From: yu-d@cis.ohio-state.edu (Moonrise Programmer)
Subject: Ehy! and the Dillybar:  Introduction
Originator: yu-d@boa.cis.ohio-state.edu
Organization: The Ohio State University, Department of Computer and Information Science
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 23:41:54 GMT

	Ehy! and the Dillybar: Introduction

	Jaz sat motionless trying to blink back the tears of pain.  Guido, a
standard moniker for big robust men who liked to hurt people, and Mogwid, Jaz
had made the mistake of commenting on the name once, grabbed his arms and
hauled him up, for another round of blows to the stomach Jaz assumed.  He
tensed and waited, when no flashes of pain were forthcoming he cracked an eye.
It was Melinda standing in front of him.  *I'm fucked*  Jaz was surprised at
how calm he felt, now that it was over, he could actually accept it.
	Melinda wasn't that tall, just up to Jaz's chin, but her high heels
put her up to his upper lip.  She wasn't pretty by any means, and if you looked
at her objectively, she was really quite homely.  No, she had never been
scarred by a thrown vial of acid, or mauled by a wild animal.  She was born
with the normal complement of toes and fingers and her facial features were 
correctly placed in the normal geometric manner.  Rather it all came from her
*fuck you* attitude.  Never one to notice another persons capacity for kindness
her face was in a perpetual scowl or a terrible grin of glee.  Jaz had never
seen the grin but he had it on good authority, if she was grinning at you,
death would be looking real good at that point.  She was grinning at Jaz now
and he wondered how she would kill him and dispose of his body.  *Dammit* here
he was controlled by this bitch, who's only attentions to him had wavered
between arrogance and contempt and he was giving up.  Well, she did have the
rep for getting anybody who crossed her.  Anybody, even her ex-lovers, Jaz
wasn't one of them, no he detested her, but she had one of them skinned from 
the waist down alive and kept alive artificially for a few days.  
	She moved close to him now and a harsh hand clamped over his mouth
making it difficult to breathe.  She delicately ran her nails over Jaz's bare
chest, her lips touching his chin.  *Death by bile, so that's how* thought Jaz
as the foul fluid swirled its way out of the depths of his abdomen to crash
into the immovable hand barrier across his mouth.  Heaves wracked his body as
more fluid emerged, it was getting difficult to breathe and his throat was
clogged.  Melinda noticed his reactions and smiled, stepping back she surveyed
him critically.
	"Just for you Jaz, I came out.  I wanted to nail you myself."  She took
a half step and prepared to drop kick Jazs little's gems to the roof of his
mouth.  Jaz suddenly remembered that Melinda used to be a world class player
of soccerim, a soccer style game played across vast fields requiring massive
kick distances and leg strength.  She was among the best only a few years ago.
He couldn't bear to watch and screwed his eyes shut.
	The pain lanced through his abdomen and he lay there, sweaty, hot, and
ulcerous, unbelieving the reality.  He forced his eyes open, to stare at the
ceiling tiles, no Guido or Melinda in sight.  It was a bloody dream, Jaz
started to laugh but the sharp pain at the back of his neck and the dry croak
stopped him immediately.  He got up to get something wet when his stomach 
reminded him of the huge ulcer he had.  Stabs of discomfort radiated through
his entire body, a reminder that Melinda was still out there and looking for
him.
	"Christ, she doesn't even have to lay a hand on me."   He grabbed the
glass of water he had left on the night stand yesterday anticipating just such
a morning, minus the dream otherwise he never would have let himself sleep.
The two big green pills were his ulcer medicine and he gagged as they went down
despite help from the water.  He never should have ripped off Melinda, it just
wasn't done and Jaz was rapidly finding out why.  Her eyes were everywhere and
it was a daily battle to remain hidden.  He'd had to disguise his bills and
his every action in the normal process of living.  All for a bunch of useless
data chips.  Melinda had cordoned off New Weiler City physically and
electronically, the scope of Melinda's operations was mind boggling.  It had
never occurred to Jaz that she could field this much manpower.  Jaz didn't dare
try to sell the chips locally, he'd be wasted for sure and he couldn't get out.
His money was running low and nothing oiled the gears like the powerful
lubricant of greed.  Jaz rose and walked over the seamy window, or more like a
porthole, that overlooked the grungy Friedman river.  Dull reddish glows from
Castout City reflected all the combustible fires used by the inhabitants.
*Perhaps there is a way out here*, the orange flickers danced around the eyes
of Jaz.

===============================================================================
Comments appreciated, nay required.  If there are no responses then this goes
no further and I'll try to think of something even more lurid.  Maybe.  Anyways
send comments/suggestions/thoughts and even flames to the address below.

Copyrights by David Yu 1992, all rights reserved.  Please do not use the
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