Mable: Enjoy!

Within Reach

Chapter 16: Pretty Good Gig

...

Everyone expected Abe to be back by now and while panic hadn't yet kicked in, all three of his companions were starting to become a little antsy. Since they had already gone through the fuel siphoning and replacement- a lengthy process in itself- they whittled away the time with an old, bent stack of playing cards. Two would play a card game as the third kept an eye out the front window to watch for Abe.

Currently Alf and Vesper were playing against each other while Toby kept watch. This in and of itself was dangerous, since it became apparent the first time that they played that they were too competitive. Alf would get a little too worked up and Vesper would get a bit too smug, and Toby would watch them as much as he would keep lookout to make sure it didn't reach the tipping point. Last thing he needed was a fight to break out when Abe wasn't there to stop it.

Then, right when he was starting to grow notably nervous, he spotted movement in the distance. He leaned forward over the console taking care to not press any buttons and squinted through the glass. It didn't have to get much closer before he realized that it was Abe jogging towards the blimp. He perked up and turned back to the others.

"It's Abe!" he cried. Both Alf and Vesper shot upright, having been hunched over their cards. Vesper then beat Alf to the punch by tossing down his cards and getting up before hurriedly walking out of the cockpit.

"That's a forfeit!" Alf called after him. He didn't get an answer, but he knew the other heard him. With a huff, he dropped his hand, got up off the floor, and beckoned Toby to follow as they headed out to meet their brother.

Abe had a lot on his mind as he came up on the blimps. It wasn't just that he was winded, which he was, but he couldn't stop thinking about everything that just happened. The cover-up of, the murdered Sligs, the Slig he did manage to save; it was so much to think about that it almost left him dizzy. Then again it could've also been coming down from the high of almost getting shot. His nerves felt fried.

The clatter of the blimp door caught him by surprise, and he looked up with a start only to smile when he saw Vesper hop out and start running over.

"Well, well. Look who finally decided to show up," Vesper greeted him with a beaming grin and relief in his eyes. "You had us worried for a while there. How was it?"

"Uh, good!... Sort of," Abe said uncertainly. Even with his smile, all of his feeling were unintentionally showing up on his face and in the nervous way he rubbed his arm. He then tacked on an honest, but equally vague. "…Almost."

Vesper's grin slightly tilted as a brow raised. "Why does that sound so foreboding?"

Abe gave him a lop-sided smile that all but confirmed that it was. Right as Vesper's smile started to fall and be replaced by a furrow of concern, and before he could ask anymore, the other two Mudokons caught up with them.

"You took your sweet time. How'd it go?" Alf said. Though in a good-natured, joking sort of way. The sort of way he would only use when he thought everything went fine. Abe reflexively forced a smile.

"It was… I did it! Uh…" The second those words came out, Alf and Toby's faces slowly shifted to some mimic of Vesper's. "You see… Y'know, let's go inside. I'll tell ya'll everything in there," Abe said. He then hustled around them and headed back to the blimp, leaving them all exchanging glances behind him.

Vesper picked up Alf and Toby's unease and realized he wasn't overreacting, then followed them after Abe. None of them said anything yet.

Once inside the cockpit and with the outer door sealed and safe, all eyes were back on Abe. Even with the extra few seconds to think, he didn't know how to go about this. Part of him almost didn't want to say anything at all, but the other part knew that this was too serious to hide, no matter how much he wanted to.

"What went wrong?" Alf finally asked. Blunt and to the point, as usual. Abe felt that weight on his shoulders return.

"Nothing went wrong, it just… They're…" All at once Abe's composure snapped as the truth came forth. "The Magog Cartel is killing witnesses! And it's not just slaves either. When a Slig says they've seen me, they shoot them on the spot!"

"What?" Alf asked in surprise.

"What?" Vesper asked more sharply. His eyes widening fully and crossed arms dropping.

"Are you sure?" Alf continued.

"Yes! I saw it with my own eyes! I was in a locker hiding and there was this Slig who said he saw me, and they brought him into the hallway where I was and shot him! Then they just pretended like it was an accident so they could go round up the others without them running! One of the Sligs… I… I warned one of the Sligs," Abe confessed. Now Alf's eyes were matching Vesper's. "I cut him loose and told him what was going on."

"Wait, but if they'll taking out witnesses then why'd ya show yourself to another one?" Alf asked.

"He saw me before I tied him up. I thought I could warn him and save him, but it's- it's a long story. He's okay, but those guys- that Slig team sent to silence them- is still over there right now cleaning out the place."

Vesper almost couldn't believe this, but he knew from the dead serious look on Abe's face that it had to be true. He covered his face with one hand. "Oh Odds…" he muttered. He then uncovered his face to directly ask, "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, I- I'm fine. I had a hard fall, but I wasn't shot, and I didn't break anything. Got pretty close to being ground gizzards though."

"That's not what I meant," Vesper corrected. His face was solemn, and his tone grew firm as he held his hands out at him. "Are. You. Okay?"

Abe was just about to say that he didn't know what he meant when it clicked, and he didn't know how to answer. He didn't know how he felt except that he was in shock, and maybe a little scared.

"Wait, back up a second. What happened to that Slig? Cause you said he's okay like you knew," Alf pointed out. He had a look somewhere between suspicion and concern, and it was well-earned considering that Abe breezed past that. Vesper realized this and instead of staying on topic also got a questioning look.

"When I went back for him, he didn't believe me and told the guys who were there." Everyone got their own look of dread. "But they didn't believe him either… Until they saw me. They tried to stop him, but he got away and we met up. We decided to work together to get out of there, and we did! He's hiding outside Evenwurst right now, waiting for them to leave so he could get back in."

"Whoa. That's a new one," Alf said, just as surprised by this. "You don't think he's gonna tell anyone else?"

"If he does, they're going to shoot him."

"Yeah, good point."

"It makes enough sense. If it's between you and death, I could see a Slig turning over," Vesper remarked. It was clear he wasn't enthused about Sligs, but he was much more upset about the silencing than Abe teaming up with one. "He's just waiting outside the factory? Aren't they going to see him?"

"He… lost his pants, so he's not as much of a target," Abe said with a shrug. "I almost asked him to come back-." Everyone looked primed for protest; Vesper's ears shot up, Alf started to open his mouth, and Toby raised his hands. "-but he made it clear that he still doesn't trust me. Even though we were just working together."

"And… they saw you?" Vesper asked.

"They did," Abe said. Vesper hissed in dismay. "But I'm pretty sure they already knew I was there, and they think I'm gone now… To think that this whole time we thought we were getting lucky, but really there's been somebody going behind us and 'cleaning up'. It's awful," Abe lamented. It was clear that he was really bothered, and to that Alf could only shrug.

"Not that I don't care or nothin'… but ain't this sort of a good thing? For us, I mean. The whole reason we're able to do heists like this is because they don't know we're coming. We would've never gotten this blimp if they had real security watching out," he pointed out.

"But I left them alive! The whole point of knocking 'em out and tying 'em up is so more people don't have to die, and now it's gonna happen whether I like it or not!" Abe vented. He was starting to sound a little more overwhelmed and Alf and Toby exchanged a sympathetic look, more for him than for the Sligs. That was when Vesper finally stepped in.

"Maybe not. Let's not lose our heads yet," he said as he reached out and gently took Abe's shoulders. It sent a twitch through his frayed nerves, but the touch was a welcomed one, and he listened attentively. "They might be able to pull a stunt like that at a place like this, but most of the places you go are much bigger. Places where a death count like that would be noticed won't be able to get away with this, and those are the places you've been going," Vesper rationalized.

"I guess… You really think so?" Abe asked.

"I really hope so," Vesper confessed. Seeing the other's mouth tense, he added, "And I think so. There's an amount of cover-up that you can't cover-up."

"That's true…" Abe trailed off, not sure what else to say. The firmness in Vesper's look softened, but it was clear that he was concerned. He gently squeezed the other's shoulders again and while Abe's gaze fell to the floor, his hand reached up to rest on the Chiromor's, squeezing it back.

A long moment paused before Toby broke the silence with a small clear of his throat.

"So, we… we got the blimp fueled up if you want to get going," he offered, pointing over towards the pilot's seat.

Abe almost said yes, but then abruptly hesitated, looking away for a long moment before shaking his head.

"Not yet. They're still over there and they're gonna be paying a lot more attention now that I got out. We'll wait until we see them fly off and then we can leave."

"And hope they don't fly overhead. There's nothing not suspicious about two blimps planted out in the middle of nowhere," Alf pointed out. He walked over to the window to look out, like he was already going on some form of guard duty. Abe watched him go and felt something start to creep up. Something he thought about back in that storage room and wanted to talk about but found himself hesitant.

Vesper watched his expression and wasn't sure what to make it. By now he had removed one hand from his shoulder but kept the other on out of a mix of comfort and protectiveness, though now he considered letting him go.

"Abe," he said. Abe looked to him and he gestured his head towards the door. "I'm going to go into the back for a bit. Do you want to come with me?"

Abe had a slightly inkling that he knew what Vesper was inviting him to do, and he wanted to go back there and do it, but he had to deal with this nagging feeling first. He gave a nod.

"Sure. Just let me, uh… See Alf for a second, then I'll be there."

Vesper managed a small smile and returned the nod before releasing him to head out of the cockpit. Toby watched him go and then watched Abe go over to Alf with a quizzical look before following him over.

Abe stopped beside Alf and cleared his throat. "So, uh…"

"Oh, right!" Alf turned to him with reignited interest, hands on his hips. "So, how'd it go? Other than the Slig stuff. Everyone got out okay?"

"Yup. All went just like we planned up until the Sligs showed up. They got a bunch of food and tools on the way out. I even had some Mudokons come back through the portal to get more. Never had that happen before. I got us some stuff too."

He began to feel through his bag and pulled out some of the goods he got out of the vending machine. He handed them to both Alf and Toby, who checked over the labels with scrutiny before Alf ripped open a bag of sugared 'whatever's and began to force himself to eat them, hunger winning over taste.

"I met two guys named Ernest and Philly. They sort of reminded me of you guys if you were a little older and you were a lot younger," he continued.

"Really?" Toby asked, mildly amused, and Abe nodded. "It's funny. I think I remember something about being older than you…" Alf playfully clapped him on the back.

The mood was good regardless of the news earlier. Abe was starting to regret bringing this up, but he couldn't stop himself from nudging forward. He waited until Toby was opening a sausage packet and Alf had his mouth full before speaking.

"It was weird, you know. Working with that Slig. For a while I was afraid he was going to set me up, but by time we were on our way out, we were working in sync. It was so weird, like I was just escaping with one of the followers! No big deal, and that's kind of funny to think about," he continued. He rubbed over his arm nervously as his eyes drifted to the front control panel. Even though he meant to continue he trailed off.

Alf noticed something was off. It wasn't hard to pick up Abe's cues. Nervousness was common, but this specific setup and behavior usually lined up with him needing to tell them something and being reluctant to. Which was weird because Abe was typically so blunt with his findings. Including with what he said earlier.

"What's up, Abe?" Alf asked. He used a more patient tone to coax it out of him. Abe stopped rubbing his arm so he could rub the back of his neck. "…Did somethin' else happen?"

"Not really, I just… Working with that Slig…"

"Yeah?" Alf coaxed. "Felt weird? Got ya scared that he's gonna rat us out?"

"No, it's just that he reminded me of Wildum."

The moment the words came out, Abe regretted them. He looked to Alf for his reaction and the startlement on his face was evident. It took him longer than usual to recover, and that was saying a lot for someone as levelheaded as Alf. Toby blinked and looked between them. He didn't know if he knew about Wildum or not, if Alf had told him about him, but it was very likely he hadn't. That Abe and Alf were the only ones of the escapees who knew and remembered him.

"Err, yeah. I guess that makes sense. Y'know, Sligs all sorta seem alike," Alf fumbled out. He coughed on the powder lining his throat. "Something he said or?"

"I don't know. Just something in the way he acted reminded me of him," Abe awkwardly confessed. The whole room felt awkward then. Him fussing at his feathers, Alf slow chewing whatever was in his mouth, neither looking at one another, and Toby standing in the center either very aware of what was happening or having absolutely no idea.

If Abe even for a second thought they were going to have an actual talk about Wildum, then this gave the clear message that neither of them were ready for it.

He finally broke the tension. "I think I'm gonna see if Vess wants any of this stuff," he said, pointing his thumb at the door and then walking sideways towards it. Alf finally snapped out of his trance.

"Don't let him take all the good stuff, and I call dibs on anything powdered," Alf proclaimed, lifting the bag as he did so. Abe managed a smile, mumbled something, and headed out the door. Alf turned to look out the window and quickly started to talk to Toby about the possibility of getting spotted, immediately trying to veer the conversation in another direction.

Vesper was already sitting in the passageway waiting for him and Abe removed his backpack before sitting alongside him.

"I snagged some food before I left if you're hungry. Not as good as your stuff, but better than nothing," he offered. He began to sort through his bag, looking for the best stuff that had sunk into the bottom of the pack.

"Sounds good," Vesper agreed. He watched the other for a brief pause before turning away. "…I want to ask you a question, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable," he admitted, lightly scratching his cheek. He looked back again. "How about I ask you and you don't have to answer?"

"Sounds good," Abe repeated with a smile. Not looking up from his bag as he dug through it. "Shoot."

"Who's Wildum?"

Abe's eyes popped open in surprise and he sat up abruptly, then snapped to look at him. "How did you- Oh…" Vesper was tapping his ear, and the door had been left open anyways. "Well, umm… Wildum was a Slig that me and Alf knew back in RuptureFarms. We used to hang out sometimes when we were on break."

"Really? That's surprising," Vesper said. "So, he was friendly towards Mudokons?"

"Not really. I don't know, I didn't see him much when he was working, but when he was with us, he seemed like it. He always used to say he was just in it for the drinks though," Abe confessed with a fond smile. "He was… the only Slig in that whole place who ever treated us like we were the same. When we were hanging out, we were buds. We weren't slaves."

"It sounds like he was an alright guy," Vesper said with a grin. A grin that rapidly fell right afterwards. "I hate to ask this, but what happened to him?"

"He, uh… He had an accident…" Abe pulled his bag into his lap like he was hugging it against himself. "I don't know much of what happened though. Just that he's not kicking anymore."

"Oh…" Vesper wasn't surprised. He had a hunch something was coming with how dodgy they had been with his name, and this fit the bill exactly. He still felt a little guilty. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried."

"No, it's okay. I brought him up first. I wanted to talk about him…" Abe sighed. "But I shouldn't of. Alf was a lot closer to Wildum than I was. I should've known he wasn't gonna take it well."

"Alf? Huh, would've never guessed. What with how suspicious he was of me."

Abe managed a chuckle. "He does that with anyone who's dressed up fancy."

"I choose to take that as a compliment," Vesper quipped, his toothier grin returning. "Still, I'm sorry I pushed you, and for eavesdropping." He let a few seconds pass before offering, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Abe's pulse quickened. Was this the invite from earlier coming back or was Vesper just being nice? Was that invite from earlier even an invite for what he thought it was- which would be that physical comfort he had been craving since he was back in the breakroom. The warmth, the touch, the agonizing need to be held and assured that it would be alright even when he knew it wasn't going to be. He wanted that hazy warmth to lull him into a sense of security.

"Could you… uh… umm…"

"Yes?" Vesper gently coaxed.

Abe sent a wary look at the open door into the cockpit. As he did, Vesper noticed a purplish hue had settled in the skin of his face. He was blushing, and that alone made the heat settle in his own face, though it would be much harder to see.

"Could we…?" Abe tried. He looked back at the Chiromor and, realizing he wasn't getting his point across, held out his arms like for a hug.

"Of course! Come here," Vesper offered, going so far as to even hold open his coat. Abe scooted closer and eagerly snared him into an embrace before sinking into the softness of fabric and fur from a firm hold.

The tingles spreading across his skin were exactly what he had been waiting for. He gave a relieved sigh as he rested his head on the Chiromor's shoulder, suddenly noticing how tired he was as his muscles loosened up. A low purr rolled through the other's chest.

"To be really honest, I've wanted to do this since the moment you walked up," Vesper confessed. He pulled Abe further into the crook of his shoulder and nuzzled his head against his. "I've got you, just relax. I can hear your heart racing."

"You can hear that?" Abe asked, heart quickening as his face burned.

Vesper gave an unbothered, "Mm-hmm," and held him more securely. After being so worried about the Mudokon, thinking he had been caught or shot, it felt therapeutic to hold him close. Finally, it felt like he was doing something important. It was a powerful feeling. Powerful enough to ignore the funny smell of whatever Abe had been wading through.

After the adrenaline high and emotional drops of the day, it wasn't long before Abe started to nod off. He wasn't sure if he actually fell asleep or just drifted though because it felt like he was resting there for a while. At the very least it allowed his mind to shut off for a while. It just felt so good to be held. So secure and safe. It reminded him of something.

It reminded him of someone.

Until he was roused by a gentle tap to his arm. He must've not been totally asleep as it felt like he awoke rather easily, and not with a jolt as he was used to.

"They left," Vesper said. Abe was about to ask who, but the Chiromor continued and clarified. "The Sligs. Alf or Toby's about to come in and tell you."

Abe lifted up with a tired nod and a weary rub over his face. Though when he removed his hand, he made eye contact with Vesper and that flush started to return, along with a lopsided smile. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Vesper replied, adjusting his vest and coat. He sent Abe a playful grin. "To Alf."

Abe really, really hoped nobody had peeked in during that.

Before he could dwell too long, he heard the footsteps and suddenly Alf was standing in the doorway. From his nonchalant look, he must've not seen, and he must've been over the talk about Wildum.

"Alrighty, Abe! That other blimp headed out yonder, so we're free to get going," Alf explained. He seemed eager to get moving, probably tired of sitting around with nothing to do. Abe could only wish he was that excited.

He nodded and stood, putting on his backpack as he did. Only to stop as he thought about that Slig. Whether or not it had been found and killed or if it was still hiding over at Evenwurst. He looked over to Alf, who was watching expectantly.

"Uh… Before we go, mind if I run outside real quick? It'll just be a couple of minutes," Abe asked.

"Sure thing. We ain't going nowhere without you."

Vesper, who didn't catch the implications and was distracted with fixing his fur, casually asked, "Want me to go with you?"

Abe stared blankly. Alf just gave him an unamused look. "I think he can handle this himself," he said.

"What?" Vesper looked up and between them, then caught on. "Oh! Never mind, go ahead. I thought- I don't know what I thought."

He obviously didn't think that Abe was going to hop out of the blimp, walk a few feet away, and then break into a sprint towards and past the bushes. He knew they would eventually catch on and he hated lying to them, but he couldn't risk them following. He would be as fast as he could and hope that they understood where he was going.

Back to Evenwurst to find that Slig.

After having time to rest, Abe was able to cover the distance back to the factory a lot quicker and found the place eerily quiet. He silently scouted out the fence and abandoned stockyards around where he had left the Slig, but he was nowhere to be seen. No signs of blood though so he wasn't willing to give up yet. Instead, he was going to slip back inside.

He didn't go the same way in. Instead, he climbed up onto one of the guard towers closest to the factory and found a way inside through there, cautiously stepping back into the building. Not only was it seemingly devoid of life, but it looked like all of the lights had been turned off. The only thing illuminating the building being the rusty glow through the high, dirty windows. Once his eyes adjusted, he began to sneak further inside.

It was weird how quickly and significantly the factory had cooled down once everything was shut down. It didn't smell any better though. In fact, it smelled like the meat in the vats was left where it was. An unfortunate waste, but maybe wildlife would come in and eat it at some point. It would be better than it just rotting here. He headed out of the production floor and back into the halls.

He found his way to the stairwell on the opposite side of the building to where he had used the lift and started climbing further inside. There had still been no sign of the Slig, or any Sligs, but he kept going. There was one place he had to check before he could leave and that was the same place he originally found the Slig, that lone office down the hall from the break room.

The first sign that he might be on the right track was that the door to the office was closed. Abe cautiously listened against it though and couldn't hear anything inside, so he pressed the button to open it.

He was rewarded with a chair spinning around in front of him and a gun aimed straight at his chest. He jumped up and his hands flew up to protect himself, expecting a hail of gunfire about to come down on him.

It wasn't until the Slig in the office chair gave a relieved sigh and lowered his gun that he realized it was actually the same one he escaped with, he was just wearing pants again.

"It's just you," the Slig said. Then, just as quickly, that relief was gone, and his head shot back up. "Wait, it's you." He brought his gun up again. "What are you doin' here? You forget somethin'?"

"No, I just- I saw the ship leave and I wanted to see what was… up," Abe explained. The gun made him nervous, but he was sure it was an anxiousness that the Slig shared. "Wanted to, uh, see if you got out okay."

"…Yeah, they didn't find me." The Slig lowered his weapon cautiously and set it on his metal lap. Abe dropped his arms to his sides, to which the Slig paid close attention. "Guess they didn't find you neither."

"Nope."

"Nah."

There was an awkward pause as the two just stood there in the dimly lit office. Only one of the screens was on and it was just showing a blue static. Probably being used more for light instead of keeping an eye out. He also noticed a stack of vending machine goods and leftover wiener products stacked on the floor beside the console that weren't there before.

"A'right, let's cut the crap and get this over with. What in the hell are you doin' here? Cause if you came back hoping to finish the job, then fat chance. My aim sucks, but it don't suck that much," the Slig suddenly announced.

Abe was startled by the outburst and was quick to assure him. "I'm not here to hurt you! I dunno, I just… was wondering." The Slig didn't look like he bought it and Abe fumbled his hands awkwardly. "Y'know when you're in the middle of something and then you have to leave halfway through, but then you keep wanting to know how it all turned out?"

The Slig hummed before nodding. It was hard to read his expression, but he was paying close attention.

"So, uh…" Abe shrugged. "How'd it turn out?"

"Not too shabby, considering they wanted me dead," the Slig answered. He leaned back in the chair trying to get comfortable, but his rigid limbs made it clear this was just for show. "They came out and started searchin' the grass and all around the fence lines. I got myself up under some junk over at the dumping wall and they walked right past me two er three times… But I'm gonna guess I wasn't their main target."

Abe nodded as he let that sink in. He had been so worried about everything else that he hadn't considered how dangerous this was for him, having a highly trained swat team looking to ambush him. He took a breath to steady his nerves.

"Looks like you got your pants back though. I'm glad you didn't try sneaking on board with them. They probably would've found you out," Abe said. The Slig scoffed and propped his head up with his free arm on the armrest. "So… What now? Looks like you got some supplies, but…" He looked at the meager stack of rations. "You can't hide in here forever. Who knows what it's gonna be like when it gets dark and the smell of meat starts bringing things in."

"Eesh, don't remind me," the Slig muttered. "Nah, I'm just holdin' out fer the night in case those guys come back. First thing tomorrow morning, I'm gonna hike over to Sloghut 1028, tell 'em a story, and see if I can hitch a ride on the first delivery blimp back to civilization… You're, uh… You ain't hitting that place too, right?"

"No."

"Good." The Slig turned his seat enough so that he could lean back fully, seemingly less threatened by Abe's presence the more they spoke. "I'll get back to the Barracks and if I can fool 'em well enough, get myself a new post somewhere else."

"Sounds like a plan," Abe said. The Slig nodded, seemingly happy with it. Though Abe found himself a little torn once again. "…But sounds a little risky. What's to say they won't put out a bulletin and recognize you once you go back?"

"Nothin' really, but I don't think they'd do all that. I'm a nobody. They don't care about guys like me. Never even got my name, I bet," the Slig said. Though he sounded almost like he was trying to convince himself with all of that. "I can change my name, lose my numbers, and I'll be back on the workforce in two days tops… Three if depending on the blimp… Four of they make me do some kind of training thing."

Abe could've just left it there, but once again he found himself speaking before thinking. "But… is that what you really want?"

The Slig's eye slid to him in semi-confusion. "What?"

"Just that… Do you really want to do that?"

"Whaddya mean, what I wanna do? That's what I gotta do. You said yerself that sittin' around here's gonna get me killed one way or another. So, get back to the Barracks and get myself into another job. Ain't great, but what are ya gonna do? Ain't like I'm qualified fer valet work."

"But you're off the hook now. You can do whatever you want. You don't have to go back."

"Then what do you suggest I-?" The Slig cut off halfway through his sarcastic comment and started at Abe. It suddenly seemed to click. "…Oh boy, that's why you came back here." He leaned back on the opposite armrest, almost like he was about to climb over it. The unease returning to his motions. "What, you hiring Sligs now?"

Abe wasn't prepared for this question and awkwardly floundered for a few seconds, starting and stopping sentences without much progress.

"I just thought maybe, y'know, maybe you'd want to. You could come with us and then you don't have to go back to working for a place like this. And it would help us having someone from the inside."

"Did you really come all the way up here to ask me to become a super criminal and betray my whole race?!" the Slig asked in disbelief. There was a long pause.

"…I mean they DID shoot at you," Abe said. The Slig looked over abruptly and he added in a defensive shrug. "J-Just saying. They shot at me too."

"Gee, when ya put it like that: no."

"But why not? You don't sound like you want to go back, and if they find you out, they'll still kill you."

"Because you're the Mudokon Terrorist!" the Slig cried exasperated. "You make a living off'a killing chumps like me! You make a literal killing! Look what ya did to this place!" He gestured his arms at the room. "And whatever went down at RuptureFarms, and Slig Barracks, and Soulstorm Brewery. Need I say more?"

"That's not true! I don't want to hurt anybody. The only time I fight back is to protect myself or the others, and that counts for all those places too!" Abe defended. The Slig's words just confirmed what the whole world saw him as, or at least the industrialist side's view. "And this all started 'cause Molluck was going to eat us. He was gonna slice, dice, deep-fry and sell all of us as meat pies! Or Mudokon Pops, just as bad… What were we supposed to do? Let 'em do it?"

He really expected a 'yes', but the Slig was silently staring at him. Though it could've been out of fear since he stepped closer. He took a step back as soon as he realized it.

"And the brew… It was poisoned. It was made so that if Mudokons stopped drinking it for even a few days they'd die. It was made that way on purpose, so nobody could've escaped…" He looked at the Slig almost pleadingly. "You've got to understand, we just want to live. You can't buy all those lies about happy workers. You're the one seeing what's going down all the time," he said, pointing past to the camera screens. The Slig looked back at them.

"…I guess I get that," the Slig finally caved. Lowering his head as he did so, as though defeated. "Ain't too different to me palling around with you to keep from getting executed… And it ain't like we live much better- I bet you think us Sligs got such a sweet deal goin' on 'cause we're the ones on the other side of these guns, but we ain't. And I'd bet all the moolah I've ever seen that they weren't gonna off Mudokons like they did those guys down there."

"Because nobody would've believed them?" Abe asked innocently.

"Worse than that," the Slig said as he slowly sunk into his chair. Head aimed down and hands rubbing the top of his gun. "You workers got value on ya. They want you alive. I mean not you you, but the rest of them. Yer the lifeblood of the company. Us? We're disposable. Unless we're on the big screen or sidelining the head honchos, we're just one in a million. Hell, some of us don't even got names. We're just "you, over there" or "Slacker", or Pickle Guy."

That was surprising. Mudokons only seemed to be given names to keep an eye on them and track their mistakes and misdemeanors. The fact that Sligs weren't even given that was weird to Abe, and kind of sad.

"Ya spend yer whole life babysitting a buncha workers and then you end up dying young one way or another. It ain't pretty. We don't even get medical- and the union fees? Woof!" The Slig spun himself around. "And you're here tellin' me how bad you guys have it? Yeah, you got it bad, but it ain't much better for us."

Abe was about to argue, because as rough as it sounded there was still so much he was leaving out. The guns, the abuse, the Sligs' ability to walk away from work without the risk of an immediate punishment, about how they were the ones inflicting the punishments. There were so many words of frustration that found their way pushing at Abe's lips and just as they started to come out-.

"Funny though," the Slig said. Head slumping into being propped by his arm. "I really had a good thing going here. Wasn't the best, but it was a pretty good job… Least I thought it was."

He trapped them back in.

Because he knew that feeling better than anyone else.

As much as Abe knew now about how awful everything was, he had been ignorant of it for years. He had worked hard at RuptureFarms, getting to the point of being Employee of the Year more than once. Some of the others had even called him a suck-up to the boss, and at the time he was embarrassed but didn't think too much of it. He was just doing his job as best he could and at the time it felt like a good deal.

Now thinking about it made him feel weird. A mix of embarrassment and sickening dread that he had gone along with it so far. He couldn't ignore that he might not be the only one with those belief, and that the wake-up call was just as hard.

"This wasn't what I wanted to happen. The whole reason I came back and told you was so it wouldn't… But it happened anyway," Abe said. Then, without really thinking about it, something else came out. "…I'm sorry."

"What?" The Slig sounded surprised and turned back quickly. "What? Really?"

"Yeah. The whole reason you got in this mess was because of me. I came in earlier when you were sleeping and if I would've tied you up then this wouldn't have happened. Then I got greedy in the breakroom…" It felt so weird apologizing to someone who probably would've shot on sight if he had the chance, but it felt like the right thing to do. "I'm sorry I got you in this mess."

The Slig stared at him for a long moment before finally speaking in a quiet voice.

"You came in while I was sleeping?"

Abe got a half-hearted smile and nodded.

"Oh. No, that ain't scary at all. Not one bit…" the Slig muttered. He almost shuddered, but then cocked his head. "Not that I'm entertaining the idea, but what's the goal here? Just hitting joints and snatchin' workers?"

"Something like that. It's top secret until you join the club," Abe offered with gentle playfulness. He could tell the Slig was thinking about it, and he didn't want to risk that, but he also couldn't risk giving out their plans.

There was a moment when Abe suddenly realized he was actually trying to get a Slig to join them, but it was short lived. He made up his mind. Vesper taught him that other races would care for the cause, Wildum taught him Sligs could be good.

"I just can't help feelin' that this is some kinda trick. Like, I walk out that door and you pop me while my back is turned. Or that yer just inviting me along so when you get in a jam you can stab me in the back and make a getaway. Any of that ring any bells?" the Slig asked, pointing at Abe, suspicion back in full. So, he told him more of the truth.

"I was on my way out when I realized they were going to find you. I could've still left, but I didn't. I could've left you in the ice box too, or in the lift, or up in the rafters-."

"Come on, get to it. You're making me nervous now."

"But I didn't… Because I don't leave people, and I don't stab them in the back." Abe then dared to tell him more. "…I was friends with a Slig once and when the others found out they killed him, and there was nothing I could do. I think if I had escaped while he was still alive, he would've come with us… Or if I knew what was going to happen, I could've done something to stop it."

"…To clarify, was that 'other' Sligs or Muds?"

"Sligs."

"Gotcha." The Slig twisted back and forth in his chair. One hand on the arm rest and the other back to fondling his gun. "This ain't some weird thing about me replacing that guy, is it?"

"No! No, no, no. I didn't even think about him until after I left you here," Abe said defensively. "His name was Wildum."

"Yeah, well… Mine's Daggle," the Slig confessed. "I'll go by Dag, but I sure as hell ain't goin' as Daggie."

That was it. Abe knew at that second that he wasn't leaving the factory alone and a cautious smile returned to his face. Daggle didn't actually say he was coming or give any vocal confirmation at all beyond a sigh as he slinked out of the office chair. He was acting like he really didn't want to do this, like his arm was twisted and he had no choice but to go along with it.

Abe knew that was part of it too. As confident as Daggle was saying that by the next day he would be returning to Slig Barracks to be reinstated, his surplus of supplies suggested differently. As did how tightly he held his gun. He was afraid, but he was coming, and that meant he wasn't a Slig anymore. He wasn't an enforcer, he wasn't one of them, he was one of Abe's followers now and Abe had to get that in his head.

It was a little exciting honestly. Abe knew there was going to be consequences back at the blimp, but that could wait. That would be his problem later. For now, he was just leading another follower home.

"So, what's the moolah for this gig anyway?"

Oh yeah. He was going to fit right in.