Static Reflections: Book 1 of The M... - Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Nick followed the signs down the path until he was back at the Plaza, trailing the delicious smell of Chinese food right to the restaurant's door from earlier. He immediately appreciated the authentic look of a Chinese restaurant, with its pagoda-shaped roof and an intricate red wooden door that had dark glass between the weaving wood.
Nick grabbed the golden handle of the right door and pulled it open, hit immediately with the full force of the smell—definitely one of his favorites. A sign read "Please take your seat," so he did just that, going to a nearby booth and sitting down on the squishy fabric, looking at the black table before him. The hyena looked left and right for a menu, and when he looked back, his eyes widened. Walking over to him was a dark orange contraption with metal limbs, metal hands and feet, a glowing frozen smile, and two eyes that were just as bright.
On its sizable rectangular-shaped chest, a large screen showed many square icons with pictures of food items and some words under each food. To the right of the screen was a black device that Nick couldn't quite make out as the robot came closer. It walked up to his table and then froze in front of him, the hyena blinking in response. "Um, hello?" Nick tried.
"Hello, unregistered member," the robot spoke in a rather non-robotic voice that sounded like that of an older man. "We have only the finest authentic Chinese cuisine."
"Cool . . ." He was talking to a robot that was also his server. Wow.
"I have noticed that you are unregistered in the M.G.E.S. Would you like to register now?"
"M.G.E.S.?" Nick tilted his head.
"M.G.E.S. stands for Mortal Guard Establishment System. It is the system used for all members to purchase food and services from all Hephaestus Bots in Prostasia. The robots will also store your solvency card information, and you can check your balance at any time and extract cash from any Hepheastus Bot in the current vicinity. You will also be able to personalize the system to your liking with custom nicknames and colors. However, there are dedicated ATM bots located around the Plaza. Would you like to register now?"
There's that name again, Nick thought, continuing to stare at the unmoving face of the robot. "Uh, okay."
"I will first take your picture to use as your ID photo. Please be ready in five seconds." The Hephaestus Bot began counting down from five. Nick adjusted in his seat and had no idea what face to make. The machine put him on the spot! Should he do a blank face or a smile? Would anyone else be seeing this? How did he look, anyway? Ah, whatever. He opted for a small smile, and from an unknown place on the robot's body, there was a click. "Now, I will take some personal information."
"Okay."
"Full name?"
"Nicholas Flynn."
"Preferred name?"
"Nick."
"Date of birth?"
"February 23, 2000."
"Residence?"
"Uh . . ." Nick blinked, then shook his head. "None. Not here, at least."
"No residence detected. You will need to update your profile in the system once you have a place of residence," the robot told him.
"Alright. Go on." Nick waved his hand.
"Favorite color?" the robot asked.
"Pink."
Immediately, the UI on the Hephaestus Bot's torso screen turned from blue to light pink. "Confirm changes?"
"Yes. I like that," Nick grinned.
"Do you have your solvency card, Nick?" the bot asked.
"Oh, yeah," the hyena nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the silver card Regis had given him.
"Please slide your solvency card in the slot to the right of the screen." Nick planted his feet on the floor and stood up, reaching forward and pushing his card into the black slot, where it fit perfectly. Satisfying. The robot stood still for a moment. "Would you like to register this card to the account of Nicholas Flynn?"
"Yes."
"Registered. Please take your card now." Nick did so and sat back down. "Account registry complete. You can now use the account of Nicholas Flynn with any Hephaestus Bot in Prostasia. Congratulations on your new account, Nick."
"Thank you," the hyena smiled genuinely.
"You can now order food by tapping on the screen or just with your voice. Most members like to tap for interactivity or if they are deaf."
"I'll tap, thanks." Nick slid closer and brought his clawed pointer finger up. He scrolled through the options and decided on something simple, tapping the square icon with the picture.
"One sweet and sour chicken," the Hephaestus Bot said.
Nick took a moment to find the drinks and settled on a simple cola without ice, the robot again repeating the item. "Alright, how do I—Oh." He tapped on a green check in the bottom right corner. A new screen popped up, and his two order items slid into a box one by one, the price of each item displayed to the right and the total at the bottom. "Would you like to confirm this order?"
"Yes," Nick scooched back again.
"Please insert your card and then pull it out quickly," the robot said. After doing the required movement, the robot told Nick the food would be right out and turned to move away.
Nick sat at the table, looking around at the lovely dim lighting and the other animals eating, mostly in pairs. He looked at the empty seat across from him and imagined his friend Boris there, sighing. What was the poor otter getting up to now? Was he okay after that nightmare of a concert? Was he still alive? Surely.
As horrible as Absalom was, it meant that Boris would stay alive no matter what, which comforted Nick that he still had time to figure out how to save him. The Mortal Guard would give him that chance, and it filled him with hope.
Nick extended his legs under the table, resting his elbows on it and his head on the top of his connected hands. Now, he pictured the rest of Water on Fire in the seats around him, having a good time and messing around. Tyler would be cracking some stupid joke everyone would laugh at, Boris would be scolding him, Nora would be observing quietly, and Page would be telling Boris not to be hard on the German shepherd.
Nora.
The Nora he was thinking about was the real Nora's Double. The one he knew. A lie? It didn't feel right to call her that. She seemingly still had all of Nora's feelings and memories.
Nick hadn't realized that, while lost in thoughts, he had begun staring forward. More thoughts crossed his mind as he did so, tail curled in the booth. Thoughts of the band, Astrid, thoughts of Prostasia and the Mortal Guard, and finally becoming stuck on his family.
Nick blinked for a moment. His mom and dad would never know that an exact copy of their son would replace him. Their son had been "the kindest, most creative animal they knew," and they loved him "with all their hearts." And he couldn't tell them or see them again because he had no other choice but to become part of the Mortal Guard due to the memory of Absalom that was unable to be erased from his mind.
His eyes stung, and he felt something run down his cheek fur. His head moved back as reality sucked back into him, filling him with heaviness and grounding him in the booth. The hyena rubbed the back of his palm across his cheek as he sniffed. He rested his back against the back of the seat. But the tears didn't stop, continuing to stream lines down his face, darkening the golden fur there. Feeling self-conscious, Nick opted to look down at his lap while the soft sobbing continued.
He wasn't sure how long it was later, but the robot returned, setting his plate down along with a side of red sauce and silverware. Steam rose off the golden fried chicken in front of him, tucked between glazed peppers and sweet pineapple. Nick could feel the warmth resonate from it, and the savory scent hit his nose, but his eyes were still wet. The Hephaestus Bot noticed, somehow. "Sadness detected. Nick, would you like me to make you an appointment with the Trauma Sect?"
"You can do that?"
"There are a lot of things you can do with your M.G.E.S. account. Making an appointment with the Trauma Sect is one of them. Would you like to make an appointment now?"
Nick wiped his eyes again. "N-no, it's fine. Thanks for the food. It looks crazy good." He exhaled, willing the sadness to leave him.
The robot's face was unmoving, forever frozen in the position it was created. "We have only the best authentic Chinese cuisine."
"Time to eat, then," Nick said, grabbing the chrome fork which had swirling clouds at the bottom of the handle. The robot left again. Nick looked down at the food before him, almost begging for him to dig in. Could a place as organized as the Mortal Guard really have delicious food that robots made? It did seem higher quality than the Chinese restaurant near his house.
The place was called Dragon Palace, and it was relatively small, owned by a husband and wife couple who were very passionate about the business. Still, they must not have paid enough, or something, because they were always understaffed, and the current cook, Hitachi (a Japanese animal for a Chinese restaurant), was a little less than qualified. Sometimes, the feral chicken would come out chewy, Hitachi wouldn't glaze the veggies, or the food would just be cooked wrong. Honestly, it was a 50/50 chance you'd have a good experience there. Nick questioned why he even went.
Now, he took the fancy fork and stabbed one of the chicken pieces, gently, more steam floating off of it toward the hanging lantern above. Using the claw on his left thumb, he gently flicked off the lid on the sauce. Dunking the piece of chicken inside and covering it in the hopefully sweet condiment, Nick lifted it to his lips and then took in the whole thing, chewing quietly as the heat took up the space of his maw. The sauce's flavor was perfect; the chicken cooked just right, and, immediately, the male knew that this was the best sweet and sour chicken he had ever tasted. A feeling of comfort and happiness washed over him, drowning out his previously felt sadness, though it lingered.
Along with the chicken, Nick took constant sips of the cola the restaurant had, which reminded him of the cans of the stuff he liked to keep at home, due to his severe sweet tooth, along with the bowl of candy he kept on his dresser and, yes, curled up with at night a lot of the time.
The delectable meal finished, and Nick waved to the robot who had helped him, which slowly waved back. A thought occurred to the hyena, and he quickly walked up to the machine. "Hey, where can I get a box of cigarettes around here?"
"The nearest place cigarettes can be found is at the general store across from us."
"Awesome, thanks!"
Making a beeline for said store, Nick got in, looking around at the selection of stuff, including snacks, medicine, drinks, and the like. Strange to Nick, knowing they had magic here. But his goal was the cigarettes, and he was getting antsy. Finding the Hephaestus Bot inside, Nick's ears perked when it greeted him. "Afternoon, Nick." The UI on the large screen on its chest turned pink.
"You know my name?"
"Your account is connected to all Hephaestus Bots in Prostasia. Please select a purchase."
"Just cigarettes, please," Nick said.
"Which brand?"
"Uh, Blue Chameleon." For a second, he wondered where the Mortal Guard got all of this stuff. Surely, they didn't steal it from the mortal realm? He decided on something popular, hoping they had it.
"One Blue Chameleon cigarette pack," the bot said.
Nick completed the purchase and took the white and cerulean box, walking outside and sitting down at the fountain, which already had quite a few mammals perched there. He slid his sharp claw along the top of the packaging and pulled it off greedily, opening the lid and taking a stick out, sticking it between his fangs. Nick reached for the cheap purple lighter that was always nestled in his pocket but felt his heart drop as he realized his pocket was flat against his pants. He hadn't bought a lighter!
"Fuck," the chalk-like cigarette wiggled with the word as he frowned.
The animal to his right, a male jaguar, turned around. "What is it?" The animal sported a gray jacket with a black undershirt, blue tie, and brown pants. On his arm was a pink band with that same symbol from earlier—the one from the Spellcasting Sect.
Nick pulled the cigarette out of his mouth. "Forgot a lighter."
"Oh, that's easy," the other male smiled. "Put it back in your mouth real quick." Nick did so, and the jaguar kept his grin as he held up his finger, a tiny flame flickering to life from it. The fire licked the end of the cigarette, and it glowed orange, now lit. The flame disappeared, and the feline continued to grin.
Nick's eyes widened. "Woah, thanks!"
"Don't mention it," the jaguar nodded, facing his friend once more. "As I was saying . . . ."
From nearby, the hyena heard someone say, "Damn magicians . . . ." When he looked, he couldn't see who might have said it.
Nick inhaled the smoke of the cigarette and pulled it back, blowing the gray stuff out between his lips as the heat burned like coals in his chest. Holy fuck. He just lit it with his finger . . . with magic . . . And where the hell did my phone go?! I guess I'll ask Regis.
Smoking some more, Nick looked up into the blue sky, noting that there was still no wind or even a slight breeze. Now, he noticed that there was no sun in the sky, either. Was there even day or night here? The Resting Room had no windows, after all, so he couldn't tell. And speaking of the Mortal Guard, there was still the matter of what Sect Nick would choose that day. Right now, the best chance of saving Boris was the Creature Hunting Sect, and that was what he had set his mind on.
But all of this was incredibly overwhelming. The amount of info swirling around the hyena's brain was numbing, but somehow, some way, he was sure he remembered it all. How couldn't he? How could you forget something that was this out there? And there was still half of the tour left, and then after that were the courses at the Institute. Like a train, his mind was rattling through thought after thought down a twisting and turning track. It was a great time to take everything in, all while enjoying a warm cigarette.
A vocal sword sliced his thoughts, suddenly—Regis's—and he looked in the direction the smaller cat was speed-walking toward him, still clutching the clipboard in his tiny hands. "Mr. Flynn!"
"Yeah?" Nick asked, the cigarette finished at this point. He was holding onto it so he could throw it away correctly.
"How long have you been waiting there?" Regis asked, adjusting his glasses while almost dropping the clipboard.
"Eh, dunno. Not too long. Why?"
"Nothing . . . anyway, will you sign this NDA that says you won't reveal the supernatural world to mortals unless it's under the pretense of a mission?" He held the clipboard out.
"Uh, sure, alright," Nick said, accepting the pen and scribbling down his signature. "But what are you—"
"Let's continue the tour, alright?" Regis interrupted.
The hyena nodded, standing up and looking at him. "Are you alright? You seem frazzled."
"Y-yes . . . I am. It's nothing. Really. Come along, sir." The gray cat began speeding away, Nick observing and feeling like something had changed while the cat was gone. But what? He wasn't sure he wanted to find out.