My God How Can We Keep Up With This Schedule; It's Insane; The Movie Part II
"It's coming," she had whispered, her lips barely moving. Anyone looking on wouldn't have noticed anything was said. Even Marlen's face betrayed nothing as he stared groggily ahead, one dull-eyed face in the sea of commuters. But his mind jumped into gear with reflexes ingrained after a decade of dangerous living, and almost automatically conclusions lined up to be drawn, close on each other's heels. The rumour had to fresh; she would be one of the first to know. The other members couldn't know yet. They would be unprepared for the sudden change - at least, if it happened soon enough. And if he could make that change...
Well. What happened then didn't matter. He could make that change, as was his job, and the consequences were someone else's problem. As the train glided smoothly to a halt, he let himself be pulled outside in the stream, up the escalators and outside into the cold morning air. It prickled in his eyes. Halting not for a single moment he walked down the street, past the offices of the financial adventurers, the crowd around him slowly thinning as people broke off left and right. After a while he took a left and entered into a shopping street, and on turning the corner he managed a quick look behind him. At least two men were following him, and one of them had been in the subway with him. They were quick on the uptake - but not quick enough, or they wouldn't be stalking him right now. He quickened his pace, knowing it would draw them out, hoping it would cause them to hesitate if only for a moment. A glance in a curved shopping window a minute later showed no sign of them, much to Marlen's surprise. Had they reconsidered his value? All the better for him - he was almost there.
Then, abruptly, he stopped in his tracks, causing some people to bump into him. Ignoring their muttered curses he stood there thinking, his brow furrowed. Then he nodded to himself, turned left sharply and disappeared into an alley.
Not ten minutes later he stood in Lacer's office, breathless, the door knob in one hand and a smoking pistol in the other. One body lay on the floor and another was slumped over a desk. The walls were riddled with bullet holes. Clearly a major gunfight had just taken place, the kind that would make any narrative much more intense and interesting. A real shame he'd missed it. But that wasn't important right now. Lowering his weapon he turned to Lacer, who leaned back and looked up at him, frowning the kind of frown that implied explanations had better be forthcoming within the next three seconds or there would be real trouble.
"I swear it's important," Marlen assured him hurriedly. "You know I wouldn't come if it wasn't, I always say-"
"Don't fuss about it." Lacer smiled like a cat who has just heard frightened little steps behind the couch. "You know you can drop by here whenever you like."
Marlen hazarded a grin. "Well, of course, that's how you are, always-"
"And you ALSO know that you don't get to LEAVE again in one PIECE if you don't have a GODDAMN GOOD REASON for being here!" Lacer jumped up and seemed to fill the room with sheer size. Marlen cowered, raising up his hands protectively though with no real effect.
"Hey, ho now," he sputtered, "I've got the latest! The latest! This is the big one!"
"Five seconds!" Lacer growled, several of his muscles bulging as incentive.
"It's Sleawie," Marlen said, managing just about to pull himself enough to speak the news in the grave tones it deserved. "He's updated his livejournal again."
Well. What happened then didn't matter. He could make that change, as was his job, and the consequences were someone else's problem. As the train glided smoothly to a halt, he let himself be pulled outside in the stream, up the escalators and outside into the cold morning air. It prickled in his eyes. Halting not for a single moment he walked down the street, past the offices of the financial adventurers, the crowd around him slowly thinning as people broke off left and right. After a while he took a left and entered into a shopping street, and on turning the corner he managed a quick look behind him. At least two men were following him, and one of them had been in the subway with him. They were quick on the uptake - but not quick enough, or they wouldn't be stalking him right now. He quickened his pace, knowing it would draw them out, hoping it would cause them to hesitate if only for a moment. A glance in a curved shopping window a minute later showed no sign of them, much to Marlen's surprise. Had they reconsidered his value? All the better for him - he was almost there.
Then, abruptly, he stopped in his tracks, causing some people to bump into him. Ignoring their muttered curses he stood there thinking, his brow furrowed. Then he nodded to himself, turned left sharply and disappeared into an alley.
Not ten minutes later he stood in Lacer's office, breathless, the door knob in one hand and a smoking pistol in the other. One body lay on the floor and another was slumped over a desk. The walls were riddled with bullet holes. Clearly a major gunfight had just taken place, the kind that would make any narrative much more intense and interesting. A real shame he'd missed it. But that wasn't important right now. Lowering his weapon he turned to Lacer, who leaned back and looked up at him, frowning the kind of frown that implied explanations had better be forthcoming within the next three seconds or there would be real trouble.
"I swear it's important," Marlen assured him hurriedly. "You know I wouldn't come if it wasn't, I always say-"
"Don't fuss about it." Lacer smiled like a cat who has just heard frightened little steps behind the couch. "You know you can drop by here whenever you like."
Marlen hazarded a grin. "Well, of course, that's how you are, always-"
"And you ALSO know that you don't get to LEAVE again in one PIECE if you don't have a GODDAMN GOOD REASON for being here!" Lacer jumped up and seemed to fill the room with sheer size. Marlen cowered, raising up his hands protectively though with no real effect.
"Hey, ho now," he sputtered, "I've got the latest! The latest! This is the big one!"
"Five seconds!" Lacer growled, several of his muscles bulging as incentive.
"It's Sleawie," Marlen said, managing just about to pull himself enough to speak the news in the grave tones it deserved. "He's updated his livejournal again."