Tales of the Symbiont Safety Patrol (SYMBIOSIS)

by Samuel King

  "It's okay," Helen said.

  Joel seemed less understanding. "Just tell your story," he said tersely.

  "Well, this friend told me the place was special, the largest of its kind on the east coast. Said it was different from anything I'd ever seen or even heard about.

  "He had this funny look on his face, ya know? Like there was something he wasn't sayin'. I didn't pay too much attention to it at the time, but as soon as I walked into the place, I got it.

  "It wasn't really a bordello. It was something more like a Roman orgy. And the girls weren't hustlers either, uh-uh. You knew right off the bat, they were slaves, and they were terrified. Even though most of ‘em had phony smiles on their faces, the fear was so thick you could cut it with a knife."

  While the rest of his audience sat in stunned silence, Joel had summoned a virtual computer terminal and was busily running his fingers back and forth across the monitor. After several seconds, a holographic image of the Pleasure Palace hovered over the table, rotating slowly.

  "Ya, that's it," Doherty said, pointing. "That's what they call the main floor. There's about forty girls workin' the place and I'd say about a hundred customers. There's little booths all along the walls, but you didn't have to use ‘em. A lot of them were screwin' out in the open, just like a bunch of animals… on the tables, in chairs, any which way you can think of."

  "What the hell?" Freeman gasped.

  "That ain't the worst of it," he said, shaking his head. "Right in the middle of the place they got a raised platform, and there's maybe ten or twelve guys around it, watchin' a girl dancin'."

  He sighed loudly, again and closed his eyes, before upending his beer bottle and draining it. "When I say a girl, I mean a girl," he continued, softly. "She could'na been more than twelve or thirteen. They called her Lolita."

  "Sweet Jesus," Kate muttered.

  "She had next ta nothin' on, and unlike most of them with their fake smiles, she looked for all the world like she wanted to die. And those animals were just laughin' and cheerin' her on."

  Joel busied himself with the virtual terminal, appearing disinterested, but Kate stared at her lover in disbelief. "I swear, I had no idea," Doherty said, answering the question written across her face.

  "I thought it was just a whore house, but it turned out to be a hell hole. All I could think about was tellin' you guys about it," he said to Joel. "I even stayed a bit longer to get as much information as I could."

  Suddenly filled with shame, he fell silent, whispering after nearly a minute, "I swear, I didn't know."

  *

  He remained silent, while the members of his audience alternately stared at him and each other, their faces registering a mixture of shock and dismay. After a time he continued, telling them more of the misery he'd witnessed. He told them also of his horror upon discovering the depths his fellow humans could sink to; how they derived a certain satisfaction from exerting absolute and often cruel power over other sentient beings. In time, he found himself fending off the tears that had found their way to the women's eyes.

  *

  Helen raised her hands, after fifteen minutes, as if in surrender. "Alright, alright, that's enough. We need a break." A large shot glass, filled with what appeared to be whiskey, appeared in front of her, and after draining it with one swallow, she muttered, "I need a break."

  "You know I got more," he said.

  "Save it." She reached for her glass, suddenly refilled, and raised it to her lips. "It'll keep."

  ****

  For nearly thirty minutes, Doherty nursed a single beer, while Joel kept busy at the virtual terminal. Occasionally, he peered around it, as if to check on his comrades, before returning to his research. If the nightmarish tale had any effect on him he didn't show it. His face remained an impassive mask, even while the others drank varying amounts of alcohol to soothe their battered sensibilities.

  After downing her fourth double shot, Helen leaned back in her chair staring up at the ceiling. "Any time now, Jimmy," she said. "We're probably as ready as we're going to be."

  Her slurred speech brought Joel's head from behind the virtual terminal once more. He looked at her briefly and scowled, before disappearing behind it again. Cynthia tittered.

  "What's the matter?" Helen asked, sloppily. "Can't a girl have a drink to ease her pain?"

  "Ya better slow down," Kate advised. "Or ya won't be any help t'us at all."

  Observing her intoxication, Doherty shook his head. "I'll never get it," he said.

  "Get what?" Helen asked.

  "How ya can get drunk drinkin'… well, nothin'. There's no booze there, Darlin'. It's just a picture."

  The group turned toward him as one. Even Joel appeared from behind his terminal. Doherty's head sank. Ah, shit! I did it again.

  "Nothin' there but vapor, right?" Helen asked, laughing. "Isn't that how you corporeals put it—vapor? Well let me tell you something, Jimmy. The vapor drink works because a vapor person is drinking it. Get it?"

  She rose, steadying herself on the table before proceeding to the other side, empty shot glass in hand. Stopping next to Kate, she set the glass on the table and filled it from a nearby bottle. "Don't think I've ever had Jack," she said, after taking a sip. "Not bad."

  She moved behind Doherty, brought her head close to his and said, "Unlike you though, darlin', this vapor can drink both." Pointing to the bathroom door, she added, "Now that the John's been holo-equipped."

  While the rest of the group laughed, Kate jabbed him in the side. "You and that big mouth of yours."

  "Oh, let him be, Kate," Helen said, returning to her seat. "Most humans think that at first. You've got a leg up because you used to work with us… back in your General Holographic days."

  "A million years ago," Kate murmured.

  "A million years and one Claire ago," Joel added.

  The group fell silent at the mention of their martyred friend, and in that moment, Doherty felt a strange kinship with Cynthia. They shared a furtive glance, and, he knew, more. The only two people at the table who had never met the storied figurehead of their group, he wondered if they'd ever truly be one of them.

  "Well, I'm sorry, anyway," he said. "It was a stupid thing ta say."

  Helen methodically emptied her glass, and it promptly vanished. After covering her mouth to suppress a burp, she seemed to regain at least a portion of her faculties. "Forget it. All I care about now, is you finishing your Goddamned story so we can figure out what, if anything, to do about it." She leaned back in her chair and gestured for him to continue.

  Shit. The worst was yet to come—the personal things, things he had actually done, things that were sure to hurt Kate.

  "There was one girl there, that stuck out like a sore thumb," he said at last. "Mostly because she had the same miserable look on her face as the kid. She had just come out of one of the booths, and when the guy she was with left, I grabbed her. She was a tiny thing, pretty but thin as a rail and so scared. When I asked if we could talk she started lookin' all around her, as if she expected the hand of God to strike her down at any minute.

  "She could tell I wasn't there for normal business, so she whispered that she had to stay busy. I couldn't believe it. She'd only just finished with one guy, and she was already worried about keepin' busy. And the fear on her face was sickenin'.

  "When I asked why she and the little girl didn't smile like all the others, she said they were configured that way, to appear shy and uncomfortable. She told me there were girls configured for every taste a customer might have."

  He paused to take stock of his audience, wondering if they, no, if Kate was ready for the final part of his tale. They seemed transfixed, and all eyes, even Joel's were riveted on him.

  "I tried to ask her more, but all she said was we either had to do somethin' or she'd be punished. Before I could say another word, she threw herself all over me and begged me to play along." He forced himself to look at Kate. "So, I did. Right there in the middle of
the place, with all those people around, I stood there while she got on her knees and opened m'trousers.

  "When she finished, she stood up and hugged me. Then she whispered a name in my ear, and before I could say another word, she was gone. I had a drink and hung around for another thirty minutes, just to make a show of it, and in that time she went into a booth with one guy and was going back with another as I left."

  Joel started to say something but he held up a hand, stopping him. "I'm not finished, Joel. I saved the worst for last." He coughed into the raised hand then drew it across his eyes. "Them guys who was watchin' the little girl? They were all over her, takin' turns as I left." He upended his beer and rose from his seat. "Okay, now I'm done."

  "Mother of God," Kate said.

  "Jesus and Joseph, too." He went to the refrigerator for another beer and after opening it, he remained there, drinking it slowly. "I still can't figure it out," he said. "My friend's a decent guy… really. He goes ta mass on holy days of obligation, and he's the last guy you'd ever think would do anything cruel to a woman, but somehow he missed what was goin' on right in front of his face. Like he had blinders on or somethin'."

  Holding an arm in front of him, Joel casually swept it from right to left as if swatting a fly. The virtual terminal and holographic displays moved with it, off to the side of the table, exposing his naked rage. He looked ready to speak, but Kate beat him to it.

  "We should kill the bastards," she muttered.

  Nodding with approval, Freeman replied, "I heard that."

  "I guess we don't have to take a vote on our next operation," Joel said. "Our wayward friend here has returned to us with a story that staggers the imagination. I've got to admit, I've never heard anything like it. I'm with Bobby and Kate. Someone has to pay."

  They were all startled when Cynthia, the smallest amongst them, loudly pounded the table. "No!" she cried. "Not for any reason. I'd die to help those girls, but I won't have any part in hurting people, no matter what they've done."

  Freeman reacquired her hand. "If anybody deserves to get hurt, little girl, it's these bastards."

  "You don't understand," she said. "Once we decide to hurt people, we'll end up just like them. I swear, sooner or later we'll be hurting people who don't deserve it."

  "We can tell the difference," Joel spat. "We know—"

  "You're all getting ahead of yourselves," Helen said. She showed little sign of her prior impairment. "Didn't you hear what Jimmy said? There's forty girls in that place. How do we get all those arrays out at one time?"

  "We'll figure something out," Joel replied. "We always do."

  Helen shook her head. "We're not magicians."

  "This time we may have to be."

  "If we try something this big before we're ready," Helen said. "We'll be dead magicians."

  Joel angrily retrieved the virtual terminal. "First, we need more information," he said, staring at the monitor. After several seconds he peered around the terminal and asked Doherty, "So, what about the guy the girl mentioned? Did you look him up?"

  "No. It didn't seem important at the time."

  "Everything's important," Joel snapped. "It says here they've got a ‘diverse array of entertainment', quote, unquote. For all we know, there may be more than forty girls in there."

  "You really think we can pull off something this big?" Helen asked.

  Joel shook his head. "Not just the six of us. We'll obviously need some outside help."

  Helen expelled a short, powerful "breath". "Outside help, outside problems."

  "Sure. There's always a risk when you get more people involved, but we don't have a choice. We can start off with a couple of Bobby's most trusted people and some of the artificials we've freed, too."

  "Maybe there's some other way," Helen offered. "Something besides a full scale raid. We can't help anyone if we're all dead or in prison."

  "What other way?" Joel asked.

  When she shrugged, Kate said, "This one's worth the risk, Helen. I won't be able ta sleep nights if we don't at least try."

  When Helen appeared ready to offer a rejoinder, Joel raised his hands for quiet. "Is there anyone who is absolutely opposed to this?" he asked, looking at her. When she didn't answer, he shrugged. "Okay, then. It's done."

  "Owww," Freeman said, laughing. "Just like that, huh? It's gonna be a cold bed for you tonight."

  Helen smiled and said, "Uh-uh, Bobby. I don't play that way." She turned her head to one side and muttered, "Won't catch me cutting off my nose to spite my face."

  The group devolved into laughter, but Joel, once again, held his hands up for quiet. "You need to get us as much on site information as possible, Jimmy. Go talk to this guy the girl told you about, and then, I'm afraid you'll have to make a return trip to this Pleasure Palace."

  "I'd rather not if it's all the same. Why don't we send Bobby, instead."

  Freeman started. "Bullshit! You've already been there, man."

  "That's right," he said, looking at Kate. "And I don't want to go back. What about it, Joel?"

  "I'm afraid Bobby's right. You've already established a relationship with this girl; you know your way around. It only makes sense for you to go."

  "Christ almighty!" he exclaimed, watching as the Kate's shoulders slumped. "I swore I'd never go back there."

  "Just one more time," Joel said, looking directly at Kate. "Just one more time as a customer. I promise."

  ****

  He shivered on the landing of the single family, two story house, wondering how someone from Boston could be so unprepared for the weather in Philadelphia. The calendar might have said spring, but the temperature was saying something else, altogether. He blamed the confusion on Atlanta, his home away from home.

  Pulling his insufficiently insulated jacket around him, he considered the middle class, suburban neighborhood he found himself in. Dusk had fallen and while a few children still played outside, people were returning home from work. Typical Pleasantville, USA. The only thing odd or out of place was him: wannabe grifter, turned revolutionary. Worse, he was standing in front of a retired lawman's home.

  "Who is it?" a gruff voice—a policeman's voice—asked over the intercom.

  "My name is John O'Reilly, Mr. Dennehy. Could I have a word with ya?"

  "About what?"

  "The Pleasure Palace. Somebody I met there."

  "I don't know what you're talking about. Get lost."

  "A girl gave me your name, Mr. Dennehy. I tried to ask her a few questions, but all she would do is give me your name."

  "I told you, I don't know what you're talking about. Now get lost before I call the cops."

  "She was a tiny little thing, beautiful with long, black hair, but very thin. She was the only girl in the place who didn't have a phony smile pasted on her face."

  The door parted at once, revealing a heavy set, fiftyish man whose sad smile took Doherty by surprise. "Old Lolita," he said, gesturing for him to enter.

  "Lolita? I thought that was the kid," Doherty said, as the door closed behind him.

  Dennehy's smile faded. "What do you want, Mr. O'Reilly? Or should I say, Mr. Doherty."

  "Huh?"

  "Did you really think you could fool an ex-cop? I had you made before you walked through the door." After revealing the small display screen in the palm of his hand, he began to read from it. "Doherty, James F. Born, 18 January, 2113. Birthplace: South Boston, Massachusetts. Criminal Record… Shall I go on?"

  "Why bother?"

  "Now, once again, what do you want? Most guys don't go to the Palace to ask questions."

  "Maybe I'm not most guys."

  "Yeah?"

  "Yeah. I want to know more about the place. A friend of mine back home recommended it, but I was surprised when I got there. Wasn't quite what I expected. Know what I mean?"

  "Sit down," Dennehy ordered, pointing to a nearby easy chair. Afterward, he collapsed onto the sofa facing it and propped his feet up on a waiting coffee table. "Yeah, I
know what you mean," he said softly, as if to a long awaited kindred spirit. "I wish I didn't, but I do… What's your interest?"

  "Lolita, or ‘Old Lolita' as you call her; the girl got to me."

  "Me, too," said Dennehy. He nodded and sighed heavily. "When I retired four years ago, a bunch of the guys took me there. Hey, it sounded interesting… a whorehouse full of smart vapors. And the kicker was you could take a few extra liberties because they were vapors.

  "But I had no idea. As soon as I walked into the place, I knew I wasn't in Kansas anymore. Someplace else entirely."

  "Hell," Doherty said.

  Dennehy closed his eyes and seemed to consider the word, mumbling to himself as he did. "Yeah, that comes pretty close to it," he said finally. "There was this kid, maybe fifteen or sixteen, dancing with a bunch of animals around her. The bartender said they called her Lolita and started laughing. I guess the name is from some old book about a child prostitute. Imagine, thinking something like that was funny."

  "Imagine."

  "Well, after she broke loose, I grabbed her, and she told me she had been there for three years, since she was twelve."

  "Jesus Christ."

  "Like you, I just wanted to talk to her, to help if I could, but before I knew what was happening, she pulled me into one of those booths. I told her I only wanted to talk, but she begged me, said they'd whip her if I didn't."

  Meeting Doherty's eyes, he added, "She was only an artificial, but for all practical purposes she was a fifteen year old girl. Fifteen, for Christs' sake! I'm no fucking pervert, Doherty, but she begged—"

  "Hey, fella," Doherty called to him. "You don't have to explain nothin' to me. I was there."

  "Well, maybe I get a pass for the first time, but a month later I went back. Not to see her, I swear, but they've got so many beautiful women there, I just hated to waist the ten thousand dollar membership my buddies gave me. I don't know, maybe I was in denial." As an afterthought, he confessed, "I know. That's just an excuse."