Funny story. I got hungry for shepherd's pie while writing this. An episode of Family Guy made it sound pretty good. My local supermarket had them available so I bought one. Long story short, I included shepherd's pie in the chapter. It isn't really important to the plot. Just wanted to mention it. The shepherd's pie was pretty good. Sorry for the delay. I spilled something on my old computer and it pretty much died on me. I had to wait for a new one. On the bright side I managed to get a few chapters done. Anyway, on to the chapter...
# # # #
The police cruiser passed the first couple blocks as it traveled deeper into the city. The night had only started but Thai felt exhausted from her ordeal. She closed her eyes for a few minutes. It wasn't until she couldn't feel the car moving when she opened them again. Greg pulled into a parking space in front of a small diner on the side of one of the side roads near the city's center.. One of the towering arcologies loomed a few blocks down. A hefty Jo's Diner sign illuminated by light bulbs in the style of the old diners of the nineteen-fifties stood on a black pole in front of the building. Thai sat up, surprised.
"What?" she started.
"I'm sure you're pretty hungry," Greg replied. "I thought we'd stop at my favorite place and get you something to eat."
Thai thought for a moment but her stomach started to do the talking for her. She placed a hand against her stomach then looked at the clock on the cruiser's dashboard. The blue digits showed it to be past eight P.M.
"Don't worry. It's a twenty-four hour place."
Without saying a word, Thai took her seatbelt off and opened the passenger door. She and Greg went into the restaurant. Even for eight, the place was pretty busy. Many of the booths and tables were occupied by couples or groups of friends. The game played on an old boxy TV set and a few patrons watched from their seats at the bar. A man stood behind the counter wiping down washed glasses. He was probably in his forties. Above him, among the bottles of wine, whiskey and other alcohol, hung a picture of a couple. The man in the picture looked similar to the man at the bar. The wife lacked any of the enhancements many of the women of today used.
Thai heard about this place from a few articles she had read. It was supposed to be one of those places that recreated the past or preserved the past or something. She wasn't entirely sure. Unlike most of the newer places that replaced their labor with biodroids, they employed real people as wait staff and cooks. The original owners opened the place some time in the nineteen-nineties before Zenith became the huge megalopolis. She remembered in her History of the Restaurant Industry class that the nineties became the decade when fifties diners were popular. As the city grew around the restaurant and expanded into the desert, restaurant supplies became expensive and the owners couldn't afford to use new tech. It turned out to be a successful idea and the place became popular among the nostalgic and hipster crowds.
Greg sat down on one of the stools at the bar. Thai sat next to him. She spaced out examining the food on the laminated menu in front of her. The guy behind the counter placed the glass into its holder and walked up to the APF officer and the bartender with a welcoming grin on his face.
"Well Greg," the man said, "pleasant seeing you here. I'd think you'd be out on patrol with all the happenings going on around the city."
"You got me Joe." Greg replied. He let out a little chuckle. "I guess I should report myself to Central Command for slacking off. I decided to take a bit of a break. Get something to eat."
"Who is this fine young lady? And where have you been hiding her?"
"This is Thai. She's, um, part of a case I'm working on."
Joe's smile deepened. He gave the officer a wink. "Ah, sure she is. Anyway, what'll it be tonight? The usual?"
"Yeah."
"And for the lady?"
"Coffee." Thai said, shaking herself from her daze. "Some of the shepherd's pie I guess."
"Excellent choice," Joe said, taking the menus. "One of our specialties. I'll have that right out for you."
# # # #
Stacy and the newly turned Helen walked down a hallway. Helen's abrasions and bruises around her neck had completely healed. Stacy's wound, however, still needed a little time. The pink, fleshy mass that had grown from the edges around the affected area pulsed and oozed, filling the leftover cavity Greg's X-P pistol explosive made. The blonde placed her hand over her still developing breast. The pink mass throbbed and moved under her fingers.
If I ever find Greg and his little girlfriend I will personally make sure they get fucked in every sense of the word,
she thought.
At that moment Stacy heard the sound of heels clicking on the tile floor up ahead. Her enhanced senses picked up a new scent on the woman. Somewhat familiar but with a few changes. She put her arm out to stop Helen from continuing. The clicking became louder as it came closer. Helen opened a door to the nearby janitorial biodroid closet and they slipped in. As the clicking approached the door, a cell phone buzzed. The clicking stopped and there was a beep.
"I'm pulling out." a male's voice said. Even though the voice was faint, the women in the closet could hear a powerful gruffness to it.. "I think we're going to have to lock down Zenith Memorial permanently. No one from Squad Six has returned."
"I understand Lieutenant," a woman's voice replied. "Leave a small security detail there. Make sure no one enters or leaves. The rest of you, I want to return to base."
"Yes ma'am."
The woman speaking pressed a button and the glow of the phone disappeared. She continued the other way down the hall. As soon as the coast was clear, Helen and Stacy opened the door and continued in the opposite direction. Near the end of the corridor they found an elevator. After pressing the "down" button the doors opened and the two women stepped in. Stacy pushed the button for the lobby floor.
"Do you think that Kira girl alerted anyone of our disappearance yet?" Stacy asked.
