Twenty-Five: Project’s End
Programming is like pinball. The reward for doing it well is the opportunity to do it again.
"… and a fifty percent bonus for successful completion of contract," the clerk said, adding a second, smaller stack of golden cartwheels to the stack already on the table. "Sign here please." Karl bent down and marked the leather-bound ledger next to his name. Behind him the other programmers were lined up to receive their pay.
"Hey, I like this," one of them said. "No invoicing, no hassles with the bookkeeping department and nobody trying to hang onto the money a few days more to improve their cash flow. Why can’t all assignments be like this?"
"Speak for yourself. When I get home I’m going to hit the hot tub for about two days solid."
"I"m for a Big Mac first," someone else said. "No, make that six Big Macs."
At the side of the room Bal-Simba smiled. "I am almost sorry to see them go. They have certainly enlivened this place."
"Um, yes," said Malus, who was standing between Bal-Simba and Wiz. He didn’t say it with a lot of conviction. "Uh, they are all going back, aren’t they?"
Wiz shook his head. "No. I learned my lesson. Jerry’s going to stay behind on a long-term contract to help with the programming. He isn’t the teacher that Karl is, but he’s a lot better than I am. In another year or so he can leave and we’ll be able to use our own people."
"Oh," said Malus. "But just one, you say?"
"Just one."
Moira, who was standing behind them, grinned at the byplay and turned her attention back to the programmers. They were all glad to be going, she saw. The work had been interesting, but the job was done. Now it was time to move on to other things.
Moira felt a pang. She would miss them, with their strange jokes and their casual insanities and their odd, warped way of looking at the universe. She would miss the camaraderie she had shared with them and even their cheerful way of working themselves into blind exhaustion to meet their goals.
But much as she liked them, they were not of her World. Malus was right. They did not belong here and it would be hard on everyone if they stayed.
Still, it hurt to say goodbye.
"Lady?" a voice said softly. Moira turned and saw it was Judith. She had changed from the long dress and girdle she had worn around the keep and back into her slacks and unicorn T-shirt, the first time she had worn that outfit since arrival.
"I wanted to thank you before we left."
"Thank me?" Moira said blankly.
"For your advice. You know, up on the battlements that day. About romance and where you can find it."
Moira bobbed a curtsey. "I am glad it pleased you, My Lady."
Judith made a little face. "I don’t know that it pleased me, but it helped. You were right. If I want to see the romance in the world I am going to have to stop looking for someone else to create it for me." She smiled wryly. "If I can’t count on anyone else to make my dreams real I’ll have to do it myself."
"How will you do that?"
"I’m going to write a fantasy trilogy," said Judith. "It’s going to be full of romance and color and heroics."
"And dragons?"
Judith grinned. "Oh yes. Lots of dragons."
"Well, you’ll have the money to do it," Nancy said as she and Mike joined them. "If you’re not extravagant you can live for a while on what this job paid, even at Bay Area prices."
"Are you planning to live at ease on your new wealth?" Moira asked.
"Nope," Mike said. "We’re going to open a shop specializing in real-time programming and process control," Mike said.
"Yeah," Nancy added. "After this gig anything is gonna be easy." She looked over at Judith. "We were hoping to get you to join us, but I guess not."
"Oh, all this talking about leaving reminds me," Moira said. "Will you excuse me, My Ladies, My Lord?"
"You will be here to see us off, won’t you?"
"Oh yes," Moira said. "But there is one other detail that must be attended to. Please excuse me." She grasped Judith’s hands in hers. "And good luck."
"My Lords, Ladies, may I have your attention for a moment?"
Heads turned toward the dais where Moira was standing alone. "While you are all gathered here, and before you depart, there is one other denizen of our World we wish you to meet."
She gestured toward the side of the stage and a demon lurched out from behind the curtains. Nearly everyone in the room, programmers and wizards alike, gasped.
It was twelve feet tall, horned and fanged, with a barbed tail sticking out from underneath the jacket of its pin-striped suit. Its forest green skin contrasted vividly with its dark purple shirt and its stark white tie. Under one arm it carried a violin case big enough to hold a bull fiddle.
Moira smiled sweetly. I am certain you all remember the non-disclosure agreement you signed when you took this job?"
The programmers gulped and nodded.
"This is Guido," Moira said. "He is our contract enforcer."
Guido favored the group with a smile that showed all three rows of dagger-like teeth.
Nobody said anything.
"Naturally we will insist on strict observance of the non-disclosure clause," Moira said and smiled sweetly again.
"Can that thing reach us when we get home?" Karl whispered to Jerry.
"You want to find out?"
Karl thought a minute. "No, not really."
Neither of them said anything as the demon clumped back behind the curtain.
"Boy, that’s one way to get everyone’s attention," Karl said.
Jerry scanned the room, counting people with his forefinger. "Not everyone. Danny’s missing."
"The little twerp’s probably late as usual."
"Hey, Fox," Jerry called across the room. "Where’s Danny?"
Larry shrugged. "I dunno. He collected his money and split."
"Well, if he doesn’t get back here soon he’s going to miss the bus. Damn! I’d better go find him."
Moira had come up to Jerry at the end of the exchange. "No, My Lord, you stay here. I will go find him."
Danny turned out to be in the first place Moira checked, which was his room. He was wearing an open-throated collarless shirt, light leather jerkin and trousers tucked into high soft boots. He was stuffing his belongings into a leather traveler’s pack. June stood next to him, so close he nearly bumped into her every time he turned to take more things form the cupboard.
"That is hardly appropriate for your world," Moira said, eyeing his clothing.
"I’m not going back," Danny said defiantly. "I’m going to stay here." June stood close and squeezed his hand hard.
Moira looked hard at June. She had a definite glow about her that meant only one thing to the hedge witch’s trained eye.
"You are pregnant!" she said accusingly.
June smiled shyly and nodded.
"You see," Danny said triumphantly. "I can’t go back."
Fortuna! Moira thought, didn’t the little ninny have enough sense to take precautions?
"You cannot stay, either. How to you plan to support yourself—and your family?"
"I’m staying," he said gruffly. "Here at the keep or someplace else, but there’s nothing back there for me. And I can work. It’s not like I’m lazy or anything.
"Look," he went on, almost pleading. "Wiz is going to need help, right? I mean like there’s still a shitload of stuff to do. Well, I can help him."