Playing at Grown ups

A Pink Dormouse Production

Chapter Twenty Two

Avon

He generally avoided this area of Base. The Stoner Bars tended to attract more than their fair share of Tourists and Spacers and neither group could be relied upon for their ability to turn a blind eye to formerly wanted outlaws the way locals did. That was his usual excuse anyway.

Tonight, however, he was yet again awake long after the Sprocket and Piston and other pseudo-respectable bars had closed for the night. The situation had dragged on for too long. Vila was gone. Nothing that had happened over the past months could ever really have compensated for the paranoia-laden minutes over Malodaar (the combination of amphetamine-psychosis and sleep deprivation was a poor excuse and he knew it). And now he had driven his friends away yet again. He chose a doorway based on the music coming from inside more than anything and shouldered his way in, surprised at how busy the bar seemed.

Marianne

"Anything worth telling me about?" Vila had stopped whatever he was doing with the comms system when she walked in.

"Not much: Nils says he’ll be free to go to Horizon with you any time after the next four days- what’ve you found for him there? No reports of us being spotted out here so Avon’s gadget must be working ok. Oh and that big museum on Hirriel seems to have lost a large blood-ruby."

"It wouldn’t be the one you were admiring by any chance?"

"Might be. They should really invest in a better security system, you know. Anybody could bypass the one they’ve got now."

Marianne decided that further questioning on the subject would only encourage Vila to give her more information than she really needed about his activities.

"I’ve got a couple of business opportunities lined up for Nils, actually. There might be something there that you’d be interested in as well."

"I wouldn’t’ve thought so. Don’t think I’ll bother taggin’ along on that trip."

"You might change your mind when you hear what it is. I’ll let you know when I find out if it’s definitely there."

"Mebbe. I’m surprised we haven’t heard anything from Avon."

"He knows we’re running on comms silence to test the detector shield. What would be the point of him sending a message when he knows we wouldn’t be able to reply?"

"We’re talkin’ about Avon, right? Being logical doesn’t stop him acting irrationally when the fancy takes him. He wasn’t at all happy about me goin’ offworld this time. Kept startin’ up at me again every time I’d think we’d got things straightened out."

"He’s not jealous of me, is he?"

"Nah: I’ve seen Avon jealous and it was completely different. Something’s botherin’ him but he won’t say what it is. I know he’s not bin sleepin’ well but he just won’t talk to me about any of it. S’pose if I’d done what he did I wouldn’t fancy rememberin’ either. Anyways, I nearly decided not to come wi’ you but then I had to get out before things got really out of hand. I came close to hittin’ him, Marianne, I’m not proud of it but I did."

This was not good: Vila had told her before how rare it was for him to become angry with Avon. The last thing she wanted was to be caught in the crossfire of those two breaking up.

"Does he know that?"

"You think I’d tell him? Last thing he needs is thinkin’ I’m goin’ off on one wi’ him. Look, can we talk about this some other time?"

"If you want." Dropping Vila back at Base and heading straight to Horizon was looking more attractive by the second...

Avon

He was back on Terminal again. The snow was deeper than he remembered and still falling. The fire had almost gone out but there was no more fuel, nor any means of relighting it. He looked around for the others.

"Vila?"

"He’s gone as well. Did you really think he had any reason for staying?"

"Blake?"

"Oh, I’m still here. You didn’t leave me anywhere else to go after you killed me." Blake moved around from behind Avon to stand on the other side of the fire.

"Vila would never leave me here alone."

"Why not? He’s the only one you didn’t manage to kill. Why shouldn’t he get away when he got the chance?"

"Where would he go?"

"With Marianne? Or have you seen the way he and Nils look at each other?"

"Vila is too loyal-"

"-Loyal to whom? Someone who tried to kill him as soon as the going got too tough?"

"I would never have gone through with it."

"Easy to say with hindsight. You left Cally in danger, didn’t you? And she paid the ultimate price." Blake disappeared for a second then was back cradling Cally’s shattered body before dropping it at Avon’s feet. "Look at her. That’s the price of loving someone like you."

"She died calling your name."

"Only because she finally realised you would always fail her. Face facts, Avon, no one is safe with you."

Blake entered and walked towards him, not the Blake from the Liberator or his nightmares of Terminal but an older, scarred Blake. Tarrant said something to Vila and received a reply.

"He sold us, Avon. All of us. Even you."

"I killed him. I bloody well killed him. I loved him and I killed him, so now if you don’t mind..." He pulled his arms free. Still holding the gun. Good. He turned it towards himself. He felt a blow to his head and everything went black.

Avon opened his eyes. The room was far too bright. He dimmed the lights then rolled off the sofa and felt his way over to the communicator.

"Storme? I need you."

Vila

He ran up the stairs two at a time and slammed the upper door open. Storme looked up from the sofa.

"Hi, Vila. Good trip?"

"What’s goin’ on? Gems said-"

"Calm down, Vila, I’ve got the situation completely under control."

"What situation? I go off world for a few days an’-"

"You did tell Avon you were definitely coming back?"

"Of course, why would I- that’s what this is about, isn’t it? What’s he gone an’ done?"

"As far as I can make out he drank at least half a bottle of mescal-brandy."

"Mescaline? Bloody hell. Avon never did hallucinogens at all well when he was vaguely sane. What ever possessed him to do it now?"

"You left him."

"No. We had a few rows before I went away but I thought I made it perfectly clear I’d only be gone the week. So how is he now?"

"Hiding. As you said he doesn’t do hallucinogens well."

"Oh fuck. Where?"

"In the bedroom. He didn’t want to talk to me about it so I’m just on hand in case he wants anything. I think he’ll be glad to see you though."

"So long as he doesn’t show it by throwing things," Vila muttered, heading over to the bedroom door. He opened the door and slipped inside, closing it silently behind him. "Lights."

"Ten percent," Avon muttered from the other side of the room. The room lights came on just enough for Vila to orient himself and cross over to the bed.

"Not feelin’ so good, eh?"

"I had the mother and father of all hangovers. When that finally settled an entire tribe of flashbacks tried to invade my head."

"So why’d you do it? You know what you’re like wi’ anything even slightly trippy."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time? Are you really back, or is this another hallucination where you turn into something particularly unpleasant?"

"I’m real. See," Vila pulled Avon to him, "not going to turn into anything else."

"Good. I don’t think I like being alone."

"You don’t like people much either."

"I like you."

"Are you sure you’re not still tripping?" Avon looked around.

"No Blake, no Cally, no strangers; this has none of the hallmarks of my hallucinations."

"Did you see..." Avon nodded. "Oh, love, if I’d known..."

Avon pulled away eventually and stared at Vila.

"Why do you stay? I tried to kill you; I did kill Blake; Cally would still be alive if-"

"None of that matters. I should really take some of the blame: if I’d bin looking out for you properly then maybe it would’ve turned out differently. An’ as for Cally, don’t you think I keep wishin’ I’d saved her an’ not Tarrant? We can’t change what happened though, so there’s no point worryin’ about it now. If you don’t like me goin’ away then I’ll just have to take you wi’ me next time."

"Next time?"

"Well, that detector shield of yours seemed to work like a charm an’ Marianne says she’s got something lined up for me to go an’ look at. Plus," Vila pulled the ruby out of his pocket, "I may have found a new source of income for us."

"Let me see that," said Avon. "Lights fifty percent."

"Did I say it was for you?" Vila slid to the end of the bed, holding the jewel up to the light."

"You promised me a present."

"Remembered that, have you? And what would you be thinkin’ of doing with it?"

"Well, we could trade it for something more practical."

"Such as?"

"Someone I know has been working on small location transmitters that can be worn on the person. They could be incorporated into any item of clothing or jewellery."

"Rings are less likely to get stolen than anything else," said Vila, thinking about how obvious the teleport bracelets had always been.

"Entirely practical."

"So when do you want to go shopping?"

On to Chapter Twenty Three

Back to Chapter Twenty One

Back to Adult Stuff

Back to HQ