Station, стр. 48

Royal hesitated, wanting nothing more than to removehimself from the booth, to do anything rather than deliver the namehe was about to give. Hadder grew impatient. "Royal Winters, I needa name!"

Royal's head went back at Hadder's voice, such powerthere was in his demand. "Lester Midnight. He's one of the originalKeys. He runs Lester Midnight's Biomass on the far westernedge of the city. If anyone knows anything, he will."

Hadder's crazed eyes softened. "Thank you, myfriend." He got up to leave. Royal grabbed his arm.

"Hadder, you have to know, Biomass is a realfreak show, the most extreme Elevations on this side of the Skirt.And Lester Midnight is the biggest freak of all of them. And theplace is invite-only, so you may have trouble getting in."

"Oh, I'll get in, don't worry about that."

"But once you do, Hadder, you have to be careful.Monsters aren't only found in the Rising. Biomass isswimming with them."

"Then, I'll fit right in."

Hadder's face warmed where Lilly had struck him. Shestood across from him defiantly, fists clenched at her sides."Why?"

Hadder said simply, "She was our friend."

"No, she was my friend, Marlin. But I'm notgoing to die for her. What was she to you? Did you love her?"

"I loved her just as I love Royal, not as I loveyou."

"Then, why? I need a better answer."

Hadder sighed, tried to find the words. He wasn'tready to share the truth of himself, of the Rage that had laiddormant, now awakened by a terrible act. "I was finally happy,Lilly. Here, with you. You, Royal, Glen, and everyone else had madea home for me here, the first I've had in a long time. That homewas broken in two the other Haela, and it won't feel like homeagain as long as the man who killed Reena Song is out there. If hewas able to get into The Soiree unseen, what's to stop himfrom getting into Cranesman? Into The Royal?"

"Marlin, the Caesars are on high alert now. Theywon't let anyone else through."

"I can't take that chance."

"So, instead, you'll take the chance of killingyourself?"

"I've done it once."

"We've all done it once. You're not special."

"I'm sorry, Lilly. I understand your concern. Andyour anger. I really do. But I can't relax here, can't be the manyou fell in love with again until this is taken care of."

Lilly fought back tears, but one escaped to fallgently down her soft cheek, sending a shard of glass throughHadder's heart. She stared at him through water-logged eyes. "Whatif it had been me, Marlin. Would you be so gung-ho about marchinginto the heart of darkness if it was me lying on the groundbleeding?

Hadder put his hands on Lilly's shoulders, kissedher forehead. "You? If it were you who was gone, dear Lilly, Iwould burn down the whole fucking city."

"I knew him, you know?"

"Lester Midnight?"

"Yeah, back when he was Lester Minnot. The originalbatch of us wasn't huge, so all the Keys know each other to someextent. He was always odd, a disgruntled artist. In the Before, hedid all kinds of weird installations and performance art. Shock artis what I would call it. He couldn't deal with the fact that thegeneral public refused to acknowledge his unique brilliance andended up in Station. Here, when he discovered Elevations, he wasconvinced that he'd been given a new palette and discovered his newmedium - the human body. Biomass is his living gallery,where the most extremely Elevated residents of the Setting go topay their respects and gain inspiration for future enhancements.He's treated like a god there, as if he didn't have a god complexto begin with. Nowadays, he straddles the border of completeinsanity, a fucking Willie Wonka of flesh. You can't go in therewith bad intentions, Hadder. He has too many followers that willthrow themselves in front of you."

"This is the Setting. That means all those extremeElevations aren't weaponized, right? Everything's just forlooks?"

"That's right."

"Then, I'm not worried."

Royal shook his head, still in disbelief at thisfriend's dramatic turn. "I'm saying, there might be another way.One that leaves fewer bruises. They're not gonna want to let youin. I mean, you're basically going to a hardcore tattoo festivalwith no tattoos. You're gonna look like a fucking tourist. They'renotorious pricks at the door at Biomass; they make Monty theMod look like a Walmart greeter. When you get to the door, tellthem that one of the Keys, Royal Winters, sent you. That you’resomeone Royal thinks Lester should meet - a fellow artiste. KnowingLester, his curiosity and competitiveness will get the better ofhim. He'll have to see this new artist, if for no other reason thanto shit on you and convince himself that you're not on his level.But at least you'll get a face-to-face."

"Sounds good, Royal. I'll give it a try."

"But it's no guarantee, Hadder. Lester and I werenever the best of friends, I hated the little shit, truth be told.But I've never sent anyone to him before, so this should pique hisinterest."

"If this doesn't work, I have a plan b."

"And what's that?"

"Punch a hole in anyone that gets in my way."

Royal snickered, a sound full of the weight ofexasperation. "Fine, but at least put something different on beforeyou go. Biomass is full of loonies, but they're loonies whothink of themselves as members of the glitterati. You'll do betterif you don't look like a fucking dick at a cunt party."

Hadder laughed heartily at the analogy but stoppedwhen he saw that Royal wasn't laughing with him.