The Hatchling- Part 4

It would be a fallacy to say that I was completely miserable, now that I had this job at Ness's garage. Actually I was quite ecstatic to be working with actual AC's. I mean, it was something that I really had a working knowledge of, and something I enjoyed doing. Plus, it also gave me a chance to note the structural weaknesses of every mass produced AC part made. I predict in about a year or two I could have the proverbial "Achilles' Heel" of every AC part in my possession, then the real slaughter will begin. Then again, it might be much longer than that if Ness keeps me cooped up in his office filing maintenance reports for the actual mechanics. He had promised me an active position in the shop working on the machines, but I guess all he really needed was a secretary to do all the paperwork he didn't want to, or was too stupid to do on his own. It wasn't right, and I was going to give him hell about it. I managed to catch him on one of his many late lunch breaks, and I confronted him in this little dive he liked to sneak out to in the city. I saw him sitting in a corner and stood in front of him at his table. He looked up at me as if I were a complete stranger who just approached him on the street. When he opened his mouth to inquire, his already diminished vocabulary combined with his tenacious drinking habit made his voice come out as a slurred, almost incomprehensible roar of idiocy.
".Yes?"
"This is bullshit Ness!"
The straight-forwardness of my attack surprised him, even in his stupor. It also turned a few heads at the bar. Honestly, I was surprised at the moment of myself too, but I was seriously pissed and I was going to let him know.
"Wha-what's da matter?"
"When I started this job two months ago you told me that I would be down there with the engineers, working on the AC's. Remember that, huh?"
At this point I think his fleeing state of mind started to return to him, and he seemed remembered who I was. He shifted himself, knocking over a few empties on the table, but still he had no response to offer. I pulled up a chair from the table across from us, invoking a protest from the patron seated there. He looked like a cop, but again I could care less.
"I didn't accept an offer to be your damn secretary, I came to fix AC's, and that's what I'm going to do. No more shit about waiting for this so called "paperwork" to clear. You either let me get to work or you can kiss my ass good-bye, and I know you don't have anyone else there at the shop that knows more about AC mechanics and physics than me-"
"Whoa, wait a minute? Keep your voice down will ya, I have dis' pounding headache."
"It'll get a lot worse if you don't listen to me."
"Okay, okay, okay!"
He looked around the place as if he actually gave a damn about the way he looked in front of other people. He turned back to, his arrogance and defiance somehow recharged to answer me back.
"Look kid, I told you the situation was complicated. They have these kinda labor laws n' such that say I can't let ya do any heavy stuff for about three years-"
"Three years!"
I took in what he said carefully, and then realized that Ness never had any intention of me having any contact with the repair team.
"You son-of-a-bitch. You were never gonna let me anywhere near the shop. Even when I do hit seventeen you'll probably find some excuse to dump my ass back on the street."
"Hey kid, it's not like that at all."
He sat silent for a moment, probably thinking about of another way to brush me off. I was right.
"Listen, give me 'bout another year and I can pro'bly get you workin'. Kay?"
I refused to answer him, probably because if I opened my mouth to respond to his blatant attempt to give me the cold shoulder, I would have lost control and probably would have been arrested for killing that bastard. Instead, I maintained my solemnness and stood up. Grabbing a half- filled bottle off the table, I lifted it to my lips and guzzled the remainder of the noxious liquid, letting the sting of the alcohol alleviate the frustration and hatred I felt towards that. thing sitting across from me. Another first for me today. Keep this up and I should be a raging alcoholic and fiendish chain smoker before I'm twenty-one. Remembering the cop seated behind us, I was suddenly blessed with another plot for revenge. In my best impersonation of a roaring drunk, I pirouetted toward the door, but not without stopping right behind the policeman and cooing,
"G'bye uncle Ness! Thanks for the widdle drinky. Tee hee hee!"
At this point, the now concerned police officer got up to start questioning my new and obviously irresponsible "uncle". It was s glorious sensation having Ness's vulgar shouts of protests follow me out of the restaurant. I knew that stunt would most likely get me fired, but personally, I thought it was worth it. That conniving idiot deserved it for taking advantage of me like that. My head suddenly started to pound with another one of my frequent migraines, probably caused by whatever crap Ness was drinking. Or maybe it was because of Ness being a constant prick. All I knew was that I needed to get back to my place and crash. I managed to catch an "AC taxi ride", i.e. I stood at the edge of the elevated sidewalk and waved a bunch of credits in the air till I caught the attention of an AC traveling the street, who would then, upon payment give me a ride in their unit's left hand. Not the safest method of transportation, but it was faster and to me a helluva lot of fun, and it was also good for the pilot who needed a quick buck. Some Ravens who were between contracts (currently out of work) made their livings wandering the streets collecting fares. I was fortunate enough to flag down a quad-leg model, whose exceptional speed ratings and ability to effortlessly glide over even the roughest terrain insured that I got a peaceful ride. That is, provided I ignore the other sounds of the bustling city around me, which wasn't too hard in the state of mental exhaustion I was experiencing right now. I swear I fell asleep in the robot's cold and metallic, and yet somehow gentle and grip, my head propped against the inside of its thumb as it carried me home.
It was almost poetic in the way I appeared; a delicate little nothing in the hands of this towering gargantuan, who could crush me so easily, but was piloted by a decent person who cared enough to see me home safely. Even if it was just for the money, it was a nice thing to do. I was awakened a few minutes later, by the seemingly tender nudge of the AC's other hand. I looked to see that, to my amazement, the pilot had taken the effort and the inconvenience of putting down his right arm weapon and wake me up in a more placid manner. Obviously this was a big risk should another pilot come along and decide to start trouble, but he still did it anyway. I was in awe at this Raven's degree of compassion as he was setting me down on the platform in front of my apartment complex. I dusted myself off and was about to take out some money to pay this generous pilot, but he made the AC hold up it's right hand to signal he didn't want anything, thus adding to his degree of benevolence. His voice came over the unit's PA system in a soft and actually quite attractive tone as not to startle me,
"No, I can't."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Well", he paused to think about it, and then he sarcastically responded, "Because I only take money from inept corporate executives, who can't solve their own problems and have to hire people like me out to do their dirty work."
I laughed, but then I got curious about what the pilot's true intentions were behind giving me a lift.
"If you didn't want my money, then why did you even bother to pick me up?"
"Do you always question those who do favors for you?"
"It's slowly become apparent to me that I have to nowadays."
The mystery pilot leaned over to reclaim his weapon, a standard laser rifle from the looks of it, and reattached it to the AC's right hand, before turning back to respond.
"That's a shame that you have to doubt the true intentions of those who wish to help you. I don't know. Maybe. Maybe I did it because it was the right thing to do."
I stood there, reveling from my own snobbish treatment to the kind- hearted pilot as the pilot turned his unit around to leave.
"Wait, I'm sorry! I. I don't even your know your name!"
He turned his head back towards me, holding his weapon at his shoulder.
"They like to call me Strife, and I don't mind it either. I'll see you around."
He walked down the street and with a final wave from his robot, disappeared around the corner. I would see him again, but not for a few years. That encounter with the compassionate Strife got me thinking, that maybe not all the Ravens were as diabolical and evil as the one who attacked PROGTECH city all those many years ago. However, I knew that such Ravens still existed out there. As long as they were still living and taking innocent lives, I was not going to stop in my quest. Unfortunatley, if that meant that I would have to go throught he likes of Strife to do so, then so be it.

(END CHAPTER FOUR)

I think this is my favorite chapter so far. I had a lot of fun/trouble writing it, I just wish people would R&R more. Haven't gotton a response since the first chapter, and would appreciate a few more responses, good or bad. Oh well.