The Troubleshooter: New Haven Blues

by Bard Constantine

  A few paces over, a grim and bloody Selene tallied up the count of her fallen Gutter Girls. None of the dead included Kelly, Jen, or Christina. I don't know why I was glad of that, but I was. Rob helped Ms. Kilby support Poddar, who limped heavily.

  I stooped down and patted Stinker on the head. "Guess you're all right after all."

  She smiled.

  A shadow fell over me, which was pretty damn irritating. I'd had enough of darkness. Stinker growled as I looked up at Tommy Tsunami. “Something you need?”

  "You destroyed the Grimoire.”

  "Yeah, well that just breaks my ticker, Tommy. Guess whatever secrets they held died with those freaky glowing pages.”

  “We both know the book was only a façade. It was the thermal orb that was important. The potential of that energy was practically limitless. I take it you destroyed that too.”

  “You can take it however you want, Tommy. You’re welcome for saving your rather stuffy ass.”

  "You've always had a penchant for gumming things up. Don’t think I don’t know you set me up at the Hideout. You warned Selene to get out, but left me to the tender mercies of the boys in black. I lost a lot of men back there."

  “You outta upgrade to synoids. At least they come with a data backup.”

  His expression grew even darker, if that was possible. “Your humor is ill-appreciated. I knew it was a mistake to let you run loose in New Haven. Despite your memory loss, you’re still too dangerous to be allowed to live.”

  "That’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me, Tommy boy. We outta skip out to the Gaiden and sit down, sip something, and gab about it. No wait—didn’t a fire break out there last night?"

  His eyes narrowed. "Goodbye, Troubleshooter. We won’t meet again.” I saw the gold-plated Beretta in his gloved hand at the last second.

  I was almost as surprised as he was when the blade erupted from his chest. Almost. His eyes widened as he tried to turn, but he was just too dead by that time. His body slammed into the ground beside me, staring with uncharacteristic shock.

  “That was for my leg.” Selene flicked the blood off the blade before sheathing it.

  I accepted her helpful hand and slowly stood. “Much obliged, darling. I thought you couldn’t bump off another member of the Gestalt. Made men, and all that.”

  “He was only an agent of ours. Surely you didn’t believe a mere gangster could enter our inner circle. He was a loose end and he had it coming. How are you?” She looked at me calmly, but flickers of unease were visible in the emerald cuts of her eyes. I didn’t blame her.

  “Still living,” I said.

  "My God.” Beck had regained consciousness and stared at the remains of his mansion. Aside from a light head wound, he seemed to be okay.

  Too bad the same couldn't be said of his fancy digs. He didn’t seem to care too much about that, though. Insurance has its purposes, after all. He scuttled on his knees, helplessly gathering up the smoking remains of the Grimoire’s pages.

  "The Grimoire…destroyed. Do you have any idea of what was lost in those pages? They were more than the mutterings of madmen. Within the ciphers was technology so advanced it would seem as magic to us. Perhaps the secrets to sustainable power sources, or ways to properly expand beyond the boundaries of the Haven. Now all of it is lost.” He actually looked on the verge of tears.

  I’m pretty good at derisive snorts. I gave my best one yet. “Is that what Dr. Faraday told you when he sold you the book?”

  His head snapped up. “What are you—?”

  “It’s elementary, my dear Mayor. How better to conceal his orb than in plain sight? You’re known to be an avid collector, and he ran that mystical bunk over your head to prevent you from tinkering with the book, which was nothing more than an over-decorated lockbox. Joke was on you. You had something of value, all right. Just not what you figured.”

  Beck appeared on the verge of an all-out cardiac arrest. “And now it’s…destroyed?”

  “You can try picking the pieces out of the New Man’s chest. What’s left of him, anyway.”

  “So much potential—eradicated.” He sagged visibly.

  “Hard to get all wet in the eyes when the city just got saved, Mr. Beck. You know –the folks right here in New Haven? Figure that makes it worth the cost.”

  He winced as his butler applied a poultice to his forehead. “You sound like a different man, Mr. Trubble. Perhaps some…revelations have come to you?”

  “I remember a few things now, so yeah. Not enough to do anything about it, though.”

  “It’s probably for the best. There are things too dangerous for the wrong people to know about. Or to share with others.” He gave me a meaningful glance.

  “Not to worry, Mayor. I don’t see any profit in rocking boats.”

  “A wise outlook.” He sighed. “It’s too bad Dr. Faraday met his end at the hands of his own creation. What tragic irony. He never could see New Haven for what it is. Instead, he tried to destroy it with this…New Man creature.” He shook his head sadly.

  I didn’t say a word. Because either Beck was an outstanding actor, or he really had no clue as to who controlled the New Man. And if Beck didn’t, then who did?

  He looked regretfully at his ruined digs. “Whatever secrets Dr. Faraday possessed died along with him. More’s the pity.”

  I took the last drag from my gasper. “Well, may he and his secrets rest in pieces.”

  Chapter 20: Hard to Say Goodbye

  I hate goodbyes. It was half an hour past the hosers and button boys ‘taking control’ of the scene, an hour past getting blasted on the Glenfiddich Scotch that Mayor Beck had stashed in his massive bar. Over a century unopened, and guaranteed to make friends out of uneasy allies in no time. Hell, after about fifteen minutes I was arm in arm with Jen, Kelly and Christina, the same Gutter Girls who’d tried to deflower my manliness only hours earlier.

  But in the middle of all of the hullabaloo, I was aware of the eyes on me. I had a feeling Beck knew I was holding back some info. Selene kept looking my way as well. And as much as I’d like to chalk it up to my rugged good looks, I figured she was trying to figure out if I was the next target for that long razor blade she carried. I had knowledge now, and like the Doc said: sometimes it isn’t power. Sometimes it’s just something to get smoked over.

  Then there was that nagging feeling which rattled around the back of my skull. It was a familiar feeling.

  Like unfinished business.

  “Going somewhere?”

  I looked at Angel. Figures she could read my mind. All the best dames can.

  “Got me a few last minute details to take care of, darling. Don’t wait up.”

  “You already know I won’t.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me softly. It had the bittersweet taste of farewell to it. I knew just like she did that whatever we had was a footnote in history. But when she turned, she had a smile on her face. And that’s about all I can hope for.

  A kiss and a smile when a dame walks away.

  I managed to duck the button boys and the newsbots flashing cameras. Figured Poddar, Kilby and Rob could take of themselves. Like I said, I hate goodbyes.

  When I cleared the bashed in gates of Beck’s driveway, a familiar ride waited for me. A cherry-red wheeler. When the door opened, I hopped in like I expected the lift.

  Selene sat in close, which would have been a lot cozier if she hadn’t just abducted me. She was still in her battle-tattered rags, the shallow gash across her temple still wet. Her large wolf –Enkidu –lay across from us, looking half-sleep. I knew better, though. What I didn’t know was how she bypassed the button boys so fast. Until I remembered a lot of them were probably on her payroll.

  As the ride rolled forward, I put on my most innocent face. “Well, I guess everything turned out all right in the end. You got your leg back, the New Man got what was coming to him, and the world won’t be ending. Not tonight, anyway. So why so grim?”

  “You feel i
t, don’t you? That this isn’t really over?”

  “Not really,” I lied. “Look, I don’t do the ‘feeling’ thing. Either I know something or I don’t. And right now I don’t. So, I guess for you the next step is grafting the leg back on?”

  “Immediately. I had a few of my girls take it to my hospital and prep for surgery before I left Tommy’s hideout. Or what’s left of it, anyway. We managed to get out right when the brass showed up. The leg was my priority, which is why we were a bit late on coming here. I have a top surgeon who will perform the operation as soon as I return. It seems as though I owe you for that.”

  “Well, I guess no one can claim you’re not generous. Speaking of which, I think there was a reward promised to me somewhere along the line…”

  Her lips curved again. “Yes, I suppose you did uphold your end of the deal.”

  She leaned forward and slid a hand down my chest. I’ve had worse times.

  But the fun stopped when she pulled the card from my shirt pocket. When her thumbprint and code was verified, the dibs downloaded into my personal account. The gig was finally over. No one could claim I didn’t earn it this time.

  “Try not to drink it all away. You’re too valuable a commodity to waste.”

  “Thanks, but old habits die hard. Kinda like the New Man.”

  “Very well, Mick.” She tilted her head. “What will you do now?”

  “Try to take it all in. Got a few loose ends to wrap up. What I can’t figure is, you knew where the orb was the whole time. It was tattooed on your leg, after all. Which tells me Beck is just a patsy. This city is always strapped for energy. If someone came up with a renewable source, they could own this place. Why didn’t you ever try to use it?”

  “Because I didn’t know how. I found the code by using Dr. Faraday’s memory scanning technology against him via a mole in his tech team. All we knew was it was important to Dr. Faraday’s most secretive project. But we couldn’t find anyone who could crack the code. Imprinting it to the art on my leg was my way of securing it without risk of theft.”

  “Or so you thought.”

  “Correct. In my wildest scenarios I never imagined my actual leg being stolen. Dr. Faraday was the only person who could tell us what the code contained. And he was not at all cooperative, as you can imagine.”

  “So you let him cool off in a meat locker to think things over, that it?”

  Neon lights slid across the glass and reflected on her face. “We hardly had a choice. After his involvement with the Secret Service, it was clear he had become a major liability to our operations. He was too valuable to kill, so we had him put away for safekeeping.”

  “Why not just replace him with another big brain?”

  “You have to understand that men like Dr. Faraday only come along once or twice a generation. You can’t just replace that.” Her voice trailed off in a near whisper. I knew she had the same thought I did.

  The genius of Dr. Faraday was gone. Wasted in the struggle between those who wanted power, and those who wanted more.

  I cleared my throat. “You said we, —as in you and the other Gestalt members.”

  Her eyes grew cold. “Be careful about the use of that name. The society is kept secret by any means necessary.”

  “Gotcha. I’m surprised the lot of you would agree to just lock the old coot up. The Gestalt I’ve heard about are a pretty ruthless bunch. The kind who doesn’t hesitate to resort to torture and even worse in order to get what they want.”

  Her face flushed. I smiled.

  “I see. You didn’t tell your buddies about the orb. Explains why Tommy would make such an aggressive move against you. I figure rubbing him out was less motivated by my safety than by keeping your affairs under wraps.”

  Her face became a porcelain mask again; her eyes cool as frost. “You know a thing or two, Mick. As do I. Like your relation to Hunter Valentino. It would be a shame for certain elements to know he possesses all of your memories. Even greater if it became known a Secret Service agent is in our midst.”

  I nodded. There were no shortage of cats who would love to give me a case of the New Haven Blues in this town. Even more who would sell me out to the SS at the mere whisper of profit. Comes with the gig. “Well, I guess we can agree to keep each other’s secrets, love. No point in running the train off the track.”

  She leaned in closer. “And what will you do about the much bigger elephant in the room, Mick?”

  “Maybe I’m not seeing what you are. Gotta get my eyes checked.”

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about. This Haven functions on the memory implants inserted in the minds of the populace. Having been a part of that, what will you do now that you know the truth?”

  “The truth?”

  Enkidu’s amber eyes glimmered as he raised his head. I decided to lower my voice.

  “Dr. Faraday told me about what your little secret society of hoodlums forced him to do. An entire Haven of brainwashed residents? That’s low, even for a criminal organization like the Gestalt.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Is that what you think? Maybe your investigative skills aren’t as adept as I thought.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Dr. Faraday was like anyone else, Mick. He told you only what he wanted you to know. You’d better believe there was plenty he held back. Like the truth about his implantation process. No one’s memories were transplanted by force, Mick.”

  I took a long look in her jade-colored eyes. “You’re trying to tell me—?”

  “Do you know what this place is called by the residents of other Havens? The City of Forgetting. It’s a nirvana for people who want nothing more than to lose the horrors of the past. The residents of New Haven volunteered for the transplants. New Haven is a place for new beginnings. A chance to start from scratch.”

  “What are you saying? This place is legal?”

  “You should see the waiting list. People on other Havens will kill for a chance to come here. Many of the residents here already have killed for that chance. And now they live without those memories. You’re trying to tell me they shouldn’t get that opportunity?”

  “And all this is from the kindness of your heart? Get real, sister.”

  “No.” She leaned back, cool as ever. “Kindness has nothing to do with it. Money does. Money and power. Kindness was what Dr. Faraday had to offer. This Haven would have been filled to bursting with the poor and neglected, all with their hands out and mouths open. Who would have taken care of them? You?”

  I couldn’t think of anything to say. No matter how she twisted it, it was still wrong. But only the same wrong that’s around every corner. The same wrong that’s in the eyes of anyone with a step up over the next man.

  “When the Gestalt took the reins, we made sure only those who could afford the chance would get it. It may not be pretty, but it’s necessary. The SS doesn’t want to infiltrate us because we’re breaking the law. They want in because the UH want to control the revenue. They want this Haven to be a part of their network, under their dominion.”

  There it was. And there I was, stuck in the middle of a war between two very powerful groups, with ties to both. All eyes would be on me and where I stood. Too bad I didn’t know. Because it sure felt like I stood in quicksand.

  Laser lights flashed from her eyes as she looked at the world outside. “Let’s try not to overthink things, Mick. You’ve got a lot on your plate right now. Discovering the truth is your specialty. You’ll find out on your own the way things operate. For now try to enjoy the moment. We came together and got some good work done.”

  I slowly nodded. “Amen to that, sister. Way I see it, we should all be grateful just to have made it through in one piece.”

  She offered a genuine smile then, one which made her natural beauty glow brighter than the city lights. “And we have you to thank for that, don’t we?”

  I was caught off guard when she leaned forward and kissed me. The tang of blood and raspber
ries had just begun to dissolve on my tongue when she pulled back, a look of regret in her eyes.

  “It’s too bad you’re not on the inside, Mick Trubble. We could use someone like you.”

  The ride pulled over to the curb. “This is your stop. I still have farther to go.”

  We were Bayside. Which meant she either meant to have me rubbed out, or she knew me better than I thought she did. I stepped out and watched as the ride switched modes from wheeler to floater and pulsed upward into the gleaming flow of air traffic.

  Then I smiled. Because I knew I’d see her again.

  I thought about her words an hour later when I sat at a little casino nightclub called the Pale Horse. It was high in the Uppers with a rotating view of the bay and surrounding city. New Haven glimmered like a handful of mixed jewels.

  While the sax man poured out the blues, I sipped on a Casablanca. I should have felt up on my downers, but I didn’t. The Mean Ol’ Broad was melted to slag, and Maxine was submerged in Mr. Beck’s swimming pool. To top it off like grenadine, I was trapped in a Haven built on lies and the bones of folks like Dr. Faraday.

  Everyone around me went about their business, their heads full of memory implants. Maybe they were the lucky ones. I figured I should’ve been grateful enough for being in one piece after all the bunk I’d been through.

  But I still felt a nagging sensation, like an itch I couldn’t scratch.

  “You’ve got a lot of guts to come here, Mick Trubble.” The dame’s rich voice was thick with Russian brogue.

  “Madam Goryacheva.” I picked one of her Bayside casinos to introspect in. It was fitting, since my troubles with her were what got me tumbling down the rabbit hole in the first place.

  She was an older dame, but still full-bosomed and graceful. Her face held a severe look which spoke of command. A few hulking brunos stood nearby, pretending to lounge.

  “You did me a favor tonight, to warn me of the raid on my home. To think those mudaks would have the balls to take me on my own turf.” She trembled with rage.