Story 02 – Part 2 – The New Teacher

(This was written, I just didn't have time to post yesterday.)

“What a way for you to meet some of my minions,” Nero said with a laugh.

“Start calling me a minion and I’ll over throw you,” Jordan bantered back. “How long have you been doing this now?”

“The so called freelance agency has been official for a little over a month,” Nero explained. “I’ve been mostly doing consulting work, basically giving hints and ideas. Young Tech has actually become the more sought out person. Incredible hearing combined with really good hacking skills has helped twice already, now three times given today’s luck of being in the right place.”

“So, what work would a handicapped man do in this agency?” Jordan asked.

Nero watched as his friend unconsciously drummed on his artificial hand. Jordan was never one to let a handicap stop him, but he was certainly not going to be reckless. After losing his last cybernetic hand to a miscalculation, Jordan had ended up on pain medication with an emergency trip to a lunar hospital. Nero hoped that would never happen again.

“Basically the same as me,” Nero explained. “An extra brain can always be used in out thinking the crazies that are in the world. Besides, I know you have plenty of contacts that would be more helpful to you than they would real agents.”

“Sneaky,” Vire said as she came up from behind.

The entire apartment complex had been remodeled in less than a month due to Vire’s contacts, and now Vire and her son lived in one of the apartments as payment. Nero had to admit that she did a really good job. The lobby that they were now relaxing in had been redesigned at the last minute so that Nero could use it as the main room for his freelance agency. Vire had even built a couple of computers from scratch.

“Jordan, I’d like you to meet Vire Morgan, Tech’s mother,” Nero said. “Vire, this is my friend Jordan Thompson. He’s the newest renter.”

“And freelance trouble maker it appears,” Vire quipped.

“It’s a requirement to rent here,” Nero responded. “Where’s that rascal boy of yours?”

“With his uncle,” Vire explained as she sat down on one of the couches in the lobby. “Carmine came back today. He’s really more like a big brother than he is an uncle. Certainly a better father figure than none at all, though.”

“Then Jordan and I shall be the crazy uncle figures,” Nero declared.

Jordan started laughing. “You can be the crazy uncle. I’ll be something else.”

“My minion?”

“Your usurper if you keep calling me that.”

“You’re all trouble makers,” Vire sighed. “My son is going to learn nothing but trouble from you guys. So what wonderful skills will you be teaching my son, Jordan? He already has enough people encouraging his hacking.”

“Well, I don’t know anything about hacking,” Jordan admitted. “Computers and I only work on a basic level. Honestly, my skills are a little more on the violent side. I was a weapons and explosives expert with the military.”

“Really?” Vire asked. “We’ll need to talk weapons some time. I helped with the design of a few and would like to know how well they worked.”

“You encourage violence, but not hacking,” Nero teased.

“I want my son to understand the concept of honest living,” Vire explained. “Last I check, most hacking is not honest living.”

“Unless it’s used to catch the bad guys,” Agent Driver said as he and Michaels walked into the lobby. “Don’t worry though, we already have the guy. Well, one of them. We could just use some ideas on how to get the guy to talk.”

“I think you mean we want him to tell the truth,” Michaels pointed out.

“True,” Dev responded. “I hate con artists. They can talk up a storm and none of it is true.”