2025-07-18, 07:11 PM
“Welcome to the party of the year,” Cole said.
Brett sat down at the second control panel and looked out the window that overlooked the large hall, which was packed with students. Newly built and not too far from the college, the building provided an ideal location for large parties and other major functions.
“I wouldn’t’ve missed this for anything. I’ve never known one of Peter’s parties to be a dud, so I can’t believe his dad built this place just because Peter asked.”
“Yeah, I know. Some people have too much money, if you ask me. It looks like Peter’s gone all out to make the first party here a smash. I think some of the decorations are outrageous, but hey, it’s Halloween.
“What are you dressed as, anyway?”
Brett looked down at his costume before looking back at Cole. “The Green Goblin, of course! What about you? You’re just wearing a suit. A real surprise, I have to admit, but not particularly appropriate to the season.”
Cole smirked. “I’m that real horror, the one that even vampires wish they could be.” He paused to let Brett’s curiosity build, and then added, “I’m a lawyer.”
Brett’s mouth twitched but he managed to avoid smiling. “Hmmm… I suppose that’s better than some of the costumes. One couple I saw when I arrived were wearing Saddam Hussein and Condoleezza Rice masks — not a pretty sight.”
He glanced out the window and frowned as he stared up at the ceiling. “What’s all that stuff up there? None of it was there when Peter ran me through how everything works.”
“Some sort of midnight surprise is all I was told when I asked the same question. Hey, what kept you? I was wondering if I was going to be running this show by myself.”
“Sorry about that. I had to get some people to… uh… kidnap my roommate. He didn’t want to come to the party.”
Cole laughed. “What sort of lame brain turns down an invitation to a party?”
Brett shot his friend a warning glare. “Don’t you dare say that about Nick. If it wasn’t for him, I would’ve failed at least two subjects last year and I wouldn’t be here now. He’s quiet and shy, but I owe him a lot. I decided getting him out of the room for a night would be good for him.”
“I’d think that setting him up with a girl for the party would make it better.”
Brett’s mouth twisted into a wry smile. “He told me he’s not interested in girls.”
“He’s gay? Okay, there should be some eligible guys around the campus, though I wouldn’t know how to find one.”
Brett laughed as he ran a hand through his green hair. “I asked him once if he’s gay. He just looked me up and down, said I’m not his type, and turned away. I took the hint and I haven’t asked since.”
“Maybe he’s one of those asexuals that I read about the other month — you know, not interested in sex at all.”
“Could be. Anyway, I’ve got some people keeping an eye on him with strict instructions he’s not to leave the party before midnight. He’s not happy with me, but I think it’s for his own good.”
“If you’ve had him kidnapped, what’s he got as a costume?”
Brett laughed. “A set of prison overalls. Steve’s dressed up as a prison guard, just to complete the picture.”
Brett logged into the computer screen in front of him and brought up the control software. “What’s the plan? It looks like everything’s been set up ahead of time and we only need to make sure it all goes to plan, and put in whatever ad-libbing we think necessary,” he said.
“That’s about it. One of us has to be here at all times and both of us need to be ready when Peter’s got special events planned, but otherwise it’s easy street.”
“Ten pm, midnight and two am — is that right?”
“Yeah. No change from what we were told last week.”
As Brett scanned the playlist that was displayed, he frowned. “I thought Melissa was going to pick most of the music.”
“You noticed, huh? She got sick, and Peter had to do it, so over half the stuff is techno — what he likes best.”
“Hey, lots of people like techno — just not all of us. In that case, I’m glad I’m up here.”
* * *
Brett stretched to loosen the muscles in his back. He’d been crouched over the controls while Peter had introduced the first part of the celebration. Brett had had to override the computer when one of the laser-generated ghosts had started to wander off track, but otherwise it had all gone smoothly.
The music had restarted and a semi-random wave of color from the overhead lights was dancing over the crowd. A moody mist was creeping across the floor from fog machines around the edges.
“Well, I think it’s time to go and say hello to a certain young lady,” Cole said as he rose to his feet. “I promised her some dances.”
Brett chuckled. “Okay, say hello to Helen for me, too. What did she pick as her costume?”
Cole chuckled. “With her figure, Helen of Troy, of course.”
Cole had just reached the door when all the lights in the hall went off and the music died. After a moment, a set of faint blue lights illuminated the crowd.
“What the fuck!” Brett said as he scanned the computer screen.
Cole headed back to his seat. “Did the software crash?”
“Not that I can see… wait… something’s happening.”
A new playlist replaced the old one as Brett watched. He recognised the opening chords as he read the name: the title song from The Phantom of the Opera.
“Look at that!” Cole said, pointing out the window.
Brett glanced out and saw a caped figure striding across the dance floor, illuminated by a bright spotlight. He’d just passed a pair of mummies, when a second spotlight turned on and revealed a classic Phantom of the Opera mask on the guy’s face.
“Someone’s decided to make one cool entrance!” Cole said, slowly shaking his head in admiration.
“I wonder who he is and why Peter didn’t tell us,” Brett commented.
“Probably didn’t want to spoil the surprise. You have to admit that everyone’s watching the guy. Twenty bucks says it’s a friend of Peter’s and some girl is about to dragged onto the floor.”
“No bet. You’re probably right.”
As they watched, Brett stiffened when a third spotlight shone on the phantom’s target.
“Hey, that’s a guy!” Cole said.
“That’s not just any guy, that’s my roommate, Nick!”
The phantom held out a hand to Nick, who took it and allowed himself to be lead to the middle of the hall.
Brett and Cole were still watching when the door to the control room flew open and an angry Count Dracula stormed in.
“What the fuck is going on in here? I’m paying you guys to stick to the program, not to make up your own rubbish!”
“Chill, Peter. We didn’t do anything — the system did it all itself,” Cole said.
“Well, fix it! Get rid of that fucking music first, and put something decent on.”
Cole started typing away while Peter glared out of the window.
“Hey, that’s two guys out there. Get those spotlights off them! I’m not having my party ruined by a pair of faggots! Why haven’t you fixed it already?”
Brett frowned at Peter’s comment as he turned to the other console to access the lighting controls. He didn’t appreciate the abusive tone, and especially didn’t like having it directed at his roommate.
“The system isn’t responding. It won’t let me override the music,” Cole said.
“Argh! You can’t be doing it right. Get out of the way and let me do it,” Peter yelled at Cole.
Brett found the same thing as Cole — he was unable to shift the spotlights away from Nick and the phantom. After a moment’s thought, he accessed the controls and tried to change the color of the lights to blue, and was surprised when it worked. His forehead wrinkled as he tried to work out what that meant.
Peter pushed the keyboard away in disgust. “Damn computer!”
“I can alter things, but I can’t remove anything that’s programmed in,” Brett said.
“We’ll have to reboot the system,” Peter said as he reached over and snatched the mouse. Moments later he grabbed the keyboard and started typing. “The fucking thing won’t respond! We’re going to have to power it off.”
Peter got down and started to crawl under the desk. Brett looked out the window and watched his roommate dance. The music switched to a rumba and other couples started dancing. The spotlight on Nick faded as the flashing lights switched back on.
“You know, Peter, I don’t think anyone minds. If we can’t get your stuff going again, why don’t we just let it run as it is?”
Peter’s voice came up from under the control panels.
Brett sat down at the second control panel and looked out the window that overlooked the large hall, which was packed with students. Newly built and not too far from the college, the building provided an ideal location for large parties and other major functions.
“I wouldn’t’ve missed this for anything. I’ve never known one of Peter’s parties to be a dud, so I can’t believe his dad built this place just because Peter asked.”
“Yeah, I know. Some people have too much money, if you ask me. It looks like Peter’s gone all out to make the first party here a smash. I think some of the decorations are outrageous, but hey, it’s Halloween.
“What are you dressed as, anyway?”
Brett looked down at his costume before looking back at Cole. “The Green Goblin, of course! What about you? You’re just wearing a suit. A real surprise, I have to admit, but not particularly appropriate to the season.”
Cole smirked. “I’m that real horror, the one that even vampires wish they could be.” He paused to let Brett’s curiosity build, and then added, “I’m a lawyer.”
Brett’s mouth twitched but he managed to avoid smiling. “Hmmm… I suppose that’s better than some of the costumes. One couple I saw when I arrived were wearing Saddam Hussein and Condoleezza Rice masks — not a pretty sight.”
He glanced out the window and frowned as he stared up at the ceiling. “What’s all that stuff up there? None of it was there when Peter ran me through how everything works.”
“Some sort of midnight surprise is all I was told when I asked the same question. Hey, what kept you? I was wondering if I was going to be running this show by myself.”
“Sorry about that. I had to get some people to… uh… kidnap my roommate. He didn’t want to come to the party.”
Cole laughed. “What sort of lame brain turns down an invitation to a party?”
Brett shot his friend a warning glare. “Don’t you dare say that about Nick. If it wasn’t for him, I would’ve failed at least two subjects last year and I wouldn’t be here now. He’s quiet and shy, but I owe him a lot. I decided getting him out of the room for a night would be good for him.”
“I’d think that setting him up with a girl for the party would make it better.”
Brett’s mouth twisted into a wry smile. “He told me he’s not interested in girls.”
“He’s gay? Okay, there should be some eligible guys around the campus, though I wouldn’t know how to find one.”
Brett laughed as he ran a hand through his green hair. “I asked him once if he’s gay. He just looked me up and down, said I’m not his type, and turned away. I took the hint and I haven’t asked since.”
“Maybe he’s one of those asexuals that I read about the other month — you know, not interested in sex at all.”
“Could be. Anyway, I’ve got some people keeping an eye on him with strict instructions he’s not to leave the party before midnight. He’s not happy with me, but I think it’s for his own good.”
“If you’ve had him kidnapped, what’s he got as a costume?”
Brett laughed. “A set of prison overalls. Steve’s dressed up as a prison guard, just to complete the picture.”
Brett logged into the computer screen in front of him and brought up the control software. “What’s the plan? It looks like everything’s been set up ahead of time and we only need to make sure it all goes to plan, and put in whatever ad-libbing we think necessary,” he said.
“That’s about it. One of us has to be here at all times and both of us need to be ready when Peter’s got special events planned, but otherwise it’s easy street.”
“Ten pm, midnight and two am — is that right?”
“Yeah. No change from what we were told last week.”
As Brett scanned the playlist that was displayed, he frowned. “I thought Melissa was going to pick most of the music.”
“You noticed, huh? She got sick, and Peter had to do it, so over half the stuff is techno — what he likes best.”
“Hey, lots of people like techno — just not all of us. In that case, I’m glad I’m up here.”
* * *
Brett stretched to loosen the muscles in his back. He’d been crouched over the controls while Peter had introduced the first part of the celebration. Brett had had to override the computer when one of the laser-generated ghosts had started to wander off track, but otherwise it had all gone smoothly.
The music had restarted and a semi-random wave of color from the overhead lights was dancing over the crowd. A moody mist was creeping across the floor from fog machines around the edges.
“Well, I think it’s time to go and say hello to a certain young lady,” Cole said as he rose to his feet. “I promised her some dances.”
Brett chuckled. “Okay, say hello to Helen for me, too. What did she pick as her costume?”
Cole chuckled. “With her figure, Helen of Troy, of course.”
Cole had just reached the door when all the lights in the hall went off and the music died. After a moment, a set of faint blue lights illuminated the crowd.
“What the fuck!” Brett said as he scanned the computer screen.
Cole headed back to his seat. “Did the software crash?”
“Not that I can see… wait… something’s happening.”
A new playlist replaced the old one as Brett watched. He recognised the opening chords as he read the name: the title song from The Phantom of the Opera.
“Look at that!” Cole said, pointing out the window.
Brett glanced out and saw a caped figure striding across the dance floor, illuminated by a bright spotlight. He’d just passed a pair of mummies, when a second spotlight turned on and revealed a classic Phantom of the Opera mask on the guy’s face.
“Someone’s decided to make one cool entrance!” Cole said, slowly shaking his head in admiration.
“I wonder who he is and why Peter didn’t tell us,” Brett commented.
“Probably didn’t want to spoil the surprise. You have to admit that everyone’s watching the guy. Twenty bucks says it’s a friend of Peter’s and some girl is about to dragged onto the floor.”
“No bet. You’re probably right.”
As they watched, Brett stiffened when a third spotlight shone on the phantom’s target.
“Hey, that’s a guy!” Cole said.
“That’s not just any guy, that’s my roommate, Nick!”
The phantom held out a hand to Nick, who took it and allowed himself to be lead to the middle of the hall.
Brett and Cole were still watching when the door to the control room flew open and an angry Count Dracula stormed in.
“What the fuck is going on in here? I’m paying you guys to stick to the program, not to make up your own rubbish!”
“Chill, Peter. We didn’t do anything — the system did it all itself,” Cole said.
“Well, fix it! Get rid of that fucking music first, and put something decent on.”
Cole started typing away while Peter glared out of the window.
“Hey, that’s two guys out there. Get those spotlights off them! I’m not having my party ruined by a pair of faggots! Why haven’t you fixed it already?”
Brett frowned at Peter’s comment as he turned to the other console to access the lighting controls. He didn’t appreciate the abusive tone, and especially didn’t like having it directed at his roommate.
“The system isn’t responding. It won’t let me override the music,” Cole said.
“Argh! You can’t be doing it right. Get out of the way and let me do it,” Peter yelled at Cole.
Brett found the same thing as Cole — he was unable to shift the spotlights away from Nick and the phantom. After a moment’s thought, he accessed the controls and tried to change the color of the lights to blue, and was surprised when it worked. His forehead wrinkled as he tried to work out what that meant.
Peter pushed the keyboard away in disgust. “Damn computer!”
“I can alter things, but I can’t remove anything that’s programmed in,” Brett said.
“We’ll have to reboot the system,” Peter said as he reached over and snatched the mouse. Moments later he grabbed the keyboard and started typing. “The fucking thing won’t respond! We’re going to have to power it off.”
Peter got down and started to crawl under the desk. Brett looked out the window and watched his roommate dance. The music switched to a rumba and other couples started dancing. The spotlight on Nick faded as the flashing lights switched back on.
“You know, Peter, I don’t think anyone minds. If we can’t get your stuff going again, why don’t we just let it run as it is?”
Peter’s voice came up from under the control panels.