Kittie
By Harris, Shaine, and Shatterclaw. Individual rating: PG-13.
Crimson had taken a group out to patrol and train, leaving the Nest empty but for Harris, Shaine, Rai, and Branks. Shaine sat in her room, half asleep at the computer, when it suddenly went Ouija.
Files and directories opened and closed, seemingly by themselves. She dug further, cutting off network access after finding the source. A storage room inside the base...one she didn't think had a network connection.
At the same time, Harris awoke from a sound sleep to hear thick, heavy footsteps outside his door. A moment later, the fire suppression system switched on, bathing him in icy cold water. He sighed, pulling the Glock from under his pillow and walking to the door.
Once he got there, the lights went off.
"Schieße!" Forget about the storage room...need to find Harris and Rai first...
As the lights flickered back on, Harris saw a figure further down the hallway. The air system turned on at full blast, flooding the hall with cold air. He started walking down the hall toward the figure, aiming at it.
"Harris...?" The lights went out again, and when they came back on Shaine was face to face with Harris and his bedmate. "Aaagh!"
He sighed, pulling back. "What's going on?"
"I don't know."
The lights went out and the fire suppression system kicked in again. The cold water almost felt good to Shaine.
"Damnit...if this is Bell again..." Harris let the sentence trail off as he walked, dripping wet, toward her room. The lights flashed and the water stopped, droplets still hanging from the spouts.
"Harris? Shaine?" Rai's voice came from the intercom. "Branks, even?"
"Rai! What the hell is going on?"
"Yeah, Rai, what the hell you doing?"
"I'm not sure. It's not power surges... Meet me in the comm room, and bring an umbrella?"
///
In the comm room, Rai was underneath a computer panel, with Branks sitting on top of it. Small pools of computer-safe fire suppressant were everywhere.
They could hear Rai cursing from beneath the panel. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Branks asked.
"Sure, seen Crim under here all the time - and Jinks too. Wonder if there's some sort of command rationale behind it."
"Maybe it's their way of doing sex?"
"Huh?" Shaine said.
"Some secret Raven mating thing?"
Harris shook his head in disgust as Branks looked up. "Oh, hello, Shaine. I didn't see you there."
"Shaine!" Rai leapt out from under the console, hitting his head on the way out. "Oww." He rubbed his head. "The power is fluctuating--"
"No shit, and something was going through all of the files on my computer."
"We have to secure the base, make sure the systems are on manual only, then check the generators. Which files?"
"I'll go check the generators," Harris offered, and left.
"Everything," Shaine said.
"Hey, Harris, take Branks with you! ...Well, go with him, Branks. In twos for safety."
"Whatever," she sighed, and hurried to catch up with Harris.
"The core is on shutdown," Rai told Shaine, "So we only have to worry about the access points here and in the offices. Oh, and of course tell Crim that the base went nuts." He started showing her what needed to be switched over.
Ten minutes later, Branks had not stopped talking. Harris ignored her: it was mostly bitching about Crimson and how he got her into such a terrible situation. "Then he says, 'I paid for your schooling and gave you help...' "
The generator room was dark, save for a faint glow from the far wall. Harris pulled out a lighter and ignited it, stepping into the room slowly with his gun held outward. The flame cast only a faint light, revealing the outline of a staircase leading down. A flash of blue-white light played across the room.
Branks was so close he could feel her behind him. His foot hit something on one step: it was rough, rounded, and slick. He looked down, playing the light over it; it was half of the head of a female Boomer, actually a more like simple mask, face downward. It had been hollowed out; even the eyes were gone.
"Jesus," he breathed.
"What is that?"
"Boomer."
"How did it get here?"
Harris stepped around it and continued downward. "I don't know. But there's not much left of it."
"And where's the rest of it?" Branks asked nervously.
"Good question." From the far corner Harris could see a steady glow; he aimed at it, turning slowly. The thing was maybe seven or eight feet tall. It was hard to make out what it was, or exactly how big it was.
"Head back," he whispered. "Go get the others."
"I can't leave you," she said. Then she looked back at the glow. "Well, okay..." She ran ungracefully back up the stairs, making noise as she went.
"Fuck." The thing in the corner moved, two red lights glimmering out from its body. "Halt!" He fired a shot at the ceiling, just above its head. There was a low rumbling, and then two laser beams stabbed out from it, landing at his feet.
Harris hopped back a step and turned, stumbling toward the top of the stairs. He heard a metal-on-metal ripping sound behind him. "Why is it I always have to deal with this shit?"
He reached the top and turned, aiming for the creature and firing. The shots lit up the room somewhat, and he could see a large power cable pull free from the wall. The end of it crackled; the glowing thing held it aloft and threw it at him. Harris stepped out of the doorway just before it hit the frame.
A fierce light played about the room, revealing a monstrous, mismatched shape. The light faded before Harris was entirely sure what he had seen, but it didn't really matter. He opened fire.
///
"Hey, Shaine, is there a flashlight up there by you?"
Her hand fumbled across the darkened room. "Yeah."
"Great, turn it on." She did. "Gee, Crim...really I didn't know that the red button destroys the base. Honestly. How was I to know going under the panel like you do would blow us up?"
Shaine smiled. "The computer's getting fussy. Just doesn't like being touched by someone else. ...Speaking of which, what is this secret Raven mating ritual and why wasn't I informed?"
"Urt...I don't know... Branks told me about it?"
"Hah. Likely."
"She thinks Crim and Jinks are in love."
"Okaaay..."
"She keeps talking about how they find ways of having sex. I think she's fixated on it."
"Great," Shaine moaned. "Another rumormonger. Tell me, does anyone on this base know how to just shut up?"
"Um, shut up? What's that? ...Don't worry; she doesn't do rumors per se, just stuff about Jinks and Crim."
"Good."
///
The generator fell quiet as that end of the base lost power. Harris could hear air moving through the vents, nothing else.
He sighed, regaining his composure, and looked into the generator room. The floor was strewn with parts - bits of machine and what looked like pieces of a Boomer. A small trail led off into the darkness.
As he reentered the room there was the slight smell of something burning, probably from the cable. The parts on the floor lay in a pattern, as if the thing - whatever it was - had gotten inside by dragging itself across the ground.
From the far end of the room came a slight movement. Harris aimed for it and opened fire. A large, squat form the size of a small car shifted its weight; the shots bounced off of metal.
"Shit." There was the sound of more movement, and metal scraping against metal. Harris dropped the empty clip and reached for another, slamming it into place. The lights went on. "There we go."
There was a hole in the floor near the far wall; it seemed from the way the metal was bent, that the creature had cut down through it. Whatever it was, there was no more sign of it.
Harris sighed and edged as close to the floor as he could before jumping down past the ruined steps. He walked to the hole, looking down and aiming. Inside he could see down to the training level of the base, but still no creature. Can't have gotten far, though. He dropped through the hole and landed hard, feeling shock throughout his body.
The debris from the mechanical beast was lesser, with a different pattern, but he continued following its path. It led to the elevator, then stopped and picked up gain a few feet away by the stairs. Reaching the stairs, Harris could see that the railings were bent.
The next level down was the hardsuit construction labs. He moved faster, hearing the heavy footsteps ahead of him again.
At the bottom of the stairs, he got his first good look at the thing. It was almost a full hardsuit, but had parts hanging from it including a female Boomer head whose outer shell had been ripped off. He opened fire without hesitation and it rocked back under the impact, extending one hand to him. A bright flare issued from the hand, shooting out a long, corded weapon as one finger broke off. It looked like a dagger weapon from one of the Raven hardsuits.
Harris quickly dove off to his right; it glanced off the floor making a long scratch. He climbed to his feet and fired at the suit's chest, hitting the hanging face.
An almost female voice issued from it: "You have taken our lives once. Not again, fleshbag." Something on the back of the suit moved. Harris shot at that and part of it flew off.
"Do you...have...any...last words...soldier?"
"Trust me," Harris replied, "You will die. I promise that." He fired the last four shots after it, then looked for a path of retreat. Doorway on the left, elevator on the right.
Smiling slightly, he grabbed a nail gun and chainsaw. Crude...but effective. Looking off toward the doorway, he fired a single nail to see if it was loaded. It was, but the nail only flew about fifteen feet. Swearing, he dropped the gun and raised the chainsaw, starting it up.
Then he noticed Mitch's microwave gun sitting on the table. "Aw geez...wonder if it's fixed.
"Guess we find out."
Outside, the door to the stairs was off the hinges. It looked like the thing had gone down one more level to the autocads factory.
"Hrrisss..." A staticky voice came over the intercomm. "On the way... Don't...cads...need...copy? ...Rai..." He ignored it, continuing down the stairs.
From inside the factory came the sound of typing. He kicked the door open and aimed with the microwave jammer, looking for his target. Wires ran from the hardsuit/Boomer to the control panels. He fired with the microwave gun, then again and again, but the hardboomer was still standing.
The power in the control room did seem to go out, sputtering sporadically. Not surprised at all, Harris dropped the gun and lunged at the hardboomer with his chainsaw, bringing it up over his head and swinging down toward the Boomer head.
The head resisted the chainsaw, sparks flying from it. He pressed harder; sparks flew and the head lunged forward. One of the thing's many arms swatted at him as the saw embedded itself in the hardsuit body. The head fell off, and the saw almost leapt from his hands. Gripping tighter, he ripped it away from the body.
"I keep my promises." He spat on the severed head, which bounced off of the body. The hardsuit fell to the ground. The eyes rolled out of the head and the autocads flared to life.
It formed a roughly female shape. Funny thing was, it looked almost like Shaine. "Aw, shiiit..." He went at it with the chainsaw; the newly formed face took the brunt of the first round and and arm from the autocad began reaching out toward him. He then concentrated on the arms and power supply, but the arms reached out to block him and he found himself pinned by them.
"Shit! Damned machines..." One arm reached out to grasp the chainsaw, trying to pry it away from him. It slid from his fingers and he was raised above the production line as the body was taken from the end of the line.
"Fucking piece of shit machines!" An arm with a laser arced out toward him but was shot down. He stared at the laser and then at the hardsuit which had appeared in the doorway.
"So," Shaine asked casually, "What did I miss?"
The newly formed body of the hardboomer screamed. She looked at it and did a double take. "SHIT!" Two more arms came to life and reached toward her.
"Hey, here's an idea, Shaine: KILL IT!"
"Shut the fuck up, Harris!"
"Shaine?" The creature said.
"Just shoot, bitch; don't talk!"
She fired; the assembly line rocked from the impact and the few connectors still attached to the creature snapped. Shaine hit its side; it glanced down at the damage and then fired with its lasers.
Both lasers hit, and Shaine could feel the heat of it inside her suit. It walked toward her, standing over her, and she ignited her laser sword.
"You..." She took a slash at its chest and it ignited its own laser sword, then kicked her away, holding the wound. "You ruined my life!"
"No fucking shit." Shaine blocked, then went for its head but missed. "What do you think you did to mine? Do you think I asked for you?"
"And now that I have you..." It backhanded her.
"Go shoot at Erik if you want someone to be pissed at - do us both a favor."
"Erik saved me," it screeched. "And don't speak to your mother that way!"
"What?" Mother? Shaine brought her sword toward it again as it fired a rail gun. The rail missed and embedded in the wall.
It leapt toward her. "You know, Harris, now might be a good time to find a way down from there." She sidestepped and slashed at the Boomer as it passed.
"Oh, yes, Harris..."
"Aw shit..." The arm holding him aloft moved toward the Boomer. "I can't damn well move but you remind the Boomer of me. Thanks."
"How would you like a preview of how you will die, Harris?" She leaned to one side and Shaine watched the gashes from her laser sword begin to regenerate. "Oh, you shall pay for this."
Shaine advanced toward it again, trying her rail gun. But the Boomer leapt up to the arm holding Harris and held its sword above him.
"Now, human...you will die for her. Would she die for you?" The sword buzzed near his ear.
Shaine threw herself toward the arm, screaming incoherently. She collided with the Boomer and both fell, its sword slicing the arm in two. Harris landed a few feet away from them.
Shaine rose quickly, laser sword swinging, and rushed toward the Boomer again. It tried to kick her legs up from under her, but Shaine jumped and stabbed at her. The Boomer brought its sword in low and pushed the swords up to break contact. Harris scanned the room for anything that could be used as a weapon.
"Fuck...get out of here, Harris...go get your suit."
The Boomer looked at one, then the other...and opened fire on both.
"Shit!"
Shiane rushed it, ignoring the rail bursts, to distract it from Harris. She was hit full-on but the rails missed Harris, flying just past his right arm. She staggered back, the armor on her own arm ripped away, and fought to stay balanced.
"You will die, my clone, and I will have my revenge. Then maybe Erik will accept me for who I am."
"Accept you?"
"Yes. It is your kind that have kept him from me."
Shaine gritted her teeth against the pain. "That's fucking likely."
Regaining his senses, Harris ran for the fire extinguisher and pulled the pin out. He aimed it for the Boomer's face and sprayed. Shaine fired at it as it staggered back, blinded.
"Keep firing. Kill it." The Boomer fell on its knees, wings extending from its back.
"Aw, fuck! This just keeps getting better."
Harris emptied the fire extinguisher. "Shaine, what the fuck is happening?"
"How in hell should I know?"
The thing took aim as best it could and fired at both again. It hit; Shaine's hardsuit took the force of the blast but began to redline. "Rai, get down here! The Replicant fused with a hardsuit and some other weird shit and it's attacking us and Harris doesn't have his hardsuit!" She kept firing despite the warning lights on her HUD.
"Aw, fuck!"
The Boomer ran toward the door; out of the corner of her eye Shaine could see Harris rolling on the ground to put out the flames. Well, he's alive and moving... "Fuck, it's running away...get to your suit now."
"Get down there!" Branks called.
"Damnit," Harris pulled himself up to hands and knees as Shaine ran out after the Boomer.
"It's headed to the elevators, Rai!"
"I'll meet it there."
Harris went for the stairs, heading for his room. The Boomer ignored him, trying to pry open the elevator doors. Shaine ran toward it, firing, and ran her sword through its stomach. The Boomer swung halfway around, trying to use its knuckle bombers, but the fist hit the wall. It backhanded her and then the elevator doors opened.
Shaine rushed forward, pushing the Boomer into the elevator ahead of her and took aim with the rails on her right arm. "Rai, we're in the elevator now."
The rail bursts hit and the Boomer screamed, trying to kick Shaine. "Be damned if I'll let a fucking skin job do this to me..." She kept firing.
"I am not a skin job!"
"He lied to you!"
It kicked and fired its jump jets, sending them both flying into the elevator shaft. Shaine wrapped her right arm around its waist, holding on tight.
Harris was waiting by the door with an autoshot gun; he began firing as soon as he saw them. The Boomer reeled back and hit the wall; Shaine's laser sword broke and it fell. Shaine managed to use her jet verniers to slow her fall, and flew back up to Harris's level.
Harris rushed to the doorway, aiming downward and continuing to fire as the Boomer tried to grab onto another door below. She missed and hit the bottom of the elevator shaft, then lay there.
"Godsdamn fucking shit! Why can't Crimson buy a sword that'll fucking stand up to this fucking shit?"
Harris kept firing and the Boomer's body danced with the impacts. "Crimson can't even afford a secure base, let alone quality technology."
"Well, no shit!" Shaine activated her comms again. "Rai, we've got the bitch lying down at the bottom of the elevator shaft and it looks like she's dead..."
"Yeah, I know. I got a problem up here; someone let the damned cat think out of her cell."
"Aw, fuck."
"It's in the suit room."
"The what?" Harris asked.
"Harris, take care of this...I'm going to help Rai with the cat-creature."
"What the hell did I miss now?"
"I'm bleeding - and it's trying to eat me!"
"SHIT!"
"Aw, geez," Harris moaned as Shaine disappeared from sight. Then he looked back at the Boomer, which had started moving again. "You done fucked my day up..." He fired several more shots into it.
It was decapitated again by that point, and the head flew up the elevator shaft, blowing Harris a kiss as it went. He aimed again, firing, and smoke billowed up from it. Finally he hit it and it fell back down to the bottom of the shaft, hitting the wall several times on the way down.
Harris smiled. "That's what I thought, bitch."
///
"Rai, are you there?" The hardsuit room was completely silent.
Shaine saw a pool of blood coming from beneath the locker doors. Oh, gods, no. She ran toward it. Rai was there, lying unconscious on the floor, with massive cuts along his arms and legs.
"Aw, shiiitt..." She turned at the sound of a low growl and saw the cat-thing. There was more blood on its face and claws.
She kept firing until Harris got there; by that time nothing was left but a pulp of blood and fur. The body feel forward; Shaine felt blood rush to her cheeks as she reluctantly lowered her arm.
"Hmmm," Harris said. "Good kittie. Stay." The thing spasmed on the floor.
"Branks, get medbay ready. We've all been hit and Rai's passed out. Damn...should I bring him there or do you want to come here?"
There was no answer.
"Branks!"
"Aw, shit..."
"Fuck. Harris, go find her. I'm staying with Rai." He nodded and left.
Shaine knelt down by Rai, listening to his ragged breathing. "Shaine...medkit...hangar."
She bit her lip and went.
///
The comm board was smashed. Harris studied it for a moment.
"Harris, one of the bikes is gone."
"Gone? What the fuck - you think Branks left?"
"What do you fucking think? I don't know! All I'm thinking about - all I want to think about - is getting back to Rai with this fucking medkit! You handle the rest."
"Damnit...gonna check the computer. Should be a tracer on the bike, right?"
"Well you think you're some sort of godsdamn fucking Superman; you figure it out!"
From the hangar came the sound of a car engine. "Hello?"
"Hello? CRIM!" Shaine ran back into the hangar. "Godsdamnit, you leave for a few hours and the base blows up..."
At the same time, Harris arrived. "There you are, bitch!"
"Rai is in the suit room...he's been hurt, bad." She ran off again.
"I know how to field patch him, but we'll have to get him to the hospital. I'm sorry, Rai. I didn't mean for this to happen."
Shaine took off her helmet, muttering, "I think I'm getting to be a bad luck charm."
"Shaine, get Mitch and the others on the line. I want Branks."
///
"Hi, Shaine...do you need me?"
"No fucking shit I need you, Bell! Branks defected, Rai's hurt really bad, and Harris is tearing around on a Motoslave trying to catch her."
"I am sooo there. I've got a suit; where's Harris?"
"I have no fucking clue, Bell. Use the bike trackers."
"On it! Belladonna out!"
///
Branks was no more than a mile ahead. Harris sped up, trying to close the gap, and the Motoslave pulled like a son of a bitch. He slowed up just enough to avoid a crash.
Soon he was within a block of the other bike. It had been smashed into a dumpster outside a well-to-do building.
"Damn." The bike looked fine, but the dumpster was totalled. There was no one else within sight. The Motoslave's scanners were picking up at least three other lifeforms: two behind him, one in front.
A hail of poorly-aimed bullets flew from behind him, and he heard growling. And howling...and mooing. From the shadows came another cat-creature like the one back at the base.
"Fuck!" He fell off of the side of the bike as the bullets hit, then scrambled to his feet. The cat-thing had an AK centerfire.
Harris took aim as the two behind him came into view, nailing both. The one in front dodged, but he fired again and easily hit it.
A voice came from the bike: "Is Motoslave needed?"
"Uh...yes?"
The bike took on the form of a large robot. About eight feet tall, it had a large gun in one hand. "Motoslave Unit Seven reporting."
"What the...?" Harris stared. "Cool."
"I am Raven Class Motoslave Unit Seven, rider Snakebite."
Harris picked up the tracker unit. "Is the other Motoslave over there in proper order, Motoslave Seven?"
"Motoslave Six is functioning, but missing transformation matrix. Rider tampering."
"Damn...um, can we get any information from it?"
"Yes."
"The last rider, maybe? And anything else you can find out about them."
"Last rider was Branks, codename Witchdoctor. She was hurt, leaning to the left, and leaking."
"She's hurt...did she say anything about destination?"
"Her temperature was up by five degrees, and she was using massive amounts of profanity. She also ran five stop signs and/or lights. No destination noted; she was on manual."
"Can your sensors pick up her blood trail?"
"Affirmative."
"Yes? All right, then. Let's follow it."
"She is in the building across the street with five other bodies. Two airborne vehicles approaching, one with Raven markings."
"Can you scan the building for me? What's inside?"
The building is rigged with explosives."
"Shit..."
"There is a massive amount of lifeforms."
"How many total? Or just the six?"
"One hundred fifty to one hundred seventy."
"Can you disarm the explosives?"
"Unknown. This unit lacks the fine motor skills."
"Well, locate them all and disarm them if possible. If not, relocate the people inside."
"Compliance. Would you like a readout?"
"Yes." A piece of paper slid out of its side; Harris took it and read it. The diagram showed the main supports of the building, and at each one was a bomb.
He heard a helicopter above. "Relocate the explosives. I'm going in for Branks."
"Sir, do you wish this unit to come along?"
"Damnit...I wish I knew something about explosives...make sure those people are safe, then come back to me."
"Compliance." The Motoslave walked away and started climbing the building.
At the front door was a naked woman who looked like a cow, holding a baseball bat. "Uh...okay..."
"Mooooo..." It swung the bat at Harris; he stepped back, firing a shot into its chest.
"Damn cows." He stepped past the body and into the building, heading for the stairs. This thing says Branks is on the top floor...
A cat-creature sat on the stairs grooming itself. "Come to die, have you, hummman..."
He fired at it. "Nope." He passed two more of the cows but they were too slow to pose any real danger. The floor was slick and carpeted with grass, but he still made it to the top in less than five minutes.
Kicking the door in, he saw three more cats with guns. He hit two and their uncoordinated fire took care of the third for him. He ran after Branks.
"Stop, bitch!"
"Never! Not for the likes of you."
He fired, hitting her leg, and saw blood and bone beneath the ripped flesh. Something lifted her up to the roof as three grenades fell to the ground before him, spewing smoke. A pair of glowing, yellow eyes was visible through it all, moving in an unreal manner.
Harris fired at the eyes and knew he hit at least once, but the figure disappeared into the smoke, and Branks with it. He climbed to the roof as the helicopter lifted into the air, firing at the rotors as soon as he was able to get a shot off. Smoke billowed from it, but he felt faint and his vision blurred.
He shook his head. "Damnit... Not now..." He aimed one more time and fired. The helicopter went down. So did he. Harris heard the rush of the wind and the clatter of his gun upon the rooftop.
He thought he saw an angel in black, with fiery wings. It looked vaguely female, singing to him of his deeds.
Then there was nothing.
///
Shaine and Crimson were there beside the bed. Pretty monitors... Oh, shit. Crim.
"I think he's awake."
Harris shook his head. "Ya think?"
"No, let's poke him and find out." Shaine glared down at his prone figure, then rolled her eyes.
"Fuck you, Harris...who told you you could die?"
"Not even for your birthday, old man."
"Not even."
"Yeah," He continued. "Maybe for Christmas, but only after a pint or two of eggnog..."
"Or a pint or two of blood," Crimson said.
"Now, then, what's this about dying?"
"As in, ceasing to live." Shaine said. "What you and Rai almost did." If possible, she seemed even more harsh and cynical toward him than usual.
"Naw..."
"You lost a lot of blood, and then there was the explosion."
"Explosion? Oh, shit...how's Branks?"
"Yes, the building went up in smoke. There were over a hundred bodies in the rubble."
"Damn bike."
"None of them were human - or Superman - so we knew you weren't there."
Shaine snorted at this.
"Well, okay, then." He shook his head. "What about Branks?"
"The police thought the people had farm animals in there."
"That's about it. Farm animals, indeed!"
"And Branks...is contained, for now. The DNA was mixed; the police couldn't handle that."
Harris tried to get up but fell back, still a little dizzy. "Damn Branks..."
"No, this is too big for her alone, but there is someone who I think may have done it."
"What the fuck is going on?"
"I got a file yesterday: one Dr. Cinocard. Wanted for DNA tampering...and a hundred other things. He was last seen in Wisconsin, working as a vet. The DNA from the cows was for...class."
"So Branks had nothing to do with this?"
"Bull. She helped him...ran to this sick bastard..."
"Nice choice in people, Crim. I mean...you picked one hell of a group..."
"I should have let you shoot her," Crimson replied as Harris fell back, closing his eyes. "Over and over."
"No. I owe her better than that," Harris growled.
"And you'll get it; I have the city locked down. And at least I have three Ravens I can count upon."
Harris sighed, his eyes opening again.
"We will get her, and when we do, you'll have justice."
"I thought you said Branks was contained? She's not here?"
"No, she's in an ADP holding cell. You are in a hospital."
He glanced around. "We're not at the base?"
"Rai and you both need more than I can give right now. Until you're stabilized you stay here."
"Damnit, I'm fine." He tried to pull himself up again and fell back, cursing.
"You'll have a police watch and a guard. But you are staying in that bed."
"Damnit, if I have to fucking crawl out of here...slowly...over the next month..."
"I'm sure you will, when the time comes. But until then..."
Harris sighed. "But until then, I hope not to get the attention of another Boomer."
"Want to hear a knock-knock joke?" Rai said weakly.
"No."
"Good; I don't want to tell one."
Shaine went to Rai, placing one hand gently on his cheek. "Don't listen to him."
Harris smiled slightly. "Aw geez..."
"I give up," Crimson sighed. "I should seal you two in this place..."
"Let the girl stay?" Rai asked hopefully.
"You do," Harris threatened, "And only one of us leaves alive. ...Unless Rai can keep himself under control."
"There are good odds at this point that both of you will walk out of here."
Rai just grinned.
"Yes, well, we have ways of keeping that from happening."
"Oh?"
"But to make you feel better, I could have Mitch come down here."
"Aw, shit! You do that..."
Crimson just grinned.
"I'd pay good money to see that," Shaine said wistfully. "But then I don't want Mitch to die that badly."
"...and we'll see how long I stay bedridden."
"I'll remember that for when we need you."
Harris shook his head. "All the work I do around here...what the fuck do I get? Rai in a bed next to me, and threats of Mitch..."
The officer at the door walked in. "Time's up; visiting hours are over."
"Officer?"
"Yes, sir?"
"How long are visiting hours?" Harris asked.
"About two hours for intensive care."
"Hmm."
Shaine looked deep into Rai's eyes. "And I'll be here every day, I promise."
"Thanks. We'll miss you."
Harris and Rai both sighed.
"During that time...could you come in and hit me upside the head with your gun to knock me out?"
The guard shifted his weight uneasily. "Um, sir, you'll have to leave now..."
"Please?" Harris begged.
"Fuck off," Shaine said. "You'll have to throw me out bodily to get rid of me, Harris - or get the nurse to give you a sedative."
"Officer, she's disturbing my rest. Could you escort her out?"
"Ma'am, sir, you really do have to go now."
Shaine looked calmly at the officer. "My apologies, sir. You shouldn't have to see this." Then she turned back to Rai. "And neither should you..."
"I've seen worse, ma'am."
Harris sighed. "Why me?"
"I swear I'd shove something in his mouth to shut him up but then I'd probably get thrown out for good..."
"Do it, bitch. You've almost gotten me killed enough times..."
Crimson tugged on her arm and the pair walked out.
"The reasons I've not shot you cold are beyond me," Harris called after them.
///
Later that night, Harris woke to a cold breeze. The window was open...
"Moootoslaaave Unit Seeeven reportttting, siiir..." Even in the dim light, he could see that it had been burned badly.
"You're in one piece."
"Yeees, sir...for the most part. Sir, I amm sorrrrry, sirrr. I failed you, sirr..."
"Diagnostics?"
"87% operrrational."
"How long before 100%?"
"Two weeks, maybe more without repair. Yourrr orders, sir?
"That's okay. You did good out there, though - and you came back."
"Thank you, sirrr. The explosssives went offf..."
"Yes they did. But you did real good. It all worked out in the end."
"You'rrre welcommmme, sirr."
"Now, then. Can you do a medical reading on me?"
"Complianccce. Broken ribs: two. Third degree burrrns on chest and leg. Secccond degrrree burns on face and armmm. At this timmme, blood had been replennnished to 97%."
"Any other internal injuries?"
"Skin grafts will likely commence in a week. Puncturrred lung has been fixed. Some bleeding and superrrficial wounds, and loss of hair from explossssion."
"Brain trauma?"
"Slllight swelling; should reduce in timmme. Loss of blood may lead to long-terrrm damage but that is not anticccipated."
Harris nodded and tried to lift himself out of the bed.
"Do not, sir. You arrre to rest."
Harris sighed and let himself sink back down into the bed. "Yeah, guess you're right."
"Thank you, sir. Mayyy I stay here?"
"No. If they see you there'll be problems. Wait - do you have cloaking?"
"Affirmative. It is 75% functionnnnal. With the lights in this room, I willll be fine until morrning and Crimmmson will take over then."
"All right. Thank you, Unit Seven."
"You arrre welllcome, sir."
"When Crimson comes, take position on the roof until dark. See if we can't get up to 100% in less than two weeks."
"Compliance. I willl try, sir. And, sirrr, I have your weapons here."
"My weapons? Oh, the gun and the sword."
"Yes, sir."
"Hand me the sword."
"You seemed to havvve dropped themmm."
"Hold on to the gun, though. I won't be using that."
Harris reached for the sword. Damn thing's so heavy... He stuffed it under the blankets. "Thank you."
"Its powwer unit is overllloaded."
He sighed. "Do you have another?"
"No, sirr."
Harris handed it back to the Motoslave. "Does me no good unless it's working."
"I willl repair it, sirrr."
"All right."
"Good niggght, sir."
"Good night."