Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks

by George R. R. Martin

  Underneath both of them but rising, rising, David whispered only to Evan. [Look at all the bodies here you can have any one of them no need to play goddamn hero just let me past let me take Oddity and I’ll set you free I promise don’t let us die.…]

  “We’ll see her,” Oddity said, “or we’ll see how close we get to you. You kill us or you die. It really doesn’t matter. One way we get what I want, the other way what Evan wants. Either way, you lose.”

  Bloat sighed. “Such a waste.” He sighed, then gestured with one tiny hand. “I didn’t care to show my hole card so quickly, but I suppose it can’t be helped. Bring her in,” he said, then nodded to Oddity. “You need to understand the situation. Can David hear me?”

  The fencing mask nodded under the hood.

  “Good. It’s important he does. David, even if you can, don’t jump back yet. Ah, here she is.…”

  Somehow, thinking of Patty alone in one body had given them a vision of her as she once had been: dark brown hair swirling around her shoulders and wearing the denim skirt she liked so well with a blouse of unbleached cotton. But the person who stepped from the side doorway was in soiled Levi’s and a leather jacket. The body was distinctly male, a youthful, handsome face topped with blond and unruly hair.

  “John? Evan?” he [she?] said, and the voice was deep. “I love you both. I miss you.”

  Patty said the words, and felt the truth of them with the tears they set off in her eyes. Behind her, rubber wheels squeaked against tile. She glanced back at the joker pushing the wheelchair with a young jumper’s body. The bait. The temptation.

  [Yours. It can be yours.] The knowledge tore at her, and she looked back at Oddity, remembering the pain and the hurt and the feeling of being imprisoned.

  “Patty?” Bloat said, and her gaze went grudgingly to the joker. “I need to know. Now. Will you cooperate with me? Do it for yourself. Do it for all jokers. Do it for the rapture. Help me.”

  Patty looked again at the young woman, at the empty, wonderful body. She also saw Oddity watching and she knew that John and Evan could guess her thoughts as well. Faintly, she saw the fencing mask that was Oddity’s face nod, as if in forgiveness. [Go on,] she could almost hear John and Evan saying. [We understand.]

  Patty reached out and stroked the girl’s face with a yearning wistfulness. The skin felt soft and smooth. She knew she would remember that softness forever.

  She turned, trying to remember it all. Trying to pack into these few seconds all the sensations of being alone, of being one.

  She shook her head.

  “No,” she told Bloat, not caring that David’s body was weeping openly now. “I hate Oddity, but I love Evan and John. You only want Oddity as a weapon, and I won’t be a part of that. I’d rather be with my lovers again, as we were.”

  “I’d rather be with my lovers again, as we were.”

  Patty’s words startled all of them. Evan could feel the surprise loosen what little hold he had.

  Oddity screamed.

  All at once, everything inside the Oddity had become fluid. The mind barriers crumpled and went to dust.

  [John?]

  [I’ve lost Oddity, Evan. You have to—]

  The person in David’s body was running to them, and his [her?] arms were around them, hugging them and not caring that the body was changing underneath the embrace. Oddity stood there, the arms half up as if unsure whether or not to return the embrace.…

  [Evan, hold David back.…]

  [I’m trying, John.]

  For a moment, Evan was in control of Oddity as Patty [David?] stared up into the bowl of the fencing mask. “My God, Patty…” he moaned. “We love you so much.…”

  “Evan? It’s so lonely out here. I miss you, Evan, John. Please … I want back in.” She was crying, clutching tighter to Oddity as the powerful, piebald arms went around her at last.

  “But you’re free,” Oddity said, and the voice was slurred, confused. “I don’t understand—”

  [Hold him, Evan, hold him.…]

  [Now, Evan. Let me have Oddity,] David insisted.

  David’s will shoved at Evan’s weak resistance. Laughing, David shoved past Evan and into the Dominant position. Immediately the Oddity groaned as the full impact of the pain hammered at the youth. Yet this time, prepared for the torture, David clung to Dominant.

  Evan did nothing. Nothing.

  He let David have Oddity without a struggle.

  [You promised me,] he said to David. [Remember what you promised me.]

  [Goddamn son of a bitch, Evan…]

  “Fucking Christ, Bloat, this hurts!”

  “David!” Bloat sounded pleased. “Good. Now that you control Oddity, I can say more.” He looked down at Patty, who struggled in Oddity’s grasp. “I’d continue to hold on to your body. I’d hate to see Patty damage it, which is what she’s considering at the moment.”

  Patty cursed, glaring at Bloat.

  Oddity’s grip on Patty tightened. “Say it quick, Bloat. I know it ain’t your style, but I ain’t staying here long.”

  Bloat smiled. “In a nutshell, then. It’s time for us to organize. It’s time for the jumpers to help the Rox.”

  Oddity chuckled, then groaned as another shift in the mutable body racked them. “That’s what you were telling Patty. So what? You upping the rent?”

  Bloat shrugged, the tiny shoulders lifting helplessly in the immense body. “I imagine there are any number of jokers who would like to be aces, especially here in the Rox. A few judicious triple jumps … Imagine what a dozen or so jokers-turned-aces might be able to accomplish.”

  “Especially with Bloat telling us what to do.”

  “Especially.” Bloat smiled.

  [Evan, you can’t allow this.…]

  Evan ignored John’s pleading. [David, you promised me. Right?]

  [Hey, man. I keep promises. Don’t worry.]

  [Then go ahead and jump. I’ll take Dominant.]

  Patty struggled in their arms, biting and clawing uselessly against Oddity’s compelling strength. “We’ll talk, Bloat,” Oddity said. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s time to organize a little. But in a second, when I’m back in my own skin.”

  “What about Oddity?” Kafka interjected, looking worried.

  “I agree with my counselor, David,” Bloat said. “I thought Patty would help us control it. Perhaps Oddity’s simply too dangerous.”

  [Evan?]

  [Just give me a body, David. Like you promised.]

  “It’ll be cool,” David told them. “Don’t worry about Oddity.”

  Inside Oddity, there was a moment of chilling vacancy [… Evan!…] and then Patty was back, stunned and falling almost immediately to Passive as John made a last desperate attempt to take Dominant.

  Evan shoved him back contemptuously. David’s eyes had closed. Now they opened again and looked up at Oddity and the hidden face behind the mesh. “Hey, man. You can let me go now.”

  [John? Patty? I love you both. I’m sorry.]

  [Evan—]

  [We understand we do.…]

  Oddity’s hands came up. One was Patty’s now, one John’s. In a swift movement they grasped either side of David’s head.

  With all of Oddity’s power they twisted savagely.

  The snap of the neck breaking was very loud.

  Oddity let the body crumple to the floor. They spread their hands wide, closing their eyes for the last time and waiting for Bloat to give the order, waiting for the bullets to shred their shared body.

  [Good-bye Patty, John. I do love you.]

  It never happened.

  Bloat was staring at David’s body. Kafka watched Bloat. The joker guards’ weapons were pointing at them, ready.

  Bloat only gave a brief sigh.

  “David was my key. He was willing to listen to me, to share in my dream. If you were Golden Boy or Peregrine or just another ace, I wouldn’t hesitate,” he told them, still looking at David’s body. “But not the Oddity. Not p
eople who know the pain of being a joker.”

  The tiny head on the mounded body closed its eyes. The body rippled and more bloatblack oozed from the body. The smell of corruption was strong in the room.

  “Get out,” Bloat told them savagely. “Get out before I change my mind.”

  Dutton finally opened the back fire door and stood blinking into the Jokertown dawn. The noseless, living skull face yawned. He tugged the cord of his silk bathrobe tightly around his waist.

  “Oddity.” He sounded relieved. “I was worried. I’d called some people I knew—”

  “We came to work.”

  “Evan?” Dutton glanced at the hands—for the most part, they were chocolate brown and long-fingered. Dutton stepped away from the door and let the cloaked figure enter, then shut and locked the door behind them. The museum seemed gloomy after the sunshine. “It’s six in the morning. What happened? Where’s Patty?”

  “Here. Passive for the moment. John’s with us, too. It’s over, Charles. We—I—was wrong. We wanted to tell you.”

  “Wrong?”

  “About endings. Maybe things do occasionally work out. The leader of the jumper gang’s dead, Charles.”

  Behind the mask, Oddity laughed, full and loud. The gaiety sounded very strange to Dutton. “It doesn’t solve everything,” Oddity continued. “Probably not much at all. But it’s one little change for the good. A few less atrocities the nats will be able to blame on us, one less excuse they can use to oppress people affected by the wild card.”

  “And you? What about Oddity?”

  “It still hurts. But one of us got out, at least for a bit. We can think of that and hope that maybe—someday—the rest will change.”

  Oddity sighed.

  Under the heavy cloak, shapes came and went.

  “You got any cake, Charles?” they said. “It’s our birthday.”

  My Name Is Nobody

  by Walton Simons

  JERRY WALKED UP THE stone steps into the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola. He hadn’t been inside a church in over thirty years. His parents had exposed him to their religious preference, which was Episcopalian, but had let him stop going after he continually went to sleep during the service. David had been Catholic, though. At least the building had a late-Renaissance look that was less forbidding than the usual Gothic stuff.

  Jerry slipped in and sat behind Kenneth and Beth. They wouldn’t recognize him, though. He was wearing an old look, with sagging flesh, bad posture, and gray hair. Jerry hoped he could pick up a comment from Beth saying she missed him, but they sat silently through David’s eulogy. Jerry wanted to stand up and tell everyone that the man they were mourning was a bad one by anyone’s standards, let alone a devout Catholic’s. That David was behind the “jumper” crimes and deserved exactly what he got. Jerry wanted to, but he didn’t. First off, if there was a God, he/she/it would not be impressed. Second, he didn’t have any proof. That chapped him plenty. All those months of detective work and he had nothing to show for it. Nobody except Tachyon would ever know he’d found David out, and Tachyon was all for secrecy.

  Jerry glanced across the aisle at St. John Latham. The attorney put his hand to his mouth and coughed. There was strain in his neck and his face was pale. He was breathing in an even, but forced manner. Latham shook his head, then reached in his coat pocket and dabbed at his eyes. Jerry wanted to bend over the pew and get Kenneth and Beth to look Latham’s way. They wouldn’t believe the tears any more than Jerry did. St. John was the original iceman.

  Latham stood, left his pew, and headed for the back of the church. Beth and Kenneth were still focused on the minister. Jerry hobbled after Latham down the church’s central aisle. He had to move slowly to stay in character and Latham was nowhere to be seen when he entered the foyer.

  A young kid stood at the door to the men’s room. He was wearing a new black suit and had obvious blackheads all over his face. Jerry headed for the men’s room, wheezing.

  “Sorry, old man,” the kid said as Jerry approached the door. “It’s occupé right now.”

  “My medication,” Jerry said, beginning to shake. “I’ll die.”

  The kid made an unhappy face. “Oh, all right. But don’t be long.”

  Jerry heard a man sobbing in one of the stalls as he stepped in. He didn’t have to see the face to know who it was. Latham was blubbering like he’d lost his own son. Jerry began running water to wash his hands. The crying tapered off. After a few moments the person inside blew his nose. Jerry turned off the water and reached for a towel. Latham stepped out of the stall.

  “He was a fine boy,” Jerry said.

  “Yes, very fine indeed.” Latham turned on the faucet and splashed water on his face. His eyes were completely bloodshot. He left before Jerry could say anything else. Jerry stepped outside in time to see him leaving with the kid.

  Something was definitely up.

  Jerry savored his last bite of Imperial Duck, chewing it slowly. He’d had to let his belt out a notch already, and it was getting tight again.

  “God, that’s good,” Jerry said.

  Kenneth nodded. “Oh, yeah. I’m glad you didn’t back out at the last minute.”

  “It’s not you I’m mad at.” Jerry took a sip of his hot tea and reached for his fortune cookie.

  “Do you enjoy being mad at her?” Kenneth asked, his voice flat and nonjudgmental.

  “I don’t know. I just feel like she came down unnecessarily hard on me. I don’t need that right now.” Jerry cracked open his cookie and pulled out the fortune. He paused a moment to read it.

  “What does it say?”

  “‘You will overcome many hardships,’” Jerry said. “I don’t think I like that. It means I’ll have to deal with them.”

  “On the plus side, maybe it means you and Beth will get things sorted out. That would certainly go a long way toward making me happy.” Kenneth read his fortune and wrinkled his brow.

  “How about yours?” Jerry asked. “‘Babes in abundance will beat a path to your door’?”

  “‘A good man has few enemies; a ruthless man has none.’”

  Jerry made a face. “Fortunes for the eighties. Get yours and take out anyone who gets in your way. That’s real encouraging.”

  Kenneth paid the bill and the brothers walked out into the crowded streets of Chinatown. The spring air had a freshness that even the smell of garbage couldn’t cling to.

  “Let’s walk awhile,” Kenneth said, heading toward Canal.

  “Okay by me.” Jerry patted his stomach. “I need a little exercise or I’ll lose my schoolboy figure.”

  “Beth told me she called you last week. She said you hemmed and hawed, but promised you’d call her back soon.” Kenneth turned and looked at Jerry. “Are you?”

  “Yes, she called. And yes, I’m going to call her back when I feel damn good and ready.” Jerry knew it was shitty to put her off, but felt like letting her twist in the wind for a while. He really wanted his pound of flesh. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. How about those Knicks, eh?”

  “Whatever you say. Just don’t lie to her, she hates that.” Kenneth looked at his watch. “Maybe we have time to pick up some canoles.”

  “Time is something I got plenty—” Jerry heard gunfire from inside one of the buildings and flinched. Kenneth pulled him to the pavement as three kids in ski masks and blue satin jackets charged out of an antique shop. All three had guns drawn. They stopped in front of Jerry and Kenneth. Jerry saw two cold brown eyes meet his. The kid’s gun swiveled over and past him. Another kid said something in Chinese. The group sprinted off down the street and ducked into an alley. Jerry recognized the bird on the back of their jackets.

  “Egrets,” he said. Jerry stood, then helped Kenneth to his feet. Someone wailed inside the antique shop.

  “What did you say?” Kenneth looked at him hard.

  “Immaculate Egrets. They’re a street gang. I saw a TV special on them.” Jerry smiled. “Nothing like a little m
ayhem to get your blood going. Should we call the police, or something?”

  “I’m sure they’ve already been contacted. I don’t recall any TV special on that particular gang.” Kenneth started walking Jerry down the street. “Look, I’ve heard rumors that you’ve been doing some detective work. Certain individuals take that sort of thing very personally. So if it’s true, I’d advise you to stop it. Now.”

  Jerry couldn’t imagine how Kenneth had found out. Beth wouldn’t talk, even though she was mad at him. Maybe someone had tipped him about Jerry having hired Ackroyd at one point. But he’d been checking out David, and David was gone. Jerry decided to do a little fishing. “Who’s Kien?”

  Kenneth blanched. “So. It is true. You don’t want to know, Jerry. Latham is much more dangerous than you can imagine. He’s been losing his grip lately, so stay out of his way.” Kenneth glanced at his watch again. “I need to get home.”

  “Latham’s got something on you, doesn’t he?” Jerry couldn’t imagine his brother this scared for any other reason.

  “Let’s just say the situation is balanced, but very precariously.” Kenneth grabbed Jerry by the elbow. “Don’t upset the balance. You could get us all killed.”

  A police car squealed around the corner and bounced down the street, its siren and rotating reds going. “You head on home, Kenneth. Don’t worry about me. I’m going to stick around and tell the cops what I saw here.” Jerry would also memorize the cops’ faces and badge numbers. That could come in handy later, too.

  Kenneth gave Jerry a look of troubled resignation. “Watch out for yourself. If you get into trouble with this, I might not be able to get you out. I’d try, of course.”

  “I know. Tell Beth I really will call her sometime.” Jerry waved his brother off. “And don’t worry about me. There’s more here than meets the eye.”

  Kenneth gave a weak waist-high wave and turned away. It began to rain softly. Jerry walked down toward the police car. If Latham was putting the squeeze on his family, Jerry was going to dig something up and squeeze back, hard. Thunder rumbled across the sky in the distance.