Chapter 18 Chapter Seventeen

"I don't like the dress," said Kerensky. "You look handsome." Dahl reassured him. "No, no," said Kerensky. "It looks like it was put on with your eyes closed. Is it a human thing?" "Don't get me wrong," Duvall said. "It's not like you're going back to our time in these civilian clothes." "These underwear make me itchy all over." Kerensky tugged at his clothes. "I wouldn't have slept with you if I had known you were such a cock," Duval said. "If I had known earlier that you would drug me, kidnap me, and bring me to this backward era without even leaving me a pair of pants, I would never have slept with you." Kerensky retorted.

"Guys," Dahl said, winking at his fellow cabbies, whose cabbies were trying to keep their composure with the odd group of passengers in the backseat of the car, "don't talk so much about backward times." The taxi turned left on Sunset Boulevard and onto Grapevine Boulevard. "So we're pretty sure Mark Curry is still there, right?" Kerensky asked. "Brian said he'll call his friends as soon as he arrives, and he'll let him know when he's gone," Dahl said. "Brian hasn't contacted me so far. Corey should still be there."

"I don't think the plan will work," Kerensky said. "It will work," Dahl said. "I'm sure." "That's for your actors," Kerensky said, "but mine is different." "Oh come on," said Duvall, "if he bears any resemblance to you, he'll be charmed by your charms. He'll be as smug as he looks in a mirror." "What does that mean?" said Kerensky. "Meaning, you can get into crazy narcissism and it's not a problem at all." Kerensky was silent for a while, then said: "You don't really like me, do you?"

Duvall smiled and patted his face. "I like you with all my heart, Anatole," she said. "I mean it. But right now, I need you to pull yourself together. Just treat it as another field mission." "Every field mission I get hurt," Kerensky said. "Maybe," Duvall said, "but you always survive." "The Grapevine nightclub is here." The driver said, pulling the car to the sidewalk. The three of them stepped out of the cab and Dahl paid the fare.There was booming music from the nightclub.A line of bumbling, handsome young men was waiting in line at the door.

"Let's go." Dahl said and walked towards the security guard at the door.Duvall and Kerensky followed him. "Please stand there and line up." The security guard pointed to the group of well-dressed people. "I know, but can you take a step to talk." Dahl stretched out his hand holding a hundred-dollar bill according to Abnett's instructions. "Is your name Mitch?" The security guard named Mitch carefully inspected Dahl's hand, took the dollar bill with ease and shook Dahl's hand. "Okay." Mitch said, "Speak up if you have something to say."

"I mean, these two are Roberto's friends," Dahl said the name of Abnet's bartender friend, and then gestured back to Kerensky and Duval, "he Waiting for them both." Mitch looked at Kerensky and Duvall.Even after noticing that this man looked exactly like Mark Corey, he remained calm.He told Dahl: "Only the first floor. If they try to go up to the second floor, I'll throw them out. If they go to the basement, they won't keep their teeth." "Limited to the first floor." Dahl repeated, nodding. "But you can't go in," Mitch said. "I meant no offense."

"I understand," Dahl said. Mitch motioned for Kerensky and Duval to follow, and then pulled the isolation rope in front of the door.There was a burst of dissatisfied protests from the crowd in line. "You can handle this?" Dahl asked Duvall as she passed. "Trust me, I can handle it," she said. "Keep an eye on your phone." "I will," Dahl said.The two disappeared into the shadows of the Grapevine nightclub, and then Mitch hung up the isolation rope again. "Hey," Dahl said to him, "is there anywhere around here where normal people can get a drink?"

Mitch smiled, and showed him the way. "The Irish pub over there," he said, "the bartender's name is Nick. Just say I introduced it." "Thank you." Dahl said, walking to the other side of the street. The bar was crowded with people, and the music was loud.Dar pushed through the crowd to the edge of the bar and reached into his pocket for money. "Hey, you're Brian, right?" Someone spoke to him. Dahl looked up to see the bartender smiling at him. "Finn!" Dahl said. "My name is Nick," said the bartender. "I'm sorry." Dahl reacted for a while, "My brain suddenly short-circuited."

"Professional risk," Nick said. "People only know the part you play." "Yeah," Darl said. "Hey, how are you doing?" Nick asked. "You look a little—" He waved his hand, "—confused." "I'm fine." Dahl said, trying to force a smile, "I'm sorry, but I can't react to seeing you here." "It's the actor's real life," Nick said, "stepping off the screen and being his bartender. What would you like?" "Beer," Dahl said. "You have courage." "I believe you."

"Famous dying line," Nick said, turning and walking to the barrel.Dahl watched him busy, trying to calm down his mood. After a while Nick came back and handed him a pint glass. "Your order. Our microbrew. It's called 'Little Star Stout.'" Dahl took a sip. "It tastes good," he said. "I'll pass on your compliments to the brewer," Nick said. "Maybe you remember him. The three of us did that scene together once, and he got killed by a swarm of mechanical flies." "Captain Fisher," Dahl said. "That's him." Nick looked at Dahl's glass and nodded. "His real name is Jack Klein. His microbrewery has just started, and he spends it there almost every day. I'm considering partnering with him."

"Aren't you going to continue to be an actor?" Dahl asked. Nick shrugged. "I don't think it's an easy road to go," he said. "I've been in this industry for nine years, and the Dreadnought show was by far the best project I've ever been on, but it's not easy to say. But that's all. I was killed by a mind bomb." "I remember that scene," Dahl said. "That's pretty much the way it is," Nick said, beginning to wash glasses by the bar sink, looking busy. "We did that scene ten times. Every time I had to throw myself backwards like there was a real explosion. Around the seventh time I was thinking, I'm thirty years old, I'm spending my good time playing dead on a show I wouldn't even have set eyes on if it wasn't for me. At some point you ask yourself why you're doing it all. I mean , why are you doing this?" "Me?" Darl asked. "right." "Because all this time I didn't know I had other options," Dahl said. "That's pretty much it," Nick said, "so you keep doing it. Are you still in that movie?" "Right now," Dahl said. "But they're planning to kill your character too?" Nick said. "A few more episodes," Dahl said, "unless there's something I can do to stop this." "Don't stop it," Nick said, "just die in the show, and then re-plan the rest of your life." Dahl smiled. "It's not that simple for some people," he said, taking another sip of his beer. "Like paying off a debt or something," Nick said. "Something like that," Dahl said. "That's the way life is," Nick said. "By the way, what brought you here? I remember you saying you lived in Toluca Lake, how did you end up on the vines in Hollywood?" "I have a few friends who want to go to the Grapevine nightclub," Dahl said. "Didn't they let you in?" Nick asked.Dahl shrugged. "You should have told me sooner that I have friends working as security there," Nick said. "Mitch." "it's him." "He's the one who sent me to you," Dahl said. "Oh," Nick said, "sorry." "Never mind," Dahl said, "I'm really glad to meet you here again." Nick smiled, and went to greet other guests. Dahl's phone vibrated.He took out his cell phone to answer the call. "Where are you?" was Duvall's voice. "I was in a bar down the street," Dahl said, "and something strange happened. What happened?" "You gotta come back here. We just got kicked out of the nightclub," Duvall said. "You and Kerensky?" Dahl asked. "What's the matter?" "It wasn't just the two of us," Duvall said, "but Mark Curry. He hit Kerensky." "What?" Darl was shocked. "We went to Corey's booth and as soon as he saw Kerensky he yelled at him, 'You're the bastard on board!'" "What's a slapstick net?" Dahl asked. "Don't ask me, I'm an immigrant, too," Duvall said. "And then we all got thrown out, and now Cory's sleeping soundly on the side of the road. He's drunk to a mess by the time we get there." "Move him somewhere quiet, find the parking slip in his pocket," Dahl said, "and then you all get in his car and wait for me. I'll be there in a few minutes. Don't get arrested." "I can't guarantee it." Duval finished and hung up the phone. When Dahl answered the phone, Nick had already returned. "Any questions?" he asked. "My friend got kicked out after a little trouble at the Grapevine nightclub," Dahl said. "I have to meet them before they call the police." "You had a good time tonight," Nick said. "You can never imagine," Dahl said. "How much should I pay for that beer?" Nick waved his hand. "I'm treating you," he said, "so you'll have something to do tonight." "Thank you." Dahl finished, hesitated for a moment, looked at his phone and then at Nick. "Can I take a picture of the two of us together?" "You're a little weird now," Nick said, still smiling and leaning closer.Dahl picked up his phone to snap a photo. "Thank you." Dahl thanked again. "You're welcome," said Nick. "You'd better go away, or your friend will be taken away if you're late." Dahl walked out of the bar quickly. Two minutes later, he came to the entrance of the Grapevine nightclub and saw Duval and Kerensky wrestling with Mark Corey next to a glossy black car, Mitch and another parking attendant on the side watch.Those pretentiously beautiful men and women took out their mobile phones and took pictures of the whole process without stopping for a second. Dahl hurried over. "Man, what the hell is going on here?" Mitch asked him. "Your friend hasn't been in there for ten minutes, and then he got into an altercation with this guy." "I'm sorry," Dahl said. "It's weird to pretend to be someone else," Mitch said. "Our friend just wants to go in and meet Mark." Dahl pointed at Kerensky and lied, "He is Mark's stand-in, and sometimes he will appear in public instead of Mark. We heard that he is not safe outside. It’s divided, so I want to come and take him back, because he has to act in a movie tomorrow.” "He was fine until your friend showed up," Mitch said, "and why did the guy have a stand-in? He was just a side character on sci-fi TV on the basic channel. He wasn't really famous at all." "You should see his scene at the comic show." Mitch snorted. "It would be nice if he was willing to go there, because he's already been blacklisted here," he said. "When your friend comes to his senses, please tell him that if he dares to let that face dangle in front of me again." , I'll kick his ass hard and make him start warping beautifully." "I'll pass it on to him verbatim," Dahl said. "Remember it for me." Mitch finished, and turned to continue his work. Dahl walks over to Duvall. "What the hell is going on?" he asked. "He's drunk, and now he's a rotten piece of meat." Duvall struggled to carry Corey, "but he's just a little sober enough to fight us." "Can't you handle a drunk?" Dahl asked. "Of course I can," Duvall said. "But you told us to stay out of trouble and get arrested." "Come and help me, will you?" Kerensky said.A drunken Cory was poking his nose with his finger. Dahl nodded, opened the door of the black car, and laid the back of the front seat flat.Duvall and Kerensky got a firm grip on Cory and threw him into the back of the car.Cory was hanging there half-hanging on the backseat, head in, buttocks sticking out.He grunted for a moment, then let out a long breath, and fell into a coma again. "I don't want to sit with him," said Kerensky. "No, you don't have to sit with him." Dahl agreed, then got into the car, took the wallet out of Cory's pocket and handed it to Kerensky, "You drive." "Why me?" asked Kerensky. "In case we get caught by the police, you can impersonate him," Dahl said. "All right," Kerensky said, taking the wallet. "I'll pay for the parking," Duvall said. "Leave more tips," Dahl said. It took Kerensky a while to figure out the function of the letter D on the gear lever.Then the four of them left the Grapevine Nightclub in a car. "Be careful not to speed too much," Dahl reminded. "I don't know where to go," Kerensky said. "You're a navigator," Duvall said. "It's a highway," said Kerensky. "Wait," Duval said, taking out his mobile phone, "This thing has a map function, wait for me to start a navigation." Kerensky muttered and continued to drive. "Well, tonight is really exciting," Duvall said, typing the hotel's address into the phone's navigation system. "Is there anything fun over there?" "I saw an old friend," Dahl said, showing Duvall a photo of him with Nick. "Oh!" Duval exclaimed, taking the phone.She leaned forward and grabbed Dahl's hand. "Oh, Andy, are you okay?" "I'm fine," Dahl said. "He looks exactly like Finn." Duvall stared at the photo carefully. "Yeah." After Dahl finished speaking, he turned his head and looked out the window.

---

Notes: