Foxtrot of Iron
By Nathaniel Schrader
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1 – Freak Weekend
Date: 2005 CE
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I knew he was watching me… I could tell. He wouldn't stop looking at my ass. He was sitting at that table with the Azuri, the guy who looked like a bandit; big hat, big knife, smug look on his blue face. An eye patch covered his left, orange eye. But the Lombax with yellow fur and some brown stripes on his ears, eyes green and egotistically polished… he was watching me. He shifted around a lot, talking to his friend across from him, wearing a black shirt and vest, pants dark green and padded at the knees. The type of clothes one wore when moving large amounts of stuff, and when one needed freedom of movement. There was a nano-ring on his ring finger, dark blue and metallic. So… either a sky surfer or a brawny mover. Great.
"Oi, Náer," I turned to the sound of my boss's voice, a Lombax with dark brown fur and scruffy black stripes. His brown eyes narrowed, putting a tray in my general direction with some brown bottled beers on it, freshly pulled from the shelf. "Table or'e there. The Azuri and the Lombax." Internally, I was shocked, then became agitated as I realized I had to deliver drinks to that table.
"Yes sir," I said, taking the tray and turning. The bar was bustling today, very lively. Some pirates, some dark lookin' sorts, a few here for birthdays… and then these two, sitting across from each other on the other side of the joint. I ignored the beer spilling on the cement floor next to me and continued towards the two smug bastards, both of them looking at me. The Lombax said something illegible to his friend, the Azuri replying with something just as coyly. I sighed, looking up at the wood-paneled ceiling. I had gotten good at navigation, moving around a group of people that looked close to starting a fight, the bar's Agorian bouncer moving in. I reached the table, not receiving a word.
"Two Rusty Ales, yeah?" I asked, putting their drinks in front of them. The Lombax had his eyes on me; I tried not to make eye contact.
"Thank ya kindly, friend," the Azuri said in a deep, gravelly voice, like he was tryin' to act nice.
"Is that everything for you?" I asked patiently, slowing wishing I had been assigned to dish washing. The two didn't even look at each other to confirm my question.
"Nope, that's everythin'," the Azuri replied. I didn't bother to say anything else, just leaving. Before I walked even six feet away, I hear a glass shatter behind me. I turned around quickly, narrowing my eyes at the Lombax, his beer smashed on the floor. He was grinning at me.
"Another one, please," he said casually. I growled as I turned back around, walking past our bouncer holding up two Lombax drunks.
"Is everything alright, Náer?" Ar'seo asked me worriedly as he hoisted the two gibbering men over his shoulders.
"Everything's fine," I quickly responded, going up to the bar. "Another Rusty Ale." My boss turned around, looking at me, then at the table with the two idiots. He grinned, looking back up at me.
"Boy trouble?" My ears shook in rage.
"Just… another Rusty Ale, Jorn." He laughed, pulling up another beer from the iced shelf. He handed it out to me.
"Just don't forget you don't have work tomorrow," he said with a wink.
"JORN, I… NO," I said sternly, snatching the brown bottle and blushing. I pushed past the crowds of people quickly, arriving at the table again. The Lombax looked amused. I tossed the beer at him, the guy catching it and laughing a bit. I turned, but stopped as someone grabbed my tail.
"Does… this lightly gray Lombax with sexy maroon stripes have a name?" I turned back around at his words, taking my tail back angrily. He glanced at my chest. "Nayer, huh?" he asked, reading my name tag.
"It's pronounced 'near.' Now try and hold onto this beer a little tighter," the Lombax nodded at me, grinning, satisfied. My rage deepened. A drunk man vomited in my path, stumbling into me. My anger getting the better of me, I punched the man in the drooling face and picked him up, hurling him over by our bouncer in a fit of rage. Ar'seo looked at the man, then me as the rest of the bar became quiet. I huffed, straightening my red vest and black shirt and wiping some vomit off my black pants with a napkin. The bar slowly began to get loud again as I walked up to the bar. Jorn shook his head at me, smiling.
"What?" I demanded. He laughed, walking away to a customer at the bar. I glanced over at the table with the Azuri and the Lombax. The fuzzy twat smiled at me, waving a bit.
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I was out the back door before Ar'seo could stop and talk to me. The metal door slammed by itself upon my entering into the back alleyway. I was off work, and it was time to go home and forget that some jackass had been flirting with me all night. The Lombax had stayed until the very end hour, leaving only after his Azuri friend. Bloody twat…
"Ey' there, little guy," a voice near me said. I turned to it, looking down the alley. A black Lombax with white stripes, two more Lombaxes behind him, one yellow and the other orange. "Whatcha' doin'?" he asked. My face narrowed in impatience.
"Not getting mugged. I've had a late night, and would appreciate you not fuckin' around with me, alright?" The man laughed. He had orange eyes and a white grin.
"Mug? No no, just kindly asked for a donation towards a better cause. Like women," he said coyly, his goons laughing. I turned around, towards the other exit out of the alley. My heart was racing, but I wasn't too nervous. I slipped my tesla-fist out of my pocket and put it on, the fingerless glove looking innocent enough, black and simple. One of the goonies ran in front of me, leaning up against the wall.
"No," I said quietly to myself.
"Wha- AAAAHHH!" the yellow man in front of screamed out, electrical currents writhing out of my glove and into his gut. He coughed with eyes rolling up, falling over, knocked out. I whipped around to the other men. The black one looked cross, the orange one far more furious. He came charging after me with a knife yelling bloody murder. I evaded the jab and caught a hook into his chin, a snap echoing out of this throat as he shivered, standing for a moment, then fell over with a thump. The leader's expression hadn't changed, only irritated.
"Really? You're really going to be this much trouble?" he growled. I didn't reply. He sighed, reaching into his pocket and taking out a black pistol. He gestured. "C'mon. Only money, that's it, that's all you have to give us." I just glared at him. He raised his pistol. "Last chanc-…" he didn't finish, simply standing there. He put his gun away and turned, glaring at me and running away around a corner, leaving his lackeys behind. I was baffled, not realizing what had just happened until I turned around. Behind me was that Lombax, the smug guy. He was carrying an Alpha Cannon propped on his shoulder, with a big grin on his dumb face.
"Hey there," he said calmly, almost like I wasn't about to get shot.
"What are you doing here? Stalking me?" I grimly asked, really not in the mood for more nonsense. His smile widened a bit.
"What? Somethin' wrong with leavin out the front door, seein' some guy about to be shot, and savin' his butt?" I felt my face tighten in reaction, my anger starting to build up again.
"I can take care of myself. You and your antique gun can go back to where you came from," I growled at him, walking past the bastard. He caught my arm gently. I quickly met his eyes, my rage clashing with his suddenly serious expression. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"What?" I demanded. His smile didn't show through.
"I… wanted to ask you out on a date or somethin'," he confessed quietly. My body loosened to the response, my surprise slightly obvious.
"Really now?" He nodded humbly, letting go of my arm. My glare turned into an apathetic interest, more bored than anything now. He was the eighth guy to ask me out in the last month. "Alright. Who is this man who would ask me out? Your name wasn't on the bill, I think. You're not Marshall Jamesby, are you?" He laughed, twirling the Alpha Cannon around and de-materializing it back into his sub-space storage belt.
"Nah, that's my friend's name. I'm Ravoun Ursevi." My heart skipped a beat, my feet automatically moving me away from the man.
"Y- you're the Elder-Councilman's son!" I breathed out, beyond terrified. I had been furious with one of the most important councilman members for the Center for Advanced Lombax Research's son. The man's grin spread a little more.
"Heard of me? That's not surprising. Everyone I ask out does the same thing then runs off," he admitted, shrugging. I nodded hastily.
"W- well yes. You're a very important person's son, of course you're recognized!" I told him, holding a temple with my right hand, the left stuck on my hip. He tilted his head a little, that smile still prominent, and walked towards me. He ran his hands down both my arms, gently forcing them into more natural positions. He looked into my eyes from his height, almost four inches taller than me, my attention his and his alone. His warm breath seethe from him into my slightly open mouth. He tasted like expensive ale.
"You should come over, then, to my place," he encouraged slyly, stilling holding my arms, teasing me with his face so close to mine. I couldn't really respond. He reached into his vest and pulled out a piece of paper, sticking it into my vest's pocket. "In case you don't know where that is," he added. He pulled away from me, nodding. "Tomorrow, eight PM. I'll count on meeting you then, Náer. Have a good evening," he said smoothly, his person floating off the ground. Almost panicking, I looked at his feet, feeling stupid in not realizing he was wearing black, military grade hover boots. He saluted me, vanishing in almost a second as he soared up through the alley, up past a building and out of sight. I stood there, gaping at the night sky overhead. I stood there for what seemed an hour, looking at the stars, then another hour looking over the note he had given to me, on a neatly folded bit of napkin.
"It's the big house on the hill. Shouldn't be too hard to find. –Ravoun"
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The house stood stories tall, at least four. It was a colossus, a freaskish construction of abnormal size. The driveway was cobbled, surrounded by a garden with a multiple-layer fountain centered it. I had to walk through a gate and up a hill to this point, the grass in the surrounding area greener than my envy The house itself was dark green and trimmed with a chocolate brown, the doors mahogany and elaborate. I was dressed in a black tee shirt and darkly pale red pants, my bike boots pretty worn but still decent enough looking. My heart had never beat so quickly, but I knocked anyway, at eight at night, on the door belonging to one of the most powerful mans of the Lombax government. I waited nervously, my chest ready to explode. Footsteps were heard from the other side and a clinking of a ringed hand grasping a door knob. The door opened smoothly, a dark gray Lombax with black stripes and a suit behind it. I stood erect as he opened the door fully, looking me over.
"You must be Náer. Master Ravoun is expecting for you. This way," he informed, holding the door and gesturing inside. I stepped inside, witnessing a golden chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the black tile floor almost mirroring the world above it. A grand staircase carpeted in red and made with dark wood led up and split into two paths at the top. The tuxedo man closed the door, walking up ahead of me and started up the stairs, staying on his tail. "Master Ravoun doesn't have friends over often. You're the first man in a while," he said, making conversation. I looked at him, still following up the massive flight of stairs.
"He's had other people over?" I asked.
"Love interests, none of which he cared for much of. You must have caught his attention if he invited you here," he replied casually, turning left on the stairs. I didn't reply, just blushing. He walked along some more of the balcony, turning into a hallway with a big window at the end. He turned left again, going towards the center of the house. We continued up some more staircases , eventually leading into a room with another grand stair, only a small hallway at the top of it. There was a door halfway opened on the left, going into a bathroom, and two more doors. The butler knocked on the middle one.
"Sir? Your guest has arrived." There wasn't an answer, only footsteps. The door opened, Ravoun standing there in a black tank top and green cargo pants. He smiled at me, then looked at the butler.
"Thanks Jerr." The butler nodded and left, leaving Ravoun and me alone. The Lombax moved to the side. "Come on in," he coaxed. I nodded promptly and entered. The room was… giant, to say the least. The ceiling was wood beams bent in an arch some twenty feet up, various models and objects hanging from it by chains. The floor was wood too, with even more crap strewn all over it. There was a hover bike just sitting on some canvas cloth on the right, surrounded by tools and backed against a metal wall. Posters of ships and blueprints were pasted all over the wooden walls, a giant window taking up the wall opposite of the entrance, a giant door leading outside to a balcony, the night outside quiet. Ravoun slapped my ass and walked past me, sitting on his four-poster bed. The sheets were dark red and thin but looked like silk, the headboard reaching up into a wooden canopy.
"How are you doin' today?" he asked, smiling like the slyest demon. I nervously smiled back.
"Good, good. Not too bad," I replied. He tilted his head a little, still sly in demeanor. He gestured for me to come closer, and I did so, terrified. If there was one thing one I did not do, it was sleep with the nobles, and holy crap that was exactly what it seemed like was going to happen. He stuck a finger down my pants and pulled me to him, catching my abdomen with his hands. They slid around to my back as he pulled on me harder, forcing me to put out my arms and gradually lie on the bed with him. He was lying down next to me by the time I got to where he wanted, my face rigid and hot.
"I have to say… you're really cute, Náer," he softly told me, running a hand on my cheek, the other propped under his head. I put my hand on his, fingers curling around mine.
"Th- thank you…" He chuckled.
"Don't worry. I may be a noble but you're not at fault." He pulled back his hand, resting it on his side. "So tell me about yourself, I want to know more about you," he told casually, seeming awfully patient. I hesitated, then smiled back, albeit a bit nervously.
"Well… I'm nineteen, I work at a bar as a waiter, and… I live downtown, in an apartment," I said, not really grasping my social skills.
"You live by yourself?" he asked. I nodded.
"Yeah… my house is pretty small. No pets or anything. Just me," I added on.
"What do you want to do in the future? Move out?" he asked, smiling kindly. I blushed a little more.
"Um," I stuttered. "Just… maybe get a better house, a better job. Maybe work as a bartender myself… or open up a restaurant."
"You're a cook?" he asked, grin and eyes widening. I laughed a little.
"Yeah… I like to think I am." Ravoun laughed.
"Man oh man, first date and I already have a five star cook on my bed," he joked. I laughed in reply, blushing heavily. He winked, sitting up suddenly. I sat up as well, a little startled by his sudden leaving. He walked over to the hover bike, tapping a hand on one of the two rear thrusters. He looked up at me. "Want to go for a ride?" I looked at the bike, then to him again.
"Really? Right now?" He pulled a device off his belt, a small transceiver. He hit a button, the window of a wall retracting down into the floor, exposing the balcony. I smiled, getting off the bed as he sat on his bike, pulling on some boots and tucking his pants into them. He looked up at me.
"Ever ridden one before?" he inquired, voice curious.
"No, I haven't," I replied, trying not to seem nervous about the idea. He just smiled at me as he finished his other boot, sitting on the bike properly, his hand held out, smile kind. I beamed back at him, taking his hand and sitting behind him, his hands taking my own and wrapping them around his waist. I couldn't help but giggle a little, soon realizing I had done so unintentionally. He just looked back, face kind. "I… shouldn't we have helmets?" He just laughed, starting the engine. The thrusters spat to life, roaring behind us, me suddenly realizing why there was a metal plate over the nearest wall. He twisted the handle a little, hand on the air brake. He looked back, smile wide.
"Ready?" I didn't have time to reply as he let go off the brake, the engines ripping out hell as we sped through the open exit at breakneck speed. I clenched onto him and my eyes stayed glued together, the air gushing past my face. The wind was howling, almost screaming at us, Ravoun laughing. "Oh c'mon, open your eyes!" he shouted to me.
"No thanks!" I shouted back, my grip like a vice around his waist. The air slowed, almost to just a light breeze, the noise of howls reduced to a slight whooshing. I waited, listening to the sounds lessen, the sound of the engines a dull moan. I had my face up against his back, and, as I pulled back, I opened my eyes, still holding tightly onto his waist. The night sky… it was like a painting. We were so close, almost like the evening canvas was right there. I looked down, quickly looking back up to horizon level, not wanting to look down to the ground some thousand meters below. I looked upon the city before us, Apachire, towers of gold and silver, black and red. Several skyscrapers reached up from the ground, growing two arms and looking like wrenches as the building split. In only a few moments of me holding onto him, eyes shut, he had pulled us up over the Capital of the Lombaxes.
"That was… fast," I said quietly, flabbergasted.
"We were flyin' for a few minutes," he replied, smiling back at me. I was surprised; that much time had passed? "You okay?" he asked, reaching down to my hands around his waist, rubbing his thumb against mine gently. I just blushed then nodded, to humbled to say anything. He chuckled and turned back to steer, slowly drifting us over the city. He sped up a little, the thrusters now roaring loudly, but not screaming. We must have been going at least seventy miles per hour. We flew past building windows, a few people staring at us as we zoomed past. The traffic was a little below us in the air, bustling away, the golden streets and sidewalks lit up. Ravoun looked to the side at a one of the buildings… but I couldn't stop myself from looking at his eye. It reflected the world, lights within and gleaming gold, his face softly stretched in a smile. He looked back at me, and I looked away, pretending to look at a building on the other side. He laughed, accelerating a little more and making me hold onto him harder as we turned around a round building. A little farther on, we arrived over the park in front of the capital building, a massive structure carved with elaborate, moving clockwork and a claw with four fingers at the top, holding a massive, glowing blue orb in place with anti-gravity energy.
"Mind if we make a stop? I have to check in with my dad," Ravoun asked me, slowing the bike down to a crawl.
"No it's fine!" I replied.
"Alright, cool," he laughed, nodding. He accelerated again, racing towards the Capital Building. I cringed as we almost ran straight into the building, harshly turned, and spiraled down. Ravoun yelled out, laughing, as I held on for dear life. He pulled up as we came within fifty feet of the ground, making us level out as he pulled the air brake, making us slow to a crawl as the vehicle slowly lowered. He took his hands off the handles, looking back to me as the bike landed on the cement at the top of the stairs at the entrance to the building. "You good?" he asked. I was shaking, petrified, eyes unable to shut. He stepped off the bike, reaching out for my hand and taking it. "We're here," he joked. My heart almost hurt due to how fast it was beating, and words failed to get out of my mouth, just a sputtering of air. In fact, I felt a panic attack coming on, my mind rushing. But suddenly… everything slowed, and I found myself in his arms, his chest against mine, head on my shoulder. "It's alright, I won't do that again," he said almost laughably. He held me, warm and soft, my arms automatically raising up to hold him back, wrapping around under his arms. He slowly pulled me up into standing, letting me go out of the hug and holding my hands. I looked down at them, my mouth slightly open, my head trying to piece together what was happening. I looked up at him.
"Rav-," I was cut off, his lips connected to mine. There was only silence. My heart faded away, the warmth in his hands spreading up my arms, washing against my chest. My eyes closed, his lips sucking slightly on mine, glued in place. His mouth left as my heart yearned, my lust for his taste overwhelming. My eyes opened in shock, meeting his as he pressed his nose against mine, our hands interlacing and hot. His moist breath softly brushed the fur on my mouth, my desire for him almost overwhelming. I had just met this man a night before… and, suddenly, I had forgotten who I was. All I wanted was him.
"Ra… Ravoun…" I mumbled, unable to think of a coherent thought, but unable to contain my gibbering mind.
"Call me Raz," he stopped me. I didn't reply, just smiling wide, unable to control myself. He just looked into me, his big green irises reflecting my own, his face soft and kind. I stopped myself from giggling, coughing and breaking eye contact and leaning back a little, only to look back up at him. He let go of one hand walking towards the golden, giant double door entrance, still holding my right hand, proudly walking like there was nothing else that would have been.
I hadn't smiled that hard in a long time, not until that moment, with his paw wrapped around mine.
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The Embassy was quiet. Considering it was the Capital Building, I can't say I was surprised, but it was… eerily so. There wasn't even a person at the center reception desk. The fountain with its Lombax angel, eyes glowing white and reflecting on the mirrored black tile floor, was the only source of noise, the waterfall walls, made of steel, dripping along as they did, quietly. Raz looked around for a moment, holding my hand tighter. He looked unnerved, angry, even.
"Náer, stay with me," he told me, looking right in my eyes. His face was stressed, serious. I nodded, trying not to seem nervous. I was, though. Usually, there were people all around in here, standing around, talking. And… where were the guards? There weren't any at the entrance, and there weren't any in here, either… As we walked amongst the hallways, down into the center of the building, we still couldn't find anyone. No janitors, no nothing. We took an elevator, the hollow song of hover transportation our only company.
"Where is everyone?" I asked as the elevator hit the twentieth floor, still going. Raz shook his head.
"I… don't know. But this isn't right." He grimaced, staring at the closed doors. Finally, the elevator hit the middle floor, the hundredth. He took my hand, holding on tightly. I squeezed back. He stuck his head out, pulling me along carefully. The hallway turned into windowed walls, showing the city at night. It was serene, but… too much so. There was definitely something amiss. Only silence walked these halls, only nothingness, Raz and I. Eventually, we stopped in front of an office, the name "Kaden Ursevi" written on a golden and wood plaque on the side, door without window. There was light streaming in from under the wooden door.
"Your dad… is he here?" I asked. Raz didn't answer, only knocking. No answer. He knocked again, putting his head up against the door. He listened for a minute, and then removed his ear. He carefully put his hand on the handle, pushing down on it. It gave way, Ratchet slowly opening the door. My heart beat rampantly, almost bursting in my ears. In this empty place, I was terrified that behind the door would be a pile of corpses. Illogical, but I had seen weirder things. The door opened, and we both relaxed, revealing a fairly plain office, brightly lit, yet void of life besides some simple green plants. Ratchet took me inside, looking around as he let go of my hand. There was a window behind the desk overlooking a bit of the neighboring street, the office furnishing itself of a dark mahogany, polished, a few coffee mug stains on it. There was only a single sheet of paper in the "in" box on his desk, from Cross Inc, stating the stocks of the company, a newsletter sent to all Center for Advanced Lombax research employees. As an Elder-Councilman, it made sense that Kaden would have such a notice, but… where was he?
"Where is he?" I asked. He looked up at me, his face melancholy.
"Dad's been gone for a while now. I don't know where he is. I haven't seen him in about a week." My face opened with shock.
"A week?" He nodded in reply.
"Mom and him left a while ago, to some company thing for Cross Inc. I mean, he'll usually be gone for a while, from time to time… but he hasn't called back in a week now, and he hasn't answered his phone." Raz stepped behind his dad's desk, spinning the big black leather armchair back around. I glanced around, looking at the photos of the man and his son, the awards and trophies. He graduated with a PhD in accounting, linguistics, and management… very impressive. I looked back to Raz, a look of terror on his face. I felt my heart run cold. I waited a moment.
"Raz?" He didn't respond, only looking up at me, then back down to the computer screen. I walked over behind the desk. Only a text document was open against the wallpaper of his son standing next to his first plane. "Ravoun, if you're reading this. Go to the Great Library of Igliak. Run." Raz's hand was a vice around mine, his pupils narrow. We immediately started walking, quickly, out of the office and down the hallway. We skidded to a stop, pushing our bodies against the wall as we heard some whispers ahead of us. It sounded like guards. Praetorians, by the way they spoke. I caught a little of something, sounding like "intruders." Raz silently activated his hover boots, their ethereal propulsion inaudible. He picked me up in his arms, my legs in one and my back in the other, gliding quickly back down the way we came, my arm around his neck. Silently, through hallways only lit by the windows and the light from the city, we navigated the halls steadily, finding a staircase. I carefully opened the closed the door for us. We looked down the staircase. A dozen Praetorians, in black and gold trimmed armor, visors gleaming yellow, were ten stories below us.
"Shit," I heard Raz whisper under his breath. As quickly as he could, he hovered up the stairs, avoiding just flying up through the center. We were at this for several minutes, almost making me sick with the spiral we rose up in. I closed my eyes, grimacing at my stomach. "Almost there," he told me quietly, kissing me on the nose. Finally, I felt us stop, my eyes opening to the door to the attic. He set me down, looking at me with his hand on the push handle. I nodded, placing my hand on the bar and pushing with him. The giant rooftop was quiet, not a soul in sight. We emerged at the center of the base of the claw holding the ball of light up, its quiet humming almost relieving. The night air hollowed against us, at the very top of the building, some two hundred stories up. There were walls guarding the edges, about chest high and metal railed above, just high enough to hit your head on.
A whispering whirling was heard from below us, Raz looking up and around. Nothing was near us. The noise grew louder, my heart beating faster. The noise was roaring, and a white light engulfed our vision. My eyes strained painfully, making out the form of a military helicopter with three supporting aero-blades keeping it aloft. Our jagged shadows stretched across the ground, spilling up against our exit as Praetorians spilled from it, arming laser-sight rifles at us. I lowered my hand as the light from the helicopter was lowered to the ground, the craft landing as guards jumped out of it, all bearing golden pentagram symbols on their foreheads. Raz growled as a small figure, eyes glowing bright green, stepped out, uniform black with a yellow tie, a golden pentagram pin on his lapel. My eyes adjusted, seeing a tiny robot with a round head and little black officer's hat, a gold pentagram insignia on the face. He grinned at us.
"General Xai… what a pleasure," Raz grumbled. The Robot's smile only grew.
"So this is where you went. We looked all over for you, Ravoun. Your house. Your friends' houses. Everywhere. You went to the very last place we expected to find you at. The alarms said differently." Xai chuckled his signature chuckle, eyes narrowed in glee. Raz glared at him, scowling.
"Where's my dad, Xai?" he demanded.
"Your father was taken to a special location for holding, where all of the previous staff of the Lombax Government have been taken."
"Previous staff? They ARE the staff! What's going on?" Raz yelled at the robot. I glanced around; four guards behind us, eight up ahead, beside the general, equally spread. I slowly slid my hand into my pocket, grasping the tiny metal cube within. I knew I needed it today.
"The Empire has no use for those who do not share the enthusiasm for a new government like Emperor Ether. We need you, however, to come with us. We are holding all of the old members of the previous government in designated locations, just until we deem them suitable for a place in the Empire," the robot said eagerly. He was quiet, noticing me. "Who is this?"
"Nobody of your concern, Xai," Raz threatened, eyes slit. The general chuckled again. I looked forward, grasping Raz's hand.
"Don't look at me," I mumbled. He didn't, raising his ear a little. "Do you trust me?" A moment passed.
"What is your name, Lombax?" the robot asked, grinning. Raz squeezed my hand. I pressed the button on the cube within my jacket, my eyes watering in pain as both Raz and I were forced to endure subsonic frequencies bombarding us from within my pocket. The guards dropped their guns, their visors flashing multiple colors and designs as we started running, hand in hand, the robot on the ground, stunned, reaching up for us. The world was quiet and still besides that noise, slowly unfolding as Raz and I ran. A guard ripped off his helmet, tearing the gun away from a guard next to him and firing at us, each bullet pronounced as out boots clanged against the metal railing. Fire spread inside my shoulder, a feeling of muscle pulling away, apart. A pop rang in my ears as blood sprayed out of my chest in a crimson stream, gasp of pain leaking from my lips as I tumbled over the railing after Raz. The device in my pocket turned off, the world immediately accelerating again as my mind could concentrate on something other than the sound of pain. Raz was ahead of me in freefall, the world rushing past us as we fell. My vision blurred as I tasted blood spill from my mouth.
Before I could think of a word, to say even a muster, calling out to him as my lungs failed to function, the world turned black.
