As I sucked down the foamy remnants of my Kavalan Soda, I heard a series of thumps on the bars' tinted window. Annoyingly, it startled me, and prevented my drink from satisfying my thirst. Nonetheless, I put my game-face on, and hissed at the proprietor. "Paulie! Go take a look." The old-timer nodded and moved to the door. Meanwhile, I took a brief glance at my entourage, then Chon, and waited to hear who it might be. Paulie had asked their names and whispered them in my direction.
As expected, it was Mikey and Sarah.
Initially resisting their pleas to enter, Paulie asked a few more questions through the holochained gap. However, this only went on until Mikey and Sarah mentioned 'iCredit bribes' and 'Ken Wan' in the same sentence. In a submissive manner, that was all it took for Paulie to let the pair enter, and when they did, neither advanced. They were clearly engaging in some kind of moral standoff.
To be honest, I had no problem with them, especially Mikey. We'd gotten acquainted over recent years, but like everyone else in mainland China, they'd condemned me. As Chon explained it, they'd been around to pick up his emotional pieces after my scandal had shattered him. So, as a means to counteract their negativity, I'd focused Chon's opportunity around his AV-Holo Engineers too, which was planned to soon come to pass... However, until it did, I knew I'd have to suck up whatever they threw at me.
Naturally I looked at Chon who went to move off his seat, and like mùqīn had earlier, I latched onto his arm. "Little brother, are you not even going to finish your drink?-"
But before Chon had a chance to answer, Mikey interjected. "-Chon, can we get out of here? We need to go through Dieng's instructions, don't we?"
Likely torn, Chon's face contorted, and he turned to me. "Xen, we have got things to catch up on, so I'll leave the beer for now and resume things when we touch down in Déguó, okay?"
Disappointed, I buffered my lips. However, I knew I'd taken Chon away from his work and I knew I was hopelessly on the losing side. Nonetheless, I smiled for my audience and pushed my embarrassment deep down. "Okay, sure," I said, as Chon headed out. "And no worries about the drink. Another time, maybe." Once the BTV Trio left, I studied my surroundings. Sadly, I was fully aware I was the only customer in Paulie's Five Star Bar who wasn't laughing or swigging back more beer.
End of Chapter 5
YOU ARE READING
The Solution (2nd Edition)
Science Fiction(COMPLETE) In a dystopian China blighted by climate change, a troubled genius sets out to save mankind and redeem his family's honor, but not if his enemies have anything to do with it... By 2048 climate change is deadly and threatens the existe...
