Metrophage | Page 9

he said. "I'm not getting anywhere here."
The little man beamed at him. Jonny thought it might be love. "By the
way, have you got a name?" Jonny asked.
"Cyrano. Bender Cyrano, like the guy in the old book, you know? Only
I haven't got the nose." Cyrano laughed at his own joke.
Jonny did not know what the hell Cyrano was talking about, but he
smiled so as not to hurt the little man's feelings. When Cyrano extended
his hand, Jonny shook it.
"Nice to meet you, Cyrano. Let's get out of here," said Jonny. When
they reached the dirty curtain, Jonny turned and took a last look at the
band. They were burning through one of Saint Peter's best tunes,
"Street Prince." The crowd ignored them, utterly.
Random was right, Jonny decided. A bunch of assholes. Outside, the
hot night had cooled somewhat. That usually meant that the street
people would haunt Sunset Boulevard until dawn, but an uneasy silence
had settled upon the street. A scrap of paper, plucked up by the wind,
did a careless pirouette before being carried away. A quiet crowd had
gathered across the street, watching the club. Jonny took a step back.
Cyrano walked on a few steps before he noticed that Jonny was no
longer there.
"What's wrong?" he asked.

Jonny was barely six when the first of the Protein Rebellions took place.
That was when the citizens of Los Angeles, inspired by uprisings in
other cities, rose up and wrecked the Griffith Park Zoo in search of
fresh meat. The riots were finally put down, but not until ten days of
fighting left the city little more than an open wound. The official body
count was something like 10,000 civilian and military dead.
The authorities, however, had not been caught entirely unprepared.
Many in power had seen what was coming. Plans were pushed forward,
timetables scrapped, and those select few, wealthy enough to buy
entrance or powerful enough to demand it, began their silent
pilgrimages deep into the desert, to government-sponsored havens like
New Hope.
The rest of the city remained behind with the rest of the solution. The
rest of the solution, in this case, was a paramilitary organization known,
without apparent irony, as the Committee for Public Health. And
several armed members of that organization were waiting for Jonny
when he left Carnaby's Pit.
Spotlights hit Jonny and Cyrano from across the street.
A adolescent, bullhorned voice called, "Do not move. You are both
under arrest."
Jonny dropped to the ground, pulling his gun. Cyrano awkwardly
wrestled a Mexican Barretta from his belt and got off one shot before a
Futukoro blast ripped into his chest. The little man fell on Jonny,
bleeding everywhere, looking horrified. He clutched at the wound, as if
by holding it closed, he could keep his life from slipping out. Jonny
looked up in time to see the leper in the Spacer uniform peering at him
from around the side of the bar.
Automatic weapons fire bit into the front of the Pit as the Committee
opened up. Shattered glass and concrete showered down on Jonny as he
flattened himself on the ground. From behind, the door of the bar burst
open and a phalanx of the Pit's Meat Boys emerged, armed to the teeth.
Jonny wanted very much to disappear.

Across Sunset, the evening crowds were pinned down in windows and
doorways, watching the fire fight. Occasionally, one or two kids
wearing gang colors would make a break into the open and run across
Sunset, waving and shouting as they reached the other side alive. A
young, fat Gypsy Titan started across behind his faster friend. It looked
as if the fat boy would make it, when a shot spun him around. He tore
at the long scarf knotted about his throat before collapsing between two
parked cars.
Jonny heard orders barked from somewhere in the dark and the sound
of scrambling feet. The Meat Boys were fanning out, covering the
entrance of the Pit. No escape that way. Why the hell were the Meat
Boys fighting the Committee, Jonny wondered. Must think it's some
rogue gang trying to shake them down.
Jonny pressed close to the building for cover. Sounds like thunder,
breaking glass and splintering wood enclosed him. He tried to crawl
behind the Meat Boys, but they were moving all over the street.
At the side of the bar, Jonny saw the leper again, giving him the finger
with one diseased hand. At that instant, Jonny recognized him. Even
with the bandages and the uniform, he knew the leper was Easy Money.
Jonny took a shot at him, but Easy ducked behind the building.
Again, the door to Carnaby's Pit burst open and Smokefinger came
running out. He was screaming what