Brinus clocked in the next morning and logged his arrival time with the group home leader. He began fixing camera blindspots after the morning staff meeting. A sign showed in the lobby that a Navy lieutenant would visit today.
The hallway in which he adjusted cameras was 1800 feet long. It was lined with wooden doors. The floors were green carpet and baroque paneling on the walls. The ceiling had three large natural light synthesizers.
Brinus adjusted the third camera in the hallway when he heard someone clear their throat. He was so focused he missed the two naval officers watching at the base of his ladder.
Someone cleared their throat and he looked down. A commissioned lieutenant accompanied a young man at about 22 with a midshipman’s uniform. The midshipman held a large black suitcase. The lieutenant wore his weapons belt with rank ribbons over his left breast.
“Lieutenant. Midshipman.” Brinus acknowledged the naval officers.
The lieutenant nodded. “Your syndicate tattoo is showing.”
He pulled down his sleeve and blushed, looking at his feet.
The midshipman smiled. “There’s no need to be ashamed. We all got a past.” The midshipman showed his tattoo, the Tanner Syndicate, a salvage and smuggling organization. “I left the group after I was caught smuggling eye drop powder into a spaceport from the federation.”
Brinus returned the smile as he came off the ladder. “There’s hope?”
The lieutenant handed him his card. “Call this number if you wanna be recruited through our convict reform program. Slots are limited for officers but I know if you’re from the Orin Syndicate then you likely have the training for an officer.”
Brinus watched the two naval officers hand out care packages from the Academy to the residents. The packages had a pack of cigarettes and a pack of cheap lighters, two candy bars, some toothpaste and a toothbrush, a bottle of soda, and a fresh set of socks and underwear.
They took photos with each resident as they presented the care packages and posted their reactions to social media. Despite the clickbait, it gave a positive vibe.
Brinus remembered a recruitment ad going around the Net that the federation made. Brinus thought the pandering to LGBT people was over the top and it made him laugh at the enemy. Someone made a compilation of the military commercials. The Confederation ad was a squadron of fighters taking off from a carrier and doing a starburst formation. They then strafed and destroyed a derelict frigate with a caption that said, “Join the Navy and unlock your inner badass.”
Ted came up to him as Brinus came back onto the ladder.
“What are you doing?” asked Ted tilting his head to the side.
Brinus chuckled nervously and put a bolt into the holes of the base of a camera. “Repositioning cameras to reduce blind spots.”
Ted slapped his hands together and smiled. “Gotta a cigarette?”
“Just reach into my bag and get one.”
Ted went into Brinus’s bag, grabbed one of the extra packs, and put one in his mouth. He lit the other end with one of the lighters he received from the navy. “What is it like in the syndicate?”
“I enjoy the adrenaline rush and the risk but not the consequences.”
“Did you know the alpaca farm dog is for ground sheep herding?”
Brinus almost dropped the bolt onto the ground as he drilled in the second camera. “Really?”
Ted began info dumping about alpaca farm dogs as Brinus drilled on the camera case. Brinus smiled and nodded as he checked the cameras on his TriQuarter.
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Long Ho sat in an armchair outside of Medusa’s office. He stared at a carved pair in the wood paneling with a glossy look in his eyes. He shook his leg and bit his nails the same way Brinus did. He heard her on the phone talking with senior management about Brinus’s growing desire to leave the syndicate. It sounded like she tried negotiating a deal she could make with Brinus. After reaching acceptable terms, she sent a copy of the demands to Saul and then called in Long Ho.
Today, Medusa’s office was clean. She hadn’t been in for a couple of days and the office smelled like lemon-scented cleaning fluid and incense. The room was spotless and immaculate. On her desk was a mini six-pounder black powder field gun with a limber attached along with her computer terminal.
Long Ho sat down, put a cigarette in his mouth, lit it, and inhaled the smoke to calm down.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Medusa frowned and cussed. “Okay Long Ho, before I proceed with your plan I need to know is the syndicate is involved in a vendetta over you disagreeing with Brinus’s sexuality?”
Long ago blew smoke into Medusa’s face just like Brinus and then started, “No, at first I was angry at how much the syndicate accepted him. However, as his father, I feel like Harper is leading my son down a bad path. Also, he is a police informant. I don’t want him near my boy.”
She rolled her eyes and crossed her legs. “You refused to acknowledge parental status over him when he joined and technically Brinus is an emancipated minor. I need a more compelling case for tuning up Harper.”
Long Ho crossed his arms and sneered, “So being a police informant is not enough?”
“Not for a kid. And not for Brinus’s boyfriend.” She stood and leaned over her desk, “I tell you what, if you do anything to cause Brinus to leave the syndicate I will put you on final notice. This is your official warning.”
Long Ho came up from his seat. “Whatever.”
Medusa slammed her hands on the desk and screamed, “I mean it! I know you’re jealous of Brinus and his abilities! So suck it up and do as you’re told! And you won’t subject you to a full tune-up! Brinus is the highest-earning syndicate member! Now fuck off!”
Long Ho came out of the meeting and called his tune-up officer. “It’s on. Do it this afternoon. He should be out of his apartment after lunch.”
“This better not blow back on me!” said a distorted voice on the other end.
“No, it won’t. I will make sure you’re covered.” Long Ho smiled.
If it comes between me and these fuckers it will be them every time. He laughed to himself after terminating the call. I will send Harper a message he will never forget.
He went outside and flicked his cigarette butt into the sidewalk and snuffed it out with his shoe. He noticed how cloudy it was. The sun was bright with beams of light peeking through the fluffy white clouds. On the street were various magicians doing magic tricks. Performers did acts like sword swallowing and juggling bowling balls. On the bus stop across the street were people in suits and ties waiting and smoking. A monorail went flying by overhead.
He walked down the street and came up to a food cart selling chocolate crumble pies with marshmallow cream filling. “How much?”
“Three credits.”
Long Ho flashed his syndicate tattoo. “Give me a free pie or I will have some men pay you a visit.”
The man handed him a pie and he cussed. A few moments later, Medusa came up. “Sorry about that. Here are six credits.” Medusa handed him a five-credit chip plus one. “One pie for me and compensation for that asshole.”
“Thank you miss.” He handed her a pie.
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Harper had a thermos with coffee liquor with cream and sugar in it. Next to him was an ashtray with two green cigarette butts. He was in a pair of shorts, a set of skateboard shoes, a rocker band tee shirt, and a white hat turned backward. He walked out of the apartment and into the street to his usual spot at the park.
As he sold a few pill packs four men in black suits came up to Harper and surrounded him.
“Harper Magnus?”
Harper stood and dusted himself off. “Who asks?”
“Long Ho of Orin Syndicate.”
One of the men punched Harper in the stomach, and then he fell to the ground on his hands and knees. The four men began kicking him in the chest and stomach.
Five Magi agents came out of the bushes and drew their wands, pointing them at the four men in black suits.
The special agent stepped forward and also drew her wand. “Stupify Quadplex!” she shouted.
A red jet of light shot out of her wand and it split into four jets. It then hit all four men who fell to the ground, stunned.”
“Call 911. Give them Magi code 8693.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Harper was unconscious and bleeding on the ground as the Magi Agents tended to his wounds. They bandaged his cuts and his broken ribs. Ten cops showed up in three minutes to take away the four men in black suits and then paramedics arrived in eight minutes. They loaded him up and took the kid straight to the hospital.
On the way to the hospital Harper’s blood pressure and heart rate bottomed out so the medic inserted a needle into the space between his second and third rib and then turned the nozzle. He began breathing again and his chest contracted normally.
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Brinus was in a conversation with Ted about Alpaca farm dogs. They also smoked together in the smoking section when Brinus received the news about Harper.
He checked out of his community service and went directly to the hospital.
Brinus arrived at reception twenty minutes after Harper arrived at the ER and looked at the droid. “WHERE THE FUCK IS HARPER?!”
“Sir, calm down or I will have you removed.”
“Go fuck yourself and your fucking rules you fucking fucker now fucking tell me where my fucking boyfriend Harper Mangus is!”
“I am calling security. Please leave the hospital.”
The droid malfunctioned and its battery exploded in flames. Two nurses came out to see what the shouting was about. “Who are you and why are you cussing in the lobby?” demanded the head nurse.
“My boyfriend was assaulted! He was attacked by my syndicate!”
Medusa arrived just as Brinus was approached by the two nurses with two security officers. Brinus went into Medusa’s face, he screamed, “I will fucking kill you for this!”
“Your anger is not with me and trust me the syndicate will deal with Long Ho. Go see your boyfriend. Let me handle this.”
The nurse looked at Medusa who nodded. She said, “I will take you back to Harper Magnus. He is about to go to surgery.”
Medusa got onto her TriQuarter and called someone, “Yo Sinnerman, I need disciplinary action 12 on Long Ho. Broadcast across the syndicate clubhouses.”
“Okay. I will pick him up in thirty minutes. Do you want the usual kidnapping and assault?”
Medusa paused for a moment and then stated, “Sure, and I will give you a tip if you can make him repent in 24 hours.”
“Give me thirty to assemble my team.”
The call terminated. She hated shit like this. It undermined her authority and made her look bad. Medusa would make Long Ho pay in full view of the syndicate.
Brinus watched as Harper was wheeled into surgery. He walked into the ER surgery’s smoking lounge.
He paced back and forth thinking about the syndicate. The Navy offers real benefits. I wonder what I can get from ’em? Maybe I can bring Harper with me?
He dialed the number of the recruiter. “I want to join.”
“First off, you are sixteen and have the skills to be an officer. Therefore, you will have to wait until you are seventeen to join an officer academy. Why don’t you stop by the recruiter’s office tomorrow and we can take care of the intelligence testing, IQ test, and psychological exam?”
“I can stop by after I do my community service at six.”
“See you at six p.m.”
Brinus saw some hope at the end of the tunnel.