"so, why am i here?" I grumbled to the silver head in front of me.
He just stared back.
"i literally just live like a normal citizen! On the brink of death every work day, and dead on the days off."
"...that's just it, i don't know why either, you're just too sus...plus those motor skills..."
"What, a girl can't ride a bike?"
he gazed back at her dead pan. "...well, i haven't really se..."
"Yo! Ur so sexist!" this conversation was boring, lets add womanly spice!! yea!
"i'm not...it's just not normall..."
"You have any idea how many ladies i know who can drive like me??? any??" Yeah, don't let him finish his sentences, that's how you win debates about dumb topics. I sat back down, after raging passionately. "yep, as i thought you don't, therefore you're unqualified to say riding a motorbike well makes me suspicious."
His brain was working, realizing he'd been had, and i'd only spewed nonsense, but i got across the point that he also was just spewing nonsense, and thus, to put an end to his nonsense, and get to the real situation at hand.
"so, why am I here?" i asked again.
"because...you seem useful?"
"look, you know, normally when people kidnap a girl, and make her useful, it's not in a very nice way? and i'll warn u, i have no desire to experience that use."
"nononono!" more uncomfortable he gets, more tea he spills. "I mean, how about we take you on as a new hire?"
"...oh, yeah, i take all the jobs that are offered me by people who put me in irons." I slammed my bound wrists onto the table.
"ah, yes." he was a man with a somewhat strong mentality, but too obsessed with being manly to be perfectly strong. my earlier bribes had worked. He unlocked them.
I rubbed my wrists thankfully, flashing him a contented smile, as i rubbed blood back into them. "so, since we're doing and interview, let me ask some questions,
"what are your expectations for me?
'you are to work as an assistant/secretary for one of our officers, organize schedule, collect information, communicate between people and aid them on missions
"why did you choose me?
'you have a lot of potential, your ability to hide from us is clever, and so is your ability to deal with difficult or chaotic situations and you're calm under pressure
"what qualifications do you think your company has?
'we are registered with the government, and they actually provide substantial funding, we have been verified by many networks around the world, including the union
"do you have past experience taking in normal citizens?
'yes, commonly all the positions besides officer and fighter are taken by normal citizens; normally they have substantial education and impressive resumes, and we do the headhunting ourselves, there isn't really an open application system in place
"why should i work for you?
'because it's a great honor to protect the world from villains, and take down those who seek to destroy law and order. It can also boost reputation, and looks good on a resume any job you take after you decide to quit. we also have great retirement benefits, and hold substantial power in the county, so people will treat you with respect
"what have you paid past employees?
'our past employee...
right at this moment, someone interrupted from behind us. it was Maxin. "Wait, since when did the applicant interview the company?" he stood there for a while, just to make his boss suffer from more embarrassment after having answered so many questions. unfortunately, he was disappointed, cause his boss knew what was happening, he just played along to make me happy enough to join them, and, he thought he owed me. Well, maybe he does, maybe he doesn't, i did pay for the pizza his men ate after all.
"Maxin, please,"
"hello," i greeted him with a smile
"actually," the silver man called for my attention back. "we also want to ask, was there anything suspicious about the one's preparing the pizza?"
"oh? that? yes, there was, in fact, a new employee hired less than a week before, came in for his first day that day, and never came back for a second shift...can't say i blame him, fast food is a trap." In fact, even I found it strange. They had the pizzas, why did it take them so long to find their pizza, to find me? Is it cause they thought I was working the night shift, on a wednesday, when I was just covering for someone? or, cause it wasn't the closest pizza shop around of that branding. or, perhaps, they really thought I was the hit man and had fled, so didn't search the pizza shops besides a precursory scanning around similar time stamps. Nah, I wouldn't poison pineapple pesto pizza. The people that would eat that are rare enough already.
"it's as we thought..."
yeah, you guys really need better information gatherers, or not to come to conclusions too quickly. whatever, not my problem, but i know...
"...you're only hiring me cause I'm suspicious."
I drew both of their attentions back to myself.
"Well, i don't care, I don't mind working for you, however, i don't wanna work as a secretary under you."
Dumb silver head is an officer? Geez, I'd make a better officer, and i just deliver pizzas as one my side jobs.
"look, how about i work in your IT department? yeah? I'm good with tech, been working a tech company full time for the last couple years. So it makes more sense to hire me for something i have experience in too.
"i thought you delivered pizzas?" asked Maxin, confused.
"yeah, well, with the cost of living now adays, if i wanna be rich, working one job ain't gonna cut it."
"no, that's not the problem, doesn't a tech job literally pay 100,000 a year?
"yeah so?"
"pizza delivery is only like 30,000."
"what of it?"
Maxin turned to silver head. "she's suspicious."
"seriously??" i sighed, leaning back. "anyway, my last tech job, i was a manager of sorts, so I'm expecting a similar wage, even if i'm just hourly, i wanna have 40usd an hour."
Silver head looked at her, annoyed. "I don't think even our managers make that much...?"
"then what do you pay them?"
"idk, i think 37?"
"34 then."
He was thinking. "is your skill really worth that? what did you past job pay you?"
"Look, I think, with my skills, i easily deserve to make at least 35usd an hour."
"Fine, how about 30?"
"32?"
"...alright, fine, 32." he accepted, reluctantly.
I instantly smiled brightly, "alright, then lets get this job underway! how long till you can get the contract terms written up?" I mean, who wouldn't go for an increase in pay check? of course I'm taking the new job.
"hahahaha" a laugh came from the door frame. "Briox, you're an idiot, this girl plays you, hahahaha."
Luxian leaned against the frame, languidly. It made a pretty picture.
Silver head knit his eyebrows. "What's your problem Xian?" before his smart little brain got to turning. he turned to glare at me. "what do you actually make at your old job?"
I smirked at him, sparkle in my eyes. "25" and i never worked as manager, I'd only worked there a year after all.
He glared at me more, "Then, you get 25."
However, Luxian cut in, waving his finger, "Tah, tah tah, you already agreed, it's $32, don't go back your word as a man?"
He gritted his teeth. "fine, but quit both your jobs."
I sighed. I was actually getting really exhausted from only one day off a week, and having work so long, i was only getting around 4-6 hrs of sleep on average, it would be nice to take a vacation. "ok, but i get paid overtime."
"Of course, we are a government company." silver head cut in automatically.
"you really think that means anything to me?" i gave him a cynical eyebrow. "now." I stood up. "can i get my stuff from my house, to move in, or am i permanently stuck here?
Silver was done with me, he waved me away. "do what you will." he glanced at the two others in the room for a moment, judging probably their intellectual capabilities. "and xian, u accompany her. make sure she gets back here before the sun's down with all her stuff."
I had one blinkin' day to get all my stuff moved out, my apartment contract terminated, (at least it's only a month i got left to pay, probably just gonna pay it and be done), and my jobs all informed of my untimely quit. They sure were gonna wail, i knew it. I accompanied Luxian out, a step behind him, quietly. I did this often with men or women. I would observe them from behind, till i knew them well, then i'd dare take a lead. If i never fully comprehended them, i'd never take the front. however, this was good,
we were walking down the street.
there were several people
also, a couple dogs.
strangely, although we walked apart, a man stumbled toward luxian, who caught him, placing him upright, and keeping moving, a frown on his face.
ah, then a dog, who knew?
It suddenly yelped, as it was thrown into his legs, he kicked it away, it ran away, screeching, before laying down, slashing its stomach against the the ground, as if terrorized
Luxian turned around to face me. his face was upset. "what are you doing?"
I should have looked at him, judged his response, before i made my next move, but as always, curiosity has killed innumerable. i had to know, and i took no wasted moment to find out, i grabbed his hands and leaned toward him.
"i don't know what you are talking about?" I smiled lightheartedly. But then i saw it. Rage. dangerous rage. He was mad. not only mad, he was furious, kindling fury, fury that couldn't be explained by someone who'd never be able to feel such fury, because few could. And in that fury, was a maliciousness, a maliciousness that took joy in the pain of others, who could not understand his fury.
Pain started. I didn't draw back, i should have, but i had to know.
first the fingertips, then the wrists, oh, like grinding against each other, like the bones were slowly crumbling away, then down her arms, toward the elbow in streaks, each blood vessel threatened to break, no they were breaking, blooding seeping out, penetration into her inner muscles, her upper arm, like exploding lactic acid, like each muscle cell was bursting. her bones ached, as if being slowly scraped apart by the rough lick of an animal.
I should have let go, i should have, but i didn't
It reached the shoulders, as if something was wrenching them apart, beating down on them, slicing the outermost bone down, bit by bit, then down the collar bone, screeching along the bone, as if cutting into the bone, and then bending it backward, into the flesh, piercing the upper lungs, the tendons straining so long, till they slowly snapped apart bit by bit, and then her heart, bursting, beating, harder and harder, as if each pump would burst her chest, and then it seems as if it was squirting out blood with each beat, slowly tearing into her lungs, dripping through like straining ricotta, as something else seemed to cut her chest apart, tearing her ribs up and out one by one, and then crushing them back in, piercing through her lungs, until breathing was filled with putrid pain
i should have escaped now, i should have, but i couldn't
it flew up the neck, each tendon slowly tearing, digging inwards, so breathing was labored, hard to catch a breathe, sweat forming on the brow, it streaked up the heads, like rivers of blood, like each blood vessel was on the verge of bursting that encircled her skull, except they were slowly seeping. oh, and the pressure, the pressure, as if threating to collapse on itself, only it seemed as if it were slowly shrinking, squeezing the brain and all it's juices, and the ears, ringing in bloody tunes, as all around, a crown of ants seemed to bite into the flesh of the skull, borrowing inside to munch on the fatty acids inside. ah, now i'm being eaten alive, by my own pain.
no, there's something more there, something i have almost grasped....something....
....scary