SNOWSHINE
Chapter 16
Meanwhile, down in the basement of Liberty Diner, things were on a state of high alert. Everyone had stopped their regular tasks, shredders were on and at the ready, and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"Justin! He's cracking! We've got to get out of here! We've got to evacuate!" Blake said frantically.
"Not yet! Wait for my order!" said Justin.
"But Justin..."
"Not yet!"
"But he's torturing them! He's going to tell!"
"He will not tell. He's thinking of something. Wait for it."
"How can you be so sure!?"
"Because he loves me. He loves us. He will not tell. Wait for it!"
"But Justin..."
Snowshine stood there like a statue, poised in readiness. His heart was racing a mile a minute. His eyes were as hard and shone like blue steel. His mouth was a thin, hard line.
"Wait for it..." said Snowshine.
BJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJ
"...Babylon....He's in the basement of Babylon!" Brian said dejectedly
"What are you talking about!? I closed that hotbed of perversion weeks ago!"
"Uhhhh....Well, that's what made it the perfect hideout!"Brian invented wildly. "He knew you'd never check a place you'd already cleaned out! Now you know! Let Guido go! For that matter just let him go! He knows nothing about any of this!"
"Too bad! For him!" Stockwell snarled as he threw Guido back into the cell into Brian's waiting arms, throwing them both off balance to give Stockwell enough time to slam the cell door shut again.
"In two hours it'll be 7 PM. Enough time for me to get there and check it out and round them up! However...if you're lying, I'll be back in time to shove you into the crematorium live on his damned webcast! Now won't that be a show!" And laughing evilly, Stockwell slammed his way out of the cellblock.
BJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJB
"Tell me you got all that," said Brian into his ear.
"We got it! Every sweet, sweet word since you turned on your mike when he arrived on the scene," said Blake in his ear.
You see, when Brian had shook his head and "cleaned out his ear" he was really turning on his tiny ear mike. And everything that Stockwell had said, had confessed, was now new material for snowshine.org!
As tense as it had been under the Diner, that's how relieved and joyful it was now! The shredders were all turned off. Everybody was cheering and hugging and laughing and weeping for joy. But Justin was just slumped wearily in a chair a relieved smile stretching his face.
"However," Came Brian's voice, "You heard him. I've only bought you some time. I'd rather not be here at 7 when he gets back and throws me in the oven. How ‘bout a rescue here, before Guido and I end up as a Hansel and Gretel?"
"Not to worry, my love," returned Justin's sweet voice that was music to his ears, "A detail is on its way and you shall be out of there by 6."
He switched off and told Blake curtly, "Make it happen."
Blake knew that tone. He picked up his phone, punched in the right numbers and made it happen.
BJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJB
6:00 PM Basement holding cell jailhouse...
The basement jail was a fairly casual affair. A door from the street opened into an outer office that housed a couple of desks, office equipment and two cops, one fat and one lean. There was an inner door that led to the holding cells that was always locked.
The two partners worked a lot together but they disagreed on what to eat a lot. Therefore they ordered pizza a lot including tonight. They ordered an extra large with 3 types of meat on one half for the fat cop. The lean cop couldn't stand the thought of all that fat so his side was vegetarian and between the both of them they had managed to clean out the box. Neither of them thought to offer the prisoners anything.
On the stroke of 6 a tall, lithe woman with long, blond hair entered the jailhouse from the street. She was dressed in a slinky, black, leather catsuit, complete with leather boots and a whip.
The straight cops were reduced to gibbering mush in seconds. Vixen sighed as she listened to the same old come-ons and Batman/Catwoman jokes before she finally bothered to speak.
"I'm here to visit Brian Kinney, who is in one of your cells in the back," she said.
"Who? What are you talking about?" said the lean cop in what seemed like genuine confusion.
However, Vixen was no fool. She narrowed her eyes and watched them closely. The fat cop's eyes flickered toward the lean ones in a flash but Vixen caught it. Ah ha! They were lying!
"You know what I'm talking about. The man you have unlawfully locked up in a cell back there. I've come to visit him. Well, no, now, I'm not really telling the truth now. I've come to break him out. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Which do you prefer?"
Both cops thought she was hilarious. They guffawed loudly and boorishly just as she had known they would.
"Let's do it the hard way," said the fat cop.
"Yeah. God knows I've been hard ever since you walked into this place," sneered the lean cop.
"Oh my! Such big strong men! I'm so glad! I was so hoping you'd say that! I much prefer the hard way! But I'm sorry. I'm afraid you boys are barking up the wrong tree as far as I'm concerned."
She put two fingers into her mouth and gave a long, loud, piercing whistle.
The outer door opened and a leather man dressed in full leather, a tall, thin man with sandy hair and a charming gap in his front teeth, a man with dark, wavy hair and green eyes in a black suit and tight black leather gloves, and a tall bodybuilder type entered the jail and stood behind Vixen in a V formation.
"The hard way?" asked the leather man.
"Yup," confirmed Vixen.
"Oh, goody, goody goo!!" enthused the tall gap-toothed man. He was also dressed in a tight fitting black ninja suit, although on him it was a LOT less flattering. "I absolutely adore the hard way!" He clapped his hands like a little kid.
Vixen smiled over at him in fraternal affection. "You know, Swishy!? That's just what I said!"
"Hey! What's going on here! You all can't be in here at the same time!" yelled the lean cop but he couldn't banish the fear that invaded his voice.
"This is the hard way," answered Vixen.
"Bu...bu....but...but...." said the fat cop.
"I'm not really a butt man," said leather man, "But now you are giving me all sorts of delicious ideas!"
"But...but...but...but...." gibbered the fat cop, backing away.
"Butt..butt...butt....I see what you mean, Accountant! Such interesting ideas!" said Swishy.
"Hon...I'm a little nervous," said the bodybuilder. He wore tight black jeans and a black t- shirt that molded to his pecs, biceps, and stomach like a second skin. He wore tight, black, leather gloves.
"What's the matter, Zen?" asked the man in the black suit.
"This is my first time. I don't know a lot of fancy fighting like you guys do. What if I screw it up?"
"You know how to use your fists, don't you? Don't worry, you'll do fine, Zen. Just hang back, watch us, and when the time is right help us hold them down. OK Zen?"
Zen smiled. "OK. Thanks Winner. I love you."
Michael smiled and smashed his lips to the strongman in a quick, hard kiss. "I love you too!"
The cops looked on in disbelief. What was going on here?
They both reached for their guns. "Reach for the sky!" they yelled.
"Ah, ah, ah! Let's take those out of the equation, shall we?" said Vixen. She snapped her whip faster than thought and in two CRACK! CRACK!'s, the two cops were easily disarmed.
Ululating wilding, Vixen flipped forward.
The four men emitted their own unique battle cries and jumped and flipped and rushed forward as well.
BJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJ
6:05 PM
Brian listened behind locked doors to faint battle cries and whoops and smashing and crashing and cries of pain and wished with all his might that he were a part of it. But steel bars are what they are and so he just listened in agony and waited there in tense readiness.
In another minute, he heard a terse request: "Keys!" and then a rattle and a jingling and the door to the cellblock opened.
"Brian!" called Vixen, "Brian! Where are you!?"
"Here! Down here!" Brian yelled, rattling his bars to indicate how far down the hall he was.
Vixen was there in two shakes and in another two minutes after trying several keys, finally found the correct one and unlocked the cell. They rushed out and helped Guido who was the worst off. Down the hall. Out the door to the outer office where an astounding sight met Brian's eyes.
The entire outer office was a shambles. The phones were ripped out of the wall. One desk was smashed into toothpicks. The other desk and chairs were overturned. Office equipment, the computers, pens, papers all the way down to paperclips were strewn everywhere.
In the middle of it all, the fat cop was lying on his stomach, his arms and legs tied together behind him in a tight hog-tie. However, the boys were enjoying their work as they were just finishing tying the lean cop in such a way that his legs went through the middle of the fat cop's legs and his body went through the middle of the fat cop's arms. He lay over the fat cop's back in doggie style and the fat cop's hands were touching the lean cop's ass. They were trussed together that way and the lean cop's arms were tied in front of him and affixed over the fat cop's mouth in a permanent glove over mouth gag. The lean cop was gagged with a hankie and some duct tape.
"There! That ought to satisfy a couple of butt men like you!" Winner ground out in vicious heterophobic hate.
And with that, they all quit the building and ran with all their might for the Fag Wag which was idling around the corner in the alley with a now familiar red head waiting behind the wheel.
BJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJB
6:15 PM
"For the last time, this place does NOT have a basement...secret or otherwise!" said Grimhook.
Grimhook wasn't his real name of course. It was the handle of the owner, general caretaker and head bouncer of Babylon. Well, he had been that is. Since the asshole across from him had shut down his club ‘on moral grounds', Meathook had taken him in but despite his burly physique and take no shit attitude, Grimhook missed Babylon and its rather tamer crowd terribly. Heavy S/M and leather was not his scene. But a job was a job.
"I know there is!" ground out Stockwell, "I have it from a very reliable source that a wanted criminal, this Snowshine, has infiltrated your club and is using the basement through a secret door! Show us where it is...or you can join him in the slammer and I swear, I'll tie you up in there with so much red tape you won't get out for at least a year!"
"You can't do that!" yelled Grimhook.
"Watch me!" sneered Stockwell malevolently.
Seething with rage, Grimhook unlocked the door and ushered the two cops inside. It was weird, the second cop was young and determined but there was also a strange apologetic look on his face.
"I really don't know what you're talking about. If there was a secret door, I would have found it years ago. Unless...of course...there's a chance there could be something in the back end," said Grimhook, determined to have his revenge.
"Where!!?" screamed Stockwell.
"Over there," Grimhook pointed, "Through that door over there. There's a kind of room...in the back. It's dark a lot, so it'd be a perfect spot for a secret door."
Stockwell and his crony hustled back through the door into the back room and in the mean time, Grimhook made a trip to collect something from his office. When he got back, he stood in the doorway of the back room leaning against the side with his burly arms crossed. He watched with amusement as the two officers were studiously feeling over every inch on the stone walls looking for hollow spaces and cracks that would reveal a hidden door.
"Why are there extra smooth spaces on the wall?" asked the young cop.
"And why is the floor slippery in places?" asked Stockwell.
Grimhook smiled vindictively. "You closed us down so fast we never got a chance to clean up properly. Those are cum stains."
"Cum stains!!!?" they screamed in horror.
"What did you expect to find in the back room of Babylon!?" cried Grimhook in a loud voice with deep, resounding peals of laughter. The noise reverberated into the back room as a kind of echo chamber and disoriented the cops even further. They slipped and fell and smashed against the cummy walls more than once before they were able to finally flee the chamber as if they had just found out they were in a room infected with leprosy. Grimhook's laughter followed them every step of the way.
"Now! If you're finally finished acting like a couple of fools, look at this!" Grimhook boomed. He went over to the bar and unrolled the blueprints he has gotten from his office. "These are the plans for Babylon! You see! No windows. Concrete walls all around. A solid foundation! No basement! Not even a parking garage! People who come here, park on the street! That`s why we built up and not down!" he roared, working himself into a real state. "Now! If there's nothing else...get the HELL out of my club!" Grimhook roared and expanded and flexed every muscle in his upper body. It made him seem to grow twice as big as he was and he knew it. It was his most intimidating pose and made him look like a huge giant of old.
The two cops fairly ran for their lives.
"Kinney! Of course!" Stockwell railed, when they were safe in their car, "I should have known he would have never willingly given us the right location! When I get back to the station, he's dead! And I swear, Snowshine will suffer a political death and if I have my way a real one too! Even if it takes the rest of my life, Snowshine will DIIIIIEEEEE!!!!!!!!!"
BJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJ
20 minutes later....
"NO! NO! NO! They can't have escaped! They can't be gone! NOOO!!!!"
It was 6:35 PM. They had turned on every siren, ran every light and leaned on the gas the whole way to get here this quick. And what had they come back to?
A ruined office. An empty jail. And two cops bound and gagged in a disgusting position that had Snowshine and his degenerate friends' fingerprints all over it.
Stockwell stood there seething with rage and...something else his young cohort could not put his finger on as the young cop untied his fellow officers. (Oh, this is ridiculous, we simply cannot continue to call this fellow, young cop any longer, his name was Officer Hunter.)
As he untied them, Officer Hunter watched his boss (Master, was more like it) with hating, wary eyes. He did not enjoy his conscripted servitude but he remembered as Stockwell had nearly choked the life out of him and his threats besides and so he did not dare to disobey. He knew Stockwell was on the edge, if not over the edge of sanity and would not hesitate on carrying out his threats. But still he watched...and waited for a time when he could turn on his Master and gain his freedom.
When they were finally free, Stockwell demanded to know what had happened.
The two cops embarked on their wild tale of a beautiful and deadly Catwoman who came in declaring that she was here to free Kinney and then did so with an army of bizarre fags at her disposal, who had overwhelmed them with martial arts. The whole thing had taken a matter of minutes and the result was that in spite of being destined for doom at 7, they had saved and snatched Kinney and the Italian boy away an hour earlier at 6 PM.
The cops quaked and stammered and interrupted each other a great deal, and so, the tale that was completely true and rather short took twice as long then it should have to tell and sounded completely ridiculous. And all of a sudden it was 6:50 PM and too late to do anything even if he had wanted.
"SSSIIIIIIIIILLEEEENNNCCE!!!!!!" Stockwell screamed finally.
The other officers were properly shocked into silence.
"Did you geniuses glean anything!? A name? Where they were going? Anything!?" screamed Stockwell.
"Sorry Chief! They used weird code names and there was a leatherman but otherwise they were all dressed in black outfits and moved like ninjas. They didn't say where they were going."
Stockwell was apoplectic with rage. He screamed animalistically to the sky. The vein in his temple throbbed. He picked an overturned computer and kicked its screen in to smithereens. But also, deep within him, he felt the stab of icy fear. He had no leverage. He had no idea where to find Snowshine. They had stolen his treasures. And his webcast was now in...five minutes.
The three other cops quailed and cowered before the Chief's insanity and wrath. Finally, he was spent and just stood there heaving wildly in what he hoped he could pass off as rage.
His doom had come upon him.
BJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJ
Meanwhile, underneath the Liberty Diner, the mood was quite different. Everyone was safe and warm and secure in the underground lair, which, thanks to Brian, still remained a fantastic secret.
When they first got into the Diner, they were happy to just take a breather and sit in booths and stools while Red pulled the shades. They had only been sitting there for a few minutes when a patron came up to them offering his help, as he was a doctor. In fact, Brian recognized him as the doctor who had discovered the lump in his testicle when he went to the baths. God that seemed an age ago!
How's everything going, Brian?" he asked as he looked Guido over.
"Oh you know me. Apple a day. Otherwise...sometimes you feel like a nut," Brian quipped in his dry way as he had when he first found out he'd need a plastic replacement ball.
"The doctor laughed and then was sober. "All right, Guido. You might want to brace yourself...because this is really going to hurt."
There was a loud CRUNCH!!...as the doctor re-broke his nose and set it into the right position. Guido cried out softly and squeezed Lindsay's hand very hard but otherwise was very brave. And then it was over and done. "Gratzi!" said Guido.
"He should still go to the hospital. Have it checked out and taped up. But this should make their job a lot easier."
"We'll be able to go a little after 7. But we're still wanted men. The police did this to him to get to Snowshine and us," said Brian.
"What!? That's monstrous!" said the doctor.
"Not to mention what he did to me," Brian showed him the goose egg on the base of his skull.
The doctor looked him over, tested the tenderness, and made disapproving clucking noises. "Hmmmm....hard to tell, hard to tell! Any blurred...double vision?"
"No."
Dizziness? Vertigo? Tinnitus? Light sensitivity?"
"No."
"Has he shown any signs of confusion? Seizures?" the doctor asked them. The answer was no.
"Well, I don't think you're in danger of concussion but you should get checked out again in 24 and then 48 hours. And I should check your pupils."
"Is there any way, YOU could be our doctor in all this and do any taping and whatnot?" asked Brian. "I can pay you of course. The thing is we'll have to swear you to secrecy. Join us. Join the Stop Prop 14 movement and be our doctor."
"What an extraordinary idea! I'd planned to vote Snowshine anyway but yes! Yes, I'd love to join you and be all hands on! Just let me get my doctor's bag from the car!"
"Vixen, run on ahead and tell the Exterminator we need him," said Red.
As Linds ran to the kitchen and the doctor ran out the door to get his bag, Red continued, "OK, I think the coast is clear. You guys follow her and I'll stay here with Brian and Guido to make sure the Doc comes back alone and get checked for bugs. Brian, you'll have to be checked as you were in enemy territory and unconscious to boot. You too Guido."
"Oh that's right!" Brian became a little more tight lipped and he warned Guido to be quiet as well. Winner, Zen, and Swish Stick went downstairs.
In no time, the doctor came back in. He checked Brian's pupils and was glad to find they were the same size. Blake came up and they were all swept for bugs. The doctor was clean but Brian and Guido were peppered with pin bugs. However, they were all found at last and were introduced to Red's good friend, the meat tenderizer.
And then, finally, it was down the stairs, through the wardrobe and into the underground lair and they were safe. Again, Brian and Justin snapped together as if they were magnets and after a mind melting kiss that lasted many minutes, they still did not let go. Everyone who had a loved one snapped together as well and even a few singles made eye contact and came together for a quick celebratory kiss.
"Brian! I'mmm-mmmmmm-so glad you're-mmmmmm-back! I was so worried!" said Snowshine between kisses.
"Worried I was going to spill the beans!?" growled out Brian in mock hurt.
"It was a pretty tense moment for everyone else. But I never doubted you. Not for one moment, my love!" They kissed. "Oh Brian! My beautiful, faithful, loyal lover! More and more you are becoming my Prince!"
"Becoming!? Surely with this demonstration, you should know that I am!" said Brian.
"Not quite yet. Nearly. But not quite yet."
"Well, here's another gift that will hopefully tip the scales in my favor," said Brian, "I got us a doctor!" He explained and then introduced the doctor (Doctor Gilles, but within a few minutes at his insistence everyone began calling him Dr. Joe.) to Snowshine.
"Oh Brian, how clever of you! Dr. Joe, welcome! And thank you so much for finding what you did all that time ago! You may have saved Brian's life!" Snowshine shook him warmly by the hand and kissed his cheek. You will stay and be our doctor and advisor, won't you?"
"I will indeed. I - I was going to vote for you anyway...Thank you, Mr. Snowshine!" Dr. Joe said awkwardly as one does when one meets a celebrity.
"Just...Snowshine...please. And hopefully soon you will not need to call me that much longer." Snowshine drifted away and Dr. Joe got busy taping Guido's nose in place.
Suddenly there was a big white ball of a man barrelling through the crowd. People scattered or were knocked over like ten pins if they didn't. "Guido! Guido! Where's my Guido! Dios mio! What they do to my Guido!"
But Guido was still bitter and huffed in disbelief. "Hmmmph! What you care? You get away. Why you care about anything else? Guido just a stupido, remember! You no care!"
"Oh Guido, I sorry! I worry sick! I tell everybody you like son to me. I guess I should have told you that more. You no stupido anymore! I no call you that anymore! I promise!"
"Like...son? Really? You miss me?" Guido asked.
"Si! Si! Really! I not call you stupido anymore. And when we get new restaurant...you be partner! You work computer side of things and online stuff. You be partner?"
"Oh yes! Yes! Oh Guido want nothing better! You no worry! I have lots of ideas for website. We be rich again, really rich in no time!" the two men hugged with Guido protecting his nose.
Brian and Justin watched the reunion at a distance. Their hearts swelled as they kissed some more. The room was packed and one area of the wall was being set apart and dressed for the webcast. After the success of the first one, they decided to just make the set out in the main room as everybody wanted to watch.
The clock got closer to seven. A strange energy, a wild excitement began to fill the room. Everyone moved a little faster. Talked a little louder. The set dressers put the finishing touches on the simple set and Swish Stick milled about supervising and worrying at the top of his voice.
Suddenly the Playroom door opened and Gus rushed out, "Mommy, Mommy , are you back yet?"
Brian felt a strange constriction in his chest and he dragged in a huge breath and finally yelled, "Gus! Over here!"
Gus' head whipped around and then next moment he was running pell mell across the crowded floor. "Daddy! Daddy!" he shrieked.
And then he was jumping and Brian had his arms out and Gus landed in them like it was planned and Brian was hugging, hugging, hugging his son for all he was worth.
Finally Gus pulled back. "So...I hear you got yourself captured," he said in a more serious, softer tone.
"He got the drop on me, that's true. But Justin saved me again and for the last time. I'm never going back there again. I quit him forever. From now on, I'm all yours...and Justin's," he amended, hugging the white-haired man. "Are we still on for...for that planet place?"
"The planetarium. And yes, I'm holding you to that," said Gus.
Brian laughed and hugged and kissed Gus on the cheek in rapture. "I can't wait. Oh, I love you! My sweet Sonny Boy!"
There was a giggle but this one didn't come from Gus. Brian looked over and saw a few more kids on the floor. Gus had left the Playroom door open as little boys are wont to do and a number of kids were gravitating toward their parents or following their friends. Not everybody decided to leave the safety of the Playroom but soon the floor was milling around with children.
The strange excitement and energy grew even more intense. Things got crazier, and more and more fantastic. Things were already hyper and now added to that were real hyperactive kids screaming and running around and playing tag and using the adult's legs as protection. Emmett was in hysterics, using his own body as a barrier to stop any kids from ruining his work. Any actual office work had now been abandoned and people gay and straight were just laughing and talking and kissing and playing with the children and otherwise goofing off, running out the clock. The only thing that was missing was food.
"Who's hungry!!?" yelled Red's strident voice as she, Luigi, Guido, and Kiki, came striding through the wardrobe door each with two large platters piled high with cookies and small meat pies and sausage rolls and of course, lemon bars.
There was a massive cheering and roar of appreciation and screams of children and a rush for the food. Even more children spilled out of the Playroom.
And then, quite suddenly, it was five to seven and it was nearly time.
Justin moved to a central location and yelled, "Everybody! Quiet please! Everybody! Can I have your attention please!!?"
There was no response. The good-natured pandemonium continued, not because anyone wished to be disobedient, but simply because they couldn't hear him.
A loud, shrill whistle cut through the noise like a hot knife through butter. Everybody quieted and looked around. Gus took his fingers out of his mouth and looked around as well, pretending he hadn't had anything to do with it.
"Uh...Thank you. OK, folks, the hour is nearly upon us! All who can keep quiet may stay. However, children, especially, the more younger of you, if you think you are going to be bored and would rather play, now is the time for you to return to the Playroom. Thank you. Blake, now is the time to start downloading that...material...I gave you into the website."
"Already done, Justin!" yelled Blake.
"Excellent! Everybody...take your seats or positions please! Thank you! Here's to a great webcast....and freedom at last!"
There was a great cheer. Many children willingly...and unwillingly went back to the Playroom but a few of the more mature promised to be good and stayed.
"What about you, Gus? Would you rather go back to the Playroom?" asked Brian.
"I want to stay here with you," said Gus, encircling his little arms around Brian's neck. Brian's arms went tighter around his waist and back in response. He was unable to hide his pleasure.
Gus snorted at his sappy look and added dryly, sounding extraordinarily like his father. "Oh please! Don't get full of yourself! I'm just afraid if I take my eyes off you again, you'll be captured and end up a prisoner again."
Brian laughed. "Never fear! The only one who holds me prisoner now is you! And I'm your willing slave!"
Gus rubbed his chin and a playful glint came into his green eyes. "Oh really! Willing slave huh? This will require some consideration!"
But Brian merely laughed and swept him away to where a chair had been set up for him, front row center. They sat down, with Gus sitting in his lap.
Justin took his place in front of the camera. He was dressed more casually tonight in chinos and a light blue sweater. He looked up at the clock. "Countdown everybody!" he shouted in joy, " Ten...nine...eight...."
Everyone joined in. "Seven...six...five....four...!"
Everywhere else in Pittsburgh where people were logged on to snowshine.org, they were counting down as well.
"Three...two...One...!"
TBC