Radioactive - Book 1: Birth 🪼

Thirty-Nine

NALAK

I try to sleep but my mind is still running at ninety miles an hour. I know that R said these two weirdos were his mother-brothers but everything seems so odd to me. R never mentioned having any other brothers and there were no pictures of any other kids in the household. I'm just not feeling comfortable and I can't sleep in worry. It makes me mad because I haven't slept well for a while... Plus, I keep hearing this grunting noise that sounds like someone when they are getting really pumped for lifting weights or something. R is sleeping like a baby in the next room, snoring like he does when he's oblivious to everything, and I can't get myself in gear.

After the third attempt to try and fall asleep and just listening to the clock ticking and the weird grunting, I can finally no longer stand it and get up to see what the heck that noise is and to try and find a way to go to sleep.

******************

I get up and head to the living room to see if maybe I can watch some TV when I pass by the other bedroom that R and I aren't using. I walk over to it and figure out that that's where the funky grunting noise is coming from.

"It's Rocket."

I gasp and jump, turning and doing the exact same thing again because the other guy scared me in the dark with that freaky ass mask of his.

"Holy hell, you scared me." I say, putting my hand to my chest.

"Sorry... I was just saying that if you're trying to figure out where the noise is coming from, it's Rocket."

"Is he okay?"

"Remember how he said they give us a serum to make us taller and then train us to conceal the pain?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, your sense of will usually comes down when you're unconscious. The process is difficult for everyone in the Arlecchino but sometimes it hurts others more. Rocket was in agony when they first gave him the serum and after practically threatening me to TMT if he didn't straighten up, he had to find a way to get through the pain in relative silence. So, he gathered his strength and seems to be only able to keep the pain at bay when he can feel it. At night, though, he's vulnerable and off his guard, so his body settles and this is what we get."

I immediately feel bad again and hang my head. "I'm so sorry you guys have to go through something like that... um... why can't you take off your masks?"

"We can only take it off on holiday and until we retire from the Arlecchino."

"But why? What use is it?"

Comedy gestures to me. "Occasions like this. On a normal basis, we'd be tracking down those who should be in the Badlands or Tramistor and collecting them to take them to their designated location."

"So glorified bounty hunters?" I say, crossing my arms.

"Pretty much... just the division Rocket and I are in. There are many different divisions in the Arlecchino... That said, since we have to hunt down and capture people, the government pretty much agreed that having our faces known would only cause problems in the long run. Those who resented the system could find the Zanni that took their companion away and come for revenge on us or our families, which would then make the Zannis work harder to protect the person, their family, and keep the other person at bay. So, with the masks, we remain conspicuously anonymous."

"Wouldn't the masks be easier to describe? Ya know? 'Yeah, there's a guy wearing a tulip mask with purple combat boots that took my money.' So then all that needs to be found is the tulip mask because it can't be discarded because of the law."