by M. Garnet
"This yours? I need a ride now?"
"Hey," it was the bully, and Keenan was expecting him. "I have my ride right back here, and I'm next in line to pick-ups." He held out his hand to shake.
Deciding not to waste any words, he accepted the hand and squeezed until everyone heard the man scream as the bully went down on his knees. Keenan was still holding the hand as the sound of bones breaking could be heard over the sobs.
"You know, I don't think you seem to be able to drive right now. I will take the first ride over here." Keenan left the man sobbing at the side and went over to get into the open vehicle. He looked at the older man and nodded. It only took the driver a minute to understand and even smile. They soon were moving down the road in a floater.
"So, I guess I owe you a big thanks, stranger. This ride is a free one. Where are we going?" The old man did manage the vehicle very well in all the traffic. A vehicle that seemed to be older than him yet did move smoothly.
"Hmm, no need for a gift for just shutting down a bully. Tell ya' what. You can help me out after all. I need to get into a card game. But this is the catch, I need info, so I need somewhere that maybe the drunks will talk and the whores are cheap. Any ideas?" Keenan sat back, surprised that this old, converted family floater was so clean.
"Well," the man seemed to hesitate as he weaved around other floaters and pedestrians and some drunks asleep on the unmarked roads. "I have to say after you helped us with Ches back there, I was going to suggest a friend of mine's place. But if you are serious, I do know of a bad place that I usually warn my tourists away from, and it isn't far. Are you sure you are looking for more trouble?"
"Buddy, you will get yourself an extra tip for this delivery." Keenan leaned forward and swiped his wrist comm to drop some coin into the vehicle receptacle. There was no more conversation as the floater rattled deeper into the shambles of streets, crossroads that didn't make sense, and everything darker and broken, including most of the people.
The vehicle stopped at an area where several roads and alleys came together to form a wide circle in the middle. The center was a huge trash pile that everyone was moving around. People were using it as a place to throw more items or make the turn around to get to the next way you wanted to take to leave the area.
The driver pointed to a bar with lots of lights and a front roof that was sagging on one side. "That's a bad place. There are some of the guys that are claiming to belong to the Transformed group."
"Do they really belong to that group?"
Turning to look at Keenan when he had asked that question, the man shrugged. "Who knows? A lot of people might say that just to put on a show. Look, give me your wrist comm. I want to put in my comm, and it will also put in a lot of other contacts. There might be a lot of bad ones out there but hidden in this dark place are a fair amount of good friends also. Call me for a return or help."
Thanking the male and putting the coin to the vehicle's drop box, Keenan walked over toward the bar. Before he even got close, he heard the noise and got a smell. Yes, this was what he was looking for, and he smiled.
The noise and thick smoke allowed him to enter and not even attract any attention. He took only a moment to find his way to the bar. It was located on one side of the big room, so he found a place to learn and ordered a beer. There were no chairs at this bar, and that was not a problem for Keenan, as he leaned against the bar to watch the room.
There were several game tables, but only one with the type he wanted to play. These were not games officially set up by the house, as they were only the usual entertainment found in most lawless places. He watched and drank the rotten beer for some time until a guy finally busted out. Another man was moving for the same chair, and as the guy started to sit down, Keenan pulled it out. The guy hit the floor and bounced up, glaring.
But when he realized he only came to the tall man's middle chest, he stepped back. Nodding, Keenan sat down and dropped some holo coin onto the table. No one said a word as they dealt him into the next hand. The next few hours went without anything unusual, at a dirty bar in a lawless city.
There were a couple of fights that had bouncers breaking heads and replacing broken furniture. Keenan won a small amount, only enough to keep playing but not enough to make anyone think he was cheating. There had been a cheat at the table that was caught and taken out the back way. It seemed to happen at all the games that Keenan played in, as someone got drunk and thought they were smart.
Drinking as much as everyone else, Keenan knew he could take care of the contents without having them affect him when he went out a side door to piss. This bar also kept the whores out of the main section. Along the back wall, wherein most rooms the bar was serving drinks, was a fence with men and women hanging over it for all to see their charms.
A client could go over and get serviced right there in front of everyone, or they could pay extra, and the pro would take them back for a private session behind some curtains. There were as many that went behind the curtain as stood at the fence for a quickie. That was life in this mess of a beer hall.
Knowing he had to play the game in all the ways expected, Keenan had met the eyes of a pro who was back behind the others at the fence. He decided it was time to leave his holo coin on the table and take a break. Without any explanation, he slid the chair back and walked over toward the fence.
Keeping his eyes in the darkroom on the one pro who was back behind the others, he nodded. At last, she stepped forward and forced her way between the others, putting one hand on the bar. Pulling out a high-value coin, Keenan held it up between his first two fingers and had a lot of attention from everyone at this flesh bar. Ignoring the offers, he just nodded at the one he had his eye on.
"Behind a curtain," Keenan announced, and she nodded and moved back. There were a lot of sounds from the others. This meant more money for the one chosen, and some of the others looked at the handsome man. There were other reasons to be jealous, and it was to have a good-looking client instead of some of the ugliest in the room.
The woman was clean and good and fast. She had his pants down as her hands were working on his cock, while she was pushing him against the wall. She didn't use the couch, and Keenan believed too many traces of fucking were on those pillows. As he tensed, feeling his balls tightened to the woman's good work, he knew she was going to get a big tip. He would use her again, and with that thought, he came in her mouth and moaned one word. "Fuck."
This female reminded him of Bettea, a great honest whore on Grey's Corp. planet. He missed that woman's hands and mouth, and this female was almost as fucking good. She pulled out a clean rag and wiped her mouth and then him before closing up his pants. He helped her up, paid her real coin, and left to drink more and play and get into a fight to finish the night. But he learned nothing to help get close to the Transformed group.
Returning to the ship, he didn't even ask about the other crew members, as he went to his cabin to shower and sleep after taking a partial shift to get rid of all the contaminants. So he became a regular at the contemptible bar, paying for the drinks and winning small pots. Keenan found out the whore who asked him to call her to be called Karo.
After going back with his favorite driver through this fucking stinking town, it was the ninth or tenth time, and Keenan began to think he had lost the count. He had decided to give up and go back up to land at another place after tonight. The late evening started the same until two new guys butted into the game.
These guys had long weapons slung on their backs and short guns on holsters under their arms. They were dressed in brown outfits that looked like outdoor or military. The outfits had plenty of pockets, all bulging with something. Was it ammo?
Going to opposite sides of the table, they stood and watched the action for a minute or two until one tapped a player on the shoulder. "I need your spot."
"I'm not done, asshole." The guy glanced up at the interference and back down at his cards. The interfering man reached over the player
's shoulder and laid something on the table. It looked like a keychain and had a small toy skull attached.
The player looked at the item, looked over his shoulder, and then folded his cards and sucked up his few holo coins into his wrist comm. He pushed back and left without a word, and the guy in brown sat down. There was no repeat of the action on the other side of the table, just that the woman sitting at the table nodded, closed out to move away. The second man sat down, and the hand was dealt again.
After a couple of quiet hands, Keenan got up to stretch his legs. He went to the bar to get another drink and used the beer to cover his mouth as he contacted Poly.
"Check out what a small toy skull on a keychain might mean to some soldiers?"
"Yes, Captain." Poly's cultured voice spoke inside his head. "Checking, checking, ah. Award. Some soldiers. Transformed group."
"Thanks," Keenan spoke out loud to both Poly and the bartender as he paid and walked back to the table. He had finally hit pay dirt. The plan was easy—he just won the next few games and made a big fuss of collecting the coins. He had everyone angry, as he acted like a fool on the fifth time he drew in his winning pot and showed a low hand that he had bluffed. It was against one of the brown-clad guys who had enough and accused him of cheating.
The truth was that Keenan had not cheated in the way of normal humans, but he had cheated in that he could actually feel, taste, and see inside the people at this table. He cheated with the help of his beast, keeping it near the surface but under control.
Even though the cards were coming from a holodeck, they became real when they fell to each player. That was when he could read the cards and the players. When he won the last hand on a bluff and showed his weak cards with a big laugh, the guy in brown came over the table after him.
There were lots of drunks ready for a fight in a barroom, late in the night or even better, early in the morning. Being drunk seemed to be equal to being stupid, so when the fight started at Keenan's table, the whole room was a big brawl. Generally, there weren't any winners in this type of filthy skirmish, but Keenan was here to prove a point.
Already having the beast near the surface, he slammed a fist into the guy that came over the table. It drove the male backward and into someone else who objected. It didn't matter as the man in brown was out and contributing to the debris on the floor.
There were a couple of others that Keenan had to knock out of the way in his need to get to the other man dressed in brown. It was important that he be seen taking down both of the fucking soldiers in order to draw attention to himself.
Allowing himself to be pushed backwards a couple of times as he took out another drunk and then threw a chair over the crowd. Bumping into the one he wanted, they both turned together.
"You." It was a growl from the soldier.
"Yep." Keenan swung a short blow wanting the fight to last so that others would see the takedown. They were able to exchange a couple of hits, then Keenan landed a fist to the solar plexus with the next one to the chin, and the guy was out.
Now he just kept throwing the others back against each other as he made his way over to the whore wall. The ladies were cheering on their favorites and making small bets. He nodded at Karo towards the side curtains and pushed another drunk over to let him fall.
It was time for a quick fuck, and a return to the ship. Karo was good and soon took his mind off the noise outside the curtain. Her hot hands had him out and full, and he was into her warm acceptance while standing. He had his hands on her hips, and she was gripping his shoulders as they both moved together.
He felt his balls tightening, and he pulled her against his body to rub that glorious spot for women, against his body to give her more. At that moment, with the room turning into stars, the curtain tore open, and several men in brown with weapons pointed at them ruined the whole idea.
Even in this awkward position, Keenan's instinct was to protect the female. There wasn't much he could do with the lady riding him, but he did turn enough to put her against the wall. This allowed him to free one hand and get a grip on his gun.
"Pull that weapon, and I shoot the lady first and then your legs." The man speaking was at one side of the group and did not have any long weapon. He even had his hand weapon pointed at the floor. He sounded serious as Keenan looked into the angry eyes of Karo.
"You threaten my whore again, and no one will leave this room alive." Keenan's voice surprised them all, as it came from a deeper place and sounded like an animal. Knowing his voice had surprised them, he slowly released Karo and let her stand. When he was certain she was stable, he pushed her away to the corner, putting his wet junk away in his pants.
Being careful not to touch his pistol, he faced the man who had threatened him. He ignored the rest of the group, not afraid of their weapons. This man called the orders, and they would obey. He had learned one important thing tonight; the Transformed were a military group.
"We need to talk." This was the leader as he passed over and sat down on the couch that Karo avoided. Keenan hoped the man's heavy brown clothes protected him from the fucking diseases and bugs that had to reside on those cushions.
"Wait." Keenan reached out for Karo's arm and began to guide her toward the open curtains. "No need for her to hear anything." He reached into his pocket, pulled out some coins, and put them into the woman's hand as he pushed her toward the men standing in the opening.
Nobody moved for a moment until Keenan frowned over his shoulder at the man on the couch. The leader nodded and waved a hand. The guys with the long weapons parted, and Karo was smart. She kept her head down, her mouth shut as she quickly walked outside. With her gone, someone pulled the curtains closed.
Leaning back against the wall, Keenan ignored the guns and turned his attention to the couch. "Okay, talk."
"Cocky son-of-a-bitch, aren't you? A shit load of guns to take you out, and you think you have control of the conversation?" The man crossed his legs and looked around the room.
"Well, I figure if you were here to kill me, I would've been dead by this time. So, what is this all about?"
"You took out a couple of my best fighters and have a really interesting ship. We are wondering if you would like to join a group?" The man spoke evenly and looked at Keenan directly in the eyes.
"Naw, I'm a loner. I can be hired; ship included for a job now and then." Keenan watched the man tilt his head. He was probably listening to someone speak to him with an inside contact. It was like the contact Keenan had with Poly.
The man smiled. "Well, you might need other transportation besides that shiny one you came in on."
"Poly set the ship for protection from outside vermin." Unfortunately, Keenan had to speak out loud, even though he was the only one that heard Poly.
"Acknowledged, Captain." Poly had proven some time ago that it was able to be in complete connection with the limited AI of the Adamant and the electrical system.
The man on the couch looked over at his crew. "Well, out here, it can be dangerous to be alone. It is better to have a group to cover your six."
Smiling, Keenan also looked at the crew. "The way I hear it, there is fucking danger in groups too. Naw, I do better alone."
Again the man tilted his head as he listened to someone on his contact. Then he sat up and pulled his sleeve to tap some buttons on his arm comm. Now he looked up to Keenan with an unhappy face.
"We're going out to your ship." The man got up and moved through his men to leave, but he waited at the curtain. "Bring him."
Chapter Eight
There were two light tan multipurpose military vehicles, totally enclosed with exposed weapons. These were serious units, and there were a couple of the brown-clothed men waiting with them as Keenan was escorted out the back door of the bar. He didn't resist, went with the group, happy to be taken near his ship.
They moved fast through the dark streets, with most people and vehicles getting out of their way. The one slow cart was pushed off to the side, wit
h no concern for the damage. At the spaceport, they roared around the parked ships and stopped back from one that was shiny and reflected the lights set up on one side.
They all got out of the vehicles, and a couple of men ran over to meet the leader. They were talking quietly to him, but Keenan leaned back against the rough side of the unit; he came near and waited. He saw a couple of men lying on the ground off to one side, with some men working on them.
The man in charge turned to walk back to stand in front of Keenan. He made a motion to some of his men. Okay, they had been trained in a military manner, as they acted fast and took Keenan down to his knees with a kick to the back of his legs. There were three or four holding him, with his arms restrained. Fuck, this kept him from touching the ground to draw the help of mother earth.
"Poly, repeat twice to them whatever they do to me," Keenan spoke out loud as he smiled up at the leader.
"Talking to someone on that ship? Well, tell them to shut down that electrical charge that keeps us from touching the outside of it." The leader nodded at someone, and a really big brute stepped forward. Fuck, this was going to hurt.
"Last chance, tell them to let us inside." The leader looked at him, waiting for only a moment, then nodded. The barbarian in front of Keenan drew back a foot and kicked him in the gut. The only thing keeping him upright, as the air left his lungs, were the men who were holding onto him.
Next, there was a rattle, and suddenly, as the thug turned to face away with a smug look on his face, he collapsed. From across the flat area were flying pieces of heavy block, and one struck the kicking male directly in his stomach. In surprise, and before anyone could move, another fast-moving block hit with speed into one of the men holding Keenan. He released Keenan as he sailed backward, also losing the air in his lungs.
"Enough." The leader walked over and drew his sidearm from the arm holster.
Getting up to stand and face the man, since only one was still holding him, Keenan stared at him. "You don't fucking want to do that."
