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{\*\generator Msftedit 5.41.21.2510;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\nowidctlpar\qc\kerning28\f0\fs20 Chapter One \par
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Chlorine  \par
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  In a distant year between clear blue skies and the rounded edges of sanitized marble streets, in a tower of mirrored glass surrounded by exotic palms that glow green in the night- there in that building a man stood looking out at an artificial ocean. Through unkempt strands of bark colored hair his melancholic gaze bounced along with the fresh water dolphins jumping rhythmically in and out of the desalinized sea. He pushed hair away from his eyes, the dried sweat kept it temporarily lifted and in that moment after he resembled an unwashed Elvis. Lance wasn\rquote t dressed to the nines, he didn\rquote t have a leather jacket. He wasn\rquote t wearing much of anything. Truth be told he resembled Elvis in his final moments, out of shape and clad with only a pair of sweat pants. Such was the norm in Utopia. \par
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  Lance had often lamented how wonderful life on Earth had become. He was just old enough to have the faintest understanding of what it was like before. Most of those wooden houses had been ripped up out of the earth and replaced with places like this, towers of efficiency and content. Places filled with satisfaction machines and decent yet forgettable meals. Often he\rquote d find himself in the commons room, the places in the complex intended for people to gather and talk but were always found empty and quiet. \i All the world is silence, we get loud behind our walls but we never go anywhere. \i0 He thought. \i People pair off and fuck in their cages and yell into microphones about the stupidest shit and no mater how I look at it I cant find a reason to care. \par
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  \i0 In the complex there were big rooms filled with exercise equipment. There were big rooms meant for all sorts of specific things and between them were hallways filled with doors and behind those doors you\rquote d find all kinds of people getting up to all sorts of things. For example; Daren who was strapped into his headset when Lance walked past his door. Daren who\rquote s head was incased in a helmet that held a screen two inches from his face had at that time just begun to lick his lips. High Definition flashes of flesh and carnal frames of frenzied fornication reflected in his ever rapacious eyes. A distressing sound could be heard as a soft echo in the hallway. \par
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  There was a sign above two larger doors that read; PUBLIC BATH. Lance stopped to smell himself after he took notice of those big red letters decided it was best to wander in there. It seemed just as empty as anywhere else save for the sound of one of the shower heads. Tiled floors surrounded a big square pool of warm water. Blue on white checkerboard patterns on the walls- a big circular overhead light was set in the dome shaped roof. The man in the shower hummed and steam slowly waltzed about the place. Lance would lay buoyant in the water for the next hour. Looking up a the florescent light above him as he floated, squinting his eyes to make that mundane lamp look like a brilliant blob of god he\rquote d drift from one edge to the other without care or consequence. \par
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  \ldblquote Lonely. Mr.Lonely.\rdblquote  A charming low pitched voice sang. Lance\rquote s fat gut rotated in the water and he stood up to see who\rquote d come to join him. He was greeted by a bright smile surrounded by cheeks the color of coffee, Daren looking like a man made of moist clay appeared to not have bathed in weeks. \par
  \ldblquote Hey man.\rdblquote  Lance said while softly kicking against the side of the pool.\par
  \ldblquote Oh boy! Let me tell you! The new content for Super Maid Fucker is premium. I don\rquote t think I\rquote ll be able to bust nuts for a week!\rdblquote  Deren\rquote s enthusiasm shined through the fog in Lance\rquote s mind, even on days like this one his words always pushed pass the whatever was keeping him down at the time. \i Somehow I feel like there\rquote s something im missing whenever this guy laughs. \par
  \i0\ldblquote I\rquote m happy for you.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote You don\rquote t look happy.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Hey Daren, what were things like before. Like-\rdblquote  a pause \ldblquote  what was this place like 40 years ago?\rdblquote\par
  Daren took the towel he\rquote d had draped over his shoulder and dropped it to the side. \ldblquote Well this place- this building has always been here. As long as I can remember but it didn\rquote t always look like this.\rdblquote  As he lowered himself into the hot water Lance recoiled at the smell and politely drifted to the opposite end and rested his elbows against the white tiles on the edge. \ldblquote Most everything else has been turned up and built over. There was a time when houses were made out of wood yeah know and sometimes the paint would chip away from those houses and sometimes the roads had cracks in them but people have always been like this.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote I wouldn\rquote t know. I don\rquote t see much of them.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote That\rquote s because you\rquote re playing a different game than the rest of us. See I remember before the porn got this good- that there was no chance in hell of getting a date unless you used the right app. I had a chick tell she didn\rquote t trust me because I didn\rquote t have an account once. Actually more than once. It was assumed that you were a criminal if you weren\rquote t online.. Which I was admittedly.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote What kind of criminal?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Nothing that bad. Lets leave it at that.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Do you think its better this way?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Sort of yeah.\rdblquote  Daren splashed water into his eyes and wiped his mouth. \ldblquote We all got sick of each other. It\rquote s about as simple as that.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Well I didn\rquote t.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Mr.Lonely over here. Ay! Look its Mr.Lonely! He aint got nobody! Ay!\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Ok. Ok. Tell me about this super maid you fucked.\rdblquote\par
\par
  Blood mixed with water as the shower head sprayed into an open wound. Lance and Daren would speak amongst the hissing and the few drops of red that vaporized into the steam. A ghost was born in one of the private stalls. People slip, people fall and when they die no one will notice at all. They both dried off and the lights went out. \par
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\pard\nowidctlpar\qc Chapter Two \par
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Reverse Vampire Complex \par
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\pard\nowidctlpar   Guitars screamed behind the walls. Low vibrations could be felt pulsing through the stone medium of the street. \ldblquote They\rquote re these little seeds. You push them down into your lungs with your finger.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I don\rquote t think I have the guts to do that. I mean I\rquote m probably just going to make myself throw up.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Well for first timers we have this.\rdblquote  Casey presented a hook shaped inhaler from his inner jacket pocket. \ldblquote It\rquote s got this cherry flavored lubricant on it that numbs your throat.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote I don\rquote t know man. It still seems like a lot of effort.\rdblquote  People began to cheer from inside the venue as a few youths filed out the door into the parking lot. One of them, an older looking man dressed in loose fitting black clothing with a big black beard leaned against the wall next to Casey. Casey turned to him and said \ldblquote Tell em\rquote  he\rquote s being a big fucking pussy.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote You\rquote re being a big fucking pussy.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Shut up.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Look. It\rquote s legit less harmful than caffeine.\rdblquote  Casey flashed a screen at Rheic. The display showed a bunch of botanical information, irrelevant things. Rheic scrolled down and checked and then double checked the known properties and research that had been done on the subject as the older looking man lit a cigarette. \par
  \ldblquote I too like to know about the drugs I\rquote m taking Casey. It\rquote s never stopped me from doing them but its good to know what you\rquote re taking. He\rquote s not that much of a pussy dude. Don\rquote t be so pushy.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I just want someone else to know about this stuff. Its fucking amazing.\rdblquote  Rheic scrolled down some more, non-habit forming, carbon symbiotic, residual apathy, radial genomics. \par
  \ldblquote Why does it matter to you so much? It\rquote s not a good look Casey.\rdblquote  Said the bearded man as he scratched his cheek. \par
  \ldblquote Ok. Dude. I\rquote ll do it.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Really! Dude sick! Say aw.\rdblquote  The tube slid down Rheic\rquote s throat without much effort. He looked over at the bearded man like you\rquote d look over at a dentist while your mouths proper open. The older man looked away and shook his head slightly as he flicked his cigarette. \ldblquote Ok! Now I\rquote ll pop mine. Lets go hang out in the field over there while we experience the bliss.\rdblquote  Casey took out a seed and pushed it into his throat. He hacked and coughed lightly and then grabbed Rheic\rquote s arm. They ran into the field and Casey rolled onto the ground so that he\rquote d be on his back looking up at the sky. Rheic lowered himself to the ground and sat upright looking out at the ocean and the sky line of the city beyond the palm trees. \par
  \ldblquote Now what?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Let us just be Rhei.\rdblquote  \par
\par
  \ldblquote I thinking you\rquote re asking way to much of me.\rdblquote  Daren said with visible contempt. \par
  \ldblquote No. I don\rquote t think I am. Who pays for porn anyway? Don\rquote t you have enough of it for like several life times?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Sir, What you\rquote ve just said shows that you know nothing about the subject.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote You\rquote re the leading expert of that field of research. I know that.\rdblquote  Lance sipped at his cup of tea. \ldblquote but I mean. Look at your room.\rdblquote  Lance made a gesture toward the general area, towards the high end sex dolls and stacks of comic books.\par
  \ldblquote The fuck about my room?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote You don\rquote t need to buy new toys every week.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Do you dare to say that these priceless pieces of art of toy? Are you really that uncultured?\rdblquote  Daren spit on the ground in disgust. \par
  \ldblquote Are you going to clean that up?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Leave! Leave I say! I will not tolerate such bullshit!\rdblquote  In response Lance loudly sipped his tea. \ldblquote You\rquote re the one that wants to go to Mars. I\rquote m perfectly content fucking my seven wives.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Bring them with you.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Oh my god. Why fix what\rquote s not broken.\rdblquote\par
\par
  The mirrored windows of the complex began to reflect a red and yellow sunset. Casey had taken off his boots and began to throw them in the air, giggling all the while. Rhei watched in wonder as the clouds scrapped against the open air and dissolved beside the sun. The palm trees began to pulse a soft neon green in front of the stars that arrive early. He felt the turning of the earth under him and somehow the air smelled better, it smelled like it always had but now seemed to be the first time he\rquote d noticed it. \i It\rquote s a bit like being drunk. Kind of like being in love. \i0 One of the boots fell fairly close to Rhei, barely missing his head. Casey laughed and apologized. \par
  \ldblquote Hey Casey. What do you want to do next? Are we just going to stay here for the night?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote It\rquote ll ware off sooner or later. Probably sooner than later unfortunately.\rdblquote  Casey picked up his boot and threw it upward as hard as he could. \par
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  The problem was not that there was nothing to do on Earth but that there was no money to be made there, at least not for people like them. Monthly allotments came in like clockwork. Enough to eat. Enough for porn but not enough to eat something someone else cooked, or to pay the fee to see a scene that wasn\rquote t so bland. No one buys books these days, those who write do it for free and there\rquote s so much of it it\rquote d be hard to get noticed. Lance had been writing for years and for the longest time the only friends he\rquote d had were anonymous writers similar to himself. There was respect and passion, a lot of good stuff was being penned. Sipped his seventh cup of tea as he looked out the mirrored windows at the moon. \i It hanged in the sky, singular yet lovely. Would I love this moon as much if there were more of them. Maybe I\rquote m self obsessed by the same token, I want something unique so I can\rquote t allow myself to just enjoy the carnal pleasures. Is that why I\rquote m lonely, I\rquote ve seen the love birds file through the halls - hand in hand - arm in arm. Maybe if I met someone who never shut up but also had something worth saying - would that be enough to keep me here? \par
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  \i0 Daren appeared in the reflection behind the star lit sky. Lanced turned to greet him as the door clicked shut. \ldblquote I\rquote m sorry for yelling at you like that.\rdblquote  said Daren, his voice baritone and hoarse. \par
  \ldblquote It\rquote s ok man. You\rquote re right. You know. I shouldn\rquote t have kept at it like that.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Right.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I\rquote m sorry too.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Cool.\rdblquote  \par
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  Wave\rquote s crashed around their ankles. \ldblquote THE FUCKING MOON!\rdblquote  Casey yelled. \ldblquote HEY FUCK YOU MOON!\rdblquote  Rheic stood not to far away also looking out at the artificial ocean. \i I\rquote m glad I did this. \i0 He thought. \ldblquote OW! FUCKING THING!\rdblquote   Casey started cursing and limping back to shore in a spazmatic fashion. \par
  \ldblquote You ok?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Stupid crab thing got my toe! Ah! Ok good. I still have it?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Your toe?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Yeah yeah yeah yeah.\rdblquote  He bobbed his head up and down feverishly. \ldblquote yeah yeah!\rdblquote  \par
  They found themselves inside a convenience store dipping French fries into cheese around 3am. The droid across the counter greeted them with the classic yellow smiley face displayed over its fishbowl shaped head. The droid tipped its red hat and poured their drinks. The audio spotlights would play custom play lists of tracks the customers had put onto their accounts. Casey heard some classic experimental rock albums as he chewed while Rheic heard the first four chords of a something new before he opted to turn it off. The walls of the place were painted a strange lime green, chips and candy bars. Stupid cartoon mascots showing their teeth on the side of every bag of sugar coated sponges. \par
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  The bells chimed as the electric doors slid open. The droid behind the counter welcomed someone with its cheery focus group tested salutation. A large had reached over Casey\rquote s should and grabbed a fry. \ldblquote Having fun boys?\rdblquote  said the man with the big black beard as he dipped the into the cup of cheese between them. \par
  \ldblquote It\rquote s been a night to remember.\rdblquote  Casey hummed. An infectious smile spread across his face. \par
  \ldblquote And how about you? Did this guy ruin your life?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Absolutely.\rdblquote  Rheic said in the same stoic tone he used on a daily basis, sober or otherwise. \ldblquote But that was years ago. Tonight\rquote s been pretty nice. It\rquote s pretty mellow.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Good. Good.\rdblquote  The bearded man grabbed a chair and pulled himself close to the table. \ldblquote Can I ask you guys something?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Shoot.\rdblquote  Casey said making finger gun gesture with one hand while pilling hand fulls of fries into his mouth with the other. \par
  \ldblquote Why isn\rquote t anybody here?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote It\rquote s 3am.\rdblquote  Said Casey.\par
  \ldblquote But we live in a city. A big city.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote So.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Don\rquote t talk with your mouth full.\rdblquote  The bearded man slapped Casey\rquote s cheek. \par
  \ldblquote Ow! What the fuck bitch!\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote This is the second largest city in the world.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Is that concerning?\rdblquote  Rheic seemed receptive to what black beard was saying if not a bit out of touch. \par
  \ldblquote Kinda. You\rquote ve seen how it used to look in movies. Not just movies but in recordings here and there. This isn\rquote t normal and has never been normal for most of history.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Times change.\rdblquote  Casey\rquote s response was met with another smack. That time it seemed to get to him. Rheic observed as the gears in Casey\rquote s head turned. As he did the math and realized that black beard was too big to smack back. \par
  \ldblquote Yeah. They do but what\rquote s freaky about it is that its never mentioned. I don\rquote t see articles about this and I never heard anyone talk about it. Even the older guys. You\rquote d think grandma\rquote s and grandpas would have said \lquote back in my day.\rquote  right? What to you think about it?\rdblquote  black beard pointed at Rheic. \par
  \ldblquote I mean you do hear about it in someway. The apathy epidemic and the suicide rates. That gets a lot of play in the news.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Why should they be? Here look.\rdblquote  black beard grabbed a bag of sugar sponges off the display and opened them. \ldblquote Do I have to pay for these?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote It\rquote s automatically deducted from your account.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote But my account is empty.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Then it adds it to your debt and will be deducted later.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Doesn\rquote t it fuck with you\rquote re head that nobody is causing problems. That there\rquote s no crime.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote We just did a crime. So did you.\rdblquote  Said Casey before instinctively flinching. Black Beard didn\rquote t smack him this time. \par
  \ldblquote Yeah. That\rquote s true. I\rquote m of two minds about it. Either they get you on drugs- bad drugs like those.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote What?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Don\rquote t worry about it Rhei. He doesn\rquote t know what he\rquote s talking about.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote - or they find some other way to get you addicted. Obsessed. Obsessed with the wrong things mostly. You dudes notice how much of a sausage fest it is at our concerts? I think relationships are killing culture.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote You would.\rdblquote  Casey laughed. \ldblquote You always find a way to make it about that. High school is over man. Sorry chicks don\rquote t like gorillas. Fucking loser.\rdblquote  Casey flinched. \par
  \ldblquote Naw. If its not one problem its another. That\rquote s just one of the reasons. Com\rquote on dude, I feel like I\rquote m in a horror movie. Every time one of use hooks up with a chick we never see them again.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Jesus Blake! Is it really that strange that people would rather spend time with their girlfriends than fuck around with you?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Uh. Yes. It is ok.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote I see what you\rquote re concerned about.\rdblquote  Said Rheic.\par
  \ldblquote Thank you.\rdblquote\par
\par
  Several sanitation droids flooded into the halls. A few people poked their heads out of their doors when the heard the whirring of so many tin cans on wheels. They all figured someone had made one hell of a mess. Lance had a towel in his hand, he\rquote d been on his way to the baths. Thinking he might see Daren he\rquote d waiting all this time- not to say he hadn\rquote t bathed, he\rquote d just done so in his personal shower. The droids had set up a small barricade around the public bath. Little red lights on their heads blinked on and off. The sound of vacuums sucking a bristles scrubbing spilled out from beyond the perimeter as he walked past. Lance decided to be direct and just knock on his friends door. \par
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  \ldblquote Daren? You left your door open. Hey dude?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Come in.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote You have a shirt on. What is the special occasion?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Jim\rquote s dead.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Who\rquote s Jim?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I didn\rquote t know him that well myself but I found his body in the shower.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I\rquote m sorry-\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I\rquote m fine.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote You want me to leave? Or?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Stay. Please. I don\rquote t know what to do after seeing that. I can\rquote t just start playing video games.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote What if we played them together?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote No. It\rquote s whatever.\rdblquote  \par
  Lance took a seat on the coach. Daren spun around in his arm chair listlessly. There was a lot of clutter. All his collectors items took up almost all the space in the room, Lance for the first time noticed during that prolonged silence that he really did care about these things. They all had plastic sleeves and protectors around them and there was even a few original prints of things he himself had a lot of respect for.\par
  \ldblquote He was rotting there for a week.\rdblquote  Daren said is a cold yet pitiful way.\par
  \ldblquote That\rquote s disturbing.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote uh-huh.\rdblquote  \par
  Another long silence began. Lance began to fiddle with some of the objects on the small table beside the coach. Daren spun slowly with his hand pressed to his mouth. After a few minutes passed and few more after that and after Lance had begun quietly playing with action figures and after all the sanitation droids had done their job and filtered out of the hall way- Daren said, \ldblquote How much money does a trip to Mars cost?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Like Nine thousand.\rdblquote  Lance lowered the batman in his left hand and anxiously peered at his friend. \par
  \ldblquote So we\rquote d have to save for like a year. That\rquote s fucking lame. I dunno if its worth it.\rdblquote  Daren sighed. \par
  \ldblquote Actually I was going to go by myself a lot sooner than that.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote You\rquote ve been saving longer than me I take it.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Yes. But I\rquote ve also found a way to make a good bit of change since the last time we spoke.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I\rquote m not going to fall for some bullshit pyramid scheme. Get real dude.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote No. I\rquote ve been selling my blood. It\rquote s really easy money and the demand is pretty high.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote No.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Actually Daren, You have type O negative. That\rquote s the most expensive blood type.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote No. No- How do you know my blood type?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I know many things.\rdblquote  \par
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\pard\nowidctlpar\qc   \par
Chapter Three\par
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To Sail Beyond The Artificial Sea\par
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\pard\nowidctlpar   A cloud streamed beneath a rocket above the artificial ocean. It left a fluffy white ribbon in its wake before a soft boom echoed above the beach. \i Soon. \i0 Lance though as he stared up through his sunglasses. Daren yelped and began to suck his finger. Lance looked down to see a crab holding a cigarette in its claw. \par
  \ldblquote Was it worth it?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Stupid crab. Here take a picture of it.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote This Com-Card is pretty old.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Hurry and take the picture before it gets away.\rdblquote\par
\par
  As Lance chased after the crab Rheic and Casey swam with the current a in the sea, passing by them as they rode the waves body highs. Black Beard was waiting on the shore, watching them with casual concern but watching mostly because he didn\rquote t know how to swim. The Com-Card clicked, made an artificial shutter sounds as Lance stumbled about trying to take pictures of the crab. Black Beard laughed as the creature scuttled over his feat. Lance noticed the man with the beard and laughed nervously. Black Beard waved his hand as if to say he shouldn\rquote t be embarrassed. \par
  \par
   \ldblquote That\rquote s an old ass Com-Card you\rquote re using.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote It\rquote s not mine. It\rquote s his.\rdblquote  Lanced pointed at the black guy sunbathing a bit farther down the beach. \par
  \ldblquote You don\rquote t look like you get out much.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote He doesn\rquote t either. You just can\rquote t tell. He\rquote d be paler than me if he wasn\rquote t black.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote That crab\rquote s got a bad habit.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Yeah.\rdblquote  Lance laughed less nervously. \par
  \ldblquote You smoke?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Not so much. Actually, that\rquote s his as well.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote The crab?\rdblquote  Black Beard pulled out a lighter from his pocket and began fishing around in the other. \par
  \ldblquote Yes.\rdblquote  \par
\par
  \i Mother Nature. This water feels so wonderful. Oh mother of the earth. I am but a child in your womb. \i0 Casey splashed the poems out of Rheic\rquote s head. \par
  \ldblquote Hey stop being a dick man. Go rough house with BB.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Stand up for yourself!\rdblquote  Splash. Splash. \par
  \par
  \ldblquote Well I\rquote m getting kind of old myself.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote I see.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Yeah kids are asshole and people never grow up anymore.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Indeed.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Those ones are alright though.\rdblquote  Black Beard pointed towards the sea. \par
  \ldblquote You see that rocket go up?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Yeah. It\rquote s pretty cool shit. I\rquote d have left on one of those along time ago but I\rquote m way to far in debt.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Oh?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Yeah. I broke a bunch a city droids when I was 21. I\rquote m talking millions of dollars. You might have seen it on the news.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Holy fuck guy.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Yep. I kept doing it. Eventually I realized it wasn\rquote t getting anyone anywhere and all my friends didn\rquote t find it that impressive after the sixth time or so. I\rquote m basically stuck here until the end of time now.\rdblquote  \par
  \par
  \i I wonder if they\rquote re worried. Do they still set a plate for me? I think I\rquote ve learned that I don\rquote t know much of anything. I\rquote m not even sure of that. I feel like I know I\rquote m underwater. I think I\rquote m thinking, I think I\rquote m sinking but some how I\rquote m breathing. Wasn\rquote t there something I wanted to remember? Not the timber of my sisters voice- that\rquote s not it. No not the way the grass smells just before dawn- that\rquote s closer to what I\rquote m looking for. I still need to look some more. I can see the bottom of the ocean now but how far out could I drift before it just became a dark pit? Am I really breathing right now? Somehow. \par
\par
  \i0\ldblquote You see those things over there? Those are what\rquote s been eating people.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I live in that one.\rdblquote\par
\par
  \i It\rquote s pretty nice to see Casey shut up for once. You and me, drinking imaginary tea at the bottom of the sea. Casey do you think maybe there\rquote s a bunch of us somewhere beyond the aquatic horizon? Maybe we all get swept out there, we fall into a pile inside a dark pit, is that where the current would take us? If we just went and took a nap right now I bet that\rquote s where we\rquote d end up. I feel like I\rquote m drinking warm milk. I don\rquote t want to play catch with sea shells- god the way the sun looks down here is something else. \par
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\pard\nowidctlpar\qc\i0 Chapter Four \par
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Transmigration 9000\par
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\pard\nowidctlpar   Blood pumped out of his arm and rush through a tube, its flowed straight through and up into an air tight bag. They both looked quiet sickly, especially around the eyes. Sugar cookies had become a staple of their diet. Daren\rquote s Com-Card lit up as the droid thanked him for the blood. 8090. \par
\par
  \ldblquote I\rquote m so excited.\rdblquote  said Lance in an exhausted tone.\par
  \ldblquote Oh. Yeah me too.\rdblquote  Daren\rquote s echoed sentiment came with labored breath. \par
\par
  The five of them were gathered around table in the corner of the Carino Gato Convenience Station. Black Beard was kind enough to treat them to an all you can eat buffet. They droid behind the counter beeped and chimed as Black Beard piled hot dogs and slushies into his companions hands. \par
  \par
  \ldblquote One of these, Two of those, Three of these.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote BB I love you.\rdblquote  Said Casey without so much as a flinch. \par
  \ldblquote You too babe.\rdblquote  Black Beard smacked Casey\rquote s face harder than he ever had before. The slap broke the almost broke the sound barrier. Daren called on the name of Jesus in utter shock and mild admiration. Casey\rquote s smile didn\rquote t fade as his head snapped back into place. This was the last time he\rquote d ever feel that hand. This was the last night they\rquote d ever walk the mostly empty streets of New Athens. They were all sentimental about it to some extent even if Rheic was slightly numb from the seeds in his lungs he found himself less stoic than normal. \par
  \ldblquote Is it funny that in this very moment after sulking for a million years, that I actually feel at home.\rdblquote  \par
  Daren looked over at Lance with visible disdain and said, \ldblquote Don\rquote t make me kill you.\rdblquote\par
\par
  Rheic looked down at his Com-Card and let his eyes wash over pictures of martian beaches. \i What a beautiful hellscape. \i0 The Sky, the water, the sand all different shades of rust and blood. The sun a yellow blob of incandesces, always obscured by the haze of the substitute vapors modified allege spit into the air. \i The place looks like a mirage, I wonder if we\rquote ll like the world all blurry like that. \i0 Pictures of the disorganized streets had began to fascinate Rheic in much the same way they\rquote d fascinated Lance. The truth of it was that Casey and Rheic would have gone and done any number of haphazard or ill conceived journeys. The two of them had become highly suggestible and never passed on the suggestion to get high. Maybe it was for that reason that Mars would be the best place for those two to be, or at least that\rquote s what Black Beard had thought.  \par
\par
  8700. Daren was on the roof of the apartment complex in the early hours of the morning. He was adjusting several realistic looking mannequins, posing that to appear as though they were waving farewell. One stood behind the rest without a head. A strong breeze blew through their skirts, the ghost of Marilyn Monroe. Daren popped the top off a beer and smiled down at the head of his favorite sex doll which was fit snuggly into a black velvet travel bag beside him. \ldblquote You\rquote re my favorite.\rdblquote  The doll\rquote s head parroted his words back to him just as the zipper closed over her perfect cherry lips.  \par
\par
  Near about the same time a picture of freshly squeezed orange juice had been set on a table by a service droid inside a lavish villa a few miles from the mirrored windows of the Bayside Complex. Sunrays twisted inside the yoke behind the elegant but innocuous glass as the droid made its way around the table to exit the room. Casey sat at one end, his father on the other. The top button of a stuffy shirt meant to be worn with a tie came loose as Casey fidgeted under the oppressive silence. He stole a concerned glance from the eyes that hung above the pressed suit that wore his father and then tried to distract himself from the anxiety it brought by pushing a small fork into the grape fruit on his plate. \par
\par
  \ldblquote Casey.\rdblquote  Said Strelyat Senior as he took out his ear peace and places it beside a few forks arranged by length atop an napkin. \par
  \ldblquote Yeah dad?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote I\rquote d like you to take a look at this.\rdblquote  Casey\rquote s Com-Card lit up. \par
  \ldblquote My passport?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Your name.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Oh hey, they got it wrong.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote No Casey. As far as anyone else is concerned that\rquote s you. I\rquote d like not to pay a ransom in the near future.\rdblquote  Casey felt a nauseous feeling bubble up in his chest. \ldblquote I don\rquote t blame you. I know what it\rquote s like to feel out of place in formal society, I left for the big red myself around the same age. I hated all the obligations that came with being a company son. I felt like I could sneeze without having to worry about my father\rquote s job.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote So you know?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Jesus Casey! You weren\rquote t even going to tell me you were leaving were you?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote No.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Well, I\rquote m just letting you know you have another option, if you ever get sick of your new habit there\rquote s a separate account pre-processed, you can clean up and get back down to earth.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote I don\rquote t think I\rquote ll be doing that.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote If you ever do, you know how-\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Thanks.\rdblquote  Casey interjected. \ldblquote It\rquote s hard to imagine you were ever on Mars.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I was. Trust me. Its almost uncanny how simil-\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote What else do you know about me?\rdblquote   Strelyat Junior paused and his eyebrows bent down as he processed conflicting yet parallel realizations. \ldblquote That I don\rquote t know you know about me?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote You don\rquote t care for argyris staples or dalliac couplings.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote What are those?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Exactly. Casey, trust me. I understand. This is better for everyone.\rdblquote   \par
  \par
  9000. Rheic jumped down from a small wall dividing his back yard from the suburban streets. A small lizard hissed at him before scurrying off into the decretive ferns and red mulch that lined the sides of the alley way. \i Best of luck little buddy. \i0 As he navigated the rounded edges of the maze that was the outer ring he came cross a young woman in a long black dress sitting on a bench. She listlessly tapped her foot as she looked down at a large paper back book. \ldblquote What are you reading today?\rdblquote  Rheic asked. \par
  \ldblquote It\rquote s mostly prints of second millennium art.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Can I see?\rdblquote  \par
  She dropped the heavy tomb into his hands and he began to flip through the unwieldy large pages. They\rquote d both agree that not much has changed in a very long time and they\rquote d both laugh about the trends that didn\rquote t quite take off. She\rquote d have never guessed that\rquote d he be leaving. There was a whistle from across the way and he put the book back into her lap and waved. She called out after him \ldblquote See you Monday!\rdblquote  but he didn\rquote t yell back and she sat with a smile on her face. She went back to day dreaming and drifting into space. \par
\par
  They all met at terminal two. They were light on luggage, you could only take so much. Black beard lifted one of the red satin ropes meant to manage large lines of passengers. A creepy bestial looking man in a fur hat eyed him with contempt as he did so. \par
  \ldblquote I can\rquote t believe it. What am I supposed to do now?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote I don\rquote t know man, hit the suds?\rdblquote  said Rheic while adjusting the straps of the guitar case on his back.\par
  \ldblquote Let this be our final battle!\rdblquote  Said Casey who received a earned a piercing stare from the man in the fur hat as he preceded to ape loud sound\rquote s he\rquote d heard from kong fu movies. Then in a soft floating motion black beards arms came to surround him and Casey. Black Beard hugged them with all the intensity of a theme park mascot. \par
  \ldblquote It\rquote s going to be so boring.\rdblquote  he said in an earnest and alarmingly disarmed sort of way. \par
\par
  The line moved forward bit by bit. Tele-Screens displayed fluctuating stock prices and passengers manifestos with departing times labeled in the far left corner. There was a few hundred people in the terminal of which only a few dozen were aware of their surrounds. Most were too busy on their phones to take notice of the ornate fountains and strange murals on the walls. Lance toyed with the tooth of a dragon statue that had an ATM set inside it mouth. Aquariums and terrariums filled with poisonous frogs lined some of the walls. Chimes sounded about the escalators that never had more than 3 people going up or down, they signaled arrivals and delays and echoed above the great space around them that was far from filled to capacity. Black Beard stepped with them as the passengers\rquote  were processed, stealing every moment he could from there last day on earth. \i I sure hope this is worth it. \par
\par
  \i0 Daren\rquote s head turned as a few martian women split amongst the crowd and sauntered past him. \i Maybe it will be. God look at the ass on that one. \i0 A bell dinged and the screen beside them showed dossiers on the people about to board. Beside a picture of a shaggy haired twenty something with a pointy nose and deep blue eyes the name Tristan Elliots ran down amongst the pixels detailing other inaccuracies. Beside that was the picture of a meek looking youth with awkwardly parted dirty brown hair and the name Rheic Waters.  Black Beard did a double take. Rheic also turned to Casey with questioning eyes. \ldblquote I thought you\rquote re name was Casey?\rdblquote  The look of confusion crept across Rheic\rquote s face, confusion which infected Black Beard and reflected back onto Casey\rquote s dumb smirk. \par
  \ldblquote I am a man of mystery. Forget everything you think you know. Our mission depends on it.\rdblquote  The bell chimed again and they had to go. With no time to give answers, one last minute to say goodbye, Black Beard grabbed Casey\rquote s hand and pushed hard into his palm. \par
  \ldblquote Don\rquote t get him killed Casey.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I won\rquote t.\rdblquote  he\rquote d said back with a smile before he pulled his hand way and walked past the curtains and up the dull scarlet stairs. \par
  \ldblquote arivwa.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote sayonara.\rdblquote  \par
  \par
\par
\pard\nowidctlpar\qc Chapter Five \par
\par
40 Days of Dream\par
\par
\pard\nowidctlpar    \ldblquote The cabin will begin Anastasiatic Distribution two minutes after we exit low earth orbit. Please make sure your carry on bags are labeled properly and double check with the Somnic Care droids about any specific health concerns that may arise during our voyage.\rdblquote  \par
  \par
  Darren wrote something on a plastic tag hanging off one of his bags and handed it to the machine attached to a luggage rack. \ldblquote You make sure this gets there in one piece.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Certainly sir.\rdblquote  said the machine.  \par
 \ldblquote Freedom!\rdblquote  Casey howled. \ldblquote Freedom! Yeah! Good bye Earth!\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Want some?\rdblquote  Lance pushed a candy bar front of Casey\rquote s face. \ldblquote It\rquote s caramel.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote In ten minutes we will be departing. Make sure you are seated properly. Ask a droid for assistance if you are struggling or unsure how to properly secure your property or for questions regarding-\rdblquote\par
\par
  \i Good bye earth. Honestly I don\rquote t know why I\rquote m leaving. It\rquote s pretty there in a way. It\rquote s possible that after I\rquote m used to it that I\rquote ll think its ugly. Look at him over there. The guy\rquote s a fucking monkey. I wish I had that kind of energy. \i0 Rheic craned his neck out to see over the cushion of his chair and looked at the other passengers. His gaze soon after returned to the yellow handcuffs around the wrists of the man next to him. From under a fur hat the devils eyes flashed. Rheic calmly decided it was best to look for answers in his Com-Card. \i Mars is the scrap yard of the solar system. Main imports- Population- Percentage- immigration. \i0 The cuffs were a bright yellow, almost florescent with black diagonal lines that ran across the certain grooves to indicate which side magnets were supposed to be set in to activate the release mechanism. Rheic found a few other passengers had been hiding those yellow slabs of metal beneath scarves and hand bags. They were few in number, the exception to the majority. \i Ah, Exile. You don\rquote t hear about that much. \par
\par
  \par
\i0\par
  THREE. TWO. ONE.\par
\par
  The sound barrier broke. A cloud spilled out of an inferno and up towards the stars. The ghost of Marilyn Monroe. \par
\par
  \ldblquote Ok. Sleepy time.\rdblquote  \par
\par
\pard\nowidctlpar\qc Chapter Six \par
\par
Erosion Potion  \par
\par
\pard\nowidctlpar   The man with the devils eyes walked up to the metal box that protruded from the wall and dropped his hands into it. His handcuffs unlocked with an unpleasant popping sound before the tinked and tanked away from his wrists. The next thing that man did was take off his fur hat. Much less velvet ropes were to be seen while arriving on Mars than there had been when they left Earth. The place was lit in a way to maximize visibility to the detriment of comfort. Every shadow seems to be directly underneath every vending machine and pair of sneakers. Beyond the few windows there were could be seen that distinct red haze they\rquote d dreamed about for weeks, and days, and perhaps during the month they\rquote d been put to sleep out in the void of space. \par
  A guitar case looped around an automatic belt just beyond the turn style, beside it was a bowling bag that seemed very near and dear to Daren as he pulled it off the line. He unzipped the bag with haste and let his eyebrows rise back into place when her heard his mannequin\rquote s head greet him. \par
  \ldblquote I think we should eat first.\rdblquote  Lance said. \ldblquote It\rquote s going to be a bit until they get back to me.\rdblquote  He pointed down at his Com-Card and motioned for the others to look at the screen. \ldblquote Martian Cuisine. We could go for an authentic deep dish, or horse shoe crab. Any place that\rquote s close really. I don\rquote t care.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote The air is thin as fuck out here.\rdblquote  Daren said with a slight wheeze. Casey slapped him on the back and leaned over to see the map on Lance\rquote s screen. \par
  \ldblquote That one. The Red Moon Bar and Grill. It\rquote s right next to the analog antiques. It said they had a cathode ray tube amusement device.\rdblquote  Daren let out another wheeze and a sigh but thought it was better not to argue about it. Rheic, he\rquote d slipped away from the rest of them, found himself outside beyond the red dust that clung to the glass doors. Neon shimmered between the thick winds- a mix of fog and blood colored particles. Yellow and pink letters flickered and rotated near racks of magazines and between billboards advertising taxis. A soft endless orange cloud turned breaks in the skyline into water color silhouettes that lost their shape and definition. All the roof tops gently swallowed by a slow motion room temperature explosion and all the boots and wheels moving under the glare of exotic colors.\par
  \ldblquote There you are!\rdblquote  Casey exclaimed with ferocious zeal and joy. He grabbed him by the hand and kept running. \ldblquote Look at that! Look at this!\rdblquote  they laughed. Jumped.  \par
  \ldblquote Red Moon it is then.\rdblquote  Lance said as he watch the two of them sprint through the new world.\par
\par
  Sweat dotted Daren\rquote s forehead and he sluggishly followed Lance through the alleys. \i Weird looking people, and what\rquote s that smell. \i0 A man wearing a thin copper veil and a dusters coat bumped into him as the both tried to pass a narrow corridor that got even more narrow where pipes cropped out from the buildings. The man apologized as he pressed forward. Daren took note of the veil and the glove\rquote s- the chain link scarfs he\rquote s seen on some of the women. It made sense to him then it\rquote d only taken a few minutes of the lamentation to understand. \i The sand stings. \i0 Occasionally gusts of wind found their way into the maze like back streets, dive bombing in like a falcon from beyond the empty laundry lines or crashing down like water in the halls of a sinking ship. Daren places his hand on a stone wall lined with sun bleached stickers. \ldblquote Hold up a minute.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Sure man.\rdblquote  Lance walked a few steps back toward his friend. He popped a stick of gum in his mouth and leaned against the wall casually.\par
  \ldblquote This is going to take some getting used to.\rdblquote  Daren said between panting and wiping sweat from his eyes. \par
  \ldblquote Mongolian\rquote s have the easiest time adjusting to it.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Well good for them.\rdblquote  \par
\par
  The entrance to the Red Moon was a wooden door engraved with beautifully renders depictions of the 12 zodiac signs surrounding a simplistic Spartan helmet cut into the wood. The wood had been varnished in a way to make its look nearly black but shine a regal brown at certain angles, this gave way to the white lines in the design of the zodiac, the inner flesh of the wood mystic and pale added to both it\rquote s strangeness and beauty. The door lay behind tattered pokadot drapes and a paper lantern that bore a cresset moon made of red wax. A brolic seven foot tall goliath of a man covered in leather ducked his head under the frame as he left the restaurant soon fallowed a woman of about the same height but who in contrast was thin as a rail with elegant flowers seemed into a white dress that clung to her hip bone. \par
\par
  A pair of twenty something\rquote s, one fiddling with the straps of a guitar case on his back and the other stuck in a constant loop of zipping and unzipping the collar of his wind breaker jacket stood on opposite sides of the entrance. Casey looked down at his device between adjusting the straps that clung to his shoulder. He checked the time, Rheic zipped and unzipped and zipped again. This continued for a good while until they transitioned to sitting on the ground. Casey found that his guitar was mostly still in tune. Rhei made a game out of throwing stones at the wall across the narrow street.\par
\par
    \ldblquote This tastes like the first cigarette I ever had.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote You\rquote d think you\rquote d be breathing better. Your lungs are probably pink now or at the very least a lighter shade of black.\rdblquote  \par
  \par
  \i Satisfaction. \i0 Rheic thought as he melted into the cushion of the dinning booth. \i Absolutely wonderful. Oh. Hey. \i0 Casey ordered another plate of fries to go with his beer. The waitress gave him and wink intended to shake a few extra cents on to the table -which worked. He noticed the smallest of rises and the most minuet of slopes in the skin around her eye lashes, covered in a suggestive shade of dark umbra. \i Yes. We. Are. In. The. Restaurant. Right now. The. Booth. On. The. Back wall. Enter. \i0 Casey tipped his beer bottle back as he focused his attention on the waitresses ass. Hungry eyes. No shame. \i O kay. But. Give. Me. A moment. I. Am. Kind of. High. Food was great. Very good. Yum. Yum. \i0 Rheic pressed enter and grabbed a frie from the plate. \par
\par
  \ldblquote I see. Do I have to wear it all the time?\rdblquote  Daren said to the man cross the counter. \par
  \ldblquote It depends on the person but you can get by without any mind for about an hour if you\rquote ve had strapped it for a the first half of the day. Lots of people put them on while they sleep. You should be golden until you get home. For that you might find these of interest.\rdblquote  The man walked away from the register and towards a pile of baby blue boxes with cartoon clouds and words printed in fluffy fonts across the bent edges of the cardboard. \ldblquote Rapid Carbon Converters.\rdblquote\par
\par
  Lance examined the cure to martian air that\rquote d been left on the front desk as the sales representative picked words from the either. While a lengthy discussion on payment plans and credits bounced off the labels on Rapid Carbon Converters Rheic and Casey quietly slipped into the store. A cat sat on an office chair flicked its ear and pretended not to notice. The device was a hybrid of inhalers and scuba snorkels. A very polite looking gas mask. The one Lance was turning over, a display model, was made of translucent plastic that revealed its inner workings. Inside the bulbs where the breath was captured- something like moss, something like algae and from that spongy mushroom stalks reached for the edges of the glass and pawed at the chemicals around it with green peddled flowers that bloomed and retracted in a rhythmic sort of way.\par
\par
\pard\nowidctlpar\qc   Chapter Seven\par
\par
King Author \par
\par
\pard\nowidctlpar   Red poked through the holes, gently rubbed up against the wires. Chipped concrete walls with divots and bumps. Scratch marks and graphite. The four of them ducked under discarded rebar and sauntered past a pile of street signs. The sun had started to set and just as it was getting a bit to dark to read the words above the doors candescent lights flickered on to help them not trip while their shoes swung over broken parts and cracks in the street. A door with rusted hinges creaked. The coil of the lamp next to a green plak hummed. The Cyrillic letters that marked the building they were entering passed through the lens of Rheic\rquote s Com Card. Translated to Terran English; Fox Hole. \par
  The stair case yawned with each step. They held onto the railing because the halls were barely lit. Different shades of white peeked out of the bottom of every other door. When they reached the third floor they heard a parrot screech. Lanced knock twice. A minute passed where they simply stood in the dark amongst floating particles of dust. The chain lock banged against the wood and an eye scanned them up and down. \ldblquote It\rquote s me. Callous-Calligraphy.\rdblquote  Said Lance to the eye. The chain fell off. The hall lit up and there stood a man dressed in brown rags- each on with several pockets - with keys tied on to threads that hung about his chest. Jagged yellow teeth made there way into view as a smile opened up his massive grey beard.\par
\par
  \ldblquote Holy. Shit.\rdblquote  The man said with glee. \ldblquote This way. This way come in.\rdblquote  He motioned to the rest of them to follow as Lance stepped over an umbrella and avoided a discarded news paper. Floral patterns lined the walls. The sent of chocolate and bread strongly defined the mans home. \ldblquote Sit. Sit.\rdblquote  Books and old computers beside dark oak tables and framed pictures printed on celluloid. The desk at the back of the room inspired want in Lance and was noticed by the others in part because of its strangely hypnotic design and partly due to the strange curios and oddities stood upon it. Something jade in a gold trimmed box beside a marble bust behind several pages in a stack. A taxidermy lynx hissing silently at them. \par
\par
  \ldblquote These are my friends.\rdblquote  Lance floated his hand toward the men sinking into the coach. They introduced themselves without hesitation and with relaxed tones. The place was charming and had eased them all into a disarmed mode of being. Their eyes flirted with the many shelves and the perplexing adornments on the walls.\par
  \ldblquote And I\rquote m Marquis Wischard.\rdblquote  Marquis leaned against the desk and sunk a hand into one of his pockets. He then directed his voice at Lance. \ldblquote It\rquote s been quite boring on the forums this month Callous. I really hope you get back to it soon.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote I had about four thousand dreams on the way over here, I\rquote m sure to remember a dozen of them if I try real hard. I can vaguely see one of them now that\rquote d make a good story. It\rquote s right there. Just almost.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Good. Good.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Put that down.\rdblquote  Daren whispered in contempt as he slapped Casey\rquote s hand. \par
  \ldblquote Oh come now.\rdblquote  The old man said in a patronizing tone. \ldblquote This is my room of wonders. It\rquote s what its for.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Yeah Daren!\rdblquote  Casey said with an evil smirk.\par
  \ldblquote Here.\rdblquote  Marquis said as he handed Casey a key and began to untie another from his coat. \ldblquote This one is for you, and this one, here.\rdblquote  The final key he dropped into Lance\rquote s and then pushed his fingers closed around it. \ldblquote If you need anything don\rquote t hesitate to ask.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote What\rquote s this?\rdblquote  Casey asked not about the key but the collections of beakers and tubes in one corner of the room.\par
  \ldblquote That\rquote s my golden goose. Or.\rdblquote  Marquis paused and scratched at his beard. \ldblquote It will be soon.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote It smells good.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Oh. Well. Please don\rquote t touch that one.\rdblquote  The old man cleared his throat. \ldblquote I can tell you two pop.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Is that what this is?\rdblquote  Casey said with a carnal thirst. \ldblquote I\rquote ve been wondering where we\rquote d find some up here.\rdblquote  Rheic\rquote s stoic demeanor gave way as he shifted in his seat with interest. \par
  \ldblquote Ah. Well this isn\rquote t for you but there\rquote s no shortage of that on Mars. You can get them from the store all be it, they\rquote re sold under a different name. In fact you seemed to have bought some just today.\rdblquote\par
  \par
  A bit past three in the morning everyone save for Lance and Marquis had passed out. They sipped tea out of tall cups and moved pieces about the chess board between long conversations. Often Lance would look past the old man\rquote s shoulder, transfixed on a golden lion mask mounted on the wall. During the night he\rquote d be reassured that there was no lack of work on Mars as he had been reassured in the forums from which they\rquote d spoken over the last decade. Lanced mused at the memories of waiting weeks between correspondence. \i So much history went into all the little details that made today what it is. If not for the belt of magnetic dust between Earth and Mars we could have spoken in real time instead of sending data packets. There\rquote s so much lost to us. A conflict with reasons only found on melted hard drive spinning out in the vacuum of space. Terran information is completely sanitized and Mars is just trying to keep the lights on. In all these books or in one of those old machines, I wonder if he\rquote ll ever find the answers to what happened then. \par
\par
\pard\nowidctlpar\qc\i0 Chapter Eight \par
\par
Pump Up the Volume\par
\par
\pard\nowidctlpar   \ldblquote Great you\rquote re hired. Put this on. You\rquote ll start now.\rdblquote  A pink baseball cap was shoved down onto his head and a broom throw into his hand. UFO Taco had claimed Rheic as its own. The ins and outs of taco assembly came naturally to him. He\rquote d day dream about what kinds of things he\rquote d fill this empty room with. Rheic found himself smiling at the simplistic joy of it all. Found himself fascinated by the trends on this new world. Laughing under his breath at how strange the music was.\par
  Casey had found a few fliers for Martian bands looking for someone to play behind a lead. He\rquote d considered trading in the guitar for a base for almost a minute before his ego caught up with the utilitarian side of his brain. Looking out the window of a train he admired the giant church in the center of the city. At the time that\rquote s what he believed it to be. Later he\rquote d find out that church was more like the white house, that the Echo Tower was where the big wigs talked about big shit. This knowledge didn\rquote t sour his disposition on the tower. He\rquote d ignore the facts for the sake of fantasy. To him it was something out of Tolkien and he\rquote d often see it in dreams. It stood out amongst everything. An unreasonably tall gothic church placed between highways and bullet trains. Some places looked like old Rome but dressed up with chrome and bone colored flags. Other areas looked like Tokyo got drunk in the year two thousand and had a love child with a Mayan temple, although it did have fetal alcohol syndrome. \par
  Different bits of culture melded together in unplanned and often violent ways. Some blocks were better than others. The food was amazing. It was the cuisine that Daren was the most concerned with. The taste, the smells, things he only faintly remembered from before like the A frame house made out of wood (or something close to it) and vending machines that took coins. It was noon and the sky looked like tropical fruit in a blender, with light wisps of black smoke accenting the mango clouds and the hard peach that meant it would rain soon.  A woman\rquote s wallet bounced against the pavement next to his feet. He did a soft sprint towards a blue dress.\par
  \ldblquote Excuse me ma\rquote am! You dropped this!\rdblquote  \par
  Long locks woven over each other in an eye catching sort of way. They swung and dangled just above her waist. She turned to him. She almost looked aero dynamic, they way those dreads parted above her face like the wings of a bird. \ldblquote A gentle man.\rdblquote  She said with surprise. Her coffee colored cheeks giving way to a beautiful smile. \i Those lips. \i0 Her laugh lines had been subtlety touched up. Such a detailed would have gone unnoticed by all but Daren and others of his ilk who have devoted their entire existence to appreciating the female form. \par
  \ldblquote Can\rquote t say anyone\rquote s ever called me that before.\rdblquote  He handed her the wallet. Her thumb linger atop his for a second longer than you\rquote d expect. \i Subtle. \i0 At that moment the fire in the sky gave way to pouring rain. The woman yelped in dismay. An adorable sound. The two of them scurried over to a bus stop across the street and took shelter beneath its roof.  Cherry nails, long but not to long extended toward Darren. \par
  \ldblquote Clair.\rdblquote  She said. She through part of her elegant mess of dreads behind her shoulder as Darren clasped her thin fingers and places a kiss just over the vein in her hand. \par
\par
  \ldblquote Knight to E five. This late in the game and you refuse to close out the match.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Hey. You know full well where that was going.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote We\rquote ll be here all night Callus.\rdblquote  The old man pushed a bishop across the board. \par
  \ldblquote Do you mind?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I suppose not.\rdblquote  The old man sipped at his cup of Earl Grey tea. \par
  \ldblquote All. Knight. Long.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Oh. Is that check mate?\rdblquote  \par
\par
  Dust shook loose from the ceiling. Kick Kick Snare. The guys had their amps set up all wrong, a not so humble opinion of Casey Strelyat would try to keep to himself. \i Are the mids turned down to zero. What the fucks going on over here. \i0 There was a man in with wool socks hiked all the way up to his denim shorts sitting in a rickety chair in front of apartment seven. \ldblquote I\rquote m here to join the jam session,\rdblquote  Casey flashed the crude flier he\rquote d found a few blocks over. Flicked his thumbs against the straps of his guitar case. \i Fuck this guy\rquote s ugly. \par
  \i0\ldblquote This way little man.\rdblquote  \i Fuck you. Ugly mother fucker. \i0 Casey followed the man into the dungeon. Permanent marker had been smeared across the walls. PLEASURED GUILTY. A number of failed attempts at logos for the band were scribbled under the name. \i A bit stale but it could work I guess. \i0 Casey wasn\rquote t very critical of most thing but he was deadly serious about music. The bald man with the big ears who\rquote d lead him into the dungeon noticed as much. They came into view and the settings on the amp sounding all the more horrendous the closer Casey got to the sound. They didn\rquote t stop. They kept strumming and jumping as he walked into the deafening cacophony. Without so much as blinking Casey began to change the dials on their equipment. Noticing but pretending not to the bassist punched a hole in the ceiling as if it weren\rquote t for show. Noticing but not acknowledging the rest of the band hit on there instruments harder as the sound began to stop competing. \i Bulimic but he\rquote s got a somewhat symmetrical face. Kind of sucks on base. Second behind me in photos. Inoffensive fat ass drummer. Kind of sucks at drums. Decent guitarist, he can play rhythm. \par
  \i0 The song reach a crescendo and that was of end of it. They gave each other compliments while still pretending not to notice Casey. He pushed the end of his patch cord into stack while back slaps were being had at the expense of efficacy. A chord rang out. All eyes on him. \ldblquote Listen up you no name chumps. I\rquote m the guy with the big dick.\rdblquote  Two more chords rang out. \ldblquote This song is for all the angles that fell upward. Taste this cock! Bitch!\rdblquote  \par
\par
  \ldblquote Really now?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Yeah, you never here anything about it.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I mean that makes sense. Why would they tell you.\rdblquote  The old man sipped at his tea. \par
  \par
  Taco after taco. The clock seemed slower than ever. He remember that there were 40 extra minutes in a martian day and tried not to groan. On his break Rheic dipped into the nachos he\rquote d been preparing all day. He took off his \i stupid \i0 pink hat and draped his apron over the seat beside him. \i God this fucking sucks. I shouldn\rquote t complain too much but god dam. Is this the only place you can get Tacos on the planet? \i0\ldblquote It\rquote s cheap.\rdblquote  said a martian girl as she took a seat in front of him. \ldblquote It\rquote s fast too.\rdblquote  She looked Asiatic but mixed with something darker. Martian fashion was perplexing to Rhei, on one hand it was usually practical and yet somehow there was always something that through off the entire look. In this case it was the purple sunglasses tangled in her hair. \i Bizarre. \i0 He thought as he looked down at what seemed like a yellow chain mail dress. \ldblquote New here?\rdblquote  She asked. \par
  \ldblquote Yup.\rdblquote  Said Rhei before putting a straw into his mouth. \par
  \ldblquote Need friends?\rdblquote  \i She has a weird smell about her. \par
  \i0\ldblquote Never have. I don\rquote t mind them though.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote That\rquote s weird.\rdblquote  \i I\rquote m weird? \i0\par
  \ldblquote My break is almost over.\rdblquote\par
\par
  \ldblquote A glorified penal colony? No. How can it be glorified if nobody mentions it?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Right. Knight to C six.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Check mate?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Check.\rdblquote  \par
  \par
\pard\nowidctlpar\qc   Chapter Nine \par
\par
Upside Down Over a Well\par
\par
\pard\nowidctlpar   A snake charmer whistled into a flute in front of an empty clay pot. Caged dogs bark at the smell of beef on his apron. Kids chased each other with broken mop handles, dodging scolding from the vendors in the bizarre between parrying imaginary swords. Passing by a dusty mirror being sold at half price he removed the UFO from his head. A stupid pink hat with a spacecraft logo, smelling like beef and spice. The essence of shish kabob permeated the area. It\rquote d been too long since he\rquote d been this hungry. It was almost unfamiliar, this feeling in his stomach. He felt the weight of the five dollar coins in his pocket and scanned his surroundings. \par
    A small bronze disk engraved with the face of a saint tumbled down from the slot of a vending machine, disappearing into a mystery behind the face plate. A satisfied from with a big tung stared back at him as his finger hovered over the number pad. Seven sodas unceremoniously fell atop each other into the shelf. He reached down with slight dismay. All the more embarrassing that pulling them out was more complicated than he\rquote d anticipated, the cans had wedged themselves against each other in the worst way possible.\par
  Eventually Rheic found himself with four soda hanging over his should inside his apron turned improvised soda sack. He\rquote d be chewing off the last bit of lamb from a kabob when he stumbled in front of a movie theater. Women in fur coats held onto the arms of smiling men. All kinds of people in all sorts of good moods pointing at the posters with light bulbs for frames. Inside the projector glowed onto bags of popcorn. His slip proof shoes stuck to the floor. No one had asked about the cans of pop inside his apron. \par
  A few logos took their time hanging over the audience. When the sound kicked in it raddled the ice in the cups, made the popcorn vibrate. Inside a low frequency a story began to unfold. Cigars and snub-nosed revolvers had been cast as the stars of the flick. A tale about intentions and the tragic accidents they caused. He got all wrapped up in it. The ideal and the gravity of reality. A Christmas tree without and color, under which were hints and question as to who could be a killer. Was there more than one? It seemed as though he\rquote d figured it out but then in the second act, for reasons he could not understand his hand began to move in a circle above the armrest of his seat. His thumb and index finger pressed together. He grabbed is wrist with his other fist. With distress smeared across his face his eyes began to water. \par
  He slid a seed into his lung. The woman on the big screen sighed and fluttered her eyes in black and white. Her lip stick glistened in the holograph. The Com-Card in his pocket rang. Casey\rquote s voice filtered through the speaker as he put it to his ear. \ldblquote Dude! Where are you!\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I\rquote m at the movies.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote What are ya watching?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Iron Lotus it think its called. OR. Steal. Something like that. It\rquote s a Noir.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Hey shut the fuck up!\rdblquote  A distant voice thrown from somewhere in the dark of the theater chastised him.\par
  \ldblquote Give me a second.\rdblquote  \par
\par
\par
  \ldblquote Hey uh. Yeah. Do you want to meet up? I\rquote ve got some pop.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I just slid a double dose down. We don\rquote t have to share anymore dude. Isn\rquote t that crazy?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote I guess it is. Yeah.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote I\rquote ll be over in a bit.\rdblquote  \par
\par
  \ldblquote This place looks a lot less angry at night.\rdblquote  Said Casey as he pulled the tab back on a can of lime soda. The drink depressurized over the curb and into a street drain. \par
  \ldblquote I like it when its dark out. I\rquote m still getting used to our new moon.\rdblquote  \par
  Casey leaned against the lamp post, taking big swigs, turning his head at regular intervals to shamelessly stair down the backs of women leaving the cinema. The sky was a void pure and empty save for the moon that shook inside the smoke of the atmosphere. A golden chain mail dress shimmered between passing buses and long coat across the street before slipping away into an alley. The pungent vapors of char grilled burgers mixed with exhaust fumes. \par
  \ldblquote Nights on Mars. You think we\rquote ll get bored of these too?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Casey.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Yeah?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Why do you have blood on your knees?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I had a bit of fun today. Looks like rock and roll doesn\rquote t it.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote I guess so.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote So what now?\rdblquote\par
\par
  Inside the Red Moon Rheic and Casey took turns flicking a folded napkin at each other. The waitress sighed melancholic while taking a damp cloth to the booth next to theirs. A sad nostalgia was brought on when she hear the two of them praise each others accuracy and a pining - a thirst fell behind her eyes as they made low stakes bets on the most trivial things. A yellow notepad was then in front of her eyes, obnoxiously close to her nose. Casey\rquote s greasy thumb pressing against a dollar sign. \par
  \ldblquote You dropped this.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Oh. Thank you sweetie. Do you boys need anything?\rdblquote  \par
  Just then the bells above the entrance jingled. Eight feet of muscle wrapped in leather dropped it\rquote s heavy boots in large strides toward the bar stool. The restaurant shook slightly. \par
  \ldblquote We\rquote re good. Just about to head out. Right Rhei?\rdblquote  Rheic nodded quietly.  \par
\par
  In took not but five seconds after they\rquote d past through the pokadot curtains for Casey to make quips about the man\rquote s size. A Spartan helmet watched them with a disapproving scowl. Rheic stopped to tie his shoes as his friend when on about Samson and Goliath. A small smacked against the red lantern. \par
  \ldblquote Hey. Which one are you?\rdblquote  Casey said pointing at the zodiac symbols on the door. \par
  \ldblquote I\rquote m a sheep.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote That\rquote s Chinese Rhei.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote I\rquote m pretty sure this place doesn\rquote t serve egg rolls. I wish it did.\rdblquote  \par
\par
  Night after night. Week after week, Rheic would tie his shoe beside that door with the moon watching from on high. It shimmered like a mirage in the martian fog, a light in a black lake floating slowly sideways. The repetition became hardwired into them through the sweat and sleep of those first few weeks. Sometimes his laces were knotted tight before he reached down to redo them. It was something automatic, that he never questioned. They had the same conversations in nearly the same way only changing slightly and due mostly to which movies had been played. \par
  There was once an afternoon where he\rquote d stumbled on by chance a woman in a white dress taking a bow to a chello. A crowd had gathered around her, folks of some religious persuasion that demanded brown robes and long dust colored vales to be worn on Sundays. It was in the open square just beyond the Echo Tower, there in front of a water fountain that\rquote d fallen into disrepair. The strings bent against it\rquote s neck. A sound sublime and tragic. She sang in a language that couldn\rquote t be translated. \par
  The big guy in black was within arms reach of that women. She sung like a siren while he stood beside her with his arms crossed. The women threw coins into a bucket that was being passed around. Shining disks with saints and eagles on top. Pop! Pop! Everyone ran in different directions. Pop!  The man in black picked up the woman like she was made of cloth. Pop! They ran off. She dropped her bow string on the side walk as she clung to his shoulder. Rheic stood there unaware and only slightly curious. Saw a man with a small gun grab the bucket off the ground. He was all chest hair and tattoos. He scowled at Rheic while he scooped up the coins from the ground. Gold fillings and a crooked nose. \par
  Nothing came of it. Martians seem to know. That\rquote s what he\rquote d been told by the waitress. Truth of it was that Rheic knew just as well, that once upon a time he would have been scared but no one from earth could ever be a hero. It didn\rquote t mean to much, maybe just a bit but running would have been exhausting. He thought about it. He tied his shoes in front of the door. The big guy was right on schedule, perhaps a few minutes late. He passed through the pokadot curtains just before the sky began to piss. \i The rain. It tastes like bleach. \i0\par
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\pard\nowidctlpar\qc\par
  Chapter Ten\par
\par
Failure by Design\par
\par
\pard\nowidctlpar   \ldblquote It\rquote s planned Obsolesce. That\rquote s the problem you have down on earth hun.\rdblquote  Her cherry red nails crossed over each other.  She placed her chin down on her bent thumbs. Looked into his eyes through the flame of the candle between them.\par
  \ldblquote I\rquote m not going back. It\rquote s not my problem.\rdblquote  The faint sound of forks hitting plate and conversations decorated with white napkins. Bubbling wines. \ldblquote I plan to die here miss. That\rquote s half of why I came.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Why not live here.\rdblquote  She said with a wink as she reached out for his hand.  \par
  \ldblquote Clair.\rdblquote  he said as he kissed her hand. \ldblquote I got you something.\rdblquote  Out of his front coat pocket a small box with a tiny white ribbon came into view. \ldblquote Go on. Open it.\rdblquote\par
  A bangle covered in jewels and amber, its form seductive yet reserved. \ldblquote My god Darren. Its beautiful!\rdblquote  He kissed her hand again. \ldblquote You didn\rquote t have to do that.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote I\rquote m doing pretty well for myself these days. It\rquote s nothing to fret over. I love you Clair.\rdblquote  Her eyed fluttered and set deep into his own. Those eye\rquote s widened. Beautiful black holes, the gravity of which was inescapable. Later they\rquote d smile in the hotel hallway. Bumping into the walls and taking oaths to never drink again. Teasing, joking, assessing with accuracy that they were both bad influences caught in a regressive loop of love and conversation. Such things are best if they never end. A good dream you can have every evening and wake up to every morning. Pleasant ideas, mints on the pillows. Wonderful things always. After he\rquote d negotiated a deal or turned the page before the back cover of the budget report, there was this. Joy.\par
\par
  The wheels of Daren\rquote s limo stopped in front of a headstone. His swaide leather shoe\rquote s touched the grey bricks set into the cemetery road. Her heels followed after him. His watch said it was three in the afternoon. \par
  \ldblquote This is the one place in this god forsaken city I\rquote ve never seen.\rdblquote  She said turning about in a circle. The graves stuck out of the hills, some were placed down in the slopes- some forgotten in the shadow to statues and obelisks. Things eroded quick here. Some of the letters on newer tombs were nearly illegible. It was all sand the color of bone and small pebbles as white as snow. The city surrounded the mountain of the forgotten dead. It looked as though an ancient civilization with pillars and religious icons were still in fashion. It looked as though that ancient city had rien from the ground and displaced the many office buildings that surrounded it. \par
  \ldblquote Such a big place and yet we\rquote re the only one\rquote s here.\rdblquote  He said. \par
  \ldblquote Look at that one.\rdblquote  she giggled \ldblquote I\rquote m glad they had a sense of humor.\rdblquote\par
  \par
  They sat on a marble bench. Daren\rquote s breath was heavy under the collar of his dress shirt. He loosened his tie. Coughed hoarsely for a minute. Wiped his nose. She asked \ldblquote are you going to be ok?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Yeah. Yes.\rdblquote  a slight cough. \ldblquote Just a minute.\rdblquote\par
  She averter he gaze and stroked the stone pedals of a rose carved into the side of the bench. The day was coming to a close. The intricate stones above the dead began to cast longer shadows. \par
  \ldblquote You know I used to-\rdblquote  he said \ldblquote I used to wonder why they had to go. Mom, Dad.\rdblquote  breathing a little easier. \ldblquote There was only one rule and they broke it. I\rquote ll never know why they did.\rdblquote  He looked at his watch and softly let his hand topple on to hers. \ldblquote I was seven when it happened. A lot of things are lost to me. A lot of people fell away from there folks. Mostly people chose to. A long choice that took years to make, they just kept forgetting until one day those folks weren\rquote t around anymore- and no one noticed.\rdblquote  She was looking at him dead on as he stared straight and away from her. \ldblquote That\rquote s not something I\rquote d like to see happen. I want to see love again. I could barely remember it before I came here. This place is shit but at least it exists. People love and hate. It\rquote s not like that back home.\rdblquote\par
\par
  Daren found his last name. His parents graves. \ldblquote I never thought id ever seen you again.\rdblquote\par
\pard\nowidctlpar\qc\par
\pard\nowidctlpar\par
\pard\nowidctlpar\qc Chapter Eleven \par
\par
Cacophony Crusade \par
\par
\pard\nowidctlpar   \ldblquote Hey! Hey! Hey! I want to talk to you!\rdblquote  two hundred and fifty pound of blubber pulled Casey by the collar. A fight broke out between the two and soon after half a dozen party goers joined in the fray. The strobe light captured snap shots of bloody noses. Fists and beer hit the walls and the floor. Casey was flung into the wall, catching a glimpse of Rheic lazily looking down at his Com-Card before being pulled back into the maelstrom. Somebody puked. Drums slammed and people cheered in the next room. \par
  \ldblquote You Tristan\rquote s friend?\rdblquote  A long finger pushed into his shoulder. Long blond hair in an argyle sweater put it\rquote s hands in front of its mouth and asking the question louder. Rheic nodded. The strobe light opened its shutters. \i That\rquote s a weird looking dude. Are those black eye\rquote s or make up? Drugs? \i0 A picture of Daren giving a thumbs up and a determined look in front of his companies latest prototype popped up on his Com-Card. Another picture of Daren with his crotch press against the prototype sex-bot came shortly after along with the text; DO WHAT YOU LOVE.\i  That\rquote s. Awesome. Daren. Happy for. You. Send.\par
  \i0\par
\par
\par
  The lights turned on. An ugly man in a bullet proof vest started banging pots and pans together. Casey could be heard yelling in the stair well. \ldblquote Out! Out! Get em\rquote  the fuck out!\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote It\rquote s closing time people! You don\rquote t have to go home but get the fuck out of her!\rdblquote  The man with the pots and pans chanted loudly. Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! \ldblquote Party is over!\rdblquote  \par
\par
  Casey walked up to the two of them. He held a damp cloth against his forehead. A bit of blood drip out from under his eyebrows and newly minted scars above his cheeks. \par
  \ldblquote Hey Blondie. Thanks for the help.\rdblquote  Casey sneered sardonically.\par
\par
  \ldblquote You\rquote re Welcome.\rdblquote  Said the flaxen haired bum.\par
  \ldblquote Nope. Get out. Get!\rdblquote  Casey grabbed the guy by the arm and shoved him out the door. \par
\par
  A group of six. Rheic, Casey and most of his band gathered up the trash and threw it into black garbage bags. \ldblquote Rhei this is Winston. Have you met Winston?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Yeah we\rquote ve met.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Yeah Casey, are you retarded? We hung out yesterday. For like the entire night. The fuck dude.\rdblquote  Said the bald bassist with ears that were a bit too big.\par
\par
  \ldblquote Rhei what do you think about the holes in the walls. Pretty aren\rquote t they?\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I guess.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Rhei.\rdblquote  Casey said pulling the sheet off the inebriation station. Red plastic cups cascaded onto the floor. Several cans of spray paint and boxes full of industrial markers had been stowed away beneath the table. \par
  \ldblquote Hey Rhei. Look at all these shitty logos on the walls. Don\rquote t they piss you off.\rdblquote  Casey tossed one of the cans of spray paint at Rheic\rquote s chest. He caught the can with conviction. \par
\par
  The permanent markers lost their caps. Ink slid down the walls. Rheic was entranced. Detailed feathers and stylized fingers. Window frames that drifted upward to become crosses in the sky. A whole scene that started where the eye would first fall. It was sublime- divine. Inspired by the holy elements at were out of view, Martian streets they\rquote d seen a million times but never noticed. An X-ray of what things could be and what they were. With every little twist of his hand a thousand words poured into an inch. He was there all night. The rest of them sat on the floor observing. Chemicals danced between their eyes and marveled in wonder at what Rheic could do.\par
\par
Rheic blinked in disbelief at the beauty he had rot upon the wall. Casey walked over and stood beside him. \par
\ldblquote You look surprised.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I didn\rquote t know I could do this.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote dude are you fucking with me this is all you ever do.\rdblquote\par
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_____________________________________________________________________________________\par
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\pard\nowidctlpar\qc\par
\pard\nowidctlpar   A red convertible sped down an empty highway. Desert blurred on beyond both sides of the dash board. Approaching 300 miles per hour. The radio blaired \ldblquote chaos in blue\rdblquote  - saxophone and sideways base. Lance was bridging the gap between nowhere and anywhere. Approaching large mounds of raw metals, large asteroids tackled and brought down long ago to increase the gravity. Between long stretches of nothing he\rquote d find small groupings of trailers here and there. Towns that depended on a single gas station for coin. Strange people, down trodden Martians who\rquote d had enough of the violence in Echo city. \par
  Most things didn\rquote t live natural on Mars. A few bugs and the odd alien from earth took well enough. The moths had shrunk, such was rapid evolution. The air was this and it got even thinner out in the open. He\rquote s stopped to see the sights. Big vats of green sludge that made life possible. Wide mines that sank deep into the earth and boiled with black smog. It was on an after noon like this, with the great heat lamp in the sky cooked the monkeys in their metal huts that Lance had penned the majority of his novel. His work was coming to a close. The wind ripped into his unkempt hair and smashed against his sun glasses. \par
  \i How do I end this. \i0 He smacked his thumb against the steering wheel in rhythm with the jazz on blast. He adjusted the mirror. He became distracted by his reflection. Wordlessly approved of his new leather jacket.  Long ago Lance had ditched the lose fitting sweat pants for boot cut jeans, a more recent acquisition at the time- the heavy boots that went with them - slammed to the floor along with the accelerator. \i All I can see is poems. Where is this all supposed to go? \i0 The engine burned with anger. A road sign passed by to quickly to read. The holographic dashboard projected a snap shot of it next to the bobbling head of a hula girl. \par
  The convertible lowered its inertial dampeners and the air around Lance depressurized. The car rolled to a stop. His hair stuck up in a strange way, something between a pompadour cut and Einstein. He pushed the trigger on the green handle of the gas pump. Squinted his eyes as he took of his sunglasses and peering into the endless sands of the wasteland. \i This place doesn\rquote t look to different from Carino Gato. \i0 He thought. Aside from the human behind the counter it was essentially the same place. He took a red coin out of his jacket pocket and got back seven silver ones.\par
  \ldblquote A lot of people come through this way?\rdblquote  He asked the man behind the counter. \par
  \ldblquote Just enough to justify it. This place I mean.\rdblquote  The man raised his hands and gestured at the walls. \par
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_____________________________________________________________________________________\par
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  Coin clatter against the tray and lights blared next to the slot machine. Blue spot lights drifted over the leopard print rug- blasted through cigar smoke. The room was wide and the ceiling was high. Dry ice made ghostly mist spill around the stripers and arcade cabinets. Low vibrations droned- shook the vodka inside their drinks. Between the dance floor and a wall of nuclear liquors the four of them obnoxiously slurred their words. Serpent seeds splashed into Rheic\rquote s martini. An arm came over his shoulder. A smiling face shouted. \par
  As the bathroom door shut the decibel level decreased. Darren unzipped his fly and began to whistle. Someone turned the knob to the faucet- water sprayed into the sink. Darren\rquote s eye\rquote s became dull as he remembered a ghost. Urine trickled into the urinal. He stood there holding himself long after it stopped. The sound punched back into the bathroom and then the door shut. It was relatively quiet again. He was alone. \par
  \par
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\pard\nowidctlpar\qc Chapter Twelve \par
\par
Teeth \par
\par
\pard\nowidctlpar   His foot came up slightly off the ground. The wind up. The pitch. Glass against concrete. The others cheered. Casey whipped another empty bottle against the concrete wall. Rheic watched two of them place dice beside his shoe laces. He got comfortable against the guard rail. Looked up and sighed. Another batch of glass shattered onto the pile. Primal cheering. \ldblquote You smell like tacos.\rdblquote  Blondie said. \i God its so hot during the day. Why do we even bother coming out when the sun is up. \i0\ldblquote Hey? Did you hear me? Hello? You there?\rdblquote  \par
  It was then Rheic turned and marched away from it all. Shadows leaked onto graphite and dumpsters. The shade in the narrow alley was refreshing and apparently he wasn\rquote t the only one who\rquote d thought as much. A man with a truckers hat tipped over his nose snored loudly as Rheic sluggishly made his way past. His Com-Card beeped. Rheic let it drop from his pocket and snap against the pavement. He kept walking. \i It\rquote s too hot.\i0\par
  He went underground. Loitered in the metro, trying to get as close to the air conditions as he could. The cool air from the vent made the sweat on his neck feel like ice. He closed his eyes in solace and serenity. When he later looked at the map of metro stops, a very confusing looking thing- he\rquote d resolve to go to the martian coast. He thought it odd he\rquote d never been there before. Thought it even stranger that nobody had ever said anything about it. \i Every day. A perfect day to go to the beach. Up here. \par
  \i0 Like one piece of a school of fish Rheic was pushed along by the large crowds. He was spat out from the metro terminal, bounced about like a pin ball trying to find his way to the ocean. The endless forest of steel obelisks gave way to a more open sky and bit by bit the roof tops split apart. The stone streets fell away from the sand and after the last clusters of power lines had been walked under and the last corner was turned Rheic stood before blood red water. Waves crashed. A monochromatic painting. Only slight difference in the shade of cherry delineated the sea from the sky. \par
  Gods tongue moved that water. The throat of Mars. Strange shelled parasites skittered about in slow motion. \i The crabs look like monsters up here. \i0 The beach smelled strange. Smelled like the inside of a box of new electronics. \i It\rquote s like this place had been vacuum sealed. Fresh but nostalgic at the same time. I want to go in there. Just. Jump in. Enter. \i0 The water felt cool as it pooled around his feet. It felt viscous- more than water should. He learned fairly quickly that he couldn\rquote t swim through it. He march into the waves. Found that he didn\rquote t float. Realized why no one made a priority out of the martian coast. \par
  He made it back out. Near death experiences didn\rquote t much phase Rheic at this point. Found a vending machine that dispensed bottles of beer. Had the idea to grab some pens and paper while he was at it. He thought its funny that shops by the sea had a Hawaiian theme about them. He\rquote d seen some people wearing seashell necklaces, bars with cocoa nut logos. Out of everywhere he\rquote d been in this city, all the strange and surrereal sets to where the theater of fourth planet played out- the only quiet place he\rquote d seen yet had been the coast. It was abandoned, wholly and completely. Horse shoe crabs. Disgusting creatures. They politely turned over the grains of red dust. They tended to approach if one did not move for to long. Disgusting things- probing their surroundings. Blind and of one mind. \par
  So it was that Rheic found it more convenient to keep walking as he drank his beer. He circled the edge and lost himself in the sound of water. He felt a bit more put together here. It seemed familiar. \i Home. \i0 He got lost while still knowing where he was. The whole day floated away. He wrote a poem. Put it inside an empty bottle and tossed it into the blood. It sank immediately. He turned away from it all and journeyed back to his apartment. In the night his weary feet signaled to his brain that they were in great pain. It went unnoticed. His shoes slammed against the stair case. Some blood found its way onto his shoe laces. He turned the key he\rquote d been given by Marquis. Stumbled down into his bed.\par
  \ldblquote I barely even know you! Don\rquote t say shit like that to me!\rdblquote  Casey yelled beyond the wall. \par
  \ldblquote If I was young like you, you know what I\rquote d do?\rdblquote  Darren\rquote s low voice came through a bit more muffled. \par
  \ldblquote No! I don\rquote t care either! Why are you still hanging about here! Look at that watch!\rdblquote\par
  They we\rquote re yelling about something Rheic didn\rquote t know or care to know about. This persisted for hours. Exhaustion makes for a good sleep aid though and in his dreams their disagreements became increasingly non-senseical. Faint visions of a wide cup glass cup of whiskey twisted in his dream. Abstract things words can never describe along side those disgusting crab like creatures. An eclipse over the ocean. Then a fever dream that repeats at noisome. \i We\rquote re going to Mars. We\rquote re going to Mars. \i0 Repeat. Slightly different instances and people he barely remembered. They said it over and over until he forced himself to wake. He woke during that extra fourty minutes before the sun rise. \par
  He realized the state he was in when he stood up. It was like something had been eating him from the bottom up. His feet stung with every slight contact and tap against the floor. A very incontinent place to be sore. He limped and hopped to the shower in the corner of his open loft. Dark coagulated mess chipped off- flaked off- and crumbled off into the drain. Steam rose as he sighed. Sat down in the hot mist. He moaned and groaned. There was the slight understanding that he\rquote d drank six beers. There was a revelation. He understood in no uncertain terms that he had a sun burn across- well, everything but his legs. \par
  Normally at this time of day he\rquote d have been notified by his Com-Card that things needed to be done. He needed to put on a pink hat. Needed money for cheap drugs which he\rquote d get in large quantities. There was a stack of gold and silver coin on his dresser. He didn\rquote t live cheap all things considered but he\rquote d often forget to eat. There was very little in the room. All his luxuries were able to be enjoyed standing up and with good luck they\rquote d send him to the ground. He\rquote d come to hope as much. He ate socially and slept in narcotics. Nothing to heavy be martian standards. He was still alive. \par
  Knock. Knock. Knock.\par
  \ldblquote Rhei!? You in there?\rdblquote  The door open a smidge. Rheics tired left eye peered out at Casey. \par
  \ldblquote Yes.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote We tried calling you. We went to the Strip-Cade. Winston got so wasted dude.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote Yeah.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote You look like shit dude. What happened.\rdblquote\par
  \ldblquote I got a sun burn. At.\rdblquote  Rheic closed the door. \par
  \ldblquote Hey!\rdblquote  Knock. Knock. Knock. \par
  Rheic slept until the moons were out. Slept until his bones rebelled against it. \i God I hate this. \i0 He puked. Bile from an empty stomach. He hugged the toilet. A bird squawked. People ran up and down the stairs. He reached for a cup of water on his night stand. The door opened. Keys clicked against each other as Marquis turned on a flash light. \ldblquote Uhg. God. What are you doing?\rdblquote  Rheic put a hand in front of his face to hide his eyes from the MAG light. \par
  \ldblquote You ok kid?\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote Uhg. Y-yeah. Turn that thing off.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote The walls are thin. Sounds like you\rquote re hating life.\rdblquote  \par
  \ldblquote I am.\rdblquote  The flash light went dark. \par
  \ldblquote Well then.\rdblquote  Said Marquis. \ldblquote Maybe I can help.\rdblquote  The old man flicked the light switch. Rheic groaned.\par
\ldblquote Holy shit.\rdblquote  The sheets were stained red around his feet. His ribs were showing. \ldblquote Jesus Christ Rheic.\rdblquote  \par
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