Episode VI: More Help Wanted
He had been winning the race so far by being slow and steady. The people who were after him were very powerful and perceptive, but Max Rockwell had been ignored his entire life, so it was easy for him to continue as thus for a few weeks more. Considering his cargo, it was a wonder that he had gotten as far as he had, a few planets away from the slums where he grew up and lived. He considered it Lady Luck’s way of apologizing for him after nearly three decades of being dealt bad hands.
Huddled in a crate like any other bum, Max kept a cloak over his face and a flame resting beneath his hands. He detected the sound of sirens, and though he tensed up as always, he remained calm and didn’t move from his position. The sirens came and went, probably meant for some other tragedy elsewhere in the city, leaving him alone with his silence. He loosened up again and put out the fire, and began to think of his next move. Night was falling, and he wanted to make it at least one more mile away from the slums before the next day.
He had wanted to find an expert mechanic that lived away from the trashy filth, but since he rarely left the city, he didn’t know where the nearest one would be. The cargo he carried made stealth almost impossible, as it was large and loud and easily detected. He had gotten that far without being detected, relying on pirates and kindhearted strangers to tow him and his cargo from Jupiter to the Earth. Nearly every stop had been met with failure, or else more treachery, leaving him few other choices. After Earth, he would be off to Venus, then to systems beyond that of his home.
When he was positive that the coast was clear, Max Rockwell came out of hiding and vanished beneath a large canopy that was camouflaged well in the dark alleys. Inside was a large mechanical suit, or mecha for short, and while it was of little value on its own, it had been stolen by him anyway, albeit accidentally, thus making him an unwitting criminal. Climbing inside the cockpit, Max paused to brush his fingers against the HUD screen, as he always did when he was inside.
She didn’t come. That was okay. He’d just try again later.
Carefully, Max guided the mecha out of the alley and through the city, hoping that its new disguise and his phony ID papers would get him far. He tried keeping as low of a profile as he could when he crept through the alley, keeping in mind that he was supposed to be driving a sweeper-bot, as people usually did with mechas (he had even added several parts to the machine in order to verify his claims). Nobody stopped him as he traveled through the alley, so he decided to test his fate and keep on going.
The sky was regrettably white that day, a sure sign that some dreary rainstorm would cover the area soon. Max didn’t mind the elements at all, and most technology of the day was waterproof, even the flimsiest of them all--he just didn’t like the mood that murky skies set. Ignoring it, he kept driving “his” mecha across the streets, heading towards yet another mechanic’s shop in hopes of unlocking the puzzle waiting within.
Hope was the only emotion he usually afforded others.
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Carefully hiding his cargo in another alley, Max walked across damp roads towards his next destination, a shoddy-sounding place called Lazarus Mechanics. To him, it didn’t matter how bad or good a place was. If there was any hope of fixing the mecha and releasing its mysteries, Max would take it and refuse to let go. He walked up to the door, not expecting any miracles, and knocked on it three times. A few seconds passed before somebody answered.
“Yes sir, hi!” greeted the man on the other side. He was younger and slightly shorter than Max, with the glow of youth on his face but with the determination and wisdom of a man sewn into his soul. He had dark eyes and hair like tar, and an aura that was very hard not to like.
“What can I do for you? Do you have a job for us or are you looking for one yourself?”
“Do you have a mechanic that can repair a mechanical suit?” asked Max emptily. His own voice was empty, like a hollow metal tube.
“Mechas? Sure, no problem. We’ve done a few before. What make is it?”
“Just a typical LKA-type, number TK421 if it makes any difference.”
“It shouldn’t,” shrugged the younger man. “Kit could probably have it done by tomorrow if she hurries. Where is it, anyway?”
“Over there in the alley,” pointed Max. “I put a sheet over it so it wouldn’t get wet. Would you mind helping me put it in your garage?”
“Nah. HEY, KIT!!!” The dark-haired man shouted violently over his shoulder, and in no time at all, a cute mousy little woman had rushed right outside.
“Y… yes, sir! You c-called for me, s-sir?” He nodded his head.
“Yeah. I got a guy here who wants you to take a look at his mecha. Me’n him are gonna bring it in, so could you lift up the garage door for us?”
“Y-yes, sir…” The petite girl, a pretty thing despite the grease stains painted over her face, scurried off to the garage door and activated the button that lifted it up. Her boss turned back to Max and smiled.
“That is your mechanic?”
“Yup, that’s Kit. Don’t let her looks or the way she acts fool you; she’s a regular whiz at machines. Oh, uh, I’m Jack Lazarus, but my friends just call me Captain.”
“Rockwell,” pointed Max to himself. “Just Rockwell.”
“Okay then, Rockwell. Lead the way!” Max silently nodded his head and led Jack to his mecha. Together, they took off the “protective sheet” and drove it into the garage, where Kit patiently waited for her next project. Once Jack had guided Max into the hangar, he spoke again to his employee.
“Yo, Kit! What’s Eien doing now?”
“Umm… she said… uhh… she said she was, uh… well, uh… f-fixing l-lunch…”
“Ah, great!” Jack grinned broadly and clapped his hands, sharing his enthusiasm with his newest customer. “Hey, Rockwell, you hungry? One of my employees is making lunch. She usually makes too much anyway, so I was just wondering…” Max shook his head and declined. “Oh, okay. Hey, before I go back inside the main building, is there anything you need for us to watch out for?”
“The mecha itself is not in bad condition,” stated Max as he leaned up against the wall. He certainly looked like a dangerous character as he stood there, his concrete-gray hair and his demonic red eyes burning like fire and ash. He was a thin man closing in on thirty, his bare arms revealing taut muscles and his aura vibrating out a dark, brooding feeling. His voice was hollow and haunting, like the inside of a cave, and the strange black clothes he wore made him look more threatening still.
“Then why’d you come over here?” wondered Jack. Without looking up, Max explained the situation.
“When I first attained this beast, I stumbled across a message that had been put in its memory. The strange thing is, though, that the woman in the message knew my name, and requested that I help her in her plight. I have never seen her before in my life, but my curiosity concerning the matter is too great to ignore. I was hoping that I would find a person skilled enough to solve this mystery. Would you know anything about it?” Jack gave Max an honest but watery smile and shrugged, revealing enough by body language alone.
“To be honest, I’m not a very good mechanic. Kit, though, would be able to solve anything. Zat’ right, Kit?”
“Um, well, uh… that’s… probably not… really true…” Jack laughed gently and smiled at Max again.
“She’s just being modest. If anyone can help you out, it’d be her. Well, I better get back inside and finish my work, or I’ll be setting a bad example for my employees. If you need anything, just poke your head in here and ask for Eien.” Jack waved at Max before leaving him alone with Kit, who had already started on the large machine. Kit Hiro was a smallish girl with nimble fingers and a massive mind for machines. She oftentimes required the help of her boss when it came to moving around really heavy objects, but it was she who was the hands and arms of the operation.
A quiet man through and through, Max stayed in his position and observed Kit work on the machine. She resembled the woman in the HUD screen message, but not closely enough. Close, but not close enough……
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Captain Jack Lazarus, the boss of Lazarus Mechanics, inhaled the deep scent of cooking as he wandered back into the office. Eien was in the kitchen making a simple stew and being very enthusiastic about it. Her food wasn’t exactly four-star material, but it filled stomachs and satisfied appetites. Jack had had worse, too, and from less-agreeable chefs as well. He was usually a patient man, except when it came to food, and as he got a whiff of the meaty stew, he could barely contain himself.
“Mmmmm, that smells divine, Eien! When’s it gonna be done?”
“Ya gotta be patient, cap!” she replied from the kitchen. “I ain’t exactly the fastest cook in the world, now! Just get back to your job and it’ll be ready before you know it!”
“Yes, ma’am,” he muttered with a smile. Jack was beginning to like the humanoid cat-rabbit crossbreed very well, and not just because she was an incredible convenience. Eien Kinu helped light up the building with her spunk, and her ideas for the place, while mostly oddball, were quite refreshing and original. She ravenously went after her tasks with the enthusiasm of a child, and took pride in her work once it was done. She was slowly but surely bonding with Kit, and was on good terms with her boss, whom she loved to playfully tease.
Meanwhile, as Eien was cooking, Jack let out a sigh and resumed his work. With the humanoid cabbit cooking, it was his job to clean up the entire area (leaving Kit to concentrate solely on mechanics). The garage was by far his least-favorite place to clean, and after that the offices, and then the bathrooms and kitchen, but he wasn’t the type to complain. He dove into a stack of disheveled newspapers first, fitting them into plastic bags so they could be recycled.
As he organized the room, Jack heard the sound of somebody banging up against something. At first he thought it was Kit fixing the machine, but the noise was coming from right above. Puzzled, he scratched his pitch-black hair and looked up towards the ceiling, wondering what could be causing the sound. Suddenly, a nearby air duct popped open and a winged creature slid out of it!
“Gaahh!” Jack shouted and stumbled to the floor as the creature surprised him, but calmed down as he saw that it was little more than a human with reptilian wings. He let out a sigh of relief before shouting at it. “Don’t scare me like that!”
“Don’t scare me like that!” exclaimed the winged person. It was a woman with curly rust-colored hair, with small glasses and a tight shirt that showed off her… skills. Two pendants dangled from her neck, one in the shape of a Pentagram and the other with the image of a dragon on it.
“Who the devil are you?” wondered Jack as he slowly stood up. “And what the devil are you doing in our air duct?”
“Your air duct?! This place is my home!”
“You gotta be kidding! The contractors never said anything about a Winghorde living here when I bought the place!”
“I’m not a damned Winghorde!!” she screamed. The woman flipped down from the ceiling and landed in front of Jack, being dwarfed by him but still having the guts to stare him right in the eye. “For your information, I’m just a regular human woman who has wings! And if you call me a freak of nature, I’ll--”
“You haven’t answered my question, Miss Most-Beautiful-and-Amazing-Woman-Ever! What’re you doing here?” Ignoring Jack’s faux-flattery, the woman crossed her thin arms and stared back at him, blow for blow.
“Like I said, this is where I live! …Or at least, I used to live here. I went on a long vacation about seven months ago, but when I got back, I found out that my place had been turned into a damned grease pit! I tried to get reorganized, but that smell distracted me too much! I just had to get a peek down to see who was making that!”
“Oh, that’s Eien, our current chef,” pointed the taller man. “She’s making us stew for lunch. Why, do you want any?” At the mention of food, the winged girl flew into amazement and happiness, her crystal-blue eyes sparkling wildly.
“Oh, you mean you’d share your food with me??!!”
“Sure, I… guess…” The boss let out a sigh and mentally reminded himself that he would regret inviting the unusual woman over. She grinned again and slapped his shoulders.
“All right, now that’s hospitality! It’s so nice of you to invite me over to dinner, even though technically it’s really my food to begin with.”
“But I was the one who bought it!” shouted the boss, jabbing his thumb in his chest. “Those’re my utensils, my stove, and my ingredients! The cook in there is living off of my wages as well, so the food’s all ours! I’m only inviting you to have some because it’s a gesture of kindness and generosity!”
“Well…… okay, then!” she snapped, temporarily unable to retort back. “But I’m still upset that there are people living in my house!” Jack growled darkly at the lady as his lengthy patience finally dried up, and gritted his teeth together so he could keep his civility.
“It’s our house now as far as I’m concerned!”
“Oh, really? So you wouldn’t mind sharing?”
“Only if you’d be willing to work here.” The young woman gave Jack a coy smile, cradling her cheek in her hands as she thought over the proposition. Jack Lazarus wasn’t comfortable with anybody crawling around the ventilation ducts, let alone a creature that had wings and a nasty arguing streak, but he was willing to devour humble pie if it meant getting another worker.
“I guess I could, if you got something that’s worthy of my time.”
“I’m sure we could dig something up,” he managed. “Now, what’s your name, miss?”
“Silvara--just Silvara.” Jack’s eyes rolled as he experienced a taste of déjà vu that day.
“Right. You know, if you didn’t argue with me so much, I’d be willing to tell you that you have a pretty name.” The rusty-haired woman smiled at him, though not in a good way, and gave some deadly thought to her next sentence.
“…And if you weren’t so impolite…”
“Oh hush up, both of you!” called Eien from the kitchen. Both Jack and Silvara flinched as she spoke, realizing that she had been able to eavesdrop on the entire conversation. Eien came out to greet Silvara in person, a smile on her face and potholders on each hand. She gave a friendly wave and introduced herself.
“Was it Silvara? Right. Well, I’m Eien Kinu, one of the captain’s employees. It looks like you and I will be coworkers. There’s another girl working here too, but she’s in the garage. Her name’s Kit Hiro, and she’s a pretty sweet girl, but a bit shy.”
“…Right,” huffed Silvara. “Anyway, uh, Eien, what do you think I’ll be doing here?”
“Um, I dunno.”
“Hey, I’m the boss here,” muttered Jack. Silvara smiled and let her mischievous blue eyes slowly sail back towards him.
“Oh, really? Gosh, all that arguing must’ve made you really mad, eh boss? Okay, I’ll apologize, but you better not get me in the mood again. I can’t help but fight back whenever a person challenges me to a verbal match. It’s my weakness. What about you, sir?”
“I don’t reveal my weaknesses to people I just met,” he stated. “Now you’d better help Eien set the table, or else I will get mad. And you’d better enjoy her meal, too, or else she’ll be insulted. Isn’t that right, Eien?”
“Captain,” grinned the cabbit, “you’re way too good to me!”
Meanwhile…
Max Rockwell watched as Kit emerged from his mecha, even dirtier and greasier than before. She let out a sigh and wiped her smudged face with a rag, then shyly walked towards the silent man. He kept watch, never moving a muscle, and quietly inquired about his machine.
“It… it will take me awhile…… You know, to f-fix it… So, umm…”
“I should find somewhere to rest?” he offered. Kit kept her eyes to the floor and nodded her head.
“Y-yes…” Max frowned deeper than usual and let out a hum.
“Would it be possible for me to stay here for the time being?”
“I… uh… suppose so… I mean, uh… You’d, uh… have to talk…”
“To the boss?”
“Y-yes…” Max drew in a deep breath and finally moved from his position. He gave Kit a polite nod before excusing himself from the garage.
“All right… I guess we’ll see more of each other, eh Kit?”
“Uh, uh… well… I guess… I mean, uh, it… uh… it seems that way…” Max’s mouth lifted up into a rare smile as he stared at the shy girl, then left to find Jack so they could talk about lodgings. Kit joined the group once she had cleaned herself up, hungry and ready to dine on Eien’s cooking. When she met her new coworker Silvara, she naturally kept to herself.
Lazarus Mechanics was now completely ready for normal business.
Thanks go out to Liz for Silvara and Real Folk Blues for Max. I apologize for everyone expecting lots of shoujo-ai. Except for that one chapter, there really hasn’t been any--but that’s only because I’m developing/introducing characters and trying to make their relationships reasonable. Please be patient for a little while longer. Preview of next chapter: Asuka and Bloodstorm get a new assignment and run into an exotic dancer, but Asuka’s morals and beliefs are put on the line as things are turned upside-down…
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