Friday, November 25, 2016

The Alarm Clock at the End of the World


Part 71: The Previous Night.

“If I’m gone too long Nepotism will come in here with guns blazing,” I say, trying to push past Eva. She’s still in black leather, head to toe, and looks amazing. Her pistol smokes in her hand, slack at her hip.

She steps over Zombie and grabs my collar, dragging her lips to mine. Her tongue breaks past the defenses of my teeth and probes my mouth in a slow dance with my own. We kiss a moment and she pushes me away. “I need something from you.”

“I’ve got time for that,” I say, unbuckling my belt.

“Not that,” she snaps. “You need to go to Metro City.”

I flop down in Zombie’s seat, still moist from the last junk-starved whore he lured back here. I'm not buckling my pants until I'm absolutely sure I'm not getting laid. “I’m not allowed in...”

“Do they have police stationed at the borders to turn you back?” She steps behind the desk and sits on it. When I did that at schools, teachers would ask me if it was how I sat at home. It was. Her pants cling in every crevice so well I’m sure it’s vinyl, but a touch confirms it’s the most supple leather I’ve seen made into a superhero or supervillain costume. She doesn’t have a symbol. Mine would do nicely across her chest.

How did Tyr know Eva was alive? Was he just trying to get my goat? I try not to believe in coincidence. “What do you know about Mephis Tyr?” I ask. I probably shouldn’t tell her any more. “He wants me to talk to some trilobite collector.”

Eva groans. “That’s not a trilobite collector.” She puts her hand on my shoulder and pushes me down. “The trilobite collector is Josh Solomon.”

I’ve heard better news. “Josh Solomon... your Solomon?”

She shakes her head and looks away. “That was nothing, I don’t care what was said on the Internet.”

“The only indecent photo anyone ever captured of you?”

She shrugs. “My luck had to run out sometime, right?”

I press against her body. “Remember that time we saw Sado-Mass at the Voyer and fucked in that broken bathroom stall?”

She is disinterested. “It must not have been that great of a show. Were we on acid?” Eva leans on the desk.

“What’s with the trilobites?”

Eva is relieved for the change of subject, but still relishes in recounting Solomon. “He’s weird about it. He single-handedly drove up the price of trilobite fossils from a few dollars to a few hundred. Rock people hate him.” She crosses her arms. “This isn’t about trilobites. What did Mephis say about Solomon?”

I really shouldn’t tell her. What if Nepotism is right, and she is an assassin? “ Mephis says he can get me an interview with Solomon. SpectraCom is unveiling some artifact tomorrow night.”

Eva gasps. “You’re interviewing him tomorrow?” Eva asks, putting a hand on my shoulder and leaning in close. “Is it the Alarm Clock at the End of the World?”

I shove her back. “That’s my name!” She turns and walks away a few steps, hand on her forehead. “I made that up!” I say. “It’s on the cover of the notebook you stole!”

“Look,” she says, shaking her head. “I don’t know what Solomon wants, I need you to find out. Mephis Tyr is telling the truth, but you can’t tell him you’ve spoken to me. Both our lives are in danger if you do.” She grabs the collars of my shirt and pulls me out of the chair, kissing me hard. “Now get out there. Go to the party.”

I never realized just how strong Eva could be until she tosses me toward the door. I catch my step in time to avoid tripping over Zombie. I look back only once as I go out of the room. Eva is pointing a gun at me.

Go back to my table. Act like nothing happened. If Nepotism knew Eva was back there, he’d go running back with guns blazing, and she’d kill him for sure.

Mephis Tyr is staring at me, jaw hanging open. “Why didn’t you tell me you fought Jack Kerouac today?”

I glare at Nepotism. “It wasn’t Jack Kerouac.”

“Oh! Em! Gee!” Mephis cries. “Of course it wasn’t Jack Kerouac! It was a Scrubber! Just like in your show! That’s so amazing, can you show me the body? What did you do with it? Is it still in the woods?”

“It wasn’t a Scrubber,” I say.

“How can you say that?” he asks. “How can you know?”

“It was the only gunfight with Jack Kerouac I’ve ever had,” Nepotism says.

“You want to go to Metro City?” I ask Mephis. “I’ll go to Metro City, but you keep your mouth shut about this, you got it?” I take a deep breath through my nose. “When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

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