Kiss the Cook

Jeff

Mitch shows up weirdly early with a case of Budweiser, dressed in the finest leisurewear Goodwill can offer. Two words: powder blue.

Rob

Archie greets Mitch warmly, introduces "MJ" to Melanie and the kids, including Charley if she's around. If Mitch arrived early, Melanie probably deputizes him with some jobs. (Is it too sit-com-y if Archie does a spit-take when Mel asks MJ if he wants to help start the grill? See, because fire).

It may be a while before Archie and Mitch can actually talk without interruption ("Dad, where does this go?" "Um, better ask your mother, sweetheart.") but at some point once things have gotten going, when Mitch & Archie are standing together at the grill, the podiatrist from next door drifts away, and nobody else happens to be in earshot, Archie says, "So." (pause) "I guess that was, ah, 'going on the offensive.' How are you feeling about how all that played out?"

Jeff

Mitch glances around to double-check that no one is overtly listening in. "I feel pretty good about it, man. What did it look like to you, I was wondering. Seems like it looked like a different thing to different people."

Rob

"I don't think we should put too much stock in anything we saw up there. There was a lot of smoke and mirrors." Archie puts a hamburger on somebody's bun, tells them "bon appetit!" After they walk away: "Regarding what you did... I didn't actually see anything. But I think I understood. Somebody called it a 'Working.'" Archie nods towards Jocasta, talking to Charley or Viv on the other side of the yard. "It was a tense moment, though. Are you two [meaning Mitch and Jo] going to be, ah, copacetic, going forward?"

Jeff

"Smoke and mirrors," Mitch repeats. "You think it was a trick? That was kind of what Jocasta implied, too... I dunno, it didn't seem like a trick. It seemed like something happening that the Kings didn't want to happen. Or wouldn't have wanted to happen, if they existed. You have to exist to want things, right? You're an ad man, you'd know..." Mitch sips his beer. "Sorry if I'm a little all over the place. There's been a lot, this past couple of weeks."

Rob

"Oh, not what you did! No, I meant the hallucinations. The enemy's illusions. I mean, you could have almost believed we were" (looks around, voice drops) "in History B, if that were possible!" Archie shakes his head. "It is a lot. You've been through a lot. We all have. Here's hoping we can all get a bit of rest and rejuvenation."

But after a bit of silence, he returns to the subject. "I don't even like thinking about that stuff [meaning History A, B, C, etc] but we really do need to know more about how it all works, don't we?"

"Take this Emperor Norton. Is he really a character from... somewhere else? Could he just be somebody from our own history, who got displaced for a while, 'bulldozed under' when we put up the Transamerica building or something? Or... did you dream him up? He seems like your sort of fellow."

Jeff

Mitch chuckles. "If I was going to wish somebody into existence she'd look more like Marjorie Cameron. Or Meredith Baxter... Nah, I think wherever Norton came from he didn't come out of me. The idea that he used to be here, and then something happened that repressed him, and now he's back, huh. That's not a way I thought about it. I imagine...there's all these ways that the world could be, right? They're not real, not like this." He gestures with his beer. "But we can talk about them like they're real, the same way the world of Peyton Place is something we can talk about even though it's not real. It acts real." He leans in a little bit. "I'm not saying anything here about the nature of reality, I'm just describing how we talk about ideas, right? There can be these internally consistent constructs that describe fictional worlds. One of those worlds is what we call History-B. Another one is Star Trek, right? Another one is this world but there's no Norton. Or there's extra Norton. Did the coin come from a place where there's extra Norton? No, because it's not a place. This is the only place. This is the only game in town...but maybe it's easier to pretend otherwise. That all these unreal, fictional world-constructs, Narnia and crap, if we pretend they exist out there somehow, and that History-B is one of them, an especially virulent version of them, then...maybe that's a more practically effective way to think about it. A model to use and get good results, even if we know it's wrong. Like fascism."

Rob

Archie processes that. "This is the only place... but there are stories. That's very good! Infectious stories, stories with a life of their own, like memes, really ... or super-memes, meta-memetic constructs." He looks over at his daughter Jane, probably hanging with a small clot of teenagers. "When Janey was little, she asked about the TV set: 'Where do the other channels go when we aren't watching them?' I wonder if it isn't like that too."

"It was Ms Abeille's idea to ask you about fascism on the roof. I knew I could trust you. I knew you'd never throw in with ... them, not in a thousand years. But in the moment, it suddenly felt dangerous — or, if not dangerous, maybe prideful — for one man to have that power. To make, or unmake, people from history? That's a lot of temptation. Heaven knows what I might have wished for in your place. Genevieve said we had to, what was it, instantiate the notion of democracy in your mind. And I remembered you'd been asking everyone that question."

(Didn't Leonard say at one point that Jo might look like Meredith Baxter? Or is that a retrocreation? I know Mitch has mentioned her before but I thought I had that in my mind.)

Jeff

Mitch nods. "There's a lot of stories, and some of them are blatant propaganda. What makes some stories more compelling than others? Why is it that the story of the..." Mitch trails off, unwilling in the moment to say Annunaki out loud. "Why is their story so insistent? If it's because we, people, we're fundamentally broken...I don't accept that. It doesn't hang together when you look at all the evidence."

"If human nature bends intrinsically towards fascism, like they claim, then where did all this antifascism come from?" He gestures around, like Archie's backyard is an antifa stronghold.

Rob

"Well, yes, exactly!" Archie's answering Mitch's gesture, and its implied meaning, as much as his question. "So I was thinking about what I'd say if you asked me whether human nature leads to fascism."

Jeff

"What do you think?"

Rob

"Well, first of all, I think it's more important to keep asking the question than to have an answer, if that makes any sense."

"But the other thing I decided was this:" Archie and Mitch are standing next to each other, both facing the yard, Archie's family and friends and all the food and drink and patriotic-kitsch decorations. In Archie's mind this IS an antifa stronghold, just as Mitch said. He claps a hand on Mitch's shoulder, a rare gesture from him. "MJ — Mitch — it is time for you to find yourself a nice girl."

Jeff

"You know Meredith Baxter?"

Mitch chuckles and quickly takes a drink.

Rob

"I'll bet Marshall does. But I wouldn't go that route. The celebrities he knows are all ... troubled."

Jeff

" ... yeah." Mitch chuckles again, suddenly super awkward.

Rob

"I'm serious, though! Like I said, up on the roof I knew you'd never ever throw in with, the competition. But... forgive me for thinking this, I did wonder: how committed is Mitch to this world, to this storyline? Would he, could he... cook up a world where Bobby Kennedy is president... or emperor... just to make a point?"

Jeff

"Man..." Mitch has finished his beer; he looks at the empty can sadly. "If it was...do you think we live in the best of all possible worlds? Like, for real? This is as good as it could possibly be?"

Rob

"I've heard you talk about having 'skin' in 'the game', Mitch. Well, that's how you get it. Love. Family. Community. When we were up on the roof, Charley was there, of course, but also: Eddie was right downstairs. That's what kept me anchored. I understand the appeal of a better world than this. Believe me, I do. But, if my family wasn't in it, it wouldn't be a better world."

Archie looks up, sees Jo and Viv approaching, and says, "Uh-oh! Here comes the Atlantean delegation."

Leonard

"Chief," Jocasta says, trotting over from speaking to Marshall. "We come in peace and in search of food."

Rob

Archie's wearing the Kitchen King apron, then, who am I to fight it? He calls out to Jo & Viv as they approach. "Carolyn! Genevieve! So glad you could both make it. And you've met! Can I interest either of you in a Ransom burger?" Then to Viv, suddenly mock-stricken: "You're not a vegetarian, are you?"

Mandy

"I have been on occasion, but never on the 4th of July." Viv winks "Can I get one with cheese? Thank you so much for having me over Archie; your home is lovely! Which of the kids are yours? Is your wife around? I brought her a little something to say thank you for hosting"

Rob

Archie finds Melanie, calls her over, makes introductions, describing Viv as "a writer, the guest of honor at the big sci fi do," and scans the yard to point out Jane, Eddie, and Charley (acting as if she and Viv hadn't met). "And Carolyn here is Charley's tutor. But she's probably just told you that." He's a little keyed up / awkward around Viv; he might stay in jovial cover identity mode longer than is strictly necessary, to postpone talking for real.

Mandy

Viv gives the fancy chocolates to Melanie with a smile and compliments Archie and her on their family, their home, the burger. She picks up on Archie's awkwardness and is, herself, seemingly putting a bit of extra heft into the performance of these niceties(edited)

Michael

"Oh, these look delightful," Melanie says, looking at the box of fancy Ghirardelli chocolates from the St. Francis gift shop. "Positively sinful. Oh look, honey, they have your favorites, the cherry cordials." Melanie is pointing at the box while standing right next to Archie. "This is awfully thoughtful of you, Genevieve was it? So nice to meet you. Did you have fun at the convention then? I imagine five days of being the center of attention must be awfully tiring!"

Mandy

"Oddly enough I find I'm really in my element in those sorts of scenarios; the opportunity to rise to the occasion is thrilling. Most of the time I lead a very grounded, professional, private existence, so I have lots in reserve for these types of rare events."

Rob

Archie starts explaining to "Carolyn" about the sci fi con, trapping her both in this awkwardness and a conversation about science fiction.

Michael

"Why, that's amazing. I know Archie had his own little fan club when he did the puppet show in Los Angeles. Remember, hon? The Ransom Rangers? They'd follow him around the market when he was doing the shopping, little ones recognizing him from television. He was like the Pied Piper sometimes, I swear." Melanie grins with real puppy love at her husband. "That love of being out in public and performing, I think it must be in the blood because I certainly don't have any."

"Well, you really will have to excuse me, all; our little oven and a rotating cast of a dozen casseroles awaits," Melanie says. "Again, delighted to make your acquaintance, Genevieve, and don't worry, I'm putting these," she hefts the box of Ghirardelli with a conspiratorial grin to Viv, "on the nightstand in the bedroom so none of the kids will get at them." Melanie retreats leaving the Kitchen King with Viv and "Carolyn."

Leonard

"See what I mean?" Jocasta says with a smile. "We learn to compartmentalize."

Rob

Archie watches Melanie head back into the house, an "isn't she a peach?" kind of smile on his face. Then, to both Viv & Jo, following Jo's remark: "We do indeed. On that note: we will need to pull the group together at some point, to talk some shop with Genevieve and Andrew. Maybe when the fireworks get started? But in the meantime, have fun! Celebrate your, ah, independence. I know Charley will be excited to see each of you."

Brant

The sound of a camera snap as Marshall poses for a photograph with three teenage girls — Jane Ransom and two of her hippie-ish friends. They all make peace signs. The girls giggle embarrassedly.

Mandy

Viv takes her burger and her brush off and wanders away.

Leonard

Her belief in sisterhood having overcome her intense desire for a hot dog, Jocasta gives a fleeting glare and scampers off to join Viv.

Bill

At some point, Roger will get free of his 'station' and come over to Archie's. He will politely decline a request as he walks over: "I'll be back in fifteen, knock yourself out. Sorry, no. Look, it's my break, ma'am." He'll grab a paper plate (Chinet? Or Dixie?) and a bun, and sidle over to Archie at the grill.

"So, what's in this Ransom burger, boss?"

Rob

Archie grins. "I'm afraid that's classified, soldier." He looks around for someone to take his place at the grill for a spell — can I say he grabs Andrew, hands him a spatula, puts the Kitchen King apron on him? — and gives Roger a burger, also taking one for himself. "I was just about to come over and order you to stand down, actually. This won't make me popular with all the drinkers, but: Roger, you're not supposed to be working! Which reminds me: Friday was your birthday?! My goodness. Thank you for not calling in sick."

When they're a little distance away from the grill and any eavesdroppers, Archie says, more earnestly, "Seriously. Thank you. Everybody stepped up there, but you... You held everything together for a while. Not to mention looking out for my boy. I won't forget any of that, Roger. How are you feeling?"

Bill

"It's cool, boss: it's my pleasure to expose Pacific Heights to some fine 'exotic' drinking options. And well, as usual, it's just easier to not correct some of the crankier types. About birthdays, well, I heard I'm not alone in having one. If it's not a big deal for you, it's not one for me."

"And for thanking me, well..." Roger shrugs and smiles. "You turned around and pulled my fat out of the fire, so maybe I should be thanking you." He looks at the ground for a beat, then up, but not quite in Archie's eyes. "That was a tough one. Kinda had to pull out all the stops. Some, well, I don't usually like to pull out. And I don't feel so good about one particular one." He looks right at Archie at that, looking for his reaction.

Rob

"Well." Archie takes a bite of his burger, chews thoughtfully. "I was going to say, we all had to throw ourselves into our roles, in the big make-believe game. And you really came through there as well, even injured. But, you're not talking about Agent Double-O Seven, are you?"

Bill

"I do want to talk to you some time about the Agent sometime, definitely. And how make-believe that was or wasn't. But no, I'm not talking about him right now." Roger pulls himself upright, takes off the sunglasses, looks pretty serious. "I'm talking about the Master of the Crossroads, who you heard from over that phone call. And, yeah, I just heard myself, and I'm still hesitating calling him by name in front of you. I can't be doing that no more. I'm talking about El Diablo, the Adversary. The Devil. That's who we need to talk about. Maybe not today, but soon. I don't want him to screw this up. How do you want to do it?"

Rob

Archie puts down his burger. "Yes. That phone call. It did throw me, hearing you on the phone and realizing, well, that I wasn't hearing you." He looks around to make sure they're not being overheard. "I understand that these, ah, entities you call on, that they're more than just, what does it say in your file, 'personae subroutines'? I understand they're more than that. But ... you don't, actually, mean ... the ... well ... the ... er ... Devil. I mean. Ha ha. You're talking metaphorically. Surely."

Bill

Roger still looks serious. “Papa Legba, he isn’t St. Peter and he would say that. He might say he’s related. But Maître Carrefour, he will take any title, claim any origin, all kinds of outrageous things. He is a terrific liar. Is he the true Satan? How could we tell? But my people do not doubt his power.”

“But sir: in the matter of the Enemy, I know he is their enemy. He is the great Rebel, after all. I think he might have been there, been part of the spirit of that time.”

“Gimme the straight dope. Are you willing to keep working with a Devil?”

Rob

Archie thinks about that for a second, deflects the question a bit. "I grew up believing in the devil. My grandfather said Satan was Jesus' brother — his younger brother, which always confused me. But Grandpa also said he'd wrestled Bigfoot, who was actually Cain, so..." Archie shrugs. "I figured I'd outgrown all that, before I joined SANDMAN."

He takes a thoughtful bite of his burger. "Now, Joseph Smith said the Adversary's punishment for rebelling against God was that he has no material body. So he can't manifest in this world, 'excepting he obtains the tabernacle of man.' Who does that remind you of?"

"I value and respect your faith, Roger. I think it helps in our line of work. Even if it's tricky sometimes to maintain the separation of church and state. I have trouble understanding how taking on that identity can be ... compatible with your religion, but let's set theology aside for now. My real question is practical. When you ... access an entity like that ... how do you stay in control? How do you know you won't lose yourself?" The way Archie asks, it doesn't seem like a theoretical question, or like he's only asking about Roger.

Bill

“Well, setting aside ‘religion’ is a little hard here, because that’s how the situation stays in control. It takes faith. And I’m not talking about ‘belief’ here: I’m talking keeping true to a pact. Keeping trust, I think you say? It’s funny, I only ever hear the English for this from bankers and lawyers. Easier to say in French or Danbe. What’s that word? Oh, right: covenant. Keeping covenant? I think that’s it. I keep covenant with my riders, and they with me. The loa we have kept covenant with are the ones who have kept covenant with us for generations. We have trust. This devil might do small things I don’t like, or things out of my control. I have to put myself in his hands entire— rarely, but it happens— but he does not break covenant with me. A devil that did, we would have cast him out long ago.”

“You keep covenant with God, right boss? Comes from the same place. Yeah, most priests full on wig out when you talk to them about this— usually the control freaks all obsessed with the Law. But faith, keeping covenant— it’s more than sticking to the letter of the law, isn’t it? With faith, I can give up control to these higher powers, knowing they keep faith with me and my people.”

“But that’s not to say it isn’t work. Maintaining trust takes work on both sides. I gotta be very careful, restate the rules of the deal, all the time. I have my work. But the loa have theirs too. Like, this loa you found, the Agent. Yeah, you found, boss— we gotta talk about that, but not right now. I don’t know him. I trust him only as far as I trust Papa Legba for introducing him. We gotta work out a covenant before he gets to ride again. And I gotta know more about him: he ain’t got no history with the tradition — well, that I know of. I’m gonna have to ask around. I got a lot of questions, work to do. Some of those are coming at you, as the houngan that found how to call him.”(edited)

Roger's Ransom burger is getting cold. He kinda comes to out of his insistent talking, stops himself. He takes a look around a little guiltily, checking no one else was listening. He forgets his burger again.

Rob

"The 'loa' I found?" Archie starts to demur, but thinks about it more, drops that thread for now, just like Roger suggested. "So it's all deals, contracts, covenants... now that sounds like 'American Magic.'"

"My old partner at the ad agency, fellow named Jack Ogilvie, never liked to let me negotiate with clients without him there. Thought I was too trusting, I might give away the store, ha ha."

"But we make all sorts of deals, and compromises, don't we? And it has to be possible for human beings to make wrong choices, or else we're not really free. I think the devil's a metaphor for all that — and I'm not saying 'just' a metaphor! Go ask Mitch about storylines."

For most of this, Archie has been standing beside Roger, eating his burger, watching the Jarts game. But here he looks at Roger directly. "I don't know how I feel about working with a 'devil,' Roger, but I know how I feel about working with you. If your conscience is clear about all this, mine is.' Say: are we paying you enough?"

Bill

Roger looks kinda star struck. But he manages a wise-crack anyway. “Probably not, boss. You should look into that.” He gives Archie the two hand, two-fingered-pistol point.

“But— and you didn’t hear me tell you this— with the trust we have in this place, you could probably get me for minimum wage. But don’t! I’m worth a hell of a lot more. Your conscience couldn’t stand the injustice.”

Roger puts back on his best “Damn I’m Good” aura, and takes a big old bite out his Ransom burger. “Pretty good, Kitchen King. Maybe needs a little more Tabasco.”

Leonard

Jocasta strolls back over and picks up the other bottle of wine she brought. "Archie," she says, "I'm very, very hungry, and I hear you operate a mean grill."

Rob

"Hungry? We can't have that!" Archie leads Jo across the yard, saying, "I'm off on furlough but I can still get you V.I.P. treatment." He brings her to Andy, sweating at the grill, and says to both of them, "Now, remind me: have you two met?"

Michael

"I...." Andy stammers, "I mean, I'm having a fine time, thank you. And I'm very glad to meet you under not just more pleasant circumstances but, uh, victorious ones." He nods, very pleased at himself, and flips a couple of burgers. "I don't know if I ever did get your name. Friday is a bit of a blur now."

Leonard

“I don’t know if I ever offered it. My social graces have been embarrassingly lacking lately.” She offers wine to anyone who’s interested and says “Jocasta Menos, but you didn’t hear that from me. Despite the circumstances of our introduction I hope you’ll accept my sincere thanks for helping us out so effectively.”

Michael

"It all makes sense now, of course. And I have to compliment you specifically. You showed what looked like balls of steel on that roof on Friday night. Can't have been easy."

Leonard

“I try to make it look easy, anyway,” she smiles. “Much as you and Genevieve did. Cheers.”

Michael

"If you ask me, he's the man of the hour." Andy points with his can of Coors at Archie. "He took my world and made it sing. The way the game scenario unfolded in those hours we worked together... amazing. And then he ends up in the game himself! So wait. Which side were you on? Your costuming said Atlantis but your badassery said MARPA."

Leonard

“Oh, I’ll let Archie field that question. I just came over for a hot dog.”

Michael

Andy eyes Jo and smirks. "Come on. How can I not be cleared for that information, I wrote half the game!" He laughs and rolls a hot dog over to get it more even. "Couple of minutes. Want your buns toasted?"

Leonard

“Plain is fine. Gotta keep in shape,” she says with a wink. “You wouldn’t believe the kind of people you run into in this business.”

Michael

"Well, I think it's nice that you can all get together like this outside of work. But I guess normality is sort of what you're all fighting for, in a way." Andrew looks a bit thoughtful, a bit wistful. "You know, I only really started caring what the personal lives of MARPA agents might be like in my third book, the one where the protags are over in Situationist Atlantean Paris. To determine how they'd respond to French meem-etics." (Andy's still learning the real-world lingo for the stuff he subconsciously put in his books.)

"What books did they read, what albums did they listen to, what were their real political allegiances as opposed to being blindly jingoistic fighters for the USA." Andy said, "Some of my old fans found including that kind of stuff absurd or pointless, but I dunno... I kind of want to know how my characters live outside of MARPA HQ. What their dreams are, what the fight against Atlantis is doing to them."

"Of course now the geopolitics of the Atlantis Risen world are going to change. Now that both sides have a much bigger enemy to fight."

Leonard

“Between you and Viv, my reading list has really expanded,” Jocasta says.

Michael

Andy laughs. "Read her stuff first, please. There's less of it and definitely less crap. Besides, it sounds like you live Atlantis Risen anyway. Why read about it? One hot dog coming up."

Leonard

“My hero,”, she says, stepping away just long enough to destroy the frank in very unladylike fashion.

Michael

"So, if I may ask, although this may be classified as well, I realize..." Andy sort of desperately seeks out a glad-handing host Archie in the crowd, "what's the deal with the guy with the Tarot cards? I think I remember him... er, surveilling me last week and when I saw him there was... well, how else can I say it, an aura about him."