Chick magnet
Dr Harper sinks into depression.
"What we are is only a stepping stone to what we can become."
Transhumanist reflection
It had gotten so much worse since the fall. Since the hospital trips. Since the chair.
‘Please pick up Kate. Please. Come on.’
CJ was pacing back and forth inside the barn. It had taken ages and cost a fortune to get here, to get everything sorted for today, she had checked and triple checked everything, even come earlier to test the internet connection. Alex came over and waved, smiling supportively.
“We are ready when you are CJ yeah, just let us know.”
Kate finally picked up after the third time trying. She had seen the calls going in. She just couldn’t face CJ or anyone. She had thrown another copy of Birds of Prey, issue 21 this time, in the bin, another CJ present to show how cool Barbra Gordon was even in a wheelchair. Life isn’t a fucking comic book CJ.
“Hey yeah, what’s up CJ?”
“I have something I wanted to show you.”
“I’m busy Cass, I’ve got work to do.”
That was all Kate did now.
“Just a few minutes please lovely. I promise it’s worth it.”
“Ok sure.”
“Ok ok guys she’s ready.”
“What is this Cass?”
“Come and meet this little guy.”
“Hi there Kate, CJ tells me you can see what is going on via her eye. I’m Alex and this is Archimedes. He’s a Northern Saw-whet Owl. You can hold him CJ yeah that’s good, like that, awesome. Ah he likes you, he’s a well behaved little guy.”
Alex was holding an adorable small brown and white owl. Small, less than 20 cm tall with huge eyes, but otherwise a fairly drab brown and white mottled colour palette. It was about the same size as a robin, not a big bird at all. He made a little tooting sound as he settled on CJ’s glove.
“CJ I said I didn’t want to go out to this thing with you. Look its sweet but I’m just not…”
“Ok guys do the thing!”
They turned off all the lights, for a second it was pitch black, blackout black and then CJ ran predator.2(). Her vision flickered for a second before switching over to the UV spectrum. The room was dark, maybe a few flickers of dark blues and greens, not much to see. Then CJ turned to look at Archimedes, as if on cue, he ruffled his feathers and spread his wings.
Kate stopped flicking between her other screens and focussed all her attention on what was happening. She couldn’t look away. CJ still had that effect on her.
“He’s a little raver Kate! Look pink!”
The porphyrin pigments in Archimedes wings glowed brilliant pink and magenta, colours no human eye could see, until now. Beautiful, powerful and brilliant, colours from a different world. A world CJ now shared with Kate.
“He’s so beautiful Cass.”
“Yeah he is. He knows it too. Look at him all fluffed up like a boss. You are sooo pretty!!! You are the prettiest boy at the club!”
“Hey, that’s really cool of you.”
“It’s not just that Kate, I mean we have lots more feathery friends to meet today but the thing I wanted to say to you is. You aren’t locked in or locked away Kate. You aren’t any less of you. You saved me, you gave me all this, my life back, you helped build me, coding in my brain and eye. You and me, we have a connection that is something no one else can even imagine. I was a shadow of who I could be without you Kate. I promise no matter what, my sight is your sight, my vision is your vision, anywhere I go, you are with me Kate. I won’t leave you Kate, I see you. I love you and I see you. You are my Oracle.”
Dr Harper did not often cry, and when it happened she hated others to see. Now tears streamed down her face openly and she sobbed down the line.
“Oh Cass. I’m so sorry Cass. This is so beautiful. You are so sweet. I hate myself, I hate this, I hate the fucking chair, I hate that I cant do anything anymore. I have been running away and hiding. I love you CJ. I want to come, I have been a jerk, a massive jerk, stay there OK. Don’t go anywhere, even if it takes me all day ok, I want to come, I want to be with you CJ. I’m so so sorry. Thank you so much Cass, I love you too. I just, I hate myself right now. I’m sorry…”
“I know Kate, it’s ok. I have been there, yeah? Trust me I know. Take your time lovely and stay on the line! Lets say hi to some of the birds together yeah?”
“Ok sure, thanks Cass. This is the sweetest thing ever.”
“Not as sweet as this little neon loverboy, seriously Archimedes buddy, you must slay with the chicks? Right little man?”
Archimedes gave another ruffled look and turned his head to the side, Alex helping spread out his wings to show the full brilliant glowing spread of neon pinks and purples under his flight feathers. He was rather enjoying all the attention it seemed.
Kate grinned, tears rolling down her face, but a full face filling grin, the first one she had had in months. CJ could see it in her picture in picture AR vision.
“Ah there she is. There is my good girl.”
Kate was still crying, thinking of wheeling herself away, but unable to look away from the screen either. Too many emotions all at once, Dr Harpers code was crashing.
“She’s still in there Cass. Thank you, thank you, for helping me find her.”
CJ grinned back and sighed. Achemdes started pruning his lovely UV feathers rather proudly, taking care of each radiant quill in turn.
He let out another happy toot.
Mr Creampuff jumped up onto Kate’s desk all fluffed up and attacked the screen before falling off the desk with a crash and scurrying off embarrassed.
Kate and CJ shared a laugh.
Again, the first one in months.
Chapter links
Characters and connections
This story is a sequel to Batgirl Begins, and Manic Pixie Dream Days, Metal Mistress Nights, We have the technology, we can rebuild her? and The Library of Heaven’s Path (天唐图书馆), Relationship malware, Fighting rings and broken things and A fallen oracle which explains how Kate and CJ first met and how their relationship started to develop and some of their problems.
CJ is one of the central characters in The Three Moons Mythos 🌙🌙🌙.
Her main story is Connection.
She shows up to check in on her friend Amanda in a couple of her stories; Sapphire, The woman in the red dress and makes a little cameo tearing up the dance floor in Bliss.
Dr Kate Harper also appears in a short story where she gives a talk at conference on Quantum AGI.
Both CJ and Kate feature in my debut novel; “A queen of light and shadow”.
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Woah… I like it :) ✨✨✨