"Nonie." Huh, I never knew the void of sleep had a voice. "Nonie." It says again, a little more persistently. Weird, it sounded a bit familiar too.
"Waddaya want?" I mumble back to it, feeling weary all of the sudden. The dark void abruptly lights up with a jarring light.
"NONIE!" My eyes snap open, and I'm staring at small, super bright blue shoes. Sidney leans down until she's level with my eye, frowning with disapproval. "It's time to get up and make yourself presentable. You're an absolute mess." I blink at Sidney before sitting up. My back hurts like crazy, and I involuntarily groan at the stiffness. I feel like an absolute mess. As my reflection stares back at me through the offline computer screen, I also look like a mess. My short dark brown hair is flattened on the right side of my face from how I slept, and the rest is so disheveled I might've gone through a wind tunnel in my sleep. It didn't help that a line of drool leaked out of the corner of my mouth as well. I roughly brush the offending trickle of saliva away with my arm as I lean back and stretch in my chair. My back pops with a satisfying crack, and I run my fingers through my crazy hair.
"What time is it?" I inquire drowsily, stretching out again. Sidney smiles, and a niggling sense of dread worms its way through to my drowsy mind.
"6:34 a.m.." She informs me.
"6:34? Oh that's- SIDNEY WHAT THE- Why didn't you wake me!?" I shout, scrambling out of my chair. I'm going to be so late! I quickly grab my mechsuit from it's frame, and it morphs back into a backpack that I sling over my shoulder. In my haste up the stairs, I bash my head off the low part and curse.
"Language." Sidney chides as I burst into the kitchen. Mikey's already up, cleaning her own plate.
"Morning Nonie!" She says cheerfully. I manage to flash her a smile as I dump my pack on the table and rush upstairs. Seriously Sidney! As I pass the bathroom, I slam open the door and shout.
"Sidney! Turn on the shower for me! I'm gonna take a quickie." I announce. Sidney pops up on the corner of the bathroom sink and merely nods as I flee to my room. It looks like a bomb exploded, but that's just normal. I rummage through my drawers, putting together an outfit (Which is usually a tank top and jeans), before rushing back into the bathroom and dumping my change of apparel on the floor. I barely remember to shut the door before I strip and jump in. Holy crap that's cold! "SIDNEY!" I yell accusingly, glaring around the shower curtain at the hologram. She smiles at me with fake sincerity.
"A cold shower is refreshing, and will invigorate you to move faster." I grumble and force myself under the cold water, grabbing my toothbrush from the hanging cabinet to get that over with too.
"I'll show you invigorated you programed piece of…" I mutter darkly. In a few minutes, I manage to make my way downstairs, fully dressed and ready to go. Mikey holds up a sandwich for me as I barrel down the stairs, and I take it gratefully. "Thanks sis. Sid found it funny to wake me up late." I complain, glaring at the tiny woman as she appears on the table.
"You know I absolutely hate it when you call me that." She replies, but I only grin around my sandwhich. Shouldering my backpack, I ruffle Mikey's hair on my way out.
"Be good sis! Don't talk to weirdos!" I advise her.
"But you're weird!" She calls after me. Oh ha ha, very funny. I roll my eyes and shut the door before sprinting down the lane. Kevin was going to kill me if I managed to be late again. I adjust my black beanie as I run, avoiding some of the sketchier morning goers in my mad rush. Through many short-cuts and near collisions with some other people, I finally spot the rundown garage that belongs to Kevin. A teetering sign that simply read "Repairs" hangs above the entrance. I duck inside, huffing from my exertion. A glance around shows that Kevin isn't at the counter. Could I make it in without him noticing? I creep forward, trying to still my breath as I shut the door lightly behind me. So far, so good, I even manage to make it around the front counter and into the back to clock in. I grin triumphantly as I head towards the garage portion of the shop. Plenty of different vehicles, from hoverbikes to cars, and other types of machines hang or sit in the garage.
"You're late." A gruff voice suddenly speaks, and I jump a good foot into the air. A quick glance around reveals two feet poking out from underneath a rundown car. I grimace at the statement. So much for Kevin not noticing.
"Sorry Boss." I mutter, putting my pack down on one of the workbenches and grabbing some tools.
"What's the excuse this time?" He inquires, rolling out from under the vehicle to stare at me. His kind of portly face is covered with grease, but his hazel eyes shine expectantly at me for an answer.
"I had to fix my suit, and then Sidney didn't wake me up until later." I reply weakly. Kevin sits up, wiping his hands off on his pants.
"The suit, huh? Have some hard matches yesterday?" He inquires, standing. I looked up at the giant man, shrugging.
"Not too hard, but I did take a bit of damage." I answer. He walks over to a worktable with a contemplating hum.
"Hmm…. Well, alright then." He muses dismissively. I breath a sigh of relief. He wasn't angry today. My attention is drawn to his hand, which points at a nearby hoverbike. "Now that you're here, get to work. That bike needs some work. Driver busted the dang thing in some race or something." As he says it, I notice how the thing looks completely bent and the sides are scratched to oblivion. With a heavy sigh, I start forward and get to work.
XXXXXX
"Alright Boss! I'm clocking out!" I announce, wiping the grease off my hands with a towel. Kevin grunts in acknowledgement, busy fiddling with an engine. A head pokes out from behind another vehicle, and I'm staring at Ricky's dirty face.
"Hey! You doing another match tonight?" He inquires excitedly. Kevin's other two sons, Fitz and Jon, halt in their work to regard me expectantly. I laugh at the sight and nod my head. Kevin's boys were just little kids in big burly bodies sometimes.
"You betcha. You guys coming out to see me fight?" I ask back. Fitz, the youngest of the bunch, snorts at the question.
"Of course! I love watching ya pound some gear-grinders into the dirt!" Jon nods in agreement, but Kevin huffs.
"None of you brats are gonna see her fight if you don't get back to work." He warns. Just like that, the three boys shut up and get moving. I snicker at them, but I can't tease them too much. I was about as submissive as they were when it came to Daddy Kevin.
"Welp, I'm off then!" I say, grabbing my backpack and heading out of the garage. As I clock out and head outside, I hold up my wristwatch. "Hey Sidney!" An even smaller hologram of the AI pops up, staring at me expectantly.
"What is it, Nonie?" She questions flatly.
"Hows Mikey doing?" I inquire, stepping through the streets towards home. A few lights are starting to come on in the streets, now that it's getting darker in the evening. "No one's bothered her at the library, right? I hate it when she gets some nut-munching jerk." Sidney shakes her head, and her expression turns softer.
"Mikey's doing fine. Right now she's reading a new book since no one's come up to the front desk." She informs me. I grin at the news. Mikey just couldn't get enough of her books.
"What's it on this time?" I ask. Sidney smirks in slight amusement.
"I think it's The Guidebook to Advanced Programing. From what I can pull up about it, it's a requirement for some PAT students." I laugh at my sister's choice.
"She's really studying ahead, isn't she? Pfft, she'll be able to teach an entire class in her first year." Sidney chuckles with me in agreement, but then she looks at me pointedly. I know what question's coming. "So, you're heading home and then off to 'work?'" She asks. I nod, not offput from her stern expression as I smile.
"Yep! I hope it's payday today. I'm so close, Sidney! We almost have enough to let Mikey take the entrance exam and support her for her first year. So close!" I stress, dodging around someone else walking. Sidney's expression softens somewhat, and a faint smile curls her lips.
"Thats great news, Nonie. Although I still don't approve of your methods," She says in a low grumble, "I'm glad you've come so far. I wish you the best of luck today." I blink at Sidney, a bit touched. She rarely ever complimented me for my extra 'job.' It's a nice change of pace when she does, so I grin.
"Thanks Sid-!" My sentence gets cut off when I walk straight into someone. Or, more accurately, they walk straight into me. Annoyance flares through me. What the hell? The rest of the street was wide open! "Hey watch it!" I growl, dropping my hand to look up at the dimwit who ran into me. It was some big guy with dark hair, but what grabbed my attention the most was his clothes. They were way too well made to come from any of the shops here. Then I spot the group of people behind him, all dressed in sharp uniform with the rarely seen but well known insignia of the Piltover police. This guy is a cop. Oh shit.
"Sorry, citizen! We're the Piltover police, and right now we're in pursuit of the notorious criminal known as the 'Loose Cannon.' She just blew up the side of a high rise, and we believe she fled here." The lines sound rehearsed, and he's not really paying attention to me. That really irks me. This guy just ran into me, and he doesn't even look me in the eye when he apologizes? Damn these little Props, coming down to my home turf and acting all high-n-mighty. Cop or no cop, I can't stand jerks like these.
"Whatever. Just get out of my way. Stupid Prop." I mutter moving around him. However, the Prop has other ideas, because suddenly a hand encircles my wrist and stops me. I glare back at the guy, my greens meeting his baby blues. How the hell did he think he could get away with grabbing me?!
"Excuse me, citizen, but I need to ask if you've seen this girl." He explains, motioning for one of the police to come over. The guy pulls up a display from some device on his hand, and suddenly I'm staring at the picture of some blue haired girl with the craziest looking expression on her face. She's wielding some big rocket launcher with a fish head, and the picture looks like it was taken right as she was about to fire at the one taking it. I've never seen this girl before, but I have heard about her. Jinx, the Loose Cannon. One of the deadliest and most unpredictable criminals in Piltover.
"I haven't seen her." I snap, still pissed at being grabbed. I wrench my arm out of his grasp, glowering. He either doesn't notice or ignores my hostile look, because he sighs and waves the man away.
"Please inform the police if you do happen to see her." He says, but then he pauses. He blinks and looks me over, as if actually seeing me for the first time. A slow smile grows on his face as he reaches my eyes. "Hey, you're actually pretty cute." Wait, did he seriously just try flirting with me? From the near silent sighs that escape some of his police friends, apparently this isn't uncommon. I glare at him with all the annoyance I can muster.
"And you're pretty dense." I retort mockingly. "Get a clue, Prop. Take my advice and get out of here, lest our dirty air sullies your divine lungs or some thug tries to steal your pants." With that, I turn and continue on my way past, ignoring the feeling of the cops' eyes on the back of my skull.
"Fiery… I like it!" I hear him say as I turn the corner. A scowl finds its way onto my face. Stupid Props.
"Nonie?" A familiar voice inquires, filled with genuine concern. Oh right, I was talking to Sidney! I lift my wrist up again, and the little hologram woman appears once more, worry on her face. "Are you alright? What happened?" I smile faintly at her before shrug.
"I'm fine, slightly pissed though. I ran into a group of cops." I respond. Sidney's concern doubles, and I actually see her rub her hands together nervously.
"Cops? They didn't…" She trails off, but I understand the implied question.
"Nah, don't worry. They were looking for that one criminal, Jinx. I'm not under arrest or anything." I assure her. She breathes out with relief, and then straightens herself, trying her best to appear in control again.
"Ah, yes, well, That's good. Mikey would be extremely disturbed to find out her sister was arrested." She says lamely. I smirk at her.
"Aw, Sidney. Are you actually concerned for my well-being?" I tease. She glares at me, which only makes my smirk widen.
"You know very well that I'm concerned, Nonie, but I'm more concerned for Mikey than you." I clasp a hand over my heart, reeling from fake pain.
"Ow, that hurts Sidney. Right here." I whine, pointing to my heart. Sidney snorts and rolls her eyes, which is very unladylike for her.
"You're impossible." She chides. I only shrug at the remark and grin cheekily.
"It's part of my charm." Sidney rolls her eyes once again, mumbling, before the hologram disappears. Eventually I reach home and head inside. I didn't like fighting on an empty stomach, so I whip up some food. I don't want to come home late again, but if I can score some more cash I will. After a quick meal and a swift check up on my suit, I head out again to find Andy. After a few twists and turns in alleys, I hear the familiar sound of a mechsuit fight going on. When I turn the corner, the large ring of people confirms it, along with the crunch and ring of metal and machinery. I push my way through the throng of people, searching for Andy and watching the fight. The suits bore no design I recognized, so they must be minties. Eventually, I spot Andy, right at the inner edge of the crowd. I make my way over to him, but don't disturb him until the fight's over. It goes on for a while, and the lack of experience from both pilots is evident in the slightly hesitant way they fight. However, one finally wins, and Andy turns to me once he's passed out the prize money. He grins at the sight of me.
"Ah, my lovely Red Menace! Glad to see you! These people could use an actual match!" He motions to the crowd as he says it. I smirk back, rolling my eyes.
"That's if there's an actually challenging competitor out there for me. Think you've got one?" Andy looks pensive for a bit before shrugging.
"Possibly. There's some guy here from a different ring that wanted to fight you. He looks like a bit of a vet." I raise an eyebrow. A pilot from another mechsuit ring? Were they here to try their hand at beating me? The thought makes me grin.
"Ooo. Let's see how much fun they are." I basically purr with excitement, handing Andy the standard fighting fee. Andy's eyes light up with pleasure, and I can practically see the gears in his mind churn as he considers how much money this match might get him.
"Very well! I'll inform them that they're up, and we'll have a grand old time. Put on a show, Nonie!" Andy says before he disappears into the crowd. I smirk at his enthusiasm, or more accurately at his unabashed display of greed, and move over to one side of the boundary set up for the matches. Once there, I stretch out and observe the person Andy directs into the designated area. The guy looks pretty tough, and super bulky. Maybe he was intimidating, but I've seen worse. Andy begins his speech right away, laying the drama and build-up thick for the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen! Have I got a right treat for you! Today, we have a visitor from another mechsuit ring! He came here, asking for one challenger and one challenger only. That's right, folks. He's come seeking our ring's very own legendary fighter! If you blink, you'll miss her. If you flinch, you'll find no mercy. If you doubt, you'll die. That's right, ladies and gentlemen! It's our very own Red Menace!" The crowd roars with approval and excitement when I'm announced. Jeez Andy, you make it sound like I'm some sort of almighty warrior goddess. Not that I'm complaining of course. "Can our challenger even hope to go up against our undefeated champion? Or will he join the long list of vanquished opponents? Let's find out! Pilots, ready your mechsuits!" After Andy's over-glorified speech ends, we both power up our suits. I feel the suit quickly encase my skin, and a sense of comfort and confidence envelopes me. My suit was a lot like a security blanket. A very sturdy, deadly, metal security blanket. When my opponent's mechsuit came on, I have to admit I'm impressed. It was big, probably to accompany the man's form, and had a simple but sharp yellow and black color theme for it. Instantly my scanners start evaluating the thing. It was a very updated model, but that hasn't saved anyone before. Time to see just what this guy had. "Pilots, stand ready!" Andy shouts. We both tense, and the crowd hushes briefly.
"Thrusters…" I trail off quietly as my suit hums almost expectantly.
"Go!"
"Engage!" I shout, and with a burst, I'm propelled forward towards my challenger with blinding velocity. This guy obviously wasn't prepared for for just how fast I was, and I manage to nail it right in the chest before he can properly get his hands up. It connects with a crunch noise, and he skids back a bit more when my knuckle plates slam out, sparks flying from his feet. I don't let up, continuing on the offensive for a bit as he raises his arms to block. When I see him try to sneak a kick in, I push away, and hold up my arms. The pilot comes forward, and we begin trading blows, trying to out maneuver and out play the other. Eventually he tries for a grab, but I duck back from his grasp and go for a kick. "Shin burst!" I shout, and my suit responds with a little burst of concentrated air as the attack connects with his head and sends him teetering off balance to his side. I rush forward and trap his head, kneeing him in the head with the hardened, rough plate capping it. Once. Twice. Thrice, and he falters backwards from the force of my last blow. My scanners indicate substantial damage to his head piece, and I can see that bits of his mechsuit have actually come off. The little glimpses of the man within the suit show a lot of sweat, a bit of blood, and a gracious amount of fear. However, he launches himself forward, and I'm forced into a defensive stance again. Metal clangs loudly as we spar, and the sounds mingle with the barrage of noise coming from our excited crowd. This guy is good, I'll be honest. But he isn't good enough. As he's tiring down, he tries a desperate move. My scanners flare up as the presence of a disturbing electrical signature registers. I barely dodge out of the way as a concealed rod launches out from his wrist, sparking with electricity. Thinking fast, I catch the arm and twist it out before grabbing his leg. With a groan, I lift the heavy-as-hell man and slam him into the ground, earning a loud cheer from the crowd. The move stuns him enough for me to act, and I'm on him like a wild dog tearing away at his suit. He tries to block my punches, even swinging at me with the energized rod. A few choice blows to the arm, and the rod powers down as it's connection to the suit's power source is severed. Then I'm really just pounding on him, until finally my scanners indicant tremendous amounts of damage done, enough to put him out of commission. I stand up, panting from exertion, but satisfied. Now that was a good match. Andy finishes the countdown quickly, and the crowd booms with satisfaction.
"We have our winner, ladies and gentlemen! Our Red Menace remains undefeated!" He booms cheerfully over the noise. I grin behind my suit, completely satisfied. Some other guys, in almost identical clothing, hurry forward to help my opponent out of his wrecked mechsuit.
"Nice fight, man. Better luck next time." I call over. The pilot, gets out, bruised and bloody, grins at me as he nods.
"Nice fight. I can see why you're the champ in this ring." He compliments before his friends drag him off. Well, what do you know, someone with good sportsmanship. I smile, pleased at his manners, before turning to Andy and powering down my suit. He's already heading over, bundle of cash in hand. Holy moly, that's a big wad of dough!
"Guy paid a lot higher than the regular rate to fight you, Nonie. You got lucky!" Andy says as I snatch away the money. I count it up, almost giddy with the surprise amount. My excitement only increases as the numbers keep going. Then I hit a realization. That's it!
I have enough!
I can barely contain my excitement. "Andy!" I burst, practically giggling with joy. "Andy, I have enough! I have enough!" Andy blinks at me, confused for a moment before his eyes widen in understanding. He smiles, for once sincerely glad for someone else's wealth.
"That's great No-" But suddenly someone bursts through the crowd and grabs Andy. Their face is filled with panic, and they gesture wildly towards one of the alleys.
"Cops!" Immediately, a dreadful hush consumes everyone gathered, and that's when we hear it. The always feared sound of sirens.
SHIT!
Immediately there's a panic and everyone's scrambling to get out of there. I quickly put the money in my pocket, thinking fast. No way in hell was I going to get caught! Not when I just got the money I needed for Mickey. With that in mind, I activate my mechsuit and speed off with the others, pushing people out of the way once I'm fully geared up. Everything's a maddening mix of yelling and movement. I split off from the main group, flooding down different alleys and retreating when I see the light of sirens. They had the place completely surrounded! Just as I race down another alley to spot the signs of flashing lights up ahead, I freeze and look up. The alley walls were close enough together for me to wall jump up. Noise from up ahead makes me glance over, and I see people in uniforms start rushing down the alley. Leading them, irritatingly enough, is that stupid Prop from earlier. Oh no way was I going to let myself be caught by him.
"Thrusters engage!" I order, squatting down and jumping with the burst. It sent me soaring upwards, drawing a yell of alarm from the approaching cops. I wasted no time in pushing myself up along the walls, dislodging a couple of bricks in the process. Light bursts of light spark around me, and I realize that they're shooting at me. Luckily, I reach the top of one of the buildings before someone can get a lucky shot in and flee across the roof. I hear more shouts coming from behind me, and I have no doubt that they're going to be searching for me. "Sidney!" I shout, launching over a gap between buildings. A little box with the AI's face appears in the bottom of my head piece's visor. Sidey normally stayed as far away from my suit's programing as possible since she hated the fact that I was involved in something illegal, but my urgent tone must've drawn her attention.
"What is it?" She inquires bluntly, eyes full of concern.
"I need my location in relation to home, now!" I hurry, and Sidney immediately pulls up a minimap, displaying my location with a little red dot and my house with an orange square. By an uncanny chance of luck, I'm heading in the right direction.
"What happened?" Sidney questions, but I don't have time for it right now.
"I'll tell you when I get back! I need full focus right now, because I'll most likely being followed." I say. Sidney's concerned look only intensifies, but her little image disappears as she leaves. Then I focus on running and jumping, heading towards that orange box on the minimap. When I start to get close, I leap down to the streets below. My mechsuit takes the shock for me, but the impact leaves two deep imprints in the ground that make me grimace. Definitely not suspicious at all. Regardless, I pull my feet out and sprint for home, deactivating my suit while I'm at it. Those cops were looking for a red mechsuit with a devil face, not some girl in a black beanie. However, I still need to be careful, and once I'm pretty far from my landing onto the streets, I force myself to slow down and catch my breath. Sprinting at full speed down the road seems very suspicious. I recognize my surroundings now, so I head home at a slightly brisk pace, trying to act normal. A few glances behind me prove that I haven't been tailed, or at least lost whoever was following. Still, I get the unnerving sense that a pair of eyes are trained on me somewhere. As I finally reach the house and see no signs of anyone following me, I head inside and lock the door.
"Nonie?" A soft voice inquires curiously, and my teeth clench as a cold stone dropped in my stomach. Mikey's home. The new both relieves me and makes me anxious, but I put on a bright smile when my sister pokes her head around the entrance to the kitchen.
"Hey Mikey!" I say cheerfully, walking forward to catch my sister in an embrace as she runs forward to greet me.
"You're home early!" She states, clearly happy. Her excited mood makes my smile easier to hold.
"Yep! But I've gotta put some stuff away in my workshop first, then I'll be back up for dinner." I promise. Mikey disengages from the hug with a huge smile and nods before heading back. I hurry my way downstairs, switching on the lights and putting my suit in its frame. Sidney appears by the computers, staring at me expectantly as I plop down in my chair with a groan.
"Well?" Sidney questions in a slightly soft voice. I sigh, pulling off my beanie and running my fingers through my hair.
"There was a bust. Cops showed up, and had the place completely surrounded. I escaped up to the roofs with my suit before heading home. Once I got closer I returned to ground level and deactivated the suit. No one followed me," I assure her when Sidney's eyes widen in worry, "Besides, they only saw me in my suit, not what I looked like underneath." Sidney's cheeks puffed out slightly, and I could tell she was struggling with either showing anger or relief.
"While I'm glad you're fine, this is exactly why I detest what you're doing." She settles for in a huff. I only flash her a smile before staring at the ceiling with a frown. The cops almost never came down here. Sure, a bust would happen every once in a while, but never so organized! I'm not sure if Andy or any of the others even managed to get out.
"I'm just confused as to why there were so many cops down here in the first place!" I admit to Sidney. "That stupid Prop from earlier was there, but he didn't have nearly as many guys with him when he ran into me." I scratch my chin as I contemplate it. Gizmo might know more about it. His gang kept close watch on the authorities for obvious reasons. However, I put that aside for better news, and a huge grin finds its way onto my face. "But ignore that! I have great, great news!" Sidney raises an eyebrow at my sudden mood switch. "I did it! The one match I managed to get in before the cops showed up got a ton of cash as prize money! I have no idea who that guy was, but holy hell could I give'em a big hug right now!" My words come out in a hurried and excited jumble, but Sidney's able to make them out.
"Then that means-"
"We have enough! We can send Mikey to PAT!" I finish, basically squealing. Sidney shares in my joy, and for a few moments we simply bounce and laugh, completely out of character. Once we finally calm down, Sidney smooths out her clothes and clears her throat, trying to regain control of her excitement. However, she can't quite restrain her smile. I don't even try, letting an ear-to-ear grin split my face.
"Well… That's… Fantastic!" Sidney states happily. "However, I really think you should head upstairs. Mikey's probably getting suspicious of what's keeping you down here so long." She warns. She has a point, so I head upstairs quickly and go for the kitchen. Mikey turns as I enter, already setting out the food. At the sight of me, she smiles, but looks curious.
"You look really happy, Nonie. Did something happen?" Guess my excitement still shone on my face. I sweep my sister off the ground in a bear hug, swinging her around and earning some giggles.
"I've got some great news, sis." I answer with a smile.
Hello dear readers! I had a bit of an idea burst for this story, and I planned on adding the second chapter to it as swiftly as possible anyways. Personally, I don't plan to ever leave a new story with just one chapter for too long. It gets under my skin for some reason. But enough about my strangeness, please comment on how the chapter looks in general and point out any errors I might have made. I hope you enjoy!
~Cheers,
Dr. Falter Walter