His left foot has a Timberland brand hiking boot, his right an American jungle style Army boot. His hands have half-gloves with ball-bearings sewed into them. Off of his waist hangs a scabbard that houses a gladius.
On his head is the real show. A battered and much repaired silk top hat (circa 1878) that is covered in political and advertising buttons of all kinds. "I like Ike", "If it ain't Stiff it ain't worth a fuck", "Praise the Lord", "Happy Camper", "Another useful idiot says yes to Socialism," and so on. His panzer commander goggles (circa 1941) rest up here when not in use as do his reading glasses (circa a few weeks ago). Crowning the hat are a collection of wedding cake toppers that all appear to be brand new. Bride/groom, bride/bride, bride/bride/groom/akita, mutant/sentimental woman, High Priest of Ikithilik/virgin sacrifice, amongst others.
As he enters the faint, but not overpowering, scent of garbage enters with him.
Dimitri beams at him. "Hypo!" he cries gladly, "come in!"
"Salve, Dmitri!" The arrival exclaims. "Amice magne, have I some gebbo for you! A veritable plethora of gears, sprockets, blinkers, bingers, and toasties! All fresh out of the steamin' stream." He casts his eyes over the customers and seems to be looking at everything about them. "If you need me to lean while you deal your deals, tis fine, maalesh." At that he produces a small bottle of Dmitri's favorite drink and passes it across the counter.
Woofard's nose pulls his head in the direction of the new comer, his snout nearly bopping Nigel where he's crouched beside the dog. Woofard shakes off the confusion that Hypo's arrival causes, and whispers to Nigel, "Can't talk here, where people can see. Later."
Woofard's nose refuses to let his eyes drift from this Hypo guy for the moment
Hypo stares intently, if only briefly, at the old man and the dog. "Howdy folks. Enjoying your stay?" Hypo reaches into a pouch and pulls out a handful of Virgin brand 'Canine Cheddar Chews', the cheesy treat for your dog. Crouching, he holds them out. "'Ere ya go, poochie-pooch. Have a little snack." As an afterthought he quickly adds, "No charge."
Sam leans over to Nigel and says "Hey prep boy, you got business here or what?"
After the new comer arrives, Sam tries to move towards the back room where Marda was a moment ago. "So little lady, you break anything yet?"
Woofard looks at the guy like he was nuts. He looks closely the proffered "snack" noncommittally. Woofard's brow furrows in a doggy frown. Hesitantly, he unleashes his nose for a quick sniff. His eyebrows raise in mild surprise. Not too shabby. With a guilty schlurpf, Woofard snarfs up the Cheddar Chews.
"Hey, there's a goooooood doggie. Yes he is. A very good doggie." Hypo turns to Nigel and asks, "How long have you had him?" With this, Hypo reaches out slowly to scratch between the dog's ears.
Woofard eyes Hypo very suspiciously, but as the hand starts to scratch him, his tail starts wagging on its own. The big akita's eyes roll to the heaven in embarrassment. Why couldn't it have been Sarah Michelle Gellar?
Without the slightest warning, Nigel suddenly keels over, shuddering and moaning. He barfs up his previous meal as well.
Through force of habit Hypo scans the vomit for anything useful. Stopping himself he calls to Dmitri, "Do you still have that shop-vac you made out of a tricycle and a Tickle Me Elmo doll?" Knowing there is nothing he can do for the old man Hypo stays out of the way. He thinks to himself, "Most people aren't that sensitive to my odor."
Woofard quickly steps out of the line of fire. He looks concernedly at the fallen man, that had so recently saved his life from those damn baboons. He starts barking for help, in case no one noticed the fall, the new stranger forgotten in this moment of trouble.
Nigel lies retching on the floor and all the others can hear is some mumbling about "Sekult.." something or other. After a few more retches, he mumbles something else about "Mescaline..." and is now fully immersed in a glorious bout of the dry heaves...
Sam drops down to one knee trying to keep Nigel (and doing his best to avoid the 'not so' dry parts) from soiling his prepschool uniform and keeping his head up so he doesnt gag himself. "Are you saying the Satanists drugged you with mescaline?"
Looking over his shoulder at Dmitri, Mr. Dart barks: "You got any wet towels to clean him up with? And maybe something for his stomach once this is over?"
"Da, da," replies Dmitri. He turns to Marda, "Would you be so kind as to go into back room and retrieve some towels and a damp washcloth? Bathroom is door on left." He then reaches behind the counter, retrieving a cylindrical plastic container. "Wet one?" he asks, proffering it to Sam.
At being called, Marda turns from staring at Nigel's twitching body. "Sure," she replies, running off. After a few wrong turns, she finds her way to the bathroom and comes back with the requisitioned equipment.
Dmitri reaches down and gently wipes the vomit off Nigel's face with the damp cloth, then wipes his face dry. "Perhaps we should move to more comfortable spot," he comments.
Nigel does his best to regain his lost dignity... "Yes, that would be greatly appreciated. Perhaps there is somewhere I could sit or lie down?"
Hypo reaches into his Swiss Army Pouch, (lower right leg), and starts rooting around in it. The movement of his hand causes a symphony of glass on glass sounds; finally, he pulls out a handful of bottles of the sort that spices are sold in. All have handwritten labels. Most of the bottles are nearly empty but a few are quite full. Hypo looks at the bottles trying to find the right one. "Hmmm, aspirin, lipitor, viagra, morphine, St. John's Warts, ahhhh 'ere it is." He selects a dill weed jar labeled 'mescaline' and holds it up for all to see. " Your friend called for some I believe, only four dollars US per blot. I'd go lower but I'm cuttin' my own throat at that price as it is."
Nigel looks at the mystery man and a slight grin crosses his face. "I'll take all you have, my good man." He digs in his pocket for his wallet...
"Well, sir, it looks like there are six and one half toads in there," Hypo says, shaking the bottle so the pills line up for ease of counting. "By my informal reckoning that would be twenty-six Georgies, say could I interest you in some Viagra?" He holds out a curry powder jar about a quarter full of little blue pills. "The American and British Ministries of Drugs wouldn't let this version be sold in their countries, oh sure it has few more severe side effects but it is a lot more potent. Firmus eximius if you will."
Woofard stares at Nigel for a long moment. He thinks to himself,
A
junkie, a stinkin' junkie. And to think I was worried about this guy.
He rolls his eyes, and then goes and sits with Marda once more.
"My God," cries Dimitri, "Is tenement building! Dozens people!" He immediately turns and runs in the direction of his workshop.
Cheri simply mutters "Oh crap!" and runs for the door.
Hypo shrugs out of his bulkier packs, pulls his goggles down to his eyes, grabs a mini-maglite in his left hand from his bandolier, and heads for the toasting tenement. Given his past experiences he assumes this is no accident until proven otherwise. That is why he is leaving his fighting hand free.
Nigel takes one of the mescaline tabs, turns to the dog: "I don't know why I care why a talking mutt thinks of me, but I'll be damned if I'll be judged by you. I'm still the one who saved you from those baboons while our whammo wielding friend there was ready to let both you and the girl perish." Nigel turned to follow the strangely dressed, drug-toting man outside.
Marda runs to the defense of Woofard. "Hey! Ciine didn't say anything bad to you, Mr. Nigel!" She thinks for a moment and then adds to the Akita, "Or does 'Arf' mean something bad in Doggy?"
Hypo turns to Nigel. "Talking mutt?" Hypo then runs across the street to the flaming flats being sure to look for falling debris. He tries the door.
Sam helps Dmitri gather whatever medical supplies that he has available and join the 'rescue team.' Over his shoulder he shouts: "Marda, we're going to go help some nice people. Why dont you, Teddy, and Woof stay here and work on your Mk 17 until we get back, ok?"
At Sam's suggestion, the little girl nods obediently and says, "OK. But I need to get a lot of stuff first."
Woofard thinks about what Nigel said. The limey has a point. But to be dependant on Mesc? He's seen too many folks like that to feel very comfortable about trusting an addict... But that reaction seemed odd. Mesc is a hallucinogen. He didn't think it was addictive. But considering all the weird shit going on, he probably shouldn't be surprised.
Very quietly, so Dmitri won't hear, Woofard whispers to Marda, "That's ok, cutey. He's right, in his way. I gotta go help them. Could you open the door for me?"
Marda nods enthusiastically, "Sure, Ciine," she whispers back. She sneaks to the door and opens it, so that the dog can shuffle through.
"Thanks, cutey," replies Woofard as he squeezes through the door. "Don't worry, I should be back pretty quick."
He scans the area, looking for wandering monkeys. When the coast is clear, he moves towards the burning building. Rather than plunging into the burning building, the tawny akita walks a circle around the building with his nose to the ground. He sniffs, looking to sort out the scent of a person mixed with gas, from the more obvious tang of smoke in the air.
Hypo flings open the door to the shop. Immediately the roar of the fire can be heard, along with cries of alarm and fear from some of the upper story windows. As he dashes across the street, with Nigel and Cheri right behind him, most of these noises are momentarily drowned out by the never-to-be-forgotten sound of a human being in the process of being burned alive somewhere above. It's the sort of skin crawling scream of hopeless agony that seems to live on forever in your mind, even when the actual sound has ceased (and it's amazing, thinks a small part of Hypo's mind, just how long a human being can live when being consumed in flame). With desperation borne of urgency, the trio grab hold of the doors and tug. The handle of the door turns easily, but the door seems to have been secured from the inside, and doesn't budge so much as a millimeter. As the pair tug frantically they are showered by soot and broken, partially melted glass as windows in the upper stories begin shattering from the heat. Cheri yells over the noise "I'll look for a fire escape!" and dashes off around one side of the building.
Hypo ceases his efforts at the door. He steps back and carefully observes the door and the building's facade and looks for an entry point. Perhaps there is a transom.
A moment later Woofard bounds over and begins sniffing around the doorway. After only a few seconds he starts to growl.
A quick search by Hypo reveals no immediately scalable transoms on the front of the building. Meanwhile Nigel and Woofard, momentarily taken aback by the door's stubborn failure to budge, pause helplessly.
There is a crash from the third floor and a body comes hurtling down from above to hit the pavement with a meaty *SMACK*. It does not take a forensic surgeon to determine that the cause of death for this particular corpse (a pudgy woman in her forties) was neither the fire nor the fall - she has multiple deep stab wounds all over her body.
"Holy shit!" says Woofard under his breath. He looks frantically for even a window they can crash. All of the windows on the first two floors have bars over them, so getting in that way is pretty much impossible without a welding torch, or at least the tools and time to take the bars off the wall.
He sniffs at the door base to see if the reason it won't open is because some one is standing... or laying, in front of the door. The doors should swing out, not in. The door handle works, but the door doesn't budge.
Damndamndamndamn! Woofard really doesn't want to do this. It seems like everyone in this stupid town is getting in on his secret, but here he is, in another emergency situation. He is really getting to hate this part of town. The big akita goes to where that junky guy, Hypo, is milling about, and says in a voice just loud enough to hear at close range. "Hey spud, ya got a pry bar or something in all that junk you're carrying around?"
Hypo, who just recently was telling some friends that he was sure he had seen everything, turns to the akita and says, "I thought I saw you talking to Mr. Vomit back there!" He motions to his bandolier and says, "Sorry, no pry bar, but I do have a glass cutter, though." He takes the cutter to the biggest window he can find and to attack the glass. Unfortunately, the windows on the first two floors have bars on them, so it is not possible to access them easily.
"Nope, no good, pal," replies Woofard, "Neither one of us is gonna squeeze through them bars. How about a slim jim, or something long thin and strong that you can slip between the frame and the door and work a job on whatever is barring the door?"
Hypo takes his gladius and rams it through the crack between the doors. As he works the sword he takes his whistle and starts blowing it as hard as he can.
Woofard looks suddenly panic struck as the whistle sounds. He looks around for some cover. "Hey, knock it off. The police aren't exactly friendly with some of us, and we sure don't need that monkey asshole coming back here. It's just you and me and...", he looks around. "Um, I guess you and me."
Hypo manages to pound the gladius through a crack in the door through main force, and begins working it back and forth, but to no avail. There seems to be something actually barring the door from the inside. Attempts to lever it up or out or sideways all fail - it seems to be actually attached to the door somehow - nailed perhaps?
Cheri comes pelting back around the corner. "The fire escape's jammed!" she yells in the general direction of Hypo. "Come on!"
Just then there is a strange, keening cry from several throats heard above the roar of the fire. It isn't hard to make out, but sends shivers down everyone's spine nonetheless.
"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!"
Another person comes sailing out of a fifth story window (which is a bit strange since the fire hasn't reached the fifth story yet) to land with a meaty *SMACK* in the street. Sharp eyes catch a glimpse of several turbaned figures momentarily framed in the broken window before they disappear back into the shadows of the building.
Hypo who has VERY sharp eyes, tries to can he make out what (if any) faction they are from, but they are unknown to him. But then, new weird factions appear and disappear all the time on this island.
He continues to blow his whistle to wake up the neighborhood. He stops that long enough to tell the assembled: "Look, we need a battering ram or a truck and hook or a bomb or something to get through this door. Go back to Dimi's to see what he's got!"
He then moves to where Cheri is. "Maybe we can budge the fire flight together."
Cheri shakes her head. "We're going to have to give someone a boost - the bottom level is missing."
Hypo isn't surprised - in this neighborhood things like that are frequently scavenged for scrap metal.
"Errrg!" grunts Hypo. "Right then, lets do it!" He starts unclicking and detaching his myriad of packs and then attaches them end to end to form an ungainly rope. As he runs to the fire escape he looks around for something to stand on.
Running around to the side of the building, Hypo can easily note that the second floor landing for the fire escape, along with the ladder usually attached, has been completely removed, along with a portion of the stairway leading up to the second floor landing. The fire escape from the second floor up is intact, but its structural integrity is, well, questionable.
In Hypo's experience the whole damn island is 'questionable' but hey, it's home.
He takes his improvised rope and gets a good swing going, nearly hitting 'Wonder Dog' as he goes tearing the alley. Once Hypo gets some momentum going with the rope he will throw it to catch on the bars of a window rathar than risk pulling the fire escape down on himself and Cheri. If he can get a secure hold he will then 'Batman' up the side of the building to let most of his weight rest on the building.
He hands the whistle to Cheri: "Keep blowing on this! We need to alert the Barrio!"
Cheri dutifully begins blowing the whistle while Hypo hucks his rope.
The first throw falls short, the second manages to pull a small section
of the fire escape off the side of the building (narrowly missing both
Hypo and Cheri in the process), but the third throw actually catches on
a reasonably secure ledge and Hypo starts up the building. He makes
it as far as the window where the second story landing for the fire escape
used to be, but the window is closed and shuttered.
After another moment's rumaging Dmitri yanks out something that looks like a long coil of wires and cables and capacitors - seemingly made out of random electronic bits - a good 36" long. He whirls with a "Eureka!" look on his face, which instantly turns cross when he notes that Sam has made no move to put on the flame-thrower.
"What are you waiting for?" he says testily. "Put on! PUT ON! No time to waste!"
Sam throws on the flamethrower looking device and looks back at Dmitri, waiting for his next idea. "Ready to go old man?" says Tata, buckling the thing down.
By all accounts, it should have been a given that Marda would be too completely occupied by the wonders around her to get bored, but that didn't take certain factors into account. Firstly, too many of the wondrous artifacts were thoughtlessly placed upon shelves well above her reach. No one was around to watch her build great stuff. And everyone was really excited to go across the street.
So it should have come as no surprise that after about thirty seconds, Marda scampered over to the window, looking at the burning building and asked the painfully obvious question: "Why isn't everybody in there getting out?"
Meanwhile, Sam struggles to shrug into the harness of the flamethrower. Closer up it appears to have been - modified - in rather odd ways. There seem to be some sort of weird electronics mounted in and around the fuel tanks. The nozzle has some sort of touchpad on it. Most oddly - its light. There's no liquid sloshing around inside the tanks either. It seems to be empty.
While Sam gets the contraption on, Dmitri is fiddling with the dohicky he pulled out of the closet. It begins emitting a weird humming noise that makes Sam feel a bit lightheaded. As soon as the flamethrower is on, Dmitri flings the agglomeration of cables and wires to Sam.
"Put around waist - like belt!" he says.
Sam tries to make sense of the jumble of the cables and puts them around his body until the whole thing looks like it was supposed to. Mr Dart then looks back at Dmitri and says, "So is this thing some kind of torch or what?"
Dmitri shakes his head. "Is fire extinguisher," he replies. He points quickly at the keypad on the nozzle. "Orange low, red medium, purple high power." He then points at the belt of cables. "Tvist knob... up," he gives two thumbs up, "down" he gives two thumbs down. "Come now! No time!" Sam looks a Dmitri with a suprised look and follows him out of the doorway.
Dmitri hurries back towards the front room, with Sam on his heels. As they dash into the shop they spot Marda peering out the front window.
As the little girl stares out the front window, trying to make some sense of what's going on, Dmitri and Sam come barreling out of the back room. Sam is dressed in a couple of weird contraptions.
As he passes Marda, Tata says, "You gonna be ok here or do you want to go with us? Better lock the door behind us if you are gonna stay. Okay sweetie?"
"NNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!" screams the little ragamuffin. "Teddy and I wanna come with you and see Mr. Nigel and Ciine and everybody!" Maelstrom of fire aside, from the front window, it appeared to be some sort of exciting block party she was being excluded from.
Sam, Marda, and Dmitri all pelt out into the street, Sam noting for the first time that a couple of dead bodies are now lying amid broken glass and portions of window frame. The others are not in sight, though the shrill *TWEET* of a whistle can be heard clearly over the roar of the fire from an alley next to the building.
Closely followed by his diminutive shadow, Sam runs up to the building, being careful not to get hit by falling debris (human or otherwise), looking for ways in. As he does so, he works his way towards the alley where the noise is coming from.
Coming around the corner, Sam and Marda can see Cheri standing under the remains of the building fire escape blowing a whistle loudly. Up by the second floor landing Hypo is hanging by a rope, examining one of the windows.
Sam, unable to think because of the noise, looks over at Cheri and scrunches his face. Then he starts making hand motions asking the question "Are you crazy or what?"
Cheri makes some hand gestures back that vaguely indicate a desire on her part that Sam "do something" though it's hard to tell just what she has in mind, if anything. She continues to blow the whistle.
Hypo meanwhile breaks one of the upper story windows and climbs inside.
Sam looks around for any doors with windows or any windows at all on ground level. He finds numerous windows at ground level, though there are no doors in the alley. All windows in the alley on the ground floor are barred.
Sam sees Hypo climb through the window then notices the makeshift rope. He then walks up to Dmitri and shouts in his ear, "Do you have something to get through those bars on the door or window? I'll try to climb up the rope and join Hypo, OK?"
Cheri continues to blow on the whistle, but waves a hand in apparent agreement. Sam goes up the rope without incident and moments later finds himself in a decrepit flophouse room (the sort of place that he used to live in back in the States). The front door is open, and smoke is wafting in from the hallway. Through it, Sam can make out Hypo who seems to be examining a body lying in the hall. Apparently hearing him come in, he looks up in Sam's direction.
To Be Continued...