Once the airlock door closed behind him, Foster lifted the
shades of his headphones and turned the dial on the left ear of his phones
until it switched from blue to green. His music gave way to a song playing in the club. He couldn’t make out much of what lied in the darkness beyond the
dance floor but the dance floor was packed with people. Every dancer had lights
wired into their clothing that built patterns of light in time with the music. The
more dancers synced to the same song the more insane the patterns became. So
while there were probably two hundred dancers on the floor, each person using
their bodies and an expression of faith, the patterns of light and color united
them, a visual prayer to gods they could only hear on the dance floor.
The DJ was all the way on the far side of the dance floor,
standing on a stage against the wall. He was lit from below by tiny blue
spotlights. He wore a white leather trench coat. In the back of his coat he had
white spot lights that were aimed at the wall making it look like he had grand
wings of light, like and angel. Thick wires protruded from the shoulders and
neck of his coat. They led to the clubs speakers and sound systems. His face
was obscured by a Neon white armored mask that covered his nose and mouth and
wrapped around his neck. He had a separate pair of impossibly neon white
sunglasses that completely covered his eyes. Even if he could have seen his
face.
Foster would have had no clue who the DJ was. He took a seat
at a small table and was immediately greeted by the waitress, her outfit would
have been plain if it had not been augmented by sound reactive lighting. Her
dress danced for her even when she could not. The volume of the music in the
club required her eyes to speak for her, she gave a welcoming smile and Foster
nodded, she nodded back and gave a tiny curtsey before sure left him alone again.
Foster sat and watched the dancers and listened to the
music, until a more formally dressed associate arrived at his table. He saw her
mouth moving but heard only the music. He reached up and turned his left ear
dial from green to red, causing the music of the club to fade away and leaving
only the voice of the woman in the plain black suit.
She slowly pulled the chair in front of her out so she could
sit. “You are new here.” She said taking her seat.
Foster nodded trying to look calm. “Just came in for a
drink.” He replied.
She nodded. “We have many fine beverages.” She gave a fake,
predatory smile.
Foster nodded slowly. “I am grateful for the hospitality.”
He thanked her carefully.
She waved his thanks off. “Not at all, The shadow Church is
one of the finest clubs in all of Melody.” Her gaze sharpened. “Most people don’t
even know how to find it.” She smiled but it was a warning.
Foster’s eyes darted around the club, over the dancers
praying to music he could no longer hear, trying to spot the guards in the
crowd. “I was following directions given to me by a friend.” He said not
looking back to the woman.
The waitress returned with a drink on a tray. She delicately
picked up the drink and carefully bent over to set it on Fosters table. Foster
looked at his drink and then back to the woman in the suit. She smiled. “You
must be blessed to have such knowledgeable friends.” She complimented him, and
gestured to his drink.
He didn’t break her gaze. “Yeah, I’m a lucky guy all right.”
He sighed.
As if he had a spasm Foster kicked the table at the woman in
the suit. The drink splashed on arms of her suit jacket as she brought them up
to protect her face. Foster scrambled for the airlock door which had just let
other guests in and was slowly closing.
The woman took off her suit jacket carefully as the arms
were smoking intensely. Guards from the club moved to her side. “I want his
head!” She shouted.
Foster barely made it through the inner airlock as the door
closed with a thud.
