Mercury Going Down

by Brambach, C. S.

  “You seem so sure that someone was trying to kill you, which smacks of paranoia, yet you say you have no known enemies. Supposing that that is true, then who would want Dave dead?” Good point. Except that to all intents and purposes Dave was as clean as a hounds tooth. He really had been a Boy Scout when he was a kid.

  “Hmmm. I haven’t been checking on Dave, he seemed like what they would have called fifty years ago an ‘all American boy’. Clean cut, loved his mother and married his high school sweetheart. Might have to start digging around there.”

  “God shines his light in mysterious ways.” He held up the bottle, so I held out my glass and he poured some more whisky. It just got smoother the more I drank. It seemed to open up new pathways in my brain. Just don’t ask me to where.

  “Amen, brother. So what are you working on?” Curious to know what had him so deeply concerned as was evidenced by the look on his face when I had entered with Jazz.

  “Eh, just seems there are some discrepancies regarding payroll that I’m trying to track down. Nothing a little prayer and a little elbow grease won’t find an answer to.”

  “Payroll? There’s only you on full-time and what, maybe another half dozen other’s on part time, right?” He nodded, pointing at the screen in his desk.

  “Yes, that’s right, but I keep finding references to at least one other full time minister and close to an additional six other part timers on the books.” He held up his hands.

  “The records go back like three years, but they’re confusing. They’re almost like ghost files. Sometimes they’re in one folder, then when I go back and check, they’re in another. I was thinking of having a meeting with Jim Simpson, maybe in a couple weeks, see about getting to the bottom of this, but right now I have to put together my sermon for this week, and have to have meetings with the Imam Husein and Rabi Kornblat to co-ordinate services, and meet with other interfaith groups and counsel parishioners, seems like there’s hardly enough time in the day.” He pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He was starting to exude weariness. I had to leave soon to go to the Black Hole to meet with Bob.

  “Well, I’ll leave you to it. Thanks for the kind ear Jeff. And the whisky.” Putting the glass on the edge of the desk I motioned to Jazz. He stood.

  “Say hello to Karen. Tell her to call Therese, we’d love to have you two over for dinner some time soon.” He came around the desk and shook hands with me warmly.

  “You bet Jeff, will do.”

  We were off to the Black Hole where men’s money, livers and brain cells were known to despair the event horizon.

  The entry way to the Black Hole is a round door surrounded by flashing neon lights. There is no sign that actually says ‘Black Hole Bar, Grill, Casino’, you have to enter and discover its menu of services on your own. Luri Ramirez was co-owner and proprietor with Hope Taymore and Luri’s mysterious boyfriend, Sean. He was mysterious in that he was never around. He was also employed in the Entertainment Section, booking acts and performers to amuse the populace of the city. Arranging schedules and the like. Every four months a major act would come in from off planet. One month it would be a symphony. Then, three months later, a major rock band would play. Then a jazz combo or big band. Then a hip-hop rap band. Then country western. Then house-trance-techno.

  Plus co-ordinating all the local talent kept him pretty busy.

  While Sean worked directly for the company, Luri and Hope were contract/commission workers.

  Luri was short, dark and well proportioned. She had been a Vegas showgirl and a bartender of some renown in LA. She was warm and she had a big heart. I had had a short term crush on her when, shortly after arriving on planet Karen had entered one of her ‘don’t touch me’ depressive phases. I had cut if off when, during my first off planet Superbowl party, I had met Sean. He was a cool, straight up kinda guy. Hope was short, light and too cute for her own good. She was attractive and knew it. She had been an actress in LA who drifted into bartending as a ‘day’ job. Maybe she could act, but I hadn’t seen any trace of it. I didn’t like her and she never showed an inkling of caring if I lived or died. Abandon hope all who enter here. Luri was a bar friend. We’d make each other laugh and bought each other drinks.

  As Jazz wheeled me in, Luri saw me over the bar and came around to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  “Glad to see you alive.” She smiled a smile of true gladness. She shoed Jazz away and started to push me towards the back of the bar.

  “Always good to see you, especially since you look so good, as always.” She swatted the top of my left shoulder.

  “I bet you say that to all the girls.” I laughed.

  “No, not really.” She laughed behind me.

  “Well, here’s your friends. Your usual?” She asked coming around the side of the chair to look down on me.

  “Thanks sweetheart. Buy yourself a shot on me while you’re at it.” She went back to the bar to make my drink. Half the maintenance/repair staff was already there. Some of the guys from Engineering were there too. Some good friends, some close friends, mostly acquaintances. They crowded around immediately to shake my hand and pat me on the back as I stood up to give Bob Marsh a hug.

  “Hey dog, how ya doin’?” From Bob.

  “All right, all right, how’s by you?” He stepped back and shrugged.

  “Same old, same old.” Luri sauntered up with a tray with two shot’s and a sweaty vodka cranberry. Cranberry’s good for the kidney’s and vodka’s bad for the liver which went with my philosophy of balance in all things.

  “Luri, his drinks are on me tonight.” There was a chorus of ‘on me too’ behind him.

  “These are on me.” She said handing me a shot. We clinked glasses and downed them.

  Hmmm, more real Irish. She gathered up my glass and made for the bar, with her authentic woman’s wiggle in her walk. Class.

  “Thanks babe!” I said to her back. She waved a backhanded wave in response.

  “So, Drew, what was it like, huh?” Asked Bob. There was a chorus of ascent from the forty or so guys gathered there. I raised my hands in a noncommittal shrug.

  “It was like hell, man, like hell.” So it went. I gave them the blow by blow of the experience from wrecking the skimmer to passing out in the airlock. Only leaving out the ‘Services’ interplay with Dave. Discretion being the better part of valor. The drinks kept coming. I kept going. My kidneys were apparently functioning fine.

  Just as I started to slur my words, which made Bob bust out laughing, the head of Engineering, Ranjin Samaranthin put in an appearance. He drew me aside from the general shenanigans that were starting to take place amongst the revelry. More than five guys drinking heavily and horseplay was bound to erupt. Fortunately they were keeping it low key, back around the pool tables. Some of the guys were beginning to drift back to the casino. Ranjin shook my hand.

  “You are well, I trust?” I shook my head, as much to clear it as acknowledge his query.

  “Yeah, I should be up and ready for duty in another week or two.” A waitress came by and he waved her off.

  “That is good. You know, Drew, personally I have always liked you, though I always did think you were a bit of a loser. As well as an occasional pain in the ass. You have proved me wrong most happily.” He smiled a small shy grin.

  “Well, gee, thanks, I guess.” Noncommittal on my part, was that a compliment or?

  “You are welcome of course. I wanted to wish you best wishes for a speedy recovery and express my hopes that you would stay with the section. I might have a position opening up in Engineering here in the next couple of months that would be perfect for you if you’ll consider it.” He looked at me expectantly.

  “Sure, I’ll consider it. We should talk more, but not here. Not now.”

  “Whooohooo!” From one of the guys who was chasing a go-go dancer who had just come on shift, around her mini stage.

  “No, no, obviously not now, call my office when you feel up to snuff a
nd schedule an appointment.” Up to snuff? Up your nose or rub you out, I wasn’t up to either one. Snuff film more like it.

  “I’ll do that, and thanks for coming.” He bowed and departed the raucous celebration.

  I said my good byes and departed soon afterward.

  Halfway home as we rounded a bend in the corridor we were accosted by three individuals in grey camo coveralls wearing grey face masks. It was fairly dark in that section of hallway and there was no other traffic. From the bulges in the coveralls, two of them looked like females. One of them hiccupped. Kind of blew their menacing manner to hell.

  The one who looked like a male came forward and stuck out a finger at me.

  “Quit yer snoopin’ around Art/Ent/Rec.” Jazz immediately stepped in front of me, placing herself between the interloper and me.

  “Nonconfrontationalism is essential to peaceful co-existence.” He made to shove her out of his way to get to me and she grabbed his finger. There was a loud pop. He dropped to his knees and shouted,

  “FUCK! You just broke my finger!” The two females made to get at Jazz, but one or both being mildly hammered they collided and landed on top of their male counterpart.

  “Let’s get out of here Jazz.” I said trying to keep from laughing. As she pushed me away, I asked,

  “Where’d you get those protocols?”

  “When ever my primary patient is threatened, my defense, protection programs kick in.” I was thankful.

  “Thank you, I’m in no shape to defend myself right now, though it would have been good to hear more from them.” I called Fonagy and told him to send four officers to pick up the recreants along with their location and to give them a good questioning.

  Once home I had Jazz pour me into bed where I proceed to nail her tight Robot pussy in a slow, hot, drunk fuck. Then I sent her to her room.

  Later, very early in the morning, Karen stumbled in so drunk that I had to help her into the bathroom and hold her head while she barfed. Cleaned her up and poured her into bed. As I slid in next to her she grabbed my cock and pumped it up hard and then shoved it into her slightly moist pussy. When she was drunk and wanted it, lack of foreplay was no problem. We were both on our sides. Slowly as I pounded away, still half asleep we worked our way into the doggie style position. She grunted with every thrust. After a while I came, I think she came, and then we collapsed on the bed, her face down, with her face by my feet and her feet by my face as I lay back on my back and passed out...

  6.

  A Small Typhoon, A Big Idea

  Day 6

  I woke up with a splitting pain in my skull that felt like someone had hit me between the eyes with an ax. One nice thing about crashing out drunk was the lack of dreams. The hangover I could do without. My mouth felt like the dry end of a cat box.

  I stumbled to the bathroom and, after relieving myself, brushed my teeth. After a quick rinse in the shower I made my way to the kitchen where I found Jazz watching the news.

  I slugged down two tall glasses of juice and reached for the pain killers for my legs. Jazz was watching me.

  “Morning.” I said, reluctant to break the quiet.

  “Morning.” She replied. She held up two fingers.

  “You had two calls this morning. One from PR, Good Morning World would like to schedule an interview with you and Karen. Second, a lawyer called, a Mr. Zacari. He suggests you have a good case and would like to discuss it with you. I have his number.”

  “Great, thanks.” I sat at the table, flicked to a split screen and checked out the scores. The Dodgers had won, again. Lawyers, man, talk is cheap, till you get a fucking lawyer.

  “Would you like breakfast now?” Solicitously.

  “Yeah, how about one egg, scrambled with cheese, cheddar. Two strips of bacon, crisp and an English muffin? Oh, yeah and coffee, sweet, light. Please.” She smiled as she rose from her chair.

  “Coming right up. What about the Misses?” I waved a hand.

  “Let her sleep. I wouldn’t be surprised if more than half her section didn’t show up to work today. The Arts staff knows how to party.” Which gave me an idea.

  I called Magnolia from the living room. She came on screen from her office looking a little pale and bleary eyed. I stifled a laugh and said,

  “Good morning.” She nodded, slowly, in response. Sound sensitive hangover.

  “Hey, Magnolia, I was wondering if you were going to be around this afternoon, I’d like to come down and check you guys out. I’ve been offered a promotion to any department I’d like, and I thought why not look into anything I was qualified for, anything I had experience in, anything I was interested in. I wrote reviews for the papers back on Earth years ago, so I thought I could, you know, come down and look around.” Smiled an inviting smile.

  “Sure, Drew, this afternoon would be fine. Is Karen there?” She raised an eyebrow. Busted.

  “Yeah, I’m letting her sleep in, she came in a little under the weather last night.” An under exaggeration if ever there was one.

  “She can take her time, most of the Arts staff is under the weather today, but if she could make it in after lunch, I have to meet with her about the murals for the new living quarters that are going to be opened up in the next couple months. As well as the display systems for those quarters.” I had heard about that.

  “Oh, yeah, I head about that, the new emotive-response wall units?” The current units had walls colored to whatever the occupants programmed in to the system. The new emotive-response units would display colors that reflected the emotional patterns of the occupants, unless over ridden by them. If you were lethargic, the walls would display bright yellows and pinks and greens, if you were overly keyed up, they would display darker blues, browns and greens to soothe you down. Compensation, over compensation, and over the top compensation.

  “Sure, as soon as she’s up, I’ll let her know you want to see her.” Message received and understood.

  “Great, thanks, and then we can meet a little bit later.” Acceptance.

  “Look forward to it.” She signed off. Bedraggled but getting it together.

  I called Jake after eating. Told him all about the dust up in the corridor on the way home and found out some interesting tidbits.

  “Any luck with Religious Therapy? Seems there’s some weird payroll issues the Rev is working on, or trying to figure out. Also, you might want to focus more on the tie in between Pete Simms and the Entertainment Section.”

  “Got that, there’s been some heavy transactions between the Gambling subsection and Simms accounts. I’ll take another crack at that payroll deal down at Religion. The security lock on it is a bitch. Also I’ve a hit on one of your assailants, but I’m sure you want to let Security deal with that guy. Someone turned up with a broken finger at the Med Unit last night. Some one from the Recreation Section.” That made sense, not many manly men in the Arts/Ent. sections, the boys in Rec. though, had to have some wanna be tough guys there.

  “Cool, I’ll call Fonagy now.” He signed off and I put in a call to Fonagy.

  “Hey, Chief.” He looked harried but he calmed down when he saw me.

  “How you feeling today Drew?” Oh, man, he knew about the gathering last night.

  “A little worse for the wear and tear. I wanted to give you a heads up.” I told him about the incident. Told him to check the Med Unit. Told him about the heavy cash flow between Ent. and Supply, but left out Peter’s name. Then I told him about my conversation with Jeff and the payroll problem. That peaked his interest. I wanted to jam up Pete myself.

  He told me my assailant was already in custody, was being questioned and that he would look in to the Rev’s payroll problem and signed off.

  Then I called Lou Chin in PR. His secretary put me right through.

  “Yeah, Lou, what can I do ya for?” Sarcastic, but not hostile. The pain was easing.

  “Hey Drew, how are you?” Solicitous, almost obsequious.

  “Okay, a bit hungover, but hangin
’ in there, ya know?” Honest, unashamed.

  “Oh, tying one on last night, huh?” Almost surprised.

  “Yup. Friends and coworkers from my section treated me.” Glad I didn’t have to cover that bar tab.

  “Good deal. Look, I just wanted to let you know that Good Morning World wanted to book you and the Misses for an interview in the next week or so, if and when you felt up to it of course.”

  “Of course. Well let me ask Jazz. Jazz? When did Doctor Wali want to see me again?”

  “Tomorrow morning if that works.” She perked up.

  “Yes, that’ll be fine, if you want to phone ahead for me. So I’ll know tomorrow, if you want to call me back tomorrow afternoon, I’ll have a better idea, that will also give me time to talk to the wife. Okay?” Hopeful with out sucking up. Keep it short.

  “Great, that’ll work fine, I’ll call you tomorrow then. Bye.” He hung up, slightly disappointed. Too bad vulture boy. It is the hero’s prerogative to be aloof.

  “Bye.” I said to the dead line. I started to feel a little sleepy so I leaned back on the couch and after I put my personal line and the home phone on voice mail, dozed off for an hour or two. The lawyer and the mystery could wait.

  I snapped out of sleep and a weird dream. Dave was supine on a bed, his wife was sucking his cock and Karen, my wife was sucking on her tits. Dave looked over at me with wide open eyes, showing nothing but white and said,

  “Services, Drew, services.” I came out of it with Karen sitting next to me brushing her damp hair out in my direction.

  “Hey babe.” I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. She squinched her eyes up as if it hurt.