Blue Episode 1

Blue: Episode 1: "Formal" introductions.

[The big city, a city with no name, a city with no people; merely a shell of broken promises and hopeless dreams. Unfortunately, the city that this story focuses on is nothing like that. This city, and its people are far from normal, according to the general public. Then again, normal is relative, right? Well, keep that in mind, or you might just find yourself confused beyond all reason. Who am I? I just happen to be one of the main characters in this fiasco of a story. My name is Vincent. Vincent Blue. I work in this city... This is my story...]

            Outside of the bar, K22, the rain came down in considerably large globular clusters; two figures stood in the midst of the rain, face to face. Both wore black trench coats, 40's-style hats, and each had a stoic expressed etched into their faces. "Now... About that kill." Vincent said, looking at his adjacent occupant. The second figure didn't move for a moment; then, after about 20 seconds a feminine voice emerged, "Yes, I know a great hit man who needs an assistant..." She paused, adjusting her hat, then continued, "I could... Possibly arrange a meeting?" She added stoically. For a brief instance, Vincent thought he'd heard the adjacent occupant chuckle lightly to herself.

            Vincent then pulled a notebook out of his trench coat, flipped a few pages to a blank sheet, and then pulled a pen from his left pocket. "It's... A possibility..."He said, half-chuckling at the pseudo-clandestine scene that was taking place. A strike of lighting came down and shook the earth beneath the feet of the two. Vincent's adjacent figure removed a slip of paper from her trench coat, moved closer to Vincent, and then slipped him the sheet of paper.  "Don't bring anyone and..." She paused again, trying not to giggle, "Well, he likes... Bagels." She said, taking a few steps back from Vincent. Vincent coughed casually to cover up his giggle. "Right, I understand; by the way, what alias should I address you by?" Vincent asked, placing the piece of paper in his pocket. "Just call me Poketto." She said, tilting her hat. "Very well, Poketto... However," Vincent said drawing a pistol. "I haven't seen any down payment, I don't work for free." He added coldly, raising the pistol slowly.

          Poketto fumbled through her pocket incoherently; after about 5 minutes, her hand emerged, revealing a shiny new nickel. "Um..." She said, once more approaching Vincent. Vincent took the nickel, examined it, and then placed it in his pocket. "Fine. This will cover this month's salary... But I'd be careful if I were you... This city's a dangerous place, toots." He added; soon the dramatic 40's gangster music filled the street. "Yes, you're right, the city is a dangerous place, isn't it Mr. Blue?" She said, half-sarcastically, half-admonishingly. "You know what else is dangerous?" She added, moving closer Vincent, enough so that he could smell the alluring, spring-scented, perfume emanating off of her. "What else... Ms. Poketto...?" Vincent added, his eyes burning into hers.

        No sooner than he'd inquired, she'd pulled out a pistol, discharging two shots into his torso. "Calling a girl like "toots"." She affirmed, as Vincent slumped to the ground, in to the wet sidewalk.

          Poketto, who was now content and smiling, turned and began to walk away; the street filling with mysterious 20's music. "... No..." Vincent coughed profusely, then continued. "Kidding... One last question... Before I cross over.... Where...." He coughed again, even more violently than before, " Where... Did you get... That record from...?" He inquired on his dying breath. "Heh. Thrift store hun; I'm sure they have some in heaven, or hell: which ever you end up in." She said, blowing him a kiss. "Sweet dreams; you're in for a very long sleep." She added, walking away; the music still playing in the background.

        A slight intensity echoed down the street, causing Poketto to turn back to her, whom she thought was dead, hired hand. "Not quite dead, yet." Vincent said, kicking the conveniently placed record player next to him, causing the dramatic 40's music to begin playing again. "It ain't over till the fat lady sings... I've still got a job, toots" He added, in a mordent voice. "What the...? What the hell?" Poketto asked, taking a few steps back from Vincent, who was now wearing an insane grin. "That's right." Vincent said in a droll voice, opening his trench coat to reveal a triple padded bulletproof vest. "My agency is everything but unprepared." He added, closing his trench coat back. "Got... Damn...." Poketto said, not believing her eyes. "You've wandered into unsafe zones, Ms. Poketto. It's time you started playing cards with the big dogs now, or you might just find yourself rubbed out of this motion picture called `life.'" 

          Poketto, who was obviously over her daze, rolled her eyes in contempt to Vincent's, seemingly corny aforementioned, analogy. "What, may I ask, are you implying, sir?" She inquired in a sarcasm-etched tone. Vincent, who was obviously trying to convey his wits as more than something plausibly nil, returned, in the same sarcasm, "Heh. I'll leave that up to you to find out, Ms. Poketto. Let's just say a certain agency might be losing a certain recruit in the near future, if a certain someone continues asking questions, especially in a tone that seems to be a bit malicious." Vincent then added, indignantly: "That certain someone might also start finding that the answers aren't to -her- liking..."

          Poketto rolled her eyes then, moving closer to Vincent, with a seductive smile, asked: "Is that a threat or a promise, Mr. Blue?" Vincent stepped forward, nearly face-to-face with Poketto. "Heh.... All these questions... Too many questions could be bad for business..." He affirmed, removing a Tommy gun from his trench coat. "Any questions?" He added, in a satirical tone. "Just one..." She said taking a few steps back, towards the record player, which was somehow not affected by the heavy rain. Poketto, whose eyes were trained warily on Vincent, removed a record from her trench coat, removed the first record, chucked it quite far, and then put on the record she'd removed from her trench coat. She stood up, not looking at Vincent, then, suddenly, the rain stopped, and the darkness of the night turned to a sunny, summer day. Poketto removed her trench coat, revealing a t-shirt and jeans, then began singing along with the record: "Do you really want to hurt me? Do you really want to make me cry?!"

          Vincent, who was shocked, mystified, amazed, confused, and laughing, dropped the Tommy gun and fell to the ground laughing. "I've always wanted to do that." Poketto said with a smile. She then put back on her trench coat, kicked the record player, causing the music to stop, which caused the rain to pick back up, and the darkness of the night to return. Vincent, who was still on the ground, mouth agape, didn't utter a sound. Poketto, growing bored with the sessile Vincent, turned and started to walk into the bar, when she turned and said: "I'll be in contact soon." With these last words, Vincent laid his head on the ground, chuckling to himself, chuckling, chuckling, chuckling...

END BLUE EPISODE 1