Contents
6. Morning Light
Overview
Slick Henry wakes to the first snow in Factory, preoccupied by the comatose man Cherry is nursing for Kid Afrika. Cherry recounts how Kid rescued her from Moby Jane’s roadhouse and employed her to care for the man, whom Kid angrily called “the Count.”
Kid’s fear forced a sudden relocation, and Cherry identifies a gray device above the patient as his mysterious “LF,” hinting at hidden systems sustaining or tracking him.
Summary
At dawn in Factory, Slick Henry wakes cold on the ground floor, the winter’s first snow blowing through empty windows. Preoccupied by his stalled sculpture, the Judge, and by Gentry’s control of power, Slick also worries about the comatose stranger Kid Afrika left in his room and Cherry, who slept in Slick’s bed while she watched the patient.
In the makeshift kitchen, Little Bird confirms their water is fine and nervously wonders if the patient is a vampire, prompting Slick to reassure him. Cherry, on beeper watch, looks exhausted. Slick presses her about her background and commitment to the job.
Upstairs, as Cherry efficiently sponges the man’s chest, she tells Slick how she hid her med‑tech skills while waitressing at Moby Jane’s roadhouse. After her manager boyfriend Spencer stole money, enforcers threatened to throw Cherry into Moby Jane’s float tank. Kid Afrika appeared, verified her credentials, and extracted her, taking her to his secured Cleveland house where the unconscious man was waiting.
Cherry began caring for the patient there until Kid, suddenly frightened, insisted they leave. Angry and scared, Kid referred to the man as “the Count” and mentioned “his LF.” In the present, Cherry indicates a featureless gray module mounted above the patient as the likely LF, implying an unseen system tied to the man’s condition, while Slick anticipates Gentry’s return and the inevitable conflict over power and privacy.
Who Appears
- Slick HenryDog Solitude artist in Factory; wakes to cold, worries over the comatose guest, power, and Gentry’s reaction.
- Cherry (Miss Chesterfield)Med‑tech caring for the comatose man; recounts Kid Afrika rescuing her and hiring her; identifies the man’s mysterious LF device.
- Little BirdShy helper at Factory; handles water tanks; fears the patient might be a vampire.
- The Count (comatose man)Unconscious decker left by Kid Afrika; sustained by equipment; associated with a gray ‘LF’ module.
- Kid AfrikaOffstage fixer; rescued Cherry, installed her to nurse the Count, then fled Cleveland in fear.
- GentryReclusive technologist who controls Factory’s power; due back, likely to object to new people around.