“Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age...childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.”- Edna St. Vincent Millay, poem (1931)
July 2, 2019,
23:50 local time,
The Apartment of
John Garrison,
City of Marian,
Marian Capitol Region, Republic of Marian
“Fee's $400,” said Serena
Riley to her client, John Garrison, a stock broker by day.
“$400?” said Garrison,
visibly shocked.
“Hey,” said Serena,
“you're asking for something very specific, buddy. I'm kind of going out
of my comfort zone too, so pay up.”
“All right,” said
Garrison, reluctantly.
Garrison then went into
his desk and found $400, which he immediately gave to Serena. Garrison
immediately got giddy as he dutifully headed to his bed, observing Serena's
clothes- a jewelry-embroidered bikini top and bottom, gorgeous red pigtails, a
pound of make up on her face, goggles on her forehead that made her look like
she had cat ears and knee-high gladiator sandals- and got excited for what was
going to happen.
The euphoria only grew
as Garrison could feel the handcuffs being applied to his wrists and his
ankles, and he encouraged Serena to just rip his clothes off, which she did. He
didn't care that he just wasted $500 in pants and a dress shirt- he had other
formal clothes, and he knew he could easily buy more...$500 for clothes meant
nothing to him.
As he lay on the bed,
spread eagle, he could feel the excitement and arousal overcoming him. He
watched with Pavlovian interest as Serena began taking off her clothes. Her
attire would normally come off easily, but Serena liked making a show of it for
her clients- it was a rare bit of fun in the occasion that she could have.
Garrison enjoyed every minute of it, hooting and hollering as Serena slowly
revealed more and more of her body.
“Man,” said Garrison,
delirious with excitement, “this is worth my money already!”
Garrison's excitement
increased as Serena slowly made her way toward the bed. Before she did get to
the bed, she made a pit stop to a table where she left her purse, pulling out a
condom. The sight of the condom disappointed Garrison immediately, and he
wasn't shy of voicing his protest.
“Oh come on!” he
said. “I paid good money for this! I want to ride you bareback!”
“Sorry,” said Serena,
dismissively. “No can do compadre...part of the deal is that you wear a condom.
I'm not risking getting pregnant or getting some disease from you.”
“...but...but,” said
Garrison.
“No 'but's',” said Serena
firmly.
“C'mon,” said Garrison,
“you know I'm not diseased...and the risk of pregnancy is low anyway.”
“No exceptions,” said Serena
firmly. “I already went through two abortions because I made that mistake
before...I'm not doing it again.”
Garrison looked at Serena
with a puzzled look. Two abortions? She can't be more than a teenager...how
could she have two abortions already?
“Poppycock,” he said.
“You’re barely a teen...how have you had two abortions already?”
Serena could only shake
her head and chuckle sardonically, doing her best not to cry.
“First of all,” said Serena,
“I'm an adult. Second of all...”
She put her hand to her
teary eyes to shield their view from Garrison.
“Second of all,” said Serena,
resolute but her voiced cracked a bit, “I don't care if you don't
believe me...my rules are my rules. If you want my services, you abide by my
rules.”
Serena then pulled out
a document and thrust it in Garrison's face.
“Besides,” said Serena.
“You signed this contract where it's all spelled out. You can't tell me
I deceived you.”
“...but,” said
Garrison, “I was excited...I didn't read it fully.”
“Not my problem,” said Serena.
“You signed it...that means, you read it.”
Garrison then began to
struggle with his handcuffs, twisting and hurling his body in a vain attempt to
get free.
“Fine then,” he said.
“Give me back my money. I'm done with this charade.”
“Sorry bud,” said Serena,
pointing to a section of the document. “Contract says 'no refunds'. You don't
want to play along, well...sorry, that's all on you.”
“Oh by Jove, Serena!”
said Garrison, not hiding his irritation.
Serena then
nonchalantly began to put her clothes back on, not even caring that Garrison
was protesting wildly. As soon as she put her clothes back on, she left him,
handcuffed to the bed and yelling like a madman, but Serena wasn't troubled by
it. Garrison kept calling for her but Serena paid no heed, walking out of the
door and into the night. She hailed a taxi that took her back to her home, a
small apartment she paid for with cash so no one could find out that she lived
there, and didn't think twice about Garrison. She debated about answering a few
other “calls” before ultimately deciding she was too tired and decided to go to
sleep.
Meanwhile, Garrison
struggled mightily with his handcuffs but got nowhere in his bid to free
himself. He too eventually tired himself out to the point where he fell asleep,
though he fortunately moved his bed close enough to his cell phone that he
could reach it the next morning.
July 3, 2019,
10:10 local time,
Marian City Police
Department,
City of Marian,
Marian Capitol Region, Republic of Marian
“I understand your
frustration Mr. Garrison,” said Deputy Captain Norah Anam on the phone at her
desk, “but you signed a contract, she did nothing wrong. Look, we'll get
someone over there to cut you loose, but we can't charge this 'Catwoman' with
any crime because none has been committed.”
Norah put her hand on
the receiver after hearing Garrison's response, looking towards the sky in
frustration before mouthing, “f*** it” and returning to the phone.
“Again,” said Norah,
not hiding her frustration, “we can't charge anyone with a crime because
none has been committed....unless we charge you for being too stupid to read a
contract, you big dope.”
She slammed the
receiver back on to its holster and shook her head, annoyed at the development.
She was still shaking her head when the Department's other Deputy, Ezekiel
“Zeke” Coleman, returned to his desk.
“Another stupid
complaint?” said Coleman with a smile.
“Some dope who called a
hooker and didn't read the contract and got mad that she didn't f*** him,” said
Norah. “I had to tell him multiple times what she did wasn't
illegal...you signed a contract, you didn't agree to abide by said contract so
don't act all surprised when she decides not to render her services. She
doesn't owe him anything if he doesn't hold up his end of the bargain.”
“...and by 'hold up',
you mean he couldn't...” said Coleman, his voice trailing as Norah immediately
responded.
“Oh I didn't ask if he
couldn't satisfy her,” said Norah bluntly, “and frankly I don't care. It's not
my business to know what the disagreement was, just to know if a contract was
violated or not...and she violated nothing. I've dealt with enough angry hooker
calls that it's quite important not to ask any more than you need to, if
you get my drift.”
Coleman laughed.
“Oh I definitely
get your drift,” he said as both of them laughed.
A few moments later,
Captain Roy Finnegan emerged from his office and walked towards Norah's desk.
Instantly, both Norah and Coleman knew what it was about.
“Look,” said Norah,
waving her hands to declare her innocence, “I spent over an hour on the
phone with that dope telling him that nothing illegal happened so there's
nothing we can do. I stayed professional...he just kept pushing me.”
Roy just took a look at
Norah and smiled, keeping the pose for quite some time as Norah and Coleman
looked on confused.
“OK?” said Norah,
trying to break the awkwardness.
“Listen,” said Roy. “He
complained to me, so I said I'd come out here and talk to you. This is me
coming out here and talking to you.”
Silence then befell the
area.
Norah and Coleman both
took turns looking at each other and at Roy, who still wore that charming smile
through his thick beard, before finally breaking the silence.
“So, uh, what do you
want to say, Roy?” said Coleman.
“Oh nothing,” said Roy.
“I agree with Norah...He is a big dope because he's too stupid to read a
contract before signing it.”
Roy then turned around
and went back to his office, while Norah and Coleman looked on, unsure of what
to think.
“Maybe Roy's actually
warming up to you,” said Coleman with a smile.
“I grow on people,”
said Norah with a smile.
“You sure do,” said Coleman
as the two exchanged a fist bump.
July 3, 2019,
13:14 local time,
Cat's Cradle
Apartments, The Narrows
City of Marian,
Marian Capitol Region, Republic of Marian
Serena waited anxiously
as she knocked again on the office door. She thought that she heard someone
inside, which made her wonder what was taking the occupant so long to respond
to her knocks. The more she kept going, the more Serena's brain kept telling
her that she was probably hearing things and that no one was inside.
She was about to turn
away and go back to her apartment when the door suddenly opened.
“Hello Serena,” said
Kottur, one of the two landlords overseeing the apartment complex. “Sorry I
didn't answer you sooner...I was in the shower.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,”
said Serena, who handed Kottur an envelope. “That's my rent...it should be
enough.”
“Oh I never worry about
you,” said Kottur. “You're always good for paying.”
Serena then lowered her
head and took in a few deep breaths, fidgeting with her fingers as she
struggled to find the words to say.
Kottur picked up
immediately that something was wrong.
“Serena,” she said. “Is
everything OK?”
Serena looked up and
could no longer fight the tears in her eyes.
“Kottur,” said Serena,
her voice cracking as her eyes began to well up. “Please don't get me wrong...I
love what you and Gatta have done for me...you saved me from a very terrible
experience. It's just...it's just...”
“Serena you can tell me
anything,” said Kottur calmly and warmly. “You know that.”
Serena wiped the tears
from her eyes and just shook her head.
“You know,” she said.
“It's OK...I'll be...fine. It's...just that time of month.” She then chuckled
sheepishly before walking away.
Kottur could only look
on, her heart sinking thinking of the torment that was going on in Serena's
mind. Though Cat's Cradle ran as an apartment complex where sex workers could
work in safety and Kottur and her colleague, Gatta, did everything they could
to make their residents happy, they often wondered if there was more they could
do. They already didn't ask for anything more than a small percentage of their
earnings, and never complained if someone was slacking. They provided food,
repairs, counseling and any other help their residents needed, free of charge
and without questions.
Foremost, they were
more than happy to help their residents get out of the lifestyle if they so
chose- and Kottur and Gatta did it with no strings attached.
By many metrics, they
were already doing enough- more than enough...but, people like Serena made them
wonder if there was something they were missing.
July 4, 2019,
09:17 local time,
Marian City Police
Department,
City of Marian,
Marian Capitol Region, Republic of Marian
“This is an illegal
deed!” said McCrain Enterprises VP Oswald Cobbledick to Roy, thrusting the deed
to The Joker Club on to Roy's desk. Standing behind Roy was the Capitol
Comissioner, Jim Gordon, who stood opposite to Oswald and his attorney, Edward
Nygma.
Roy took out his
reading glasses and read with interest, as Oswald looked on, arms crossed and
his feet tapping impatiently.
“He's crossed his I's
and dotted his T's,” said Roy. “I see nothing wrong with this.”
“Oh!” said Oswald, not
hiding his frustration, “what a load of repugnant cow excrement! You, Captain Finnegan,
are far too intelligent to fall for this poppycock! How many times do I
have to say that,” Oswald then slapped his hand several times between words as
he continued, “I! OWN! THE! LAND!”
“Oswald,” said Gordon
nonchalantly, “we've been through this before. You may own the land in The
Narrows but you don't have the right to redevelop it. You have to get City
approval and the City is not going to give it you.”
“A lot of the residents
live there illegally,” said Edward. “Squatting nullifies the resident's right
to their premises as they are actually engaging in an act of aggression. The
police, therefore, has an obligation to remove the vagabonds and restore the
lands to its rightful owners....namely, us.”
Roy buried his head in
his hands and shook his head, letting out an audible sigh. He'd already
explained to both Edward and Oswald that it would be a bad idea for the police
to evict the squatters, chiefly because they're otherwise peaceful and the
police had nowhere to put them. It'd also be a very bad move politically.
Roy debated explaining
this again to Oswald and Edward, but he knew their selfishness would blind them
to all logic, so he decided against it.
“We're not having this
argument again,” said Roy. “The case is closed, there's nothing you can do,
just move on and accept it.”
“What about The Joker
Club?” said Oswald, snapping at Roy. “You never resolved that!”
“Kyle Edwards went
through the City,” said Gordon, frustrated he had to explain a law Oswald
should have already known. “Based on the neglect provision, he can claim
ownership of the property himself if he buys the property from the City and
details a plan to put the property into use. He has not only done that, he has
also put that plan into action.”
Oswald let out a huff
as he began storming out the door with Edward following right behind him.
Before he left, Oswald addressed Roy one last time.
“Just you wait,” said
Oswald, pointedly waving his finger. “When Daniel Duke comes in, everything
will be different and I will have what is rightfully mine!”
Both Edward and Oswald
then left, with Oswald slamming the door behind him.
All Gordon and Roy
could do was laugh. Gordon then took a cup of Roy's coffee and brought it with
him as he sat down in front of Roy, who already brewed his cup. They both drank
it as they had a conversation of their own.
“How many times do we
have to go through that dance?” said Roy. “Thanks for having my back this
time.”
“Don't mention it,”
said Gordon. “I know we don't see eye to eye on McCrain but I still value your
presence.”
“I'll have you know,”
said Roy, “that we've left McCrain alone. We've got bigger problems to solve,
like ensuring Endgame doesn't attack the city again.”
“Seems quiet on that
front, isn't he?” said Gordon.
“So far,” said Roy,
“but I feel it may just be a matter of time. Him assaulting Duke was a message
that his supporters shouldn't feel safe, but our intelligence tells us that Endgame
doesn't have the manpower to organize some kind of 'wider resistance' but we
can't take any chances.”
“Whatever money or
manpower you need you know you can get it from me,” said Gordon confidently.
“Thanks, pal,” said Roy
with a smile. “I appreciate it. I hope the election goes smoothly.”
“I hope so too,” said
Gordon.
A thought then came to
Gordon which made him change the subject.
“Roy,” said Gordon,
“how old are you?”
Roy was taken aback by
the question but decided it wasn't worth protesting.
“46,” said Roy. “I'll
be 47 next year.”
“Good to know your math
is still on point,” said Gordon with a chuckle.
“Why do you ask?” said Roy,
puzzled but intrigued by Gordon's line of questioning.
Gordon smiled and
shifted in his chair before answering.
“Well,” he said.
“You're almost 50...never married. No kids...you're by yourself every day...in
fact, you stomach the long hours here because it fills the void in your life,
or at least you think it does.”
Roy patted his desk and
chuckled, shaking his head as he did so.
“If this is going to be
some kind of speech where you're going to try to convince me to find a woman,”
said Roy, “you're out of luck. I'm quite happy where I am right now...I don't
need anyone.”
“Do you, Roy?” said
Gordon. “How many more Christmases do you want to spend alone? How many more
birthdays do you want to spend here in this office? How many more years do you
want to spend with fatherly advice in your head and no one to give it to?”
Roy didn't have a
response so Gordon continued on.
“You know,” he said, “I
read an article somewhere that says men's fertility actually decreases
exponentially after 50. Your biological clock is running out...you can't afford
to wait any longer.”
Roy let out a heavy
sigh, with a forlorn look on his face.
“I'm Laker,” said
Gordon with concern in his voice. “I know all there is to know about
loneliness. 18 years ago, a family friend who insisted on finding a woman 'the
old fashioned way' died at the age of 52, childless and unmarried. He never
dated once in his entire life and, despite his repeated insistence that he was
happy with his life, we could tell he never was. His death so shook me that I
decided I could not take any chances. I signed up with a match-making service
and, a year later, I married the woman who is now my wife, the woman that bore
me my beautiful daughter, whom I named after my wife as a token of gratitude.
We have another beautiful daughter, two sons and another beautiful child on the
way. I have the family I have always wanted, and I could not be happier with my
life.”
Roy snickered in
response.
“Five kids, eh?” he
said. “That's a lot of work. Not sure I find that all appealing.”
“Barb stays home,” said
Gordon. “Makes it that much easier. I make enough so she doesn't need to work,
and she does a great job with the kids.”
Gordon then leaned
forward and looked Roy right in the eye.
“The Republic of Marian
doesn't have enough women,” said Gordon. “You're not going to find one out on
the streets. They didn't have enough before the Laker diaspora came and now
they certainly don't. You're playing a fool's game waiting for the woman of
your dreams. C'mon....you're a good man, Roy. You don't deserve to die alone.”
Roy let out a heavy
sigh and again looked on, longingly. Sadness overcame him as he realized that
Gordon was right, that he doesn't deserve to die alone- and he certainly wasn't
getting any younger.
He did, however, wonder
if what Gordon said was right. Though lots of strides had been made in record
keeping ever since peace finally was restored to The Republic of Marian, the
databases still had numerous gaps, and he knew there were still lots of people-
particularly in the Outback- whom government surveyors had yet to encounter.
There could be enough women in The Republic of Marian that he'd be able to find
one for himself without sophisticated means and all this talk about
“demographic deficiencies” could very well be Laker paranoia rearing its ugly
head.
“Well, Jim,” said Roy,
“thanks for stopping by.”
“No problem,” said
Gordon, getting up from his seat as Roy did the same. “Remember what I told
you.”
“Of course,” said Roy
with a smile as he let Gordon exit his office.
July 5, 2019,
01:19 local time,
The Jokers' Club,
The Narrows,
City of Marian,
Marian Capitol Region, Republic of Marian
“I'm sorry gentlemen,”
said the bouncer to a group of men pleading to get inside, “we're at capacity.
Hopefully when we finish the renovations we'll be able to accommodate you, but
tonight we can't.”
The men continued to
plead and plead but the bouncer paid them no heed. Eventually the whiners left,
realizing their efforts would be futile. Some of them swore off ever coming
back to the club which the whiners hoped the bouncer would take personally but
he didn't, because he knew they were just the rueful words of a bunch of
nobodies.
The bouncer again
checked his pocket counter, which confirmed what he already knew- at 1,152
people, the club was actually above the limit imposed by its new owner, Kyle Edwards,
who wanted a cap of 1,100 for fire safety reasons. The bouncer made the
decision to let in several more people because, earlier in the night, he had a
lineup of people and assured them all they would get in, and the bouncer liked
being a man of his word.
He stood at the door,
calmly, appreciating the lack of activity. He expected another crowd in about
an hour's time, when the “early birds” were expected to check out and the
“all-nighters” would come in to replace them. He kind of dreaded that
development, since the early birds tended to be people who had jobs and
responsibilities and were thus less likely to cause trouble, while the
all-nighters were mostly druggies too doped out of their minds to know what
they were doing.
Still, if they paid
money, he had to let them in. If there was space for them, of course.
The bouncer was lulled
from his thoughts when another group of people came to his door, walking
towards him with a sense of purpose.
“Sorry,” said the
bouncer, holding out his hands, “we're at capacity. We can't let anyone in.”
“Well I'm Bruce McCrain,”
said Bruce McCrain, looking the bouncer square in the eye as his colleague Esme
Errons looked on beside him.
“Is that supposed to
impress me somehow?” said the bouncer, who gave Bruce a dirty look.
“I have someone inside
that I need to talk to,” said Bruce.
“So do a lot of
people,” said the bouncer, folding his arms. “Still doesn't mean I can let you
in.”
“Suit yourself,” said
Bruce, also folding his arms. “I'll just let Kyle know that you're obstructing
a police investigation.”
“Police investigation?”
said the bouncer. “You're not old enough to be a cop. Besides, where's your
badge, son?”
“Look, I’m no kid,”
said Bruce, defiantly. “Besides, I may not be a cop right now but I will be one
day.”
“Oh so I got Nancy Drew
and the Hardy Boys here tonight,” said the bouncer, “well, today is my lucky
day!”
The bouncer then got a
tap on his shoulder, causing him to turn around. It was Kyle Edwards, who came
to the door to greet Bruce.
“Sorry about that
Brucey,” said Kyle. “Club's been getting really popular lately even though it's
not finished.”
“I see you're doing
well,” said Bruce with a smile.
“We're actually ahead
of schedule,” said Kyle. “We're hoping by the September long weekend we'll
actually have it finished, which was better than I could have said even
yesterday.”
“That's great,” said
Bruce. “Listen, can you get us in there?”
“Of course,” said Kyle.
“For you, it's always open.”
“Thanks Kyle,” said
Bruce as Kyle ushered Bruce and his cohorts into the club and into a lounge
booth so they could talk.
“We're here on an
assignment from Deputy Captain Norah Anam,” said Bruce. “We believe there's a
missing girl from California who's in The Narrows named Serena Riley. Does that
name ring any bells?”
Esme then produced a
photo of Serena- which was a year old as that was what her mother, Margaux, had
on her when she visited Norah at the MCPD- and gave it to Riley, who looked at
it with intent.
“Let me just ask,” said
Kyle, “how come Norah isn't here?”
“She didn't explain,”
said Bruce. “She just told us she couldn't officially be a part of it so she
handed the case off to us.”
“Odd,” said Kyle.
“It is,” said Esme,
“but we've been itching to get into some investigating so we didn't press the
issue.”
Kyle then again looked
at the photo, examining it with even more precision. She's pretty, he
thought, and I'd sure like to find her...
“Can't say I've seen
her,” said Kyle after a heavy sigh, “but, I'll tell you who's a bit more
plugged in to The Narrows...downstairs is famed Narrows fight club. Ecco runs
it now...Aiyanna left because she's afraid of Daniel Duke.”
“Interesting,” said
Esme.
Bruce didn't waste any
time. He immediately bolted for the door to the fight club and walked with
purpose down the stairs.
When he got there, a
fight was already in progress, featuring the club's main attraction, a powerful
fighter named Snood. Snood was a big man, well-built and muscular, who looked
even more intimidating with his long, flowing light brown hair, piercing eyes
and a full-bodied goatee, as well as a body covered in tattoos.
The one tattoo that
really stood out for Bruce was a wolf tattoo on his left leg, mostly because it
was one of the few tattoos that wasn't crowded by other ones. Still, it evoked
a sense of ferocity that Snood exuded, someone who looked really big but also
had boundless energy and an insane amount of athleticism.
What a sight Snood was.
In quick succession, Snood defeated three fighters by knocking them flat on to
the mat for a three count- a huge behemoth of a man who weighed three times
Snood did but moved half as fast, a small but hard-hitting feisty woman, and an
athletic man who jumped around the ring in an effort that mostly just perplexed
Snood but didn't throw him off his game.
When he was finished
his show of strength, Ecco appeared in the ring to raise his arm in triumph
before turning on her microphone to address the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen,
Snood!” said Ecco as the crowd cheered loudly for the victor, an applause that
Snood lapped up in full.
Meanwhile, Bruce asked
people in the crowd if they knew who Ecco was while also brandishing the
picture of Serena, but everyone ignored him. Everyone was more locked in to the
fights- many having placed bets on them- so they couldn't care less about
Bruce's issues.
Besides, many thought-
shouldn't Bruce know who Ecco is?
As Bruce walked through
the crowd and tried, in vain, to get someone's attention, Snood grabbed the
microphone from Ecco and began to give a statement.
“You saw the
destruction I just laid,” said Snood, who sounded real threatening to most of
the crowd in his brooding but smooth and stentorian tone. “More fools who think
they can step in the ring with me and think they can beat me. Well, think again
Marian- no one can beat me. I say this, especially to Batgirl,
who believes that she can win the Marian title from me in a week's time...”
Wait...Batgirl? Bruce was intrigued as soon as he heard the
name. Who is this 'Batgirl' he's talking about?
“If you're out there,”
continued Snood, “if you're in the crowd...you just saw that no one can beat
me, and neither can you.”
Snood then dropped the
microphone down to the mat, which caused an audible “thud”, and stood there in
the ring, giving a look as menacing as he could.
As Snood stood there,
Bruce continued to push his way to the ring, angering a lot of people in the
process. Ecco had left the ring to mingle with the crowd, which she always did
when there was a lull in the fighting. She hoped she would find someone who would
be brave enough to challenge Snood, or, at worst, find someone who would fight
someone else and keep the fight night rolling.
Eventually, Bruce found
his way to Ecco, but, before he could talk, many in the crowd began pointing at
Bruce and voicing their anger at his lack of manners. This wasn't lost on
Snood, who soon called out Bruce from the ring.
“This crowd tells me,
young boy,” snarled Snood, “that you lack your manners. I think it's
time I beat them right back into you.”
Bruce, who never backed
down from a fight, looked Snood right in the eyes, a move that stunned the
crowd.
“I have better things
to do than mop the floor with you,” said Bruce, sneering at Snood. “I'm looking
for this woman.” He then held up the photo of Serena. “Have you seen her?”
Snood reacted with a
snickering laugh. The nerve of that boy...
“Why don't you come
fight me?” said Snood, “and maybe you'll get the answers that you want.”
By this point, Esme had
made her way down into the crowd. She was looking for Bruce until the
confrontation with Snood alerted them to his position...and she was instantly
terrified.
Oh no, Bruce, thought Esme as she observed Bruce taking off
his shirt and his jacket, not fazed at the thought of fighting the much bigger
Snood. He's what...twice his size? What's he doing? Bruce is going to get
killed...
Nonetheless, Ecco
ordered the bell to be rung and the fight between he and Snood began. It went
just about as well as it would have been predicted, with the poorly-trained and
poorly-built Bruce pretty much being thrown around the ring like a ragdoll by Snood,
who seemed to be having a lot of fun decimating Bruce.
Most of the crowd
roared with appreciation, enjoying every minute of the one-sided bout, as Esme
could only bury her head in her hands as she couldn't stand to watch the
carnage.
Meanwhile, Bruce dug
deep, refusing to give in to Snood even though by this point the pain in his
body was excruciating and he was covered in blood. Snood was surprised by
Bruce's resiliency and it even won Bruce a little bit of respect from Snood,
but the big man wasn't about to show it.
After several more
failed attempts charging at Snood and attempting to kick at the tree trunks
Snood called legs, Snood decided he had enough of Bruce. In one swift move,
Snood grabbed Bruce by the throat, choked him a little and threw him up in the
air before Snood connected with a strong kick to Bruce's gut like a baseball
bat hitting a baseball. Bruce was sent flying into the ropes and dropped to the
mat, face-first and out like a light.
Snood grinned like a
wolf ready for the big kill before someone jumped on his back from behind and
put him in a chin lock that made him stagger and eventually lose his balance.
The attacker then swiftly kicked the now seated Snood in the head several times,
which caused him to slump to the mat on his back.
The crowd eventually
realized who it was and roared in appreciation for what the attacker was doing,
but Bruce- too dazed to see fully- could not make out the identity of the
attacker all that well.
With the crowd's
cheering reaching a boisterous crescendo, the attacker then finished her
assault by displaying her remarkable strength by lifting Snood high above her
shoulders before throwing him back down on to the mat. She then lifted one of
his legs and applied pressure on his chest to pin him to the mat for a three
count (though Snood was already exhausted by this point), which caused Ecco to
declare the attacker the winner of the impromptu match.
She wasn't that
interested in celebrating, though- she quickly ran to Bruce to see if he was
OK, and, aside from lots of aches and pains, he was. Esme had also rushed to
Bruce's side, and she was starstruck when she saw who had come over.
“Batgirl!” said Esme
observing Snood's attacker, who nodded in acknowledgement that she was, indeed,
Batgirl, who then formally introduced herself to Esme. Batgirl was unmistakable
with her purple and black head-covering that had protrusions on top that looked
like bat wings, a look she complimented with goggles that covered her eyes, a
cape, a sports bra, leggings and boots, all in some combination of purple,
black and yellow.
While Batgirl
appreciated the attention, she was more concerned about Bruce, and she was
intrigued about Serena. Batgirl then ushered Esme to her dressing room, where
the two of them carried the slowly recovering Bruce and his things.
Once they were there,
they waited a moment for Bruce to regain his consciousness and be tended to by
one of the club's nurses, who were still tending to Bruce's cuts and scrapes
when he finally opened up.
“Thanks for saving me,”
he said, wincing as the nurse tended to his wounds, mainly with alcoholic
wipes.
“No problem,” said
Batgirl. “As you can see, Snood has a problem with picking on people who are
smaller than him. He's quite the bully.”
“Bruce wasn't afraid of
him, though,” noted Esme. “It's Bruce you should be admonishing.”
“Eh,” said Batgirl.
“He's got good character...I could tell when he challenged Snood and didn't
back down. I just knew I had to step in before Snood actually killed him.”
“Killed?” said Esme,
whose heart jumped when she heard that.
“I know,” said Batgirl,
“it's not legal for Snood to do it...but a notice right before you enter the
ring says that by entering you consent to the risks involved, which can include
death. Snood's gotten away with killing a few people because of that, and I
feared the worst with your friend.”
Batgirl then walked
towards Bruce and sat down next to him.
“What's your name,
buddy?” she said warmly.
“I'm Bruce,” said
Bruce.
“I'm Batgirl,” said
Batgirl. “It's great to meet you.”
“Is that really your
name?” said Bruce, still feeling the effects of his fight.
“When I'm not fighting
my name is Bette Kane,” said Batgirl, “but hardly anyone knows that...this is
my job and my identity now.”
“You're really good in
the ring,” said Bruce. “I don't know how you beat Snood.”
“Lots of training,”
said Batgirl. “Lots of exercise...eating well...you know, the usual athlete
stuff.”
Batgirl then smiled and
changed the course of the conversation.
“What brings you two to
The Narrows?” said Batgirl. “I don't think I've seen any of you around here
before.”
“We're looking for a
girl,” said Esme, giving Batgirl the picture of Serena. “Her name's Serena Riley.
She's from California and went missing from there, presumed kidnapped. We
believe she ended up somewhere in Marian, particularly The Narrows, but that's
as much as we know now.”
“The Narrows?” said
Batgirl.
“Yeah,” said Esme. “We
heard a few prostitution rings operate around here, and she was kidnapped by Lakers.”
“Well,” said Batgirl,
taking another look at the photo, “the only prostitution network I know are the
Marian City Sirens, but they're licensed workers and they'd never take on
anyone who's unwilling. The only other possibility is Cat's Cradle, an
apartment complex to the north of here that takes on street kids and
rehabilitates them, which would include helping unwilling prostitutes 'exit the
game' so to speak- or, if they want, keep going but in a much safer way. I've
directed many women to the complex and I continue to work with the Cradle every
day. There's a possibility your friend may have ended up there.”
“Wow,” said Bruce.
“Thank you. That was most helpful.”
“You're welcome,” said
Batgril, who then proceeded to kiss Bruce on the cheek before handing him her
card. “Let me know if you find Serena...and if you ever need someone to train
you on how to fight, give me a call...and get well soon.”
A knock then came on
Batgirl's door. It was Snood.
“Listen buddy,” said
Batgirl, getting in between Snood and Bruce, “if you've come here to 'finish
the job' I'm here to tell you that I'm not going to let you lay another finger
on Bruce. Do you understand?”
Snood patted the air
with his hands.
“Calm down, Bette,” he
said. “I came here because I wanted to shake his hand. He put up a heck of a
fight in there.”
“OK,” said Batgirl, who
let Snood through though she watched him intently.
“Bruce?” said Snood,
walking up to Bruce.
“Yes,” said Bruce, who
again winced in pain.
“You did very well in
there,” said Snood, outstretching his hand. “If you had some training, you just
might be able to beat me one day. In any event, you have earned my respect.”
Snood smiled as he
continued to offer his hand to shake Bruce's. Bruce looked on for several
moments, wondering if Snood was genuine or if it was a trick, before deciding
he had lots of friends in that room with him that could step in if something
happened.
Thus, he graciously
accepted Snood's offer and shook his hand heartily.
“Listen,” said Snood.
“If you ever need anything, you know where to find me. It was an honour to
share the ring with you.”
Snood then patted Bruce
on the back before he departed, much to the shock of Esme.
“Is he being honest?”
said Esme.
“To the bone,” said
Batgirl. “I've never seen him do that before with someone he's fought for the
first time...or even the tenth. It took beating him my 20th time
before he shook my hand.”
“You've beat him 20
times?” said Esme.
“23, actually,” said
Batgirl. “Lifetime I'm 23-16 against him. I'm the only one with a winning
record against him, and no one has a winning record against me.”
“He has the Marian City
Title, he says,” said Esme, a sore spot for Batgirl.
“I'll win it from him,”
said Batgirl confidently. “I'm not worried. You guys should come back to see
that match.”
“I think we will,” said
Esme with a smile.
July 5, 2019,
14:19 local time,
Cat's Cradle
Apartments, The Narrows
City of Marian,
Marian Capitol Region, Republic of Marian
“Well, hello,
there,” said Gatta, cooing as Bruce and Esme walked in to the lobby. Clad in a
form-fitting full bodysuit that had covered the top half of her face (but had
openings for her eyes) and protrusions that looked like cat ears, the shapely
Gatta was quite noticeable and fetching, which is what she intended. Bruce was
struck by her beauty so much that he got distracted until Esme slapped his arm
and got his mind back on track.
“Hi,” said Bruce. “I
imagine you run this complex?”
“Why, yes, I
do,” said Gatta, maintaining her seductive voice while caressing Bruce's cheek
with her hand.
“I can fulfill whatever
your heart desires,” said Gatta, who kissed Bruce on the cheek and began
undoing Bruce's jacket, ever so slowly for the effect.
Meanwhile, Bruce just
stood there, confused about how to handle the situation. Gatta's touches felt
nice and his heart told him to pull Gatta towards him but his brain told him to
push Gatta away so that he could get on with business.
Esme made that decision
easy for him when she swatted away Gatta's hand as it reached for the front of
Bruce's pants, this after Bruce reacted in shock after Gatta ran her hands
along his butt.
“OK, miss,” said
Esme, angrily. “Play time is over! Unless you want trouble, apologize to my
friend!”
Gatta's heart sank as
she realized what she had done. She hadn't encountered a man who was bothered
by her seduction until Bruce so she didn't know how to react to it, but Esme's
reaction sealed that she had, indeed, crossed a line.
“I'm sorry, sir,” she
said, her tone instantly changing to an apologetic one. “I usually don't get
that reaction out of men but that doesn't excuse my behaviour.”
“It's fine,” said
Bruce. “It's your job, I'll let it go.”
Esme looked on,
thinking Bruce was letting her off too easily, but she thought against
escalating a situation Bruce did not seem to want to escalate.
“So,” said Gatta,
adopting a serious tone. “What brings you to Cat's Crade?”
“We're looking for this
woman,” said Bruce, displaying the picture of Serena. “Her name is Serena Riley,
originally from California. We got a tip saying that she might be living here.”
Gatta took a look at
the picture and nodded. Yep, that's Serena all right.
“Yeah,” said Gatta.
“She lives here. Is something wrong?”
“Her mother reported
her missing last year,” said Esme. “We understand she was kidnapped and brought
here to Marian. We hope everything is OK with her.”
A look of concern
overcame Gatta, troubled by the pair's line of questioning.
“Listen,” said Gatta,
“if you're with the police, I'll have you know that none of what we do
is illegal. If you've got evidence that Serena has broken some kind of law then
maybe we can talk some more...otherwise, I don't need to explain anything.”
“Miss,” said Bruce,
“we're just concerned citizens, but her mother is at the police station and
just wants to see her daughter again. She doesn't want any trouble.”
“Well,” said Gatta,
defiantly, “if Serena's mum wants to see her so badly, why isn't she here?”
“We can call her over,”
said Esme.
“Do it,” said Gatta,
who folded her arms.
After twenty minutes,
Norah showed up alongside Margaux Riley, Serena's mother. Margaux was a bucket
of nerves, excited at the chance to finally see her daughter again after all
this time, though she tried to hide it.
Once Gatta was
satisfied that Margaux was, in fact, Serena's mother, Gatta called for Serena
to come down. Serena agreed, which amped up Margaux's anxiety that much more.
As she waited,
Margaux's breathing quickened noticeably as did her heart, overcome by
anticipation of the moment. All those months...all those frustrations. All
those false leads...every day that she spent without her daughter was
agonizing, the next day always worse than the last one.
Through it all she
always had hope and always told herself to maintain it, though there were times
when doubt crept in. She couldn't help it- a mother's worst nightmare is the
death of her child, and though she told herself that until it's official that Serena
was still alive, it was hard for the thought not to come up every now and then.
Even tonight, though
she had a better feeling about the development than she had ever since her
search for Serena began last year, Margaux couldn't help but wonder if she
really was meeting her daughter again or if this was another feint.
Come on, Margaux, she thought to herself. Norah's put in
more work than the Encinitas detectives ever did...this has to be Serena.
Her doubts were erased
when, at long last, Serena actually emerged from the elevator and Margaux could
see, definitively, that it was Serena.
There was no doubt now.
Once the realization
hit, Margaux was overcome by her euphoria and let out her emotions. Her eyes
were a joyous well with a smile that was wider than the Moon, a feeling that
was infectious as everyone gathered could help but smile and shed a few tears themselves.
Everyone, that is,
except Serena.
Serena could only look
on, her face defiant and her demeanour stiff. Margaux didn't notice at first,
running up to her and wrapping her arms around Serena in a tight embrace that Serena
expected, given that Margaux felt relief from months of anguish all at once.
Margaux, though,
realized something was wrong when Serena didn't reciprocate, which caused her
to back away and start feeling sad.
“Serena,” she said, her
look now perplexed. “Do you not recognize me?”
As she fought the
sadness of Serena's rejection, Margaux had to remind herself what Norah had
told her- that missing people might need some time to get over the shock of the
encounter to fully process what was happening. They might not realize who was
in front of them for quite some time.
Serena, though, knew
right away.
“You think you can just
walk here and hug me and s*** as if the last year didn't happen?”
said Serena, yelling pointedly at her mother. “Do you really think I'm
just...I'm just...going to accept you right away?”
Margaux's head went
down as she began to sob audibly, distraught over what she had heard.
“...but...but,” she
said, wailing uncontrollably before addressing Serena with puppy eyes,
“it's...it's me...your mother!”
Serena looked on,
herself now beginning to cry being overcome by the moment. She lowered her head
to sob for a few moments before she regained her composure, again staring her
mother right in the eyes with an icy- though teary- glare.
“Some mother you turned
out to be!” snarled Serena. “Where were you when I was attacked by over a dozen
guys? When I was knocked out, cold, on a plane, powerless to stop those boys
from gang raping me? When I was chained, naked, in a cellar as those boys took
turns using me as a punching bag? Or when those same boys forced me at gunpoint
to have sex with them or some other perverted f***tard that they found that
day?
“You know, a girl
losing her virginity is the most important moment of her life, next to her
marriage...but I never got to experience mine, because I was out like a light
while those boys were violating me.”
Serena stopped
momentarily to lower her head and sob some more, crying audibly before
regaining enough composure to continue.
“As for my first time,”
she said, her voice cracking, “that I actually got to experience? It was
with some dirty old man in an even dirtier hotel, and he didn't even last one
minute.”
Gasps then came out in
response before Serena marched on.
“Oh,” she said with a
sniffle, “that wasn't the worst of it. No, the guy that couldn't control
himself blamed me for making him cum so early, so he beat me several
times and stiffed me on the payment...and my 'handlers' responded to it by
beating me and raping me some more.”
Serena again broke down
and cried for several minutes before continuing her rant.
“Of course, I was
lucky,” said Serena. “Since they were horny young boys they weren't too bright
at keeping prisoners, so one day they left the door open to their house and I
just bolted out of there. I then found a man dressed in red who dropped me off
in Marian, where I decided to continue turning tricks because...I realized I
was good at it.”
“...but, Serena,” said
Norah. “You don't have to be a prostitute anymore...you can go back home...to
your old life...to your family.”
Serena cried again but
didn't offer a response. She was struck by what Norah said, and, in that brief
moment, Margaux had hope there would be a breakthrough.
Unfortunately for her, Serena
dashed those hopes again.
“Family?” said Serena.
“What family? I never met my dad, and Margaux worked almost all the time so I
never saw her. Not just that, but she kept pushing me to do things I never
wanted to do. My whole life...I never did what I wanted.”
Serena that looked
warmly at Gatta before continuing.
“Until I came here, to
Cat's Cradle,” she said, “where I actually found a family.”
Margaux began to
respond but by this point Serena had enough. She loudly told Margaux to spare
her breath before leaving back to her apartment in a huff. After Serena
disappeared behind those elevator doors, Margaux collapsed to the floor in a
sobbing mess, inconsolable despite the group's best efforts.
July 5, 2019,
18:32 local time,
Marian City Police
Department,
City of Marian,
Marian Capitol Region, Republic of Marian
“Well,” said Norah,
getting back to her desk. “That didn't go like I thought it would.”
“What do you mean?”
said Coleman, looking up from his computer.
“You know how on TV,”
said Norah, “when a missing child reunites with her mother there's this big,
grand meeting where the two hug in that warmest of embraces that tugs at your
heartstrings and makes you feel all nice and fuzzy inside...well, when Serena
finally met her mum after a year away from her, Serena told her off and left in
a huff, basically telling Margaux that she was dead to her. I mean, I know from
experience that not all missing person reunions go as smoothly as they go on
TV...but that's next level stuff there.”
Coleman chuckled,
though he felt for what Margaux was going through.
“I guess Serena didn't
want to go back,” he said. “She'd been through a lot, and I guess because she
didn't see the lengths her mother went to find her, Serena believes her mother
didn't try at all.”
“...but that's the
thing,” said Norah. “I know if anything happened to Reverie I'd be driving
myself up the wall wondering if there was something I could have done
differently, and Margaux was the same way. Margaux loved Serena, and she wanted
to do whatever she could to find her again.”
“Yeah,” said Coleman,
“but look at it from Serena's standpoint. Serena went through all these
horrible things and never actually saw the effort her mother was putting in,
and that wears on you. More than likely her kidnappers told her that her mother
doesn't care about her and that she's not looking for her, and Serena
eventually internalized it. Then she eventually got comfortable in her new life
and began thinking she could never go back to her old one...and here we are.”
“If I could make a
crack diagnosis,” said Doctor Pascal Yves after walking up to their desks. “I
would suggest Serena Riley is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and
Stockholm Syndrome,”
“PTSD and Stockholm?”
said Norah. “I could see that...except that she's not with her kidnappers
anymore.”
“That doesn't matter,”
said Yves. “Her kidnappers forced her into the world of prostitution which
eventually became her means of survival. Through prostitution she likely felt
independent for the first time in her life so she began seeing it as a means of
'freedom' from whatever stresses she may have had in her previous life. Once
you begin to feel like you have your life in control it's very hard to give
that up and, right now, Serena feels 'in control'- maybe for the first time
ever.”
“So are you saying that
Serena's living a lie?” said Norah.
“I wouldn't say that,”
said Coleman. “Not knowing her life with Margaux she could have genuine reasons
to believe her life as a prostitute is better.”
“I think that, because
she's a teenager she naturally believed her parents were 'against her',” said Yves.
“Having said that, I agree with Coleman that she may genuinely enjoy
prostitution and feel like that's the life she wants...but I do believe that
she may be too young to appreciate the love her mother actually gave her.”
Norah heard that last
line and began thinking of her own daughter, Reverie. It was a constant worry
for her that she wasn't doing enough for her and that she never showed her the
love she actually had for her. It was a constant struggle in Norah's head trying
to fully grasp her parental responsibilities, worrying that she worked too
much, pushed Reverie too hard or controlled her too much.
Because, what if one
day Reverie turned on her like Serena turned on Margaux? What would she do
then? Norah realized today that it didn't at all matter if she felt like she
was doing enough- if it wasn't enough for Reverie, then it isn't enough...and
she had no way of knowing that.
Which scared her.
Norah then got up and
made a beeline for Reverie, who was doing work in the forensics lab. As soon as
she found her, Norah closed the door and wrapped her arms around Reverie and
tightly embraced her, hugging her like it was the last hug she'd ever get.
Reverie was happy with
what happened but also perplexed by her mother's show of affection.
“Thanks Mom,” she said,
as the two cradled each other in their arms. “I'm not sure what I did to earn
that.”
“Just by being you,
darling,” said Norah. “By being the greatest thing that has ever
happened to me, bar none. I never want you to go through life, by day and even
by second, without knowing that I love you with all of my heart and even more
love after that. I never ever want you to forget that.”
“Oh Mom,” said Reverie
as the two hugged again. “I never doubted that for a minute, and I never will.
You never have to worry about me...I'll always love you.”
July 5, 2019,
19:29 local time,
Royal Hotel
City of Marian,
Marian Capitol Region, Republic of Marian
“Hey,” said Margaux,
picking up the phone in her room.
“Hey,” said Roy, on the
other end of the line. “It's Captain Roy Finnegan of the MCPD...how are you
doing?”
“Oh,” said Margaux,
sniffling and wiping tears from her eyes, “it still stings, you know...I never
thought something like this would happen.”
“I know,” said Roy, who
let out a sigh. “I wish it didn't either. I mean, I don't have any kids so I
guess I don't completely relate...but, having dealt with many families myself,
I do understand. Even if I can't mend the pain.”
“You don't have to,”
said Margaux. “I don't blame the MCPD for anything...you guys did your job.”
Margaux then took in a
deep, audible breath as tears again formed in her eyes.
“I got to see my
daughter for the first time in a year,” said Margaux. “As a mother, I couldn't
ask for anything more.”
“Well,” said Roy, “I'm
glad we could reunite you two, if only for a moment.”
“One day,” said
Margaux, “I'll see it as a happy moment...and I hope one day, down the line, Serena
will see the moment for what it was and we can have a proper reunion. She means
too much to me for me to give up on.”
“...and you never
should give up on her,” said Roy.
Roy then let out a sigh
of his own, which Margaux could sense was one of indecisiveness.
“Are you OK, Roy?” she
said.
“Oh yeah, I'm fine,”
said Roy. “Just been a long day, you know?”
“I get you,” said
Margaux.
“Uhhh, listen,” said Roy,
who began to stutter. “Um...is...uh...do you...I mean...is the Royal Hotel Bar
still open?”
Margaux was surprised
but intrigued by the question.
“Are you asking me
out?” she said with a smile.
“Uh, s***,” said Roy.
“I know, it's inappropriate of me...I'm sorry.”
“No, no, no,” said
Margaux assuredly. “It's not inappropriate at all. I could use some company
tonight.”
“Oh, OK,” said Roy,
relieved.
“I just thought you
don't drink,” said Margaux.
“Not anymore,” said Roy.
“I used to in my younger days, but I gave it up. That said, the Royal Hotel Bar
has great food and great coffee...I'm always up for that.”
“So why don't you swing
by in about half an hour,” said Margaux, “give me some time to freshen up.”
“Eh,” said Roy, “you
don't have to wear your Sunday finest for me...I'm just a grizzled old cop.”
“...but a hard working
one who always deserves the best,” said Margaux. “I'll see you in the lobby?”
“For sure,” said Roy,
as both said their good-byes.
July 5, 2019,
20:02 local time,
Marian City Police
Department,
City of Marian,
Marian Capitol Region, Republic of Marian
“Hey,” said Coleman,
noticing Roy leaving his office. “Where are you going?”
“I,” said Roy with a
smile, “have a date.”
Coleman smiled and
nodded his head appreciatively.
“You,” he said, “have a
date? When did this happen?”
“Kind of quickly,
actually,” said Roy. “Listen, Zeke, I gotta go...don't call me unless it's an
emergency.”
“Will do,” said Coleman
as Roy bolted out the door.
Coleman found the
development interesting and began thinking about his own situation. As far as
he could tell, it'd been a while since Roy had an actual date with a woman- in
his two years working with him, Roy never seemed to go out on one, always
staying behind at the office because, what else was he going to do?
So he must have really
hit the jackpot if he found a woman willing to spend one night with him.
Coleman then got to
thinking- it sure had been a while since he spent the night with a woman. This
surprised him and saddened him- he considered himself to be an attractive man,
certainly one who was more attractive than Roy given that Roy was a portly mass
of fat who had no sense of fashion and never seemed to have heard of a razor or
a clipper, while Coleman was muscular, well-built and well-groomed, with a
keener eye for style.
Certainly if Roy
could get a woman, there's no reason- in Coleman's mind- that he couldn't
either.
Coleman then tried to
rationalize his difficulties, surmising that he'd simply gotten so busy at the MCPD
that he never thought about going out and finding a date. Which then became a
troubling thought- was he becoming Roy Finnegan?
He then looked around
the MCPD. There was Norah, whom Coleman knew was a single mother, but Coleman
felt like he was too close to her- not just as a friend but professionally- to
make dating her work. He then saw Park Avenue, who seemed way too happy with
the bachelor life to want to settle down with someone.
Of course, Park is
25, thought Coleman. I'm
42...big difference in life perspective. He probably doesn't realize the
challenges.
Coleman then saw
Officer Alvarez, who was always making excuses to avoid seeing his wife. Ah...I
guess 'marital bliss' isn't always bliss...
Then he saw Detective
Vanessa Harper, who actually seemed to be happily married. She married
young, though.
He spent the most
thoughts thinking about Yves, whom he'd known the longest at almost 20 years.
He saw Yves develop from a squirrelly, vulnerable detective into the assertive
know-it-all he is now. He helped Yves overcome his social awkwardness and
taught him everything he knew about scoring with women and keeping them, and
now Yves is preparing to marry the love of his life, Zoe Hawkes.
Maybe I spent too
much time helping others and not enough time helping myself, thought Coleman.
This made Coleman ask Yves
a question when he walked near his desk.
“Hey Yves,” said Coleman,
trying to act casual though he had a serious inquiry. “Is it true all the stuff
they say about the demographics here in The Republic of Marian?”
“What kind of
information are you looking for?” said Yves, puzzled.
“Ah,” said Coleman,
“just the stuff about single men and single women...it's gotta be a joke,
right? Just like the Laker situation was a joke.”
“The Laker situation
was entirely real,” said Yves assuredly. “In fact, I would hazard a guess that
it was even worse than government statistics revealed, because the Lakers are
mostly practitioners of the Nathanite religion that's incredibly patriarchal
and thus 'son-preference' in babies would have been considerably higher. The Lakers
were also notorious for under-documenting people they considered
'undesirables', so the gap between men and women may have been even larger.”
“Yeah,” said Coleman,
“but once they went around the world things would even themselves out.”
“You'd think they
would,” said Yves, “but because of the Lakers' reputation for misogyny expats
have found- and continue to find- it difficult to convince a woman to engage
with them romantically.”
Coleman then waved his
hand so that he could interject.
“Well,” he said.
“That's a problem they made. If they're garbage humans, they have no one to
blame but themselves.”
“Except that it has led
to racism against Lakers,” said Yves, “as people think every Laker male is a
misogynist when that isn't true.”
“OK,” said Coleman. “I don't doubt that as a problem...but what about here, in The
Republic of Marian specifically. Is it true we've got the same problems as the
rest of the Great Lakes?”
“Given that Marianite
authorities right now are more focused on peacekeeping and the election,” said Yves,
“accurate Marianite records are hard to come by...but from what I do know, the
answer is 'yes', we have a Laker problem that may even be worse for the Great
Lakes' problem because The Republic of Marian has been, historically,
patriarchal but never had the record-keeping that the Great Lakes did. Now,
there may be a chance that once records are officially taken that we'll have
seen that we overblew the demographic issue but I rate those odds as highly
unlikely.”
Coleman sat there and
pondered what Yves said, remembering a card he picked up a few weeks ago.
“Thank you, Yves,” he
said, glad that he was informed. Maybe I should give these match-makers a
call.
“Sometimes a dead end isn't the end of the road. You just have to search for the path.”- Todd Johnson, “Memoirs of a Warrior” (1234)
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