New Recruit

7:00pm, Saturday, Avarez, Austria. It was the foggiest weather the town has ever experienced. All those clouds beside them, all that chill. First in experiencing everything. The vehicles reduced their speed to 20kmph, which was the maximum speed limit alerted for the weather.

Radio was the one which helped all of them be cautious and helped them to manage themselves in the weather.

Ellino House, farthest corner of the room from the entrance, second seat from the window. Logan sipped the coffee, thinking deep. Turning left, he found the Avarez' Petrol Bunk, covered in fog. That blue tube of luminosity hanging from the ceiling, he always hated. Beside that stood a board stating, 'Kendra Motors', which was barely visible. The Indians, who had had a big trouble establishing their car garage.

Between the narrow gaps of the garage room, was visible the great white building of 'Avarez National Bank'. He looked into the coffee mug. Mild orange and yellow was that mug, and the final particles of coffee were all that was left in it.

He had an expressionless face. With the deep concentration into the empty mug, anybody could figure out that Logan was thinking hard – about something which turned him so tense. He moved his eyeballs so frequently, still looking into the mug.

"It is risky though" said Ektaj who sat in the first seat from the window. He looked at Logan, right in his face. He thought Logan had a face which suits his thoughts. He kept staring but no reply came, against his guess. "Isn't it?" he added.

"I'm thinking of the same – the worst odds and consequences that we could face" Logan's head was still in the mug.

Time ticked by, and several people came into the house. One of them was a similar man. The one who used to pull a rat from his hat, on the pavement of the third exit from the Austria National Highway. He had his jacket on, with his hands around his body.

The man hesitated to sit beside Logan. Only after Logan assured him, that he placed himself in the third seat from the window. "Hey, aren't you that guy on the pavement? The so-called magici-"

"Yas, yes yes yes" said the man. "Do call me Kenneth" he continuously kept rubbing his palms. "Cold weather, huh" said Ektaj, as if he were suddenly feeling cold too. "So, rat-from-hat" said Logan, leaning back, "How do you do it anyway?"

"That is actually-" started Kenneth, "It's Noog- my pet Chameleon. Not a rat".

"Something, yes" muttered Ektaj. "It just stays in my hat, all the time" said Kenneth. "How does it hide from our vision?" Ektaj asked. "Changes its colors" answered Kenneth. Ektaj narrowed his eyes, "Hmm, reasonable".

"Invisible" Logan mumbled to himself and looked back into the coffee mug. "Huh?" "You'll do" "What?" "No, no, don't drag him into this" urged Ektaj. "How do you feel when someone drops a coin in your napkin, while you perform?" "Just great!" said Kenneth. "Then, how would you feel when a 2500000 Euro were dropped?" "What do you mean?" "The Avarez Bank"

It took a moment of silence for Kenneth to realize what Logan's plan was. "No, no, no" he stood and placed himself before Logan's seat, still holding his hands, "You're dragging me into stealing innocent people's money – their salary for which they've worked dawn to dusk. That is hurting common people – for your own greed, that too! That's a crime, man". "I don't care" Logan said, swiftly with rage. There was a moment of silence after that. Kenneth lowered his head, "What do you need me for, anyway?". "Or maybe you should say what do we need you with your chameleon", returned Logan. "Taking people's life to live yours? I don't like it and I ain't taking any risk" he stood from his seat and went away. Logan sighed.

6:35pm, Sunday, Third Exit, Austria National Highway. Another man noticed the trick Kenneth and his pet were performing to fool the audience, and he walked away. It was one woman who was watching the show. Kenneth slipped his hand into his hat and brought out his Chameleon. The woman clapped and tossed a coin into his napkin which was kept on the ground. He put the hat back on his head and grabbed the napkin. It contained a dozen coins. Looking at them, he walked. The sky was an abstract mixture of white, pink, violet and clouds. It seemed like the fog had cleared a little.

Kenneth pushed the translucent gates of the Ellino House and went in. He ordered something to dine on and sank into a chair. He was really unhappy. A day's work and a few coins? He knew he could not live on it. He took a glance around the big hall. He wondered if he met those men again and tell them that he accepts for what they want, but unlucky for him, he couldn't find them.

He caught a sight of a bearded man in the last seat at the farthest corner of the room. 'Exactly the place he sat yesterday' thought Kenneth and ran to him. As he went closer, he came to know that it was entirely a different person from the one he met the day before. Tears ran down his cheeks. He returned to his seat. He placed his hat on the table and a chameleon came out of it. He started scratching its tail while it lay comfortable on the hard wooden body of the table.

"I shouldn't have turned them out, Noog" Kenneth talked to it and it nodded, "Why didn't I think of my everyday's earnings? Why didn't I think of my situation now? I wish I could meet them again, tell them that I accept. But opportunities don't come so often do they?"

2:00pm, Monday, Pavement, The Indian Car Garage. He had his head covered with the hat. His head was bent low. Many people were on the pavement, walking. His shoulder collided with someone else's and something fell down from their hands. "Sorry" he said and bent down to collect it. It was a bunch of keys. He returned them to the man. "Stumbling on your way, Kenneth?" a voice could be heard. He raised his head and found somebody with a familiar face.

It was one of the men he met the day before. He could not believe his eyes. The man came back! He met the man again! For a moment he thought he might lose the man again and fell on him, "I accept! I accept for what your friend told me on the day before yesterday. I realized I need money for a living"

"But I thought you said you don't take risks. Nor steal people's life"

"When I said that, I was… It was my brain that was talking"

 "So you accept for it now?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!"

"Good to know. I'm Ektaj. Welcome to the team"