Star Harbor Nights

At one end of the bar, iron-bellied machine men crunched chunks of coal from dishes while quaffing high viscosity oil. At the other, a group of pale, gaunt men sipped goblets of a nice, full-bodied red… something. A golden haired damsel with a high conical hat explained to a disappointed-looking amphibian that she simply never kissed on the first date, while a pair of shapeshifting doppelgangers unwittingly chatted each other up, each secretly planning to kill the other and usurp their identity. The stage which had held so much attention the night before was nowhere in evidence, as its performer--the darkly beautiful Trinity Night--was then at her day job.

Johnny Dark's years of practice and almost superhuman precision usually allowed him to seem almost relaxed while fulfilling the many and varying needs of the club's many and varying patrons. At this moment in time, however, he found himself somewhat distracted by his less-than-efficient waitress, the striking and singular Miss Jolie la Belle.

It seemed... as was often the case... that Jolie's date the night before had not gone well, and... as was also often the case... she had turned to Johnny to unload.

"But after a while, I noticed that a lot of what he was saying could apply to anybody... like, he was just using some standard lines he had memorized or something. So, I closed my eyes and asked him what color they were," she said. "And... he couldn't tell me!"

"Well... to be fair," Johnny began, spreading his hands in a diplomatic gesture.

"I mean, you talk to me almost every day... you'd know what color they were if I asked, right?" Jolie said.

"No need even to ask," Johnny said quickly. "It goes without saying."

"See?" Jolie cried triumphantly. She turned around and grabbed the first guy she saw... which happened to be a dazed and groggy Ray Vallenzio... and put the question to him as well. "Hey, Ray... if you weren't looking at me, you could tell me what color my eyes were, right?" she asked insistently.

"Uh, sure," Ray said. "If I... wasn't... looking."

"That's two," Jolie said, throwing up her hands. "I guess it just must be him. You know, a lot of girls would think being blessed with indescribable beauty would make it easier to meet a nice, attentive guy..." she ranted, stalking away from the bar.

"You know, somebody really ought to try explaining that to her," Ray said.

"I have tried," Johnny said. "Many times. Sleep well?"

"No," Ray said. "How... uh, how long was I out?"

"Just since last night," Johnny replied.

"Really?" Ray asked, blinking in surprise. "Damn, I feel like I was up there for months."

Johnny gave him a dirty look, which he returned with puzzlement.

"You got some kind of coffee back there?" Ray asked. "No, on second thought... give me something flammable. I need to wake myself up in a hurry."

Johnny retrieved an unopened bottle of pure grain alcohol, twisted off the top, and handed it to Ray. He took a step back as Ray threw back his head and drained the bottle in several immense gulps, then let loose a quick gout of flame.

"You can put that on my tab," a smooth voice said from behind Ray as he put the spent bottle down on the counter. He turned to see a fine-featured, red-haired man in a flashy white suit who looked vaguely familiar. That wasn't surprising to Ray... of course, he wasn't always comfortable in the Sands, but he'd spent enough time there over the years. Still, he wasn't at all certain that the club was where he knew the figure from.

"Morgenstern," Johnny said icily.

"Dark," Morgenstern returned, pointing his forefinger and dropping his thumb in a pistol salute. "Need to borrow your superhero for a minute or two, 'kay?"

"Raymond, if you take my advice..." Johnny began.

"Oh, when does he ever?" Morgenstern said, grabbing Ray's forearm and leading him away. Ray gave a questioning look back over his shoulder at Johnny, but allowed himself to be lead. "Now, Mr. Vallenzio... I have it on the very best authority--that being my humble self, of course--that you suffer from a most pernicious version of what is commonly called 'women trouble.'"

"Only my gynecologist is supposed to know about that," Ray said, taking his arm back. "I think you'd better tell me what you want with me."

"Oh, just to talk a bit," Morgenstern said. "About a mutual acquaintance of ours... who once went by the name Serena."

Ray's eyes went wide.

"We can't talk about her here... or anywhere," Ray hissed, though he knew whispering wouldn't make a difference. "She can see... she can hear... anything, and saying her name is like sending up a signal flare."

"Believe me, I know how that works," Morgenstern said, with a slight roll of the eyes. "But... do not worry. For as long as you're in my presence, she will forget why she's interested in watching you, and when we part, she will not remember that she'd forgotten."

"That's impossible."

"Marvelously so," Morgenstern said. "And yet, do you not imagine she would have already appeared if she knew I spoke against her in her own domain? If you believe nothing else I tell you, believe me when I say that for the moment, you are of no consequence to her... which, after all these years, must be a very freeing feeling."

"I suppose it is," Ray agreed. "She hates me..."

"Yes," Morgenstern agreed. "But she also loves you, fears you, and fears for you... but only one of those facts is the least bit relevant to anybody--once again, I refer to myself here--of any importance. She fears you, because as Seeress, she knows the shape of her own doom... and knows it will come from you."

"Right, the woman who's 'closest to my heart' will be her undoing," Ray said. "She reminds me every time she sees me. When she first became the Seeress, she was sure that meant she'd destroy herself... but..."

"She's pretty well shut the door on that possibility," Morgenstern said. "That was a big mistake... she cannot actually witness her own death, so that cryptic little prophesy was all she had to go on. As long as she left the most obvious interpretation open, she could guard against it. In fact, it might have turned out that she would live out her years and kill herself at some ripe old age in some completely innocuous manner, if she'd managed to stay in your heart. Instead, she's done everything in her power to make you hate her... which doesn't counter the prophesy, only makes its fulfillment an open question forever hanging over her head."

"You seem to know an awful lot about this," Ray said.

"I know," Morgenstern said, with a small laugh. "Suspicious, isn't it?"

"You're not really doing anything to set my mind at ease," Ray said.

"No, nor do I intend to," Morgenstern said. "As you've got little choice but to trust me, I see no reason to go out of my way to convince you."

"What makes you think I've got no choice?" Ray asked indignantly.

"Oh, I didn't say no choice, I said little choice," Morgenstern said. "It wouldn't be any fun if you didn't have any choice... but given that the two choices you're faced with are both wildly unpalatable, I think you'll end up taking what I have to offer as a third alternative."

Unbidden, Ray's thoughts turned back to Serena's words the previous night.

"Against my advice, you gave your heart to this girl, and perhaps too late, you seek to take it back. I have warned you that misfortune will fall upon those whom you unwisely love, and though it pains me to say so, this shall likely come to pass... but in her death, she will save the world from certain destruction. However, because you regretted your actions, you will be given a chance to save her... and in doing so, damn the world. Marvel at how kind the fates are, to give you a choice."

"There are forces at work in the world tonight, forces which you above all others may prove a hindrance to. For this reason, they will fear you, and for this reason, they would destroy you... if I let them. Now I must go down into my club and have words with a certain raven. You will remain up here and wait upon my pleasure. In the morning, you will go. When the moment comes, your decision will come in the form of your actions."

"Right," Ray said, shivering despite his supernatural body heat. "Unpalatable. So what's this third choice?"

"Something that ends with the world intact and your lady-love alive," Morgenstern said. "Beside those two points, everything else is... details."

"I've entered into bargains without knowing the details before," Ray said. "I got burned."

"As soon as you've moved away from me, Serena will become acutely aware of you once again," Morgenstern reminded him. "Any part of my plan that you know, you may accidentally reveal through the smallest slip... let me just say that, when the moment comes when the choice is upon you... and you will know it when it comes... do nothing."

"That's it?" Ray asked. "When faced with letting someone die because I fell for them, or letting the world be destroyed, I do nothing."

"That's right," Morgenstern said. "Just let things play out."

"What happens if I do?"

"Something that ends with the world intact and your lady-love alive," Morgenstern repeated.

"I don't love her, you know," Ray said.

"Oh, yes, of course... you took that potion," Morgenstern said, waving a hand dismissively. "But certainly, you wish her no ill... and as much as I'm sure that you don't wish to see the world destroyed, I'm also sure you don't wish to see a human life thrown needlessly away."

"And what do you get out of all this?" Ray asked.

"The world is not enough?" Morgenstern asked. "Don't concern yourself over much with the matter of my price... you've got little to your name that I'd be interested in taking. However, if, after the final resolution of this matter is known, you have taken my choice and are satisfied with the outcome... I will ask a small favor."

"So, you won't tell me what the details of your plan are, what the outcome will be, or what the price is," Ray said. "Gee, can I think about this a minute?"

"For all practical purposes," Morgenstern said, "you may take all the time in the world... but when the moment comes, your decision will come in the form of your actions."