3.31 A Drug Dealer & a Thief

Stressed, Adon was counting the inventory boxes three times before letting the soldiers move them out of the lab now. The crunch was on, he was under pressure to stay on schedule already when sounds of a row erupted from the stairwell outside. Everyone dropped what they were doing to look up, it sounded serious… Someone had blown a fuse... It sounded like Halios!

         Adon scanned the lab for Bell... He was nowhere to be seen... The lab crew tried to keep working and the row eventually died down, but every one of them sensed a storm was headed their way. Moments later Bell exploded into the lab, his face red, bloody sweat dripping from his brow.

         "YOU!" He pointed to a moving team by the door. "GET THE CARTS! AND YOU" He pointed at another. "GET THE DOGS!" The soldiers froze for a moment, searching with wide eyes... "NOW!"

         "What's going on?" Adon dared to ask as the soldiers disappeared.

         "There's no need for you to know!" Bell snapped. "You need to know where the DRUGS are coming from!"

         "WHAT DRUGS?" Adon couldn't believe it, now he was being accused for drugs? "IS THAT WHAT ALL THIS NASTY ATTITUDE IS ABOUT? THE FUCKING SOLOHA?"

         Bell was taken aback, he had never seen Adon lose his cool like this before, let alone swear like that.

         "WHY THE FUCK SHOULD I KNOW WHERE THE DRUGS ARE COMING FROM?"

         "Because I KNOW PERSONALLY that stuff came from Gorias!" Bell asserted. "And YOU'RE the one with Special GORIAS Access Pass! THAT'S FUCKING WHY!"

         "OH, LIKE YOUR SOLDIERS DON'T HAVE ACCESS?" He pointed in the direction he had just sent the team.

         Bell knew deep down it was true, it could be anyone really.

         "Ask Seton! That Soloha shit's his."

         Bell couldn't believe it would come from the top. "Oh, really. As if Seton would let his medification be sold on the Black Market!"

         "I know. It's nuts. And it's got nothing to do with me!"

         "Hmmm..." Bell frowned as images of the hypnotized crowds flashed through his mind. "On second thought, perhaps he would."

         Humbled by his own loss of control, Adon wiped his brow with a lab towel, thoughts racing as Bell stormed out of the lab, he didn't get it. What if it was Seton? Was it a conspiracy? Was someone being framed as a drug dealer? Was it a coincidence he was being framed as a thief? There was definitely something weird going on, he was neither a drug dealer nor a thief, he never had been so why was everyone pointing their fingers at him?

         Dark, dismal and unpopulated, the backstage passage to the Green Room beneath the royal stage was the perfect place to cool off. Torus reached for his pipe, hate engulfed his whole being, his hands were trembling he was so mad, vibrating inside, barely able to contain his rage, a rage he had never experienced before. The god of Death was an Evil Sorcerer, and the red head was a Witch too, just like her mother. Atalon was right.

         He searched his pockets for the lighter, but once again it was lost.

         "Uggggggh!!" He slammed his fist against the wall, the pain shot through his arm, reining his emotions in. Neter would suffer a Dishonorable Death, he wasn’t going to get away with the damage he had done today.

         Nolan spotted Torus emerging from the courtyard as he stumbled through the courtyard gates, he straightened his posture, making an extra effort to appear sober. Torus noticed him too, his wide-eyed pinched face didn’t look too good, something was wrong, he tried to sound calm.

         "Hey, Nolan, what's going on?"

         "Atalon's blown." He gestured up towards Main St, obviously still wasted. "He's probably heading this way... I'd take off if I were you. He's fucking.... Pissed."

         Torus glanced up the hill, he could see Bell's crew piling out of the Headquarters building in a hurry.

         "What happened to your face?" Nolan noticed the bloody gash on the side of his cheek, his dirty scuffed up clothes were uncharacteristic.

         Torus didn't answer.

         "Holy shit…" Nolan suddenly realized what had gone down. "You got in a fight… With who?"

         Torus felt his cheek, it was wet. He glanced at his hand and rubbed the blood between his fingers, gritting his teeth.

         "Where are you going? You're shit faced!"

         "Going to get Mel ready for dinner" Nolan replied, noticing too the sharp glint in his eyes, his pupils were narrowed, like cracked ice...

         Torus let out a bitter chuckle. "Dinner time already? What a shame. I was going to have her tidy my hair. She's standing over there with Dion" he gestured their way.

         The show was obviously over by the time Mika arrived, she hurried into the courtyard only to find herself embedded amongst exotic costumes, foreign faces, fancy aromas, there were even Products running around, she could only imagine the event she had missed had been spectacular. 

         She spotted the Unicorn before she located the god of Death and hurried it's way. Then she saw him, and looked away. Eden was right, he was right out of the text book. Without stalling, she hurried towards him.

         "Looks like we've got a messenger" Vikkar gestured towards the golden skinned goddess hurrying in their direction, scantily clad in a translucent silk robe.

         Mika ran up to them like a startled doe, eyes skittish, trying not to look at Neter at all. "Are you the god of Death?"

         "Call me Neter" he held out his hand, smiling kindly.

         "Eden sent me" she held her hands together tight, panting.

         "Eden…"

         "Yes. Long ebony hair... Down to there..." She pointed to her waist.

         "Ah, Eden, yes…"

         "Yes. She want's you to know she's waiting for you up at the Villa."

         Neter felt nothing but compassion when he saw her pretty golden hands clenched together so tight, he felt a bit bad playing her along. He glanced up at the Villa on the hill, pondering the setup...

         "Tell Eden… Magic doesn't work that way."