Phules Paradise

"Maybe for you, Doc, but you're used to working behind the scenes. For someone like me who's used to being in view in some capacity or other, working support is a real comedown. At least standing guard would be role-playing of sorts."

The stuntman cocked an eyebrow at her. "You sound kinda down, Tiff. Anything bothering you?"

"This just isn't what I expected when I signed on is all," she said with a grimace. "Or after our surprise briefing, either."

"I see," Doc said, then shifted in his seat to stare pointedly at the ceiling. "This wouldn't have anything to do with your efforts to charm our captain, would it?"

Tiffany glared at him for a moment, then broke into a rueful smile.

"Bingo." She laughed. "You know, when we were on the ship on the way here, I thought that he was just busy pla

Smiling, Doc signaled the bartender for another round.

"To be honest with you, Tiffany," he said, "I don't think it would make much difference. From all I can tell, our Fearless Leader is pretty much married to his work. Everyone I've talked to says pretty much the same thing-that they don't get as much time with the captain as they would like, while at the same time muttering that they're afraid he's pushing himself too hard. All in all, I don't figure him as being much for play, no matter how tempting the bait is or how often you wave it at him."

The actress smiled and laid a hand on his arm.

"Thanks, Doc," she said. "That helps a little. Maybe it's because I'm spending so much time in front of a makeup table these days, but more and more I catch myself staring in the mirror and wondering, `Have you lost it? Has time finally run out?' I guess a bit of insecurity goes with the job ... or with being a woman, for that matter."

"Well, for what it's worth, I don't think you've lost it," the stuntman said with a wink. "That's not just my opinion, either. In case you haven't noticed, Junior has a real thing for you."

"I know!" Tiffany exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "I'll tell you, Doc, I don't know what to do about him. It seems like every time I turn around he's there offering to run an errand for me or just staring at me like I just stepped off a half-shell or something. I mean, he's a nice enough kid and all that, but he's just that-a kid!"

Doc gri

"I might give that a try. You know, when it comes right down to it, he's really kind of ..."

"Excuse me?"

The two broke off their conversation as a young woman in a short, tight skirt, possibly one of the show girls, stepped up to their table.

"I thought you should know ... there's a man hurt outside."

"What?" Doc frowned, momentarily confused by the change in focus.

"In the alley beside the casino," the woman said, "there's a man lying on the ground."

"What makes you think he's hurt?"

"I don't know ... He's not moving. He may just be drunk. I didn't get that close. I just thought I should tell someone, and you're the first people I've seen in a uniform."

"Thanks," Doc said. "We'll look into it."

"We will?" Tiffany said, cocking her head as the woman marched away.

"Sure. Why not?" the stuntman said, rising to his feet and digging out some money for their bill. "Weren't we both just complaining about being stuck backstage? Besides, remember that as far as the guests are concerned, we're as much security guards as anyone else in a black uniform. It would be out of character for us to try to find someone else to send instead of going ourselves."

The actress glanced around the casino, but none of the regular troops were in sight.

"I suppose you're right," she said, gathering up her purse. "I guess we can handle it."

"Sure we can," Doc assured her. "There's two of us and only one of him, and it sounds like he's drunk, to boot. Besides, if he gives us any trouble, we're armed, remember?"

He patted the tranquilizer pistol in the holster at his hip.

Tiffany rolled her eyes.

"Please don't start going macho on me, Doc. One of the things I like about you is that you don't strut."

"Sorry," the stuntman apologized easily. "Hanging around with both actors and military types seems to bring out the melodramatic in me. Seriously, Tiff, I figure all we have to do is check to see what the problem is, then use our wrist radios to call for the appropriate help-if it's needed at all, that is. That much we should be able to do."

Even though it was still technically "indoors," the open air along the Strip was a pleasant relief for the mock Legio

"You know, this place is really something," Doc commented as he shifted his gaze from the soaring light shows to watch the stream of people walking along the Strip. "I can't remember how long it's been since I've been outside. I guess working backstage, it's easy to forget just where the stage is located."

"Take away all the lights and glitz, and what you have left is more lights and glitz," Tiffany agreed, then frowned. "Say, speaking of being outside, didn't the captain say something about our jurisdiction only being inside the complex?"

The stuntman thought for a few moments.

"You know, you may be right," he said finally. "It seems to me there was something in one of those briefings. There were so many of them, though, I can't recall for sure. Oh well, we've come this far, we might as well take a look before we head back."

The light dimmed radically a bare dozen steps into the alley. The casino light shows were designed to impress and lure the tourists on the Strip, not the hired help, and there was little point in wasting wattage on areas traveled only by residents and employees. Walking down the alley was like entering another world, a land filled with shadows and blind angles giving it such an air of gloom and menace that it was hard to realize there were lights and teeming humanity a stone's throw away.

"I don't see anybody," Tiffany said nervously, peering into the almost impenetrable shadows that lined the access.

"Maybe he woke up and moved on," Doc said. "We'll just check a little further, then-uh-oh."

"What is it, Doc?"

"Just keep walking, Tiffany. Don't look back."

Too startled to think clearly, the actress immediately shot a look behind them toward the mouth of the alley.

There were three men, faceless in the gloom but unmistakably heavyset, following the mock Legio

"Just keep moving, Tiff."

"Shouldn't we call for help?"

"It may be nothing," the stuntman said, though his tone said he didn't believe it himself. "If it is, though, I don't think they'd give us time to use our wrist radios. No, I figure our best bet is to try to make it to the loading dock, then-shit!"

A lone figure appeared ahead, blocking their path ... a figure that was noticeably larger than any of the three following them. It was as if the man had materialized out of the shadows, though he stood so motionlessly that he might have been there all along and simply escaped their attention.

"Okay, listen close, Tiff. We don't have time to argue," Doc murmured. "The odds ahead of us are still better than what's behind us. I'm going to brace this character, and you're going to keep going. Got that? Don't stop, don't look back until you get to the loading dock. Once you're inside, get on the radio and tell them where I am and what's going on-but only after you're inside."