The Gun Holster

I found myself perched between Giovanni's two bodyguards, ever afraid to look at him as he sat across from me. Though he paid me no attention anyway, he was too focused on tapping away at his laptop. Seeing him close up, I realised that he didn't possess the usual slender figure of an executive - you know the sort whose only exercise amounted in the form of spending a day riding about in a golf cart. No, this was a very strong and well built man - broad shoulders, big hands and a square jaw. It was very obvious that he didn't necessarily need to ask people to do his dirty work… he was more than capable of accomplishing that himself.

We drove on in silence for what felt like hours, beautiful scenery passing us by that no one bothered to watch. Eventually, we reached an airstrip where the biggest helicopter I had ever seen waited for us - the sort I'd only ever seen in war movies that were used to transport trucks and other equipment. This one was shiny, black and bore the familiar red R logo on its side door.

The car drew to a halt in front of the helicopter where attendants awaited our arrival. The door came open and no one dared move until the boss had left the car. The two men who sat with me then exited with me closely in tow, though by then, they'd figured I wasn't going anywhere and chose not to hold me by the arms anymore.

"Take her in the back with you," Giovanni ordered, making his way up steps to a private entrance in the front of the chopper.

I followed my two guard friends to a rear door and strapped myself into one of several seats that lined either side of the compartment. Where were heading, I had no idea… I guess I had no choice but to wait and see.

And so we took of into the night. Exhausted from the day, I actually dozed off for the majority of the flight, only waking to the light thump of our landing. I blinked and wiped my eyes, heaving a haphazard yawn. What time was it? I recall glimpsing the watch of one of my guards which read something close to midnight.

Disembarking, we waited for the car to be unloaded and I had to wonder at the amount of money this man was capable of throwing around. We all loaded ourselves back into the car and this time I took to absorbing myself in working out the mystery of where I was. Upon leaving the airport, this very soon came to light when we passed a sign, "Welcome to Viridian! The city of Evergreen."

From what I could see, it didn't look very green to me… but then again, it was the middle of the night. Admittedly, I couldn't recall the last time I'd been to Viridian, it was so long ago. Though, something told me I would be seeing a lot more of it in the coming years.

Years… the thought only really impacted me at that moment. I'd never even been able to keep a job for longer than six months. And yet there I was… signing my entire life over to whatever area this man chose to put me in. Where would I be? What sort of work would he ask me to do for him? Would I be doing anything illegal? The prospect suddenly seemed so overwhelming. How would I manage if he asked me to do things that went against my own set of values? And more importantly, would I even see my family again? What had I done?

The car drew to a halt in front of a large, Roman style building, the words 'Viridian City Pokémon Gym' were engraved a gold plaque on its front. It looked very new – as though it had just been built. And as we stepped in through two large, double doors the strong smell of fresh paint filled my nostrils. Even though it was in partial darkness, I could clearly make out painter's ladders and pots that were scattered across the tiled gym floor. The floor itself was covered in plastic which crunched noisily as we walked.

It was this point that Giovanni dismissed his men and signalled me to follow him through a doorway and up a set of stairs where we made our way into a reception area with an adjoining office. The smells of paint at this point were replaced with that of freshly laid carpet. Giovanni flicked on a light switch, revealing a new, hard wood desk and boxes of office supplies that sat atop it. Then beyond the desk was another set of double doors.

"This way," he directed me through the doors into an office so big I was sure it would have easily fit my parent's entire living area in it… with room to spare.

This office - unlike the remainder of the gym - had already been finished and was operational. To one side was a sitting area that contained a couch, a coffee table and a well stocked liquor cabinet. An elaborate fireplace on the opposite wall to the doors indicated the central space and broke the gap between sitting area and work area. The work area in question was nothing more than a huge desk and a couple of leather chairs. A single filling cabinet sat alone on one wall that seemed to drown in the abundance of space around it.

"Sit down," Giovanni slipped from his jacket and carefully hung it on the back of his chair before placing himself down into it.

I took up a seat and watched him from across the desk, tugging nervously at my bride's maid dress that barely covered my knees. My hair, which had been pulled back into an elaborate bun for the wedding had since unfurled and hung loosely over my eyes.

Giovanni unclipped cufflinks from his sleeves and threw them across his desk before sitting back. And that was when I realised the funny straps he wore across his torso actually made up a gun holster. I had to blink in attempt to hide my own startle. From memory, I'd never seen a real gun before.

The phone ringing on his desk made me jump. It only had the chance to ring once before he grabbed it.

"What?" Pause. "I want you to organize a file for new asset Delia Ketchum. Off the books, no employee record necessary." Pause. "Yes, accommodation will be necessary."

The wet nose that touched my hand brought me from my stare and I found myself looking into the two sleepy eyes of a Persian. As if to inspect me, it gave my hand a sniff before making up its mind that I wasn't a threat and slowly treaded on over to its master. It nudged Giovanni's hand, purring as fingers released their grip on the chair arm and gave it a scratch behind the ears. Thinking back through my previous Pokémon studies, I guess the Persian was only fairly young and recently evolved. Though, what was of interest to me was the unique colouring on its ears, denoting the fact that this particular Pokémon had been bred and not captured from the wild.

The phone clicked back on the receiver and it was only then that Giovanni chose to acknowledge me. Pulling himself from his seat once again and without so much as a word he directed me back through the double doors to the reception area.

"This is your station." He showed me to the desk and the piles of boxes that sat on top. "I was going to employ someone to be my sectary but the job is yours. Get this area organized. This will be your world for however long I deem it necessary that you be here.

You will work six days a week and will receive a personal allowance of one hundred and fifty dollars every Monday. The remainder of your earnings will go toward your father's debt. You will be provided with accommodation and your living costs will be taken care of as a business expense. Depending on your efficiency and approval rating, I may allow you to go home and visit your family for a week once a year. However, don't consider it a right, it's a privilege." He paused, letting me take in this influx of information. "Work hard for me and you will do well. Do anything to displease me however, and you will be terminated, and I will go after your father. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," I nodded, unable to take my eyes off the gun that sat under his arm within the safe confides of its holster. It was something I could only hope that I would never have to see come out.