Post by Golden Avatar on Jun 6, 2019 18:05:43 GMT -5
The teleporter flashed, and Lady Britannia disappeared leaving Golden Avatar alone in DOGMA’s massive control room. The raised floor almost hummed as the power columns and glowing distribution points lit up the room and Avatar’s gold skin.
“Hey, DOGMA?” He said looking around. The wide main screen showed an appealing blue gradient and the keys of the keyboard glowed in a lighter tone.
“Yes, Patroller Golden Avatar?” responded a voice from all sides sounding not to different from Lady Britannia herself.
Reaching into the pack he carried on his belt, he produced a small phone.
“Can I call out from down here?” He asked squinting at the small screen.
“Patroller access is implemented. Access to civilian channels available.” Responded the crisp voice.
Avatar grinned his lopsided grin and flicked the screen to bring up contacts.
“Aww, you say the nicest things. I really could use a Poppins joke about now. Do you do jokes DOGMA?”
Silence as he found the number and tapped it.
“Okay, okay, well who knows, maybe you and I can make it a thing.” He responded watching the number connect and ring.
“Hello?” a small sound, female, wary.
“Heey Beka! It’s me!” Avatar said a sudden smile.
“OH! Jesus…” She said breathlessly.
“Nooooo…” He said like a punchline. “The other me. I have the best news Bek, guess where I am!”
“Jamie? Oh my god Jamie! What are you…?”
“Dawn Patrol. I’m in. They let me join up. Isn’t that amazing? I’m amazed, ‘cause you know any club that would have me…” He said waggling an invisible cigar at his mouth as he sank into the chair by the main console.
“Who? Jamie, no.” a lost sound.
“You know. Dawn Patrol, they were with Hero One! They’re legends, Bek. And I am wearing one of their uniforms! Can you imagine?”
“Jamie! Stop. What are you doing? What do you think you are doing?” Anger.
“I’m… its good news Beka. I’m just sharing good news, you know?”
“No Jamie! No, I don’t know! I don’t know anything with you.”
He leaned forward in the seat holding the small phone closer to his face. The neon light of the screen rebounding cold and harsh from his metallic cheek.
“Beka, I just wanted to… you know. Make contact, with good news. I though you could use….”
“Its never good news Jamie. Never.”
“Beka…”
“Mom died, Jamie! She suffered and then she died. And you're all zen and this is the way it is supposed to be and just garbage… garbage!”
“I couldn’t do anything about that Beka! No one could!”
“And then Galaxy…”
“Hey, I fought in Galaxy! I...” Avatar felt the sudden edge in his voice.
“And Joe died there while Laura and I ran. And then you flew off to some other dimension while I was huddled in a tent in Perez with my daughter and you what? You were just gone!”
“They needed me! What was I supposed to…”
“And you died there! You died. There was a body, Jamie! I saw your body and you were dead.”
“Look!” He shouted before lowering his voice and curling his body forward in the chair. “Some of this is still new to me too. I’m doing the best I can.”
“The best for who Jamie? For who? You are doing the best for you and that’s what you have always done. You may be big and gold and perfect now, but I see that scrawny little idiot who cut deals with circle mages and spider agents for spare change. I see you doing the exact same crap and that’s because you are exactly the same person.”
“That’s not fair…”
“Do they know?”
“Know what? What are you…”
“Do they know about what you are? Have you told them? Have you been honest with them and told them all about exactly what you are?” Her voice rang with challenge and anger even across the small phone.
“I... It just hasn’t…”
“No, of course not. And no one’s asked either have they? Because all they see is the gold and that’s just fine with you isn’t it?”
“Jeeze, Bek.” He grimaced.
Silence from the phone and from Avatar as he cradled his forehead in one hand and clutched the phone in the other. A moment later her voice came across the phone once more.
“I’m not… blaming you for mom, or galaxy or Joe. But I can’t be part of your life or whatever it is. I just can’t. Its easier to think of you as dead than as someone who could have…”
“Beka, please. Just let me…”
“Jamie… Jamie, stop. Stop. Look, you are always trying to do what’s right. So, just this once, do what’s right for me. Try to imagine how hard it is for me to tell you not to call me, and don’t call me.”
The line went quiet as the tiny phone screen returned to its icons. Avatar let the hand fall into his lap.
The servers hummed and the sky blue scree stared down at him, serene and patient. After a long moment he spoke.
“Hey DOGMA, I bet everyone just thinks you’re a pile of bolts. But I bet we could be pal’s you and I.”
Avatar sniffed and pawed at his eyes before sitting up and forcing a grin upward toward the complex ceiling of wires and conduits.
“We can go out some night and get you drunk. I’ll order a tray of screenshots.”
Silence and the sub-audible hum of the power equipment.
“Here’s one for you. Why did the PowerPoint presentation cross the road? Ehh? To get to the other slide.”
Avatar chuckled at his own joke, stood from the chair and returned the phone to the slim pack on his belt.
“You know, before all this, I worked at a keyboard factory. They fired me though. They said I wasn’t putting in enough shifts.”
He walked toward the teleport chamber and turned around to the room from its open glass entrance.
“Have you heard of that new band, 1023 Megabytes? They are still trying to get a gig.”
Silence answered him, but he shook a finger toward the expansive room with a warm smile.
“We are gonna be friends DOGMA Poppins. You just wait and see.”
Then he tapped the control panel and disappeared in a flashing instant leaving behind an empty room, an empty chair, and a security recording of the last few minutes.