Mercury Going Down

by Brambach, C. S.

  We had met at a party. So many parties, so little time left on Earth... She had a soft, very cute face. She was wearing a black western style shirt with the black pearl button snaps. With the flaps that pointed down, (as if to say, ‘Look, here, now.’), to a very shapely pair of breasts. She looked at me and her head tilted to the side and she looked me right in the eyes and I knew we were in for it. She only got off orally, but I developed a technique where, using constant pressure from my tongue and a slight vibration, and an infrequent, yet effective humming, applied directly to her clitoris I was guaranteed to bring her to an orgasm of significant proportion. Lucky for me, she needed, required even, some good solid penetration, which was where I came in, and came in, and came in.

  I remember once, coked to the gills, drunk from a foray in TJ, at three AM, in a motel 106 just up the road in Chula Vista, fucking away, and the dawn light filling the room, and I looked down at her, she was on her right side, laying on the bed, and I was in her working away, propped up on spread legs, kneeling, left hand on her left thigh, for balance, and she looks up at me, disheveled hair falling from her face in a cascade of dark silk, and she smiles up at me with dope lidded eyes and says,

  “I’m totally gay, you know?” I laughed. Said,

  “That’s okay, I’m fuckin’ ya now.” She lay her head back down, and I kept at it till, around 6:30, when I finally came, and went, from the tip’s of my toes to the top of my head, collapsed next to her and slept for five hours, the dreamless sleep of the spent, the exhausted, the satisfied, the damned...

  So it went. Off and on for a couple years, getting to know each other, spending time on and off various drugs learning our ‘tolerances’, how much time and how close we could get and for how long, learning each other’s dreams, likes and dislikes. I didn’t know if she liked it in the ass, but I had never asked for it. It didn’t seem all that important as time went by, and we reached the conclusion that we both wanted off Earth, too crowded and dreary, too wet, too deep in the blues.

  No, we would get married and would both apply to the Off World Mining Corp., she had the computer skills with the background in Art, and I had the mechanical skills and the background in Journalism. With the internet world become more and more blurred and overwhelming I had learned to hate the soul sucking grind of it and had started back in school to become an engineer-turbine mechanic with a minor in robotics. I could handle machines the size of mountains down to the small servo in a bot vac. Simple, figure out what’s wrong, what’s broke, and then fix it. What small world doesn’t need some people with multiple processing, managing, organizational, problem solving skill sets? We were in training for Mercury with in three months of application.

  Just going with the flow had become my way. I was six foot two, 190 pounds, 76 Kilo’s. Brown hair, blue eyes, big hands, big feet, big nose, big, well, you get the idea. Handsome in a rugged way, not a real lady killer but I had my moments at being a player and had enjoyed them to the utmost. Then I met Karen, and while not in love, had formed a bond and left Earth to make a better life for myself and by extension, her. She wanted to paint a new landscape, and she had seen just about everyone there was on Earth in her 29 years. We both didn’t want to ever worry about credits again, and we both wanted to see Mars and when the chance had come to make enough to buy a tree farm on Mars and retire from the working grind, or the grind of working for someone else, we had jumped at it. Another set of problems solved.

  Did we love each other? We told each other that as often as the token words were needed... I developed a fondness for her in my heart. Did I burn for her though, at the base of my brain, in the depths of my most secret of hearts? I didn’t know and I couldn’t say...

  After desert she lay down next to me and we talked for a while before she drifted off to sleep.

  I dozed off wondering what was really going on between Karen and Susan...

  3.

  For All the Worlds to See

  (Tattoo You, Tattoo Me)

  Day 3

  I woke from a dream of sauna like conditions with Dave’s voice in my ear.

  “Services, Drew, you should have come to services.” Only it wasn’t Dave in front of me hot, naked and sweaty, no, it was Dr. Barber. Behind her I could see Karen and Susan locked in an embrace and Karen was fingering a large vibrator. I snapped awake to discover Karen wasn’t there. I could hear the shower running in the bathroom. I hit the call button and croaked.

  “Coffee, breakfast for two please.” Got up and hobbled to the bathroom. The swelling of my ankles was going down. I entered and glancing at my wife’s naked form and its tattoo’s through the glass shower stall door, leaned over the toilet and relieved myself.

  “You up honey?” She said over the sound of the running water.

  “Yeah, sleep OK?” I reached for a toothbrush and scrubbed the sleep from my mouth.

  “When your snoring wasn’t waking me, yes.” She shut the water off and turned on the dryer fan unit. She liked that better than towels. Me, I was a towel man all the way.

  “Breakfast’s on the way.” I made for the door.

  “Be right out.” I closed the door behind me to see Jazz wheeling in a cart carrying the food and coffee. I smiled at her. She smiled back, and looked at the floor.

  “Your usual eggs and bacon, and fruit and yogurt for your wife.”

  “Thanks cuttie, we’ll call when we’re done.” She turned for the door and stopped, turned to face me.

  “Mr. Chin called and asked for you to call him as soon as you were awake. Mr. Fonagy called as well and wanted us to let you know that the Memorial for Mr. Roose had been moved up to this morning, about an hour from now.” She was looking up at the ceiling as if trying to remember correctly. As if she didn’t have total perfect recall. Mannerism programs, shit.

  “Thanks, I’ll call after we eat.” I headed for the cart. She didn’t leave. I turned.

  “Yes?” She smiled a warm smile.

  “Dr. Wali wanted to see you briefly before you’re released.” She tilted her head to one side. Such a human gesture made me wonder if maybe we could all be replaced someday.

  “Sure, after breakfast, I’ll take a quick shower, and then the Doc can process me out.”

  “Excellent, I’ll inform him.” She turned then and left. My wife emerged in her green coverall looking refreshed. She headed for the breakfast cart as I put in a call for Lou Chin. He picked up right away and sounded rushed.

  “Drew, thanks for getting right back to me, I’ve only a minute, but I wanted to wire you some of the questions we’ve cleared the reporters to ask, and just to give you a heads up, we figured to do the press conference from the security departments studio after the memorial, you are attending, right?” Dave being one of my best friends on the base, how could I not? Especially after my ‘heroic’ attempt to save him from his ultimate fate.

  “How could I not?” I asked, keeping my sarcastic tone to a minimum.

  “Great, Mr. Fonagy will let me know when you arrive at security. Take care.” He disconnected. I would have sworn if it would have done any good. Karen looked up from her bowl of yogurt and smiled.

  “Chin?” She asked before spooning in another mouthful. I dived into my plate of steaming food after putting some ketchup and pepper on my eggs and hash browns.

  “Yeah, there’s been a change in scheduling, after I bathe up, the Doctor’s gonna give me the once over and then we’ll head to the memorial for Dave, then it’s off to security for my vid interview and our little press conference ordeal.” Said around a mouthful of English muffin with butter and honey. They had provided me with one of my alternatives. If I’d have stayed another day, they probably would have brought me a croissant. All my likes and dislikes were in my company computer profile. As was that of every inhabitant on the base.

  “Say hon, were you for real last night, when you said you could get me a promotion?”

  “As real as the rings in your nipples.” I said with a smirk and s
hoveled some eggs and hash browns into my mouth. She shuddered and leered.

  “Oooh, it turns me on when you gratuitously flaunt your new found corporate power that way.” I laughed so hard a piece of egg flew out of my mouth. I gathered up some egg and bacon and pinching it between a half of my muffin I looked at her and said,

  “Wait till I get your muffin in the clear.” Bit into it and wolfed it down. I stood up still chewing and headed for the bathroom. Time to get the show on the road. By the time I emerged from the bathroom, shit, showered and shaved in fifteen minutes flat, Doctor Wali was standing there talking to my wife and Jazz was standing in the doorway behind a wheelchair. He gestured me over to the bed. I lay down. After he ran the scan beam over me I stood up.

  “Well Mr. Dunn, everything looks fine. I’ve downloaded your prescriptions into the system, so they are available to you now. Jasmine 2337 will wheel you to the memorial and then security, and then home. She has been assigned to help your wife with your continuing care and will be available to you 24/7 until you no longer need her. You are released. Be well.” He turned to leave.

  “Hey Doc.” He stopped and turned his head, one eyebrow picking up.

  “When you run your staff evaluations, put in a compliment for Jasmine from me, she’s done a bang up job, so far.”

  “Of course.”

  He left. I knew he wouldn’t attend the memorial, his truck and trade was with the living, not the dead. On the way to the religious center I checked my e mail on my implant and gave the forwarded questions a quick once over. From the banal to the astute, nothing I couldn’t handle.

  We made our way down the corridors after we left the Med Unit, the walls variously painted in soothing colors, landscapes and wild graffitti-esque murals. Landscapes of everything from deserts to jungles to mountain scapes to panoramic city’s were on display.

  There were also many religious scenes on display, from Christ on a stick to the various incarnations of Vishnu. Historical porn was also popular. From Inca pottery shards to the sculptures of Ankor Wat to reproductions of 19th century French post cards. Every new personnel rotation having left it’s own mark on the station. My wife had made a name for herself after painting a large blue mural of a mustachioed man going down on a woman from her point of view. Jake buzzed me and I picked up.

  “Drew, don’t say anything, just wanted to let you know... Man, crazy shit, that order that was sent from Dave’s computer was actually downloaded from a gambling site, after it was bounced from a religious site, and I’m tracking it back farther, but it’s taking some time....I’ll see you at the memorial, just to check out suspects. Later.” He rang off.

  A religious site! Great, and we were headed to the religious center for the last rites of my friend. The question became which one? The Mormons? The Baptists? The cult of Nirvana? Hell, we had a Zoroastrian or two on base, maybe I should start there and work my way across the spectrum... In a few minutes we rolled in to the worship space of the religious center, the second largest public space in the city. Only the auditorium was larger, which could accommodate almost 4,000 people and was where meeting’s were held, (when the entire populace of the city was required), movies were shown, and entertainment was done. We had regular concerts of bands, from classical combo’s to jazz groups to rock bands made up of station personnel, to poetry readings to art shows, held there. The worship space could accommodate just over 2,000 people. It seemed from the amount of traffic that was pouring in that Dave had made more friends since he died than he had had while he was alive. The place was almost full.

  Sid Nguyen, my union rep hustled up. Shook my hand.

  “Incredible you made it Drew. Sorry it took so long to get back to you. Take all the time you need. Karen, how are you? Shame about Dave. Don’t take any crap from the bastards. They give you any crap, get right on the line to me and I’ll take care of it, OK?”

  “Sure, OK Sid.” He gave a half wave and went to find a seat.

  Dave was in a stainless steel casket on the dais, surrounded by flowers. Jazz wheeled me up to the front row and stopped. There was Susan flanked by Dr. Barber and the wives of the various section heads. She was dressed tastefully in a black set of coveralls with a string of medium sized white pearls around her neck. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her eyes were red rimmed from crying. She stood to hug Karen and then as I stood she grabbed me in a bear hug. I could feel her breasts squishing up against my chest under the coveralls. She sobbed into my shoulder.

  “Oooh, Drew, how, how, how could this happen?” I shrugged as I held her, stroking her hair, carefully so as not to mess up her do with one hand while patting her back with the other. She began to cry again, softly.

  “Shhh, shhh, there, there, there. It’s gonna be all right. Don’t ask questions you might not like the answers to baby. Just realize he’s in a better place, and that you’re not the only one who’s gonna miss him. OK? You should know that we’re all here for you, and that more importantly, I’m here for you. You understand?” I could feel the dampness from her tears and snot soaking through my coveralls on to my shoulder. She raised her head and leaned back, sniffling and looking at me, nodded her head. Jazz unobtrusively handed her a tissue for her face.

  “Thank you.” She snuffled, heavily. We sat, with Susan sitting between Karen and I. Jazz wheeled the chair away and sat in the back, her white coveralls reminding me of the appropriate mourning color of Asia. You could almost see the dividing line between East and West by the color of their coveralls, West in black, East in white. I had on a fresh black set myself and felt rather dapper about it. I caught Jake in the back giving me the eye as well as everyone else who entered. Soon the various section heads began to wander in and join their spouses. I was surprised when the assistant pastor, Jeff Bachus took the podium and started the ceremony. Jeff was in the photography and analysis division, religion was his sideline. He was a Methodist, but he was good at Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian and could cover a mean Episcopalian service as well. The right Reverend Gonzalez, was the only full time minister on the base, and had once been a fully ordained Catholic priest. He had become a Unitarian when he had gotten married and had signed on with the company as an assistant spiritual therapist, only to take over as head minister when it was discovered he could handle Judaic rites, Islamic prayer, and Buddhist ritual as well. The station’s head tech, Ranjin Samaranthin handled all the Hindu god’s, belief’s and services. He was in the second row with his wife Subha.

  Ranjin nodded at me. I mouthed the words, ‘call ya’ at him and he blinked and gave me the thumbs up. Bobette Blamdin strolled in with Joe and Min Suh. Min and Bobette came up and hugged Susan briefly before taking seats farther down the aisle. Jeff rolled on with the service. We sung Dave’s favorite hymn. We prayed. We remembered. We laughed. We choked up. We sang some more. We prayed some more.

  Looking around it hit me like a punch to the forehead. Dave was gone. Dead. Never to be seen again. This confused me. I didn’t know what to think, what to feel. I was used to seeing him, every day, and I didn’t know how I would handle the void his absence would create. Only time would tell.

  Only time would tell if the ache I was beginning to feel at his loss would subside. He was headed for Purgatory, Hell, Heaven, the Void, or rebirth. I had a feeling that he was not looking down, watching out for those of us he left behind. No, it was left for the living to mourn, to tear their clothes at the loss of a loved one, a friend, a relative, a blood brother. How long the grieving would take, I had no idea, for some it would be mercifully short, and others might never recover. I had a feeling I would be in the former category. But time would tell.

  It was over. I wondered where Fonagy and Blamdin were. I would find out soon enough. I patted Susan’s hand and said,

  “Let’s get together in a couple day’s, you come over for dinner if you can stand it. OK?” She had smiled a smile of resignation and shaking her head said,

  “Sure, you bet.” I let Jazz and Karen help me
into the wheelchair as Susan was led off by Min and Bobette. We made our farewells and then made our way to security. Halfway there Fonagy buzzed me.

  “Are you on your way? There’s been another development you might be interested in.”

  “Sure, we should be there in a couple minutes.” Perplexed. Development?

  “Good, come straight to my office.” Confidence high, confusion low. He disconnected. We rolled into the security section where an underling escorted us to John’s office. Fonagy oversaw a staff of almost three hundred live humans. Robots couldn’t be corrupted, but they couldn’t be trusted with the judgment calls that human behavior required on a case by case, minute by minute basis. Mostly they just spent their shifts staring at vid monitors, watching. One way Big Brother had come calling at last with the aid of smoke detectors and security door alarms and a camera in every room and cubicle. Mostly they just kept area’s secure, kept an eye out for industrial espionage and prevented petty acts of small theft and vandalism. As well as handling work accidents caused by over intoxicated workers. They worked hand in hand with Psych Services.

  Murder? That was a bit more complicated than these guy’s were used to dealing with.

  The back of Fonagy’s door was covered in Certificates of Awards and Diploma’s because every wall of his office was covered with monitored scenes of various rooms and cubicles in the city. He came from around his desk and shook my hand, then Karen’s before offering her a seat.

  After seating himself behind his desk he tapped his small screen and the wall behind him dissolved from the multiple scenes to one of someone’s living quarters. It was the Reverend Gonzalez and his wife Cynthia in bed, not moving. I could tell something was wrong.

  “It’s a replay of last night. The Reverend and his wife were unable to attend to the services this morning because they are dead. The fire sensors detected open flames and released the halon gas to snuff it out, and, unfortunately, the Reverend and his wife weren’t alerted, and were suffocated.” He hit a switch to real time and we could see tech’s looking into the control panels and rifling through the computer in the unit.