Tres Vignettes - 3 scenes of Eddie

(The following small scenes take place in May 2013, just prior to Sgt. Mace's undercover investigation of the neighborhood crash house. Elron is Deadline's enforcer, Sal is Deadline's lawyer, and Geddy is Deadline's...toy...)

(The Setting: Denver, CO; Eddie's residential drug lab/HQ)

Elron frowns as he etches out a schedule. One drug runner got pinched, but he didn't say squat, and true to his...unsavory word, Sal got his case dismissed entirely on a technicality. Sal urged Elron not to demote the runner since it'd send the wrong message...getting punished for doing the right thing (shutting the fuck up), but Elron is still pissed the bottom line was affected.

Deadline tromps into the house, grinning like the fiend he is and carrying one of those 'For Sale' books found at every Shoney's, Denny's, and Big Bob's Hamburgers throughout the civilized world. His teeth clench on a lit cigarette. And, he's buzzing on some sort of stim -- probably cocaine. "Elron!!" he calls. "C'mere, my man. Let's talk."

Elron closes his books and gets up. "What's up, boss?"

"This house an' the crash house, they're gettin' crowded," Eddie remarks. "Least in my estimation they are. An' for all the foot traffic we been gettin'...I think we need to own more of the neighborhood. Tell me whatcha think about pickin' up some of these foreclosed shacks. Makin' them look lived-in. Spread out the ops a bit, in case the main house gets raided."

Elron studies the lot of houses and nods. Almost immediately, he goes into business mode. "Can I have a few days for this? I need to check to see how far they are from schools, the number of thefts around the area, and the police presence."

Deadline nods. He knows his usual way of 'flying by the seat of his pants' and just making impulsive decisions has worked for him in the past; however, this new operation is a whole new can of worms, and Elron is teaching him new ways to get things done. "...Well yeah, sure, I guess. I mean, how are those things gonna impact business, do you think?"

Elron doesn't blink, explaining to Deadline evenly "Well, if someone gets pinched in a school zone, punishments can be double, ditto fines." He adds "And populated neighborhoods may lead to more police calls. I'll have to check out the nearby buildings. We usually want blighted areas to conduct these operation. Fewer people - fewer police presence."

This was what Eddie figured was Elron's reasoning, but he just wanted to hear it from Elron himself, just to see if they were on the same page. "Right, an' also the banks wanna be relieved of these foreclosed properties...just goin' to one of these auctions could end up gettin' us a dozen useable properties at a fan-fuckin-tastic price." He crouches on the couch like a vulture, as he's too high to sit like a normal person. "I'm excited about this. I feel like business is good. Sure, we had a setback with the cooker, but Sal took care of that."

Elron nods. He adds "Also, you need to make an executive decision. Sal and I have a disagreement." He leans back, frowning "Sal got Wee Bear off on a technicality. Still, he done fucked up. I don't want him to get his corner back. It's like if your salesman doesn't make numbers for the month, you don't give him a corner office, you demote his ass." He frowns "But...Sal thinks this sends a bad message to everyone. Wee Bear DID keep his mouth shut. And by giving his old corner back, everyone will see that if you do the right thing...shut the fuck up if you get pinched - you won't get penalized." He leans back, waiting for Eddie's feedback.

"Mmkay. Well...lemme talk to him personally, find out what his take on it is, an' go from there," Eddie says, frowning in thought. He ponders something like a permanent reminder to keep Wee Bear's mind on the job and his loyalty to the cartel intact. A little bit of BDSM/forced branding action might be fun, he ponders.

As Eddie and Elron converse, one of the new cooks comes in. Looking every much like a 42-year-old Star Trek worshipping shut-in, Myron carries his lunch pail out of the facility. Elron turns around and nods to Myron and shells out a few hundred - onetwothefourfivesixseveneightnine - ONE..." he does this six more times. Myron gives a toothy smile and pushes up his glasses. "Thank you..." He waves at Eddie, giving a Spock 'live long and prosper' sign. "Off to Denver Comi-Con - see you next week!"

Elron smiles. "Have a good weekend." Myron then leaves. Another Elron plus - hiring desperate, unemployed people with poor people skills, who may be getting long in the teeth for the workforce - but they are as sober as a Santorum rally.

"Yyyyeah, you enjoy that," Eddie says as Myron departs -- and once the door shuts behind him, he finishes, "Fuckface." He rubs his itchy, powdery nose, sniffing in irritation. "I don't love a lot of these people, but I love what they do, that's for damn sure."

Elron shakes his head. "Look, he has 30 grand in student loan debt and he has zero people skills, he isn't going anywhere as long as the paychecks keep coming." He adds "And the strongest thing he does is Diet Mt. Dew." Elron frowns, "I get what Sal says about Wee Bear, but it TOTALLY goes against my business background. If you fuck up, you need to face the consequences!" He frowns "But Sal's experience says keep people loyal, and if you crack down on people doing the right thing, you may start creating some leaks."

"Amazing. How do people live like that, 's beyond me!" Eddie begins pacing around restlessly. "It's a thin line, Elron. A tricky one. You're not wrong, an' Sal's not wrong. Both of you are right. But don't worry, this is gonna get addressed. It won't get swept under the rug!"

Elron nods, then his phone rings. He picks up, and miraculously goes into his caring boyfriend mode. "Heyah honey...actually...it's probably going to be a late night - Ed..we're looking at some revitalization projects, but I'm kind of rusty on zoning law, so I'm trying to piece together the best investment opportunities.  OK...sounds good, well, why don't you invite them over - and I'll just swing by Jimmy Jons. Yes, that's totally cool! OK! I love you...bye."

Elron hands up the receiver. "Sorry...that was unprofessional."

"Not a problem. She's a VIP, far as I'm concerned," Eddie says generously. "...Look, I gotta get outta here a while, gonna get some business props for my chat with Wee. You let me know what properties look like the best bets by like, mid-week, OK?"

Elron nods. "Yes sir..." As he talks, two more cookers come in. One of them is wearing an 'OPTIMUS LIVES!' t-shirt. The other cooker is razzing him. "You idiot! It's obvious, Optimus Prime is obviously dead and the Autobots are too chicken to announce it, knowing the Decepticons would totally own them if they find out their leader is no more!" The other cooker scoffs, "Yeah right!"

Elron clears his throat. "Hyeah! Quiet, I gotta count your earnings - just...can it." Elron goes back to counting. The most humorless drug-dealing right-hand man continues his busy work for Eddie.

(Time: Later in the day. Place: Sal's Office.)

Sal is in his office, his office with the majestic view of... the Safeway across the street. Sal's secretary is at her desk, running some magnets up and down a few broken-out USB ports.

Eddie has speed-walked across the city, to end up in the city center. Still buzzing from all the coke he snorted earlier in the day, he feels like he has enough energy to walk across the planet if he felt like it. But he ends up at Sal's office. "Hey doll, Sal in today?" he greets the secretary. He's all sunburned and sweaty, though he barely notices.

Sal's secretary gives a harried nod. "Yeah..." She buzzes in "Sal! Visiter!" The intercom - straight from the '80s crackles "Off the street or VIP?!" Sal's secretary honks "VIP!" Sal then responds "Send 'em in!" She then points. "You know the way."

Eddie grins, and into Sal's office he arrives, beaming happily. "Hey! Gotta minute, man?? I need some counsel."

Sal grins and gives Eddie a seat. "No prob for my favorite client!" He adds "Oh, real quick, check these out!" He takes out a small deck of business cards, but these are shiny with reflective coating. "I've started to leave these at clubs! People there are attracted to shiny things and shit! Hopefully they'll take the card along with the condoms that are there as well - and if they get in a wreck - BOOM! - Sal's number is right in their pocket!"

Sal claps his hands. "SO! What can I do for yah?!"

"You are a fuckin' marketing *genius*," Eddie remarks, shuffling the cards to give his hands something to do. "Well, I come to ask you about the legalities behind a little idea I floated past my number one today. Our digs are gettin' too tight. We got too much traffic at the house. So what I wanna do is get into a city auction an' pick up about a dozen 'distressed' properties, same neighborhood-ish. Elron's lookin' into it. So then we can expand, get more labs goin' an' so on. My question is, what do I gotta keep in mind if I'm gettin' properties?"

Sal blinks and leans back, putting both of his feet and his well-scuffed loafers on his second-hand desk. "Wow! Well...first off, you gotta choose the right zones! You don't want to be in an area with too many neighborhood watch signs or a school zone." He adds "You have enough money to maybe take on a few properties - say... you hope to revitalize them and turn them into apartments or business lots." He frowns "But, building permits may run you into the tens of thousands of dollars depending on how many units you want to buy."

Sal clears his throat, always afraid of being tapped. "And when you say 'labs' - you mean 'computer labs' like what the Google has, right? 'Cause I can't advise on any ILLEGAL activity" He then gives a wink to Eddie.

"Yyyyeah," Eddie says, looking around with equal nervousness. "The houses would be for like, personal use. I wasn't really plannin' on...fixin' them up for rentals. I just need the space. For all my shit."

At one of the clubs, one person is playing with Sal's card "Dude, if you were to like...slice this space of air with like...a diamond cutter - *looks at the shiney peel-away skin of the card* I bet you that thin slice of reality would look JUST like this!"

Sal wipes his nose. "Well...it's still gonna run you a few dozen grand if..." He raises his brow. "UNLESS..." He thinks and pulls out a few maps of the city, which are stained with coffee and fast-food remnants. He points to a few zones. "You COULD apply for 'temporary' permits... like, they'd be in OUR possession, but only for 'discovery' like - we want to place a 'hold' on these units, but only to research." He grins, proud of himself, "Those are only about a few hundred bucks, and we could re-apply every 90 days. It could buy us nine months, which in drug years, is like 3 years."

Sal's eyes widen. Stupid Sal! "Drug years meaning slang for computer repair business."

"I like the sound of that!" Eddie says, nodding emphatically. "Oh! While I'm here...anything you can tell me about what happened with this guy, here?" He pulls out a picture of Wee Bear from his pocket, a copy of the guy's ID card/driver's license card that he keeps on all his employees.

Sal shrugs, "Yeah! He got pinched for dealing." He adds "BUT - he did the right thing. He didn't say shit, he waited 'til I arrived." He adds "A few weeks later at his hearing, I got his charges dropped because the dumb-fuck cop didn't fill out the arrest form properly." He shrugs "But he remained mum all the time." He winks at Eddie. "Let me guess, Elron wants to demote him."

"Kinda, yeah. I see the logic in both sides of the story. I gotta *address* this with the guy. I can't just let it go, cause it coulda been a bigger fuckup than it was," Eddie says. "But he did the right thing."

Sal sighs. "Look...ELron...he's a gem. You hang onto that guy 'cause he's one in a million." He then gets up and gets some coffee...in his paper cup. "BUT - he's still thinking of that business admin mentality!" He taps his temple. "That 'survival of the fittest - failure is NOT an option mentality!" He shrugs "Which is fine and dandy if you're selling a legal product in the traditional sense, but in YOUR type of business, people will ALWAYS get pinched!" He adds "I've seen it time and time again, a person does the right thing, and STILL gets punished. THEN they get pissed. THEN the do some stupid shit, like bargain with the cops the NEXT time they get picked up."

Sal shrugs. "Look, it's just my experience! Elron is a fucking genius business guy - ex-CON business, guy, but still a business guy, who may have gotten As in college, but 'I' have 20 years of experience talking for me!"

Eddie nods. "You both got great points, an' you both know your shit," he admits. "I'm gonna think on it, then decide from there. I'm just glad that the guy did the right thing, an' shut up until you got him out."

Sal sits down and takes another sip of coffee, "Well, regardless, I know how hard it is for people like ELron to swallow his pride, but trust me on this. Wee Bear is a cocky shit - who can make your life a living HELL. Give him back his corner, don't say shit, and he fucks up again...THEN bring down the law."

Truth be told though, Wee Bear has probably never had the experience of pissing off someone like Eddie before though.

"It's as good as taken care of, trust me. See, I told you I'd get Geds in here, and did he show up? Course he did," Eddie says. "I do what I say I'm gonna do. Welp...thanks for your time, an' your expert opinion, Sal. I gotta get goin'."

Sal nods. He then gives a worried nod. "Uh...sorry...I might have 'scared' Geddy - it just...it didn't see he was that engaged - sorry to hire that actor to impersonate a cop, but he quickly did an about face...I just wish I didn't have to be so rash."

Eddie laughs. "You got through to him, that's more than I could do. I respect the level of dedication you got to this...computer club."

Sal grins. "Heyah! It's what I do!"

Deadline salutes, and heads off to god knows where.

(Time: Many Hours Later. Place: The RV Parked in front of Drug Lab/HQ, Denver)

Many hours later, it's 4:30 am. The trailer is dark and cozy. Geddy feels the familiar presence of Eddie beside him. What probably doesn't feel typical is that he may awaken with the strange sensation that he's being watched...even though the interior of the trailer is wrapped in darkness.

Geddy gets up, observant not to disturb Eddie. It could be the weed, but he has this aching bit of paranoid that he's being watched. He quietly slides out of the bed and creeps around to the first available window of the trailer park, and plants himself to the side of the window and tries to crane his neck out to see outside without stirring the blind.

There's nothing stirring out there, everything seems perfectly motionless outside. There's not even a deer or possum awake at this hour.

Then, Geddy feels it again, only this time, it feels like he's being watched from behind.

GAME: Geddy PASSES a DEXTERITY roll of High difficulty.

Geddy feels the hairs on his neck stand up and he QUICKLY pivots around. The back of his neck quickly perspires.

There's Eddie, right *there*. If he was any closer, he'd be pressed up against him. How he got there without stirring the bed is anyone's guess. "Looking for someone?" he asks simply.

Geddy jumps about a foot. "JESUS!"

Geddy tries to catch his breath as Eddie's right *there*! "Fuckin' A! You saved the shit out of me!"

"How come? Why so paranoid, Geds?" Eddie asks. And this isn't drug-addled Eddie, or drunk Eddie, either. This is the one Geddy rarely gets to see at all -- the sober guy beneath all the chemical dependence. This is the guy hidden by all the bluster, the psychotic episodes, the manic chatter...before he gets up to 'fix' so he doesn't get junk sick. He's fine for the moment, though the longer he stays up without his drugs, the worse off he is. "I've been wondering that, lately. Are you scared of me? Why are you scared, hm?" His hand touches Geddy's chest tenderly. "...Don't you trust me?"

GAME: Geddy FAILS a COURAGE roll of Very High difficulty.

Geddy shakes his head, paranoid, but he quickly recovers. "No! I mean...'Yes!' I trust you - I trust you with my life. It just... stuff is getting so BIG - I swore I heard... someone... like - an agent or a rival gang or SOMEONE."

Geddy laughs nervously. "Look...a few months ago, I was TOTALLY fine dealing enough weed to pay for an apartment - it's just..." He shrugs.

"It's gonna be okay. All the decisions that I make, the people I employ...the bad things I have to do from time to time...I'm doing it to protect *you*," Eddie insists. "But you're worrying me lately. I don't know what to think when I see that fear. I wonder to myself. I say, 'I love this man, I'll do anything for him, but would he do the same? Would he stay true to what we've made together?' Our lives will never be the same as they were before Chicago. But I'm trying to get us to a new normal. A place where we wouldn't want for anything, we can do whatever we please. Doesn't that...make you happy, Geds?"

Geddy gulps. He doesn't like sober Eddie. Sober Eddie is the type of Eddie who emotionlessly decides it's time for people like @failSpike to buy it. He approaches Eddie and rubs his shoulders. "Honey, I'd be happy if you and I were living in a shitty apartment, just so long as we were together!"

Eddie takes a few deep breaths...maybe liking the shoulder massage, or maybe just acting like he does. "So you'd never think to squeal to a cop, or to a fed pig? Because that would mean the end of everything -- though not likely too many problems for you, in the long run. You'd get the VIP treatment for cooperating with law enforcement. And I'd be in prison for the rest of my life. That's why I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes...and wonder. Wonder why you worry. Why on earth would you worry."

Geddy gives a 'What the fuck?! look at Eddie. "Eddie...what the fuck are you talking about?!" He laughs nervously.

GAME: Geddy PASSES a COURAGE roll of High difficulty.

Geddy gulps, perhaps growing a pair of his own. "Look...I'm sorry if I'm not adjusting to the new 'normal' but remember, I was fine just having a few clients and operating out of the 308! I gave up EVERYTHING for you - and I would still do it again!" He begins to sweat again. "Just like...Sal said - if I shut the fuck up - if god forbid I get picked up - he'll take care of everything. It's only when you open your mouth that things turn to trouble!"

Geddy quickly takeoff his t-shirt - perhaps to show Eddie that he's NOT wearing a wire. "Look! I swear - I'm not going to do ANYTHING to jeopardize us!"

"Oh, so it's my fault now, is that what you're saying? It's all fine and good until I opened my mouth? Excuse me for caring. Excuse me for...for...oh, just fuck off, will you?" Eddie's beginning to look nauseous, now. The junk sickness is just too much for him to deal with. Tears stream down his face, and he gives Geddy a hurt look as he stands in the doorway of the bathroom for a moment, his face lit up from the nightlight inside. Then, he goes in to puke and fix, in that order.

Geddy looks on, panicking. He pounds on the bathroom door, "No! No! Jesus! I just...I'm a fucking ENGLISH MAJOR! I'm not used to this yet" He frowns, though he may not know much about a drug ring, he DOES know how to fix up an Eddie in withdrawal. He sighs and goes to the bedroom and loads up a bowl with some opium in it as well. He then goes to the fridge and gets some bottled 'Natural Goodness Green Tea' and goes into the bathroom and sits down next to Eddie. "Shhhh...shhh...here..."

Geddy says lowly "I'm not going to leave you - and I would NEVER harm you. I'd rather die then be without you."

Geddy gets up and runs a washcloth full of cool water. He then rings it out and places it on Eddie's forehead and gently rests his hand on Eddie's shoulder. "Shhhh...shhh..." He then gestures to Eddie. "Smoke this..."

Deadline enjoys getting mothered (for lack of a better term) by Geddy. He gives into it because it makes him feel better, and because he can tell he's still got Geddy right where he wants him in terms of loyaly. As Geddy fixes him back up with a fresh hit, he calms down, then takes a hit off the opium pipe. "Hurt's going away," he breathes in a cottony sigh.

Geddy looks down sadly at the love of his life...wrenching his guts out. But deep, deep back in an ugly recess of his mind, he still can't get the image of the same guy blowing failSpike's mind away, shoving an angry neighbor into a furnace, and sending a dickish, but hardly evil college student to his grave, just for being a douche.

Geddy hugs Eddie from beind and gently rocks him. "Shhhhh...shh....." He then says "I'm sorry I've been such a paranoid dick - it's just... " He laughs and sniffs, a few desperate tears fall from his face. "Remember, a few weeks ago, I'd freak out of the cops pulled me over for a speeding ticket!"

As Geddy's thinking that last thought -- the prepping of Adam's body for disposal on the floor of the house lab -- Eddie smiles goofily, then nuzzles into Geddy much like a friendly cat scenting a familiar person. "I love you, baby. I'm so sorry I ever questioned."

Geddy thinks that's probably not the BEST thing to say to someone who just questioned your loyalty...but maybe that'll pass.

Geddy rests his head on Eddie's shoulder and rubs one of Eddie's abscessed arms with both of his hands. "It's ok-it's ok - it's ok - it's ok - we're together, that's all that matters!"

"It's all that ever did," Eddie says. "Don't ever forget." He smiles sweetly, but inside, he's laughing with pure malevolence. No way would Geddy squeal. He'd make damn sure of that.

Geddy is starting to get worried though. What if some shit were to happen that was totally out of his control? Like his mom getting sick. He'd HAVE to go back home...but would Eddie allow it?!

Geddy continues to hug Eddie, resting his head on Eddie's shoulder, but his face is turned away. He just stares out into space. But hopefully Eddie is too high to notice Ged's anxiety.

Eddie's slipping back into drugland, his sober machinations behind him, for now. "Mmmhh..." He very slowly stands, looking wobbily but a lot less physically ill than before. "Gonna sleep," he says with a smile, and he shuffles to the edge of the bed, then free-falls into it with a flop.

Geddy says, "'k.""

Geddy slowly crawls into bed himself, but doesn't sleep a wink. He almost controls his breathing to make it APPEAR like he's sleeping, but all the while, he stares up at the ceiling, envisioning the different ways Eddie could whack him if he was ever in a sour, questioning mood. So far he can think of three.