Ch. 16g Working for the man (Lawrence)

[Philulhu]

Saturday March 14th, 1931 1.45pm
Johnson Bayou Oilfield, Johnson Bayou, Cameron Parish, Louisiana

The two men took Lawrence to see Henry Jones. He was watching a group of men toiling at one of the wells on the site. He looked around as they approached.

”This here’s Neil Armstrong,” said the mid-western man. ”Says he’s good with machines, electrical and mechanical.”

Jones studied Lawrence for a long moment. “Yeah? Where did you learn that, Mr Armstrong?”

1d100

[Bullfrog]

"Worked out on a farm since I was just a kid." "Neil" explains, relieved that he doesn't have to much lying- yet.
"So if something broke, we'd usually have to fix it ourselves; I picked up some of it from my father, some from books, and some from plain old experience. It's just about the only thing I'm really smart with, aside from dealing with plants and animals."

[Philulhu]

Jones thought for a moment, then said, “There’s a busted tractor around the back. Get that going and you’ve got yourself a job.”

The two men took Lawrence around the back of one of the wooden huts where a couple of vehicles had been parked up. ”That’s the one,” said one of the men who had introduced himself as Hank, pointing at a McCormick-Deering tractor that had seen better days. It was rusty and the engines were removed, exposing it to the elements.

”Over to you,” said Hank.

[Bullfrog]

"Well, I've already figured out why it doesn't run: it hasn't got an engine in it." "Neil" comments, stifling a laugh.
"I'll have to see what I can do with what I've got..."
With a crack of his knuckles, Lawrence gets to work. This certainly isn't the first time he's had to get a tractor up and running, and with any luck, it won't be the last.

Mechanical Repair 50%: 1d100

Lawrence, for the first time in days, is in his element.

[Philulhu]

Oops… that should have read “… and the engine’s covers were removed…” but hey, we’ll run with it as originally written!

‘Neil’ had been a farm boy his entire life so tinkering with tractors came naturally to him, not least because there was rarely enough money growing up to pay for a mechanic so him and his daddy had learned to fix their own tractor whenever they could.

Hank and his colleague, Jens, stood and watched for a while before ‘Neil’ got them involved, lifting and carrying and scouring some of the other vehicles that stood nearby for spare parts. “You’ve got a real knack for that,” said Hank as Jens cranked the starting handle and the engine coughed into life.

At the sound of the running engine, Henry Jones emerged from his office. He looked over and nodded. “You’ve got a job, Mr Armstrong,”he said. ””Hank, get him kitted out and he can start this afternoon. He can take Tucker’s old bunk.”

”This way,” said Hank, as Jens drove off on the tractor. ”We’ll stop by the stores then I’ll show you where you can sleep.”

[Bullfrog]

"I've got to sleep here?" Lawrence asks, curious but apprehensive. Getting separated from his group could spell trouble, especially knowing that this is where the root of the problem was lurking. Then again, who said he had to be a good worker? What are they going to do, fire "Neil Armstrong"? Unemployment was the least of his concerns, especially here.
"I'll have to get my things from where I'm staying, if I do."

[Philulhu]

”No problem,” said Hank. ”Jones wants everyone on-site so you’re available in an emergency. It also prevents any problems with the locals. It’s fine, though. Me and some of the boys have a card school going! Do you play Skat? Poker?”

[Bullfrog]

"Never heard of skat before, but poker? Of course I do. You can't trust a man who doesn't play cards; he isn't willing to put himself on the line." Lawrence comments. He was never much of a clever social manipulator, but maybe he could get some people to spill their secrets over cards and a drink... and get some pocket money on the side, of course.

[Philulhu]

After stopping by the stores to pick up some gear, Hank took ‘Neil’ to one of the wooden buildings near the entrance to the site. ”Here you go,” he said, pushing open the door to reveal a bunk room with a dozen beds. The beds were made up of a wooden frame with a slatted base, with a mattress on top. A wooden cabinet with a padlock hasp stood on one side, with a low wooden nightstand on the other.

”That’s mine,” said Hank pointing to one in the middle of the room. ”Far enough from the door so I don’t hear it banging, and far enough from the head to avoid the smell.” He pointed to the first bed on the right. ”And that’s yours. Stick around long enough and you might get to move.”

‘Neil’ couldn’t help but notice the mark on the wall next to his bed, where the door handle had banged often enough to leave an obvious dent in the wall timbers. It seemed that his bunkmates were none too gentle when it came to opening the door.

[Bullfrog]

"Why don't they just not slam the door?" "Neil" asks, carefully scrutinizing Hank. "Unless they do it to get on the nerves of the new blood, like me. Lucky for them, I've got a whole lot of nerves. More room to fit them, the doctor told me."

[Philulhu]

”Most of the fellas are just roughnecks and they ain’t got their wives or mothers around to remind them of their manners. They don’t mean nothing by it, it’s just the way it is when you’ve got a lot of men working together,” said Hank. ”Anyway, let’s get your gear stowed and get working. Jones ain’t gonna pay us to stand around yakking!”

Hank helped ‘Neil’ to get his belongings put away. ”You can go and get the rest of your stuff from your lodgings tonight,” he said, then he took him over to a workshop, another wooden building with sturdy workbenches filled with broken tools and half-assembled machinery. ”Jones wants you sort this lot out first, then head out and see if any of the guys have anything for you. Ok? I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

Hank headed out, leaving ‘Neil’ on his own.

[Bullfrog]

"Why, it looks like I'll have my hands full for a while..." 'Neil' chuckles as he watches Hank go out the door and, once he thinks he's properly alone, searches the workshop up and down for any carved snakes, symbols, or other oddities.

Spot Hidden 30%: 1d100

[Philulhu]

It didn’t take ‘Neil’ long to spot what he was looking for. It was subtle, but once he’d seen it, he realised it was everywhere. Tool handles were lightly carved so as to resemble snake skin, with similar carvings adorning all sorts of hidden surfaces. The underside of work benches, the inside face of door panels. It must have taken ages - no wonder there were so many broken tools lying around!

Hank was back around an hour later, as ‘Neil’ was on his hands and knees, looking inside one of the cupboards. ”How you getting on?” he asked.

[Bullfrog]

"Just clearing everything out before I get started- I don't wanna leave anything out of sight. It's a good way to forget something." 'Neil' comments, trying to seem casual after the shock of his strange discovery. All these carvings, and in so many places- how many people were in on this? Could it be everyone?. Thank God all this heat and moisture already had him sweating.

[Philulhu]

”Sorry it’s such a mess. The last guy we had went a bit nuts and let the place go to crap,” said Hank. ”He got into religion big time and started neglecting his work. Not that I’ve got anything against religion, you understand. But when you’ve got guys relying on you, you’ve got to be on the ball, right?”

[Bullfrog]

"The Lord only set one day aside for rest." 'Neil' says, the words feeling hollow in his mouth; he stopped believing in things like "God" and "rest" a long time ago. You can only rest when you're dead, and even that's in question.
"This old guy, did he get fired or something? I figure this ain't the kind of job where they forgive slacking off."

[Philulhu]

Hank’s face went pale. ”He’s no longer with us. He got bit by a loads of snakes and didn’t survive.”

”Sorry, man. He was an ok guy, before he got religion.”

[Bullfrog]

"I've had some experience with snakes, myself. Nasty, mean creatures. Best left alone, if you ask me. " 'Neil' states, obviously unnerved. He still hadn't forgotten what that wicked old sorcerer Brophy had told him about the wrath of Father Yig- the blood of that sacred snake was on Lawrence's hands, and he'd spent the ensuing year waiting for that snake-god to strike him down.
"He must have had one hell of a preacher, getting into religion as suddenly and strongly as he did. Either that, or he was just nuts."

[Philulhu]

”I don’t rightly know,” said Hank sadly, with a shake of his head. ”I know he used to go to the church in town, but that was before they told him to skedaddle, on account of him disrupting Father Daigle’s sermons. That old priest don’t have much patience when it comes to things like that!”

”Apparently there’s some sort of fire ‘n’ brimstone preacher that caters for the folks that work on the plantation but whether Brian had anything to do with him, I’ve really no idea.”

[Bullfrog]

"Brian, you say the fella's name was? Where'd he go and get himself bit by all those snakes at?" Lawrence inquires, his eyes occasionally flicking towards the strangely-carved tools.
"He must've fallen into a nest, or something..."