Keaton got up and went to a small safe he had inside a cupboard. From it he withdrew two slim envelopes, “The boffins in admin put their heads together and made you both bank accounts in false names. It seems word of you two has got around as they thought it all highly amusing.”
He came back and handed one envelope to Algernon labelled Bank account: Fred Weasley and the other to Rain with a label, Bank account: George Weasley. Rain just laughed as Algernon looked up the significance of the names on his smartphone. Inside was a bank receipt for several thousand dollars (their pays to that date) and a debit card.
“I see us more as Kanada and Tetsuo, but I’ve never worked out which one of us is which. It seems to change.” Rain commented referencing Algernon’s favourite ‘documentary’, Akira.
“Yes, “ Algernon replied looking thoughtful, “those names do seem more suitable.”
“Now if there’s nothing else, “ Keaton moved around the table to usher the two out of his office, but Algernon had one more request.
“I understand you could offer an alcoholic beverage.”
Keaton looked to from the innocently looking young man to the smiling silent crook beside him with a meaningful glare.
“I’m sorry Algernon, regardless of what you’ve been told, you’re a little young for hard liquor.”
“I’m 15.” Algernon retorted frustrated by his lack of years and how much it meant.
“Sorry, too young sonny.” Keaton patted his head patronisingly and Rain could only shrug his shoulders.
“I’ll come back then. In a few days?”
“Try a few years.”
At about the same time Bruce had made his way to Katherine Manners’ office and was having a similar debrief with her.
“….if seems that Lightfeather is known to Rain, some sort of mafia connection.” Bruce concluded, “And now we’re back. Is there anything that we should be doing now? Any Advice on what to do about Crows Hollow and Lightfeather?”
“I think my advice at this time is to step back. Crows Hollow and Alvin Lightfeather aren’t going anywhere. Earthside, you have a few loose ends to tie up. The individual you call the Cowboy is still loose and unidentified and the cameras your group set up at the docks are still in operation. Though that smuggling route has been closed down there are undoubtedly many more. If that is not enough to keep you busy I do have other tasks.”
“I guess there’d been a backlog of footage from those cameras after a ten days in Railsea.” Bruce replied thoughtfully at all there was still to do.
“Ten? You’ve only been gone four. Don’t worry about it, it’s a hazard of translations. Not all recursions time flows the same as here.”
“You mentioned other tasks?” Bruce changed the subject quickly, sure heard such disturbing talk from the others.
“Yes…” she referred to notes in front of her, “Liza Banks, our Chief of Public Relations, would like some staff to give a Morrison Fellowship prize to a surprising young woman called Gwendolyn Wurtz. It seems she’s able to power a smartphone through only body heat.”
“Oh…?” Bruce replied a little confused. He wasn’t sure how doing a public relations job would keep the world safe.
“We do this from time to time when The Estate comes across unusual stories . The Morrison Fellowship is a cover that allows us to go in and investigate. You’re to make sure Gwendolyn’s discovery is what it claims to be and not the result of a cipher or some other world interference.”
Bruce nodded, now understanding a little more the importance of The Estate for world safely.
“Before I go I wanted to ask about the story we got from the drunk, Gurf? It seems when he touched the stone he was temporarily transported to Crows Hollow. I seems the stone was a one use key that then teleported him back.”
“Yes, that was an interesting point in your story. Please remember to put that into your report.”
“Oh, and I feel I need to report that Algernon is trying to get himself drunk.” Bruce added as a passing thought as he stood to leave.
“Young men and their idle thoughts.” Katherine shook her head and saw Bruce out.
A Strange Life 
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