Okay, okay, guys. It's all right. I promise I'll find a part for each of you. In this chapter, we find four other RN identities in some pretty tough situations. Updated!
And, as a side note, the currency used in this story is called "Wan." One Wan is equal to roughly eight American dollars. Just wanted you all to know.
CHAPTER FOUR Today was a good day.
At least, that’s how it was for Richard, who came in to the job interview that early afternoon. He was fresh out of college and ready to start a career to prove the world what he could do. The world looked down on him so very much in the past, and for one reason alone.
You see, Richard was a worm, but a worm like no other. He was roughly five-and-a-half feet in length, had a giant electrical plug at the tip of his tail, and wore a fake nose and glasses in order to make himself appear more… human. It was a vain attempt and very silly, he knew. But it was like his suspension chord to the human world, a way for him to keep from drifting away from the wonders and marvels that this world had to offer.
He applied for a job here at Shinra, the largest oil company the world had ever seen. Its original name was SHINCORE, owned by an eccentric man named Alexey Pajitnov. After he grew bored with the billions he’d made, Pajitnov sold the company to SHINCORE’s rival oil company, the Ra Foundation. After which, the Ra Foundation decided to change the company’s name to Shinra, an honor to the fusion of the two companies. The current president of the company was Cyrus Redblack, who sat before Richard, studying the worm in front of his desk.
“So,” Redblack growled, “you’ve come for the secretary position?”
Richard nodded. A company this big would be an awesome place to work, he felt, and a great way to flaunt his talents. So, he applied here to be the secretary of the boss himself, Cyrus Redblack.
Redblack himself was a man who looked to be in his mid-fifties, with a balding head, thick glasses, narrow eyes, a sharp nose, and an appearance similar to a bulldog’s. His office was like a throne room: a tall posh chair for him, polished suits of armor on display, paintings of famous persons adorned the walls, silver curtains that hung from the huge window behind Redblack, and a golden chandelier that hovered above them like an angel keeping watch over a gorgeous kingdom.
Richard adjusted his position as Redblack went over his resume. Being a worm, Richard always found it difficult to “sit down” since, technically, he had no derriere of which to perch on. But he attempted not to appear discomforted, lest he look like a fool in front of his could-be employer.
Redblack growled a bit more. He then turned the resume over, took out a pen and began to write something on it. Richard blinked a bit, then tried to make out what Redblack was writing.
Loaf of bread…
Gallon of milk…
Pack of bananas? Redblack was writing his grocery list on Richard’s resume? Richard blinked a few times, unnerved by Redblack’s audacity.
“You know,” Redblack began, “I’ve gone through plenty of secretaries, and I usually do not hire college kids.”
Richard remained a bit silent, awaiting Redblack’s next comment. “It’s my belief that all college kids are self-absorbed morons. That includes you.”
Richard stammered for a bit, not knowing how to take being put down by one of the most economically powerful people on the planet. “Uh, I, uh… Excuse me?” Redblack finished writing out his shopping list, tore off the half that he had written on, folded it, and placed it in his shirt pocket.
“Um, sir, I mean no disrespect, but you don’t even know me,” Richard argued.
Redblack took the other half of Richard’s resume and began to doodle lazily on it, perhaps out of boredom. “Look,” he said, “I’m beginning to run out of secretarial options, so I’ll have to hire you, whether I’m comfortable with it or not.”
“I’ve got the job?!” Richard yelped excitedly. He suddenly calmed down, and repeated himself: “I mean, I’ve got the job?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Redblack groaned. “Whatever. But being my secretary is a lot of work. You have to keep everything organized, and I—” he suddenly leaned in on Richard as his voice grew threatening—“DO MEAN EVERYTHING.”
Richard shrunk a little.
“Allow me to show you your secretarial office,” Redblack said. He got up and motioned for Richard to follow. Richard squirmed his way out of the room, following Redblack to a cramped-looking attachment office.
“Is this? Is this a broom closet?” Richard asked. Redblack shrugged. “Eh, broom closet, an office that’s not mine, what’s the difference?” The room was indeed puny; it could not have been more than five feet in width and twelve in length. It was musty, filled with paperwork on the nearby desk, and had a tall, lonely-looking file cabinet. A single window was all that gave light at the moment, and the ceiling fan spun lazily for a few minutes just before it sputtered and died.
“This is where you will work,” Redblack continued. “You shall take all calls, keep track of all of my appointments, and manage all my paperwork. And whenever I demand a backrub,” he growled and leaned in to Richard’s face again, “you WILL give me a backrub. End of story.”
Richard gulped.
Redblack snapped back into his upright position and continued. “Your salary will begin at 1 Wan a day. After six months…”
Richard looked up. “I get a raise?” he asked.
Redblack smiled the most evil smile Richard had ever seen. “No. As a matter of fact, you’ll be getting a reduction just because you’re a college kid.”
Richard’s hope for the future was shattered. “But, sir,” he began, “I don’t mean to sound rude by saying this, but doesn’t that seem a bit unfair?”
Redblack breathed in an irritated manner. Richard noticed and continued. “I mean, I’ve got dreams and hopes just like everyone else, college kid or not.”
Redblack stepped up to Richard, and for a man of his short stature, he seemed to grow another ten feet with every step until he began to look like a towering devil. “Stanley—”
“That’s ‘Richard’,” the worm corrected.
“Whatever,” growled the bulldog-man. “You see, hopes and dreams are like insects, in the fact they are both meant only to be—” his voice suddenly grew very loud— “SQUASHED! FLATTENED!” As he yelled, he began to stomp the ground. Then, he began to slide his right foot across the ground repeatedly. “And
SMEEEEEARED ACROSS THE SIDEWALK…” he suddenly calmed down again and put his hand to his chest. “…By people like ME.”
Richard was already too afraid to quit his new “job.” After all, if he hated college kids and hopes and dreams and all that, who knew what he was going to do to Richard if he discovered he was an insect. Richard was suddenly very thankful that he wore a funny nose and glasses to look more “human.”
Redblack turned to retreat back to his own office. “You can begin immediately,” he said over his shoulder. As he closed the door, he suddenly stopped and turned around. “And one more thing,” he said as he pointed towards the window, “My last secretary jumped out
that window.”
And with that, he shut the door and left poor Richard as a slave to the silence.
* * * * *
“I still can’t believe this,” Smith said as he pressed his face up against the glass, looking down at the rolling landscape below. “Something this great couldn’t have happened to us.”
Ruben and Christopher were busy jumping on the reclining sofa. The cockpit of the
Captain Jack was certainly luxurious: the long windows gave a perfect view of the sky, the floor was made of a beautifully polished marble, the furniture was plush and fancy, and
oh the Code of Arms that sat just above the door. It was made of gold, in the shape of a mountainous lion with angel wings sitting on a cloud while roaring, letting all others knew who truly ruled the skies. Just looking at it would give you a boost of courage.
The rest of the
Captain Jack was certainly nothing to sneeze at, either. It was plated with silver, as big as a submarine, had a nice number of cabins, included a video arcade as a rec room, had one balcony on either side that gave an even more splendid view of the terrain below, large engines that propelled it forward, a pair of large wings near the back behind the cockpit, and featured a décor of a familiar running cactus on one side. Perhaps its best feature was the amazing aspect that it used no form of gasoline for fuel: instead, it ran on the air that was absorbed by its angelic wings. In essence, it was a
breathing machine.
Of course, that fact that it did not use oil for fuel meant that it was a supremely expensive piece of art. Pajitnov himself had said that it cost him an arm and a leg, and
he was a multibillionaire.
Gray was busy going over the instruction manual for the
Captain’s controls. He had left it in autopilot for the time being, just as Pajitnov had told him to do until he got used to the controls. You needed a piloting license to fly the ship, but since Gray had never planned to actually FLY one, he had never reserved time to acquire such a license. Besides, so long as he left it in autopilot, he could avoid any and all legal charges.
Ruben jumped off the sofa and ran over to Gray. “Hey!” he yelled. “Isn’t this just awesome?!”
Gray was too absorbed into the manual to say more than “Mm-hm.”
Ruben stopped his frolicking and frowned. “You don’t sound so excited, man.”
Gray closed the manual and set it aside. “The autopilot was set for one trip around the entire country. It ought to last for three hours before we return home.”
Smith turned away from the window. “D’oh!” he growled as he slapped his forehead, “And I forgot my camera!”
Ruben laughed aloud and replied, “Well, hey, we own this ship now! We can take a trip as often as we want to!”
Christopher got off the sofa and began to clap his hands. “This is just too cool! What city are we passing by right now?”
Grey checked the monitor. “It looks like New Jackson.”
“Holy crap,” Smith smiled, “That’s thousands of miles away from where we live!” He dropped down on his knees and began to kiss the floor. “I heart this ship.”
Christopher noticed something irregular about the other monitor he was standing next to. “Uh, guys?” he asked. Drawing the others’ attention, he pointed at the monitor. “What’s that big red dot on the screen? It’s making a weird beeping noise.”
After studying the dot for a second, Gray’s eyes widened. “That’s another ship. If it’s a government airship, and it catches us…”
Smith began to panic. “No, no, no, no, nonononono!” He ran to the controls. “I’m too young to go to jail!” He began to press buttons. Ruben ran over and tried to stop his friend from doing something foolish. “Stop it!” he yelled. “You’re gonna get us in trouble!”
Just at that moment, Smith hit a red button. Afterwards, the
Captain Jack opened fire on the other ship.
The four stood at the spectacle, dumbfounded.
Suddenly, a green light began to blink on the monitor above them. Gray pressed the matching green button and turned the monitor on. Apparently, it was a transmission. On the screen appeared an angry-looking little man in a pirate suit and one of the craziest mustaches any of them had ever seen.
“Come in, other ship! Come in, other ship!” he yelled.
“We hear you, loud and clear,” Christopher said while trying to stop the ringing in his ears.
“What the hell’s the big idea?!” he replied. “I was busy trying to take my midday nap!”
“Uh, we’re sorry for the outburst, Mr.…”
“That’s CAPTAIN,” replied the angry pirate. “Captain Jim! Of the
Dynamite Rave!”
Gray folded his hands meekly and smiled, embarrassed. “Um, yes, Captain, we’re sorry if we—”
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘SORRY’?!” His voice was so loud, it actually shook the cockpit. “ ‘Sorry’ isn’t going to pay for the damage you’ve done to my ship! I’m gonna knock you out of the sky!”
They all felt their hearts plummet. They weren’t all that surprised, however: it was only a matter of time before their terrible luck returned with a vengeance. Christopher tried to explain. “L-Look, we didn’t mean to! We thought you were a different ship!”
But it was apparent that Captain Jim was not about to listen to them. He cut the transmission as Christopher said “ship”, and the
Dynamite Rave readied its guns.
Aboard the
Dynamite Rave, Jim turned to his subordinates. “Crew, report!”
His first mate was a spunky gal with long black hair put in pigtails, a pirate hat, oversized gauntlets, and a red-and-purple outfit that screamed “I Am A Pirate”. She saluted her captain and said, “Panique, here!”
The Captain waved his hooked hand. “Panique, to the turrets!”
The second mate looked like a cross between a dog and a spiney mammal. His fur was a strange purple color, and he wore big orange pants, a big red glove on his right hand, a fingerless glove on his left, a backwards-placed black baseball cap, and a dog collar with a shiny tag that bore the image of a fireball. He saluted as well, and said, “Symphonic, reporting for duty, Captain!”
The Captain pointed towards another station. “Symphonic, to the Dynamite Cannon! Begin charge!”
After his crewmembers took control of their respective stations, the Captain turned and grabbed hold of the steering wheel in front of him. After looking at the Captain Jack for a second, he began to find it very familiar.
“Hang on a minute…”
Jim began to search his photographic memory. He recalled hearing a story about a multibillionaire who traveled the skies in an airship that was made of silver and had angel wings. They said it ran on air, not fuel, and bore the insignia of the notorious Cactuar on the right side.
An evil smile crept over Jim’s face. A ship that most likely held a multibillionaire was just within his reach, and he aimed to collect it. The billionaire, his ship, his money, and everything else.
End Chapter Four. Chapter Five coming soon! ;D
Hmmm...
