Learning Further...
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 12056
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Stacy sat in Natalia's apartment, watching as the stranger who claimed to
be her childhood friend looked over the printout of an e-mail log of a
conversation with the Professor, the one person in this whole mess she was
sure didn't have her best interests at heart. Stacy pondered over her
willingness to bare this much before Natalia, as it might be more prudent
to be suspicious. However, something in her wanted to trust this
woman. Everything about her, her manner, her almost intimate familiarity
with Stacy, everything made her seem to be on the level. "Did he really work with my father?" Stacy asked. "The Professor? Not unless there's something I don't know about him." "What did I tell you about him before I lost my memory? I need to know, Nat." "Well, I know his full name is Dr. Johannes Myer, and you met him during your graduate work at ESU, when you were going for your Masters. Head of the Behavioural Sciences department, you'd said. You'd done some work with him, and he'd been your advisor on your thesis. Shortly after you'd finished your doctorate, he called you up and asked if you wanted to work with him on some sort of research project. I can't remember what it was on, but it was shortly afterward that you started having memory lapses, just little ones at first, but they got larger. I think that's about the time you told me you suspected Dr. Myer of stalking you. That's all I know about him." "But why would he claim to have worked with my father?" "Simple, Stacy. You weren't operating with a full deck. He probably figured you'd latch onto any clues to your past like a drowning person onto a life buoy, so he cooked something up." "Yeah, that would be easy, but how do I know you're not doing the same thing?" Stacy said, her suspicions finally aroused. Natalia looked genuinely hurt by Stacy's question. "Stacy...I...I care too much about you to do that," she said, moving in closer, exhaling sharply, "I could never do something to hurt you." There was that closeness again, that...intimacy. Stacy wasn't sure how to react. Natalia was close enough that she could smell a faint floral scent on her, and feel the warmth of her proximity. However, it wasn't that bad. Stacy almost felt good with her that close. She had to wonder exactly what kind of relationship she had with Natalia. "Nat, I'm...I'm sorry. It's just that I'm so confused," Stacy said as she leaned her head over to rest it on Natalia's shoulder. It's okay, Stacy. I'll take care of you. You know what you can help me with, though?" "What would that be?" "My stuff, it's still mostly in the UHaul, and I need an extra set of hands to help me unpack. Will you help me?" "Sure thing..." An older man walks the halls of Empire State University, stopping at a door marked "Henry Stanton, Professor of Archaeology". He knocked on the door, and there was a muffled reply, at which he turned the knob and walked into the office. Sitting slumped over the desk is a younger man, a day's stubble on his face, unkempt short brown hair, and wearing a rumpled tweed jacket. He looks up wearily at the older man. "Stanton, I've got some distressing news. Natalia's got the subject." "That little witch? But how?" "I can't be sure. I've never observed her methods." "Is there any motive other than just to spite you, as usual?" "There's evidence that she knows at least as much as we do about the subject." "Damn her! We can't have a setback like this now! We did everything right! I followed the clues to find the hidden crypt, translated the manuscript to learn how to revive her. She was only too grateful to us for freeing her, so we set up an observation so we could see if the contagion had survived in her. When she started asking too many questions, we solved that, too, with your brainwashing and mesmerism. We would have known by the end of the week, Myer. The end of the week!" The older man sighs deeply, then speaks again. "You realize we'll have to inform the Magus." "Damn it...we don't need that right now. If we talk to the Magus, he'll just get the other Arcana involved. If they convene the Council of the 22, it'll all go to hell." "True enough, Stanton, but we have to adhere to protocol. You knew that ever since you achieved the rank of Zelator..." A few hours later, Stacy and Natalia stood again in the loft apartment, many cardboard boxes at their feet. Natalia wiped the sweat from her brow and spoke. "Whew. Thanks, Stacy, that was a little like work. There's just a few things I want to take out of boxes, if you've still got some energy left." "Sure, which ones?" "Anything with a laundry marker 'X' on it" Stacy looked around and picked up a utility knife, leaning over the first marked box she could find, and cutting it open. The contents of the box, however, were far from what she had expected. Several, half-spent candles of various colors, a leatherbound book which bore a few strange symbols in gilt in lieu of a title, a mortar and pestle, and a bundle of herbs. Stacy wavered for a moment, and then decided to ask. "Hey, Nat, what's this stuff here?" "That stuff? Oh, I remember you used to tease me endlessly for my interest in witchcraft. You'd spout a bunch of stuff about Freud and Jung and other junk you'd learned, and how I shouldn't be superstitious." "So...you're a witch?" "And proud of it," Natalia said, smirking, "say what you like, but I swear to God it works." "Hell," Stacy sighed, "as weird as my life has been lately, I'm about ready to believe in magic. Wouldn't make any less sense than the rest of it." They spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking, ate a sparse dinner, and settled down in their respective rooms to sleep for the night.
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The Traveler
8/12/2000 5:40:04 PM
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