He hadn't tasted blood in awhile. Getting punched at the docks while inspecting the Free State of LA's fair trade lockers. Who would have thought that keeping art in a bin would have been worth breaking a detectives jaw. These memories were old and new. Blends that were disorienting and exciting at the same time. The Kink kicked Fallon again, sending him flying back into the gallery. He hit the wall hard and a vase next to him teetered and began to fall. Instinctively he reached out and grabbed it. A white vase with blue men, Greek gods etched across the outside of it. The men became creatures and began to dance on the vase and Fallon dropped it on the floor. Get em talking he thought. Always get em talking.
"Well why break this all apart?" he quipped as he dropped the vase.
"Oh for fun" quipped the Kink, it took on the shape of a memory Fallon had. What was it, who was it. The Kink tilted its head to the side and smiled wildly.
"Keep em talking" the voice of Fallons partner came from its mouth. Fallon shook his head.
"Fuck off" Mid swear he plunged at the kink. Lowering his shoulder, trying to play up his habits.
He was surprised when his shoulder made contact and the Kink fell on the ground sliding back into a gallery bench. There was a loud crack as his partners neck snapped and the Kink laid there motionless. Fallon walked around the Kink slowly, searching for his lost Program 322. This fucking guy, he shelved his program somewhere. The file wasn't coming up. The taste of blood came back in his mouth.
"Keep em talking" his partner's voice echoed.
"Alright, so whats the take, you want to smash the art up, you here to smear some campaign, some person left you rolling or was it a Trace?" Fallon called out into the gallery. He looked down where his partners body still laid. It started to glitch, long lines forming across it like a corrupt digital photo.
"You are a professional security guard at an art gallery, when I ask you for help you will help me" Fallon called out.
"Will I" responded the voice.
"The system is going to go down" a foot came out of nowhere knocking Fallon forward into a painting of a number of men pushing a Greek vessel into the water.
"Session expired" the Kink responded. Well its not a Griefer, Fallon thought as the taste of blood grew stronger in his mouth.
"Its been a minute Jack, I wish you would pause" he called as he wiped some blood off the painting in front of himself. What was going on with his muscle memory?
"Who were you before?" the Kink called out to him. It stood behind a square glass enclosure, its face split half with his partners face and half with his own. It tilted to look around the enclosure and its face still was split with the two.
"Well fuck, I'm sorry Jack I should have stopped it. You were there you know I couldn't do anything" Fallon continued the protocol.
"Who's waiting for you?" the Kink responded through its split mouth, his partners dark thick lips on one side. Fallon was getting pissed, this thing was really playing with him.
Fallon pulled himself up and straightened his clothes. "What sound will take us" He coolly said.
"Keep em talking" the Kink responded as it shook its head with disappointment.
"New orders, from your architec.." Fallon's head felt dizzy and he slipped a bit. His hand went through the painting behind him and he fell back onto the ground. The art above him popped loose pivoting around the lower band of the frame and the painting came crashing down on his head. With a pop and sheering sound his head came out the other end of the artwork having punched a hole in it. He glanced over and saw the artist signature on the back of the canvas. The Kink chuckled and caught itself.
"oh.." This wasn't a Parasite, a Haunting, this was a new classification of.
"Kink, thats what you call them" the Kink's face turned into a new one, the half crazed twinkle was still there in the corner of its eyes.
"No, don't get up" it said as it pulled the painting off his head.
"Knock Knock" Fallon called up to it.
"Whos there?" the Kink smiled.
"Whos really there Fallon" the creature squatted with its legs in a bow, resting its arms gently between its legs. It slowly reached out, Fallon couldn't move, as its finger came between his eyes. It was painful to watch it slowly, methodically take its finger and he could already feel the pressure on his forehead.
"Not touching you" it said tauntingly. "Well, let me ask you a question. What has more influence on your life. The upper 1% or the lower 20%?" It asked as it pulled its finger back.
The pain in his forehead subsiding, Fallon took a long breath.
"What the hell do you mean" he quizzed.
"Who really are you Fallon? Are you that young officer that was on those docs, checking the crates for those burglars? Or the Outies, those Anarchists you tracked down. Did they impact you?"
"What about the drugs? The roamers, Lock your doors boys and girls?"
"You are a Trace" Fallon called back at the construct. It clicked through its teeth.
"I am many things and many places." it stood up.
Fallon reached back quickly to grab the goblet and pulled it forward.
"To eter.." Before the words could escape his mouth that blood taste came back.
"Kicked you pretty bad, how long were you out?" the Trace asked him.
"Eee... Etter.."
"What happens when you sip that, do you start a new? What fragment of yourself comes through? Whom controls your rebirth, plank by plank to they rebuild you Fallon? Are all the planks the same?"
"Whens the last time you have seen Alexander? Was it along the shores, did he swoop down and blessed wings and bestow upon you his grace?" the Trace put its hands behind its back and paced around the gallery.
"To Eternity" Fallon said and quickly sipped the goblet. The world started to collapse in darkness and then it came back.
"Yes, all well and good the goblet dear boy." the Trace took up a Churchillian accent. "I will give you a gift or a curse. To know is to be unable to unknown." it continued, pulling a small apple from the air. It glimmered golden and spun for a moment as it held its hand flat.
"Much like Adam, who took the first byte." it lowered itself back down.
"The taste of blood sweat and tears. The earned life, you felt it. The docks. What was lost when they quantized you, as the first? Thats what they told you, its all there?"
He tasted salt, sea salt on chocolate. The store clerk, he had done something there.
"I would be disingenuous if I said there was not a motive to my actions. But I will say that there is at least some rhythm to it. I think you out of everyone will eventually find me Pattern Hunter, but before that time, I need your help. The Twins they fight you see, circling each others, never touching. But pulling and tugging all around them."
"You can stop me." the Trace cooed and put the apple gently down in his hands. "but first byte, you must bite"
Fallon looked down at the floating golden apple, he could feel warmth, there was a fireplace. There two men, talkin... No asking him. Asking him to be the first.
"Whom was the second, dear boy" the Trace quizzed.
"Well righto, for now you can call me Jester" the Trace stood up and took a few steps back. "Ah its here." A shadowery wolf like creature stepped into the far side of the gallery. Its mass spiraled with void.
"Eat the apple old boy" Jester rattled off like Churchill. The Trace turned to the void creature and pulled out a cylinder. The creature ran at the Trace, and Jester pulled the can up clicking the top. Click Click, the creature pounced on him and slivers of void and shadow began to tear the Trace apart. "Fallon its done this many times before" the Trace called. It shook the can it had and suddenly a spray of rainbow paint came out. Jester started to spray one of the jugs in the gallery. The little men became animated and went from a black to a sparkly rainbow as they jumped off the mug.
"I always wanted to do that." Jester cracked up. Its face turned back to Fallon.
"Eat the apple old b.." the words trailed off as the void creature finished its consumption of Jester. It seemed slowed, but turned towards Fallon.
"To Eternity" Fallon called out, and took a bite of the apple.