Iran, 1989
"You're going to love this, my friend." Darius is wearing his very official Palacey outfit.
"The village near the Palace has a McDonald's?"
"You've been called to court."
"I have to appear to court for my official duties every other day. Why's that special."
"A private meeting." Darius's eyes twinkle mischievously.
"Oh. Can we decline the invitation? Like send something, "we regretfully, respectfully must refuse your request due to prior commitments, thank you, your most obedient daroga."
Darius shakes his head and is smile grows smugger.
"What's this, "we," business. She requested you, alone."
Nadir sucks in air and his body becomes hot melted jelly. Darius nods and loves being the messenger sometimes.
"I have so much I need to finish before the day is over."
"Such as?"
"Reza needs someone to test his jokes."
"He does that with the kitchen staff."
"I have to finish cleaning the blood off the floor and carpet, the sheets," Nadir trails off.
Darius waves his hand. Darius is still loving the, "I told you," of that night.
"I called a professional, they will arrive shortly."
"Food shopping at the market."
"You have someone who does that, and they already unpacked the groceries."
"I need to de-weed the garden."
"Erik did that yesterday."
"Prune the flowers,"
"Erik did everything plant related, yesterday."
"I need to clean out my closet and prepare for the season,"
"Erik and I already did that. Your new wardrobe is pressed, cleaned. And very bright and theatrical. You have a bedazzled cape. I cannot wait for you to wear that. In public. With people. And the tourists, with cameras."
Nadir wants to vomit. A cape. No, not just a cape, but a bedazzled, sparkly cape? He is not a magician from the 1930s, he does not do vaudeville or the circus, please and no thanks.
"I have no need for that." Nadir will set that to fire and intends to.
"Actually," Darius puts his hand to his chin mocking thought," I think Erik purchased that for you, for him."
He is definitely setting it on fire.
"I hate everything you just said."
"I love everything I just said."
Nadir grabs a pillow and tries to suffocate himself. Darius takes he pillow, and gives Nadir, the, "no, bad boy," finger point of discipline.
"I'm going through my midlife crisis and need to buy my boat . . . s."
"You don't turn 40 until next week."
"See? I'm preparing."
Darius gives him The Look. The arms are not crossed yet, so he still has some stall left.
"I need to embarrass myself by finding a lover that's half my age and disgust the villagers with my obvious insecurities and vulgar display until I am ashamed and become a lonely hermit."
"You're doing that now."
Nadir shakes his head.
"Most of the time people and the tourists just want to take his pictures, his masks are very elaborate and bejeweled to death now that khanum doubled his pensions for his services and services." Nadir frowns and bites back the poison of jealousy that wants to wrap about his neck and heart.
"And it doesn't help that khanum has updated his wardrobe and he wears fine silks and those faaaawncy robes. My favorite is the blue. It has rubies on the edges and hem. Rubies. Who the hell needs to put shiny colored rocks on their clothing? The rich are weird, my friend." Nadir nods in agreement. They are indeed.
"He loves the hoods that come with them; they add to the mystery and accent his faaaaaawncy masks."
"Nadir, I know what you're doing, and I am taking you to your court appointment."
"But, I have so much left to do."
Darius crosses his arms. Nadir curses him and gets himself ready.
Darius lead him Nadir as far as he could.
"I feel like I'm going into a torture chamber with Darth Vader. If she does anything with her hands, I'm going to run for it."
"You'll be fine." Darius touches his arm reassuringly.
Darius smiles
"Captain Needa," khanum's private guards, grab Nadir and lead him forward.
"He dies! Darius, he dies! Why would you say that to me! If I die, I am leaving everything to my ghost! I will haunt your bathroom," his voice fades away the further he gets out.
"Worth it." Darius salutes his friend's figure before turning and going on his adventures.
When the khanum said she wanted a private meeting, she meant a private meeting. Her handmaidens, her guards, all her human shaped toys and pets are ordered to leave.
Nadir did not keep his eyes off her hands. He kept his own at his throat, and collar of his shirt, if this is the day he dies . .
Nadir has never been alone with her, or the shah before. The court is always full of witnesses, and now he had none.
At least there are no damn cats.
"Do you know why I requested this meeting?"
Nadir eyes are still on her hands, those fingers, any sign of them coming together.
"Daroga, I asked you a question."
"No, I do not, is there a problem that you would like me to address? Someone to collect for you. I heard rumors of a new—"
"No, no one to collect, I have something else in mind. You are not the young officer you once were. I can see it in your work, and how you stand now. "
"My age does not interfere or have influence with my duties to you or the shah." He bows his lead, trying to keep things friendly as they can. He never remembers how to speak to these people, once he is their presence.
"Your age is advanced. Muscles atrophy, endurances and stamina will only continue to deteriorate and limit what little threshold of what you have left that you can endure, this is not a, what is the turn of phrase, walk in the garden, post. I need someone strong, someone capable, someone young." Her eyes shine, and her lips form a most sadist smile.
Nadir holds onto his collar, in case.
"However, if you could, say, prove otherwise to me and the shah that our fears are misguided, then of course, your position will be secured."
"What do you require of me?"
She smiles, and Nadir feels his soul punch his heart and fight his kidneys.
Her guards reappear and they grab onto Nadir and is pulled along into another room.
He finds Darius there.
"What's happening?" Darius asks
"She thinks we're old."
"You are old."
"You are only two years younger than me."
Their attentions are quickly drawn to a table.
"Pick your weapon."
The weapons include a rubber chicken, a scarf, and a worn hat.
"Chicken."
"Hat."
Weapons chosen and wielded. They are led to an open arena. It was built in the same idea as a Roman Gladiator thunder dome. Open, oval, thousands of eager blood lustful parasites await their deadly opera.
"So, we're like the Roman slaves now?"
"Are you not entertained?"
"Oh, shut up, Darius."
Gates on all sides of the outdoor arena lift and several dozens of men, properly armed with weapons, like swords, maces, guns all run forward.
"Nadir, I have a feeling that these may be men you've put away in your tenure of chief of police, before,"
They ready their own weapons.
"Uh huh."
"I'm going to go with, this is more than you being old. She really wants you dead."
"I can see that."
They both split off into different directions. Darius's uses the hat to blind one, high kicks another in the face, the guy who's he using the hat on is punched, he grabs his chin and throws him on the ground, with momentum, he round flips over him and elbows the next two who come at him.
Nadir is being chased by four, he runs, jumps, and grabs onto the edge of the arena, kicks out at one, they are thrown backwards into another armed thug. Nadir pushes off and dives into the chest of one and uses him to grab and knock out the guy behind him, he remembers the chicken, and waves the one reaming standing to come and get him.
The former prisoner charges in a rage, Nadir waits, ducks and spins, and he extends the rubber chicken, and he uses it to grab the man by the throat and spins him, flips him around and then punches his face until he's unconscious.
While he is bent over, Darius runs and uses Nadir as a vault and knocks two others onto the ground. The audience is loving their performance. Many are standing, shouting, jeering and chanting. They want more, more, more. Darius and Nadir are becoming the heroes of this bloody tragedy.
The Khanum is not amused, she signals to her guards. Her palms bleed from her nails. She is flushed from her hatred; she finds no pleasure here.
"Still feel old?" Darius and Nadir are circling around each other, back to back, looking for an opening, for an assailant.
"It's like we're ten again and someone stole our cut."
"Hard to fight someone who doesn't come up beyond your knees."
Two guards appear and they are holding on a young scared and confused child. They throw him into the fray of violence and the guards leave and the gates shut.
"Message received, bitch." Darius and Nadir narrow their eyes, getting serious now.
"The boy is Reza and everyone else is khanum." Darius nods.
"Oh, this is going to be better than, something fun good."
Darius throws the hat like a frisbee at one of the thugs who is about to strike the child, he catches the hat in confusion, this lets the kid to crawl, scramble away on the ground.
He meets a dead end, spins around and his grabbed by the fabric of his robes. Nadir taps the thug's shoulder, he makes a move to punch him, but knees his groin, forces him to bend, moves around in a circle and kicks the other side of his knees as hard as he can, guy goes down in pain, Nadir grabs the kid's hand and they run.
Darius flips a man, holds onto him, as he cartwheels and lands on the pitiful creature, picks him and uses him a shield and the throws him into the thug who has Nadir cornered.
"MORE, MORE, MORE." Cry the happy spectators. The khanum has had enough. This will not do. She nods at her guards. She stands up.
"I stand corrected, you are more than capable of what I need in my daroga." She leaves with her handmaidens and human pets.
The gates open, and Nadir and Darius, with kid in the middle, just in case, walk cautiously to the gates.
"I don't think this is the end. I'm fairly sure she will try something else."
"I need opium."
"Wow, you are rattled. You never use unless you are devastated."
"She showed me that will harm Reza."
"What are we going to do about it?"
"War." Nadir hisses through his teeth.
"Awaiting orders, sir." He salutes Nadir.
They head off to get cleaned up.