The Conversion Bureau: Ties

by Skybreeze

Joshua Winters

 
 
Joshua opened his eyes to the darkness around him. The man’s nose felt stuffed up from the dust in the utility hospital room. The old tired man’s face was damp and cold.  As he began to shift his body weight, his metal flask, now empty, scrapped against the utility room’s floor. Wiping his face the tired janitor collected himself before exiting the small room. The old yellow cart was still intact and needed tending outside. Joshua had left trash from the hospital rooms pile up well beyond normal levels and it needed to be emptied.

Before he could however, each floor needed the bathrooms cleaned before leaving. Regardless if they needed them or not, it was a rule insisted on by his superiors.

Joshua sighed as he walked over to the men’s bathroom. Pulling out a sign from the side of the cart labeled ’NOT IN USE’ the old man placed it on the door.

“EXCUSE ME, CAN SOMEPONY LET ME OUT?!” shouted a strange voice behind the bathroom door.

Joshua opened the door and saw to see a small equine figure trot out. The beige earth pony sighed and blinked as he looked up to him with large green eyes. “Uh… th…thank you for letting me out,” said the pony in a medium pitched male voice as he blushed deeply though his fur.

“I’m really sorry to trouble you, I could not get out and uhh….” The pony turned his head and lowered his voice. “I um…well…you see…I’m not used to these kinds of bathrooms and…”

Joshua resisted every urge to shout and sigh at what the pony was trying to say. He did not want this equine to think him rude. The old janitor hated these freaks as he thought of them. These ponies, pastel colored monsters showed up out of nowhere and now were everywhere.

“I’m here to clean anyway, don’t worry about it,” Joshua said as he fished for a trash bag in his cart and cleaning supplies.
“Thank you sir, I have to go.” the pony said as he raised a hoof and smiled. Desert Sand then trotted over to the elevator, out of view.

Joshua shut the bathroom door behind him he began to clean up the accident. The middle aged man wondered what some Equestrian is doing here, in a human hospital of all places. Anger and harmful thoughts invaded his mind. This hospital was the last place he expected one of those aliens to come. Joshua thought he was safe from their influence.

“It is not her fault! Come be one with us! We offer happiness in our lands!”

Every day after work he would be harassed and heard these and many other phrases. They said the same thing, a better life only at the cost of his thumbs. Joshua would not stand for it, he hated these ponies. Every time they spoke it felt like it burned at something inside.

“NO,” he thought as he reached for some toilet cleaner as he scrubbed the bowl. The only way he would be at peace he thought, was if he downed the Draino at his feet.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and chimed a tune. Joshua reached into his pocket and noticed a new message displayed on the screen.

“Come to my office, we need to discuss something in person,” displayed the text on his old phone.
The old janitor entertained the thought of putting it in with the Draino in the bowl. He gripped the phone in his hands and squeezed hard in anger, nearly cracking the screen. “What could he want all of a sudden? Does he want to get on my case about how I’m cleaning again?” he thought as he worked to finish up his current job.

Not the job he was intending to work at, much less forced to. Joshua didn’t care which floor it was of the Brooklyn Hospital center, the floors were always the same. He cleaned the hallways or bathrooms, or picked up trash bags in each room on each floor. Pick a random floor and do the same thing on each floor. Waste enough time to fill up a day and the man was allowed a place to sleep.

Joshua stored the yellow cart back in the utility room and walked to the elevators. He pressed the call button and began to think back. As his memories stirred in his mind he rode to the 9th floor, awaiting his boss’s news.
 

Joshua walked up to the porch after a long walk. The man fidgeted in his old coat up to the door.  He was both glad and exhausted, but happy to be home.

Some of his acquaintances at work joked about how it’s hardly a house. Almost a shack in size but still it was home to the Winters family. The home had two bedrooms and a living room that shared a kitchen and one bathroom. The outside had paint flaking and fading off from time. One of these days Joshua toyed with the idea to repaint over the unusual choice the previous owner used, light pink.

Outside he saw the lake view behind the house as Joshua turned the handle. The door never needed to be locked so there was no need for him to fish his pockets for a key. His family believed the community to be very trusting to allow the door unlocked during the daytime. Opening the door the tired worker is greeted the same way every work day.

“Hi dad!” shouted a young boy in the living room.

“Glad you are home, what kept you?” a sweet voice exclaimed while sitting on a small cloth couch. ”It is kind of later than normal.” She sat with one arm on an old cloth pillow and smiled as she saw him. Chess was now distracted from watching the news to greet him.

“Had another guy quit, well forced to since he was injured on the job. More work for the rest of us,” Joshua said as he began to take off his old jacket.

As the middle aged man sat his dirty gloves and jacket down, Joshua leans over to for a kiss. He could feel warmth calming them both down as they embraced. She was his true love, and loved everything about her. The smell she had of her old perfume, the long orange hair as it shined golden in the living room light. Joshua didn’t care how badly off his job was, his family was there every night and he was there for them.

They broke their kiss and Chess sighed and smiled slightly. “Dinner is almost ready, why not get cleaned up until then?”
Joshua nodded and walked off to their bedroom, disappearing around the corner.

The small 14 year old youth rolled his eyes and leaned against the edge of the couch. He was slightly annoyed but the fault was not with his parent’s display of affection. Lucas instead kept watching the holotv in the living room.

Lucas didn’t have many friends during this time of year, most moved away. None are his age, not that it mattered since 6th grade. The young boy has not attended school since he is over age for elementary classes. The only form of education was from government issued, mandatory classes on his old computer.

Instead Lucas kept his focus on the news displayed on screen. He scratched his head of dirty blond hair and half listened to the program.

“The small, nearly 50 yard bubble out in the Atlantic continues to expand and remains to be a mystery,” spoke the female news anchor on the screen.

Lucas sat alone on the couch confused and annoyed at the program. None of his shows were playing all day; instead it was replaced by constant, repetitive news all day about this ‘bubble’.

He sighed and walked outside and attempted to find another distraction. Lucas didn’t go outside without shoes not since he was much younger. The boy learned his lesson when his feet stepped on round pointy seed ‘stickers’ in the grass or splinters on the old dock.

The lake was dry and the shore extended past the seawall to almost past the dock. Lucas could not swim anymore since it was so shallow and also because the water is slightly toxic. He instead stood on the dock thinking to himself.

Before he could zone out his surroundings, the noise of a car reaches his ears. Lucas glances over and sees it pulling in front of the house. The teen thought it was strange to get visitors by car in this town since most could not afford one.

 
Joshua finished his daily shower and put on his night casual clothes as he heard the knock on the door. “I’ll get it!” the damp, middle aged but fully clothed man shouted as he walked up and opened the door. Chess sighed from behind the small kitchen as she made dinner from their protein rations.

Opening the door Joshua let out a gasp as he saw his surprise waiting on the other side. A tall, slightly overweight man with dark hair stood in front of him. It was a man Joshua knew all too well from a long time ago. An old friend from over 2 decades ago stood in front of his home with a large grin on his face.

“Hello Joshua! It’s me, Robert remember?” said the overweight balding man as he held a small briefcase.
“HEY! Wow man it’s been what 5 months?”

Robert folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. “More like 11 something, you never did have a good idea of remembering time.” Joshua laughed and waved his old friend inside. They both then sat on the living room couch as Robert placed his small bag on the living room floor.

“Good to see you Robert, just in time too though this is a surprise,” Chess said
 “All the way from New York to visit us, how are things there?”

The 3 of them continued their discussion, catching up on current events. Lucas joined in as they all shared dinner together at their table. Time passed as the group talked about current and past events.

“…And then Lucas was sent home from school that day for it! He must have been 8 or 7 when it happened,” as Chess said as she and the other adults laughed.

“ugh mom!” Lucas squealed as his face turned bright red.

The night went fast as they all laughed at old stories each experienced. Lucas was the most embarrassed by the stories told about his childhood. The young boy quickly ate dinner and retreated to his room as the others continued.

Robert then itched his clean shaven beard and asked “Say Josh why don’t we go to that old bar and get some drinks? I would like to see if that place is still open after all this time.”

“Seriously that dump?! They had terrible stuff then and it’s worse now.”

 
“Wow yuck you weren’t kidding man!” Robert said as he tried to keep his drink down. The balding man ignored the angry glares he got from the old bartender washing mugs.

“I tried to warn you!” Joshua laughed as he continued drinking.

“I’ll bet up in that nice, cold city you’ve got better. Why did you come back to this dump anyway?” asked Joshua as he continued to chug down.

Robert sighed as he placed his cup down on the old bar table. He mentally went over the question his friend asked him.

“Because I can’t stand that you still work in that old mine anymore for those bastards.” Robert cracked the joints in his fingers one by one as he let his words sink in. “I came here because I got you something you wanted, a job opportunity where I work.”

Joshua narrowed his eyes on the cup in front of him and blinked as he processed this new information. The brown haired man didn’t know if it was the alcohol affecting his brain or if he was tired from work. Every piece of old man’s brain was screaming at himself to jump at this chance of a lifetime. Joshua was happy but not surprised at the news. He knew the second he saw Robert that it was for a good reason.

In all of Joshua’s 37 years Robert Stansley was his only and best friend besides Chess. All 3 grew up together in the town of Haven and had many experiences together. Robert was even best man at his wedding 16 years ago.

He remembered how he never once dropped the rings Joshua worked so hard to buy then. Then Robert disappeared into his new life and job. They didn’t hate each other, only that they didn’t have much to say to each other.

Robert stood up and began to get ready to leave. “Talk it over with Chess first. If you want to go then here is some instructions and one plane ticket.”

“Only one?!” said Joshua as he raised one eyebrow.

“Sorry it’s all I could afford for now; consider it a late birthday gift.” He mentally thought Joshua would be more grateful as he heard the news. Robert paid his bill and slipped quickly into his long coat.

“You will have the same job as I do, it’s mostly accounting work.” He reached into his pocket and slipped a small card on the table. “Here is my card, let me know what your decision is.”

Joshua didn’t turn to face his old friend and spoke. “You are leaving already then correct? I kinda figured you wouldn’t stay long”
Robert smiled and shook the hand of his old friend. “It’s good to see you again, let me know what your decision is.”
 

“You know what I’m going to say about this,” Chess said as she slipped into her light purple night gown. “Only one ticket and a chance at a better life for all of us,” she said while placing her glasses on the night stand. Joshua sat on their twin bed thinking over what to say. It was an outcome he didn’t like but hated where their current lives would lead them.

Only a few jobs remained in the city, the only work remaining was contracting work in the old mine on the edge of town. Ferven allowed anyone to work and offered stable income, provided people could last collecting old resources in terrible and hazardous working conditions.

Joshua turned and kissed his wife and spoke, “I know you will say no, I would say no as well, but I don’t want my son to do the same kind of work I ended up doing when he gets older.”

They were both silent as they knew what was going to happen to them. Joshua would be apart from his family but their small home they lived would eventually be gone. The home all 3 lived in ever since his uncle passed away and gave it to their family. The Winters family lived in well before Lucas was alive.

Joshua and Chess knew that this town had no future. The company, Ferven only wanted resources from the mine and wanted anything to bleed it dry. Once there is nothing left, all the jobs will be gone, and the remaining people in town would be unemployed. This outcome won’t come for some years but it is not an outcome they will or want to wait for.

The middle aged man could barely keep up with his job as it is. More than once he caught himself almost making, what could have been a fatal mistake.

Today had been no different for Joshua. He knew the man for a long time. Mark had injured himself in the same area Joshua was nearly about to work at. Only it was luck, perhaps bad luck, which Joshua wasn’t nearby for him to be called to that spot.

“The mortgage is paid for the month, once I have enough money I’ll send more plane tickets back to you,” the old tired man said as he scratched his face. “It will be ok, really I promise,” Joshua said with a light kiss.

Both released their consciousness and their worries for the day. They would enjoy one last night together before he would leave in the morning to catch his ride. The couple in their slumber could feel warmth as they held each other close.

Joshua sat in the section B7 terminal of the airport. The man was nervous but happy that he was going to see his family again. Resting the back of his head against the wall as he sat in his chair and thought to himself. The view in front showed a dark filled, cloudy sky through the large window.

Joshua’s new job had been a relief. Gone were the days of bruising random parts of skin or muscles. Gone were the lunches he could only eat partially, due to glass and rock shards on the end of his meals from his hands. Numbers were what he was concerned with instead of his back giving out from heavy lifting.

He didn’t notice all of the other visitors in the terminal watched in disbelief at the monitor displaying the national news. Each one of them spooked at what they saw except for Joshua. The news program displayed an alarming image. A giant bubble in the Atlantic was now much larger than it had been a month ago prior.

This impenetrable, radioactive bubble now became a large threat for everyone. It had begun to show what appeared to be land recently on the other side. Nobody could get inside to find out about this mystery island behind the barrier.

Previously this island was a simple but alarming mystery, now as it grew it started to give out excess bolts of radioactive, unpredictable energy that now caused harm for anything in its path.

The news anchors on the screen started shouting loudly as the signals faded in and out. Lights started to flicker and go out as parts of the city had blacked out. Finally Joshua started to notice what the problem was but it was too late. He didn’t react in time to notice the plane catch on fire in the air.