AJAX Tarnished, Book 1 of the AJAX Chronicles... Part 1: Steel Worx, Chapter 2

This is the second Chapter of AJAX Tarnished as I serialize it on the Steemit Blockchain. I hope you continue to enjoy the story... please forward to any of your friends and family that you feel might enjoy the story.

If you didn't get a chance to read the previous sections:

Prologue
Chapter 1

In addition, if you're too antsy to wait and would like to purchase a copy of the published version, you can do so by going here at Amazon. If you want, you can also go there to leave a Review regarding the book.

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Part 1: Steel Worx
Chapter 2:

The doors were heavy and he didn’t even open them all the way before squeezing out. He let the doors slam shut behind him as he slowly made his way to the curb line. He barely noticed the damp drizzle falling from the steely clouds overhead. A blue-and-white striped Electro-Slider slid up in front of him. The front-most window squealed as it slid downward into the thick metal door casing and out of sight… a head lowered and peered out at him.

“You have a Passenger Card?” The man’s voice scraped against stone. “I don’t give rides for free.”

Ajax pulled his card from his pocket, waving it in the air. The rear door beeped and the locking mechanism hummed as it gears spun. It took a few moments before he was bending his head into the cramped seating. He wasn’t overly tall, but he was not short either, and only a youngster or very small adult could sit in a Passenger Electro-Slider with any level of comfort.

The man was grey-haired and wore the usual attire of Passenger Drivers, blue-striped slacks with a cobble-hat angled downward to shield his eyes with the squared brim. Ajax always thought the hats were weird to look at and never wanted to wear one… at normal times, he would laugh inwardly at the wearer that looked like they had placed a bent aluminum food can atop their head and peeled up the metal at the front.

“So? Where to?” the driver asked impatiently.

“You know where to, Marv. You’ve been one of only two drivers that I’ve taken passage from in the last two years… and what’s going on?”

“Hey, just making sure you weren’t going somewhere else.”

Ajax furrowed his brow before inquiring further.

Marv sighed in response and scrubbed fingers through his grey fringes. “Fine. I had Sam and Jules just before you and they were talking. They said you were called upstairs. They seem to think you were getting promoted… at least, Sam did. Jules wasn’t so sure and she kept saying that maybe you did something wrong… that maybe you were reprimanded or even fired. If that was the case…” he broke off with a shrug and tried to turn around.

“Nothing so grand or so lucky,” Ajax breathed. “It was something much worse.”

Marv froze with a questioning expression, so Ajax began explaining. By the time he had finished quickly capturing the scene, Marv was shaking his head. “Wow, I don’t envy you that.”

“Thanks,” he responded sarcastically.

“And you’re certain you are heading home instead of the Fever’s?” The man’s bushy grey eyebrows were concerned.

“No, I need a clear head to think through this, and drinking would not give me that clarity.” Ajax sat back and sighed, then he continued with a wry note, “Although this would be one of those days to drink myself into a stupor.”

Marv chuckled and turned to his job. “I’ll have you home to the family in no time… how’s Morgan and the kids?”

The slider pushed off the curb. The grinding of the gears and the hissing of the pistons seemed to crackle in the air as the vehicle moved to the middle of the roadway. The buildings and people on the cobbled sidewalks rushed past his window. The movements were cyclical as the vehicle sped up quickly and slowed down jarringly. His teeth rattled each time, but he was used to the ride’s slow-fast-slow-fast pace.

He heard a small siren in the distance and then another. He could envision the Medic-Trans Electro-Sliders aglow in Warning Orange as they sped up to residences. There was probably a good twelve out at the moment in all different sectors. The viral influenza appeared to be extra hardy this season and was contaminating a lot of people, far more than the average season. The clash of those squealing sirens reverberated against the slider. He assumed that the noise dampeners were still in place, since the noise would be near-deafening with them removed. He wondered if anyone close to his house was infected… he certainly hoped not.

As he rode along in malleable silence, he started counting the houses that were roped off and marked with quarantine tags. Some stretches stood untouched, then there were stretches where every house was marked. Some with 1 house tagged and all the others safe, some the complete reverse… the random nature appalled his senses. Out of all the homes that he ticked off in his head, the numbers came out to about 1 in 20 houses were tagged, and just a week ago the number of infected was nearly zero. He squeezed his eyes shut and just tried to ignore everything.

When Marv drew the slider to a halt at his house, he nearly jumped out of his skin. He had fallen asleep with the tension clawing at his belly and throwing spasms in his shoulders. He still didn’t know what to do and he didn’t want Morgan to have to worry. She had her own job and the kids to take care of… that was like having multiple jobs from everything he had witnessed, and his own kids always seemed fairly well-behaved compared to so many others at their age.

Marv handed him the note-board and the pen like always. He waited as Ajax signed his name and marked down the amounts. His card was good for at least four more double-rides before he would need to fund the Passenger Account again. When he handed the note-board back, the greying man’s hard hands clasped his own and the man nodded. Ajax inclined his head and waited a long, awkward moment before sliding his hand free and opening the door.

“Everything will be alright, Ajax,” Marv declared, feigned confidence evident.

Ajax was not so certain. He nodded once and walked like a man who had been given a death sentence.

He breathed deeply before swinging the front door open. Marv drove off with a small honk, meant to be reassuring Ajax was sure… it didn’t really help. The evening gas-lamps were already sparked and glowing at each end of the street and the haze of the night was nearly fully draped over the neighborhood.

The green paint was peeling along the edges of the siding plates. Several dirty footprints were ground into the welcome mat and Morgan would be getting upset if it were not brought in for cleaning. Drooping, he pulled it up and slung it over his shoulder. The strip fibers clung to his overcoat and he didn’t even need to hang on to the thing to keep it from falling.

Morgan, always dressed to perfection with a content turn to her full lips, stood in the doorway. One eyebrow was raised in question, but all she said was, “Good, you’re home. Thank you for bringing that in… I was going to ask you to do that tomorrow since it needs a good cleaning. Put it in the basket and come in, dinner is ready and your kids are getting impatient.” She waited only a few moments for him to drop the mat into the wire-mesh laundry basket, then she was tugging him into an embrace.

“I’m sorry I am late, my love,” he said, covering the worry with feigned indignation. “The bosses wanted me to attend a short conference.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, not like I had anything to add… most of it was referring to the accounting department and financial agendas.”

“I’m sure you put your thoughts in,” she replied with a impish grin and a slow roll to her eyes. She laughed at his reaction and said “come on and eat.”

“Ha ha ha, you are so very funny,” he responded, not wanting to miss the chance to dish back the mockery. Nobody that overheard them would ever mistake it for a real argument, but sometimes they just had to fake fights and insults just to act like everyone else.

He rushed after her and gave a small pinch to her bottom. “Not in front of the kids,” she cautioned, insincere.
Gavin covered his eyes and twisted in his seat, having seen the pinch. “Yeah, not in front of the kids,” he said, his voice still young and high-pitched, now full of anguish. “I did not want to see that.”

“Well,” Ajax replied, brushing a hand over his son’s head, “Perhaps you should not have watched.”

“How could I not watch? I’m hungry and I was hoping you were coming in so we could finally eat.”

Ajax looked at his son, who seemed to be holding back apoplectic shock with a single hand. He had a strong chin, just like his grandfather had lived with all his life… too strong, many would think, and his ears came out a bit too far to make him anything but gawky-looking right now. He remembered that age, it was difficult. The boy was pushed up to their rectangular table, seemingly pinned up against the framework… whenever he moved, the lace-tipped table cloth threatened to tug loose.

“Mom, tell Gavin to stop doing that,” complained Sofie, seated straight across from his son and nearly the complete opposite personality-wise. “He always shoves himself right up against the table and.. look! whenever he moves around, my plate starts moving. I hate it when he does that.”

Ajax chuckled softly, always glad of his children. Their normalcy was enough to push out some of the earlier concern. After giving Gavin a small hug, he moved around the table and did the same to his daughter. She turned her cheek up like she did so often these days with an expectant smile on her face. He gave her a peck on the cheek and ruffled her hair… the startled look that pulled her features outward gave her the look of an owl with those big eyes as round as they could be.

“Gavin,” Morgan cracked.

Ajax looked over and his son was sitting there, etched in shock, having been caught in the act of pulling on the table cloth. Gavin released his grip on the fabric and his face flushed. Ajax just shook his head slightly and pulled out his chair. His had arms, just like his wife’s.

The smells of roast pork and buttered peas was warm in the air over the table. Four tall glasses were filled with the lime-colored drink that so many people were drinking these days. It was supposed to be fruity and was supposed to contain a lot of healthy ingredients to keep the body strong. He and Gavin dug 3 spoons of sugar each and mixed in their drinks. Morgan and Sofie, like porcelain statues of perfection, shook their heads and tipped their glasses back in unison. He shrugged at his son and took a swallow, nodding in satisfaction.

“So, let’s eat,” Ajax announced after a folding of hands and the normal meditative moments were done. “It looks delicious. How was school?”

“Brant was mean again,” Gavin said with a wave of his spoon. “He made us take a test… and he didn’t even give us time to study before it. Brian was so mad.” Brian was a short, angry boy that was in Gavin’s class and had been in his class from day 1. The two boys were pretty good friends outside of school, but Ajax could see that changing already as Brian was getting bigger and more athletic. Gavin had the same genes as Ajax, which meant that he was probably not going to win any medals for running or jumping or games in general. His 10-year-old body would fill out, but not for a long while.

“Well, my day was great. Sefani and I went riding today,” Sofie said into the quick silence, sticking a tongue out at Gavin. “I ran the course and was rated a 4.” His daughter’s beaming smile was enough to lift the spirits of any who might be sad. He could envision her in a wellness role when she was grown; but she was only 12 right now, far from grown.

Sofie had shown finesse with horses and so the school had placed her in riding courses. There weren’t too many schools around that offered specialized classes, but he and Morgan had been fortunate to have a job that offered educational benefits. She continued on as she dished herself up, glancing around the table.

“Hey, don’t take it all,” Gavin hissed. “You might get fat and the horse you ride might not be able to pick you up.” He made a face with puffed-out cheeks and laughed at her angry flush.

“Shut your mouth. You can’t ride at all.”

“I could if I wanted to, but I just don’t want to.”

“No you couldn’t.”

“Yes I could,” Gavin said, sticking out his chin.

Ajax glanced at Morgan and she just shrugged, the spoon full of pork and peas. She mouthed something that he couldn’t hear, but he knew she was saying ‘they have been like this all day’. It was a common sentiment.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” Gavin spluttered around a mouthful. He swallowed at a warning glance. “There were 3 more kids gone in my class… I heard that some are really sick and might not be back for a long time.”

“Yeah, that’s the same in my class too,” Sofie agreed. “But there are already 6 gone from my class… and I overheard someone say that Jazlin was going to die.” Her eyes glistened.

“They’ll be fine,” Ajax replied firmly. “You know how rumors are.” He didn’t know whether these were really rumors or not, but he fervently hoped so.

After that, dinner became somber. Everyone ate in near-silence, only broken by the sounds of chewing, swallowing, and drinking. When the plates were cleared, he sent Sofie and Gavin to shower and dress for bed. They grumbled less than normal, then trotted away to find their pajamas.

Ajax helped Morgan wash the plates and glasses and gave his kids a hug and kiss as they returned from showering, hair lank and wet. His brow furrowed after each left, concerned again and trying to forget that he had to tell Morgan about the meeting.

He went to the shower, stripped off his dirty and metal-encrusted clothes. When he stepped under the steaming water, he just stood there and let the heat leach out some of the stress. When he felt his muscles relax, he started to really think about work.

“Ajax,” the short woman with auburn curls said, a stubby smoke-pipe clenched in her teeth. “We need you to make the announcement tomorrow at your weekly meeting.”

He thought her name had been Gladys, but he hadn’t really caught all the names. He felt his stomach knot up instantly. He felt like an executioner all of the sudden. His coworkers would not be able to make it without the benefits of the union. They would blame him, but there was really nothing he could do, was there?

Herrmann Weller watched him impassively. He scrutinized. He said nothing. The man was like a stone and did not care about his employees.

“Just like that?” he asked.

“Just like that.” It was Weller, slapping the table. “There are too many costs. The financers and investors would lose money.”

“What about the workers?” he questioned angrily. “There are a lot of people that work here that could not get by without the union. The benefits are what allow them to even come to work, some of them.”

“Then they will not work here. As simple as that.” Weller was a viper under the foot and a bear over the head. He could do whatever he wanted and he knew it. “We are not asking you. I don’t care what you think of the decision. I only care that you do as I say.”

Morgan tugged him out of the shower and looked into his eyes. Her expression was suddenly dour. “What is it Aaron? You can tell me.”

It all came flooding out of him in an instant.

Her arms surrounded him as he told her all about what had actually happened during the day. He didn’t bother too much with the details before the meeting or the actual words in the meeting, but was able to make plain how little he could do.

“I know these people,” he said roughly as his throat tightened with emotion. “I know them. I know how many will not make it.”

“They will get by,” she replied sternly, confidently.

“I don’t even know if we’ll make it by without the union benefits. The schooling, the insuring of our health… the Passenger Card is even a union benefit. If I have to pay for the ride home each night, that will be nearly 500 weekly… I only make 2600 weekly.”

“I know.”

“Then we have the house… the union covers that cost as well. We may have to move.”

“Aaron, stop. If we need to move, then we will move. We will do whatever is needed. The kids won’t like it, but they will cope. They are young still.”

He swallowed back the rest of his worries. He knew that she was right. “What do you think I should do?”

“Ultimately, it’s up to you. You really think the others need the union to survive?” She watched his nod and continued, “then you do what is right. Don’t let them dictate this. Stand up for them.”

“They may fire me for it.”

Her eyes turned down and she thought about it before speaking again. “How much money would we need? If we moved to a cheaper district and a smaller house?”

He pursed his lips and tumbled several numbers in his head. Right now they were paying 3700 out for all the home, education, meal, health, and extraneous costs each week. He made, as he had already indicated, 2600 weekly… her income added another 3400 weekly. That was enough to give them a comfortable life with 2300 extra each week. So without his income, they would be 300 in the negative each week.

‘If we move to Tarlyn Market,’ he thought, ‘housing would be around 1000 weekly, and the schools there were only 500 weekly.’

Morgan watched as he calculated. She smiled and spoke into his thoughts. “Hon, we can make it. I already know the costs of all those things and my income is enough to make it by. Not comfortably, but we could make it by.”

He looked dubious. “I don’t know. There are so many things that we might be missing.”

“Then you may have to sell yourself,” she mused. “I know that older woman up the street, Marys I think her name is, always seems to have her eye on you.”

“You, my dear,” he mocked, “might enjoy that too much. Maybe I could just get a different job instead.”

“Okay,” she sighed in mock exasperation, “but Marys might pay better. Feeling better about this?”

“I’m fighting this then.”

“Yes, you owe it to yourself.”

He whispered a kiss across her lips. “I’m glad you are on my side,” he laughed softly.

He wasn’t completely confident, but at least he felt like they were aware of the possible challenges afterwards. Maybe it would not go badly. Maybe. Curling up beneath the blanket, he rested his arm over her shoulder and watched her drift to sleep, envying her ability to slough off the concerns and worries. Sleep did come, but it was more than an hour that he breathed in and out, trying to blank his mind. His dreams, as expected, all centered around losing his home and job.