Sean Mallory suddenly awakens, richer, more successful, and 15 years since he remembered going to bed. Thugs he doesn't know demand something under threat of death, the deleted memories of their underworld boss. He has 48 hours to deliver the goods...
The next few days were a great change of pace for me. Frank and I determined that a little self maintenance was necessary. Bogey had been repaired and we felt we owed it to ourselves to chill out a bit and relieve our anxiety.
We had enjoyed staying at the Red Lion Inn earlier that week. The rooms were nice, it was located across the street from the beach, and the food was tasty. We decided that a few days there not dealing with criminals would be just the ticket to better planning and better mental health.
It was around sunset, the day after we checked in, while we were sitting on the beach looking out at the ocean, that we finally felt normalized. We still hadn't found a lab where I could re-insert my memories. Not for lack of trying or for lack of research. We were simply a bit paranoid about the places that were available, certain that they were being watched. We knew it was something we'd have to address sooner or later, but it didn't seem really important at that particular moment, on this particular day, during this particular sunset.
As we sat on the beach, we puffed on a little bit of weed and took particular pleasure in just chatting.
"It's nice to just talk, isn't it Frank? It's a shame Bogey's not here, I've gotten kind of used to him."
Frank pulled out his phone and dialed a number, Bogey answered.
"Hello Frank what can I do for you?"
Frankie smiled, "Bogey's got an access number, not a phone number mind you, but an access number. Hey Bogey, we were just talking and thought you might join in on the conversation. You're on speakerphone."
"That is very thoughtful, Frank."
I laughed, "I was just about to ask Frank about his life, since we've spent so much time focusing on mine. So Frank, is there a special someone in your life, do you have a lady friend?"
Frank blushed a bit, "Not at present, I kind of like Jackie, I always have, but I'm not sure if she feels same way."
"Why not? She seems very nice, good looking, smart, a bit intimidating, seems like a good match."
"Well, I've liked her ever since she helped me start to set up my bar, but I've never asked her out. She was living with a lady friend at the time and I didn't know if she was, like you know, interested in men. I didn't wanna sound like an asshole, so I didn't ask her and I didn't ask her out because I didn't want to get rejected."
"For God's sake Frank, just ask her. I mean do it in a way that doesn't insult her, just say 'I really like you, but I know you were living with your friend and I didn't know whether you went out with guys.'"
Frank shook his head, "That's horrible! That is the worst dating request I've ever heard in my life. If I were her and you asked me that, I might very well hit you over the head with a grapefruit."
"May I make a suggestion?" Bogey asked.
"Go for it," Frank replied.
"Just ask her on a date without any frills. If there is a reason she does not want to go, she will tell you. If there are gender issues, I am sure she will let you know."
"How can you be sure she'll let me know?"
"Is it logical, I would."
"But she's a woman, you're a car, a male car."
"No, I have a male voice. I do not have a sex. I do not believe I have a gender either. Although if I did, it would be asexual, possibly gender fluid, since I am not biased towards one biological sex or the other."
I turned to Frank, "It's settled then, when this is over just ask Jackie out."
It was Frankie's turn to laugh, "All right, I agree, when this is over I'll ask her out and let the chips fall where they may. Speaking of this being over, what do we do now?"
"I've been thinking of that, and I think I have an idea. It's time we went on the attack."
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It was our discussion about Jackie that gave me the idea. While I did have my issues with Preston Miles, my main concern was surviving. As long as I had the memories that Miles craved, there was no chance he would leave me alone. In my mind, the only answer was to get the memories back to Miles without giving him an opportunity to kill us.
It was a good thing, that as psychopaths go, Preston was a pragmatic one. He most certainly wanted his memories more than he wanted me dead, so if I could manage somehow to ensure it was in his best interest to keep us alive, he might begrudgingly allow that to happen.
The first order of business was to contact Jackie. Not only was she integral in my plan, but her laboratory and bar were vital to any chance of success we might have. I was forthright to her about the dangers and thankful when she agreed without hesitation.
Contacting Miles was next on my list. Luckily Bannister had called me, so I had his number on my phone. Actually, truth be told, he'd been trying to reach me for the past two days and I had simply chosen not to answer. It was no surprise that when I did call Bannister, he answered with great relief.
"I'm glad you've finally come to your senses. Miles is not too happy, but he'll forgive you this time. Forgive and forget and all that stuff," Bannister said anxiously.
"Listen Bannister, I know you're in deep shit with Miles so don't pretend like you have any type of control over this situation. If Preston wants his memory back he'll do it on my terms."
"What terms are those Sean?"
I decided to assert control of the conversation. "Listen carefully I'm only going to say this once. I will bring and insert the memories into Miles under the following conditions. First, Miles, his two goons, and you will meet me at Jacques Dive Bar tomorrow at 2 PM, no sooner or later. I will not have the memory crystal on me. I will check to ensure that none of you have weapons. When that has been determined, we will go to the laboratory and the procedure will be performed. Our meeting at the bar and the procedure itself will be recorded on security cameras, so if anything happens to me there will be no doubt who did it."
Bannister paused for a moment and then said in a sinister tone, "What's to prevent him from coming after you at a later date?"
"Right now, one day at a time is fine. I just want to get these crystals out of my hand."
"You'll be running the rest of your life!"
"Hey asshole, do you want to do this or not, or do you want me to contact Miles personally and tell him that you decided to scare me off instead of giving him his memory back?"
Bannister knew he'd poked me a little too hard and quickly backpedaled and apologized, "I'm sorry, sure that's fine tomorrow at 2 PM, Jacque's Dive Bar. See you there." He hung up.
I took a couple of deep breaths. So far, so good, I thought. I went back and joined Frank, explaining what had happened. He didn't seem overly happy, but deep down we were both relieved that this might soon be over.
