The Universe's Mixer

Another beautiful day in the City. Or at least it would be, if I had any damn clue what I'm supposed to be doing here...

So thought one Farley Claymore as he sat in one of the City's cafes, pondering his next move and coming up blank.

Looking for work had proved difficult - obviously the War Department was out, as the City didn't seem to have any (one of the downsides of living in Nowheresville) - but at least it was kind enough to help him get by until then. Hell, he could probably not work at all if he wanted, the way things were going...

But for all he knew, that generosity probably had a limit, and God only knew when it would run out. So, working for the military being an impossibility, he decided to take a chance on the Help Wanted ads.

Mechanic? Ugh, no, too lowbrow...

Teacher? Oh, hell no. I'd probably be ready to take over the world by the end of my first day...

All the while, the card he got from Savage was proving quite the temptation. While he was by no means a genius, he was competent at what he did, and the idea of working with potentially alien technology would be interesting, to say the least...

But while he was far more pleasant than Shiwan, there was no denying that the man could prove to be less than trustworthy, and the memories of his last encounter with the Shadow were a reminder of how far in over his head he'd been the last time he threw in his lot with someone like that...

He sighed, putting down the newspaper again. Well, at least the City wasn't boring...