The Viluverse - Chapter Nine

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Jensen sized up this woman, almost from afar, standing at the bar. He’d been here before, in dreams, but something felt different this time, something off. The flash of Melgu had startled him briefly, something he was still getting used to.

He’d come up occasionally like a whale coming up for air, and Jensen would do all he could to suppress the panic he felt inside. In this relatively comfortable environment, however, he felt fine and looked at the convex curved bar: smooth, opaque blue glass with lines running down either side with a giant mirror behind it.

The woman caught his look. “Pretty neat, huh?” She was an auburn-haired beauty with different colored eyes; one blue, the other green, and a slinky black dress that left nothing to the imagination. She was clearly into him, but he didn’t know if this was a trap as he looked in the mirror.

In it, they saw themselves and flashes of themselves older, younger, sometimes both at once. Jensen was startled, and she laughed slightly.

“Yeah…that’s the seeing mirror, see? Gets even more interesting when you’ve had a few.” He smirked. “I’ll bet…neat little trick, anything else it shows?"

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she said seductively, putting down her drink, a vodka with ice, a cute little cherry on a stick sticking out at the top.

“My name’s Marianne, good sir, and yours?”

She extended her hand, and he embraced it, eyeing her seductively.

“Jensen…name’s Jensen.”

He kissed her hand gently as she winked.

“Nice name…very mysterious , I like it.”

“Comes with the territory.”

He winked back and ordered a vodka as well; the waiter consisted of a pair of black-gloved hands and nothing else, nothing at all unusual in dream town.

“Both vodka drinkers, huh?”

She asked this approvingly, and he grinned.

“Best drink there is, put hairs on your chest, that’s for sure.”

She laughed, so much so the other patrons looked at them both before returning to their conversations.

“Nice, I like it, well Mr. Hairy Chest, what brings you here?”

“Well….”

He thought about it, unable to take his eyes off hers, their different colors shining like jewels.

“I’m here on a secret mission actually….”

“Oh really.”

She seemed to perk up when he said this, clearly intrigued.

“Do tell me more, Mr. Mystery Man.”

“Well....”

He leaned in closer, like a spy.

“I’m here to retrieve a top secret document…one that’s worth a lot of money and well….”

He leaned in closer still.

“I might need the services of a certain lady to help me if you know what I mean.”

He winked again as she grinned.

“I think I might be able to help you sir…I am a shapeshifter after all.”

He looked startled, briefly.

“Oh really….”

“Oh yes…” she said huskily.

“Helps in…all kinds of situations.”

She put her hand on his thigh briefly.

“If you know what I mean.”

She winked again, and he grinned, sipping his drink.

“I see…very interesting…how about….”

He took her hand.

“We test it out now.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“I mean…sure, if you want….”

She grinned and leaned into him, whispering.

“I mean this is a little quick, but I have a nice room just down the corridor…nice and…big if you know what I mean.”

He grinned again, seeming to read an autocue coming from the mirror.

“I’d like that…I know there’s a portal in that room….”

“Oh really….”

She sounded even more enthralling as he seemed to maintain his composure.

“Yes ma’am…nice little portal in the wardrobe there, leads to a place I might need to get to, would lead us both nice places…if you show me the portal…I’ll buy you the drink….”

He pulled away from her as she looked a little disappointed.

“If you’ll permit me.”

He put the drink down, and she eyed him curiously.

“Why should I help you….”

“‘Cos I’m a scoundrel?”

He said that almost innocently, and she grinned.

“Follow me cowboy.”

She led the way as they ventured to the right side of the bar. She reached through the window and grabbed a distant star. The window slid to the right revealing the corridor ahead before shutting again after they had entered.

The corridor seemed to stretch for eternity. A plush beige carpet lay underfoot, and white walls with oak trim running down the middle lay at either side with ornate lamps above.

She opened a door on the left into a beautiful suite with a king-sized bed and a full-length window opening onto a vast cityscape beyond - flying cars careening about as a light show was visible in the distance.

She looked at him expectantly, and he grinned.

“Just show me the wardrobe please."

She laughed, grinned, and shook her head.

“Don’t know what you’re missing my friend….”

She slinked over to him like a cat, running her finger down his chest.

“I think I’ll stick to the mission thanks…although, you do have a nice place here, might come back.”

“You’d better; I’ve come to like you already Mr. Jensen...let’s not ruin a good thing, huh?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it”, he said softly, as she winked and smiled, before going to a vast, ornate wardrobe, mahogany with gold handles to the left of a full-length mirror on the left side of the room, the window curved to meet it.

She opened the door as a vast rack of clothes stood before them.

“And I never like to see a good catch go to waste….”

“Oh it won’t, don’t you worry….”

He considered his next move but decided to throw caution to the wind, kissing her as they embraced passionately.

He pulled away, feeling energized again as her eyes lit up.

“Yeah, definitely not…”. Melgu appeared before him again, which startled him.

“Whoah….”

He stumbled back as she looked alarmed and hurt.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…nothing, just thought…listen I’d better get going; can you help me here or not?

She looked quizzically before nodding.

“I mean yes…but….”

“Just…please, don’t ask any questions, okay? Better this way.”

She eyed him suspiciously, cogs turning before nodding her head.

“Okay…if you insist, but….”

“But, what?”

“Never mind…I’ll show you the portal, you seem to know all about it.”

She pulled aside the clothes, a round pencil outline visible on the white back wall.

He eyed it curiously.

“Do you have the key?”