Some time around eight the following morning, Beth Hudson was on her way down to the basement levels when she was distracted by a heated conversation taking place on the edge of the Helipad. Lex - whose dreadlocks had inexplicably turned red overnight - was in a state of distress, bordering on psychosis. Paula was doing her best to calm the situation down.

  "Where is SHE?" Lex shouted. "Where is she? She needs to answer for THIS."

  "Lex!" Paula said. "Look at me. I am not a fan of Green's either, but even I know she couldn't dye your hair in the middle of the night without you knowing. That is crazy talk."

  “Crazy? I was gone for two days and no one seems to care!"

  "You had a bad dream, that's all!"

  "Which lasted TWO days,” Lex said. “She showed me everything. Her palace was endless, but everything was wrong. The geometry that didn’t make sense, shapes were solid one minute and holes the next, stairs went nowhere and everywhere on a whim. Even the marble was made of unknown colours. It was pure madness, and she invited me! She wanted me to pass on a message. There’s a new Empire coming, but no human will be part of it. If I pull this thing off, I am set for life."

  "You were only asleep for five hours. Wait, what thing?"

  "I can't say. I can't.”

  Paula lowered her voice to an angry whisper.

  "I don’t know what’s going on with you, but if you even THINK about endangering these people, I will put you down myself. I am not a traitor."

  Lex started to back away at speed.

  "She put you up to this. This is a test, in case I backed out. You tell her I am good for it. You tell HER, I am loyal!"

  “Lex!" Paula yelled. "LEX!"

  Her friend had disappeared behind a flotilla of helicopters.

  After calming down inside a nearby locker room, Lex was about to leave when she saw Fee acting out of character. Dressed in an old Army coat, thick glasses and a Bucket hat, it seemed like Fee was going out of her way to avoid detection. Somewhat intrigued, Lex tailed at a distance, all the way to the station.

  According to Tomoko’s handler, Red Ginseng was sold in a ‘dingy Dive-Bar’ situated in the Grey Knuckles. It didn’t help that the Grey Knuckles was ‘Dive-Bar’ central, which made it nearly impossible to narrow it down. Taking a train across the Island, she found the place to be a wet strip of used trash reserved for burnt-out drunks, missing lunatics and illegal wares. A shroud of overhanging neon lit up a desolate market, like a half-remembered Las Vegas.

  Deals were barked, and arms waved at the overcrowded boulevards packed tighter than an eight ball. Wooden boxes shifted on their own, as exotic birds squawked from stacked cages, while X-rated video stores advertised a seemingly endless variety of human Tetris.

  Fee smiled. They know we can that shit for free on our phones, right?

  The place smelled like the inside of a tumour, causing Fee to pull her coat tight with the collar up. Underneath the hat, she dragged on a cigarette to offset the poisoned, stale air. Free from the crowd, she took a detour into a Piano bar and waited. Lex stepped in a minute later, pale and nervous.

  “You’re about as subtle as a marching band.” Fee said.

  Looking to her left, Lex saw her target nursing a Cubre Libre

  “You knew I was following you?”

  The answer was too obvious, it wasn't worth answering.

  “I recommend a Cuba Libre. It’ll give you a headache tomorrow, but that’s future me’s problem. ”

  Lex took a seat, the two women divided by a stained-glass table lamp.

  “What are you doing here, Fee?” She asked. “What brings you to the ass of nowhere?”

  “Picking up something for a friend.”

  “Is it urgent?”

  “It will be in a few days. The question is, why are you here? I’m guessing you’re looking for blackmail material, so I’ll join your collection of worthless skanks.”

  “Is that how you think of me?”

  “Until now, you’ve done nothing to change my mind,” Fee said, through a ribbon of Tobacco smoke. “I’m surprised you made it this far, without getting worn by some angry dick.”

  “You really paint a picture," Lex said. "Rest assured, I can take care of myself.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “Then you don’t know me as well as you think.”

  “Never cared to.”

  "All I can say is I am living the best life." Lex said. "I have more money than I'll ever spend: my dream car, a luxury clifftop cabin in the woods. I've met all my heroes, some I now consider close friends. I will never need to beg or save, nor will I require a part-time job; never worry about student loans or wonder if I'll ever work. Since I am home-schooled, I will never be haunted by memories of being bullied. Granted, I will miss the chance to make lifelong friends, but who really keeps in contact anyway? Prom would have been nice too.”

  "Great." Fee said. "What about the rest of your life?"

  "The rest of my life?"

  "You need something to look forward to."

  Lex shook her head. "There’s nothing I can think of.”

  "Nothing?"

  “Well, like I said, all my dreams have been fulfilled.”

  "Sounds pretty dry." Fee said. "I mean, it's like you sacrificed your childhood to go straight up corporate."

  Lex looked up as if to remember. “Well, I did stab three girls with a screwdriver for turning down my friend request. Before you ask, they all lived and were very surprised.”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Oh yeah,” Fee said, rolling her eyes. “A right barrel of laughs, I bet.”

  Lex leaned forward. “Y’know it’s funny; I had a dream about you.”

  “Thanks for making things awkward.”

  “Not like that. It may have been a version of you, hard to tell, but it was uncanny. She was a remarkable hostess and allowed me to stay in her Palace for two days. Quite the mystery.”

  “Quite.” Fee said. Was this a coincidence? The Other-Fee did mention something about a third doppelganger. By the sounds of it, this one was more conniving, mercurial.

  “She knew about my sister, who was always kept from me. Boarding School, University, Medical School, I never got to know her.” Lex looked away with a hollow, haunted look. “My parents think I am something of a bad influence.”

  “What a shocker.” Fee said. “You have so much to offer, what with all you taking a stab at everything.” She had a thought. “These girls you tried to friend, wouldn’t happen to look like your sister, right?”

  “You’re imagining things.”

  Fee got up to leave. “Don’t know, don’t care.”

  “Are you leaving?”

  “I ain’t singing the Blues, little Rabbit.”

  “Don’t call me that.”

  “But you’re so lost and innocent,” Fee said, before stopping in the doorway. “The longer you stay, the harder they’ll get.”

  Lex looked around to see that most of the male patrons were giving her the dead eye.

  “Yeah, let’s go.”

  ***

  “Well, I can’t say it was a pleasant chat,” Fee said, as they made their way down the rain-slick alley. “That would require you to be a half-decent…Crap!”

  She quickly turned her away from the crowd and made like a shadow on the wall.

  “Half decent crap?”

  “Shh! Football shirt and hat. Got a big dude with him, bearded.”

  Lex quickly caught sight of the two men Fee described. They were busy searching around.

  “Oi oi,” Lex said, seeing how small Fee looked, huddled in the shade. “What’s the deal with them?”

  “They owe me money.”

  “So why are you the one who’s hiding?”

  “The small guy doesn’t wanna pay, so he brought some back-up. I can take them, but if I get into a fight, that will bring out every gang I pissed off.”

  “Well, now,” Lex said, smiling. “It would be very unfortunate if they found out.”

  “It would also be unfortunate for you, seeing how you’re underage and not supposed to be here. ”

  Lex looked down, disappointed.

  “Oh. Yeah.”

  “Forgot that little detail, didn’t you?” Fee said, beaming. “For a second there, you had the upper hand. It must have made you feel like a right queen.”

  Lex bristled, wanting to forget it.

  “They’re gone, we can go now.”

  “Not we, you.” Fee said. “I’ll take the back alleys. Less safe, but I won’t be detected. You’ll be fine, keep everything zipped up; it’s like Oliver Twist out there.”

  “You’re just going to leave me?”

  “It was your idea to come,” Fee said, walking away. “A little Rabbit like you can avoid trouble.”

  ***

  The Black Market Chemist was in an ancient Roman Bathhouse, with weathered spires shaped like witches' hats. Fee didn’t want to admit it, but it was an impressive set-up. Mounting the wide steps, she passed the desolate bodies hunched in the doorway. An almost reverent ambience surrounded the place, with chatter kept to a minimum and the sound of footfalls filling the galleries. Passing through, she clocked armed guards in almost every corner, with some hiding in the back. A metal-detector bleeped and activated a turnstile, as Fee made her way into the main Bath area. The Pharmacy area was drenched in a misty light from outside and everything smelt like a Hospital. Scaffold steps led into the massive pool, separating businesses into stalls. People were bottlenecked into a single file, designed to hamper escape and make it easier to keep an eye on them. After lining up for ten minutes, Fee peeled off into a cubicle named ‘Stray’s Pharm’, she shook the hand of an Irishman dressed in a drug rug and sporting a blond ponytail.

  “Was wondering when you’d turn up,” Stray said. “Got the Lemon Seeds on the plate, came in yesterday. Looking for your usual Busies?” He glanced over her shoulder. “Tommi not with ye?”

  “She’s ill,” Fee replied. “You know that thing with the thing? Well, it’s flared up. Gone bushfire.”

  Stray nodded. “Christ. Babylon broke.”

  “Yeah, I need some RGTs to keep her from blushing.”

  “Sure, sure. Always keep a packet on standby.” Stray said, and bit his lip. “Price’s gone up, though.” Fee offered him an envelope. Rifling through the notes, he handed them back. “That won’t track.”

  “Stray.”

  “My hands are tied. It’s storm season, no boats are getting through, and you know how a military base deals with suspect planes.” Fee sighed. “Ah, come on, don’t give me that look. Next time, bring something more than a withering look.”

  Fee was half turning away when an arm shot out from behind, holding a black card.

  “Take plastic?” Lex said.

  “Each and every day, Miss,” Stray said. He zapped a pad and returned with the card and paper bag. “Oh-eh! Done and done.”

  Lex took both the card and the bag with a smile. “Pleasure.”

  Unsure what just occurred, Fee nodded to Stray and nudged Lex toward the exit.

  ***

  Outside, Fee laced up on a bench by a Plaza fountain, surrounded by Christmas lights.

  “I know you’re thinking,” Lex said.

  “Do you think Elastic Girl gives birth naturally or opens up like a walk-in wardrobe?”

  “Okay, I wasn’t thinking that.”

  “Of course you know what I’m thinking,” Fee said, giving the girl her full attention. “Now, thanks to you, I’m in your debt and have no choice but to obey.”

  Lex shook her head. “Firstly, what I did was my choice. You didn’t ask, so it doesn’t count.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Secondly, it’s not my card. So I didn’t lose anything.”

  “Thanks,” Fee said gruffly. “And what the hell?”

  “You’re welcome and you’re still welcome.”

  “You can’t be flashing your business around; it’s how people get merked. Not to mention, the reason plastic is popular is that it can be cloned. So there’s no telling if that ID will get jacked.”

  Lex raised her hand. “Chill. Like I said, not my card, so it’s all good.”

  “Great, so it’s just the dying you must worry about.”

  “For someone who talks big, you worry too much,” Lex said, as they headed back to the station. “What’s going on with you lately? It’s like you’ve lost the edge.”

  “Like U2 in a theme park.” Fee muttered.

  “Come on. Out with it.”

  “You seriously expect me to spill?”

  “I think you want to. I think you’re dying to, because I won’t offer pitying looks, unlike your friends.”

  “I can’t stand sympathy.” Fee said. “It’s so awkward to sit through.” She glanced at Lex and laughed lightly. “Fine, whatever. In case you didn’t know, my Dad and my Brother were killed in the Big One. Wiped out with the rest of Coventry on Super Tuesday.”

  “Condolences.”

  “Yeah, well, it was partly my fault. I’m the one who suggested a Mummy-Daughter day, while the guys went out to catch a game. If I had kept my big mouth shut, we’d still be together.”

  “Super Tuesday was Mother’s Day, wasn’t it?” Lex asked. Fee nodded. “Well, of course you’re going to suggest that. Even if it wasn’t, it’s not like you planned to have an Alien ship fall out of the sky and crash land on a city. With survivor’s guilt, it’s perfectly natural to feel responsible, not that you should, of course”

  Fee shivered. “I can’t shake the feeling.”

  “You must learn to accept that certain things are out of your hands. Right now, your soul feels heavy because it is overburdened. The best thing you can do is to visualise unpacking all these suitcases you’ve been hauling around, not at once, but over a period of time, say twice a week.”

  “What if I can’t? What if I doomed them for a reason?”

  Lex puffed on an E-Cigarette.

  "To get me out of the house, my parents volunteered me as a nursing home receptionist. This place was known for being visited by something the night staff called 'Doom Cat'. The cat would lie on the bed of one of the patients, and without fail, they would die the next day. This went on for some time, until people got spooked. They started wondering if this animal was Death itself."

  "Was it?" Fee asked.

  Lex blew out a white stream of vapour.

  "Turns out, when the cat lay on each patient's chest, they ended up with respiratory problems during the night. By the time the staff arrived, the patient was gone, along with the cat, so everyone freaked out. My point is, sometimes a cat is just a cat."

  "I can’t believe I told you my life story.” Fee said. “To be fair, you told me yours, so equivalent exchange as they say.”

  “Ah, but you are a tricky one.”

  “Tricky? How?”

  “You fully expect me to post your confession online, or start a rumour. Throw it back in your face, so you can use humiliation to cleanse the guilt.”

  “Flagellation.” Fee said. “My own little Gethsemane.”

  “I’m not doing that,” Lex said, almost hurt by the suggestion. “I know you think little of me, but I feel we have found common ground.”

  “A bit early in the day, but whatever.”

  Fee stopped at the stairs of the Station and buttoned her coat.

  “That girl you hang around.” She said. “Paula. She seems a good sort. You need more like her. Friends are like a second family, or better than family in some cases.”

  “I have friends in high places,” Lex said.

  “Yeah,” Fee said, mounting the steps. “So did Julius Caesar.”