ACT 4

On the final day of their journey, Glimmer was quick to leave her dorm and watch the train arrive at Porttown. Until that point, she had no idea what it even looked like. A city? A town? A resort? When the train slowed down at the last curve before stopping outside Porttown, she saw it. It was a town, stacked along a hill with glowing warm lights and made entirely out of wood, brick, and stone– old looking, but somehow modern with the glowing light strips, scrolling ads on the taller structures. From what she could gather, the ads were for the holidays and still had a sense of innocence.

Ryan came out a few minutes before the train slowed to a stop. Not long after he did, Two-Trick was suddenly appearing in the corner of Glimmer’s vision. Sam, the other guard also onboard, was on a handheld device, looking to be texting someone. Glimmer imagines his wife getting updates, or something. Wife. Loyalty. David. Glimmer felt her chest tighten with uncertainty. Two-Trick’s berating and commentary had tormented her since they first met, and now, as they approached their reunion, Glimmer felt nothing but anxiety. She prayed to God that he was good, and wondered what it would mean if he never was.

The platform was covered in powdered snow. A brutal chill slapped both her cheeks as the clamor of passengers started to funnel out to the platform. Armed guards in bright uniforms and scarves watch with bored expressions, smoking as if in conversation in their circle.

Sam was seen talking to the other staff members, apparently more accustomed to them than Two-Trick was, because she was already walking off the platform. Glimmer was underdressed and felt her skin prickling with gooseflesh and increasing discomfort. Where did she need to go next?

After shouldering the backpack, she moved swiftly to chance Two-Trick, hoping she could shadow her long enough to know where to go. She hurried along the slick steps of the stairs, nearly slipping twice before finding the road where cabs, buses, and private vehicles were waiting. Warm and filled with reunion. It wasn’t surprising to see Ryan meeting with a woman with a kiss and an embrace. Married. Unfaithful. Like so many of her other clients.

Two-Trick was standing at the bus stop, hands shoved into her jeans with her noise buried beneath a scarf. A duffel bag was slung from her shoulders, the wicked beast of a weapon stored inside. Two-Trick looked like any other girl. Glimmer shuffled close and stood beside her.

Glimmer stole a few glances at Two-Trick, lost in this world of brick and wood. Around the platform, she spotted Christmas trees with their LEDs off and nutcrackers with broad smiles painted in bright colors.

There are ads in the holoscreen inside the bus stop, a small heated chamber with music twinkling overhead. She attended a “Nutcracker” ballet, hosted at a local theater, performed by a group called “Foxtrot Studios.”

When the bus arrived, the bus stop was filled with a dozen others, and they stepped on board just as new snow started to fall. Still feeling unsure about herself, Glimmer followed Two-Trick and sat behind her as the bus began to move.

Overhead, displays blinked to life, and audio came from the speakers. It was the ballet again. “Foxtrot, for 50 consecutive years, is proud to return to Porttown with a holiday classic at the Nine Bears Inn! Witness the timeless on the 18th of December! With live music, hot chocolate, new souvenirs, and this year's production of shirts, hoodies, and snowglobes!”

Glimmer had never seen a ballet, not live and in person, anyway. Live music was a rarity for the rich, but somehow in Porrtown, from what she’d seen, she doubted that it shared any of the headaches Neon Shroud had. She played with her fingers and rubbed the back of her neck, worried about where to stay.

The drive took 30 minutes, and it graced her with vistas never before seen, not in pictures, not in art. Glimmer saw a frozen lake that she didn’t know the name of. Above, the white sky let snowflakes fall. She saw snowflakes stick to the windows, then melt, as more music came through the speakers. This was so different from Neon Shroud. There was no lingering scent of piss, shit, or stale booze wafting from the cushions. The designs weren’t faded, not even the little forest animals. Raccoons, bears, foxes, and otters.

This was it. This was where she’d find David. Finally. David. She closed her eyes, fighting the smile that wanted to come out. She saw her reflection and thought she didn’t look good enough for the reunion, so a hotel had to come first. Her backpack grew lighter, and Glimmer decided she’d get new clothes too– do something new with her makeup, too. Something festive to match the environment she found herself in.

Brick, stone, and wood– the city wasn’t made of just that. A mix of high-tech slabs of metal, glass, and panels came in, swallowing the bus as it drove into their next stop. Bundles of small families and friends walked the sidewalks, police on horseback stood at guard, while an android swept the powdery snow away with a broom.

The streets were clean, and the garbage bins weren’t overflowing with trash. No homeless or unsavory types littered the gutters. Even the cars were different. They smoked and rumbled with gas-powered engines as they waited at red lights.

Seven days of train travel brought her to a new country. Or so it seemed. Where was Porttown? She searched for a map in the bus's sleeve, but found nothing. She’d been so isolated on the train that she didn’t ask or search for information about Porrtown. But as she saw, this was an escort of some kind.

Glimmer stepped off behind Two-Trick, who hadn’t paid any attention to her, but she walked with purpose, and Glimmer wasn’t going to let her escape. So, again, she followed, getting glimpses of the fantastic place she was now in. The ads had no sex, pleasure, or bliss about them. Just toys, reindeer, and dancers. Holiday deals and times for parades. Festivals at a Piece of Peace Park. She grinned, smelling pastries from a bakery they inched by, manned by people inside, young girls, handsome men, and customers inside at the tables.

Two-Trick stepped inside a hotel and went to the front desk. The girl behind the desk smiled brightly, dressed in a modest suit. “Hello,” she said. “How are you this morning?”

“Hallo, Ich habe eine Reservierung,” Two-Trick said, Glimmer’s visual translator displaying the words before her eyes. “Auf den Namen Merideth Slade.” (Hello, I have a reservation, under the name Merideth Slade.”

Glimmer wondered how much a place like this would cost, but knew whatever funds Pink Heat gave her would cover it, and was thankful for it. Meanwhile, the girl at the desk responded in perfect German, looking giddy at being spoken to in her native tongue. Two-Trick, despite herself, still had an edge to her voice, maybe even rougher in the non-English.

She stepped up next, watching Glimmer go to the elevators as she adjusted her jacket. “Uhm, hi,” she smiled brightly, and the girl behind the table smiled in return. “I need a room for… 7 days.”

The girl’s fingers moved over a holoboard, moving over as she typed it out. “A regular room or a suite?”

“Suite,” Glimmer said, not shy to flaunt their wealth a little. “With any extra services.”

“The suite is perfect for couples! Are you alone?” The girl said.

“No,” Glimmer blushed, unsure again if she was lying. “I’m staying with my boyfriend.”

The girl beamed and moved her fingers along the displayed keyboard. “You have full access to the indoor pool and heated hot tubs outdoors. Your suite has an outdoor patio with a private tub, however. Room service is live until 8 PM, when our robotic staff produces all services. The gym, gift shop, and joint library all close at 8 PM as well.”

The girl takes Glimmer’s card and plugs it into a machine, where a large amount of funds is deducted in a blink. Covered. Secured. Safe.

“Please press your thumb into the scanner; that will give you access to all of these places. Is your boyfriend coming in later today? He’ll need to get his thumb scanned when he comes in to unlock these features.”

Glimmer pressed her thumb to the scanner. First her left, and then her right. “Later. He’s here on business, and might be a while before he comes in,” again, she hoped this wasn’t a lie.

The girl smiled and nodded. “Your room is 177. Enjoy your stay at the Lodge Royale.”

Glimmer hurries to her new room, hauling her backpack and taking the elevator, no longer stressed about following Two-Trick or what to do next. She needs to wash up, relax, and then explore Porttown, hopefully finding David in the process. Even though she didn’t feel like she was up to spec for him, running into him wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen.

All it took was one thumb scan to get inside, and the locks that kept the door shut were state-of-the-art. Heavy bolts, deadlocks, and advanced tech made her feel safe. Not so much isolated as the noise-proof room made it seem like at first, but protected. The suite was leveled with a single step. A kitchenette, a horseshoe-style couch facing the frozen lake, and just above the buildings around the hotel.

The large window was accentuated with a warm orange glare, mimicking the fireplace that lit the moment she stepped inside.

The bedroom had a king-sized bed with a dozen pillows (she counted them to make sure). The bathroom had a spacious shower and an even larger bathtub. The toilet seat was heated and outfitted with a space-grade bidet, even such a thing existed…

The kitchenette was mostly empty, but a complimentary array of snacks, powders, and hygiene packs greeted her as she stepped into the wooden square area. She inhaled, smelling peppermint, unlike the pine scent lingering in the bathroom and more prominent than the vanilla aftertones in the bedroom.

Again, with the goodies, a pamphlet from the Foxtrot Studios advertised the ballet, The Nutcracker. She stared at the printed pictures in the booklet, pretty dancers, dancers in rat costumes, and more dancers on stage. She considered it. “I bet this would be a cute thing to do with David,” she thought, looking at it closely. She checked the times on the suite’s room and found it was sold out. With a little huff, she sets it aside and decides to begin utilizing the suite’s bathroom. She felt grimy and gross after sharing space next to Ryan for that long. She stripped naked in front of the mirror and appreciated her body. Pert, youthful, the lines of augmentation giving her complexion a slight accent. She cleaned, becoming a little patchy, and would shave in the shower. Her nipples and slit were pink. She stared momentarily as the water in the shower heated up. She’d dye her hair a new color, too. “Brown,” she thought. “Something warm,” she whispered, alone as she entered the shower…