The trainee

"So you're the trainee, I take it?"

A burly, bearded, middle-aged man greeted Jack as he opened the van door to begin his first day on the job. For 6 months he had waited for an opportunity to work for this company, and at 21 years old, he was finally able to make his dream a reality. Determined to make a good impression on his first day, he replied:

"Yes, that's me. Pleased to meet you."

"Don't be so formal, boy," the man laughed, "there's no room for that here. We're going to be spending a lot of time together, so let's not dwell on pleasantries."

Jack nodded in agreement. There was no way he wanted to give the impression of being uptight. He really was in the wrong business for that, he thought with amusement.

"As I'm sure you know, we're the best in our field. When it comes to capturing, modifying and training bitches, no one can fool us anytime soon. But that also means we expect a lot from you." Jack swallowed. "We expect you to learn quickly, which is why we want to take you hunting on your very first day. You'll get to witness the whole process, and maybe even get to help out yourself later."

Jack nodded to indicate he had been listening. It was hard for him to hide his excitement. On his very first day, he was going to get to help out? He couldn't imagine anything more exciting. Full of energy, he climbed in and introduced himself to the team.