Explain It Like I'm Tree

Interruptions

Once again, Lewis peered through his fingers. The kid stood just outside the doorway, knees slightly bent and body angled like he was ready to bolt back down the hall. He had an electric lantern in one hand and the other hand extended toward Lewis for a handshake. Both arms shook, but there was a heartbreakingly eager expression on his face.

He really knows nothing about this business.

Lewis pointed at Dib's outstretched hand and shook his head slowly.

Dib withdrew his hand quickly. "Did I do something wrong?"

Lewis sighed, then gestured to where his mouth should be and made a zipping motion.

"Oh, right. The spectral distortions. Mod Skull warned me about that. I'm totally ready! I've got a lot of practice running and dodging dangerous stuff. You can talk."

Hesitating, Lewis looked to the Deadbeat. It gave a high-pitched chirp and flashed a nubby thumbs-up.

Bracing himself, he condensed his answer into as few words as possible. "Never touch ghosts you don't know."

An eerie cackle came from the back corner of the room. Lewis shivered, but waved a hand dismissively over his shoulder.

"Wow. Okay. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I won't try and touch you again."

Not about offense. Not your fault. It's just a dangerous habit to get into. You don't know what corruption you could pick up if you touch things carelessly. But he only shrugged again. Best conserve his words for vital communication. If Dib never touched a ghost again because he thought it would offend them, it served the same purpose.

Unless a malevolent spirit tried to initiate contact, then someone this eager would fall all over themselves to... no. It was worth a few extra words. "Not offense. It's dangerous."

Dib blinked. "Oh. Well. Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." He edged into the room and set the electric lantern on the ground. "Okay, so, I'm going to tape our conversation. That way I can take good info back to my contact and maybe get some more answers for you. Is that okay?"

Lewis hesitated a moment, then nodded once. It was unlikely anyone outside his own team could identify him.

"Great!" Dib dumped a pack off his back and shuffled around in it. Within a few seconds, he had a tripod and video recorder set up. The camcorder had a couple charms hanging on it, but looking at them didn't cause Lewis pain. Puzzled, he drew closer and pointed at one of the charms, tilting his head to the side.

"That? Oh, it's to minimize interference. Mod Skull mentioned that you fry electronics, so I got these from my Swollen Eyeball contact to protect the camera. She said that sort of interference depends a lot on the circumstances surrounding... well. Um. A ghost's death?" He ended the sentence gingerly.

Lewis withdrew his hand. None of the ghosts he'd met on the job had fried electronics like he did. It depended on his death? He frowned. Nothing electronic had been involved in his death. It didn't fit. Plus he could technically manipulate electronics with the help of the Deadbeats, and he could possess vehicles at need, so it wasn't an all-or-nothing deal. Though he still couldn't figure out if the Deadbeats were part of him or hangers-on, he'd been too grateful for their help and company to look that particular gift horse in the mouth.

The Deadbeat wriggled around Dib's shoulders and patted his face. Dib smiled down at it. "So this is one of the little guys that helps you? Mod Skull mentioned. It's awfully cute."

Lewis nodded.

"Neat. Who is this? Has it got a name?"

Lewis shrugged hard.