there. He wonders if he should pull the gun out and keep it in his hand. Are the Mikes dangerous? Well, if they are, he figures it’s probably best not to put them immediately on guard.
He walks around the large house and sees a circle of people gathered around something. A few of the Mikes are walking from the house, probably to watch whatever spectacle is being played out. They all seem to be slightly different, which means they are also slightly the same. Short hair. A little meat on their bones. All shirtless and wearing khaki trousers. Each of them has a large number tattooed on his chest. Shell guesses the number is permanent. Once a 25, always a 25. So says the tattoo.
He imagines, perhaps from what Kid Rider said, the Mikes to be a closed society but he is welcomed immediately.
“ Hey!” Mike 16 shouts. “You gotta come and watch this! We’re practicing Mike control.”
Shell wanders over to the circle of men. They surround a pit. In the pit is a boy with the number 38 on his torso. Also in the pit are three mature slags. They snap at the boy as he frantically tries to climb the dirt wall. Shell doesn’t want to watch this but, at the same time, he needs to find a Mike who can supply him with information about Pearl. Most likely Mikes 1 through 4.
Watching the boy try to get away from the slags, Shell has a revelation.
He no longer cares about finding Pearl. What is one girl’s life, even if she is a queen, in exchange for someone else’s? There are enough people looking for Pearl. There is a sizable reward for finding her. But what about this boy who is trying so desperately to get away from the slags? Born into Mikedom. Handed over by his Mike brothers, turned into some form of perverse entertainment.
Of course, he never really cared about finding Pearl in the first place. He cared about the money. He still cares about the money but fears he may have to end up writing it off.
Nevertheless, he can’t stand around and watch this kid get devoured by slags.
Shell pulls the Glock out and fires down into the pit.
The Mike in the pit drops to his knees and covers his ears as the first slag explodes. Shell aims again and fires. The second slag explodes. The third slag, now desperate and alone, makes a lunge for the boy. Shell fires again and catches it in mid-flight, its toothy head disintegrating.
“ Aw, man,” Mike 12 says. “We was just havin fun.”
“ That is not the way to have fun,” Shell says.
“ Who the fuck are you? Your name ain’t Mike,” Mike 6 says.
Shell holds the gun out in front of him, suddenly feeling very threatened.
“ I need to speak with Mike 1, 2, 3 or 4. And one of you needs to help that kid out of the hole.”
“ Well, Mike 2’s dead,” Mike 18 says. “He’s been dead for years. As for the other Mikes, they’re fulfilling their civic duty by searching for the Queen.”
“ What can you tell me about the Queen? I heard she used to come here a lot.”
“ I wouldn’t say a lot.”
“ But you’ve met her?”
“ Sure I’ve met her.”
“ Have any ideas where she might be?”
“ If I had any ideas where she might be then I’d be the one out there looking for her instead of the other Mikes.”
“ Do you know anyone who would want to kidnap her or hurt her?”
“ No, man, everybody loved the Queen.”
“ Is this true?” he asks the rest of the Mikes.
They all nod their melon-sized heads.
“ What wasn’t to like? She was just a little old lady who didn’t have any real power anyway.”
“ A little old lady?”
“ Shit. I don’t know. I always thought she was old. I never got too close to her. All I know is she’s real small. Most queens are old, I thought.”
“ How do you feel now that she’s gone?”
“ Well, I feel like hell. She was
He walks around the large house and sees a circle of people gathered around something. A few of the Mikes are walking from the house, probably to watch whatever spectacle is being played out. They all seem to be slightly different, which means they are also slightly the same. Short hair. A little meat on their bones. All shirtless and wearing khaki trousers. Each of them has a large number tattooed on his chest. Shell guesses the number is permanent. Once a 25, always a 25. So says the tattoo.
He imagines, perhaps from what Kid Rider said, the Mikes to be a closed society but he is welcomed immediately.
“ Hey!” Mike 16 shouts. “You gotta come and watch this! We’re practicing Mike control.”
Shell wanders over to the circle of men. They surround a pit. In the pit is a boy with the number 38 on his torso. Also in the pit are three mature slags. They snap at the boy as he frantically tries to climb the dirt wall. Shell doesn’t want to watch this but, at the same time, he needs to find a Mike who can supply him with information about Pearl. Most likely Mikes 1 through 4.
Watching the boy try to get away from the slags, Shell has a revelation.
He no longer cares about finding Pearl. What is one girl’s life, even if she is a queen, in exchange for someone else’s? There are enough people looking for Pearl. There is a sizable reward for finding her. But what about this boy who is trying so desperately to get away from the slags? Born into Mikedom. Handed over by his Mike brothers, turned into some form of perverse entertainment.
Of course, he never really cared about finding Pearl in the first place. He cared about the money. He still cares about the money but fears he may have to end up writing it off.
Nevertheless, he can’t stand around and watch this kid get devoured by slags.
Shell pulls the Glock out and fires down into the pit.
The Mike in the pit drops to his knees and covers his ears as the first slag explodes. Shell aims again and fires. The second slag explodes. The third slag, now desperate and alone, makes a lunge for the boy. Shell fires again and catches it in mid-flight, its toothy head disintegrating.
“ Aw, man,” Mike 12 says. “We was just havin fun.”
“ That is not the way to have fun,” Shell says.
“ Who the fuck are you? Your name ain’t Mike,” Mike 6 says.
Shell holds the gun out in front of him, suddenly feeling very threatened.
“ I need to speak with Mike 1, 2, 3 or 4. And one of you needs to help that kid out of the hole.”
“ Well, Mike 2’s dead,” Mike 18 says. “He’s been dead for years. As for the other Mikes, they’re fulfilling their civic duty by searching for the Queen.”
“ What can you tell me about the Queen? I heard she used to come here a lot.”
“ I wouldn’t say a lot.”
“ But you’ve met her?”
“ Sure I’ve met her.”
“ Have any ideas where she might be?”
“ If I had any ideas where she might be then I’d be the one out there looking for her instead of the other Mikes.”
“ Do you know anyone who would want to kidnap her or hurt her?”
“ No, man, everybody loved the Queen.”
“ Is this true?” he asks the rest of the Mikes.
They all nod their melon-sized heads.
“ What wasn’t to like? She was just a little old lady who didn’t have any real power anyway.”
“ A little old lady?”
“ Shit. I don’t know. I always thought she was old. I never got too close to her. All I know is she’s real small. Most queens are old, I thought.”
“ How do you feel now that she’s gone?”
“ Well, I feel like hell. She was
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