Chapter Four
The next morning, The Once-ler wakes up in a bed identicle to the one he had had so long ago-when he had first come to the Truffula forest. To his surprise, the inside of his quarters was an exact copy of his old cottage, and that was enough for him. He hears a knock at his door.
"Once-ler, you in there? It's 38. Gotta take you to meet everyone, now." He, quickly, got up and got dressed, taking off his old blue pyjamas and putting on his green tuxedo, he greets 38 outside of his room. She wastes no time in taking him into the Grand Hall to meet the others. "You're going to be sitting at the "cool table", Once-ler. You're only the sixth Endret to be made. 86 made some other guy yesterday. You may meet him today."
As they walk, they are accousted by a man with spiky blond hair, black sunglasses, and a brown duster trench-coat. With him was a Japanese woman in a skin-tight black leather body-suit. A pair of war tessen hang at her sides. 38 groans.
"What do you want, 24, Tsukiko?" Once-ler noticed Tsukiko looking at him, biting her lower lip, and looking his body up and down. He felt uncomfortable, but kept himself from showing it. This woman made him uneasy.
"We don't want anything; just to see the two new Endrets. 86 is already in the Grand Hall with E-7. Why don't you two scuttle on in there and give 'em a gander." He starts to walk away, but Tsukiko grabs Once-ler's package and, her breath hot in his ear, she hisses:
"When you get sick of Ol' Big Red and her mannequin body, come see me. We'll have fun, cutey."
"Get off him, E-5." 24 says, flatly. She lets go of Once-ler's genitals and backs off him. He is left red-faced and mortified.
"Sorry, hotty. Remember my offer, though." She skips down the hall after the one who made her, the metal of her tessen clanging as she does.
"W-who was that?" Once-ler asks 38, still bothered.
"That's Tsukiko Mastumoto, or Endret Number Five-E-5. She was made before you; no one knows why. Yeah, everyone the Master chooses has done wrong in their life, but Tsukiko was a cold-blooded murderer, a professional assassin." She sighs. "But mine is not to question. Only obey." She slaps Once-ler on the back, much more gently this time, but with the same amount of mirth. "Let's go meet the other Endrets. I promise the rest of them are not like her."
The Once-ler and 38 enter the Grand Hall and sit with a group of 12 other people. Once-ler felt sick as he saw that dirty woman from before sitting at that table. 38 pulls him to a pair of chairs across from a young woman who appeared to be Indian and a chubby, blond man with curly hair and a blond moustache. A massive, silver hammer rested on his back and a strange-looking gun was on the woman's back.
"Hey, Gear-head! Is this your new Bairn?" 38 asks the dusky woman. She puts her hand on Sylvester's shoulder.
"Yep!" She says, brightly. "Name's Sylvester McMonkey McBean."
"That's a nice hammer." 38 says to him.
"Eh, thanks." He replies. Once-ler and 38 sit down across from them.
"So, how's your morning been so far, Big Red and...?"
"Once-ler."
"Ah. I'd rather call you your name than E-6; same with Syl." Once-ler decides to strike up a conversation with this other man.
"So, have you been on a mission yet?"
"No, not yet. I know how to Blink and can pop open a watermelon, but I've not...I've not been on a mission, yet." Sure, Sylvester had scammed his way through life, but killing? He wasn't so sure if he was ready to do such a thing, even if the person did deserve it. Once-ler stirs him from his revelry.
"So, why did you call 38 Big Red? You're not the only one to call her that. Why'd she call you Gear-head?"
"It'd be boring if we just went by our designation numbers, so a lot of us-those with nicknames, just go by our nicks sometimes. It's a little fun." She says. "As for why she's Big Red, if you haven't noticed, she's tall as the sky and her hair is red as fire. As for me being called Gear-head, I like machines. A lot. Machines and mortals. I'm honestly surprised it took the Master this long to let me have a Bairn, but mine is not to question..." Over the intercom comes:
"Number Eighty-six and Endret Number Seven please report to the Central Spire. I have need of you." The two of them Blink away and Once-ler and 38 get up.
"We've got another mission. Get up and come along." The two of them Blink away.