Newbie: Ash & Blue

By Stormy Sto Helit

Curt's first days as a recruit aren't easy.

 

All he can hope is that the transfer to Brisbane is a real second chance, and not going from the frying pan to the fire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ash & Blue
• Release date: Oct 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215109380

Book preview

Chapter 1

Uncertain Parameters

‘What’s that movie?’

Magnolia tried to twist her head towards Screen but was met with a soft wall of boob.

There was a laugh from behind the wall of boob. ‘You’re going to have to be a little more specific,’ Screen said. ‘There’s at least...three movies that exist.’

Magnolia sighed and curled up on top of her best friend. There were few softer places in the world than on top of the cuddly Tech, and definitely none in this Agency. She tried to reset her train of thought. ‘The cock is bad. Something like that.’

Screen laughed, and the mirth rippled throughout her entire body, rumbling her like the best kind of earthquake. ‘Zardoz,’ Screen said. ‘The penis evil. The gun is good. Why on Earth are you thinking about that?’

She moved her head up a little and squished her head between Screen’s ample boobs. ‘I always think of it when I’m here.’

‘Something about my tits makes you think of Sean Connery in a G-string? Babe. I’m not sure I’m flattered.’

She squished Screen’s boobs again. ‘The boobs are good. The boobs are great. They’re so good they make me monosyllabic.’

Screen pulled her into a soft, sweet kiss. ‘Okay, I’ll take that as a compliment.’

Magnolia breathed in long, slow breaths for a few minutes. ‘I need to get up. Soon. Don’t let me go to sleep.’

Screen’s fingers started to carve patterns in her hair. ‘What’s on your dance card for today?’

Magnolia sighed, but this time in exasperation. ‘Meeting with Ryan. We’re getting a new recruit.’ 

Screen made a confused noise, and the hum vibrated her chest. ‘I’m guessing that there’s something extraordinary about that? Special circumstances? Transfer? Fae contractor?’

She paused - there were certain details that she knew, even if only a few. It wasn’t precisely her job to discuss things with the Techs, but with how poorly-run their Agency was run, there was no harm in disseminating some information ahead of the official schedule.

‘Definitely unusual,’ she said. ‘Transfer from Adelaide.’ That part wasn’t too unusual. Inter-Agency transfers were normal - maybe not for them, there weren’t too many people who wanted to transfer to an Agency that was largely, though not universally, thought of as one of the worst in the country. People transferred out of Brisbane, but not many chose to transfer into their network.

‘Tell me the other shoe already,’ Screen said, sensing her hesitation.

‘Ex-Solstice.’ She patted Screen’s left boob. ‘Don’t ask for details, I don’t know any, that’s what this meeting is for. I know Adelaide. I know ex-Solstice. I only know that much because that’s what Ryan has told Taylor. We didn’t get a choice, just a head’s up.’

‘That can’t be doing any good for your tactical assessment stuff.’

‘No shit,’ she said without rancour. ‘I already have a headache, and this bullshit hasn’t even started.

She kissed Screen again, then slowly extricated herself from the bed and dressed.

There were a lot of ways to cheek, disrespect and piss off Ryan that Magnolia enjoyed. It was too great of a temptation, given how ineffectual he was. At most, he was decent as a figurehead, someone who had to deal with the shitstain-in-a-suit that was Clarke, but otherwise, not someone worthy of any respect.

Their Agency was like a car that had been through some expensive chase sequence in a movie, with all of its doors and windows crushed, that somehow continued to operate.

One day, it was inevitable, a group from Central would descend and take it apart piece by piece.

And on that day, she would either have to drag Taylor into Faerie to save his life or watch him die for his Duty. Either result wasn’t an ending she was looking forward to; but as time progressed, it seemed like those were the only paths at the end of their road.

Hopefully, they would die in glorious battle, before paperwork demanded their lives.

She looked up at the boardroom’s simple clock.

There were a lot of ways to cheek and disrespect Ryan. Being late was not one that she regularly engaged in. There were only twenty-four hours in the day. Twenty, if she got her usual four hours of sleep. Less if she was feeling weak, or needed to recover from an injury bad enough to have one or both of the Parkers threaten to put her into a coma for her own good.

She didn’t schedule every moment, as much as people tended to think that she did. She didn’t mind that impression of her - at least it was a lasting impression that was something other than heartless bitch. Plans were made, meetings were scheduled, but it was stupid and useless to try and plan every moment.

Meetings ran overtime, emergencies happened, and sometimes you needed five minutes to either bash your head into a wall or get slammed into one by a good looking acquaintance. 

Ryan was late, and that was the perfect cherry on this shit sundae that was this meeting.

She refused to waste time though. Her workbook lay open in front of her, showing the current slate of leave requests that she needed to schedule in. She pulled the top form out, and flipped the workbook closed - the folder had insert panels on the back and front, which were supposed to hold simple title pages, but more and more, they seemed to attract detritus from her friends.

In the front pocket was indeed a title page, showing the combat