| From: | "J.D. Falk" <jdfalk@***.GWU.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Sprawl: Heaven's Door |
| Date: | Sat, 25 Dec 1993 00:20:26 -0500 |
Heaven's Door
F-01
--------
"Mama, take this badge from me,
I can't use it anymore.
Its gettin' dark, too dark to see,
Feels like I'm knockin' on Heaven's door."
These words from a classic old folk song adorn an ornate brass
plaque hung in the foyer of the bar known as Heaven's Door, open only to
members and their specific guests. The clientele, for the most part,
consists of disgruntled law enforcement officers who have tired of the
beaurocrats in the government complaining about crime in the streets and
then turning around and cutting the police budget. Some members, of
course, are retired from the police force, but still keep in touch with
their old friends and contacts.
Upon entry, one is required to check their gun and badge along
with their coat. Only the bouncers, mostly people who were kicked off the
force for being too violent, are allowed to carry weapons, though they're
rarely needed.
It is not specifically a fancy place, but nor is it totally casual.
There is usually a broad mix of styles, from the mock-Elven to the
classic Mafia-style suits. Any type of drink is avaliable, and it is not
unknown for a member to have the bartender (a large, hulking bald man,
almost Troll-sized) drug their guests' drink, usually with some type of
truth serum. Most kinds of food are avaliable, mainly depending on who
the cook is that day. Steak is common.
The furnishings are as varied as the rest of the place -- not a
motley miss-matched collection, but if you look carefully you'll notice
that most of the decor is made up of things that aren't usually seen
together. The walls are paneled with real wood, and most of the furniture
is wooden as well (mostly appropriated during raids on rich criminals, and
"lost" if not needed as evidence).
Besides being a gathering place, this is also a meeting place,
where officers can meet with reporters, fixers, or other contacts "off the
record" and either leak things or find out what the word is on the street.
Innumerable cases have been solved within these walls before any evidence
was even collected.
Every so often the management will hire a band to play, varying in
style like everything else. But always, without fail, the last song of
the night will be that classic folk song "Knockin' On Heaven's Door."
NOTE: The song was written by Bob Dylan, and has been covered by a
hell of a lot of groups including Eric Clapton, Bob Marley, and Guns 'N
Roses. My theory is that it will continue to be covered by group after
group, and enter folk status around the same time as The Awakening.
