Purple Monster

Back at the Center Rookies glittering eyes took her in, she smiled sweetly, after all what did she care Gazz had explained she would pick up bonuses for the crap and she had to put in the time anyway as a level one or so. As far as she could tell the first three levels of security where mantinance.

Rookie looked even more peeved. She went to Gazzes office to fill out the reports and sign off her first shift. ‘Don’t wind him up Punk’ he said. She shrugged, ‘He’s already narked that your legal name is actually Punk!’ he said trying not to shake with laughter – it made filling out the forms harder.

‘He’s not going to let up and you know it.’ she said.

He shrugged and looked at her seriously, he was a wirey knot of muscle – the sort she used to see fighting in the gladiator arena, his skin was bad where he focused on protein for making muscle. ‘We need him and his friends – if they leave then the island is screwed, do you understand?’ she nodded. She stared at the scene playing out on the view makers, she should go, why the hell was she hanging around now? Snakes remembered touch rose in her along with the realisation she was already in love with the gangly youth and even if they hadn’t shagged she would have been trapped by his eyes with or with out that bit.

However she was going to check out exactly where the other cruise and farm islands where, she could hope on the sky bike if nesascary – she did have reserves. The guilt again – there was enough there to pay for Bodge too but she would not be able to hang around here and it could lead to several of her caches being uncovered. She would go and see how they where and if there was no hope she would set things in place – maybe she could re-route things and make it look like Bodge had a benevolant and rich great aunt or something like that? It worked for the long lived vampires of 20th century fiction – which ment it probably wouldn’t for her.

She was avoiding Lennon as well – after all there was no possible way she could find a robot with vestages of the person benieth attractive right? Especially when they where so old looking to begin with? But that wasn’t the mental image of him she had was it? She shuddered and tried to recall the look of the synth skin. But she had had partners who had grown old, she hadn’t loved them any less, it had become less easy to continue relationships as the world turned. People stared now if a young girl where to be seen kissing an elderly man – well less so recently but that had alot to do with plastic sugery and the resort islands. She sighed remembering briefly how she had been allowed to attend the philosophy circle on Crete, how she had been labled prostitute but how it had had a different meaning there. How she was just a foriegn Lady and so did not have to sit at home being pure, having kids and weaving. The men young and old had fallen over themselves to offer her lodgings and food so she could stay and talk.

Lennon nestled in her head – his clear eyes glinting with mischief as he chased her over white sand on their honey moon. The betrayal was a red sore toothed gash over the memories. She went to the Under Water Room to sit and drink meso soup before going the hospital, tears where pushing at her, anger and hurt flared in her cut. He had grandchildren, probably great grand kids at least. That was something she had been unable to give him, the whole that had begun to open around them both. How long would it have all lasted if Fire Storm hadn’t have happened?

Sighing she swallowed the last of the soup, the fish where calming her, he had had a way of ending it without hurting her, it was more than a lot of them had done. It still cut like a knife as did her relief that he was alive, that he had had life, a full rich life and he hadn’t told on her! He had not sold her out when it would have paid off his medical packages and left him free. But maybe she thought out of sight was really out of mind, maybe him seeing her again would open that temptation? She shuddered.

She had been sold out before by those who loved her. And that was the bit that had cut – they had genuingly cared about her but what they were offered made her expendable. She crumplied the plastic cup and saw the scandalised look on the mermaid shimmery waitress. ‘Sorry’ she muttered handing the cup back. She wondered vaguely if they would fine her for the waste and if that would kill the extra finance from pooper scooping. She left feeling calm but numb.

The hospital wing had that same awful dead sterile feel about it she loathed. She was out of uniform and back in just the still suit and her acid pink jacket, the receptionists told her something was wrong.

‘Miss.. erm… Punk?’ she said nervously. The Punk nodded her stomach boiling the meso soup to acid.

‘Snake?’ she asked feeling the floor tilt benieth her.

‘Erm.. no but your friend Bodge?’

‘How bad is he?’ she asked hoarsly.

‘The Dr turned off life support this morning. I… I tried to get hold of you but there was no reply.’

She closed her eyes, it was like being kicked in her chest, ‘I was doing a shift to earn money to pay – the Dr knew that.’ The receptionist nodded and then looked down at her screen realising her indescression.

‘His brain scan came back sub-optimal’ she said in a quiet voice. The Punk nodded, her shoulders slumped, she had waited to long, and sub-optimal did not mean brain dead or even noticably retarded.

Posted: Sunday, November 21st, 2010 @ 5:44 pm
Categories: Uncategorized.
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