The Adventures of Alice and Max
Chapter 18: Max Makes Some New Friends
Max started work early the next morning. He followed James wherever he went walking down the long avenue.
“Max, you gotta know something. Only speak when you’re spoken to.”
“Yeah, don’t say anything stupid,” Rooster chimed in.
“You gotta have a calm and cool demeanor. Don’t look anyone in the face unless you have a question on the floor. You gotta look at your surroundings, always.”
“Hey, if anyone gives you trouble you go to Bruce,” Markus said. “He’s the big boss.”
“OK,” Max finally said, “So, just take in everything?”
“Yeah,” the three blurted out all at once. They continued to swap stories and tell Max what kind of work it consisted of. It sounded mean and cruel, the conditions. It sounded hard and challenging, but Max was up for the task. It beat fending for himself on the streets, not knowing their next destination.
Time for a good day's work.
Approaching the factory that wasn’t far from the safe haven, a group of guards with their white uniforms and assault rifles walked down the street toward them. Max looked down at the ground until they passed. Talking loudly about exploits, the soldiers didn’t take notice.
Making it safely to the front door of the shop, they entered hearing loud sounds of saws cutting metal. Beeping sounds of a forklift backing up and moving forward as it sped off into the back of the shop, erupted and thundered throughout the warehouse. Workers all moved around hauling sheets of plain steel. As they continued further in, Max saw the massive warehouse which had rows of different kinds of metal stacked high above in the air on shelves. He saw a machine that lifted its claws thirty feet above him to reach the top shelf. It grabbed a hold of a skid and moved it safely and efficiently down. It rolled out of the aisle and bustled around the corner violently, coming straight for Max.
“Watch out!” James screamed, pushing Max out of danger and onto the concrete floor. Max got up quickly. “You can't just walk aimlessly. Always look at your surroundings! Always. Everything here is gonna kill you. That’s what Pinny always says.”
“Pinny? Who’s that?” Max asked curiously.
“Oh, he’s the foreman. He runs the operations on the ground level. He does everything.”
“You’ll meet ‘em. Don’t worry,” Markus said as he slapped Max’s back.
They passed by the port where the flying ships were. The large steel mechanical doors unlocked like a vault and opened vertically revealing the dark day. The glorious lights of the city shone through the whole shop. The pilots tested the great machines. Starting the engines, it roared to life, lifted off of the ground, and shot out into the sky without warning. The pilots would come when they were complete, test them, and if they found out it was ready would take it to their port for their own use.
One little skinny man came scurrying along with hard hats and forcefully screwed them on the heads of the boys.
“Now, now, now, boys. You must wear your protective equipment,” he said. “We wouldn’t want anyone getting hurt, now, would we? Ah, you must be a new employee! My name is Rutherford Isaac, at your service! Safety Captain of this whole facility! Yep, that’s right.”
“Well, actually, sir. I’m not actually an employee, but I would like to be one, Mr. Isaac, sir.” Max managed to say.
“Oh, you mustn't call me that. Rutherford, please. Well, let's see.” Rutherford checked his clipboard and turned the papers over.
James spoke up, “He wants to see the boss, jackwad. Show ‘em.” James pushed them both towards the boss’ office. The three left him fast. “We’ll see ya around, Max!”
“Right this way, uh, what was it?” Rutherford said quickly, embarrassed.
“Max. Maxwell,” he said with a smile as they hurried along.
The door to the office swung open and Rutherford mentioned the newcomer and his intention. The boss was Bruce Warden, currently busy checking his crypto currency. He motioned with his hand to wait.
“Sir,” Rutherford said.
“Talk to me,” Bruce said flatly.
“We got a new recruit.”
He perked up. “Yeah? Who?”
“He’s from that orphanage in the business district.”
“A kid, huh? We could use that to our advantage, right?”
Isaacs frowned, “Sir, please, just meet him and put him where you think he’ll be a good fit.”
“Well, send ‘em in,” he said detached.
Rutherford opened the door and told Max to hurry in. It was a small office big enough to hold a hen. A dank odor hung about. Max sat down while Bruce continued to gaze at his portal into another dimension which was his desktop. “Talk to me.”
“Sir?”
“Talk to me, kid, come on. I don’t got all day.”
Max shifted in his seat. “Uh, I’m looking for a job, sir.”
“What kinda job?” Still didn’t make eye contact.
“One where I can learn a thing or two?”
Bruce met his eyes and then laughed, “Good. Good one, kid. Where’d you learn that? The orphanage? Well, I got a few openings. Lauder will show ya the ropes.”
“What ropes?”
Warden tried to stifle his laughter. “Never mind.” He spoke into the loudspeaker. “Lauder to the front. Lauder to the front, please. Don’t make me come get you.”
And out of the deep caves of metal Max heard a cry, “What? I’m up here! Whadya want, man?”
“Just come on down and I’ll tell ya.”
“No! No!” He screamed incessantly on the top of his lungs.
“Lauder… Lauder…” Bruce said trying to calm the supervisor. But he screamed all the more as he came swooping out of the aisle in a massive machine. The side loader came out while he continued to shout and make a scene. Men called out for him to shut up. The machine came to a screeching halt and Lauder erupted angrily out of the caged seat.
Bruce motioned to Max to go outside to meet the lunatic. Max could see the large man on full scale. An orange hard hat sat on his meaty head with his safety glasses fashioned on his face glistening against the fluorescent light. He had on flamed gloves with cuts in them and wore his blue uniform a one-piece suit with his name in bold white letters. Sauntering over clumsily in his big brown boots, he put out his hand for Max who stood next to Bruce outside the office.
“Well, if only you said it was a new guy I wouldn’t have made a scene.” The machine died down as the fan stopped blowing.
“That’s exactly why I didn’t say it,” Bruce said, grinning. “I like when you do that.”
“Scum bag,” Lauder said as he scratched his head. “What do you want me to do with the kid? He’s too young, Bruce.”
“No, you don’t get to do this. You’ve been asking for more workers, right? Here’s your new worker. Now go do your job. Use ‘em.”
“Not a kid, bro. I need a man. Like, five other guys.”
“What? So you can screw ‘em?”
“Why you gotta say stuff like that? You know it’s gonna compel me!”
“Just get the job done.”
“That’s what I’m doing but you keep sending for me. I got all those work orders I gotta do. I gotta do everything around here.”
“You and me both, Lauder. You and me both.” And he went back into his little air-conditioned office leaving them.
“Oh my God, that guy is a piece ‘a work, right?” Lauder said. “Can’t get anythin’ done around here. What’s your name, kid?”
“Max.”
“Well, Max, you worked with your hands before?”
“I’ve done some woodwork back at the orphanage. That count?”
“Close enough. It’s somethin’. Alright, where’s Pinny? Yo, Pinny!” Pinny watched idly as Devon the welder welded on top of a flying ship. Afer a moment, he lifted his welding helmet and strutted over.
“What? Whadya want?” Pinny was an old man with a limp. Short and gray haired with round glasses, he snorted and snot came out of his nostril. He spit and then wiped his arm against his mouth.
“This is our new boy. Max,” Lauder said heartily patting him on the shoulder.
“Hey man, what’s up, I’m Pinny. You married?”
“Uh… no,” Max said confused as why they asked.
They laughed. “Well, keep it that way. Where you gonna put ‘em?” Pinny asked.
“I’ll show ‘em everything. Maybe a little welding,” Lauder said. “Then I’ll stick ‘em with Devon when he’s done.”
“Alright sounds good.” A bell rang out that destroyed Max’s ear drums.
“Break time!” Lauder yelled.
Everyone immediately dropped what they were doing and gathered in the front of the shop.
“Where’s our fee, Lauder?” Rodrigo said hurriedly. Wearing no hard hat or safety glasses and no uniform, he was careless.
“Hold your horses, Rodrigo!” He left quickly heading upstairs where the locker rooms were. He came back out and everyone grabbed chairs all sitting around the middle of the floor for their fifteen-minute break that was taken and coveted. “I got the good stuff this time.” Lauder held a bag of pills, took one out, popped it in, and flung it to Rodrigo.
Rodrigo was the one who cut the metal on the saw. He popped two in his mouth.
“Whoa, only one, my guy!” Lauder exclaimed.
“The wife’s merciless this week. I’m gonna need a lot more than that,” Rodrigo chortled.
The bag was passed all around even James, Rooster and Markus took one. Guffawing like tiny mice, they passed it as it came to Pinny.
Taking one, he said, “Whadya say, kid? Want one?” Max didn’t know what to do. He had no reason to say ‘no’. But he felt that a wicked thing was inside the pill. A hideous creature awaited for him and he’d rather not find out what that was.
“No, I’m good.”
“Suit yourself. Probably best you didn’t. Especially on your first day.” Everyone laughed uproariously. “Ah, that Queen, that sweet, sweet Queen.”
“What, you gonna marry her?” Lauder asked.
“Nah, I’m gonna do a lot worse to her,” Pinny said. All laughed again.
“I wouldn’t even see that for free. She’s a joke, man.”
“She brings this stuff in. It’s legal. Makes it available for all,” Pinny said.
“You really think that’s a good thing, Pin?”
“Well, you’re the one buying it. Why don’t you tell me?”
“Whaddya guys know about the Queen?” Max asked.
Everyone remained quiet. “Just relax, kid. One thing at a time,” Lauder said. “Don’t worry about her.”
“She rules all the land,” Rodrigo said. “She controls everything and everyone’s bent to her will. Or so I’ve heard.”
“Shut it!” Lauder said. “They could be watching us. Don’t trust anyone, kid. That’s the best advice I can give ya.”
Continuing giggling and joking they all had a small high and were relieved in spirit for a time, but then the alarm sounded. All scattered back to where they were previously. Even Max’s friends went to their rightful places. James swept the shop, Rooster helped cut sheet metal, and Markus did paperwork in the office area.
Now Max was left with Lauder who, slightly buzzed, gave a great smile and said, “All you gotta know is this: Safety. Be safe. That’s the golden rule of life. If you’re not safe, you won’t make it. Never take a risk. Alright, now let’s get you suited up.”
To Be Continued…
