Yet A(nother) Year In Seattle

Sunday May 16, 2066 - Evening comes

The honeymoon may never really be over with Case, but life does go on and we have to come up for air sometimes and we both have jobs to do.

We did spend as much time as we could together but evening came way too soon. Don't get me wrong, it was good to see everyone and come back to family and we did miss having the terror along but she insisted that she stay with Jonathan and Trina and the twins.

I get the distinct impression she was preparing for her requested sibling. Lord help us.


Monday May 17, 2066 - That feeling

I think the hardest part of working at home for me is the fact that Case isn't. Okay, that's not entirely true: I also am getting really tired of the view.

From the looks of things we won't be 'home', home for a while yet. Case, Jonathan and Nathan are taking turns making sure that Bri is safe going to and coming home from school. I have to say by good-byes when they head out-no dropping anyone off, no dropping by for lunch.

If there is any 'dropping by' it's them dropping by to see me. At least I am going through the back-log of call analysis.

I spent the day tabulating calls, categorizing them by type, location, time of day and response time as well as the patient outcome.

I need to go over these again and if I don't get back to my office soon, I'm going to have someone get me some 3x5 index cards. Something is happening here and I really don't like the feeling I'm getting.

I need more input.


Tuesday May 18, 2066 - The game is afoot

Mom Walker isn't all that happy with me right now. I believe her words were "Nathan gets himself into enough trouble on his own he doesn't need you pointing the way."

The problem is, with him having hired on as a 'special consultant' for Citywide, when something dangerous and magical keeps knocking on our door… there really isn't that much of a choice. We either let him do his job or we call in Lone Star. I've done both.

Lone Star is investigating things from their end-this is something a little… off center… something their 'special arson squad' should be looking into.

For a week and a half, leading up to each of the rampaging elementals "incidents"-the fires, the suspicious fires and the water elementals playing in the sound I found a rather disturbing pattern.

Accidents, unattended deaths and fatal attacks would increase in the vicinity of the attack and then go back to 'normal' directly afterwards.

Even more disturbing was the pattern that seemed to be starting in the subway system: odd accidents, equipment failures and yesterday… an unattended death on one of the trains.

No, this is definitely out of my realm of expertise and it seems to fall quite comfortably into Nathan's.


Wednesday May 19, 2066 - A change of scenery

Today Mom Walker and Trina had a surprise for me. I'm still on Council Island, I'm still telecommuting, but now I'm actually going someplace to do it from so I have a change of scenery.

They realized how much everything staying exactly the same was wearing on me and they did something about it: They gave me a building to work out of that's away from the house.

It's amazing how such a small change can mean so much, well, that and Mom Walker forgiving me for putt Nathan onto something to investigate.

I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that it seems to be doing him some good. I learned a long time ago, you give Nathan a puzzle and you can keep him busy for days. He was looking into the accidents and is planning on talking to the folks in the Magical Forensics Department tomorrow.

I'm hoping they find things soon, 'cause it looks like we'll be getting another 'incident' within the next week.


Thursday May 20, 2066 - 3x5 pictures

I wasn't exactly 'on duty' today, but I wasn't exactly off either. Case got me a map, pins and enough 3x5's to keep me busy for the day.

By the time lunch had rolled around Mom Walker was starting to get worried about me but she's known me long enough to know I'm going to keep puzzling this out, 3x5 index cards or no.

She asked me to show her what I'd found-- knowing full well that sometimes it helps to actually try and explain what I'm seeing. What neither of us expected was that she would become so engrossed in my theory.

Before we knew it, it was dinner time and Mom Walker laughed. "Now I know why you tend to overcook your meals."

Sometimes I think it's a wonder Bri grew up at all-I think the only reason I remembered to feed her as a child was the fact that she made a lot of noise when I didn't.

All throughout dinner Mom Walker was distracted and finally she announced that she was calling together the lodge and she wanted me to show them my findings as well.


Friday May 21, 2066 - Homing in

So… Mom Walker, the Lodge, Nathan and Lone Star all agree that I may be on to something and whatever it is a) it's probably bad and b) they have no idea what it means other than the basics.

I admit I have a lot more questions than answers now, but at least now people more 'in the know' are working on it and I can feed them my tabulations and estimates. I know a lot fewer people would be hurt if our defenses and response teams were in position before the elemental showed up so I guess I could feel good about that.

To be honest, I hope I'm wrong because that would mean no one would be in danger but I can feel those concentric circles again, and they're homing in.


Saturday May 22, 2066 - No attempt is a good attempt?

There have been no further kidnapping attempts on my doppelganger, which either means things have been taken care of or, more likely, someone's caught on to the whole switch routine.

The other sign that this is going to take longer than planned: Case brought Schrödinger to the island. Jonathan was teasing me about getting me a green card… at least… I think he was kidding.

On the good news front: Nathan's finished PT and Ray has graduated to crutches. It is kind of sad when progress is measured in healing time. But, I guess it beats the alternatives.

As a 'graduation' present for Nathan, Jonathan presented him with a cane. I could tell from Nathan's expression that Jonathan and Mom had worked on it as only they could. It took him a minute to find my additions- the mini first aid kit and tracking device at the bottom.

I guess that's what it means to be in this family- watching over each other in spite of ourselves.


Copyright 2010 M.T. Decker



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