detective?"
"He has a gift for finding things. Only decent thing he got from his parents. You know the story? Everyone here does. How John's father killed himself by inches after finding out the woman he married
wasn't... entirely human. I feel much the same about my ex-wife. May she rest in peace."
"I'm sorry," said Joanna. "When did she die?"
"She didn't," said Alex. "It's just wishful thinking on my part."
"Can I trust Taylor?" said Joanna forcefully.
"You can trust him to do what he feels is best. Which may or may not be what you want. So watch yourself."
"Razor Eddie said we should go to the Fortress."
Alex winced at the name, but nodded. "Sounds about right."
"What is it? Another bar?"
"Hardly. The Fortress is a heavily fortified refuge for people who've been abducted by aliens. A whole lot of them got together, bought a whole lot of guns, and made it clear to all and sundry that they weren't being taken again without one hell of a fight. There's a television camera in every room, so they can be watched over even while they sleep. Some of them even have explosive devices taped to their bodies, ready to be triggered at a moment's notice. Word is there's enough ammo and bombs in that place to fight a fairly major war."
"Does it work?" said Joanna.
Alex shrugged. "They're not the kind of people you ask personal questions of. They're always on the lookout for Men in Black. Anyway, over the years the Fortress has become something of a haven for
anyone who needs help or protection, or just somewhere safe and secure to crash for a few days. A lot of runaways pass through the Fortress."
"Are they good people?"
"Oh sure. Paranoid, violent and crazy as a cat on crack, but..."
I decided I'd heard enough. I put the phone down and went back to join them. Alex might or might not have known I was listening. It didn't matter. I nodded to Joanna.
"All I can get is the answerphone. We'll have to go round there and ask in person."
"Can't wait," said Joanna. She downed the last of her drink in one. Alex blinked respectfully a few times. Joanna slammed the glass down on the bar. "Put it on Taylor's tab."
"You're learning," said Alex.
I headed for the metal stairs, Joanna at my side. No-one looked around as we passed. Joanna looked at me suddenly.
"John?"
"Yes?"
"Did they really eat their dog?"
Five
The Harrowing
W e left Strangefellows, stepping out into the sullen gloom of the back alley, and the solid steel door shut itself firmly behind us. On the whole, things hadn't gone too badly. Eddie had come up with a solid lead, no-one serious had tried to kill me, and Alex hadn't even mentioned my long-standing bar bill. Presumably because he knew a rich client when he saw one. I'd hate to think he was getting soft. Joanna looked vaguely about her, frowned, and hugged herself tightly, shivering suddenly. Understandable. The alley was freezing cold, with thick whorls of hoarfrost on the walls and cobbled ground. The night had turned distinctly wintry in the short time we'd been
inside. Joanna looked at me accusingly, her breath steaming thickly on the still air.
"All right, what happened to the weather? It was a nice balmy summer night when we went through that door."
"We don't really have weather, as such, in the Nightside," I explained patiently. "Or seasons, either. Here, the night never ends. Think of temperature changes here less as weather, and more as moods. Just the city, expressing itself. If you don't like the current conditions, wait a minute, and something new but equally distressing will come along. Sometimes, I think we get the weather we deserve here. Which is probably why it rains a lot."
I started off down the alley, and Joanna strode along beside me, her heels clacking loudly on the cobbles. She was working her way up to asking me something intrusive. I could tell.
"Eddie said bad people were looking for you," she said finally.
"Don't worry. The Nightside is a big place to get lost in. We'll have
"He has a gift for finding things. Only decent thing he got from his parents. You know the story? Everyone here does. How John's father killed himself by inches after finding out the woman he married
wasn't... entirely human. I feel much the same about my ex-wife. May she rest in peace."
"I'm sorry," said Joanna. "When did she die?"
"She didn't," said Alex. "It's just wishful thinking on my part."
"Can I trust Taylor?" said Joanna forcefully.
"You can trust him to do what he feels is best. Which may or may not be what you want. So watch yourself."
"Razor Eddie said we should go to the Fortress."
Alex winced at the name, but nodded. "Sounds about right."
"What is it? Another bar?"
"Hardly. The Fortress is a heavily fortified refuge for people who've been abducted by aliens. A whole lot of them got together, bought a whole lot of guns, and made it clear to all and sundry that they weren't being taken again without one hell of a fight. There's a television camera in every room, so they can be watched over even while they sleep. Some of them even have explosive devices taped to their bodies, ready to be triggered at a moment's notice. Word is there's enough ammo and bombs in that place to fight a fairly major war."
"Does it work?" said Joanna.
Alex shrugged. "They're not the kind of people you ask personal questions of. They're always on the lookout for Men in Black. Anyway, over the years the Fortress has become something of a haven for
anyone who needs help or protection, or just somewhere safe and secure to crash for a few days. A lot of runaways pass through the Fortress."
"Are they good people?"
"Oh sure. Paranoid, violent and crazy as a cat on crack, but..."
I decided I'd heard enough. I put the phone down and went back to join them. Alex might or might not have known I was listening. It didn't matter. I nodded to Joanna.
"All I can get is the answerphone. We'll have to go round there and ask in person."
"Can't wait," said Joanna. She downed the last of her drink in one. Alex blinked respectfully a few times. Joanna slammed the glass down on the bar. "Put it on Taylor's tab."
"You're learning," said Alex.
I headed for the metal stairs, Joanna at my side. No-one looked around as we passed. Joanna looked at me suddenly.
"John?"
"Yes?"
"Did they really eat their dog?"
Five
The Harrowing
W e left Strangefellows, stepping out into the sullen gloom of the back alley, and the solid steel door shut itself firmly behind us. On the whole, things hadn't gone too badly. Eddie had come up with a solid lead, no-one serious had tried to kill me, and Alex hadn't even mentioned my long-standing bar bill. Presumably because he knew a rich client when he saw one. I'd hate to think he was getting soft. Joanna looked vaguely about her, frowned, and hugged herself tightly, shivering suddenly. Understandable. The alley was freezing cold, with thick whorls of hoarfrost on the walls and cobbled ground. The night had turned distinctly wintry in the short time we'd been
inside. Joanna looked at me accusingly, her breath steaming thickly on the still air.
"All right, what happened to the weather? It was a nice balmy summer night when we went through that door."
"We don't really have weather, as such, in the Nightside," I explained patiently. "Or seasons, either. Here, the night never ends. Think of temperature changes here less as weather, and more as moods. Just the city, expressing itself. If you don't like the current conditions, wait a minute, and something new but equally distressing will come along. Sometimes, I think we get the weather we deserve here. Which is probably why it rains a lot."
I started off down the alley, and Joanna strode along beside me, her heels clacking loudly on the cobbles. She was working her way up to asking me something intrusive. I could tell.
"Eddie said bad people were looking for you," she said finally.
"Don't worry. The Nightside is a big place to get lost in. We'll have
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