Alright, let's go over the plan one more time.
When Henry had his back turned, he'd run out that door, not looking back. If Henry caught him, he'd run back into this room, and duck behind the barrels.
Ezra looked over his work. Two barrels stacked on top of each sat against the wall and the curtain door.
Then three barrels were pushed closely together, creating a poor excuse for a defensive wall.
He really wished he had done more in the last hour.
If things did go wrong, Ezra would hide behind the barrels. How did this help him?
He had no idea.
But hey, at least he had this knife!
It was a decently sized knife he stole from a box of what seemed like cooking supplies next to the hammock.
He also had no idea what would happen after he made it past that door, or where he would go.
He was gonna have to pull a "Selena Calico".
Wing it, and hope for the best.
He built up the courage and pulled the curtain back, glancing around.
Henry was working on something, with the assistance of L-o-9-3.
There was enough noise to cover the sound of Ezra's footprints.
Ezra exhaled, taking a single step toward his freedom, or demise.
Henry's ears perked up, and he stopped his project for a moment.
"L-o-9-3, unlock the door."
Ezra jumped back behind the curtain. The android nodded, and swiftly made their way to unlock the several complex locks.
Oh, now the universe loves him.
L-o-9-3 made their way back to Henry's side, and Ezra made his move.
One step turned into two. He wanted to turn back, but he had to keep going. Ezra tried to keep his breathing leveled and stop his heart from racing, but there was no stopping that.
Two steps, and now four, he was getting closer to the door.
His hand reached for the handle.
But then the handle turned on its own.
The door opened, and two people walked in, laughing and talking away.
Ezra jumped back, stumbling and falling.
They saw him, and they went silent, staring at him with wide eyes and open mouths.
One of them was a toned and lean Phrynosoma (horned lizard) man, probably in his late teens or early twenties.
His bumpy, scaly skin was different shades of reddish brown.
He had two sets of yellow eyes with red around black pupils.
He didn't have hair, his head was covered in horns, two large ones poring back, a smaller set of two also pointing back, with an even smaller pair at the top of his jaw line.
His face was decorated with a few scars; one of his lip, another on his right eyebrow.
A sharp set of fangs could be seen from his mouth hanging open.
He wore a tight black tank top beneath a short bright red jacket that barely covered his lower back , baggy brown pants that were loose around his waist, with a bunch of belts that fell around his waist. He had two crescent moon daggers hanging from one of the belts, one on each side of his waist.
He wore steel toe boots, tightly laced, which were also decorated with small knives tied to the upper shoes with bandages on each one.
His friend, on the other hand, was a very tall and beefy Sus Scrofa (boar). He looked about thirties or forties, but older than Henry or Maddox.
His skin was a desaturate, almost gray, purple color. His had a dark purple Mohawk starting from the top of his head, all the way down to his back.
He had stubby ears, each with one big gold round piercing.
Two big sets of teeth pointed upward out of his mouth, a smaller pair pointed downward.
He wore a sand colored shirt, with a v neckline and cross hatching of string along that. He wore red striped pants that draped over low dark gray boots. He had a dark blue belt with a silver buckle wrapped around his waist.
They were both holding brown bags full of metal junk. The big one had one bag over his shoulder, while the shorter one held two in his hands.
Ezra scrambled back. The two men didn't move, and just stared at him.
Realizing he had been caught, by these people and Henry, he rushed back into the other room.
He jumped behind the barrels, taking cover. Ezra had never ran so fast before.
His heart beat fast as he clutched his chest, gasped for air.
Bad idea. Terribly bad idea.
He was so dead.
Ezra closed his eyes and his breathing slowed, running his hands down his neck and shoulders. He huddled up again the barrel farthest from the entrance.
His ears perked up, alerting him, as he heard voices outside the room.
"Who the hell was that!?" Came the voice of a young man, probably the shorter man Ezra saw walk in earlier.
"Griffin, calm down."
"That better not be a replacement!" Griffin's voice got low. "or I swear to god-"
"The kid…" Henry interrupted. "Is my new… apprentice."
"Your what!?" Griffin screamed. His bigger friend placed a hand on his shoulder.
The older man spoke with a slight thick accent Ezra couldn't pin point.
"Finn, please calm yourself-"
"Shut it, Husk!" Griffin snapped. Griffin froze, not meaning to yell at his dear companions. "I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"It is alright, my friend." Husk smiled, patting him on the shoulder. He turned to Henry. "What is going on?"
"Yeah, what gives?" Griffin cut in. "We just lost her, and what, Maddox decides he can just give us a new one?"
Griffin tried to contain his anger, but it showed up in the edges of his voice.
"Where'd he get this one, huh?"
"The boy was handpicked from a recent haul." Henry confessed, sitting back down.
Griffin and Husk's eyes widened in surprise.
Griffin choked up, quickly backing up his former statement.
"I don't care if Maddox went through all the trouble of handpicking the kid himself, we don't need him!"
Husk gently pushed Griffin back, holding him in place.
"Griffin, the kid is in the other room, please don't-"
"Are you seriously gonna let this happen!?" Griffin yelled. Henry looked away, almost ashamed.
"We ain't got no use for him, so let's just get rid of him now-"
Henry coughed into his hand, violently. L-o-9-3 rushed to his side immediately, checking his vitals, and keeping him front standing up by placing a firm but gentle hand on his chest.
When Henry could finally speak again, his voice was hoarse.
"We need the kid, whether we like it or not." Henry turned away, continuing the work on his desk. He waved Griffin and Husk away.
"Dismissed."
"Sorry, boss…" Griffin said through grinding teeth, though his voice did show an edge of concern. He stormed away in a fit of rage and self pity.
"You want me to go check on the kid?" Husk asked, aware of the growing tension in the room.
Henry was quiet, then he spoke.
"We might as well get him situated. There's no going back, anyways. Bring L-o-9-3 with you."
Husk nodded, and both he and L-o-9-3 headed for the smaller room.
Ezra heard them approaching, and panicked. He accidentally kicked the barrel that was one top of another barrel, and it fell on him.
Ezra yelped, barely stopping the barrel before it trapped his entire body. His legs were keeping it from crashing into him at best, but he couldn't lift the thing farther than a few inches.
-and he wasn't about to go calling for help either.
It was really hard to keep himself from getting crushed while holding a knife.
Ezra heard Husk and the droid enter the room, and his heart almost stopped.
"Hey- oh." Husk peered over the wall of barrels. With a single hand, he easily lifted the fallen barrel.
Ezra sighed in relief, but he then felt a large hand wrap around under his arm, pulling him out from his hiding place.
Ezra yelped as he was lifted over the barrels, and then back into the floor. Husk placed two hands on Ezra's shoulders to steady him.
Ezra stood frozen, although a bit shaken. He looked up, meeting the eyes of the older man.
"Hi." Ezra breathed out, terrified out of his mind.
"Hi." Husk replied. The man's face became one of poorly hidden hurt as he stared at Ezra. Husk caught sight of the knife in Ezra's hand.
"That would be mine, lad."
Ezra stared at the knife till he processed that sentence. He dropped the knife, and backed away, staring at the knife.
Husk placed both his hands on his hips as he looked down at the knife. He ran a hand through a few locks of stray hair, and then down his face.
"I haven't done this in a long time." Husk sighed, kneeling down to pick up the knife.
Ezra backed up more.
Was he gonna kill him?
Husk held the knife. He sighed, and grabbed an apron laying around near the hammock.
"I should probably start dinner." He said, wrapped the apron around his waist.
"Finn hates waiting." He lightly jokes.
He turns to L-o-9-3.
"Could you, uh…" he glanced at Ezra for a second. "Do something with the kid?"
The android silently nods.
"Get him set up. We'll, uh, do a 'team meeting' later." Husk said, a bit awkwardly. He walked out, leaving L-o-9-3 as Ezra alone.
Husk didn't kill Ezra.
Ezra let out the breath he was holding, feeling the weight lift off his shoulders.
L-o-9-3 was looking at him blankly. Well, the droid looked at everyone blankly. There was nothing behind those tired blue optics of theirs.
"Hello." L-o-9-3's voice was soft, yet hoarse from lack of use, and presented feminine.
"H-hi." Ezra immediately tensed up again.
"We don't have an extra bed, so you'll have to sleep on the floor." She said, her voice was a bit more… robotic, then it should be, even for an actual robot. It was dull. There was no life in it.
Geez, how long was he gonna be here?
"What about that one?" Ezra replied bluntly, and pointed to the cot. Ezra felt he was being rude by not obeying the demand, but his life was already falling apart, he wasn't about to add bad back problems to the list.
"That is Griffins."
"No, the one besides it." He pointed to the cot besides Griffins. It was hiding under a tan sheet, collecting dust.
L-o-9-3 stared at the cot, not blinking or taking her eyes off of it. It was unsettling. She was taking more time than necessary to answer the simple question.
She was hesitant to answer, but she did anyway.
"Yes." She croaked out, her back facing Ezra. "I suppose you can have that bed."
L-o-9-3 seemed… distant. She stared at the empty bed longer than she should have.
Ezra had seen such silence from Eleanor. Outside, a reserved quiet woman, but inside, loud memories that wouldn't go away replayed over and over.
L-o-9-3 moved closer to move all the sheet, but stopped, frozen in her tracks. The android carefully lifted the sheet, revealing the cot. The sheet fell to the ground. L-o-9-3 stared at the cot again.
Ezra rubbed his arms. It was cold, even his jacket didn't help.
L-o-9-3 noticed this, and looked down at his blood and muddy clothes.
"We'll acquire you new clothes soon. Tomorrow at the latest." She noted. Ezra looked down at his clothes.
Yikes.
Ezra swallowed harshly, and rubbed the back of his neck.
"You should rest." She broke the silence. "You have a lot to do tomorrow."
Ezra's ears perked up. "Excuse me?"
Ah, assistant. He remembers now. Or, was it apprentice? Didn't matter- ok, it kinda mattered.
She silently stared at him.
"Nevermind." He replied, folding his arms behind his back. She responded with a small nod. Ezra couldn't help but notice the scratches and dents in her metal body.
L-o-9-3 was about to walk away, but Ezra spoke again.
"Do you…" he regained her attention. "Do you have a name?"
Again with the silent stare.
"Droids do not have names. We have no use for them down here." Ezra protested, but L-o-9-3 shut him down. "I will see you tomorrow during your initiation. Feel free to join the others for dinner."
With that, she left, leaving Ezra all alone once again.
Ezra looked at all the stuff on Griffin's bed. There was a sketchbook, a brown shirt, and a bracelet.
A bracelet.
Ezra's stomach churned.
He had lost one of his most valuable possessions in the attack.
Alani's present.
He still had his moms ring around his finger, which was a relief. He guessed the pirates didn't keep it because it didn't seem very valuable, given they had thrown it in his face a couple hours after taking it. To be honest, it did look rusted and fake, but it was real.
It was his mothers first pickpocket.
She had stolen it from a rich dutchess docking at Drion's spaceport back when she was around ten. She told the story very often to him as a child. To this day, Ezra still doesn't know how she got away with it.
Ezra sighed, his hands trembling. He might as well get to know these people if he was gonna stay with them, for who knows how long…
With a gulp he peeked through the curtains.
Henry was still at his workstation with L-o-9-3 assisting him. Husk had pulled out a cauldron and set it up in the middle of the room, starting a fire under it, which made no sense to Ezra.
Ezra looked up at the ceiling where the chain that was holding the cauldron was, and there were multiple vents right next to it.
Ok, it made a little more sense now.
Griffin was leaning against some type of busted up generator that was probably just kept for spare parts. His arms were crossed and he was glaring straight at Ezra.
Ezra swears his heart stopped beating when Griffin looked him straight in the eyes and at such a distance.
"Ah, don't be shy, lad!" Husk noticed him and gestured for him to come closer.
Ezra hesitantly moves forward, trembling with every step.
Husk slapped a hand onto Ezra's back, gently pulling him along. There was boiling soup in the cauldron.
"An old family recipe." Husk said with a grin. When Ezra got a whiff of the smell, it reminded him of how his mother would make it, he finally realized how starving he was.
Husk pulled out the soup ladle, and let the soup spill back into the cauldron. "Just one of the only fine things life down under has to offer."
Husk let out a single amused chuckle.
"Tell me about yourself." Husk seemed… relatively friendly.
Ezra was caught off guard by the question. One of his captors was asking about him? It felt surreal.
"Um…" just use the same tactic you use when talking to Lady Eleanor's companions. Keep it short and simple.
"My name is Ezra. Ezra Calico."
"That's a nice name. Strong. Easy to remember."
Husk nodded, and patted his back once more, before hanging his greasy apron up.
Husk eyed the young felinid standing awkwardly.
"Ah, don't be shy, have a seat."
He gestured to the stool. Ezra carefully took a seat, a nice distance between him and Husk.
Ezra didn't know what Husk meant by that. A name that's easy to remember? He supposes there were such things as catchy names that never seem to leave your head.
"Where you from, lad?" Husk asked. He looked genuinely interested.
Ezra struggled to get the words out, swallowing hard as he answered.
"Drion."
"Terran or Procyon?" Husk said as he began putting away his cooking supplies.
"Um, Terran." Yes, Drion was a part of the Terran Empire, used for trading, but also to house the families of commanders and admirals, and the people Drion government didn't feel like "dealing with".
"Ah, that's mighty far from here." Husk acknowledged. "I've got a family living in Terran space." He said fondly, but Ezra was not listening.
Ezra's eyes widened. It can't be that far, can it? No, no, he had to get out of here! He had to go home!
"Where is here, exactly…?" Ezra asked, his voice trembling slightly, an inch away from a whisper.
"I'd tell you if I knew, lad. Scylla's the only planet for weeks out." Ezra felt his heart drop lower than before. It felt like a blow to the gut, yet it was a punch he knew was coming.
Scylla…
That must be where they were, the planet they were on. Ezra had never heard of it.
Ezra sighed, a pitiful sight indeed.
Husk looked at him, his friendly expression falling into one of neutralized regret. He put a comforting hand on Ezra's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
Husk was nice, too nice, and Ezra was scared of him. It was unfair.
"But don't you worry, lad!" Husk said enthusiastically, patting Ezra's shoulder twice before placing his hands on his hips. "Life down here ain't so bad, once you get used to it! Eh…"
Husk didn't seem happy, though. His eyes drifted away, subconsciously staring at nothing as he became lost in thought.
"It's bad." Husk said, not so cheerful this time, more content and accepting. "But, we'll help you."
It sounded kind, comforting, and supportive. But there was something about Husk. The way he looked at Ezra with a look of regret and sadness, like it pained him just to see the young boy.
"Don't mind the others, they're still… processing." Husk explained, his merry, old man persona returning.
"Oh." Ezra glanced back at Griffin. He was still staring dead at him and it sent a shiver down his spine. Husk caught this.
"Ah, don't mind Griffin, lad." Husk laughed, patting him on the shoulder one last time before returning to the cauldron to pull out a metal bowl and pour some soup into it. "He's a bit hard headed, but he'll warm up to ya, just wait."
Husk placed the bowl of soup in Ezra's two hands.
"Now you eat that up, boy, you look like death."
Ezra nodded, hesitating to pick up the wooden spoon, but he did. Eating felt amazing.
"So, how'd you end up on Scylla?" Husk asked as he began to fill three other bowls.
"Um…" fire, screams, it's all so loud, someone grabbed him, then it all went black, then he woke up, then there were longer screams, and people were begging to live, then-
"I think I was kidnapped."
"Ah. Yeah, that's the sort of thing that happens here."
"What is this place?"
"It's one big traffickers ring. Imagine the small Dorian Empire, but make it criminal." Husk explained. His face scrunched up and his eyes narrowed as he spoke. "I'm sorry, lad. There's no getting out."
"But what did I do!?" Ezra jumped up, startling everyone around him. "I-I swear I didn't do anything! I mean- I did bad things, b-but they weren't that bad!"
The room went completely still, and Ezra could feel their eyes on him, all wide in shock because of his outburst.
Tears begin to fill his eyes, his breaths coming out in short, quick gasps. The emotions he kept under lock and key were finding their way out, destroying the walls he had built up. He was exposed, and he hated it.
"I didn't-"
"Calm yourself, lad." Husk knelt down on one knee, and placed his hands on the boy's small shoulders. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"But-"
"You did nothing wrong." Husk repeated, shaking him slightly, looking into his eyes like he was trying to convince both of them that it wasn't his fault.
Ezra wanted to believe it. But he couldn't. His mom always said that nothing happens simply because of a 'reason'. Things happened, just because they happened. And he tried so hard to believe that, but he can't help but think…
That if he had just not run away then this wouldn't have happened.
But he did run away.
He got caught.
It was his fault.
"You finish that up, lad." Husk said, standing up. Ezra looked down at the bowl of soup, less than half way empty. His eyes narrowed, his hands tightening around the bowl.
"Not that hungry." He said, his gaze settled on Husk's shoes.
"Then off to bed with ya, son." Husk said, hands on his hips, speaking as if he was his concern . "You've had a long day."
That's an understatement.
He nodded, placing the bowl and spook on the stool. As he moved to the other room, he felt eyes on him, never faltering as they watched him disappear behind the curtains.
He stared at his assigned bed sitting in the corner of the dimly lit room. He worried about sleeping next to Griffin, the guy did not like him, it was kinda obvious.
He sighed, sitting down on the edge of the cot.
Ezra flopped onto the cot, not expecting it to be as hard as it was, landing with an "mph!".
How was he gonna get out of this? Would he get out of this? Probably not.
These people… they were scary. But at least Husk was… approachable.
Thinking back to what he said, maybe Husk wasn't trying to convince Ezra that it wasn't his fault, but trying to convince both of them that they didn't do anything to deserve this.
He found himself crying again, his muffled sobs covered by his sleeves that smelt like smoke.
He hates the smell of smoke.
He was just… so tired.
His eyes fluttered, and it became hard to keep them open, until he finally let them rest.
It felt like hours till his body finally gave into sleep. He had heard someone come in, stand at the doorway, then leave and start yelling, he's pretty sure it was Griffin.
Griffin was yelling about… the cot, or something? A bit odd, but Ezra's whole life was pretty odd.
Then a while later, Griffin and Husk entered, taking refuge in their respective spots. The whole room was filled with a silent tension, each movement or cough proving to be more awkward then the last.
The only other noise were the clinking of tools or whirls of machinery coming from Henry as he worked late into the night.
It was almost soothing, but the nauseous and torn apart feeling taking over Ezra's body and mind didn't cease, not even for a second.
-until he was taken by sleep, but even then he was still tormented. He shakes in the night, turning over and over, it can be so cold, yet so hot. It was a constant nightmare, repeating over and over again.
He woke up in a cold sweat. Everything was so dark. Back home, he had worked his star light to death, using it every night for a bit of light against the shadows of his bedroom.
He didn't have that now.
There was a dim light emitting from behind the curtain door.
Henry was still working? But it's been hours?
Ezra could have stayed still, and remained in his cycle of restless slumber, but no. He slowly got up, not making a sound.
His footsteps were covered by Griffin's snores and Husk's heavy breathing. He carefully stepped through the room, until he reached the end. He peeked through the cloths, finding Henry still at his workstation.
He could slowly, yet suddenly, hear his heart pounding in his chest.
He took only a few steps forward until Henry's long ears twitched, catching the new sound.
"Back to bed, boy." Henry said, not turning to look at the young Felinid creeping behind him.
Ezra was silent, then he got the courage to speak. "Why am I here?"
"You were taken, just like the others. There is no why." Henry replied, not taking his eyes off of his work for a second.
What was the work? Well, it looked like an inter part of an engine, a piece that holds little Arcturian Crystals, broken down into smaller chunks like a puzzle.
"Other people were taken. Where are they?" Ezra asked. Taking one step to the side, he was able to see the side of Henry's face.
Henry set down the tool he was using. "You were selected. That's why." Henry turned, facing Ezra. Weirdly enough, he looked more lively at night than day. "You are now my apprentice."
"What does that mean?"
"That means you'll do as you're told." Henry said. "You'll learn, you'll adapt, and hopefully you won't prove to be a disappointment."
That hurt.
"Anything else?" Henry said, his tone sharp and annoyed.
"N-no." Ezra said. His fists clenched in concealed anger, but he was afraid, very afraid. He wishes he wasn't, but he can't help himself from trembling.
"Then off to bed." Henry shooed. He returned to his work like Ezra wasn't even there. "You are of no use to me if you are just going to ask pointless questions."
Ezra let out a shaking breath. He turned on his heel, returning to the sleeping quarters.
Maybe this was all a very vivid nightmare, and he would wake up.
Maybe.
