Dinner Theater

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

03/15/98:

Rachel sighed, fiddling with the food on her plate, pushing
it around a bit as she rested her chin against her other
paw.

I watched from the other side of the table, equally annoyed
as she was about this. She and I were suppose to have been
eating dinner with Dwight, but he was now almost an hour
late.

"I hope he's not always going to be like this." I commented.

She shrugged. "I hope not, he has to many responsibilities
to be late to deal with the important ones."

I smiled. "So what? I'm important now?"

"To almost two-thirds of the Council. If you abandon it
they'll leave as well."

"I wish they would realized that I have no power in the
Council." I said as I rolled my eyes. "It's annoying to have
all this people thinking I can do something for them."

"You're a figure," she responded, "it's the ideal of you
that they want. Your actual presence is just an annoyance."

I nodded, "for me as well. I wish they would just forget
about all of this. Hell, it's partly my fault as it is." I
paused, then shook my head. "Scratch that, how they
responded to my actions is there responsibly."

Rachel looking shocked. "This is a moment for history.
You're actually not placing blame on yourself for something
you had no involvement with!"

I smirked. "I've been working on that, I find I can cope
with life better if I just worry about my own actions."

She smiled, raising her glass. "Congratulates, I hope you
can keep it up." Then sipped at her drink.

Setting her glass down she seemed to remember something.
"I've found something on Page."

I raised an eyebrow, "oh?"

"The rent on her office is paid for through a front
company," she explained, "which itself is owned by a second
front company. After about seven of these there is a real
bank account."

She paused to take in a breath, "If Page owns the account we
can use it to track more down on her."

"If it's not?" I asked

"We know who's paying for her, either way it's a better then
not having anything."

I had to agree with that.

She paused again, looking at me with a bit of sudden
concern. "Has Ken told you anything about your temporary
switch in forms?"

I chuckles. "Oh lots. His best guess is that there was some
kind of magic outside of the spell that reactivated it. Once
that magic dissipated the spell turned off. He also says
that the spell itself seems to be gone. It's still in my
system, but not noticeable unless you look for it."

"He has no idea does he?" She asked.

"None at all."

The conversation started to fade again from there. She
seemed to be worried about something it had been about her
all through the meal. Finally I decided to find out.

"What's bothering you?" I asked.

She jumped a bit, looking up from her plate and towards me.
"I'm just thinking about what I should do with the rest of
my life."

I shrugged. "How about going back to what you where doing?"

She smiled. "I was a History teacher before, but that was
almost four years ago. I haven't seen any of the new
textbooks and I never bother to renew my license. It would
take two semesters of school before I could qualify to teach
anything."

I nodded a bit. "I never though of you as the teacher type."

Rachel gave me a sly smile. "Fox, there's a lot about me you
don't know, but you shouldn't worry about this. I have a lot
of money saved up. Being the Council Head most people didn't
charge me anything. I got the house that went with the job,
and all the other perks. I think I never spent more then
five-hundred dollars in a year."

"Well," I said, taking a quick drink, "if you want to stay
on Prid I could put you up once we get everything with the
new place settled."

"That mansion? You actually got it?"

"Yes, and mostly. There's a lot of red tape to go through
with the government that owns it, but they don't want it and
I do. It's almost a given that they will approve of the
sale, but it will just be about the end of next month before
they actually do."

She nodded and sat up. "Dwight's here."

Taking a deep breath I keep myself from turing to look at
him. This would be the first time that he and I would meet.
I didn't even know he looked like. Though I expect he would
recognize me.

He came over and sat down in the free seat that we had left
for him. It took only a second for me to place his species.
He was a polar bear, a large one too. Standing about seven
feet tall he was pretty large. Not fat, just large. He was
well groomed and dressed in a three piece suit that had to
have been custom made for his frame.

As he gave me a smile I noticed his eyes. They where a light
shade of pink. I had been wrong, he was an albino.

"So, you must be Fox," he said, offering me a paw. His voice
was low, and sounded well cultured with a touch of what was
almost a British accent.

I shook his paw quickly. Letting go he then turned to
Rachel. "I'm sorry I was late. The Council member from
Gratin want to talk to me. She seemed concerned about how
well the Council would run with out you in charge."

She nodded. "Sothia joined just before the HammerHeads. It
shook her government's trust in the Council. So I could see
why she would be concerned about the change of leadership."

He slowly nodded his head. "Then I shall endeavor to give
her as much of my time as she needs. I would not wish to
lose someone over any shortcoming on my part."

Rachel was right with what she said before. There was
something about him, I could see it right away. Something
behind his eyes I think, I didn't know what yet. I was
starting to hope I wouldn't need to.

He turned towards me. "Fox, I am glad to have finally meet
you. Many of the Counselors have asked about you. They all
want to know if you are staying with me or leaving with
Rachel."

I started to chuckle at the same time shaking my head.

He looked perplexed. "Did I miss-speak? I'm still not used
to the translator."

"No, not at all," I said composing myself again. "I have no
official posting within the Council. How the assorted
members wish to view me is there own lookout. They feel that
I play some kind of major role when all I am is an
observer."

"Surely you must play some part?"

I shook my head. "I've done some outside work for the
Council but that's all. Mostly the kind of things that
HammerHeads originally were founded for."

His eyes narrowed a bit. "Yes, and which I wish for them to
do again." He turned back to Rachel, "I've noticed that you
have outline planes to reinstate the HammerHeads as a
smaller independent body and not part of the Council."

She nodded. "It was felt that they would be better served to
have a member in the Council and not be directly under the
command of it."

He nodded, "but there is one major problem as I see it.
There is a stigma attached to the old name. No one would
trust them in any action they would do. Even with a
different name there will still be suspicion cast over all
they do."

"Don't forget the problem of leadership," I added, leaning
forward a bit. "Anyone who wants the job will not be allowed
to take it by the Council. We will have to appoint someone.
Preferable who doesn't know about the HammerHeads and what
they did."

Dwight tilted his head a bit. "How would you propose to find
someone so removed from going on's of the multi-verse and
yet still available to take such a position?"

"Jadith I would think." I said with a smile.

"Who?" He asked.

Rachel looked a bit concerned. "Are you sure? I know she's a
Natural but her world isn't even part of the Council, even
on the lowest of levels. One dose not make up for the
other."

I nodded. "True, but she's also a very smart lady, knows how
to deal with power in different forms. She knows how to
handel people and isn't shy about speaking her mind."

"She's a friend of yours then?" Dwight asked.

"Yes, which would give her some added credibility with the
Council, at least I would think so. She is someone I trust,
most of them will take that as reassurance of her leadership
ability."

He nodded slowly, "Yes, does she have any experience
though?"

I shrugged. "She's a professional healer on her world, so I
know she can deal with people. As a leader though it would
be on the job training."

Rachel added to the conversation, "Would she be willing to
take it. We can't give her the job if she won't accept it."

Dwight nodded. "This is true. Well then, I suggest we talk
to her about it in the near future. I think it would be best
to give her some assignments so that she could learn to
lead." He tilted his head as he though, "Perhaps have her
lead a group of Hunters?"

I though that over. "If she is willing, and if you can find
a group willing enough to be lead by someone as green as she
is. If you do though don't let her know that you're grooming
her for the position."

He nodded again, slower this time. "I'll see what I can do
about that. Would you be willing to help me Rachel until I
am swore in?"

"Of course." She answered.

He smiled. "Very good," then his smile faded as he leaned a
bit forward. "In other inquiries, how is your handling of
your Mouse proceeding?"

I rubbed my chin slightly. "Slowly. I am still looking for
the other of hir race that I meet before. She apparently
stops by the bar where we captured the Mouse, but not very
often. I have people watching for her, next time she shows
up I'll be right there to meet with her."

"And you feel this will help you learn more for the Mouse?"
He asked.

I nodded. "Yes, I do. She should be able to help us at least
translate to speak with the Mouse. Maybe even give us some
insight as to what we need to do to get her to corporate. If
she's willing that is."

"And if she is not willing?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Then it was just a loss of my time."

He was slightly surprised. "You seem to be detached from the
deaths that this plague caused."

"No," I snapped back. "I'm quite aware of the death it
caused. My daughter is the only survivor from all three
worlds."

He lowered his eyes a bit, his starting hard at me, slowly
though he seemed to relax his body sliding out of the stiff
positing he had assumed.

"Some others survived from the first Plague world. They
where envoys to other parts of the Multi-verse, most only
went back home a few times a year. Which is why they did not
contract the Plague."

I frowned, "I didn't know."

He smiled, standing up. "Most people don't. They are
refugees now and none of them want our pity. They just want
to live there lives."

"Are you going?" Rachel asked, standing up herself.

Dwight nodded. "Yes, I have another meting to get to and I
don't want to be late again." He looked towards me. "It's be
a pleaser meting with you Fox, I hope to do it again soon."

I shook the paw he offered to me, then dropping some money
on the table he left.

Rachel sat back down at the table. "What is it that seems so
wrong about him?"

"I don't know," I answered, "but I saw it too. There's
something there, I don't quite trust it."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who can see it." She said.

I nodded, "We can't be the only one's to see it. I mean
other people will see it as well, unless he holds himself
totally aloof from the Council."

She shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"What does he want," I asked myself.

Rachel shook her head. "I think the question is more, what
would he do to get it?"

"Yes, I think you're right."

-----

This story is (c) 1998 by Fox Cutter, hardcopy reprints
limited to one a person, all other rights reserved. This
story may not be distributed for a fee except by permission
of the author, and this copyright notice may not be removed.