Original Fiction: Wormhole Operating System 6.9, pt 3, Dave Gets the Girl

In this episode, Mike considers letting Dave snatch a bikini model out of a cell phone photo! How? That's Wormhole OS 6.9!

“Hey, Dave, what’s up?” Sam said, in a ‘happy to see you’ tone, offering a fist for a knuckle bump.

If you missed the last episode, it's here! To start from the beginning, go here!

Dave brushed past him and waited by the door, “Not much, man, can we just get this over with?”

Fozzi’s was quiet, which typically was great. It meant you got fast service and had no competition for the pool table, but with the cloud of betrayal hanging over the three friends, it didn’t seem so great. Dave wished for a crowd, or at least some noise. He put his debit card in the jukebox and chose a half dozen songs. Maybe they could salvage this, somehow.

While they waited for their pizza, Mike brooded out loud.

“You know, I ought to tell Valerie. Can you imagine that, man? Can you imagine her response when she learns you did not go to an all night florist and have that design copied for her, or that her ring is not a highly expensive copy of Princess Fiona’s engagement diamond? It’s actually just a digital reproduction! Ha! I can. It won’t be pretty.”

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? There’s probably a way we can cut you in,” Dave said, “It wasn’t like it was the plan to keep this a secret forever. Just until we got it established and made sure none of this stuff can be traced from its original source.”

“It’s not Dave’s fault, Mike, it was me. I was just nervous about too many people knowing. I already have cops coming around, same as any resale place, looking for stolen stuff. I just thought, the fewer people that know, you know?” Sam said, apologetically.

Mike was already on his fifth beer. He tipped his mug back and finished it off, then reached for the pitcher.

“No, I don’t know man. I’ve never kept secrets from you guys. You’ve both known everything there is to know since, third grade, since the third frigging, grade man, then you go and pull this shit? What is this, huh? Tell me that! What is this? No, I don’t know, and it’s not all right and maybe you shoulda been….shoulda been worried! Cause I can tell, ya know? People do listen to me! I know people ‘sides you two losers… oh man, I need to pee!”

Mike staggered off to the bathroom as their waiter arrived and slid two piping hot pizzas onto the table. He left extra napkins, brought some crushed red pepper, then left the two men alone at the table.

“You know this is going away, right? You’re going to have to deal with it,” Sam said, taking a slice of pizza, thick choose, string out behind it.

“We just need to let him sleep it off. Odds are tomorrow, he’ll barely remember this and care even less,” Dave said, “Give me a chance to talk to him.”

Sam snorted, “Right. Like the last time when he got us all suspended?”

“Junior year of high school? Are you kidding me?” Dave said.

“Nope, not kidding. He hasn’t changed a bit. But, it’s not up to you. It’s not your antiquities license on the line. It’s not your shop, so it’s not your call. So, you deal with him, like we discussed if a problem comes up, you know what to do,” Sam said, taking a huge bite of pizza as if that settled it.

Mike came back to the table and burned the roof of his mouth with pizza, which kept him quiet for the rest of the meal.

Dave called an Uber, since there was no way Mike was walking seven blocks. When they got back to Dave’s apartment, he put Mike on the sofa, it could wait until morning.

When Mike finally regained consciousness the next afternoon, Dave was sitting on the arm of the sofa, smartphone in hand.

“Hey buddy. Sorry about last night,” he said, “I think I know how to make it up to you.” He turned the phone toward Mike to reveal a beach scene with no fewer than three bikini clad girls.

Mike sat up groggily and took the phone, “All right, man, can I brush my teeth first?”

The sand was brilliant white and the invisible sun beat down on a patch of clear blue water. Two blondes and a brunette lay between them and the ‘frozen-in-place’ waves in skimpy bikinis.

“So, what do you think?” Mike asked. “Think I can handle the brunette?”

Dave smiled, nervously, his eyes resting on a solid piece of driftwood about the length of a Louisville slugger a few feet away, “Sure, buddy, go for it.”

“How do I look?” Mike asked.

“Well, if she’s anything like the bird, it won’t matter until we get her out of this picture.”

“Right, right, okay, here goes nothing,” Dave said, walking towards the girls across the sand.

Dave slipped the phone into his breast pocket and buttoned the flap, picking up the driftwood as he moved in behind Mike. He got a good grip and took a heavy swing, catching Mike right in the back of the head. He toppled forward on the sand and lay still.

“Damn it! I hate that I’m doing this man, but I have no choice,” he quickly pulled out the phone and thumbed it to life, hitting enter on a photo of him on the sofa in his apartment.

As he was dragged into the photo he knew, a huge piece of his soul was not going with him and most of what was left had been sold.

What's to become of Mike? Will Dave leave his friend stranded, or go back? Find out next time!

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