THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE

CHAPTER 4: JAMES

Even though we met surfing the ocean waves, it felt like I'd known James my entire life. He could have easily been my high school friend, a frat brother. There was a time, when he and Rebecca were separated for a while, that we partied hard nearly every weekend. James seemed to know all the secret places in the city, and not just ours. He had connections everywhere. We often hit up casinos, bars, underground rave parties, strip clubs, go on weekend trips, to festivals, techno clubs, illegal fighting rings or poker games - you name it. Grace wasn't always thrilled with his lifestyle or the fact that he sometimes dragged me along, but one thing she always knew was that I was faithful to her, no matter what. After an intense period of self-discovery (which included an ayahuasca trip in the Amazon) James eventually calmed down. He and Rebecca got back together and stayed that way ever since. After that, our things became more relaxed: dinners together, movie nights and such. Those were some unforgettable memories.

"Yooo, Marc my man, what's up?!"

James called out as he gave me our usual handshake and flopped onto the leather sofa, crossing his legs on my coffee table.

"Wanna grab a drink tonight?" I wasn't really in the mood, but it was Friday night after all.

"Yeah, I don't know, I'm not really feeling it, and I still have a ton of work to do."

"Uh come on, it's the weekend! You can still work on Monday. It will only be one drink, I promise!" he said, trying to convince me.

I knew he was right, and I also knew he was only trying to help. He'd really been there for me after everything that had happened.

"Okay, but only one drink!"
"Wohooo!" he squealed like a teenage girl, grinning with that crooked smile. His dimples still made him look like a little boy sometimes.

We took a self-driving Youber to our usual bar "The Fox", about twenty minutes from my place. It was already quite packed with a mix of humans and bots. "The Fox" was a small, cozy spot with dim lighting and pleasant music. What we both liked most about it was that the bartenders were human, and they had an old-school pool table with real balls and cues—not those electronic versions you see everywhere nowadays. You usually had to wait a while for your turn at the table, but that was fine. We headed straight to the bar to order some drinks. Mike, the bartender, already knew what were having – I stuck to my gin tonic and James had a screwdriver. As we sat down, Mike started chatting with us.

"Hey James, some guy came looking for you earlier tonight", Mike said as he wiped down the bar. James raised an eyebrow.

"Who?" he asked.

"I don't know who he was, he just said his name was Astrix. The one thing I noticed was his neon tribal neck tattoo."

"Huh, I don't know anyone like that. Cool name though." James responded, but I couldn't tell if he was being honest.

He did have some business going with some sketchy people back in the days, so it wouldn't have surprised me if Astrix was someone from his past. We went on with our night, forgetting about this Astrix guy. As I should've known, 'just one drink' quickly turned into several, of course. We played a few rounds of pool, talked to some ladies and even danced a little. We were both tipsy by the time three or four hours had passed since we arrived at the bar. The thought of a microwaved pizza and a comfy bed was starting to sound quite appalling.

"James, I think I'm gonna head out," I said, feeling the weight of the night catch up to me.

"Are you sure, man? Don't you wanna hit another club, just for old times' sake?" James laughed.

"Nah, I'm good. But knock yourself out," I said, chuckling along.

"No, man, alone is no fun. Besides, Becca is gonna twist my neck if I don't head home soon."

"Alright, let me get us a Youber."

Just as we were grabbing our jackets to leave, I spotted him - Astrix. The guy Mike had mentioned earlier was standing at the entrance, eyes fixed on us. His cold, stoic face was a bit intimidating, I must admit. He was Asian, with a tightly tied bun and a black suit, his neon tribal neck tattoo glowing under the dim bar lights. The moment James saw him too, we both knew there was no turning back.

"No way to avoid this now, I guess. Let's see what this dude wants". We approached him.

"Mr. James Donovan?" Astrix asked, his voice sharp and direct.

"Yes, how can I help you Mr...?" So James didn't in fact know this guy.

"You can call me Astrix. May I speak with you in private, Mr. Donovan?"

James hesitated for a second. "Ah, sure, but my buddy here, Marc, is coming with us."

"As you wish."

We returned out jackets to the wardrobe, and James headed to the bar. After a quick exchange with Mike, the bartender handed him a key. James gave me a quick nod.

"Let's go,"he said, leading the way.