So here is Part 2 of Getting Settled. Flux found himself the newest recruit for Ember, a small-time crime lord from Jex. Left with no money to his name, he feels stranded on this new world, hopefully, he can start to fit in.
@killerwot/getting-settled-part-1
There is part 1 of this story if you'd like to read it.
Flux woke up after what he felt was too much sleep, he couldn't be sure how long exactly. He felt that awful tiredness that hung over him when he spent too long resting. He felt like he should get himself something to eat, but knew by the way his stomach felt it would be a bad idea. His surroundings were still too new to even try and get something down. He could smell it though. The others must be having their breakfast, Flux thought to himself while getting up.
He made his bed and got himself dressed. Opening the door to his quarters a wall of sound hit him, where before was just muffled chatter. The house was full and stirring, but, out in the halls of Embers place wasn't the only place he could hear talking, each of the doors he passed by had a similar energy, most were shut, leaving the muffled sounds which he had heard from within his own room. Some though were open ajar, letting more noise carry through.
He got to the staircase, but, instead of walking down he just stood, leaning on the bannister looking out over the main hall below. The other Gunners were far less disciplined than he would have expected them to be. They raced around and seemed to be messing too much for him to take them seriously. Others shuffled their way through to the mansion, lazily. Who's in charge around here? He asked himself. Who's to blame for this behaviour? If this is the best that Ember can muster, how can she hope to make a name for herself as anything other than a pushover? His mind was full of questions, unsure whether he felt weird for wondering at all. Did he really care that much? Yes, he thought, but mainly because he didn't want his time wasted.
"You're up. Good, I was about to come down and drag you out of bed." The voice of Saz startled Flux slightly. "No need for that. I'm ready for those drills you mentioned, by the way. The sooner the better I can get to work." Flux said while turning to her and leaning with his back against the bannisters he was leaning against. Once he finished Saz looked shocked, or at least as shocked as someone could look without showing any expressions.
"Is that so? Follow me then." She said as she carried on down the stairs. He followed her closely, he expected her to start calling orders and dragging some of the others out with them. But, she didn't. Instead, she walked through the chaotic mess straight through the main door.
Outside the air was cool, Jex's rose-tinted sun was on its way up, leaving the sky a dark red hue. "What's going on around here? If you don't mind me asking." Flux asked when he saw they were alone. "What do you mean?" Saz asked in a flat tone. "I mean, who's responsible for the Gunners? Why does everyone seem to be treating this place like a doss house rather than a job? Is this normal?" Saz stopped, turning slowly to him, standing silently for a moment. As Flux blinked he heard a swift movement, the next thing he knew he was pinned against the wall of the mansion, with Saz's forearm crushing his windpipe. "Who are you? What are you really doing here?" Flux tried to reply, but all he could get out was a gargled squeak. "Did someone send you here to spy?!" Saz asked even louder than before. She relieved the pressure on his throat enough for him to speak. "What's your problem? No one sent me!" He managed to get out through wheezy breath. Saz dropped him and stood back. Flux began to cough as she did, feeling a slight pain build up in his throat.
"Why are you so different from the others? Usually, when someone joins up they milk Ember for everything they can get and move on." Flux rubbed his throat as she spoke. "You're a psycho!" His words clung to his throat as they left, leaving his voice distorted. "If you can't handle someone grabbing you then you're not cut out for this kind of work. Now come on. Or you can leave." Saz said while continuing to walk. Flux considered walking away. But, something forced him to follow her.
They walked in silence for most of the way. Soon he felt the pain leave his throat. "I'm desperate. I need money, I can't sit around here, doing nothing all day. I don't know how things are done here, but, where I'm from half of these so-called "Gunners" would be out on their asses, gunning for some new work." Flux could hear the conviction in his own voice, he felt sick of this place already and was ready to leave, he wasn't going to sit around here biting his lip for fear of upsetting anyone. It would be a waste of his own time and theirs.
Saz started to laugh. Not wholeheartedly, but, enough that he could tell she was amused by him. "You're right," Saz turned back while keeping up her pace. "If it were up to me I'd shoot down half of them to scare the others into working harder, sadly though Ember doesn't let me take those kinds of actions." "That's one way of motivating them." Flux replied. "Show me what you can do and if you're good enough you can join me on a trip to the underworld. Ember wants me to make a drop-off and you'll make some decent money from it." Flux could feel his own eyes widen. "Why didn't you say that earlier, that's all I need." "You still need to prove yourself, I'm not going down there with someone who can't handle themselves."
The shooting range was a big empty field with some old ruins dotted in the distance, pinned to the ruins were banners of some kind waving in the breeze. Flux unholstered his pistol and started taking shots. At first, he missed, but, as he centred his mind and concentrated on each of his shots he started hitting them. "Did I tell you to start shooting?" Saz asked. Flux lowered his weapon as she spoke. "Ember won't be happy that you damaged her banners." Saz started to type something into her data-pad. Flux heard some noises and from the ruins sprang some targets that started to move, some slower than others. "Now you can shoot." His accuracy was good after his small warm-up. He had a few misses, but, knew that for the most part he was not only quick to fire and had a decent aim.
"Good, better than the usual people who stroll in the door looking for work. Your aim could do with improvement. Nothin some more practice wouldn't fix. I think you could do with two pistols though." Saz told him. "Let me master using one first." Flux retorted, trying to say it as a joke. But, Saz could only nod as a response.
"I'm going to see if the transporter is loaded and ready to go. Come see me by the docking bay soon. Keep walking around the house. Northside. Can't miss it." Saz said before she walked away.
Flux spent a bit more time on the range, he took his time with each shot now that he had no one there to impress. Two pistols he wondered to himself, mimicking the hand movements to see what it would be like with a second one. He felt he had to restrain himself from creating the sound effects of his imaginary weapon.
He made it around the house to a large docking bay, each space that the ships could land on were made of steel, raised above the ground by about 10ft. He climbed the stairs to one of the spaces, six docks down, as he could make out Saz's battle armour from a distance.
"Ready to go?" She asked him as he made it to the top of the stairs. "I am. One thing though, what's the underworld?" "Hop in, I'll tell you when we're on the way."
He was strapped into his seat across from Saz as a pilot took the ship up and away from Embers place and towards the city. He watched as the house shrank smaller in the distance. "The Underworld is the place you go when you want to buy or sell stuff you can't easily get on the surface. I probably should have asked if you have a weak stomach." Flux shook his head as Saz finished speaking. "Good. Sometimes the smell seeps through my helmet, it's. Unpleasant. Not only the invasive fetid stink. But, the people who dwell down there too. Keep a hand near your blaster when we arrive. Just don't touch it, doesn't take much to make Under-worlders jumpy."
End
The third and final part of this story is out now if you'd like to continue reading.