The Book of Masks (Vol. 3)

New Boss, Same as the Old Boss

Previously: "The Door Prize" 

Whatever. It's not important. You call Patterson, and tell him that Gordon left you with the job of sealing up the two new masks, and that you're done. He just grunts and tells you leave the stuff out and go; he'll let you know later who your next target will be.

You don't even clean up the mess.

* * * * *

It's early Sunday afternoon, and Patterson still hasn't called you with a new job, so you call Caleb. "Wanna get together, see a movie? I got some free time."

"Keith called and asked me to help him get Yumi. I said no."

"So you're free too."

"I mean it would be awkward if I spent time with you after telling him to fuck off."

"You have a private life you're catching up on? Or are you still working on— Who are you supposed to be getting?"

"I'm waiting to see what happens next," he says.

"Alright, be an international man of mystery," you retort. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Probably," he says cryptically before hanging up.

You rub your chin. Keith was being a cunt yesterday, and it wasn't just the Cindy mask. But you've enough of a sense of loyalty that you call him up. "Are you still working on getting Yumi?" you ask.

"In theory," he says glumly. "Was Patterson happy with your job?"

"I guess." Knowing you'll hate the answer whatever it is, you grit your teeth and ask, "You want some help with Yumi?"

"That'd be great," he says, and as you'd guessed you don't like it. "Can we try it this afternoon?"

"I got nothing else to do. You still have Cindy's mask?" He makes a gagging noise. "I should go pick up one for myself. You want me to pick up a different one for you?"

"I still have Jessica's."

"You really like to be her, don't you?"

"Be her. Do her. All around, yeah."

"I wanna puke just thinking about it. Well, I'll get Eva, so we'll be a matched pair. See you in a bit."

You don't make the same mistake as yesterday, and call Patterson ahead of time; he says he'll be at the fuck room, but you're free to swing by. "Glad to hear you're helping Tilley," he says. "He's taking a hell of a long time."

But things take a much different turn when you arrive ...

* * * * *

Patterson isn't there. Or, to be precise, no one who looks like him is there. Standing in the middle of the room is the blonde guy you copied yesterday. He is staring at the floor with his hands on his hips. You knock against the open door, for he seems not to have heard your entrance. He looks up sharply at the sound, and you feel yourself impaled on a bright, piercing glance. You swallow. "Checking out the new guy? Does he work?"

He continues to stare, then jerks his shoulders. "Yeah. A good catch. Lucky." He sniffs and scratches his nose. "What made you pick him?"

You grimace. "Kind of an accident. Keith told me that this one guy— Straussler?" The names of archrivals so familiar to Seth have faded from your memory. "He said this guy was in the bathroom. But he wasn't, it was this other guy." You point at him. "So I took him. And he works for you?"

"Yeah, it was a lucky break," he says.

"Cool. Say, what's the deal with his name? It was all weird and shit. It pissed Gordon off when he saw it, because it was, like, the wrong name."

"Yeah," he says. "'Joe' is a nickname. He, uh, was originally from Germany, got adopted. So the mask shows his real name."

"Huh." Like you'd suspected, a trivial answer to a trivial mystery. "Well, I need to pick up masks for me and Keith—"

"I got a different job for you," Patterson interrupts. "More important than Yumi." He bites on a thumbnail. "Definitely more important than Yumi."

You wait for amplification, but he says nothing. A moment later he strides across the room to the cabinets that hold the supplies. His movement is quick and light. To your immense interest, he takes the magic book out of its hiding place and studies a page carefully. He turns it and studies the next one. A small smile appears on his face, and he replaces the book.

"You're on your— what, fourth job?" he says as he continues to stare into the cabinet. "You help me with this job today, and we'll count it as a two-fer. That'll bump you up to senior level." Your heart skips. "But it's gonna be tricky," he cautions. "Because I wanna move fast."

"What's the big deal?" you ask, but he doesn't answer. He takes out a mask and drums his fingers on it, then replaces it and takes out three more.

"I need to borrow your phone," he says as he closes the secret cabinet. He looks you up and down critically. "Yeah, your phone." He holds out his hand.

This is all rather puzzling, and even a little alarming, but you comply. His fingers dance over the keypad, and he winks at you as he puts the phone to his ear. "Hey Jessica," he laughs when the other person answers. "Don't you believe in screening your calls? You can't be that hard up for a date." He's calling Jessica Garner? "That's right!" he exclaims. "It's not my phone but it is me. Listen, I'm here with a friend, and him and his lady friend are going out to have some fun and asked me along. I said I would if I could make it a double date, and if I could make it a double date with you. Oh, no definite plans yet. Just an excuse to get together. With you, if possible." His grin widens. "Believe it or not, I'm over at Westside. My phone's recharging, so if something comes up, call me back at this number. I'll just meet you out in the parking lot in front of the gym.

"That's your next job," he says as he hangs up. "Her name is Jessica Pearce, and she's a cheerleader out at Eastman. We're gonna score a copy of her, and then you're gonna impersonate her. That much you can do, right?" You nod. "Good. She'll be along in about thirty minutes, but go down and wait outside for her, in case she's early. I gotta polish up some stuff in here."

* * * * *

She must be keen to get together with this Joe fellow, for the girl only takes twenty minutes to show up. It's a little car, but driven by a girl with big breasts, that pulls up next to you. "Are you Joe's friend?" asks its driver as she rolls down the window. Her face is quite beautiful, but it's twisted up in an expression of distaste and skepticism.

"Yeah. He's finishing up some stuff, he'll be along in—"

"Down in a minute!" The clear voice rings from the window above, and you and Jessica both look up to see a blonde figure waving cheerily.

"I'm Will Prescott, by the way," you continue.

She ignores your outstretched hand, and haughtily shakes her dark hair. "I'll go park over there," she sniffs, and pulls away. She doesn't step from the car after turning off the engine, and her whole manner leaves you disinclined to go talk to her.

About five minutes later, Patterson appears, stepping with long, loose strides toward the girl's car. He bends in at the window, and then gestures you over. As you approach, you see that the girl is slumped forward. "Get in the back," Patterson orders, "and start taking off your clothes."

"What?"

"This is the girl you're going to be impersonating," he says. "I got the mask on her, and in a minute we're going to get the clothes off her too. That way you can step in for her."

"But what about her?" you ask in shock. "You can't just kidnap a naked girl and—"

"Sure I can," he retorts. "That's what this is for." He holds up a mask, then turns it over; to your shock, the name WILLIAM MARTIN PRESCOTT floats on the inner surface.

You look up sharply at him. "Is she part of the club?"

"No, you numbnuts—"

"Then why are you going to give her my mask to wear?" Your voice comes out shrill.

"It doesn't work like that in this case," Patterson says. "I told you I have a special goop that we can put inside masks, that makes it impossible for other people to wear them?" You nod uncertainly. "Well, I put some of that goop inside your mask. It makes the person who wears the mask ... Well, they kind of disappear. They go to sleep." He jerks his chin at the girl. "When I put it on her, she'll turn into you, but she'll be like Richards. Just a golem, a thing that has to do what we say. So, we hide her by disguising her as you, and you go back out disguised as her." He puts his hands on his hips. "Now will you get in the car and get out of your clothes?"

"But the, uh, the duplicate me will have to do what I say, won't it?" you press.

"Mm, in this case, he'll have to do what I say," Patterson replies.

You suck in your breath sharply. The thought of Patterson being in control of the "replacement you" while you're out doing a job for him is extremely disturbing.

Next: "A Date in Disguise" 

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"Table of Contents (Vol. 3)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 3)"