The Downward Spiral pt.1

The Downward Spiral

By Mike DeMarco

[Henri's Quarters]

Lieutenant Henri Russo sat on the edge of his bed apprehensively. Being transferred to the new ship had been wreaking havoc on his ability to sleep. After another night of exhausted tossing and turning, Henri had awoken, sweat-soaked and with an aching head. He grasped his forehead as he experienced another pulsing shot of pain. The lieutenant surveyed his derelict quarters with disdain. The gloomy room was trashed despite being issued only days before. Clothes lay strewn across the floor, broken replicator dishes lay in piles, the chair that normally stood at the table was toppled, and next to his nightstand, a mundane picture frame lay shattered.

The picture inside was of a decorated soldier in his mid 30's with a child on his shoulder. The unfamiliar room had become a wasteland in Henri's state of neglect. He contemplated visiting sickbay for a headache treatment, but then thought of another remedy. He rose from his bed slowly and groaned as the nagging sting in his head got worse. The young military officer slipped on his uniform and stalked into the hall in search of his self-prescribed medicine.

[Mowgli's Pub]

Henri staggered into the gloomy bar and stopped as he crossed the threshold. A few unfamiliar, gaunt faces stared back at him shortly, before returning to their previous business. The smoke filled bar reeked of industrial cleaner, vomit, and burned out cigars. From the walls hung posters of defunct sports stars and celebrities; all long dead. "At least they were great once." Russo thought to himself as he observed their familiar faces. While Russo approached the bar, the stout alien barkeep made himself visible. Henri sat at the stool closest to the exotic bartender and raised his hand to speak.

"Hello again. You seem to like drinking alone." The bartender said as he dug into his pockets, "If you are going come back here every night, then it would seem to me that introductions are in order. The name's Mowgli." He added with a voice like fish oil. After rummaging through his pockets for a few seconds more he withdrew what looked like an old-time key. "I got something you might like better than this other crap." He said, waving the key in front of Henri and leering, as if the lieutenant should know what was to come.

Turning to a locked cabinet, Mowgli unlocked its redwood door and drew a small glass bottle from within. Henri noticed the greenish color of the liquid inside as the bartender placed it in front of him. "No, actually I wanted-" He was cut off by the bartender in a harsh whisper
"No, this is what you want. I just colored it to allay suspicions."

Henri gave the alien dealer behind the bar a quizzical look to which he replied smugly, "Don't believe me?" He smiled and drew a glass from above the bar. Pouring some of the murky green concoction into the glass, the bartender slyly pushed it to Russo. The hesitant Lieutenant took the glass tentatively and put it to his lips. Throwing his head back, he drained the small portion in the glass and seized forward, accidentally dropping the glass onto the bar. The glass bounced precariously and was snatched up by Mowgli's surprisingly deft hands. "You like it?" he said, with a toothy grin, sure of himself and his product.

Henri opened his mouth but no words came out. He coughed once and nodded, regaining his vocal faculties. "I think I'll take some more" he said, unsure of himself or his choice. His head throbbed in pain again. After the wave of discomfort subsided he looked into the smiling alien's eyes and nodded, silently asking for more of the liquid. Mowgli filled the same glass, this time with more of the volatile liquid before turning to replace to bottle in the locker. Henri stopped him and uttered the disjointed sentence "Naw... you... leave it..." pointing at the bar. The Bartender's smile got larger as he thought of the profit he would reap.

**later***

Henri sprung awake to a loud knocking on the bar. He looked around in a daze to see the sly figure of the barkeep staring over him, cleaning a glass with a rag. The lieutenant rubbed his eyes and pulled his head off of the countertop. His attempt to speak was fruitless "Wha... I... how long?" The foreigner laughed and said "Only a few minutes, though I'm not sure how much of the drinking you remember." He laid the glass down and drew a small bottle that once held colored Romulan ale. "You drank the whole bottle."

"You gotta be kidding me!" Henri said, gaining a little lucidity as he sat upright in his seat with a concerned stare. "I couldn't have... I'm on duty in-" The bartender cut him off again.

"-In 2 hours. Don't worry about it. You were only conked out for 3 and a half hours." He laughed, "I wouldn't let you miss your shift. You're one of my best customers! Without your bar bill, surely I would go out of business!" Mowgli laughed again, this time drawing the stares of the few blank faces left in the bar. "Speaking of payments...." He said, hissing as he uttered the last word almost as if it pained him to mention it. "You're going to have to pay for that stuff... no matter if you remember drinking it or not." another smile crept to his face.

Henri looked at the bartender in a sort of dazed glance. "Ok... I'll pay... Just send the bill to my room...." He rose from his seat and stumbled, grabbing onto the barstool for support. The sudden movement sent a jolt of pain through Henri's head. Tentatively, he put his weight on his feet and released the barstool. As he recovered his footing his head began to twinge slowly again.

Looking at his new 'friend', he said "Do you have some for the road?" After uttering the last word, Henri coughed violently, aggravating the headache. Immediately, the arrogant alien drew another small bottle from under the bar. He placed it on the bar top and looked at Henri gravely. "You'll have to pay for this too, you know?" Henri nodded slightly and made an unintelligible noise of acceptance towards the smooth talking alien. Mowgli slid the bottle towards Henri, who grasped at it ungracefully and walked backwards away from the bar slowly. "Just send the bill-" the lieutenant said, before being cut off for the third time that night. Mowgli smiled and said mockingly,"-to your room. Already done lieutenant. Drive safe."

[Henri's Quarters]

Dropping his uniform onto his littered floor, Henri sat heavily on his bed. He opened the drawer on his bedside table and attempted to stash the incognito Romulan ale. The bottle slid from Henri's hand and crashed to the floor, spilling the contents. Staring at the mess he had made at the foot of his bedside table, he noticed something glint on the ground. He focused his full, yet hazy, conciseness on it and frowned. Grasping the damaged, ale-soaked, photograph from beneath the shattered glass and wood, he realized what it was. Henri held the picture to his chest as he shifted his weight to lie down. Prostrate in the quiet, dark room alone, he began to sob quietly over the picture of the decorated soldier, his deceased father.

To be continued next Monday. I hope you ladies and gents enjoyed part 1. If you have any questions or comments.... leave a comment!

~Mike

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