Characters:
Narrator
Julian McGuiness
Macy Hayes
Alexis "Lexi" Grayson
Matthew Lansberg
Tommy Potsdam
Stella Decker
Paige

Narrator: Babylon. Scrape the bottom of the Parlortown bucket and Babylon is what you'll find underneath. Scrub hard enough and you might just notice that stuck in with all the grime and scum of the city is one of it's shining jewels: Macy Hayes, of the Decker & Hayes Detective Agency. Likely she'd be smiling up from amid the muck, gladly knitting a toaster cover. That what she'd done for the past year and a half, and likely it's what she'd still be doing if she hadn't gotten an unusually hopeful offer. A CIA official, Matthew Lansberg had shown up the day before with Lexi Grayson, Macy's old partner back in Russia with the Company. A job they'd done back in the mother country hadn't gone exactly by the book, and now the big boys were chomping at the bit to find out what really happened. So much so that they'd offered to get Macy out of jail if she lead them to the truth. It was for exactly this reason Macy had cajoled Julian McGuiness into coming in and serving as her lawyer. She trusted him to get this right for her, even if he hadn't practiced in a while.

McGuiness: It's a little more complicated than my days back with the DA, but everything appears to be in order to me, Mace. You sign this paper, and you're granted immunity for anything you tell them about.

Macy: Of course, anything bad enough, they'll just shoot me on the spot.

Lexi: Very funny.

Lansberg: Not really.

Macy: What about my release? What does it say about that?

McGuiness: It's a little fuzzier on that. Obviously it says upon signing, you'll be turned over to Lansberg and Grayson for the duration of the case, but as to your ultimate release, it appears to be hinging on "the case being settled to the satisfaction of the supervising official."

Lansberg: That would be me.

Macy: So, my fate hangs on your whimsy?

Lansberg: Absolutely, and if you have a problem with that, you can stay in here for your full sentence. We can do this without you; it'll just take longer and get our hands a little wetter.

Macy: Fine. I'll sign. Give it here.

Narr: Julian lay the paper down in front of Macy and offered her a pen. After she signed, he followed suit, and held the paper out to Lansberg. He didn't look at it, staring instead at Macy.

McGuiness: All we need is your signature, Mr. Lansberg.

Lansberg: I need a show of good faith, Miss Hayes.

Lexi: I told you, Matthew, Macy is -

Lansberg: A convicted felon, and I'm not going to sign that paper unless I have some kind of indication that she's going to play ball.

McGuiness: What exactly do you want?

Lansberg: Nothing you can offer me, fruitloop. I want you to tell me why I'm here, Miss Hayes. What is it that you have in your pretty little head that's worth releasing a 'cold-blooded killer' like you back onto the streets?

Narr: Macy was silent. She met Lansberg's stare, holding her own in his gaze, but eventually looked away to meet Julian's eyes. Her look said it all to him- she had no choice. He nodded.

Macy: I believe it has to do with a mission we went on in 1988 regarding Comrade Nicholai Ilyich Smerdyakov, millionaire arms dealer and former Russian general.

Lansberg: Excellent, and what was this mission?

Macy: We were sent there to kill him... but until you sign that paper I'm going to have to leave you hanging as to whether we succeeded. I'm fairly certain assassination is still a crime in some countries.

Lansberg: You see, Miss Hayes? You were a cold-blooded killer long before you ever met Mr. Cross.

Narr: Lansberg snatched the contract out of McGuiness's hands and signed it, tossing the pen down onto the table afterwards. He rose and the guards outside the room opened the door.

Lansberg: Bring her around to the car, Agent Grayson.

Macy: Nice boss you got there.

Lexi: He makes a rough first impression... but I think he'll grow on you after a while. I can't imagine not working with him anymore.

McGuiness: I couldn't be happier to see the back end of him.

Macy: Oh really, Jules?

McGuiness: Mace... not in that way... Uhg.

Macy: Julie, I need you to do something for me- don't tell Stella what happened here. I mean, she knows I'm working on something, but... don't tell her I'm out, don't tell her I'm with these guys. I don't want to get her hopes up. Tell her I'll contact her when I can see her again.

McGuiness: No sweat. Client/lawyer confidentiality. I get it.

Macy: Alright, I'm ready Lexi.

Lexi: I'm sorry, Macy, but we need to do this formally.

Macy: I understand, Agent.

Narr: Macy held out her hands, and the guard fastened cuffs around them, and then attached them by chain to her ankles. In this way, escorted by the guard and Agent Grayson, Macy shuffled out to the black Range Rover Matthew Lansberg stood waiting besides. The ride off the Babylon grounds was heavy with an awkward silence. Eventually, Lexi offered Macy a soda, and Macy accepted. A few minutes later, she was unconscious. When she awoke, she did so slowly, still expecting to be in her cell. She found herself in a square room painted all black, with no furniture except the chair to which she was taped. Duct tape fastened her to the seat around her forearms, chest, and legs. There were no windows, but the ceiling lamp was on. Macy could only see one door. She knew it wouldn't help, but she began shouting.

Macy: Hey! Hey! Help me! (pause) Is anyone out there? Hey! HEEEY! (pause)

Narr: Macy could hear faint sounds of movement, but given her situation, she didn't really think that was a good sign. After a moment, the door opened, and Lansberg and Lexi entered, closing the door behind them. Lexi was carrying a black satchel.

Lansberg: I'm so glad you're finally awake. We've been waiting.

Macy: What the hell is this, Lansberg? I said I was going to help you!

Lansberg: I doubt you would have given us the help we really need. Regardless, you'll still have the chance. We really do need what you have- if we didn't, you'd already be dead.

Narr: Lexi knelt down near Macy's feet, laying the satchel on the floor. She gently pulled off Macy's left shoe, followed by her sock. She then took a pair of pruning shears out of the satchel. Lansberg smiled at Macy, the most personable expression he'd had since she'd met the man. It didn't suit him.

Lansberg: Let's get right down to it. Tell me something I don't know about your mission to kill Smerdyakov.

Narr: Lexi positioned the shears around Macy's left pinky toe. Macy was sweating.

Macy: When... when we went in to kill Smerdyakov... when we were in his office, gun to his head, he offered us five hundred thousand dollars... which... which we took, before killing him anyway.

Narr: Lexi cut off Macy's toe.

Macy: AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

Lansberg: I'm sorry, Agent Grayson already told me that one. Let's try this again- I said something I don't know.

Narr: Lexi moved the shears to the next toe. Meanwhile, across town, Macy's other half was working on an investigation of her own. Stella had taken the case of a man named Derrick Washburn, a rich blonde with a odorous story about his son going missing. He came to them because he wanted to have Macy, a former Company Girl, working on his case. He was obviously behind the times. Stella was just coming downstairs from the apartment into the office, having lay in bed all night awake. It was a regular occurance on days when she'd visited Macy. Sometimes living in the shadows of Parlortown could make her forget what the sunlight even felt like. Once she remembered, it was difficult to go back to the cold. Tommy Potsdam, her secretary, was already at his desk, probably had been for hours.

Tommy: Good afternoon, Miss Decker.

Stella: Morning. I miss anything?

Tommy: Still no answer at the number Mr. Washburn gave us. I'll keep trying, of course.

Stella: Good boy. Keep up the good work. Anyone else call?

Tommy: Paige called, said she had information for you. She tried to get me to write her a check, but I told her I make no payments until your sayso.

Stella: Excellent. That girl is worth every dime she costs us.

Tommy: Personally, I think she overcharges us. I don't like that girl.

Stella: You're not fooling anyone, you do to.

Tommy: Now, see here, Miss Decker, I tell you I find her disturbing! She's just a little too gleeful about breaking the law for my tastes, and I think... well, I think she knows more about us than she lets on! (whispering) I think she may dig up information on us all in her spare time just for fun!

Stella: You think she has a listening device planted Tommy? Hey, Paige! Give me a call, I need that Info!

(The phone rings)

Tommy: (Flabberghasted) Uh- yes- Hello? Decker and Hayes? ... Yes... she's right here.

Narr: Tommy put his hand over the receiver and mouthed the words "It's her!" to Stella. She, in turn, jerked her head towards her office, indicating she'd take the call there. When she got behind the closed door, she picked up the line.

Stella: Hey there, Paige.

Paige: What's gotten into Tommy?

Stella: Ah, you know the boy. He rattles easily.

Paige: Someone should tell him spending every night at a coffeehouse is ging leave him all nerves, that or switch him to decaf.

Stella: So what have you got for me?

Paige: I hacked the info for Mr... Washburn's credit card. It appears he's been staying at the Hotel Arizona.

Stella: The Arizona? That dive? What would a shiny fellow like Washburn be doing in a hellhole like that piece of junk?

Paige: Well, for one thing, making nightly payments to a very discrete company that happens to be an alias for a certain escort service.

Stella: Please, tell me it's Mama Wang's.

Paige: Today is your lucky day.

Stella: Oh THANK you! I could kiss you, girl!

Paige: Sounds good, but could you have Tommy deliver it for you?

Stella: I'll have him bring it with your check.

Paige: Oh, you don't need to bother with that- I'll just charge it to your Visa. I'm a bit strapped for money right now, need the payment quick.

Stella: And you have my Visa number how?

Paige: It's been a pleasure doing buisness with you. Have your boy call me. Please.

Stella: Yeah, thanks.

Narr: The line disconnected and Stella was left alone with her thoughts. It was onlyjust after two- Mama Wang wouldn't be in until four at the earliest, so she was lieft with a little time before she could proceed. She considered hopping in the pick-up and swinging by the Arizona to check they layout. She'd heard there'd been some remodeling since last time she'd been there, but she still couldn't imagine it was anywhere near the type of place a slick gentleman like Washburn would soil his expensive shoes. She was just grabbing her keys off the desktop when Tommy's voice broke her silent thoughts in two.

Tommy: Miss Decker! Miss Decker, quick!

Narr: Stella sprung through the door out into the front room, not sure what toe expect, but with a hand resting gently on her gun, just in case. It seemed someone had already beat her to the punch. There was blood smeared all over the door to the ouside, and splatted all over the carpeting, as well as Tommy's shirt. He was besides the woman who appeared to be losing this blood, lowering her gently onto the couch, supporting her weight. The woman was unconscious, and Stella knew her well.

Stella: Tasha?

Tommy: I... I think she's unconscious Miss Decker! She just... she came running in here, bleeding all over the place and didn't even say a word, just collapsed into me when I got to her side!

Stella: Jesus, she's been shot right in the gut... call an ambulance, Tommy, now!

Narr: Tommy dialed 911 and was put on hold. Parlortown had more than its share of emergencies.

Tommy: Is she going to die, Miss Decker?

Stella: Laying here bleeding out sure isn't improving her chances.

Narr: Stella shrugged off her shoulder holster and tore off her overshirt, balling it up and pressing it into the woman's wound, trying to staunch the bleeding. The white shirt quickly reddened.

Stella: Come on, Tasha, don't you die on me! You've got to hold on.

Tommy: Do you know her, Miss Decker?

Stella: I used to... Haven't seen her since, Jesus, maybe '88, back when I was with the Blades. You can't just vanish for eighteen years and ten show up to die, girl!

Tommy: She was a friend?

Stella: No, Tommy, she's my Ex, now get us help, NOW! I am NOT going to let her Die!

Narr: Who is Tasha and what was her relationship with Stella? What happened when Macy was sent to kill Smerdyakov? Will Stella stop her ex-lover from bleeding to death? Will Macy follow suit? Be sure to return for a look to the past in the next episode of Decker & Hayes... "1988".