The following is what I currently have for a short story I’m working on to begin introducing the world of Bloodhound. This one focuses on Danny, one of the core characters, as he grapples with getting settled into the colony after choosing to stay behind during the estrangement, effectively cutting himself off from any and all support.
There’s quite a bit to cover in this story, and I’m working through it with what little spare time I’ve had going after getting back from holiday travels. Hopefully things will be settling down soon here so I can keep plugging away at it.
In the meantime, enjoy what I have so far!
Rain rolled through the outskirts of Conroe, pelting the windows of the habitat units built into the hillside. The morning storms signaled the start of a new day on Salus 02, folks bustling out their doors in a myriad of gear to shield them from the elements as they made their way to their state assigned jobs.
Inside one such unit, an otter twisted and turned in his sleep, the sheets of his lovers’ bed coiling around his naked, furred body. The noises of the morning breakfast assembly bled through the walls, gently masked by the sounds of a babbling brook emitting from the room’s built in ambiance system. The room responded as the otter stirred, slowing bringing up the ambient light to mimic that of a morning sun.
Danny rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn. He pulled himself towards the edge of the bed, reaching out to disable the ambiance system before resting his head back on the pillow with a groan. It’d been a long night for him; an even longer week lay ahead. He resigned himself to resting for a few more minutes—there was no rush.
Danny peered through the rain battered window, admiring the view of the hillside. This area of the city was his favorite. Anywhere with flat land was filled with all sorts of vegetation. Crops, flowers, even a small tree farm nestled itself into the terraced hill. At the very summit, perched like a crown, was his favorite spot: a charming flower garden. He visited often with its caretaker, Louis, who’s bed he currently occupied.
His thoughts were interrupted when the bedroom door swung open.
“Good morning, hun! Sleep well?” A large bear stood in the doorway. A pan, still sizzling, was held in his left paw. The other held a large carafe which, by the look of the steam whisking out of the top, was full of a freshly brewed pot. “Come, I’ve whipped up some breakfast.” He returned to the kitchen, leaving the warm glow of lights pour through the doorway.
A yawn escaped Danny, who habitually stretched out in response. Louis was always the morning type. Danny? Not so much. He willed himself out of bed, taking a moment to wrap himself in Louis’ oversized robe that was lumped on the floor, a casualty of the previous evening’s frivolities, before stepping out into the light.
Danny squinted as the light from the simulation poured over him. He stumbled his way over to Louis, who was busy prepping a serving dish with a large batch of scrambled eggs. Danny reached around the bear and gave him a soft squeeze from behind, nestling his face into the thick, brown fur. “Smells delicious,” he said.
“Salmon scramble and some waffles,” Louis replied. “Best way to start the day.”
Danny moved to the counter, grabbing the carafe and pouring himself a fresh cup of coffee. “I’ll say,” He said. “Brian already left for work?”
“Had to go in early for some pre-boarding tasks for the transfer," Louis said. He turned, watching Danny as he poured his drink. “Thought you weren’t a coffee person.”
Danny shrugged, “It’s helped with the transition. The shelter doesn’t have sim units.”
Louis nodded, reaching over to give the otter a pat on his shoulder. “The offer’s still open, you know.”
“I know, but you know how it is…wanna go my own way and all that,” Danny said, giving the bear a smirk. “It’s not so bad, anyways. Once I get a job I’ll be spending most of my day out and about. There’s a rumor going around that the city will undergo redistribution like Rockford did, so if I can get a decent job before that I should be set up for priority housing.”
Louis shook his head. “Bah, redistribution. Hopefully we’ll be out of here before they take this place those—” Louis paused. “Uh, well, you know.”
“It’s alright, I get it.” Danny turned and nudged the bear. “Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
“Yes, let’s. Brian wouldn’t let me hear the end of it if he discovered we let the food cool.” He wrapped an arm around Danny and escorted him to the nook.
Danny watched the towers of living units fly past the window of the train car in silence. There were only a few passengers with him in the car. Most of the population had already left the planet, and those who stayed behind were either waiting on their transfer or fleeing to the satellite cities, vying for what little housing was left to redistribute. Most businesses were closed as the owners were still discovering the nature of their newly assigned venture.
Danny couldn’t see how a housing redistribution wouldn’t be the next process. While it was true that Conroe was filled to the brim with luxury apartments, many districts were left in ruins after the estrangement riots rolled through downtown, leaving many of the residents left behind without a proper shelter. Danny included.
He let out a sigh and pulled out his tablet, flicking through the colony notice boards for anything new. Maybe he could snag one of the small homes near Louis’ district, he thought, or maybe, just maybe, he could get lucky enough to be assigned one of the executive suites near the station. He would need to find a job first.
Danny flicked over to the classifieds and searched for new job postings. A few shop keeping positions were available, but he already knew those wouldn’t pay enough. A few stock engineer postings peaked his interest, but left him disappointed after reading on to discover that they were just using flowery language to hide the reality of your basic shelf stocking position.
Danny was just about to give up before a classified appeared in his feed:
Job Title: Executive Assistant/Office Manager
Must be quick on their feet. Hours unpredictable.
Contact Jack Orson at The Bloodhound Agency for Details
Rockford
Danny stared at the posting, a puzzled look growing on his face. It was, by far, the most concise job posting he had come across, frustratingly so. No information on payment was provided, an omission not becoming of the average posting to grace job board. No contact information either, just a name and business. And Rockford? Why would someone in Rockford be advertising a job position on Conroe’s job board?
Danny flicked off the display and stowed his tablet in the bag as a chime rang out within the car, announcing the arrival of his stop. The job posting lingered in his mind as he approached the car door. Jack Orson, he thought on, why did that name sound familiar? He wondered at first if he had met someone of a similar name through his dad, or even simply overheard his dad during one of his nightly screaming rituals from his office before they left.
The otter nearly tripped over himself as the train came to a stop, startling him back to reality as the car doors opened. He stepped out into the brisk, damp air. He crossed the platform and entered the attached comm station, taking a seat at an available kiosk, thankful that no one else was around as he fumbled through his bag in search of his wallet.
His search proving successful, he pulled out his credit chip and inserted it into the terminal, waiting for the two familiar chimes of his payment processing before lifting the receiver off its dock and punching in the code to Louis’ residence.
A hiss of static filled the receiver as Danny brought it to his ear. He waited patiently, waiting, hopefully, for the static to be replaced by the soft ringing tone of a successful connection. As he waited, he mapped out the nearest comms stations outside the station, and whether or not he could afford to make another call should the connection at this station fail, and whether or not that meant he wouldn’t be buying dinner tonight. Thankfully, he wouldn’t have to worry much longer, as the friendly ringing of Louis’ terminal replaced the static tingling his ear.
“Louis here,” the familiar voice answered.
“Hey Louis, quick question. Do you know anyone by the name of Jack Orson?” Danny asked, keeping an eye on the meter. There was a brief, yet painstakingly expensive pause before Louis answered.
“Yea, I know him. Why ask me, though? You didn’t get yourself into trouble did you?” Louis sounded unusually concerned.
“No, nothing like that,” Danny assured the bear, “It’s just that I saw a job posting on the classifieds today by him. An executive assistant job. Thought it would be my best bet considering the rest of the grunt work that’s usually posted.”
“I see,” Louis replied. “I didn’t know he moved back to Conroe.”
“It doesn’t look like it. The job posting is marked for Rockford. Any idea why he would be advertising here?”
“You’d have to ask him that. Is this something you’d be interested in? I may still have his number.”
“Thanks Louis,” said Danny. “I’ll give him a call here in a bit. Anything I should know first?”
“Let me make the call hun, trust me. Jack’s the type to prefer referrals from people he has connections with. You won’t get very far on your own,” Louis said, pausing before adding “not because you’re not qualified or anything. He’s…well, not complicated, let’s just say particular. I’ll give him a call right now. You’ll get a transmission when I’m done.”
“O-ok, I’ll keep an eye out.”
“Good,” the bear replied. “One more thing, you may want to hang around the station. Jack likes to move quick, so he may want to be meeting you by this evening.”
“Oh, ok. I’ll do that. Thank you, Louis.”
“Anytime, hun. You know we’ll always take care of you!” The bear chimed. “I’ll hopefully get you more information soon. Take care.”
“Ok, see you,” Danny laid the receiver back to its handle, feeling uneasy about the exchange. Why would Louis assume he was in trouble?
He decided it wasn’t worth dwelling on. Besides, once the bear learned it was related to a job hunt he seemed to change his tune. Maybe Jack is just one of those types?
His mind drifted back to his business name. The Bloodhound Agency. Maybe he was some sort of cop? Detective maybe? The name certainly had a ring to it.
Danny got up and slung his bag over his shoulder, exiting the comm station and making his way over to the nearby cafe. He decided that shelter food would do for tonight, and decided to spend that little bit of allotted cash on a fresh cup of coffee. The cafe would be a good place to work out of while he waited for further instructions for Louis. He eyed the line status board. The Rockford line was right next to the cafe. Barring any unfortunate circumstances he could be on a mag to Rockford within the hour.
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