Little more than hour and a half left, Fernando decides to go into town. It looks like the town is celebrating non-stop as it is taken to the nearly the next party level. A loud steam whistle blows loudly in the background. Fernando does not care where it came from nor where it is going though it is probably from the last area the last town they were in days before.
People celebrating, people selling, people buying, this is the most money this area has seen being exchanged in a long time. And it will be a long time if they may see such money exchanges again. Fernando does not care. For him it is not about the money or the power or the fame. It is for is doing the right thing, ending the wrongs of people and society, whatever it takes to eliminate corruption. But he knows that when one eliminates such negativity, it creates a vacuum somebody is going to try to refill. That is on whoever is in charge to deal with. Fernando makes his way through some of the sleaziest part of town looking for something that may not be there: information.
The stench of the area can only improve the atmosphere of the decorum. He spots a bar with a name that catches his eye – The Sex Kitten’s Litter Box. It’s as sleazy as any other bar in the area but Fernando has been through worst places than this. He finds it not a threat to himself, though as he approaches it somebody is thrown out and pounced on by others and beaten in front of its doors. Fernando walks around them, ignoring then and steps inside the bar.
Though dark inside, there are females walking around in as little as possible – human, wessens and mutants servicing the male patrons. A large bear-wessen puts his arm out to prevent Fernando from going in any further.
“This is a private establishment.” He towers over Fernando.
“Funny, the sign outside says ‘All Are Welcomed.’” Fernando mocks him, as there were no such sign outside.
“Where?” The Bear Wessen is thrown off guard for a moment.
“Look, right outside the door...” Fernando steps to the door and pointing outside, trying to play him like a fish on a hook.
“There ain’t no sign outside.” as the Bear Wessen steps to the doorway, just slightly passed Fernando.
It gives Fernando just enough room to step behind him and shove him out the door with his foot. The Bear Wessen crashes into the group outside beating up the previous patron, causing a much bigger commotion and drama outside that it gets the attention of Jastrey’s men who were patrolling the area and decide to arrest everyone involved. Fernando walks up to the bar and sits down on a stool.
An Albino Female Wessen steps up to him from the bar; she was either a fox or thin faced dog Wesson like a Wolf-Hound, French Poodle or Doberman Pincher. Either way, as a Sex-Kitten, her better years had left her a long time ago.
“Now who is going to protect me from the riff-raff since you got rid of my guard.” She leans over to Fernando.
Fernando looks over the other patrons sitting about the place, “Looks like he was not doing a good job. But if you need protecting, I’ll protect you while I’m here.”
“You better do a better job than he did.” She tells him, “The name’s Reina, Rainy for short. What’s your poison?”
“Hmmm... Reina, Spanish for ‘The Queen.’ Ever heard of a ‘Flaming Skull?’” Fernando says and asks.
“Never heard of it.” Reina says to him as some of the other patrons turn their attention to Fernando.
“Get me a mug of beer and a shot of your strongest rot gut. I’ll go the rest.” Fernando tells her.
“I’ve seen many mix rot gut and beer over the years. It is nothing new.” Reina says as she pours the beer into a mug with a large head on it and follows it with filling a shot glass with something that smells like turpentine.
Fernando takes his zippo lighter and pops it open, flicking it on. He tries to light the shot glass but it won’t turn on.
“This is your strongest? It won’t even light.” Fernando tells her, “Give me something that will light. If you have to, go siphon a vehicle’s fuel tank from outside.”
“Hmph.” Reina replies, “It’s going to cost you.” She throws out the shot glass with its drink and puts up another, holding a different bottle over it.
“Don’t worry about the money. I’m the one that’s paying, though you should be paying me for protecting you from the riff-raff in here.” Fernando tells her.
“I’ll hold you to that.” Reina tells him as she pours the liquid into the glass. This time it smells like near pure alcohol should.
Fernando lights up the shot glass, a long blue flame shoots up from it, signifying that it is high proof alcohol. He nods at her as she looks in awe at the flame the drink is producing. He grabs the middle of the shot glass and carries it over the beer with its foamy head.
“Now this is a Flaming Skull.” Fernando says before dropping the flaming shot glass into the beer mug. The shot glass sinks to the bottom of the mug, leaving a hole in the foam where the alcohol floats on creating a specter of a torch in the middle of the beer’s foamy head. He lifts up the mug towards Reina, “Here’s to you.”
As he puts the mug to his lips, invisible to all around him he blows out the flames with his nostrils before drinking the entire mug in one swig. Everyone looks at him astonished, thinking he drank down the flaming brew alit. He puts down the mug on the bar.
“Before I order another, this place makes bar food like club sandwiches?” Fernando asks.
“Depends on what you want.” Reina says to him.
“Nothing fancy. Just a club sandwich. You know, two slices of bread with meat, lettuce and tomato.” Fernando explains, “Don’t care what the meat is, beast or chicken. Cut it up in 4’s.”
Reina snaps her fingers and a younger Wessen similar to her in appearance and still in her prime walks up to her. Reina whispers into her ear, before she disappears into a backroom. Reina goes back to Fernando.
“Rubi will go get your sandwich. Now what’s your name, stranger, and how are you paying for this?”
“Name’s Francisco. I think this will pay for order.” He says as he pulls out a $50 gold coin from his pocket and shows it to her. He then reaches over and slides the coin down the cleavage of her breasts, telling her, “Keep the change.”
Reina puts her hand over his as he slides the coin between her breasts, “You got too much class for one to be riff raff.”
“Actually I’m just pass through these parts. I’m looking for a
little lamb that has lost her way.” He begins to explain. “Goes by the name of Vee, and has red hair. Heard of anything like that?”
“I see. No, I have not heard of anything like that. Was she taken during the last Purge?” Reina asks, seeing Fernando pull out a $100 coin and showing it to her before putting it into the cleavage of her breasts. “If I find out anything, I will definitely let you know. How do I contact you?”
“I’ll in the parking lot where many are camping there for the festivities until 9PM. Then I’m heading out to the next town.” Fernando tells her.
Rubi comes back with a cloth covered plate, handing it to Reina. Reina takes the plate and puts on the bar, uncovering it. It had a large chicken hero on it, which she slides over to Fernando.
Fernando looks at it and nods. He then takes his 007 knife out and opens it, extending its large blade out before he puts it into where the sandwich was cut in half. He slides the half of the sandwich away from the other.
“This is nice, but a club sandwich is supposed to be small, like finger food. Give that half to some starving kid out here. I’ll take this half.” He explains to Reina as he cuts the other half into quarters. He adds, “I’ll just take a beer this time. Hold the flame.”
Reina takes the sandwich and wraps it up in the cloth wrapper it came before refilling Fernando’s mug with a second beer. She puts the sandwich away, perhaps for her to eat later or one of her girls to eat it later
Reina left Fernando to eat in peace and to deal with the other patrons. He took his time to enjoy his snack of a meal. He was half way into his meal when he heard a strange noise. A loud purring and ‘Whomp-whomp’ noise of very advanced technology. In walks in a strange pale skinned hunched over male wearing a lab coat and dark welding goggles over his eyes in a dirty lab coat. Behind him a highly modified medical droid enters the bar with him.
Many of the bar’s patrons run out of the door and other escape ways as if the place was set on fire. Even Reina and the girls hide, but not Fernando.
“You will do nicely.” The man in the lab coat says with a hiss in his voice.
Fernando pretends to ignore him though has had an eye on him and his pet robot through the reflection of the polished metal shelf holding the bottles of booze. He picks up his cane and the last bite of sandwich, turning around to face them.
“I’ve been waiting for you to come. Well, not you in particular but somebody like you.” Fernando tells him.
“Oh really?” The man hisses back, before he pulls out a crystal topped cane from his lab coat. He aims the crystal at Fernando and shoots an energy beam at him. Fernando’s cane absorbs the energy, making him say, “Impossible!”
Fernando scowls at him, “Oh you just #$@!ed up.” He raises his cane, making the other cane red hot that the man in the lab coat lets go of it. The cane floats over to Fernando’s other hand and he looks at it. “What an obvious fake. Now for your pet, what are you doing with
Zeti Reticuli technology?” He then points the crystal of his cane to the robot, advancing time for it by a couple hundred years until its nuclear power pack dies out and internal components fail from internal corrosion. Sparks come out the robot’s seams as it shutters in place until Fernando stops and it falls flat on the floor. He gets up out of his seat and walks to the man in the lab coat. “You’re coming with me peacefully or do I have to get vulgar?”
In his stupidity, the man pulls out a small hand canon of an ancient musket derringer pistol, aiming it directly at Fernando’s chest. Fernando arms move in blinding speed, striking at the temples of his head with the crystal end of the canes. The man in the lab coat just passes out on impact.
“#$@!ing idiot.” Fernando says to himself. He steps out of the bar and finds another patrol of Jastrey’s men. “Yo! Some assistance here!”
The patrol group walks to the bar, entering in and seeing Fernando standing by the man in the lab coat passed out on the floor and a dead robot next to them.
“I need some help getting these two to General Jastrey. She’s at the camping parking lot right now.” Fernando tells him.
They look at each other. One of them responds, “I don’t know. We usually take prisoners to the cell house.”
Fernando reaches into jacket and turns on his Yeasu radio to the frequency he shares with Hondo, hoping Hondo has it turned on, “Hondo, this is Fernando. You listening Hondo?”
It takes a couple of long moment for Hondo answer.
“What is it, Jefe?” Hondo answers.
“General Jastrey nearby?” Fernando asks.
“I can catch up to her. What’s up?” Hondo asks.
“I just tangled with a rat in a lab coat and his pet tin can in a bar called The Sex-Kitten’s Litter Box. I got them out of commission and want to bring them to the camp for questioning but her men hear want to take them to the cell house.” Fernando explains.
“Hold on.” Hondo replies before putting away his radio. He manages to run and catch up with the General and tell her what Fernando told him.
In about a minute a voice comes on the military radio, “Attention to all available patrols. Assist with the patrol in the Sex-Kitten’s Litter Box bar and bring them directly to me. I am at the parking area by the town where many are setting up camp.”
(to be continued...)
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After Chaos (Read 185850 times)
