Radioactive
Chapter Six
~White Wolf
Lounge~
Kaiba looked
down at the shards of crystals on the slab. He looked over a Jekyll as he
crossed his arms. Kiri stood beside him and tried to analyze the shards. There was
a silence in the room that was as thick as butter. Kaiba sighed. He tried to
calm himself to breath normally.
“What did you
say?” Kaiba asked.
Jekyll looked
at him, “You didn’t hear me? I thought I was perfectly clear. Maybe I could
check your hearing. I said that there is no DNA in any of this crystal. It’s as
if the young lady wasn’t even human anymore, like her entire essence was
crystal the entire time. Of course we’re still doing some research but as of
this moment, she is just a pile of crystal.”
“Crystal doesn’t
scream or attack people,” Kaiba said.
“Unless you
stand under it when it falls on top of someone,” Kiri said.
Jekyll
nodded, “Yes, that would result in some screaming and attacking I would think.”
“How about
the lizard’s DNA?” Kaiba asked, “Did you find out anything?”
“Nothing
much,” Jekyll answered, “Right now, sadly, we are stumped. All I can do now is
ask that if you find another odd Other’s please don’t split or shatter them and
get them hear in more or less one piece.”
“So we’re
stuck,” Kaiba sighed.
“Unfortunately,
yes,” Jekyll said.
Kaiba walked
toward the door, “Thank you. Tell me when you find anything new.”
“Right,”
Jekyll rolled his eyes, “because I have to do everything you say. You are so
bossy and demanding, you know?”
“Sorry,” Kiri
apologized for Kaiba’s behavior as she went after him. Jekyll waved a dismissive
hand.
Kiri ran
after Kaiba. She missed the elevator that Kaiba was in. Annoyed, she turned
into the stairwell and ran up the stairs. The blue dot in Kiri’s vision showed
Kaiba headed for the lobby. She burst through the stairwell in the lobby and
ran to the elevator. It opened as she approached. Kaiba strode out and walked
toward the door. Kiri tried to keep up with him.
Bridget
looked up from her work, “Are you going out?”
“Yes,” Kaiba
said as he walked.
“Um,” Bridget
stood up to try to get Kaiba’s attention.
“Forward all
calls for Kaiba to my me,” Kiri said on the way out, “Please let Galaxy know we
will be off the premise and that if he needs anything to contact us.”
Bridget nodded
her head, “Right.”
The door
closed and Kaiba walked down the steps. He walked toward the front gates. His pace
didn’t slow down and he didn’t seem to care if Kiri could keep up with him or
not. He reached the gates, showed an ID and walked past the guards. Kiri ran
after him trying to figure out where he was going.
“Shall I borrow
a company car?” Kiri asked.
“No,” Kaiba said,
“I’ll take a cab.”
Kiri managed
to catch up to him and walk alongside him, “May I ask where you are going?”
“I need a
drink,” Kaiba said with a plain expression.
“May I remind
you that it is against company policy to drink while in active duty with the
Tower,” Kiri stated.
“You just
did,” Kaiba was in no talking mood.
Kiri sighed
and followed the rest of the way in silence. They reached the main streets
where she hailed a cab. Kaiba got in and told the address of where he wanted to
go. Kiri missed it as she entered the cab and closed the door. As all good cab
drivers do, the poor man tried to make conversation. Being in an irritated
mood, Kaiba said nothing. Kiri took on the responsibility to talk to the driver
in his stead.
They drove
into the downtown area towards an area known for its night life. Most of the
clubs and bars were close to the alleys but still on the safe side of business.
The reached a stretch of road that no cars could go known as State Street. The
cab pulled over and Kaiba stepped out. He walked down the pedestrian street
while Kiri hurried to pay the driver. She got out of the car and ran to catch
up with him.
State Street
was filled with the late afternoon crowd out shopping at the local stores or
simply hanging out for a place to be. Some of the bars were starting to open,
attracting different kinds of people. Kaiba walked through the street. He came
to a small alley way that stemmed from the main street. At the end of the alley
was the entrance to lounge bar and club called the White Wolf. A man stood up
from a chair beside the door. He met with Kaiba and crossed his arms.
“And who
might you be?” the man asked.
Kaiba stared
the man down, “A paying customer.”
“We don’t open
till later,” the man said.
Kaiba sighed,
“Would you tell your boss to let me in? He knows who I am.”
The man
touched a finger to his ear, “Hey boss, there’s a guy out here wanting to get
in…Yeah…How’d you know he was wearing a coat? Should I let him in?... Alright.”
The man stepped to one side, “He’s expecting you.”
Kaiba walked
in. The lounge was spacious and was actually three levels high, the fourth level
being the boss’ office. Several young men and women were doing some last minute
cleaning. All of them were dressed in the black and red uniform and dress
shoes. Beyond the lounge area, the floor dipped into a dance floor. There was a
large enough area for dancing and even a stage for live performances. The place
had enough class and style to draw in both the young and old crowd. During the
day the doors were open as a hangout for family’s and teens where food and soda
were served instead of alcohol. The doors closed around noon and opened again
for the night life where one had to be 18 to enter 21 to drink.
Behind the
bar was the owner of the establishment. His white hair was long though he didn’t
long old enough to have all white hair. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and
black pants. His eyes looked up at Kaiba as he cleaned a glass. A black woman
sat at the bar, a guitar case was at her feet. Kaiba walked up to the bar and
sat down at a stool. Kiri stood nearby and looked around.
“Anyway, I just
want to say that it’s a nice thing what’chyou doin’, you know, hirin’ only
Alley kids. Gives em’ somethin’ to do other’n get into trouble, know what I mean?”
the woman spoke to the bartender.
“Most of the
time, those kids are better workers,” the bartender said, “Most of them know
that this is their one chance. You tend to work harder knowing you have
everything to lose.”
“Mmhmm,” the
woman stood up and looked at Kaiba, “Well, I’ll let’chyou get back to your business.
I wouldn’t want to be a bother.”
The bartender
smiled, “You’re never a bother, April.”
April grabbed
her guitar and headed for the door. She raised her hand in farewell, “Seeya,
Fang.”
The door
closed and Fang turned his attention to his other guest. He looked less pleased
to see Kaiba. It was almost a 360 turn of emotions.
“What do you
want?” Fang asked.
“Do you have
any pure alcohol?” Kaiba asked.
Fang looked
at him, “Yes, but we usually add it to other things so people don’t, I don’t know,
die. That and it’s under lock and key. Could I interest you in something else?”
“A beer,” Kaiba
answered.
“Aren’t you
working?” Fang wondered.
“Yes,” Kaiba
said
Fang pulled a
soda can from under the table and opened it. He grabbed a cup with ice and poured
the soda into the glass. Fang pushed the class toward Kaiba and threw the empty
can in the trash. Kaiba looked down at the glass.
“This isn’t a
beer,” he stated.
“I watered it
down for you,” Fang explained, “I even added those carbonated bubbled that
everyone loves. Believe me, you’ll love it.”
Kaiba looked
up at Fang and took a sip of his drink. He set it down and got to business, “You
used to work for the Tower, right?”
“I don’t recall,”
Fang stated.
“Well, let’s
say you did,” Kaiba said, “Did you ever run into anything unusual?”
Fang raised
an eyebrow, “Unusual? That just defined that last few years of my life. I started
out having black hair you know.”
“No, I mean
other Others,” Kaiba sighed, “Others that just seemed odd or strange in their
behavior or appearance.”
Fang stared
at Kaiba, “You should stop by my place sometime. You are literally describing
to a ‘T’ the people I have to deal with on a daily basis.”
“Mutants,”
Kaiba stated.
“You’re
talking about mutants that are more mutant than you or I?” Fang thought a
moment then shammed the bar, “Nope can’t say that I have. Hypothetically, of
course, if I have worked for the Tower. May I ask why you are asking that kind
of question?”
Kaiba pulled
out a file he snuck out and placed it on the table. Fang looked it over and
shook his head.
“That is
interesting. Certainly haven’t seen anything like this. Have you tried the circus?”
Fang asked. Kaiba looked at Fang. Fang quickly got the message, “Okay, okay. All
I’m saying is that place is a cesspool for gossip and information if you know
where to look. I suggest looking for a black wagon to start.”
“And why
would I do all of that,” Kaiba asked.
“Because it
beats sitting on your butt feeling sorry for yourself,” Fang said, “Besides,
the guy there tends to know things even though he’s bat crazy.”
“That nose of
yours still work?” Kaiba asked.
Fang nodded, “It’s
how I knew you were at the door.”
“You mind
stopping by the Tower sometime?” Kaiba stood up and collected the folder.
“Is that a
request or an order?” Fang asked.
“Take it
whatever way you want,” Kaiba turned to the door.
“Hope you
find what you’re looking for,” Fang said when Kaiba was at the door.
Kaiba turned,
Kiri was just behind him, “So do I.”
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