Esmie the Calamity Chapter 12 - Raptor (Patreon)

** So, here's the first part of my new and crazy plans for this story. Such as they are. Hope you enjoy this new character and I'll see you in the next one! **

George's POV

The woman sitting across from me was the sort who managed to look physically intimidating without adhering to the former descriptor whatsoever. Around us, the hustle and bustle of the trendy United Nations City Cafe continued as though there wasn't a dragon within their midst. Not literally, of course, but my god did this Ruth woman give off those vibes.

"You do seem to have the skills I need," she said conversationally, placing her phone back down onto the table. "If you're telling the truth, that is."

"The law enforcement training is on the record," I said, smiling away the tension that was bundling up in my shoulder muscles.

"As is the dishonourable discharge from the SWAT division," she noted, not bothering to double check the files on her phone. It was a small thing, but I noticed it. People often double checked their notes, or their guns, to calm themselves in a situation like this. It spoke of calm confidence and disciplined power.

"Yeah," I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "Turns out that all the idealistic crap they fed us in training wasn't shit. Which, in hindsight, is rather obvious."

"Our hearts like to paint a pretty picture of reality that can be hard to move past," she nodded. "You disobeyed orders, correct?"

A laugh slipped out of me and I dipped my head in acknowledgement. "Yup. My superior officer and I disagreed on the trajectory that a few bullets were going to take."

Ruth raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

"Our targets, some terrorist group, they happened to be using some coral scrapers as human shields," I said, dropping the euphemisms. "We were ordered to fire anyway. The rest of my squad did. I didn't."

"Jesus " she muttered, her perfect poker face slipping for a moment. A long breath later and it was back in place. "You then joined those… unfortunates, or at least their kin?"

"Yup, that's kind of why I'm here," I agreed with a wry chuckle. "I was getting sick of scraping that coral, so to speak. They took my eligibility for basic away so I was forced to live down in the slums. Answered your advertisement because… well, I either find a job or I join the mob."

"Well, you seem to be a good fit, on paper," she said, tapping her phone for emphasis. "Barring my pending evaluation of your character during this meeting, there are two things between you and the job."

"Two things, huh?" I joked, making a show of looking worried. "I wasn't counting on the second thing. One thing, I can handle that, but two… yikes."

Her lips twitched into a smile and she gave me an… interesting look. "You don't know how right you are, George. The first thing, is can you act, can you be entertaining in front of an audience?"

For the first time during this interview, I felt a real knot of worry form in the pit of my stomach. I'd just been joking about that second thing, but apparently I'd walked into a trap.

"I've always liked joking around, pulling harmless pranks, that kind of thing," I shrugged, clamping down on my inner turmoil. "I've never done it for an audience, but I'm not the kind of person to get stage fright."

"Are you the sort of person who can do that while wearing a woman's skin?" She asked, leaning forward and skewering me with a look.

My mouth opened before my mind could give approval. "I'm pretty sure I just mentioned I'm not keen on killing."

I could see her take a moment to understand my little quip, and when she did, she gave me a smile full of canines. "Very funny. No, I mean, would you be willing to play as a woman? Your gender out in reality isn't a concern, but within CORA I'll need you to be a woman."

My brain ground to a stuttering halt and I tried to play her words back in a way that made sense. Why… why did I need to be a woman for this job?

As if she could read my questions off the grey matter inside my skull, she continued into an explanation, "You see, this isn't just any streaming job. You will be a virtual personality, an idol. Your first priority will be to protect the other girls from any potentially rabid fans, as I said in the advertisement, but you will also work alongside them. That is why you need combat training, a likable and fun personality, and a willingness to take on the mantle of womanhood within the game."

I stared at her for several drawn out moments, processing what she was telling me. Me? George Bratcher? As an Idol? The very concept was absurd.

A laugh bubbled up out of me. It was my natural reaction to literally anything strange, confusing, annoying… I just laughed at a lot of shit, okay? This though, it deserved the amusement.

“I’m serious,” Ruth said, almost gently. “I wasn’t planning to interview you at all, considering that you’re a man, but you are a great fit for the job otherwise.”

“Only that small problem, huh?” I grinned. God, was anyone around us listening to the conversation? What would they think? This was so weird! Even more weird… I hadn’t left the cafe yet. Was I seriously considering this?

“It’s tough, playing in the body of another gender,” she said, ignoring my joking smile. “I’ve done it a few times, and every time I had to stop. I know what I’m asking, but if you think you’re up to it, then the job is yours.”

Closing my eyes, I tried to think about the offer. The job itself sounded fine, and if the vid shows were anything to go by, I might have some fun playing CORA. I’d be babysitting two girls who apparently weren’t all that competent, but that wasn’t anything too terrible. I’d done a few jobs like that since I was kicked out of the SWAT team.

Was I okay with being a woman while I did all that? Could I afford to turn the offer down, even if it was going to be tough? The answer was relatively simple, if I put it like that. No, I couldn’t afford to let this opportunity slip past me. Shit, I’d done things that made me far more uncomfortable than this probably would.

“Okay, I’ll do it,” I said slowly, meeting her eyes once more. “I’ll need a place to stay though, and a pod too.”

“Easily arranged,” she said, giving me a huge, genuine smile. “Thank you, and I hope that the change isn’t too jarring for you. When you get into the game, that is.”

“I’ll adapt,” I said with a nonchalant shrug. “I always have.”

By the end of the day, I was stepping into a cramped apartment near the top of a residential tower. It was amazing how fast Ruth had moved.

The apartment was one room, the door opening into a hallway-turned-kitchen, which in turn led to an office area, and then a bedroom beyond that. Two doors stood on either side of the entryway, one leading to a bathroom, the other to a pod room.

I was set to meet my new boss in virtual reality the next day, and until then I planned to get some rest. Real rest too, not the kind where you slept with one eye open because the ancient old-city hole you were living in didn’t have a door that locked.

It made you wonder what the city would look like in another hundred years. Would the glistening domes of the elite be as dilapidated as the original old-city buildings were now? Would the building I had lived in until now be nothing but rust on the seafloor? It certainly seemed that way. Good riddance. It was clear that the original UNC district had been built in a hurry as the United States devolved into screaming lunacy.

The next morning, I got up and showered, then cooked myself a small breakfast. Nothing that would give the pod any problems later down the line.

When I stepped through the door and into the pod room, I pulled to a sudden halt. What the… it was a long term storage pod! How did that work? These things needed tending every once in a while to make sure it was functioning properly.

Movement in the corner of my vision caused me to spin and drop to the floor in a sweeping kick before I could figure out what was there. For a moment, I was back in my old place, fending off some poor fool who thought I was an easy mark. Then I realised what I’d just put on the ground.

The robotic maintenance frame wobbled on its back, four legs wiggling madly until it was able to right itself.

I opened my mouth to apologise, thinking that maybe there was an SAI controlling it, only to watch as it doggedly continued along the path it had been following prior to my intervention. Two thin mechanical arms unfurled from the center of the crablike machine, which then carefully opened the lid of the pod for me.

Skittering to the side, task done, it partially folded itself up and waited, like an adorable little robotic pet. Except it wasn’t a pet, it was an AI, an old one that didn’t have a chance of becoming sentient. Society was having to figure all of that shit out again, now that the newer technique for making mindless digital slaves was turning out to make real thinking, feeling ones instead.

Still, that answered the question of maintenance. Not that I intended to make full use of the long term storage option, but it was nice to have.

“Well, little buddy,” I said to the small robot. “Sorry for kicking you over. Guess I should give you something to watch over, huh?”

The little metal frame just sat there, bobbing up and down every so often as it did a scan of its surroundings.

I snorted and gave it a wave as I stepped up and into the massive pod. “See you later. Take good care of me while I’m in there.”