Ricky rounded a blind corner, ready for anything, but saw a great relief in his brother instead of a robotic enemy ready to kill him.
“Well then, guess you were closer than the dummy suggested.” Rocco welcomed him.
“We need to find the others.” Then Ricky directed his next comment to the private room on the Net-com link. “Rocky, can you guide us to Eligah or the cyborg?”
“Eligah keeps cutting out. It’s weird. I think he may be close to whatever device they are using to scramble the systems. Bingo is a few blocks away. Northeast. They look like they may be close.”
The two brothers began walking through the side alleys in silence. There was little that needed to be said between them at that point, and they both observed dozens of aerial drones passing by the area. It would be difficult to remain hidden from them for long. The squads of battle drones that seemed to be combing the area in grid formations were perhaps a little easier to avoid.
From his position back on the ship, Rocky guided the others towards a nondescript alley, one that they had to wait several minutes for a search patrol to pass by before entering and examining closer. Both were disappointed to find nothing there.
“Rocky, are you sure this is the place?” Ricky asked, looking around and scratching his head. The alley way was empty.
“I’m sure. Your signal is directly on top of his.”
Rocco looked up into the sky, hoping to perhaps catch a glimpse of the cyborg or the little old Titan on one of the rooftops looking down on them from a secret hiding spot. No luck.
“You still don’t see either of them?” Rocky asked.
“Negative.” Rocco returned before his brother could.
“He’s right there. They’re both close.” Rocky confirmed. “Maybe he’s under you?”
Ricky and Rocco both looked around for any indication there may be a doorway that led to something underneath them. Many doors lined the alleyway but would be difficult to determine which one. Without a better plan to go with, they just decided to begin knocking on each one, hoping they weren’t in the sewers.
* * * *
“Haven’t seen you in here before.” The Rodentia said through a cruel smile.
“Yeah, maybe he’s lost?” A second one chimed in. “Should we give him directions?”
A small group of nine rough looking Rodents were now surrounding Bingo’s once quiet booth. Many bore the visible signs of battle scars plainly written across their weathered faces. One of them even had a bionic arm plainly on display through a sleeveless jacket. They were rough looking customers indeed, and in many dark holes and alleys would have seemed intimidating, especially for any Titans who had previously run afoul of violent gangs. The bionic Wolverine was not most other Titans though and gave no outward signs of intimidation or concern.
“What are you anyway? I’ve never seen your species before.” The Rodent bearing the bionic arm asked in a confrontational manner. “You ain’t no cat, but you remind me of one.”
Bingo could tell that the last statement was supposed to be an insult. Many of the species on Titan could exhibit racisms and rivalries, some of them proved to be mostly good natured, others were more like blood feuds, like the rats and cats. Few other species back in Cabraland actively tried to pursue any type of rivalry with the Wolverines, even the large Ursids. These rats didn’t seem to understand why that was.
“Well, you gonna’ sit jawin’ at me, or you gonna get at ‘er?” Bingo said after sizing up the situation for long enough.
Bingo decided that if these Rodents wanted a fight, he would be the one to start it. He kicked out at the nearest one, sending him flying away from the booth and then sliding back across the floor. He was being set upon by two other Rodentia before he could properly even get out of the booth. Blows rained down on his face and body from the Rodents who were swarming above him.
The cyborg managed to get his arms up to protect his much more vulnerable face. Many of the blows that hit his arms and chest likely hurt the assailers more than the assailed. Bingo was not only physically tougher than an average Titan, being literally made of metal for many of his parts and extremities, but also faster. His hands began shooting out then to swat away several punches.
Bingo lashed back, striking out while making it to his feet. With no good way to gain leverage to slide out of the booth, he instead got onto the table first, after shoving the few thugs on top of him across the room and then fought his way out. Six impossibly quick well timed and aimed punches shot out from the Wolverine. Unfortunately for the Rodentia, who were obviously mistaken by the Titan that they thought they were about to bully and possibly try to rob, it didn’t take more than that to lay six of them out.
By the time Bingo was back on his feet on level ground with his assailants, there were only three remaining, and they looked at each other, neither being extremely eager to make the next move. For his part, the cyborg did his best not to do any permanent damage to these gang members. Wolverines were extremely uncommon outside of Cabraland, and therefore, it was not really the thugs’ fault for not knowing the type of fight that they were picking.
Bingo took a step forward, the other three took a step back. One was pulling out a knife.
“The boss ain’t gonna be happy about this!” One of the Rodentia turned and exited the scene. Most of the ones he had knocked down but not completely out retreated with him.
Bingo downed another drink from the bottle he had purchased and left the rest on the table. He then moved to leave with a nod to the female server who was now watching with fear. She watched him but did not reciprocate his nod.
A large figure moved then towards the elevator, a figure that the Rodentia had run back to. Either the boss they mentioned or a bouncer perhaps. If he was quick enough, Bingo hoped to be gone from there before there was any further strife. This wasn’t due to any natural reluctance towards violence on the Wolverine’s part, quite the opposite, he just figured he had enough enemies waiting for him topside without making more within the local community.
Before he could cross the distance, several of the rats had armed themselves, and now stood between him and the exit. He still had his Etcher in a holster on his hip, slightly hidden by a long shirt, but he hoped he could get through without it coming to another shootout.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“Come now fellas. Put down the guns.”
“Fuck you. Hand over your valuables.” Came the sadly not unexpected response from the nearest armed rat.
The Rodentia sometimes had a reputation for not exactly respecting the boundaries of polite society, and though some socially conscious Titans may have argued it was not good to paint Titans with a large brush and stereotyping was wrong, to Bingo’s experience, it has usually proven more right than wrong. Were there some truly noble and good hearted, law-abiding Rodentia on the planet? Probably. Would he bet that any of them were here within the speakeasy? Probably not.
The two sides stared hard at each other, the rodents aiming their weapons, thinking about blowing the troublemaker away while the cyborg’s hand at his side contemplated going for his own, wondering if he could draw it and fire several times before they could pull a trigger.
The standoff was interrupted then by the elevator doors opening. Two familiar Procyons emerged just behind the rodents, and their weapons were already drawn.
“Are we making this a thing?” Rocco asked the Rodentia, one or two of them turning to see the guns aimed at their backs. “Please tell me we’re gonna have us a shootout.”
“Good choice.” Ricky offered as the gang members opted to lay their weapons down on the ground instead. “He’s a cyborg. Probably a toss up whether or not those bullets would have penetrated anyway.”
The large Cat that had stood up to back up the rodents held his hands up high. He looked to be a simple bouncer and one that was happier to see the troublemakers leave as opposed to shooting up the place.
“Good timing boys.” Bingo nodded in their direction.
“Took enough to find you. Is Eligah with you?”
“The old Titan?” Bingo was puzzled. “No.”
“He’s nearby.”
“How can you tell?”
“Rocky’s sensors back in the ship. Our’s are jammed.”
Bingo noticed earlier that something seemed to have been interfering with his Net-com, but this was solid confirmation.
“We are leaving.” Bingo addressed one of the shame-faced Rodent criminals, still assuming a non-threatening stance. “Are there any other floors this elevator stops at?”
“Just the one. It leads to the Boss’ quarters.”
With a smirk, Ricky pointed his gun towards the criminal. “Send us there.”
They all three got back on the elevator and were soon headed to another floor. It took only a few moments before the doors split apart once more and they found themselves staring at an awful white room filled with opulence personified. Plush white leather couches, gaudy exotic plants hanging from the ceiling and gilded trimming all came together in a rather off-putting way for the trio.
“Hello? Anyone home?” Ricky called out cautiously.
“Back here!” They all recognized the voice as that of their old companion. There was an elevated level of stress to the voice that caused all three Titans to draw their pistols.
The room they found themselves in was lavish and large, nearly the size of a goalball field, but the trio began leaping over furniture to cross the area quickly. Bingo made it to the rear area of the room first, his bionic legs were able to carry him farther and faster than most other Titans. He came face to face with a hallway where dozens of half-clothed females were coming out of rooms lining both sides of the hallway.
Garbed in strange, white, ritualistic looking robes that just managed to cover their decency, the females each possessed a detached, far-away look to their eyes. Most of them were armed too, Bingo realized, if only with long ceremonial daggers or long staffs.
“What the hell?” The Wolverine exclaimed upon setting eyes to this strange sight.
“Join us.” The entire procession of females beckoned in perfect unison, just as the two Procyon were catching up.
“Holy fuck.” Rocco said. “Is this a holy fuck moment? I feel like it is.”
“We just want our friend.” Ricky tried to reason with the glassy-eyed females, comprised of many species, from Canids to Rabbids.
“You must be the famous rebels.” An enormously fat Ursid came out into the hall from one of the rear doorways to stand behind the crowd of females. He also was dressed in a barely decent white robe like the females wore. “I saw your broadcast a few nights ago. How crazy that you show up here in my very abode.”
In the moment of urgency and trying to stay alive, Ricky had nearly forgot all about the ordeal in Kallerish City, and the broadcast that Wolton and the alliance of rebel groups had put onto the Titannet, where the Zenith leaders were shown murdering innocent residents of the Astrobloc. It wasn’t so much that he had forgotten the events, but that they had been shown to a wider audience. It seemed like a lifetime ago now, standing halfway across the planet on another continent in another city.
“Uh, yeah that was us.” Ricky began before being cut off by his brother.
“Damn right we took down that fascist Zenith guy. We just need our friend and there doesn’t have to be any trouble like that.”
“But there can be.” Bingo smiled a wicked smile.
“I’d rather not have to fight females.” Ricky muttered back at the Wolverine, now stepping up to his side.
“Well I don’t give A fuck.”
“Get them! Zenith will offer a nice price for those fugitives!” The massive Ursid screeched while pointing over the females’ shoulders at the three Titans standing opposite them in the hall.
The females screeched too, and launched themselves at Ricky, Rocco and Bingo. Ricky’s energy blade was in his hand, while Rocco’s batons extended in his. Bingo was the quicker of the three and used no weapons beyond his natural weapons, teeth and claws, which were well utilized as he spun into the crowd of females. The Wolverine turned into a bionic whirlwind, and suddenly the hallway became a killing field.
Rocco was right behind the smaller Titan, but for once did not leap into the melee with gleeful abandon. His face read apologetically as his batons smashed aside the leaping harpies. The females gave no thought to their own safety and continued leaping into the dangerous range of their two male combatants.
Ricky however, followed the sound of Eligah’s voice, and found him inside one of the first rooms off the corridor.
“What in the hell was going on here?” Ricky quickly ran over to the elderly Titan, who was trapped in an animal cage.
“Don’t ask me!” Eligah shouted angrily. “These lunatics are dangerous!”
Ricky looked around for an opening and instead just began cutting wildly at what looked like an access flap with his energy knife. He had Eligah out in no time and helped him to his feet.
“I’d rather not know, but I have a feeling these freaks wanted to do some weird sex thing with me!”
“Umm…” Ricky wanted to argue with the old Titan, but at this point really anything was possible. “You may sadly be right, mate.”
Back in the hallway, Rocco found himself to his utter astonishment, beset by the suicidal females, who were quickly overwhelming him.
“They’re stronger than they look!” He growled at the cyborg while struggling to push half a dozen of the females away.
Sudden sparks filled the hallway, which drew an angry scream from the Ursid. Bingo had stopped playing nice and instead swiped a gash into the midsection of one of the beautiful females. Instead of guts spilling forth, a shower of sparks and circuitry was exposed. It became clear why this legion of statuesque perfectly gorgeous females was throwing themselves into danger without any concern for their own wellbeing…
“What the fuck? Pleasure bots?” Bingo cried out.
“Pleasure bots? They make those?” Rocco smiled dumbly.
Ricky and Eligah passed behind them and began running back through the large room.
“Go go go!” Ricky yelled back at the other two, still fighting for their lives against something much more sinister than what had first appeared to be.
Rocco took a chance and batting several of the female bots aside with one baton, grabbed up another and threw her over his shoulder as he turned to book it away from the fracas. Bingo he found close by his side.
“What the hell are you doing with that thing?” Bingo asked while leaping over an expensive looking couch.
“I’m gonna bet these things will bring in a good sum of credits!” Rocco responded even while trying to restrain the robotic life form from attacking him.
“You’re an idiot or a lunatic!” Bingo said dismissively.
“I reckon a bit o’ both sometimes.”
“Not sometimes. Right friggen now.”
The duo made it onto the lift just as Eligah pushed the button to activate it back up to the surface. The enraged Ursid screeched at the gathering of dozens of pleasure bots to stop them, which they tried to do. But as they reached the elevator doors to try and keep them from closing, they were greeted by a chorus of gunfire from the Titans within, which exploded the first line of “heads”, causing the processors to go out and the bodies to flop to the ground.
The elevator doors opened shortly after, and all four Titans rushed forth from this strange building and burst back out into the alley, glad to see sky above them again.
“Would you put that bloody thing down?” Ricky yelled at his brother, pointing at the female robot thrown over his shoulder.
“Uh-uh.” Rocco shook his head.
“Fucking idiot.”
As they began heading out of the alleyway, they all looked up and noticed the aerial drone flying just above eye level, facing directly towards them.