Through a bead curtain, down a short flight of narrow stairs, into the old transit authority storage room off the abandoned north/south subway tunnel.

The lights in the room were hot pink, like looking for a moment through Elton John’s eyes. Along the left and right wall stood 30 obedient, panting poodles, each with curly fur dyed to a different psychedelic color. Defomo sat on a purple satin, gold inlayed, burled maple throne at the end of the ranks of poodles, clutching three black leather leashes in his right hand that extended to diamond collars on the necks of three naked women that in their proportions would have made Hugh Heffner blush.

Defomo moaned nasally and effeminately. “You’re late.”

Blue pointed at the low v-neck of Defomo’s silk shirt. “Your nipple is showing.”

Another high moan as he rubbed the exposed nipple with his thumb. One of the naked girls giggled in a mindless sort of way. Defomo grabbed a gumdrop from a crystal bowl on the arm of his throne, and tossed it into the girls open mouth with a casual flick of the wrist. She chewed away happily.

“Well, you got us a job?” asked Zag, usually the least patient with Defomo’s theatrics.

Another moan, and Defomo’s pencil mustache twisted down in a pout.

“Someone took a baby,” he said.

The naked girls, sensing his displeasure, curled up on the floor like well-developed unborn babies. Kerb shifted to see what could still be seen of them, but finding most key areas hidden from view brought his attention back to Defomo, who was by this point folding origami cranes on the steps in front of his throne.

“Which direction?” asked Zag.

“North, an hour ago,” said Defomo.

“Shit. He could be all the way to Yorokobi’s island by now.”

Kerb said, “We better get going.”

Defomo slinked a gold-plated slinky back and forth between his hands.

“Yes, bring my baby back,” he said.

Past the poodles, up the steps, through the beads, out of the pink-tinged world of Defomo into the dusty brown of the tunnel.

Canary, last up the stairs, paused to stop the beads from their swinging.

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Next: 3 - Yorokobi's Island