This is going to suck

I though to myself as I made sure to close Mininie's drawer just as I had found it,

This was just in case  anyway.

-1-

This can’t  go on forever

It was a truth I was telling myself but, I didn’t really believe it as I stood over Minnie watching her sleep. She lay in bed, her body  perfectly still except  for her eyelids that quivered occasionally. It was like she could tell I was standing there-- watching her. I waved my hand in front of her eyes but, she remained motionless. I guess she was really asleep.

I really needed her to wake up though.

After I finished talking to Dakota I couldn't get back to sleep. I wasn't sure if it was the drugs or the surgery but, I just felt restless. I spent most of the morning sitting on the front porch listening to the silence. The quiet soothed me and cleared my head and pretty soon new thoughts--memories really-- began to creep into my head.

I was starting to learn that when no murder or hit was taking place the concepts of timeliness and organization didn’t work in this house. It was almost late afternoon and neither Sara nor Minnie had risen from their sleep.

“So now,” Jean said walking into the bedroom, ” How did you get Dakota to agree to talk ?,”

“I can’t tell,” I said, knowing Jean would be pissed if he knew I promised Dakota his little sister.

“Well, as soon as  Sara wakes up we can question him,” Jean informed me “From there we will find Morrissey and finally put the bastard in his grave,”

They depended a lot on Sara-- more than they cared to admit.

 

I turned my attention back to Minnie and began to wonder if she was even still alive. I heard the horror stories in school about people taking drugs and waking up to their death.  The thick multi-colored blankets were draped over her thin body in a way that made it hard to tell if her chest was even moving.

 I was concentrating on her so hard I didn’t even see Jean walk closer to me.  Standing in front of me, he rested his face on my shoulder inhaling deeply. The weight of his body was crushing down on me. Before he could exhale I pushed him off.

“What the hell ?,” I asked

Giving me one of his signature odd looks he reached across my body, picked up one of the books on the table and walked out of the room. I had no choice but to shake him off..

Minnie’s stillness was still freaking me out---and I needed to talk to her before the memory went away-- so, I went over and shook her.

“Jean ! Leave me the fuck alo—oh, sorry it’s you,” she said when she saw me.

She curled back tighter into the blankets and closed her eyes again.

I sat next to her on the bed and shook her again but, lighter

“I need to use your Syndicate,” I said softly.

She moaned and without opening her eyes, turned the hologram screen on and projected it—giving me access to it.

The name had came to me after we left the mausoleum but I didn't place it until recently.

Ciele Gray.

I searched for my mom’s online profile--I just wanted to see her face again.

I typed in her name and nothing showed up. I tried different versions but, it looked like my mother’s profile had disappeared.

Or, did I just make that name up ?  I was sure I had a mom and I was sure that was her name  but, I wasn’t sure what to believe anymore. I thought Minnie had gone back to sleep but,  she was watching me.

“What are you doing ?,” she asked, stretching her arms into my lap

 “Nothing ,” I said

I knew she could see the screen but, she didn't press for anymore information.

“Last night was your first  time, huh ?,” she asked

“I barely remember but, basically,” I said, trying to sort out all the firsts that had occurred last night.

“You're one of the cutest boys I have ever seen in my life.  You never had a girlfriend ?,”

“There was a girl but, she had her own issues,” I explained ”Where I come from people are after more than good looks. You have to be the best and motivated or else you end up like--,”

“Me ?,” she asked

I shook my head, I wasn’t going to say that. Was I ?

Maybe my mother had just disconnected Or at least the mother I thought I had. At this point Ciele Gray was a concept not a person. Maybe she had never been real. Maybe that life was a dream and this was reality. I quickly looked up dad and sure enough there was still information on him but nothing with my mom's name.

The idea that part of my life was made up did seem crazy but, I was battling with this thing in my head. I didn’t know what to believe, it was my nature to only believe what I could see and feel.

“Help me make breakfast,” Minnow said taking my hand.

“It’s late afternoon,” I informed her

“Okay, brunch then  ?” she said, pulling me along after her into the common room.

She opened the small ice chest taking out a bottle of substitute eggs and canned sausage. Sara had woken up and was watching the media stream on a holoscreen with a glass of wine in her hand, Saint stood  next to her and he was watching me.

Not far from Sara was Luce and Christopher playing with crayons.

Something about her kids just didn't feel right to me. Maybe it was because I never spent much time around kids or something. No, it had to be the fact that Luce knew things about me that not even Sara knew.

As if he knew I was talking about him Luce stood up and looked right at me before turning and walking into Sara’s arms.

“We are not prepared,” he said, not looking her in the eye.

His voice was just above a whisper but, he formed each word perfectly.

Sara smiled and held him close to her and exchanged a glance with Saint.

Nobody else seemed bothered until  the silence was interrupted by a loud siren outside that made everyone jump.

“Another bomb ?,” I asked

“No,” Minnie said as every holoscreen in the room turned red and her syndicate began to blink red.

“It’s going to rain,” Minnie said

“Fuck !,” Sara cursed “How far out ?,”

Minnie stared into space for a second looking into the Syndicate screen.

“Not far. An hour or so at most,”

Sara stood up so fast the glass of wine toppled out of her hand. She was quick to catch it before it smashed on to the floor.

 “There are still some holes in the ceiling,” Sara said walking around the room “We are going to cover everything and then--,”

“Saint, Alan and I will see if we can fix the hole upstairs,” Jean cut her off

“That’s nonsense if--,” she began

“It’s fine, I know you want to,” Jean said

I was finally putting it together.

 The rain would bring down a nuclear shower from the nuclear clouds above in the form of acid rain.

I followed Jean up the steps followed by Saint.

The hole in the side of the wall was larger than it looked last night.

“I think we should just use pieces from the furniture and that spackle to cover this hole,” Jean said," It will be crude but, it will hold up,"

“I agree,” Saint said

Using his entire body Saint easily tore apart pieces of the wooden furniture. He held the coffee table  firm with two hands and using his foot as leverage he tore away uneven strips of wood. Jean and I began to spackle the edges of the hole. We were in a rush but, we worked our way into an even pace.

 “How are you Alan ?,” Jean asked completing the first layer of wood.

I was caught off guard it seemed like a normal question, too much of a normal question when everything else was so weird.

“I’ve been better,” I replied

We continued working silently caulking everything in place

“Alan we really like you but, I want you to stay away from Minnow,” he said

The comment came out of nowhere and he kept on working like he hadn’t said anything. For the first time Jean was trying to avoid eye contact with me.

“I'm sorry ?,” I said

“I’m not blind, brother. This is just first time we’ve been alone together,” he explained with a smug smile on his face “I want you to stay the hell away from her ”

“Jean you can’t just say that,” I told him “Minnow seems pretty independent. Not to mention you don’t mind her being with any man who is willing to pay,”

“Listen, brother,” he said letting his hatchet rest in the Spackle,” You can fuck her all you want, I'm sure she'd even enjoy it. I don't give a shit if you live out all your vanilla glitterboy boy fantasies but, Minnow's heart is mine. I know guys like you will only hurt her,”

“Guys like me ? Jean, I would never hurt her,” I said

It was theoretically but I kind of liked seeing him pissed off.

“If anything you hurt her," I said "Minnie told me you left her without a choice when you left home—you knew she would follow you and you were to selfish to stay.  You took her life and her childhood away. All you care about is your heart,”

“Trust me brother there isn’t much left out of my heart,” he sighed

The conversation seemed to have ended and Jean stretched his hands behind his back. When he reached forward a knife was in his hand aimed at me, I  grabbed the handle before he pushed it into my shoulderblade. I kept a firm grip on it as he continued to attempt to push it into me, we were both at a stand still and the force caused us both to fall back, the knife skidded out of his  hand and outside. I knew he kept his other blade on his right leg  and reached for it when I felt a cutting pain in my shoulder.

I screamed in pain at the same time Jean did.

Saint pulled us both away from each other as a slow rhythmic beat started outside

“Damn it--It’s starting,” Jean said looking at his hand where a drop of rain had fallen. I looked at my shoulder to see a small pink burn.

We didn’t even have half the wall covered and I could see outside as Jean’s knife quickly rusted over into a clump metal.

We headed downstairs where Sara and Minnie had strategically placed buckets to catch rain coming through the ceiling.

 “I’m sorry,” Saint said, ”We didn’t finish,”

“It’s  . . .okay,” Sara said half halfheartedly," Come on Jean, lets see what we can get out of Dakota,"

Minnie came up behind me and whispering my name into my ear placed her arms around my waist and pulled me back, forcing me on to the couch with her.

"Come with us, Alan" Jean said, "After all you convinced Dakota to talk,"

Minnie let go of her grasp on me and I followed Jean and Sara into the room, I was sure to keep an eye on Jean.

Dakota was still slumped in the corner looking worse than he had a few hours ago, I felt like I should have felt bad for him but, I didn't.

Sara took a seat on the metal bench in the corner and rolling her eyes offered Dakota a cigarette.

"I have never seen so much stupid in one room," she said

"Well, you've never lived on a military base then," Jean retorted

"Are you all really making jokes ?," Dakota said taking the cigarette," And I can't get a fucking meal or water ?,"

"As if you don't want the cigarette more,Dakota " Sara replied

"Fuck you, Sara" he said

"Your welcome," she smiled, "Now, if you tell us something useful I will give you whatever you want to eat,"

"His cartel will kill me if I knew I betrayed him," Dakota said,"Don't let this come back to me,"

"Stop stalling," she said,"You want to leave her don't you ?"

"It's simple, Jed is his real name but, he used the alias Maurice Falcon when he was undercover. For security purposes that's what his syndicate and everything is under. You find Maurice Falcon you find Jed."

"Bullshit," Sara said, " I hacked into government files, into top agency heads Syndicates and I saw no trace of him ever using a different name,"

"That's cause everything the G-men use  paper to keep track of top secret shit. You can hack a brain and a machine but you can't hack pen and paper."

Sara seemed extremely pissed she hadn't figured that out herself

"Is that all you know ?," Sara asked

"Yes, now I want M--,"

"Wait," I cut him off," Shouldn't you make sure he isn't lying ?,"

Sara stood up and headed for the door

"We will let you go once, I go check some things out," she said,"You have my word,"

"I know that doesn't mean shit," Dakota shot back.

Back in the common area Minnie was sitting on the floor infront of the couch playing with Luce and Chris. Her Syndicate was showing a hologram of bubbles that floated around until you touched one--then it popped in a flash of bright lights.

"Alan, sit with me," she said leaving the Syndicate with the boys and climbing on to the couch.

Jean walked in front of me and playfully tackled Minnow pushing her into the couch.

"Jean !," she laughed trying to push him off.

"This rain  . . .  it's going on an awful long time, Minnow," he whispered pulling her into his lap, "I hope there is a world out there for us when it stops,"

The rhythmic drumming continued as he took her in a passionate kiss.

Everything outside that was remotely metal was covered in the fine red dust. The rain had  brought down the white powder of fallout from the clouds up above as well. There were some government trucks outside spraying everything with some kind of sterile solution a few blocks down but, it still looked depressing as hell outside.

The rain had stopped after an hour, Sara had spent the hour consuming herself in the holoscreens in her room. Minnie and Jean had fallen asleep together on the couch a few minutes ago so, I went to deliver the news to Sara that the rain had stopped. I knocked lightly on her door before opening it--she was sitting much how she had been last night.

"The rain is over," I said

Tucking a holoscreen underneath her arm she bolted out the room and to the stairs, I followed her to the top and when she opened the door a small gasp left her mouth. There was a single moment of vulnerability.

The furniture was a running different colors and our makeshift wall had completely melted. Everything was destroyed--the walls looked like those of a paper card house.

“I’m sorry,” I said

I wondered how much would have been saved if Jean and I had been able to finish the wall.

"We should have fixed the roof but, we couldn’t afford it," she said " I swear to god kidnapping you was the biggest mistake I ever made. It cost us most of our money. It's not safe to be up here, let's go,"

Sara brushed past me and back down the stairs where she shook Jean and Minnie awake. She walked over to Dakotas room with a key in hand and brought him out after a few seconds.

"Holy shit, did it rain ?," he said looking at the buckets," I have a fucking house too ya know. I need to know where the hell my girls are and--,"

"I don't give a shit," Sara interrupted,"You were right about Morrissey--,"

"Of course I was, those assholes tell my girls anything,"

"Well, anyway you can go--,"

"I'm not leaving without Ms.Dory," Dakota said

"What the hell are you talking about ?," Jean asked

"The glitterboy promised me she would go,"

"You did what, Alan ?," Minnie asked

"You wanted me to get him to talk," I said to her," I told him what he wanted to hear,"

"I'm not going with him," she said

"I know," I said

"You can't just lie to me," Dakota shouted , "I'll tell the Mjollner they'll come after--,"

It only took a few seconds for the bullet to leave the chamber and pierce his skull. I was sure he never saw it coming, I was glad Minnie's little pink gun was so small.

***

I didn't know how long I planned to kill Dakota, I'm not sure if it was even planned but to me a guy like him wasn't much of a loss. He seemed to be causing more trouble than good. He wasn't really a member of the Mjollner so, they wouldn't seek retaliation, if anything they'd think he'd betrayed them.

Sara reacted quickly and wrapped his head in a thick black cloth from the table

"You'll get rid of this body," she told me," But, first I need you all to know I found Morrissey-- he is going to be at the Life Summit,"

"The what ?," Minnie asked

"It's a conference for high ranking officials and extreme innovators  in the science community,"  I said, surprised how calm my voice sounded, "It's private and held in an undisclosed location. It's where all the new technology is showcased and created. My neighbor Mr. Kyto went every year." I said

"I know where it is and Morrisey is a presenter," Sara said "It will be a few days trip which I'm sure Rayne  will fund. Once I tell him  we are all going,"

"All of us ?," Minnie questioned

"This shithole is literally falling apart.I figure we finish this hit, flush out some of Morrissey's accounts and move somewhere else. I can't live here anymore and I don't want my family here. We leave tomorrow," she explained.

Sara walked towards the door but stopped just short of me.

"Get rid of the body and make it untraceable," she said " I don't give a fuck how,"