Part Two, Silver Screen

Adam walked in on him staring, in close to no clothing, at a TV monitor. His first thought He's unknowingly growing a beard. The unmoving eyes told him that he hadn't slept in a night or two. The apartment room stunk.

"Jesus Chr-"

"Sh," he said while getting closer to the screen. A man's face appeared on the screen. His mouth moved but no sound came out, one of the many problems with coronary neurosubmersion. You could hardly make out his face. The pill had fucked up the imagery, and bad. His eyes lit up, "I know him."

Adam shook his head. "No. No, no, no. Please don't tell me that this is what you've been doing with your vacation days."

He looked up at him and made a face, one that Adam always found so condescending. 

"You can't do this, you know. You can't go after someone simply because they made a cameo in your old partner's coronary N.S. chip."

He grabbed Adam, lifting him off the ground for a brief second and shoved him into the wall. His head made contact, and hard. "Someday," he pointed a finger at his face, "you'll understand what it means to lose someone."

Adam struggled. "Is this all worth it? What if you lose your job?"

He smiled. "Who's got to say anything about all of this?"

"If you take this too far . . ."

"You don't have to worry about that," he let Adam down and straightened his tie, smiling. "I already have."

Adam was afraid.

- - -

Part Three, Cover-Up and Corduroys