Welcome to the Windstail

“New task approaching, Windstail’s crew, prepare!” The boat’s sirens blasted.

“The Windstail?” Oliver asked as he watched the entire crew hurrying around the ship's deck. They were going in all directions, some arguing, others chatting unfazed by the noise. Nobody seemed bothered by Oliver’s presence, they just walked past him.

“But I don’t want to!” A girl about Oliver’s age claimed as she held onto a pole. “Leave me here!”

“Come on, Marlene,” Another girl urged. “You know it won’t work. Please stand up.”

“No, leave me!” Marlene repeated.

“Upcoming new task, prepare!” The Windstail’s sirens clamored. “A new task is on the way, prepare!”

“Here,” A tanned girl said, handing Oliver what resembled a lot to a handling suit. “The guys’ dressing room is turning around that corner,”

“What should i do with this?” Oliver questioned while looking at the sturdy fabric that composed the suit.

“Wear it of course,” The girl replied walking away.

“For what?” Oliver said out loud from the now lonely deck.

Oliver walked onto the bridge where a woman was standing at the helm. Oliver’s eyes sparked.

“Captain! My name is Oliver Greenwood,” Oliver said to the unperturbed woman. “I’ve just been exiled from the Amelia, I’m so confused.”

The captain didn’t even wink.

“Oh, mmm…I requested a revision of my case. So why am I not in the HR department offices?” Oliver questioned as the captain sketched a small smirk.”Could you at least explain to me what is this place? What am I doing here?”

“Victor, turn four degrees to port,” The captain indicated to a man sitting nearby. “And slow down to two knots.”

“Am I invisible to you?!” Oliver desperately shouted.

Victor turned from his seat, looking at Oliver eyes wide open and shaking his head. Oliver nervously shifted his weight between his feet. He had just yelled at a captain.

The towering woman walked in Oliver’s direction and stood before him with an aura that could’ve made someone else cry but Oliver didn’t look away.

“The guys’ dressing room is turning around that corner,” She firmly commanded pointing to the passageway nearby. “Now move before you turn into fried bait.”

“A new task is on the way, prepare!” The sirens called as Oliver walked down the passageway. The captain’s menace had been enough to persuade him to find the guys’ dressing room that wasn’t around the indicated corner nor the next. He looked for anything but a dressing room, there should be something he might use to communicate since his GoMindfull was gone. He kept rushing through laberynthical passageways, tried to open a couple of doors unsuccessfully, and went down a lonely staircase until he heard voices. He rushed to find two guys yawning with their suits hanging on their backs. Oliver decided it would be clever to follow them.

“Seriously, if I get fried because of you,” The shorter one warned as he yawned. “I’m going to throw you off the board.”

“Hopefully you’ll be fried enough to do a thing,” The tall one joked. “It’s always the same with you, it's not my fault you overslept either.”

“Hey! I’m a heavy sleeper!” The other one claimed.

Oliver got the impression that they should be two or three years older than him. He tried to stay unnoticed when he kicked a bump with his right foot, his groan made his unbothered guides jump at the sudden sound.

“Dang, kid! Can’t you talk?!” Caio exclaimed as they walked to meet Oliver.

“I’m sorry,” Oliver ashamedly replied, noticing he was involuntarily sying on a pair of strangers. “It’s just that…I’m lost, I need a way to contact the Amelia.”

Both of them burst out laughing.

“So, you’re a newbie,” Said the shorter oneness he tried to stop laughing, patting Oliver on the back with his muscular arm. “I’m Caio, he’s Greg.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Oliver,” He replied.

“Upcoming task, members of the ZH squad must report to their positions,” Interrupted the sirens.

“Hurry!” Greg urged as the two started running. He turned back to shout. “Follow us!”

Oliver sprinted to reach them as they entered a room covered with lockers. Oliver sighed. The guys' dressing room at last.

“Hey, I don’t think I’m part of that squad the sirens are announcing,” Oliver complained, standing next to Greg and Caio.

“Oh, believe me, you are!” Caio giggled as he undressed. “Now change! You don’t want to go in wearing your uniform.”

Oliver shook his head and frustratedly sighed, “I just need help to contact…”

“You better move if you don’t want that thing to fry you like a chicken,” Greg sharply cut, pointing at Oliver’s ankle. “Now change and follow us!”

“I would kill for fried chicken right now,” Caio said as Oliver moved to a corner to undress. The shiny stainless steel bracelet around his ankle seemed harmless but he didn’t want to try his luck in the getting-fried roulette. The locker in front of him magically opened, allowing him to put his uniform in.

When he finished putting on the thick dark suit, the locker issued, “Welcome Oliver Greenwood. Please put in your assistant device.”

On a locker’s shelf, a light ring lit up to show an earpiece, Oliver joyfully grabbed it.

“Newbie, MOVE!” Caio ordered, indicating to follow them.

Oliver ran behind them through a green-lighted passageway as he struggled to put in the earpiece. Once set, Oliver commanded, “GoMindfull, call Nina Hsu… GoMindfull?”

“I never get tired of this moment!” Greg laughed ahead.

“GoMindfull call Nina Hsu!” Oliver exasperatedly shouted.

“No GoMinfull, just KeyWee!” A gentle voice responded.

“Kiwi?!” Oliver exclaimed.

“Not kiwi, KeyWee,” The voice clarified.

“It sounds exactly the same,” Short breathed Oliver complained.

“I’m not a fruit!” KeyWee responded.

“Okay KeyWee,” Oliver said.

“If I were you I would worry less about fruits and more about getting on time to the designated area,” KeyWee informed. “You have exactly forty seconds to get there before the obedience bracelet gets your circuits fried.”

KeyWee displayed a red route so Oliver could see where he had to run to be safe. He started sprinting when he saw that there was still a good chunk before the red route ended.

“Three, two, one…” KeyWee counted as Oliver launched himself forward to get to the designated area on time. As he flew, he felt the tickling electricity running up his leg and it grew and grew and grew.

“Aaagh!” Oliver screamed as he landed on the cold metal floor of a spacious room but as soon as he did, the pain did the same.

“Safe!” Commented KeyWee. “It seems like is another wonderful day for Oliver Greenwood not to be fried.”

Oliver desperately tried to take off the bracelet with no use.

“It’s helpless,” Caio said offering his hand. “Now come with us, it is about time.”

Oliver followed Caio to a group of about forty people.

“The ZH squad is complete, happy tasking!” The robotic voice announced on the speakers.

Oliver wondered what he would be tasking for in an empty room when Greg handed him a pickaxe.

“Don't you dare lose it, okay?” Greg said with a severe look in his eyes. “It’s all you got inside there.”

“I won’t,” Oliver replied holding the pick firmly. “But…inside what?”

Greg responded, “Inside the zkwich.”