With a soft click, the magazine of ten normal shots clipped into my gun-arm. I gave the panel of buttons on the bike a glance over before turning my eyes across the wastes and back to our approaching enemy, and then the impatient super.
“You have more experience with them, right? Any words of wisdom?”
[Our enemy is nought but overgrown weeds clouding our celestial garden. We are the sharpened blades; the tools used to cut them down without mercy or hesitation. Disregard their pitiful existence, for those who stand against us must perish without question.]
“Oh.” She bit her lip as her brow furrowed. “So what do you want to do to me - ah, want me to do? Sorry, nerves.”
I stepped back over to her and looked out at the large vehicles thundering toward us. By now, I had a clearer picture of how many there were and what gang they belonged to.
[Estimated three dozen opponents. Pigman gang, so their intent is to kill us outright. What happens after that is inconsequential. Will mostly be scavenged weaponry, maybe some light firearms. Nets and other means of stunning or disabling movement. The weaker ones look to their leader for guidance, so a morale defeat is a likely path to a quick and decisive victory.]
“Right. So definitely hostile and deserving of being pulped.” She tapped the length of metal in her hands against the side of her boot.
[In my world, Roxy, you kill and survive. There’s no need for nuance or showboating. No cameras or performance reviews. You fulfill the contract and hope to live another day, just to do it all over again.]
“A stark change from how I’m conditioned to act.” She smiled and gestured with her head. “Well then, big guy. Might I suggest we hide around the other side of these buildings until the soon-to-be-dead arrive?”
I nodded, and we moved.
Turned out that the decision to stay and fight was the better one. Pigmen were notoriously good trackers, so if they caught our scent they’d find their way to where we lived even if we lost visual of them. We were burning away the remaining time before Clara couldn’t falsify Roxy’s location any longer, but the alternative was worse.
We pressed ourselves up against the back of the warm building. I could understand her being on edge about the violence. League had drilled their way of dealing with problems for so long that it had muted her true power. She’d let it slip a little back at the factory. Easily able to burst a skull like a balloon with just a punch.
Now I was giving her free rein.
“Hey, Dubs?”
I raised an eyebrow as I looked at her.
“This isn’t really the time… but if you ever needed to borrow my bath again—until you get your own sorted—you’re more than welcome.”
[I appreciate that. Invoice me for the necessary potions to make it bubbly.]
“Oh?” She tilted her head, bemused. “Didn’t expect you to be a bubble guy.”
[It was the second best thing about the bath.]
I turned to the side and checked the chamber had something in it. Would need to make every shot count. Roxy had paused before continuing the conversation, but any unsaid words were now lost as the roar of the approaching vehicles had gotten too loud. They were just about here.
The grumbling vehicles ground to a halt, spluttering and chewing through the loose rocks on the other side of the ruined outpost.
“You sure they’re still here?”
“Yeah, can smell the stinkers. Two from the city.”
Their voices were low and guttural, exactly what you might expect from mutants living out of the city who were also part pig. Boots crunched on the gravel, grunts from their snouts as they disembarked from their bikes and wagons, joined the sounds of withdrawing weapons.
I cooled and prepared for a job that would earn me no credits. The second in two days. Inefficient.
Roxy put her hand on my shoulder, but before I could give her a nod of reassurance, her fingertips wrote out another callsign that emerged from the murky depths of my memory.
‘I’ll follow your lead.’
Ignoring the odd fact that she had memorized that out of all of them, I was glad for it. I’d ask her what the third one was after we had possibly survived this. Gave her the nod she was waiting for and took one last breath. Was only a matter of time before they found us - I could hear them walking closer. The fact that they hadn’t moved around on their vehicles was more a signal that this bunch weren’t working with a full deck of cards.
I stepped out, around the building and into view.
“Hold it right there!” One still sitting atop a ramshackle vehicle called out.
A dozen pairs of eyes turned to me, with more adding to that number as those outside of my line of sight stepped into the center of the outpost to spot me. Each of them was tough and leathery from spending their days out in the uncontested sunshine. Mis-matched leathers and dirty linens that barely covered their lumpy figures. Snouts and beady eyes - hunger drooling from their mouths. A few had goggles or punk-like haircuts.
The one on the top must be the leader, as he was the only one being fanned by smaller servants. Chunkier than the others, and part robotic too - although the arm that outstretched toward me wouldn’t even pass F-Grade given the grime covering the exposed wiring and joints.
“Damn fuckit!” He swore. “Half metal. I was hoping for a good meal. Been a while since we’ve had fresh city meat.”
[I assure you the part of me that is not cybernetics is equally unpalatable.]
“Yeah, I dunno what the fuck half those words mean. Tie him up, boys.”
I wondered which half. A group of five started to approach me, one drawing out a rope while another held a net. I flexed my neck from side to side. If only I still had that knife I swiped yesterday - although looking at my assailants, I might be able to borrow something sharp and effective in short order.
Unable to determine Threat.
Lense was still having a sulk about there being no signal in this area - which added a question for later, as the sensor seemed to rely on an outside connection for determination.
Just before the nearest mutant had a chance to wind up his net-throw, a gust of energy knocked down part of the building beside me, causing a wave of clouded dust to wash through where I was standing. Into the air, Roxy had leaped up high at a sharp angle.
And I didn’t need prompting to take advantage of the distraction.
I stepped and lashed forward at the pig to my right, who was busy gawking at the super. Muzzle struck him straight in the neck, knocking him back and having his hands grabbing at his throat and struggling to breathe. The rest regained their senses, but I was already in and close to the one with the net. He struggled to drop it, now without the space to properly swing it toward me.
Headbutt straight to the snout, my hand grabbing at his belt to withdraw the stowed weapon into my hand. Curved blade that looked like something dragged from some wreckage and sharpened with stone, rather than being forged with intent. I turned and blocked the sword of another with my gun-arm, forcing him to the side before ramming my stolen good into his ribs - deflected by the bone and unable to find a home in his lungs.
A dull pain in my back and I turned to see the one with the rope had tried whipping me with it. The fear and clumsy ineptness in his wrinkled face was over as soon as I pulled the trigger and blew the back of his skull out. Empty shell ejected just as Roxy landed.
An explosion flashed through the area, causing all the pigmen now pooling in to wince and shield their faces. I took the opportunity to slam the fourth near me in the side of the head with my barrel, knocking him out cold.
Allowed myself a glance toward the carnage.
The super had landed directly on top of the gang leader and his vehicle, completely flattening both and causing the unstable old-tech to explode and consume all the fuel stored onboard.
I found that I was briefly gawking alongside the mutants, as I watched the woman step out of the billowing smoke and persistent inferno - seemingly unharmed by both the blast and the fire. She spun the rebar around in her hand before striking a stunned piggy with a downward swing. The metal burst his head in two and continued through the body, stopping around the stomach area, as internal organs slopped out from the opening.
The look on her face told me that she hadn’t been expecting that and was unsure how to process.
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In a rare case of me actually being wrong, the pigmen did not squeal and run at the sight of their leader being pulverized in an instant. Instead, it galvanized them, and all the rest who were standing around their inert machines or climbing their way through the broken buildings now poured forth to assail us.
My hand gripped the hilt of the blade tighter as I made to move toward Roxy. While I had no doubt she could handle things herself, part of being a unit was being close enough to support each other.
A unit?
Rusted spear went over my shoulder as I dipped to the side, its blunted blade not able to slice through my new suit. Gun-arm struck out at the mutant’s extended forearm, a quick snap and his grip went limp. As the spear went lax, I ran my sword down the metal shaft and sliced into his hand. Elbow to the side of his head as I turned and shot into the stomach of one behind me.
Down the alley I was approaching, I could see Roxy swinging her metal bar around, a trail of blood flinging through the air in arcs as every strike against her assailants severed through flesh and broke bone. With a growl, she kicked out at the burning wreckage of the leader’s truck, causing it to slide out of my view. The resulting crash as it collided with other vehicles and yells of pain were a vibrant enough painting for me, even as she moved behind a building and out of sight. Not ideal.
I raised my arm up by instinct, as a shot ricocheted from it. WIth a glare, I watched the pigman manually turning the cylinder of a makeshift revolver, while a second was setting up beside him with a long single-shot rifle. A good thirty feet away.
Boots dug into the ground, and I flung myself into a sprint. I found that the super suit—while way too revealing for my liking—did actually assist with my speed and maneuverability. Revolver pig made his shot under pressure, and it grazed my side, only barely biting through the suit fabric to cut my skin. Rifle mutant lost his cool and went to reposition, but my shotgun blast took his legs out and he dropped to the ground.
Impacted them before the pig with the gun could cycle to his next shot, barrel straight to the face, rupturing his eye-socket and splitting bone. Second one received the sharp blade through the neck as he tried to crawl on his ruined legs. Empty cartridge was my only parting regards for his life now lost.
“Dubs!”
Stims washed through me as I turned to her voice. Energised. Incensed. Murderous.
Pigman from my side fumbled his swing as I took a couple of steps back. Grabbed him by the throat as I dropped the blade. I powered forward, lifting him up as I traveled straight to where I couldn’t see the super. A wall was in the way, but my new friend would help with that. Using the mutant as a ram, we broke through the weakened brickwork damaged from the wasteland weather.
Stumbling over the debris, I dropped my helper to see the super. Right arm and leg were encased in a bubbling foam-like substance. Even now, I could see her muscles tensing and trying to pull her limbs free - but even with her strength, she couldn’t.
In front of her were two pigmen, one with a trident and the other with the machine that sprayed the expanding substance on her. My continued travel took me sliding across the gravel as they both turned to see my entrance. Shotgun struck the first in the knee before I shot it out. I rolled to the side as he fell and went to stand.
Wasn't quick enough to block, so I received the sharp points of the trident just in my lower left ribs. He was aiming for my guts but had overcompensated due to my height. I grabbed hold of the shaft and stepped back, pulling him off of his stable footing. Then stepped forward with a kick as I reloaded my shotgun.
He stumbled backward into Roxy’s reach, and she delivered a punch with her off-hand that severed his spine and burst through his chest.
I grabbed the hair of the one I had hobbled and pulled his head up high enough to press my barrel against his temple. Ended him with a shot.
“What the fuck is this stuff?” She was clearly annoyed at being rendered powerless.
[Knock-off of whatever the League uses to contain supers. Erodes after twenty minutes… but we don’t have that sort of time.]
Roxy tried punching the bulbous foam with her left hand, but it had hardened by now and just deflected her blow.
I looked over to the side to see the remaining pigmen. Still a dozen, by my approximation. Halfway between seeing that we were both at a disadvantage, but knowing we could easily kill them, anyway. They weren’t as smart as they were hungry.
With a grunt, I took a step forward and then placed my muzzle to the ground - moving it across to draw a line in the gravel and dry sediment.
[We will leave the rest of you in peace, as long as nobody crosses this line.]
I stood up straight to watch them. They’d all gathered together in view now. Eyes shifting between each other, unsure as to who was now the leader - and did they really want to die for nothing? The answer was reflected in their body language as weapons lowered and shifting murmurs came from some at the back. I’d given them an out that even the most simple-minded of them could understand.
Trouble was, I had already tipped the scales. I stepped over the line myself.
First one died to my shot before they had even clocked what I had pulled. Second round was already loaded and aiming for them in disarray. It was enough to break their formation and send them scattering to the wastes - not even daring to find a vehicle to climb onto in case I shot that and blew them up. I strode after them, firing non-stop.
Half of them were dead, and the rest had scurried off together in a loose group, back the way they had arrived from.
Dropped the empty mag to the floor and took a knee. Scooped up a handful of rough gravel from the ground and opened the side chamber of my gun-arm. V-Force drive kicked into life, vibrating as it powered up.
Took aim and fired.
The energized blast went further than my normal shot would, spreading the rocks and stones in a cone directly into the backs of those retreating. Two died outright, receiving the debris through the back of their heads. The other four took damage to either their legs or torso, tripping over each other and collapsing on the heated plains.
Normally, I’d finish opponents like this off, but the sun exposure and blood loss would have to do it for me. Time was running thin, and I had a restrained super to deal with.
“You truly are ruthless, huh?”
[Threats must be erased. A mercy compared to what they'd do to us. Are you doing okay?]
She smiled and wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her free arm. “Other than this bullshit, yeah. I guess you know about my secret second power now, too.”
I looked over at the ruined vehicles. There were a few other mutants she had completely taken apart. A frightening amount of power when unrestrained. It was no wonder the League didn’t tolerate rebellion.
[Fire resistance?]
She nodded.
[Before I free you, there is something I would like to ask.]
“If it’s about the ice-cream, then mint chocolate chip. If it’s not… then ignore that.” She grimaced.
I grunted and stepped away over to one of the bikes the pigs had ridden in. In a terrible state compared to my own, without any of the tech or comforts. If my memory served me right, it held the solution to our current fix.
[We work well as a duo and I feel like I am getting closer to my old memories when we spend time together. I would like us to continue this… if the League presents you opportunity to… I’d even agree to go the sidekick route, to keep them appeased.]
The vehicle squealed as I wrenched one of the larger parts from it, thick liquid sloshing around in the metallic tank. I turned back to her and brought it over. She had an odd look on her face that I was too stressed and inexperienced to read. With the clock in the corner of my lense, I instead focused on getting us out of here.
“Really? I mean… you’re a lot of fun too, I…” She exhaled through her nose and a more neutral expression returned to her face. “Yeah, sure. Let’s see what the League says, but… I’d like that. Are you… pouring gasoline on me?”
[Correct.]
I tipped the contents over the foam, getting her slightly covered with the pungent liquid. A second of soaking in and the surface began to fizz.
[It will take a short while to weaken. I will bring the bike over so we can leave.]
“Thanks, Dubs.” She held her nose and looked away from the chemical reaction, trying not to inhale too many of the fumes.
Luckily, my re-breather took out most of the sting. I eyed up the bodies as I jogged around to where I had left the motorbike. While it would be difficult to identify Roxy’s kills even via dental records, some of mine had just been maimed by my violent acts. None looked capable of posing any threat, but…
I scooped up a discarded spear and pressed it through the bodies of those still breathing. Stakes were currently high, but I knew how this sort of thing played out. If we rushed back, hoping that they’d pass on naturally, guaranteed one would survive and hold a grudge. Be able to follow us home. Not a risk I was willing to take.
Bike purred into life, as I dropped the bloodied weapon to the dry stone. Thick tyre kicked up dust as I spun to an angle and went round to Roxy the opposite way. Gave the whole outpost a once-over to ensure no wounded were hiding away. Seemed clear, as best as I could tell. No Threat.
I slid up beside her, the super now able to stretch her leg up off the floor and away from the substance which had turned into thick gunk.
“Feel so weak,” she complained. “Is this how you feel all the time?”
My blank glare was enough as an answer, her grimace enough of an apology as she moved herself up onto the bike, murmuring constant apologies about getting the gasoline-drenched goo all over me and the bike.
[We are pushing it close now, so hold on.]
Her arms immediately wrapped around me, something that had me pause for a split second. Maybe part of me knew she could tear me in half with zero issue if she so wished. That was definitely why.
We moved and sunk into silence. Blazed a trail out of the Dead Zone and across the dry cracked stone of the wastes. I glanced at the timer in the top of my lense and exhaled. I had gambled on killing the leader being the end of the pigmen, and finishing off the wounded had also burned away at our available time.
//Clara: Long time for talking, Mr Dubs. I won’t pry.
//Clara: You’re cutting it very close. Doing what I can.
//W: Mutants.
//Clara: Inconvenient. You aren’t damaged; I hope?
//W: We’re fine. Talk later.
Didn’t need the distraction, just in case I led us into a group of slightly bigger rocks and flipped the bike. Other than sullying my gun-arm barrel by sticking dusty rocks in it, I was mostly unscathed. A couple of scrapes and bruises - I had ignored most things and would do a full check-up when I got back to my home.
Although I was starting to dislike my house being a kill room. Maybe the League could airdrop me a house in if I toed their line a little. Something that would bring the bile up in my throat if I had one - but I wanted to step up and dance with the big guys now. Find out what the League and Boss were really up to, see who I used to be and what I could become if let out of my shell.
Houses in view, timer on red. Just a minute too slow - how annoying things always shook out that way. League might see her position suddenly jump from the house to out here and know something is up. Maybe they wouldn’t… but we were potentially risking a lot on what was a few hundred feet.
Then Roxy gave me a pat on the shoulder and hopped off the back of the moving bike. I checked the side mirror and watched her land into a crouch, stone and dust blowing into the air as she slid across the ground - before friction caught up and she burst into the air.
Couldn’t do much else but look up and watched her trajectory. Time turned to single digits.
Surely she couldn’t be…
I frowned as she dropped down, cratering through the roof and first floor.
//Clara: Falsification is offline.
//Clara: Seamless transfer… you made it in time.
The motorbike slowed as I rolled up in front of her garden, stopping just before her path. Took a glance at the impromptu skylights she had installed. Timer flashed zero, on and off repeatedly.
A couple of seconds, and the front door opened, the super stepping out. Sweating, covered both in wooden shards and plaster dust, her arm and leg still pasted with the restraining foam remnants.
“What have you been up to out in the wastes then, sidekick?” She asked, trying not to sound too out of breath.
[Nothing much. Just having the time of my life.]
I rolled away, not allowing her to get a response in.
There was only one thing left on my mind. The shadow of Boss loomed as I approached the darkened box of misery that I lived in. If he was half as competent as he like to give off, then he would know I was slowly worming away from being under his control.
What did he plan to do about that?
Something worse than labeling me as a villain, I was sure.