Chapter 11: The House of Boris
Following the railroad tracks through a mining tunnel, the company noticed the dirt-covered walls were becoming damp and the temperature rose as well.
"Whew! I'm sweating like a pig over here," Braze said adjusting his shirt collar.
"Maybe you're turning into one," Finley joked.
Hearing that, Braze raised his fist but was stopped by Baize who turned to Gerald. "How much farther do we have to go?"
"Not far," Gerald replied.
"Are you sure?" Bobbie said. "I was told the Badlands would be more dry and not humid."
"We're going south of the Badlands," Gerald said, causing Theron to look at him with surprise.
"What for?" Theron demanded.
"We're going to see someone who can help us," responded Gerald. "His name is Boris, and he's a Minsk Beast."
"You mean a Freak?" Daran asked.
"No, nothing that monstrous," Gerald assured. "He comes from a group of Heavies who grew bull horns under the light of the full moon or during Halloween."
Daran's brow furrowed. "Are there others like him?"
Gerald shook his head. "They're all dead now, except for Boris."
As he spoke, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel prompting the Engineers to run toward it. On the other side, they beheld a small valley with lush green foliage and abandoned buildings.
"Oh my God," Kinley said rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "What's this?"
"Borneo, a long forgotten Area in the American jungle," Gerald answered. "And it is also Boris' current home."
Warily, the Engineers and Bobbie followed Gerald down the railroad tracks through Borneo till they were underneath a bridge. Below them lay the BLU Base which was a large building where the tracks ended and a single Heavy stood. He wore spiked armor on one shoulder and had a big metal nose ring.
"Now I want Bobbie to accompany me while the rest of you stay here," Gerald said ushering the Engineers behind one of the bridge posts while the Heavy wasn't looking.
"How come?" Neylan wondered.
"Boris doesn't like strangers, so we have to get him accustomed to us," Gerald explained. "After I've introduced Bobbie, I will whistle and have three of your party show up. Then I'll keep doing this till he's certain you're trustworthy."
"Seems a little tedious to me," Blaze said.
"We have no choice, Blaze," Olan stated. "We'll be waiting for your signal, Gerald."
Nodding, Gerald and Bobbie made their way down the slope toward the Heavy known as Boris while the Engineers stayed behind the bridge post. At the bottom of the slope, Boris noticed the approaching Medic and Scout and folded his arms defensively.
"Uh, hallo (hello)," Gerald said trying to be friendly. "I am the Medic Gerald and this is Bobbie, a Scout from Harvest. Do you happen to know Rüdiger? He's another Medic who used to live near the Badlands?"
"Da (yes)," Boris nodded. "He was odd, but not bad. Are you friend of his?"
"Yes, and we need your services," Gerald said. "You see, we had a run-in with some Cyborgs at Coldfront who stole all our provisions. When they proved too much to handle, me Bobbie and my other associates were forced to flee."
Boris' head turned sideways. "Other associates?"
"They're currently hiding right now, and can only be summoned by my whistles," Gerald said.
"Then summon them," Boris stated. "I don't like men who hide."
"As you wish." Gerald whistled causing Theron Daran and Brian to appear.
"Is this all?" Boris said looking perplexed.
"No, there are more," Gerald replied. "Thirteen, to be exact."
"Thirteen?" Boris' eyes widened. "And yet Cyborgs easily defeat you?"
"They didn't so much defeat us as catch us off-guard," Gerald said. "We were resting at 5Gorge for the night when suddenly we heard strange noises and woke up to see the Cyborgs taking our stuff. So we ran to deal with them and — do you mind if I call the others before continuing?"
"Go ahead," Boris said approvingly. "I am interested in story."
So Gerald whistled twice causing Neylan, Olan, Oage, Gage, Finley and Kinley to show up.
"There are nine Engineers here, not thirteen," Boris noted. "Did you miscount?"
"It would seem so," Gerald said. "Let me get the rest."
"Do so, and be quick about it!" Boris said impatiently.
After Gerald whistled a third time, he continued the story. By the time Dylan, Baize, Blaze, and Braze came down Boris seemed engrossed by Gerald's details of their capture and escape from the Cyborgs.
"I see thirteen now," Boris said seeing the remaining Engineers gather with the group. Then he noticed the sun was getting low. "It is late. Come inside."
Then he went into the BLU Base with Gerald, Bobbie, and the Engineers following him.
###
After a feast that was big enough to satisfy a king, the Engineers and Bobbie were led to some comfortable looking beds while Gerald and Boris stayed up later. As the full moon rose higher over the misty jungle, Bobbie heard Gerald settle into a corner of their room and snore profusely. Then after that, another strange sound caught Bobbie's attention. It was a low grunting sound, which grew louder with the clanking of metal before being silenced altogether.
###
The following morning, Boris said to Gerald, "Your story last night was good, but it lacked conviction. So I went to see for myself and saw you were telling truth."
"So those sounds I heard…were Robots?" Bobbie gulped.
"They are dead," Boris stated. "Look outside."
Bobbie did, and noticed a Robot Scout that was strung up like a carcass at the top of the slope.
"How many of them were there?" Theron asked.
"This much," Boris said as he held up five fingers.
"Was a Robot Soldier among them?"
"Net (No)." Boris shook his head.
Theron muttered something to himself and stayed silent.
"We should be getting to the Badlands," Gerald said breaking the silence. "In case the Robots come here looking for us."
"Very well," Boris chimed in. "I will lead you out of Borneo to Badlands through secret path. And as bonus, take these."
Reaching into some barrels, Boris gave the company several provisions including food blankets and water bottles. Then following Boris, they went into another underground tunnel that went underneath BLU Base which led to a canyon that was several miles from Dustbowl.
"Ration water well, as Badlands are very dry," Boris warned. "Also do not leave rails. Bad things will happen."
Then with that, Boris turned around and walked away.
"I'm sorry, Theron, but this is as far as I go," Gerald said, causing Theron and the other Engineers to look at him with shocked expressions.
"What're you talking about?" Theron shouted.
"There are urgent matters I must attend to further south, which cannot be delayed."
"But how will we defeat Pyro without you?"
"You've got Bobbie. He's small enough to get past Pyro and faster than most of you."
"That's not enough to take down a freaking Robot, let alone a giant one like Pyro!"
"So why did you set off on this journey in the first place?" When Theron blinked, Gerald continued. "When we met at 2Fort, I made it clear I wouldn't go the entire way. That's why I brought Bobbie into this: to go where I cannot. If you're too scared to face the Giant Robot without me, then I suggest calling off the Mission now."
Everyone looked at Theron, who clenched his fists. Then he sighed and said, "All those in favor of continuing the Mission without Gerald, raise your hand."
To his surprise, everyone except Gerald did.
"You too, Bobbie?" Theron said. "I thought for sure you were going to want to go back home."
"I signed a contract, and a good Mercenary sticks to it," Bobbie responded.
Theron chuckled. "Thought you'd say that."
"Well, I must be off," Gerald said as a pair of wings sprung from his back. "Remember to stick to the rails, and not stray from them."
"We won't!" Brian said raising his hand up. "Farewell!"
The other Engineers waved to Gerald as he flew up into the air and went in a southerly direction.
"Did you know he could do that?" Daran asked Theron.
"Nope," Theron replied.
"That Medic's just full of surprises, isn't he?" Oage said with a bemused smile.
"Yeah, but he was our one shot at defeating Pyro for good!" Gage snapped. "Now it's just us."
"And Bobbie," Brian reminded. "He's the one who'll be getting us into Thunder Mountain."
"But what about after that?" Baize said doubtfully. "If that tin-can sees us—
"We'll deal with Pyro when we have to," Theron interrupted. "But right now we need to get through this blasted desert if we're to reach Thunder Mountain before Dell's Day."
Then Theron marched down the train tracks heading into the Badlands while Bobbie and the other Engineers trailed behind.
To be continued…