An eerie silence hung over the tavern when they came back into the room. John smiled widely and spread his arms, "Come on, excitement's over! Let's get back to the party!" The ice broke and everyone started talking at once--the sound of conversations drowned out the thumping from the storage area.
The bartender was busy serving out pints of Victoria Bitter and scotch--neat, of course-- for a while. Everyone was much calmer, and Hando's yells were fading from the back room as he tired (or so everyone thought). Suddenly the lights came on and the stage was brightly lit to reveal the band. All eyes turned to look at the six men on the stage, astonished to find them here, as they tuned their instruments.
"Are you all having a good time?" Cheers went up and glasses were raised as the music began. "Tune into the 90s, open up my windows, welcome whatever comes through..." the song started and everyone stood frozen in their places as the velvet voice soothed whatever ailed them.
Michelle walked up the steps of the tavern and smiled as she heard the music coming from inside. She had arrived just in time for the party!
"G'day love, fancy meeting you here..." Colin's voice caused her heart to flutter. She turned and saw him leaning against the low outside table. He stood and slinked an arm around her waist and they stepped inside. They stood stunned for a moment, watching the band perform. Maximus and Syrena waved them to the bar and poured them a round of drinks.
"This looks like quite the party!" Michelle said over the music as Colin pulled her to the dance floor.
Syrena watched Michelle and Colin on the dance floor wishing that Max had better moves than a Roman general but forgiving him his inability to dance to rock and roll.
She gazed across the room loooking at everyone who was there--Quite the crowd, she thought, when suddenly her eyes alit on a familiar face. "Ahh, I know he can dance," she grinned. "You just hang here, Max. I'll be back in a bit."
Max nodded and turned back to the bartender to order another drink. Syrena beelined it to the figure sitting silently near the wall with his chin in his hands. She tapped him on the shoulder, "Hey, Alex, how 'bout a dance?"
He looked up, confused at first, then his eyes brightened and he rose. "I'd be honored, doll," he smiled and, taking her hand, led her to the dance floor as the band segued into a slower song.
Alex swung Syrena gracefully around the dance floor, his hand resting against the small of her back, her right hand featherlight in his fingers. He gazed down into her eyes, causing her to blush slightly and glance away.
Colin pulled Michelle closer to him, pressing her body against his. The music played soft and slow around them, as they gazed deeply into each other's eyes.
The band switched to another slow song and the couples remained together on the dance floor as the others watched the band and conversed over their drinks. No one knew what was unfolding in the other room.
Whilst the festivities continued in the main room of the bar, Hando sat fuming with the inert Sid in the back room. He was sure the door was locked, but since when did a locked door daunt him. WIth an expression of angry consternation, he struggled against the chains that bound him until his muscles screamed and he could feel the sticky warmth of blood where they had chafed his skin.
He rolled to one side and noticed a shiny object lying in the corner--suddenly he remembered the character module. They'd left it in the room when they locked the door! "This is it," he said to himself. He slithered slowly across the room to where the module lay and struggled to grip it blindly with his bloodied fingers. With the module in hand, he made his way painfully across the room to where Sid's body lay, knowing that the nanomachines in Sid's silica makeup would react to the small piece of technology--"Once he's awake, we can plan our escape and revenge."
The slow song ended and the audience applauded as the band introduced themselves and greeted everyone. "And now we'd like to play a song for this lovely couple here in the front..." The lead singer pointed to Alex and Syrena.
The music started and Syrena and Alex stood slightly stunned as a tango began to play. Syrena looked to the stage, and Alex threw back his head, chuckling. "Shall we dance, doll?" Alex swung Syrena into a full tango, pulling her across the floor. Syrena fell in against him, and the intensity in their movements grew as everyone looked on.
Hando struggled on the floor, his hands firmly fettered behind his back, the chains cutting into his flesh and the blood making everything slick. His fingers fumbled with the character module; the cold hard floor pressed into his chest and face making it difficult to manoeuver. The chains were wrapped tightly, cutting the circulation off in his extremeties--he couldn't feel his fingers anymore.
His hopes fell when he heard a tinny sound as the character module hit the concrete floor and bounced across the room. The sound echoed in the small room, and he knew all was lost when he heard the module fall down a drain in the far corner. He rested his head on the floor, feeling the cold seeping straight into his brain, and was suddenly overcome with the desire to sleep. His mind wandered, and for a moment he thought he was back in his lair, relatively safe, much warmer, and with the warm body of Gabe beside him.
With those thoughts in his head, he drifted off to sleep forgetting the chains and the coppery scent of his blood in the cold air.
The tango ended with a flourish and everyone applauded the dancing couple, who bowed politely as they stepped off the dance floor. The group gathered around the stage and chatted with the band members as they took a short intermission.
"Any requests??" The question was thrown out after several minutes.
"You mean, the fun ain't done yet?!" Peaches laughed as Cort swung her around in circles.
"Not remotely!!" John chuckled as he poured another round of drinks at the bar. Maximus and Bud helped spread the drinks around as everyone settled in for another set of great music. The two troublemakers in the other room were but a memory as the party continued into the night.
