2.06 - Good Morning


“Is he breathing”
“Yeah but not much”
“You think he’ll make it”
“I don’t know, he’s strong”

“Oh shit they’re kids.”
“We shot some kids.”
“They’re just kids.”

“Efrem, come on, the coast is clear”
“Nah, I need to check on this.”
“You find something”
“...not a damn thing.”

“We have to return fire”
“Do whatever, just keep running.”

“Seargeant”
“Sorry about that, but I told you, I wasn’t going to let you die.”
“Seargeant”
“Hey, how about you take your arm as a souvenir? They might be able to put it back if we’re fast enough.”
“That’s not my arm.”
“Sure, it is, it looks a lot like mine, but it’s yours. Humans are funny that way.”
“Captain, sit down.”
“Oh shit, that is my arm.”

Last night, I dreamed of Xioshaa. Time and time again, I replayed the mission over and over again. Stealthy infiltration, but they saw us coming. They set traps and prepared ambushes. Psionic abilities, poison and hallucinogenics were all part of their plan. When we finally were able to meet them in combat, I shot a kid. They were all child soldiers and that was never something I expected. I saw one of the bodies, I didn’t tell my team. I didn’t want them to carry the burden with me. Only for me to get blown up because some psionic teenager changed the trajectory of a grenade in the air.

I went through weeks of rehabilitation learning to use my prosthetic and trying to get it to sync to my brainwaves. All while I had my first sit downs with a therapist helping me to cope. At least I thought the goal was to help me overcome the PTSD of killing a child and getting my arm blown off. In reality, they were just trying to make sure I could go out there and be the same tool for killing that I was before.

I’m contemplating taking down a casino and dreams of a battle that actually is mine are keeping me awake at night. Martin might be right, but I have to do something. Maybe I can use one to help the other. I’m not sure, but I can try. I grab a dusty glass from the cabinet and give it a rinse in the sink before filling it with tap water and drinking. I know what I have to do now, and I can’t keep putting it off any more. Scrolling through the contacts in my wrist comp, I come across the person I was looking for. A deep breath and I make the call. It doesn’t ring long before a familiar face appears on my screen. I project the image on the wall so we’re looking face to face.  

“The prodigal son returns. We must celebrate and be glad,” he begins. “This brother of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

“I can’t say I’m as glad to see you,” I respond.

“But you need something, and I’m the only one who can give it to you.”

“You’re right.”

“You know what you have to do?”

“Come back, probably spend a little time in jail.”

“Well yes, but we’ve also got a job that still needs to be done. I just need to make sure you’re still enough of a man to take it on.”

“I need something from you too.”

He laughs, “you’re not in a position to bargain.”

“I’m going to do it anyway.”

“Insubordinate as ever.”

“There’s a casino. They sell drugs, offer prostitution and every other vice you can think of. It was funded by drug money and the police are paid off to look the other way.”

“And you want me to come shut it all down.”

“Yeah.”

“I knew you lost your arm, I didn’t know you lost your balls too.”

“What?”

“You lost your balls. It must have been when you were running away from your sworn duty.”

“If you can’t help me, I can’t help you.”

“You think I care? You think I can’t storm that pissant ranch you’re on right now? You think I couldn’t get you whenever I wanted?”

“I think you would have come to get me by now if you really could.”

“How about you prove to me you’re still a man of action and handle the casino yourself, and I’ll come get you when I’m ready.”

I bite my tongue for a moment before adjusting my feet squarely on the ground, “you’re still a piece of trash unfit to wear that uniform.”

“Yet you ran from it the moment things got hard.”

“I didn’t run from it, I ran towards something better.”

“Are you sure,” he mocks me. “Because things seem to have gotten a little hard for you and you’re running right back to my team. Let me put you under my wing again to protect you baby bird.”

“Who said anything about me joining your team?”

“Then we’ve got nothing to talk about,” the call ends without another word.

I pick up the glass of water and stop just short of flinging it against the wall as a few drops of water hit the floor. My morning alarm sounds from my wrist comp, letting me know it’s time to begin my day. A sleepless night into a day fueled by rage. What more could a man ask for?

2.05 - Strap Up


I watch from my bed as Barbar jumps up and down while pulling up her pants from last night. I always hate one-night stands. This would only be my fourth time. I just like to have an emotional connection with someone before I have sex with them. It’s rare that I feel that connection the first time I meet them, but it happens. Renan is the only one night stand that turned into something more, so I guess I’ve had five now.

“You want to stay for breakfast,” I ask as Nariah as she searches for her shoe.

“Nope, got some errands to run today,” she pulls the shoe from under the bed.

“I can come along.”

“No need, but I’ll call you again next time I’m looking for a guy to make me feel good about the parts of my body I usually don’t like.”

I’m take the compliment in stride and walk Nariah from my front door to her car outside. I wave goodbye as she tosses a hand out the window. In the moment I find myself longing for a life with this woman and I don’t know anything but her name, her job and favorite sexual positions. Yet here I am looking for emotional investments, in a future I can’t see. I take a seat on the steps leading up to the guest house. If I planned to stick around longer I’d make an effort to get some furniture.

“Good morning,” Pauline shouts as she comes up the road.

I wave, and greet her with “good morning,” as she reaches the steps. “What’s on the schedule today?”

“Replacing some busted fence posts, start repainting the barn and of course the usual stuff. Nothing for you. I know you had a busy night.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Us big bosomed broads with loose morals have a radar. We can tell when we’re not the only ones in the area.”

“I, well,” I can feel the heat rushing to my cheeks. “I wasn’t trying to sneak around.” I feel as if my parents caught me bringing someone home. I never did because I was embarrassed. But this must be the feeling.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of about sex. You’re both consenting adults, as long as you’re safe there’s no problem. But, next time you better invite that young lady to breakfast with us.”

“I tried to, I really did.”

“Well try harder next time. Now put a shirt and come to the big house to eat.”  

 

 

Breakfast with Martin and Pauline was interesting to say the least. It started with me telling them about the casino and what I saw. Only for the topic to turn to Nariah. They really act like sitcom parents sometimes. If it were up to them, we’d start planning a wedding already. Thankfully my life isn’t a weekly sitcom with new episodes for the viewing pleasure of the masses.

I greet the workers as they arrive, handing out their tasks and assigning groups. Martin wasn’t joking about the new workers being terrible. A bunch of folks past their prime just trying to get by with the only thing they know; and a bunch of young people that don’t like taking instruction but don’t really know what they’re doing. I try to mix the crews with young and old hoping they can help each other. With the orders passed out it’s time for me to take on my daily tasks as well. Inventory supplies, make sure we’ve got enough feed for the few animals we’ve got and of course check in on the crews and lend a hand where it’s needed.

“Hey,” Martin calls out to me.

“You know you don’t have to work when I’m here,” I laugh.

“I know that, I’m just here to talk.”

“What’s going on?”

“Did you think about what I said the other night?”

I pause for a second, “that every man has a last fight, and we need to know when it’s time to move on.”

“See, that’s why I love you. You’re hard headed but you listen.”

“I don’t listen that well. I'm still thinking on it.”

“Well don’t think too long or too hard, that’s how you hurt yourself.”

“What would you do,” I ask Martin as he walks away.

“Live my life.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. What if you felt that something had to be done but you didn’t want to do it with violence?”

“Overwhelming force in the opposite direction. If you feel they’re having a negative impact, you need to find a way to counter it with positivity,” Martin answers quickly as if he’d thought of this before.

“Thanks Martin.”

2.04 - Queen of Hearts



It didn’t take long for everything in the lounge to return to normal after witnessing an overdose. I imagine that kind of thing would typically bring an end to the festivities for the night, but not here. Everyone just kept drinking and getting high on the same drugs that just had a young woman dragged out. For a few minutes, I feel like the only person in the room who finds it odd.  

Then I spot the bartender in a far corner of the room. A woman, roughly the same age as me, although I imagine I’m a harder to look at. Warm brown skin, dreadlocks braided into pigtails, a full figured woman carrying her weight in all the right places, black eyeliner, lipstick and gold fangs on her upper teeth make the look complete.

“Happen often,” I ask as I take a seat at the end of the bar.

“Only on days that end in the letter y,” she cleans a glass. “What can I get you?”

“Something that’s not going to leave me knocking at death’s door.”

“Water it is,” she laughs and pours a bottle into a tall glass.

“Water is perfect,” I laugh as I take the glass from her. “My name is Efrem.”

“I’m Barbara,” she smiles back at me.

“Hey, can I ask you something Barbara?”

“Is it my contact info.”

“I was going to say I’ve been away for a while and was wondering how things got like, well, like this,” I wave a hand around the casino.

“Well, that’s easy. Everyone has a vice. Gambling, drugs, alcohol,” she pauses, “sex. Nobody cornered the market around here. They just built a temple to vice and people come worship at it every day of the week.”

“And nobody does anything?”

“Pay off the right police and nobody has any choice but to look away, even if most of us hate it.”

“Working a job you hate for people you hate, I get it.”

“Don’t we all,” Barbara laughs.

“I got one more question for you.”

“If it’s not about my contact information you can get the hell out,” Barbara smiles. “I’m only half joking.”

“That’s good, because I was going to ask for it.”

I wasn’t really planning to ask for her contact information, but when a beautiful woman wants to give you her contact information, you take her contact information and make sure you call her. I guess that’s one benefit of coming here tonight. I just confirmed this place was everything I thought it was. I’m not any less convinced that it doesn’t need to be shut down. I exit the elevator and decide to take the back exit.  

Outside in the alley I hear a commotion. The bald bearded man from the blackjack table earlier is being punched and kicked against the wall by some of the security guards. I know it’s not my fight, but they’re probably going to beat him to death if I don’t step in.  

“Hey, let the guy go,” I call out.

“This ain’t your fucking business,” one of the guards shouts.

“If you keep talking to me like that it will be.”

One of the guards takes a wild swing that I’m just barely able to dodge in time. I use the opportunity to put all my weight into a right punch aiming at the other guard. My metal fist makes perfect contact between his eye and ear. I’ll have to tell Edan I knocked a guy out with one punch. I turn just in time to catch a punch to the ribs from the first guard. I retaliate by putting my hand in his face and pushing him away so I can regroup. I fake a punch only for me to grab his neck and bring it down to meet my knee. When he falls over I begin to land punches on his head hoping to put him out. But he’s still awake when I hear sirens. I wipe the blood from my fist on his shirt before making my way to the bald man.

“Why were the beating you,” I ask.

“I paid for a night with a woman and when I got to my room they took my money and drug me out here.”

“Well you should get your money back while they can’t fight back.”

I don’t hear what else he says, I make my way from the alley to the street where a crowd is starting to gather. I keep my head down and just walk with no real sense of wear I’m heading off to. A car pulls up next to me.

“You look like you could use a ride,” Barbara calls from inside the car.

“My hero,” I don’t hesitate to get in.

“Where to,” she asks as we begin to move.

“Anywhere you want to go,” I smile at her.