Beale hadn't realized how exhausting being the new member of a team could be, but he was tired down to his bones. They hadn't even gone to the universe they needed to investigate yet - this was all from spending the day doing 'ice breakers' and 'trust exercises' that Lady Ruby had insisted were essential if he was to become a fully integrated member of the team. Beale had noticed that Joan was frequently giggling at him, but she did at least do the activities Lady Ruby commanded she do, and with little resistance at that. Evidently, there was some kind of bond between them that made Joan willing to take instruction from Lady Ruby, even if she looked at Beale as though he were less than human. He was fortunate enough to not have to deal with that kind of attitude often in the Library, but he recognized when someone couldn’t see past the color of his skin.
After spending the day with the team, Beale had hoped to make his way back to his home universe and his own apartment, but Lady Ruby had stopped that thought in its tracks. "Oh, my dear, no! I can't have the team scattered all over the universes, that simply wouldn't do," she cried when he mentioned going home. "No, during a mission we all stay in the apartments in the Library, from the early briefing through the final paperwork. Joan, Cassidy, and I live in the Library full-time, actually - only Kierk goes back to his own universe, and I do believe he actually would rather stay with us. At any rate, I've arranged for you to be in the apartment block with the rest of the team, so we'll all be close to each other and able to make a fresh start early tomorrow morning. The Library will wake you up when it is appropriate." At that, she had looked back down at the magazine she'd been idly flipping through, and Beale saw an article about the hottest new trends in the Romance universes. He was tempted to ask to see the magazine after she was done with it, but Lady Ruby had effectively dismissed him, and he didn’t think she wanted him sticking around any longer.
At least the apartment was close, and it was comfortable. Beale allowed himself to collapse on the bed face-first, not even getting undressed before pulling himself toward the pillows. He managed to kick off his shoes before pulling the blankets over himself, but that was the only token of civilization he was able to manage before falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.
The alarm woke him far too early, he felt. Beale felt disoriented for a minute, trying to remember where he was and why he was waking up to the sound of some kind of birds singing, rather than the alarm tone of his phone. Things slowly began to trickle back to his memory, but it was a struggle. Evidently, at some point during the night he had gotten up, because Beale found his jeans crumpled in the corner, and his sweater on the floor next to them, tossed in a way that he never would have done had he been fully awake when he removed them.
Beale took a moment to breathe and take stock of what was around him. The room was getting brighter, which was standard for an apartment in the Library - many of the boring, day to day needs were taken care of by the Library itself so it didn't need to be mentioned by the characters staying there, keeping everything safely in the background and not distracting the readers. The bird song had stopped once Beale had woken up the entire way, replaced by a gentle sound of water running over stones, like a creek or a brook running nearby. Naturally, this helped Beale feel more relaxed, and also made him feel the need for the bathroom rather urgently.
Having spotted his jeans in the corner, Beale took a moment to quickly look at himself under the blankets and make sure that had been the only article of clothing (in addition to the sweater) that had been removed in the night. It wasn't uncommon for Beale to sleep in the buff back home, but with the Library taking care of so many of the basic necessities in the apartment, Beale had always felt strange about being completely naked in the space. It seemed like something a person could watch, and it wasn't a pleasant thought for him. Fortunately in this case, he found himself respectably covered up in boxers and a t-shirt, along with mis-matched socks. It was good enough to keep the important bits covered, and that was all he needed at the moment. He hopped out of bed and moved to the bathroom with the speed of the freshly awakened.
The water pressure of the Library's showers made for excellent thinking time, allowing Beale to come back to himself and remember the events of the day before. He came out refreshed and ready to start the day, with a game plan in his head of what he wanted to do. He wanted to head to the book "Children of Darwin," with Lady Ruby's team; he wanted to find the author within the book and ask how they had managed to make their way into their own universe; and he wanted to come back to the Library with the information in hand. After that, he'd like to talk to Veronica and see if he could patch things up with her, now that he'd had a chance to think things through a bit more clearly. She had made some good points, after all, and the things she had overheard did seem pretty strange out of context. Maybe now that Beale would be working with Cassidy, he might be able to find out a bit more about what they wanted and what they had been talking about with Randulph. Coming back to his team with information about both the author insertion in the universe and the potential Library destroyers’ plans? There was no better way to make a homecoming.
Beale was ready in record time, but then he waited. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to meet the rest of the team at their work space in the work room, or if someone was supposed to come by the apartment to get him, or how any of that was meant to work. He had gotten the impression from Lady Ruby that she had a very definite idea of how she liked to have things done, and he didn't want to inadvertently irritate her by doing something wrong on the first full day. As he stood hesitating by the door, however, the decision was taken away from him - someone rapped lazily against his door.
Beale gave a sigh of relief, then held himself back for a second or two before answering the door - no point in looking too eager to whoever was on the other side. They didn't need to know that he had been standing right there when they knocked. Unsurprisingly, Cassidy was leaning against the door frame, still scrolling through their phone, one hand ready to tap on the door again when Beale opened it. They didn't even seem surprised that Beale had answered, which Beale found annoying. He felt it was now his duty to shock some kind of reaction out of Cassidy, just for pure spite. It was juvenile, he knew, but something about the human cat just got under his skin and made him want to poke them until they did something. "Good morning! And how are you this fine day?" Beale lobbed his first attack with Excessive Cheerfulness and waited to see what would land.
Cassidy grunted and pushed off from the door frame, walking toward the team's table. Beale sighed, closing and locking the apartment door before following the lazily waving tail Cassidy left in their wake. Beale still wasn't entirely sure how Cassidy managed to navigate so well, considering they never seemed to look up from their phone, but once again, they got to the team's work space with no accidents or incidents. Cassidy dropped in their customary chair, putting their feet up on the table and tuning everything else out - their job was done, after all.
Joan sat on the side opposite Cassidy, giving the human cat a look of disgust as soon as their shoes appeared on the table's top. She had a tin cup in front of her, filled with something that gave off steam and no discernible smell as far as Beale could tell. She transferred her scowl from Cassidy's feet to Beale's face before returning to contemplate her mug. She held it in both hands, and Beale realized just how small she was - her hands barely fit around it, and it looked like she needed both of them to support the weight. He had to remind himself that she was just a kid, really. It would make sense that she was a little on edge, he thought, if she was a young character from a series that didn't go according to plan. He nodded politely to her, then decided to make a quick run to the coffee station to get some caffeine before things got rolling. He also wanted to give the others a chance to get there before he had to sit down, so he wasn't forced to sit with the silent human cat and the girl with the dagger eyes. He'd been in some uncomfortable situations before, but this was just ridiculous.
By the time he returned to the table with a mug of coffee doctored with milk and sugar (it still tasted a bit too much like terrible coffee for Beale's taste, but there was only so much he could do), Kierkkegard and Lady Ruby were arriving. Lady Ruby had her arm linked with Kierkkegard's non-metallic one, and they had been speaking with their heads together before getting close to the table. Once they arrived within earshot of the table, however, they pulled their heads apart from each other, and Lady Ruby withdrew her arm to stride more confidently to the work space on her own. Kierkkegard followed, his face becoming more blank and still with each step until he resembled the robot his metallic parts suggested. It was a very interesting set of changes, Beale thought to himself as he took another sip of his almost-latte before hurrying to the table.
"Ah, wonderful, you're still with us," Lady Ruby said as Beale came back to the table. She gestured to a chair that was on the side of the table furthest away from her desk, leaving the chair closest to her desk open for Kierkkegard. Beale took his proffered seat and made no comment, though his mind was racing at a thousand miles an hour, trying to figure out the dynamics between the team members. It was a puzzle for another time, but it would be a fun one to talk over later with the team. His team.
"Now, we've gotten a chance to review the files on this book and the author that somehow made an appearance in her own universe," Lady Ruby continued, moving around the table until she was in her throne by her desk. Beale hadn't seen it the day before, but Lady Ruby's chair was on some kind of platform, so she was literally looking down on the rest of them. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the ridiculousness of it all, but it took quite a bit of effort. Lady Ruby nodded imperiously at Kierkkegard, who passed out folders of information to the rest of the team.
Beale looked at the paperwork in interest, then noticed that he was the only one. Cassidy gave it a cursory glance before closing it and going back to his phone. Joan didn’t even do that much, pushing the folder away as soon as Kierkkegard put it down in front of her. Well, that was their loss, as far as Beale was concerned. If someone had gone to the effort of writing up a report, then it was probably worth reading. He took his time settling in with the pages, well aware that he was making Lady Ruby wait and not really caring.
The book was originally published in 1924 under the title "The Children of Darwin," attributed to one D. Jensen, and had first appeared as a serial in the magazine "Forensic Tales," which sadly didn't sell very well. In fact, it looked as though the original serial wasn't completed when the magazine went under, and it would be another year before readers would be able to find out what happened in the last installment. By the accounts of the day, Jensen's serial was a big hit with readers, who enjoyed the story immensely, but were unwilling to spend the exorbitant (at the time) amount of $1.50 for each issue of the magazine. Groups of friends would pool their funds together, Beale read, and each month one would purchase a single issue of Forensic Tales that would then be shared with the rest of the group. It was an ingenious way of getting the story they wanted without spending too much money, but unfortunately did not keep that magazine in print.
In 1925, D. Jensen had found a publisher willing to pay to have the entire book published as one volume. This time, the title had changed to "Apes of the Future," and it didn't seem to pull in quite the same audience it had previously. It was also published under the author’s full name, Dorothy Jensen. Beale privately believed that the change in title had not been for the better; he knew he would be much more likely to pick up a book called "Children of Darwin" than "Apes of the Future." Additionally, at the time, having a female author name probably didn’t help sales. The publisher eventually agreed, pulling the remaining, unsold copies of "Apes of the Future" from the shelves to be remaindered and re-publishing the book under its original title six months after the first publication.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
This time, readers from Forensic Tales came in droves to the bookstores, as they could find the story they had been looking forward to finishing at last. The Library file included letters from various people who read the book in its second printing, and while there was still a great deal of excitement, there was also a fair amount of confusion. While it was common for any book that was published after first being serialized to have edits made in the process, "Children of Darwin" seemed to have gotten quite the overhaul. This, according to the original Library records, seems to be when the author made an appearance in the book itself.
The details about exactly what had changed were sketchy at best, but the main point that everyone kept repeating in their reviews of the second printing were that a new character had joined the rest of the ensemble, and that character felt a little...lost. Her name was Dorothy, and while the other characters were all trained scientists and explorers, prepared to investigate a remote island that was reported to contain primates that had moved on in the evolutionary process far farther than the primates in the rest of the world (Beale found himself rolling his eyes), Dorothy wasn't. She didn't seem to be trained as anything, really. It was a little odd that she was a woman on the expedition, though not entirely novel - the group did include one other woman, a native guide who was there to give some 'color' to the proceedings and tell the (white) explorers and scientists what to look out for and the proper rituals needed to soothe the savage beasts. Beale ground his teeth briefly, reminding himself that literature was a reflection of the society as it was when it was written, and it didn’t mean people were going to treat him like…that.
Dorothy didn't even seem to be a character that added any kind of local information or even be someone's sweetheart, giving him something to come home to. She just existed in and around the island, getting in the way and getting drunk. She wasn't in every scene of the book; in fact, it was fairly easy to forget she was in the story at all until she made a two-sentence appearance in the middle of an action scene, and then disappear again. Even the other characters seemed baffled by her appearance, judging by the dialogue referenced by some of the book reviews. Beale could see why the Library would flag the character as an anomaly, and wondering why she hadn’t been dealt with by agents back when she first showed up.
Interestingly, the author, D. Jensen, didn't seem to disappear from Prime while running wild in her universe. In fact, Jensen had written and published another fifteen books before passing away in 1949 of a sudden "attack of ill health." Beale shrugged, curious but not that surprised at the vague description of her cause of death. He looked up and nodded to Lady Ruby, who had been tapping her fingers lightly against the arm of the chair.
“Oh, are you ready now?” she drawled. She pulled herself upright and addressed the rest of the team as well. "This book, this 'Children of Darwin,' is very much a book of its time, and so there are depictions that are unflattering to people of different backgrounds and ethnicities. The characters are frequent users of terminology that, in the modern day of Prime, is not considered acceptable, and the attitude behind those terms is not acceptable within the Library."
Beale realized that she and the rest of the team, were all looking at him. He tried some of the deep breathing techniques that Sofya was always on him to learn, things that would help when he got angry or upset, but they had never really worked for him in the past. Still, he knew what they saw when they looked at him, especially given the information they were now digesting. While he might not be the darkest-skinned person they'd ever seen, he was a Black man. He looked 'Black enough' to be picked out by the average racist, and books that were 'of their time' were usually full of people who wouldn't hesitate to either punch or run away from a face like his. It made him wonder if this was part of Joan's problem with him, as well - he would need to find out more about her universe, but he was starting to get the impression that she was from a series that was 'of its time' and thus not the friendliest to people who didn't look like the white majority.
Beale fought to keep his voice level when he asked, "So how does that impact our mission, then?" He didn't want to assume anything with this team, because he knew nothing about them. For all he knew, Lady Ruby was a raging racist herself, and would be eager to throw him to the wolves of the explorers and hunters of a 'savage' island set in the 1920s. Still, he needed to find out what this new team leader wanted to do about the situation, now that she knew there would be a problem.
Lady Ruby smiled down upon Beale, and it felt almost like a benediction. Beale fought to avoid thinking about it in terms like that, knowing that it wouldn't do him any good if he became besotted with her the way Kierkkegard seemed to be. "Thank you, Beale, for not immediately assuming that something like this would end the mission outright. Naturally, we want to make sure that everyone is taken care of, and that we're sending the best people into the universe who will be able to find out the most information with the least potential for drama and strife. I do intend that we will carry on with this mission, but the split between the two groups that we normally have will have to be slightly different from normal."
"What, are we bringing the new kid into the island where he belongs and leaving him with the other-" Joan began, but Lady Ruby gave her a cutting look that stopped the insult in its tracks. Beale had to admit that it felt good to watch the little monster of a cowgirl get her comeuppance, even if it was just with a look, and he fought to keep a smug smile off his face. "We don't. Do that. Here." Lady Ruby proclaimed, her eyes on Joan with each word. Beale was fairly certain she hadn't blinked, either, and he was starting to wonder a bit more about the possibility of magic in Lady Ruby's background.
Kierkkegard made a noise that caught Beale by surprise - even Cassidy looked up in alarm - before realizing it was the equivalent of a throat being cleared. "Lady Ruby, who will you send into the universe to question the author?" The voice that came out of the half-metal man was not at all what Beale had expected, particularly after hearing him clear his 'throat.' The voice was clear, high-pitched, and sounded almost like a young man whose voice hadn't yet dropped. It raised even more questions for Beale, who was finding his temporary team all the more fascinating, the more time he spent with them.
He also was missing his usual team more and more. He really wanted to spend some time with Veronica, researching some of these characters he was dealing with now and seeing what they could find out about their home universes. And he would have loved to crack some jokes with Nuereddin and Niles about Kierkkegard and Lady Ruby's possible relationship, as well as bouncing ideas off of all of them as to why Joan's series never took off. (Beale held the opinion that it was because she was the main character, and people didn't respond well to characters that were quite that unlikeable, but he was willing to entertain other ideas.) More than anything, though, he wanted to be back with a team where he knew what his place was. He knew that his talents were going to be used to the best of his ability, and that he wouldn't be sidelined due to something completely out of his control. Based on the look of pity he was receiving from Lady Ruby, however, he was pretty sure that was what was about to happen.
"I'm glad you asked, Kierk," Lady Ruby replied. (Beale wondered if he could get away with calling the cyborg by his shortened name, or if that was something that was reserved only for Lady Ruby.) "Based on the situation and the information we need, I believe we are in something of a unique position this time. I don't believe that the entire team will travel to the universe; at this time, based on the information we've found in the Library itself, there doesn't appear to be a need for a Prime-side portion of the mission. Given the state of the universe and the way in which people are portrayed, I have decided that Joan and I will travel to the universe and escort the author back to the Library, where she can be questioned by the entire team here. You, Cassidy, and Beale will remain in the Library, waiting for our return." She held her hands up preemptively, as though expecting the three non-traveling members to begin shouting at the plans.
On the contrary, Beale felt fairly relieved with the plan. He hadn't had any burning desire to go into the universe of this book, and bringing the author back to the Library, while tricky, would be infinitely better than trying to get information out of her in-universe. She would know all the ways to get out and around them, avoiding them all, and they would have to spend all of their time hunting her down and never getting an actual answer to their questions. Kierkkegard similarly looked relieved at Lady Ruby's announcement, as far as Beale could tell. It was extremely difficult, trying to read a cyborg. He made a note to himself to never play any kind of bluffing game with Kierkkegard if he valued keeping his money or his dignity at all.
Surprisingly, Cassidy demonstrated some emotion at Lady Ruby's declaration. Their tale swished violently around their chair, and they put their phone down on the table. Joan stared at the phone, giving Beale the impression that putting down the phone was as momentous an occasion as he had thought it would be. "Why would you decide I don't need to be there?" they asked Lady Ruby, their tone mild with a hint of irritation running under it. "I've gone on these kinds of missions before with no problem. I can certainly disguise myself as needed, as you have seen. What gives?"
Lady Ruby shook her head sorrowfully, though Beale couldn't tell if she was being genuine or faking her regret. "Normally, you are absolutely right, and I would love to take you on this mission. Unfortunately, Jane asked specifically that you remain in the Library to work in the Archives today and tomorrow. She said that they are working on processing the book his team-" nodding to Beale, "brought back from their last mission, and there have been some issues that require manual review and input." She shrugged her shoulders with a little smile. "You know as well as I do that the Archives come first when it comes to claims on your time. If nothing else, this could benefit us, as the book in question is the other one where an author appeared in their own universe, isn't that right?" She turned to Beale, her eyes wide with curiosity, and the rest of the team looked his way with similar looks of interest (with a bit of menace in Joan's case, though Beale was starting to get used to that).
"That's right," Beale replied, forcing his body language to read as relaxed, and not give away the tension that had sprung up as soon as Lady Ruby had brought up that damned book. "She showed up in universe and helped my team handle an anomaly that nearly took out the protagonist of the book. The author was also in Prime, working with my partner and I face to face, when this happened, so we know that the author's physical self hasn't moved into the book when they appear in-universe. It just added an extra layer of weird to the whole scenario." He turned to Cassidy, remembering how Sofya had told him that everyone appreciates a bit of encouragement and appreciation from time to time. "I'm glad you'll be working on entering the book into the Archives. I feel better knowing you're on the job."
Cassidy's tail went up and their face went pink, even as they faced the table to pick up their phone to go back to their endless scrolling. Beale had a moment to savor the victory, having finally made the human cat express some kind of emotion. It was even better than he had imagined. Before he could gloat too much, however, Lady Ruby continued with her statements. "Since the book the Archives are asking that you help with will tie directly into the question we have regarding ‘Children of Darwin,’ my dear Cassidy, you'll be able to provide a great service for us here in the Library while Joan and I sally forth into the universe and bring back the woman who created it." She made a point of looking at Kierkkegard and Beale before adding, "Anyone else have anything they'd like to add?" Both men decided discretion was the better part of honor, and shook their heads no. “Excellent. We should get started, then.”
Joan had her arms folded over her chest, glaring at the table top because she didn't want to glare directly at a person, but she looked up at that last statement from Lady Ruby. "When are we getting out of here, then? Do I need to pack?" Beale saw her drop one hand to her hip, where he saw the ivory handle of a pistol seated neatly in a holster, at the ready for a quick draw. He found himself even more grateful that she wouldn't be staying in the Library with him for the next day or so.
Lady Ruby examined the young woman critically, her lips pursed, before beckoning for her to follow as she got off her throne. "Come. I don't believe you will need a complete wardrobe makeover, but it would not be a bad idea for you to cover some of the more unique aspects of your clothing to blend in more easily. Don't worry," she added with a laugh as they started walking towards the apartments, "I don't see any reason why your pistols would need to stay here."
"Damn straight," Beale heard Joan say. "I'm going to need them where we're headed." The voices of the two women faded away as they moved to the corridor where their apartments were. Beale shook his head, grateful that he didn't have to hear any of the rest of that conversation. Unfortunately, he also realized at that moment that he was now seated with two people who rarely, if ever, spoke, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do with himself until Lady Ruby and Joan came back with the author. This had potential to be extremely awkward, he knew, and he had no idea how to deal with it.
