Incarna

5 - Episode 2 Midnight Lady

Day 2: Sydney Australia - Early Evening

Up on the wall behind the counter of The Bar and Grill, a wide screen TV announced a breaking news story. Tony Hockey looked up from his lemon, lime and bitters and wondered what part of the world going to shit was going to be presented as important this time. The woman next to him on his right turned and called to her friends that this was what she was telling them about. The bloke on his left shook his head, waved at the screen, picked up his middy of old and walked off to a quiet corner of the pub away from all the stupidity of life.

Tone, as he liked to be called looked up at the screen just as the announcer started describing the scene of another orange clad westerner about to be publicly executed by terrorists. How many was this now? He’d lost count and interest. He’d watched the first couple to see what actual beheading was like, now he was over it and so should the media; given that their attention span was shorter than his.

A woman came up and stood at the counter on his left, as the moment drew near for the beheading. He looked briefly at her and felt himself catch his breath and he closed his eyes to savour the moment. It was the black singer who had just come off the Grill’s stage for a break. She was stunning, and knew it, and was proud of it. He felt himself to starting to swell at the thought of her. Later, he smiled to himself, that would the perfect end to what had been quite a good day, given how the market had crashed when word had got out about this Incarna mob.

She was licking her lips as the poor bastard was shoved to the ground and the black clad bastard began to berate the camera in some sort of british accent. She leant forward and her long jet black braids cascaded across the bar top as her black leather skin suit drew even tighter over luscious curves. It made him quiver with excitement. What a display she was putting on for him. Well, surely, yeah it had to be for him, she couldn’t be interested in this shit!

“Look there he is!” came a voice behind and other people began to crowd around him. The woman sat down on the stool on his near left, then turned to him, “can you believe that he survived!” then turned back to the screen. Oh he survived did he, poor bastard fancy surviving after all that excitement and fame and have to come back to whatever shitty little life he’d had before, Tone shook his head and reveled in the fragrance of her breath on his face. I’ll have more of that please, and he closed his eyes again.

The woman to his right screamed and Tone looked up just in time to see the knife stop in front of the blokes neck and then blood splattered across the camera. More blood and the ripped open body of the british bloke fell over the now blood soaked captive and they both toppled into the sand. There is a flash and two bodies topple just into the edge of the cameras field of view.

The crowd in The Grill cheered as the Orange Man struggled and tried to move the rent carcass laying on top of him. Then the sandstorm hit and the camera fell over and the image went black. The Grill went silent as the events filtered again through peoples minds. The chatter started up and he looked at Midnight Owl the singer, still staring at the blank screen as the news casters voice described again the miraculous rescue of the Orange Man. The screen came to life with stock images of Australian Special Forces troops walking along a hill trail then of a C130 landing in a wall of dust. The voice over finished describing the rescue of the Orange Man and his airlift out by RAAF Hercules.

There were tears on Owls face and he grabbed his silk handkerchief from his top pocket and handed it to her. That was it’s purpose and he always carried one for just this moment. Owl smiled and took it, “thanks Tone,” and handed it back to him after kissing one corner and leaving lipstick lips there as her autograph.

“Ah, I’m at, a disadvantage then…” he said as he kissed the lipstick lips. “We all you know you here. It’s your bank across the road which pays all our wages!” Tone laughed softly at her jibe, but it was the truth. The Grill was his investment houses watering hole and the Grill had expanded to cater for all their tastes, as the patronage had grown. 

“Sit with me for awhile?” he asked straight up. Owl turned and tilted her head to the left a little as if gauging him. She smiled softly and sat back down on the stool and turned to him resting her left arm on the bar top.

“I don’t drink alcohol. I eat a Paleo diet. I go to the gym straight after here, then I sleep till dawn and then go to Taiji in the Park. That’s it, everyday for me!” Owl watched him, every twitch of his expression, as if reading his every thought. “Can you compete with that?” she asked when he didn’t say anything.

He smiled his, soft and understanding smile! He resisted the overwhelming urge to look at his watch. “I could learn to!” Owl laughed at him and leaned in close and whispered in his left ear. “You might, learn; but you cant afford me!” and she sat back watching him closely.

“How much,” he blurted out without thinking. Bugger she’s trapped me there! Midnight Owl smiled softly and leaned across again and kissed him softly on the lips, “your soul!” she whispered, playing her breath across his mouth and nose.