She also thought about her feelings for Chase and, yes, she had to admit she did have feelings for him; he was a handsome man and he was in control of himself and life and moreover he was giving himself to help others. But was that love? Could she see herself being with him forever? Part of her doubted it, part of her wanted to shut up that stupid doubter and be happy; I mean who else was going to love a washed up prostitute? Part of her said he was the best that she could ever get, part of her said that 'the best she could get' wasn't worth shabbus and she should find someone who saw through her imperfections and saw the real her. Did Chase see that? Probably, she thought, but did he love that? She didn't know. She had a tug of war inside her stomach, but she was a practical woman and right now they had people to break out of prison.
She got up and had a shower and was just dressed when there was a sharp knock on the door.
"Who is it?" she called.
"It's Milk, open the door," he demanded.
"Just give me five minutes, OK?" she called.
"No, Julianna, right now," he demanded again.
Argh! How irritating. What could he want?
She opened the door and found out. Behind Milk stood the Cantorvial, Cantor, Freddy No Fingers right hand man and she guessed he had a gun to Milk's back.
"Well, well, altogether again," rasped Cantor. "Well, most of us."
"What the hell do you want this early in the morning?" Julianna snapped.
"The boss invites you to breakfast," Cantor smiled.
They were taken to a small, but empty considering No Finger's presence, caf?. They added guns to their morning dressing, but these had been taken away and as they sat down opposite Freddy the guns were laid out on another table.
"Quite the little arsenal you have these days," Freddy noted.
"Pays to be prepared," Milk said.
"Not so prepared were you though? Not prepared for ol' Freddy," he mused.
"It would seem not," noted Hendricks.
"No, who is?" asked Freddy rhetorically.
"I hear the Grim Reaper is waiting," said Milk.
Freddy laughed.
"Indeed, but he gets his bribe the same as everyone else. Now down to business," he laid his hands on the table, "What would you like to drink?"
"I haven't had my morning tea yet," said Dr. Hendricks, "really can't concentrate without one."
Freddy nodded.
"I'll have a Meenaamjai as will Julianna," said Milk.
"A bit early for strong liquor, isn't it?" asked Freddy eyebrows a-raised.
"Not when your day starts with a criminal who wants to kill you. Right, Julianna?" Milk looked her straight in the eyes and then flicked his eyes down to Freddy's lighter on the table. She took a quick look and understood.
"Yes, Milk's right, I like a stiff one in the morning," she winked at Freddy who laughed and then looked back at Milk.
She understood Milk's plan; Meenaamjai was not only a strong alcohol, but highly flammable, Milk was hoping to somehow use it to escape.
"Such a feisty girl," commented Freddy as he took the lighter and lit a large cigar. "I don't want to kill any of you; I just want Chase and the so called Jimmy Jazz."
"Ahh, well they're already in prison," said the Doc lighting his pipe.
"Really? Prison? Here?"
"Oh yes," said Hendricks just before Milk could painfully squeeze his leg.
"Well, well," said Freddy thoughtfully.
"So your problem is solved," continued Julianna hoping for a solution, "Jimmy has disappeared as you asked."
"Well that is true in it's way," said Freddy as the drinks arrived.
"So, you don't really need us anymore do you," Milk pointed out.
"In many ways that is also true, but I don't trust any of you, so you will stay with me until I know different. And just in case you feel differently you should know that I have had your ship impounded at the port," he smiled.
Coming after the drinks was the breakfast Freddy had ordered. A full Chang breakfast.
Milk eyed it as did Julianna. The Chang was a delight of the Universe and once placed on the table was set alight. Once the flames had died the eater had the finest breakfast known to all (except connoisseurs who sniff at anything everyone else likes) in the galaxy.
As the waiter brought the dish to the table Julianna deftly scooped Freddy's light off the table, lit it and threw it on the dish that was now being lowered in front of Freddy. It exploded in front of him setting his clothes alight.
At the same time Milk kicked the table forward pinning Freddy; pouring Meenaamjai into his mouth he picked up one of the dainty candles from the table in the same motion and spat the liquid through it toward the nearest guard. The flaming alcohol hit the Cantorvial and set his clothes alight. Hendricks at the end of the table rolled off his chair, swiped a Reutorgian guard at his knees and grabbed a gun off of the table, shooting two other guards as he stood up.
Milk and Julianna were up and out, picking up their guns as the three of them ran for the door, Milk shooting two more guards to get them to the door. Then they were in the street and running.
The other men stationed to Freddy had to make sure he was alright before they could chase and the trio got two blocks without being shot at.
"This is a fascinating city, you know?" said Hendricks as they ran.
"Save it for later, Doc," shouted Milk as full sprint.
"Lots of underground canals," Hendricks shouted back pleasantly.
"As I said, save it," shouted Milk annoyed.
"No, wait, I see what he's saying," shouted Juliana, also flat out, "we can escape in the underground canals."
"Bingo," shouted the good Doctor rather pleased someone had got it sooner rather than later.
***
Chase, Jimmy and Chubbs were in the canteen for their own morning breakfast and Chubbs pointed Sonny Spalding out to them. Just by looking at him you could tell he was dangerous. Not as big as Chubbs, but still a formidable Human and he had something Chubbs didn't, a wild nature, it was like looking over at a dangerous wild animal.
"Who's the posse with him?" Chase asked Chubbs as they sat over the other side of the room from where Sonny and his crew were lining up to get their food.
"The Tarancort behind him is Snake McManamon, the Albertine is Shakes Malone and behind McManamon is Causeway Johnson."
"Causeway?" Jimmy asked. "What kinda name be that? I mean how you go about getting de nickname 'Causeway'?"
"Nobody knows," replied Chubbs.
"Well anyone asked?" asked Jimmy.
"Not that I know of."
"Well den," Jimmy said and stood up.
"Well then what?" asked Chase grabbing Jimmy's wrist. "Where are you going?"
"Seriously, I'm curious, mon. How'd he get dat name?"
"You will just get hurt," insisted Chubbs.
"Look you wanna scope dem out and I wanna know about his nickname. I'm gonna find out and scope all at de same time," he pulled his arm free from Chase and wandered over to the still queuing prison gang.
"Hi dere," he said to 'Causeway' with a grin, "You 'Causeway' Johnson?"
"So what if I am, new fish?" 'Causeway' growled dangerously back.
"Well, I be interested how you got de nickname 'Causeway'? I mean a causeway be a roadway raised above water or marshland. My question is, what do you have to do to get a nickname like dat?"
Sonny Spalding spun Jimmy by the shoulder to face him and grabbed him by the collar of his prison uniform.
"It's dangerous to ask too many questions," he growled deeply as danger oozed off him and puddled on the floor.
"Dat maybe so, but if I didn't I wouldn't sleep t'inking about it and den I be all cranky on de morrow," Jimmy explained calmly.
"You won't be able to sleep thinking about your broken arm," Spalding threatened.
"You're going to break his arm because he asked a question?" Chase asked.
"Who are you?" Shakes Malone.
"I'm the new number one con in this prison," Chase told him breezily.
Spalding let go of Jimmy and turned to Chase.
"Is that so?" he asked with raised eyebrows.
"Yep," Chase grinned at him.
Quick as lightening Spalding took a shank out of his belt and lunged it at Chase's stomach, but Chase was quicker, he side stepped, brought a knee up under Spalding's wrist as he brought his elbow down, breaking the wrist between said elbow and knee.
The noise of shattering bones was heard across the canteen. Everyone stopped, no one dared to breathe, some new fish had just broken Sonny Spalding's bones.
Chase stepped back and Spalding staggered backwards clutching his wrist and seething in pain and anger. Shakes, Causeway and Snake stepped forward, but Chubbs joined Jimmy and Chase and seeing him they backed off and led their leader out of the canteen.
The three of them sat back down to their food.
"Are you insane?" Chubbs whispered unbelievingly. "Spalding will kill you."
"Nah, he won't," reassured Chase.
"How can you say that? You've only been here a day."
"Exactly," said Chase sitting back. "I'm an intergalactic hitman, I've spent the last few weeks being chased by Laikans, mobsters, and Durden Raiders. Spalding might be a big fish in here, but he ain't nothing in the real Universe."
"Maybe that's true, I have been in here too long," conceded Chubbs, "but at the same time how is having Sonny after you going to make life easier?"
"He not be about making life easy, Chubbs," noted Jimmy and Chase grinned at him.
"It's the new plan," Chase stated. "You're right, Chubbs, there's no way we're going to get into Spalding's cell. Even when he's in the yard someone would see us and tell him. What we need is a distraction."
"And what would that be? What would be so distracting that no one would notice you slipping into Sonny's cell?" Chubbs asked contrigued.
Yep, aiming to get it into the dictionary.
"Why, a good old fashioned prison riot," Chase told them.
***
The underground canals were dark and damp, but a lot of light came down though grates and drains and Milk could see that the canals had been built excellently. There was the channel of water with walkways on either side and a high arched ceiling. All in all, for what was basically a drainage system, it was very pleasant.
Something scuttled up ahead and the three of them stopped.
"What was that?" asked Julianna.
"Probably just rats," Milk said.
"Didn't sound like rats," said Dr. Hendricks, "Sounded bigger and bipedal."
"Bipedal?" asked Milk.
"Yes, you know, two legs."
"Yes, I know that, but how do you hear 'bipedal'?"
"Well, the sound of the footsteps."
"Pawsteps, or clawsteps or whatever," said Milk, "it was rats."
They continued on.
"Being underneath a city we don't know, where do you think it's safe to go up?" asked Julianna.
"I guess we keep in this direction for a while and then go up and hope," shrugged Milk.
Something else scurried ahead of them.
"Bipedal," said Hendricks.
"Rats," said Milk. "Ten space pounds."
"You, sir, are on," agreed Hendricks.
They carried on, but again the scurrying came.
"I'm with the Doc, that's not rats," agreed Julianna and pulled her gun.
"Put that away," hissed Milk, "if it isn't rats and you pull a gun then whatever it is will think we're hostile."
And Julianna holstered her weapon as they walked into a cavern where four canals intersected at right angles. And here they stopped as they found said cavern filled with Humanoid shapes. Humanoid shapes with guns.
These gun toting figures had short bodies with very long legs and where any self-respecting Human would have a bottom they had fish like tails. Their heads were elongated and on closer inspection you would see gills.
"Vot do you vant?" called one of the armed fishy Human things.
"Oh, just passing through," Hendricks said breezily. There was much muttering, they seemed contrigued.
"Just pazzing through?" the one that had spoken spake again.
And yes, spake is a word, it's the archaic past tense.
"Indeed, just going from here to there," Hendricks explained reasonably.
"Vell, vell," the speaker seemed thoroughly contrigued, "vell you can't!"
"Really? Why not?" asked Hendricks.
"Vell, I mean, it'z juzt that, vell, I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"Vell, it's juzt that no one has ever juzt, you know, pazzed through."
"Well always time for a first, is there not?" the good Doctor inquired.
"No, you mean uz harm, you were zent by the polize," another being shouted out.
"The police?" asked Julianna, "I can assure you we're not with the police."
"Oh, you azzure uz do you?" asked the first speaker sarcastically.
"We're actually escaping gangsters," Julianna explained, "all we need to do is get to the space port."
There was more murmuring.
"They don't look to be from the polize," someone called.
"That's vhy it'z a trap!" shouted another.
"Do ve have to be zo paranoid all the time?" another chipped in dejectedly.
"In our zituation, yez we do," exclaimed another.
"I'm tired of living like this," another shouted.
"I'm tired of hiding!"
"Oh yeah? And vot do you zuggezt we do vith the leader in prizon?" another called out, but there was no response.
"Your leader is in prison?" asked Milk. "We're breaking someone out of prison in a few days, maybe we can help."
That set the murmuring off again, but this time much more vivid.
"You, you can do that?" asked the first speaker when the murmuring died down.
"Sure," said Milk. "You want us to break your leader out too?"
There was a stunned silence.
"Vell, that vould be jolly nize of you," said the first speaker.
"Then it's done," confirmed Milk.
***
Chase, Jimmy and Chubbs sat in the library; there had been a lot more people in and out, but that was mainly to look at the man who had broken Sonny Spalding's wrist. The rumour mill, they discovered, was going over time with many varied and fantastic-in-the-original-sense-of-the-word stories that all agreed on one thing. Spalding was going to kill Chase. And Jimmy. And probably Chubbs too.
"So I still don't get it," said Chubbs, "how is Sonny wanting to kill us going to start a riot?"
"Well, you have to start a riot somehow, I mean there's got to be tensions brewing already right? Well we just cranked up that tension."
"But it is not tension, it is just Spalding wanting to kill you," Chubbs thought aloud.
"Ahh, but now we gets ourselves a little gang and den it be looking like it could go to war and if dat happened udder people will have scores to settle, udder people may want to see Spalding out of de way too."
"And that's where you come in, we really need a fixer, someone who can orchestrate our devilish little plan," Chase grinned at him.
"OK, I know a guy, but his price is going to be high," Chubbs thought aloud again, which is really just speaking, right?
"Money be no problem, right Chase?"
"None at all, Jim."
"Oh, not money, freedom."
***
Milk, Julianna and Hendricks were now sitting in a very comfortable set of rooms off of the main passage. Well they weren't sitting in a set of rooms, just one which was a part of a set. I just wanted you to know that there was more than one room.
Anyway.
The room had pillows all over the floor and these they reclined on along with the leader whose name was a series of dolphin like clicks, but who went by the Earthen name, Frank.
"It iz generally thought that the Ovian
galaxy woz empty ven it voz dizcovered, but thiz iz not true. Ve are the original inhabitantz of Jesperr.
"Ven the UTN came they found many preciouz metalz and they vanted them, but ve lived at von vith nature, ve didn't vant our planet ruined. They drove uz out of our homez, they built citiez and minez and ve lived in the foreztz and riverz.
"But leaderz aroze who helped uz to fight back, to come into the citiez and demand our rightz. Our leader iz, vell hiz Earthen name iz Floyd. He iz the one in prizon. Zinze hiz capture, ve have not been able to fight, ve can only hide down here."
"What do you mean you haven't been able to fight?" asked Milk.
"Ve do not have the leadership skillz to fight them, ve do not have the zpeaking zkillz that our leader haz."
"That's awful, how long have you been down here?" Julianna asked with pity.
"Ten yearz now," Frank said sadly looking at the floor.
"You've been hiding down here for ten years?" Milk asked with astonishment and Frank just nodded his drooped head.
"Why then, may I ask," Hendricks spoke up, "do you have so many guns?"
"Vell," Frank said looking up at the Doc, "the polize come down zometimez to try and flush uz out, zo ve have to defend ourzelvez."
"So you can fight then," said Milk.
"Only defenze, ve do not have the leadership to attack," Frank explained again glumly.
"Why don't you just go back to the forests? Why live under the city?" Julianna asked.
Frank looked at her intensely.
"Ve vill not leave our leader, ve vill not back down nor admit defeat. Our leader told uz that," he said passionately.
"OK, OK," soothed Milk. "Look we'll help you get your leader out, but first you're going to have to help us get our ship back."
And so a plan began to form.
***
Jimmy and Chase were sitting at a table in the library when Chubbs came in followed by four liberally mean looking men. He led them over to the table and one man took a seat opposite Chase.
"Gentlemen this is Terd Ferguson, he's the man who can help you with your little plan," Chubbs introduced.
"I'm sorry, come again? Your name's Turd?" asked an amazed Chase.
"It's spelt with an 'e'," growled Ferguson. Seems everyone growls in this prison?
"Well, yeah, but it's still pronounced 'turd', I mean?" Chase trailed off.
"Do you want my help or not?" Ferguson asked rising out of his seat.
The Trimedian Page 19
