Geminid In the office after filming, Donna has a stranger in there with her, and she invites you to sit.

• Alice glances at the stranger, shrugs, and sits.

Geminid "This is Mr. Barbeq, from the Cameramna's Guild." He extends a hand to shake, "How do you do, Miss Higgins?"

• Alice glances at his hand, and ignores it. "What do you want?"

Geminid "He's here to ensure your contract is to union standards. He will read it out to you."

Geminid He says, "Unless you have a union representative or lawyer already?"

Alice "I don't know him from Adam. Can I take it to some people, bring it back tomorrow?"

Geminid Donna looks at the union rep, who shrugs, "As long as the union gets a look as well, I don't particularly mind."

Geminid Donna nods, "You don't get paid until we have a signed copy of that in our files, Alice."

Alice "Fine."

Geminid She nods, and Barbeq takes his leave.

Geminid Donna says, "Right now, let me point out that clause five states that all pictures taken on set are subject to our approval before you do anything with them."

• Alice grins. "So I can't pin up picture of the cunt falling on her ass around town? 'Cept I got some of those already, and ent signed nothin' yet."

Geminid She coldly stares at Alice, "Contract or not, Miss Higgins, we can take you to court. If you're found liable for any damages and can't pay them, they will put you in debtor's prison. It's not pleasant. That said, I've ways to keep track of how many pictures you take, anyway, so if I don't have all of them on my desk in the morning, I will know."

Alice "I ain't afraid of prison." She shrugs. "You'll get 'em."

Geminid "Good. Now... do you take private jobs?"

• Alice looks up at her. "What kinda jobs?"

Geminid "The kind where you get pictures of certain people I want to watch on their off time."

Alice "Maybe. What people? Why d'you care what they're doin'?"

Geminid "If you need to know the latter, you're not the person I need for this job."

• Alice grins.

Alice "What're you offering?"

Geminid "Twenty five dollars a week, and one hundred for pictures of the subject with... certain rivals."

Alice "Hundred per of those?"

Geminid "I only need one. Why pay for more than that?"

Alice "Hundred per rival, then? You said more'n one of those."

• Alice can't quite keep the awe off her face at the thought of so much, but she tries to maintain her scowl.

Geminid She looks you over a moment, "There's more than one rival, but he'll only be with one of them. I just don't know which one."

Alice "What if he's playing more'n two sides?"

Geminid She sighs, "If he is, yes, you will get one hundred per. But it won't happen. He's not that bright."

Geminid "Will you take the job?"

Alice "Yeah."

Geminid She leans in, close, and says, "If you tell anyone about this, Miss Higgins, I will put your face all over town with the words 'unregistered lycanthrope' plastered under it. It will get /very/ unpleasant around here for you if you cross me. Understood?"

• Alice grins at her. "Try it. Everyone matters on the street knows. Cloaks know. All tellin' the grubs'll do is get me off this lot."

Geminid "Do you understand the concept of public opinion, Miss Higgins?"

Alice "Yeah, it's what airheads like the cunt care about."

Geminid "Right now, those on the streets who know, they don't do anything about it not because they are scared of you, or like you, but because it doesn't benefit them to. The Cloaks, well, they're ineffectual. But if the whole city knows what you are, then suddenly, the Cloaks will become more effectual, and those on the streets will start seeing how they can benefit by doing you yharm. You won't be able to go anywhere without someone knowing, and they will all revile you. They will try to hurt you. You might survive it, but it won't be /pleasant/. Got it?"

She pauses, "Oh, and the hunting lodge doesn't know yet."

Alice "Think so? Then fucking try it. See how fast I can be air. I don't do blackmail from this side."

Geminid "And while this might be only nominally more unpleasant than your life is, it's much, much more unpleasant than what I could make your life with all that money, which you also won't get if you cross me."

Geminid "It's not blackmail. It's how things are, Miss Higgins."

Geminid "It's our verbal contract. You fuck me, I fuck you. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. Got it?"

• Alice grins a grin with lots of teeth in it, one that'd be more impressive if Alice in general was. "I'll do it for the money. But if it comes to fucking each other, you got a lot further to fall."

Geminid "You're a vicious little brat, aren't you? David Canter. I want him followed. If he's seen with anyone from the other studios, I want pictures. If he's with Seamon, I need proof they're working on something behind our backs. Any shots with him and Cameron Mensch will also do."

Alice "Figured it was him. Wanna tell me anything might help get your pictures faster?"

Geminid "No."

Geminid "You're dismissed."

• Alice sticks the contract in the ragbag her photos are in, then stands. She curtsies sarcastically and walks out.

Geminid Donna ignores her.

Alice To whether I could tell if they'd be a while?

Geminid Not too long

Alice Not time to get my pictures done, then.

Geminid You follow David?

Alice Yeah. How dark is it?

Geminid 815 in spring? Getting dark.

• Alice just skulks in alleys for now. Once it's proper dark, she'll fly.

Geminid It's not long til dark, and then you're airborne after him.

Geminid He's driving a nice car out to Uptown.

• Alice tries to keep up.

Geminid Flying, it's easy. He drives to a nice house in Uptown and gets out. He drops a cigarette to the ground and stamps it out before going into the house.

• Alice peeps in windows.

Geminid It's nice inside, a cushy place. David is on the phone with someone, but you can't make it out, especially not over the jazz records he has playing.

• Alice goes full bat form and puts her ear to the wall.

Geminid "...how high the moooon..." "Not tonight." "...somewhere there's muuusic..." "Because I'm tired. It was a long day." "...if it ain't got that swing..." "I'll tell you all about it this weekend or something. The first week is always rough on us." "...do wa do wa..." "Yeah. Goodnight." He hangs up.

• Alice resumes peeping.

Geminid He turns off the phonograph and goes into a bedroom.

• Alice moves to that window.

Geminid He's stripping down for bed.

• Alice tries to keep her lust in check.

Alice Rather

Geminid He goes into the bathroom, where there are no windows.

• Alice listens again.

Geminid You hear a shower running.

• Alice rolls her eyes and groans under her breath, or as much as she can as a bat. She's trying to wait for him to get squared away so she can snap a shot to prove she was here and get on with other things.

Geminid About twenty minutes later, she gets it as he lies down to bed and shutsout the lights.

Alice "/Thank/ you."

Geminid Where to now?

• Alice flies back toward the lot. She eats on the way, and would have done on the way here as well when opportunity presented.

Geminid MM, bugs.

Alice Indeed.

Geminid The lot is dark and onlu security is around.

• Alice heads for the darkrooms.

Geminid She has one interesting shot:

Geminid Her shot of the final scene right after, the first shot is a bloody corpse of Noble Clarkson having been destroyed by the Scissor Man.

Geminid The others are normal, but that one is of the flash you all saw.

• Alice makes an extra copies of that, as well as of each she took for her own pleasure.

Alice Two extra copies of that one, actually. One for the crow, if it wants it.

Geminid Where does she go after that, then?

Alice Knowledge temple. Someone's gotta be still up.

Geminid It's dark and closed at this hour, but for one small entrance.

• Alice makes use of that entrance, then.

Geminid A man looks up as you enter, "No unauthorized entry, miss. Book drop is at the front."

• Alice takes out the now slightly-crumpled sheaf of papers. "I need this read. I can pay information."

Geminid He frowns, then glances at it. "You just need something read to you?"

Alice "Yeah. By a priest."

Geminid He nods, "I am a priest, miss. No charge." He proceeds to read it.

Alice "I don't take fucking handouts."

Geminid He looks at you a moment then says, "This is a temple. Watch your tongue, you filthy rapscallion."

• Alice snorts. "Rapscallion? What d'you wanna know for the read?"

Geminid He sighs, "Nothing. Either take the handout, or get out."

Alice "Fuck you too, then."

Geminid He hands the contract back.

• Alice goes to try the temple of truth.

Geminid The front doors are open.

• Alice enters.

Geminid "Welcome, Alice Higgins," a priest says, and bows.

• Alice eyes him at the naming. "You know why I'm here, too?"

Geminid "Just your name, I'm afraid. How can I help?"

Alice "I want to buy a reading. I need this read true."

Geminid He looks at it, "Five dollars."

Alice "Give you two."

Geminid He shrugs, "Deal."

• Alice gives him two dollars of the money she lifted from the Vision church this morning, then gives him the contract.

Geminid He reads it out. Wages listed, hours you can work, overtime, when and where you need to be, a spot on the lot to sleep, rules of the pictures and need for approval, food three times a day, moon hours off if needed...

Alice That's the full moon taken care of then.

Alice Any rules I should know of, other than what she said?

Geminid Nothing unheard of. You can't assault people, etc, and you have to show up and all that

Alice "Got a pen?"

Geminid He hands her one

• Alice puts her mark on the line and puts the papers in her rag-bag, then turns to go.

Geminid "Wait."

• Alice turns back.

Geminid "You didn't sign a name. It needs to be notarized to be valid. May I?"

• Alice frowns, then shrugs and hands the pen and contract back.

Geminid He takes you back to an office, where he gets out a stamp and stamps it for you.

Alice "That it?"

Geminid He nods, "Well, I already witnessed your 'signing' it, so that's all that's left, really."

• Alice rebags the contract and turns to go again.

Geminid He lets you this time.

Geminid Where to now?

• Alice gets outside and flies to the beach. Again, she eats on the way - hard to get full without solidly devoting time to it.

Geminid The beach is sandy and wet.

Alice "Crow!"

Geminid "You're so personable, you know that?"

Geminid He's sitting on a post nearby.

Alice "I try."

• Alice goes into her bag, and offers the snuff shot. "Took this today."

Geminid He frowns, "I thought I told you to stay away from the Scissor Man."

• Alice holds up another. "This was a few seconds later. Cept for right when I took the first picture, it was a fucking prop."

Geminid He stares, "Someone made an effigy of the Scissor Man?" He laughs. "Idiots."

Alice "They smashed it to bits later. Probably ain't gonna use it again. It's not part of the other stuff, then?"

Geminid "The Scissor Man is a being of nightmare. Images are subject to his power. Facsimiles are solid images. Do you follow?"

Alice "So that could happen any time someone makes a statue with a pair of clippers?"

Geminid "They have to intend it to be the Scissor Man and give it some... belief, some push, something."

• Alice grins. "Neat."

Geminid "Don't play with it. I have... too many issues with the Scissor Man to be able to help you if he targets you."

Alice "Ain't planning to. Probably."

Geminid He shrugs, "Our contract is invalid if you ignore my warnings."

• Alice shrugs. As well as she hides it, he can probably tell she's taking the warnings more seriously than she tries to let on.

Alice "Only other stuff happened on set today was the vapid cunt making an idiot of herself a hundred times over, and Donna's got me following the asshole scared her shitless the other day."

Geminid "The set construction director? Did she say why?"

Alice "She wants me to catch him getting in bed with some rivals."

Geminid He nods, "Did you listen to the radio today?"

Alice "No."

Geminid "Find one to put an ear to before you sleep. Some news might interest you."

• Alice tilts her head. "Ok. Oh, the frigid bitch tried to blackmail me to keepin' straight, too. And the union knuckledragger and the smiling idiot were missing."

Geminid He nods. "Nothing unexpected."

Alice "Yeah. I don't got nothin on her yet, but the wrenchhead scares her, so keeping wih him might get me something for that, too."

Geminid "Be careful what corners you poke your nose in, child. There are unpleasant ways to die, even if you'll be coming back again after."

Alice "If it's worth it, I'll manage."

Geminid He shrugs, "Is there ought else?"

• Alice shakes her head.

Geminid He nods, then turns into a murder of crows.

Geminid He's gone.

Alice Was there anything else I said I needed to do tonight?

Geminid Do you hit a public radio spot?

Alice Oh! Yes.

Geminid Reports of locust sightings and people killed by locusts all through the city.