What to say - part two of the story. It was about halfway through writing this part that stuff started falling into place, but I'm a bit too close to it to tell if it's too obvious. Of course, you guys won't be able to tell that until the /next/ bit, but it's good to be prepared. Let me know if the perspective switch between different characters works okay - I'm trying to hit a balance between obviously someone different, yet still keep within a style of writing, but I'll be buggered if I can figure out if it worked!
flames, comments, etc to hallermaine@yahoo.co.uk or perfection@work.tc as before
No Time Like the Present - pt.ii 'So, what you got for us then?'
Simon looked up from his drink, obviously startled. He was surprised to find that he was no longer alone at the table. Maybe it hadn't been such a great idea to take a hit before he came in after all. Seated across from him were two girls; one human, one brain waster. Both wore long-sleeve t-shirts; the human with a cut-off sleeveless pulled on over the top. A third girl sat down in a clatter of pouches and baubles on the stool at the end of the table; human, probably Frother. She grinned over at him from behind a half-full pint glass, her dark eyes shrouded glints behind a curtain of fine dreadlocks and braids. Beside her, still standing, was a hulking mass of muscle, barely contained in an oddly rubbery-looking skin. Simon's gaze couldn't help but be drawn to the brute's lethal smile, and the huge claws that tipped the ends of each of his four arms. But he still registered the StyleWear 'rareskin' t-shirt stretched taut over the massive frame. He'd been looking for that shirt for three months! Limited edition run, available to StyleWear preferred customers only. And it looked like it had been tailored for him - the two extra sleeves were in the pattern, not just added on. That thing was a fucking collector's item - and this guy was just wearing it! To a shitty club!
The shock of seeing the very shirt he'd been lusting after since the launch of the fall season brought him out of the floating daze he'd been in since he sat down. But it still took him a few moments to grab his scattered thoughts and mash them into something vaguely palatable.
'Sorry? What did you say?' He tried to stay calm, but could feel the paranoid edge trying to creep up behind him.
'You are Simon Warren, aren't you?' The girl facing him peered over the top of a pair of Chaar 'lightrings' photochromatic sunglasses, with straight supports and SolutionWear cushion inlays. Those things cost a pretty penny, but they were a bit girly for Simon's taste. He preferred something wraparound, and in bright colours. He had to admit they looked good on her, though. He wondered what tint her lenses were keyed to.
'Yeah, that's me. I guess you guys must be the squad I'm meeting?' He glanced down to check that there was still some drink in his glass, and lifted it carefully to his mouth. Not that he was shaking or anything - he was just a little worried because he wasn't 100% sure just exactly where his mouth was. It certainly didn't feel like it was in the same place as usual. There! He felt the glass contact his lips and let a thin drizzle pass into his mouth. The liquid seemed less than eager to enter his gullet, and just sat on his tongue when he got it there. It took conscious effort to actually swallow it back.
The girls (and their counterweight) were all looking at him, waiting for something. The air suddenly felt prickly when he realised he didn't have a clue just what it was. He knew it had something to do with him, but his brain couldn't decide whether or not it was good. He was sure of one thing though - his mind was in no fit state for any kind of meeting! Shit, but this stuff was strong! He made a mental note to cut it a bit more than usual when he got back to his apartment.
That was it! Apartment. His purpose in being here jumped right out into the open where he could see it properly. The guys' apartment. Right! He pulled himself together and smiled (nice big one for the cameras there, boy!). Probing around with his tongue procured the gum he'd stuck in behind his molars earlier. He chewed it for a second, still smiling, before shifting slightly in his seat and self-consciously but quietly clearing his throat.
'Yes, you'll be Sour Mash, I take it? We have a little kink needs ironing out, and our information suggest you guys are just the tools we need. And by the fact you're here now I take it you have an opening in your schedule. So, shall we discuss terms?'
The rest of the squad all glanced at the human sitting across the table from him. She gave an odd little smile and shook her head ever so slightly. 'You can start discussing terms all you like, my friend, but we're not gonna start listening until you tell us what we're being employed for.' There was a hint of a sneer on her face, and she shot a quick look over to the Frother. Simon nervously glanced at her too, just in time to catch the little motion she made for the human. The significance, if there was any, was totally lost on him. He was convinced it had something to do with him, though. Or was the just the paranoia riding his ass again?
He flinched as the Frother reached towards him, but felt foolish almost instantly as he spotted the pack of cigarettes in her hand. She was offering a smoke!
'It's Flip, mate. Should help bring you down a coupla notches so we can get this shit sorted out.'
He gratefully slid a cigarette from the box and pushed it nervously between his lips, smiling sheepishly as he did so. At the edge of his vision he saw something pale floating over the table in his direction and turned to find it was the 'Waster's hand, her fair skin contrasting with the deep brown tones of her deathsuit-clad arm. He ducked his head down to accept the light he assumed she was offering, and only just managed to stop himself from shrinking back when she flipped her thumb and a small flame licked along its length. Try as he might, he'd never been able to get used to all this ebb shit. Legacy of a sheltered childhood.
'So . what? No-one every told you it was a bad idea to get wired for a meet?' There was a definite smirk on the human's lips as she spoke. It was actually quite a cute smile, but Simon wasn't so fucked as to think she was flirting. Even to him it was pathetically obvious that these guys were less than impressed with him so far. Well, screw them! He wasn't the type to actually give a shit about what anyone else thought of him. It was their problem if they didn't like him. There were plenty who did.
He took a long drag on the cigarette and nodded his approval. Must find out where she gets these ready-mades. They tasted a lot cleaner than his usual buys. He took a moment to look around the table again, then smiled and shrugged.
'Okay, you got me! I got some new gear in tonight and figured I'd give it a ride before I decided what to do with it. Turns out it's a wee bit more choppy than I expected though, so you'll have to forgive me. Honest, I didn't plan to get wasted before I met you.' The Frother playfully tapped his shoulder.
'Shit man, don' worry about it!' she grinned. 'Nothin' wrong wi' a wee toot every now and then. Here, you got anymore o' that shit on ye?' Her eyes smiled encouragingly at him, but there was no missing the admonishing glare her request earned from the human. Simon dismissed it, but not before adding another mental note to have a word with the Frother if he got the chance. No point in passing up a potential customer. He took another quick sip of his drink then enthusiastically brought his hands together.
'Okay then, down to business. Right, let's see if I can remember.' He gestured at the human first. 'You must be . Louise? And . Was it Hope?'
The Waster's pale, grey-ish eyes said she wasn't his biggest fan, but her tone of voice didn't let on.
'It's Wish,' she said, then gestured to the remaining two, 'And this is Bubblegum and Jefry. We know your name, so now that the introductions are through can we get on with what we're here for? We have an appointment in the morning and would rather not spend the whole night bonding.' Her wry little smile at the end spoke volumes of just how much she reckoned she'd enjoy that particular passtime.
'Alright then, girls.' and after the briefest of pauses he added, 'And Jefry. Here's the deal. There's a couple of newly-arrived VIP clients of ours just moved into a new apartment, and they're throwing a little party tonight. Y'know, like a flatwarmer! There's gonna be all manner of noteables floating around too - it's actually shaping up to be something of an interesting evening - but we're slightly concerned about the potential security risk to our clients. No matter how much you try to keep these things quiet, when you're dealing with any form of celebrity the word always manages to get out. And if the word gets out, you can guarantee it'll come within earshot of the odd unfavourable element. Quite frankly, we'd rather keep that element out.' He paused to take another sip of his drink, surprised to find that this was the last sip. For a moment he considered going to the bar for another, but the chances were he'd lose the squad if he did so. Best just to wait.
'Now, normally we'd just arrange for normal security on the door, and we have that set out to some degree, but the hosts wouldn't allow us to post any security actually in the place. I guess they just want their guests to feel welcomed or something. On the other hand, they've asked us to invite a few faces along - as I said, they're new in town and don't really know many folk yet. So we have this opportunity to kill two scavs with one HEAP, if you get my meaning. You guys have just the right profile to be reasonable candidates for an invitation to such a party, but also the training and experience to deal with any . situations which might arise.'
'This an official BPN?' Jefry's barked question came as something as a surprise to Simon. Not only to hear apparently reasonable concern from such an overbearing mass of 'killing blood' (he had to admit quite liking the new buzz-word for stormers), but also at the clear annunciation employed. Not what he'd expected. But he wouldn't let it throw him.
'Of course it's official!' he said, with a smile. 'This isn't some piss-ant little indy channel you're dealing with here - this is SIC! We're way too high-profile to risk the shit from being sneaky. But we would rather you didn't mention to anyone at the party that you're on a card. Everyone should believe you're just having a good time, partying with some new friends.'
'You expect us to provide security unarmed?' From her tone, it was pretty plain that Louise thought the idea more than a little ridiculous.
'Look, mate - if you or your pals want to invite us to a party just say so, but if you want to hire us for what we do best, there's certain things we need to do the job right. You're coming to us, so you must've seen our tapes at some point. And it may be a couple of months since we made the top ten squads listing, but it's still been quite a while since any of us could do any undercover work. If you follow my meaning.' Simon had unconsciously shrunk back a little as Louise had delivered her little tirade, but he had been prepared for this. To a degree.
'That is not going to be a problem. We have already made sure that there's gonna be hardware to hand for you, and we can arrange for some of your own equipment to be laid-by too. In fact, you'll probably be fine carrying one or two small items with you. After all, it's prudent to ensure your own safety when you're travelling around in Mort, no? Just nothing too overt, please. Don't make it look like you're going in ready for a fight. And anyway, we're really not expecting any serious trouble. No threats or anything. We'd just rather be a bit more prepared just in case there is any.' He pulled himself back to sit up straight, then made to stand.
'You guys probably want to talk about this a bit, and I could really use a drink. Can I get anyone else?'
A quick note of the round later, and Simon was off to the bar.
'Guys?' Louise looked around her friends and squad-mates. The decision on any BPN was always made demographically.
Wish nodded. 'Chances are, it's just some out-of-town band or something, hoping some of our local popularity will rub off on them. But if we're getting paid for going to a party we might as well. Money's not always this easy to come by.'
'Yeah, and there might be a chance f'r a fight as well! Sounds like a good night out to me!' Try as she might, Bubblegum couldn't help but fall right into so many Frother stereotypes. It was just her nature. Louise turned to the quiet shadow still standing behind Bubblegum.
'Jefry?'
He shrugged his two 'natural' shoulders, with just a hint of resonant twitch from the lower set. 'Sure thing. It's easy money'
The big guy seemed somehow different recently, Louise thought. More reserved. Not so most folk would notice, mind you. Really just when anything dealing with officialdom was concerned, in whatever guise. Not for the first time, she wondered if he was maybe thinking about quitting the squad. He had certainly been spending more time away from the rest of them over the past few months.
Nothing to worry about right now, though.
A few moments of tactic-talk followed, sorting out details of what they'd need to play this right, before Simon returned from the bar. Drinks were dispersed and the group got comfortable again. Louise leaned forward, business mode on full power.
'Okay, we're gonna have to know full details of the existing security placements, and you're gonna have to sort some stuff for us.'
And the job was on ..
Comments to Phantom Scribbler