by Tom Andry
I grabbed it from her and drank the rest. "Yeah," I burped. I turned, but the large guard wasn't behind us. He must not have followed us in. Instead, I saw two pot-bellied sentries in flowing pants, tiny vests, and turbans, each holding a long spear topped with an axe head. They crossed the spears over the door. If they hadn't moved, I would have guessed they were statues. Glancing around, I spied a few more pairs around the room guarding other doors. I took a quick step back and set the empty bottle on the forearm of one of the sentries. He didn't react. "I am so not drunk enough for this," I muttered.
"Are you a little buzzed too?"
I turned to face Nissa, "No."
She swallowed, not meeting my gaze, "Good. Me too."
A small laugh escaped, "Just...let me do the talking."
She nodded vigorously.
I turned and made my way through the billowing fabric panels hanging from the ceiling. Each panel was shaped into a cone by way of some sort of hoop at the bottom, creating a space just big enough for a human to stand in. Well, stand and gyrate in apparently, since that was what was going on. As we passed, the dancers reached out to us, letting the fabric brush against our arms and shoulders. I tried to lead us far enough away so that they'd keep their distance, but Master Tay didn't seem to want that. No matter what path I chose, there always seemed to be a dancer within arm’s reach. I quickened my pace toward the center of the room and the pyramid of pillows.
From the doorway, the pyramid looked large. Up close, it was massive. Easily two stories tall, there was no way the structure should have held. Each level was constructed out of different colored pillows arranged in a perfect pyramid, with each level slightly smaller than the lower to create steps. Up top, there was a larger, much more opulent version of the gazebos on the floor.
"Oh glorious day, dawg!" The voice wafted down from the top. From behind a sheet emerged Master Tay. "My prayers have been answered! The Moorster is here." He pumped his heavily tattooed right arm, "That bitch can suck it!"
"Moorster?"
"Yip. Just made that up. You like, yo? Sounds like 'monster.' Righteous, natch?"
I glared at Nissa hearing the word. She blushed. Whoever said that Tay didn't have powers was probably right. The boy - I don't think I could classify him as a man - was shirtless with tattoos around his navel and on a number of other places on his lean, but not muscular, body. He wore a baseball cap backwards and flowing pants like the sentries, but somehow gaudier. In his left hand was a huge gold goblet that he occasionally brought to his lips. Supers were normally on the extreme of human features. They were extremely beautiful, extremely tall, extremely fat, and so on. If Tay was anything extreme, it was plain. And annoying.
"Bob will do, thanks. Never been much for nicknames."
He stopped his descent, cocking his head. "Isn't Bob a nickname?"
"No."
"Yip, for Bobby or something, right?" he nodded to the sentries who all nodded in unison.
"No."
He waved his left hand, spilling crimson liquid, "Whatever. I'm just glad you're finally here, yo." He had made it about halfway down the pyramid, "But you have to tell me, how did you find out?"
"What do you mean?"
"Come on, dawg, spill it. I've gone to great lengths to make sure you never learned of this place. Was it the party favor?" he nodded at Nissa.
My eyes grew hard, "I'm not sure I like your tone."
He stopped again, his eyes even harder, "Moorster, you might want to check yourself. You're in my house." Suddenly he laughed, "Yo, what a day! Can you guys believe this? It's like my birthday and Samhain and Halloween all rolled up into one!"
Nissa whispered, "I think Samhain and Halloween are on the same day."
I shot her a warning look.
"So spill it. Who squawked?"
"A cop gave me the name of the club. If that's what you mean."
"Woo hoo!" Tay started dancing down the last of the pillow stairs. "Oh man, a cop? This is so sweet, yo! I can't wait to see her face. Oh, man, this is going to be great!"
"Who? Whose face?"
He stopped his dancing and faced me, blue eyes far too dilated, shuffling back and forth as if they were unable to focus on any one location for longer than a second, "Your wife. Gale. A birdie told me she was still alive."
I reached forward to grab the punk by his pasty neck and squeeze some color into his face, "What does my wife have to do with this, you little..."
Pain. Head-splitting, mind-numbing pain. I've been shot, blown up, dropped off buildings, and even tortured by some who considered it an art form. Nothing had ever come close to this. Instantly, I knew I would do anything to make it stop. It was as if someone had driven a spike through every nerve ending in my body. A spike dipped in acid. And salt.
When the pain receded and my vision returned, I was on the ground at Tay's feet. Nissa was shaking me and screaming my name. She turned and started yelling at Tay. He said something back and she lunged at him, but then curled up into a fetal position in midair before landing just in front of me. Tay turned, pushed her over with his foot and then kicked me in the midsection. It felt like a pat on the back from a good friend in comparison to what I'd just gone through.
I coughed, "Maybe I should rephrase that."
Tay pulled me to my feet, his smile huge and genuine. If I'd had any doubts, they were now gone. Tay was batshit insane.
"No prob, Moorster. You're like family, yo. And family forgives. Here, let's hug it out." Tay grabbed me around the midsection and yanked me up into the air. He was shorter and smaller than me, but seemed to hold me up effortlessly. He held me there, digging his face into my chest, breathing deeply, "Oh man, you smell great. I can't believe you're here, yo. It's like I can finally, really open this place up. Get crazy up in here."
At my feet, Nissa was slowly recovering. Whatever Tay could do was powerful, but short-lived. If I still had access to The Bulwark's supercomputer, Mind, I might have been able to prepare for this. I hadn't taken the time to really think about what that meant. I certainly didn't have time now. "So, you were saying about Gale?"
"Man, that bitch is something else, right?" I bristled at the word, but let it go considering how I still felt like I'd been through a few hundred cycles in an industrial-strength washer, "She tells me if she finds out that anyone tells you about this place, I'm gonna pay. She'll bring the whole Bulwark against me. So I'm like, 'Fine, whatever, just one dude,' but man, now that you are here..."
"Wait," I kept my eyes fixed on Tay while Nissa groaned at my feet. "Gale didn't want me here? Why?"
He shrugged, bringing his goblet to his lips, "Don't know, Moorster. Maybe she thinks you and I'd be too good of friends?"
Well, I wasn't positive of Gale's motivation but I was pretty sure that wasn't it. I blinked, thinking. Why would she go through the trouble? What possible motive... My God! Could she have been a patron? Images terrible and tantalizing danced across my brain.
"Listen," I interrupted myself, "I'm looking for some info."
"Pah!" he threw his arm over my shoulder, his bleached blonde hair peeking out from under his cap. "Info is for suits and bores. You and me, yo, we gonna party tonight. It's gonna be Level 5, yo!"
He steered me toward the door. Behind us, the squeak of vinyl on vinyl let me know Nissa was recovering. I turned and looked over my shoulder. Her face was red and her eyes were full of rage. She was looking around as if to find something, anything with which to bash Tay over the head. I tried to stop her with a look, but she wasn't having it. With nothing to grab, she prepared herself for a lunge.
"You might want to calm your appetizer," Tay said, his voice cold. "She's gonna get herself expired."
Nissa leapt forward again, but again she fell in wordless agony. Tay let go of me as I rushed to her side. She was convulsing and blood was dripping from her ears and the corner of her mouth.
"Stop this! You're killing her!"
"It's not me, Moorster. It's her. As long as
she plans on doing me harm, this is what will happen. She's got to chill, man. Got to tell you, though, love the hair. And the 'tude."
He wasn't making any sense, but I didn't have any other choice. I sat next to her and pulled her into my arms whispering soothing words, trying to calm her. After what seemed to be forever, she stopped shaking and her breathing became more regular. As she became more cognizant, I whispered instructions to not think of attacking again. When her eyes as much as her nod confirmed that she understood, I helped her to her feet.
"What's the deal, Tay? What is this?"
"Man, that's what I like about you, dawg! There's no, 'puleese masta Tay' with you. You're all hardcore and shit. That's badass man. You ain't afraid of nothing, are you, Moorster?"
"I wouldn't say that."
"Yip, you and me is the same. We're not afraid of shit. But man, 'cause it's you. I'll tell you." He pulled me close, "I gots me a secret weapon, dawg. I gots me a guardian angel."
"Really." I tried to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.
"Bring her out."
I turned and saw that the large, emotionless guard who had led us in had a small girl on his shoulders. I gasped, thoughts of my daughter hitting me as much in the gut as the heart. I swallowed, pushing the thoughts away. This girl was no more than two. Her curly locks were greasy and unkempt and they barely cleared her ears. Her oval face was unnaturally gaunt. She looked both old and young at the same time. The only thing that really set her apart from other kids in need of a good bath were her eyes. They were irisless and completely white without a visible pupil. It was as if her eyes were permanently rolled back.
"This is my lovely. She's...um...which one are we on now?" He thought for a moment, "Nineteen? Right Nineteen. Isn't she a beaut?"
I shook my head, realization dawning, "That can't be true. You're not saying she's a..."
"Yip," Tay beamed with pride, "a telepath. And she's all mine."
I shook my head, "No, it can't be. It's always something else. Someone claims mind control and it turns out to be pheromones or hypnosis or some sort of super ability to read body language. It's never true telepathy."
"Did that feel like pheromones to you, Moorster?"
"It certainly didn't to me," Nissa stepped to my side uneasily. "But I thought that any sort of mind power would..."
"Kill the super," I finished. "They say even if your powers haven't fully manifested until puberty, they are still slightly in effect beforehand. So if you'll eventually have flight you'll be able to jump better than most, super speed and you'll be faster. So a telepath would have a bit of their power even at this age."
"Natch, more than a bit, don't you think, dawg?" Tay walked over and stood next to the guard who set the girl down between them. It was like some sort of twisted family picture.
I couldn't take my eyes off the girl. All alone with no one but that madman Tay and his minions. It was no place for a child. "Wait, you called her 'Nineteen.' Does that mean she's...a clone?"
"Damn, you are good." Tay did another little victory dance, "Didn't even have to tell you. Yip, Moorster, you da man!"
Next to me Nissa gasped. Nineteen's head turned toward her.
Tay smacked the big guard on the arm, "Yip, I gots me an idea. Moorster, you get this one right and I'll answer you one question before we party. Deal?"
I put my palms face up as if I had an option. Tay ignored me.
"How come she stopped you?"
I laughed, "You're kidding, right? That's too easy." I looked over at Nissa, "Tell you what, let the party favor answer."
"What?"
"Sweet!"
I added, "But if she gets it right, I get two questions." No use wasting an opportunity.
Tay thought for a moment, "Yip, cool. But if she gets it wrong, um..." he took off his hat and scratched his head. His hair was cut in a tonsure like the old monks used to wear, "and I get to pick the first game."
"Game?"
"Yip, game," he waved his goblet toward the main room.
I turned to Nissa, "You better get this right."
"What? Why me?"
"You want to get good at this job? You've got to be able to act under pressure. And I can't think of any more pressure than this." I glanced at the exit, still covered by the poleaxes, "Well, unless it was your ass on the line." I looked back at Nissa, "As it is, it's only your job." Her eyes got wide, "Don't give me that. If I get spanked by this..." I glanced over at Tay who was air-guitaring a solo to the little girl, "nice young man, it's your ass." She swallowed, "So think, why would the girl protect him," I prodded. "Remember, it's usually the simplest answer."
"No hints, Moorster!" Tay called, primping the little girl's hair and wiping one of the many smudges of grime from her cheek. "If there is one thing I can't abide, it's a cheat."
I stepped away from Nissa, "I got the impression from your fine establishment here that there wasn't much you couldn’t abide."
He cocked his head again, "I think that's a compliment. Yip, compliment right, dawg?"
I shrugged, "It isn't an insult. Dog."
"Oh, man, you the shit, Moorster. You and me, we gonna be tight. We gonna be like bros, yo."
I hoped he had the information I was looking for. Even if Nissa got this right, and I hoped she would because I could think of about five different possible explanations, I wasn't looking forward to whatever Tay had planned. And he didn't strike me as the sort to take rejection well. I thought back to some of the things I had witnessed in the other room and I couldn't help but be intrigued. Gale knew me better than anyone. If she wanted me away, there had to be a reason. I'd never really thought about anything like this before, never even known it was possible, but seeing it...and Nissa in the vinyl...the possibilities... Could that be why? Was she afraid of what I'd do if I learned of this place?
"Umm..." Nissa's indecision broke me out of my reverie. Her face was contorted in concentration, staring everywhere but at me or Tay. "Ah..."
"Bored now," Tay drained his cup, sloshing a bit of the liquid over the side and down his face. A drop landed on Nineteen's cheek. She didn't flinch. "Answer or make it worth my while to wait."
"Make it worth..."
"Sure. Dance. Take something off. Preferably both. I could bring a pole in here..."
Nissa's face was alight with indignation as she interrupted, "I'm not going to..."
"Then answer!" I interrupted forcibly.
Nissa stammered, "Okay. Um...so she shouldn't protect you, really. I mean, she's so young."
Damn, I was doomed.
"She should only protect herself?" Nissa said it like a question.
The pause that followed was long and uncomfortable. Tay seemed to be more interested in cleaning the lint off his bulbous pants than answering. He tipped back his goblet again, finding it still empty. He turned to the large guard who had brought the girl in standing next to him, his face red, the goblet shaking violently, "What the fuck, dawg!" he screamed. "What the FUCK!" He reared back and threw the goblet at the guard's face as hard as he could. The guard caught it easily, his arm moving so quickly it seemed to disappear and reappear in front of his face.
"More punch, Master Tay?" he rumbled, flatly, the first words he'd spoken.
"What do YOU think? Huh? What the FUCK do YOU think!"
The big man turned, his face showing no hint of emotion, and walked toward the door. Tay turned back to us, his arms wide, "You know, good help and all."
"Hard to find?"
"From your mouth to my ears, Moorster. From your mouth, yo." He turned back to Nissa, "You, what'd you say?"
Nissa took an involuntary half step back, "Uh...nothing?"
"So you give up? Moorster, here's the first game. We're going to need some Vaseline, a cat, and..."
"Oh, that," Nissa interrupted, "I said, she isn't protecting you. She's protecting herself."
He froze in place, his face growing redder by the second. After a few seconds I realized that I wasn't the onl
y one holding my breath. Tay's face started to turn purple. Finally, he released an explosive breath, spittle clearing the five-foot void between him and Nissa. She wiped it away, disgusted.
"Damn, dawg! Killer hair AND smart? Think I'm in love, Moorster." He closed the distance to Nissa in two long strides and took her up in his arms. He swung her around twice while she put her hands on his shoulders, keeping her face away from his puckered lips. Finally he set her down, "You the sharing type?"
"Um..."
"Don't worry about it, we'll get to that in a bit. First, what's your questions?"
"Wait, she was right?"
"I was right?"
He shrugged, "Right enough. The kids, they...what's it called?" He looked around, "Now where the hell did he run off to?"
"Your guy? I think he's getting you a drink."
"Moorster! Right. Right. But what do they call it? With the ducks and shit?"
I thought for a moment, "Imprinting?"
"DAWG! You really ARE da man. Yip, imprinting. They imprint on me. They know I gots their back, yo! So if you hurt me, you're hurting them. And they won't let that happen.”
I glanced over at the girl who still hadn't moved, "Nineteen. What happened to the other eighteen?"
"Shhh!" Tay waved violently at me. He put an arm around each of our necks and pulled us close. Whatever he'd been drinking, it wasn't punch. It smelled more like formaldehyde. "They don't like to hear about their sisters."
"They aren't really sisters though, right?"
"Not really important right now, Nissa," I growled, trying to shake Tay's grip nonchalantly.
"You probably heard that telepaths and those with mental powers would die young?" We both nodded uncomfortably in his grip, "It's true. When their eyes go white like that? That ain't a good sign, dawg. You gots two choices when their eyes go white: put'em down or watch their brains melt."
"Put them down?" I breathed, incredulous.
"Like a dog...um...dog," Tay faltered. "But don't worry, I got a bun in the oven, yo," Tay released us, slapping us both on the back
I glanced back at the girl, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.
Abigail.
