Strangerville Mystery - Ch 8 - Of Names and Cats

Rangerville Trailer Park, Wednesday, May 12, 2021, 9:05PM

"'Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home,'" Lucius said with a grin.

"I've stayed in worse," Molly said with an answering smile.

"As have I," Lucius said. "I recall nights sleeping under the stars, resting my head on tree roots and rocks, with only a threadbare cloak for a blanket."

"Well, that's taking LARPing a little far, even for me," Molly chuckled.

"What's LARPing?"

"So, you're saying people dress up and play act at being heroes or wizards or monsters," Lucius mused. "That sounds very interesting."

"It can be fun," Molly said. She always felt slightly embarrassed explaining some of the odder hobbies she'd gotten involved with over the years. "I guess, being a real witch, you think it's silly."

"You know, I've never understood why people seem to think 'silly' is a bad thing," Lucius smiled. "As if being dour and grim were somehow virtues. Much better to take joy in life, I assure you. Now, you should get some sleep. We have much to do and you'll need to be clear headed."

"About that," Molly said, feeling a little worried. "You only have the one small bed and um..."

"It's yours," Lucius said without hesitation. "I don't need as much sleep as mortals. Get some rest and I'll see you in the morning."

"Right," Molly said. "Thanks."

Mortals?

Rangerville Trailer Park, Thursday, May 13, 2021, 7:40AM

"I'm going to need some clean clothes," Molly said. "After hiking out to the lab and back last night, these are dusty and a little ripe."

"You're my Guest," Lucius said. Molly got the sense the word carried more weight to him than she was used to. "You are quite welcome to take whatever will suit you from my clothes. Later I'll venture a brief visit to your house to pick up some your own clothes."

"What will the Men in Black staking out my house think if they see you coming out the front door carrying my suitcase?" Molly asked.

"I won't use the doors, but still it would be best if I waited until after dark," Lucius smiled. "For today, as I said, you're welcome to whatever you can find among my things that suits you."

"Meanwhile, I am hoping you have some ideas concerning that rather impressive door," Lucius continued. "I'm afraid the lock proved quite resistant to my magic. All my other ideas for removing it risk bringing down large parts of the surrounding building."

"Wait, you're telling me it's a magic-resistant security door?" Molly blinked.

"Not, I suspect, intentionally," Lucius smiled. "Magic does have limits. I can't use a spell to open the door because I don't understand it... the mechanisms of it and how they form the whole."

"So, if you had diagrams of the workings of the door, you could open it?" Molly asked.

"Simply seeing the diagrams wouldn't be enough. I would need to truly understand them and the door itself," Lucius nodded. "Witches often speak of needing to know the Name of a thing... by which we mean understanding its essence, and how that essence exists in relation to the greater harmony of the Realm around it. By understanding a Name and the Words of Power associated with it, we can use our magic to influence it."

"So, to magic open the door you would need the blueprints and, what, an engineering degree?" Molly asked, shocked.

"Just so," Lucius smiled back. "By the same token, I am unable to use magic on these strange plants, or on the zombies, as you call them. I don't understand them and so they are beyond the reach of my power."

"Well, that sucks," Molly sighed. "I was kind of hoping you could just... you know... magic all this. Like open the door or even just magic Dylan and Jess free of... whatever."

"Sadly, it is very the 'whatever' of it that makes that impossible," Lucius explained. "For now, the Sigworth parents must remain under the influence of the 'whatever.'"

"Parents... oh God, Christie!" Molly gasped. "If this got Dylan..."

"Christie is free and will remain so," Lucius said reassuringly. "I sent Huntress to look after her while you slept."

"You sent your cat to protect Christie?" Molly blinked.

"I assure you, Huntress is more than capable of keeping young Christie safe," Lucius smiled. "In fact, I'm more worried about our safety in her absence." 

"Right," Molly said, slowly processing. "Huntress isn't just a cat, is she?"

"She is most assuredly a cat," Lucius smiled. "Though I have never known one who was just a cat."

"Well, that's not even close to the strangest thing I've heard lately," Molly said. "So, I'm just going to go with it."

"Very wise," Lucius nodded. "Still, even with that settled, we are left with a rather large door to deal with."

"To open that door, we need a keycard," Molly said. "I don't know any other way around it. Unfortunately, you can't buy keycards for MoD secret lab security doors at S-Mart. Maybe at Spy Gear and More..."

"I don't know that store," Lucius said.

"I was... joking," Molly said slowly, as a thought formed. "... and More. No one ever asks about the 'and More.'"

"You have an idea," Lucius smiled.

"One person we can talk to who might know more about all this than either of us," Molly said. "Eccentric Erwin!"

Strangerville Mystery - Ch 7 - Too Strange

Classified Ministry of Defense Research Facility, Rangerville Crater, Wednesday, May 12, 2021, 7:20PM

Molly felt she was usually pretty good with strange. In high school, she and her friends - Carmilla, Cas and Gwen - had been the weird girls who dressed in black (except Gwen who always wore white), listened to strange music and talked about the occult. Cas and Gwen had been genuine witches. Most of the engineers she'd ever worked with were at least quirky. Clients were always a little odd, and the MoD could be downright bizarre at times. Sinister government agents at her door... well, Molly had dated Yuki 'Snow' Behr for years, so that was almost the most normal thing about her day.

However, Project Orchid, whatever it was, was messing with her friends, and that was too much. Sure, maybe she'd only known Dylan and Jess for a week, but they were still friends. Molly wasn't going to let this go. She wanted answers, and the only place she knew to look for them was the abandoned secret lab. 

On the not-so-unlikely chance the MiB were watching, she changed into something casual enough to say 'night out' (while still comfortable for walking the desert). Then she drove around for a bit, remembering Yuki's advice on spotting and throwing off a tail. If anyone was following her, they were better than she was (which, she admitted to herself, wasn't all that unlikely). 

After a bit of evasive driving, she headed out to the crater and made the dusty hike to the lab.

The trick, Molly thought, was going to be finding some meaningful clue without finding whatever might have 'infected' Dylan. Assuming he'd been infected here. Maybe Zombie Jess, and this mysterious Mother, had caught up with him later. That made sense. Zombie Jess and Dylan had wanted her to eat that strange fruit, and MiB Hunt had been going on about fruit... including pie, salad and salsa. Maybe Dylan had come home to find a bowl of strange zombie-making fruit salsa on the table.

Still, no reason to be careless, Molly thought. Let's avoid strange plants, menacing fruit and definitely not eat any pie, salad or salsa that might be lurking around the lab. 

Damn it, she thought, now I'm hungry.

Resisting the urge to go through to the breakroom fridge for a snack, Molly turned her attention back to searching for clues.

Nothing, nothing, more nothing, Molly thought. For a society trying to think of itself as paperless, people sure generated a lot of meaningless paper.

"Finding anything useful?" a man's voice said.

"AGH!" Molly shrieked. "I wasn't..."

"My apologies," the man said, suppressing a chuckle.

"OK, one, you do not sneak up on someone breaking into a classified government lab," Molly snapped. "Two... what the Hell are you doing here, Lucius?!"

"I am investigating a disruption in the Balance," Lucius replied with a slight grin. "Which, as I believe I've told you, is the reason I came to Rangerville in the first place. I confess, I am rather wondering what you are doing here."

"Trying to find out why Jess is sleepwalking," Molly snapped. "And why Jess and Dylan have turned into wacked out zombies who want me to eat strange fruit! And why the Men in Black are showing up at my door, confiscating the fruit and warning me not to eat any salsa! And does any of this have anything to do with those strange plants and the explosion here two weeks ago... and why that made the MoD move up its project deadlines... and what in the Hell is Project Orchid!"

"Oh, I see," Lucius said mildly.

The fact that he did, in fact, act as if her rant had made everything clear to him, annoyed the hell out Molly.

"Do you know what's going on?" Molly demanded.

"If I knew what was going on, I wouldn't be here investigating, much like you are," Lucius said. "In fact, I suspect you may already have a better grasp on the situation than I do."

"Yeah, but you know more than you're saying," Molly said. Deep down, she desperately hoped it was true. No matter how annoying it seemed, she really hoped this odd man, or witch or whatever he was, knew the answers.

"I suspect a great deal more than I'm saying," Lucius admitted. "It's rather an occupational hazard, you might say. However, the difference between what I suspect and what I know is both significant and important."

"Terrific," Molly sighed.

"Molly, it seems clear to me that you and I are both investigating the same mystery," Lucius said. "A mystery that, if I understood you correctly, has touched the Sigworth family. I believe we could better help them if we worked together on this... or at least shared what we know."

"Has anyone every told you, you talk funny?" Molly said.

"Constantly," Lucius smiled.

"OK, Obi-Wan, tell me what you know, or suspect," Molly said.

"Roughly three weeks ago there was a disruption in the Balance... the harmony of mystical forces that form the foundation of our Realms, our worlds," Lucius explained. "The disruption originated here, in the Great Western Desert, and coincided with the appearance of those strange plants. The Witches' Council sent me to investigate. 

"So far, I've been able to determine that those plants are clearly not from this Realm," he continued. "I have also observed several of these 'zombies' as you refer to them. They appear to be most active at night, while in the day they seem to behave normally. I believe the zombies and the plants to be connected, not merely in time but in fact. There is a bond between them.

"I was able to discover the rumors about this lab and the explosion here, which seems to have happened at the same time as the disruption. So, I came here to investigate, and found you here ahead of me," Lucius concluded. "Your turn."

"You're something holding back," Molly said.

"Correct," Lucius smiled. "Your turn."

"OK," Molly said. "Here's what I know..."

So, she laid it out for him... the FutureTech project she'd been called in on, how she thought it was related to the explosion of the lab, Jess's sleepwalking, what she and Dylan had found about Project Orchid during their first visit to the lab, and what had happened with Zombie Dylan and Jess and the MiB. 

She considered holding something back, just to be bitchy, but in the end, she told him everything. 

"So, what do you think?" Molly asked when she'd finished.

"I think we need to get through that giant door," Lucius replied.

"Yeah, if the MiB don't snatch me first," Molly sighed. 

"It might be best to avoid that," Lucius smiled. "I believe this may be an opportune moment for you to accept the offer of hospitality I extended earlier."

"You mean crash at your place, instead of going back to mine, in case they're waiting for me?" Molly smiled.

"Precisely," Lucius smiled back.

"Well, I've had worse invitations," Molly said. "Where are you parked? I'll follow you back."

"I don't drive," Lucius said mildly.

"How did you... you know what, never mind," Molly said. "I'm hungry and tired. Come on, Obi Wan. I'll drive."

Strangerville Mystery - Ch 6 - Stranger and Stranger

Pomegranate Corner, Rangerville, Wednesday, May 12, 2021, 6:05 PM

"Hey, Dylan. I'm glad to see you. You weren't at work today," Molly said, relieved. She'd imagined government agents dragging him away to be questioned.

"hELlo moLLy. I aM gLad tO sEE yOu. I wAs noT At wORk toDaY," Dylan replied, his voice strangely stilted.

"Umm, Dylan... are you OK?" Molly felt suddenly much less relieved.

"umM, mOLly. I Am oK," Dylan's smile moved rapidly beyond creepy into downright frightening.

"helLO MoLly. I aM jeSS. I Am dyLAN's wIFe," Jess said in the same broken manner as Dylan.

"Yeah, I know that," Molly said. "Really guys, what's going on?"

"yEs I kNoW tHAt reALLy nOTHing IS goINg oN," Jess said. "wE woULd lIKe tO cOMe insiDE. wE hAVe sOMeTHinG fOr yoU."

"Right," Molly said. "Say, you guys didn't happen to do a bunch of really strange drugs just now... did you? Please say yes."

"yeS. wE DId nOt dO a bUNch oF sTRanGE drUGs," Dylan stuttered.

"So why are you guys acting like this?" Molly asked.

"oUR eYEs aRe OPen," Jess said. "wE woULd lIKe tO cOMe insiDE. We hAVe sOMeTHinG fOr yoU."

"Sure, let's go inside," Molly said, adding softly to herself, "where there aren't any witnesses to see you scoop out my brain and replace it with a kumquat." 

The couple just smiled their frightening smiles and lurched toward the door. It wasn't just their speech, Molly realized. They moved as if... as if they didn't fully understand how their bodies were supposed to work.

When Jess dropped three strange, faintly pulsating, red fruits on the table, Molly froze.

"OK, I was joking about the kumquat," Molly said nervously. 

"tHIs iS frUIt," Jess said. 

"fRUit iS gOOd," Dylan added.

"YOu shoULd EAt THe fRUIt," they both said in perfect unison. 

"Thanks, I already had dinner," Molly lied. "Maybe later. Say, Dylan... what the hell is going on!?"

"yOu wENt To tHe cRAter," Jess smiled uncannily.

"Dylan told you?" Molly glanced at him. 

He only smiled vacantly back, offering nothing.

"The Mother kNOws aLL," Jess said. 

"dO noT reSIst Her," Dylan added. "eMbRAce The Mother."

"She wiLL bRIng yoU PEace," Jess finished.

"Is... is this Mother in the crater?" Molly asked hesitantly.

"Her Nest iS clOUded iN beaUTy," Dylan started.

"wE dO nOt deSERVE Her," Jess finished.

"Of course," Molly nodded. "We don't, do we? Well, thank you guys for the fruit... and the strangeness. It's been terrifying. I'll see you later."

"JOIn uS," they said in unison.

"I'll sure do that," Molly smiled weakly. "Just let me finish a few things up first." 

For a moment, they just sat there staring at her with alien eyes. Then, without another word they lurched down the hall and out the door, like two marionettes controlled by an unskilled puppeteer. Molly couldn't stop herself from thinking the metaphor was terrifyingly apt.

"What the hell?" Molly breathed to her empty house. "I mean... what the hell!? 

"The lab," she continued. "Dylan was probably exposed to something at the lab. It must have been when we split up... because it hasn't affected me. I'm fine. Perfectly normal...

"Except I'm talking to myself."

The red 'fruits' seemed to pulse menacingly.

There was sudden hard bang, bang, Bang. Molly jumped, spinning.

That would be someone knocking on door, idiot, Molly thought. She deliberately forced the thought not to escape as words. Someone is knocking on the door. Probably zombie Dylan and Jess come back to eat my brains.

It wasn't.

"Hello, can I help you?" Molly asked the strange man in a black suit.

"Molly Prescott?" the man said.

"Who's asking?" Molly asked worriedly.

"You can call me Mr. Hunt," the Man in Black said. "Have you recently encountered anyone acting in a strange or unusual manner?"

"Define strange?" Molly replied as Mr. Hunt walked past her into the house.

"Has anyone offered any form of fruit?" Mr. Hunt continued undeterred. "Such as raw fruit, a fruit pie, fruit salad or salsa of any kind?" 

"Well," Molly said, stunned, looking down at the menacing red fruits on her table.

"I see," Hunt nodded curtly. "I'm afraid I will have to confiscate these. Are there more?"

"No," Molly admitted. "That's it."

"Have you consumed any fruit, pie, salad or salsa recently?" Hunt pressed.

"No," Molly said weakly. "I had a cheese sandwich for lunch." 

"Dairy products. Very good," Hunt nodded, briskly collecting the fruit and returning to the front door.

She wasn't remotely surprised when a second Man in Black walked in. 

"The perimeter is secure," the newcomer informed his partner.

"Three infection vectors located on the dining table," Hunt said. "Secured. Subject denies exposure."

"Umm, guys," Molly put in. "You want to maybe tell me what's going on here?"

"Nothing is going on here ma'am," Hunt said firmly. "Everything is perfectly normal. Please abstain from eating any fruit..."

"... pie, salad or salsa," Molly finished for him. "Right."

"Have a good day, ma'am," the second Man in Black said, adding quietly to his partner: "Standard surveillance?"

She thought Hunt nodded curtly as they left.

"Right," Molly said to herself. "Nothing is going on. Everything is perfectly normal... in the Twilight Zone!" 

Strange plants, a secret lab, wacked-out zombie people, threatening fruit and now Men in Black. 

I have got to find out what's going on and what this Project Orchid is.

Strangerville Mystery - Ch 5 - The Secret Lab

Classified Ministry of Defense Research Facility, Rangerville Crater, Tuesday, May 11, 2021, 7:40 PM

"I'm having second thoughts about this," Dylan said.

"I can't imagine why," Molly quipped.

Honestly, she hadn't expected they'd get this far. Driving out into the desert, she'd been certain they'd be stopped by MoD guards long before they got close to the crater. 

Of course, she hadn't been crazy enough to just drive up to the Army base and ask to see their secret lab. They'd bounced along a back road, circling the crater until it was mostly between them and the base. The hike from where they'd parked had been a bit rough, but not as bad as she'd feared.

Now they were here, just outside the notorious Rangerville secret lab. Molly could see signs of the rumored explosion all around, in the wrecked fences and damaged building. Despite her confidence, Molly had to admit Dylan had a point.

"I mean, we could get arrested or something... couldn't we," Dylan said.

"Yeah," Molly admitted. "That's assuming they don't just shoot us."

"You're not making me feel better," Dylan said.

"The thing is, if they were going to do any of that, I would have expected them to do it by now," Molly continued. "Do you see any guards?"

"What? Guards!? Where?" Dylan looked around panicked.

"There aren't any. That's my point," Molly said. "Either this place is completely unguarded, or we just can't see the security... in which case, they've already seen us."

"So, either we're fine or we're already screwed?" Dylan said, a bit more calmly.

"Yup," Molly nodded. "We may as well keep going, either way."

"More of those strange plants," Molly pointed out quietly, as they approached the main building.

"Yeah, they're all around out here," Dylan said. "I thought they were some kind of desert plant that bloomed in the spring... her bloom..."

"Whose bloom?" Molly asked, distracted as she looked around for the guards she was sure would be swooping down any moment.

"I just remembered more of what Jess said last night," Dylan mused. "I think she said '...the beauty of her bloom.'"

"'Open your eyes to the beauty of her bloom,'" Molly said. "Whose bloom?"

"OK, so I've got to ask," Dylan said softly. "Where did you learn how to pick locks?"

"Ex-girlfriend," Molly smiled. "It was a crappy lock anyway. Typical MoD. Government contracts always go with the lowest bidder... and still no guards."

"I'm not complaining," Dylan pointed out.

"This place looks abandoned," Molly said, looking around. "I bet they cleared out right after the explosion. Let's have a look around."

"I think you're right," Dylan said. "They must have cleared everything out after the explosion."

They'd split up to search the lab. It had clearly been abandoned for weeks and there were definite signs that it had been done quickly. Quickly enough, Molly thought, that they'd left some things behind. 

"They didn't clear this out," Molly said, gesturing to the working computer she'd found. "It looks like somebody started to wipe the hard drive, but they got interrupted."

"Is there anything useful on there?" Dylan asked.

"Maybe, if I can get into it," Molly said.

"So, you pick locks and hack government computers?" Dylan said. He looked both impressed and worried.

"Ex-girlfriend," Molly repeated. "The same one. I met Yuki in college. She was this really cool geek gamer girl and we kinda clicked. She was also already one of the top underground hackers around. She showed me a thing or two about computers... and other stuff. We moved in together after graduation. For a while I thought..."

"You thought?" Dylan prompted gently.

"Doesn't matter," Molly sighed. "What matters is that she showed me a few tricks that make MoD security protocols sit up and beg. If I can just remember them..." 

"Gotcha!" Molly muttered a little while later. "Now what does that look like to you?"

"Engineering diagrams for kind of sealed environment," Dylan said, looking over her shoulder. "Like a clean room? No, it's too small."

"Some kind of containment unit?" Molly mused. "A controlled environment. Its own air supply, temperature controls... grow lights? What is this for?"

"Check out the file header," Dylan pointed out. "What's Project Orchid?"

"I saw a folder for that," Molly grinned. "Hang on. There we are. Project Orchid... password protected of course. Come on, beg for Molly."

"OK, you're a little scary right now," Dylan laughed.

"Come on," Molly muttered to herself. "Just like Snow taught me... Make her beg. Come on, beg for me you little bitch. I got you... I got you... What?! No! No no no... Shit!"

"That's... not good," Dylan sighed, as smoke started to rise from the computer.

"You think?!" Molly snarled. "What the hell? What kind of file security kills the entire computer?"

"The serious kind," Dylan said. "Speaking of which..."

"Now that is a big door," Molly said.

"I'm thinking they didn't go with the lowest bidder on this one?" Dylan said.

"Oh yeah, this is premium tech. Ours, actually," Molly said. "Well, FutureTech's. I recognize the design."

"Please tell me you worked on this," Dylan said. 

"No such luck," Molly sighed. "Worse, I know the guys who did. I'm not picking this lock. We'd need a security card. Whatever is behind that, MoD is serious about keeping people out."

"Project Orchid," Dylan said.

"Yup," Molly said. "Let me get a couple of notes here. Maybe I can figure something out?"

They'd spent a little longer searching through the abandoned lab, gathering up scraps of documents, hastily scrawled notes and a couple of blurry photos of those strange plants.  

No guards swept down on them. No alarms sounded. No one stopped them as they drove back to town. Whatever was hidden in that crater, MoD seemed confident that the security door would keep people out.

Molly had to admit, they weren't wrong. She knew the specs on that door. Without a keycard, it would be almost impossible to get through. 

What the hell was going on in this town?

... and what's with these strange plants?

Strangerville Mystery - Ch 4 - Friends in Need

 FutureTech Labs, Rangerville, Tuesday, May 11th, 2021, 3:10 PM

"Molly, can I talk to you about something?" Dylan asked.

Sitting in the break room, he looked uncomfortable. Molly had known something had really been bothering him all day. She'd hoped he'd bring it up. It was tricky, as a project manager, prying into the private concerns of her team. Still, she'd already decided to ask if he hadn't said anything by the end of the shift.

"What's wrong?" she asked gently.

"Well, it's personal... and kinda strange," Dylan looked a little embarrassed.

"I'm usually pretty good with strange," Molly smiled reassuringly. "If you want to talk, I'll listen. No judgement."

"Well, OK." Dylan took a deep breath. "Last night, late, Christie came in and woke me up. She hasn't done that in a long time. At first, I thought she'd had a bad dream, but she said something was wrong with Jess."

"I heard her saying something to Lucius at the barbecue, about Jess acting strangely," Molly said.

"Yeah, she's been saying something was wrong with her mom for a couple of weeks," Dylan nodded. "I keep telling her everything is fine but..."

"But it's not?" Molly asked.

"I think something's really wrong," Dylan admitted. 

"See, when Christie woke me last night, Jess wasn't there.

"Christie said she'd gotten up in the night, to go to the bathroom. On her way back to bed, she saw her mom, coming out of our room and... heading outside. In her nightgown.

"She tried to call to her, but Jess just kept going out the door. So, she came to get me.

"Well, I reassured Christie that everything was fine, and I put her back to bed. Then I looked around, just to make sure Christie wasn't confused and Jess was in actually in the kitchen or something."

"I'm guessing she wasn't," Molly said.

"No, she wasn't," Dylan sighed. "She really was out in the yard, in her nightgown. It was like she was sleepwalking or something. I tried to get her attention but..."

"What?" Molly asked.

"It's nothing," Dylan shook his head. "I mean, it didn't make any sense. Just nonsense out a dream or something."

Molly said nothing, just waiting.

"She was standing over one of those strange plants," Dylan said at last. "You know, those strange blue ones that have been popping up all over town... and when I tried to get her attention, she said..."

"She said?" Molly prompted.

"Well, I think she said - 'Open your eyes to their beauty,'" Dylan said. "It's just nonsense, right?"

"Well, those plants are beautiful," Brian from Biotech interrupted. "We've got a bunch of them growing down in the botany lab. You know, Dylan, if your wife wants to come over in her nightgown and look at what I've got, she'd be more than welcome."

"Did you need something, Brian?" Dylan said curtly.

"A bunch of us are going out for beers at 8 Bells after shift," Biobro Brian smirked. "I wondered if you wanted to join me, Molly."

"No," Molly said curtly. 

"Standing invite," Biobro Brian said, unruffled. "Catch you later, Dylan... if you're not looking for your wife."

"That guy is such a creep," Dylan grumbled after Biobro Brian was gone.

"I think FutureTech HR has a directive," Molly mused. "There has to be at least one creep at every facility, usually in a team lead or senior management position." 

"You're probably right," Dylan snorted, more in disgust than humor.

"So, about Jess, has she been sleepwalking a long time," Molly asked.

"Just the last couple of weeks," Dylan said distractedly. "I mean.. well, yeah, OK... the last couple of weeks. I haven't wanted to worry Christie, but I've noticed she's been waking up before I do and sometimes isn't in bed in the middle of the night."

"Around the time of that explosion everyone's not talking about, right?" Molly asked. 

"Yeah," Dylan said. "She was on guard duty at the base. She insisted it was no big deal, but she was shaken up. I could tell."

"So, there's some explosion the Army doesn't want anyone to know about," Molly pondered, "and right after that MoD moves up the deadlines on the sensor module and upgraded hazmat filters, these strange plants show up all around town... which Biotech is now trying to cultivate... and your wife starts sleepwalking." 

And, Molly thought to herself, Lucius of the Luxurious Hair shows up investigating an 'invasive species' ... 

"What are you thinking?" Dylan asked.

"I think I want to sneak into a secret Army base," Molly said.

Strangerville Mystery - Ch 3 - Friends and Neighbors

FutureTech Labs, Rangerville, Thursday, May 6th, 2021, 7:20 PM

"I think, if we really have overcome the feedback issue, we've got it cracked," Dedicated Dylan said earnestly. "We can have a new prototype ready in a few more hours... Do you think we should get back to it?"

"No," Molly said firmly. "It will take at least four hours for fabrication to get the parts we need, and most of a shift to complete assembly. It's already after five. We're calling it a day. We'll get some rest and come at it fresh tomorrow."

"Susanne would have us work through," Dedicated Dylan pointed out.

"Well, I'm not Stern Susanne," Molly said. "We'll do better work rested... and I'm going to talk to Bonnie tomorrow about borrowing some people from the hazmat filter unit team. They're just sitting on their hands, waiting for specs from MoD. We can use those hands for fabrication and assembly. Tomorrow. Tonight, we chill."

"OK," Dedicated Dylan grinned. "Sure, OK. I was supposed to meet my family for dinner at 8 Bells anyway. Maybe I can make it after all."

"Go! Spend some time with your family," Molly said firmly.

"Would you care to join us?" Dedicated Dylan asked suddenly. "I mean, if you don't have other plans."

"I wouldn't want to impose," Molly said, startled. "You should spend time with your family. I've got some leftover pizza."

"Come on, they'd love to meet you," Dedicated Dylan insisted.

----------------

"Molly, this is my wife Jess and our daughter Christie," Dylan said. "Guys, this is Molly Prescott, the new project manager I told you about."

The 8 Bells was Rangerville's best tavern and restaurant. The large, open room was already filling up with townies and off duty soldiers from the army base. Dylan, who had flatly refused to be turned down, had led Molly to a table near the entrance already occupied by a young soldier and an even younger child.

"Oh dear, my reputation proceeds me," Molly smiled. "How much trouble am I in?"

"Are you kidding? You're the reason Christie has gotten to see her dad this week," GI Jess said with a welcoming smile. "With all the late hours Susanne was making him work, we were starting to forget what he looked like. Isn't that right Christie?"

"Yeah, mom, sure whatever," Christie said grumpily.

"Christine Sigworth, you will be polite," GI Jess ordered sharply.

"I never much liked meeting my mom's friends either," Molly told the young girl in her best 'just-between-us' voice. "I bet you have things you'd rather be doing."

"Oh, she's got lots going on," Dedicated Dylan smiled. "She's on the soccer team, and in Scouts and she's a budding musician. Right Christie?"

"I'm learning violin," Christie said, a little shyly. 

"I play guitar," Molly said. "I had a friend who was a violinist, when I was a little older than you... back when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. We played together sometimes."

The conversation turned to music, Creative Christie's artistic ambitions and GI Jess's clear pride in her despite the obvious undercurrent of tension between mother and daughter. 

Turning to GI Jess, Molly asked the obvious, "So, how did you and Dylan meet?"

"In high school," GI Jess said. "I'm an Army brat, so my family moved around a lot. Midway through my last year of High School I ended up in Brindleton Bay..."

"... and she needed to get caught up on some subjects," Dedicated Dylan jumped in with a broad smile. 

"I was never good at math," GI Jess admitted with a wry smile. 

"I offered to help her and..." Dedicated Dylan said.

"... one thing led to another," GI Jess concluded. "Which also led to our beautiful Christie and my wonderful family."

"Gross, mom," Creative Christie groaned.

It was nice, Molly thought, to spend some time with people outside of work. Dedicated Dylan, clearly as dedicated a husband and father as he was an engineer, had been right. She'd needed this.

----------------

Pomegranate Corner, Rangerville, Sunday, May 9th, 3:30 PM

It had followed naturally, Molly thought, to invite Dedicated Dylan and his family over for a weekend barbeque. Inviting Lucius of the Luxurious Hair along had been pure chance. She'd run into him at the store while picking up supplies and decided on the spur of the moment to extend an invitation. She was actually a little surprised that he accepted.

"Nice to meet you, Lucius. I'm Dylan," Dedicated Dylan said, shaking Lucius's hand. "So, what do you do?"

"Mostly I try to stay out of trouble," Lucius replied warmly.

"I'm great at staying out of trouble," Creative Christie said proudly. "I hardly ever get caught."

"Christie," GI Jess sighed.

"OK," Molly said quickly. "Come on in, everyone."

----------------

"Hey, you have a Cassie poster," Creative Christie said excitedly. "I love her! She plays violin, but she's totally cool, like me!" 

Kids, Molly had noticed, were great about exploring new places. She wasn't surprised that Creative Christie had taken in the house and its sparse decorations quickly. She was even less surprised she's zeroed in on that poster, her favorite of the collection she'd picked up at Curious Curios, in particular.

"I told you I knew a violinist when I was younger," Molly said with a little smile.

"NO WAY!" Christie gasped. "You do not know Cassie the Raven Witch!"

"I did," Molly laughed. "She was just Cas back then. She wasn't famous or anything. We were just a bunch of weird girls who wore a lot of black. She played violin and, yes, she was totally amazing even then." 

"Can you get me her autograph? Or can I meet her? Can I meet the Raven Witch?!" Christie said eagerly.

"Sorry, no," Molly said, a little sadly. "I haven't seen her in years. I doubt she'd even remember me."

"Oh," Christie sighed. "It's still pretty cool you knew her, I guess."

"Yeah, it was," Molly smiled. "Well, if we're going to eat, I better get the grill going."

The house had come with a grill in the backyard. This was the first time Molly had fired it up, but she was an old hand at grilling. She smiled a bit at the fleeting memory of lighting up the grill on the balcony of the horrible apartment in San My she'd shared with her then-girlfriend Yuki after college. She was much better at grilling now. It had been years since she'd needed to use the fire extinguisher... though she did have one handy.

"You're really good with her," Jess said.

"What?" Molly shook herself back to the present.

"Christie, you're really good with her," Jess repeated.

"She's a great kid," Molly smiled, forcing melancholy memories aside. "Should I put hotdogs on too?"

"Burgers are good," Dylan chimed in.

"Burgers are great," Jess smiled. "Thank you for this. We don't get to grill much."

"My pleasure," Molly said.

Later, stuffed with hamburgers, Molly relaxed, content in the company of people she was already thinking of as friends. 

Lucius, unasked, had gathered up most of the plates and taken them into the kitchen. 

"Oh, I'll get those later," Molly insisted.

"Nonsense, I'm pleased to help," Lucius said with a disarming smile. 

Really, Molly thought to herself, it's probably a good thing he isn't a woman. I'd make a fool of myself otherwise.

"Christie, will you help me?" Lucius called over his shoulder.

"Sure," the young girl said.

"How does he do that?" Jess wondered as her daughter, carrying a stack of plates, followed Lucius of the Luxurious Hair into the kitchen.

"I have no idea," Molly admitted.

"So, you're in the Army," Molly ventured, making conversation.

"Third generation Army brat," Jess nodded.

"I've worked on a few MoD projects in my time," Molly mused. "So, can you tell me anything about this research base in the crater?"

"No... I mean, there's nothing to tell, really," GI Jess said hastily. "You know how the MoD is. Everything's a secret, especially when the budget's on the line. Really, it's nothing."

"Except that explosion," Dylan put in.

"I told you, honey, there's nothing to those rumors," GI Jess said firmly. "There's nothing interesting going on in that crater."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Molly lied. She'd totally meant to pry but quickly realized it had been a bad idea.

"It's fine," GI Jess said. "Really, there's nothing strange going on out there."

"Which is why she won't tell us anything," Dylan joked.

"I'm telling you, there's something strange going on out there," Christie insisted. "They had that big explosion, even though mom lies to dad and says they didn't, and she'd been acting strange ever since!"

"I believe you," Lucius said sincerely. "But what do you mean, when you say she's been acting strange?"

"She gets this funny look sometimes," Christie said seriously. "And she'd really interested in those strange plants... and those weren't even around before that explosion that didn't happen."

"Were they not? That's interesting," Lucius mused, half to himself.

"Do you really believe me?" Christie asked suspiciously. "'Cause no other grown-up does."

"Well, I'm not a grown-up," Lucius said firmly. "I'm a witch." 

"What are you two talking about?" Molly asked, more to announce her presence than anything.

"I was telling Lucius about how mom's being acting strange, and no grown-ups believe me, and he says he believes me because he's not a grown-up. He's a witch," Christie explain in the rapid-fire way of children. "Only there's really no such thing as witches, so I think he's maybe making fun of me."

"I assure you, fair lady, I am quite sincere," Lucius said. 

"Prove it," Christie challenged with a finality that said there was no way he could, and that settled the matter.

Lucius smiled and spoke a string of liquid, musical Words that sent a chill down Molly's back. His hand moved in a languid gesture, scattering sparks from his fingertips. Sparks that spread and multiplied to fill the kitchen in a cascade of shimmering lights.

"Wow!" Christie looked awed.

"Quite sincere," Lucius repeated.

"Mom! Dad! Lucius is a witch!" Christie called, rushing to her parents.

Lucius chuckled. "My daughter always loved that spell when she young," he said, half to himself.

"So, you're not a conservationist studying invasive species," Molly said.

"Well, I'm not a conservationist," Lucius said. "At least, not in the way you mean. I am investigating an invasive species which may be disrupting the Balance... and you are remarkably accepting of this," he added, gesturing at the rain of starlight still falling in her kitchen.

"You're not the first witch I've met," Molly admitted, adding in explanation, "High school. There was a whole 'haunted house, ghosts, closing a portal to the Netherworld' thing."

"The Raven Witch," Lucius nodded knowingly. "Not just a publicity gimmick."

"Yeah. Anyway, this has been... strange," Molly said.

"I'll go," Lucius said with an air of apology.

"No, sorry. You just brought back memories," Molly said. "I'm usually better with strange. Don't go."

"I will, but with no ill will," Lucius smiled his warm smile. "It's getting late, and I should be away by any account. I have had a pleasant time and a much better meal than my usual fare. Someday you must accept my hospitality."

"You're an odd guy, Lucius," Molly smiled, "but thanks, I think."