The Swirled Bear Bar was full of shadows and patches of light, dark wood and Tiffany glass. Under the golden glow of a hanging lamp Ronnie Cox considered the pool table with a leisurely kind of concentration. Cue in hand, he circled the table until he reached the place where his glass of scotch was balanced over a corner pocket. He paused, took a nip, and glanced around the room.469Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmU6LR2k33E
Spotting someone who'd just entered, Cox waved and made a come-on-over gesture. "If there's one thing worse than solo drinking, it's solo pool-shooting," he said. "Come and join me in both, Hikaru."
Hikaru Sulu moved over to the table. "I don't feel much like playing, Ronnie."
"Really? I've been seriously considering allowing you a chance to win back the fifty smackers you lost when last we met here in the convivial atmosphere of The Swirled Bear."
Hikaru shook his head. "Didn't you hear me? I'm not much in the mood."
"Eight ball, five bucks a game?"
"No."
"Ten dollars a game?"
"Ronnie, I'm serious."
"So am I," said Cox, returning to his drink. "I'm dying of a broken heart at the moment, and what would pull me back from the brink of suicide----or worse---is a friendly little game of pool."
"Have you been drinking?"
Cox considered. "Maybe I have been, Hikaru. In fact, it could explain why I feel better than I ought to."
"Maybe I need a drink." Sulu turned and made his way to the bar.
Cox proceeded to rack up the balls, chalk up his cue, and nearly finish his drink.
Sulu came back with a double scotch. He got out of his sport coat and hung it on a nearby rack. "Okay, we'll play."
"Now, that's more like it!" Cox placed the cue ball, then leaned to make a shot.
"How come I never get to break?"
"No reason." With a bow, Cox stood astride. "Go for it."
Setting his drink aside and selecting a cue, Sulu approached the table. After more than a minute of scrutiny, he executed a terrible shot, muttered, and stepped back.
Cox shook his head. "You usually aren't this lousy," he said. "Have a hard day at the astronaut shop?"
Sulu found his drink, gulped at it. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Well, just 'cause I'm one of NBC's best-loved news guys, doesn't mean you can't confide in my. Y'know, originally I was planning to be a preacher, and if puberty hadn't caught me unawares, I might be wearing the...."
"It's serious, Ronnie."
"So was puberty. Boy, that first summer, I...."
"The thing is, I don't really know what the hell's going on," said Sulu, leaning on his cue. "The numbers came up screwy. So I ran a double check, and then I told Dr. Jeffries. He acted---you know, he seemed pissed off that I'd found out what I did. He said it was just the console malfunctioning."
"Was he right?"
Sulu frowned. "Well, maybe. He must know what he's doing," he said slowly, not sounding at all convinced. "Anyway, those numbers couldn't have been right."
Ticking his empty glass against his chin, Cox asked. "If it's just a stupid mechanical malfunction, why the hell are you so bent out of shape by it."
"It's the way Jeffries acted that's bothering me. He kinda acted like I was a dumb kid getting a free tour of the place. Humored me, almost patted me on the head."
"Tell me some more about these cockeyed numbers, in English, if you please."
"What makes it weird," said Sulu, "is that the signals couldn't have come from 300 miles away. Right?"
"Now, just what kind of signals are we talking about, my friend?"
"The television transmissions," explained Sulu. "They don't seem to be coming from the spacecraft of from Mars. They seem to be coming from Earth."
"You sure about this?"469Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFx2iBqmsX
"No, not really. But if that's the case----Ronnie, I don't think we saw a man land on Mars today. I really...."469Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe00pIKVKIe
"Yo! Ronnie! You got a call," the hefty bartender called across the crowded room.
Cox put both hands on Sulu's shoulders. "Okay, ya got me hooked. Stay right here, Hikaru. I want to hear all the details of this thing." He trotted away, making his way across the room and up to the bar. "A lady?"
"Nope. Can't tell who it is." The bartender passed the phone to him.
"Cox."
"...... bull attacks our intermittent ballot...… under the.... cap...."
"I'm sorry. You'll have to speak up, we've got a yucky connection. Who is this?"
".....WINDS THE.....INTERMEDIATE RECRUIT.....SUBSIDIZED FAITH!....."
"Okay, I can hear you now. But what are you trying to tell me?"
".....winds the combining generator......The adviser smokes!"
"All right," said Cox, his patience clearly gone. "I don't what your game is, whether you're just trying to be funny, or what. But my advice to you, friend is----get some goddam help!" He hung up. "Jesus!"
"No romance?"469Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xpDVAWo12
"Romance, hell!" Cox said. "It was some weirdo spouting gibberish. Gimme another scotch, please." As the bartender did that, Cox drummed his fingers on the bar.469Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5TA4q09pr
His fresh drink in hand, he came back to the pool table.
"Hikaru?" Cox scanned the area. The young Japanese-American was nowhere to be seen. "He wouldn't have put on his coat to go to the john."
Sighing, Cox began his new drink. Maybe Sulu would come back from wherever it was he'd gone so suddenly.
He never did.
ns 15.158.61.50da2
