TEN YEARS, The Kenny Ackerman Story BOOK TWO~ FUTURES, by Melly O'Hara

FRITZ

CHAPTER 8 FRITZ

Lying in our freshly made bed, our dinner trays, filled with the half  eaten dishes from our evening meal, that were now cast aside and resting haphazardly on the bedcovers; we lay bathed in the warming glow from the bedside lanterns. As my head reclined on his torso, my fingers tracing the patterns his sparse, black  tufts of hair scattered on his sun kissed chest; I waited for him to speak.
Inhaling deeply on his cigarette, his voice low and gravely, he began.

"It weren' more  'an  a couple o' hours after ya left me, Jas, that my's relaxin' were interrupted by another bangin' at the door. Naturally I told 'em ta 'Fuck off'. After all, I'd earned some rest after all that I'd seen the night before. But the voice were a persistent little shit head an' claimed to be sent from the Council, with orders ta bring me ta 'em immediately. So's o' course I told the voice ta 'Fuck off' , again, an' that 'He could tell the Council that they could shove their orders up their ass'. Polite as could be. An' I lit me another smoke an' continued my's relaxin'. 
Ten minutes later the door were unlocked an'  there musta been 'bout ten o'  'em armed Military Police rushin' in here with that  'chubby guy' from the Council.
Ya know the one, Jas. Sorta short, fat, slicked down black hair, always prancin' around in his finery an' even more o' a selfish pig than the rest o'  'em?" he asked, turning his head to look at me.

I shook my head. " The Council doesn't dirty its hands with mere underlings, such as myself. We're just the help", I answered scornfully.

"Well, I were amazed that he could even walk this far", Kenny grinned. "An' I figured that the Council mus' have a perdy big bug up its ass, I mean apart from it not havin' no more Royal family ta leach onta! 'Specially if they's was goin' ta all this trouble ta get my attention. So's I jus' lay back an' enjoyed the show; watchin'  'Councillor Chubby ' puff an' pant, goin' all red in the face as he screamed orders at the Military Police ta get my clothes, put  'em on the bed, an' confiscate my weapons. While the rest o'  'em jus' stood 'round the bed, their rifles cocked an' aimed straight at me."

" Ackerman! Get your lazy-God -forsaken -ass out of that bed right now!" He bellowed, his piggy face furious that I showed no fear," Even if you are just an interloper that has wormed his way into the Council, you should know by now that any order given by the Council holds the same weight as one given by the Royal Monarch. And is to be obeyed, immediately!" He finished, his beady eyes looking at me with both malice and desperation.

"Well, ain't that sorta the problem here?" I asked disdainfully, my face darin' him ta jus' try an' make a move! " That we ain't got NO Monarch, no more?! So therefore ya orders mean diddly squat!" I laughed.

Immediately the energy in the room changed, as the Military Police searched each other's faces for confirmation o' what I'd said. Mouthin' ta each other, 'Is that true?' 'Whaaatt?!' Until Councillor Chubby, his face reddenin', panic in his eyes as he looked at the soldiers questionin' faces, finally regained control.

Raisin' his voice 'bove the din o' the murmuring an' flappin' his arms in front o' him, as if he could squash their doubts jus' by wavin' ' his arms he yelled," Insubordination to the Council will not be tolerated, Ackerman. I don't know where you've gotten your information from, but you are severely mistaken about Paradise having no Monarch. And, last time I checked, it was YOUR duty to guard and serve that Monarch. You have five minutes to dress and appear before the Council. If you do not, consider yourself a traitor to the Crown. To be arrested and executed."

Guess they all knew that if'n I really wanted ta, I coulda sliced 'em open in less  'an a minute. Guns or no guns!"Kenny smiled, arrogance written all over his face. "That were jus' for show, an' ta make Councillor Chubby feel betta. But it were apparent ta me; that ONLY me an' the Council knew that the Queen were dead an' the Royal family gone.  An' I didn' know if it were a lie or not, 'bout there still bein' a Monarch ta serve. So's I dressed. The Police carried my guns an' Silver Lady and we's all walked back up ta the Palace, the long way 'round; the sun shinin', the birds singin'. An' me with a gun in my back.