Chapter 2 as it appeared
Part 1: From Dawn to Dusk
Authors: Ian, Gabby, Kulko, PCat
Warnings: Suggestions of Domestic Violence.
Malton +35
Someone was banging on the hotel room door.
Gabe forced himself to pull on a pair of trousers. He hurt everywhere in a way he hadn't for over thirty years. "Go away!" he shouted.
"It's me, Kate!"
Gabe staggered to his feet, unlocked the door and pulled it open, probing a bruise on his cheek tentatively. Kate burst in, pushing past him, and headed for the mini-bar.
"What the fuck was that, Gabby? It's been all over the papers for a week. Simon's gone mental. It's a PR disaster! You can't just kiss the wife of one of the most powerful men on Earth! Fuck, what happened to your face?" she gasped, finally seeing the cuts and bruises all over Gabe. He had just come out of the shower, and she could see a deep gash along his chest.
"I told you Simon was an arse; forty years ago. I've been telling you, every time I see you, to get out before it was too late. You didn't listen to me then, so I'm proving a point. Your fucking husband sent a bunch of thugs over to beat the shit out of me. I've had to cancel Seattle, since they broke two of my fingers."
"Oh! Gabby!" Kate's face softened and she moved towards him.
Gabby flinched instinctively at the approach and she stopped.
"It wasn't Simon, Gabby. He wouldn't do something like this, but some of his supporters, well, maybe. There are some interest groups on board that are a bit extreme."
"It came direct from Simon. You've got to believe me, Kate. The man's poison."
"You've never liked him, Gabby, and you engineered that little concert deliberately to embarrass him. You can't expect him to be happy, but you don't seriously believe he'd pay someone to beat you up?"
Of course I fucking do, thought Gabby, but looking at Kate, he knew he'd never convince her. "Why are you here?" he asked.
"The Times are running an interview tomorrow. It won't make you look good. I just wanted to say sorry, I guess."
"That would be Simon's flagship UK newspaper, right? I suppose I couldn't expect anything else. What's it say exactly?"
"It pretty much rakes over every hint of scandal you've been involved in, going back to Malton, and there have been a lot of those. Then I say I didn't want to do the concert but was tricked into it by the charity angle and the thing ends with a vague threat that we're considering legal action for sexual harassment."
"Are you?"
"Not if you don't make a rebuttal."
"The fuck? So this is another threat."
She shrugged. "Something like that. What the fuck did you think you were doing, Gabe? I've spent the past week trying to calm everyone down."
Gabby gave her a hard look. "Are you OK?"
"Beyond being made to look like a slut on every major media outlet. Yes, I'm fine."
Her voice had wobbled. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Gabe, I'm going to have to cut contact, for a few years at least, maybe longer."
"Cat! Simon can't make you do this."
"Don't, Gabby. After what you pulled? What do you expect? And what makes you think it was Simon's idea? I have a marriage to protect, as well you know. I haven't put thirty years into a relationship to let you pull it apart for a publicity stunt and a little cheap point scoring."
"I'm sorry. I didn't think."
"Did you ever? Sometimes it's hard to remember you are older than you look."
Kate turned away. "Goodbye Gabby. Have a nice life." And she was gone.
Malton +36
While the rest of the DHPD milled about, danced, or hovered over the open bar, Kulko sat alone at the Alpha Squad table, nursing a double Jameson on the rocks. He more than nursed the drink; he stared at it, occasionally sparing a glance towards his celebratory compatriots.
Gabby was the living image of putting the past behind you. His whole life had become booze, drugs, and women, Kulko mused, if it weren't for the open bar, who's to say we'd even see him here? No loyalty, none. I can't believe I ever let that child lead me into combat. Kulko's days in Delta were not his fondest memories, to be sure.
And the nerve of Purple Cat! Staying away because of some feeble excuse to do with her 'spouse' and his 'feelings'. Letting the man run an alternative party, in fact. No, we went through hell those few years, and that smarmy bastard hadn't the faintest idea. He came from the green zones, where you could get a good night's sleep without the 'scritch scritch' of claws on barricades chilling your soul.
Kulko stirred the ice around in his glass, scowling. From across the room, Robert waved the younger man over to the bar. Kulko just shook his head and took a sip. Robert's face took on a concerned air, and he made his way to the table marked 'A'.
"The hell's wrong with you, kid?" asked the Lieutenant, pulling up a seat beside the Tennessean. "This is a party. You're making it seem like a goddamn funeral."
Kulko met his former commander's eyes, but only for a moment, before draining the rest of his whiskey. "It is, Rob," Stephen said quietly, setting down the glass and rising from the table. "The Department is dead."
"Ian? Are you still talking to me?"
"Of course?"
"That's a relief. I know I was an idiot and I've said I was sorry, but most of the department are still giving me the cold shoulder. Fuck! half of them have gone to some alternative do Simon is hosting."
"We're used to you doing idiotic things Gabe. But you realise this really hurt Kate? You're usually a bit more careful who you drag into your escapades."
"Believe me, I feel like shit about it."
Ian put a hand on Gabby's shoulder. "Well, if it's any consolation, I forgive you. I know it wasn't done with any intention to hurt her."
Gabby gave Ian a sad smile. "Thanks Ian. Sadly it's not your forgiveness that really matters."
"BD!"
"Hi Simon, how's things?"
"Going well. Look, I have a business proposition for you if you're interested."
"Depends what it is, but I'll listen."
"You've been in Africa a bit with the mercenary work?"
"Mostly, as you know. It pays well down there."
Simon led the way to a booth at the back of the hotel bar. It wasn't a DHPD reunion, Simon had stressed that, just an opportunity for some of Kate's old friends to "touch base". Most people had dropped by and then headed on to the actual reunion, but BD felt obliged to stay, if only because he had a feeling he would rip Gabby's balls off if he got close enough to lay hands on him.
"Look BD. We're going to need someone on the ground in Africa, but someone unofficially on the ground."
"I don't want to work for the government."
"And the government won't want you working for them. I'm proposing a joint business venture. You, me, and Anton too, if he wants in. You get to run your own mercenary group rather than being part of someone else's. I'm a largely silent partner. The conditions are the group only officially takes on defensible projects. I mean protection work, activities against known tyrants, that kind of thing. "
"And unofficially?"
Simon looked blank. "Unofficially?"
"Straight up Simon. Kate and Ian may think the sun shines out of your backside but I'd guess you're ruthless enough to take any opportunity that offers itself to achieve your aims."
"Careful."
"If you want to go into partnership with me, you need to be honest. I'm not going to tell Kate. I know her well enough to know it would only get her upset to no purpose. I'm not out to make trouble, but I need to know what I'm getting in to. You're approaching me because I'm family, right? Well, in that case, you need to trust me like family."
"Unofficially, the government, assuming we get in, may occasionally employ you for black ops. Africa already has a couple of tiger economies. There will be more in the next decades. I want a more direct instrument for influencing events on the ground than diplomatic channels."
BD nodded. "Sounds good. I assume part of the deal is political clout in Washington and Beijing if I need it."
"Indeed."
"And what about Bryn?"
"What about her?"
"Necrotech continue to care for her?"
"They'll do that anyway."
"I read that most of the incurable were being allowed to die. No living relatives left."
"Don't worry BD. I know she counts as family for you two. She'll remain alive and sedated and we'll carry on looking for a cure. That's not part of the deal. You can go into the business or not as you choose. It won't effect Bryn."
"Then I'm in."
Malton +37
"Ian! Good to see you. Isn't it the DHPD reunion tonight?" Simon grinned at him from the door of the house.
"I'm on my way. I thought I'd stop by and see Kate though. I get why she doesn't want to show up but I wish she'd change her mind. People would tell Gabby to get lost, if she said she'd come. I know they would."
"Maybe next year. She's not been feeling well the past few days. She went to bed early about an hour ago."
Ian sighed. It had been getting increasingly hard to see Kate. He had a feeling she was avoiding the DHPD. He cursed Gabby's little trick, not for the last time. "Well give her my love. I guess I'll see her on election night."
"We'll be right there next to you when you win! Don't worry."
"Don't assume a victory until the votes are counted, didn't you always say that Simon?"
"I did and I do. But I'm quietly confident about this one. You'll be Global President by this time next week, you'll see."
"I hope so."
Malton +38
"So what's Beijing like then Ian?"
"Well, Jim, it takes a bit of getting used to. It's kind of different from the US."
"Still makes me laugh to think the Chinese stole the seat of government from under your noses."
"Politics, Jim, politics. On the other hand they're selling Gabby's records now. Though I'm not sure that's one of my prouder achievements."
"He's a good lad, Ian. There are a lot worse out there. I followed him in Malton and I'd follow him again."
"Jim, I almost believe you're being serious."
"I almost am. He was an idiot with that concert, but his heart has always been in the right place."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know exactly. But these days we both live in New York and I can't get to see Kate more than every six months."
"She's busy, always has been. Jim, why did you give up the stuntman job. I can't imagine you earn much as a bicycle courier?"
"Stunt work is easy when you're immortal."
"To victory!" The Three Musketeers made their annual toast, a tradition that had outlived the barfight it was born from. Gabby had stopped participating pretty early on, and even Sam had eventually gotten tired of being beaten around the head.
"So, Gabby, did you not pay a hooker to come with you this year?" Danny said with a smirk.
"What do you mean? Oi, they wanted to come with me! I couldn't pay for sex if I tried, mate. What about you? Djamila staying home?"
"Yeah, she's starting a tour of duty in Northern Europe soon. She's rushing around getting things organised. Sammy - where's Vick?"
"Sulking over there with whatsherface... Carly."
"You fought?"
"Yeah, well, I told you two I got a new job, right? Turns out it was for a subsidiary of a subsidiary of Necrotech. Things have been tricky ever since then - I've been on the effing sofa for a week or so now."
"That's shitty," Gabby muttered.
"I mean it was forty fucking years ago and the company is in completely different hands now. Who fucking cares if it says Necrotech on the door? Plus, there's a chance of doing something that will help Bryn. Jesus, I'm just trying to do a good job and earn some money."
"She'll come round," said Gabby. "Like you say, it could help Bryn."
"I don't know, Gabs. Mind you, things haven't been so great for you, have they? Since that Cat thing, the gossip magazines tell me you've lost your `Most Fuck-able' title," Sam said with a smirk.
"Indeed, they speak the truth. Wonder who's fault that is," Gabby said darkly, glancing at the headlines of a newspaper on the bar. Ian and Simon at one of Ian's campaign rallies. Cat was in the shadows, a smile that Gabby recognised as fake plastered across her face.
"Fucking wanker, you know he paid us a visit?" Sam said quietly. "Just congratulated me on the job and let slip the Necrotech connection, right in fucking front of Vicky - that night was the big fight - went out and got pissed, I did."
"And that led you to the couch, I assume?"
Sam put down his beer for a second and slow-clapped Daniel.
Malton +39
"Still no Kate."
"I don't really know what you expected, Gabe. Besides, she and Simon are very busy."
"Yeah! How did that happen? How come Mr. `I don't want to be involved in front line politics' is your VP? I never did ask."
"Leave him alone, Gabe."
"No, this is a professional question. Why did you pick Simon as your VP?"
"He was the best man for the job. We've worked well together for decades."
"That's a bullshit PR answer."
Ian ran a hand through his hair. "Look Gabe, I trust you, but I can't afford for anything apart from that to appear in the left-wing press tomorrow."
They stared at each other a moment.
"You're good at this, aren't you?" said Gabby.
"I've had to learn to be. Look, Gabe, I value our friendship, but if you're going to become some kind of left-wing flag-bearer I just have to be more circumspect."
"You needed the far right interest groups he brought with him in order to secure the election."
"No comment, Gabe, no comment."
Gabby sighed. "This all used to be so simple."
Ian smiled. "It can be again. It's really just a matter of remembering that we can all rely on each other, speaking of which..."
"Yes?"
"If you're serious about this politics thing you have to stop taking flights so often."
"You what?"
"Seriously Gabe, every time you get on a plane, Simon's in a good mood for the rest of the day. He has a spreadsheet. He's tracking your `conspicuous consumption'. It completely undermines your lot's green agenda, quite apart from anything else."
"Oh! I hadn't thought."
"Consider it a tip from an old friend. Practice what you preach. I always have and it's one of the reasons I've survived in politics this long."
Malton +40
Kulko dropped the vintage Camaro down into third gear, and grinned as the tachometer jumped. The T-tops rattled in the backseat, buffeted by the 100 MPH winds. He rocketed past the imported fuel-efficient compact in the right lane and threw the shifter back into fifth, cruising along at an even 80. It was the simple things that he valued most, these days. With the whole world worrying about one thing or another, the desolate stretch of I-40 between Dandridge and Knoxville was worth the price of the gasoline, if only for the solitude.
It's not as if he paid for it, anyway.
As he pulled into town, the sight of the olive drab National Guard vehicles gave him pause. Quickly downshifting to obey the speed limit, he craned his neck to try and scope out the cause of the ruckus. The convoy seemed to go on forever. Kulko pulled his car in behind a run-down delicatessen and killed the engine. Inside, the store was all but deserted, and empty to boot. Kulko approached the proprietor, never one to pull punches, "The hell is going on?"
The portly man swished the chewing tobacco about in his mouth, and spit directly onto the counter. From the color of the liquid, he was rationing his supplies. "Goddang gub'mint decides how much we get, now," the man replied with surprisingly little agitation. He spit once more, this time over the counter towards Kulko's shoes. He gestured towards the convoy, where a man wearing Captain's bars was peering intently towards the Camaro. "Best be hittin' the road, boy."
Stephen grunted his agreement, and turned on his heel, making for the back door. He grabbed a handful of Slim Jims on his way out, vaulted over the car door into the driver's seat, and lit up the engine. At this, the National Guard officer began gesticulating wildly, directing his enlisted men to apprehend the car. Kulko made a quick U turn and came off the clutch just enough to start smoking his tires, leaving a choking cloud of burnt rubber smoke in his wake as he headed back east towards the Hills.
The already faded invite to today's DHPD reunion fluttered around the floor near his feet. "Goddamnit, Ian..."
The cafe was on a little sidewalk in Venice. It was one of Gabriel's favourites, but he'd been there half an hour and was beginning to think he'd been stood up when Kate arrived. She got out of a silver car that parked on the far side of the street and walked across to him. She was immaculately dressed, as she always had been. Or at least as she had been since Simon had started hiring PR people about thirty years previously. Tinted sunglasses shielded her eyes against the glare. The car stayed where it was.
She kissed him on both cheeks before sitting down opposite him.
"We missed you at the reunion last night."
She shrugged. "Something came up at the last minute."
"It's five years since you made it. I really thought you'd be there this time."
She smiled. "I'm here now."
"Only because I threatened to reveal Simon's links with Necrotech."
Kate tilted her head slightly. "There's nothing underhand about that. It's all public record. You said so yourself, years ago. Decades before you became the standard bearer for the left-wing."
"I know about the other Maltons."
"Those files you sent made that kind of obvious."
"How long have you known?"
Kate sighed. "For certain? Not until I got your email this morning. But every major power has a mega-bucks research project on the Malton survivors. Everyone wants to reproduce the effect."
"And Simon?"
"He didn't know until this morning either. Don't worry Gabby, we're shutting those experiments down. It won't happen again."
"So that's why you're here. To tell me you'll fix this."
"I'll fix this, I promise. But I can't speak for China or Saudi Arabia or, heaven help me, Brazil. They all have the means to do this too. Necrotech is washed up. There are new players out there now." The tinted glasses made her expression hard to read.
"Why don't you take those sunglasses off?" asked Gabriel.
"It's bright out here."
"We could go inside."
"I like the sunshine."
Gabriel glowered suspiciously at the car parked across the road from them.
"You wear a lot of make up these days," he commented, changing tack.
Kate shrugged. "Stylists, make-up people."
"You never used to. One of my girlfriends pointed that out a few years back. You used to go easy on the stuff. Now you've got it plastered on like a mask. It started after the concert."
"I've read about your girlfriends. You tend to trade them in when they hit thirty and start showing a bit of wear and tear."
Gabby took in a sharp breath. "That's a low blow."
"Back off, Gabby. Back off the Necrotech thing. As a story it's not worth the grief it will bring down and I promise you, it will be fixed. And back off the digs at Simon."
"You cancelled the party last night. I had to threaten to go to the Press to get you here and you won't take off your sunglasses. No! I won't back off."
Kate pursued her immaculately made up lips. "It's not what you think."
"If it wasn't what I thought, you'd have turned up without the glasses and laughed at what a klutz you were. It's exactly what I think."
"Look Gabby," she leaned across the table. "It's not as if any of us can actually get hurt. You know that. Simon just needs to let off steam occasionally, that is all, and that concert? It just haunts us. Every year or so it gets dragged up again in the Press. It's not easy for him, with half the world thinking he's a cuckold. I can cope. I've kept this marriage together for thirty years. I can build it again. You don't know anything about what's going on."
Gabby narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm telling Andy and Ian. You can't expect me to sit by and do nothing."
Kate shook her head. "You can't prove anything. It'll look like cheap point scoring and, believe me, the bad Press you got after the concert will be nothing to what will happen if you threaten Simon's good name."
"If you backed me up, it would stick."
"I'm not backing you up on a lie Gabby. I'm serious, you breathe a word of these allegations to anyone and I'll be speaking out against you. I can resurrect that sexual harassment charge at the drop of a hat and I'll embellish the story if I have to. I'll see to it that no respectable music site will touch your stuff and you'll never play a major venue again. Don't threaten Simon. Seriously Gabby, I'm handling it. Worse happened in Malton all the time. I can look after myself."
"But we got out of Malton. Shit! Cat!"
"Kate!"
Gabriel got up to leave. "Always Cat to me, baby." He leant down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I may not know much but I know that no amount of stability is worth this shit. Get out, Cat."
He left in a swirl of leather and silk.
Malton +41
"Excuse me, sir, you can't smoke..." the secretary trailed off as Kulko blatantly ignored her, striding purposefully towards Ian's office in ratty, mud-caked boots. He took a last drag of the cigarette as he approached the door, flicked the butt at the astonished office-worker, and stormed in.
"You think this is a game, Ian?" the younger man positively roared, slamming the door shut behind him. "You think you're some big important son of a bitch pushing around toy armies on a map?"
The scowl Ian offered in response was slight, to his credit. He rose from his desk, not yet summoning assistance. "What exactly are you referring to, Stephen?"
Kulko beelined for the desk, but remained on the respectful side. "Those are people out there - the same sort of people we fought and died and stood up and fought and died and stood up and fought and died again to protect. Over. And over. And you're going to tell them where they can go? How much they can feed their families? What they can do for a living?"
"Stephen, the alternative is -"
"The alternative is the freedom we all fought to see again. How many years did we spend locked in that hellhole, quarantined? Told we couldn't leave? You forgot awful quick."
"Stephen," Ian's voice was more forceful, now. "I've got more to consider now than just the souls in Dunell Hills. The world is at stake."
A silence hung between the two Alphas. Kulko broke it first, abruptly slamming a fist into the glass case at the fore of Ian's desk and withdrawing between bloodied fingers Ian's DHPD badge. "You won't be needing this, then." With that he turned on one heel and half-ran out the door.
Ian just shook his head slowly, looking to the glass glinting in the sunlight. As security showed up, the President waved them off with one hand. "He's just one man," he said quietly. "Let him go. I guess I'll not be seeing him at the reunion tonight."
"BD! Didn't expect you to make it! or Ant!"
"We didn't think we would either. Travelling is a fucking nightmare these days, we ended up on a sailing ship for half the journey."
Gabby smiled. "Well it's good to see you anyway. How's Africa?"
"Some bits are good, some bits are terrible. Half the time I'm not sure if we're backing the right side when we help out in the civil wars but I like to think we're doing good - Simon tells me our organisation has been a great help to the continent. Give the place another ten years and it'll be an economic power house and let's face it - the world needs somewhere that can stand up to China."
"Fuck China, the world needs someone that can stand up to Simon. I saw that `terrorist' attack on the Nigerian government. Rather well-equipped for terrorists, weren't they?" Gabby inquired innocently.
"So... was that 15-year old good in the sack?" Andy said with a small smile.
"Touché. And she told me she was sixteen."
"That's what the molesters all say, dude," Ant piped up with a grin.
"Seen Cat yet?" Gabby asked, changing tack suddenly.
BD glowered at him. "Leave her alone Gabby."
"I'm just asking."
"Not yet, she and Simon were off on some trip last week, but I'm going up there tomorrow for a few days of meetings."
"And you'll check she's all right." Gabby wondered how far he dared to push this. "That things are OK between her and Simon."
"They're fine, no thanks to you. I can't say I took to him much at first, but you can't deny Simon's been good for Kate and you can't knock 35 years of marriage."
"That's a matter of opinion - and I suppose, as you're his fucking employee, you can't knock him either," muttered Gabby.
"I said to leave her alone. So you don't like the man. Grow up and live with the fact they're married and likely to stay that way. Your cheap tricks won't pull them apart and if you ever pull a stunt like that concert again I really will string you up. No second chances."
"OK, OK, I get the message, alright?" Gabby snapped. He hoped his hint would maybe work its way into BD's subconscious and he'd spot something when he stayed with them. If he knew anything about Andy's stubbornness, it would take a lot more than subtle hints to do that. "Where do you go after that?" he asked.
"Back to Africa, this is something of a flying visit - Simon has some stuff to discuss with us, and comms black-outs mean it's a bitch to video-conference. We'd stay longer but it looks like we've got a berth on a ship heading back south in about three weeks and we don't want to lose it."
"How long will you be away?"
BD shrugged. "Hard to tell, a couple of years at least, maybe more."
Gabby cursed inwardly.
"Unemployed, eh?"
"Yeah, I told Simon he could go and fuck himself when he tried to take the project in a different direction. He didn't like that. Since he funds it, he has a lot of influence around Soldotna, and you know... I wasn't going to grovel." Sam explained.
"You OK for cash and shit?" Gabby said with concern.
"For a bit. Vicky is still OK for work, and I've got a lot of my Malton compensation saved up. I'll start looking for summat, but this was a big black mark on the old record, you know?"
"Bugger. Well, if you ever need a place to crash, you know where to find me."
"L'Oréal, apparently. Fucking hell, Gabby, you've reached a low point in terms of appearance!"
"I thought so too, to be honest - what did it?"
"The bloody eye-liner!"
"I'll tone it down. I'm surprised you can see that much detail. You looked drunk when you arrived."
"Not exactly. Had the worst hangover I've had since... Malton, I suppose. Went out and got blind drunk last night."
"Some things never change. Fuck! What about Danny? He still moping about?"
"Yeah, I don't blame him, that was horrible, having your wife's mangled body blared across the media for a week? Fuck me. I know Djamila was prepared for the worst when she signed up for that, but still... bet Danny wasn't."
"Fuck, yeah. We should check on him. How about you crash at mine tonight and then we go over to Danny tomorrow morning?"
"One for all and all for one?"
"You know it."
Neither of them glanced at the gossip magazine abandoned on the bar. "Tomorrow - exclusive revelations about leading Government scientist Sam Stokoe! Don't miss!"
Malton +42
"Do you and Simon always drink champagne when you go on a picnic?"
"Only when that picnic is in Central Park." Kate smiled. "There's caviar in here somewhere as well."
"You're spoiling me." Jim lay back on the grass in the sunshine.
"Well I don't get to see you so often."
"First time in two years, which is pretty crazy considering we live in the same city. I'm guessing you won't make it to the reunion next week."
"You hear about this 'real DHPD'?"
"Kulko's outfit? Yeah, I heard something. Is that why Simon let you out today? To pump me for information?"
"Something like that. He thought Kulko might have tried to recruit you, seeing how extreme you like things."
"Hiding out in the boondocks, blowing up grain silos isn't exactly my vision of a high octane lifestyle."
Kate grinned again. "I thought not, but I said I'd ask."
"So now we've got the order of business over and done with, shall we enjoy the picnic? Simon's gone to considerable expense here, not to mention a black market store's worth of food vouchers. I wouldn't want to see it wasted."
"How's the bicycle courier trade?"
"The pricier petrol becomes, the safer it gets. I'm going to have to find something else to do with my time soon."
"You're mad, you are."
"I've always preferred the word extreme. Speaking of which..."
"Mmmm?"
"There are some fairly extreme rumours going around about you and Simon. You sure you're OK?"
"You've been talking to Gabby."
"He rang me, yes, a year or so back. Wanted to know if I could find anything out. Then I talked to some of your staff. Seems like they can't resist the opportunity to gossip with a devilishly handsome bicycle courier."
"Really? You know one of those then?"
Jim threw a danish pastry at her. "Women and men swoon at the approach of Jim Extreme."
"Stupid of me, I'd forgotten."
"I'm serious Kate, are you OK?"
"Don't Jim. I'm fine, honest."
"Very well. I won't try to run your life for you, I reckon you get enough of that from Simon and BD. Gabe too, if you'd ever agree to talk to him again. However, if you ever need a bicycle courier, you know who to call."
"Thanks Jim." Kate took the proffered business card.
"And now, I have packages to deliver." Jim grinned and picked up his bicycle. "Don't be a stranger Kate."
He waved as he went. Kate winced as he vanished down a flight of steps. There was the sound of crashing dustbins and a shout of "Jim Extreme!"
"Vicky, good to see you here. I'm glad you came. I was worried you would stay away."
Vicky grimaced. "I nearly didn't come but then I decided that I didn't have anything to be ashamed of. It's bad enough that Cat stays away these days, all because of the Musketeers. I wasn't going to be kept away too."
Ian smiled. "Yes, it's too bad about Cat. I'm sure no one here blames you for what happened."
Vicky's hair, still dyed blue after forty years, bounced as she tossed her head. Ian wasn't sure if it was in agreement or not. He had a sense she was annoyed.
"Anyway Ian, I was wondering if you'd seen the WHO report on the rationing scheme."
"I have. I'm, well, I'm amazed and flattered."
Vicky laughed. "How does it feel to have eliminated world famine and brought about a revolution in public health."
"I'm pleased, I really am, but I'm also aware that in those regions where the world government remit isn't so strong, implementation of the rationing has been at best patchy. There are extortion rackets based around food vouchers and we still have very innaccurate estimates of population in those areas."
"Ian please, I'm in the middle of a tour with MSF. Always meant to do one but somehow never got round to it when I was married. Believe me, on the ground, in most places, they really see the difference. So much of their work used to be based around combating basic malnutrition. You were right. There was enough food to go round. And even before I went, when I was back home, I saw how many fewer obese kids turned up in my surgery. Incidence of Diabetes has plummeted. It may not have been popular but you did good Ian."
Ian shrugged. "I just knew people were starting to starve, even in the so-called first world. We had food riots in Chicago. I know it sounds terrible but that was much harder to ignore than civil war induced famine in Eritrea. Kulko still doesn't like it of course. Lots of people think the price was too high."
"Ian, can I have a word?"
"Always Gabe."
"It's about Jacques Sacerdoti's accident."
"Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously. Look, I didn't know him well but I know people who did and they're going mental trying to get someone to investigate properly."
"It was a simple accident."
"Look, Ian, these aren't some conspiracy nuts. I promised them I'd talk to you. All I'm asking is that you take a good look at it. For me, as a favour, OK?"
"OK, Gabe, I'll take a look, I promise."
Malton +43
"I see you dropped the investigation."
"I did what I could Gabe. I cleaned out a lot of the rot, but in the end I couldn't prove anything except sloppy investigation."
"But you know it was serious right, and you know it came from within your party?"
"Yes, I know. Don't worry, I'm vigilant now. It won't happen again."
"Ian, what's this?" Jim inquired, gesturing towards the TV behind the bar. The scrolling banner under the news-reader read: "Global President speaks out against DHPD".
"Sensationalism. It's Fox News, Jim, what do you expect? Barkeep - turn it up, will you?" Ian said evenly, hiding his anger with a calm smile.
The news-reader disappeared, replaced by Ian, standing in front of the United Nations flag.
"My fellow citizens, I come to you in the aftermath of the Nashville bombings. These atrocities, which claimed the lives of many loyal Americans, have been claimed by the terrorist group that calls itself the DHPD. This group is composed solely of murderers and anarchists. The man who leads it was once a friend of mine. But this man, who calls himself Kulko, is nothing to me now. He's a coward and a traitor, like all those who are using the DHPD name to justify their atrocities. As of now, I am issuing a warrant for his immediate arrest."
"Jesus, Ian, that's harsh, mate," Jim murmured. "He's one of us, no matter what he does now."
"You're not going to go all Gabby on me, are you Jim? I represent the rule of law, I can't just let a friend flout it. I let it go on long enough, but people have died now. If I let him slide, I would have lost the support of the Food Production Confederation. They're big in the mid-west, the Ukraine, large areas of rural China. They would be way more resistant to certain policies and might encourage some areas to secede. If the mid-west secedes, then, before you know it, the United States will withdraw from the World Government. China would follow. Bang. Collapse."
"Yeah. As if Kulko's that important, you melodramatic old man."
"Everything has an effect, Jimmy, don't be naive. Carl wrote that little speech there. But the politics doesn't alter the fact that people died. I wouldn't ignore that, even if I could get away with it politically."
Malton +44
Gabby stared in surprise at the woman in the hotel doorway. He'd only just started on his first scotch of the evening, so he obviously wasn't dreaming in an alcoholic stupour somewhere, but it was only the second time in 10 years that he'd seen her. She looked older, which was impossible.
"Cat? What are you doing here?"
"Don't go to the reunion tomorrow, Gabby, please."
"Heh!" he spread his arms. "I said I wouldn't didn't I? Wouldn't want to spoil Ian and Simon's little party. They need to demonstrate continuity or something, Ian said. Show that even with the shortages and Ian stepping down next year, everything will carry on as normal. I assume that means Simon will be announcing he intends to run as Ian's replacement."
"I know you, Gabby. If you show up there'll be trouble. Please don't go."
Gabby pulled her into the room and shut the door behind her. "Let me guess. Simon will have some of his thugs on the look out for me."
"Simon doesn't employ thugs."
"No?" Gabby scanned her face but it was free of marks, however when he grabbed her hand and pushed up one sleeve, a ring of dark bruises was revealed on her arm. "Now, let me guess. Did he do your beatings personally? Or did he delegate that little task?"
"How dare you insinuate you... Simon is a loving, caring man. He's treated me like gold for almost forty years." Gabby knew his expression was sceptical. "He doesn't treat his women like fashion accessories!" Kate finished lamely.
Gabe knocked back his double scotch, and set about refilling his glass. "Fuck off, Kate, we've had this discussion before. My love life isn't hurting anyone. Yours clearly is," he finished quietly, gently prodding Purple Cat's shin with his toe. She winced, then controlled her reflexes, maintaining a straight face.
"Who's next, eh? You gonna let him pay a visit to Andy if he makes fun of you at Christmas? Simon's de facto heir apparent to Ian, Kate, and you know his policies are way more hard line. Look what happened to the opposition. Tell me you really believe those were all accidents? Ian thinks he's cleared out the extremists but you and I know he's wrong. You're sleeping with the enemy, Kate, and it's all going to go very wrong, very soon. I love you. I don't want to see you get hurt anymore than you already have. Please, for me - get the hell out of there, babe," Gabe urged, clutching Kate's hand.
"Told you to stop calling me that. I'm not one of your `bitches', Gabby," she mumbled, not meeting his eyes. "Listen, it's not that easy. I was just floating through life until Malton. Simon is like an anchor. I finally have stability. Hell, I'm almost eighty, Gabe, even if I only look thirty. I've lived too long to go floating again. It's been a tough few years, but it'll be good again. I'm in it for the long haul. Thanks for the concern, but it's no good. You're wrong about Simon. You've been wrong about him for over forty years. Don't go to the reunion, for my sake, if not for Ian's. Now, I've got to go, I have things to do today,"
"You mean, if Simon finds out you're here he'll beat us both?"
"Be quiet, Gabby, I'm off," Kate said, slipping out of the door before Gabe could stop her.
He frowned at the door for a few moments. The smell of Purple Cat's perfume lingered in the air.
"You're still floating Cat," he murmured softly. "Just getting pulled along in Simon's wake."
Gabby switched on the radio while he poured himself another drink.
"In breaking news it appears that two of the presidential bodyguards, Dr Snow and Marty Banks, have been arrested for connections with the DHPD. Snow and Banks have worked for the presidential entourage for nearly 30 years and have attended both President Carlyle and Vice President Brankin in dual roles as personal physicians and security. This news comes at a time when more and more questions are being raised over President Carlyle's links to his former comrades from Malton."
Gabby downed his drink in one.