With a swing of one vinyl clad arm, Tom found his outstretched hand holding a bottle of beer. With another motion, Rocky found himself leaning back, arms wide and quickly filled with Deb as she perched on his lap.  Another slow, silent, swing of the body, and her legs were up, and resting on Tom’s lap, one leg hanging on the corner of the table, the other vanishing beneath it.  She leaned back against Rocky and took a long pull on her beer, eyes locked to Tom’s, her sparkling orbs smiling as much as her lips ever could.

Tom blushed momentarily, then looked back to Rocky’s amused face.  “So, as I was saying, it’s not fair to compare the Kinks to the Triumphants. 75 years apart, completely different technology, society, and morality.  Yeah, they sound the same.  But they got there different ways.”

The rest of the table waited a moment, then, when it was obvious Tom wasn’t going to react further to Deb’s behavior, the conversation picked back up where it left off.  Deb simply sat there, drinking and smiling, until Rocky looked up at the stage, his bandmates calling to him.

“Whoops, intermission’s over.”  Rocky stood suddenly, and in a flash of motion, Deb stood in front of him, still sipping from her bottle.  He motioned towards the chair just vacated. “Your throne, my lady.”  Deborah grinned widely and winked at him, sitting down and putting her feet back in Tom’s lap as Rocky headed towards the shade, shaking his head back and forth slightly.

The night flowed on, Tom enjoying the music, sneaking glances now and then at the long legs resting against him.  As further bottles of beer were emptied, he dimly noticed that Deborah’s chair inched closer and closer to his, and the feet in his lap became calfs, then shins, until her knees were hooked on the edge of his leg, feet dangling free to his other side.  He looked down again to grab what seemed to him to be a coy glance, and was shocked to see a hand resting on her knee.  Following the arm, he realized it was his own, and darted his gaze sideways at her face.  Deb was watching the stage, then, as if feeling his eyes upon her, slowly turned to catch his eyes in her own.  She made an exaggerated motion with her eyes of looking at his hand, then back up to his eyes. She winked at him, and then stretched backward over her chair, vinyl creaking as it bent.  Tom quickly looked back to the stage and drained his beer, but left his hand on her knee, giving it a firm squeeze.

Quite suddenly, it seemed to Tom, the band was thanking the audience for coming while cheers and catcalls erupted from the bar, and the pressure on his lap was suddenly absent.  He rose slowly to his feet, realizing that he was a bit drunker than he had intended to get.  A hand came from the corner of his vision, to steady him from behind his shoulder.

“Tom, you okay?”  He looked over to Deborah’s concerned face, peering back into his eyes.

“Yeah, thanks.  Been … too long shince I went drinking. ” Tom winced as he realized he was slurring a little.

“Well, you stay here a minute.  I’m going to chat with Rocky, then we’ll head out.  Hey, Kat, get him a glass of water, will you?”

“I’m fine, just a bit tipsy!”  Tom stood for a minute, clearing his head as the crowd cleared from the bar. Looking around, he spotted Deb up on stage, leaned over the bass drum, talking to Rocky.  He mused to himself,  “Hmm, she leans over any farther, we’ll all know if she’s wearing anything under that vinyl.”

“So, you need someone to help you handle your sticks later?” Deb stuck the tip of her tongue out at Rocky, breasts perched on the edge of the clear plastic sound shield that prevented his drums from over-powering the other musicians.

“Shit Deb, you’re hornier than usual.  And no fair using heat on me like that when you were on my lap.  Had to keep a straight face with Tom at the table. “  Rocky looked around the bar at the crowd clearing out.  “That suit disappeared during intermission.  Any connection with that and your crotch being wetter’n usual?”

“He’s Commonwealth intel.  Well, he was Commonwealth intel.”

“Crapinahat Deborah. He disappears here, and.”

Deborah cut him off with a finger to his lips. “He knew my name. He was following me specifically. Which Phoenix expected to happen. We WANT them focusing on me, remember. But that means we have to watch ourselves away from the office. We’re going to arrange his body, make it look like he died on the toilet. Like that classic jazz guy, Elven, was it? They’ll suspect I was involved, sure, but no blame on the building. ”

Rocky sat there a few moments, digesting the new plan.  “Fine. But I’ma telling you, you keep getting yourself turned ON over flaming people, and I’m going to start getting turned off by it. ”

Deborah gave Rocky a skeptical look. “I doubt anything could take the wind out of YOUR sails, my pet. And you found it cute when I toasted the grunts that were after you in Loomis.”

He grunted once, and began breaking down his drum kit, packing pieces into a large case.

*******************

Tom watched Deb for a moment, until a large object filled his vision.  A blurry moment later, and he recognized a large mug of water.  His eyes followed the handle to the hand wrapped around it, and further back, to an arm, a shoulder, and then a face.

Katrina stared him in the eyes, a worried look evident. “Hey Tom, have some water. ”

Tom started to protest, then took the mug, knodding. “Just like work, do what Deb says, right?” He lifted the mug, draining it quickly. He lowered the glass, and realized the girl was still staring at him.  “What?”

Katrina bit her lower lip, nose trembling slightly.  She looked briefly over at where Deb and Rocky were bantering, then back at Tom.  In a quick motion, she was up against him, her cheek on his chest, her hand on his cheek.  He felt a barest puff of wind across his hair, but it vanished as fast as it occurred.

“Just…  If you ever get tired of Deb jerking you around, come talk to me, okay?  You’re sweet. I like that. I’d hate to see you ruined. ”

Tom tried to think of something to say, and was still scrambling for words a minute later when Deb returned.

“You ready?”

Tom looked around, realizing the bar was empty, and he was alone. “I, uh, where’s Katrina?  I mean, yeah. I need some sleep, let’s go. ”

Sam sighed and snuggled back into the pillows, allowing the darkness to swallow her anxiety.  This place, this cramped, dark place was her refuge.  The rest of her apartment was decorated with Church approved junk and a life size painting of The Prophet. Every time she looked at it she wanted to gag.

But the Church had power, and a lot of it.  They also had eyes everywhere. Sam knew for a fact they were watching her closely.  So at the end of a mind-numbing day she would crawl into her old-fashioned closet and try to block out the rampant hypocrisy she was steeped in.  Today it wasn’t working very well.  She had almost been caught today.

It was just one mistake, just a tiny one too.  The basement where Sam worked was hot and stuffy, airless.  She sent a cool damp breeze across the back of her neck for some relief.  It wasn’t even a conscious decision, just the habit of years of using her minor abilities.

Her gently wafting hair caught the eye of one of the Treasures though.  He had stared at her for the rest of her shift. There certainly wasn’t a breeze anywhere else in the room.  Sam’s hair was the only thing moving in the stone hellhole she worked in.  Everyone else was glued, motionless, to their monitors.

Mr. Frankel, Treasurer, continued to stare at Sam for the next five hours, eyes boring holes in the crown of her bent head.  Sam didn’t have a problem feeling hot the rest of her shift, she was chilled to her core with fear.

It was too out of place, to obvious.  What the hell was I thinking?  Sam berated herself for the thousandth time, blonde brows furrowed in consternation.  Do you have any idea what they will do to you if they find out?  God…stupid stupid stupid.

A soft, almost subliminal, beeping drug Sam out of her reverie and pulled her to feet.  The computer was still beeping an incoming call when she realized what time it was.  She was late.  Again.  Sam took the call from the nurse and assured her that she was on her way and was sorry for running late.

Sam hopped an automated taxi and gritted her teeth through the tinny, static filled music all the way to the high-tech, state of the art nursing home that mother currently resided in.  The taxi was air-conditioned to near arctic temperature, raising goose bumps on her soft arms and causing her to wish for just a second that she was a Fire instead of a Double Water/Air.

Sam forced a smile to stretch her stiff, chilled lips as she made her way through security and down the corridors to her mother’s room.  The nurse waiting there smiled and beckoned her into the room, closing the door after her.

“Phoenix is getting impatient Samantha.  You haven’t gathered any intelligence that is at all worth the risk of your placement or your mother’s care.”   The nurse’s cold, dark eyes rained disapproval in icy sheets.  Sam steadily stared at his eyes until he dropped them to her mother’s still form.

“I told you, the Church is not trusting.  It will take time.  And if you want to be sure to get the information without an audience you need to keep Mom here.  This place, this equipment is the only thing assuring that no one listens to us.”  Sam’s eyes narrowed a bit.
“So keep threatening me Mike, and I’ll fucking quit risking my life for your precious intel.”  Mike’s hands stilled on the I.V. he had been changing.  He looked back up at Sam and waited.  It took a few minutes, but she eventually calmed down enough to sit on the edge of her mother’s bed.

With her eyes closed Sam recited every document she read in the last three days concerning the spending habits of the Church.  It took almost four hours.  By the time she was done, visiting hours were over and she didn’t get a chance to read to her mother.  Again.

The ride home was quiet and hot, summer air heavy with the promise of rain that would never come.  Sam didn’t smile again for the rest of the week.

The rest of the summer flew by with little in the way of attention from Sam as she spent everything she had trying to impress her boss.  By the time autumn arrived with a loud and blustery storm she had her own office on the Treasury floor of the the Church’s mega-plex.  She had access to everything that Phoenix needed and more.

But the cost was high.  Sam had never been more miserable in her entire life.  She loved Phoenix, and would do anything to help the cause.  But she was completely cut off from others like herself, she never got to spend any real time with her mother and she hadn’t gotten laid in almost seven months.

All these things occupied Sam’s thoughts as she trudged home to her new apartment, three blocks from work.  She walked through the wind, not registering anything at all about her surroundings until her feet stopped moving.

Sam blinked down at her feet in surprise and tried to lift her left foot out of the hole it had disappeared into.  But the ground closed over her foot and she started to sink.   Sam barely had time to wrap a bubble of air around her as she was pulled into the earth.  Then everything went dark, she could feel herself being pulled through solid stone and then, within just a few seconds she was in a cave.

She looked around and realized it wasn’t exactly a cave, as there was no way in or out and it was a perfect sphere.  The air was crisp, and oddly fresh.  Small chemical light sticks illuminated the rock walls and cast sickly green shadows over a form seated on the floor in the very center of the…space.

Carefully, slowly, Sam began searching for water to bring through the rock.
“I wouldn’t waste my energy were I you.  I planned this place very carefully.  Your powers are known to us.”  The man seated in the middle of the floor uncrossed his legs and stood up.  He rose slowly, towering over Sam’s tiny five foot frame.

The man straightened to his full height, looming over a foot taller than Sam, his broad shoulders bare and rippling almost obscenely with muscle. His long, dark hair was gathered in a club at the back of his neck and he was completely naked.

“Who are you?  I know most of us, and I don’t know you.”  Sam kept her voice calm and quiet as she assessed the situation, mind working furiously trying to a figure a way out of this hole in the ground.

The man chuckled softly.  “You may call me Quake, Samantha.  You are going to be a message to Phoenix for me.  Please convey that I will no longer tolerate any encroachment on my territory.  I will no longer look the other way when Phoenix attempts to sway my people away from me.”

She was shocked when the fist flew at her face out of nowhere.  Sam had never been hit.  Not a single time in her life had she ever been involved in anything thing violent. She wasn’t prepared for the blinding pain that accompanied her breaking nose as she crumpled to the ground.

Sam barely had time to react before he hit her again, this time kicking her in the stomach.  That jolted her out of her shock and she rolled towards him, catching him by surprise as she bit his calf.

Quake swore and kicked at Sam again, and then lifted her to her feet.  He ignored her biting, kicking, and scratching as he methodically and calmly beat her.  He was careful to keep her too stunned and off balance to reach for her power.  When she was nearly unconscious he tossed her to the floor, and ripped her dress off in powerful motion.

The last thing Sam heard as he thrust himself into her body was Quake whispering “Give Phoenix my regards Samantha.”

Timothy Rhodes was more than a little surprised when the lump near the back of the tunnel he was surveying turned out to be a naked woman.  She was covered head to toe with bruises and blood.  Tim knelt next to her and fumbled around with her wrist, trying to find a pulse like he’d seen people on vid do.  But her wrist flopped strangely and she whimpered.

He swore and ripped off his jacket, laying it carefully over her.  He stared for a minute, trying to decide what to do, he couldn’t make any calls this deep underground, but he obviously couldn’t move her either.

The woman’s lips parted and she moaned again, blood frothing up from between her lips.  Tim turned and ran for the nearest street access tunnel.  They were almost directly under a hospital, paramedics would be quick.

Sam blinked, and it hurt.  The light was blindingly harsh and shining right through her eyelids.  There was an unfamiliar cacophony of noise somewhere far away in the background, and everything hurt.  She was thirsty, and someone was rolling her on a bed through a cold hallway.  People were yelling for “whole blood” and someone was strapping her head to a board.

The noise and light faded away with Sam’s consciousness, as she was drifting away she heard a familiar voice crying.  Just before everything went black again she realized with faint surprise that it was her.

Time had no meaning for Sam as she drifted in and out of awareness until one day she recognized a face hovering over her.  “Mike?” She croaked, voice rusty with disuse.

Mike smiled down at her and brushed her hair away from her blackened eyes.  “Hey there, you’re gonna be just fine.  I flew in from Dallas, when your picture made it on the news.”  Mike gently lifted Sam up so she could sip from an ugly pink plastic cup.

Sam frowned at him.  “What do you mean ‘flew in’?  Where am I, what happened?”

Mike sighed and sat down at the edge of her hospital bed.  “You’re in Phoenix, Arizona at the Virgin’s Mercy hospital.  You were found in some tunnels under the hospital.  You went missing, and then a few weeks ago the Phoenix police put your picture in a news bulletin to try and get someone to ID you.”  He reached out and picked up her hand, careful with the cast.

Mike sighed again and looked at her closely, wondering if he had the strength to tell her the rest.  He knew she wasn’t going to want to hear it, and it might panic her.  And Mike couldn’t risk losing her.  He knew she hated him, but that wasn’t what he felt for her.

“Who was it Sam, who did this to you? “He asked as gently as he could.

Sam was rather shocked when all the blood drained out of Mike’s face and his pupils dilated in sheer terror when she answered “Quake.”  She blinked in surprise when he dropped her hand and practically leapt out of the room.

Sam was left rather stunned.  Mike obviously knew who this “Quake” guy was, even though she’d never heard of him. And Quake scared the crap out of him.   That seemed just wrong, somehow.  Mike had always sort of scared her.  To see him scared of anybody made her guts liquefy.

She knew that Quake would always scare her, but after what he did, no one could expect anything else….right?  Tears began to roll down Sam’s cheeks as she remembered, in bits and pieces the terrifying days she had spent underground at the mercy of a literal madman.

She started to try to wrap her arms around herself in a familiar gesture of self-comfort.  Sam looked down and realized her belly was gently swollen and rounded.  And a trickle of horror wormed it’s way into her heart.

APRIL FOOLS!

This wonderful interlude is part of a group April 1st gag where several of us authors wrote for each other. You can see the full listing of trade offs and guest posts HERE.

This dark and dreary bit is written by Dream Fantastic’s own Cassandra Stryffe , writer of Zombie Diapers.

My own gag story is up on the site of the incomparable Craig Pierce, writer of Word cereal, a flash fiction site where every update is 600 words or less. And as you all know, I’m a wordy bastard, so staying within that limit was a challenge and a chore, but a delightful one. Go read his stuff, hats off to him for keeping to the format!

Rocky smiled wide, and sat in the seat that Deb had just abandoned. “Thank you Tom. Hopefully you really like it when we play my songs, next!” He reached out and snagged a glass that Kat held out to him, draining it in a swoop, and thumping it back to the table. Ice rattled in the glass, counterpoint to Rocky belching. “Ahh, that hit the spot, Windy! Thanks.”

Across the bar, the suited gentleman slipped into the men’s room, a ruby and emerald shadow right behind him.

The faded and worn wooden motif vanished just past the door painted “Gents”.  Inside, the bathroom was tiled floor to ceiling in inch wide tiles, reds and oranges making patterns reminiscent of flame, dark blue tiles forming lines and spaces.  Deborah walked in to see the suited man checking the last of two stalls, making sure he was alone.  He turned towards the sound of the door closing, one hand reaching underneath his jacket for something. Sky blue eyes shone out from a chiseled face.  Marks on his nose spoke of wearing reading glasses, and his sandy hair was closely cropped.  His frame under the tailored suit spoke of toned muscles, but little real bulk.

“Just about to make a call, were you?”  Deborah’s voice rang from the tile, her contralto voice pleasant and friendly, the gleam in her eyes dangerous and deadly.  With a practiced motion, she reached behind her and pushed a tile, which recessed, then slid around as she manipulated it up and down in tiny motions, then left and right, back and forth.  with a snap, a hidden deadbolt sealed the door.   “Did your superiors REALLY think you would be able to just waltz in here?”

The suit slowly pulled his hand out of his jacket pocket, holding both hands open at his shoulders.  He smiled, white teeth gleaming, a practiced move obviously designed to make him seem friendly and harmless. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.  What superiors?  And..  you are aware this is a MEN’S bathroom, right?”

“Hasn’t ever stopped me before, sugar. And don’t play innocent.” Deborah smiled up at him, a predatory grin, the lion smiling to the zebra moments before the claws fall down.  With every word, she slowly stalked closer to him, sliding across the tile floor, body gyrating back and forth, rippling under the skin tight vinyl.  ” You can pretend to just be a random person walking into the bar for the crowd all you want.  They’ll all ogle the Church man, and go back to the music. But I know better.  I know your kind.   Probably Commonwealth.  Union would be wearing black, they’re a stickler for black.  So I ask myself, what would a Commonwealth agent be doing here?”  Deborah drew herself the last half step, coming face to face with the man.  She stood for a moment, eyes boring into his. Her voice dropped to a husky near whisper. “I can only think of myself.  And as much as I flatter myself, I’m sure you’re not here for my luscious ass. So lets try again. “  In a breath her voice snapped from sultry to threatening. “Who are you, and what do you want?”

The man gulped, stepping back from Deborah.  “I, uh.  Hell.  Special Agent Dan Jamal, North American Commonwealth counter-terrorism task force. ”

“Counter-terrorism.  Lovely.  So you’ve come looking for Phoenician Alliance?”  She posed, arms spread wide.  “You’ve found us.”

Agent Jamal’s eyes widened.  “Miss Stryker, are you certain you want to say that without an advocate present?”

Deborah’s predatory grin widened further. “Why I do declare!  Miss Stryker is it? So you DID come looking for me?  I’m flattered”

“Well, not just you.  I have several, I mean… Uhh.  Is it getting hot in here?”  Agent Jamal pulled at his tie, sweat starting to break out on his brow.  He blinked a few times, the air rolling and twisting around Deborah.

“Oh, that would be me.  Getting a little hot under the collar.  You see, we own this bar, it’s our primary hangout.  We used our influence to zone and build it.  We meet here. The Phoenician Alliance head brass are here tonight, having a gay old time. And you waltz in to hunt us down? That just… burns me. ”

The agent thrust his hand back into his jacket, snapping free a small black snubnose pistol.  A light whine filled the room, and the muzzle of the weapon lit up red and gleaming.  “Freeze right there.  Deborah Stryker, you are under arrest for terrorism and acts against the Commonwealth.  Place your hands above your…  your head and… “  Jamal trailed off as Deborah began laughing.

“Seriously?  A disruptor? You’re going to aim a weapon at me now?  You should know, I can tell you everything.  But you’ll never pass the information along.  It’s one of those, I could tell you, but then, I have to kill you kind of things. “  As she said “kill”, Deborah held her hands out to her side at chest level.  Bright orange flames danced from her palms, blue white tips licking upwards along the balls of fire.

“Archibald.”  With a single word, Agent Jamal smiled at Deborah, his face oozing smug.  His suit puffed up with a loud pop, then deflated with a hiss, the air around him shimmering for a moment.

Deborah paused for a moment, then backed away. “What… what was that?”

“You really think I would come looking for your kind without being prepared.  The fog that was just dispersed prevents the manipulation of the elements that your kind does. Nitrogen stays nitrogen, carbon dioxide stays carbon dioxide, and your wonderful trick of making flammable gases in the air won’t work.  Go ahead, try and burn me down. ”

Deborah stared at the agent long moments, then made a motion towards him.  Her right hand outstretched, the flame stretched out towards him, a burning whip.  It stopped a few feet from him, guttering against empty air.  After a moment, the flames faded.  Deborah made a motion of wiping her hands against her clothes, the vinyl squeaking with the contact.  “Interesting.  That means you have more information about the Phoenix Project then we thought still existed.  Very interesting.  Unfortunately for you, your information is a little… outdated. ”

“Really? Outdated?”  The agent kept his gun trained on her, not budging an inch while talking.

“Yes, outdated.  Manipulating the gasses in the air, that was the Progenitor’s power.  We’ve… evolved in the last hundred and eighty years.”

“Evolved? Evolution is God’s way of allowing his creations to better themselves.  You are an aberration,  a laboratory accident that should have burned with the rest of the hell hole that spawned you. ”

“Yes, evolution.  It may be guided by man, but better we have become.  Some of us can do more than just burn the air. “  She pointed her index finger at his head, and the gun wavered for a moment, then came back on target.   “We control heat, friction, the very elemental forces of fire. We can do amazing things with it too. ”

Agent Jamal blinked, then blinked again.  His face started turning red, and his cheek began pulsing with a nervous twitch.  “Wha… What are you..”

“Heating up a small section of your brain.  Looks like a stroke. Amazing use of power.  Subtle, which fire usually isn’t.  Ohh, don’t bother trying to talk.”  She kept smiling as he burbled and made random noises, his eyes rolling back in his head. After a moment, the gun went slack in his hand, then fell with a clatter to the ground, followed quickly by the agent’s lifeless body. A thin whisp of smoke escaped from his ear, dissipating in the open air.   Deborah lowered her hand, then walked over to a blank section of wall.  With a deft press and a flicker of flame, several tiles slid around themselves, forming the same Phoenix logo with upswept wings that Deborah had signed her note to Tom with previously.  Pushing the logo in, an entire section of wall slid away.
Deborah dragged the body over, stuffing it into a small space behind the wall, as well as his gun.  The space closed, and manipulating another tile near the door, a loud clack echoed in the room as the deadbolt unlatched.  Deborah opened the door, and smiled at the waiting line.  “All yours boys.”  Ignoring the stares and catcalls, she worked her way over to the bar.

“Jimmy, two beers please.”  The addressed bartender nodded, and filled the bottles.  “Also, the hidey hole needs cleaning.”  He nodded again, handing her the bottles, pausing a moment to watch her walk away before addressing the next customer in line.

“And when the flames climb into the night,
And evil’s power grows in his delight,
Remember how you wouldn’t fiiiggght!”

Reaching the table, Tom set a beer in front of Deb, who looked up at him, smiling. “Thank you kind sir. I saved you a seat. ” She motioned to the empty wooden chair sitting next to her. Tom saluted her with his beer, and sat, looking around the table. “Tom, you know Katrina. This is Paul, he’s with the Governor’s office, Shorty works in the Archives, and Veronica works for Phelco.” As each were introduced they nodded or waved, and Tom tipped his beer in return.

Tom turned his attention to the band, letting the small talk wash around him. A guitarist, a bassist, a keyboard player, a horn player, and the unmistakable Rocky on the drums danced and moved around on a stage overloaded with smoke and lights, appearing and disappearing like ghosts in thick clouds. Tom nodded along with the music, taking sips from his beer. Song over, the lead guitarist stepped up to the front of the stage amid waves of applause and catcalls. He touched something at his waist, and the fog and clouds mostly vanished, visual effects from projectors hidden in the stage.

“Thank you everyone, thank you! Glad you’re enjoying the show. We’ve got one more we’d like to do, a cover of Green Day’s “The world didn’t end”, and then we’ll take a quick break and give you a treat, some original music!” He stepped back among the rest of the group, fingers flying over the strings as the opening riff to the iconic song cut through the conversing crowd.

Tom leaned over to Deb. “Man, they seem big on the pre-Interregnum music. Not complaining, mind you. ”

Deb chuckled, and drained her beer with a flourish. “Yeah, that’s a theme for the venue as a whole, my Tom cat. A lot of the people here would like to pretend that the Prophet never came to be. Hell, if it weren’t for the law REQUIRING it, they wouldn’t even have… the… Church appr…. HOLY SHIT. ” Deb trailed off, bottle slack in her hand as she roughly pointed back towards the bar. Her final exclamation, while not loud, carried a tone with it that caught the ears, and Tom found himself one of many at both their table and the tables around them swiveling to look in that direction. Muttering and exclamations from those looking caught the further attention of other patrons, and in moments the entire bar was staring at a single man standing at the Church Approved Bar. He collected a mixed drink of some kind from the bartender, whose face warred between amusement and horror. He took a sip, smiled, and dropped a large coin on the counter, then turned.

Halfway around, he froze, realizing that all eyes were on him. He continued turning, looking over the crowd, meeting people’s eyes, and one by one people turned back to the band that played on, blissfully unaware of the scene. Upon reaching their table, the man stopped a moment, looking just past Tom. Tom turned slightly, realizing that he was locking gazes with Deborah. He looked back to see that the man had finished his circuit of the room, and now only he and Deb remained looking at the man. Confused, Tom mentally shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the music, taking a few gulps from his beer. A moment later, Deb did the same.

As the song wound down, Rocky stood, and the musicians unlimbered their instruments. “Thank you Titty Twister! Again, we’re Andromodeian! We’re going to take ten, then come back to rock your faces off!”

Rocky came down off the stage, and made a beeline for their table, grinning ear to ear. Deb stood. “Excuse me, I need to use the little girls’ room. Be right back. Tom, next round’s on me, I’ll grab beers on the way back. ” Tom nodded, and Deb faded into the crowd as Rocky reached their table.

The car pulled into the parking lot, dirt and gravel, cars arranged haphazardly. The slim car was easier to park than most of the vehicles, though not as easy, Tom noted, as the single aircar parked on the outskirts of the lot, its bubble top barely sticking above the baffles of the landing port, easily large enough for three more to park. The engine powered down, the windshield slid back, and Tom hopped out in two quick steps, and without thinking about it, turned and offered his hand to Deb.

“My my, chivalrous too.” Deb stood, smiling warmly at him. She took his hand and stepped down out of the car. Tom stood there a moment as she released his fingers, walking towards the building. As before, her touch brought flame to his skin, though muted compared to before. But the crackling feeling along his flesh, the tingle up his arms, was unmistakable. “Coming?”

Deb’s words brought Tom from his reverie, and he spun, following after her, and finally getting a good look at her own outfit. A deep green shawl across her shoulders, she wore a shoulderless blue vest, cut low enough to risk not holding her breasts in if she moved the wrong way. Green vinyl hugged her hips and butt, ending in a ragged cut at mid-calf, like a play on Peter Pan’s leggings. He walked a few steps behind her, enjoying the view, as she reached up and unpinned her hair. The flame red locks fell to rest just above her ass, dragging back and forth across the shining green vinyl. Deb accentuated her step in time with the swing of the hair, giving her walk some extra bounce. “Enjoy the view?”

“I’m walking back here, aren’t I? But seriously Deb, you comment on MY outfit?”

A short ramp led up a few feet to the door, the building, no longer hidden in the glare of neon, appeared to be made from wood planks, painted white. The door slid aside as they approached, and the quiet night was split with music.

“And I’ve got a peaceful, easy feeling.
And I know you won’t let me dooooowwwwn.”

Tom smiled at the well known refrain, walking in a step behind Deb. The bar was dimly light, lights filtered by smoke and haze swirling through the room. He quickly saw from a scan of the crowd that his zipper would stand out, but Deb’s clothing fit right in. Tight leather and vinyl seemed the norm, mostly in pre Interregnum styles of cut, imitating clothes more traditionally made from cloth.

“Tom, grab me a beer will you? Anything.” With that, Deb slid past a couple of conversing people, towards a table near the stage where someone sat, waving at her. Looking around, Tom quickly found the bar, and headed over. Two bartenders were busy making drinks and filling bottles, while a third stood silently in front of a collection of silver labeled bottles and cans. A logo of a crown and scepter adorned each, with the words, Church Approved, stamped beneath. Coming up to the bartenders, Tom help up two fingers.

“A pair of Peaks, please.” He typed in his personal code at the register, presented his thumb to the scanner. A light lit green, and the machine gave a tone. The bartender pulled two empty amber bottles from a freezer beneath the taps, and put them in place. A press of a switch, and the plastic bottles filled. Tom took the bottles from the bartender and started winding his way towards the table Deb had gone too.

Deciding to learn his neighborhood, even if he hoped to move in a few months, Tom spent most of the day wandering the few blocks around him. Discovering a used furniture store in his building, he made a few purchases and set them to be delivered to his apartment. Some shelving to actual store things on, a dresser for the non hanging clothes. Wood tones had come back in style a decade ago for all of a year, so both pieces were artificial wood, as were all the cheap pieces for sale.

Soon enough, seven o’clock rolled around, finding Tom sitting on his bed, waiting for Deb. Shortly after the hour, a chirp on his phone grabbed his attention, a simple text. “Here, at south entrance.”

Checking himself in the mirror, he quickly headed downstairs. Out on the street, Tom started looking for Deb, worried suddenly that he was on the wrong side of the building. A short toot drew his attention to a slim car parked near him. The shaded canopy drew back, revealing 3 seats in-line, the front one spilling over with red hair. “Tom, over here”. Looking him over as he walked to the, Deb brought a small blush to his cheeks as she wolf whistled loudly. ” A zipper? I didn’t pick you for a man who would own a zipper.”

Tom rubbed his hands self-consciously down the front of his outfit. Composed of randomly cut panels of black, red, brown, and white leather held together with what appeared to be dozens of zippers, the suit certainly stood out “Well, he said fresh rock, so I assumed…”

Deborah smiled, her eyes sparkling with barely contained mirth. “Well, good guess, but the bar itself is a little bit country, a little bit NuJu underground. But you won’t stand out too much. Hop in.”

Tom climbed up onto the steps on the side of the car, and swung into the middle seat, noticing the back seat was filled with a couple of boxes of folders. The canopy hissed forward, and locked down, and automatic restraints filled with air, fitting themselves to Tom’s sides and back. Deborah pulled out into the non existent traffic on manual control. A few miles later, the car moved onto the freeway, and automatics took over. Deb swung her arm over the seat back, twisting at the hip to rest her chin on her wrist, in turn resting on the back of her seat. Tom found himself staring her dead in the eye, and without a word being said, felt himself losing his thoughts in the shimmering emerald orbs. Tracing the shades and patches of colors, he wondered at the red tint to her pupils, before realizing he was staring.

Seeing his eyes focus back out, Deb grinned widely. “Please, stare. I enjoy people enjoying my eyes. ”

Tom coughed into his hand once, embarrassed. “No, I’m good, thanks. So, where are we headed to anyways?”, he asked as the car merged onto the Beeline South, dipping underground into the tunnel. Sunlight overhead disipated and the internal lights of the car took over. Streaks and stripes of different colored stone whizzed by, barely seen from the light of the car.

“Down near Casa Grande, little roadside bar called the Tittie Twister. ”

Tom coughed and nearly choked. “Seriously? A country bar in the middle of the desert called the Tittie Twister? Someone did that?”

Deb narrowed her eyebrows. “Yeah, why?”

“Old movie, “From Dusk till Dawn”. Pre Interregnum film. Had a bar by the same name, out in the desert. Turned out to be run by a group of vampires who would suck the crowd dry every now and then. ”

“PI? Where’d you watch PI films?”

“Class at school, Arts in the Interregnum, went over things that were banned by the Church, and why. Lots of interesting literature, film, music. ”

Deb made a face. “Oldy moldy not my style, mostly. But I can assure you, no one there is going to suck you dry. Well…” Her gazed panned slowly down then back up his body. “Not your neck, anyways. ”

Tom felt his face flushing. “Okay, enough is enough. Stop it Deb!”

Deborah pouted and waved her hand at her face like a fan. “Why, little ol’ me? Stop what? I did nothing!”

Tom’s face flushed further, and he knew his face was growing as red as his vision as embarrassment finally gave way to anger. “You’ve been teasing me like this since day one. It’s inappropriate, downright illegal if I decided to make a complaint, and embarrassing as hell. And I find out you have a reputation for this sort of thing, which doesn’t surprise me. ”

Deborah raised her eyebrows and tried to slip a word in, but Tom careened on. “Now, I’m sure you’re not the slut some have pegged you as, since you still have a job, and Felicity puts up with it, but acting like one doesn’t do your image any good, doesn’t do P and R’s image any good, and having people giggle about when Deb’s going to bag her new boy toy doesn’t do MY image any good. You’re a big girl, act like it!”

Deb stared at Tom’s pointed finger for a moment, mouth open, then started to laugh, full deep belly laughs. Tom felt his anger evaporate as she leaned forward, gasping for air and slapping her knee. His finger drooped, and he stared at her confused.

A full minute stretched by before Deb regained her voice. “Well, ohh, wow. Well done. I was expecting to get another week out of you. ”

“I, uhh, what?”

Deb reached for his drooping hand, and he pulled away, almost without realizing he was doing so. He had gone for a week without physical contact with her, and his subconscious had started to erase the memory of the burning, but had no desire to repeat the experience. Deb frowned at the withdrawn hand, pursing her lips a moment before speaking again.

“I guess I deserve that. Yes, I’ve been a horrible tease. And you took a lot longer to put your foot down than expected.” Tom continued staring at her, growing more confused by the word. “Kat had you pegged for two days, I had you down for a month. Rocky said two weeks. A winner is him!”

“Wait… you had a pool going on when I’d tell you off for being a tease?”

“Yes sir. It’s a… rite of passage. Or a test of morals you could call it. How long it takes before you get the spine to speak up.”

Tom thought for a moment, playing with a zipper on his suit. “Wow. Whats the record?”

“Well, we had a Reconstructionist pipe fitter that stormed out before I could show him the Morrow video. And then we had a typist who lasted six months before asking to be transferred.”

“Again, wow. I would think that you wouldn’t have such a reputation if everyone knew that you tested people like that. ”

Deb flushed a little herself. “Well, no, actually, I AM a horrible man eater. The reputation isn’t as bad as sooome people might claim,” At this, she put her fist to her mouth and coughed, “coughjanetcough, but it is somewhat deserved. No worries Tom, I’ll stop flirting false with you. ”

They sat for a moment in awkward silence, until a buzzer from the control panel sounded, stating that they were about to leave the freeway. Deborah spun her seat back around, locking it into place, and took over the controls as the car came back up above ground. Tom caught a glimpse of red sky before all but directly above them was blocked out by stone again as the freeway entered the San Tan Gorge. After a minute of driving, the wall of rock to their left opened up, and water ran next to the road and a few feet down. Across the river, Tom could see the lights of cars heading north, but there seemed almost no traffic heading south with them. The wall to their right ran up at a steep angle for several feet, and above it the peaks of the San Tan mountain hung seeming in midair above them.

Tom finally broke the silence. ” I should have known you weren’t really flirting with me that baldly. Still, did make me feel good for a while. Sorry I snapped at you like that. ”

Deb glanced backwards at him, a smile on her face, before looking forward again and changing lanes around a slow moving van. “Are you kidding? You’re a tasty morsel Tom. Tell you what, we’ll see how tonight goes, and maybe I’ll let you take me out to dinner. ”

Again at a loss for words, Tom sat as the car left the Gorge. The sun setting to the right, Tom looked to the left at the red filtered view of Florence Fields. Once a large town nestled in the foothills, after the Quake it had been abandoned, and the desert, while retreating from most of its territory, seemed to move in wholesale, quickly swallowing buildings and streets. Quartz sand shone like fresh blood, shimmering in the setting sunlight, dotted here and there with short scrub juniper and joshua trees that drew long shadows across the sand.

I would like to thank everyone for reading.  We have come to a point in the story that I have been wrestling with.  Namely, how to present it.  This scene is going to involve “adult content.”  I understand that it is not everyone’s cup of tea.  I have decided to take the easy way out.  All adult chapters will have a toned down version on the main story feed.  They will also have a link to the uncensored version (in other words, erotica).  I feel this allows people to not miss out on plot points that would prefer not to read erotica.

This is a split chapter.  The uncensored version can be found Here.  That isn’t to say that this chapter is safe for kids, or work. It’s just a bit less explicit.

Deborah gently licked her tongue along the inside of Phoenix’s thigh, then with a single motion, rolled in place, coming to her hands and knees.  Phoenix’s legs shifted, widening, as Deborah walked her hands over them, coming to a stop with each wrist against Phoenix’s waist.  She lowered her head, tongue darting out here and there against a taught belly, exploring the belly button for a moment.  She breathed out gently, mouth wide, and watched as Phoenix’s flame red hairs waved in the breeze. Her lover twitched under her, a soft gasp escaping her lips.

Deborah looked up at her, across her belly and between her breasts. “So, the kid is who you hoped he is?” She looked down again, lowering her face towards her lover.

“Ah, ah….  yes.  Mmm. Yes, I believe he is.  The records in Washington simply stated orphan, but his orphanage file was tied to several file numbers.  MR file numbers. With numbers very close, ahhh,  to ours.  Still, the flare up in the Needle only kept the cops , mmm, god, uhh, kept them busy so long before they responded to the break in. Government warehouses get all the attention.  Even if hes not, ahh, god, damn, YES. ” Phoenix broke off for a moment, losing concentration until Deborah moved her mouth back up towards her navel, kissing then licking her way slowly up.  ” Ahh, tease! Even if he’s not the son, he’s one of us.  A powerful one, as well, you said?”

Deborah continued moving her way up, walking with her hands and knees toward Phoenix’s head.  She looped one leg around Phoenix’s, straddling her.  They kissed, briefly, then Deborah pushed off of Phoenix’s ribs, to a kneeling position, deftly slipping one leg under her lover, purring to herself as she slipped her crotch into Phoenix’s.  “Yes, he is.  He burns as hot as you do, my Phoenix, definitely a Bird.  And Rocky says Tom feels like water to him.”  Her hands held on Phoenix’s belly for support, her touching thumb and fore fingers making a diamond around her lover’s navel, Deborah slowly ground her crotch against Phoenix, up and down, then in circles.  Phoenix moaned, and gently stroked her fingers up and down Deb’s arms, moving her hips against the motion. The lovers stayed like that, several long minutes of ragged breath, slow gyrations against each other.  Their breathing came quicker and quicker, the motions longer and harder, until they were practically grinding themselves together.  A warm glow started where their bodies met, and slowly spread to envelop them.  With a scream in harmony, both women bucked against each other, now holding onto each others forearms, pulling their lover to them while pushing away with their hips.  The light flared, and the pair burst into flames, gold red crackling roaring across their bare skin, hair raising in a halo of flames that did not burn.  A long moment later, the fire extinguished itself, and Deborah flopped over flat against Phoenix, both of them gasping for breath.  Smoke whisped slowly off their unmarred bodies, the only sign of the flames from a moment before, to be caught by the heavy fans hidden above them and sucked away.

“I have so missed you, ” whispered Deborah as she finally caught her breath.  She chewed on her lover’s ear for a moment, and whispered again. “I love you so much my Phoenix.  So much I burn for you!”

Deborah found her head yanked away by a strong hand entwined in her hair, and her lips crushed against Phoenix’s. The lovers kissed again, long, slowly strokes of tongue against tongue, lips sealed against each other.  As they finally came apart for air, Phoenix laughed. “That was so corny Deb, even for you!”  The ladies lay together for several minutes, their bodies moving in unison as they drew breath together, Deborah laying her head in the hollow between Phoenix’s breasts.

The silence was broken by Phoenix.  “Did you say Rocky says he’s a Fish as well?”  Deborah propped herself back up on her elbows, resting her chin on her entwined fingers.

“Yes, yes I did.  Interesting, isn’t it.  We’ve had some duals, but never that powerful in either element, and never cross like that. “  She waggled her eyebrows at Phoenix for effect.  “Makes you wonder if he’ll be able to provide his own sauna. ”

“More interesting than you know love.  I was just talking to Katrina.” Deborah snorted in derision.  “Yes, I know. Hush love.  But she says one hand shake nearly blew her away, literally. So he’s not cross elements, he’s a triplet. Our first triplet since Kelvin went and got killed. ”

Deborah thought for a moment, her eyes panning back and forth as they had when talking to Tom for a moment. “Well, that’s not entirely unexpected. If he IS the one we’re looking for, I dunno, I would almost expect him to be all four. The only Stone we have close by is in New Houston.  Should I have him come out to test him?”

“No, no, not yet.  We’ll feel him out a bit more for the cause, then I’ll ignite him.” Phoenix narrowed her eyes at Deborah. “I saw that look!  You got to ignite the last two Birds we found.  This one is mine!  Besides… like you said, if he’s three, he might be four.  The only one.  And if he’s four… ” Phoenix’s attention faded, as she looked up at the “mirror” above them. She repeated herself, muttering low, talking to herself,  “If he’s four, well…  If he’s four, then he’s five.”

“Five, what do you mean five? What’s five?” Phoenix snapped back to reality, Deborah’s curious face gazing at her in wonder.

“Never mind you, love. A hope, a slim hope.  If it’s true, you’ll know when you need.”

“Know when I need? “  Deborah drew her legs together, switching positions to fully wrap her legs around Phoenix’s, pinning them together.  She pushed her hands down on her lover’s shoulders, shoving her against the bed.  “Talk!”

“NEEVER!” Phoenix shouted defiantly at her, giggling.

“Then I shall have to torture you!”  Giggling as well, Deborah darted her head down, catching a nipple in her mouth.  Phoenix moaned, and arched her back up against Deborah, pushing her breast further into Deb’s warm mouth.  Deborah worked her tongue around her nipple, applying light suction.  As Phoenix’s moans turned to gasps, Deb gently closed front teeth around the nipple, clamping down slowly harder and harder while flicking her tongue over the tip of the nipple, squeezing her shoulders in time with the flicking motion.  Phoenix slowly lowered back to the bed, her moans slowing to ragged gasps, and Deborah raised her head again, giving one last slow tug on her lover’s nipple as she did so.

“Now then, five?”

Phoenix leered at her.  “Get as dirty as you want Deb, you don’t need to know. If it happens, you’ll know.”

“More torture is it? Good, I like torturing you!”  Deb leaned back down, to Phoenix’s other nipple this time.  She ran her tongue along the outside of Phoenix’s areola, licking gently at the join between tanned peach flesh and rosy brown.  She worked her way twice around, teasing in towards the nipple. Phoenix moaned and gyrated underneath her, trying to force her nipple closer to the teasing tongue.  Finally, Deb rolled her tongue over her lover’s nipple. Phoenix’s moans were cut short as Deb pulled up and looked at her nipple and breast, glistening with saliva.  “Torture it is, my Phoenix. “  With that, she pursed her lips and blew softly down.  The pressurized air blew cold, and Phoenix squealed as the fluid evaporated, chilling her further.

“TOO COLD!  TOO COLD!”  Suddenly, Phoenix’s iced nipple alit with flame, crackling fire warming the flesh without burning it, then vanishing as quick as it lit.  “There, much better.  I think someone has forgotten who is in charge here!  With that, her body erupted in fire, her entire body glowing red, then vanishing in the glare.  Her flaming figure slipped sideways, passing through and around Deb, and extinguished, returning to solidity. With a practiced motion, the now kneeling Phoenix flipped Deborah over onto her back.  Swinging her legs over and around, she straddled Deborah in reverse. Spreading Deb’s legs wide with her elbows, she used a pointer finger to slowly tickle her.  Deborah drew in breath with a hiss, then wrapped her arms around her lover’s legs, pulling her face up into Phoenix’s crotch.  Phoenix felt a slow moan escape her lips. She closed her eyes and rode the motion for a minute, then turned her attention back to her lover.  Deborah’s moans reached Phoenix’s ears muffled, but the vibrations along her own crotch brought moans and gasps from her as well.  Phoenix brought her head down between her lover’s legs.   The lover’s motions slowly came into synchronicity, moving in rhythm together. As they built together to orgasm, each began to glow again, screaming against each other, muscles tightening, clutching their lover’s body to themselves with all their might. Their minds blanked as their bodies convulsed together, and they lit afire again, glowing with an inner light as flesh melted away.  For a long moment, the separate glowing figures melded to one, a single flaming ball of glowing red and gold, pulsing in color and brightness.   A long minute later, the flame faded, and each became their own body again.  Spent and exhausted, the lover’s fell against each other, a tangled pile of limbs, gasping for breath, hearts racing.  As their breath slowed, Phoenix dragged herself back around on the bed, pulling Deborah into an embrace and long soft kiss.

Finally catching her breath, Deborah grinned at her lover. ” Fire. Proof.  Sheets.  Best investment. Ever.” she gasped.   They held each other tight, breath slowing down in time with each other,pounding hearts returning to rest.  After a few minutes embrace, Deb looked up to see their “mirror” with a bright yellow-white blur in the center of the image over them. “My Phoenix, I think we blew out another camera. ”

Speaking of adult… Next update, which will be on Friday, to apologize for missing an update, will be the first, ahem, adult scene of the novel. It is going to come in two forms. An PG-17 rated form, cut down, mostly for forwarding plot, which will be the official post when you go through the archives, and an unrated form. The unrated post will be in a separate category created for such posts, and will be linked at the start of the regular post. It will be adult writing, in every sense of the word. You don’t have to read it. I promise you won’t miss any of the story by reading the PG-17 version.

I’ve also readded ye olde donate button. I don’t pretend to do this to make money, but a bit of money to help pay for hosting the website is always nice. Remember that anything you donate here goes not only to this story, but to helping host DreamFantastic as a whole. Every 50 donated will bring another bonus story. There are several incentive stories in the works, the first two listed above for rating us.

Thanks, and keep reading!

Fists balled in the sheets, Tom grimaced, grinding his teeth. A few tears He closed his eyes, and ran through a calming exercise. Counting back from 100, he focused on the rhythm of his breathing, in, out, in, out. The anger and depression fled, mostly, and he opened his eyes, getting to his feet. Deciding that activity would do him good, he started going through the boxes, cheap cardboard that barely held together long enough to be deposited in the corner of the small room that was now his world.

A few piece of clothing, not suitable for work, were quickly hung in the small closet by his bed. A few knickknacks accumulated over the years spotted what little counter space he had, a few pictures, static images in frames, to hang. Tom stopped, realizing that with no furniture to put things on and in, the boxes were still home to most everything he had. One thing needed unpacking through.

Digging through boxes until he found it, Tom unwrapped the frame, plastic bubble wrap protecting the antique brass and glass piece. The single photo inside showed several figures standing in front of a large building, one in a suit, cutting a large ribbon. Next to him, hand clapped over the first’s shoulder, was another man, dressed in the classic white labcoat that had for centuries proclaimed a man a scientist. Tom ran his finger lightly down the glass. “Miss you dad.”, he half whispered to nobody.

He was about to put the frame down, propped on a desk, when he stopped, and took a closer look at the man in the suit. He always wondered who it was cutting the ribbon on the grand opening of the Arcology, the man obviously a friend of his father’s. Having spoken with him over the last two weeks, the younger Ed Marrow was unmistakable. Even younger than the the 3d model he’d watched, but unmistakably Marrow. Tom thought about this for a moment, then was interrupted by the pealing of brass bells, coming from his pocket.

Slipping his phone from his pocket, the display showed Deborah’s name and id, and a little movie camera. Tom grinned to himself, then hit a pair of buttons on the screen, and her face filled the screen.

“Tom, good, I caught you! Awww, why the disappointment?” Tom put his face back in neutral, not realizing he’d let it show. So much for his hope that… “Hoping to see more than my face? Not before the first date. Speaking of, I’m giving you a, ahem, ride Saturday, is that still keerect?”

“Absolutely, thank you. Uhh, I know you tend to be a bit… jovial, but to be serious, there IS a rule against dating within the department, is there not?”

Deb smiled broadly, and laughed. “Perhaps, but Felicity is head of HR, among other things, and tends to look the other way when I’m involved. Why, thinking of trying to ask me out? Why what will people say, the new young hearthrob snatching up poor ol’ me?”

“From what I hear, it will be the other way around. I’ve only had, ohh, three people warn me about you. Feared I’ll be the resident man eater’s afternoon snack.”

“Delightful! I knew I had a reputation, but to have it confirmed is nice. Hmm, Janet, Katrina…” Deb looked upwards, scanning her eyes back and forth as if reading. “Wouldn’t be Rocky, he’d probably tell you to go for it if you talked about me… Oh, is that why he called me to arrange a ride?” She stared back straight at the camera. “Tell you what. I like you, I do. Lets see how things go when I get you away from the office, and maybe down the road I’ll add a notch to my bedpost. If you think you can handle it. ” She smiled softly at him, and Tom felt himself gulping, what little bravado he’d built up evaporating as her eyes burrowed into his.

“Sounds like a plan Deb. See you tomorrow.”

“No, you won’t. Business to attend in Flag, I won’t be back until you’ve gone home. See you Saturday.”

The image blurred as Deb leaned forward, then clicked out. Tom let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, and shook his head, rubbing his temples. “What have I gotten myself into…”

******

Deborah looked at the large activewall above her, blank for a moment before switching to showing the camera’s view,  a veritable magnifying mirror. Her hand still on the control that cut the call, she fiddled with a knob, zooming the image back out until the wall seemed a true mirror, reflecting herself and all around her.  Laying back in a large bed, her prone position hidden by the tricks of the camera,  she watched herself as she pulled her hand back and ran it along the leg that lay across her chest, just out of view of the previous call to Tom.  Reaching another leg crossed over it, she ran the same fingers up the smooth skin of that limb, lightly teasing the flesh until the leg squirmed from its owner giggling softly.

The soft tinkle of laughter spoke.  “You did well Deborah.  We’ll have him eating out of the palm of my hand in a month.”

Deborah turned her head, kissing the thigh that rested next to her, nibbling softly before letting go.  “Thank you Phoenix.  You know I live to serve.”

“Rocky, we’re in an office district?”

“That’s right. Best tacos this side of the Catholic – Union line. Right… about… NOW!” Rocky pointed as a large truck came around a corner, engine humming. It pulled to a stop right in front of them, and the driver’s side popped open, signs sliding out and a bar appearing along the side. Two men in chef hats and aprons stood inside, partially visible through a window. One peered out and chuckled.

“Rocky, my friend! Your usual?”

“Fernando! I was hoping you were on the grill today. Yes please, and add a carnitas. ” He turned to Tom. “Whatcha want?”

“Uhh, you know what’s good, whatever. Wait!” Tom caught an item on the menu in the corner. “Green chile chicken enchiladas! Can I get an order of that?”

The two men stood around, eating and chatting, as a flood of people from the nearby offices quickly lined up a block long. Their meal finished, Tom took their plates and shoved them into a small labeled hole on the back of the truck. A wisp of smoke escaped as their plates and utensils melted back down to raw plastic, to be reformed later, new and sterile.

He rejoined Rocky, who was chatting with one of the cooks. He watched him thrust a small card through the window, and caught the last little bit of the conversation.

“Yeah, tomorrow night. I better see you there!”

They walked away from the busy food truck, still swamped with their lunch rush, towards where they had parked.

“So, what was that about?”

Rocky turned to look at Tom. “What? You can’t mean you’ve forgotten already? My band?”

Tom snapped his fingers. “That’s right, shoot. You guys are playing someplace in the Hills, right? Uhh… I’ll need to find a ride out there. No cable out there.”

Rocky grinned and nodded. “Damn right you are. Deb should be able to give you a ride!”

“I’ll have to ask her.”

Rocky gave Tom a raised eyebrow, then touched his wrist twice. A faint sound of music emanated from Rocky’s collar, “Smooth as Silk”, by The Reznors. A moment later, the music cut, and a familiar voice rang out.

“Yes Rocky? What can I do for you?”

“Deb! Glad I caught you. Tom needs a ride to the show Saturday. You have room in your heap?”

“Heap? I should say no just to spite you, but yeah, plenty. Well… I’ll have a lot of files in the backseat, so he might have to sit on my lap, but he doesn’t look like he weighs too much. ”

Rocky laughed. “All right, I’ll tell him. See ya.” Rocky touched his watch again. “So, Deb is going to pick you up, be ready by, say, seven.”
“Uhh… Thanks Rocky.”
They reached their truck, bright orange except for the city seal on the side. Sitting down, Rocky gave Tom a quizzical look. “Something the matter? Wait… don’t tell me Deb scares you?” Seeing Tom start to blush and look away, he slapped the steering control and laughed again. “My god, you are. Don’t worry, for all her talk, she don’t bite. Well, unless you ask nice.”

Tom shook his head. “No, see, that’s what I’m afraid of. I’ve slept with a superior before. It… didn’t end well. For me! And well… Janet kinda warned me about Deb…” Tom trailed off, and it was Rocky’s turn to shake his head.

“Now, Janet doesn’t like her because she’s damn possessive of Ed, and Deb flirts as hard with him as anyone. Its just Deb. She doesn’t mean anything by it, and if she does, she knows it won’t go anywhere. That man is dedicated to Janet.”

“Yeah, I guess. Wait. What?” Tom looked back at Rocky. “Marrow and Janet?”

“Best kept secret that everyone knows about. They’ve been together for years.”

“Hunh. That explains a lot. Still, it worries me. I like this job, I like the people. I’d hate to get involved with someone, then break up, and have it all fall apart. I’m moved back here in part to get away from drama in my life. ”

“Well, that’s no worry with Deb. She’s not like that. Hell, she and I used to date. And I think she has the hots for you. ”

Tom sat back and thought on this as Rocky pulled the work truck into traffic, and started heading to their next repair.