Globe Tracers 1: The Case of Thomas Crain

Chapter 6: Photograph

Kyle:

Allen had left, allowing me and my guardian to settle down. I started looking around the inner-workings of the clock, trying to find the blankets Allen had told us about, while for some reason Jessica watched the road from outside. I supposed the girl was fine standing outside for the moment; it was actually pretty dark, so no one would see her.

For a while I did examine the gears of the clock, just to see them... and take a few notes... if I was going to live here for- probably a few months- best to know how it worked for... I was just curious. It's a thing for me.

I unpacked my few belongings. Besides clothes that meant a few books on earth culture, some project components (I still wanted to make that magnet weapon), and a few pictures of my folks and a few of my better friends among the house servants and guards. In Jessica's declared area I saw her normal belongings aside clothing as well: a few earth books, a few books from our homeworld (actually she was a big reader), and an old worn Bible. Jessica was a Christian, but we rarely talked about it because I wasn't. Still, I did wonder why she never bought a new Bible, maybe I would ask someday.

I found the blankets. Seeing them covered in dust, I held my head. I was about to grab them anyway when Jessica shouted from outside. "He's finally gone!" She zipped back into the main room, spinning several times. "Kyle?" she said aloud several times, looking around for me. I left the blankets and headed back out of the gear room. "There you are. Look, get in the elevator, I want to go somewhere."

"Since when do you tell me what to do?" I asked.

"Since I'm half a century older."

"I'm still royalty."

"When has that ever mattered between us?" she asked.

That was true to a degree I supposed. Jessica, being older, stronger, and more experienced at just about everything, never felt the need to look to me for orders or guidance of any kind it seemed. In fact, back home, if ever we were in danger, I was to almost take her word as law. However, when not in danger, I really did have the final word as her boss's son. It irritated me, but her independence was also one of the crazy things about her I would never change. So I let her tell me what to do and give me advice, even if half the time she was off her rocker. I stomped my foot when I meant to be taken seriously, but there was no need now and I knew it.

I looked over at my magnet device. It was a device on a wrist band with a small computer attached to it that looked something like a small earth calculator. I really had been looking forward to working on it, but... I refrained from sighing, not wanting to upset Jessie.

I walked over to the lift, pushed the button and... waited... and waited... and waited... sheesh things took a while in that building... how did humans do this? I guessed I was going to learn patience on this planet if nothing else.

Maybe I could have worked while I waited.

While we waited, Jessica opened her bag. "Ya know, in that get-up, you stand out like a dragon on a puppy farm," she commented, pointing at my basically ruined slacks and dress shirt. I had to think about that statement as she continued. "If we're just going around town, people will wonder why you're all dressed up." She pulled out a light blue sleeveless jacket with a red t-shirt and blue jeans. "I'll hold the lift. You go behind the partition and change into these alright?" I looked at the clothes. We wore things like this on my world too, like a set of play clothes. I shrugged. "Hurry up will ya?" I smiled and dashed off to change.

(***)

After we reached the base floor of the Jackson Tower again, Jessica hurriedly asked directions to somewhere from a random person... I didn't hear where, she jetted off to a counter in the room and had finished getting the directions before I was able to walk over. She then grabbed my hand with nary another word and almost dragged me outside and down a few city blocks. Finally, she stopped in front of a building with glass doors in front. The entrance to the building read "Oregon State Police". On our world the police force was pretty small, relying mostly on groups of armed citizens paid by bounty to enforce its laws. There were several rules about the conduct of hunters, however, they were pretty much autonomous. Thus I had never actually seen a police station in all one hundred years I had been alive. I knew what they were, but this place looked well manned, yet not especially important, like it was just another office.