The Girl They Sold to the Moon (23 page)

During her last show, she saw something that caught her attention. Sitting in a private booth off to the left of the stage, four people toasted each other, reveling in some type of accomplishment. Not so unusual, but they were all wearing white tennis apparel, unlike the rest of crowd who wore casual to formal dinner clothes. It could only mean that the group possessed special privileges outside and above the dress code, which wasn't significant in itself. But it did mean that the tennis courts were open for night play, and Tilly or Fia hadn't considered that. It spawned an idea.

When Tilly arrived at her room, Fia was sitting at the dinette table studying some items. Fia waved her over. “Take a look at these and tell me what you think.”

Tilly saw two documents; both of them were Arizona state I.D. cards, belonging to two females. Both were brunettes, one younger, one older. As far as the physical description and ethnicity, Tilly could never have imagined a better match. The younger of the females was 21 years-old. The frontal face shots were not even close.

Tilly gave her a triumphant grin. “How in the hell did you manage that?”

“Believe me, I searched during my whole shift for them. When I found two gals sitting at a table by themselves, I asked for extra identification, in order to accept their credit wafer. I also questioned the younger girl's drinking age. They literally dumped the contents of their purses on the table. I pretended to read them and toss them back in the pile. Instead, I palmed them.”

“They didn't notice?”

“It was during the second show. They were so drunk they couldn't have seen their hands in front of their faces. Trust me, it was a clean snatch.”

“Hmm…they don't look so much like us. You did remember the hair, though.”

“Easily solved.” Fia pulled a postcard from the top of her suit and set in on the table. It was a tourist card featuring a line of six burlesque dancers. One of the faces was an obvious cutout, and it belonged to Fia.

“Where did you get that taken?” Tilly asked.

“Right outside Nemo's Lounge. Look at them side by side. Notice how precise the face dimension is next to the state I.D. It's perfect. A little cut and splice, some glue and a second lamination will complete the illusion. You'll have to get one.”

“I didn't know they allowed us to buy those.” She would have to tell Buddy that the ID problem was solved unless he had something extra.

“They don't allow wards to send them in the mail, but you're allowed to keep it on the property.”

Tilly pulled out Buddy's note and took a seat. She read it slowly aloud.

“Dear Tilly,

Sorry I haven't been to watch your shows, but I've been busy scoping out the back end of the casino. I found the blue fire door—X marks the spot. Real easy. I stood watch for about four hours to see if anyone used the door. No traffic. It's pretty isolated. Two other main traffic doors open up to the tennis courts and a small refreshment stand. Those are used by the guests. Counting the camera above the blue door, I found a total five that are line-of-sight to the parking lot. That includes one at the parking lot exit. Once off the property, we end up on a small lane which has sparse traffic. I think it's reserved for the card-carrying members of the tennis club. No guards stationed in that area.

“As far as taking out the cameras, that's the easy part. I got the sequence down and ran a couple of dry runs to check my timing. It'll take me two minutes and fifty seconds to knock out the eyes in the sky. I have an air-compressed pistol that shoots a pellet strong enough to crack the lenses. Don't worry. I'm a crack shot, remember? It'll be bit tricky; I'll have to know the exact time to start plinking, and then be ready to pick you up in the parking lot. I'll be in a silver, three-passenger electric, Suzuki tri-sled, probably the only one in the parking lot. I haven't seen more than a dozen vehicles in the parking lot at any time. So it looks like it will be an easy scoop.

I guess that's it. I don't see any problems or have any questions. It will help me to know if you're planning on disguises. I might need to know what you look like.

That's about it for now.

Double love and kisses back.

Buddy”

Tilly and Fia exchanged looks. “This is going to work,” said Fia. “He's really got the plan down. If there's any foul ups, it'll probably be on our end. Have you decided on any disguises yet?”

“Yep. Tennis outfits. They keep the courts open at night.” She explained about seeing the tennis players in the special booth. “I've seen white pleated skirts and latex sports tops in wardrobe. They're so lightweight; I can fit them in my hygiene bag. I'll slide the wigs down inside my suit.”

“Tennis shoes?”

“We can use these. I've got some pancake makeup that'll cover the blue. They can pass, as long as nobody stares at them.”

Fia hunched her shoulders. “I can't think of anything else, other than you getting your picture taken and then me finishing the IDs. Too bad we didn't have some insurance.”

“What do you mean insurance?”

“Like a distraction or something. Maybe an incident that could pull the guards away from the north wing.”

Tilly chewed her lip. “Maybe I can take care of that for us. Consider it done.” Her expression turned grave. “Fia, we're going to have to work fast. I saw some workers stripping down the machines in the room. They might go live in that area in two or three days. We don't need a lot of eyes on us near that blue door.”

“Okay. First thing tomorrow get your picture and bring it to me here. I'll need to get these ready pronto.”

“Jesus. We might have to make our target date tomorrow night.”

“Kind of looks that way doesn't it? Curfew is 12 midnight for wards. We're going to have to do this after our shift and before midnight. That'll give us a good length of time before they know we're gone.”

“That leaves us an hour to get ready and get everything in place.”

Fia grasped Tilly's shoulders, looking at her straight in the eyes. “We can do this!”

They gave each other the victory slap.

After gulping down a cup of hot coffee in the commissary, Tilly headed straight for the small tourist photo shop next to Nemo's Lounge. The line stretched for a dozen yards, but she waited patiently. She paid the 20-imperials and stepped behind the cutout. She gave it her best smile. Snap. Photo in hand, she hurried back to her room where she found Fia hunched over the dinette table, putting the finishing touches on her ID card. Tilly handed her the postcard.

Fia brought the card up to her face, then made a side by side comparison with the Arizona ID. “Good one,” she said. “It'll fit right in there.” She handed Tilly her own finished ID card. “Tell me what you think. I heated up some shrink-wrap I borrowed from the commissary. Kind of a half-assed lamination.”

Tilly admired the work. “It's perfection, considering what you had to work with. We're still going to be out of place with no Omnicomps.”

“Yeah, I thought about that. Just the chance we'll have to take. We'll think of some excuse if we're stopped or asked about it.”

“Yeah, like we took them to the repair shop or something. What's our exit time?”

“Tonight, at 11:45 PM. That's when we hit the exit door. You'll have about 20 minutes to gather our outfits after your shift. We'll change out and paint the shoes in the bathroom. No matter what, we have to meet up together in the bathroom at 11:30. No later. That means nothing can stop us, or it's a bust.” Fia went to work on the Tilly's ID. She used a razor edge to begin the cut on the photo. “Don't stand there. Draft up the letter to Buddy.”

Tilly nodded, blew an excited breath. She gave it a lot thought, choosing her words. She did not want to come off as panic-stricken, but knew this would be the last communication with Buddy. When she finished, she read it aloud.

“Dear Buddy,

By the time you read this, things will be set in motion. We plan on working our shifts tonight then making the big break. We will be out the magic doorway at exactly 11:45. You say you will need about three minutes to poke the eyes out. That would make it 11:42 to start the ball rolling, or the pellets flying, in your case. Look for us to come through the garden path and into the parking lot. We'll be wearing white tennis outfits. Both of us have dark wigs—Fia's will be longer than mine. I think that's all you need to know. Oh, a change of clothes would be nice if you can find them. Maybe some workout sweats or cotton jumpsuits. Something comfortable and easy to put on.

We have hard-copy ID, but no Omnicomps. It wouldn't do us any good without our DNA cubes and bio-history wafers anyhow. I suppose you have some place to take us. Damn it, we never had a chance to discuss it in the notes. It's too late for that; it will have to come later. It
has
to be tonight. I hope to see you before the stroke of midnight.

Waiting for hugs and kisses.

Love,

Tilly”

Fia gave her the thumbs up. “Why don't you get some rest, sweetie. It's going to be a long night. As soon as I'm finished up here, I'm hitting nap time.”

Tilly didn't argue with the suggestion. She walked to her bed and curled up, holding the air pillow against her chest. It took her awhile to settle down and relax. When she finally felt drowsy, she lapsed into a semi-dreamlike state. She saw an image flash in her thoughts. She, Fia, and Buddy were on the run. She couldn't tell if they were being chased. She could see the lazy wave of palm trees in a warm, sultry breeze that smelled of flowers and salt air. The place looked like freedom.

It made no sense to keep her hygiene items in her bag, so Tilly transferred them to Fia's larger satchel. It would give her more room for the tennis outfits, and possibly one of the wigs. Their ID cards were finished and stowed in their gear. Their room wall clock read 6:30. Tilly took a last look at the room, especially the balcony, and stepped outside with Fia. They had decided to keep the key cards to the room just in case. Although if they were caught in the act of escaping, it was likely they would be trading in a casino room for a prison cell.

Once inside the elevator and on the way down to the first floor, Tilly's curiosity got the better of her. She gave Fia a playful finger thump on the shoulder and said, “You never did tell me how you're going pass these chips through a sensor. Give.”

Fia patted her satchel. “I've got the remedy right here. I guarantee it'll work. I heard it from a very high authority…a very drunk authority, but a professional nevertheless. And don't look at me like that.”

Once out of the elevator, they entered the main casino floor. Tilly squeezed Fia's hand and said, “Good luck.”

“Same to you, kiddo.”

They parted company when their aisles led in different directions—one to the Davy Jones Lounge and the other to Nemo's. Tilly checked the casino clock, timing her steps. She didn't know why, but she expected something to go wrong when she reached the palm trees. Nerves. But Buddy was waiting and caught sight of her. He made his casual stroll toward her. She almost dropped the note when they passed each other. Buddy's quick reflexes saved it with a quick catch. She turned her head, giving him a grateful smile, unable to calm the shakiness in her legs and the lightheaded feeling.

The rehearsal hall bustled with activity when she entered. There seemed to be a lot more people running around than usual. She almost expected something to be out of place, something not quite right. Then she realized that she was imagining things, conjuring up negative vibes.
For God's sake get a hold of yourself. Calm down. You're looking suspicious and rattled. There's nothing wrong here
. She took a few deep breaths and stretched, did a few high kicks.
Anything to relieve the tension
. Sue Lin was absent, so Tilly had another dancer help her with the feather applications. She was almost late hitting the curtain.

It was a welcome shock finding Buddy in the audience. Something inside of her kicked back into gear, just knowing he was there for her. Her confidence came back. She felt invincible. Nothing could go wrong, and nothing went wrong with her first show. After her bow, she blew Buddy kisses and then hurried back to the rehearsal room. She checked on the wigs and the tennis outfits. They remained untouched. She figured to pack them up just before her second show.

Sue Lin was still absent from the rehearsal hall. Tilly began to remove the feather applications herself, finding it difficult to break the adhesive bond. The ones on the back of her arms posed the most difficulty.

“Let me help you with that,” said a nearby voice.

Tilly turned to see Candy pull up a chair next to her and grab some alcohol swabs from the counter. The redhead took over the work on Tilly's arms, expertly softening up the stubborn adhesive.

“You're not getting ready for your act?” asked Tilly.

“Not tonight. I only have one show—the last one from eleven to twelve. Seems they wanted to try the new girl out in my spot. I'm surprised you didn't notice the ballet act just before you.”

“I've uh, had a lot on my mind lately. I wasn't paying attention.”

“Can't say that I blame you, what with that little stud cake in the front row. Boyfriend?”

“I'm kind of leaning that way. Actually, more like
falling
that way. His name is Buddy. He makes me feel like I own the world.”

“Heh, lucky you. Finding love in this place is as hard as cooling down a twattle filled with Dragon Balm.” Candy laughed, pulling a feather piece free.

“Gosh, you know…” Tilly frowned. “I'm really sorry about that. It was pretty juvenile, and I'm sorry it ever happened.”

“Shit. I started it. It was my fault. You really might have broken your leg, and I feel awful about smearing up the floor with oil. I knew what I was doing.” She started on the other arm. “Nice show tonight. It's the first time I've watched you all the way through your routine. You're smooth, with some real nice moves. You can get brutally sexy when you want to. Great transition from one to the other.”