Vista had no idea what was happening. Uber and Leet had decided to run one of their stupid games, something called “portal,” and Shadowstalker, Kid Win, and Vista were caught in the middle of it. They had “gun drones” shooting bolts of energy and running robots and it was part of one of their stupid video game/thefts because the robots were doing smash and grabs all over the mall. Console was squawking in her ear.

And then, she tried to pull space in at the same time one of Leet’s stupid, stupid portals opened and…

Purple. Purple all over the place purple portals opening up and…

“GREAT GORKA MORKA!”  A four-armed case 53 almost landed on Vista. Dodging, she struck her head on the planter, lights flaring behind her eyes, as another case 53 landed, this one wearing some kind of tinkertech armor.

“Where are we?” the armored case 53 said. He looked at Vista. “Blinky, get the kid out of here!

“Hey-wait!” Vista snarled as she was picked up, but the four-armed guy felt like he was made of stone!

“There is no need to fear, young lady… Isn’t it early for Halloween?”

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Sophia didn’t know what the fuck the new portals were, and she didn’t care. Another fuck-up by Leet. But the guys falling out of them were another story. She saw some old geezer in armor, and a short shrimp of a girl, also in armor. On the other hand, the big case-53 was just tearing through Leet’s drones. He even took a shot for a woman who was too stupid to run. The bolts pushed him back, and he snarled like a lion before just reaching out and crushing the robot.

Stupid. You’d never catch her putting her body between a gun and some weakling too frightened to even run. Sophia raised her bow and put a bolt into a robot lining up a shot on the case 53’s back.

He seemed to realize what she’d done and waved that big-ass sword at her. “Thanks!”

And then there was an explosion—purple portals with robots falling into them and falling out of portals higher up, purple bolts and green lines of energy…

And then they were in a mall with a bunch of totally wrecked robots, Uber and Leet nowhere to be seen, and the BBPD flooding into the place.

“Police! Hands up!” one officer shouted.

The old geezer looked at them like he was Alexandria being told to surrender, but the Case-53 and the shrimp raised their hands.

“Put me down!” Vista was shouting.

“Are you certain? You could be injured—” Vista wiggled her way out of the weird guy’s arms and stalked over to Sophia.

Then he raised all four of his arms. “Pardon me, officers, but I believe there has been some mistake. I take it this isn’t New Jersey?”