Moonshine: Underworld

2 - Lights and Moonshine

2-Lights and Moonshine

Kale steps into a payphone, the neon reflecting off the quartz and glass buildings all around him creating a colorful fog on the ground, the feeling of being lost in a kaleidoscope of color and noise. He pushes a few coins in and dials a number.

The phone rings for what seems like forever, the other end finally picks up, a low and intimidating voice answers, "Hello?"

"Kale here..."

"Do you have authorization?"

Kale lets out an annoyed sigh, "This is the authorize-iest fucking authorization I have ever authorized in my whole fucking life."

"State your code."

"Apple-zebra-chocolate-pie..." Kale replies, "If you just told her I was calling then we'd be done with this and she would have picked up the phone and we wouldn't have to play these stupid games..."

"Do you have a message, Kale?"

"No. I just wanted to talk to my friend. Without peeping toms and third-degree assholes."

"Transfering."

"Finally... Jesus," he grumbles.

There's a beep before a voice on the other end answers.

"I told you, if he calls please just let me pick up the phone!" A young voice whines, "Kale! Hi!"

"Eula, what the hell has been happening? The news! They're saying your house was raided–"

"One of, first of all!" she brags, "I have a few others. It's all good! Just some minor inconvenience, no big deal!"

"They found a lot to consider it a 'minor inconvenience,' Eula. And they're not going to wait to start searching through your other houses and try and find you..." Kale warns.

"I know! Don't worry I have all that under control..." she assures, "I was thinking, since the feds are probably looking for me, maybe I'll throw on a fake mustache and hide in the underworld!"

"Eula I know you love to joke around but now is really not a good time."

"I'm not joking, that's the plan!"

"Look, if they find something that can be traced back to me I'm gonna be in some real trouble here! You have to get ahead of them and either destroy or hide everything real well."

"I am hiding it!" she shouts. "Well, some of it..."

"You're going to have to be more specific," he groans, "like right now!"

"They have no clue about my super-secret business and my clientele. It's all going smoothly... mostly..."

"Finding millions worth of suicide drugs isn't things going smoothly."

"How about thisss... You get yourself a gun and head to the Blueport docks, there you'll find a bright warehouse with lots of bad guys with better guns and you shoot all of them, then you find the safe and shoot that, then take the stuff that the bad guys stole and bring it to my hideout. Simple!"

Kale facepalms, leaning against the glass of the booth, which breaks under his weight and he hits the sidewalk.

"Christ! What the hell!?"

"Kale? Kale are you there?" Eula's voice speaks over the phone, "Did they find you? Are you deaaaad?"

Kale quickly stands and brings the phone up, "I'm fine. And that plan is awful– I'm not going to take out armed men like an experienced professional special agent, I'd say like John Wick but I don't think that movie exists in this universe and a shitty fourth wall break won't make this any better."