Private - Long Time Coming

Slouched, greasy, and looking worse for wear right outside a musical prodigy's studio wasn't the type of situation many would want to be in. What little cleanliness he had was from slap-on and let-dry conditioner he had hastily rubbed into his scalp last morning and had long since forgotten to wash off, leaving a glossy residue on his matted bed of hair. The bright blonde locks that he had once meticulously cared for as an adolescent was dirty and ragged and became a brownish-yellow color that leaned more on the brunette side than the blonde. A half-lit cigarette poked out of the corner of his lips, highlighting his sunken eyes with the faint wisps of smoke which filtered through the air. He gave a lazy knock at the door and waited a second before groaning. He began to tap the door more rigorously with his knuckles before it devolved into a full-on bombardment on the poor door.

"Yo, Jackie!" he called out, his voice tinging on a mixture of annoyance, worry, and exhaustion. He had taken a four-and-a-half hour drive from his cozy home in Washington D.C. to New York City just to visit his gold old friend, John Callan, and he'd be damned if he wasn't expecting a warm welcome. It'd been months (when he last checked) since the two buddies met face-to-face due to long work hours. If he found out that his time and effort had been for nothing (he canceled an afternoon appointment with the Giotto for this!) then he'd make sure John'd never forget it.

He banged on the door again. "What?! You got no time for your good ol' buddy Charlie? My heart breaks, man!" he whined before depression settled in and he curled up into a weeping ball. Maybe it might get the jerk a bit guilty when he finally opens the door. Good.

@Neldo Dini

 

John had just come out of the VR system and needed to refuel on food. He had been in for a long time, but now he felt the desires his body has been numb too. Never a pleasant experience, so John walked to the kitchen and pulled a beer from his fridge. He then made his way to the couch and collapsed on it while sipping a beer to take the edge out of his hunger until he decided what to make for dinner.

Then there was a knock at the door, and John sighed deeply. "There's one at the door, at the gate to damnation. Is it thief, thug or whore? There's one at the door, and there's room for one more till the end of Creation." The knocking grew more and more violent and aggressive.

There weren't a lot of people that would behave that way so John actually got to his feet with some enthusiasm. He quickly picked up his trench coat and headed for the door before putting on a pair of boots.

He opened the door and found Charlie curled up on the doorstep. He threw his hands up in the air exasperatedly, "God damn it! Someone dumped a trash bin at my door. Trash pick up isn't for another four days!"

He hopped up and drove his heel down but not hard into the heap of skin and bone. "I guess I'll just have to haul it around with me while I look for some dinner." He lifted his foot off of Charlie and smiled down at him. "It's good to see you, brother. You want a beer before we find something to eat? I'm feeling like starvin' Marvin."

 

Charlie grasped at his knees in a faux show of pain, crying out in agony as he exaggeratedly reached out to John with an outstretched hand. "The pain! The horror! The agony! The betrayal! Et tu, brute? Is this how you're going to do me in?!" Despite his outrageous act, however, most of his grievous words were betrayed by the sloppy grin he couldn't keep off his face.

Stumbling, he got off the ground and dusted himself off, stubbing the cigarette off his sleeve. He tossed it down the floor before reaching his arm over John's neck and pulling him into a bear hug. "You kept me waiting forever, bro!" he laughed before he stumbled inside, quickly settling into the couch and taking a sip of the beer that John had set down moments prior. "No need! Got me a drink right here! And it's all nice and opened up for me, ha!"

Finally, after slurping down the drink in one gulp, he gave a satisfied groan and enjoyed the feeling of alcohol dripping down his parched throat. He lifted his legs and laid them on the couch, laying fully down as he stretched and tossed up a thumbs up. "Just give me a minute to stretch before we grab a bite! Long drive's got my muscles all tightened up! Plus, I got something to tell you about over lunch! If you fancy a talk bout some illegal game they got flowing through the markets now, anyhow! Oh! And do you happen to have anything with cheese? Just got a sudden craving for it!"

He laughed but, after a long while, there came a sudden pause. His face was blank and a tinge of worry crossed his face. "...This doesn't mean I'm pregnant or anything, right? Just asking."

@Neldo Dini

 

"It just might, you've always been a giant pussy." Neldo joked as he made his way to the fridge again and grabbed himself another beer. There was also a block of pepper jack cheese. A bit much, but it was exactly what he asked for, so, Neldo turned and lofted the cheese at Charlie to catch. He could pick up some cheese later. He had enough food around the apartment to go without the cheese anyway.

He leaned back against the closed fridge and faced Charlie. "Illegal game huh? Sounds like you're trying to get me to do something I shouldn't again. Has the rest of the gang heard of it or tried it yet? Or are you hoping to toss me into it like chum to check for sharks first?"

Admittedly they had a very blunt humor, but that was just definitive proof of how close they still were. You had to be practically family to roast one another and behave the way they did. Hell, Charlie got away with more than Neldo's family would've gotten away with.

The irony of this all, was Charlie happened to be the catalyst for some of Neldo's worst made decisions.

 

"Hey! Someone's gotta test the waters and I'm pretty sure that the world would mourn for my beautiful, chiseled face! Who'd miss your ugly mug? Your pet rock?" Mint bantered back, an easy smile resting on his face as he sat up and took a bite out of the block of cheese John had tossed his way. He tore through the milk curd with a vicious, hungry glee and, within a mere minute, devoured the entire chunk of pepper jack cheese. As Charlie wiped the stray bits of yellow that stained the outskirts of his lips, he turned back to John and wiggled his eyebrows. "Pepper Jack Cheese, huh? Let me guess...the ingredients are...pepper...cheese...and a fresh serving of Jack on a plate, huh? What would your future wife say if she knew you'd been practically throwing yourself at me, Jacky?! You're such a...jackass."

Charlie snorted at his terrible line of puns, positively cackling at how horrible it all was. Puns were the worst form of humor but Charlie couldn't help but toss some around. It definitely contrasted from their bickering type of joking and tomfoolery but there was just something about puns that tickled Charlie's funny bone. Maybe it was because Michelle, his old beau, had loved throwing puns around like a storm on wheels. The thought sobered him up.

"Anyways," Charlie coughed, face morphing into a serious countenance. "Ever heard of Terrasphere? The thing that's been on the news recently?"

Charlie reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone and a spare flash drive that had the official Oreo™ logo blazed onto the front and back. He quickly turned his phone on and put in the pin with practiced ease. He fiddled around with it for a couple more seconds before he pulled up what he had wanted to show John. He turned his phone to face the man and tossed the flash drive over to John as he did so.

Hidden: Terrasphere Email

"I got this email today and had to come here ASAP. I've heard rumors that there'd been kids being found with their VR headsets on...lying in mysterious comas. This thing's shady and even the government probably doesn't have much info on it...you up for another adventure, Jacky-boy? I want to figure out what's going on here. Plus, it sounds like a fun game, right?"

@Neldo Dini

 

After having a long sigh at being sexually harassed via bad pun, Neldo took a long swig of his beer and wiped his lips with his sleeve. "I've heard of the game though I missed the commercial. I mean, it's kind of hard to miss the news on it unless you live under a rock."

John caught the flash drive in his hand and looked at it for a moment. "People in comas huh? Doesn't that basically mean we get to ride the disability train and have a vacation in this thing? Can't see the harm in taking time off." He started chuckling, "Well, this new band that's hell bent on making it might be mad at me. Thunder Cougar Velociraptors. But fuck 'em, if they're going to make it big they'll make it there eventually on their own."

"We should let the others know too in case they want to join us." Neldo took another pull from the beer can before setting the empty on the counter and making his way to the door. He was still hungry so it was time to get moving on some food. "Let's walk and talk. What do you feel like eating?" He opened the door and lead the way out onto the street.

 

"Hm, I have two dollars and five nickels. I think that should be enough for the McDonald's Dollar Menu if you eat a grass salad and I get a nice quarter pounder," he grinned, shoving his phone back into his pocket before getting up to follow John. "By the way, awesome band name. Thunder Cougar Velociraptors. Makes me wonder why we never picked up a name as cool as that."

He pondered for a moment, placing a finger on his chin as if deep in thought. "Hey, if we're getting into stuff as shady as this game then I'm pretty sure that it gives me a free pass to...ahem, dispose of this band so we could steal, I mean inherit, their name for memory purposes, right?" Mint said, only half-joking as he did so. A glint was in his eyes before he shrugged it off, changing the subject.

By the time his feet took a step outside the comforts of John's studio, Mint took another stretch and covered his mouth as he yawned. Grumbling, he began to rub his back. "Urgh, I feel like an old man now. Maybe I shouldn't have done so many of your stupid dares as a kid. Or was it one of the others. I remember someone dared me to jump a ten story building into a pool. Did you know that there's a one in a hundred chance of surviving that? I'm pretty sure one of ya'll made a deal with the devil to bring me back at the expense of fifty years of my own lifespan."

And then he turned to head off. "So, wherever will our destination be, Capt'n?"

@Neldo Dini

 

Neldo laughed remembering that eventful day. "You're pretty close actually. But flip it around. The devil told me that if I took you off his hands, you'd age twice as fast and I'd stay young forever. Truly a demon of his word. Good fellow that Devil."

As they walked it was very obvious they didn't have a destination in mind. So without direction they walked a few blocks meandering as they went weaving through and parting foot traffic. Even though Neldo lived here and had never spent all that much time out of New York the city was a living creature. Every time he turned a corner, he saw a shop that he had meant to revisit had been replaced by some other shop. It was nothing to lose sleep over, it happened all the time.

"Oh hey, let's stop by our old hole in the wall. It's one of the only places that doesn't get washed away in the waves of shit these new generations keep making!"

The hole in the wall had been the first bar in the city that their band had played at. Suffice to say any bar that had let their grungy asses play, wasn't a very high end bar. Far from it. But it was resilient to the every changing topography that was New York. For one simple reason. Well two actually, but they're closely related. First it was the refuge for the common working man in the area that didn't care about the news and changing events. Second, it was also known to host meetings for the workers' unions. In short. The place had mob ties.

 

Mint trailed a bit behind as he made an obscene gesture and blew a raspberry at John's back before he came to a jog, catching up to the man's pace. His shoulders relaxed and he looked away, completely oblivious to his previous actions. As far as he knew, nothing had happened during that very short time span the two had drifted away by a few dozen feet. And then, as events often happen, they reached The Bar. As in, the rich establishment which had been a historical moment for their band in the heart of New York City. Mint couldn't help but blow another Bronx cheer (as locals would call it).

"That old place? I mean, sure, it has memories and stuff but it really doesn't look like it changed a day. And that's a pretty bad thing for a seedy bar like this. I wouldn't be surprised if I talk about those Thunder Cougar Velociraptors and one of those shady guys comes up with a briefcase and an offer to assassinate them for us. Not even professional, either. Just a bulky, bald guy with tattoos stuck to his head and wearing cheap CVS sunglasses. You sure bout this place? Mickey D's is having a sale, if you're interested."

Mint tried to make the latter option as enticing as possible but he doubted it'd work. While John was prone to be open-minded about suggestions, Mint knew that the man was also steadfast in his beliefs and choices. There wasn't much Mint could do to sway the man's decision and, with a breath, clapped the man on the back and steeled himself. Who knows, maybe he'd manage to pick up a gal or a guy or, maybe, even a chair along the way. Curse his puberty hormones which, even with age, never ceased to be a complication in Mint's affairs.

As the pair walked in, Mint whistled at the numerous promiscuous men, women, and the particularly handsome vending machine at the corner. "Why, hey beautiful," Mint muttered, eyeing yet another tantalizing glass of Pepsi on the table. Mint took a seat on a bar stool before he scooted over and offered John a seat. "You're gonna be the end of me, Jacky-boy. I can't survive if the bartender or someone recognizes us."

He looked around the room carefully before he leaned in and whispered to John in a quiet, hesitant voice. "I might've slept with one of the mobster's wives last time we were here. And I took some cash outta their pockets. And I might've extended my warm, loving arms to several other handsome men who, I was sure, was associated with the mafia before I ditched them in a one-night-stand without their belongings. It was a crazy night."

@Neldo Dini

 

The huge palms of the bartender slammed down on the bar as he leaned across it so close to Charlie that it seemed their foreheads touched. He was of course just as Charlie described which made his name all the more ironic.

"Oh hey, Harry." John said passively looking at his menu to hide his smile and suppressed laughter. "How's the family?" John had heard about Charlie's misguided adventures here, and had been opportunistic enough to see the chance for free entertainment. He knew Charlie wasn't in any real danger, at least not yet anyway. The real guys wouldn't show up until later that night.

"They'refine.WHATTHEHELLAREYOUDOINGBACKHERE?!" John was biting his lip so hard to not laugh he was sure he was going to taste blood. The way the bartender strung a sentence into a massive word was impressive. With that kind of tongue dexterity the man could've been some sort of scat singing sensation. Too bad he could only do it when he was so mad his eyes seemed to vibrate in his large chrome dome skull.

John interrupted quickly before it could escalate too much further. "You know, I just had a beer I think I'll change it up. Can I get a rum and coke to start, Harry?" John knew how to handle Harry. The guy was a volcano of pent up testosterone he couldn't get rid of ever since he got out of jail for laying hands on his wife. Not a bad guy, but certainly an idiot with no self control. But for a bar tender he took his job seriously. And that was the distraction you needed to break his anger into more... manageable explosions.

"Don'tgotnocokeonlypepsi. CHARLIEDOYOUHAVEANYIDEAHOWMUCHYOUCOSTMELASTTIME?!"

"No coke? Harry you're breaking my heart."

"You'vebeencominghereforyearsnowJohn. Wehavethisdiscussioneverytime. IMEANWHYTHEHELLDIDYOUTAKESOMANYSTOOLSWITHYOU?!"

"You're right, so why haven't you done anything about it." John teased.

"WHATPOSSIBLEREASON.... JUST... WHAT WERE YOU DOING WITH EIGHT STOOLS IN THE FIRST PLACE?! And... John, you know about the pepsi product deal. We sell their shit exclusively they help us out with equipment repairs and hang their propaganda on the walls. "

Ah, progress. John's words were stretching out into more comprehensible sentences. "Yeah yeah yeah. Just set me up with a vodka redbull. And I'll have whatever the special is today."

And like that, the storm broke. His head lifted away from Charlie's, revealing speckles of spit on Charlie's face. "Oh, you're going to love the special today John. Two angus beef patties. We marinated one in teriyaki, and rubbed the other with cajun spice before we throw on some bacon and any fixings you want. I assume you want all the fixings like usual?"

"That's sounds amazing, and yeah of course I want it all. I'm paying full price either way right?"

Harry sent Charlie a look of daggers before he set about his work. If nothing else, Harry was still a pro.
@Mint Chip

 

Mint finger-gunned the bartender, winking and clicking his tongue at the sight of the burly man. "I knew that I knew someone like that!" he spluttered, excitement blazing behind his tattooed eyes. "Every time I tell someone bout it, man...they think it's a dream! But I knew it! Just got a bit too drunk or maybe it's been too many years but I recognize that face somewhat!"

He reached over to clap Harry on the back, completely oblivious to the man's nature, history, or anything else. In fact, one might call them a step below strangers. Untouchables. Unknowns. Underpaid workmen who have bonded together over low wages to overthrow the capitalistic society. Whichever definition was okay with Charlie.

But, back to the what's happening now. Mint indulged in a bit of roughhousing, discreetly holding his breath as what could amount to an ocean of sweat piled around the man's muscular neck. Mint ignored the exchange going on between the two men, more preoccupied by feeling the man's more intimate parts (like his pectoral muscles and fine eyebrow hair that was curved like a 'U'). Definitely not attractive by any means but Mint was desperate for any bone tossed his way.

Reluctantly, however, he detached himself from Harry with a sigh when he gave a sharp glare over at him. At least the rejection wasn't that disappointing. He slouched back to John, sighing and fostering an exaggerated pout. "Oh well. So we've ordered the food and stuff and, well, Pepsi sucks but we can totally pull it off, but what about setting you up with something in particular?" Mint wiggled his eyebrows and nudged at John. "I've seen a pretty hot chick wear a spaghetti strap when we walked in. She might be interested. It'll be just like old times! Me, being Cupid! You, being hopelessly old you."

Mint took John's hand and looked at him dead in the eyes. "How bout this. We eat, we talk about the entire email-thing, and then we hook you up so you can make me some godchildren. Okay?"

@Neldo Dini

 

Neldo looked him back in the eyes and with an easy smile replied. "I know you can't see it on my face, because I'm accustomed at hiding it. But just beneath the surface, you still creep the living hell out of me sometimes." Harry passed by placing a glass in front of Neldo, who lifted it to his lips and took a drink without breaking eye contact with Charlie. "But you have yourself a deal."

He leaned sideways and rested his elbow on the bar, "But first, you've got to tell me more about this game. We've got some time before the food comes out anyway. And since you want us to play the wing man game. Well, if you spill your guys, I'll follow your lead." His eyes shifted briefly to glance about the room looking for the girl.

 

Mint gasped, mocking hurt at Neldo's statement before rolling his eyes. He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, pointing it straight at the girl in question. "You gotta keep up, man! If you're like this all the time then one day some girl's gonna claw up from Hell and clap you over the head with the butt of a gun!" Mint said. He had prior experience in that department as one of his many ex-girlfriends could attest to. She came like a rampaging demon that one dark night during Prom Day and that scar on the back of his neck never really healed after the incident. Best to warn a mate before they get into trouble.

But, despite his words, his face morphed into a grievous, serious expression. He leaned in closer, his voice losing its playful touch as he slowly slipped the flash-drive onto the table and pulled out his phone, the previous message still lit up on the display screen. He took a deep breath.

"You know I still do some stuff underground. Nothing major. Just pirating stuff like all the kids do in high schools. It's surprisingly still a saturated market, especially when you can get some autographed vintage copies," Mint explained before shaking his head. He was getting off-topic again. "I got access to something called the Zero Channel. It's a BBS about the kind of stuff related to the game."

Mint took another breath, staring Neldo straight in the eye. He didn't waver. "I don't recommend getting into this stuff, Jack. But, somehow, Terrasphere is affecting people in the real world. Deaths in the game have been giving some people odd symptoms in reality. People have been going into comas. Some people go missing and some are found in Deep Dive Clinics with their minds transplanted into that game. It's dangerous."

Mint sighed and closed his eyes. His eyebrows were creased and he rubbed at it with his fingers to no avail. The look of worry could fade from his expression. "I showed the email to my little sis first, John. She was a curious bugger. I didn't think there'd be any harm."

He couldn't even bother with nicknames anymore as tears stung at the outer rim of his eyes and no longer could he keep his calm, oblivious, and joking facade. His eyeliner began to drip down and one could see the bags under his eyes. He looked downcast. Forlorn. Lost. His hands shook as he mustered the strength to speak again.

"Deep Dive. That's what they call it, John. That's what all those stupid doctors say when they find the body of your sister in a coma. They say that she can't be saved. That she'd be stuck in that fudging game forever!"

Mint kicked the ground in frustration, rising up to stand as the bar stool fell behind him. He gritted his teeth as the memory seemed to cause him some sort of physical pain. "I was never good at games. I just joined because you and the rest of the band liked it," he admitted. "I need to find her, John. I want to see her. Even if it's just some digital avatar of hers that spouts fire from her butt then I still want to see her."

His voice broke and he looked at John with such desperation. Still, he tried to laugh and, with a tired voice, tried to crack a joke. "And admit it. You want to spend more time with me, don't you? Gosh John, you always need someone to pay attention to you. Why don't we go pay spaghetti girl a visit and then we can play dress-up in one of your favorite games. I bet you have a copy of My Little Pony: The Game somewhere in that closet of yours."

@Neldo Dini

 

John was torn between being concerned, and simply not trusting Charlie. So he opted to break the momentary tension, "I don't have a copy of My Little Pony: The Game. I'm a self respecting man. I play Hello Kitty: Island Adventure." He flashed a smirk before sipping on his drink.

"Look, if you're serious about your sister, you know I can't turn you down. But there are other's who couldn't turn you down either. So if this ends up being serious, I'm going to drag them into this as well. Besides, it'll be good to get the band back together for some jamming." He struggled somewhat to keep the mood light, since Charlie seemed able to go back and forth between positive uncontrollable energy to pensive pussy in what seemed to be no time. Maybe it was just his time of the month.

The guitarist pulled his phone out and flicked across the screen deftly. In no time he synced his phone to the juke box in the bar. "Well, we've got to wait for our food to arrive and I'm not going to pay for your food this time. You're going to have to earn it." The jukebox across the room vibrated fuzzily to life and soon began to play a song John knew Charlie couldn't resist. That should help him keep his mind busy and stop him from crying at the bar as if he'd drank 5 rail shots.

John turned and glanced with a smile to the girl in the spaghetti strap. She was cute, but didn't really have a 'wow' factor. She turned to look up at the juke box that was humming into pitch. Maybe John would take a shot at her after he had some food.

@Mint Chip