WEBVTT - Chapter Thirteen 0:00:02.240 --> 0:00:07.280 Chapter thirteen, Manny Manny woke up feeling like his mouth 0:00:07.360 --> 0:00:10.039 was filled with cotton and his head was filled with spiders. 0:00:10.560 --> 0:00:13.000 It took him a few long seconds to remember where 0:00:13.039 --> 0:00:15.120 he was and what had happened to bring him here. 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:18.119 He activated his deck and was shocked to see that 0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:20.599 more than a day had passed since he dropped into bed. 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:23.520 His first guess was that he was suffering some side 0:00:23.520 --> 0:00:26.560 effect from Skullfucker Mike's blood. He couldn't think of any 0:00:26.560 --> 0:00:29.200 other times he'd slept that long, although he also couldn't 0:00:29.240 --> 0:00:31.480 think of any other times he'd survived a drone attack 0:00:31.560 --> 0:00:35.160 and an intentional car crash in the same minute. Meret. 0:00:35.360 --> 0:00:38.920 He cursed and then called out Reggie. He looked over 0:00:38.960 --> 0:00:41.280 to the cot the journalist had been sleeping on. It 0:00:41.400 --> 0:00:43.840 was dark in the little room Nana Yazi had provided. 0:00:44.120 --> 0:00:46.440 He could see the outline of Reggie's empty cot and 0:00:46.520 --> 0:00:49.279 not much else. The room was just one tin by 0:00:49.320 --> 0:00:52.280 tin section of an old shipping crate. Manny knew the 0:00:52.320 --> 0:00:54.800 only things in the room besides their cots were a 0:00:54.840 --> 0:00:56.960 table with a built in coffee maker and a pair 0:00:57.040 --> 0:01:01.120 of folding chairs. Manny sat up owned as every palpable 0:01:01.160 --> 0:01:03.680 thing in his body popped and then rose to his feet. 0:01:04.200 --> 0:01:06.360 As he stumbled to the door, his deck started to 0:01:06.400 --> 0:01:09.399 populate with messages from friends and family back in Austin. 0:01:09.800 --> 0:01:11.760 By the time his hand touched the knob, there were 0:01:11.760 --> 0:01:14.640 more than fifty translucent messages hovering at the edges of 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:18.280 his field of vision. He blink selected a mass response template, 0:01:18.560 --> 0:01:20.320 filled it with the names of everyone who had sent 0:01:20.400 --> 0:01:24.720 him something, and typed out an update not dead details later. 0:01:25.720 --> 0:01:27.840 He almost sent it, but then he noticed one of 0:01:27.840 --> 0:01:32.320 the names, Ayisha Martinez, Oscar's wife. He could only see 0:01:32.319 --> 0:01:34.679 the first few lines of the message without opening it, 0:01:34.959 --> 0:01:37.360 but what he saw made it clear she was terrified 0:01:37.400 --> 0:01:40.560 for her husband. Manny De selected her from the list 0:01:40.680 --> 0:01:43.039 and sent the mass message off to everyone else, and 0:01:43.080 --> 0:01:46.360 then scrolled through his messages until he found Oscar's message stack. 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:49.760 The other fixer still hadn't said anything, not since the 0:01:49.760 --> 0:01:53.760 assault had begun. Many opened up Aisha's message. He tried 0:01:53.800 --> 0:01:56.200 to read it, he really did, but his brain wouldn't 0:01:56.280 --> 0:01:59.120 let his eyes focus on the words. His heart started 0:01:59.160 --> 0:02:02.560 to pound, his gut curdled, and instead of reading it, 0:02:02.720 --> 0:02:06.720 he typed her a quick response, I'm alive. I'm so sorry, 0:02:06.760 --> 0:02:08.639 but I don't know where Oscar is or if he's 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:10.920 made it out, And then he typed a sentence he 0:02:10.960 --> 0:02:14.880 knew instantly he'd regret. I will do everything I can 0:02:15.000 --> 0:02:18.800 to find your husband. Then he sent the message and 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:20.920 stepped out of the room into the dying light of 0:02:20.960 --> 0:02:25.680 the late North Texas afternoon. Rolling fuck unspooled around him. 0:02:25.720 --> 0:02:28.080 It was crowded, or at least more crowded than it 0:02:28.120 --> 0:02:31.520 had been yesterday. Dozens of people and non human people 0:02:31.560 --> 0:02:33.960 were packed onto the gantry ways and into the sundry 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:36.600 buildings added around the rollers and up on the spires. 0:02:37.200 --> 0:02:39.440 One building that jutted off the rear roller looked like 0:02:39.480 --> 0:02:42.320 a carousel ride, with little rocket ships instead of horses. 0:02:42.520 --> 0:02:45.480 It appeared to function as a spinning bar. Drunk people 0:02:45.600 --> 0:02:48.079 rode little ships while bartenders in the middle kept them 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:51.680 liquored up. Someone shoved by him, a heavily chromed person 0:02:51.760 --> 0:02:54.720 with three tails, each topped by the fully articulated and 0:02:54.760 --> 0:02:57.519 seemingly sentient head of a cat. One of the cat 0:02:57.600 --> 0:02:59.880 heads belched a small puff of fire at manny As 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:03.040 where we passed. He shook his head and squeezed his 0:03:03.080 --> 0:03:05.240 way over to the main roller. It helped little to 0:03:05.280 --> 0:03:08.120 pretend he was just pushing his way onto the Austin Metro. 0:03:08.639 --> 0:03:11.120 While he walked, he noticed a message from Reggie. He 0:03:11.160 --> 0:03:13.480 blink clicked it open and heard Reggie's voice in his 0:03:13.560 --> 0:03:16.880 ear at the rooftop bar, drinking my way through some research. 0:03:17.040 --> 0:03:20.320 Fund me when you wake up, I'm onto something. Of course, 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:22.799 Manny had already been on his way there before he'd 0:03:22.800 --> 0:03:26.639 seen Reggie's message. That was the simple reality of British journalists. 0:03:26.720 --> 0:03:29.000 If it was possible for one to be drinking, that's 0:03:29.040 --> 0:03:32.359 what they'd be doing. The walk took about ten minutes. 0:03:32.600 --> 0:03:35.720 He crossed a combination of gantry ways, staircases, and even 0:03:35.760 --> 0:03:38.760 one webbed net. The bar was packed when he arrived, 0:03:38.760 --> 0:03:41.240 but it was easy enough to pick out Reggie. Both 0:03:41.280 --> 0:03:43.800 his holographic screens were up and active on the bar 0:03:43.880 --> 0:03:46.160 top in front of them. He was seated next to 0:03:46.200 --> 0:03:49.240 Skullfucker Mike, and they were deep in conversation when Manny 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:52.600 walked up. Hey, brother, Reggie said, you've been out for 0:03:52.640 --> 0:03:56.280 a long time. Yeah, Manny said, nothing like that's ever 0:03:56.400 --> 0:03:59.000 happened to me before. How long were you out? The 0:03:59.080 --> 0:04:02.120 journalist thought for moment and then answered, odd. Guess like 0:04:02.200 --> 0:04:05.600 a day he said, Mike told me that's not weird. Yeah, 0:04:05.680 --> 0:04:08.560 the chrome man chuckled. All medicines got side effects, My 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:11.200 weird ass blood is no different. Y'all. Cute little humans 0:04:11.200 --> 0:04:14.600 ain't made for it. Schoolfucker. Mike and Reggie were both 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:17.120 clearly drunk, and just as clearly not as drunk as 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:18.839 they planned to be by the end of the night. 0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:21.560 Mike flashed a grin at Manny and offered a hug 0:04:21.600 --> 0:04:24.960 that the fixer accepted awkwardly. Guy, it's good to see you, 0:04:25.040 --> 0:04:27.360 Mike said, I gotta tell you, I'm kind of jealous 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:29.600 of your nap. I miss sleep like that with all 0:04:29.640 --> 0:04:32.039 this chrome in me. He waved a hand vaguely over 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:35.120 his head. I can't get exhausted like that anymore. You 0:04:35.160 --> 0:04:37.640 miss it when it's gone. I gotta drink like thirty 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:40.520 of these fucking things. Mike gestured to the half full 0:04:40.560 --> 0:04:43.000 drink in front of him. It looked like a pina colada, 0:04:43.200 --> 0:04:45.840 a strange incense. The odor wafted it up from it 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:49.359 just to pass out like a normal person. Reggie was 0:04:49.400 --> 0:04:52.040 drinking the same thing. He offered his half full glass 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:55.120 to Manny, these things are the best man vodka and 0:04:55.160 --> 0:04:58.680 opium colattas. They got a little bit of th HC 0:04:58.839 --> 0:05:01.200 in them too. Mike at it in a high sing 0:05:01.200 --> 0:05:05.440 song voice. Manny waved them off. I'm good, thanks, I 0:05:05.520 --> 0:05:08.640 just woke up a minute ago. I probably shouldn't immediately 0:05:08.680 --> 0:05:12.600 take three different drugs. Reggie and Skullfucker Mike both looked 0:05:12.600 --> 0:05:15.719 at him like he was an alien. Weird, they said 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:18.840 at the exact same time. Mike laughed and Reggie looked 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:21.280 back at his screen as a push notification popped up 0:05:21.279 --> 0:05:26.000 with a cheery shitting tits. He cursed Manny and skullfucker 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:29.080 Mike leaned into the screen. The notification was a newswire 0:05:29.160 --> 0:05:31.200 update with a journalist who must have been embedded with 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:34.440 either the SDF or Austin's forces. The title said, at 0:05:34.480 --> 0:05:38.680 all as the Heavenly Kingdom prepares for another assault, SDF 0:05:38.680 --> 0:05:42.480 and Austin abandoned WACO. I'm not surprised they're pulling out, 0:05:42.640 --> 0:05:45.120 Mike said. Your people are good enough fighters on a 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:47.520 normal day, but the SDF s built to dominate a 0:05:47.520 --> 0:05:49.920 bunch of squabbling militias. They were never going to hold 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:52.960 off a sustained assault from a real army. The sleep 0:05:53.040 --> 0:05:55.960 was fully banished. Now Manny was awake, and the gravity 0:05:55.960 --> 0:05:57.919 of what had happened over the last few days sank 0:05:57.920 --> 0:06:00.919 in again. Amid and de Shaun, We're probably dead, so 0:06:01.120 --> 0:06:04.600 was Mr Perrone an Oscar. Holy shit, Holy shit? What 0:06:04.720 --> 0:06:07.200 am I going to tell Ayesha? And then the darker, 0:06:07.320 --> 0:06:09.720 more selfish thoughts. Am I going to have time to 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:13.039 fly out of Austin? How the hell did the martyrs 0:06:13.080 --> 0:06:16.280 turn into a real fucking army overnight? He asked, with 0:06:16.360 --> 0:06:19.599 more fear in his voice than he meant to display. Well, 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:22.600 Reggie said as he gestured to a series of curated 0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:25.640 social media posts from people in and around Siadad de Muerta. 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:29.200 Best as we can figure, they sort of stole most 0:06:29.200 --> 0:06:32.040 of the Republic's army. There are reports of entire units 0:06:32.040 --> 0:06:34.920 of Republic soldiers, thousands of fight us turning at once. 0:06:35.760 --> 0:06:38.680 He gestured to a live, updating political map of Texas. 0:06:39.080 --> 0:06:42.320 It was a map Manny consulted regularly. The Heavenly Kingdom's 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:45.000 territory was outlined and read. There was a lot more 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:49.600 read on the map today. It seemed impossible that Sancharados, 0:06:49.920 --> 0:06:54.640 Manny breathed, Galveston. Yeah, Reggie gave a grim nod. Fell 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:57.600 about ten hours ago. Heavenly kingdoms pushing into the Lake 0:06:57.680 --> 0:07:00.880 Houston suburbs right now the holding position Nan Dallas, though 0:07:01.040 --> 0:07:04.360 digesting the gains, still ain't gonna be long before they 0:07:04.440 --> 0:07:08.640 hit Austin. Mike said, maybe a week, maybe two. Many 0:07:08.680 --> 0:07:10.920 stood there for a moment. He thought about his father, 0:07:11.240 --> 0:07:13.680 his friends. He thought about the house where he'd grown up. 0:07:13.680 --> 0:07:16.440 In the view of Austin Sprawl from his roof, He 0:07:16.480 --> 0:07:19.679 imagined golden cross banners flapping in the breeze above burnt 0:07:19.680 --> 0:07:22.960 out buildings. He pictured gallows filled with people strung out 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:26.040 along Sixth Street. A knot of nausea started to build 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:29.800 in his belly. What will you do, Emmanuel? He heard 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:33.280 mister Perrone's voice echo in his conscience. Many shook the 0:07:33.320 --> 0:07:36.480 dead man's words away. I need to get back home, 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:38.400 he insisted. Is there some way you can get me 0:07:38.440 --> 0:07:41.880 a ride? Schofucker. Mike took a long pull from his drink. 0:07:42.160 --> 0:07:44.960 He squinted it, Manny, and the chrombed man's eyes focused. 0:07:45.280 --> 0:07:47.880 One iris looked a lot larger than the others. Mike 0:07:47.920 --> 0:07:50.840 swayed a bit in his seat, but he seemed lucid mostly. 0:07:51.760 --> 0:07:54.200 And what are you gonna do in Austin, he said, 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:57.040 pick up a gun and die fighting, unless you're hiding 0:07:57.160 --> 0:07:59.600 some serious mods under that skin. I don't think your 0:07:59.640 --> 0:08:03.040 help make a rat ship worth a difference. I know 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:05.320 I'm not going there to fight. I need to what 0:08:05.680 --> 0:08:09.200 fly away, Go to fucking California. Try your luck in Europe. 0:08:09.560 --> 0:08:12.400 Mike shook his head. You've got a chance to actually 0:08:12.480 --> 0:08:15.320 do something. Help us get our people out of Dallas, 0:08:15.400 --> 0:08:18.320 and we can fuck the Kingdom's advance, maybe even throw 0:08:18.400 --> 0:08:22.520 him back. Many thought about it, sighed, and said, I 0:08:22.560 --> 0:08:25.880 think I do need a drink, skullfucker. Mike nodded. He 0:08:25.960 --> 0:08:28.160 pointed over to a table lined with a dozen different 0:08:28.160 --> 0:08:31.640 beer taps. The normal stuff, self service. I recommend the 0:08:31.640 --> 0:08:34.520 Wheat Hayes. Pretty mild, but it's good for stock humans 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:37.959 like yourself. Many got up, grabbed a glass from a 0:08:38.040 --> 0:08:39.920 dispenser at the edge of the bar, and walked over 0:08:39.960 --> 0:08:42.439 to the beer table. Each keg had a thick strip 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:45.400 of white tape across the front. The only details given 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:49.319 about each beer were vague, almost allegibly scrawled names. Many 0:08:49.400 --> 0:08:52.120 found two labels that both looked like they might say, 0:08:52.240 --> 0:08:55.240 wheat Hayes. He picked one at random, then headed back 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:58.080 to the bar and sat next to Reggie. Mike looked 0:08:58.080 --> 0:09:01.600 impressed for some reason. Good choice, he said with a nod. 0:09:02.080 --> 0:09:04.679 Manny took a sip. It was really good, a mild 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:07.400 pale ale with just a hint of sour. He leaned 0:09:07.400 --> 0:09:09.560 in and looked at the maps and scrolling updates on 0:09:09.600 --> 0:09:12.760 reggie screen. The journalist finished writing down a couple of 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:16.160 notes and shook his head. I'm really sorry, man, truly, 0:09:16.400 --> 0:09:19.560 he gestured towards the live map. This is so fucked. 0:09:20.160 --> 0:09:22.760 You're gonna stay here to cover the fall, Mike asked. 0:09:22.880 --> 0:09:26.199 Reggie shook his head. He looked frustrated. Got a message 0:09:26.200 --> 0:09:27.960 from my editor a bit ago, and they're trying to 0:09:28.000 --> 0:09:30.080 work out an extract for me. Gonna send a team 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:32.600 at here to drive me west to El Paso. I 0:09:32.600 --> 0:09:34.800 guess it's not safe to fly out of Austin right now, 0:09:34.840 --> 0:09:37.680 so he trailed off. The three of them drank in 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:40.680 silence for a minute. Schoolfucker might gulp down the last 0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:43.120 of his glass and ordered another, along with three shots 0:09:43.120 --> 0:09:46.080 of bourbon. Manny started to turn down the shot, but 0:09:46.120 --> 0:09:48.320 it was soon apparent that Mike wanted all three shots 0:09:48.320 --> 0:09:50.640 for himself. He downed them all in the space of 0:09:50.640 --> 0:09:53.640 around a second, belched loudly, and then returned to staring 0:09:53.640 --> 0:09:57.360 at Reggie screen. Fuck, he sighed out again. Fuck it 0:09:57.480 --> 0:10:07.720 he fuck fuck. Manny was halfway through his beer when 0:10:07.720 --> 0:10:11.520 Donald Ferris approached. The old documentarian wore a burgundy velvet 0:10:11.520 --> 0:10:14.959 waistcoat underneath a slightly battered but well tailored tweed jacket. 0:10:15.280 --> 0:10:17.400 He had a glass of probable whiskey at his hand 0:10:17.480 --> 0:10:20.840 and the soberst eyes Manny had seen that day. Hello, 0:10:20.880 --> 0:10:23.640 the gentleman school funcker, Mike, getting caught up on the 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:27.560 latest catastrophes. All way yep, said Mike, how you been. 0:10:28.200 --> 0:10:30.320 The older man shrugged and took his seat at the table. 0:10:30.440 --> 0:10:32.800 He gulped his whiskey and looked down the table at Manny. 0:10:33.160 --> 0:10:35.520 It was strange to see an actual old person this 0:10:35.640 --> 0:10:38.360 close up. The creases on his forehead and around his 0:10:38.440 --> 0:10:40.320 lips were so deep they could have been carved with 0:10:40.360 --> 0:10:43.040 a knife. There were spots on him, a clear sign 0:10:43.080 --> 0:10:46.040 he'd taken no juven treatments at all. His face had 0:10:46.040 --> 0:10:48.600 a deep, craggy richness that lent every word, he said, 0:10:48.640 --> 0:10:52.520 a certain vague majesty. Donald Ferris spoke, and Manny felt 0:10:52.559 --> 0:10:55.560 compelled to listen. You can hope this. You know who 0:10:55.640 --> 0:10:58.080 was stuck negotiating with the kingdom now, and they are 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:02.360 most recalcitrant. But the fucky quite a second, Reggie interrupted, 0:11:02.600 --> 0:11:07.000 fuckyans really. Donald and Mike exchanged a look, then a laugh. 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:12.000 Donald replied, the city's not exactly famed for consistency. Almost 0:11:12.040 --> 0:11:14.600 any collective now and you can think of would be appropriate. 0:11:15.440 --> 0:11:17.280 He took another sip from his glass and set it 0:11:17.320 --> 0:11:19.880 down on the bar top with a clack. Donald Ferris 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:22.200 leaned in at that and eyed the glasses. He rotated 0:11:22.200 --> 0:11:24.960 it around on the table. He tapped it again, smiled, 0:11:25.000 --> 0:11:27.520 and looked back up to the group. Now, young man, 0:11:27.640 --> 0:11:29.800 let me explain why you should go risk your life 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:33.440 on a daring and dangerous rescue mission. Manny grunted and 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:36.920 shook his head reflexively defensive. I'd rather not talk about 0:11:36.920 --> 0:11:39.480 it right now, if that's cool, he said. I just 0:11:39.520 --> 0:11:41.880 woke up. This place is ridiculous, and I'm not going 0:11:41.920 --> 0:11:44.280 to decide to go into terrible danger because some old 0:11:44.280 --> 0:11:48.199 man gilt trips me at a bar. Suit yourself. Donald smiled, 0:11:48.400 --> 0:11:51.000 I can't imagine how stressful this is all bidden for you. 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:53.679 I'm a little surprised you'd choose to trip balls at 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:56.760 a time like this. What do you mean, Manny asked, 0:11:56.840 --> 0:12:01.120 with growing anxiety. That's a white haze, right, I think 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:03.200 Mike said it was a wheat haze, but I couldn't 0:12:03.200 --> 0:12:06.960 really read the labels. Shit, Mike cursed, while Donald Ferris 0:12:07.000 --> 0:12:10.959 fought back a laugh. What, Manny asked, Mike should have 0:12:11.040 --> 0:12:14.240 warned you. The wheat haze is normal alcohol. The white 0:12:14.280 --> 0:12:17.280 haze packs about two hits of the surgic diethyl acid. 0:12:17.280 --> 0:12:20.360 Put pint be anxious, not in. Manny's gut began to 0:12:20.400 --> 0:12:23.560 pound in pulse. He looked to skullfucker Mike, furious. What 0:12:23.679 --> 0:12:28.760 the funk man? Mike winced, he looked genuinely rueful. I'm 0:12:28.880 --> 0:12:31.480 really sorry, he said. I'm not used to it making 0:12:31.520 --> 0:12:33.680 a difference. Most people here take two or three hits 0:12:33.720 --> 0:12:37.720 acid with their breakfast cigarettes. Oh shit. Manny slumped forward 0:12:37.720 --> 0:12:40.480 and put his head in his hands. He started to hyperventilate. 0:12:40.640 --> 0:12:42.920 The edges of his vision blurred, and Manny couldn't tell 0:12:42.920 --> 0:12:44.680 if that was from the drugs. Kicking in or just 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:47.760 a consequence of his own panic. He could feel Oscar's 0:12:47.800 --> 0:12:50.000 face hanging out just at the back of his mind, 0:12:50.120 --> 0:12:52.520 afloat on a river of guilt. He didn't want to 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:54.960 know what a headful of acid would do with those feelings. 0:12:55.520 --> 0:12:57.560 I gotta get back to the room, he said, I 0:12:57.600 --> 0:13:00.640 can't handle that. Donald put a hand on his shoulder. 0:13:00.920 --> 0:13:03.640 He was stronger than Manny would have guessed. You've got 0:13:03.679 --> 0:13:06.280 a headful of surprise, I said, boy, the last thing 0:13:06.360 --> 0:13:08.280 you need is to sit in a dock room and 0:13:08.360 --> 0:13:12.160 stew with your demons. He exchanged another look with skullfucker 0:13:12.160 --> 0:13:15.000 Mike and said, brain breakers ought to be kicking off 0:13:15.120 --> 0:13:17.680 right now. That's the place for a man in your condition. 0:13:18.400 --> 0:13:22.880 But started Manny, what the hell is that? Reggie asked, Wait, 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:26.760 Manny continued. Donald ignored him and replied to Reggie, it's 0:13:26.800 --> 0:13:29.120 the best damn party on the continent, or at least 0:13:29.240 --> 0:13:32.680 the best one humans can attend and survive. I don't 0:13:32.679 --> 0:13:35.920 really want to, Manny started. Scoffucker Mike added his hand 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:39.360 to Manny's shoulder. You really do trust us on this. 0:13:41.200 --> 0:13:44.040 In the end, scofucker Mike and Donald convinced him to go. 0:13:44.480 --> 0:13:47.640 Reggie surprisingly opted to stay at the bar and continue 0:13:47.679 --> 0:13:51.160 his work. He said he was close to something. Manny 0:13:51.240 --> 0:13:53.560 really wished he chosen to come along. He didn't know 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:56.479 the journalist well, but Mike and Donald were complete strangers. 0:13:56.800 --> 0:13:59.160 Manny was not looking forward to the drugs kicking in. 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:01.520 He also was sure a giant rave room was the 0:14:01.520 --> 0:14:04.200 best place for him to be when they did. As 0:14:04.200 --> 0:14:06.840 they approached it, many realized he'd seen the structure when 0:14:06.880 --> 0:14:10.040 they first arrived at the City of Wheels. Brain Breakers 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:12.360 was a three story cube at the top of Rolling 0:14:12.360 --> 0:14:15.480 Fox highest gantry. The cube appeared to have been knitted 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:18.760 together from long strands of black metal. Multi colored light 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:21.040 pulsed inside it and bled out through the gaps and 0:14:21.080 --> 0:14:24.400 the knitted metal of the sides. Schoolfucker Mike led them 0:14:24.400 --> 0:14:27.280 down the gantry towards the cube. There didn't appear to 0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:29.680 be any kind of entrance. The wall on this side 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:32.240 was the same knitted steel as every other side, but 0:14:32.320 --> 0:14:34.920 once they reached it, Mike simply stepped into the wall. 0:14:35.280 --> 0:14:38.520 The woven metal writhed like something alive and curled back 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:41.640 to admit the big post human. The metal tendrils caressed 0:14:41.640 --> 0:14:44.960 Mike's body. As he walked through, Manny flashed a questioning 0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:50.400 look at Donald. De it feels nice, he explained Manny side, 0:14:50.520 --> 0:14:53.920 exasperated and furious. Is this whole damned city built around 0:14:53.960 --> 0:14:58.600 drugs and fondling? Yes? Donald grinned, a spidery old man grinned. 0:14:58.880 --> 0:15:02.440 Now inside with you, many sides swallowed and walked up 0:15:02.480 --> 0:15:05.520 to the wall. The metal, which felt surprisingly soft and warm, 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:08.520 slithered around him, and mother of god, it felt good. 0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:10.640 That might have had something to do with the acid 0:15:10.720 --> 0:15:13.400 percolating in the back of his brain. The sensation was 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:17.080 a cross between being tickled and being caressed. He was reminded, 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:19.960 uncomfortably of his mother's stroking his forehead when he had 0:15:20.000 --> 0:15:22.600 a fever as a child. And then he was through. 0:15:23.040 --> 0:15:25.040 It took him a moment to realize he was breathing 0:15:25.040 --> 0:15:27.960 heavily and covered in cold sweat. It was then that 0:15:28.040 --> 0:15:30.920 Manny got his first view of the interior of Brain Breakers. 0:15:31.360 --> 0:15:33.760 It looked a little like a space station designed by 0:15:33.880 --> 0:15:37.120 m c esher with a drunken hr Geiger as the contractor. 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:40.480 There were a half dozen different stages protruding at various 0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:43.800 levels from the walls. Three of the stages were currently occupied. 0:15:44.080 --> 0:15:47.720 One performer was an enormous, seemingly sentient xylophone that pranced 0:15:47.720 --> 0:15:51.160 about on stage, playing itself with eight knob and arms. 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:55.360 Another stage held four human looking individuals. They were all naked, 0:15:55.520 --> 0:15:58.760 and they were all fighting. Many watched and slack jawed 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:01.400 awe as they punched in and kicked and choked each other. 0:16:01.720 --> 0:16:04.640 Every impact sent a chorus of warbling sounds pouring out 0:16:04.680 --> 0:16:07.360 from speakers at the base of the stage. The longer 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:11.480 he listened, the more hypnotic the music seemed. The third 0:16:11.520 --> 0:16:13.800 inhabited stage held what looked like a normal d J 0:16:13.960 --> 0:16:17.280 booth with a presumptive person behind it. Manny guessed that 0:16:17.360 --> 0:16:19.600 was the source of the bass, heavy rhythmic pounding that 0:16:19.640 --> 0:16:22.880 filled the square. The remaining stages were empty for now, 0:16:23.160 --> 0:16:25.240 but the place was so full of sound that Manny 0:16:25.240 --> 0:16:28.560 couldn't imagine two more acts making things any louder. It 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:32.040 was chaotic and confusing and a little uncomfortable, but after 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:34.360 a few seconds, Manny started to pick up on an 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:38.160 overarching rhythm. All three acts were making very different music 0:16:38.200 --> 0:16:41.320 at very different paces, but somehow it all tied together. 0:16:42.120 --> 0:16:44.720 The inner walls of the place were covered in projection art. 0:16:44.920 --> 0:16:48.360 Giant human sized silhouettes stalked the walls, floor, and roof. 0:16:48.640 --> 0:16:51.040 At times, they moved so fast they looked almost like 0:16:51.080 --> 0:16:53.720 wisps of smoke. But here and there one would stop 0:16:53.760 --> 0:16:55.920 long enough for Manny to get a solid look. He 0:16:55.960 --> 0:16:59.680 saw several different figures. A tall, muscular but androgynous person, 0:16:59.840 --> 0:17:02.880 a small, lithe young woman, a broad squat man with 0:17:02.920 --> 0:17:06.000 a bald head. They danced around each other, flittering up 0:17:06.040 --> 0:17:08.119 and down the walls. Their pace in the nature of 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:10.440 their motions varied depending on the tempo and pitch of 0:17:10.480 --> 0:17:14.359 the music nearest to them. It was mesmerizing. Manny stared 0:17:14.400 --> 0:17:17.040 for what felt like minutes. The sensation of his body 0:17:17.080 --> 0:17:19.080 faded away from him, and his vision tunneled in on 0:17:19.119 --> 0:17:22.280 the dancing figures. Their dance had looked joyous and sensual 0:17:22.320 --> 0:17:24.760 at first, but the longer he watched, the more frenetic 0:17:24.800 --> 0:17:27.719 it seemed. The more danger he spotted in their jerking limbs, 0:17:27.760 --> 0:17:30.040 the arc of their necks, the uncontrolled way they spun 0:17:30.160 --> 0:17:33.080 round and into one another. Anxiety started to build in 0:17:33.119 --> 0:17:35.159 the pit of his stomach. And then there was a 0:17:35.200 --> 0:17:40.000 person beside him, Mike, Hey, Buddy. He grinned. The other 0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:42.720 man's pupils were the size of dinner plates. He clenched 0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:45.760 and ground his teeth back and forth. It o'kaiefa, put 0:17:45.760 --> 0:17:50.160 a hand on your shoulder. Uh sure, Manny said, surprising himself. 0:17:50.560 --> 0:17:55.040 Cool Mike smiled and did so. His hand felt supportive, comforting. 0:17:55.520 --> 0:17:59.040 How you liken the party? Manny really wasn't sure it 0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:01.800 was beautiful here. Now that skullfucker Mike had pulled his 0:18:01.840 --> 0:18:04.600 attention from the dancing silhouettes, he'd started to focus more 0:18:04.600 --> 0:18:07.359 in the crowds of people dancing and drinking and fucking 0:18:07.400 --> 0:18:10.359 across the assorted dance floors, cuttle spaces and bar tops 0:18:10.400 --> 0:18:13.920 of brain breakers. Most of the celebrants were visibly chromed. 0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:16.119 He saw a woman with six arms, a couple of 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:18.880 things he could only describe as dick centaurs, a man 0:18:19.000 --> 0:18:21.080 with the head of a dolphin, and countless people in 0:18:21.119 --> 0:18:23.960 bizarre costumes built of light and fur and liquid metal. 0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:26.320 It was hard to tell how much of this was 0:18:26.400 --> 0:18:28.639 real and how much of it was the drugs. The 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:32.080 acid was hitting his head pretty damn hard. Skullfucker Mike 0:18:32.119 --> 0:18:35.280 squeezed his shoulders and brought Manny back again. The fixer 0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:41.919 blinked and then finally responded, it's a good, good, fucking great. 0:18:42.000 --> 0:18:43.600 Let's get you some whippets and head over to the 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:47.679 fireworks table. They're about to open it up fireworks inside. 0:18:47.960 --> 0:18:51.320 Mike laughed. It's hardly a party without explosives, brother, Just 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:54.040 go with it in so many did. He and Mike 0:18:54.119 --> 0:18:57.080 did some whippets, which meshed gloriously with the acid. Then 0:18:57.119 --> 0:18:59.320 they stood up on stumbling feet and headed over to 0:18:59.359 --> 0:19:02.320 the fireworks table. Things seemed to be just getting started 0:19:02.320 --> 0:19:06.000 over there. Manny inspected a few different brightly colored explosive 0:19:06.000 --> 0:19:08.359 toys before something burst next to his ear, and he 0:19:08.400 --> 0:19:11.560 looked up to see skullfucker Mike firing a massive Roman 0:19:11.600 --> 0:19:14.919 candle towards the musical, punching people on the stage. The 0:19:15.040 --> 0:19:17.600 sound of it, Holly hell, the sound it might have 0:19:17.640 --> 0:19:19.720 been the most compelling thing his ears had ever heard. 0:19:20.480 --> 0:19:23.720 The acid is definitely hitting hard now, Manny thought, Holy funk, 0:19:23.720 --> 0:19:26.400 Holy funk, what is this? The rest of his night 0:19:26.480 --> 0:19:29.040 faded into a blur of lights and music and strange, 0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:33.719 indefinable sense memories. It was disorienting and exhilarating an equal measure. 0:19:34.320 --> 0:19:38.280 Hours went by the acid faded, and eventually Manny found 0:19:38.359 --> 0:19:40.840 himself on a bunch of cushions, sitting around a table 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:44.200 with Skullfucker Mike and other Fuccians. He couldn't remember any 0:19:44.200 --> 0:19:47.160 of their names, but after a few minutes of relative lucidity, 0:19:47.280 --> 0:19:49.280 Manny was able to piece together that they were all 0:19:49.320 --> 0:19:51.840 friends of the people who had been captured. One of 0:19:51.840 --> 0:19:54.359 the men, a bearded guy with multi jointed fingers the 0:19:54.440 --> 0:19:56.960 length and with the rulers, reached over Manny to grab 0:19:57.000 --> 0:19:59.240 a beer. He pulled it back, took a sip, and 0:19:59.280 --> 0:20:03.120 settled into his seat. My favorite memory of Marigold, he said, 0:20:03.200 --> 0:20:05.200 it's from back when we were still building this city, 0:20:05.400 --> 0:20:07.560 right after we stole the bagger. She got a hair 0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:09.240 up her ass that there ought to be a big 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:11.920 purple clubhouse at the top for folks to do cocaine 0:20:11.960 --> 0:20:15.160 in and watch sunsets. I remember she strapped an armed 0:20:15.160 --> 0:20:17.440 little wood to her back, grabbed a can of spray paint, 0:20:17.480 --> 0:20:19.719 took a big rail of meth, and just started climbing 0:20:19.760 --> 0:20:21.439 up the center spindle like she was gonna do the 0:20:21.440 --> 0:20:24.200 whole damn job herself. She got fucking stuck two thirds 0:20:24.200 --> 0:20:26.080