slim now as she is a few months pregnant) takes her and Djo into the Library. There sit more people that she knows, her colleagues and friends from just a year back when the Faculty was the hub of the town. They smile when they see her, and there is an empty chair waiting for her. She sits.
A smell tugs at her unconscious. She turns, sniffs the headrest, then looks at them all. "So, he is around," she murmurs.
An embarrassment. Do they know who she is referring to?
"Am I still Dean?" she asks.
Slim Ciggie replies, "Of course. Why shouldn't you be?"
"I feel like a stranger here."
A tall dude she doesn't recognise asks her, "How did you get here?"
"Is there something going on?" she replies. "I know I must have weirded you out appearing so sudden, but please tell me if there's a problem."
Tall dude repeats his question.
Kappa replies with a question of her own. "How did you know I've been living away?"
That ruffles them. The tall dude leans forward to shake her hand, then says, "It's not that. There's deeds going on at the edge of town. We thought you might have something to do with them, what with the Nulight incident last year."
"Nothing's changed," Kappa says, "and Nulight's cool." She indicates Djo. "You know the sort of people we hang out with. Cool bands." She pauses, then says, "When you say deeds, what do you mean?"
"Chalice Well hassle."
Kappa nods. "I can help you with that. I think the problem here is we've lost our focus. We're now a pimple on a small community. We need town-wide focus. We need a rep in the Parliament, for a start. Maybe an ambassador to the Tor People. Maybe... maybe the Faculty is more than just an advisor."
They nod. Kappa feels she has already woken them up.
"Okay," she says, getting up briskly. "Chop, chop. We're off to the Chalice Well to find Robin Hood."
"Robin Hood?"
"You'll see." She hesitates. "I am still Dean, aren't I?"
They chorus, "Yeah!"
"One final thing. Is the our SubNet still active?"
Slim Ciggie replies, "Sure, but it's not linked to anything outside."
They depart for the Chalice Well. As they walk, Kappa asks the tall dude who he is.
"I used to be DJ Human, but now I'm not so sure. Slim's carrying our child."
Kappa nods. "How did you get here? You're not a local."
"After I left the Nouveau Liverpool scene I drfited south. Then the aliens came. That day I was with a mate in a glider, writing some new choons, and we crashed in Pilton, on the Festival site ironically enough. The locals took me in. My mate died later, he broke his neck. Now I'm one of the reps to Glasto Parliament for the High Street Community."
"And one final thing. This hassle...?"
"Somebody has set up at the Chalice Well. Nobody from the Torside Community, that's for sure. Everybody's frightened, worried too—although whoever's there doesn't actually bother us..."
"Don't you know it's Robin Hood?" Kappa asks.
"Can't be him... who?"
"I'd bet my dreads on it. So nobody's gone to parley with him?"
"Dean, nobody can get near."
They are walking the street and suddenly Kappa finds herself on her back, shivering. "Unhhhh."
"You hit the edge early."
"Edge?" Kappa feels a nameless fear in her mind, as if assailed by Satan's own stench. Her limbs are weak, her bowels loose, her throat tight. She tries to get up, but it is difficult. "Edge of what?"
"Force field."
Kappa stands up. "I don't believe in force fields. That's bollocks SF stuff." She smells the air. The fear returns. "I know what this is."
"What?"
"Manipulation." She glances at each of the folks who have followed her: Djo and Slim Ciggie and DJ Human. She turns away from them and with both hands at her mouth makes a megaphone, to yell, "Robin Hood, I know you're in there! Turn your stuff off! Give me pine!"
Nothing. She yells again. Suddenly a clean forest smell takes Satan's whiff away, and she smiles, and turns around. Just to check her theory is right, she asks the others if they can smell the pine. Their puzzled looks
A smell tugs at her unconscious. She turns, sniffs the headrest, then looks at them all. "So, he is around," she murmurs.
An embarrassment. Do they know who she is referring to?
"Am I still Dean?" she asks.
Slim Ciggie replies, "Of course. Why shouldn't you be?"
"I feel like a stranger here."
A tall dude she doesn't recognise asks her, "How did you get here?"
"Is there something going on?" she replies. "I know I must have weirded you out appearing so sudden, but please tell me if there's a problem."
Tall dude repeats his question.
Kappa replies with a question of her own. "How did you know I've been living away?"
That ruffles them. The tall dude leans forward to shake her hand, then says, "It's not that. There's deeds going on at the edge of town. We thought you might have something to do with them, what with the Nulight incident last year."
"Nothing's changed," Kappa says, "and Nulight's cool." She indicates Djo. "You know the sort of people we hang out with. Cool bands." She pauses, then says, "When you say deeds, what do you mean?"
"Chalice Well hassle."
Kappa nods. "I can help you with that. I think the problem here is we've lost our focus. We're now a pimple on a small community. We need town-wide focus. We need a rep in the Parliament, for a start. Maybe an ambassador to the Tor People. Maybe... maybe the Faculty is more than just an advisor."
They nod. Kappa feels she has already woken them up.
"Okay," she says, getting up briskly. "Chop, chop. We're off to the Chalice Well to find Robin Hood."
"Robin Hood?"
"You'll see." She hesitates. "I am still Dean, aren't I?"
They chorus, "Yeah!"
"One final thing. Is the our SubNet still active?"
Slim Ciggie replies, "Sure, but it's not linked to anything outside."
They depart for the Chalice Well. As they walk, Kappa asks the tall dude who he is.
"I used to be DJ Human, but now I'm not so sure. Slim's carrying our child."
Kappa nods. "How did you get here? You're not a local."
"After I left the Nouveau Liverpool scene I drfited south. Then the aliens came. That day I was with a mate in a glider, writing some new choons, and we crashed in Pilton, on the Festival site ironically enough. The locals took me in. My mate died later, he broke his neck. Now I'm one of the reps to Glasto Parliament for the High Street Community."
"And one final thing. This hassle...?"
"Somebody has set up at the Chalice Well. Nobody from the Torside Community, that's for sure. Everybody's frightened, worried too—although whoever's there doesn't actually bother us..."
"Don't you know it's Robin Hood?" Kappa asks.
"Can't be him... who?"
"I'd bet my dreads on it. So nobody's gone to parley with him?"
"Dean, nobody can get near."
They are walking the street and suddenly Kappa finds herself on her back, shivering. "Unhhhh."
"You hit the edge early."
"Edge?" Kappa feels a nameless fear in her mind, as if assailed by Satan's own stench. Her limbs are weak, her bowels loose, her throat tight. She tries to get up, but it is difficult. "Edge of what?"
"Force field."
Kappa stands up. "I don't believe in force fields. That's bollocks SF stuff." She smells the air. The fear returns. "I know what this is."
"What?"
"Manipulation." She glances at each of the folks who have followed her: Djo and Slim Ciggie and DJ Human. She turns away from them and with both hands at her mouth makes a megaphone, to yell, "Robin Hood, I know you're in there! Turn your stuff off! Give me pine!"
Nothing. She yells again. Suddenly a clean forest smell takes Satan's whiff away, and she smiles, and turns around. Just to check her theory is right, she asks the others if they can smell the pine. Their puzzled looks
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