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divine-ruin · 7 years ago

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Synthetic (Prompt #2)

something made by a synthetic, or chemical, process.

“Alright, baby girl. Grab that toolkit over there. Yer gettin’ a crash course if things that go boom.” The color drained from my face. “D-Daddy…a-a mine?!” He grinned with the cigar still in his teeth. “Gotta learn ya real well if'n you wanna be on top of the game, darlin’. How else ya gonna know anythin’ about NDI? Mines ‘n’ bombs’re normally the easiest things ta build!” He’d gesture wiping a fake tear and fake a trembling nostalgic tone. “My little girl…all grown up and buildin’ 'splosives! Ugh, such a proud papa right now.” He’d put a hand over his heart in what I thought was false sincerity while his wolfish grin still bore the lit cigar.

I dressed for the occasion as best I could: leather leggings, leather boots, and a somewhat loose fitting shirt so I could move about; my hair was tied in a high tail behind my head by a leather chord, my bangs out of my eyes with an older headband that had just been sitting in a jewelry box. He walked me into one of the large garages that belonged to a vesselhouse. My eyes widened as they just stared at the parts scattered and strewn about. He’d dangle a pamphlet that was roughly only 23 pages long in front of my face.

“Ya gotta week, baby girl. This’s where ya gonna eat and sleep for it. Imma give ya some free time tonight so you 'n’ Ian can have some alone time with tryin’a figure this out, but 4:30AM’s gonna come quick so I wouldn’t stay up too late if'n I were you.” His voice was almost taunting at that point. “Alrighty, let’s take a look at whatcha got in ya toolkit. Uncle Reese and Uncle Ivar put together a real doozy for ya so ya gotta pay attention ta the smaller details.” I had a pallor at that point, he just laughed at me. “Iria, ya gonna be fine, baby. Just remember to take things slow. Use that brain Thaliak gave ya ta be critical about the construction. You’ll be done before ya know it.”

“A-Am I allowed to have someone help me if I get stuck on a part or direction? You’re going back home, so I know it’ll take you a while to return if I need you, so–” He’d interrupt me with a throaty laugh. “Maybe Ian could help you, or e'en hell, maybe Sebastian if ya play ya cards right. Sometimes it takes more'n one good mind ta figure out where ya shortcomin’ is. Just gotta think 'bout your resources and timeframe, baby girl. If'n ya smart enough with that, you’ll kick this thing’s ass'n no time flat.”

I opened up my toolbox, grimacing as some of the tools looked like things my sister would likely use during an autopsy. He threw a pair of leather gloves my way. “Can’t be havin’ those purdy hands gettin’ all cut up and bruised. Now, Imma leave ya ta study that thing in order ta be gettin’ better acquainted with that monster yer 'bout ta take on.” He gave me a thumbs up. “Do me proud, baby girl. Ya got this, no doubt.”

As soon as he closed the door, my heart and all other vital organs dropped into my stomach, my brain seeming to go with them as it was like looking at those directions made me feel temporarily like I forgot how to read. I tilted and constantly rotated the instruction booklet in my hands to make sure I was looking at it right. Oh Thaliak-blessed, lend me your guidance and infinite patience on this one…

As I began to look over my tool chest that was put together for me by one of my father’s most trusted NDI employees: Reese Nicholaides, my father’s youngest brother. Inside I find a message that he wrote in what I thought might have been complete and utter haste.

“Baby girl”, as most of my father’s associates (as well as my family!) that have been with Nicholaides Defense Industries since before my birth affectionately referred to myself and sisters as, “I’m hoping this is helpful. Your Da was very specific on what he wanted you to have. I promise I didn’t put nothin’ in here that you ain’t gonna use. If you need help, holler. Love and luck, Uncle Reese.”

This alone made me more nervous than anything because Uncle Reese’s mechanical concoctions had a tendency to blow up on him whenever he wasn’t focusing. However, something in the note made me smile. He was always fond of his butterscotch candies, and made me extremely addicted to them as a child when I would come with Daddy on business trips. He always made sure that Ian, Zara, Ada, and myself had one in our mouths at all times. I found one attached to the note with a PS written at the bottom.

“If you need more, I’ll sneak them in to you.”

One thing about my father and his business associates: they were always really close as they had all been brothers-in-arms in service together. Most of the older employees were either under his command on his naval vessel the LNS Warhound or they had served with him in some other way. Needless to say, I had a ton of “uncles” that were constantly over to discuss business with him or help him develop new schematics even if it was just for recreation and to get away from their wives. I chuckle at that thought because I remembered a time when I was roughly nine years old, and walking into Daddy’s war room with a huge throng of men in the wee hours of the morning, ale mugs about as they were all huddled over his main table discussing various different blueprints. I remembered I had had a nightmare and Daddy was always the one to help chase them off. Instead, I got a whole throng of men singing a lullaby to me mostly drunk but it made me laugh.

I shook my head, getting back to work on working the screwdriver slowly in order not to bald any of the screws as I started working on completing the shell of one of the inner components to the mine as the pamphlet had indicated…and then Shida walks in. BLAST! Well, blast, but not blast as I was actually really glad to see her, but my time was slipping away from me.

“Iria, you have a few schematics Lord Declan wanted me to pass your way. I don’t think Ian’s gotten a chance to look at them, but he said you’d be the best judge of character for these." I smiled, Daddy’s already starting to hand the reins over to Ian soon. "No problem, Shida. Could you place them over there for a moment? And…hold this for me, please?" I had her literally keep her hands closed upon this device as an already-built component lay inside. I screwed the small outer shell shut with her help and smiled at my handiwork. It only took me an hour to put that together. "One down…eighty-billion to go?" She looked around the vesselhouse and pouted. "You know, if you want me to stay out here with you I will!” I nodded my head, gesturing over to the chemical compound I had already started of explosive powders and synthetic coating for all of the mine’s wiring.

I smiled even wider at the thought. “You’re more than welcome to! I just don’t know how much help I’m going to need and I really need to focus. Maybe if you can look over some of those schematics for me and just read them to me while I work on this thing it’d be very helpful. Once I commit them to memory they’ll be destroyed as is the norm for both Ian and I. I’m hoping to expect Sebastian at some point tonight, maybe he’ll help make this go by a bit quicker.”

Shida nodded, her smile widening. “I’ll go get us some tea started and –" "NO." She looked taken aback for a moment. "No tea, love. I’ll take some of Daddy’s bourbon if he’s got a flask lying about." I grinned. Apparently I was more like Lord Declan Nicholaides that I ever would’ve thought myself to be.

I had a pocket knife wedged between my teeth as Shida’s entire body was stretched out over the shell of a huge naval mine trying to keep it shut as I was working as hard as she could to tighten all the screws she put into place. The sight would’ve been one of hilarity and curiosity as the aide’s body was draped over it like stretched putty. As soon as I had tightened all twenty-eight screws in what seemed record time, I took the pocket knife from my teeth and tried to wedge it into the small groove where the top half of the mine shell met with the bottom one. As soon as the point was in place, I jabbed it in a little and it slipped out, catching the hand that was braced against the metal. “Shit! Grrrr…Gods fucking damn it!" Again, I cut myself. It bled a little, and I took a drink from the flask at my hip that my dad had left me in the huge toolbox that was organized and put together solely for my usage. Shida slipped down the face of the mine until her toes hit the carpet. Rushing over to a first aid kit, she pulled out some bandages, both of us women completely unaware of Ian entering the vesselhouse in Limsa. Apparently he had gotten my letter. My temples and cheeks were smudged with oil and gunpowder from all the hard work. Even with the leather gloves Dad had given me, the knife’s blade had landed in the side of my hand under my pinky finger and, while the wound wasn’t dire, it was bleeding quite a bit. "If I didn’t know better, I’d say that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you curse, Lady Nicholaides.” The voice held the big man’s humor. Ian made his way into the room, hands linked behind his backm, the smile on his lips shrinking a bit noting the cut. “That’s… unfortunate, sis. Got anything to help with that?” While Shida was retrieving said kit, Ian made his way to my side, running an arm around my shoulders to give me a quick embrace. I blushed profusely, noting that the small draught of whiskey I drank as soon as I got the injury probably didn’t add any help to her current situation either. I laughed embarrassedly. “I believe it is, and I believe it will be the last, younger Lord Nicholaides,” I chuckled. “You won’t believe the project that Dad has given me to take on,” I hissed as Ian peeled the glove off and took the gauze wrap from Shida’s hands. “I’ve an idea that it may not be. Just as long as it isn’t in front of any of the children you teach before they’re old enough to understand and know better.” A light shrug as he helped with what he could on the wound. “What does he have you doing, unless you mean learning how to put this mine together, hm?” “Oh I’m so very careful, and honestly, I think that’s the second time I’ve ever cursed, I’m just under a lot of pressure right now, I’m so sorry Ian,” I lowered my tone as I hissed once more as he finished wrapping it. “Daddy’s brought me this mine. He wants me to finish it. I don’t understand since you are taking over NDI, but he was wanting to talk to you soon about a possible role for you where all of that was concerned. However, as ‘second head of the House’, he wants me to know how to put this together within a week’s time.” “I don’t know how I’m going to be able to put something like this together. Uncle Reese left me a lot of detailed and in-depth instructions, put it in simple terms that I could understand, but the mechanism just isn’t coming together like I think they expect it to,” I admitted defeatedly. "I’m sadly not allowed to give you much help, or else I’d offer a bit more technical expertise.” He hummed in thought a moment, tearing the gauze, and tying it off around my wounds. “Is there just a certain point where you find the thing falling apart? Where everything doesn’t come together? Or maybe the instructions you were given were a little lacking? You know how Uncle Reese can be a little scatterbrained at times.” “I don’t think the directions are wrong, sweetie. I just think I lack the aptitude to take on such a task. However, you are going to be back out in the field with Daddy soon just to brush up on business and learn how to make contracts and he wants me to have the knowledge as well since this was about to be part of my inheritance as well. Uncle Reese is usually pretty spot-on with his instructions because he personally trains people how to build these things within a day." My shoulders slumped. "I’ve been given a week but I need to make sure I use my time wisely, so I was here at 4:30 this morning to get started,” I sighed gently. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up this morning. The whole beginning of my day doesn’t start until I’m able to feed you and Dad.” “I completely understand so no need to apologize, baby girl. Gathered that something worth it took you away for a time, then I got your note, and had no worry at all.” He finally embraced me, and leaned over to kiss the top of my head with a smile. “Have you made progress in this work since you began at the very least?” A tilt of his head in the question with a cocked brow, always ready to help where he could. “I have! It’s just that the wiring on the prongs outside of the mine are what detonate it. Once the prongs are touched, it triggers the wiring to make the timer countdown to explode. This particular one is allotted a five second time. However, the issue is that, while the prongs have been touched, and this is just a dummy mine with no real inner workings that will detonate, it does go through the motions and when the prongs are touched the timer is not getting activated.“ "Some disconnect in the wiring somehow that’s gone unnoticed?” He paused. “Maybe the timer is faulty? Or the power source to it is off?” He ran down the options he could think of at the very least. How long has this problem been occurring?" My eyes widened immediately at the power source comment. "OH! Oh my stars you are a genius!" I hopped up, wrapping my arms around him immediately, only to slip down quickly against the length of his body before I rushed to start untightening the screws. "The crystal power source that Dad gave me probably wasn’t set in there correctly. It was something he charged with pure electricity so it had to be handed with rubber gloves. However, he says that it has a two-year active life once the power switch is turned on after the mine has been submerged." Shida breathed out a long drawn out sigh with a chuckle as she looked over to I. "Does this mean I get to be the Raen rubber band again?" I looked at her with a big grin. "Not yet, I may not need you to. If you can just lift that other part, I’ll have Ian hold this side and I’ll look into it to see what happened.” I looked at the diagram again once more as Shida slipped her fingers between the small crevices that kept the two parts of the mine together. “It looks like Uncle Reese’s ink might’ve smudged a little, because the crystal is actually asymmetrical, it’s bigger at the top than it is the bottom, and here they almost look equal. All I can do is lean in, switch it around, and hope to Thaliak that it works. There is supposed to be a light that comes on on the inside of the mine near the switch when it has power." Shida lifted her side, and though it was light enough, the metal was bulky and awkward to hold. Her brother nodded a little bit with a smile, all too happy to swing her about a little bit as she jumped up into his arms. "No need to stretch anymore, I don’t think. Unless you would prefer me just watching you both work.” He nodded a little bit, indeed going to help keep the mine open as is. Hands slipping into the gap left by Shida’s own hold. “Fingers crossed here. In spirit. About as well as they can be at the moment!”

I slipped on the rubber gloves and leaned over as far as I could as not to disturb the wiring. Hanging over the edge of the middle of the open mine, my arms stretched out as far as they could go, my gloved hands fumbling a little as I managed to take the crystal out of its electrical bed and switch it. As soon as I snapped it into place, the light inside the mine flickered on with a few little zaps resounding in the metal orb. My feet were completely off the floor as my short stature was a hindrance, my feet crossed behind my backside in mid-air as I covered the electrical bed where the crystal sat back up, tightened the screws around it, and did my best to check the wiring. As I was hung on my belly over the side of the mine, I started to slip out as carefully as I could, almost falling over as my feet finally found the dirty carpet again.

“Alright, I think it will work now! Thank you, you two. We can put the top back on and I’ll screw it back down. I’m pretty sure the rubber blockages Dad had made will keep it pretty airtight. I’m just hoping that nothing else goes wrong." I sighed heavily as I looked at it once more. "I think I’m done for the night, my mental capacities are fading at the moment,” I admitted as I looked up to Ian with a smile. “Shida, please feel free to get some rest." The agent was more than happy to say her goodbyes and bolt out of the door of the vesselhouse as I and Ian stood there looking over the mine. "So, what do you think, brother-mine?”

“I think… I’m definitely proud of you, and what you’ve accomplished already given such a short amount of time.” He nodded a bit, going to slide an arm around my shoulders. “And that I’m sure you’ll end up doing just fine with this little test, rising to every challenge pointed at you as always.” A slow nod as he considered more before looking down at me, free hand stroking his chin.

I burst out laughing. “So does the oil match my hair color? Should I trade makeup in for the mess I currently am?" I turned to look up at him, aquamarine eyes gently reflecting all the love in the world for my older brother. "Let us just say that Dad had a feeling you’d be meeting me out here, so this was a challenge for the both of us, not just me”, he admitted reluctantly. “He knows you have a long history with warfare, so he thought having me do this would also introduce me to your line of work in a bit of a hilarious way,” I said with a smile.

“Maybe not trade for it, but, it does still look good!” He just chuckled a little bit, shaking his head. He couldn’t help but grin, eyes reflecting that same love right back at me.

#ffxivwrite2017

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