Learning the Ropes

Once the sun rose, I dared to step outside. I closed the door behind me to allow Daria to roam inside the barn. Did Heisenberg expect me to find him, or would he come to me? Everything with that man was a guessing game.

For the time being, I looked over the property again. For some reason, I was drawn back to the motorcycle. Its design made it look like it was the sibling of Heisenberg's hammer. It seemed surprisingly well maintained compared to everything else. I'd never seen anything quite like it in the village. It had to take some bravery to ride a thing like that. Cars at least had walls and a long front end.

"Quite the beauty, isn't she?"

I let out a small shriek as I turned around. Would it have killed him to announce himself sooner? He chuckled.

"You haven't messed with her, have you?"

"Let me guess: rule number three?" I sighed.

"So, you are a smart girl. Maybe you'll be useful after all. Just make sure you keep up. Rule number… What was I on? Five?" He looked to me for confirmation. I gave a slight nod. "Right. Rule number five: don't make me repeat myself. I don't have time to waste. Make sure you keep up."

He started walking back to the building. I rolled my eyes. That arrogant tone of his was already pissing me off. Whatever. So long as he didn't treat me like a toddler, we'd at least be able to coexist.

The first thing he taught me was what each tool was and how to use it. Some of them I'd already encountered from working on saddles, but most of them were foreign. We moved onto tasks, small things that got me used to handling each one, such as unscrewing panels from machines or hammering nails. Welding was the trickiest. Heisenberg must have reminded me five times that the blowtorch was hot enough to melt my skin. Thanks to that, I was far less nervous the first time he had me meld two pieces of metal. I kept my attention locked. While he may have trusted me with dangerous equipment, he didn't trust me with any tasks that required a practiced hand. Fair enough.

He gave me the rundown of each machine: what they were made of, how they worked, what frequently needed to be fixed, and what I would be dealing with. It was like the way Tată used to teach me. He didn't trust me to make my first saddle until I learned where leather came from, how many ways it could be manipulated, and how I could shape it for its purpose. I've always respected that way of teaching; it means the master has a love for their trade.

"How did you learn all this?" I asked.

Heisenberg waved his cigar nonchalantly. "It's all just wires and screws."

What an extreme simplification. I can assure you, whoever (if anyone) reads this, engineering is not "just wires and screws". Please don't make this mistake if you're trying to find a career path.

That was the first day: repairs. He watched from a distance and smoked while I fixed whatever he ordered me to. During the first task, there was an… incident.

I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I was careless. I had never worked with electricity. Wiring seemed so simple, but I failed to realize that there's, you know… danger involved. I didn't bother to ask how to shut off the power source. I just cut the wire and received a nasty shock in turn.

I screamed and immediately dropped it. Heisenberg shook his head. "This isn't leather, dumbass. How do you think any of this actually runs? You learned your lesson?"

I was gripping my hand as it continued to shake. I slowly nodded as tears welled in my eyes.

A few chipped nails, bruises, and close burns later, Heisenberg deemed me adept enough to learn more.

"Not bad. But don't get cocky. Tomorrow, the hard stuff begins."

"Hard" was an understatement. I would call building a motor from scratch an expert level skill. He went through each step from the beginning, cutting no corners in his explanation.

After one demonstration, he had me try. Wrapping the wire was easy; attaching the battery was tricky. After a few attempts, I managed to get it running. I beamed at my work.

"You're a quicker study than I thought. I think you're ready for an engine."

"An engine? Isn't that…?"

"More dangerous? Of course. But where's the fun in always having a safety net?"

I've always had a competitive spirit. Since I was a child, I would constantly challenge the people around me (family, friends, customers) at things I was good at. I pushed myself to learn more and be the best at what I did. It was silly, really, pointless. My family were the only saddlers in the village. There was no one to really compete with on that front. But something inside me always pushed to go further, to test the limits of what was considered "best". Learning from Heisenberg was no different. Under no circumstances did I ever believe I would pass him in his skill; I still don't think I ever will. But if he was willing to teach me, I was willing to learn.

"Sure," I replied. "Why not?"

Heisenberg grinned. "Thought you might say that."

The parts we needed, it turned out, were manufactured elsewhere in the factory, the place I conveniently wasn't allowed to go. But with all the scrap laying around the property, Heisenberg managed to get everything needed for one test run. And so, the teaching resumed. He didn't dumb down any of the terminology. What seemed so simple the day before was suddenly impossible. He may as well have been speaking Danish. The confusion must've been pasted across my face because he slowed his speech.

"Now don't get impatient. It'll take you about a month to get this right if you're lucky."

"A… a month?"

One month… building one engine? Saddles typically only took ten days. To dedicate a whole month to something like that…

"Try not to cut your hands off; you'll need 'em if you wanna keep working here," he said as he walked away.

"Wait… you're just… leaving me with this?"

"Oh, come on. Have a little faith. You're a strong, independent woman, right? Unless you like having me stare at you all day?" he smirked.

Hell no. I looked to the side, gritting my teeth.

"Didn't think so." And off he went, back to… whatever it was he had to do.

I sighed at the engine parts. I bet he doesn't even need this, I thought ruefully. He was just doing something, anything to keep me occupied and out of his business. Fine. I wouldn't make waves if it meant risking my life. So, I set to work.

For that month, I followed the same routine every day: wake up, take Daria for a ride, make sure she was fed, make sure I had enough to eat, work on the engine, take a break, work again, stop when the sun set, play with Daria, and go to sleep. On and on it went, just like that.

After the first week, I felt safe enough to let Daria wander around the grounds on her own. Heisenberg was almost never outside and none of the machines were active. As long as she was away from me while I was working, she was free to do what she wanted.

Occasionally, the Duke would show up and offer me food to prevent me from starving. I told him I would pay him back once Heisenberg paid me. Duke just laughed and accepted scrap metal as currency.

Time and time again, I would mix up the cylinders or forget what order each piece went in. I could've asked Heisenberg, sure, but my pride wouldn't let me seek help… That and I didn't really want to talk to him. Trial and error plus patience were enough to get me closer to finishing the job.

At some point, the engine became more than an excruciating job; it became a puzzle, a challenge. It was satisfying when a piece fit into place and when I figured out what order to assemble things. Every achievement was my own.

Yet I couldn't shake the same feeling I had on day one… like I was being watched. It wasn't constant, but it was enough to make me uneasy. It was reasonable for Heisenberg not to trust me; the feeling was mutual. I wasn't concerned with him watching me during the day. But at night? I could hardly sleep with the thought of him creeping on me. Many times, I wanted to bring it up. But he would probably just give me some sly response or deny it outright. Plus, he "couldn't waste time". What did he do exactly? What was so important that he had to do it in private? What purpose was he serving? It all reminded me how much I hated the power system in the village. The Lords could do whatever they wanted while the "regular", working people had to suffer under their thumbs. Remember that wish I made?

After the month mark passed, I was almost done. All that was left was to attach the oil pump and the propeller, which I did in a day. When it was complete, I looked at the finished engine, bubbling with joy. My first big engineering project was successful. I had built up caught the callouses and bruises, but it was done. It was already dusk at that point. I collapsed into my bed at the barn, my muscles aching. Daria came in and sniffed my face.

"I did it, girl," I said, petting her snout. "Heisenberg's stupid engine is done."

Daria folded onto the ground next to me. I slept soundly that night, satisfied with my work. I didn't care if Heisenberg was watching. This was my achievement, and I would revel in it as long as I wanted.

After I finished my ride with Daria the next morning, I found myself wandering back to the engine. I didn't know what Heisenberg planned to do, if anything, with it. In a way, I didn't want to see it used. It was like a trophy to me, a reminder that I could do anything I set my mind to.

"Well, well."

Heisenberg entered the room. He examined the engine from every angle. His face scrunched for a moment before he laughed. "Impressive. Even with the wrong parts, you were able to make it work!"

"…Huh?"

"This baby'll never see the air, but she'll make a fine piece for my… collection."

He seemed to skim over the "wrong parts" he mentioned, but I didn't. He had given me the wrong parts… on purpose. He had to have… right? There was no way with his skill that he couldn't tell. Or maybe he wasn't paying close attention because he didn't care. But he must've watched me struggle for days, weeks! No wonder it was such a hardship to get the pieces together. What a bastard.

"So, now what?" I asked.

"Ha ha ha! Eager to be tortured again so soon, are we? …Fine. Come back to me tomorrow and I'll… think of something."

I just stared between him and the engine for a moment. He looked back at me and waved his hand as if I were a mosquito buzzing in his ear.

"Go on, get."

"Yes, sir."

He really planned on carrying that engine by himself? Whatever. It wasn't my business. I was done with him anyway. But my mind kept turning back to it. It was made of the wrong parts… but I still made it work. Well... I didn't really have proof that it worked since I never bothered to test it. But I didn't need to. If it had Lord Heisenberg's stamp of approval, that was enough for me. And it just made my accomplishment more impressive.

With nothing else to do, I decided to make a fire once the night air dulled the humidity. Using some round scrap metal, I made a pit and filled it with branches and other junk I scavenged. Heisenberg must've had dozens of lighters lying around, so I borrowed one. Daria joined me once the fire was ablaze.

I sat for a while, just gathering my thoughts. It had been over a month since I started working for Heisenberg. What was Mamă up to? Why did Heisenberg accept a deal with her in the first place? He clearly didn't have a need for me. I just couldn't get it. I was a hindrance to him, not an asset. What was I to him? What was so valuable to him that he thought I was worth taking in? If only there were some way I could see Mamă. But there was Rule Number Four.

"Mind if I join?"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

"Uh… sure."

I placed one of Daria's old blankets on the ground next to me. I may have been irked by the man, but I wasn't rude. He tipped his hat and sat.

"I'd say you're too comfortable, but given the circumstances, that's probably for the best."

"What do you mean?"

"It's obvious you don't like it here. But you didn't like it in the village either, did you?"

I gave no response. The strange, stalking feeling came back. But now it was staring me in the face.

Heisenberg just grinned. "Didn't think so."

"I may not… like it per se, but… there are people there I care about."

"Of course. But you don't really like them."

There it was again. I felt like a bug stuck in a web; whether I struggled or not, I was trapped all the same.

There was a long pause. A cloud of smoke floated from Heisenberg's mouth as the fire crackled. I just watched the wood burn, not daring to look into Heisenberg's shades again.

"How do you feel about Mother Miranda?" he asked.

It came off as casual, but he had to know it was a loaded question. What was I, a lowly peasant who had been raised on the idea that Mother Miranda was a prophet of the black god who would bring us all salvation, a lowly peasant who was now working under one of her Lords, supposed to say to that? Was this a trap? A test? Or did he expect me to be honest? I glanced at him to see if I could glean from his posture. Those damn shades of his… It's so much easier when I can see people's eyes. I wrapped the blanket tighter around my shoulders. My chest contracted as I started my answer.

"I… I don't think she's a prophet. I don't think she's serving a god. I think she's just using all of us. She… she doesn't care if we live or die. She just… I don't know what she wants, and I loathe that. Frankly…" The words I wanted to say next would've crossed a line I wasn't prepared for yet, so I kept them close. I expected Heisenberg to change his demeanor or egg me on. But he stayed still. So, I finished with, "That's… all I have to say."

Heisenberg watched me for a minute, studying. I expected something, anything to come out of his mouth. For the first time since I'd been there, he didn't have a snarky response or an irritated remark to make. After a moment, he just looked back at the fire and said, "Maybe you're right."

He stood up from his seat and threw his cigar to the ground. "Come see me tomorrow morning. I've got a new job for you." Once the cigar was squashed under his boot, he made his way over to Daria, attempting to pat her. He almost lost his fingers to her teeth.

"Ack! Bitch!" Heisenberg stormed off, leaving Daria and me in peace. I snickered under the blanket. Once I was sure Heisenberg was out of sight, I threw her an apple.

"Good girl."