I lay in the tussled sheets, one arm wrapped bent under my head and pillow, propping my head up as I geeked at the slow circling of the new, “antique” ceiling fan Patricia had wanted in the master bedroom after we had moved in.  The wall trideo flashed three times, signalling that it was the middle of the fracking night.

Patricia lay curled up against me, using my right shoulder as a pillow, the sheet only partially covering her body.  To all the gods anybody worshiped, she was an ace.  Beautiful didn’t cover it, she could pose as an exotic without all that crap they put into their bodies for some illusory perfection.  She shivered lightly, and I smiled and with a motion of my fingers, the Aegean blue blanket she liked arose from the floor to cover her before I went back to staring.

Outside the window, I could hear the wind howling, and the patter as light rain began to fall.  This was driving me crazy, I had never had trouble sleeping in the past.  Weird visions, dreams, yes, trouble actually falling asleep, never.   After the jamming reunion over the last several hours with Patrica, I was spent.  I mean, yea, I know I crashed for  hours earlier at Athenum, but I had been  drained from the terror of the mission to Talos, the underwater station.   Fixing up the kitchen because of Mauser had been total bullshit, I should have told Rennie to docking suck that drek and left. Walking all the way into the northern part of North Roohimp had sucked ass more, at least until I could call a ride.  I was toasted.  Instead, I stared at the fucking ceiling at the drek on the ceiling

Fuck that drek.  I knew what it was, I guess I just didn’t want to cog about it.  I’d been terrified for the last op.  The whole fucking time.  Still was.  I didn’t realize before we landed on that frozen crap fuck barren piece of drek island in Tsimshian how scared I was going to be.  As cold as it was, I thought it was beautiful, all that open scenery.  White as far as the eye could see, well, except for the gray and blues of the ocean waves.  I guess that should have been my first clue.  Still, even after we got on that tin can sub, I was fine.  Why wouldn’t I be? I been in some very tight places in my time.  For awhile I was fascinated by the fresh sights of the sea, and the strange astral signatures of the life that lived under those frosty waves.

Sure, it got colder and colder, and the boat struggled to keep the temps tolerable, but that didn’t bother me.  When you have performed in as many conditions as I have, temperatures don’t really bother you.  Oh sure, eventually, but mild discomfort isn’t that big a deal, even if the body reacts.  Pleasure and pain have their own compensations, especially when they blend. Blah, who cares.

I blinked…..and shook myself.  I stretched my arm, feeling my left elbow pop.  It just hadn’t felt right since the fight against the troll shaman who followed Shark.  When that fucking spirit threw me, I had landed badly, shattering the joint.  Even with the reconstruction by the street doc, and the magical healing, there was something wrong with it.  Patricia murmured and shifted slightly before going still again, her breathing returning to its calming mantra.

Burn and I had been sitting in the cafe with Eagle.  Burn couldn’t shut up about the food. I couldn’t hardly eat.  It all just tasted like cardboard, just like any other drek soy by product.  All I could think about was the fact that we were over a mile underwater, with no way out.  NO FRACKING WAY OUT!  

I hadn’t even noticed Eagle scramble out of his seat, even thought it should have been a relief after his stunning Gumby offer about whether or not I could figure out a way to have sex with the doc.  I guess maybe it was a bet, but I couldn’t really be sure.  He said it had been a bet, but there was no bet, only the 25k in nuyen if I succeeded.   I really hadn’t been interested, although she was definitely quite pretty, at least from the trid stills we had seen.

Then she was there, sitting with us, asking us questions.  Frankly, it had been embarrassing.  I’ve never been embarrassed about sex before, but Eagle had made it seem dirty, wrong, even though he wasn’t there anymore.  For the first time ever, I had felt ashamed.  Angry, frustrated, penned.  Burn talked to the scientist, Eliza, and I mumbled minor comments.  I couldn’t focus, emotions seethed under the surface.  It was all I could do not to rage, yell, scream and run around the station.  

It had been a relief when she left.   I’m not sure I could have been more indifferent at the time.  I just wanted off the base, above water.   I felt itchy.

We had gone back to the rooms.  Sateen had finally woken from her nap, she seemed to be feeling better.  We gave her an update, well, really Burn and Eagle did.  I just couldn’t concentrate.  Answer questions, yea, but focus on anything, not at all.  Exploring the station hadn’t helped, going to the bar hadn’t helped, there was nobody there.  Looking out the all the clear view ports into the depths of the horrific sea really didn’t help.

Finally, we returned to the rooms again.  I hoped we were just going to sleep, and give up.  I just wanted out of there. Should have known better.  I was completely out of sorts.  I hadn’t even checked the place out astrally until Sateen finally asked, which was just fucking stupid and embarrassing.  Even then, it was damn near empty of anything astrally significant; sure there were awakened creatures out in the sea, some pretty big, but nothing within the grey drab of the station.  It was shocking really, until I finally found a section of the station protected by an astral mana barrier.  

I should have  known then that was going to be bad, but honestly, it awakened my curiosity.  No magic at all down here except one floor shielded?  Nobody at all with any power, even latent ability?  Whatever it was, whether the meditation and astral projection, or the curiosity and oddity of the station, it allowed me to finally focus.  Comfortable, no, but enough to hopefully do what we needed and get out of here.    I still felt like I had sand all over my body, or bugs crawling under my skin.

I hoped we could actually do this, and still escape.  Be subtle for once.  Really, I just wanted to leave, and whatever got me that as fast as possible was perfecto, man.  Of course, I was wrong as usual.  It could definitely get worse.

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED.