Maxima!!

Wallace took another swig from an oversized mug. As soon as he set it down, the sight of it being anything less than full doubled his gloom. "Could use a refill soon," he said as he tapped his mug atop the bar. The bartender ignored him; he focused more on the heavyset accountant three feet away, and polished a glass as he listened to a gripe-laden yarn. "Or maybe I've had enough for one night." He scrubbed his face with a palm. Even though the jukebox played some spry tunes, not one note lifted his spirits. He'd been in and around Culverin's enough to know that during any given shift, he'd have to put a drunk in cuffs. During that shift, he decided to take it easy on them. They'd all been through enough for one day.

He knew he had it pretty good overall. At least he hadn't buried his face in the bar -- unlike the sand-haired woman splayed out on his left.

"Hey." Wallace shook Ed's shoulder. "You're still alive, right?"

Ed groaned and jostled atop her stool. Sheer luck kept her revival from knocking mugs and bottles onto the hardwood underfoot. "Yeah, yeah." She rolled her head in Wallace's direction, as if he wanted to see her sloshed and red in the face. "One beer's not gonna kill me."

Wallace didn't have the heart to tell her the full count.

"Hey, Wonder Cop. Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Ed rolled to drive her chin back into the bar. "Just let me drink. Or sleep."

"Pretty sure if I leave you alone, you're not getting back up."

"Wanna bet?"

"And suck your wallet dry? No thanks." Wallace gripped his mug's handle. "I'm still on the job, technically. Problem is, the job's too big to clear out. We needed the army from sunrise on, but here we are fending for ourselves."

"That's what happens when you're married to the job."

"Maybe." Wallace let loose a mix between a groan and a sigh. "Been trying to keep the peace. Sometimes it seems like it's only me and a couple of guys on the force who're giving it an honest shot. Not even the chief's down for much of it these days." He stole a sip that turned into a full swallow. "Doing the right thing isn't always easy."

"That's what happens when you're married to the job."

"You already said that."

"I'm close to flooding this bar with puke. Cut me some slack."

"Don't suppose I could get you to do the same?"

Ed managed a clumsy shrug as she inspected an empty bottle. "Rough day?"

"Wasn't in my top ten." Wallace broke out a frown. "Eight. Hours. I spent eight hours playing dress-up. And she just puts on a bikini."

"Aw, c'mon. Enjoy the view a little. I know I will." Ed pawed haplessly at the air. "Call it 'living vicariously'."

"What, you're upset about not having --?"

Ed gave Wallace a knife-edged look, albeit briefly. "Least I never had to get my bras custom-made by rogue aerospace engineers."

"Right." Wallace cleared his throat and ran his finger around the lip of his mug. "So, what's your take on everything happening?"

"Don't have one."

"Got a hard time believing that."

Ed rolled away from him, as if she planned to take a nap.

"I'm not one to believe in coincidences. So, when one 'lucky' event feeds into another, I get suspicious. Been suspicious. Hard not to, when the timeframe for these thugs getting superweapons lines up perfectly with a wannabe actress hitting her growth spurt." Wallace cut an eye toward Ed. "Then all of a sudden, an old friend blows into town on short notice right before a bigger growth spurt -- but after hinting at a link out of the blue."