The Profit Justifies the Means (working title)
This is a piece of work (the start of ) that I couldn't put off doing any longer. It's my own fic set in Oddworld. It's about a character called Bheb Botch. Bheb is a thing called a Kanik, kinda the mechanics of Oddworld (at least, in this fic) who goes to work for a company in search of a job and board. However, he uncovers a plot (which I cannot yet reveal) and unwillingly has to help those below him to help himself. Involves one of my favourite things in Oddworld: The Shrink! I love that guy!
Anyway, I'm letting to much out, here's the prolouge, enjoy! And FEEDBCK IS REQUIRED!
The Profit Justifies the Means
Prolouge
“My name is Bheb.” The little creature said. Bheb was round, his body consisted of a rotound torso like a slightly stretched beach ball, and two blue stumpy legs with tiny sharp nails, and longer arm limbs which ended in three digits.
The Sligg, somewhat like a slug with mechanical pants, took a drag of his Lung Buster cigar and blew out a ring of smoke, “Species?” He demanded, while leaning on the computer panel of his security desk. Camera snaps flickered onto TV screens and data streams of orders jumped trough the communcations screen.
Bheb raised a scaly eyebrow, his skin was reptilian, and his head was circular with a short snout which hid a jaw of half sharp and half blunt teeth. “Isn’t that kinda obvious? I mean, you must get, what? Hundreds of people come through here and you still don’t know which species are which?”
The Sligg chewed his Lung Buster, and through red-glassed goggles stared into Bheb’s large green eyes. “It’s for ‘da record.”
Just over the counter, Bheb could see the Sligg’s hand move slightly towards the gun on the desk.
“Well,” Bheb grinned and swallowed the lump in his throat which must have been a Mudokon egg, or maybe a bit of spooce, whatever it was, it was big, “For the record? In that case, put me down as a Kanik.”
“Kanik?” The Sligg waved his mouth of tendrils through the air, spat a cloud of smoke and looked Bheb up and down, which was easy, since Bheb was a fraction taller than say, a Gabbit.
Bheb spread out his hands, displaying the dirty red and black tight jumpsuit he wore over his torso, leaving his limbs and head bare.
“You an engineer?” The Sligg grunted,
Sighing, Bheb grunted back, “’Course I’m an engineer! It’s what Kanik’s do! Okay, look lame-brain, say it with me. Ka-nik. Like Me-Ka-Nik. Kanik, Mechanic! Got it?”
In an instant, quick as a Worryfish escaping the net, the Sligg snapped his gun up, brought it to eye height and pulled the trigger. For a moment, Bheb thought he was dead. Or shot. At the very least he thought the shot was aimed at him.
Then he glanced over his shoulder at the scrub that had been inching towards the doorway, hoping to perhaps sneak out while the Sligg was pre-occupied with an arrogant new recruit. A smouldering hole had been blown in the scrub’s side, his striped cap lay on the ground next to him. The scrub moaned and groaned as his hand reached out to anyone for help.
The Sligg grinned, chewed his Lung Buster a bit more and placed the gun down again.
Bheb snapped his vision from the scrub, to the Sligg and back again. “Look, Mr. Sligg, why don’t you just gimme the papers and I’ll fill ‘em out okay? I’m sure it’ll save you alot of time.”
The Sligg was happy to oblige, especially since it’d give him time for a break, maybe go down and check how the new arrival of scrubs were working out. Or if they were working at all, in which case the end of his rifle should be a good motivater.
Bheb took the large folder and took a seat in the highly polished room, next to a tall potted plant and a table of magazines. The papers inside the folder were employment applications for the company known as Slog Supermart, an enormous megaplex of shops and merchandise pushing plugs for companies like Magog Motors, Splinterz, Flub Fuel and SoulStorm Brew.
The reason Bheb was interested in an application was that his home, a large cave network of Kanik structures had been bought up by some large Glukkon company to be used as a toxic waste dump. Seeing no other solution, Bheb sought to enlist his abilities in engineering to anyone willing to pay him and give him a place to stay.
A short time later, the papers were filled out, and required one last signature. Bheb signed his name on the line, and the folder was instantly snatched up by the Sligg, on his way back from checking on the new workers.
“Hmm, looks fine. You’re hired.” The Sligg said after flicking through it.
“What? Just like that?” Bheb questioned,
The Sligg shrugged, “Hey, we get alot of our workers a whole lot, uh, easier.”
“Urrg, help me!” The scrub on the floor groaned.
Taking the gun again, the Sligg let another round of red from his gun onto the Mudokon, and blew away the smoke. He grinned, “Welcome, to Slog Supermart.”
The Kanik named Bheb tried to smile at the Sligg, who just shrugged and pointed his gun to another door on the other side of the room, “Now, get to work!”
|
