five

After receiving payment, Triv showed Deeter Zor to his room. Small, only one candle, but clean, and an actual bed stuffed with cotton, or some local fluffy material. He tried to get comfortable, but he wasn't very tired yet. He was getting better at sleeping on command, though, so after recording a new diary entry, he fell asleep.

A bright light awoke him. It was not the sun, but a portable light source shining on his face from the floor. Next to the light stood a man. He yelped and jumped out of bed.

"Calm down," he said. He was average looking, wearing dark clothing that weren't at all out of place in this area, but the light proved that he wasn't. And the dark glasses protecting his eyes. "If I was going to do anything to you I would have used a smaller light." The man aimed it at the ceiling.

Deeter flexed his wrists to make sure the straps were intact, then asked, "What are you doing then?"

"I just want to talk to you," he said.

"Just wanted to talk? You people have made my life hell for the past three months!" he spat. "Why the hell should I talk to you?"

"Fair enough." He sat on the floor. "Gah, this wood's barely sanded." He stood up again. "I just want to know how you do it."

"So you can stop me? Not a chance."

He sighed. "Let me start over. My name is Prosstig. I'm not actually on this case, but I work with - well, other Klammet fans, let's say."

"I was explained why you are chasing me," he said coldly. "I simply don't care."

"I understand that. I personally wouldn't have made the decision you did, but I respect your right to make it. I have argued with the others on your behalf."

"Are you saying you want to help me?"

Prosstig sighed. "I don't know if I can. Obviously it has to be secret. If I get found out I'll be out of your life for good. Then you're totally buggered."

"I've been doing fine without any help."

"Is that a joke? How many times have we or local law captured you? The only reason I'm here instead of a hostile Watcher is because of your movement today -"

"So you can track my movement?"

"No, we can only track anomalies. Which your tesseracts are."

"Tesseract?" he repeated, unsure if it was untranslateable or simply a new word.

He smiled. "You don't even know what you do? We thought you were like Ariel, but I suppose not."

"No, Ariel was a witch. I just... use tools."

"I wouldn't say she was a witch, but I suppose we're using different vocabularies. You have a translator?"

He nodded and wordlessly removed it from inside his ear. It was also a gem, but oddly cut and shaped.

"Where did you get that?"

"The same - wait, you speak my language." He stared at Prosstig. "You speak my language?"

"I told you I was a fan," he said, smiling. "So it works on your ear canal?"

"I suppose. I'm not really clear on the details." He put it back in.

"No, you wouldn't be. You're from a backwater."

Deeter rolled his eyes. "Everything's a backwater to You people."

"The term fits. But I don't hate Klammet like you do, I mean no offense."

"I don't hate Klammet! If I could stay there I would. But you know I can't."

He shook his head. "Tell me how you do it."

"How do you do it?"

"Fair enough. I have a ship in orbit around this planet. I took a small shuttle to the last place we detected the anomaly, hid it, and tracked you from there. We can track you within a certain distance, you know."

"I didn't know. Do you have some sort of - electronic dog?"

He snorted. "Do you even know what electronic means?"

"Oh yes, let's mock my ignorance."

"All humans have body temperatures that are higher than yours, it's just infrared." At his blank look he added, "Heat signature. You aren't exactly fully human, right?"

"Not exactly," he admitted.

"Well, we have devices that - here, it's easier to show you," he said, handing him the glasses. They were far lighter than they appeared at first.

"Plastic?"

"So you aren't totally ignorant. Try them on."

He obeyed and gasped. "What?"

"Infrared. Heat gives off light, even light we can't normally see. You can see it with those, though." He picked them back off Deeter's head. "So like I said, most humans give off a lot more body heat than you do."

Deeter managed to stammer, "A dog would work better."

"Now, you answer my question."

He shook his head, and pushed the leather straps on his wrists up to his palms. "If They know where I am, I'm going to have to leave."

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