2005

GRAVEYARD SHIFT

CHAPTER 16 -Fun and Games-

Did you know that:

In the Spanish Pyrenees, when a beekeeper dies, each of his bees is splashed with a drop of black ink?

"How about that place over there?" Zelgadiss pointed out Hot Rocks!

"Hip hop music and druggie hangout," Valgaav said simply.

"Heh, heh... sounds like your house once-upon-a-time." Zelgadiss smiled at the not-so-old memories he had of his current neighborhood before he moved into the house. "Jillas and Gravos really 'bent up' the neighborhood when they were living there. No one knew they'd moved out; we all thought you and Xel were big-time drug lords. Not that you might not be now, in a really low key way. Though, I mean, if you guys have anything going on, I haven't noticed it."

Valgaav knew his cousin wouldn't ordinarily reveal suspicions like that. It gave him a clue as to how low an alcohol tolerance his friend had. "Shit no, no drugs. And it would be easy for Xel to write up a few prescriptions, too. No, you escape reality and you quickly run into a dead end. If you're considering drugs, you haven't done enough autopsies yet. The kids are heartbreakers and the older folks are pitiful."

"Hey, I'm clean. Weaned off pain killers and everything!" Zelgadiss held up his hands to ward off any more attacks, and then broke into low-toned giggles.

"Sensitive issue for me. My brothers, well, it's taken them a while to clean up. Gravos, because of sports, was first, but Jillas was in rehab a year or he'd a graduated already."

Zelgadiss sobered up gradually. "And he has a kid, really?"

"Sorta. His current girlfriend has a little boy that adores him, and I think it's mutual. She's got a job someplace out of town, so she doesn't live with him now, which is why Gravos is there. This next year will be one for changes."

Zelgadiss nodded. "I thought maybe Jillas was kinda...weird...makeup and all."

"And I'm not?"

"You're different, but that's not the weird I meant."

"You meant you thought my brother was gay?"

Zelgadiss, afraid his friend was going to hit him, backed off a ways. "I made a mistake. Sorry."

"Maybe Gravos is, not Jillas. Surprised, huh?"

Zelgadiss was. Valgaav laughed at Zelgadiss' shocked expression. "That bothers you? Well, it's not true either. Just testing you. It does bother you, huh?"

"Some," Zelgadiss admitted cautiously. "I guess I don't read guys very well. I thought Xel was too, but only at first." He became worried as soon as Valgaav broke into a grin. "No, please! Don't tell him, okay?"

Valgaav was holding his mid-section and laughing so hard he was bent double.

"What? You know what I'm saying, right? Right? Stop it, Valgaav! People are staring."

"Peeeeeeople are ssstaring!" Valgaav howled like a maniac. "Zelgadiss, you are such a prude."

At which point Zelgadiss noticed that his cousin was wearing bicycle shorts under the kilt, and that, combined with Valgaav's cutting assessment of him, caused his temper to flare and the blood to rise to his face. Without another word and without the vaguest idea where he was going, he raced off down the street.

"Oh, wow," Lina gasped. "This looks like a scene from some futuristic movie, you know what I mean?" She had kept her voice low, but Xel was frowning at her anyway.

"Shhhh... Yes. We must be quick. Opening that door may have alerted a guard monitoring the activity here. Every room is under surveillance. It's just a matter of someone doing his job or not." Xel moved stealthily to a wall of lab tables and filing cabinets.

"How do you know this is the lab you're looking for?"

"I have been doing a lot of hunting. There is a virtual layout for the entire complex, all but one area."

"This one, I take it?"

"Not in detail, yes. I've spent hours tracing links through databases, and what I found was disturbing. I need concrete evidence and a few files ought to do it."

"Sure we can find those few files in here?"

"Find them? Yes. Before we're caught? I don't know." Xelloss said as he searched a filing cabinet in a systematic manner.

"I'll just have a look around, then," Lina said.

"Don't go far. Stay out of sight. There might be someone on the other side of the partition. I don't know. We can't see through the dividers."

She let out a snort. As if she hadn't more sense than a two-year-old! The room was large and compartmentalized. When they had entered, the reflection of dozens of metal vats was visible from the black, glazed walls, but once the door closed and the outer light gone, the images were shielded behind smoky glass. "I wanna peek at what's in those giant test tube things. They look like torpedoes."

Xel pulled out file after file, removing the contents and stuffing them into his shoulder bag. He had been correct in assuming the paper file organization would mirror that of the computer database, which he had stumbled onto while researching Joe's whereabouts. At the time he wasn't entirely sure what the data represented. Many inmates of the penitentiary and of the asylum had been transferred to the lab section. This could be explained by a disease breakout or a mass riot, had it been a one-time occurrence. Instead, the medical records showed a constant flow of ten patients a day, year after year. Sometimes as many as twenty, or as few as five, but on the average ten souls were moved from their residences to the labs, never to return. The trail ended there, here.

What was being done to these people was recorded partly in meaningless code, the remainder in clear, passionless medical lingo, and it made Xel's skin crawl. "Patient #395 injected with 10 cc of #48u48 extraction in collagen matrix."

He had copied as many files as he could find, but he knew the importance of having hard copy evidence in a court of law. He wanted to trace a couple of the inmates and their treatments through this lab to their subsequent destination. He located particular coded names, pulled the papers, stored them, and then moved to the next code. He gritted his teeth against the throbbing of his jaw. His hands trembled as he concentrated on moving as rapidly as possibly, while at the same time listening for interference. He could hear Lina's shoes creak, and then nothing else until she rejoined him a minute later. She tugged at his arm. "What is it?"

"Y-you gotta come." Her face was pale, her lips bloodless. Whatever she had seen, it had frightened her.

Xel as closed up his shoulder bag his fingers felt for another tool hidden inside. His bread knife was secure and close at hand. He shifted the heavy bag over his back and out of the way. "Okay."

Valgaav could tell that he'd pushed his sensitive younger cousin too far. Zelgadiss did not accept teasing well. "Hold up!" he shouted to Zelgadiss' retreating back. "Sorry, man, but you make it so easy sometimes. Listen, I'm sorry I laughed at you, okay?"

Zelgadiss slowed down, letting Valgaav catch up to him. He had been having a great time and he hated for misunderstandings to ruin it all, especially if it was him being the temperamental one.

Valgaav wanted to explain. "I was the youngest brother and grew up taking all kinds of shit all the time. I forget you're an only child. Must have been lonely."

Zelgadiss recognized a propitiatory gesture when he heard it, and cooled off immediately. "I was spoiled rotten and neglected at the same time for the most part. I was on my own. My parents were on lecture tours traveling most of the time and I stayed with 'grandpa.' It was crappy when I was little, but after awhile I liked the freedom and the stuff."

"They didn't get you a car, though?"

"No. And I wasn't smart enough to start saving my money soon enough, or I'd be able to afford one now." He put all his irritation into his tone of voice.

"And money for college? You got that?"

"I have a scholarship for track. I don't know if I can face looking like this... for that."

"Yeah, the showers and the locker room might be rough at first, but the other guys will get used to it. It's their problem, not yours."

Zelgadiss nearly froze Valgaav in his tracks with his piercing, icy stare. "I hadn't even thought about that problem. I was just thinking of running the track and what the spectators might think."

Valgaav swallowed hard. "Things will work out, Zelgadiss. The only person bothered by the way you look right now is you; the only one that matters, that is."

"And Filia and... How do you know that anyway? You a mind reader now?"

"Okay, I don't know, but I can see how receptive folks are around you. They are more inquisitive, or even fascinated, than repulsed. And as for Filia, well, it's harder for those who knew you the way you were before to get used to the way you are now. Xel and me, we hardly knew you. I can't even remember how you looked dark."

"Liar," Zelgadiss snapped, but regretted it instantly. "Sorry, I take that back. You're trying to make me feel better."

"Better about yourself, yeah." Valgaav watched as Zelgadiss' eyes softened. He looked lost in thought, so Val gave him a moment to think.

Zelgadiss was struck suddenly with the difference between how Valgaav and his other close friends had treated him and that of his own family. His parents had sent him a single card since the accident. "One damned card! That's all they've sent. Dad asked if I needed anything. Mom asked after Rezo, if I'd been in contact with him. I didn't write back."

The sudden switch in subjects caught Valgaav off guard, so he listened.

"How could a mother not care about her son? She was always distant, but some people are just that way, but no... I never wanted to admit to myself that she didn't love me. But now, I can, suddenly."

"You're thinking about what Sylphiel found?"

"Yeah, and I'm beginning to think there's something to that. It would explain a few things."

"I don't know. Why would that need to be a big secret? Rezo had his chance to explain it once we all asked about how you come to be a cousin, unless there's something to hide."

"What are you thinking?"

"Oh, not much. It could be something embarrassing to explain, like an affair or something like that. You should be told, though."

"Would you go with me to confront Rezo?"

"Sure, I'd do that. No problem." Valgaav paused to ascertain Zelgadiss' mental state. "You're coming to grips with all this."

"Yeah. Nothing I can do about it tonight, so, to quote Lina, 'What the hell. I should have fun,' right?"

"That's the idea," Valgaav said, sharing a quick smile with his cousin.

They slowed as they approached a small crowd of garishly dressed young people waiting to enter a club. Zelgadiss had to get closer to read the name above the door. Written in an old fashioned script in white lettering on black, and under-lit with a yellow light, the sign read: The Cavern.

When Lina dropped to her hands and knees, Xel did, too. She had led them to the edge of one of the metal seven-foot-long tubes. One end was tapered and enclosed in brushed, non-reactive stainless steel. The other had a slightly raised dome of Lucite on the top side of the steel form. "Look inside."

"Oh, my..." Xelloss was stunned, even after knowing what he might discover.

It was a human face, submerged in a gel-like material. The head was shaved, the eyes open and milky gray, the skin flawless, ageless.

"It can't be real, can it? I mean, it can't be alive in there; there's no air!"

The lights on the container's display showed otherwise. "Not that I can explain here, but..." Xel stopped. Lina was crawling over to another test subject.

"Same thing," Lina whispered. She pointed beyond the next dividing wall.

"No," Xel hissed. "We must leave." But she was out of earshot already.

"Eek!" The outburst came from Lina. "Getcher nasty slimy hands off me!" she shouted. "You...you..."

Xelloss was on his feet and rummaging through his bag for his weapon. This was an unfortunate twist to the night's end.

Lina squirmed in the arms of her abductor to get a good look at him. His protuberant lips, sallow complexion, and wall-eyed look made her think of some creature. She spouted the first thing that came to mind. "You...fish-faced freak!"

She thrashed like a fish herself and broke free. He hurled himself at her. To avoid being squashed, Lina leaped onto a ceramic topped lab table. Upon it was a body. When Lina's foot failed to locate a stabilizing surface, she lost her balance and fell onto the flaccid torso. Her arms shot out in time to hinder the impact, catching her weight before falling hard onto the body. She glanced down into a pink-skinned face like a wax museum character covered in a thick, clear, gooey substance. Her arm touched and stuck. "Ah" she cried out in horror, repelled by the feeling. She pulled away making a sucking noise, and hardly noticed her attacker as he picked up a weapon.

"No one calls Noonsa names and lives!" the lab employee growled. He grabbed haphazardly at the array of dissecting tools arranged on the table beside the still figure and moved on Lina.

"Xel!" Lina screamed. She kicked the outstretched arm away as Noonsa closed in.

"Who?" Noonsa turned slightly toward the sound of oncoming footfalls.

"That takes guts," Xel stabbed at the other man. He slid his blade in from the side of his midsection, then twisted and brought the blade to the front. In seconds, he dispatched the man. "Too bad yours are on the floor."

Noonsa fell to the floor, blood and intestines spilling from his wound, fluid bubbling up his throat and out his mouth.

Lina winced and averted her eyes. She knew she should be feeling a wide range of horrific feelings at the moment. Instead, she was excited and feeling stronger in the super-charged atmosphere around her. She thought maybe it was the ozone in the air caused by the storm.

Xel wiped off his blade onto Noonsa's ruined lab coat and returned it to his bag. He took a moment to bloody-up the knife the man had been threatening Lina with, clean off his own fingerprints, and then replace it in the fallen man's hand.

"You think that will look like a suicide?" Lina asked, figuring out what he was doing.

"If it confuses someone, it might buy us time. Now, follow me, and don't slip in the puddle."

"What are those for?" Lina asked as she watched Xel rip the cushions off a desk chair.

"Help me," he gasped. With a grunt they collected two, which Xel tucked under the arm not securing his bag. "Now run!"

Lina and Xel retraced their steps to the electrical maintenance room. As Xelloss fought to open the sewer lid, Lina said, "I don't hear anyone after us, Xel."

"Not yet, but don't worry. They'll..." His voice was silenced by an alarm. "Activated by a guard someplace. They may not have found the body, yet. Climb down. We may yet get out of this."

This time Lina could hear the rush of water before her feet reached the last rungs. "Xel! It's like a river down here. The storm must have hit."

"It reached the mountains first; this is the run-off from that. If we hurry, we still might be able to fly out of here." More than anything he wanted to reach out and re-assure her that they'd make it. "You can swim, can't you?"

"Yeah, but it's damn cold. What about the papers in your bag?"

He patted the bag as he said, "Sealed in water-tight evidence bags. They'll be fine. Now, I'm handing you a cushion. Can you grab it?"

Lina reached up and felt him press the chair pad into her hand. "Got it. So, I use this to float on?"

"That's the idea. When the cold constricts your muscles and they no longer keep you afloat, this should help. They aren't great, but the water isn't deep yet and if we're lucky we won't need them at all."

He could sense her hesitancy to enter the water, and he ached to ease her fears, but they hadn't time to waste. "I'm going around you. I'll test the depth."

Lina felt his warm hard body brush past, then heard the splash as he hit bottom. "Not yet three feet deep. Jump, I'll support you."

Total darkness, a fast-flowing river of unclean water, uncertain footing– "All right!" she shouted and left her safe perch. "Ah!" she gasped as the icy coldness slapped her in the face. She was knee-deep and dripping, but his strong hand held her steady. "O-okay. I'm okay, but don't let go, yet."

"I'm going to turn the emergency overhead lights back on, Lina. They time out after a couple hours. Hold on to my belt."

That meant stuffing her hand down his pants, and holding onto the waistband with all her strength. She would have laughed at the ridiculousness of it had she not been the tough girl she was. She would not let the stress cause her to break down into hysterics, either.

The light helped, barely. Xelloss moved them back to the raised concourse and plowed forward. They were making terrible time, and Lina knew it. She wished that the water would simply go away or get higher so they could swim, then she heard the roar she knew was a wall of water coming at their backs. "Be careful what you wish for, Lina," she muttered to herself. "Xel, water's coming!"

"Hold on!" he had time to shout. The water slammed Lina into his back. She wrapped both legs around his middle and clenched the cushion to his side.

The water lifted Xel off his feet and propelled them down the pipeline at over 20 miles per hour. "Whooeee!" Lina shouted as they rode the wave. "Surf's up!"

She maneuvered her float to help stabilize them and enjoyed the ride. Good times never lasted long, she knew. You had to make the best of them when you could. Besides, at best the water wasn't over five feet deep, which wasn't as bad as it could be. She didn't want to think about how truly dangerous their situation was, since it wouldn't help to get panicky. Instead, she rose to the occasion and lent Xelloss some assurance with her show of bravado.

She was wondering how they would know where to stop, if that was even possible, and was about to ask Xel, when a chalk-drawn "XL" encircled by a tilted, roughly drawn heart appeared, luminescing faintly by the foot of a ladder. Water had lapped at the bottom point and washed it off, but the glow-in-the-dark message was unmistakable. This was their getting off point, which Xelloss had marked at some time in the not so distant past.

Lina pinched him slightly with her knees, to show she cared, one way or the other, and then helped paddle to the side, aiming for the exposed rungs. The current was powerful, but Lina and Xel together fought their way across the few feet and hung onto the first metal foothold they could grab onto. Both cushions escaped their owners and were swept away.

"UP!" Xel said with an effort as his lifted her with one arm to clear the water. "Go! I'm right behind you.

Lina didn't have time to marvel at his strength. Her hands and legs were so numb with cold she couldn't move, but she had to. If she didn't, Xel would remain longer in the cold. He had to feel as bad as she did, or even worse. She remembered his face injury, the bodies in the lab room, then Zelas. The cold shock of her memory brought their dire circumstances into focus, and Lina willed her muscles to action. "Climb!"

In a climb that took forever, Lina had no room in her head for any thoughts beyond the immediate. Climb, don't lose your grip. One more.

Her fingers hit the lid when she reached the uppermost rung. Thrusting her fingers upwards with all her might wouldn't make it budge. It was impossible for her to push hard enough to open the top.

"That's great, Lina. Move over as far as you can so I can get around you. Hold tight," Xel said. He moved with the grace of a gymnast, never losing his balance or misjudging a distance, as he swung out to the side, up, and over her to come to a crouch on the top rung. Magically, or so it seemed from Lina's perspective, the escape hatch opened. The hole yawned overhead, but this time Lina didn't pause. As Xel reached a hand out, she grabbed it and jumped up, letting him pull her though. Once again, they stood wrapped around each other in a brief moment of mutual comforting. Lina could feel his body shaking, and she knew he could feel hers, too.

"We have to get to safety and out of these wet clothes fast." He had to shout as his voice was ripped away by the loud wind.

His penlight flicked on, and Lina was confused by the unexpected surroundings. Wind was blowing off the airstrip, and even though they were partially under cover, it felt as cold as the dead of winter. "Where are we?"

"We're near the airfield where we landed. We have to run to the plane. That means follow me. Stay to the shadows. We'll be visible and exposed for a hundred feet or so, then I'll go first, open the door then you c-climb up and j-jump in. Okay?" His teeth were starting to chatter. He searched Lina's eyes for understanding. "Trust me?"

"You got us this far, sure. Go for it."

His eyes filled with warmth. He wanted to thank her, to tell her how fantastic she was, and how he felt at that moment, but then he felt a few drops of rain pelt his face. Words would have to wait. "Okay."

"Lina, yeah. She would say something like that. What do you think Lina's doing right now?" Valgaav asked.

"Probably out with Gourry, eating, having a good time. She'll be relaxed, well rested and bored, ready for Sunday's bowling."

"That's boring?"

"For Lina. She likes action and lots of it. Her idea of a good time would be skydiving, if she could afford it." Zel shook his head thinking about his wild friend.

"I'll bet you collected stamps as a kid," Valgaav said.

Zelgadiss looked at him askance. "Are you saying I'm boring?"

"You're cautious. What makes you think collecting stamps is boring, anyway?"

"Well, I actually did," Zelgadiss admitted, which set Valgaav off laughing again.

This time, Zelgadiss just sighed and then asked, "So, why doesn't everyone just go in instead of standing outside, speaking of boring?"

"The Cavern is an exclusive club. They're waiting for the door to open. That tall thin dude's Gabriel, whose job it is to ID kids and omit only those on 'the register,' which is a mysterious list he keeps in his head. Next to him is Spauld, the bouncer. If Gabriel gives you the okay, then you get in, but if not, you'd better leave or you'll meet the hard end of Spauld."

"Will we get in? He won't freak when he sees me, will he?"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? Keeps your life from being boring?"

Zelgadiss elbowed Valgaav in the ribs.

Valgaav was in a good mood and chuckled at his cousin's new unflappability. "All right, on the contrary, he will adore you, just wait."

Zelgadiss sneaked looks at the other kids around him and noticed that they were all wearing the heavy eye makeup Valgaav adorned for non-work occasions. That made him feel better about the stuff he was wearing.

Lina and Xelloss took off, stumbling over trash and fuel lines, broken free from their holdings in the wind. Lina could hear voices shouting over the wind. Friend or foe, she didn't know. She wasn't happy to have to entrust her life with anyone, but in this case she had no choice but to do as Xelloss said, and run.

"Sherra, no! You've risked enough. I'll fly us out, you co-pilot. You'll have to bring it back after the storm has passed." Xelloss had outrun Lina and was already climbing aboard the plane and giving orders.

Lina could hear the whine of the engine turbines preparing to taxi out to the runway.

Again, she accepted Xel's hand-up into the plane. The rain-slick surface was treacherous, and numbness made each step uncertain. "Thanks," she said between gritted teeth.

Xel said nothing, and she hadn't expected him to. He slammed shut the door behind them, then moved quickly to the cockpit. Lina fell into a seat, her shivering had become non-stop. She was both physically miserable and wishing for a hot shower and a warm bed, and mentally excited and ready to meet the next challenge. Her attention remained on this new addition to their team, the young woman called Sherra. Lina watched her toss Xelloss a blanket, and longed for one herself, but the other two were busy looking at dials and displays on an overhead readout display. Lina felt like the neglected passenger that she was.

Xel strapped himself into the pilot's chair. Lina could just make out his voice and that of Sherra's in the copilot seat. "Wind's blowing out of the NW at 30 knots and rising. Waves are cresting at 6 feet so no ships can be deployed," Sherra said. "I'm computing the take-off vectors."

Xel motioned for her to leave him to do it. "Help Lina before she goes into shock. She has a clothes change in her bag." He immediately turned back to checking his instruments.

Lina admired the way the other woman moved with self-assurance that spoke of experience, proficiency, and talent; she had important things to do and was executing each one of her assignments with dispatch. Lina sat balled up, shivering; furious at herself for how she needy and useless she felt. Lina could also tell that the young woman was deeply devoted to Xel and possibly in love with him as well, which added to her irritation.

Reluctantly, or so Lina thought, Sherra did as she was told. "Here, wrap up in this while I find your bag."

Lina took the offered blanket with a grateful, "thanks," then started kicking off water-soaked shoes and peeling off soggy socks. It was difficult stripping out of wet clingy clothes in the limited space of the lurching vehicle. "We're moving?"

"Yes, to the best runway, but conditions are terrible." Sherra dropped Lina's open bag at her feet. "Is the other one Xel's?"

"Yeah," Lina answered as she dove for her dry pants and shirt.

Lina felt a twinge of jealously as the woman with the long black braid sorted through Xel's personal things until she came up with a pair of socks. She couldn't help but note how lovely Sherra was. Pretty, elegant, and wholly capable-- everything Lina was not feeling about herself at the moment. Lina wondered how intimate the two had been, or still were.

"Dry feet is a start," she said, then left Lina to her own devices.

Lina continued to observe Sherra as she crouched low, tore off Xel's shoes, rolled off his wet socks, and replaced them with the dry ones. She leaned close to his ear and asked him something. Lina wondered how Xel could concentrate on what he was doing with that girl fussing around him. He answered with a shake of his head, and then gently pushed her away. Clearly, he wanted no more interference. "I coulda told ya that," Lina muttered under her breath to no one.

He had taxied onto a runway. "Buckle up, Lina. It's going to be a rough one."

"Gotcha!" Lina moved up to the seat behind his and tightened her seatbelt. She leaned as far forwards as she could and watched the glowing dials and dark view out the window.

"It's unadvisable," Sherra was saying, but the rest of her cautionary words were drowned out by the turbines as Xelloss pushed the throttle up more, and propelled them down the runway.

Gabriel was Valgaav's height, but he was dangerously slim and had an unhealthy coloring, like someone who smoked and partied nightly. "Vally! What'sup, dude?"

"Doing good. You?"

"Tight, man. Ohmygods! I love him! Is this boy for real? Where did you find him? He is absolutely precious. Can he sing?" Gabriel would have continued to gush over Zelgadiss for some time, had they let him.

"He's my cousin, Zelgadiss. I'd like to show him a classy place." Valgaav stepped closer to the entrance and stuffed a twenty into the man's hand. "That ought to handle the cover charge. We haven't much time."

"Oh, of course you can take him in. Go on, go on. I'll find you at break," Gabriel waved them past the herd. A wave of complaints followed as kids excluded from entering made their sentiments clear.

Zelgadiss was about to express his resentment at being singled out in that manner, when he was sucked into a velvet darkness of the narrow entry. Valgaav nudged him a few steps, where he was forced to turn, and then stopped. He had to adjust to the change in light, beginning with the haunting illumination coming from the enormous bar, which was lit solely with tiny twinkling lights behind glass etched in the shapes of underground stalactites and blue neon tubes spelling out The Cavern above the gleaming black counter.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and followed Valgaav's arm pointing off to the side. Zelgadiss gasped in awe; his attention drawn to a mesmerizing dance floor, dimly lit from beneath with sulphurous-hued lights that pulsated in rhythm with the music's beat. The floor reminded Zelgadiss of a deep underground mineral pool which was wide where he could see it, and then branched off, flowing in multiple directions, like the arms of an octopus. Seating appeared to be carved out of the rock-face interior, giving patrons private caves to hide in or larger gathering places. "There are several rooms, one has the stage and band and the music gets piped all over," Valgaav told him.

"There's a band?" Zelgadiss asked excitement in his eyes.

"Oh, yeah. The cover charge pays for the band and gives them control over their clientele. What do you want to do first?"

"See the band," Zelgadiss said without a moment's thought.

Jillas and Gravos stood at the entrance to the Cavern club; Jillas annoyed, but not frustrated, and his older brother befuddled. "Huh?" Gravos grunted. "We don't get in? V-bo did."

"Well, Valgaav has his secret ways, but so do I," Jillas said with a quick adjustment of his eye-patch. The Cavern staff had refused them admittance based on past incidences, but Jillas, a high-spirited and cunning young man, was not about to let that get him down. "Follow me."

They trotted briskly around the corner to the alley and up to the backstage entrance. "Look like you belong here and we'll be okay," Jillas advised. "Don't look nervous."

Gravos knocked at the door. He had to pound harder a second time before a tired looking man opened it a crack. "What're you doing out here? Band's waiting to go on!"

"Smoking," Jillas said glibly, jumping into whatever role it took to get in. "We gotta change fast. Which way to the dressing rooms?"

The stage hand pointed one way, and the two trespassers slipped past him down the hall. "See? No sweat. Now, we gotta find our way to the bar."

"Ah, bro?"

"Just follow my lead," Jillas said, and then turned, crushing his nose into a solid wall of Spauld, the bouncer.

Jillas was small enough for the strong man to carry out by the scruff of his neck, while Gravos followed obediently behind. Jillas was dropped on the step. "Don't let me catch you sneakin' back in, yuh hear?" Spauld told them, then slammed shut the back entrance. They could hear the bolt thrown into place to lock the door securely. "We got thrown out!" Jillas said incredulously. "I can't believe that!"

"Yer clothes got dirt on them," Gravos pointed out.

"Well, damn. You're right, Gravity-brain. That just plain sucks. Now I gotta go back home and change." He stood and brushed off his clothes, smearing grease further over his pants. He started off, then turned. "You coming?"

"Guess so," Gravos sighed and began the long walk back where they'd started from.

Lina could not see anything out the cockpit window, which meant Xel couldn't either and would have to rely on the onboard computer system to guide his takeoff and ascent. They were escaping on the leading edge of storm, and no one had to tell her how dangerous their situation was.

One moment she was weightless, the next she was slammed hard into her seat as the powerful winds buffeted the small craft. Lina gripped the armrests and gritted her teeth.

"We're losing altitude!" Sherra cried out.

Xel simply replied, "I know," and continued to concentrate on his vast array of dials and green-faced display screen.

Even as he pushed the speed up, the nose dipped and rose as the wind whipped them with turbulence. Lina was reminded of a coin-operated bull ride, and so she imagined she was riding a bronco, instead of thinking about the plane bucking up and slamming down hard and possibly to its doom.

Lina recalled the events of the past few hours, but only one picture remained vividly fixed in her head, and that was of the lab employee, Noonsa, gutted and lying in pool of entrails and blood on the otherwise antiseptically clean floor. Any blood that may have splashed onto her clothes was long washed away, but what other evidence had they left behind to incriminate them? Loose hairs or cloth fibers? Fingerprints? Breaking and entry into a restricted area was bad enough, but Xel had murdered a man in cold blood, not that Lina was particularly bothered by that. It was in defense of her, but how would all that work in a court of law? Lina narrowed her eyes at the back of Xel's head. "You had better have the right stuff in that bag of yours, or you are in big trouble, and that's just with me." He couldn't hear her, of course.

She could feel the plane climbing gradually and the ride smooth out. Muffled drumming of heavy rain on the windows and persistent thrumming of the engine lulled Lina into a light sleep.

Gourry's face filled her mind. "I don't want to go to jail!" Lina heard herself wail. She felt terror clouding her mind and driving away her logic.

"You don't have to, Lina. I'll tell them you were with me all along, then it's just her word against ours." His voice was low and reassuring.

"But what about Xel? They'll lock him up!"

"Don't worry, 'bout him. He was her employee. He could be there and that other guy attacked you and fell on his knife. Xel won't go to jail. But you could."

"Gourry, I can't...I can't!" Fear gripped her chest and constricting her lungs so that she could hardly catch her breath to speak.

"I'll protect you, Lina, like I promised. Me and you went to a movie and had a picnic, right? Gourry kissed her lightly on the lips, sealing the deal.

"I don't know." Lina leaned into his side, enjoying the strong arm that wrapped around her shoulders and the feeling of safety and security it gave her.

Gourry squeezed her shoulder. "So, ah...come with me, and I'll make a statement."

"Lina...Lina?"

The next thing she knew, Xel was gently shaking her shoulder. His face pale and bruised against his dark hair hanging limp and in disarray. "Lina? We're about to land. I didn't want you to wake up thinking we were about to crash when the plane rattles. I just got clearance from the Atlas City terminal."

Lina blinked. "Where? I thought we were heading back to Seyruun." She had slept just long enough to be disoriented, and the return to reality was abrupt.

"I'll explain later. Trust me; this will throw anyone following us off our trail."

"Oh," Lina said warily, and then shook her head to clear it. "You keep telling me to trust you. We made it through the storm all right, so I guess I have no choice."

"Yes, we did. Xelloss is a brilliant, if not fool-hardy, pilot," Sherra put in. "There's our landing strip with the lights."

"It'll be just a few more minutes," Xel whispered.

He brought the plane to a smooth roll, then taxied back and over toward a low, angular hanger. "We're getting off here, Lina, and then Sherra will fly the plane back to Seyruun and stay there for the night. In the morning, she will return to Wolfpack Island. If anyone is looking for us, they'll look in Seyruun first. Excuse me just a minute."

"If you say so," Lina said.

Xel turned around and spoke to Sherra, then opened the door and hopped out onto the tarmac. Sherra closed up Xel's bag and reached for Lina's. "Go on, I'll toss your bags down to you." As Lina stepped to the door, the other woman added, "Take care of him, Lina Inverse."

"Worry about yourself. Zelas won't be thrilled knowing you helped him."

"She won't know. I sent out another plane before we even took off. It looks like I chased you through the storm, but lost you someplace in Seyruun. As you can see, Xelloss thought of everything. I'm not worried at all about myself. Goodbye, Lina."

"Yeah, well, that's great. So, ah... bye, and thanks." Lina smiled and jumped out, landing on her bag.

"Ready for our next adventure?" Xel asked her as he collected their bags.

"Yeah, sure," Lina said. She grinned and shook her head. "What a night, right? So, who do you know in Atlas City these days?"

"We'll call Valgaav's brothers, and see if they can pick us up, then we'll go look up Zelgadiss and Valgaav. I want to discuss what we discovered."

"Okay. So, what did we discover, Xel?"

"The Fountain of Youth." He smiled, barely. To their backs, Sherra was aligning the jet for takeoff; in front of them were many possibilities.

The phone was ringing as Jillas and Gravos entered the house. "Yo!" Jillas yelled into the receiver.

"Jillas? Xel here. Has that serious brother of yours and a newly-discovered cousin been by this evening?" Xel looked at his watch and realized he could just as well added 'or this morning?'"

"Hell, yeah. Been and gone. They're at the Cavern now."

"And you're not?" Xel asked.

"Got thrown out. Can you believe it? Me? Me and Gravity-man both."

"Tell you what, Jillas. You come pick me up and I'll get you into the Cavern."

"Pay the cover charge, too?"

"Sure."

"All right, then. Gravos!" he shouted without covering the mouth-piece of the phone. "Hot-wire V-bo's car. We're goin' to the Cavern." He returned to his conversation with Xel. "So, where are you?"

"Airport. We'll meet you at the taxi stand in front of the main terminal."

"We? Oh, you got some chick with you, eh?"

"I have someone, and we really can't wait here long."

"Thirty minutes," Jillas told him.

"Sooner."

"I gotta change my clothes. Okay, twenty."

"Bye, then."

"Yeah." Jillas hung up and raced to his room.

Xel turned to Lina. "We have twenty minutes to get to the main terminal and clean up as best we can." He leaned close and rubbed a strand of her hair in his fingers. "Blood."

"Well, it's a good thing my hair's red then, isn't it?"

"We were very fortunate tonight."

"Noonsa wasn't," she reminded him, then set off in the direction of the terminal building.

"Do you like that band?" Valgaav asked. Zelgadiss seemed drawn to music, but so far, Valgaav hadn't been able to talk him onto the dance floor.

"Oh, yes. They're great. I wish it wasn't so loud, though. Having this super hearing is a nuisance, but otherwise tonight, I'm having the time of my life. Thanks, Valgaav, for putting up with me."

"No prob, dude. My pleasure. I think that if we move to one of the other rooms, one of them is liable to have the sound system turned lower so it won't hurt your ears."

"Really? Let's try that, then."

"So..."

Zelgadiss looked up at his friend. "So?"

"Wanna dance?"

Zelgadiss' voice caught in his throat. "Um..."

"I'll get us some girls. Come on. Oh, and did I tell you that it's 'Trans Nite'?"

Zelgadiss was just getting over the first shock. He was going to dance with a stranger. "Ah, no. What's 'Trans Nite'?"

But Valgaav only laughed and loped on ahead, Zelgadiss struggling to keep up.

End Graveyard Shift Chapter 16.