The Tap Dancer hummed as the hatch to Fat Tuesday eased open. Our long range vessel continued to automatically drift in orbit as we gently pushed out of the cargo bay and into the atmosphere of The Coin. Logan shifted uncomfortably behind me as my royal blue cruiser turned on its axis and began to soar downward. “Alright. Let’s not get into any shootouts or gambling rings. This is the first time in a good long while we’ve had any spending money, and we need to use it on necessities only.”
Tap dancer’s nose tipped down as little shreds of fire whipped around the plane. I scoffed, “Come on now. With a bounty like that, we should celebrate!”
Logan would’ve sighed, but he was too busy holding onto dear life in the back. The Tap Dancer was made to be fast and maneuverable, not spacious. Because of that, there was only one seat. Riding in the trunk of a spacecraft, as Logan would frequently remind me, was not the comfiest of rides. “We’ve got no time to celebrate. Doc still needs to get paid, and we need to resupply Fat Tuesday.”
“Fine,” I murmured “Although I feel like the new fastest draw in the outer systems should get a bit more recreational time. I’m a pretty big deal, you know.”
Logan scoffed as my hand eased on the stick. We were getting close to the docks. “Neither of us are ‘pretty big deals’, and I’m content to keep it that way.”
Just as my brother said that, the Tap Dancer pushed through the clouds and caught view of the docks. We began to slow down and land, but as we did a group of people started to swarm out from the city. They watched as I sat us touch down right next to Logan’s ship. “Pretty big deal…” I repeated, just as surprised as Logan was.
The cockpit slowly opened as the two-dozen people waved and cheered. They all shouted different things, but I couldn’t make any sense of it. What I did hear, though, was the dock manager unfolding a ladder for us to climb down. That was odd, usually the fickle old man made you climb down yourself. For whatever reason we were being treated like royalty, but hey, I wasn’t one to complain. The old man climbed to the top of the ladder to greet us and shouted out. “Here’s the heroes of Long Soir City!”
He held out his hand, to which Logan and I both stared. Being the adaptable specimen I was, I shook it first. Logan still looked stupid as I stood up and smiled. “That’s right! That’s us! Bona fide heroes!..” Then I leaned over to the old man and whispered, “What did we do?”
The dock manager laughed. “Well you saved the city from being destroyed by that madman with the laser!”
Good thing they didn’t know we almost ran, or the fact that the only reason I went back was for that bounty. My luck was shining through once more. “Oh, right. Of course! You’re welcome!”
Logan had stood up, not looking nearly as pleased as I was. He spoke curtly to the dock manager. “My ship. I left it overnight. What’s the overdue fee?”
The old man waved at us coyly. “No fee! You boys deserve it.”
I raised my eyebrows and looked back to Logan. Not a word was needed to get my point across. Pretty big deals. Once my ego had soaked up enough praise, I began to climb out of the Tap Dancer. Both of us went down the ladder as the crowd grew closer.
I heard a lot of voices, and most of them were ‘thank you’s and your usual jabber, but one man stood out. He was wearing a very nice suit; looked like someone from the inner systems. He pushed through the crowd and held out a hand. “Mr. Burrows! Mr. Burrows!” Once I looked at him, he held out a card. It was thin metal, and the design of a bowman in front of a moon was stamped onto it. It was shoved in my hand as he went on with his spiel. “Have you considered working for the Archer Moon Company? Most influential fugitive recovery agency there is!”
Logan held out a hand. “We aren’t looking to sign any contracts.” He then put his other hand on my back, keeping me at pace while he pushed through the group of people.
The city slicker stood where he was, knowing not to push it. Logan was right, we didn’t want to get shackled down by agency employment, but I kept the business card nonetheless. You can’t just throw away something so shiny. Once we were deep in the crowd, I looked back to my brother and complained. “Come on, look at how everybody loves us. You should be happy!”
Logan continued scowling forward. “I’ll be happy when we don’t have so many people swarming us.”
Although my brother had such a sour attitude, I was happy as a clam. Most especially when I saw myself an opportunity. “You know, it’s probably best to lay low for a little bit and let people forget about us… We could go get food… You know, to stay off the streets…”
We finally pushed out of the crowd and left the rickety wooden docks for cobblestone streets. Logan sighed as he looked around. “As much as I hate to reward you for all this, you make a good point. Let’s stop at café de l'étoile.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“Smart choice.” I spoke, breaking ahead and leading the way towards our favorite coffee shop. Once we actually breached into the main city, not many people turned their heads to look at us; well, not more than usual. Even when I wasn’t the ‘city hero’, I got plenty of odd glances. Not very many people, especially in the outer systems, have ever seen something as complex or expensive as my metal arm.
It was a short walk to the café, and it was entirely empty. The place itself was usually busy, but I suppose that was the pleasure of not having a job that required you to work at specific times. It was a cloudy Tuesday at three in the afternoon. The beignets were ours and ours alone.
The door jingled as we walked in. Logan chose a table in the far corner of the room, away from any windows. The waitress was eyeing us as soon as we walked in, which meant she already had pencil in hand by the time we got comfortable. “What can I get you boys?” She asked.
Logan was quick to answer, “Just a coffee for me. Black.”
While my brother was curt and sadistic with his choice of lunch, I was not one to walk that path. “Beignets and a coffee for me. Cream and eight spoons of sugar.”
The waitress paused, and instead of writing out my order blathered out “Eight?”
I looked back at her straight in the eyes, deadly serious. “Eight.”
She uncomfortably nodded and walked off to produce the grim concoction I had ordered. So horrified, and she hadn’t even seen me start to dunk the beignets in the coffee yet.
Logan sighed, “I think you traumatized that woman.”
“She’s gotta learn how cruel the universe can be sometime. Today it starts with putting an ungodly amount of sugar in a cup of coffee, and believe you me, I’m watching her to make sure she puts in all eight.”
Logan finally cracked a smile as he shook his head. Good to see he was still human.
It was nice to take a break from everything and be somewhere with ambiance. There was no music, but the walls were painted in bright white and green stripes. New fangled coffee machines hummed and churned at the wall they were installed in, and there were plenty of lights to keep the place cheery. Definitely more pleasant than the muddy grey moon we caught Brooke on, or even the cramped interior of the railship. Seemed like it was finally time to enjoy ourselves.
That was, until the bells at the door jingled. Logan was facing the entrance and not me, but by the expression on his face, I thought it needed my attention as well.
I curiously turned in my seat to peer at the lobby, where I saw the last thing I needed that day.
A tan man took off his ugly purple jacket at the door and walked in. His bald head was covered in scars and burns, and he walked with a cane to accompany his limp. One of his eyes was pale blue, and the other deep brown. I shot up in my seat as he waltzed right over. His raspy voice muttered quietly as my hand hovered over my holster. “Hello boys. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
The waitress wandered over with a platter of our things, shocked by the sudden tension. “Is everything alright? If you sirs-“
The man took his hand from the grimy purple pants he wore and waved it nonchalantly. “Sleep.” Was all he had to say for the waitress’ head to tip and the tray of food to topple over. She stood paralyzed and unconscious as my coffee dribbled across the floor.
Logan stood up from his seat. “What are you doing here, Meadows.”
Mr. Meadows leaned against his cane. “You boys stirred quite the pot recently. I was in town, so I thought I’d just pop in and see how y’all were doing.”
I glanced to the waitress, who was still out like a light, then to Mr. Meadows. Of course, on my one good day this asshole had to show his face. “That doesn’t answer the question. What the hell are you doing here?”
Mr. Meadows went from a smile to a frown as neither of us gave him a very warm welcome. He spoke in an irritated growl. “I haven’t been able to contact you in months, then I find out you two are getting into shootouts in the street. Do you not remember that you both need to be alive to hold your part of the deal?”
I shot back, “Don’t expect us to reply to every audio log you send like lapdogs. We have enough problems without you and your voodoo shit.”
Meadows glared deep into my eyes with fury. The broken pieces of porcelain on the ground shook as all the shutters on the windows fell closed. Once we were encompassed in shadow, he burst out, “Do you not remember what you owe me!?” We all stood in silence as he took a deep breath. Meadows’ hand clenched so tightly to the end of his cane that his knuckles turned pale. “Until you repay me and earn back what’s yours, my problems are your problems. Understand?”
“We do.” Logan grumbled.
Meadows sighed, “I’ve got a lead; one I’ll need you two to help me follow up on in time. If you want that soul you sold me back, you’ll. Reply. To. My. Messages… Do you understand?”
“We do…” My brother repeated once more. The unconscious waitress was standing idly, scalding liquid splattered over her legs.
Meadows still looked straight into my eyes. He didn’t want to hear it from Logan. “Jesse Ezrah Burrows… Do you understand?”
“You spilled my coffee. Fuck you.” I spat out.
Our gazes were left interlocked, Meadows heterochromatic eyes burning with anger due to my comeuppance. Despite all that, we both knew he still had the power, leaving him able to keep his cool. “Do you want your brother’s soul back? The one he gave for you?”
We both knew the answer, but he wanted me to say it. “…Yes…”
“Then do you understand?” He stood up straight and held loosely to his cane. He won.
“Yes.”
Switching immediately back to his charismatic and relaxed demeanor, Meadows cleared his throat as the shutters flung open once more. “Excellent, then I’ll leave you boys to your supper. Have a good time.”
He turned and snapped his fingers. The waitress came to as he limped out of the building. She was shocked of course, but neither of us paid much attention. “Oh! I’m so sorry! Let me clean this up!” The bells at the door jingled as the woman began to wipe the coffee off her now red and irritated legs and shoes. “Why don’t you two move to the next table and I’ll get you another order.”
“That’s alright.” I said, watching Meadows disappear into the crowd of people on the street. “I think I’ve lost my appetite.”