Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Sockdollager

     William Sterling and Stan Winston stood outside of the apartment complex where Brian lived. Both of them looked at one another, and William shrugged. "I hope he won't mind us dropping by". -"Does it really matter?" Stan groaned. "I'm getting fed up with the kid as it is. He always seems to get offended over the smallest things, so maybe he's better off without us?" -"He's just sensitive", William corrected him. "And he's been through a lot of emotional stress". -"Still no excuse to act like a damn sniveler all the time" Stan remarked.
"And then he wonders why everyone treats him like a doormat?"

     William paused for a moment and then decided to question Stan about his odd behavior. "You alright?" he asked. "Because you're not acting like yourself". Stan looked back at him with a sincere expression. "I am just fine", he replied. "I'm just a little annoyed with your callow friend, that is all". -"Look", William sighed deeply. "I know he can be a little huffy and what not, but in time he will get over all that. We just have to help him to come out of that shell, I mean look how much he's improved already?" Stan shook his head. "I fail to see this improvement you speak of". -"He needs our help", William said. "Don't back down now, just give him another chance". "Fine", Stan groaned. "But another one of his mental episodes, and that is it". -"He'll be fine", William interrupted. "And besides, tonight is the big poker tournament, so we should all have fun".

     Just as Brian had feared, he had another nightmare involving the same elements. Once again he had seen the same figures, only this time they had gotten closer. He saw what appeared to be a female with long flowing blue hair, dressed in majestic attire with her back facing him. And each time he got closer, she would look over her shoulder at him, clutching some kind of amulet with a red glow. He had no clue who she was, or why she suddenly kept appearing in his dreams, but he could see sorrow in her eyes and could tell right away, that she was alone. "Who are you?" he asked, as he stepped closer. She didn't answer, instead she would look away quickly as the dark figure bearing the sword would come between them.
He looked right at Brian, and spoke the words "kekewey iew ek!" Brian would back away, only to fall to the ground, still looking up at the figure. He would look back to see if the girl was still there, and that is when he'd come face to face with the figure's blade, and wake up startled, drenched in sweat.

     Those strange words echoed through his mind, as they were like nothing he had ever heard before. He didn't understand what the dark figure had said, but he assumed it was harsh, judging from his angry tone. "I'm so confused", he said to himself. "I think I'm really starting to lose it". He stood up and headed over to his leather jacket which was hung over a chair, and reached into the pocket for his cigarettes and lighter. Then he sat back down and proceeded to light one, when suddenly he heard someone knocking on his door. He took a few puffs of it, then set it in the ash tray and headed over to see who was there. He wasn't surprised when he opened the door, only to see William standing there. "Hey ya", William smiled.
"Thought I'd drop by to check on you. Mind if I come in?" -"Not at all", Brian replied as he moved aside.

     William stepped through the door and headed over to the couch and took a seat.
he folded his arms across his chest and sighed before he proceeded to speak. "I wanted to apologize for what happened earlier this morning", he said. "I felt that what Justin said was just plain out of line". -"It's fine", Brian said. "I'm not mad about it anymore".
-"Well, that's a relief", William chuckled. "Any ways, the big poker tournament is tonight, are you coming?" Brian thought about it for a moment before answering him. "I suppose", he shrugged. "Just hope they don't cancel it again like last time". -"Nah, they won't", William said. "And besides, I'm going to join in on the fun". Brian looked back at him with a raised brow. "You're not going to blow your check on it, are you?"

William looked back at him with a guilty expression. "Maybe?" he uttered. Brian shook his head. "What if you lose it? Then what will you do?" -"Relax", William said. "I won't lose it, I know how to play. So, are you coming for sure then?" Brian rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yes, I'm coming for sure". -"Great", William exclaimed with a cheer. "Cause I need to have my buddies nearby to witness my glory when I win that precious pot!" -"Don't worry, I'll be there", Brian promised him. "Copacetic", William nodded. "Well I'd better get going if I want to find something special to wear for the occasion". -"Why not just wear your uniform? Brian suggested. -"Come on! I've worn this too much", William remarked. "Don't know about you, but I wanna make a statement tonight". "Well alright", Brian replied. "See you tonight then".
-"See ya", William waved as he closed the door behind him. "What a strange guy", Brian thought to himself.

     Meanwhile, Victoria and Maxwell were busy at the Card Shack, setting up for the big poker tournament. "How's everything looking so far?" Victoria asked the bartender.
"Everything's Jake", he replied. -"Good to know", she nodded as she set a crate full of bottles on the counter. "What have ya got there Miss Thompson?" he asked. "A special home made recipe, that has been passed down in my family from generation to generation", she replied. "Better known as Moonshine". -"So I see", he nodded. "What about the old stuff?"
-"Throw it out", she ordered. "We want to lure in more customers, not drive them away. And besides, it'll be good for business". -"Will do", he said. "Just hope this stuff sells better", she sighed. "Or I might as well pull a Lily Damita". -"Well with the poker tournament going on tonight, business should be booming", he said. "I sure hope so", she sighed. "After all, I need to prove to the man, that I can handle my own business. By the way, where is Maxwell at?"
"Last I saw, he was in the game room", the bartender replied. "Aint that just like him?" she shook her head. "Letting me handle everything by myself, oh well I suppose I wouldn't have it any other way".

     Maxwell had been busy organizing the game schedule, when Victoria walked in on him.
"Working hard?" she teased. He rolled his eyes and continued working. "If you've come to ridicule me, I should warn you, I am not in the mood", he scorned. "Relax", she said. "Just came to check up on the progress". -"And that's all?" he asked. "Well, I also came to inform you, that there will be no fights tonight", she said. "Anyone who even considers starting a brawl, will be thrown out. And that means everyone, even you". -"Pardon me?" he replied in an angry tone. -"That's right", she snapped. "I'm running the show tonight, honey, so the rules apply to everyone". -"Oh, I'm sure the rules apply to everyone", he mumbled. "Even your precious fly boy".

--AMF Airbase--

     Lynne had been waiting patiently for a call from the city council, approving of the false project she had sent in. So far four hours went by, and she heard nothing, and even began to dread that it was denied. In the next room, Lucy, Grace and Mipsy were seated at their assigned stations, but seemed more interested in the city's special events for that night, one in particular, the poker tournament. "So are ya gonna go?" Lucy asked the other girls.
-"I think so, it does sound darb", Mipsy replied. "Hopefully they don't cancel like last time", added Grace. "I was even planning to take the night off to go, but I'm glad I didn't".
"Why don't we all go together?" suggested Lucy. -"Yeah", exclaimed Mipsy. "It would give us an excuse to get all dolled up for the fellas!"

     At that moment, Alley had returned from the restroom and headed back to her seat.
She didn't notice the unidentified object on her monitor at first, until she had a second glance.
"Something is showing up on the radar", she announced. The others stopped talking and scurried over to see for themselves. "It's some kind of space craft", Grace said. "Holy Moses", Mipsy exclaimed. "Is it an alien ship?" -"Don't know", Alley shrugged. "We'd better alert the commander". -"On it!" Lucy said as she took off. -"There goes miss Ann Pistol", remarked Grace.

     Lynne was just about to give up on the wait and contact Morane herself, when suddenly Lucy burst through the door. "Commander", she panted. "There's something on the radar, and its coming close to the city!" -"Are you positive of this?" Lynne asked. "Come see for yourself", Lucy urged. "It's no joke!" Without even hesitating, Lynne got up from her chair, and followed behind Lucy. For some reason, she began to feel ecstatic inside, as if she believed that the craft could possibly be her father and his crew. The feeling alone was very overwhelming, and she even found it hard to breathe. "Oh please be them", she said to herself. "It's been far too long".

     She finally entered the monitoring station and stopped when she saw the screen.
"Give me a clear view", she demanded. -"Yes, commander", Grace replied.
Lynne watched as a larger image of the craft came up on screen, and suddenly her excitement faded. "It's just a transportation cruiser", she sighed. "It's not an alien ship, nor is it my father's star fortress". -"What is it transporting though?" Lucy asked. -"I don't know", Lynne told her. "But the docking area it's heading to hasn't been accessed in over two-hundred years". -"Well, that's odd", remarked Mipsy -"Yes it is", Lynne replied as she continued watching the screen. "It's rather suspicious, if you ask me".

     Julius Morane and his men stood and watched as the cruiser entered the old loading dock. He had a cigar in one hand, and his cellular phone in the other, with Stan standing beside him. They waited until the cruiser had parked itself in the garage, and then they headed down to greet the pilots and gain access to the goods. "Where do you want all this stored?" asked one of his men. -"I should bump you off for asking such a feebleminded question", Morane snapped. "Store it in our damn warehouse, you moron". -"Yes sir", the man replied.
"I'm surrounded by idiots, Stan", Morane uttered. "Seems like you and I are the only intelligent ones here". -"It would appear so", Stan nodded in agreement.
"Can you also believe that the AMF have requested my permission to install a new radar system outside the city?" -"Strange", Stan replied. "If that was their big secret, why couldn't they have provided me with the information?" "Say what?" Morane asked him. "Only certain individuals were allowed to know", Stan continued. "And I was one they excluded". -"That is rather odd", Morane said.

--Card Shack--
     
     It was almost time to open the doors of the Card Shack for the special events, and Maxwell had finished his part of the job, but Victoria was still hurrying to finish up. "Did you get rid of all those old crates like I asked?" she asked the bartender. -"Yes, M'am", he replied. "They're in the back, just like you asked". -"In the back?" she exclaimed with frustration. "When I said throw them out, I meant in the dump", she sighed. -"Oh, uh, oops?" he shrugged. -"Cute, real cute", she rolled her eyes. "Just make sure you get rid of them tonight". "Will do", he nodded.

     All of sudden, Maxwell headed towards the entrance to open the doors.
And as soon as he did, a crowd of people barged through. "Not so many at a time", Maxwell yelled. "Can't you dimwits walk in an orderly fashion?" The people ignored his bickering and went about their business, some even headed straight to the bar to have a few drinks before the tournament started.
"I'll be thankful when all of this is over", he grumbled.

     Brian was the first of the group to show up, and he headed towards their booth like always and sat down to wait. He rested his elbows on the table and rubbed the bags under his eyes. Ever since he started having those strange dreams, his mind was jumbled, and he was haunted by those words the figure spoke to him. Brian let out a deep sigh and pulled out a cigarette, and just as he was about to light it, Justin and Stan arrived. "Where's Billy boy?" Justin asked him. -"Don't know, he's late", Brian muttered. He tried to avoid eye contact with Justin, as he was still sore at him for what he said earlier.
Justin on the other hand, acted like nothing had ever happened. Instead he took a seat and tried to start a conversation with Brian. "It's not like him to be the last to show up, wouldn't you agree Stan? Justin said. Stan nodded and let out a sigh of boredom. "He'd better get here if he doesn't want to miss the game".

     Victoria sat one of the end stools, trying to talk to the bartender as he was working, as she was curious about how the new drinks were selling. "Not enough to give you a full estimate", he replied.
"I know that", she said. "But, are they buying it at all?" -"Yes", he said. -"That's g--", she started to say until someone who had just entered through the doors, caught her eye. "You were saying?" the bartender asked. She didn't answer at all, she just kept staring at the man dressed in a classy blue suit. "Oh my goodness", she murmured. At first, she didn't recognize him until he stepped into the light and headed over to the same booth with the others.

     Justin yawned and peered over at a wall clock. "Come on you bozo, it's gonna start without you", he grumbled. Brian and Stan just sat there quietly, with Stan staring into space and Brian twirling his cigarette between his fingers. Justin picked up a shot glass and just as he was about to down it all, Stan stopped him. "You're limited tonight my friend", he said. -"Oh come on", Justin exclaimed in disappointment. "Tonight calls for a celebration, there should be no limits! And besides, I'm feel rather adventurous if you know what I mean". Stan shook his head at him. "Don't be a moron", he said. "You've got a special assignment tomarrow morning, or did you forget?" Justin folded his arms and made a disgusted face at him, until his jaw dropped when he recognized a certain someone. "Am I blind or is that Billy boy?" Both Stan and Brian were just as shocked to see their friend wearing a rather expensive suit.

     "Oh hell no", Justin remarked. "Someone help the guy, he's crossed over to the dark side!"
William Sterling took a seat in his usual spot and noticed the strange looks he got. "It's still me, guys", he said. Justin also noticed something else he didn't like about William's special look. "Okay, the suit I can live with", he said. "But lose the slickback look", he remarked as he reached over and messed up William's hair. "Hey", William exclaimed. "What the hell did you do that for?" -"Because you looked like crap", Justin shrugged. "That look isn't you, the messy look is!" The others nodded in agreement as well. "I agree too", said a female voice. All of them looked up and saw Victoria standing beside their booth, with one hand on her hip and her cigarette holder in the other. "His hair looks much better".
"Miss Thompson?", Justin exclaimed in surprise. "I hope you fellas don't mind if I join your bull session", she said. -"Not at all doll face", Justin replied. "What about you Will, do you mind if she joins us?

     Stunned, William didn't really know what to say so instead he just shook his head. "You excited about the tournament? she asked them. "Ab-so-lute-ly", Justin boasted. "I've been looking forward to it all year long, just too bad it was canceled that one night". Brian rolled his eyes at Justin and began fiddling around with his lighter. "Well rest assured, that nothing is gonna tarnish the game tonight", she said. "I've made sure of that". Justin let out a sigh of relief and then began protesting about his empty shot-glass. "Ah applesauce", he groaned. "I need another!" -"No, you don't", Stan interrupted. "You've got a job to do tomorrow, or did you forget?" Justin slapped himself, and felt like a moron. "That's right", he said. "But that doesn't mean I can't have fun, right?" Stan rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Stan", Justin complained. "Don't be a killjoy now!" -"He's right", William added. "You need to be prepared for your special assignment".

     -"But I'm feeling rather adventurous tonight", Justin continued. "I want to do it all!"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Brian light up a cigarette. "Hey, let me try that", he said.
"Huh?" Brian mumbled as he looked up. "I want to know what it tastes like", Justin said.
Brian shrugged and passed his cigarette over to Justin, and watched him take a puff of it.
"God it's awful", Justin exclaimed. "What did you expect?" William said to him. Justin began to cough and gag a little. "I expected it to taste a little better than that", he snapped. "How the hell can you stand those things, Brian?" he asked him. -"When it's an addiction, it doesn't really matter", Brian responded. Justin gave him a funny look in return. "How did you become addicted?" he asked.
"I'd rather not talk about it", Brian said. Just then William noticed something a little odd about Brian's appearance, and felt the need to mention it. "Speaking of which", he started to say. "You alright? You've got bags under your eyes the size of hockey pucks!" Brian rubbed his eyes and yawned. "I haven't slept well in the past few days", he replied.

     "You poor dear", Victoria commented. William also sympathized with him, and wondered what could be troubling him. "Any reason why?" William proceeded to ask. -"Nightmares", Brian replied. "But, I'd rather not talk about it". Suddenly the other people began heading over to the game tables, where Maxwell was present. He waited as the players took their seats before he would start shuffling the cards. "We'll, it's that time", Justin remarked. "You ready, Will?" William nodded. "Yep".
Victoria turned and looked William in the eye. "You're playing too?" she exclaimed. -"Yes, I am", he nodded. "But, why?" she asked again. -"I want in on the action", he replied. "Besides, it looks like fun so why not?" She gave him a crazy look and shrugged. "Yeah, it's fun if you want to take your chances and lose all your mazuma". He ignored her and followed Justin to the game table, where Maxwell wasn't too happy to see him. "Well well", Maxwell smirked. "What do we have here?"

     -"Don't ask questions", William snapped at him. "I'm here to participate in the tournament".
"Are you now?" Maxwell replied in astonishment. -"Yes", William said as he placed money into the pot". Maxwell's eyes widened with surprise as he looked down and noticed that William had placed a six-thousand dollar bill on the table. "Well then, take a seat", he told him. "If you're willing to bet all that, then I really can't deny your offer". Victoria had also caught sight of William's bet and her jaw nearly dropped. "He's crazy", she exclaimed. Brian and Stan were standing close by, and they agreed with her. Maxwell began to shuffle the cards and pass them out to the players in a fancy fashion.
"I wish you all luck", he grinned. "If you want to recall your bets and be on your merry way, now's the time to do it, otherwise let the tournament begin!"

     The crowd gathered around the area, watching with anticipation, as if it were the most intense event they've ever seen. Justin was a little thrilled to be going up against one of his own friends, as this was a first for him. But still it didn't have any affect on his performance, he was still confident in himself and was determined to win. William on the other hand was a tad nervous, he had never really played poker before, but then he realized he was only doing this to get Victoria's attention and nothing more.
Even Justin knew this, and as he glanced over at his friend, he could see how confused he seemed to be.
"Poor guy", Justin thought. "He's trying so hard to win her over". The other players seemed confident as well, and soon one of them made a call. "Two pair", they said. William looked down at his cards and began to sweat nervously. He didn't even know what he had, and he could see Maxwell glaring at him.
"Going to make a call or not?" Maxwell asked him. Suddenly William was alert and remembered something Justin had told him about poker. "I've got a pair of Queens", he said.
Then another player spoke up. "Three of a kind beats your queens", they said.

     William sighed and dealt his cards again, and this time he paid attention to which ones he held on to. Time seemed to go by slow as the game seemed to last for the entire night. Justin looked over at his friend, and could see that he was about to give up and walk away. Then Justin looked into the crowd and saw Brian, Stan and Victoria watching them. He looked back at William, and then down at the cards in his hands, he knew he had a winning hand, and soon the game would end with him taking home the money pot. "I call Five of a Kind" announced one of the players as he confidently displayed his cards for all to see. "I know none of you have the balls to upstage me!" Justin fidgeted for a while, and then suddenly his guilty conscience got the best of him. He looked up to see if Maxwell was paying attention, and much to his surprise he wasn't. Suddenly Justin scooted the chair backwards and then looked over at William. "Here", he whispered to him. "switch cards with me". -"Are you serious?" William exclaimed in a low voice. "Just do it", Justin ordered. And without hesitating, William switched cards with Justin, and right on time before Maxwell looked over at them.

     "Something going on over there?" Maxwell asked. -"Nope", Justin replied. "Everything's Jake".
"Someone else going to make a call, or shall I announce the winner?" William looked down at the cards Justin had given him, and sighed. "Here goes nothing", he thought. "I'll make the call", William said. -"Please do", Maxwell urged. "We don't want to be here all night, now do we?"
" Straight flush right here", William announced. -"I fold", Justin exclaimed, while trying to pretend he was mad over losing. -"Same", said the other player. Maxwell gritted his teeth and clenched his fist tightly. "Tell me you're joking?" he remarked. -"No, I'm not William replied. Victoria suddenly had enough of Maxwell's attitude and decided to step in. "He's clearly the winner", she told him. "So give him his winnings". -"Why don't I leave that to you?" He replied in a snarky tone. "After all, you two seem to be close friends". -"Why must you act like such a pill all the time?" she asked him.
-"You're going to hear an earful if you give that money away", Maxwell whispered in her ear. "I don't care", she replied. "Let him yell at me, I'll be in the comfort of my own humble abode!"

     -"Congratulations, honey", she said to William. "You're this year's poker king".
William stood up and accepted his winnings, but then he looked over at Justin and mouthed the words "thank you". Justin nodded and smiled a little, as he was trying to hide the fact that he was actually jealous. William found himself surrounded by people who were praising him for upstaging the other players. "You played a good game", commented one of them. He smiled and thanked them as he headed back to the booth to join Brian and Stan. But before he could sit down, Victoria jerked him backwards. "You've been invited to a private party", she told him. Both Brian and Stan looked up in question. -"Private party? William repeated while sounding enthusiastic. -"Yes", she nodded. "It's just a small gathering of a few high-hats I've socialized with, and you're dressed for the occasion".

     William thought for a moment and then glanced over at Brian and Stan. "You guys don't mind if I go, do you?" he said. -"Nope", Brian replied. "I don't mind either", Stan said.
-"You two are more than welcome to attend as well", Victoria said to them. -"No thank you", Brian said. -"Same", Stan added. "Well, suit yourselves", she said. "I was hoping I could get some people to liven it up for a change". -"Maybe I can", William joked. -"I hope so", she sighed. "It's usually a flat tire, and I'm constantly pretending to listen to what they have to say". -"Sounds like a real humdinger", he remarked. -"You don't know the half of it", she laughed.

     Justin had been sitting at the bar, and watched as they left together, and then he turned back around and downed a glass of moonshine. "Not bad", he complimented the bartender. -"Miss Thompson is the one to thank for that", he said. -"Is that so?" Justin said. "Well, after all, she made it", the bartender replied.