so, where is the Duke, anyway? (part CXXXI)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part CXXX.)



The neon sign on the top of the Roosevelt Hotel across the street lit up the darkened room. Hiro sat quietly listening to the traffic below on Hollywood Boulevard. The double-hung windows opened to allow some relief from the oppressive Los Angeles summer night, the hum of the ceiling fan on full speed.

On the desk a mahogany box--that looked a little like a radio--spoke. "The airframe of the shuttle is hidden in the lake. The superstructure is out past Mojave."

Hiro poured some of the whiskey in the lone bottle into his glass. His second one. Neat.

"Are you sure this is the focal point?"

"75% probability according to our models. Mickey Cohen will buy the Codex or attempt to take it. In several time lines he sells it to Parsons and/or JPL."

"And the FBI?"

"In every timeline, Hoover is obsessed with stopping 'Commies' and breaking up sex cults."

"And he thinks our friend Jack is both. Who has the Codex now?"

"A second-tier smuggler down in San Pedro. Locals call him the Turk. Seems to have picked up the Codex from some other contraband in the port. There is a doctor in Hancock Park to whom he sold the book. But he hasn't delivered it."

There was a pause. "The Turk is seeing a woman, who knows a little about the Codex. And, well...you need to know her name, Hiro. She is a complication."

"Oh?"



"Her name is Elizabeth Short."

Hiro sipped his whiskey. A siren sounded from the boulevard below.

"Seems vaguely familiar, how is she a complication?"

"She is the Black Dahlia victim."

Hiro finished his whiskey. He had shapeshifted into a human form a few hours before. The sweat on his neck glistened. He stood up and reached for his white cotton shirt on the back of the chair. He stopped and paused. His muscular back tensed, in a sweat-soaked tank-top undershirt.



"You have to be [f**king] kidding me. Of all the broads in Hollywood, she's close to the Codex?"

"In all timelines," said the GSU William Gibson AI.

Hiro sighed. "How much time do we have?"

"Three days. Hiro..." The ship's mind said patiently, "Hiro, you can't get into this fight. As tempting as it is. All this drama, bad characters who need to be vanquished, innocents saved...you can't do this. You need to get the copy of the Codex and get back to Gearhaven."



"But is her...is her situation related to the Codex?"

"Likely, but not sure...we need to start systemically. We need to figure out what the principals really know."

Hiro finished fastening his cuff links and adjusted his suspenders. "Okay, you're coming with me. Need to put you in the big briefcase."

"Really, I am okay here..."

"No, I need your help in real time."



The AI sighed. "Okay, my advice is, we start downtown. The doctor drinks at the Jonathan Club on Thursdays, and plays cards before heading out for other activities."

"J-Club huh? High-end place, right?"

"Highest end, I have forged a letter of introduction from the Seville Club in London as a reciprocal connection to get you inside."

"Think that will work?"

There was a pause. "I do doubt it Hiro; as we have seen in Caledon and elsewhere, you are...as they say...'unclubbable'..."

Hiro thought about tossing the AI into the street and having nothing to do with this storyline. But he knew he would be stranded in this reality bubble if he did.

"Okay, let’s go see this doctor."

Hiro closed the large leather briefcase after placing the ship's mind into it. "Try to be quiet in there..."

"Try not to kill anyone too quickly, sir..."

"Let me run the ops, you do the homework, buddy."

(Continued in part CXXXII.)