Station, стр. 44

CHAPTER 14

The butterflies in Hadder's stomachstirred as he set foot in the Celebration Cluster, arm-in-arm withLilly Sistine. Those same butterflies began to flutter and fly ashe spotted the red monolith that was Inferno in the neardistance. A storm from deep within Hadder started to form, that oldRage that he had spent years clamping down, fighting to maintaincontrol. Even after losing his family, while he had succumbed togrief and self-hate, he had kept the Rage at bay. Now, looking atInferno, Hadder pictured Jackie Crone's too-pulled face andyellowing body hanging like a twisted marionette above theentrance. That old feeling rushed to the surface and threatened todemand action before he took a deep breath and squeezed Lilly'shand, reminding himself of what he had and what he could lose.

"Ouch, Marlin, too tight," exclaimed Lilly.

"Sorry. Shall we?"

As they moved together towards The SoireeNoire, Hadder once again marveled at how the CelebrationCluster came to life at Haela. With the glowing blossoms,explosions of color, and electricity in the air, Hadder quickly sawhow he lost himself in this world of excess. He even consideredthat perhaps his time here was necessary to strip away the baggageof the Before, leaving him naked to receive Station's more profoundgifts.

Hadder's trench coat, a key component of his RickDeckard outfit, danced on a small breeze as he walked. Lilly'smeticulously pinned hair, matching Rachael's perfectly symmetricalupdo, refused to do the same as she marched in her custom blacksuit with broad shoulders. Nearing The Soiree Noire, Haddercould see that a crowd was just beginning to form outside with nosign of Monty the Mod on his floating pedestal. Waiting patientlyamong the milling crowd, Hadder recognized countless faces, many ofwhose names escaped him. Several shouted greetings to him whilemany others simply nodded in welcome. Hadder held Lilly tight,uncomfortable around the sheer numbers of extreme Elevations thatsurrounded him.

"Marlin? Oh my god, Marlin?"

Hadder turned around at the familiar voice to findReena Song walking up with Jonny VV. Reena, stylish as always, wasdressed as Darryl Hannah's Pris, with the added touch of herever-present light crown, while Jonny VV was the spitting image ofEdward James Olmos's Gaff, complete with the fedora andmustache-soul patch combo. Reena hit Jonny playfully on the chest."See! I told you he'd come back!"

Hadder's heart swelled as he embraced his twofriends. He fought back a grimace as his guilt for leaving themwithout explanation or goodbye weighed heavily. Reena kissed him onthe lips as they separated, and, for a moment, Hadder worried aboutLilly's reaction. He soon saw that his fears were mislaid.

"And who's this you're with? Oh my god, is that you,Lilly!?! Jonny! It's Lilly Sistine, maybe my favorite person in theworld!"

"It's awesome to see you, too, Reena. I've reallymissed you." The two women embraced, and Hadder felt vindicatedwhen they, too, shared a kiss before separating.

Jonny VV shuffled up to Hadder. "Good to see you,old chap. I do say, it looks like you've been busy since yourdeparture. Well done, old boy."

Reena returned to face Hadder. "Marlin, I heard thatyou had a tough time at Inferno. I'm so sorry. I feelterrible. We would have tried to stop you if you had told us yourplans. That place is horrible; I have no idea why it's in theCelebration Cluster."

"It's ok, Reena. My fault completely." He looked atLilly. "But I think it all worked out in the end."

Reena followed Hadder's eyes to Lilly and smiled.Seconds later, she slammed her hands together in excitement. "Holyshit! My two favorite people are an item. Jonny is this not thegreatest thing ever!"

"It's a real scene, love."

Reena put her arms around both Lilly and Hadder,pulled them in tight against her tiny frame. "This is gonna be thebest Haela. I've missed you both so much. Let's never stay awayfrom each other this long again." Hadder and Lilly shared a lookthat agreed with Reena, that said their lives would indeed bericher if this charming woman were a more substantial part of them.Maybe Reena couldn't talk about the Before, perhaps she needed tocontinue running from the past, but that didn't mean she didn'tbring other invaluable things to the table like empathy, love,passion, and unencumbered joy. Things of which Lilly and Hadderalways had more use.

Just then, a burst of light issued from in front ofthe Bar as Monty the Mod made his appearance on his magical disc,floating above his attentive audience. Appropriately, Monty wascloaked in the garb of Eldon Tyrell, his shining square glassesbathing the crowd in soft silver light. Monty carefully perused thegroup and began calling out individuals, applauding some andinsulting others for their costume selections.

Reena, already too excited to stand still, couldn'tkeep quiet. "Monty, you old cadaver, let us in," she yelled abovethe throng. "It's me and Jonny VV, with a resurrected Marlin Hadderand Lilly Sistine! There is no party without us!"

Monty's rimmed eyes swung Hadder's way. "MarlinHadder! You sure you wouldn't rather visit Inferno? JackieCrone says she misses you!" Hadder almost responded, but wasstopped by Reena's soft hand gripping his neck. He remained silent."And Lilly Sistine! I thought you too good for us. But maybe nottonight, huh?"

Jonny VV had had enough. "Monty, you old dog, toomuch talk! Either let us in, or we'll be happy to make anotherparty the event of the Haela!"

To his credit, Monty laughed off Jonny's threat."Oh, Jonny VV, too posh for a little barbed banter? Your concernsare unfounded, and threats unnecessary. How could I not let you allin dressed as you are? Entree, s'il vous plait."

Jonny VV joined Reena, Lilly, and Hadder as thefour, connected by arms and shoulders, made their way into TheSoiree Noire. Hadder's chest