Many Worlds Interpretation of Azure Cove: Chapter 1
This is the first chapter to my new book, The Many Worlds Interpretation of Azure Cove (paperback | kindle). This is a loose sequel. If you haven’t read the first book, The Azure Cove Assignment (paperback | kindle), you may want to start there. But if you would like a taste of the new book, and don’t mind some spoilers for the first one, I think the early paragraphs of this chapter sum up the first book enough so that someone could follow along even if they haven’t met the characters from the first one.
Chapter One
Max wasn’t sure he had ever been so worried and excited at the same time before. He’d graduated with honors. He now owned a home, and was not only going to go to grad school but had a stipend. Still, he felt some looming dread.
Perhaps it was the worry that he’d screw it up and this newfound hope would be lost that troubled him as he got ready for bed. That may have been one source of worry. The main source of the worry was his parents coming the next morning and what they would think of his situation and of his friends that lived on the cul-de-sac with him.
His neighbors were strange, it was true, but after helping them solve a mystery involving an escaped artificial intelligence, life-like androids, and a coup attempt in the company that essentially ran the city, Max had come to embrace the strange and appreciate each of his neighbors’ antics. The fact that they often fed him both with ideas and actual sustenance didn’t hurt matters. And now with the term over and the summer starting he was looking ahead to what they called “summer project season.”
He knew he couldn’t stop his parents from judging him and the others. He knew that worrying about it wasn’t going to help either. And yet that didn’t make him worry any less.
Max turned out the lights and closed his eyes, but it didn’t take. His insomnia hadn’t been a problem for most of his undergraduate years. If he couldn’t sleep, he’d just stay awake and get things done, then he’d power through on a mix of caffeine and desperation. Moving into the cul-de-sac had provided a free source of good weed which had helped keep the insomnia away generally, up until a week earlier when it made a reappearance.
Insomnia’s encroachment had begun slowly at first. He had no trouble the first few days getting to sleep, but then something would happen in his dream that would wake him certain that there was someone else in the house. A creaking noise that wasn’t normal for the house settling, or he could swear that he heard voices, or footsteps. It got so bad he dreamt that there was a woman in the hall, but of course when he woke throwing off the bed sheets, there wasn’t anyone there.
It didn’t help matters that it was a large house for one person. Sarah lived in the same model on her own and Maria lived in the same model alone as well, but they had lived there for years and had filled the rooms with use. All of Max’s belongings combined filled only the living room and the bedroom, and sparsely at that. He had begun to turn one of the two other bedrooms into an office, but all that was in there to date was a lone desk, really just a bedroom door he had taken from its hinges, and a desk lamp.
With the house so empty, every imagined sound had imagined echoes. Though apart from the barren closets and cupboards, there were few places for a figment of his imagination to have hidden away in.
Knowing he’d have to be awake in the morning, Max had avoided coffee, took an extra hit of Tran’s home grown weed, and had settled in with a comfortread book hoping the sleep would come. No such luck. Between the looming arrival of his mother and her potential disapproval, and the fear that he’d be up all night, he felt doomed to the insomnia. The sequence of fear had already been initiated.
That fear could spiral. He knew it all too well, a self-fulfilling prophecy at work. He was certain Sarah could define it in some sort of observer effect lecture that would somehow delve into the Standard Model of Particle Physics and twist it into the highly theoretical until he could no longer tell the boundaries between what she believed to be true and what she was saying just to fuck with him. Max wasn’t sure she knew where the boundary stopped, either. Lights shone on the hallway wall then flickered off.
Max cursed himself. He was being ridiculous by letting his imagination sabotage him. Aware it was ludicrous, he still got out of bed.
He walked down the hall to the light switch where the stairs reached the landing on the second floor and immediately felt even more stupid staring at the switch which was clearly off.
Shaking his head made him feel dangerously off balance. He teetered toward the stairs before regaining his equilibrium.
He was about to return to bed when he caught the trace of an odd smell coming from the kitchen downstairs.
When he arrived, the scent seemed to be strongest over the kitchen island, but the more he sniffed, the more it seemed to dissipate. Max wondered if he’d suffered a stroke. He placed the odor as less burnt toast and more ozone. He turned on all the kitchen lights wondering if a bulb had exploded, realizing LEDs didn’t blow up.
He shivered. June could be cooler in Southern California, especially with Azure Cove being on the coast, but inside the house? Max was rarely cold and only turned on the heater one or two nights a year. Those evenings were always in January or early February, and only if there was a super cold spell.
He stood in his fully lit, dead-of-night kitchen waiting to see if something else would happen. Nothing did. The draft dissipated, the smell of ozone long gone.
He went back to his bedroom.
Closing his eyes proved difficult. Each time he managed to shut them, he opened them, staring at the clock and seeing that depressingly little time had passed since the last time he looked.
He wasn’t sure when he’d fallen asleep, but there was a woman standing over the bed. He flung off the blankets and switched on the light. She was nowhere to be found.
His heart pounded and he was sweating. Then again, he’d been under more blankets than normal between March and late November. Any blankets were more than normal during summer. Was it cold in the room again? Did he have a fever? The light still on, he took his temperature. Normal. Was it the weed? He normally slept really well when he smoked. Max wondered if Tran had given him sativa, the cannabis strain more associated for thinking and creativity, which might just possibly account for weirder dreams, instead of the indica, the strain he usually smoked before bed.
After his heartbeat reverted to normal and he confirmed that there was no stranger hidden away behind a closed door or something, he returned to bed staring at the clock and regretted the grim arithmetic of the last few hours he had before he had to be awake and ready for his parents.
He closed his eyes and opened them again, his subconscious still driving the train. It must have thought it could catch the imaginary woman before she got the chance to scare him again.
The moment he shut them again, he heard the woman say “Boy”, and he shot up in bed and turned on the light once more.
He didn’t remember calming down or going back to bed and wondered if he’d dreamed it all, even the part when he had woken up, when his alarm went off and it was light outside.
#
Max felt so tired; he kept spacing out and staring into nothing as he showered, dressed and finally got the coffee he required to function at even a minimal level ready. Of course, the doorbell rang early. Of course, they’d be early if he was running late.
He opened the door for his mother and father, vaguely noticing to his left behind them that Maria was watching Melvin’s kids. They were playing with some of her robot creations in her driveway. Maria repurposed toys. The kids loved them. Animated stuffed animals mostly. The kids were less likely to play with the robotic spiders or seeing eye drones Maria used for security in the neighborhood.
“Hi, I’m glad you could both come,” Max said, already feeling awkward.
“Can I get you something? I just made a pot of coffee.”
They followed him through the foyer and into the kitchen.
“I’ll have tea,” his mother said leaning on her elbows on the kitchen island.
She’d want it made in a teapot. Specifically, from the tea set she’d given him, the one that she’d bought when his parents took their big vacation to China. He was prepared for this. He went to his cupboard to get it, but it wasn’t there. There was instead a different tea set. A strange tiki culture set with a topless woman in a straw skirt on it.
He closed the cupboard door and opened it just a crack to look in as if what he’d see would somehow be different, that reality would correct itself. It was still the aberrant tea set inside.
Max remembered quite clearly putting the correct set in the cupboard when he moved in. His neighbors wouldn’t have changed it. It wasn’t their sort of prank. His old roommates who might have done such a thing wouldn’t have had the opportunity. There wasn’t time to solve the mystery, he could feel his mother’s eyes on him.
Both his parents were staring at him, no doubt wondering what the cause of the delay was.
He took his everyday kettle and put it on the stovetop. His mother would just have to have instant tea like everyone else who came over.
After the water boiled Max said, “While that steeps can I show you around?”
He led them on the tour. There wasn’t much to show since two of the four bedrooms were empty still, at least he’d gotten around to clearing the empty boxes out of the one that had become his storage for things he couldn’t deal with.
“And this woman just gave you this house?” his mother asked.
“Well, she didn’t give it to me. She gave me a private loan so I could buy it from her. I make monthly payments with interest, just less interest than a bank would charge, especially since I didn’t make a down payment.”
“And what does she get from this?”
“Apart from the money? I think she likes to make sure that she knows her neighbors.” Max didn’t bother explaining the full scheme of Sarah’s realty ideas. Namely that she wanted enough friendly people around her so that they could keep the housing association from causing trouble for her, but also that in the immediate part of the neighborhood, the cul-de-sac, she had friends who worked together communally to live and learn, an effective commune of knowledge seekers.
His mother didn’t answer, but he knew that nonresponse. He often wondered what was worse, her telling him she didn’t approve or her not telling him how much she disapproved.
“Sarah is really interesting. She’s a physics professor at the university. In fact, all my neighbors are professors or teachers. Doctor Sarah Huber teaches physics. Doctor Melvin Washington is a professor of mathematics, his wife Ana teaches at the high school, but also teaches a night class in women’s history. Dr. Tran Nguyen teaches both chemistry and botany. Doctor Maria Alvarez teaches history of science at the City College.”
“But you are not a professor.”
His father remained silent. There was a time when Max wasn’t sure his father could speak at all, but eventually he came to realize that he just didn’t like conflict. When there was something Max’s parents were unhappy with, his mother did all the talking.
“No, but going into grad school I’ll be TA-ing several classes each term. It’s good experience.”
“So, you want to become a professor now?”
“I don’t know.”
“When I was your age, I was already married. We had already bought our first business.”
He knew better than to answer her.
“Would you like to meet some of my neighbors? I don’t know who all is home but I know they’d all really like to meet you both.”
Max led them out of the house and started to fret. He’d told them all his parents were coming and that he’d be coming by, but how distracted they might be with their summer projects he didn’t know. Whether they’d all be awake yet, was another matter. He’d planned on talking with his parents longer, but with little to show them in his home apart from the accomplishment of being a homeowner at his age, something that his mother not only passed right by but had just added it effortlessly to the things to be judgy about, there wasn’t much to talk about. It all made the awkwardness of sitting alone with them instantly unbearable.
Tran’s house was closest, but Tran was the most likely to still be asleep, or worse, still awake from the night before, up all night on some music project. Figuring Melvin and Anna would be his best bet, Max led his parents past Tran’s house. But as they walked past, the front door opened and Tran came running out carrying a large boom mic, followed by a billow of pot smoke.
Tran stopped and stared at them. Max knew that stare well. It was the stare Tran got when he was on hallucinogens and working on his album project all night.
“Oh, hey, Max. They’re here already.” Tran smiled and looked up at the boom mic. “My name’s Tran,” he said to Max’s parents. “Um… I was just coming out to record the birds for the record I’m making as part of my summer project.”
Max’s parents said hello, but Max caught the “tut” from his mother even as Tran retreated inside.
They kept walking, Max’s mind reeling at what his mother would make of what they just saw.
They were about to walk up the path through the garden to the house when four spider-like robots the size of small dogs crossed the street and came running up directly to where Max’s parents stood.
Over the speakers, modulated robotic voices said, “You will be eaten. Robot spiders will eat you,” followed by modulated laughter.
Maria came running out of her garage followed by Melvin and Ana’s children, who skipped across the street and then stopped when they met the stare of Max’s mother. Max and Maria did the bulk of babysitting for Melvin and Ana as the other options, Tran and Sarah, were well-meaning but could be flighty and get wrapped up in their work to the point that they would forget that they were meant to be watching the children.
“I’m so sorry,” Maria said. “The kids got hold of the controls. My name’s
Maria. You must be Max’s parents.”
Again, his parents said polite hellos.
Maria said, “I better get them back in the garage.” She said to Melvin’s daughters, “Come on, you junior mad scientists.” The children and the robots all followed her back to her garage workshop.
This time Max’s mother didn’t tut. “Clarice said that this place is a mad house.”
Max’s father added, “Nate said that people go crazy when they spend so much time on their hobbies. This is what comes of having too much free time. If people only spent more time working on what they’re supposed to be tasked with.”
Max wasn’t sure he wanted to ask, but did anyway. “Who are Clarice and Nate? Friends of yours?”
His mother’s expression went from judgmental to disgusted. “No, Max. Do you not pay attention to politics? For someone who wants to be a journalist, you could read the news more.”
“I read a paper every morning. I’m certain I haven’t seen any mention of a Nate or Clarice.”
His father said, “Clarice is a candidate for the school board in Azure Cove. Nate is a venture capitalist investor. He’s complained that Azure Cove’s practices are unfair.”
“If they’re in Azure Cove, why are you so interested? You live in Anaheim.”
“Max,” his mother said, “Clarice is running for the school board here, but they are building a movement starting in Orange County. They hope to make things better, to take care of the children and protect them from… Who is that woman?” She pointed to the end of the cul-de-sac to Sarah’s house.
Sarah was standing between the raised beds of her garden, naked apart from a pair of welding glasses. She pointed a small device, a box with two flashing lights on top, up at the sun, taking measurements.
“Why is she naked?”
“She’s probably just distracted.” Max knew she could become pretty preoccupied, but this was different. Even when she floated in the sensory deprivation tanks, high on something Tran had brewed up, she at least wore a swimsuit. Max wondered what his mother would say about that. She arrived likely prepared to judge everything she saw. The sight of a seventy-year-old naked woman out on the sidewalk would either shock her or delight her for providing plenty of ammunition.
Sarah went back inside her home just as Ana and Melvin came out of theirs. “You must be Max’s parents,” Ana said. “Would you like to come inside and have some tea.”
For a moment his parents eyed them like they were weighing whether to go in or to get in their car and leave. To his relief, they followed Ana and Melvin inside.
Ana served tea, properly steeped in a teapot. Max figured that ought to mollify his mother, if there was any chance of overcoming the sight of Sarah naked on her lawn.
“You must be very proud of Max,” Ana said.
“Yes.” It was a short response, but Max was surprised to hear his father speak.
“Graduating with honors and being accepted to grad school, is no mean feat at UCAC,” Melvin said.
Max’s father didn’t answer. His mother scowled. “Why are your children playing with those toys with that woman across the street?”
Max winced. He wasn’t sure that he prepared the others for his mother’s tendency to be brusque.
Anna seemed unphased. “Melvin and I both had papers to grade. Maria had some free time, so she offered to watch them for us. Plus, it gives the kids a good chance to learn about robotics and some very basic electrical engineering.
Max also volunteers to watch the kids from time to time.”
“So, you teach as well?”
“Yes. I teach at the high school and night classes at the college.”
Max’s mother didn’t say anything, but he caught the judgy eyebrow lift. Did she now have something against teachers? Or women working? He figured that would be a little rich given that his mother had worked at their businesses the entire time he had been alive.
After they said goodbye to Ana and Melvin, Max thought about the visit as a whole. It could have gone worse, he supposed, at least he wasn’t the one that was naked. The thought cheered him less than he would have hoped. When his parents had left, his mother looked even more horrified and disappointed than he feared she would. He’d have to try and somehow make things better with them later. Right then, he had to figure out what was wrong with Sarah.
#
Max waited until after his parents had left and Sarah would hopefully have had some time to put on some clothes before he went to her house and rang the bell. There was no response. He waited awhile before he tried it again. What if she were sleeping? On the other hand, what if she were on the floor and needed help? Before he rang the bell a third time, he braced himself for the more likely possibility—that she’d be really angry at him for bothering her.
Her voice projected over the doorbell camera’s speaker. “For fuck’s sake, Max, just come in if you want.”
He went through the door, worried she’d only invited him inside so that she could more effectively yell at him.
The house was a disaster. It looked as though she’d brought all her boxes in from the garage. But whereas her boxes in the garage contained the components of various experiments, all the materials spread out on the floor and couches were notebooks, notepads and hand drawn pictures. Only the coffee table had any technology on it, and those were just some breadboards with components plugged into them.
Yes played loudly on the stereo. The skunky scent of cannabis was heavy in the air.
“Sit down, if you want to stay. Or stand. It’s all right by me either way.” Sarah was dressed, at least.
Max carefully picked up a stack of file folders so he’d have a place to sit. “Are you all right?” he asked her.
“Fine. Why do you ask?”
“You didn’t have any clothes on earlier.”
“I often don’t have any clothes on.”
“I mean in your front yard.”
“Oh, that. I was taking measurements and got distracted.”
Max looked around at the papers and general mess. “Can I help you find what you’re looking for?”
“I doubt it, but all things are possible.”
Max picked up a few notepads. “What is it we’re trying to find?”
“My youthful enthusiasm.”
Max noticed, for the first time, that the hand drawn pictures on the graph paper were not physics equations or graphs but hand drawn dungeons for roleplaying games. “When did you make these?”
“When I was in high school. Some are from when I was an undergrad.” “Even this one?” He held it up.
“Yes. Even that one. I designed the dungeon to be a circuit diagram because we were all doing breadboard kits and that’s the sort of thing that passed for clever at that time. Back then, there weren’t laptops to connect the breadboards to for power. You’d have to get batteries and hook ‘em up direct.” She smiled as she pulled open another box. There were more maps and pages of handwritten code. “We even wrote text adventures for our friends on our TRS80s and C-64s, though for me that was more stuff I got into in the dorms in college.” She sighed.
A moment passed. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Well, no. I’m not sure of anything. And this much nostalgia probably isn’t a great sign. Nostalgia can be a good thing if it’s pleasant reminiscing. But it can be a bad thing if we dwell on it so much so that we don’t move forward.”
“Which is this?”
“Too early to tell, but I guess I was wanting to pick up on that old sense of hope. Find one of the things that used to inspire me.”
Max wondered if her mood was more serious than momentary malaise and if he should talk to one of the others, all of whom had known her much longer. “Just the end of term getting you down, or something else? I thought you were looking forward to summer projects.”
“Oh, I am. I just worried that maybe I’m not looking forward to it as much as I should be.”
“You’re sure you’re okay?”
“I thought we covered the foolishness of certainty?” she smiled. For a moment she looked like herself again, but it gave way to a sadness he hadn’t seen in her before, which she covered, but he could tell that she was masking it and didn’t want to talk about it. “I’m sorry. I guess I have been out of sorts.”
“I know what you mean. I haven’t been sleeping. I even thought I saw a ghost last night.”
Sarah sat up on her knees and waved both hands. “Tell me everything.”
Max described the disruptions he witnessed the night before. “Am I crazy?”
Sarah’s eyes cleared as the last traces of her sadness faded and transformed to excitement. “Let’s go check out this haunted house of yours.”
