San Diego, California The scent of smoke and sweat of a casino were nauseating at three in the morning. Then the soil-erosion produced by high gambling - a compost of greed and fear and nervous tension - becomes unbearable and the senses awake and revolt from it. It was intoxinating.
Code Zero suddenly knew that he was exhausted. He always knew when his body or his mind had had enough and he always acted on the knowledge. This helped him to avoid staleness and the sensual bluntness that breeds mistakes. He shifted himself unobtrusively away fro the roulette he had been playing since 3PM to 3AM and still, apparently winning. There was an untidy pile of flecked hundred mille plaques in front of him and two sets of dies; black and white. In the shadow of his thick left arm there nestled a discreet stack of the big yellow ones worth half a million francs each. Zero watched the curious, impressive profile for a time, and then he shrugged his shoulders to lighten his thoughts and moved away. Continuing to slam his bets proudly. Later, he went to a booked grand hotel and took his key and said good night before turning to the elevator. On the 6th floor, when he got out he shaked his head at the baggage man with his stuff as he gave the man a large tip before shooing the helper away and huddled to claim his luggages and walked softly to the door of his room. Zero knew exactly where the switch was and it was with one flow of motion that he stood on the threshold with the door full open, the light on and a gun in his hand. The safe, empty room sneered at him. He ignored the half-open door of the bathroom and, locking himself in, he turned up the bed-light and the mirror-light and threw his gun on the sette beside the window. Then he bent down and inspected one of his own black hairs which stil lay undisturbed he had left it before leaving the casino, wedged into the drawer of the writing-desk. Then after a few more inspecting these things, he did not did this for foolish needs; he was doing this to be sure. He was a secret agent, and still alive thanks to his exact attention to the detail of his profession and intellegence. Sastified, he flicked all the lights off and laid on the large white king size bed motionlessly with his hands behind his black hair and gazed out the window to see a large full moon giving a beautiful beam of serentiy for the early morning. And with an tired expression, he gazed at the ceiling above him and slowly his eye lids fluttered softly to a close as he slept peacefully. Or so it seems? |