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rainet00 · 1 year

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Transport Booking Software Development Company

Introduction

In today's fast-paced world, the transportation industry has become an integral part of our daily lives. With the rise of technology, businesses in this sector are constantly looking for ways to streamline their operations and provide better services to their customers. This is where Rainet Technology comes in - a leading transport booking software development company that offers innovative solutions to help businesses achieve their goals. In this article, we will explore who Rainet Technology is, why they are the best in the business, and how they can help your business grow. So sit back, relax, and let's dive into the world of Rainet Technology!

Who is Rainet Technology?

Rainet Technology is a leading software development company that specializes in creating transport booking software solutions for businesses of all sizes. Based in India, Rainet Technology has been providing top-notch software development services to clients across the globe since 2012.

With a team of highly skilled and experienced developers, designers, and project managers, Rainet Technology is dedicated to delivering innovative and customized software solutions that meet the unique needs of each client. The company's commitment to quality and customer satisfaction has earned them a reputation as one of the best transport booking software development companies in the industry.

At Rainet Technology, the team understands that every business has different requirements when it comes to transport booking software. That's why they take a personalized approach to each project, working closely with clients to understand their specific needs and goals before developing a customized solution tailored to their business. Whether you're looking for a simple booking system or a complex logistics management platform, Rainet Technology has the expertise and experience to deliver exactly what you need.

Why Rainet Technology is the best transport booking software development company?

Rainet Technology is the best transport booking software development company for several reasons. Firstly, they have a team of highly skilled professionals who are experts in developing transport booking software that meets the unique needs of their clients. They use the latest technology and tools to create user-friendly and efficient software that streamlines the booking process.

Secondly, Rainet Technology has years of experience in developing transport booking software for various industries such as logistics, transportation, and travel. This experience has given them a deep understanding of the challenges faced by businesses in these industries and how to solve them through innovative software solutions.

Thirdly, Rainet Technology offers customized solutions tailored to each client's specific requirements. They work closely with their clients to understand their business processes and develop software that fits seamlessly into their operations. This ensures that clients get exactly what they need without any unnecessary features or functions.

Overall, Rainet Technology's expertise, experience, and commitment to providing customized solutions make them the best choice for any business looking for reliable and efficient transport booking software development services.

How can Rainet Technology help your business?

Rainet Technology can help your business in numerous ways when it comes to transport booking software development. With their expertise and experience, they can provide you with a customized solution that caters to your specific needs. They understand the importance of having a seamless and efficient transport booking system in place, which is why they work closely with their clients to ensure that the end product meets all their requirements.

Their team of skilled developers uses the latest technology and tools to create a user-friendly platform that is easy to navigate for both customers and administrators. Rainet Technology also provides ongoing support and maintenance services to ensure that your system runs smoothly without any glitches or downtime.

By choosing Rainet Technology as your transport booking software development company, you can streamline your operations, reduce costs, increase efficiency, and ultimately boost customer satisfaction. Their solutions are scalable, so as your business grows, so does your software. Don't hesitate to reach out to them today to see how they can help take your business to the next level.

Why Choose Rainet Technology for a transport booking software development company?

When it comes to choosing a software development company for your transport booking needs, there are many options available in the market. However, Rainet Technology stands out from the rest due to its exceptional services and expertise in the field. Choosing Rainet Technology as your transport booking software development company can provide you with a range of benefits that can help take your business to new heights.

Rainet Technology has a team of highly skilled professionals who have years of experience in developing custom software solutions for businesses across various industries. They understand the unique requirements of each client and work closely with them to develop tailor-made solutions that meet their specific needs. With their expertise in transport booking software development, they can create efficient and user-friendly applications that streamline your operations and enhance customer satisfaction.

Moreover, Rainet Technology uses cutting-edge technologies and tools to deliver top-notch solutions that are scalable, secure, and reliable. They follow industry best practices and standards to ensure that their clients receive high-quality services at all times. With their commitment to delivering excellence, Rainet Technology is undoubtedly the best choice for businesses looking for a reliable partner for their transport booking software development needs.

Hire Rainet Technology Today?

If you're looking for a reliable and efficient transport booking software development company, then Rainet Technology is the perfect choice for you. With years of experience in the industry, we have developed a reputation for providing top-notch services to our clients. Our team of experts is dedicated to delivering customized solutions that cater to your business needs.

When you hire Rainet Technology, you can rest assured that your project will be handled by professionals who are committed to excellence. We work closely with our clients to understand their requirements and provide them with innovative solutions that help them achieve their goals. Our team is well-versed in the latest technologies and trends in the industry, which enables us to deliver cutting-edge solutions that meet your specific needs.

So if you're looking for a transport booking software development company that can help take your business to the next level, look no further than Rainet Technology. Contact us today and let us help you achieve your business objectives.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Rainet Technology is the best transport booking software development company that can help your business grow and thrive. With their expertise in developing customized software solutions for transportation companies, they can provide you with a platform that streamlines your operations, improves customer satisfaction, and increases revenue. Their team of skilled developers and designers work tirelessly to ensure that every project they undertake is delivered on time and within budget. So if you're looking for a reliable partner to help you take your transportation business to the next level, look no further than Rainet Technology. Contact them today to learn more about how they can help you achieve your goals!

Visit Website: https://rainet.co.in/bus-booking-system.php

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logistifies · 1 year

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taxi dispatch systems uk manage your company resources

Discover the power of efficient taxi dispatch systems in the UK. Our advanced software solutions streamline operations, manage fleets, and enhance customer experiences. Stay ahead of the competition and deliver a seamless transportation service that keeps your passengers coming back for more. With our UK-focused approach, you can optimize your operations specifically for the local market and cater to the unique needs of your customers.

#dispatch system #transportation #logistics #software #software development #software developers #taxi booking service

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littlegreekhero · 2 months

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Lonnie Machin (a.k.a. Anarky/Moneyspider) headcanons

Thank you again for inspiring me to think more of him @megaaceofspades <3 (i also have a lot of timlonnie ones but the post would be too long, i have it queued up)

I started the timeline from when Lonnie is still stuck to machines(AND HE'S BALD), only having bodily autonomy over in the Ünternet, and boy has he been there for a decade now, i think he's already founded the anarchist utopia whose sparks we were shown at the end of Red Robin(2009).

Ünternet can be an escapade for Tim and anyone aware of it when life is too much, Gotham is too much, when there is no hope left etc. They go over there and have a picnic with a few books aside, eat snacks produced 100% ethically and regain faith in humanity again. Lonnie is like a never extinguishing candle of hope and in every situation he can bring a hopeful smile to his visitor's face.

When Leslie Thompkins, having read Moneyspider's conversations from the monitor, comes to the conclusion that Lonnie shows strong signs of autism, he absolutely rejects the label. He thinks psychiatric associations are no authority in naming behaviours for the sake of classification.

He isn't actually bald. His poor health condition has surely affected the number of hair follicles, but it's the doctors that keep it shaved to facilitate access to all those equipment around his head. He still has the cool asf mullet in the simulation.

His body is still a child's, around 15, but his eyes do not seem to belong to one. His gaze tells you he's seen so much. It's almost as if he is watching every corner of the world with the same attention and seeing everything from a unique universal perspective not many can achieve. If they had been alive, their parents would confirm it's been that way since his perception of the American Dream (TM) has first shattered.

He's still a anarchocommunist, and those canon ancap tendencies then neotech propaganda never happened (there is no anarcho corp in ba sing se ^-^) (why did he say "eat the rich" then took the money to himself in comics i will never understand)

He continues to publish after his book, it's little booklets, articles, forum posts, whatever reaches to the people.

Newer modern devices and softwares no longer support acces to Ünternet. When Tim claimed no responsibility over this (it's singlehandedly his doing, as much as HE trusts Anarky, several forces around the world including Batman dont want the threat of worldwide madness resurface again), Lonnie laughed at his face and started a global technological device preservation movement. He could not risk losing an entire civilisation to consumerist propaganda.

Somewhere around the world, an ecology movement constantly recieves donations from some guy named Lonnie.

Anarky's bots indirectly control the Bats' communications and systems. If there's a problem Babs is first to know, then she decides if its worth sharing to Tim, who shoots it over to Moneyspider, who has quite a few AIs and bots to work on it and ensure ethicality in every step. (This is also how i legitimize his acess to 3D models of Batman's gadgets in Urban Legends) (there's no urban legends#22 in ba sing se)

One time Lonnie requested Tim to collect some memorabilia from the remains of his old bases. Once arrived, Tim found a dog wandering around the same place over and over again. It was Yap!!!! Lonnie's old friends had kept it in good care and it was thrilled to go back to snuggle on its companion's lap in the hospital.

His caregivers and doctors suspect he might have started to reject rehabilitation to stay forever in the simulation because his condition seems to stay stable in one state no matter what they do. It's not the case. With every single thing from his old life gathering around him slowly, he is more than thrilled to regain mobility and participate in everyday life. He's also working on transporting audio files that technically don't exist outside of the Ünternet to create a voice box for himself. He already has the plans for a wheelchair suited just for his needs ready.

I think he's extra sensitive about earthquakes and helping those who survived in the aftermath since he lost his parents under rubble. He's there to support every rescue team after every earthquake no matter how small scale the destruction is, wherever in the world it is.

#lonnie machin #anarky #anarky dc #moneyspider #headcanon #red robin 2009 #anarky 1997 #anarky 1999 #dc comics

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stevebattle · 10 months

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Smart Rabbit Robot (1983) by William R. Dodd Jr., Hobby Robot Co., Hazlehurst, GA. “Smart Rabbit robot kits are compatible with several brands of personal computers. The robot is 22” tall and weighs 25 pounds. It has a humanoid shape; arms move on the more expensive models.” – The Everyone Can Build a Robot Book, by Kendra Bonnett and Gene Oldfield.

“Meet the Smart Rabbit from Hobby Robot. The only household robot with upgradable, transportable electronics and software to a full-size, man-rated domestic robot. And you can get yours for $329.95. Smart Rabbit is plug compatible with the Timex/Sinclair and Commodore series, and will interface with most other micros, including the TRS-80 color computer, ATARI 400/800 and Apple II/IIE. Software can be written in basic, and each kit comes with development software on a cassette for easy programming.” – Hobby Robot Co.

#cybernetics #robot #1983 #TheRobotExhibit

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c64screengrabs · 2 years

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A week or so ago I was browsing a thread on Reddit titled, "What is that one childhood video game that you loved to bits, yet no-one else seems to have ever heard of?" That sort of thing is right up my alley, so I searched through it hoping to find some C64-specific posts and, I did! They are also ones I haven't yet featured, so let's do so!

First up, u/MELMHC posted: "Below the root on C64"

Below the Root was a nice little sidescroller RPG released in 1984 by Windham Classics, a once-division of Spinnaker Software. It's based on a series of fantasy novels titled The Green Sky trilogy by Zilpha Keatley Snyder which were published between 1975-77, which I actually didn't know until now so I looked up the books for more backstory.

In the books, a race of people called The Kindar of Green-sky are a utopian society, ruled by leaders called the Ol-zhaan, who are considered deities. "Unjoyful" emotions like anger and sorrow are banned and kept under strict control by a system of meditation, chant and ritual, accompanied by the use of narcotic berries. The people are vegetarians and surround themselves with pets. Babies are born with paranormal powers, which is kept into adulthood, but were disappearing earlier with each successive generation. The people lived in fear of the forest floor and the pash-shan, legendary monsters said to stalk below the roots of their magnificent tree-cities.

A novice Ol-zhaan named Raamo and his friend Neric (one of the game's playable characters) set out to discover if the monsters truly exist. What they found were the Erdlings, a race made up of exiled Kindar dissidents and their descendants. Where the Kindar live their whole lives in the shade, the Erdlings seek places where the sun penetrates the caverns. They have been living in the caverns and subsisting on plants, mushrooms and the occasional unwary rabbit (lapan) or ground bird, plus fallen fruits from the Kindar orchards. They are superb craftsmen, metalworkers and jewelers; they have fire, which is unknown in Green-sky, and transport people and supplies by railway, using steam propulsion. They have no taboos against anger, sadness or other "unjoyful" emotions, and (possibly as a result) appear to have retained much more of their psychic powers than have the Kindar.

Their discovery shakes the very foundation of Green-sky's social order. The Erdlings are released from their exile and the Ol-zhaan disbanded, but reconciling the two societies takes a long time. An unnamed society of disgruntled Ol-zhaan (called Salite in the game) and the Nekom, vengeance-seeking Erdlings, began patrolling the branch-paths and causing unrest. Furthermore, Raamo himself apparently perished, silencing a voice for tolerance and unity.

In the game's manual, you are told that the wise old woman (and former Ol-zhaan high priestess) D'ol Falla has a vision, in which she heard these words: "The Spirit fades, in Darkness lying. A quest proclaim - the Light is dying." Your character (one of five from the series) then begins the game looking for clues to the meaning of D'ol Falla's vision in hopes of restoring peace to both nations.

The game does a great job in sticking close to details of the books, such as making you unable to steal as that behaviour is banned in the society. To obtain and item you must ask characters for permission to take it, or to pay with tokens you can gain in-game. Also adhering to this, the game was made to be almost entirely non-violent. You can only be hurt by contact with venomous animals, falling, or colliding with a barrier. Your character can also be kidnapped and taken hostage, and collect weapons, which can mostly only be used to cut vine barriers. Killing someone renders the game unwinnable.

The nicely coloured graphics were considered advanced for the time, and competent controls made gameplay easy. The game was well-received, and now has a fanpage for the game and the books up online.

#Below the Root #commodore 64 #c64 #retro games #80's #screenshot #spinnaker software #Windham classics

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shipyourcarnowllc · 5 months

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The Significance of Car Shipping in Today's World

The world of vehicle logistics has seen tremendous advancements in recent years, with car shipping services becoming increasingly vital for individuals and businesses alike. This article delves into the intricacies of car shipping, exploring its importance, processes, and the future trends shaping this dynamic industry.

In an era where mobility and convenience are paramount, car shipping plays a crucial role. For individuals relocating across the country, purchasing vehicles online, or sending a car to a family member, the ability to transport vehicles safely and efficiently is indispensable. Businesses, particularly in the automotive sector, rely heavily on car shipping to move inventory between dealerships, to customers, or to and from manufacturing units.

Understanding the Auto Transport Process

Car shipping is a complex process that involves several steps to ensure the safe and timely delivery of vehicles. The journey begins with choosing the right auto transport company – one that is reliable, experienced, and equipped with the necessary resources to handle the specific needs of the shipment.

Once a company is selected, the vehicle is prepared for transport. This preparation often includes a thorough inspection to document the car's condition, removing personal items, and ensuring the car is operable. Depending on the requirements and budget, customers can choose between different shipping options, such as open-air transport, enclosed transport, door-to-door service, or terminal-to-terminal service.

The Role of Technology in Car Shipping

Technology plays a significant role in enhancing the efficiency and safety of car shipping services. Modern auto transport companies utilize sophisticated logistics software to optimize routes, track shipments in real-time, and manage the complex scheduling involved in transporting multiple vehicles. GPS tracking allows customers to monitor their vehicle's journey, providing peace of mind and transparency.

Another aspect where technology is making a significant impact is in the reduction of paperwork and streamlining of operations. Digital platforms enable quick quotations, easy booking processes, and electronic documentation, making the entire process smoother and more customer-friendly.

Challenges and Solutions in Auto Transport

Despite the advancements, the car shipping industry faces its share of challenges. One of the primary concerns is ensuring the safety of vehicles during transit. To address this, reputable auto transport companies invest in high-quality carriers and continually train their staff in safe handling and driving practices.

Environmental concerns also loom large, with the industry actively seeking ways to reduce its carbon footprint. This includes exploring alternative fuels, optimizing routes for fuel efficiency, and investing in eco-friendly carriers.

The Future of Car Shipping

Looking ahead, the future of car shipping is poised to be shaped by several exciting trends. The rise of electric vehicles (EVs) presents new challenges and opportunities in auto transport, requiring adaptations in vehicle handling and charging infrastructure.

Autonomous vehicles, though still in their infancy, could revolutionize car shipping by potentially reducing the need for human drivers and increasing efficiency through advanced navigation and logistics planning.

In conclusion, car shipping or auto transport is an industry of vital importance with a rich tapestry of operations, challenges, and evolving trends. As it continues to grow and adapt to the changing needs of society and technological advancements, its role in the global economy and in individual lives is set to become even more significant. With customer-focused approaches, technological integration, and sustainable practices, the auto transport industry is well on its way to a more efficient and environmentally responsible future.

ShipYourCarNow LLC

55 NE 5th Ave STE 402, Boca Raton, FL 33432, United States

(866) 390-0354

#car shipping #car shipping companies #car transport #car transport companies #auto transport

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baibhav · 1 year

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Transport Booking Software

Rainet's transport booking software is an innovative solution that simplifies the process of managing transportation operations. Its user-friendly interface, real-time tracking, and customizable features make it an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes. With Rainet's software, you can streamline your transportation processes, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction. Whether you are a small business owner or a large corporation, Rainet's transport booking software can help you achieve your transportation goals. So why not give it a try and experience the benefits for yourself?

Visit Website: https://rainet.co.in/Bus-Booking-System.php

#bus booking system #bus reservation system #online transport booking system #transport booking system #bus tour website booking engine #agent booking application #ticket booking software #bus booking software development company in Noida #bbps api provider #education portal development company #bbps #bbps api development company #bbps login #bbps receipt #api provider #bbps website #bbps service #bharat bill pay receipt

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rainet00 · 1 year

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Transport Booking Software

Transport booking software is an essential tool for businesses in the travel and tourism industry. It helps to streamline the process of booking tickets, managing reservations, and tracking payments. Rainet Technology Private Limited offers a comprehensive transport booking software solution that can be tailored to meet your specific needs.

The AEPS API allows you to accept payments through various payment gateways, including debit cards, credit cards and net banking. This feature also enables customers to make online bookings with ease by providing them with secure payment options. The BBPS API provides access to multiple banks so that customers can pay their bills quickly without any hassle. The PAN CARD API allows customers to verify their identity before making a purchase or reservation on your website or app.

The BBSS feature makes it easy for you to manage bus ticket bookings from anywhere in the world at any time of day or night. You can easily track customer information such as name, contact details and seat availability using this feature. The FBP feature enables customers to search for flights based on destination city/country and date range while comparing prices across different airlines simultaneously so they can get the best deal possible when booking their flight tickets online.

Rainet Technology Private Limited’s transport booking software is designed with user-friendly interfaces that are easy-to-use even for those who are not tech savvy users. Our team of experts will provide full support throughout the entire setup process ensuring smooth implementation of our solutions into your existing system architecture if required! Contact us today for more information about our transport booking software solutions.

Visit Site: https://rainet.co.in/Bus-Booking-System.php

#bus booking system #bus reservation system #online transport booking system #transport booking system #bus tour website booking engine #agent booking application #ticket booking software #bus booking software development company in Noida #api provider #rainet technology private limited #ios app development #bbps service #mobile app development company #education portal development company #api service #what is bbps

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ja-gul-writes · 7 months

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This is the cover for the first book in my series. The little guy is actually just a normal guy, and his name is Leon. He's from our world, and is a tired, overworked and underpaid janitor who's boss was being a total jerk (and should have totally been sued for sexual harassment). Leon's secret kink has always been size difference, and he just wanted to take a giant dick, ya know? Totally reasonable!

Well, then he suddenly gets transported to another world (yes this is an isekai) right in front of a horny, lonely giant named Zayan who thinks humans are just the cutest fucking things on the planet, who also thinks that this human in specific is offering himself to the giant.

I dunno why but Tumblr has made the image look a little blurry to me.

Anyways, making this cover was really hard because I was using vector graphics and it DID NOT scale properly and I had to export every single colour and shadow layer as a separate image so that I could do colour adjusting in a different program. It's the same method for the other covers in this series, but once this series is done I am totally going to find a different art style.

... Does anyone want to hear me rant about book covers? No? Okay, I'll go on then.

Did you know that if you were to use stock photos to make covers, depending on where you get it from you need special permission to use a person's face on the cover of a book that has queer content? Yeah, that's stupid, because the same rules do not apply to straight content. Got a straight couple on your book, no big deal. Got a gay couple, well make sure you have special permission. Oh and sometimes you can't even put anyone's face on the cover of a book at all. And you probably have to pay the licensing fees to get that stock photo. And there's a chance someone else has used it on their book cover too.

It's in some ways a lot easier to have a drawn cover. Because even if you visually used a reference image for a character's pose or proportions, reference images do not need to be licensed. And if you've drawn it all yourself, then you own the art and can do whatever you want with it, whereas if you've paid an artist you might be limited to what you can do with it.

The one thing to look out for too is fonts. If you download fonts from a website, make sure to filter by fonts that are 100% free for full commercial use, meaning you can use the font on the cover of a book you are profiting from and don't need to pay anyone for it. Because some fonts are free ONLY to use for things that won't make you money, or if you do make money you owe the font-maker royalties. And when you're writing books and making very little money, paying anyone a royalty from your earnings could be a deal-breaker. Avoid the pitfalls of this by only ever downloading 100% free fonts. Doesn't matter how nice the licensed fonts are, just don't download them, that way you don't have to remember which ones you have are free and which ones are licensed.

BTW, here's the programs I used to make cover art, write book, and format it. The programs are free and open-sourced.

Inkscape for vector art: https://inkscape.org/

GIMP for colours (it's a photoshop type software): https://www.gimp.org/

LibreOffice for writing (and they also have spreadsheets): https://www.libreoffice.org/

And for formatting, because I publish on amazon I used amazon's Kindle Create which helped format the book.

#lgbtq+#indie author #queer author #romance #gay #giant #size difference #g/t #cover art #book cover #my art

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darkspine10 · 7 months

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GF Fanfic - We Fought a Zoo

Dipper and Mabel Vs. The Past (34,006 words) by darkspine10

Chapters: 7/9

Fandom: Gravity Falls

Rating: Teen and Up

Zera was fighting to stay awake. Her wife had never learned how to teleport, and with her brother-in-law’s party taking the only car they were reduced to the horrors of public transport. They’d been lucky to squeeze past a throng into spare seats on the Muni bus heading into the city centre. Despite her tiredness, Zera found the connecting wires above the bus strangely fascinating - she’d never seen a vehicle restricted to one strict path side-by-side with free moving traffic before. Pressed in a line beside her father-in-law, she craned her neck like an eager child to catch a glimpse through bleary eyes.

Meanwhile Mabel grimaced at her father from across the way between strangers’ bodies rocking back and forth. In the packed bus it was all she could do to show she was sorry for the deceptions. He had his arms crossed and a neutral expression, which for him meant a resting gruffness much like his grandfather’s.

Mabel tried to ignore the unceasing gaze and plan for what lay ahead. Between them they had Journals 3, 6, and Stan and Ford’s combined tome, but Mabel wasn’t about to put her full trust in the books. Relying on the journal to find weaknesses in the heat of a fight was all well and good in theory, so Dipper assumed, but Mabel preferred a more practical approach. The journals had led to ruin as many times as success, and she lacked her brother’s unflinching reverence for knowledge for its own sake. No, she was readying to face the tulpa with sheer pluck and her own skills. Before leaving the house she’d equipped herself, strapping on her grapple gauntlet, the adapted invention she’d crafted from her old grappling hook. The black bracer was strapped to her left wrist. Beneath, in the adjacent launch tube, she’d loaded a multipurpose tranquiliser. It was enough to take down most possible threats.

Mabel wished she’d brought her motorbike, shaking in her seat as the bus turned a corner and made its way down another sloping street. Zera slid into Mr Pines’ side and held the nearby bar to stay upright in her seat. For his part, Mr Pines seemed vaguely uncomfortable at her touch - probably unnerved now he knew the woman next to him was not East Indian, but was in fact an ET with iridescent scales, tendrils rather than hair, and pale eyes like a shark’s. Still, Mabel mused, he was putting up with all this, so it wasn’t a total failure of first contact.

They were passing through the densest part of San Francisco, not far from where Errata had made his initial rampage. The people walking the streets seemed unperturbed, although the news had reported that the tulpa - resembling a horde of zombies at the time - had travelled in this direction. Maybe that was the reaction most people had to encountering the unknown, to bury their heads and forget in a collective effort to stay sane. It worked in Gravity Falls after all. She wondered what that meant for her family’s particular brand of relative madness, that they endeavoured to discover and chronicle every last shred of evidence of the paranormal.

“That’s where I work,” Mr Pines said awkwardly, pointing Zera’s eye towards one of the anonymous skyscrapers. It was obvious to her that he was faintly embarrassed. He was divided between his upset confusion at the events of the past day and his duties as a host to his daughter-in-law.

“As a… computer expert?” she offered, trying to open him up to conversation, though she had to yell somewhat in the cramped car. With the perception filter masking Zera’s alien features, Mabel could almost imagine this was a perfectly ordinary family outing.

“Yeah, I’m a back-end techie in a big software developer. You’d be surprised how satisfying editing lines of code to get rid of bugs can be.”

“Uh huh,” Zera said, and Mabel facepalmed. Her dad’s work was hardly the most thrilling to talk about. At least they were making an effort to get along.

The Muni led them through the Sunset District, an endless expanse of squat, square buildings, laid out in a gridlike pattern, then south, heading towards the coast. “I’m sad we didn’t stop in Haight-Ashbury,” Mabel yelled across the aisle, drawing annoyed looks from the other commuters.

“Probably best not to get high on a mission,” Zera said with a smile, though her father didn’t like the joke and merely deepened his scowl.

Finally they reached their stop and shuffled past the crowd to get off. They stood in a large parking lot leading to a boulevard of tended trees and shrubs that ended in a ticket office. Zera read a flag posted on a lamppost. “San Francisco Zoo. This is the place?” As far as the three of them could see there was no sign of panic. No people running or screaming. Families and kids lined up at the entrance to buy their tickets so they could gawk at the variety of exotic animals.

“You sure your construct thingy is here?” Mr Pines said doubtfully. He had Journal 6 open and was shaking his head at something in Dipper’s young-adult jottings.

“Gimme a sec.” Mabel pressed her palms together and closed her eyes. Her father looked at her quizzically while she concentrated for a few seconds. A gentle ripple flew out from her and raced across the zoo.

“Well, I’ll be-” Mr Pines was cut off when a rebounding wave passed over him and back to Mabel.

She opened her eyes and grinned. “Oh, it’s here alright.” She had used an aura detection spell, her and Zera’s alternative to Dipper’s technological solution. It had bounced off the tulpa’s mystical field like echolocation. “Can’t narrow it down though. Too many living things messing up the feed.”

“The zoo’s hardly small,” Zera said, peering at the ticket office and coming up with ways to avoid paying for three admissions. She kicked at the concrete. “That thing’s clever though, most cryptids won’t have a hard time blending in here. Without your brother’s tracker we’ll never find it. Like a needle in a haystack.”

“Do they have haystacks in space?” Mr Pines asked, genuinely curious.

Mabel slapped her forehead .”Ugh, I’m a dummy, before we left I should’ve…” She snapped her fingers. “Z, can you open another portal quickly?”

“Not really, transporting another person-“

“Not for me, just a little one,” she whispered her intent and put her palms together. “Pretty please? I’ll buy you a new fish tank for you to snack on when we get home?”

Zera relented and lifted her hands to enact the spell. She visibly strained with the effort, moaning as well, until a small hole opened up in the air, replacing a section of blue sky with floral wallpaper. A coiled rope tumbled out of the portal into Mabel’s arms. Zera dropped her hands and the portal closed with a pop.

“Thank you babe, you’re the best,” Mabel said. Zera, bent double, waved her off like it was nothing.

Mr Pines leant in to figure out Mabel’s plan and examine the rope. At least, he’d thought it was a rope. On closer inspection the rope writhed. “Holy Moses, is that Apep?”

“Yeppers!” Mabel said with a toothy grin. “She’s perfect!”

“Perfect? Are you a total mushuganah?! What good is that lazy reptile gonna be in a massive zoo?”

“She’s got homing instincts.” Both Mr Pines and Zera gave her looks of complete disbelief. “No, really. Apep may not seem like an active, go-getter snake, but she’s got this knack for sniffing out trouble.”

“Isn’t she also a total wimp who bolts at the first sign of risk to her fat, slimy body?” Zera pointed out. She tickled the snake’s chin. The animal wasn’t pleased to be roused from yet another nap today and coiled languorously around Mabel’s arms.

“We just need to give her something to sniff out, trust me.” Mabel held out Journal 3 in front of Apep’s nose. “C’mon girl, smell the scent of conspiracy and musty paper. The tulpas come from the journals, right? So they must have some things in common.”

Apep unexpectedly wriggled to the ground and slithered away. They heard a series of screams vanishing into the distance as she went. Mabel proudly put her hands on her hips and went towards the zoo. “Onwards, Aoshima!”

Zera shrugged at Mr Pines, as if to say, ‘ah, what the hell’, and followed Mabel. Mr Pines waited a moment, shook his head, then quickly walked to catch up with the girls. In the end they managed to achieve entry to the zoo using the flimsy excuse of being expert snake handlers, here to recapture a rare specimen. From the amount of unsettled visitors around the entrance, the ticket sellers were willing to believe the story.

The trio quickly became lost in the sights and sounds of the zoo. Lemurs and Monkeys swung on vines all around them. Across the savannah Zebras and Giraffes idly chewed on grass, while predators hungered greedily a short distance beyond. Each direction led to another great kingdom of animal life and it wasn’t hard to get overwhelmed by the sounds and smells of the rare animals. Despite the chaos of Apep’s release, as well as the possible lurking tulpa, the zoo remained calm, with people merrily going about their way, ignorant of any danger. Mabel had to send out another aura spell to try and pick up Apep’s trail.

Her father raised an eyebrow. “Wait, I thought there was too much biodiversity in here for that kind of magic mumbo jumbo?”

“It’s different with Apep,” Mabel patiently explained. “She’s like my familiar, I know her essence.”

“If you say so.” He shrugged, desiring nothing more than to be done with this adventure.

The spell’s trace led them to one of the smaller parts of the zoo, a white-brick building on the north side with a central circular window. It sat next to an anteater enclosure and a small ‘prehistoric garden’. Unknowingly, both twins’ parties ended up running into plastic dinosaurs that day. Mabel put on her glasses and examined a sign by the building her spell had bounced off of. “South American Tropical Rainforest and Aviary. Guess we found ‘tulpy’.”

She pushed the door open and the three of them tensed. Mabel made sure her gauntlet was ready for either grappling or darting, while Zera reluctantly whispered protection chants under her breath. She was already exhausted enough, let alone if she had to start making wards and firing offensive spells left and right. Mr Pines raised his fists in a weak show of defiance, but flinched on entering the humid greenhouse. A plumed basilisk lounging on a branch had spooked him with its wide-open eyes.

“That one’s just a regular animal, Dad,” Mabel teased. “Here Apep! Come to momma!” Against the walls of the room were rocky cliffs, and, above their heads, a large fallen tree trunk to add to the jungle-like atmosphere. So did the heat, making the two humans in the room instantly start to sweat.

“Over here.” Zera tiptoed over a low stone wall into a tropical oasis. Lying sunning among the pebbles was one very ‘pleased with herself’ snake. “Oh Apep, you useless desert noodle. Some hunting dog you turned out to be.”

“Aw, maybe she made a mistake.” Mabel said, kneeling on the wall. Apep didn’t resist, lying there waiting to be picked up again without a single thought behind her slitted eyes. Zera edged closer to her pet, pushing past a fern and trying to crouch down. A massive lizard hefted itself out of the foliage and Mabel cried out. “Woah, take it slow.”

“That’s a Komodo dragon!” Her father added, impressed by the size of the thing. The wrinkled creature was 10 feet across and dragging its bulk along the pebbled beach towards Zera. She froze in place, unsure what the best move would be.

“They’re venomous,” Mabel whispered, “back away and- wait a second.” She cocked her head to one side. “Komodo dragons aren’t from South America.”

“So, so what?” Mr Pines said frantically. “You can regale us with reptile trivia later.”

But Mabel had a point. Zera’s eyes widened as a curving sail crest unfurled itself on the back of the ‘dragon’. A small spark of noxious flame shot from the lizard’s nostrils. Zera swallowed and held her ground. She was inches from Apep but didn’t dare move a muscle closer. “Pyrosaur,” she stated. “Apep found our tulpa after all.”

“A juvenile, judging by the pint-size,” Mabel said. “They disappear in moonlight. Don’t suppose anyone thought to bring a full moon in their back pocket? No? Thought not.”

The tulpa-pyrosaur gave no warning as it leapt towards Zera, spewing fire in a spray ahead of itself. She dived for Apep then twirled to jump out of the way just as the fire singed her back. Steam rose from her skin, which had already been unreasonably dry. Zera rolled over, unable to stand and dropped Apep.

Mabel reflexively fired her grapple gauntlet - not aiming the tranquiliser at the pyrosaur, but sending a line to her partner. Zera feebly held on and let the cable drag her upright and out of range of the pyrosaur’s lunging teeth.

“Jehosophat!” Mr Pines cursed. He bundled Mabel towards the exit. Zera wobbled on her feet but managed to stay upright, while Apep serpentined out into daylight at a speed that outran all of them.

By now the tulpa had changed forms, going from a convincing reptilian to starkly technological. A floating cube launched itself past the group into the sky before dropping down towards a nearby exhibit. Mabel watched it descend and come down with a splash. She traced it and saw its destination was a new attraction at the zoo. “A Wonderland of Snow and Sea,” she intoned. “More Christmas theming.”

The area was decorated with large blue and white plastic approximating ice sheets. On rocky platforms around a meandering river sat polar bears on one island and a flock of emperor penguins on the other. Powerful air conditioners operating at full blast plummeted the temperature down. Mabel and her father soon forgot the sweat from the reptile house. Snow machines added a final touch of ambience, sprinkling them with fake paper chunks.

Supporting Zera on one arm, Mabel held a hand to block the sun glinting off the white plastic and scanned the new area. It must be a recent exhibition, full of transfers from zoos in colder climes. There wasn’t any trace of their wayward tulpa.

“No sign of it. Nothing. Bupkis.” Mr Pines had summed it up quite well. Mabel slumped down beside the riverbank and pursed her lips.

Only Zera’s spirits were lifted. “This is more like it. I’m going for a swim!” She pecked Mabel on the cheek, then ran towards the freezing water. Mr Pines watched amazed as she leapt in headfirst without even stopping to take her clothes off.

“She needs to rehydrate,” Mabel quietly explained. Apep slithered up next to her on the bank and stared into her eyes as if pleading to be sent back home through the same witchcraft that had whisked her out of comfort. Mabel stroked the animal, wishing she could provide for its wants. “You did good, girl,” she whispered, “sorry we blew your lead.”

Mr Pines looked around the enclosure and sat himself next to his daughter. “At least she did better than the blasted pig ever could.”

“Waddles is special too, in his own unique, piggy way.” Mabel pulled her legs in tight and slumped her head on her knees. “It’s not fair. You shouldn’t have to be thrown in the deep end like this.” Mr Pines realised she was talking about himself and the sudden discoveries he and his wife had made. “I didn’t get a chance to say it before, we were in such a rush to fix things. Dipper even had this whole ‘slow reveal’ plan with the journals.” Mabel placed Journal 3 on the shingle.

Mr Pines opened the book to a page near the back. Mabel’s own handwriting was scrawled on the page in pastel crayon, talking about unicorns and protective shield enchantments. The cartoonish doodles she’d drawn were a reminder of how very young his children had been when they started all of this. When they’d started lying. He sighed. “I know why Dipper lied. Boy’s the most anxious kid known to mankind. But why you, Mabel? Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”

“I wanted to,” she said, looking away and picking up handfuls of pebbles to slip through her fingers. “I wrote you a letter and everything during our first summer away. But we passed it off as my wacky imagination.” She threw away the rocks so they splashed in the river. “Then Dipper got talking about hiding the truth, and I was only supporting him at first. Eventually I got thinking that what he said made sense. I didn’t want to lose out on our amazing lives chasing monsters either, I mean, what teenager would! It got hidden the same way I hid all my boyfriends and girlfriends. I’ve always had trouble adjusting to change, especially when it’s in my hands to decide.” Her shoulders tensed. “Dad, do you or Mom know what I’ve been up to the past few years?”

“Oh, you mean the ‘activism’.” Mr Pines made quote marks with his fingers. “Sure, we know all about that?”

“But, like, how much do you know? I’ve not exactly been following the law 100% of the time.”

Mr Pines snorted. “Come on, you can say it. You’ve been a notorious criminal.” Mabel seemed surprised but he shook his head. “Heck May, it’s not like we could avoid seeing your name and face crop up on the news every few months. All those protests and strikes across the country, and there was our little girl, every time.”

“Trying to make the world a better place one step at a time. If you knew, why didn’t you bring it up before now?”

“And ruin the Christmas mood? We didn’t want to cause a scene.”

He seemed appalled by the idea and Mabel couldn’t help but laugh. “Man, our family is crap at direct communication.”

“Mabel!” he admonished. “That was certainly direct language.”

She was still grinning. “No, but it’s true. Stan and Ford, me’n Dipper, we can’t help but be stupid about talking to each other. We bury our real feelings until we fall apart. Maybe we should all stop caring so much about nebulous future consequences and live a little, you know?”

“Can I ask, what about Zera? Is she… like you?”

“What do you mean, Dad? Is she an expert knitter, does she like cute kittens, is she equally hot and sexy?”

He shoved her away playfully. “You know what I mean pumpkin. Does she go out of her way to help people and cause trouble with the police like you’re always getting up to?”

“Well, she does the latter. I’m working on the former; she’s very keen.” Mabel spied her wife swimming backstroke by a pair of bemused polar bears. “Zera’s been along for the ride on a lot of our recent adventures. I trust her fully with my life. Though not necessarily my wallet. Do you wanna know how we really met? Zera tried to scam me out of a giant crystal in Japan. She pretended to be the last of her kind.”

“And, that wasn’t true?”

“Heck no, far from it. All lies. But she cared about me, and we bonded, and now everything’s amazing. Maybe we can forget all the lying between us, too?” Mabel stared imploringly at her father.

He grinned. “Hey, I’m just sad how much I missed out on. You’ve been to space, saved the world, had all these insane things happen. Most of all I missed getting to walk my little girl down the aisle.” Mabel hugged him tight, burying her head in the crook of his neck. “I suppose this is all my fault, when you think about it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I was the one who suggested that you and Dipper should spend a summer up north. I remembered all the fun I had in Gravity Falls - swimming in the lake, wandering the forest trails - and figured you’d get something out of it too. I thought it would be character building, sending you all alone and having you work for Uncle Stan like I did, with no technology to rely on.”

Mabel gave a small laugh. “You realise we had smartphones back then, dad?”

“Yeah yeah, I know, stardust. I thought the trip would be one big adventure. I guess I underestimated quite how big. I mean, it makes sense. My job is so boring, anything outside my comfort zone feels like a major step.”

“You’re not doing so bad so far,” Mabel said, pleased to have made some small way towards repairing their rift.

“Your mother might take longer to come around though. Mary doesn’t change her mind swiftly.”

“Nor does Dipper,” Mabel said, chuckling.

At that moment, Zera swam up to them. She rested her arms on the riverbank and flashed them a smile. “Well well, what exotic animals do we have here? Primates from the southwest USA if I’m not mistaken?” Her clothes, from her pullover vest to her plaid skirt and boots, were all soaking wet. Zera didn’t seem to mind. She was about to climb onto the bank when she suddenly jerked backwards.

Mabel shot to her feet as Zera felt another tug and splashed under the water. She emerged again, waving her arms and spluttering. Her perception filter flickered on and off, flashing between human and alien. With one hand she clung onto the beach. “My leg!” She closed her eyes and pulled with all her might but it was no use. She was dragged inexorably under the water.

“Can she breathe under there?” Mr Pines said, jumping to his feet and searching wildly for a life preserver.

“I’m not waiting to find out.” Mabel gulped in a breath of air and dived in after Zera. The water chilled her skin and the extra weight absorbed by her clothes began to weigh heavily. Zera was reaching for the surface and being continuously pulled down. The water was clear enough for Mabel to make out a long, slimy tentacle wrapped around one of her legs. She let out a stream of bubbles as she gasped in shock. An octopus-like mass resided on the riverbed. It had a golden sheen.

Pressed for time, Mabel aimed her wrist at the creature and flicked her wrist. The tranquiliser dart moved slowly through the water towards the lovecraftian abomination, striking lucky and causing the beast to flail its tentacles. Zera was freed from its grip but a stray tentacle hit her on the forehead. Stunned, she floated lifelessly in the murk. Mabel launched her grappling hook and tied it around Zera’s arms. She kicked out and broke the surface. Sucking in air, she slapped her arms in the water to swim towards the bank. She was grateful when her father pulled her, and Zera tangled in the cable, out onto dry land.

“Oh man, that’s not gonna do much for my headache,” Zera said wearily, rolling onto her back. “It was bad enough before.”

“I’m just glad you’re alright,” Mabel said, squeezing her hand.

“Look out!” Mr Pines cried. Tentacles heaved the massive dripping body of the tulpa out of the water. They picked themselves up and cleared the beach. The octopus’ movements were clumsy, wobbling and unsteady out of the water Mabel saw her dart sticking out of the flank and knew that the sedative inside was getting to work, sapping the tulpa of its energy. They only had to hold out until it finally relented.

The tulpa glowed and shrunk considerably, turning into a human-sized waffle with a face and beefy arms. “Hey, that’s a Mabel-copyrighted design!” Zera and her father remained baffled by the sight. It didn’t stay in this form for long. After using its arms to pull itself upright, the tulpa dissolved into a swarm of small dome-shaped shells which scattered and darted past their legs. Mabel tried to grab one of the components but it vibrated and sank a few inches into the ground to slip past. The swarm coalesced once it had passed them, choosing a form suited for escape - a winged griffin.

“Oh no you don’t!” Mabel yelled, firing another grappling line at the tulpa’s lion rear. She fell onto her face and was pulled uncomfortably along. Zera leaped beside her and also clutched the trailing cable. Mabel fiddled with her wrist gauntlet until they were suddenly yanked forwards by the mechanism. They managed to land on the tulpa’s back, riding it like an ungainly mount and keeping it grounded for now.

A wooden structure loomed ahead of them. “Watch out for the earthquake shack!” Mr Pines called. The shack that had stood since 1906 toppled over onto its side and the creature thundered past. Mr Pines jogged after them, Apep tangled up in his arms and hissing at him.

Mabel and Zera clung to the griffin, at the part where fur turned to feathers. The wings flapped, sending them gliding over the heads of tourists who were only now aware of the chaos that had been unleashed. With the extra weight from the couple the griffin could barely stay airborne. It adjusted its thrust, flapping its wings harder to achieve a clean lift.

“No, bad griffin! Bad tulpa! Bad ‘sketch from Ford’s journal’! Stop struggling!” Mabel pulled on the feathery head of the creature to no effect. She tried punching the beast with heavy blows, courtesy of her boxing training with Stan, but to no reaction. The sedative was already making the tulpa sluggish and it shrugged off any feeling of pain. It lurched onwards, cresting over the edge of the zoo’s boundary and heading towards the open sea. The setting sun cast an orange glare in their eyes.

“Hold your breath again!” Zera shouted over the rush of air. The griffin dived at the water and carried them both under. It submerged for only a moment before launching back out. Mabel coughed up salt water and rubbed her stinging eyes, while Zera didn’t seem to suffer compared to fresh water. “That’s enough!” Zera bent over and sank her teeth into the griffin’s flank, right above the lion’s tail. Mabel had learnt from close experience that her wife sported a pair of retractable fangs - she’d only found that fact out at the climax of one of their first dates.

Their flight peeled off, following the coast north. The two of them gasped as the imposing might of the Golden Gate Bridge came into view. Zera panicked, but Mabel made what seemed like an insane move. She gripped the tulpa’s head and steered it towards the looming red support beam. “Get ready to jump!”

Zera’s muscles tensed. A moment before the tulpa struck metal she launched herself backwards, doing a pirouette in the air before diving into the ocean. Zera stuck her head out of the water just in time to see Mabel going the opposite way. She fired her grappling hook upwards and swung off the back of the griffin. Out of control, the dazed beast flew headfirst into the support beam. It crumpled against the metal, warping and shifting as most of its body mass melted away. It ended up taking the shape of a small key. Mabel knew this was the President’s Key, able to open locks across the country.

Up above she perched on the edge of a tiny ledge jutting out of the metal. She launched one last shot downwards, grabbing the key in mid air before it was lost in the ocean. She retracted the line and held the tulpa’s inanimate form triumphantly in the air. She cheered down at Zera and began laughing hysterically. “Did you see that? We nearly got killed by a bridge. Woah, this is higher than I realised.” Mabel began to wobble on the platform, slowly falling over. “Vertigo, vertigoing, vertigone.” She held a hand to her forehead and theatrically fell off the ledge.

Zera rolled her eyes down below and aimed an outstretched hand and her over-dramatic wife. “Razzamafoo!” she said, aiming a beam of light at Mabel, who vanished and reappeared in the water next to her in a puff of smoke.

“I knew you’d save me,” Mabel said, grinning like a loon.

Zera touched her forehead with the back of her palm. “The adrenaline’s gone to your head. That’s the last time I use any teleportation magic around you. You’re a menace, May Pines.”

“You know you love me for it.” Despite the cold and wet they kissed while floating in the ocean. Mabel wrapped her arms around Zera, afraid to let go. “I mean it. I love you, Zera.” Mabel didn’t want to be anywhere other than alone in the wide ocean, wrapped in that embrace with the woman she’d married. “So,” she said almost deliriously. “Can you breathe underwater or what?” Zera just burst into giggles.

Atop the bridge a small crowd of onlookers were watching the two of them. Mr Pines pushed his way to the front of the crowd. “Oh thank goodness!”

The two of them in the water turned their heads. “Hey Dad!” Mabel shouted and waved.

“Are you two going to get out?”

Mabel looked Zera in the eye. “I don’t know about you, but a cup of hot cocoa on dry land sounds so good right about now.”

A few minutes later they’d swum to the shoreline, mostly thanks to Zera’s powerful kicks through the water. She was much better adapted for swimming than Mabel, who clung to her wife and let her do most of the work. They rendezvoused with Mr Pines, who’d found some towels for them to dry off. Mabel had even got her precious cocoa, provided by the zoo.

Mr Pines didn’t seem happy with himself, pacing around the parking lot while the girls watched the sunset over the ocean. “I wasn’t much help. I could hardly save the day with bug reports or hacking skills,” he scoffed. “Maybe I’m not cut out for this hero business.”

“No-one’s asking you to be,” Mabel said cheerily. “We only wanted you know what our crazy lives are like. You don’t have to become a full-time participant.”

“I think he did an admirable job at least,” Zera confirmed. She shook his hand and raised a small smile at least.

Mabel examined the golden key she’d retrieved, feeling its weight in her palm. A few tiny particles of golden light floated above its surface. “If the others have caught their tulpa, then it’s two down, one to go.”

#gravity falls #gravity falls fanfic #mabel pines #dipper and mabel's parents

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goldeneyedgirl · 1 year

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Late V-Day Space-verse Fic: Better Than Nothing

Six days late, but it's done!

A little Unimaginable Things-verse fic, because I love me some space drama.

Holidays are a quiet thing on the Olympia.

There is Carlisle, who is so augmented and been away from Earth for so long that his classification of ‘human’ feels very much like a technicality. Once, in another life, there were a pair of children whose birthdays were celebrated with much fanfare. But those times had passed.

Edward staunchly refused to celebrate anything, arguing that he is not a person but simply a program. Carlisle still makes sure to buy him huge quantities of music and software around the end of June, without comment.

Rose had little use for the traditional holidays of her people, only bringing them up to ridicule them. Whatever she celebrates, none of them know of it. Emmett celebrates with his family, carefully logging leave three times a year. And Esme’s ceremonies are solemn, uplifting, and intensely private moments.

And few other cultures have holidays like Earth - casual ones propped up with commercialism and novelty. More than once, he’s tried to explain them to his friends, Esme curious but bewildered, Rosalie quietly superior, and Carlisle chuckling in memory.

Alice had been intrigued, never knowing Earth or the little cultural touchstones. Maybe he liked the opportunity to get a little bit closer, explaining those missing common links carefully and greedily soaking in her presence.

But of all the things that left a mark on them, a scar that would never heal clean, neither of them would have ever imagined it would be something as harmless and cliche as February 14.

—

before.

In a perfect world, she wouldn’t have been stranded in Cesset - the capital city of a planet called L’im - for a week straight. It’s a huge, sprawling city divided into sectors; more than half forbidden to tourists, travelers, or anyone without citizenship.

The rain comes down in bright sheets, and she settles in the doorway of a pick-up bay for the night; the last job she took turned into a scuffle and her lens is offline until her appointment with the technician in two days, once the bruising around her eyes heals more. Which means she might have money but no way to use it.

The stoop of the building keeps her out of the rain, and the night is still. She might even be able to snatch some sleep.

She rifles through her pack for something to eat - some half-finished cereal or a protein drink. There’s not much in there - food is so heavy to transport, and street vendors are always better than long-life snacks. But they are handy and the three bars, two gels, and one water will have to see her through.

(Does she think about going to the nearest comms center and getting Carlisle to wire cash onto a card for her, so she can get out of the rain and buy some food, get a bunk to sleep in? The gels are a slimy mass in her mouth as she takes a drag from the sachet, a gooey lump that is hard to swallow and artificially sweet, leaving a film in her mouth. She dismisses the thought of asking Carlisle for help quickly. She’s caused enough trouble. It's only two days. She’s lived through worse.)

Absently, she slides her hand into the back of the pack, searching for her slate. Old-fashioned, cheap, and well-loved, it was the first frivolous thing she’d ever bought herself, loaded with hundreds of books. It might have gotten her enough for a hot meal if she sold it (not a good meal, just one of the oily soups with a few tough cubes of meat that the city favored and sold at every store), but the sentimental part of her couldn’t part with it.

As she pulls it out, she freezes, seeing what is slipped into the front of the cracked cover.

It was an odd thing for her to bring with her, after everything. She doesn’t know why she slipped it into her pack instead of into storage. Maybe to remind her of better times. Or maybe that once, just for a little while, she was loved.

Paper is expensive and hard to come by - most planets use fabric or digital surfaces for art and letters. The planets that do use paper reserve it for books, mostly. It’s not easy to acquire privately. The old newspapers that Carlisle had bundled in storage should have been handed over for some credits but instead, Jasper had cut out squares, had folded them precisely into triangular shapes that had glided when he tossed them out. And she had laughed out loud, delighted as the little creations caught onto the draft leaking in from the departure bay. He had folded two whole sheets of newsprint for her in dozens of paper airplanes of all sizes; had shown her how to fold her own. Something all children on Earth knew how to do, apparently.

(The lie falls easily from her lips - “I was born off-world. I’ve never been to Earth.” But it’s not really a lie. Except she knows he’s picturing a story like his - adventurous parents, a tragedy - so it really is the worst kind of lie.)

All eight of the airplanes are folded flat in one of her boxes. They would be mistaken for trash now, she supposes.

What she kept is small, it fits in the palm of her hand. Rough pink speckled paper - probably bought from an artisan, because it’s too nice to be something that was just found - cut in the shape of a wonky heart. ‘Love you - J’ written on it in red ink.

For a little while, she was loved. That’s why she keeps it. No matter what happens next, she can remind herself that he loved her once. That he cared enough to make her smile.

Carlisle warned her when he arrived. Who he was. What had happened to him. And she thought...

She thought that it was romantic, a forbidden romance that could overcome anything that life threw at them. After all, the Jasper who teased her and bought her drinks and danced with her was sweet, kind, understanding. And Carlisle had smiled at her and let her walk away believing that things would work out and she’d get her happily ever after.

The stupid little Valentine he gave her sits in her hand mocking her, sitting in an old pick-up bay in the rain. She can feel the rain seeping in at the seams of her coat which is a cherry on top of this terrible day; Pro-tex is expensive and hard to track down on this planet, especially in her size. If the water is getting in, it needs replacing.

But it’s better than nothing.

—

after.

Carlisle talks him through Systemic Failure in the first two weeks, even lends him a few texts to go over.

By the end of the first weeks, he’s having nightmares of all kinds. Of finding her dead and cold back in Viltri, her eyes clouded over and the blood gathered under the tissue around her eyes and nose and mouth. Of waking up in a pool of blood as she silently hemorrhages out beside him, blood seeping through her skin. He dreams of her dead on the ground, her insides hollowed out, his father holding him back from her because it was ‘better her than them’.

“This is the one downside of the design of the Synths,” Carlisle sighed, as he looked over the notes he had downloaded from Alice’s lens. “There was a petition to take the earliest sufferers to Earth, to run genetic panels and see if there was something missing, maybe a transplant or donation that could offset the imbalances...something we could correct. We were denied rather forcefully.”

“A donation?” His mouth is dry as the voice in his head volunteers. Blood, bone, tissue, anything she needed.

“Unfortunately, your system has been compromised simply by leaving Earth. We tried with many local humans in the day, and there was nothing they could do for us.” Carlisle frowned, circling something in Alice’s notes. “None of us could supply the donation, and even then, it would take months and years of experimentation...”

She lies behind them in a capsule, wearing surgical modesty garments, green med-patches keeping her eyes closed. Spidery wires and tubes run from multiple arteries and places. She barely looks to be breathing, even though the readout says she is.

The first surgery was a week into her return, a hotspot on her thigh that Rose picked up with the handheld scanner. A thirteen-hour surgery that ended up with her losing more than sixty percent of the bone in her left thigh. Infected and eating away at the surrounding, healthy bone and getting ready to jump into her tissue and bloodstream. Carlisle had replaced the bone with titanium (he’d physically flinched when he heard that; titanium was one of the most expensive medical implants; almost all human implants were done with cheaper Med-fil and needed replacement every ten years. The idea that Carlisle had fucking titanium for surgery made him feel nervous). But the external support - the augmentation - would be waiting for them with the new supply pick-up.

Carlisle reassures him that everything is fine - more serious than he’s used to, but nothing that they cannot get on top of. They’re running her bloods twice daily, to make sure the infection doesn’t spread, and antibiotics feed constantly into her.

(The cost makes him feel sick. Alice will never get on top of this debt and he cannot even help her until his own debts are paid off. He’s got nothing of value to sell, and he just feels sick at what she’s going to wake up to.)

He leaves Carlisle alone in the med-bay when Esme makes dinner, picking at his food, and staying quiet. He’s still lingering over it when Rose and Emmett have cleaned up the kitchen and left, trying to wrap his head around everything.

The chime of his lens brings him out of his maudlin thoughts (he knows what happens to the people with debt they can’t pay off, that after death their bodies are broken down and sold off to recoup what they never managed to pay off. He’s been at those auctions and the idea of knowing the people behind the pieces on the block makes his stomach churn uncomfortably).

Memories: Six Years Ago Today!

The photo flashing up is of him and Alice together in a bar somewhere, cheek to cheek. Her make-up is all red and pink, with a glittery heart next to her eye. There’s a sticky, pinkish outline on his cheek of a kiss.

There’s a wire flower in her hand, iridescent and shaped like a rose and that’s what places him. Valentine’s Day. They’d gone out, she’d remembered the date, and he’d bought her the rose. They’d eaten and drank and come back to the empty ship - everyone else in the dock dorms - and had a rare night together, completely alone.

If his eyes well up at the sight of her, bright and smiling and so very happy, no one else sees.

He feels like an old man as he shuffles his dishes into the washer, as he slips down to the little room near the airlock that Esme keeps for her plants - the ones associated with her faith are in hand-painted pots and kept high so no one touches them. But there are a cluster that are free to use, and he plucks a spring of a flower, a short brown stem with tiny greyish flowers.

It’s easy enough to offer to watch Alice whilst Carlisle gets coffee and stretches his legs. Rosalie’s shift doesn’t start for three more hours, and Carlisle seems grateful for the respite.

Her pale, lifeless face is unchanged, unaware of anything. And he can see the scar near her eyebrow, the one he can’t think about too hard or he’ll remember the worst parts of himself.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Alice.” His voice is barely above a whisper, and he tucks the little stem in between the hinges of the capsule.

There is nothing but shame and regret and grief whenever he’s with her, and bringing such a paltry offering - one no one will ever notice - feels more like an insult.

But it’s better than nothing.

—

Who said V-Day fics had to be happy and romantic? When you can have regret and pining?

Lenses are both an arm and eye implant, and the user can set whether the ‘screen’ appears on their arm or over their vision. When Alice got punched in the face on a job, it definitely fucked up her lens.

Esme’s species is very plant-and-nature focused, and that is evident in their faith. I’m still figuring out her full backstory, because she and Carlisle are very much in love but agreeing its a bad idea and they need to remain friends.

Alice’s slate would essentially be an old Kindle type device without internet access.

I am at a crossroads with where to take this verse. Both versions are valid and good, but have different outcomes. I will continue to contemplate it.

I don't think I've mentioned it in-verse, but Carlisle is not Edward and Edythe's biological father.

I am having a good time with the world-building in this verse.

#jalice #twilight fic #alice cullen #jasper hale #the twilight saga #my fic: better than nothing #my fic: unimaginable things #space-verse #i think we need a one-shot with maria and peter and charlotte #just a thought for the future #prison break? maybe so #haven't even introduced the pack or bella

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