One of the regions far in the corner of Steel Sky was known as a last priority in the re-construction program. Thus a popular spot for shadowy characters. Jessica had almost dragged Anton here against his will. This particular neighborhood was filled with warehouses and old industries. Things that was shut down long ago, during the Silver War.

This warehouse was a smaller one, with scaffolding and digging machines outside. As if the construction was on it’s marry way, but was haltered for unknown reasons. Jessica told Anton that the place was shutdown during the war, but was going to be bought up again by Freelife Industries as a warehouse. At this given moment, however, it was vacant. But far from empty.

The suspect was called Angus Mayor. He was a swindler and clear douche. Big fellow with white hair and a scared face. Former soldier. Always with bad reputation. Jessica had managed to find information that his so called “organization” had two employers. She could tell by the entrance to the warehouse, that someone had hastily broken out. As if escaping the place.

Neither Jessica or Anton had any good luck in getting in contact with Hanna Hearts sister. There was a possibility that they had taken her too as she was not in the Nine Lives pet shop.

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They were careful and silent as they sneaked around the building to determine the best way in. Jessica did not suspect much of a fight and knew the nearest station was far away. She had always handled things like this by herself anyhow. Never cared much for backup.

There was a door behind a wall of fence on the side of the building. She crawled over it like there was no obstacle at all. Took some time for Anton to copy her move. And it was not as silent, as he broke through the fence while climbing it.

They froze in silence. She was ready with her service-pistol in case the door would fling open. Nothing. As she tugged the door, she realized it was locked with some cheap device next to the handle.

Anton walked up to her. Warming his palms by pressing them hard to another. Rubbing them fast. He touched the door, gently flipping the handle up and down.

CLICK! The door opened with ease.

The area was filled with small, dirty rooms and hallways. Surrounding a bigger hall in the center of the house. Someone stood there, out in the open. Using tools on an unknown person on a bench. There was machines all over the open area. No doubt there for reparations and surgical replacements on whoever victim they had at the moment.

Jessica saw, from her shadow, how the unknown person picked up an electric drill and started working on the victim. It could be Alice.

Anton pointed to a staircase next them and they both headed upwards. The plan, as they agreed before, was to observe the structure first, before intervening.

It used to be a small lounge area. With a view over the floor down below. And a rusty old couch with almost no cushion left to speak of. Jessica saw three shadows down in the main hall. The three characters were spread around the room. This could get tricky in taking them all out down there. The person by the slab with the drill had a huge machine gun standing next to her. Could rip the place apart.

The sharp noise got to her. She turned around fast and saw how Anton had, accidentally, somehow, bumped himself into a hanging, low lamp in the room. She cursed for herself. Looked down and saw how the big guy, Angus ran through the big room to the stairs. Followed by a tall, slender robot in a black robe.

As Jessica turned around, she spotted how Anton Stock hide himself in a narrow spot between a counter and a wall.

Mayor rushed up first, shotgun in his hands. Once he saw Jessica, he knew what was going on. He aimed the shotgun at the same moment as his fellow robot appeared.

Anton saw his chance and RUSHED out of hiding, trying to assault Angus Mayor from behind. But Angus saw him out the corner of his eye, twisted around to him fast and took a strong grip around Anton Stocks throat, lifting him up the air with ease.

Jessica grabbed a baton from a pocket on her pants. Pressed a small button on it and rushed up towards the robot, sticking it into the robots eye-socket before he managed to even move!

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Electricity SPARKED out of the guys head almost like fireworks. The robot was fried as he fell to the floor, dead.

Anton tried to poke out the eyes of Angus Mayor, who realized way to fast what the guy tried to do and TOSSED HIM towards a wall on the other side of the room. Anton smashed into the wall, head first, crunching his nose. Jessica used her baton to swing it at Angus left arm, but the spark was out of juice. Only smoldering slightly with smoke. Angus knocked her in the gut with his shotgun, making her collapse on the ground, out of air. He aimed at her and blasted off a shot, just above her head. He took aim again, smiling like a sadist.

Anton saw blood pouring out of his nose, but tried to ignore the pulsating pain. He rushed towards Mayor and grabbed the shotgun, forcing it away from Jessica's head. Angus fought back, trying to pull the shotgun away from the adversary. An annoying tug of war came to be, as both struggled to get control over the lethal weapon. Anton saw that if the shotgun was remotely close to his stomach, all Mayor had to do was pull the trigger!

Jessica stood up from the floor, sick and tired of this game of fools. She saw how Mayor and Anton was struggling over a weapon like some kids fighting over a piece of candy. Enough was enough. She un-holstered her service weapon and aimed it at both of them. Telling them to freeze.

They both froze in position, turned slowly at her, with her weapon drawn at them both.

Angus Mayor looked at the gun in his hand and over at Anton Stock. Angus was a man of pride and honor. At the very least some type of honor among simple thieves.

He sighed to himself, knowing this must look ridiculous and dropped the shotgun to the floor. At the very least he knew then the game was up.

The woman downstairs was still operating on Alice Heart. It had been a long and annoying surgery. But ever sense her robot-partner accidentally kidnapped the wrong person, they had to do what they had to do. It would appear that Hanna Heart lived NEXT DOOR to the real victim. But a dumb ass simpleton robot could make a simple mistake and take the wrong victim.

There had been a fallen out between the three of them and during the turmoil on the base, the victim ran off. They had to spend five hours chasing her all over!

The robot partner, who was nameless, was determined. But also not very bright. He had chased down Hanna Heart on an open street market. The damned tin can was the cause of the operation of Angus Mayor to fall completely!

The woman was tired of working with these guys anyhow and didn’t mind when the shotguns started to blast. She figured it might be Angus who wanted to exterminate the robot once and for all. She was also in need of hearing aides as the sound of the visitors upstairs never got her attention.

So judge her surprise once a sharp voice told her to freeze and put her drill away. She turned from the sedated robot of Alice Heart and saw three figures. Angus was tied up behind his back. And there was a guy there in a dreadful nosebleed and a brown trench coat. And a police woman with a pissed of look at her face, gun drawn to the woman.

The woman was contemplating. Was it worth reaching the machine gun and start tearing them to shreds? Was it worth it with this hooligan she reluctantly called a boss? No. She wasn’t going to waste her time been stupid. She always wanted another career anyway. And so she gave up, reaching her hands to the sky.

The police cars took off with Angus Mayor and the unknown woman from the building. Jessica, Anton and Alice stood outside, Alice and Jessica having a smoke. Anton was quiet once they started to yell at him for his incompetence. Forgetting his gun during a job. Driving over a pedestrian. Stealing a bike he could not drive. Going against the employers back by going to the cops.

It was obvious he wasn’t going to get paid for this. In fact it was a miracle they didn’t put him in a cell for crime against humanity. The last part was unclear for Anton. A bit uncalled for, but he let it slip.

Anton felt for taking a walk back to the city anyways, so he started walking while they yelled after him from the warehouse. Lots of terrible words I would decline to tell you out loud. And I am no saint! And as for the face of Alice Heart, it was glowing red so strong that it could make blind men see again!

Alice was not that badly hurt. She got back to her pet shop in two days. Still shaken and with tons of work to catch up on. But life moved on for her, as long as she changed the locks to the shops door.

Jessica returned to her life as an officer of the law. And Anton Stock was considering a change of work plans. Maybe going to school somewhere? But he forgot to apply for the second year in a row and went on doing…whatever you call his work.

Angus was to spent 4 months in prison and his unknown female worker spent just a few days.

Killing a robot is a hard offense, but the justice system was still trying to work how much time a person should get for it.

Life moved on in Steel Sky! The giant city sprawling with white and silver buildings, reaching to the sky above like monuments of our time.