A Part of the Team

JP and Leva sit opposite each other at a booth in Let’s Get Wasted. Alejada stands in front of them looking down at her two sitting teammates. JP leans back, uninterested in the current situation. Leva taps the table with her fingernails impatiently, resting her chin on her arm. Alejada crosses her arms across from them like a disappointed father.

Alejada: So you two went to the capital, and came back with nothing…

JP: I got a bruised rib.

Leva groans and palms her face.

Alejada: Do you know how much of a risk that was?

Leva: Of course I do. You know I do. And you know I wouldn’t take a mission like this unless I had probable confidence this would all go right.

Alejada: And how did that go?

Leva opens her mouth to speak, but remains silent. She buries her head in her hands and groans.

JP: Look, Al. The guy walked a coded message all the way to Scrapton hoping we’d be able figure out what it was even saying. Leva and I figured that anyone that desperate would keep our deal. And he was offering shipments of forged steel.

Alejada: Then let this be a lesson to you both. Everyone in Forge City is loyal to King Infernando.

JP: You really think I’m afraid of that twerp? I mean, I couldn’t be if I was, but I wouldn’t be if I cou-

Alejada smacks JP hard on this cheek.

JP: Ok, maybe I deserved that.

Alejada: You may not be afraid of him, but we are a team. What would you have done if he had killed Leva. He may have let you both go, but what would you do if the capital army marched on Scrapton.

JP: I’d fight. We’d fight. Like we always do.

Alejada: And how many people will have to die before you learn that fighting could have been avoided?

There’s a tense silence in the room.

Alejada: You need to learn that your actions…

She turns to continue talking to Leva.

Alejada: And your calculations affect other people. Not just The Wasted, but all of Scrapton. These people let us set up base here because they trust that we’ll protect them. Without this place, we have no base to collect jobs and we help nobody.

The door opens and the bell rings.

Tuck: Careful with those cases. Shipments have been light since those Jumboars attacked the Witherlake distillery.

Tuck walks in followed by Isaac who’s struggling to carry four crates, filled with rattling bottles.

Isaac: Y-you could help.

Tuck: I just ran out of acrylics. I can’t risk breaking a nail.

They both pause as they see the three members in a tense conversation.

Tuck: Did we miss something?

JP uses this opportunity to stand up.

JP: Nothing interesting.

He puts a hand on Alejada’s shoulder. Her stern eyes meet his tired eyes.

JP: Good talk, boss.

He walks to the back of the bar and up the stairs to the apartments. Alejada looks down at Leva. She grits her teeth and slams her fist into the table. She stands and stomps out of the bar, nearly knocking Isaac over in the process. Isaac regains his balance and maintains his grip on the crates.

Tuck: Leva throwing a fit after a failed mission? Color me shocked.

Alejada: It’s fine… She’ll cool off. It’s Jean-Paul I’m worried about…

Isaac: Is this about the mission in the capital?

Alejada: It’s not your concern.

Alejada turns to head towards the apartment. Isaac sets the crates on the table beside him and cuts her off.

Isaac: Sensei! Maybe we could get some training in today?

Alejada: Not today…

Isaac: But we haven’t trained in like a week!

Alejada: You haven’t trained in a week?

Alejada glares down at the boy.

Isaac: Uh, well… It’s not that I HAVEN’T trained… But-

Alejada: We can train tomorrow. I promised Vivian I would let her give me a… Massage…

Her lip twitches in irritation. She stomps off.

Tuck: Haha! This week off has her whipped. Viv almost makes her seem human.

Isaac: *sigh* Everyone’s in a bad mood today…

Isaac grabs a beer from a crate and slumps in a booth. Before he can open the bottle Tuck grabs it from his hands.

Isaac: C’mon! I carried them here!

Tuck: What part of “no” aren’t you understanding?

Tuck sits on a barstool, casually crossing his legs. He uses his long nails to pop the cap off the bottle.

Tuck: Catch.

He flicks the bottle cap at Isaac. Isaac reacts quickly and grabs the cap out of the air with his right hand. His hand beeps and there’s a mechanical clunking from under his black glove. The glove gets shredded as a mass of copper wires and brass twist roughly into the shape of a gun around the bottle cap. It has a long barrel and the cap sits perfectly in a circular hole at the top. An enthusiastic female voice emits from the gun.

Handy: Bottle Cap Launcher!

Isaac: Aww… I liked that glove…

Tuck: You didn’t have to catch it.

Tuck shrugs, leaning back against the counter, elegantly sipping the beer. Isaac sighs and twists a dial on his robotic wrist, making the bottle cap launcher disengage. The cap clanks onto the floor as his hand returns to its normal form. He huffs and hangs his head. Tuck glances over quizzically.

Tuck: You’re that bummed out over a glove?

Isaac: No… I’m just tired of everyone treating me like a kid…

Tuck: You are a kid.

Isaac: I know that! But I’m a part of this team just like anybody else. But I’m not allowed to go on runs by myself. I don’t get my own radio. They haven’t even told me why we aren’t allowed in the capital. How am I supposed to know why I should be afraid of the capital if no one will tell me?

Tuck: Then why don’t you take it up with Al?

Isaac: You know why I don’t… She’s just gonna say I need to train more… But I’ve been training for a year!

Isaac looks over to Tuck who’s casually sipping his beer.

Tuck: Sounds rough, kid.

Isaac growls.

Isaac: You aren’t even listening.

He pouts towards the exit.

Tuck: Kid, wait. We haven’t finished restocking yet!.. Dammit… There goes my free labor.

Isaac walks the inside of Scrapton’s rusty scrap iron wall. He sulks as he passes the backs of the many tightly packed multi-tiered buildings of the small town. The outskirts are one of the few places to walk with relative privacy.

Isaac: Why doesn’t anyone respect me?

???: Oh, Isaac.

He looks up from his sulking to see an elderly woman struggling to move a mattress in through the backdoor of a large building.

Isaac: Hey, Ms. Maddle.

Ms. Maddle: Could you be a dear and help me move this inside.

Isaac nods and helps the woman maneuver the mattress through the door.

Ms. Maddle: Thank you, dear. With all the new faces we see around here, soon this shelter is gonna double as a mattress museum.

They carry it into a large room with multiple mattresses lined up on the floor.

Ms. Maddle: Oh, that reminds me.

She reaches into the pocket of her apron, pulls out a slip of paper, and hands it to Isaac.

Ms. Maddle: You’re the perfect person for this job.

He unfolds the paper to see it’s an order for bedding from a hotel just outside of the safe zone. He smiles.

Isaac: A job for me?

Ms. Maddle: I need you to make sure that gets to Alejada. We’re getting the new arrivals tonight and it’s been getting cold, so I need this done quickly.

Isaac: Oh, that’s what you meant… Yeah, I’ll make sure she gets it.

Ms. Maddle: You’re such a good kid.

Isaac groans as the shelter owner pinches his cheek and walks away.

???: Isaac!

He turns when he hears an enthusiastic voice. He sees three children rushing his way. Two girls and one boy. The girl in the middle is clearly the oldest, Gabby, around 10, he’s wearing a red hoodie and jean shorts. Her little brother, Rodney, wears slacks and suspenders over a wrinkled button down and glasses. And the second girl, Hana, wears a long dingy yellow dress.

Isaac: Oh, hey guys.

Gabby: You just got back from a mission, right?

Isaac: That’s right.

Hana: Well? Tell us all the cool things that happened!

Isaac: Well, we were hired to take care of a Waste Walrus that was blocking a caravan path. It was so much bigger than I thought it would be.

Rodney: Bigger than a building?

Isaac: Mhm! It was huge! Leva caught him in this giant wire trap, and JP cut him in half in one swing!

Hana & Rodney: Woah!

Gabby: And what did you do?

Isaac: Me? Well I had the most important job… I taunted the Walrus until it ran into the trap.

Gabby: So, you were like… The bait?

Isaac: I-I wasn’t bait! I was just…

Hana: It sounds like you were the bait. They always make you the bait.

Isaac: I’m not always the bait. I just was for this one job.

Rodney: Well, has anyone else been the bait?

Isaac opens his mouth to respond, but frowns.

Isaac: Well, now that you mention it…

Gabby turns to her friends, ignoring Isaac.

Gabby: Guys! Let’s play Wasted!

Hana & Rodney: Yeah!

Gabby: I get to be Alejada, because she’s the leader!

Rodney: I want to be JP! He’s so calm and cool.

Hana: I’ll be Leva. She’s prepared for anything.

Isaac sighs, turning to walk away as the children begin their game.

Gabby: Isaac! Do you wanna play too?

He looks back, almost eager to join in the fun.

Hana: Yeah. You can be Vivian.

Isaac: Couldn’t I just be myself?

Gabby: Nah… We’d need you to play someone cool.

The words sting Isaac’s heart. He grits his teeth in frustration as he feels the beginning stages of tears. He swallows his sadness and puts on a straight face.

Isaac: I’m a bit busy for a silly kids game. I have real work to do.

He turns and leaves the children to play.

In the bar, Tuck struggles to carry one of the beer crates from the table to the back. He steps in the back room and sets it down.

Tuck: Dammit! I broke a nail…

The bell rings and Isaac enters the bar. The order from Ms. Maddle is clenched in his fist.

Isaac: (Muttering) Those kids really know how to cut to the core…

Tuck steps out from the back into the main room and sees Isaac.

Tuck: You ok?

Isaac: I’m fine.

Tuck: You look like you’ve been crying.

Isaac: I haven’t been crying.

Tuck: Did Orman’s mutt steal your sugar cake again?

Isaac: I haven’t been crying!

Tuck: Ooookay.

Isaac: I have to deliver this job to Sensei.

Tuck watches as Isaac pouts into the back.

Isaac arrives at a scrap iron door. There’s a pleasant flowery wreath on the door with a plate that reads “Al & Viv” clearly put there by Vivian. He raises his fist to knock, but is interrupted by a roar of pain.

Vivian: Oh, don’t be such a big baby. I haven’t even started yet.

Alejada: Your hands are too damn cold.

Vivian: Well they won’t be once I get going. You need this. You have more knots in your back than muscles.

Alejada: I’ve gone this long without a massage. I don’t need one now.

Vivian: Oh, hush. When’s the last time you relaxed your shoulders?

Alejada: Relaxed?

Isaac hears Alejada roar in pain again through the door.

Vivian: Oh yeah, you’re way too tight.

Isaac: Maaaaybe I should give this job to somebody else.

Isaac backs away from the door.

JP lounges on his bed, scrawling thoughts into his journal. His sword leans up against the wall beside him. It’s the only thing decorating his empty room. There’s a knock on his door.

JP: Come in.

The door opens and Isaac enters.

JP: Yo.

Isaac: Hey. Job just came in.

JP: Yeah? Why not put it on the board?

Isaac: Ms. Maddle wanted it done sooner rather than later. She asked me to give it to sensei, but she’s still busy with her week off.

JP: I’m still pretty drained from that last mission. Still downloading what went down. It was a mess, and I’m not gonna be able to focus until I get these thoughts down.

Isaac: What happened?

JP: The warlord we fought was more dangerous than expected. Lev got attacked by an A-rex. And the king himself brought an army of tanks to tell us off.

Isaac: She saw an A-rex? That’s so cool!

JP: She didn’t seem to think so.

Isaac: So… Why does the king hate us so much, anyway? We’ve never done anything to him. I don’t think…

JP: He’s just afraid of us. We’re just freaks with weapons that threaten his ideals. He’s not exactly wrong. He’s just an asshole about it.

Isaac sighs. JP picks up on his downtrodden demeanor.

JP: I’ll tell you what, bud. you go put the job on the board, and tomorrow we can run the job together.

Isaac: I think I’ll try Leva first. She wants this done today.

JP: *shrug* Alright.

JP returns to scrawling in his journal. Isaac begins to leave, but turns back.

Isaac: Am I the bait?

JP: The what?

Isaac: Uh, nothing…

Isaac leaves.

In his rusted office shack, Dr. Rivers types on his simplistic computer. The document is titled “The nodes reaction to asphyxiation” he closes the page and moves it to a folder titled “Jean-Paul Aiden”. His door opens and Isaac enters. The doctor turns off his computer and rolls his chair away from his desk to face him.

Dr. Rivers: What brings you in, Isaac? Orman’s dog bite you again?

Isaac: No…

Dr. Rivers: Then what? Is that festerweed rash acting up again?

Isaac: Stop guessing! I just need to talk to Leva.

Dr. Rivers: Oh, I wouldn’t. She looked pretty upset when she came in.

Isaac: It’ll be fine.

Isaac walks to an off color section of the wall. As he approaches he can hear loud dramatic classical music and the sounds of welding. He knocks loudly, hoping to over power the noise.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

Isaac: Leva?

He shrugs and presses the button on the wall. The wall slides open. The room he enters is a spacious clean lab. Around the edges are multiple gadgets on tables, and in the corner is a large two steel door cabinet locked tight. There’s a record player on one of the tables blasting classical music. Leva stands at a table in the center of the room with a welding mask on, fusing a metal plate to the frame of a new bow.

Isaac: Leva?

She continues welding.

Isaac: Leva!

Leva shuts off the welder and slams it on the table. She turns around calmly and lifts the needle on the record player. She turns towards Isaac and lifts the welding mask revealing her scowling face.

Leva: What?!

Isaac flinches.

Isaac: A-a job came in, it needs to get done today.

Leva: Does it look like I want another job right now?!

Isaac: No, but everyone else is busy.

Leva: Well I’m busy too!

She begins angrily trying to connect two bits of metal.

Isaac: Ok, ok. You’re really mad about that job.

She slams both pieces into the table.

Leva: Of course I am! I had every possibility, every contingency in mind. I had a mental map of the capital in case we got caught. I had hiding spots scouted in the wasteland. The only thing I didn’t have any contingent for was the .001% chance of an Apocalytus Rex roaming this far outside of Titan Pass! Fuck!

Leva swipes her work off the table and cradles her head in her hands.

Leva: Getting lectured by Alejada was humiliating…

Isaac: Well maybe an easy job can get your mind off things.

Leva: No… The King stole my Command Stinger. I need to make another one.

Isaac: But Ms. Maddle wanted this job done by tonight.

Leva: *sigh* Give it here…

Isaac hands her the order. She read it quickly.

Leva: Blankets? I’m sorry, but that’s not really an emergency.

Isaac: But the shelter is getting a caravan of refugees tonight.

Leva: I hate to break it to you. But there’s a reason we haven’t looted the blankets from that hotel yet. It’s a rustbiter nest. I’m not going in there while I’m low on supplies.

Isaac: Fine… I’ll just tell her we need time to prepare.

Leva: Miriam is a nice old woman. She’ll understand.

Isaac: Yeah…

Isaac lingers for a moment.

Isaac: Leva?

Leva: What?

Isaac: Why do your plans always have me playing the bait?

Leva: That’s a random question.

Isaac: W-well I was just thinking. Whenever we need to lure or trap some man-eating monster. I’m always the one who’s standing in the trap.

Leva: That’s just where you're most effective in those situations. Your Grip Shifter isn’t effective against larger monsters.

Isaac: But that’s because you guys won’t let me use any of the real gun configurations!

Leva: (growl) Because the one time we let you, you shot me in the shoulder…

Isaac hangs his head.

Isaac: I said I was sorry!

Leva: Look, Isaac… You have your whole life ahead of you to prove you can do more than lure monsters into traps. But you haven’t proven that yet.

Isaac grits his teeth.

Isaac: Thank you for your honesty.

He leaves the hidden lab with a lot to think about.

Dr. Rivers: Isaac, before you go. Catch.

From across the room, the doctor throws a vague orange rock towards Isaac. He reacts fast with his metal hand and snatches it out of the air. The hand beeps.

Handy: No configuration found for this item.

Dr. Rivers: Interesting.

The doctor writes the result on his clipboard.

Isaac: Why is it squishy?

Dr. Rivers: It’s Wastebasker excrement.

Isaac quickly drops the excrement and leaves.

Isaac walks down an alleyway, angrily munching on a golden sugar cake.

Isaac: How am I supposed to be able to prove myself if I’m not allowed to do anything…

Isaac jumps as he hears a deep barking from behind him. He turns around to see a small snarling impish creature, with the sharp ears of a bat, the wide alien eyes of an owl, and the jagged teeth of a crocodile.

Isaac: G-good, doggy.

The snarling creature lunges at Isaac. He screams, falls to his back, and drops his treat on the ground. The vicious hound redirects towards the dropped cake and begins scarfing it down.

Isaac: Aw…

???: God dammit, Cutie! Leave the boy alone!

Isaac looks to the opening of the alley. A very short muscularly built grizzled man with a long bulbous nose over a bushy mustache and beard. His hair is short and messy. His hairy arms cross his greasy flannel cloaked chest sternly as he stares down at the thieving mutt. The dog whimpers and retreats to its owner. Isaac gets to his feet and dusts himself off.

Isaac: Thanks, Orman…

The short man reaches into his pocket and pulls out a few iron coins from his pocket and hands them to Isaac.

Orman: Sorry ‘bout that, Isaac. Go buy yourself two more, on me.

Isaac grips the coins tightly and hangs his head. Tears start to drip down his cheeks.

Orman: C’mon, kid. It was just a sugar cake.

Isaac: It’s not about the cake.

Isaac wipes the tears from his eyes.

Isaac: I’ve just been having a bad day…

Orman: Well go on then. Tell ol’ Orman what’s got you down.

Isaac: I’m just tired of being told I’m not good enough… I can be stealthy. I can fight. I can run really fast if I need to. But everyone still treats me like I’m useless… And now I can’t even get Ms. Maddle the blankets she needs because everyone else is busy.

Orman: Well, kid. The solution seems pretty clear to me.

Isaac: It does?

Orman: You want to prove you can handle yourself, and you have a job that no one else wants. Put two and two together, kid.

Isaac: But that will get me in trouble.

Orman: So? If they won’t give you the opportunity to prove yourself, make your own opportunity. Either you’ll earn their trust, or you’ll die and it’s not your problem anymore.

Isaac: Gee, thanks…

Orman: That’s just one man’s advice.

Orman bends over and picks up his dog.

Orman: And if Cutie here gives you any more trouble, you have my permission to punt her ass across the town.

Isaac: Thanks, Orman.

Isaac stands in the bar, pinning Ms Maddle’s order to the large wooden order board. His eyes linger on the text as he takes Orman’s advice into consideration.

Isaac: (mumbling) I can take on a few rustbiters…

Isaac pulls a box out from under his bed. He opens it and looks at his secret arsenal. Two glock magazines, a lighter, a smoke grenade, and a battery. He packs them into a backpack along with basic supplies and walks out of the room.

Isaac sneaks through the bar with his bag strapped to his back. Tuck is distracted with stocking the beer cabinet behind the bar. Isaac tries to walk out unnoticed.

Tuck: I can smell you.

Isaac stops in his tracks. Tuck turns to face him and sees the backpack.

Tuck: Where are you going?

Isaac: Uh… Orman asked me if I could bring him some things.

Tuck sniffs the air.

Tuck: I smell lighter fluid.

Isaac: He needs a light to start his grill.

Tuck: Ok. I’m not your babysitter.

Isaac: I-I’ll be back soon.

Isaac scurries out of the building. Tuck watches as he leaves and sighs.

Tuck: That kid’s gonna get himself killed.

Isaac walks up to the large rusted gates of the city. Through the holes in the scrap metal he sees the wasteland. He takes a few deep breaths.

Isaac: (IM) I can do this. I’ve been outside the walls dozens of times. I’m going just outside the safe zone. Rustbiters are easy mode…

He takes another deep breath. He lowers his goggles over his eyes and presses the palm of his human hand on the gate.

Isaac: Let’s do this.

Isaac walks through the wasteland until he finds a weathered fence with a sign that reads “Now leaving Scrapton”. He acknowledges the sign and exits through the fence.

After a short walk he arrives at the destination. A tall uniform building, worn down with age. The exterior is cracked and molding, but the foundation appears reliable. Isaac approaches the door. The tattered sign above reads “Rem otel”. He reaches into his bag and pulls out his glock magazine and places it in his mechanical hand. It shifts into the form of a bronze tubed gun.

Handy: Pistol!

He pushes the door and enters the hotel lobby.

Isaac: Woah…

He stares in awe of the once cozy open room. Multiple chairs and couches scattered around the floor, abruptly moved in the mad dash of the endtime. What were once comfy couches, were now singed and moldy. In some cases even marked with the ashen remains of Righteous End victims. Isaac grips the base of his weaponized hand tightly as he advances deeper into the building.

He walks carefully up the wooden stairs and onto the second floor. He freezes when he hears a loud buzzing and retreats behind the wall of the stairwell. He catches a glimpse of two rust colored beetles flying by. He waits till the coast is clear and enters the second floor. He gasps as he sees an abundance of nests and eggs, almost appearing metal in nature.

Isaac: (IM) Just gotta grab a few blankets.

Isaac carefully opens the door to one of the many uniform rooms. He sees a sizable nest in the corner. It’s made of the same pseudo-metal material. He sees the back end of the vicious iron-esque bugs sticking out of a few of the pentagonal holes in the nest. Isaac slowly backs out of the room.

He enters another room free of rustbiters and begins stripping the beds. He stuffs all the bedding he can into his pack and moves to exit the room. He hears buzzing from the otherside of the door.

Isaac: (whisper) Oh crap…

He readies his gun and slowly opens the door. He spots two metallic wasps lingering in the hallway. He opens the door and pops one on the rustbiters in the back. The bullet rips through the exterior shell and through the head. The percussion of the gun catches Isaac off guard, causing him to flinch and cradle his ears. It also catches the attention of the other insect as it turns to attack. Now startled and unfocussed, Isaac struggles to take aim at the second bug. He lets out three stray bullets before the fourth finally tags it and the fifth puts it down. Isaac takes a moment to catch his breath. He hears another buzzing. Louder and from all sides. Rustbiters begin to pour out of the massive nests.

Isaac: No…

Isaac panics, emptying his clip into the swarm of wasps.

Isaac: F-fuck!

He releases the clip from his hand, letting it drop to the floor. His hand returns to its neutral state and he makes a run for it. He dashes down the hallway, being chased by a cloud of metallic wasps. Every turn he’s met with a new wave of enemies. He finally reaches the stairwell and sprints down the steps. His momentum causes him to lose his balance, but he’s able to maintain his stride as he bursts through the door to the lobby. He lands on his face, sprawling on the ground, sending the contents of his backpack free. He rolls to his back to see the rapidly approaching cloud of rustbiters. He reaches his metal hand towards the spilled bag, grabbing the first item he can find. The lighter. His hand shifts into a long barrel with a flame in front of the mouth, the lighter is hooked to the bottom like a gas tank.

Handy: Flamethrower!

He releases an inferno, scorching the aerial bugs.

Isaac: Yes!

The flames pass harmlessly over the metal beings, seemingly immune.

Isaac: Fuck!

He rolls over again, forgoing the bag, just hoping to make it out of the building alive. He screams out when one of the rustbiter’s mandibles clamp down on his ankle. He kicks it away and returns to his feet, limping towards the door. Another rustbiter swoops down and latches to his shoulder. He winces but continues his retreat. Another one latches to the back of his left calf, dropping him to the ground. A third bits him near his right kidney, taking him to the ground screaming in pain. He buries his head in the ground and sobs.

Isaac: I-I’m sorry! I-I’m not ready! I-I don’t want to die!

He hears three gunshots, and the three rustbiters fall off his back.

Isaac: Huh?

Isaac looks up from his sobbing to see all four full members of The Wasted standing in the doorway. Alejada has her revolver raised.

Leva: Grenade deployed.

Leva tosses a canister over his head, landing it at the center of the swarm. It beeps for a moment before releasing a cloud of water vapor, wetting the rustbiters.

Alejada: Clearing the wave.

Alejada raises her golden arm and it begins radiating a yellow energy. A crackling sounds as an electric bolt shoots towards the swarm. The vapor carries the electricity through the whole wave, frying them in seconds. They all fall to the ground. Vivian approaches Isaac, offering him help to his feet.

Vivian: Need a little help?

Isaac takes her hand and pulls himself up.

Isaac: H-h-how did you know I was here?

JP: Tuck told us.

Isaac: I-I guess I should thank him…

Leva: Don’t thank anyone yet. That many rustbiters dying at one time no doubt disturbed the queen.

Isaac: The queen?

The ground rumbles beneath them and the tile floor begins to shatter. Long insectoid legs burst through the floor, climbing out to reveal a giant steel insect queen taking up half the cavernous lobby. She’s longer and thinner than her drones and she lacks wings. What she lacks in flight she makes up for in large barbs decorating her exterior shell. Isaac looks up at her in awe and terror.

Isaac: I-I didn’t know they got that big.

Alejada: There’s a lot you don’t know.

JP: Lev, I hope you have a plan.

Leva: Of course I do.

Vivian: Good. Let’s get this done quickly. We got a massage to get back to.

Alejada snarls. The rustbiter queen lets out a metallic shriek.

Leva: Everyone outside!

The team dashes out the door into the wasteland.

Leva: Kneecap formation!

JP leaps to the right. Vivian and Alejada leap to the left. Leva and Isaac stand out of the way.

Isaac: What should I do?

Leva: Hold this.

She hands him what looks like a metalic grub.

Isaac: What is this?

Leva: Bait.

He looks down at the larva, and back up at the entrance to the hotel. The rustbiter queen rips through the front wall of the building, charging straight at Isaac.

Isaac: God dammit…

He takes off running, leading the queen away from the building. He runs in between JP and Vivian, and Alejada jumps in the bug’s charging path. They both take aim at the queen’s legs. Vivian kicks out with her sharp leg and JP swings his sword. They fail to cleave through the hard exterior, but succeed at knocking it off balance. It falls on its face, skidding towards Alejada. She channels yellow energy through her golden arm. The queen comes to a gentle stop in Alejada’s open palm. A spark encompasses her hand and transfers through the queen with a loud zap. The queen convulses and its eyes fall shut. Alejada turns to face Isaac. Isaac looks back at her fearfully. She crosses her arms sternly.

Isaac: I-I’m in trouble, aren’t I…

Vivian: Al! Watch out!

Before she can scold him, the queen recovers. Alejada turns around just in time to block the serrated bite with her metal arm. The queen whips her backwards into the sixth story of the hotel. She barely manages to summon her blue barrier before flying through the wall.

Isaac: Sensei!

Vivian: Al!

JP looks towards Leva.

JP: Ok. What’s plan B?

Leva: Just kill the thing, dammit!

JP: Right.

JP runs at the queen, swinging his sword at its hard exterior. The sword bounces off the pseudo-metal ineffectively.

JP: Yeah, cutting it just ain’t gonna… Cut it… I didn’t mean for that to be a joke…

JP dodges out of the way from an incoming bite.

Isaac: Bullets worked on the smaller ones.

Leva: He’s right. We have to pierce the shell.

Vivian: On it!

Vivian charges at the queen, using her mechanical legs to spring above the queen and land on its thorax. Her needle-like feet dent the shell, but aren’t strong enough to puncture. She sprints up its sectional body to it’s head. The queen rears back, knocking Vivian off balance forcing her to retreat.

Vivian: Yeah, that didn’t work.

Leva: We need to land one decisive strike to the head.

JP: It's not just gonna hold still and let us stab it.

Leva: I know that… Just keep it busy.

JP & Vivian: Got it.

JP and Vivian rush to start fighting the queen as Leva gets her plan in place.

Leva: Isaac! Look alive!

Isaac: Huh?

Leva: Be ready to catch.

Isaac: Catch what?

Leva: Don’t worry about it.

Leva reaches into her bag and pulls out a hand sized canon with a small version of a harpoon loaded in. Isaac looks at it worriedly as she runs towards the hotel. She ties off a steel cable to a support beam exposed by the queen’s rampage. She aims her canon through the queen's legs towards Isaac. Isaac puts his hands up defensively.

Isaac: I-I don’t know if I like this plan.

Leva: Too bad, catch!

Leva fires the gun at Isaac. He yelps and puts his mechanical hand up defensively. The harpoon skewers his hand. His hand twists and shifts to accommodate the bolt.

Handy: Harpoon Launcher!

Leva: JP, get to higher ground!

JP nods, retreating from the fight and begins scaling the hotel.

Leva: Viv, keep it focussed.

Vivian: What does it look like I’m doing?

Vivian hits it with a flurry of kicks before dodging a retaliatory attack.

Leva: Isaac, pin it down.

Isaac: R-right!

Isaac takes a deep breath before aiming back through the queen’s legs towards the hotel. He fires. The harpoon travels through legs and embeds itself into the wall. The cord attached to the harpoon snaps onto the back of the queen’s neck, effectively locking her in place.

Leva: JP! You ready?!

JP: Way ahead of ya.

JP stands on a ledge on the third story of the hotel. He jumps, sword pointing down, aimed at the queen’s crown. His sword pierces the shell, but isn’t strong enough to fully penetrate the skull. The queen bucks, trying to free herself and shake the sword piercing her head.

Leva: Viv.

Vivian: On it!

Vivian sprints up the wall to the fourth story and backflips off. She lands feet first onto the pommel of the sword driving it further into the queen’s brain. The bug's bucking becomes feverish as it desperately attempts to free itself. The harpoon dug into the wall begins to loosen.

Leva: Damnit, it’s getting loose.

Vivian: I don’t know what more you want us to do.

Alejada: Clear the area!

The team looks up to see Alejada standing in the hole in the sixth story wall she created on impact. Her arm is shining with orange physically buffing energy. JP and Vivian leap out of the way as Alejada takes a dive. She picks up speed from her multi story fall. Her enhanced hand strikes the sword’s pommel, driving it clean through the queen’s skull and kicking up a large dust cloud on impact.

As the dust settles, the team collects themselves. Isaac looks nervous as his team looks down at him.

Back in the bar, Isaac looks up at all four members of his team. The immense feeling of gratefulness he feels for their help conflicts with the dread of knowing how badly he fucked up. A river of tears begins to pour from his eyes. He drops to his knees.

Isaac: Th-thank you… I-I thought I was ready, but I’m not… I’m sorry I didn't listen…

Leva: Quit crying. Stop apologizing for a mistake that you should have never been stupid enough to make in the first place.

Isaac: But…

Vivian: Lev’s right. You broke the rules, and we all had to stop what we were doing to bail you out. I hope those bite marks were enough to help you realize that there’s a reason those rules are in place.

Isaac blushes as he’s scolded by the people he respects. He wipes his tears.

Isaac: I just wanted to show you I could be more than bait.

Leva: Why do you keep calling yourself bait?

JP: Yeah. You asked me why you were bait earlier and I have no idea what you meant by that.

Isaac: Well… Some of the kids at the shelter always ask me to tell them stories about our jobs. And they pointed out that you guys always make me be the bait. They don’t even think I’m cool enough to play as…

JP: Wait… So this whole thing is because some kids don’t respect you?

Leva groans and palms her forehead. Vivian puts her hand over her mouth stifling laughter. Isaac hangs his head, realizing how stupid it all sounds.

Isaac: Please don’t be mad…

Alejada, having heard enough, begins approaching Isaac. He looks up at her infamously unreadable stone face in fear.

Isaac: S-sensai, I know-

Alejada: What’s the rule?

Isaac: *sigh* I-

He’s cut off by Alejada’s human fist colliding hard with the side of his face, sending him to the ground dazed.

Alejada: You can go out on your own the day you can take a punch standing.

Isaac drearily returns to his feet holding his quickly swelling eye.

Isaac: Yes, Sens-

He’s cut off by a second hard punch to the gut. He groans, slowly pulling himself to his feet.

Alejada: And that’s for pulling a stunt this stupid. You will resume your training tomorrow at sunrise.

Isaac: Sunrise?!

He yelps as he’s punched out a third time.

Alejada: Don’t question me.

Isaac: Yes, Sensei…

Alejada turns towards the door to the apartments.

Alejada: Vivian. Let’s continue our… *sigh* Massage…

Vivian: Ha! I knew you were enjoying it!

Vivian wraps her arms around Alejada’s and they walk to the back together.

JP: Welp. That was more work than I was planning on doing today.

JP walks to the back, rubbing his sore shoulder. Leva stands over Isaac. She puts her hands on her hips.

Leva: You really let a bunch of kids make you self conscious?

Isaac: Yeah…

Leva: What are we gonna do with you?

Isaac sits up. Leva hands him a damp rag to clean the bite wound.

Isaac: I really thought I was ready…

He begins cleaning the bite of his shoulder.

Isaac: But being out there by myself was so different. I didn’t have anyone to watch my back. I-If Tuck hadn’t told you guys I had left, I’d be dead right now.

Leva: That’s why we have a threat level system. Back when Alejada started The Wasted they did some cursory scouting of the wasteland. We have a basic knowledge of how dangerous each section of the wasteland is. The reason we never looted that hotel is because a rustbiter queen is a level 3 threat. Meaning it would take at least three of us to kill it. Or one fully charged Al.

Isaac: I didn’t know that was a level 3.

Leva: You were never supposed to go there by yourself.

Isaac: I just thought this would help me prove myself…

Leva: By being an idiot?

Isaac: (mumble) Harsh…

Leva: You’re not going to prove yourself to Alejada by disobeying orders.

Isaac: Then what? Am I just supposed to train until she says I’m ready?

Leva: Yes.

Isaac: But I’ve been training for a whole year! If I’m not ready yet, when will I ever be?

Leva: One year? It took Vivian four years until Al let her out on her own.

Isaac: Vivian had to train?

Leva: Of course she did! Training isn’t a punishment! If she puts in the effort to train you it means she sees potential in you.

Isaac: She sees potential in me?

Leva groans and palms her face.

Leva: Here.

Leva drops a bag on his lap. He checks inside.

Isaac: The blankets?

Leva: It was your job. It’s only fair you turn them in. But we split the payment evenly.

Isaac: That’s fair…

Leva: And feel free to tell those kids whatever you want about the last job. Hell, tell them you killed the thing while we all watched. Whatever you need to say to make yourself feel better so something this stupid never happens again.

Isaac cracks a smile as she walks away, knowing this is Leva’s way of trying to be nice. The doorbell rings as she exits.

Isaac: Thanks.