White Order
It was roach shit that kept me out of the bed. The little bastard went across while I was sleeping and all I could think about was one little turd landing in my eye, blinding me or infecting me with AIDS or something. I sat at the food of the bed, watching sun come in through gaps in the black tape while the bedspring gouged at my bare ass. Cold showers, overcooked breakfasts, and bad porn we’re all things I could deal with, I’m a professional, but I would not tolerate a descicration of my sleeping area. Bell opened the door and the ozone morning came in with her. Sunlight in the room bathing her in amber, shafts of gold erupting from the damp spots of her overcoat. The imagined taste of roach piss in my mouth.
“We’re really sorry about all of this Zed.” She said.
“Fuck you.” I replied.
“I understand you’re pissed right now,but you need to remember who you’re talking to.”
“Right between the eyes, with a stick. Then the roaches.”
“I’ll call someone about the roaches—”
“You’ll call someone about kidnapping me into a real hotel next time.”
Bell snapped the door behind her, I caught a glimmer of suits outside. They looked off-contract. Not good.
“We pulled a white order. You got caught in the pickup, and, like I said a thousand fucking aplologies for that,” She caught my stink. “but there was every reason to think you were next.”
“Guess I should be thankful.” I said.
“Yeah. Guess so.”
White order was a fancy pig way of saying “beat the shit out of anyone who’s not a cop and leave it for Paradise or some other Higher Power to sort out.” so really, I should have been thankful. Little people like myself don’t get the privilige of being escorted out when the White comes down, to a roach pit or otherwise. But this had nothing to do with professional courtsey. She needed something from me and she wasn’t about to risk losing it to some trigger-happy schmuck on a White bender.
But fuck if these bugs didn’t ruin my night.
The cloud’s comming on now, can feel the last bits of the blackout package shed off, like dead eels. 48 hours maybe? How long was I out? Bell’s just caught her first bite of it too. She took the package. Proessional.
…12 CASUALTIES ON IVANO…AUS LOOP CLOSE ON BLAK…WO FATALITIES ON COLD…ESIDENT AYUM COMMENTING FROM BUN…AYOR’S WIFE LOST ON WHIT..2 PARADISE EMPLOYEES DEAD…
“Since when do you give a shit about anything Paradise.” I aksed.
“They weren’t Paradise. There were our people, my people. Metro.”
“Jesus.”
“We were running them in Paradise for the last six months. Black orders.”
Of course.
“They got outed?”
“We knew. They knew. Both of them were professionals, they were going to get burned even if they completed the order.”
“So you called a White?”
“Of course. They got executed in an abandoned bunker for no reason. This changes everything. We are not going to be fucked with.”
Bell slipped a pack of cigaretts from her tulip top and lit one off the space heater. She threw the pack on the raincoat.
“We’re leaving. Put that on until we can get some pants for you.” She said.
The two suits outside had already opened the door for her and I’m just now realizing how horribly naked I am in the chill.
“You make it sound like I work for you or something.” I said.
Bell’s tulip constricted over her. SHe looked at me, and she looked sad.
“The mayor’s wife died in the White, Zed. I don’t care anymore. I don’t care about you or your rats or Paradise or dying or going to jail. I just don’t give a shit”
My raincoat too a getting tighter, smoothing around round hips I don’t have, giving me unfamilar warmth.
“If you don’t come with me these two men are going to take you back into your room and fuck you to death and nobody will know. I prefer to work with you. But you’re not that important, to be honest.”
She didn’t look sad anymore. I followed them into the car.
The thinner suit broke charecter when we were airborne, started giggling.
“Is that true. About the mayor’s wife?” He asked.
The floor went clear, the whole city was on fire. Smoke was leaving grease marks on the sky. On the sun.
“Yes” Said Bell.
“Fucking shame.”
“They’ll build another one.”
