The Heavy Date Part 5
16 Aug 2017Mhera Bathana
Darkwire, Clair Dock, TjakiriA hall of black velvet were dotted randomly with small multi-colored square lights. Mhera passed through a threshold, opening up into a larger studio. Mists of darker pale blues, a large floor of rapidly changing colors dominated the center. Dotted about it were poles glowing blue. Nestled in the walls were dark booths, tables lined with the same glowing blue, and people wearing all sorts of punk like attire went about their business. Along one wall was a large curved bar with the same lit highlighting. People stood enjoying their drinks. Above her encompassing the darkened interior of the establishment was an opaque frosted glass like floor with more tables partially obscured in the shadows.
Mhera felt uncomfortable. Being a bookworm, she didn’t spend much time at bars or clubs, even during her years at the university. She and her friend spent their time at local coffee shops, museums, and attending lectures of interest. She felt the eyes of patrons fall on her and she nervously smoothed out her short pleated skirt. The leather collar felt constricting on her throat. She drew in closer to her large escort. His sheer size helped her to feel more at ease.
A particular bloke, with a meter high spike-hawk glowing multiple colors gave her a wink and blew her a kiss as he passed by. The girl hanging on his arm slugged him on he shoulder and they both started laughing. Mhera felt even more self aware. Stryker seemed completely unaware of the man’s action. Either he didn’t care, didn’t notice, or it was all normal behaviour in the culture established in this place. The beefy man claimed an empty table. She slid in on the slick leather, and he sat next to her.
“So,” he said, “Tell about this research you were doing”
She looked up at him, surprised. “Why, I’m never going back to it.”
“Maybe.” He leaned on the table. “But it was obviously something that interested you.”
“I had a grant to catalogue new species of plants and fungi on Xeno-like worlds.”
“Xeno?” He asked.
“Planets that are unable to support life. But it isn’t that cut and dry. We can find some pretty strange things growing in places where we think it would be impossible.” Her eyes fell on his.
Taking an interest, he asked her another question. “Why plants?”
“Well, I’m collaborating work with a medical physician. We are looking for new potential cures.” she continued onward.
“Cures to what?” he asked.
“Well, that’s her part of the job. I sample the plant, run it through a few tests and zip the results off to her. What she does with that data, is a bit technical, and over my head. But she tells me if the specimen is a candidate or not.”
Stryker smiled. “That’s pretty interesting. Who’s this collaborator of yours.”
Mhera felt her lips turn up into a smile. “Doctor Camille Drake. She’s uh. Old friend of mine.”
A waitress in black tight clothes, ripped black jeans and long chains about her neck popped by. “What can I get’choo?”
“A light pale ale.” Stryker glanced at the waitress, then returned his attention back to Mhera
“Um….A gin and tonic, light on the gin?” she looked to Stryker who nodded.
“Right up.” the waitress turned with a swish and took off.
“So, this doctor Drake, an old friend.” Stryker brought the conversation back.
Mhera returned her gaze to the man next to her. “Oh, right. Ya I knew her growing up. We were inseparable.”
Strykers face grew serious. “Were you out in the Pleiades to conduct this research?”
Mhera felt his eyes on her, and she shifted her gaze to her fingers. “Not initially. In fact, after I saw the footage of the alien flower ship thing, I admit I was intrigued, but chasing one wasn’t part of the grant.”
Stryker’s blue eyes continued to scrutinize the woman. “So, how did you end up out there?”
“Luke.” she said simply.
“The skinny bloke that you took as your pilot?” he asked.
Mhera swallowed hard. She knew what she was about to say, would sound ridiculous “Ya, he had some sort of death wish. I dunno, it was kinda weird. It was like, meeting up with that alien ship would complete him in some way.”
“So, you let him talk you into chasing one around?”
“We, did survey a few planets. But.” She looked away, then felt the razor sharp tip of one of the clawed fingers gently turn her head until she was looking into his eyes. “But, I mean, it’s complicated. I went against the conditions of the grant, but if I could have made some sort of resounding discovery, I thought...I thought my name would go down in the annals of historic scientific discovery.”
“You got greedy?” he asked.
She nodded.
Stryker shifted his weight and slid out of the booth “Well, it sounds to me, that Luke played on your ambitions to get what he wanted. Next time I see him, I’ll be sure to rip an arm off.” He offered her his clawed hand.
She felt astonishment well up in her. “He’s alive!” Without thinking, she took his/the hand, and the/its cold sharp touch startled her. With a gasp, she pulled it away and found a short light cut slightly bleeding.
“Very much so. He’s been lurking around on the K-cast broadcasting system.” Dipping a napkin into a glass of water, Stryker applied it to the wound.
“I don’t know what that means?” she questioned.
“It’s like, a trucker’s radio. People get on, talk about stuff. Rib each other. Say stupid crap.” he shrugged.”
“Has he asked about me?” She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer. Looking down at her cut, she watched the man firmly apply pressure with his rough organic hand.
“Not that I’m aware of, then again I’m not on it all the time.” he said, leading her out to the dance floor.
She was reluctant.
Stryker smiled at her and in a jovial voice he said, “Do I have to remind you, I’m paying for this time?”
She scowled. “I have two left feet.”
His brows raised as he positioned his hands on her back, taking up a rigid frame. “Must be hell buying shoes.”
She shook her head, and started to follow his lead. He was firm in his direction and she found it easy to dance with him. He kept it slow, a turn here and there. Looking up at him she asked. “I’ve been wondering, Stryker couldn’t possible be your actual name.”
Slightly tilting his head, he gazed down at her. “You’re right. It’s a call sign.”
“So, do you have a name then?” she asked.
Mhera felt his chest rumble. “Mmhmm.”
“And?”
He smiled turning her about the floor “Sven.”
“Sven?”
“Jag är uppkallad efter min far.” he said simply.
She didn’t know what he said but in her head, the way he spoke that language suited him. She chuckled and returned with, “Mujhe nahin pata ki aapane kya baat kee thee.”
She felt his strong arms pull her in, his head tilted and their lips touched. At first she was surprised, then she let herself melt into it, closing her eyes and time all but stopped. Their lips parted, and she saw him gazing down at her with a sweet expression. He took her by the hand, and led her back to the booth where their drinks were waiting.
“Family?” Stryker asked.
She still felt flush from the kiss. “Well, not one of my own persay. But you know, mom, dad, and a brother.”
His demeanor shifted slightly. “They must be worried about you.”
Mhera picked up on it. “Yes, I think they would be. I use to write them, every week. But it’s been a few months now since they have heard from me.”
Stryker shook his head. “I wish I could help with that, but right now anything you send will be blocked.”
“I know.” she turned her head away. “Could you send something out.”
He shook his head. “No, everything I send is monitored. You have no rights. You don’t even exist.”
She felt the now familiar dysthymic sense of being powerless. Deciding to change the subject, she asked the large man. “Do you have a family?”
“No.” he said simply.
“What happened?” she decided to play into her curiosity.
“They are all dead.”
She felt a wave of sadness wash over her. “How?”
“Depressurization accident on a mining colony.” Stryker decided to omit the cause of his twin sister and her husband’s death.
She decided to not to pursue the conversation further as she felt the man close up and distance himself. “Well, my mother and father were both researchers.” she said, just to fill the air with some sort of conversation.
“Oh, what did they research?” Stryker asked. He quickly glanced out across the dance floor, then back to Mhera.
“Mother is an Astrophysicist. And dad…” she smiled at the thought of him. “Quantum mechanics. They make quite the pair, especially at parties.” Mhera found her head shaking.
“I could imagine. Talking sciency stuff.”
Mhera felt herself giggle, the first time in a long time. “Actually, they talked about all sorts of things, very rarely science in public. There was this one time when they had a deep discussion about the proper amount of saffron needed to make curry. You would have thought it was science!”
Stryker gave her a tender look. “I’m sorry all this happened to you.” Then he looked out across the dance floor again, his face hardened and became an inscrutable mask. As fast as came about, it was gone. Looking back to Mhera he said “I think the beer is getting to me.”
She looked at his glass. It was still full.
“I need to use the loo.” his voice was firm as he stood. “If you decide to use this time to run off, I’ll be forced to hunt you down and kill you. And I’d rather not spoil the evening.” he gave her a wink, and she watched him vanish into a crowd of people.
Time ticked away, and she began to wonder where her date had gone off to. It was taking far too long simply to just use the restroom. She was starting to get a bit worried, and decided to look for him. Sliding out from the booth, she headed off in the same direction she had saw him go. People were everywhere bumping and jostling into her. She looked about, reasoning that such a large man would be easy to spot. But it was like he vanished. She caught the attention of a server and asked if he saw a large man with claw. The waiter nodded and said he saw someone like that head towards the back exit. She found the door and pushed it open. It led to a dark alley. She pushed through the swirling mists being spewed from the atmospheric generators. A few hardened people were milling about with cigarettes and bottles of booze. They eyed her and she tried to put on a stern face, pushing past. She had no idea where he was, and hoped she was going in the right direction. Mhera reasoned to herself, worse case, they get seperated, and she heads back to Exotica. She rounded a corner, and stopped suddenly in her tracks.
Stryker was holding a man up by neck, arm’s length away. The man was clawing at his mechanical forearm, gasping for breath, legs dangling and feet twitching.
“You failure has been most unfortunate.” Stryker’s voice was low, and cold.
Too far away, Mhera couldn’t make out what the man was trying say.
“I’ve given you enough extensions. You failed to deliver what you promised and we are not happy.”
Mhera covered her mouth and watched in horror as the the man’s back violently spasmed and the feet twitch uncontrollably. She knew from her schooling that the spinal cord had been severed. She watched Stryker pull a combat knife from his boot, and lop and ear off before tossing the body haphazardly into a pile of rubbish.
Turning she bolted the way she came. Her booted heels hard on the surface. She stumbled, spraining her ankle. Hissing she pulled herself up and and limped to the back door, just to find that it was locked. She heard heavy foot fall, and hid herself behind a large bin overflowing with refuse. She watched Stryker scan a card and the door opened.
Her mind was in a whirl. She just witnessed the man who said he was trying to free her, murder. She thought back to the warning he issued just before he disappeared. At first she took it as him being melodramatic, but she just witnessed the truth in it. Fear gripped her. She took steadying breaths trying to calm herself. If she could just get to the front of the club….
Mhera limped her way through the back alley. As she came upon the corpse, she tried to ignore it. But there was something magnetic about it and she found herself glancing at it as she passed. Rounding another corner, she found herself on the main avenue near the front of the club. She sat down next to the wall, rubbing her foot and waited.
She didn’t know how much time had passed, but she saw Stryker step out of the dark main entrance. She tried to smile.
“I thought you ran off.” He said.
“Uh-uh n-no. You were taking so long, and I needed some fresh air, s-so I came out here, and when I did, I twisted my ankle.”
She watched him stoop down, and take the foot in his hand. He turned it gently over and she winced. How can he be so cruel, yet gentle? She felt a mix of conflicting emotions. She was beginning to like the man. She was starting to trust him. But then he goes and murders someone as if it was every day business. She thought about it and a startling revelation formed in her mind. It was, everyday business for him. He was a brute for an organized crime family. He had business here, and brought her along. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt herself being hoisted on her feet.
“You can walk, or I can carry you.” he said simply.
Pride welled up in her and Mhera was not about to let this man carry her. “I’ll walk.”
Stryker offered her his arm. At first she ignored it, but a stumble later, she took the steadying support. She knew it would be important to play off all that she had witnessed, but she was finding it hard to talk with him. She sensed that he was sensing something was wrong.
The tram ride back to Exotica was awkward at best. Both of them decided to remain quiet. He led her into the brothel, and bid her goodnight before disappearing. For how long she didn’t know. But she knew she was going to need time to process what she had witnessed.
Special thanks to Luke for his edits and suggestions!