“Are you alright?” He asked, “Hmm. It looks like you are. AH! Shoot! I’m gonna be late! I’ve gotta make the delivery still!”

I watched still speechless as the man began to run away as quickly as he had come. I couldn’t let him go. I didn’t even know his name yet. Without thinking, my body began to move on it’s own.

“PLEASE TAKE ME ON AS YOUR APPRENTICE!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.

The pilot turned around to see me on my knees before him. I didn’t know what I was saying. I didn’t know what I was thinking. But something told me that this was an opportunity I couldn’t let pass before me.

The pilot looked at me taken aback.

“Eh? Whaaaaa???” He reacted, before turning back and saying, “No way!”

The pilot exited the alleyway and turned the corner to see me on my knees before him again.

“PLEASE TAKE ME ON AS YOUR APPRENTICE!” I shouted again as the man flinched at seeing me again.

“Oye, listen!” the man sighed rubbing his forehead. “You don’t even know what I do, yet you want to be an apprentice to me? What if I’m a pirate?? What if I kidnap women and children for a living?”

“I DON’T WANT TO KIDNAP WOMEN AND CHILDREN!” I shouted undeterred, “BUT PLEASE TAKE ME ON AS YOUR APPRENTICE!”

The man looked at me questioning if I was for real or not.

“Oye, kid. You got a name?” he asked finally.

“SIR YES SIR!” I shouted jumping to my feet finally. “MY NAME IS FINN SIR!”

“Cut it out with the sir thing!” the man cried out “My name’s Mac. Mac Nerfherder.

“Yes sir! Mac… Sir!” I stuttered in acknowledgment.

Captain Mac let out another groan as his hand yet again began to rub his forehead.

“Listen kid. I’m not a pirate.” He explained. “I’m just a guy who can fly and does odd jobs here and there. And I’m not really one for sidekicks.”

“PLEASE!” I shouted.

“I won’t be able to pay you!” he retorted.

“I DON’T GET PAID ANYWAYS!” I replied.

“My ship only has one chair!” he argued back.

“I’M TINY!” I cried back.

Before Mac could argue further, an alarm went off on his wrist.

“Oh shoot! I’m late!” he shouted as the screen on his Z Glass flashed red.

“For your delivery?” I asked. “Is there a time limit?”

“Yes!” Mac replied. “And these aren’t the kinds of clients you want to keep waiting.”

He scanned the junk filled streets until his eyes rested on the picked over remains of a long deserted hover bike.

“I thought you were in a hurry!” I called out chasing after him. “That thing is decrepit! No power core, no flight system controls. If you had a year and all the spare parts it might work but that’s hardly the point!”

“Rule number one kid!” Mac called out while attaching wires to the ports of his Z Glass, “Out in the Rim, creativity beats smarts every time!”

A cloud of smoke emerged from the bike as it’s engine choked into action. Lights flickered as the rusted bike slowly began to float.

“Right. No flight computer but this should work now.” Mac muttered to himself much to my disbelief.

“What??? But how is this possible!?” I exclaimed at the sight of the revived machine. “And what’s more, how do you expect to fly that thing without the flight computer. It won’t be able to stabilize!”

“I’ll make it up as I go!” Mac shouted as he leapt aboard.

“He’s wither mad, or he’s a genius!” I thought to myself as the hover bike began to drive past me.

My body reacted on it’s own as I found myself clinging onto the passing bike.