"The Real Deal" - Chapter 1
"The Real Deal"
(C) 2017 Sinclair Diavante
Authors Note: This takes place in the same universe as the Lost and Found series, (Die For My Sin, etc) but pre-dates it by a number of years, putting it inline with "The Book of Zacharus," slated for the spring 2018 release. Consider yourself teased.
Chapter 1.
Change. New crowds, the loss of routine. Progress, they call it: the breaking of tradition. Interrupted habits, learning something, or someone new. Sometimes the past is best preserved, instead of abandoned. Right now, new was bad, you'll see.
"Tony!" His boss shouted at him from ground level.
He almost glanced at him, but he was in the middle of carrying fifty kilos of duracrete mix on his shoulder, three stories up, with no safety railing, fucker could clearly see he was busy. His ears went sideways, the only response he'd get.
"Hey! Asshole! Someone out front to see you."
"Yeah," he said, more to himself. "I'm sure there is." He tossed the bag onto the last in a growing pile, near a big extruder that was eating them up, kind of like how a fat chick eats bon-bons. It made a loud noise with each bag it loaded and processed, outer wrapper and all. Kind of sounded like, whoosh! Mmmm.
Hammering, drilling, plasma cutting, welding, careful-where-you-look, it might just be the last thing you see... sharp, bright actinic glows all around, holo warning signs everywhere. Do not look here!
Whoosh! Mmmm.
Only reason people were mixed in with all these 'bots, was because people were cheaper to fix. Flesh grows back. Don't have to be 28, to get bitter like this, it's just the way it is.
Earth was getting a new planetary defense shield, once this shit was done. Something wasn't right, though. He was an ex-con, and there was only one reason he got the job, he helped put one in at Centauri II, a few years back. From what he could see, either this build wasn't organized right... or it wasn't what they said it was, ain't no shield generator. Stuffs going in the wrong place, in the wrong order. That was above his pay grade, though, so, oh well. Not his prob, he ain't trippin.
Whoosh! Mmmm.
He vigorously brushed metal dust out of the fur on his head, keeping his eyes shut as he did so, because this new alloy they were using, it had its own reinforcement threads in it, made up of pure carbon, like miniature re-bar. Shit gets behind your eyeballs, it'll stay there forever, supposedly.
Eyes, the windows into the soul, or some shit. Maybe just his parents, more like. One brown, one yellow, the mirror of his upbringing. Fucked up, obviously dad couldn't keep his knot in his sheath, had he stuck it in another wolf, Tony'd be one, too. Instead of some hybrid want-to-be-a-wolf.
People see him from a distance, they think he's a tall wolf, with thick brown fur, perfect black stripes, big paws, thick sheath. Then they see his eyes, and it's like, getting to know him. Cold splash of water. Something's off with this one, they think, pretty quick. They're usually right.
Fuck 'em. That's one thing he was good at, fucking. Who wasn't?
Mom was cool enough, German Shepherd, sweet, kind, she deserved better than dad, who left. Long time ago. Proof that nurture wasn't as strong as nature, she was the best mom in the world, but it didn't stop him from breaking the law, taking what others don't deserve to have.
Better than himself. He left... not long after dad did.
He leaned his thick arms against a strut, arching his spine to pop his neck left, then right. Ears flattened as a cutting drone flew by behind, sounding all the world like an angry nest of hornets, and probably just as deadly to mess with. He kept his tail straight down, out of the way. Didn't want to lose it.
Someone was here to see him, but he didn't want to see them, he knew what this was about. He brought up his wetware, hit the exit icon, and watched as SafeRoute calculated a new way out, gaining a little cooperation from machines in the way, he was low priority though. This project wouldn't stop for him, only slow down a bit.
Woosh! Mmmm.
He had to wait for a big welding process to finish, a dozen meters ahead. He walked close, and knew he could dart by fast enough without his fur catching fire, but the system would bitch if he tried, and he'd get sent home without pay. That was money he needed, bad.
It sounded all the world like frying bacon, and his stomach rumbled at the thought. Didn't bring lunch today.
Ultramorph, last night, it always killed his appetite the next morning, made him feel all the world like he'd never need to eat again. But that don't mean he'd feel that way, come afternoon. He knew better, but there comes a point when you stop caring. Maybe, a little something to do with dude, here to see him, now. Maybe he was even a little afraid, although he'd never admit that.
Shit.
He don't have the money.
The process shut down, diffusion screens shimmered and fell silent, pressure in his ears from the sound cancellation finally let up, and they popped. Fume extraction, like a big vacuum. Couldn't run when the welding was taking place, fresh air can't be allowed to touch the weld.
He tabbed his route and followed it down a couple of levels. His knot was sore, with every step of his left hindpaw, a little twinge of pain shot up, from where it was cut, just behind.
Angela, doberman, also last night. Her fucking claws, while he was tied. Squeezing felt good, she was loose, but dog damn, watch those things. He couldn't remember which came first, her, the Ultramorph, or him. Bet she did it on purpose.
Maybe next time, he wouldn't go in all the way. Let it build, whoops. Stretch her out a little further. If there was a next time, dude was waiting.
One thing about them Germans, they designed 'em with big dicks, no doubt about that. Intentional. He pictured those humans, standing around, watching dogs breed, holding clip boards, scribbling notes, comparing measurements.
Twisted fucks. Not that he minded the results, wolves never got that kind of love from mother nature.
Parking lot came into sight, his steps faltered, he paused. New dude, carrying. Staring right at him.
Two more dudes behind that guy, also carrying. Cops.
This was new.
Told ya, new is bad.