City of Slow Dreams—Chapter 5 (by Elliot Bowers)

They rode, continuing on.Their engines rumbling, the three saw the day lightening over the grass and the road.It was full morning very soon, and the sun lit the land at an angle.That made for very long shadows.Something to be thankful for this morning was how they remained together after their recent troubles, especially the recent ones.

The Cloaked Man, speeding up front, leading the way on a general whim—that guiding feeling.Van in the middle, glad to be here and away from the city.Alia rode at the back, thinking.Lost in her own thought.Very quieted after that encounter with a massive antique.

The Cloaked Man also had thoughts on what passed.A War antique, damned in that it was so damned lively one, in The Cloaked Man's opinion.Not that The Cloaked Man had anything against War antiques; one of his best friends—Alia—was a War antique.He didn't hate her, not really.She was a creepy little girl-cyborg, but she was still a good buddy.What if he was a War antique, but didn't remember it?Alia had problems remembering her War-era past; what if he was an antique, and forgot about it?Nah…

Alia's titanium fingers gave a deeper twist to her nuke bike's accelerator, and she accelerated—speeding to ride beside The Cloaked Man.She readied to shout above engine rumble."I see a massive temperature signature.Urban in size."

The Cloaked Man shouted back, "'Urban'?What, you mean we've headed back to Brunswick? And I didn't know it?Shoot, and I thought we were going north all this time!"He looked back at Van."Van, I thought we were going north!"

Alia was not sure if The Cloaked Man was being his normally silly and irreverent self, or was being serious.His thinking was always in questionable balance.Anyway…"No," she said, "the heat signature on the northern horizon differs from Brunswick.More massive and direct electromagnetic radiation outside of the visual spectrum."

The Cloaked Man smirked, then shouted back, "So we're not going back to Brunswick?We're headed for a radiation-soaked Hell-hole?Damned Hell holes!They're all over.Now we're headed for one.That's what we get for trying to roam the plains like some freaking adventurers out of travelers tales."

"Urban, I said.The place on the horizon is yet another city—one apart from Brunswick!" shouted Alia."But if you have doubt, just ride on!"Indeed, the heat signature Alia saw was in the general direction of where they headed, anyway.Likely, the road they rode now intersected the next city.If not, then where did this road go anyway?

Alia thought of that, thought of where the road could go.Whenever she switched to infrared sight, she could see the large thermal inversion on the horizon—indicative of vast and flat-planed surfaces of metal or concrete.There was chance of what she saw as being something else, like the wreckage of a downed interplanetary cruiser, or a nuclear blast crater.Those could also make for large surfaces to reflect heat.

Or, the road went in a different direction.Maybe, there was chance that the road would bypass whatever the thermal inversion really was.Then, curiosity would go unsated.They would use the highway to get through or by whatever was on the horizon and beyond visibility, then continue to ride in whatever direction The Cloaked Man felt correct.

Whatever.Alia simply decided to ride by The Cloaked Man's side.If he refused to listen to her, just decided to ignore her information, she could just keep looking at the urban heat signature herself, analyzing it through her enhanced sight.The Cloaked Man would not notice or mind.If he did mind at all, then he was just being his weird self.Being as weird as that static-capacitor cape he had on his back.

Then, The Cloaked Man looked to the right; Alia was still riding there."Hey, you did see something!I see something, too!Looks like sparkles and all sorts of stuff.Glass and glitter, or something."Indeed, just now, he really was seeing something gleam and shine far off.

Alia's lips became just a millimeter wider with a slight smile only detectible to herself.There was something on the horizon.With so much glitter far over there, in the distance, there had to be another city.Then there would be more truth to those legends and such woven by travelers.Or, the travelers did not weave those tales; encountering a city would mean that the travelers were correct.

The travelers were more correct than Alia or Van would have believed before.Now, rumbling and roaring along on nuke bikes, they saw what had to be another city.It had more glitter than Brunswick, certainly.

Complacency and inevitability, thought Alia.With a quick twist of her nuke bike's accelerator, she sped ahead at eighty miles per hour, north.She felt the accompanied increase in rumbling, feeling the vehicle's suspension react to the roughened road, but she had confidence in the vehicle's construction as she dashed along.

Her other two party members sped, too.And they approached that place of glitter, a place that loomed larger as minutes passed.The three were quickly coming closer…

Very soon, they came to see the city, becoming more full in size as they approached.It was a glittering and building-filled area easily over a dozen miles wide.Like Brunswick, this city seemed alone on these plains.Alone, save for the rough and almost totally untraveled road that brought them here, this city of glitter and beautiful buildings.And so, the three came to Fusion City.

Fusion City was a glittering and beautiful city on the plains, surrounded by a tall circular wall of red brick that went all around, that surrounded by the green grass all around.But unlike Brunswick, the wall was simply open—constantly open to the highway.The three slowed when they neared this city wall.

Alia, The Cloaked Man and Van then looked at the five-foot bronze plaque set in the wall, next to the highway, a plaque that just said, FUSION CITY.Other than that, there was no other officialdom connected with the city's entrance:no Enforcement personnel ranting declarations about citizenship procedures, no closing gates, no border posts built into the sections of wall, no tricks.They expected more, idled there and waited for something to happen.

Glad not having to shout above engine rumble, Alia spoke."No guards or trick commentary; entrance to the city seems unregulated.Seems, I emphasize.Or, the inhabitants of this city lack care for newcomers in from the plains."To Alia, seeing border so open and free, it was a show of carelessness—or extremely open confidence.She motored ahead, was then followed by The Cloaked Man and Van.

Beyond the wall, they were suddenly in awe at the beauty of this new city.It really looked very new, very sophisticated and very beautiful.All around, immense towers of glittering glass and smooth concrete rose, towers and blocks of modernistic beauty.The roads were very flat-paved and very beautiful.Along the sides of the road, sidewalks were slightly gray, soft pastel in tone.The sidewalks fronted the varied and clean gleaming buildings.If one had real eyes, he or she could appreciate how the sidewalks and ground-level windows did not give off harsh glares; everything at ground level was treated with polymers to prevent glaring.But even to those with ceramic-cased electronic eyes, this was probably the most beautiful urban environment the three had ever seen in memory; the city was built in simple and pleasing ways.

And the inhabitants, the citizens?They always dressed up to go out.Van was the first to see some of those inhabitants.A group of five well-dressed people—looking very human—walked and talked down the right-side sidewalk—three color-suited men and two vaguely athletic tanned women in light dresses, all of them of uniform height.Slightly braking, Van turned right on her own accord, and the other two of her party followed.And that group of passers-by stopped to look at the newcomers on dark raucous rides.

The citizens, in turn, looked at the three newcomers that looked at them and their city.To the citizens on the sidewalk, the three on those dark heavy motorcycles looked very new, very original.The tallest dressed moderately, in slacks and tee shirt, but his cape and mane of dark hair looked interesting.There was an exotic female next to him, pale skin and high cheekbones to go with her long dark hair.Most notably, Van was clothed the most normally of those three:blouse and slacks.But the third, the smallest of those three, she was sure to get massive attention!Just look at that captivating body armor.An elfin-faced blonde girl in form-fitting armor.

The Cloaked Man's lips and cheeks stretched in leering."Hey, something up with you people?We're new here and all.We don't know your customs.But give us a chance!"They gawked on, not really heeding him."Are you listening?"

One of the citizens talked, a tan red-haired woman in white dress."Sorry, but you're newcomers?You came in from the plains?We see your clothes and vehicles, and we have to say…Wow!"

The Cloaked Man answered."Yes, ma'am!We rode in from the plains on these nuke bikes.Won them from Ganglanders in a duel.We crossed through the plains and survived.Even survived the attack of an antique!Hard to believe?Belief should not be hard!In fact, in truth, in reality, that is the reality!It's been the real reality we have had high and harrowing hardships…"

Alia knew that The Cloaked Man was powering up for a semi-psychedelic and fully insane rant.She cut in, interrupting."But overall, as said, we are new arrivals.Not quite citizens.Just perhaps, your staring and ogling us is necessary."Alia turned her head to the left, looking at The Cloaked Man but still talking to that group of citizens."The staring could be part of a citizenship ritual?"

In turning her head, the group on the sidewalk could see the junction between Alia's head and neck, where the smooth pale flesh of her pretty blonde head met the gleaming gray of her neck and body.That set the group on the sidewalk to talking.They talked about Alia.

One of the men spoke, a brown-haired tan man in green business suit."You, with the armored suit!Yeah, you, kid!I have to say that looks like a darned good costume!Looks like a really good fit.But how'd you get your neck into it?"

Alia faced that green-suited man."You say 'costume.'A statement with interest.However, the body you peruse is not one of costumed trickery."She brought both solidhands to her gray-metal neck, then slid fingers down to the center of her gray-metal chest, sounds of metal rasping on metal."The armor is my body—my metal body.Identify me as a metal-type cyborg—what I am."

That took them aback for most of a second.Someone broke the silence."Okay," said the beautiful woman in white, "it's just that we've never seen one of your kind before.We thought metal-types were just legends, or something."She raised a fine finger."Wait just a minute…" The group on the sidewalk went to chattering more, gesticulating and excited.They smiled as they spoke in their huddle.Some looked back at those being talked about, then went back to talking.

The woman in white and the rest of her group faced the three newcomers."Newbies, we'll tell you what.Come with us down to Tad's.A nice place to eat.We can put you through a quick citizenship ritual, then call in your new citizenship registry.Anyway, you must be hungry after that ride.You didn't even carry supplies!"

Alia, thought, Carry supplies?Must be hungry?They assume some of us to be human beings, in terms of being.Why-ever for?Ignorance of cyborg technology?But she smiled at the people, showing her small porcelain-ceramic teeth.And she gave as polite an answer as possible.

"About what you offer, madam.Such sounds significantly delightful."

The three were taken to Tad's, a first-floor restaurant set in the side of a tall gleaming building.Though people could choose to eat inside, there were plenty of umbrella-shaded white tables outside.The tables were outside, but they would just go inside anyway; tables were bigger.There was a general and gentle din throughout the place as other diners ate.

"We eat here all the time," commented the green-suited man as they went into the dimly lit place, wood-furnishing throughoutThey sat at a table for six, two of the citizens moving to another table.And the man in green suit spoke on."Since you're newbies in town, it's only right that you get good service to start."

A slim curly-haired waitress came, one dressed in black skirt and white blouse, with suspenders and a belt-pouch on blouse and waist.She had a writing stencil and paperless notepad in that belted pouch.

Van looked uncomfortably at the waitress:The paperless notepad meant that the woman had to write down orders; that meant that she had a human brain.And that meant that she must be human.That made for Van feeling embarrassing and uncomfortable, because Van—a robot—was going to be served on by a human.She deliberately looked away, instead looked at the three new friends that sat across the round table.

The waitress spoke."Hello, I'll be your waitress for today.Two ladies at the other table told me that you three were newbies to town.We must give you the welcome drink."The waitress looked at the others at the table."You three citizens choose to drink the drink with them?"

The green-suited man looked up, smiling with his tanned face."Why not?Welcome drinks for everyone!And why not some food?They must want food, traveling in from the plains."

The Cloaked Man looked up."I don't know about my cohorts, but I want some darned good coffee.And bring some oatmeal.Alia and Van probably want cherry pie, right?"

Alia looked at The Cloaked Man, her eyes with that look.The Cloaked Man was acting up again, being ill-mannered and insane in conduct.His odd-styled talking, his wacked-out wording, was tolerated in Brunswick.What of here?

Van's eyes showed some worry—partially because of recent lightning damage and she was unsure if her body could catalyze foodstuffs now.Also partially because The Cloaked Man was going to facilitate a human serving a robot.Van still didn't want to be served on by a human; it wasn't right.

The Cloaked Man ignored their stares."Bring it on!" he said.He then reached into his left pocket, pulled out a fistful of hundred-dollar bills.He handed the crumpled green bills to the waitress."Yeah, and keep the rest for a tip," he said.The waitress smiled, pocketed the money, then went to handle their orders.Now, he knew that dollars were good here.So some of those travelers' tales were right; dollars are good everywhere!

The three well-dressed people opposite The Cloaked Man laughed nervously.For people dressed outside of fashion, the newcomers must be wealthy."Wealthy newbies!Congratulations on your wealth!" said the man in green, smiling.

The welcome drinks—tall glasses full of red liquid—came for all six at the table.And there was the food:oatmeal and darned good coffee for The Cloaked Man, big slices of cherry pie for Van and Alia.Silverware was given with each serving of food.

"Okay, people," began the man in green.He raised his glass."Here's to the fun and tinsel of Fusion City!Greatest, most beautiful and most entertaining place on the plains!"The Cloaked Man raised his own glass in response, so did his two other party members.

"Cheers!" said The Cloaked Man.Then they drank the welcome drinks, the drinks tasting like a sort of fruit punch.And there was another deeper taste beneath the fruity citrus taste.It tasted something like Brennan's Special, but more a fruity flavor instead of a full brew.

The woman in white, seated to the left of Jim, put her left hand on his wrist."Jim, let me call in their citizenship," she said.Jim shrugged, took a small wireless telephone out of his vest and handed to her.She took the small device, then quick-dialed something with her perfect hands."Yes, Administrative Control?Give me the Registry database," she said.Some seconds passed, and she spoke again."Yes, I wish to register three newcomers to the city records.Names?"She looked at the three newcomers, then handed the wireless telephone to the most normally dressed of them:Van."Each of you say your names into the telephone.It's connected to the town records' A.I."

Van used her hands to push some of her dark hair behind her ears, out of the way as so she could better use the telephone."Van," she said.She handed the telephone to The Cloaked Man.Smiling, he said, "The Cloaked Man," he said.He handed the telephoneto Alia."Alia," said the small metal-type cyborg.She handed the device back to the woman—who smiled nervously in taking the telephone from metal fingers.

"Now, you three are citizens as long as you want to stay around!" said Jim, the man in green."Hope you people stay.We almost never get newcomers.The last group we got was twenty years, eight month and seventeen days ago."

The Cloaked Man thought it odd, how that man remembered that time so exactly.That weird glitzy guy in the green suit, he told it down to months and days—pretty accurate-minded.They really must not get newcomers often, to care so much.In the meanwhile, they would finish their food.

They finished eating.The Cloaked Man (unnecessarily) washed down the last of his oatmeal with the rest of his damned good coffee.He drank the remaining half-liter of dark liquid straight from the thermos—prolonged chugging that would have drowned a real-bodied person.Alia surreptitiously wiped the remains of cherry pie away from her small mouth, then carefully folded the cloth napkin as so the resulting stain would not show or touch the table.Being a robot, Van "ate" flawlessly.She did not have stains on her big mouth.

"Damned good coffee!" said The Cloaked Man with his big mouth."Damned good!Not too hot, but still damned good!"Other waitresses came by to get the bowls, cups and the pitcher.Other waitresses?Each waitress looking like a facsimile of the next; all had the very same looks, bodies and clothes.The Cloaked Man thought it creepy, about as creepy as Alia...

He even began to tell the guy in green that."Hey, Jim.All of those waitresses look exactly alike.I think it's creepy."The Cloaked Man had the green-suited man's attention."Don't people and the waitresses get pretty irritated at that, having serving people all look like replicants?"

After a shrug and smile, the tanned woman in the white dress said, "Oh, they never mind looking alike.They all look that way because they each resemble the perfect waitress.Last year, it was blonde hair and large-busted look.Now, it's the whole slim-and-dark-hair fashion.Waitresses have their own fashions. "One more replicant-style waitress came by to get the remains of the food and serve glasses of mineral water to someone at the table."Thank you," said the woman in white, beginning to drink the water.

Van smirked."Pretty freaky.We didn't have people so dedicated to fashion in Brunswick.Every human in Brunswick is out to earn enough money to pay for necessities.Clothing fabrication plants just did the same and made the same types of clothes.Fashion is inefficient and expensive.Human thinking…"

The three well-dressed people opposite Van just smiled uncomfortably, looking at each other and giving chuckles."These newcomers say the oddest things," said the man in green."Talking about us 'humans.'"

Van looked at him."I'll say it again.You humans can be pretty inefficient.Admit it.Having a living brain makes for pretty odd urges.Like eating.Like fucking.Sure am glad I just look human.My brain is computer circuitry.Living brains are messy, think messy thoughts.Ew!"

Alia spoke to those across the table."Please forgive.The status of Van's mental well-being is in flux.Please do doubt that this behavior can last.That, because it will not."The small metal-type cyborg then leaned forward to look right—looking past The Cloaked Man and at Van.Looking at Van, she addressed the well-dressed people."On that issue, are there decent machinists' shops here in Fusion City?Facilities would be quite useful in…facilitating the psychological recovery of our friend."

Van went wide-eyed, her mouth expanding."You wouldn't dare, you titanium-bodied elf-thing!I'm enjoying all the hours of this new personality.It makes me feel alive!

"Sure as Hell beats being my nervous and scared old self.I was a dork!If anyone needs change, it's you, Alia!You talk like a damned hippie!And you need a change of clothes, too.Put some clothes on that metal ass of yours.You look pretty freaky."

The Cloaked Man nudged with his right elbow, nudging Van."Watch it, kiddo.Keep up that attitude, and I might be a bit partial to getting your personality recovery sped up at a shop, too.I consider bitchiness in types:There's acting cute-and-bitchy, and there's just acting bitchy.Guess which way you're acting, Van?Don't guess too long, though…"

Van quickly took what remained of her glass of water and wetly splashed it in The Cloaked Man's face.She then leapt to do handstand on the table, palms in the middle of the flat brown surface.After some seconds of that antic, she snapped her feet down and away, landing on the floor.

She wagged her right pointer-finger back at Alia and The Cloaked Man, still over at the table and still surprised."Nobody's touching my head, you mush-brained freaks!"She was then out of the restaurant in a hurry.

The Cloaked Man used a sleeve of his tee shirt to wipe his face, then spoke."Dang, and I was just ready to order some more damned good coffee…Come on, Alia.We've got to catch that crazy robot-girl." said The Cloaked Man.He grabbed little Alia under the shoulders and quickly went for the door, carrying her like a doll-child.She gave a high-pitched squeal of protest at the treatment, but she didn't squirm.Struggle would waste seconds.

Outside and on the beautiful city sidewalk, Alia escaped The Cloaked Man's grip with a controlled double-jerk of her shoulders.She landed on her armor-solid bootlets, gave a shake of her pale blonde hair and trying to restore her dignity.And then, looking around, she saw Van in the parking lot, just getting on her nuke bike.

Alia, being smaller, was faster in going through throngs of scattered people on the sidewalk—dodging expensively clad bystanders to approach the small parking lot at the side of the restaurant.The Cloaked Man tried to keep up with the quick little metal-type cyborg, jumping over one group of people at one point.

Van just started her nuke bike when Alia stood before it.There was the heavy thrum of the engine and the dark look in Van's night-colored eyes.Van looked aggressively angry, her pale face severe and troubled."You don't want a rubberoid streak between your little metal tits, do you, Alia?'Cause if you don't move, I'm going to run you right over.You're so small that you won't make more disturbance than a creepy little bump."

"I refuse to evade," said Van, spreading her feet and clenching her small and articulate machine-hands.Her realistic face was just as set in confidence."This is me making a solid stand.You joke of my body being solid, but this is a solidly serious manner.Your behavior is a solidly serious matter."

There was a small breeze, and The Cloaked Man was suddenly here in a blur of red fluttering cape.He wrapped his sinewy arms around Van's slim middle, holding.Then…Uh oh, he thought, remembering that Van's synthetic body was with a higher strength rating, because her brain was robotic.

Quite suddenly, The Cloaked Man was on his back, the back of his head having tapped the pavement.He tried to remember what in tarnation just happened.He was holding Van, no longer.She had shoved him backward with her elbows—her elbows moving at near-supersonic speed.And he had been smacked onto his caped-and-tee-shirted back.If he had been real-bodied, Van's maneuver would have, like… mutilated him.All the same, the pain in his head overwhelmed him.Damn, his head hurt…Then he blacked out, sprawled on the clean pavement of the parking lot.

That left just one other person to handle Van.Alia pivoted as so she faced Van anew, now that Van had dismounted.

With yet more anger and contempt in her eyes, the gynoid looked down at Alia."Ooh!You're just so annoying!Your freaky talking.Your action.Your whole little attitude!Anyone else ever tell you that?"

Alia made a quick backhand swiping gesture, tearing the air with a gesture of disgust, strands of her hair gently blowing in the breeze as the synthetic flesh of her face had anger."Cease criticism!My own attitude does not disrupt the viability of our party.The Cloaked Man and I, we both agree on who needs changing.Said more explicitly, we agree on what needs changing.Despite your realistic and beautiful human appearance, you are a robot.Your body, your brain, your mind—you are synthetic to absolution.Remember your origins, gynoid."

Van rolled her eyes."Oh-ho!Getting racist, are you?If you were to replace your eyes with blue ones, you'd look just like a little armor-bodied Nazi!"Van saw how she perplexed Alia with that reference; Alia must know much data on human history.Silly human brains, not good for learning."Nazis, Alia!Sheesh, you don't know?Nazism: ancient global subculture of warfare, one of racial hatred and human brutality.Racial purity was advocated by one of Nazism's notorious leaders, Hitler, who had a fetish for blue eyes and blonde hair.Your eyes are dark, but you can always get blue ones to complete the image."

"Hatred and brutality?Such would come about if I allowed you to leave," said Alia, staring up into Van's eyes.It was the gynoid's turn to look perplexed."You must now ask yourself a critical question, Van:Where will you go if you leave us?

"Leave us, and face troubles.When the people of this city find you to be a humanoid robot, with computers for a mind?What will you do in response?Also, what will be done to you?"

Van shook her head, dark hair rippling.She put her hands on slacks-covered hips."I'll tell you what I'll do, Alia!I'm staying right here, in Fusion City!I can be a waitress again.Earn and save up enough money to get another synthetic body, one that looks very different.With a new body, I can get a new name—to change my citizenship registry.You saw how lazy this place is with registration!I'll just say that I'm human."

"To stay in Fusion City for all of your time?" said Alia."That, while knowing and remembering that the City of Slow Dreams will always be far and away?A place of legendary happiness, and you refuse to try for it?"

Van smiled, had an answer to that."Hee hee hee…You silly little cyborg!Did you ever stop to consider how this could be the City of Slow Dream, little girl?Thought you flesh-brains were supposed to be smarter than us computer-brained humanoid robots.Well, think about this:Fusion City is just like the old times, according to the data downloaded into my memory.

"This place looks like something out of the pre-War period, just like the City of Slow Dreams.All the people here look real-bodied.And the way they reacted to your physical appearance, how you look from the neck down, they must all be so human that they never saw cyborgs before.All humans here, Alia—like the pre-War period.None of those sadistic tendencies that cyborgs tend to display, like the Ganglanders.

"Just keep looking around!Everything looks so beautiful here, kept clean and pretty.All the buildings are tall and shiny.No cracks or trash in these streets.Compare this place to Brunswick.Brunswick, looking weak and ramshackle in most parts.Brunswick's streets all broken down and nasty.

"Compared to Brunswick, this has to be the City of Slow Dreams.It's as close to paradise as I can recall from stored data."

Alia heard a pained masculine groan from her lower right.The Cloaked Man was still lying there, was now sitting up from where Van knocked him down."What are you babbling about, you malfunctioning robot?" he said."This can't be the City of Slow Dreams because this is Fusion City!Fusion City, City of Slow Dreams, can't you see the difference in names?"He squinted to look over at Alia, then back to Van."Anyway, I'd know the City of Slow Dreams, and this ain't it, folks.It just doesn't feel right.My guidance got us this far, didn't it?

"And why are you rebelling against us, your new owners?Running away and all.Where the heck would you be without our help?"He nodded, seeming to see Van's thought processes as she thought of his statements."Uh huh, you'd still be back at Steve's Café, being punished and mistreated by remote until not even your body's autorepair systems could fix your short circuits.And remember that it took Alia to fix you more than once.If you were missing your reboot module thingy, and you didn't know, what else are you missing?

"Face the truth, Van.You need us.You need my resources and Alia's super skills to help you stay alive.If you became too damaged again, how would you know if your new owners would help you?Who would help you?Not me!Not Alia!If you left, you'd be out of our party and out of our help.Put that through your thought processors."

Van did, considered The Cloaked Man's typically wordy speech—and Alia's commentary.Yes, The Cloaked Man did guide her this far.He did her out of Brunswick.Alia, she was a superior techie.What if there were no techies in Fusion City as good as her?And what if no one in Fusion City knew how to repair her or wanted to repair her?Really, she needed Alia and The Cloaked Man.

Van let out an audible breath; she conceded to the logic of the arguments.Then, she lifted The Cloaked Man to his feet.He brushed his cape and pants.Van had to apologize."Sorry, Cloak.Guess I wasn't really thinking.My simulated emotions must be becoming pretty strong in influencing my logic."And maybe, over-simulated emotions prevented Van from seeing the local versions of the e-cops come by.

The seven-foot, trench-coated figures came out from behind Tad's.More emerged from behind cars.More of them walked out of the restaurant's back door.Summarily, they came from plenty of locations.They came to crowd the three that made a ruckus in the parking lot of Tad's, surrounded the three troublemakers as so they were blocked off from their nuke-bikes.

Eight, ten…eleven e-cops now surrounded Van, Alia and The Cloaked Man.The three looked around, seeing those gigantic figures of law enforcement forming a tall wall of people around—all around.Clearly, they were surrounded.

"What seems to be the problem, Enforcement officers?" asked The Cloaked Man.He looked from one pale smooth face to another.All of these e-cops looked exactly alike, almost exactly like the e-cops in Brunswick:button shirts, plain ties, tan slacks and tan trenchcoats.Which one should he address?The one with a hat?No, they all had hats, unlike the e-cops of Brunswick.

The e-cops had similar expressions, looks of disdain and slight amusement.One of the giants spoke in a normal-toned voice."Well, buddy, you're the problem.You and your two girlfriends are making public disturbance.And that's against the law."

Another e-cop spoke, one that Alia was facing.She was looking that e-cop in the eyes—even if she had to lean slightly back to do so.That e-cop looked back, saying, "And here in Fusion City, we don't tolerate public disturbances.It's a zero-tolerance thing.Meaning, for just one offense, we punish you.We imprison you, register your activities with Administrative Control, then we reform you."

Alia pressed her thin lips together.She used her gray fingers to brush some loose strands of her flax-toned hair out of her eyes, then she questioned the officer."Reform?That has infinite references.Give a touch of mercy.Do explain."

Another e-cop, one Van was staring at, did explain."By reform, we mean that we make sure that you never make ruckus again."Van's eyes went wide.The e-cop added, "No, we don't kill you.That would be kinda wrong.

"We just modify your brains a bit.Some reprogramming, you know?A trip down to Administrative Control, and your brains'll be functioning again.But not in such an annoying way."

"Modify our brains, huh?" said The Cloaked Man, his eyes narrowing."You must think we're computers or something.Well, at least two of us have human brains, living brains.And our brains don't like the idea of modification.We're screwed up enough as it is!"

Alia clenched her small gray hands."Mutilation is threatened.In turn, mutilation is offered.This becomes yet another exchange of damage, my friends."She positioned her feet as so they were eighteen inches apart, stood sideways.And she raised those fists of hers. "Combat with authority figures.So a Ganglander ideal comes to a new city."

Hearing Ganglander, the e-cops' collective emotional stance changed.Instead of amused disdain, they switched to simple amusement.Smirks changed from smiles.Commentary came with those smiles, ridicule.

"O-o-oh, the newbies are angry!Trying to be like a Ganglander!" said one e-cop."I think they're gonna try to hurt us!The metal elf with the synthetic face will probably bite our kneecaps!"

"Yeah, look out for those metal types!I heard they're War antiques.She probably has one of those b-guns built into her right leg or something," said another.

"I don't think so.She's too cute to have hidden weapons.She's probably just a little metal-bodied dolly for the guy in the cape to play with," commented yet another e-cop.

"Ha, hah, and just look at that guy with the cape!What kind of weirdo wears a cape, anyway?Must be some kind of megalomaniac.You know, conquer the world or something," said one e-cop near the back of the crowd."Won't have too many conquest ideas after Administrative Control gets through with'em.Let's get'em."

There was an extremely audible crackling, the severe sound of The Cloaked Man's red cape charged and ready.His head was down, seeming to look at his dark shoes, and his fists were clenched.A breeze then blew across the parking lot, and the e-cops reacted slightly oddly—becoming quiet and looking around.Something was not right.

"Alia, Van, grab my shoulders," he said to his other party members.They did so, The Cloaked Man's hands moved, and the scene exploded in a flash of bright blue—accompanied by a loud tearing sound of wind.

After the flash, The Cloaked Man brought down his hands and stumbled—falling to a knee.He looking at the results.Alia and Van, dazed, looked around as well.Now, those

e-cops were now all over this parking lot.Some were lying on their sides.Seven were face-down and by the curb.Two were slumped against the wall of the restaurant.And somehow, all of them still had their hats.

Four e-cops recovered immediately, getting up and now stepping over to the three.Rather, they stomped over, their shoes clumping along the pavement.That was not a friendly walk.The e-cops were very far from a friendly mood.

"You two handle them," said The Cloaked Man, still kneeling."My energy systems were purged after that field-effect burst."Indeed, his energy systems were so drained that his mobility was compromised.And to keep from overheating, he was now breathing deep breaths.

Alia and Van stood to the left and right of The Cloaked Man.They both bent their arms, fists in fighting stances again.And the immense e-cops stomped angrily closer, looks of anger on their faces.So blinded with hate of these perpetrators, they came

plod-stomping closer with no regard to strategy.

Then, the e-cops stopped—four yards from the lawbreakers.Shoulder to shoulder, the four gigantic e-cops were a solid wall of danger.And they also had their fists clenched.To anyone else, this would have been cause to run.But no one was running from this fight.

Van dashed forward, long night-dark hair fluttering as she rushed one e-cop.She made two machine-fast punches at the abdomen of one e-cop.Then she leapt back.When she stood back with Alia, she watched that e-cop fall to a knee.Yes, the synthetic bodies of those e-cops were built with the same specifications—as with mobility components in the abdomen and barely protected by a layer of myogel "muscle."

Three yet remained, and two came stomping onward.Alia now acted.She moved forward, a four-foot blur of blonde-topped metal-gray.Still moving blur-fast, she leapt and kicked another e-cop in his left hip.The attack shredded cloth and bloodless artificial flesh from the hip, sending that e-cop staggering.

But the other oncoming e-cop was still ready.Alia still faced the e-cop she struck; she did not see the hit coming from behind…It was a blow from a left fist, and the hit sent Alia to the ground, skidding on her right armor shoulder.

Alia managed to stand and evade another potential blow.She was not feeling so spry after that last hit, though.Her head felt full of dimness and pain that came close to completely closing over her.Another hit like that, and maybe she wouldn't be able to fight anymore.There was a slight moan—then realized it was her own sound of pain.

The Cloaked Man, still back, tried to stand.Tried further, still tried to stand, as his mobility was still compromised.Shoot!And he fell to his knee again.His systems were still that drained.Then he fell over backward, unable to stop his own fall.

Van looked back, saw The Cloaked Man fall.She looked forward again and saw how Alia was away from the e-cops.Oh well, The Cloaked Man would be out for a while.Van was quickly by Alia's side.

That e-cop, the one with the flensed hip, growled and made a lunge at Alia again.Van kicked high and straight out.That put the damaged e-cop on his back—and out of the action.

That made for two e-cops with viability enough to confront Alia and Van."We take one at a time," said Alia."Select an opponent to engage."Van heard, and she moved to confront one e-cop.Alia moved to the other standing e-cop, though her head still felt somewhat pained.

The seven-foot e-cop raised his right hand very high above his head, then brought it slamming down.He intended to smash Alia into the pavement, squash her like a little blonde-headed brat.

This is not my death, thought the small metal-type cyborg.She raised both her arms as so her forearms acted as a shield.And the giant's massive blow thunked against her forearms.

She then sidestepped.Her fists moved, cutting away the e-cop's right flank.Then she kicked at the back of his knees, making him fall onto his back—the back of his head hitting the parking lot.

On Van's front, she had trouble.The e-cop grabbed one of her thin arms with his left hand, and his right hand went for her neck.Van's plastic-ringed windpipe was shut, and she could not breathe.

Air was not necessary for her brain—which was just computer circuitry.But she needed air for speech and cooling.Being strangled, she felt her internal temperatures rising slightly.A small yellow-colored text message appeared in the right side of her vision, warning her of increasing temperatures…Then she took kicks at the e-cop's shins—metal-boned shins.

Alia stepped over to help.She pulled back her right armored fist, pivoting.There was a quick arc and a sound of air snapping as Alia attacked.The right side of the e-cop's abdomen exploded from the blow, a flare of sparks and bits of rubbery synthetic flesh.Of course, the damaged e-cop released Van, falling and clutching his damaged side.

Stepping a few steps back and stroking her crimped throat back into shape, she took deep breaths and looked at the now-paralyzed e-cop, him falling to the asphalt.That made for yet another e-cop down, another one defeated.How many were defeated?She looked around, saw that all of the e-cops should have been downed now.

The Cloaked Man finally managed to stand, and he carefully walked to be by Alia and Van."Damn we're tough.We beat an entire precinct's worth of misbehaving law-enforcement officers, didn't we?"He then saw a vehicle approaching this parking lot, a fancy vehicle coming along the street."What, someone else is coming by to check out our victory?"

Indeed, a long and smooth-bodied gray car came by—a stretch limousine.The driver did not bother to come into the parking lot; there were unconscious and damaged figures all about.Instead, the limo pulled up to the side.

That was when nine of the e-cops quickly stood up from where they were knocked over from The Cloaked Man's initial attack, the field-effect static burst.Too quickly, they moved to capture the newbies; they had their hands on the necks and shoulders of the three, forced them to face the long car now here.

Van struggled in this new grip, as did her cohorts."Jackasses!I thought The Cloaked Man's attack knocked you out!Go back to sleep, you shit-kicking…" The grip on Van's slender neck tightened, shutting off her flow of obscenities.Thinking, Damn it, will people leave my windpipe alone today?

Alia and The Cloaked Man, having living brains, needed to breathe.They kept quiet of commentary.They remained so even when an extremely odd man came out of the back door of the parked limousine.

It was a wide-bodied fat man, one with big arms and thick legs.He was a tan and balding man with a large gut.He dressed now in gray flannel sweatpants and filled his gray sweatshirt.At least, his gut was real flesh, though his left arm and left eye were clearly metal.Not quite a cyborg; he still had most of his real flesh.

"Let up on that gynoid's throat, will ya?" said the big man, now standing in front of the limousine."Gynoids are a type of robot that need to breathe, sort of.Keeps their insides cool."

"Sure, Coach," said the e-cop, and he loosened his grip on Van's neck.Still, the other e-cops were sure to keep firm grips on her arms.What a whacked-out name for a guy,thought Van.She would not say that out loud.Being strangled twice today was enough.

The big-bellied man from the limo took steps closer to the three, his hands open and by his sides—both his real hand and his metal one."Yeah, this is a real hello to the rest of my town, ain't it?You're welcomed in by some nice people, then you start raising some Hell.I woulda come by earlier to stop ya, but had to do some maintenance of Administrative Control.With you three causing trouble, I had to come right over.

"Anyway," said the big man.He put both his metal and real hand against his chest—above his large gut."The name's Coach, as ya just heard.I used to be called something else, but I don't care about that name anymore."He saw the captive with the cape smirk."Hey, hey!It's as real a name as Cloaked Man, right?Heh, and you three people are gonna get a chance to make a bigger name for yourselves.'Cause you three are gonna…" He spread his big arms."Gonna do some Arena fighting!"

The Cloaked Man looked at the man called Coach."Uh, are we allowed to say 'no'? We were just in town for a rest-stop and want to head off for the sunset….Never mind!I can see the sort of answer you plan to give."

Coach slowly shook his head."Ya get me.Ya can't say no.Unless ya plan on trying another one of those temporary electro-burst thingies and trying escaping.I saw that with cameras, and I saw all the things you three did.Yeah, you're all gonna be prime Arena fighters."Coach then looked at the e-cops, then jerked a thumb at the limo behind him."Bring'em into the limo.We're goin' to the Arena!"

The three were each put in a separate row of seats in the limousine:Van was put in the back row of seats, The Cloaked Man in the second-to-last row, and Alia in the third row.Of course, each did not sit alone; each party member was sided by two tall

e-cops hunched in seats next to them.Coach sat in the front-most row of seats, the row immediately before the driver.

In this way, they rode the seven miles to the Arena.It was a long, quiet and nervous ride.It seemed a very long ten minutes to The Cloaked Man.He resisted the need to say, Are we there yet?

After riding for those ten minutes without spoken words, they were at an immense stadium near the middle of Fusion City.Motoring along in next to no traffic, the gray limousine went to the front entrance of the grand circular building, a building three stories in height and two four city blocks in width.The driver put the vehicle in park and turned off the engine.They were here.

Coach muscled his big self over to a right-side door of the vehicle, opened it, then stepped out into daylight.Immediately, a bald-headed tall man in dark suit came out of the Arena.He quickly stood in front of Coach, ready for Coach's orders.Coach gave some orders.

"Howdy-do, Mr. Janx.Listen up:We got a sassy girl-robot to compete in an Arena match, a new challenger," he said to the bald man waiting outside.Coach then turned to the limousine, snapped the fingers of his right hand—his real hand."Okay, boys, bring'em out.Show Mr. Janx what we've got."That order given, both he and Mr. Janx saw the three newcomers brought out:the Eurasian gynoid, the odd synth-flesh cyborg in a cape, and the petite metal-bodied blonde girl."A real bunch, ain't they?"

Mr. Janx nodded, grinned a metal-toothed grin.Sharpened gray titanium teeth glinted in his mouth, dangerous.Indeed, he saw an interesting group.And putting that beautiful girl-robot in the ring would be even more interesting to the crowd, which was already watching another match.Put her up against a big robot or cyborg.Beauty versus The Beast.The crowd would love it.Still grinning that sharp grin, Mr. Janx then went inside to quick-ready a fight for the new guest-fighter….

Alia and The Cloaked Man were lifted out of the limousine, to watch Van being carried by the neck, into the building.One of the e-cops spoke up."Give us any lip, and we may just have to cut off your air for awhile.You wouldn't want that, right?"And they were taken into the front entrance of the Arena.

Coach accompanied them inside, commenting on the grand tradition of the Arena.They bypassed the ticket window, the vendors giving knowing nods to the big man with left eye and left arm of metal.And beyond the turnstiles, there was a long hall that curved left and right.

They went along this hall, the sound of the loud crowd rumbling and echoing.At some points, the sound of the crowd drowned out the sounds of their footsteps along this hall.Coach made everyone stop moving."You hear'em.That's the crowd!" he said to the two captives-in-company."Ya gotta love the crowd!And they love ya right back.Win or lose, the crowd loves a really good fight.They'll cheer!They'll shout!If you're good, they'll pump their fists in the air, all together.That makes a really sweet sound to an Arena fighter's ears."Commentary given, Coach turned and began walked on. Alia and The Cloaked Man were carried onward.

They then came to an elevator, marked STAFF ONLY.Coach went to the elevator and put his real hand against the elevator buttons, letting the sensors register his presence.The elevator came, a very spacious one with padded walls and chrome buttons.Everyone went up and along a short hall to a small room—a room with tensor-reinforced glass windows.Below the windows left and right were television-sized high-resolution video screens, padded seats before those screens.The front window was for looking directly out into the crowd and the Fighting ring itself.

"Yeah, have yourselves some seats, ya troublemakers," said Coach, nodding to e-cops that held the captives.They split the two up:moved The Cloaked Man to one of the seats before the left-side monitor, moved Alia to a center seat at the right-side monitors.Coach ambled over to the front window, looking into the Arena proper—the Fighting ring.

"The match is about to get started," he said."Those monitors will give ya three close-ups of the action.And ya don't even hafta be there.Gonna love it."

Just over fifty yards away and three stories down, Van was being hustled into the Fighting ring.The ring was a circular area forty yards across.Surrounding it was a thick gray-metal wall set in place by rivets, an area entered by way of a closable section.Above the wall was a tensor field, invisible above the wall and ready to catch any debris flung from the fight.The crowd would be safe to watch the synthetic-bodied competitorsabsolutely destroy one another in competition.

Van was shoved into the gray-floored Fighting ring, and the wall closed behind her.She saw people all around, thousands of people, an ocean of spectators.They wanted to watch her be mutilated and destroyed.The longer she put up a good fight, the better.That was what she had been told.

Van told herself that she would not go down easily.She refused.So much had been put into her:an upgraded personality, new repairs and human friendship.If she was to be destroyed here, then she would do as much damage as she could—taking the opponent with her. Even if she had no soul, was just a sort of spirit in computer chips inside an equally synthetic body, she would give a fight worthy of her friends with real human spirits.

They lowered the opponent into the ring—an opponent so immense that it had to be winched in by heavy-hooked cable:a titanium-bodied monster-machine.Six feet across and nine feet tall, three feet thick.It had pole-thick arms and legs, massive metal feet.Its left fist was a hammer, and the three fingers of the right hand were sharpened:claws.To Van, it looked like a modified version of the metal troll she and her other party members fought out on the plains.Indeed, it was.

That thing being lowered into the ring was an Arena Battle Droid—a modified Military Battle Droid.This gigantic machine-beast was reconfigured for more prolonged fighting.Rather, instead of fighting for a quick victory, it was programmed to slowly disable its opponent—then kill it in a climactic coup de grace.

The hook released, and the metal beast drop-thudded into the ring.It stood, its claws and hammer ready.Now, with stomping movements that shook the Fighting ring, the ABD moved to carry out its programming by destroying the gynoid.

Van ran at the larger robot, moving at a very fast speed.In mid-run, she leapt too fast for any human viewer to see clearly, and kicked in mid-air, her foot thudding against the thing's midsection.She was glad to see the thing take an off-balanced step back, a dent in its body.If the machine-monster had a face, it would probably show surprise.At least, she hoped.

It struck back, rotating its upper body as it horizontally swung massive hammer-fist.Van felt the powered impact against her right arm, like being struck by a road-construction vehicle.As she went flying to the side, warning text messages filled the far right side of her vision.

Her body eventually stopped skidding near the circular wall of the Arena, and she managed to stand.Her right arm was not working correctly; her shoulder was slightly crooked.According to systems diagnostics, her mobility systems were damage.Worse, her overall structural integrity was also compromised.

Overriding the damage signals blinking in parts of her electronic mind, Van tried to run at the machine, but she tumbled and fell with the first stride.This put her again in front of the gigantic machine-beast.Somewhat able to use her right arm, Van brought herself to her feet.And she slammed her still-working left fist into the machine-beast's body—right into the dent.

Her punch deepened that dent, made it a crack—motor-heated air coming out of that crack.She pulled back her fist, and saw that she skinned her knuckles—seeing her own gleaming gray metal bones beneath.

There was a whirring sound when the ABD struck back.Van felt herself smacked again.This time, the blow was against her upper left arm, a cuttingly damaging attack.It was an attack done with the beast's claw-hand.

Van was then on her back, feeling more damage signals coming into her electronic mind.Now, red warning texts filled both the right and left periphery of her vision.She did not have to look to know that the synth-flesh of her upper left arm was gouged—both arms now disabled.Also, she did not have to see that part of her abdomen was sheared.She was further disappointed that her body's diagnostics did not tell her that her blouse was now such a torn mess; she looked a mess as the bloodless synth-flesh beneath was just as torn.

Through her damage-troubled hearing, Van heard the ABD coming to finish her off.Its massive feet stomped along.She would not be destroyed in this corny way, lying down and pitiful.Somehow, by using her barely-functioning right arm and what remained of her abdominal myogel musculature, Van brought herself to a weak standing position—just as the ABD stopped to stand over her.

Van looked up and into the round gray chunk of metal the machine-monster had for a head.She could feel the machine heat coming from the thing's body.There were sounds as well, sounds of motors.The ABD was powering up, and Van could not move her arms or get her legs to kick.

Van spoke to the monster of a machine, her voice a static-ridden rasp from damage done to her."Was it as good for you as it was for me, big guy?" she said.And she smiled.She even smiled when both the claw and the hammer came down on her.

There was a double explosion of electronic pains that blinded out everything as all seemed to go red and full of static, damage signals and red warning texts scrolled through Van's now-darkened sight—before the text signals turned to gibberish as systems short-circuited and the signal blinked, and finally everything shut down into darkness.