“And what if we don’t find this ‘Daulk’ of yours?” said Fenli.
The agent shrugged. “You will.”
A short stocky man who had sidled in from the street, chanced to overhear the conversation. “My brother-in-arms has a better place. Overons. It’s more quiet and—”
“Shut up, Gasly. Go home.”
The man ignored the vendor. A stubbled grin broke out on his face. “My bro-in-arm’s a casino owner. Back over on the boardwalk down to the Quicksilver lake. Just a skip and a jog from the glass tower. Seems you lads are feeling lucky and looking to let off a little steam?” He paused, scrutinizing their blood-stained attire and their battered appearance. “Maybe you’re just fugitives? Well, my brother-in-arms, he can fix you up nicely. Safe place. Newcomers get a 300-credit start, courtesy of the house.”
“We’ll keep it in mind,” said Miko. “Come on.” He practically dragged Fenli toward the door—Fenli who was looking pie-eyed at the ‘snow’ on the shelf.
“Wait,” cried the pawnbroker. “You’ll never get in the joint looking like you came from a war zone.” He tossed two pairs of plastic-wrapped garments through the mesh. “Here, put these suits on. Not very elegant, but at least they’re clean.”
“What’s in it for you?” queried Miko. With a wary frown, he assessed the cheap blue imitations of what looked designer wear.
“Kickbacks from my clients. I give them the business, they provide the accessories.”
Fenli opened up palms. “Sounds good to me.”
Miko pursed his lips and the two reluctantly donned the baggy garb over their tattered uniforms. Usk stared on curiously, pincers twitching and mandibles working. Miko hastened Fenli to the door, but the vendor offered something else.
“Here’s another token of my good will.” He pushed a wad of snow taped in a bundle. “As much as I hate to part with valued product, I have the feeling I may not see you two again—and I am feeling generous today.”
Fenli snatched at the package and all too hastily ripped it open. He eyed the sparkling crystals with avid eyes.
“Why waste money on dead men?” snarled Miko.
The vendor showed a toothless grin. “Who said anything about ‘dead’?”
Fenli pinched a fingerful under his tongue and tipped his head back. His eyes grew very red and glassy. He shook his head like a dog. “I’ve been waiting for that hit for years. Hot damn! You’ll get a bonus, Captain! We’ll be back with a gift for you.”
The vendor saluted. “I look forward to that. Until then, happy trails.’”
Miko shook his head.
“Glad you got your fix?” he grunted sardonically when they were out on the street.
Fenli looked at him with sly mockery. “You should try some, Mikky. It’d loosen you up a bit.”
“I don’t want to ‘loosen up’, curse you! I want to get out of this hellhole!”
Fenli wagged a finger. “Patience. The ancient teachings impart, ‘put your attention on the act of surrender, not on the result of your actions, lest it squander your energy’.”
“Shut up! I could care a whit for your flaky philosophy.”
Fenli shrugged, coddling an idiot’s grin. “Temper, my friend. Your downfall is temper.”
Miko chewed on his lip, nearly drawing blood. This plan might succeed, if Fenli could keep his head on his shoulders long enough to stay lucid.
“Right then. To the docks!” remarked Fenli with a jaunty wave. Down toward centre town he sauntered, where the lurid lights glowed.
V
With quick steps, they made their way out of the alley and down the hardtop. The woman of the night was not to be found. But Miko saw a group of her nocturnal friends farther down the way, sharing a pipe. Purple fumes coiled about their slinky numbers, veiled under the light of one of Demen’s moons shining through the rough cloud overhead. All had frizzy blue hair and wore black lace. Miko pulled the others in the opposite direction, fearing somehow that Fenli would get the crazy idea of hooking up with their lot, juiced up as he was on snow.
It was riskier to head back toward centretown, but without funds they would get nowhere. If he could keep Fenli on top of his game...
The main boardwalk bristled with life. Couples roamed hand in hand and businessmen in elegant suits talked and laughed. It was strange to see all this humanity after being so long cocooned, Miko thought. If this situation wasn’t so dire, he might even have enjoyed it. The glass tower, shaped like a human skull, glowed like a pariah, dwarfing those around it, pale green, ghoulishly festive.
The skull palace. What fortune would it bring?
Low-lying clouds pushed down on them, creating a sense of claustrophobia while sonic booms rattled in their eardrums as twin air guard Venu-cruisers buzzed overhead. Bullet-shaped surface cars, black and electric-powered, coursed three-wheeled down the slick streets and dropped passengers off and picked up others. The twin moons now shone crescents through the tattered cloud. A salty, sulphurous air still drifted from the silver sheen of the lake. Miko smelled cheap fried food, meats and fruit he could not name. Lucifer’s hell but his belly ached with hunger!
Seeing his famished look, Fenli motioned. “You can have all the Skullrox tamales you can eat, once we secure this deal.”
“Sounds like something to look forward to,” Miko grunted.
“Well, you saw what a good negotiator I was,” said Fenli glibly. “We gleaned information and a deal, without dropping a coin.”
Miko firmed his lip. “Nothing’s ever free.”
“Everything’s free, if you know how to deal.”
The Overons sign blazed ahead, a testament to garish red neon. The symbol was a man and woman dancing, half-naked, and coins fluttering around them on golden wings. Fenli gave an amused chortle at the lewd signage, affording it no
