Beginning - Chapter 9

   No woman truly knows what it's like to be a man in one respect. The hazing ritual. Simply because three male friends were sharing quarters, they were naturally fucking with one another for fun. What this meant in practical every day terms, was pure and simple:

   Colonel Panic the straight guy, had a secret meeting with what was 99% most likely an openly gay man. He was straight. His two "roommates" were straight, and they were all buddies. If Colonel Panic thought he got teased "enough" about his "date" the next afternoon as he took the good nature loud teasing all the way up the stairs to bed? He was wrong.

   Speedy and Bluedot crept into his room early. Silently. Inching their way along. One held a tray with a sissy la la breakfast on the tray. Speedy was holding that. It had hot tea and stuff on the tray. Weird little gourmet looking wraps of whatever his buddies thought looked both fashionable and fruity at the same time.

   They poked him with a fork on his arm until he woke up, and they handed him his breakfast in bed. Acting all swish-y. Making fun of him the way he knew he probably would, if the situation was reversed. Male behavior code #14 dictates strongly that a man getting hazed and teased by his fellow man? Can not and must not "lose it" and cut a fit nor show anger.

   Somehow, the ability to "take it" and laugh is the best way to prevent it, which is ironic.

   "Fuck it, say what your gonna say. I know you got like 6 or 8 good ones all saved up, ready to go. I know how the game's played. I'm the one getting the breakfast though, you two are my bitches…"

   In an effort to get Panic to "crack" and lose it, and they won the game… they continued this ever more juvenile attack while Panic was having a morning smoke, on his morning shit with his second morning coffee. He tuned out as best he could when they shouted and laughed through the bathroom door.

   Panic couldn't even hear what went on during his morning shower. He had a stack of clothes with him, his hair after shower routine was run a comb thru it for 2 seconds, it was short enough it was wash and wear. Newer but not new work jeans and work boots. Clean pocket T-shirt, no logos. He came out of the bathroom 15 minutes later.

   He stood there, and made the circular motion with a hand. Silently bidding them…

   You got any new material?

   Speedy told him he looked "butch". Bluedot told him he was "trying too hard" to dress macho.

   "Speedy? You're driving me to my date, right? We wiring me up now or later…"

   "Now's good… I was gonna go with that tiny SD card recorder you like? Good audio, runs forever. Check out this camera that I found on the internet for under a hundred bucks a little ways back…"

   Panic regarded the camera, and instantly commented how damned flat it was. It was actually bigger length or width from an even cheap Chinese camera, but this thing was so flat it was ridiculous. The extra width and length covered with a piece of fabric. The battery pack was under another piece of fabric. Wires running to the paper thin backpack of lithium ion pack. It was thin but big and soft. Hours of run-time.

   They fit both. It ended up taking 45 minutes to get it right and not noticeable. If both came through they had decent video and good audio.

   Speedy had very few jokes on the drive to the city, but naturally a couple.

   "Good luck, Panic…" as he stepped out the car in the alley behind the place. He wound his way down and around out to the front of the place. Walked in. When he was seated he said he was early to meet someone for lunch.

   The young man walked up to him slowly. Eyeing him up. Finally came over. What the hell, Panic thought, but kept his cool. He was in public and it looked like a fucking envelope. He laughed to his own paranoia.

   "If you're early for a one o'clock lunch?"

   "Yes…"

   "Is your name… pan… pan-izz?"

   "It's Panic… like run in a blind panic?"

   "Then this envelope is for you… do you still want to order?"

   "Where did this come from? I was expecting to meet someone for lunch…"

   "I understand that. Some guy said he was going to miss his lunch meeting for work, and gave me 10 bucks to look for someone around 1pm. Gave me that envelope. Do you still want to order?"

   "What did the guy look like?"

   "Uh… actually he talked loud when it was a little rushed with the early coffee and danish crowd. Threw the envelope on the counter… you got your envelope, are you happy? Do you want to order?"

   "Do you have video of the guy dropping it?"

   "No. We don't have video… do you still want to order?"

   "I'm sorry. Yes. Yes I will still order. Give me two of the biggest to go coffees with extra cream and extra sugar in both. Two of the biggest danishes or something like that to go."

   The guy went and got his take out order in several minutes and he paid for his bag of danishes and little cardboard box that held the big styrofoam encased silos of coffee and left. He tossed a good tip, several dollars… he was happy the guy saved the envelope. He explained quickly to Speedy parked in the alley where he originated his meeting from what had transpired. He could watch and listen to it later.

   Speedy was in thought.

   "Speedy? Are you going to go in and try to sweet talk him in case he was lying about the no video thing, just didn't want bothered?"

   "That's what I'm debating…"

   Speedy then walked out and around and went in. Came back several minutes later.

   "You beat it out of him, Speedy?"

   "No. He walked me all around in back, there's no video or anything there."

   "Do I have to take precautions not to disturb fingerprints?"

   "Well, let me ask you. I bet you already fingered the ever loving shit out of it already. Plus, it's been laying around getting fingered by god knows who… all with no surveillance video. For hours. Open it up and read it…?"

   Panic opened it up and read aloud.

   "Mister Panic. Sorry I couldn't keep our lunch date. I'm busy. Here's what I think you asked about. The only "drug" I ever saw Bobby with? Was Gabby. When he danced. Everyone did a drop at a time of Gabby back then for the big weekend dances every week. It wasn't illegal back then. Which is why I don't think it's anything that could have got him killed. Thanks for trying to help… signed, one of Bobby's friends."

   "What do we make of that?"

   "Oh. When the guys in the back alley said Bobby kissed 'Gabby' at the dances, but everybody kissed Gabby… I thought it was some gay in joke I didn't get. Or even a real guy, who knew…"

   "I think Gabby is their word for Gamma boo-toe, Panic…"

   "That's good, then…"

   "It's not a home run out of the park. It's a base hit. Interviewing the chemist? Getting anywhere? That's closer to a home run out of the park. A cooperating chemist interviewing? Grand slam, maybe… I mean, could turn out to be."

   "Speedy?"

   "What, Panic…"

   "Question… how is the date rape drug, also the drug of choice for years for gay dances, so it was an open secret, no one knew or cared. Does it knock you out, or does it make you dance? I don't understand…"

   "Once it was illegal and the natural legal supply dried up… it became the expensive date rape, kidnap drug of choice."

   "Apparently Speedy, it was also the dancing party drug."

   Panic's laptop and this area's high speed internet had them reading about the drug's party effects, which were oddly different. It seemed if you were drinking normally, not power drinking, one drop at a time of Gamma/Gabby every 15 to 45 minutes depending on the individual was the usual dance dosage recipe.

   It varied exactly but unpredictably because of weight, body fat, general vigor and health, metabolic rate, what foods and drinks you had recently had. One drop at a time was safe for everybody, toxicity in small quantities was nil.

   Cranberry juice was in one article as a link…

   Panic smiled and read…

   "Cranberry juice, consumed in any great bulk before administration of GBH curiously lessens the effects of the drug dramatically. One drop does little, and even large doses are lessened in effect. Women have identified date rapists that regularly drank cranberry juice. They were incapacitated and unable to move, but could see and hear and remember everything perfectly."

   "Is that your cranberry link?"

   "Maybe… if the women that drink cranberry juice tend to remember what goes on when drugged, is it a safe bet that they're up and moving around unexpectedly after the rape?"

   Speedy smiled…

   "You mean… like waking up just after being given what they thought was a heavy dose, and he wandered away and got chased after? Disoriented and drugged walking away he doesn't even know where he is yet, he's slobbering for help in the phone like a helpless drunk…"

   "Who would let the kidnap victim unguarded…"

   "A regular citizen. Cops think in terms of handcuffs, jail cells, locked doors to rooms. Amateur hour, they just gave him a huge dose, they're used to using the drug and the person goes to sleep… two gophers are watching him, get bored and go out for a sandwich? I can picture that. His hour nap turns into a 5 minute nap for the cranberry juice he always drank, and he wanders off. It's believable."

   Panic agreed…

   "Remember, he drank cranberry juice because he 'heard it helped pass a piss test' back in the day… I get he drank a glass or two of it at home, just for healthy reasons. Back in the day, it used to be a health fad. My mom drank it. Remember?"

   Speedy thought about it, he was right.