DICK DODGERS's blog: "BEAUTIFUL DAYS"

BEAUTIFUL DAYS CHAPTER ELEVEN A distant memory... Football. There's a man tossing one to me. But I'm not the Jake I am now...I'm a child. I'm in a whole new setting. Green grass. Sun's shining. I smell hot dogs. I see other children playing. Families joined together for picnics. An entire park of people. Then all of a sudden...it all stops. Everything. No more hot dog smell. No more football. No more families. Just me. And a purple sky... BEAUTIFUL DAYS CHAPTER 11 SWAN SONG SILLIOQUY part one A fist to the face wakes me up from my dream... "Wake up, dick!, said Patch. "Thanks for that!", I said. "That dream was scaring the shit outta me!" "You know what? You're a real SMART ASS!", said Patch. "And it's really PISSIN' me off! "Well I figured the whole, ONE EYE, thing would be enough to piss anybody off...,I said right before I got a fist to the face! "I dunno what the hell he wants with you, but he wants your sorry ass!", said Patch. It was only then I really started to pay attention to my surroundings. I'm tied to a chair in an office building of some sort. I was wondering where Sophie was at this point. Then enters a little girl. About ten I think. She comes into the room and approaches me. She looks up at Patch. And she says... "LEAVE!" No doubt in my mind...it's the Engineer. Speaking through this little girl, I found it quite eerie. This tiny vessel that houses the mind and voice of the Engineer himself approaches me and says... "How far did you think you were gonna get in MY world?" "Well I made it this far!", I said. "I bet you're wondering why you are still alive!", said the Engineer. "Would be nice to know!", I said. "You are still here, because you owe me something.", he said through the little girl. "I don't owe you JACK SHIT!", I said. "Quite the contrary!", said the Engineer. "You owe me quite a bit!" "How the hell do you figure?", I said. "Your life, the life you know, is because of me! I gave you the world in which you have come to know and love, the wife you once had, the house you once had, the promotion to detective...EVERYTHING! And i took it all away. ALL OF IT!", said the Engineer. "Now why would you wanna go and do a thing like that, Mr. Stingy Pants?!, I said with classic sarcassim. "You really out to start showing some respect!", said the Engineer. "I need you in a sense, Detective. I need you because you bridge the gap between the humans and my creations. You have managed to get along with both so well. You have interacted with them like no other human I've known, but of course, I'm still weeding them all out.", said the Engineer. "You're gonna kill us all! Like you did before!", I said. "Well before...just didn't work out the way I planned it.", he said through the girl. "It was a mistake clearly in the timing more so than anything else. You see, I cannot allow any humans to interact with my creations here anymore. The risk is becoming too high.", said the Engineer. "What ever it is you don't want us, the humans, to know... we are starting to remember. That explains your beef with the Figgis'. Now what? You try and hunt down what's left of us? Shut us all up?, I asked. "What you know and what I know MUST stay separated.", he said. "The truth...IS NOT AN OPTION!", said the Engineer. "So what exactly does all this have to do with me again?", I asked. "I have studied you from day one. Everything good in your life. The wife, a machine that I watched your intimate and most private actions through. The Sarge, I watched your actions through in the workplace as well as your personal life. The way you interact with friends. Sparks the bartender, the band, the majority of the patrons, almost that ENTIRE bar. ALL of it!", he said. "Because I knew one day...that if anyone was to bring me down... It would be you!", said the Engineer. "I had to know what makes you so different. And now it seems, you have evolved even more. You are too interesting to just, KILL, Detective. You know about Sophie. And her father. And the reason why she was locked away.", he said. "You tried to keep her from spreading the truth. You wanted to quarantine her in a way. Keep her from spreading the truth and telling other humans that they were basically FUCKED by you!", I said. "Well I would have worded it different, but you're on the right track, he said. "You have something that belongs to me, Detective.", he said through this little girl who is now going into my coat pockets to give me a cigarette. "Let me light that for you!", he said through her, flicking my lucky zippo. "There is a list. A list that I compiled not too long ago. A list of names. It should have been in that file that you stole from Marsha Jude's. We tore apart that safe house of yours. Your little Indian friends claimed they had no clue what happened to the file. By the time we had got into the house it was indeed gone. So I had them both shot and we took the girl instead. That's why the two of you are here now.", said the Engineer. "Where is she?", I asked. "Safe! At least until you tell me what I want to hear!", he said. I left that file on the table. Where ever it is now is beyond me!", I said. Well then you aren't telling me what I want to hear then, my friend. , said the Engineer. "I'm afraid that Ms. Figgis won't be making it out of here alive., said the Engineer. I knew I had to make a move. Bastards took my .45's. Don't know where the hell they or Sophie was. Little did I know, on the next floor below, housed an office that Sophie was being held in. Along with Patch's gang. They sat around looking at a phone. Patch enters the room... "I thought you were supposed to call when you wanted us to drop this bitch!", said Page. "Yea well he wanted some "quality time" with the fuckin" Detective!" , said Patch. "So now I gotta wait for that call from him with you assholes!" "And what the fuck are you starin" at?, said Patch to Sophie, who sat tied to a chair as well. "Absolutely nothing!", she said. "You better watch that mouth of yours if you know what's good for you!, said Patch. At that moment, back to me and the Engineer, the little girl vessel he's sporting is headed over to the phone to make a call down to Patch and his gang. This call would mean the end of Sophie. I had to think fast. Me being who I am, that didn't take long to do... "Wait!", I called out. "It's at the Apex!", I said. "I knew you would come around!", said the Engineer placing the phone back on the hook. Next thing i know, I'm being dragged down the steps by Patch and his thugs along with Sophie. They stuff us, still tied, in a van. We are on our way to the Apex. While in the back of the van, I get a chance to talk to Sophie. As we lay there on the van floor, tied from shoulder to feet, I ask her... "Are you ok? "I'm fine! Can't say the same for John and Able though, I'm afraid.", she said. "Are they dead?",I asked. "Not sure about John, but I saw the old man get hit... She explained... and I had a vision...I saw the events take place without even listening... After I left for the city and had my run in with the Engineer, Sophie had come out and asked for a towel to take a shower. John granted the request. As he returned to the living room he noticed a look in his father's eyes. A distant stare. As if he knew the moment was bound to come, but just wasn't aware until then just when it would happen. At that moment a cluster of gun fire hits the room. John and Able drop to the floor. Sophie, still in the shower, is unaware of the events. Patch and his gang kicked in the door and rushed into the house. Toby stood with his gun drawn by the front door, Patch ran over to Able and pressed a gun to his back. Cotton and Page ran through the house looking for the files and Sophie. The files weren't found, but Sophie was. John pulls his gun and has it aimed at Patch... "You wanna drop the guuuuuuun, INJUN!", said Patch, pressing the gun tighter to Able's back. "Let him go!", said John. "You don't wanna test my shootin' skills, my friend!", said Toby with his gun aimed at John. "They don't call me the gunman for nothin' !", he said. "You can test that theory if you want.", said John to Toby. "But my friend, you will lose!", He said. "Is that a fact?", said Toby. The tension could be cut with a fuckin' knife. Patch's eye on John, his gun pressed to Able's back. John's gun aimed at Patch. His eyes on Toby. Toby with his gun and eyes directly on John. At that moment, Cotton enters the room and says... "She's gone!" At that moment a shot is fired from the kitchen, and hits Cotton in the neck. John fires and hits Toby right between the eyes. Sophie fires at Patch and misses. Page dives from the hall to the kitchen and lands on Sophie. She drops her gun. Page has his gun to her forehead. "Looks like you got a situation here, John Boy!", said Patch. "Now drop that fuckin' gun or I'll kill em both! John drops his gun. "Now kick it over here!", said Patch. John kicks the gun over to Patch's feet. "Page! You find the goods?", Patch asked. "No dice! Just the chick!", he replied. "Well, Mr. John! Where's the files?, said Patch. "If they aren't in that room, I don't know where they are!", said John. "Fine!", We'll be takin' the chick until they turn up!", said Patch. "You can reach us through here!", said Patch, tossing him a cell phone. Page makes his way out the door with Sophie. At that instant, the two fallen thugs, Cotton and Toby rise up as if on cue. They pick up their guns. "You can let him go now!", said John. "I guess you're right!"said Patch. He fires a bullet into the old man's back. Toby gets off a shot to John's leg. The gang make their way out of the house and to the car. They peel off. That's about where the vision ends. I come to, and Sophie is still in the middle of explaining. Right now she's around the part where Page dives on her and we hear Patch at that point say... "Shut the fuck up back there! This ain't no goddamned social hour!" His goons laugh. The van stops. We arrive at the Apex. Patch enters with his gang and us tied up still. He goes to the front desk and asks for the same exact room that he took Sophie's father's life in. They drag us up the stairs and sit us down in the room. With Page and Cotton standing at the front door on guard. Patch, makes his way downstairs. "I'll be right back!", he said. He heads downstairs. Toby is in the room with Sophie and me. Babysittin'. Of course, you know me, the man with the plan, I call over to the son of a bitch... "Hey, buddy! How's bout a smoke?, I said. "Fuck that!", said Toby. "We are here for those fuckin' files so where are they?" "Gimmie the smoke and I'll tell ya!", I said. Toby, now impatient, runs over and gun butts me and yells... "I'm not playin' no fuckin' games, Dick!" "Neither was I! I really want that cigarette!", I said right when I kicked him in the balls! He dropped to his knees. The cell phone drops from his coat. He drops his gun. I kick it out of his reach. "Sophie!", I yelled out. "See if you can get over to the cell phone and hit the redial button!" I said to her. "OK!" she said as she worked her way to the floor. Toby made his way for her. I fall on top of him, preventing him from moving another inch. She made it! "OK, John, should answer!", I said. "What?", said Sophie. Stunned. "How do you know?" she asked. " I just do!", I replied. "Now tell him where we are!", I said. Patch is outside on the telephone with the Engineer. "We got em here! Toby is grillin' em on exactly where the files are. Soon as they find em we are on our way back.", said Patch. "Excellent!", said the Engineer. "Speed this up! I'm growing impatient!", said the Engineer. "Sure thing!", said Patch. At that moment, upstairs in the room, I found my way to my lucky zippo. And I'm able to burn the ropes around my wrists. I'm laying on top of Toby, back first. Muffling his mouth with the floor. I break free. I take that son of a bitch Toby and grab him by his collar and say... "I hope you fuckers know how to fly!" Patch is on the corner about to make his way back inside. There's a crash. He looks up. It's Toby. Tossed out. Head first. Onto the pavement below. "Fuck!", said Patch, drawing his gun and heading inside. Patch runs inside to the front desk and stops. He hears a noise but can't quite place where it's coming from. By the time he realizes, it's a car...the car comes crashing through the front of the building running down Patch. The driver is John. His father lay shot and bleeding in the back seat. John yells out... "You fuckers call a cab?" I send Sophie down the fire escape. The crash caught the attention of Cotton and Page. "Go in there and check that shit out!" , said Page to Cotton. Cotton runs into the room to see it empty. He runs over to the window and peeks his head out. He is greeted to a barrel of a .45. I shoot. Turns out that son of a bitch, Toby had grabbed my guns and had planned on keeping them for himself. No fuckin' way. I cover Sophie. John pulls out of the front lobby of the building. He spots Sophie. She looks back up at me... "Come on! she yells. I look down at her. Almost in the same manner of her father when he knew he wasn't gonna make it outta the Apex that night. But there was something more to my look. With that said, I yell back down to her... "Go!" John pulls her into the car and takes off. I kick Toby off the fire escape to the ground below. At that point, Page dives out the window at me. We both sail off the fire escape. I grab on to the railing and drop one of my guns to the ground below. Page is hanging on me for dear life. He starts punching my side. I elbow him to the face. Patch enters the hotel room. He pulls out his gun and aims it right for me. I'm struggling to hold on with one hand as Page is holding on to my other one. I can't reach my remaining gun. At that point... I hear drums... I let go. Right when Patch gets a shot off. He misses. I time myself. I grab the next railing below. That move was intended to shake off Page and cause him to fall. Didn't work. Can't win em all! The son of a bitch is still hangin' on! Patch comes and looks down at us. He aims. He shoots. I shift to the right...he hits Page. Down he goes. I hop onto the fire escape below Patch. He tries to fire a shot down. He's outta ammo! "Fuck!", He screams. I hop into the room window below the one that we were held captive in. I make my way to the hall. Patch makes a call... "Hello, says the voice on the other end. The Engineer. "Major thrillseekin' fuckin' action goin' on. And I'm outta bullets!", said Patch. "I FUCKING TOLD YOU WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU FUCK UP!, yelled the Engineer! "Not so fast!" says Patch! I'll deliver! Turns out, Patch found a way to hack into the Engineer's main system. He was able to hack into the main computer that runs all the androids, and turn off his pain mechanism. He was invincible. As I made my way down the hall towards the elevator, I am greeted by Patch coming out of the stairway door. He nails me. I go flying back. He dives on me and we take a nasty tumble down the stairs. Meanwhile, Sophie and John head for the only safe place they feel is left, The D.A.'s house. They roll up. The two of them emerge from the car. They head towards the front door. The house explodes. Blows right the fuck up! The impact sends Sophie and John flying back onto the top of the car. They lay there stunned. The house now in flames. It all makes sense to Sophie now. She knows what she has to do. They won't stop. They will never stop. "Jake's in serious trouble!", she said to John. "I noticed a shed behind the house." she said. "I noticed what was in that shed. I need you to take me to it, but more importantly, I need you to understand!", she said. John knew. And he agreed. Patch and I go flying out of a window on to a fire escape. I pull my other gun. Patch smacks it out of my hand. It goes flying in about the same direction my other one dropped down to. I kick Patch's legs from under him. He falls off the fire escape. He grabs on to the railing and thrusts himself up to the roof of the building. Son of a bitch. I gotta go after him...and I fuckin' hate heights! END CHAPTER ELEVEN.