Hirsi:Volume 0

ATLANTIS.

CHAPTER 2

The sun was beaming through the window golden.
The noises from the people outside up and working early in the morning caused me to wake up, I dragged my legs off the bed and up to the window looking down onto the bustling street. There was a morning drizzle but now the sun was trying to beam through the clouds.
^I'll need to get ready^
I had my new pair of clothes placed on a table through the night. The fit was perfect, it made me look clean and professional ready for any interview. I needed this for my first impression of the job only if I got accepted.
^i hope it goes well^
I went downstairs for breakfast, I didn't have the time to eat yesterday, I'm really hungry and looking forward to having something that'll fill me up.
"halloo, can i get you something?"
"just the breakfast special"
"is sausages and eggs with bread on the side ok?"
^i haven't had sausages in a while^
"could you add in extra sausages, like lets say five pieces"
"yeah no problem, that'll be 2 erts and 1 coins"
^ there goes my money now I'm officially broke^
"Sure"
I had to wait for ten minutes for them to bring me the food. I was starving and couldn't wait to dig in, the first bite I took from the sausage was magical and brought tears to my eyes. The staff looked concerned.
"is something wrong sir?, don't you like the sausages"
"No no its great give the chef my thumbs up"
"Oh ok then, tell me if you need anything"
I nodded to him while chewing and savouring every single bite as if it were my last meal. After the best breakfast I've had in a long while , I assume I'll never forget the experience, I left the place the bill on the table.
^I guess I've found a gold mine of a restaurant, ill be back for sure^
The breakfast kept me in a good mood I thought i would easily get a job as soon as I stepped outside, I went back to the market hoping to get a job there. Well my reason was that if I got attacked yesterday and no one even bothered to bat an eye just means that a fight or a attempted murder usually happens around the area.

I traced my steps back to the shop I bought cloths from to see if they could hire me as their guard or something, so I went to check it out and see if I could land the job, then the employee that helped me buy the clothes yesterday gave me a huge clue as to where I could find a job.
He said.
"Well If you're looking for a job there's this moving company my uncle owns and they're looking for a couple more hands for their next job if you want I could hit you up it's a win-win"
^moving? are you serious, well... i do need the money but nahh im not gonna start moving shit for people^
"No, I'm looking for something more of hand-to-hand like security or as a guard"
"oh, give me a sec a customer wants my help"
It only took 2 minutes for him to come back to me
"sorry about that so where were we?"
"so do you have anything in mind?"
"Well you could just go and register yourself with a link"
^huh?^
"What's a link?"

He then went on to explain to me what a link is. from his explanation, a link is a type of business that handles hard and dirty jobs but some are run by the city councils across the continent which does the security side of the profession. He then advised me go check on one of the links in the city called ATLANTIS. He said that "well it might be a bit rough for you when you start but people have gotten rich from this business, it's known for dealing with big jobs and their security is sought after across the world not only on the continent" I thanked him by slipping in a couple of erts which was meant to pay for my rent but the info was worth the money.
^Shit if i continue throwing money around like that I'll be sleeping outside, now I really need to get a job ASAP!^
I went and checked out the location he gave me.
Right in the middle of the city, it stood there like a grand castle with guards all around. I guess this was a way to show the people the strength the link had. I went through the front doors the place was big and filled with different people across the world there were Geris who were known for there huge body and reliable strength, Timurids who were great at tactics and their swift minds, Jinx who specialised in assassination and the Inui with their elemental abilities. I felt like I was surrounded by experienced seasonal professionals.
^shit I'm screwed, like how the hell am I supposed to compare to these elites? Like seriously what the fuck!^
It didn't matter If i was out of place or not i was set on making the job and thats what i came for.
This and that happened while registering and I ended up taking a fitness test and testing my capabilities they also asked if I had an ability. Well its common for one not to tell people of their abilities but the company signed a contract that would give them a penalty if they broke it.

^Bro- no?, or is it Brounu?^
I tried to read his name written on his pin.
The instructor asked.
"Any abilities?"
"Huh?"
*fwoshhhhh*
He smoked his cig then repeated
"Any abilities?"
"Adrenaline Rush......"
<Adrenaline my ability, it's a boost I use on my self when stuff get sticky and it's the Aslan clan's weapon. It gives me faster thinking, movement, speed and greater strength than ordinary people so when I'm at my peak I guess I could go head to head with a Geris>
"Great, we've been looking for your type"
<there are different types of abilities, like for example elemental, psychic and among others and i have the physical enhancement type Adrenalin Rush, it can only be found with the aslan clan only>
< across the world some people possess abilities that gives them a hand over ordinary people but it's not all good, you might be born from your mother's womb scorching hot that burns through your mother's stomach or born being able to hear the thoughts of people and animals respectively that can drive a well-trained soldier mad only after a few moments, abilities have an infinite range of possibilities that can be seen as simply evil or greatly positive>
"Any secondary Abilities?"
"No"
<People can also get a secondary ability eg: if one has the ability to control the wind the might get they ability to harness the weather>
"Well from your resume it says that you used to work for the IRON SHIP, that's great actually. It means you have a some experience at sea"
"Come back tomorrow and we'll see if we can find the right job for you"
"Am i in?"
"yes you're in and I'll need you to hand me your ID, I wouldn't want you running off without finishing your job. And yes people run without completing their assignments and they lose their ID as a result, but don't worry we'll give it back once your done with the job your given"
He stopped then added
"So don't go running off without completing what you're assigned, IDs cost a lot of money to replace probably around 2 to 5 million erts it varies with how high your identity is in the society"
I tried handing him my ID.
"No not now, you aren't assigned to any job yet we only take it when you're on the job so take it back"
I slid it back in my pocket stood up and asked
"Are we done now?"
"Yeah we're done we'll need you here tomorrow at 6 in the morning, I hope that's ok with you"
"Yeah it's fine"
The interview took the whole day and the sun had set a long while ago I wasn't planning to go back to the Inn because I had other plans.
^I just got bored actually^
I got back to the market looking for the old man who had tried to rob me.
I was curious as to why he was so desperate to kill another man in front of a whole crowd just to pay off his debt I looked around for him but I couldn't find him, I then asked around but people didn't seem comfortable around me most of them just ignored me and even showed hostility towards me.
After a while, I was able to get one of them to talk.
I walked up to a small shade covered with metallic sheets on the roof, an old woman was selling vegetables there.
*clears throat*
"umm, hallo miss"
"Yes, is there anything you need young man?"
^i think I've seen her before^
"yeah I was hoping if you could help me find someone who caused a scene after attempting to rob someone, is there any chance you know anything?"
"That happens alot but I'm sure you mean Jack right?"
"i'm sorry but I don't know his name so I can't confirm if it's him or not"
"I'm sure it was him, he does that quite often these days I don't know what caused it though"
She then added
"He wasn't a bad man before and wasn't a kind one either but he would never attempt robbery let alone murder "
"Did you used to know him?"
"Of course I did, he was my husband but we divorced after his gambling addiction had gotten worse. If I hadn't divorced him he would have lost all our property to gambling, luckily I made the right call and now my daughter has finally finished school and has a job I doubt this would have happened if I was still married to that addict"
"I'm sorry to hear that"
"no it's fine its been years since then I've gotten over it already, but thank you for caring about me, you're a nice man compared to these heartless devils these days"
"Oh, I'm sorry I went off-topic. You said that you wanted to know where Jack was right? You should find him around the beach, he usually sets up camp around that area"
"Thanks and you didn't go off topic your story was quite helpful" I got up and left
*plink*
I left her a few coins I had on me.
^Shiiiiiiiit! i should really stop doing that!!, but come ooon she was really nice and I can't just straight up leave like that ughhh I'm really going to get broke before my pay day aren't i^
<current currency hold: 0.00erts>
I needed all the information their was about Jack, enough that would give me a better understanding of why he needed the money.
^i never knew curiosity costed this much^
People back home told me that I was mostly lazy or uncommitted to things that didn't interest me but when it came to stuff that caught my eye I would not stop until I got what I wanted.
But they had the wrong idea about me.
*woosh* *woosh*
The beach was very active at night, the winds could finally make pigs fly and the waves could swallow a whole ship.
^How could anyone live here?^
There were multiple camps and sheds around the shore covered with the same metallic sheets from the old woman's shop.
I walked up to one of the campsites on shore. One with three men and two women one holding a child probably around 5 to 6 years old, they were all sitting around a campfire that was burning pale blue.
I looked at one of the men who had a bushy beard and was a bit on the overweight side of the scale.
*spark*
They were soo silent even the sparks from the fire spoke louder, I was not familiar with the blue fire, it was odd... Unlike ordinary fire, it stood still not budging an inch though the winds would have already extinguished it. If it were normal
Or maybe this was someone's ability??
I didn't ponder on this too much I came here for answers and these people didn't seem like they wanted me here. I slipped into my pocket and pulled out one drug pill that the capt'n gave me, instantly the man look up at me and asked.
"what is it that you want to know?"
*spark*
"I would like to know where Jack lives"
"If you want his whereabouts you know what to do"
I walked up to him and held my hand with the drug forward he raised his hand to take it.
"Below that huge bridge you'll find him there" he pointed.
The bridge he pointed at was the Luden bridge it connected the RAIN TOWN mainland to the smaller island of ST-Luden.
"Thanks"
^that went well, mybe i should sell the drugs for cheap money, nahhh it was a gift i should keep it^
I left the camp and walked my way towards the bridge crossing past other campsites, the wind relaxed and the waves slowly began to retreat to the ocean.
I saw him carrying outside a black plastic bag and throwing it into the retreating waves, I stood there waiting for him to notice me as he walked back but he just walked past me as if I was a broken shell left on the beach.
I turned back and shouted.
"Don't you remember me?"
He kept on walking without looking back and that angered me.
"I'm talking to you old fuck!"
He looked back at me with a plain expression on his face and continued walking as if telling me I was not worth his attention.
"You're lucky I didn't kill you, jack!"
I came here planning to get some answers but I would just be wasting my time, why did I even come here in the first place? Why do I want to know what the old man is going through? Why?. Sometimes I find myself in these types of situations no... it's all the time.
I turned back towards the sea and sat down on the beach listening to the waves crashing into each other and seagulls screaming in the skies.
^I thought seagulls stay awake in the day^
^I should stop this, I have to find something to keep me busy instead^
And find a way to stop my bad habits once and for all.

While sitting there on the beach I saw the black bag still on shore and then again my habit kicked in, I was curious as to what was inside the bag. I stood up and walked closer to the bag and saw a hand poking out of a hole. It was an iron hand probably one of a cyborg's.
^Is he a cyborg?^ I thought
I looked back and ran towards his camp and saw a kid sleeping in a tent but I didn't see the old man around. The kid didn't have legs and one arm, her face was burned with one eye socket empty. There was this liquid flowing through a pipe into her torso and an oxygen tank supplying oxygen through a mask.
^Was the arm meant for her?^
I felt someone gripping my shoulder with force.
"what the fuck are you doing here!?" the old man asked with a gun pointed at my head.
"Calm down I just wanted to ask you some questions"
"Do you work for the city Council!? Huhhh! Answer me!"
"I just arrived here not long ago and I don't work for the city council"
"then why do you want to ask me questions?"
"at first I wanted to know why you attacked me but now... now I think I have an idea and if you allow me to hel-"
"get the fuck out here! I never want to see you again around here"
"fine, I'll leave"
^ well i had no right to feel sorry cuz i said i didn't give a fuck last time^
I walked out of there with the gun still pointed at my head until a few metres away from his camp. It started to rain while on my way to the Inn but I still couldn't stop thinking about the young kid in the tent.
^What happened to her? Why was jack so protective? Was she his daughter? No that can't be possible his wife would not let him keep the child, or maybe she was adopted^
I was so occupied with my thoughts I realised I had already reached the Inn.
^Never mind I shouldn't bother myself with it anymore, it seems that Jack has it handled... Well, kind of^
"your back" Bilan asked
"Yeah"
"we already finished cleaning your room"
"Thanks"
"no no no that's our job you shouldn't thank us"
"ok, I'm tired so I'll be in my room can you please tell the staff to bring the food there"
"sure"
I fell on my bed and slept instantly.