The Scioneer by Peter Bouvier

the back of the building, up to the top
floor where Crystal thumbprinted a Smarte-bell and a heavy security
door clicked open. The air in the corridors of The Swinging
Hammocks was heavy with the smell of sex. Crystal was used to it,
having survived her teenage years in one of the many cells, but to
Lek the rank smell of blood and sweat was almost too much. He
fought back the urge to gag, trying not to think of the thin
Eastern Europan girls laying back, bending over, kneeling down in
the rooms behind the thin plywood doors. He heard a deep groan of
pleasure from one of the customers, but otherwise no other sound.
The corridors were quiet.
    ‘It’s
still early,’ said Crystal, as if reading his mind, ‘This way,’ and
she led Lek back down to the floor below, via the staff staircase
to the thumping bass of the Shangri-La day-club and the tiny office
where a puffy faced man seemed to be peering over a pile of dirty
laundry. In truth, it was Danny Calabas, slumped in his swivel
chair, staring intently into the middle-distance with a lascivious
grin playing on his lips. It took a moment before his glazed
bloodshot eyes registered the presence of other people in his
office.
    ‘Crystal.’ He croaked. ‘How’s the scars baby? Healing
nicely?’ He turned his head slowly, licked the back of his hand,
and tried to focus on Lek’s face through a field of poppies.
‘Gorski. I heard your name on the grapevine today. What a surprise.
So what can I do for you two lovebirds?’
    ‘How much
would it cost to buy one of your girls, Danny?’ Lek began, without
preamble, and he felt Crystal’s eyes turn on him.
    ‘Ha!
Which one you got in mind, doc? Lara? Sirita? Aija? It don’t
matter. They ain’t for sale. None of them.’
    ‘Oh come
on, everything’s for sale, Dan, at the right price.’ Crystal heard
that same cold tone in Lek’s voice again.
    ‘I’ll
drink to that!’ Calabas replied ‘Shit, I want that line on my
headstone!’
    ‘So how
much? For Crystal here?’ Lek asked.
    ‘You two
planning on…. running away?’ said Danny, with a glint in his eye
that suggested he knew more than he was letting on.
    ‘Well,
Crystal could run away any day of the week, but some twisted sense
of loyalty keeps bringing her back to you. Maybe because you told
her that if she didn’t play the game, rather than burn her nipples,
you’d put one of her eyes out next time she stepped out of line.
Isn’t that right Dan?’ Lek paused for effect. He stood up, closed
and locked the office door. ‘Somebody once told me a good deal
is only a good deal
when everybody walks away happy.’ He picked up the telephone from
the desk, and in one fluid movement, wrenched the cable from the
socket. Crystal gasped and even Danny snapped out of his trance.
‘So here’s the deal: I am going to give you this 5,000 cred,’ he
said, pulling one of the bundles from his pocket, and Calabas’
toadish eyes bulged even further out of their sockets. ‘That figure
is non-negotiable, by the way, and in return, you’re going to let
Miss Purcell here walk out of this filthy cess pit you call The
Shangri-La – what a joke that is – and never come back.’
    Calabas gave a
dry nervous laugh. ‘The thing is Gorski, she may be older than the
rest of the girls and sure, she hasn’t got many miles left in
her...’ Lek stole a glance at Crystal, who looked like she might
stab either of the men in the room at any given moment ‘... but
she’s worth at least four times...’
    ‘Oh wait,
Danny,’ said Lek coolly, ‘I haven’t finished yet. Hear me out. So,
C5,000 for Crystal, which you’ll happily accept, because if you
don’t...’ Lek reached into his other pocket and pulled out a
handful of vials and hypos ‘... then I’ll personally mix you some
brand new scions right here and now, and jab them into your
eyeballs.’
    At the
sight of the needles, Danny Calabas recoiled like a vampire from a crucifix. He broke
out in a sweat, which stood out on