The Other Box: Chapter 6 (by Elliot Bowers)
...
Cafe 69
...
_____As morning stretched into afternoon, Gally sat on the front stairs of the
Metro Cops' main headquarters--1st Precinct HQ. For the moment, that was what
she was going to do--sit and watch the world go by. Time to herself, it was an
opportunity for her to put her thoughts in order.
_____It was a sort of slow-moving day, so far. The time was late-morning,
soon to be afternoon. As kevlar-clad Metro Cops passed the dark-haired cyborg-
girl on the stairs, they would say "Hi," and wave. Gally sometimes answered
their greetings, but her mind was--generally--drifting along on thoughts.
_____Traffic passed by, neat and shiny cars driven along the well-kept city
street. And the citizens who walked by were well-dressed and happy-looking...
Satisfied living their lives... People a lot better off than those of the
Fringes.
_____It was quite a difference, really. A difference between the citizens of
the Fringes and the people of the downtown area. Yes, like Scrap Iron City,
far and away, this nameless city had a steep division between those who lived
well and who did not: a division between people who lived on the ground and
those who lived in the floating City of Zalem. But Gally had never been to
Zalem--not yet, at least. As for living...
_____She was soon aware of the slight hunger-feeling that told her she needed
to find some food--or at least sugar, glucose. She had eaten some food-bars
this morning, but she fought last night; her brain probably needed more food
to recover from so much though and energy expenditure. Well, she had a bit
of this city's money to to buy food: It was not much compared to all the
credits she had stashed back in Scrap Iron City, but it was more than enough
to eat with.
_____Standing, she patted her solid left hip--where she had a slight slit-
pocket in her bodysuit. Yes, she still had the small credit-rod Chief
Thunderhorse gave her. In fact, there was an extra two-hundred reward for
saving the people of Network 23 last night.
_____How did she save Network 23? That spot in her memory was a bright blur,
though the night was so dark. When she fought, her mind changed. Became
something else. She LIKED it when her mind blared white like that, during
fighting, in the midst of blissful brutality! Oh, YES!
_____But now, there was no fight to be had. She would go buy food. Going
down the concrete steps, Gally stepped onto the sidewalk. There was a snack
shop at the southern end of this street. So she walked left and away from
the station.
_____Inside that snack shop, she got three those tasty zero-waste food-bars
made in this city. At the counter, Gally presented her credit-rod to the
smiling middle-aged shopkeeper--who connected the silvery squat cylinder to
the cash register for Gally's purchase--twelve credits. He put the bars in a
bag, smiled, and gave both the credit rod and the bag to Gally.
_____And, he made no comments regarding Gally's exposed metal arms. The
shopkeeper knew who--and what--Gally was. Metro Cops who frequented the local
businesses talked freely about their "new weapon" against the vicious prototype
cyborgs... Gally, the cyborg-girl!
_____Out of the shop, credit-rod in her hip-pocket, she walked back up the
sidewalk--over to the 1st Precinct. A slow blue sky above nice city buildings,
the wind gently blowing, the day was beautiful. There was no need for haste
now. So she took her time in getting back to that grand police station.
_____And she came back to the front concrete steps of the station. There she
saw a blue-clad man sitting next to where she had sat. A man of moderate
athletic build--crew-cut hair. It took her a moment to recognize him: Officer
Murphy!
_____Well, without all that bulky black kevlar padding and helmet, she barely
recognized him. He looked so much lighter without that black bulky armor and
beetle-like helmet. Seeing Gally, the Metro Cop waved...
...
_____Sitting down to Murphy's left, the cyborg-girl opened her bag of food
bars. Solid gray fingers going into the bag, she took one out and unwrapped
it. She offered a food-bar to Murphy, but he politely refused--a slight shake
of his head.
_____"You know what...?" began Officer Murphy. "Everybody around the precinct
is talking about last night. Hell, EVERY precinct in the city knows about
what you did... Many of us Metro Cops have relatives who work in corporate
security platoons, and they told us all about it. AND, the news was on all
the networks." Gally eyed him. "We're glad you came back when you did."
_____She chewed and swallowed a mouthful of food-bar. "As for when I returned,
I had no control. And, I chose to encounter the threat. It was simple to
defeat him, as Scrap Iron City is inhabited with better-designed cyborgs."
_____Murphy shrugged and looked across the street--a far-away look in his eyes.
"You know what? I'd like to know some more about how you live in that place...
'Scrap Iron City.' I know you're a bounty hunter there, but don't you do
anything else? Like... For fun?"
_____Finishing a food-bar, Gally gave an answer. "I have thought of taking up
other activities, such as being a motorball player. Or, in more painful
moments, I thought of making music." She looked deeper into Murphy's eyes.
"But above all, I seek FIGHTS. Fights of challenge. Through such, I gain
skill and superiority. A gaining of self."
_____Murphy looked down at her. "Hmmph! Yes, you're a super-fighter,
especially with that metal body of yours. But..." He spread his hands, palms
up--a questioning gesture. "Again, isn't there anything ELSE for you? A
family? Some buddies?" He smiled, then added innuendo to his voice. "Is
there any 'little friend' you like to be with?"
_____A look of fire came to Gally's large dark eyes. And Murphy raised his
hands. "Whoa, whoa...!" he said. "Looks like I hit a sore spot. Sorry
about that. I don't want to pry."
_____Slight sadness came to her face, and Gally looked away from the blue-clad
officer. A breeze blew along this street, playing with the cyborg-girl's
shimmering dark hair. "For me, fighting is what matters. I have had...close
relations. But they fall and die. The troubles and darkness of Scrap Iron
City consume them all, with time."
_____Gally said that, then the breeze turned into a single powerful gust! It
almost knocked down some of the people who walked along the sidewalk. Some
were wearing hats, and lost them to the breeze. But they recovered their
balance and their hats, returned to going about their business as if nothing
happened.
_____After the wind died down, Murphy said, "That hometown of yours... It
sounds pretty bad. Not even the Fringes are that bad. I mean, there ARE
problems. But we can handle the violent crime if it gets out of control.
Are things so tough and hard in Scrap Iron City that most everyone you knew
died?"
_____The city wind blew again... Thinking about what Murphy said, Gally
realized that she was dumping her troubles on someone she barely knew. This was
not good; her troubles were her own. She gave a shake of her head, deciding not
to give a straight answer. "I cannot quite say. Then again, we all suffer pain
of loss."
_____"Yeah... I suppose you're right on that point," said Murphy, his eyes
still looking far away. A few more Metro Cops walked past him down these
steps, waving to the two on the stairs. "In fact, you're very right." He
looked at the cyborg-girl. "Hey, the Chief said you were still looking for
that guy... The reason why you came to this city. Any new clues or leads?"
_____"A lack of luck," she answered. "Though I am very certain that my quarry
is within this city, his exact location is unknown. A journalist-friend has
helped me gather some clues and hints as to where my target could be. But he,
Dr. Nova, still conceals himself."
_____Officer Murphy put fingers to his chin, regarded the cyborg-girl. "Hmm...
What's with that guy, Dr. Nova? Is he nuts?"
_____Gally gave a quick nod. "Yes, he is. Edison, his colleagues, and I
constructed an idea. We believe that the madman has allied himself with a
corporation. In that way, Dr. Nova has been able to exercise his knowledge of
cyborg technology. Such results in spates of violence caused by prototype
cyborgs."
_____"Yes, that's exactly what the Edison Carter show talked about," answered
Murphy. "I suppose that the more citizens know about this, the better. That
Dr. Nova can't hide forever! If he's causing problems, I suppose you'll be
Able to stop him eventually."
_____Gally nodded once, a positive answer. She still had one more food-bar to
finish. She decided to eat it now, because there was no telling what this
day would come. She best eat while she still could.
_____A big Metro Cop, one in the standard bulky kevlar armor and helmet, came
partway down the steps, gave Murphy a pat on a shoulder. "Hey Murphy!" he
said, "Detective Walthers has today's patrol route set up for you. Asked if
the cyborg-girl wanted to come along." He then gave a black-gloved thumbs-up
to Gally. "Yeah... And good job last night, metal-girl!"
_____"Walthers has my route...! It's about time!" said Murphy. He stood up.
"I'm going in, Gally. You coming with me? If you have other plans for today,
I'll understand."
...
_____Somewhere else in the city, there was a small television on. It was
propped up on a grungy metal barrel. Its electrical cord was taped together
and attached to a light pole. This was one of many televisions out here in
Sector N-1 of the Fringes, something to watch. And on the side of the TV's
barrel was a circular symbol: a circle with three black triangles in it. The
"radiation" symbol!
_____Not too long ago, the barrel was full of radioactive waste. But most of
it had leaked out, leaving some slightly luminous slime at the bottom. Nobody
knew or cared about that now, though; they just needed the barrel to prop up
their TV.
_____Right now, the Edison Carter Show was on. The show began with a scene--
a view in the downtown core-region of the city, in a corporate plaza. But,
in the middle of the plaza was a huge broken statue. No, wait, that wasn't a
God-damned statue! It was one of those damned KILLING MACHINES! A big one...!
_____"This is Edison Carter, live and direct," came the tele-journalist's voice
through the television speaker. "I'm reporting to you from my own place of
work--Network 23 headquarters. As you may already know, Network 23 came under
attack by a hulking beast of metal. Surely, another act of terrorism by an
unknown corporate entity.
_____"In recent weeks, we have all been under attack by metal-bodied beings of
unknown origin. Out of nowhere, they come to harass and harm. They injure,
mutilate and kill dozens of innocents, and then they vanish. A new and
troubling threat to city life. They are prototype cyborgs--once thought to be
beyond current technology, now a horrible reality."
_____Then, the camera's view came yet closer to the huge metal thing, which was
kneeling. It was clearly dead--or broken. Lots of holes in its armor.
_____"However, there is a noteworthy exception," continued the voice on the
TV. "Ladies and gentlemen, the damage done to this particular monster was done
by none other than a heroic teenage girl. Yes, a petite and rather pretty
girl...with a difference."
_____What the Hell? Did Edison Carter lose his mind? How could some short-
little bitch do THAT to one of those cyborg killer-things? Do that to a BIG
prototype cyborg-thing?
_____"The girl has undergone the same process that made the metal-bodied
terrorists. That is, her natural body has been replaced with a body of metal,
enabling her to fight the enemy. Her name is Gally, and she is a cyborg.
_____"Soon after the prototype cyborg threat materialized, Gally came to this
city--with the expressed purpose of finding the party responsible for the
terrorists acts. Now, she works with the Metro Cops--who have enlisted her
aid.
_____"And so, we citizens have hope. Whereas we were once at the mercy of the
prototype cyborgs, these metal terrorists, we now have someone who can stop the
threat. If you see a rather small dark-haired girl walking down your street--a
girl who wears black over her metal body--you will know that you are safe."
A pause. "Again, this is Edison Carter, live and direct..."
_____Then, the show cut to a commercial. It advertised neuro-electronic
wrist-bands that you could get for free at a fast-food restaurant. The
wrist-bands induced a dream-like (or drug-like) trance, but some people said
that they cause brain damage. You've got to be careful with what the
corporations make sometimes.
...
_____In Sector W-2 of the Fringes, the poorly clad masses continued doing what
they normally did every day of the week--which was almost nothing. Because
employers almost never gave them jobs. Some of the streets were blocked off
as so many people set up makeshift camps there. And the abandoned buildings
were musty and hot sometimes, so people sat outside.
_____So there were camps set up right in the streets. Camps, furnished with
old couches, chairs and jury-rigged electrical appliances.
_____That was shelter; what about other basics? Well, food is always a bit
hard to come by, but everyone always managed to scrounge up something to eat.
The rich people in the downtown core threw out old clothes, so people can just
go into old sanitation facilities and find things to wear. As for
entertainment... Well, there was television! Televisions are probably the only
things given out for free--even if you had to put up with all those commercials.
_____It was warm during the daytime. There was no need to set up barrels for
fires. When the sun went down and the streets grew chilly, there had to be
old paper and stuff to burn if there wasn't sleeping space inside the old
buildings. If a person decided to sleep inside or outside, one always had to
find some bedcovers with not too many holes in it.
_____But it was daytime now! Late afternoon. Televisions on, people were
sitting inside and around the dilapidated old buildings here. More people
were sitting in street-camps, radios and television hooked up with taped-
together wiring.
_____Then, on Enduro Street--one of these impoverished lanes--something began
to happen. Television reception began to fuzz up! People got up from ragged
couches and tried fiddling with antennas, but it was of no use. Others began
slapping televisions and radios, cursing and swearing, thinking that would
fix the fuzzy reception.... Then HE appeared--right here on this street. The
Kindly Old Man!
_____Dressed in white slacks, white button shirt with suspenders, and brown
shoes, the Kindly Old Man danced along the cracked sidewalk. The iron gray
hair atop his wrinkled head fluttered and bounced as he hopped and skipped
along the street--doing that strange dance of his. His shoes made shuffling
and pradiddling sounds as he skipped along on his merry way....
_____...Oh, FUCK! People stopped fooling around with television antennas and
turned to stare, eyes wide. They didn't know WHAT the Hell he was. Some said
the Kindly Old Man was some kind of live hologram, a different kind of Max
Headroom. Others said he was some kind of alien. Or, he was an ordinary person
made crazy by corporate experiments--experiments gone wrong! Whatever the case,
he was damned creepy!
_____And there he is! Hopping and bopping along! Scaring the SHIT out of
everybody! People could not believe it, what they were seeing. The Kindly
Old Man looked as real as anything! You could see him and hear him, plain as
day... Right here on Enduro Street.
_____But when he came to the intersection at the end of the block, he faded
away... Vanished, like he always did! He must have gone back to wherever he
came from--space, underground, or somewhere. The point is, he wasn't here
anymore.
_____Thank GOD he wasn't! Even seconds after he faded away, everyone around
here was stocked still with fear. Someone people even vomited what little food
they had to eat for breakfast. Yes, the Kindly Old had that sort of effect on
people.
...
_____And sixty-six minutes after that event, Officer Murphy drove a standard
black police cruiser car past that street. Gally was seated in the shotgun
seat at his right, looking out the window. Looking at the people sitting
around... Indeed, this was not too different from Scrap Iron City. But there
were differences.
_____Officer Murphy slowed this car, stopped. No, he could not drive along
Enduro Street itself--too many obstructions. He could get by another way.
"What's on your mind, Gally?" he asked. "Something get your attention...?"
_____Then he saw Gally squint her eyes closed, her gray fingers to her head.
She made no sounds, only sat there. It looked like a pain so intense that
she could not even scream...
_____With a quick screech of tires, Murphy stopped the car. Looked at Gally,
who was in pain. "What's wrong! Is your brain injured? Talk to me, kid!"
_____She let out a sigh... The pain was gone. "Something...! Something is
wrong...! I can hear HIM, the Kindly Old Man. He was wheezing IN MY MIND!
I cannot withstand..." Then her eyes rolled back in her head, and she slumped
forward where she sat. Her dark hair curtained her pale face.
_____THUMP...! Something atop the car roof? Murphy looked around. TH-THUMP!
Something ELSE landed atop the black police cruiser! "What the...?" he said
in surprise. Then he reached between the seats and took one of the racked
weapons there--a short black submachine gun.
_____An excellent and compact weapon, its modified clip could hold two hundred
rounds. Now, it had a black curving "banana" clip full of those brand-new
ferro-ceramic bullets. Murphy would need such weaponry against the metal
things that were on the roof of the car--those damned prototype cyborgs!
_____But, it was pretty odd how Gally had a sudden headache just before these
freaks appeared. At the least, it was a sort of early warning... "Thanks,
Gally," said this armor-clad Metro Cop before opening his car door and leaping
out. Into a battle...
...
_____He leapt out onto the cracked street, then did a quick controlled tumble--
a tuck-and-roll--to absorb the impact. Snapping to his feet, black helmet
glinting, he aimed his submachine gun at the two metal-bodied freaks atop his
car! But they were different from the other metal-bodied prototype cyborgs...
_____Those two looked more dangerous... They looked like roboticized human
skeletons, with machinery in the ribs. Their rubber faces looked more pinched,
more sinister, than the other prototype cyborgs that caused trouble. And these
things were armed: their hands wereren't just metal hands, but shiny claws...
Then they turned their rubber faces to look at Murphy--and smiled.
_____CR-CR-CRACK! A triple burst of gunfire from Murphy's weapon, and one of
them staggered, tumbling off of the car. But the other one pounced!
_____Standing in front of the crouching officer, the skeletal cyborg gave a
SWIPE of its claws. At the very last moment, Murphy shrugged his right
shoulder--taking the HIT on the arm instead of the head. Still, he was knocked
away ten yards, sliding to a stop...
_____He got to his feet, the kevlar padding over his right shoulder shredded.
Just a bit of blood oozed. He then opened fire. Cr-cr-crack! Cr-cr-crack!
_____Two bursts of gunfire. Dark fluid and sparks splurted from the chest of
the skeletal metal-freak with the rubber face. Yes-s-s...
_____Chest damage! That should have put the metal-freak on the ground!
Still, it walked in this direction. And it wanted to mess Murphy up! Still
standing.
_____If he was going down, then he wasn't going down without a fight! He raised
his weapon, then began walking toward the metal freak. Cr-cr-cr-cr... Bullets
flying from his gun, he fired as he walked.
_____Sparks flew like mad from the metal freak's chest, and some bullets went
between the metal ribs and into the exposed chest machinery. It staggered a
bit, but still it came. Nothing seemed to stop it.... Then Murphy ran out of
bullets. He then grippeed his submachine gun reverse, holding it like a club.
Raising it up, he made a dead run at the thing!
_____A black blur flew in from the right, behind the metal freak. When the
blur flew past, the metal-freak's head came clean off. Dark fluid and sparks
flew up from the metal neck-stump like a grotesque fountain of horror.
_____Murphy stopped himself. He lowered his empty submachine gun, looked
around... Where did THAT come from? Then he saw... There, at the left
sidewalk, was Gally. The petite cyborg girl knelt on the sidewalk, her dark-
clad back to Murphy.
_____Walking closer, he kept his eyes on her. Something was not right. "Uh...
Thank you, Gally... What do you have there?" No answer but the sound of Gally
panting. Moving slowly, he walked up to this sidewalk. This fight seemed to
be over, but now there could be another threat.
...
_____Gally quick-turned her head in Murphy's direction, a big smile on her
face. But her eyes were not at all innocent and happy. The eyes... The look on
her face was feral, absolutely maniacal. He saw THAT look on Gally's face
before. But, this time, it was worse.
_____He stayed where he was. Gally did not. She slowly stood, a sleek metal-
bodied figure in black. And she began a slow walk towards Murphy. Cradled in
her arms was...a head. It was the rubber-faced head of the metal freak that
had threatened Murphy--the thing that Gally just eliminated.
_____She stop, her head level to Murphy's abdomen. Holding the rubber-faced
metal skull in her steely gray hands, she raised it up to Murphy's face. Presented
it like a new-found toy.
_____Eyes... The "eyes" of the dead head stared at him--camera lenses for
sight. But the eyes were dead. And, the way Gally was acting now, maybe he
would be dead as well.
_____THUNK...! The metal skull-head was gone. It took a moment for Murphy
to realize that Gally had dropped it to the sidewalk. Dropped, like a piece
of junk.
_____Then he heard her laugh. "Ha ha ha..." It was a laugh that did not
sound like Gally as he knew her. "Ha ha ha ha! Aaah...ha ha ha ha..." She
turned away from Murphy. "Ha ha ha...! Oh, how this brings joy!" She gave
a playful kick to the rubber-faced metal skull. "Such fun!"
_____"Gally...?" asked Murphy. He spoke carefully, expecting Gally to explode
with sudden violence at any moment. "What happened to the other one? The
other prototype cyborg?"
_____"Oh...!" The cyborg-girl turned and smiled. "He's next to the car...
At least, his torso is! His arms and legs are there too, I believe. I placed
the legs underneath the car. And, the head is atop the hood--an ornamental
touch."
_____Grim-faced and a little shaken, Murphy went to work on cleanup. He gripped
the limp metal arms of the nearest prototype cyborg--the headless one. Then
he had to drag it over to the still-idling police cruiser. And he went back
for the head.
_____He had reached into the car to pull the trunk release--opening the back
of the car. Everything was going in. Nothing was going to be left out. He
put both the metal skeletal body and head in the trunk. Now for the
other one...
_____Gally gleefully gathered the metal parts of the other prototype cyborg,
the one she destroyed. Legs, arms and torso came up. The head taken off the
hood... Soon all the parts were in the trunk.
_____With a final THUNK, Murphy closed the car trunk, put himself in the car.
Gally got back into the police cruiser, and Murphy put the car in gear. This
black vehicle slowly motored away, and the people came out of hiding. But
fear lingered in the air.
...
_____Soon after that, driving along, Officer Murphy turned on the car's
audio-visual communications link--a screen-and-speaker setup that was in the
middle of the car's dashboard. Gally looked there, saw a serious officer's
face appeared on the screen.
_____It was not just a typical dispatcher on the screen, but a police corporal.
Next to the insignia of his rank, he had a kind of antenna symbol on his
collar. "This is Corporal Saundre," came his voice through the speaker. "I
will be taking your communications. Report, Officer Murphy."
_____Murphy slowed this car down and parked, right next to a grungy old
building with a crooked metal sign on it. Looking into the small camera set
next to the dashboard monitor, he spoke. "Gally and I encountered a more
advanced danger. Two advanced prototype cyborgs. They were faster than the
ones we previously encountered."
_____"Were the ferro-ceramic rounds effective?" asked the police corporal.
"Or, was the cyborg-girl required to eliminate the threat? How were the
advanced prototypes killed?"
_____Officer Murphy glanced at Gally, then returned his eyes to the small video
camera lens. "A combination. The ferro-ceramic rounds were effective in
damaging the new prototype cyborgs, but Gally had to finish them off."
_____The police corporal on the screen thought for just a second. "Do you have
any remains? Direct data regarding efficacy of our ammunition would be most
useful."
_____Officer Murphy nodded. "Outstanding," said the police corporal. "I will
send Officer Zackus and Officer Leila to cover your patrol. Bring the new
prototype remains to the station as soon as possible. Anything else to report?"
_____At that moment, for a moment, Officer Murphy wanted to tell the police
corporal about how Gally's mind seemed to...change when she fought. He
remembered how Gally's looked during the fight back there: Her young, pretty
face took on a crazed, lunatic's look. As if....
_____Never mind. Giving another glance to Gally, Officer Murphy answered.
"Nothing further to report. I will now move to the station."
_____"I see that you have been injured," said Corporal Saundre. "Looks like
laceration. Use a first-aid spray."
_____First-aid sprays were for use in case of injury. A sort of spray-on
bandage and anesthetic. The spray first acts like a local anesthetic, eliminating
pain. Then it sanitizes open wounds. Finally, it sticks--forming a sort of
liquid bandage to prevent bleeding and further infection.
_____Murphy felt he didn't need his spray now. "Don't worry, Corporal Saundre.
The wound isn't much. But thanks for the concern. Over and out..." The
corporal on the other end broke the connection, vanished from the screen.
In his place, the Metro Cops circular "MC" logo appeared.
_____This Metro Cop then drove this car through a right turn at the next
intersection. Avoiding pedestrians and junk in the street, he began the drive
back to the station. In the corner of his eye, he noticed that Gally began to
look at him with those big dark eyes of hers.
_____Gally spoke. "Officer Murphy, I may appear to be young, but the age of my
mind far surpasses that my appearance. In my experience with people, I notice
certain actions that betray emotions--however subtle. You now seem
uncomfortable in my presence."
_____Murphy tightened his grip on the steering wheel. How should he say this?
"Gally, can I be honest? I mean, really honest? I don't want to hurt your
feelings, but..."
_____"Speak on, if you wish," said Gally. "If speaking will alleviate your
discomfort, then do so." She smiled slightly. "But, please avoid insults and
ridicule."
_____Murphy thought, Here we go! Said, "I think that you're a bit unstable,
when it comes to fighting. Now, I know that you probably have a lot of
problems. And from what little you said about your hometown, wherever it is,
that's understandable. But why did you have to LOOK that way when you fought
those things back there?"
_____Gally's smile widened yet more. "That is because I truly enjoy physical
confrontations. Through fighting, I grow to be stronger. That is because
fighting is exploration of my potential on a physical and spiritual level. It
is just so beneficial to me." Her eyes seemed to sparkle when she said this.
"I feel...ALIVE."
_____Driving this car, letting his eyes stay on the road ahead, Murphy had no
immediate response. For some uncomfortable moments, there was but the slight
sound of the car's engine and the sound of the tires on the ill-maintained
urban roadway. No talking...
_____Now, his fear about Gally was replaced a bit with indignation. As a
police officer, he saw killing as a last resort. And, killing was done for
justice and public safety, not for personal gain of any kind. "I just hope
you see your victims as more than just targets for cash and experience, Gally."
_____Gally turned away. "You have offended me, Officer Murphy." Her voice
rose in pitch. "You should know, IT IS NOT ABOUT MONEY! I kill as killing
BRINGS GREAT PLEASURE!"
_____Whoa...! Gally lowered her voice, embarrassed. "I give apology, yet you
owe the same to me. Please, do not assume you are aware of all my motives."
The road ahead became slightly more free of junk. They were approaching
the downtown core-region of the city.
_____"Hmm..." went Murphy, jaw clenching. He let out a loud breath... "Okay,
okay, I suppose I went a bit too far," he said. "I'm sorry. It's just that...
You SCARE me, girl! I still think of you as a human being--just with a body
replaced with machinery. But some of the things you do... Well..."
_____"Let us leave it at that," said Gally. "Just assume me to be human.
Faith in my humanity is part of my sanity." And that was all the two said to
each other for the rest of the way back to the 1st Precinct.
...
_____This black patrol cruiser emerged into the core-region of the city--where
everyone and everything looked much cleaner and wealthier. Well-kept buildings
at the sides, a smooth road beneath the car, and the mid-afternoon sky
overhead.
_____Eventually, that vehicle came to the grand 1st Precinct building. Murphy
drove the vehicle down the concrete ramp and into the basement parking area.
It was more dim and cool down here, lit by florescent lighting. About half
the parking spaces were full, occupied by similar black cars.
_____Gally noticed that there were already Metro Cops waiting for them at the
far end of this underground lot--where there were the stairs and elevators.
Four black-clad Metro Cops with a wheeled black cart, standing with Police
Chief Thunderhorse.
_____Murphy drove the car over there, stopped it. He pulled the trunk release,
and the back of the car opened. Then he himself got out of the vehicle,
followed by Gally from the other side.
_____First, the Metro Cop jogged around, then stood stiffly in front of Chief
Thunderhorse. Gally walked over, looked up at the police chief. He was dressed
as usual: white shirt and beige slacks worn over a tall, strong physique. A
tall and noble man.
_____"Good afternoon, sir," said Officer Murphy. "I didn't know that you
were going to be meeting us. It's an honor."
_____The tall swarthy chief chuckled. "Hah hah... It is nothing as high as
that! This is business, actually. I had to meet Gally immediately and
directly--the only cyborg we have fighting on our side!" Turning his head,
he addressed three of the Metro Cops who stood here. "Joel, Samuk, and Trace,
handle what Murphy brought in the trunk. Transport the new prototype cyborg
parts to tech-forensics for analysis."
_____That said, three of the Metro Cops took the wheeled cart over to Murphy's
patrol cruiser. They carefully removed the skeletal metal parts from the
car trunk and put them in the black wheeled cart. The cart was then wheeled
over to one of the elevators--going up into the station.
_____Chief Thunderhorse spoke to Murphy. "I want you inside. Have that shoulder
tended." Murphy opened his mouth to protest, but the police chief raised his
right hand. "No, the wound may seem superficial, but it could worsen. Then
it would cost more to have the skin and muscle regrown! Please do go inside."
_____Somewhat saddened, Murphy nodded and walked over to the elevators. One
opened, and he went in--a bit of blood dripping to the floor from the shredded
armor padding on the injured shoulder.
_____Then Chief Thunderhorse looked down at the cyborg. "Gally, give me your
credit rod."
_____Obeying the police chief, Gally unzipped the slit-pocket at her left
hip. She took out the squat, silvery object. Handed it to him. He took it,
then spoke to one of the Metro Cops.
_____"Janx, wire a hundred more credits into this from my expenses account.
She assisted an injured officer."
_____Officer Janx took a bulky looking device from where it was attached to his
belt. He attached Gally's cred-rod to it, punched some keys, then removed it.
Gave the cred-rod back to the police chief--who gave it back to Gally.
_____Gally put the credit-rod back in her slit-pocket, but did so with a look
of slight contempt. The cyborg-girl only recently reaffirmed to Officer
Murphy that she did not fight for money. And now here she was, taking more
monetary reward--stiff-faced.
_____"Well...! Hah hah hah..." went Chief Thunderhorse, his voice echoing
throughout here. "Today, you show your distaste for 'crass' reward! All the
same, my payment to you is not just about money. It is symbolic. It is
immediate reward--the traditional means of affirming an outsider's service to
this organization."
_____He crossed his arms, bent over slightly. "Now, I also reward you by
personally delivering a message. Someone is to meet you at Cafe 69--down the
street. The person will not know it, but the person WILL be willing to talk
to you."
_____Such an odd statement... But, after this, she had nothing else to do
today but wandering about the city and listen for further clues of Dr. Nova's
whereabouts.
_____She answered, "As odd and as unsubstantiated as that statement sounds, I
will follow it. There is nothing else I can do today."
_____Murphy said nothing about the slight tone of disrespect Gally made toward
the chief. One thing known about Police Chief Thunderhorse was his peculiar
tendency to be RIGHT about some things. He sometimes knew things ahead of time
that other people didn't--like magic.
_____Then, Gally gave a wave of her right hand--a "good bye" sort of gesture.
She turned and walked away, going toward the opening at the far end of this
vast basement garage. It was bright outside; walking to the basement garage
exit was like walking into a white glare.
...
_____...Outside the station. Gally knew where Cafe 69 was. It was a block
over from street on which the 1st Precinct building was located. She and
Murphy passed that place several times before, going to and coming from this
central police station.
_____A minute or so of brisk walking, and she was there. A door at one side,
the place had a panoramic window showing the view inside the small eating
establishment. There was a neon sign at the door--"Cafe 69."
_____Inside, Cafe 69 looked much like the diner she saw in another place: the
tables were at the left side, and the long counter at the front. The counter,
where people made orders for food and sat on stools to talk. A waiter and
waitress--in black-and-white clothing--handled food orders. And the people
eating here were the sort Gally saw in this part of town: well-dressed, well-to-
do professional people. The people who worked white-collar and technical jobs.
_____As it was the afternoon, there was a moderate amount of business being
done; eight or so people sat at tables and at the long counter. They were in
office clothing, but some wore lab coats. People were eating, talking about
things they did at work, things of that sort. They did not notice Gally as
she went over to the counter.
_____Sitting on a stool at the far left side, she picked and unfolded the
menu here. Hmm... An interesting selection of foods. She never saw half
the items listed on this menu. Would these odd foods be compatible with her
artificial digestive system?
_____Well, tea was always a safe option. And, there were several kinds.
"Pekoe cut mint" sounded nice...
_____The cyborg-girl closed the menu and waited for the cook--a portly man in
white clothes, a white apron and hat completing his outfit. He came over.
"Hello," he said, "what would you like?"
_____"I would like the 'Pekoe-cut mint tea'" she said. "And, some simple
sugar within it would do nicely. I actually need sugar."
_____"Heh heh... I know. You're the cyborg-girl," said the cook. "The tea
will be here faster than you can say 'glucose!'" He turned around, went over
to the small cooking area, where a spare waitress was helping in preparing
another order.
_____Gally swiveled a bit around atop this stool, glanced around at the rest
of the diner's interior--a comfortable scene. This place lit with a
combination of overhead florescent lighting and natural sunlight from the
large picture-window. Everyone here chatted, many of them smiling. She was
actually beginning to feel at ease, especially since her presence as the
"cyborg-girl" was becoming accepted.
_____"Here you go, little lady!" said the cook, setting the serving of hot mint
tea on the formica counter-top in front of Gally. The saucer had a few sugar
packets on it. "Pekoe-cut mint tea! With extra sugar."
_____"Wait a moment..." said Gally. She stood from her stool, unzipped her
left slit-pocket and presented her cred-rod to the cook. "I pay in advance,
as my presence may be more or less temporary."
_____"What? More or less...?" went the cook, looking at other people here as
if looking for clarification. "Oh, hah hah...! You must be an amateur
philosopher or something. Okay." He took the cred-rod and walked over to the
register centered behind the counter--attached the squat cylinder to the
register. He charged Gally's tea--two credits. Then he came back, giving
back the cred-rod. "Here you go."
_____Gally took her cred-rod back, put it back into her pocket. Climbing atop
the stool once more, she took a sip of the mint tea. Hmm, quite refreshing.
All the same, she pinched open a few packets of sugar--poured the sweetening
powder into the green tea. Her brain had a taste for sugar; sugar was what kept
it alive.
_____As Gally drank tea, a waitress had a slight problem. That waitress felt
a lump in her right apron pocket. Every waitress' apron had a pocket for
holding pencil and pad for taking table orders. But now, there was something
else in her pocket, and she didn't know what it was. She couldn't take it out
now, though: both her hands were occupied, two trays of food. When she had
time, she'd get the object out. Whatever the Hell it was in there...
_____Taking another quiet sip of tea, the slight murmur of diner clientele
in the background, Gally thought of nothing in particular. This was her time.
With all the problems and troubles she had, she would not care about them for
just a few minutes now. This was a space of peace and quiet.
_____In the meanwhile, that waitress delivered the two orders to the waiting
customers at a table--a man and woman, both in business clothes. Her hands
free of food trays, that waitress reached into her right apron-pocket...
But...nothing! Nothing in the pocket but her order-pad and pen. But she
could have SWORN there was SOMETHING in her pocket: something the size of a
fist.
_____Well, she took out the order-pad and pen. Another customer had an order.
Maybe she was working too hard and just imagined something there.
_____Another customer came in--a pretty, brunette-haired woman with big blue
eyes. Fresh from work at Network 23, she was dressed as most everyone else
was. And today, she had decided to check this diner out; someone told her
the coffee here was exquisite.
_____That pretty newcomer looked around. This place was a bit small inside,
but it was also cozy... Then she saw a familiar, petite, dark-clad figure.
Yes, very familiar, because there was only one cyborg-girl in this city!
_____Walking past tables and passing a waitress, she walked over to the
counter over there. Sat on the stool next to the cyborg-girl. "Why, hello
Gally," said the woman, her light English accent sweetening her voice. "Dear
me, this is quite a surprise. Is this where you go when not working with your
Metro Cop friends?"
_____Gally took another sip of her tea, looked right. She remembered the
woman: It was Theora, Edison Carter's controller. Big blue eyes to go with
her round pretty face.
_____A sip of tea, and the cyborg-girl spoke. "Oh... Good afternoon, Theora.
In truth, it was suggested by my current employer that I stop by here. By
coincidence or by karma, he told me that I was to meet someone here." She
smiled. "Now, I do meet such a person."
_____"Ha hah... How odd!" answered Theora. Leaning her right elbow on the
counter, she looked to the cook. Said to him, "I will try your house special...
Your 'Damned Fine Coffee.' DARK blend."
_____The cook nodded, then went away to make the house special--some "Damned
Fine Coffee." That stuff was becoming more popular all the time. But, just
as he turned the tap to fill a tall mug full of the rich dark coffee, he
noticed that one of his waitresses was trying to take something out of her
apron's pockets--the right-side pocket.
_____Theora looked at the petite cyborg-girl. It was odd, being seated next
to someone who wasn't fully human. It was just safest to think of Gally as
having form-fitting metal armor. But, on an intellectual level, Theora knew
better.
_____"So...!" said the woman, her voice bright. "I've come to hear that you
had a late-night meeting with Edison...when your meeting was interrupted by that
oversized cyborg! Up to then, we've been quite worried about you of late.
Well? Where were you before coming to our rescue? Certainly, you were not in
the city."
_____"I do not know if you would quite believe what I would say to that,"
answered the cyborg-girl. "Truthfully, I cannot quite trust my own memories.
Things are quite odd."
_____Meanwhile, that waitress dipped her fingers deeper into her right apron-
pocket. The thing was there again. It wouldn't come out! Maybe she ought to
ask Sal--the boss--for some scissors so she could CUT it out.
_____Back at the counter, Theora crossed her arms. Said, "Oh? Try me. I
like to believe myself an open-minded person. Tell me where you think you
have been."
_____"I believe that I was in...another place," she said. "A different venue,
a different town. One quite different from this city, and even more unlike
my own native Scrap Iron City. But, there was an aspect to the town that
tested my sanity." She leaned closer to Theora. "In that town, I was...
Was...different. It was a transformation of me."
_____Speaking carefully, Theora asked, "What do you mean by that? You were
'transformed?' I do not understand." It was best to ask this question with
care; Theora had heard rumors about the cyborg-girl's mental stability.
_____By now, the troubled waitress was behind the counter with the head cook
and owner of Cafe 69. As the waitress held her pocket open, the cook--Sal--
found a pair of scissors in a drawer. He slid one sharp part of the scissors
into the waitress' pocket, began to slice.
_____"...My body changed," added Gally. "My current body is one of metal, one
designed for agility and strength. An appropriate body, because I fight. But,
in the Town of Delsea, my physique was one of synthetic flesh--indistinguishable
from a natural human body. That, and my mind underwent troubling changes...some
of which I still retain."
_____Behind the counter, the waitress' pocket problem was being solved. Sal
the cook cut open that waitress' apron-pocket and took out the bulky object
that was inside. "WOW! Thank GOD!" said that waitress, rubbing her hip where
the object rubbed her. "Hey, what the HELL is that thing? Where the HELL did
it come from?"
_____Surprised by the loud waitress, Gally turned to look. Sal the cook must
have been surprised as well--because he dropped the weird thing he found in
the waitress' pocket. It was a fist-sized box made of wood...tumbling down...
_____It THUNKED when it hit the floor. And the lid popped open like a little
door, revealing an impossibly black darkness inside. The box had darkness
inside it.
_____There was darkness in that box...! Because, it was THE box! Gally
gasped, her eyes going wide. She fell off her stool, but never hit the floor--
because she vanished in mid-air, going to another place. Yet again, the
cyborg-girl left the city.
...
Cafe 69
...
_____As morning stretched into afternoon, Gally sat on the front stairs of the
Metro Cops' main headquarters--1st Precinct HQ. For the moment, that was what
she was going to do--sit and watch the world go by. Time to herself, it was an
opportunity for her to put her thoughts in order.
_____It was a sort of slow-moving day, so far. The time was late-morning,
soon to be afternoon. As kevlar-clad Metro Cops passed the dark-haired cyborg-
girl on the stairs, they would say "Hi," and wave. Gally sometimes answered
their greetings, but her mind was--generally--drifting along on thoughts.
_____Traffic passed by, neat and shiny cars driven along the well-kept city
street. And the citizens who walked by were well-dressed and happy-looking...
Satisfied living their lives... People a lot better off than those of the
Fringes.
_____It was quite a difference, really. A difference between the citizens of
the Fringes and the people of the downtown area. Yes, like Scrap Iron City,
far and away, this nameless city had a steep division between those who lived
well and who did not: a division between people who lived on the ground and
those who lived in the floating City of Zalem. But Gally had never been to
Zalem--not yet, at least. As for living...
_____She was soon aware of the slight hunger-feeling that told her she needed
to find some food--or at least sugar, glucose. She had eaten some food-bars
this morning, but she fought last night; her brain probably needed more food
to recover from so much though and energy expenditure. Well, she had a bit
of this city's money to to buy food: It was not much compared to all the
credits she had stashed back in Scrap Iron City, but it was more than enough
to eat with.
_____Standing, she patted her solid left hip--where she had a slight slit-
pocket in her bodysuit. Yes, she still had the small credit-rod Chief
Thunderhorse gave her. In fact, there was an extra two-hundred reward for
saving the people of Network 23 last night.
_____How did she save Network 23? That spot in her memory was a bright blur,
though the night was so dark. When she fought, her mind changed. Became
something else. She LIKED it when her mind blared white like that, during
fighting, in the midst of blissful brutality! Oh, YES!
_____But now, there was no fight to be had. She would go buy food. Going
down the concrete steps, Gally stepped onto the sidewalk. There was a snack
shop at the southern end of this street. So she walked left and away from
the station.
_____Inside that snack shop, she got three those tasty zero-waste food-bars
made in this city. At the counter, Gally presented her credit-rod to the
smiling middle-aged shopkeeper--who connected the silvery squat cylinder to
the cash register for Gally's purchase--twelve credits. He put the bars in a
bag, smiled, and gave both the credit rod and the bag to Gally.
_____And, he made no comments regarding Gally's exposed metal arms. The
shopkeeper knew who--and what--Gally was. Metro Cops who frequented the local
businesses talked freely about their "new weapon" against the vicious prototype
cyborgs... Gally, the cyborg-girl!
_____Out of the shop, credit-rod in her hip-pocket, she walked back up the
sidewalk--over to the 1st Precinct. A slow blue sky above nice city buildings,
the wind gently blowing, the day was beautiful. There was no need for haste
now. So she took her time in getting back to that grand police station.
_____And she came back to the front concrete steps of the station. There she
saw a blue-clad man sitting next to where she had sat. A man of moderate
athletic build--crew-cut hair. It took her a moment to recognize him: Officer
Murphy!
_____Well, without all that bulky black kevlar padding and helmet, she barely
recognized him. He looked so much lighter without that black bulky armor and
beetle-like helmet. Seeing Gally, the Metro Cop waved...
...
_____Sitting down to Murphy's left, the cyborg-girl opened her bag of food
bars. Solid gray fingers going into the bag, she took one out and unwrapped
it. She offered a food-bar to Murphy, but he politely refused--a slight shake
of his head.
_____"You know what...?" began Officer Murphy. "Everybody around the precinct
is talking about last night. Hell, EVERY precinct in the city knows about
what you did... Many of us Metro Cops have relatives who work in corporate
security platoons, and they told us all about it. AND, the news was on all
the networks." Gally eyed him. "We're glad you came back when you did."
_____She chewed and swallowed a mouthful of food-bar. "As for when I returned,
I had no control. And, I chose to encounter the threat. It was simple to
defeat him, as Scrap Iron City is inhabited with better-designed cyborgs."
_____Murphy shrugged and looked across the street--a far-away look in his eyes.
"You know what? I'd like to know some more about how you live in that place...
'Scrap Iron City.' I know you're a bounty hunter there, but don't you do
anything else? Like... For fun?"
_____Finishing a food-bar, Gally gave an answer. "I have thought of taking up
other activities, such as being a motorball player. Or, in more painful
moments, I thought of making music." She looked deeper into Murphy's eyes.
"But above all, I seek FIGHTS. Fights of challenge. Through such, I gain
skill and superiority. A gaining of self."
_____Murphy looked down at her. "Hmmph! Yes, you're a super-fighter,
especially with that metal body of yours. But..." He spread his hands, palms
up--a questioning gesture. "Again, isn't there anything ELSE for you? A
family? Some buddies?" He smiled, then added innuendo to his voice. "Is
there any 'little friend' you like to be with?"
_____A look of fire came to Gally's large dark eyes. And Murphy raised his
hands. "Whoa, whoa...!" he said. "Looks like I hit a sore spot. Sorry
about that. I don't want to pry."
_____Slight sadness came to her face, and Gally looked away from the blue-clad
officer. A breeze blew along this street, playing with the cyborg-girl's
shimmering dark hair. "For me, fighting is what matters. I have had...close
relations. But they fall and die. The troubles and darkness of Scrap Iron
City consume them all, with time."
_____Gally said that, then the breeze turned into a single powerful gust! It
almost knocked down some of the people who walked along the sidewalk. Some
were wearing hats, and lost them to the breeze. But they recovered their
balance and their hats, returned to going about their business as if nothing
happened.
_____After the wind died down, Murphy said, "That hometown of yours... It
sounds pretty bad. Not even the Fringes are that bad. I mean, there ARE
problems. But we can handle the violent crime if it gets out of control.
Are things so tough and hard in Scrap Iron City that most everyone you knew
died?"
_____The city wind blew again... Thinking about what Murphy said, Gally
realized that she was dumping her troubles on someone she barely knew. This was
not good; her troubles were her own. She gave a shake of her head, deciding not
to give a straight answer. "I cannot quite say. Then again, we all suffer pain
of loss."
_____"Yeah... I suppose you're right on that point," said Murphy, his eyes
still looking far away. A few more Metro Cops walked past him down these
steps, waving to the two on the stairs. "In fact, you're very right." He
looked at the cyborg-girl. "Hey, the Chief said you were still looking for
that guy... The reason why you came to this city. Any new clues or leads?"
_____"A lack of luck," she answered. "Though I am very certain that my quarry
is within this city, his exact location is unknown. A journalist-friend has
helped me gather some clues and hints as to where my target could be. But he,
Dr. Nova, still conceals himself."
_____Officer Murphy put fingers to his chin, regarded the cyborg-girl. "Hmm...
What's with that guy, Dr. Nova? Is he nuts?"
_____Gally gave a quick nod. "Yes, he is. Edison, his colleagues, and I
constructed an idea. We believe that the madman has allied himself with a
corporation. In that way, Dr. Nova has been able to exercise his knowledge of
cyborg technology. Such results in spates of violence caused by prototype
cyborgs."
_____"Yes, that's exactly what the Edison Carter show talked about," answered
Murphy. "I suppose that the more citizens know about this, the better. That
Dr. Nova can't hide forever! If he's causing problems, I suppose you'll be
Able to stop him eventually."
_____Gally nodded once, a positive answer. She still had one more food-bar to
finish. She decided to eat it now, because there was no telling what this
day would come. She best eat while she still could.
_____A big Metro Cop, one in the standard bulky kevlar armor and helmet, came
partway down the steps, gave Murphy a pat on a shoulder. "Hey Murphy!" he
said, "Detective Walthers has today's patrol route set up for you. Asked if
the cyborg-girl wanted to come along." He then gave a black-gloved thumbs-up
to Gally. "Yeah... And good job last night, metal-girl!"
_____"Walthers has my route...! It's about time!" said Murphy. He stood up.
"I'm going in, Gally. You coming with me? If you have other plans for today,
I'll understand."
...
_____Somewhere else in the city, there was a small television on. It was
propped up on a grungy metal barrel. Its electrical cord was taped together
and attached to a light pole. This was one of many televisions out here in
Sector N-1 of the Fringes, something to watch. And on the side of the TV's
barrel was a circular symbol: a circle with three black triangles in it. The
"radiation" symbol!
_____Not too long ago, the barrel was full of radioactive waste. But most of
it had leaked out, leaving some slightly luminous slime at the bottom. Nobody
knew or cared about that now, though; they just needed the barrel to prop up
their TV.
_____Right now, the Edison Carter Show was on. The show began with a scene--
a view in the downtown core-region of the city, in a corporate plaza. But,
in the middle of the plaza was a huge broken statue. No, wait, that wasn't a
God-damned statue! It was one of those damned KILLING MACHINES! A big one...!
_____"This is Edison Carter, live and direct," came the tele-journalist's voice
through the television speaker. "I'm reporting to you from my own place of
work--Network 23 headquarters. As you may already know, Network 23 came under
attack by a hulking beast of metal. Surely, another act of terrorism by an
unknown corporate entity.
_____"In recent weeks, we have all been under attack by metal-bodied beings of
unknown origin. Out of nowhere, they come to harass and harm. They injure,
mutilate and kill dozens of innocents, and then they vanish. A new and
troubling threat to city life. They are prototype cyborgs--once thought to be
beyond current technology, now a horrible reality."
_____Then, the camera's view came yet closer to the huge metal thing, which was
kneeling. It was clearly dead--or broken. Lots of holes in its armor.
_____"However, there is a noteworthy exception," continued the voice on the
TV. "Ladies and gentlemen, the damage done to this particular monster was done
by none other than a heroic teenage girl. Yes, a petite and rather pretty
girl...with a difference."
_____What the Hell? Did Edison Carter lose his mind? How could some short-
little bitch do THAT to one of those cyborg killer-things? Do that to a BIG
prototype cyborg-thing?
_____"The girl has undergone the same process that made the metal-bodied
terrorists. That is, her natural body has been replaced with a body of metal,
enabling her to fight the enemy. Her name is Gally, and she is a cyborg.
_____"Soon after the prototype cyborg threat materialized, Gally came to this
city--with the expressed purpose of finding the party responsible for the
terrorists acts. Now, she works with the Metro Cops--who have enlisted her
aid.
_____"And so, we citizens have hope. Whereas we were once at the mercy of the
prototype cyborgs, these metal terrorists, we now have someone who can stop the
threat. If you see a rather small dark-haired girl walking down your street--a
girl who wears black over her metal body--you will know that you are safe."
A pause. "Again, this is Edison Carter, live and direct..."
_____Then, the show cut to a commercial. It advertised neuro-electronic
wrist-bands that you could get for free at a fast-food restaurant. The
wrist-bands induced a dream-like (or drug-like) trance, but some people said
that they cause brain damage. You've got to be careful with what the
corporations make sometimes.
...
_____In Sector W-2 of the Fringes, the poorly clad masses continued doing what
they normally did every day of the week--which was almost nothing. Because
employers almost never gave them jobs. Some of the streets were blocked off
as so many people set up makeshift camps there. And the abandoned buildings
were musty and hot sometimes, so people sat outside.
_____So there were camps set up right in the streets. Camps, furnished with
old couches, chairs and jury-rigged electrical appliances.
_____That was shelter; what about other basics? Well, food is always a bit
hard to come by, but everyone always managed to scrounge up something to eat.
The rich people in the downtown core threw out old clothes, so people can just
go into old sanitation facilities and find things to wear. As for
entertainment... Well, there was television! Televisions are probably the only
things given out for free--even if you had to put up with all those commercials.
_____It was warm during the daytime. There was no need to set up barrels for
fires. When the sun went down and the streets grew chilly, there had to be
old paper and stuff to burn if there wasn't sleeping space inside the old
buildings. If a person decided to sleep inside or outside, one always had to
find some bedcovers with not too many holes in it.
_____But it was daytime now! Late afternoon. Televisions on, people were
sitting inside and around the dilapidated old buildings here. More people
were sitting in street-camps, radios and television hooked up with taped-
together wiring.
_____Then, on Enduro Street--one of these impoverished lanes--something began
to happen. Television reception began to fuzz up! People got up from ragged
couches and tried fiddling with antennas, but it was of no use. Others began
slapping televisions and radios, cursing and swearing, thinking that would
fix the fuzzy reception.... Then HE appeared--right here on this street. The
Kindly Old Man!
_____Dressed in white slacks, white button shirt with suspenders, and brown
shoes, the Kindly Old Man danced along the cracked sidewalk. The iron gray
hair atop his wrinkled head fluttered and bounced as he hopped and skipped
along the street--doing that strange dance of his. His shoes made shuffling
and pradiddling sounds as he skipped along on his merry way....
_____...Oh, FUCK! People stopped fooling around with television antennas and
turned to stare, eyes wide. They didn't know WHAT the Hell he was. Some said
the Kindly Old Man was some kind of live hologram, a different kind of Max
Headroom. Others said he was some kind of alien. Or, he was an ordinary person
made crazy by corporate experiments--experiments gone wrong! Whatever the case,
he was damned creepy!
_____And there he is! Hopping and bopping along! Scaring the SHIT out of
everybody! People could not believe it, what they were seeing. The Kindly
Old Man looked as real as anything! You could see him and hear him, plain as
day... Right here on Enduro Street.
_____But when he came to the intersection at the end of the block, he faded
away... Vanished, like he always did! He must have gone back to wherever he
came from--space, underground, or somewhere. The point is, he wasn't here
anymore.
_____Thank GOD he wasn't! Even seconds after he faded away, everyone around
here was stocked still with fear. Someone people even vomited what little food
they had to eat for breakfast. Yes, the Kindly Old had that sort of effect on
people.
...
_____And sixty-six minutes after that event, Officer Murphy drove a standard
black police cruiser car past that street. Gally was seated in the shotgun
seat at his right, looking out the window. Looking at the people sitting
around... Indeed, this was not too different from Scrap Iron City. But there
were differences.
_____Officer Murphy slowed this car, stopped. No, he could not drive along
Enduro Street itself--too many obstructions. He could get by another way.
"What's on your mind, Gally?" he asked. "Something get your attention...?"
_____Then he saw Gally squint her eyes closed, her gray fingers to her head.
She made no sounds, only sat there. It looked like a pain so intense that
she could not even scream...
_____With a quick screech of tires, Murphy stopped the car. Looked at Gally,
who was in pain. "What's wrong! Is your brain injured? Talk to me, kid!"
_____She let out a sigh... The pain was gone. "Something...! Something is
wrong...! I can hear HIM, the Kindly Old Man. He was wheezing IN MY MIND!
I cannot withstand..." Then her eyes rolled back in her head, and she slumped
forward where she sat. Her dark hair curtained her pale face.
_____THUMP...! Something atop the car roof? Murphy looked around. TH-THUMP!
Something ELSE landed atop the black police cruiser! "What the...?" he said
in surprise. Then he reached between the seats and took one of the racked
weapons there--a short black submachine gun.
_____An excellent and compact weapon, its modified clip could hold two hundred
rounds. Now, it had a black curving "banana" clip full of those brand-new
ferro-ceramic bullets. Murphy would need such weaponry against the metal
things that were on the roof of the car--those damned prototype cyborgs!
_____But, it was pretty odd how Gally had a sudden headache just before these
freaks appeared. At the least, it was a sort of early warning... "Thanks,
Gally," said this armor-clad Metro Cop before opening his car door and leaping
out. Into a battle...
...
_____He leapt out onto the cracked street, then did a quick controlled tumble--
a tuck-and-roll--to absorb the impact. Snapping to his feet, black helmet
glinting, he aimed his submachine gun at the two metal-bodied freaks atop his
car! But they were different from the other metal-bodied prototype cyborgs...
_____Those two looked more dangerous... They looked like roboticized human
skeletons, with machinery in the ribs. Their rubber faces looked more pinched,
more sinister, than the other prototype cyborgs that caused trouble. And these
things were armed: their hands wereren't just metal hands, but shiny claws...
Then they turned their rubber faces to look at Murphy--and smiled.
_____CR-CR-CRACK! A triple burst of gunfire from Murphy's weapon, and one of
them staggered, tumbling off of the car. But the other one pounced!
_____Standing in front of the crouching officer, the skeletal cyborg gave a
SWIPE of its claws. At the very last moment, Murphy shrugged his right
shoulder--taking the HIT on the arm instead of the head. Still, he was knocked
away ten yards, sliding to a stop...
_____He got to his feet, the kevlar padding over his right shoulder shredded.
Just a bit of blood oozed. He then opened fire. Cr-cr-crack! Cr-cr-crack!
_____Two bursts of gunfire. Dark fluid and sparks splurted from the chest of
the skeletal metal-freak with the rubber face. Yes-s-s...
_____Chest damage! That should have put the metal-freak on the ground!
Still, it walked in this direction. And it wanted to mess Murphy up! Still
standing.
_____If he was going down, then he wasn't going down without a fight! He raised
his weapon, then began walking toward the metal freak. Cr-cr-cr-cr... Bullets
flying from his gun, he fired as he walked.
_____Sparks flew like mad from the metal freak's chest, and some bullets went
between the metal ribs and into the exposed chest machinery. It staggered a
bit, but still it came. Nothing seemed to stop it.... Then Murphy ran out of
bullets. He then grippeed his submachine gun reverse, holding it like a club.
Raising it up, he made a dead run at the thing!
_____A black blur flew in from the right, behind the metal freak. When the
blur flew past, the metal-freak's head came clean off. Dark fluid and sparks
flew up from the metal neck-stump like a grotesque fountain of horror.
_____Murphy stopped himself. He lowered his empty submachine gun, looked
around... Where did THAT come from? Then he saw... There, at the left
sidewalk, was Gally. The petite cyborg girl knelt on the sidewalk, her dark-
clad back to Murphy.
_____Walking closer, he kept his eyes on her. Something was not right. "Uh...
Thank you, Gally... What do you have there?" No answer but the sound of Gally
panting. Moving slowly, he walked up to this sidewalk. This fight seemed to
be over, but now there could be another threat.
...
_____Gally quick-turned her head in Murphy's direction, a big smile on her
face. But her eyes were not at all innocent and happy. The eyes... The look on
her face was feral, absolutely maniacal. He saw THAT look on Gally's face
before. But, this time, it was worse.
_____He stayed where he was. Gally did not. She slowly stood, a sleek metal-
bodied figure in black. And she began a slow walk towards Murphy. Cradled in
her arms was...a head. It was the rubber-faced head of the metal freak that
had threatened Murphy--the thing that Gally just eliminated.
_____She stop, her head level to Murphy's abdomen. Holding the rubber-faced
metal skull in her steely gray hands, she raised it up to Murphy's face. Presented
it like a new-found toy.
_____Eyes... The "eyes" of the dead head stared at him--camera lenses for
sight. But the eyes were dead. And, the way Gally was acting now, maybe he
would be dead as well.
_____THUNK...! The metal skull-head was gone. It took a moment for Murphy
to realize that Gally had dropped it to the sidewalk. Dropped, like a piece
of junk.
_____Then he heard her laugh. "Ha ha ha..." It was a laugh that did not
sound like Gally as he knew her. "Ha ha ha ha! Aaah...ha ha ha ha..." She
turned away from Murphy. "Ha ha ha...! Oh, how this brings joy!" She gave
a playful kick to the rubber-faced metal skull. "Such fun!"
_____"Gally...?" asked Murphy. He spoke carefully, expecting Gally to explode
with sudden violence at any moment. "What happened to the other one? The
other prototype cyborg?"
_____"Oh...!" The cyborg-girl turned and smiled. "He's next to the car...
At least, his torso is! His arms and legs are there too, I believe. I placed
the legs underneath the car. And, the head is atop the hood--an ornamental
touch."
_____Grim-faced and a little shaken, Murphy went to work on cleanup. He gripped
the limp metal arms of the nearest prototype cyborg--the headless one. Then
he had to drag it over to the still-idling police cruiser. And he went back
for the head.
_____He had reached into the car to pull the trunk release--opening the back
of the car. Everything was going in. Nothing was going to be left out. He
put both the metal skeletal body and head in the trunk. Now for the
other one...
_____Gally gleefully gathered the metal parts of the other prototype cyborg,
the one she destroyed. Legs, arms and torso came up. The head taken off the
hood... Soon all the parts were in the trunk.
_____With a final THUNK, Murphy closed the car trunk, put himself in the car.
Gally got back into the police cruiser, and Murphy put the car in gear. This
black vehicle slowly motored away, and the people came out of hiding. But
fear lingered in the air.
...
_____Soon after that, driving along, Officer Murphy turned on the car's
audio-visual communications link--a screen-and-speaker setup that was in the
middle of the car's dashboard. Gally looked there, saw a serious officer's
face appeared on the screen.
_____It was not just a typical dispatcher on the screen, but a police corporal.
Next to the insignia of his rank, he had a kind of antenna symbol on his
collar. "This is Corporal Saundre," came his voice through the speaker. "I
will be taking your communications. Report, Officer Murphy."
_____Murphy slowed this car down and parked, right next to a grungy old
building with a crooked metal sign on it. Looking into the small camera set
next to the dashboard monitor, he spoke. "Gally and I encountered a more
advanced danger. Two advanced prototype cyborgs. They were faster than the
ones we previously encountered."
_____"Were the ferro-ceramic rounds effective?" asked the police corporal.
"Or, was the cyborg-girl required to eliminate the threat? How were the
advanced prototypes killed?"
_____Officer Murphy glanced at Gally, then returned his eyes to the small video
camera lens. "A combination. The ferro-ceramic rounds were effective in
damaging the new prototype cyborgs, but Gally had to finish them off."
_____The police corporal on the screen thought for just a second. "Do you have
any remains? Direct data regarding efficacy of our ammunition would be most
useful."
_____Officer Murphy nodded. "Outstanding," said the police corporal. "I will
send Officer Zackus and Officer Leila to cover your patrol. Bring the new
prototype remains to the station as soon as possible. Anything else to report?"
_____At that moment, for a moment, Officer Murphy wanted to tell the police
corporal about how Gally's mind seemed to...change when she fought. He
remembered how Gally's looked during the fight back there: Her young, pretty
face took on a crazed, lunatic's look. As if....
_____Never mind. Giving another glance to Gally, Officer Murphy answered.
"Nothing further to report. I will now move to the station."
_____"I see that you have been injured," said Corporal Saundre. "Looks like
laceration. Use a first-aid spray."
_____First-aid sprays were for use in case of injury. A sort of spray-on
bandage and anesthetic. The spray first acts like a local anesthetic, eliminating
pain. Then it sanitizes open wounds. Finally, it sticks--forming a sort of
liquid bandage to prevent bleeding and further infection.
_____Murphy felt he didn't need his spray now. "Don't worry, Corporal Saundre.
The wound isn't much. But thanks for the concern. Over and out..." The
corporal on the other end broke the connection, vanished from the screen.
In his place, the Metro Cops circular "MC" logo appeared.
_____This Metro Cop then drove this car through a right turn at the next
intersection. Avoiding pedestrians and junk in the street, he began the drive
back to the station. In the corner of his eye, he noticed that Gally began to
look at him with those big dark eyes of hers.
_____Gally spoke. "Officer Murphy, I may appear to be young, but the age of my
mind far surpasses that my appearance. In my experience with people, I notice
certain actions that betray emotions--however subtle. You now seem
uncomfortable in my presence."
_____Murphy tightened his grip on the steering wheel. How should he say this?
"Gally, can I be honest? I mean, really honest? I don't want to hurt your
feelings, but..."
_____"Speak on, if you wish," said Gally. "If speaking will alleviate your
discomfort, then do so." She smiled slightly. "But, please avoid insults and
ridicule."
_____Murphy thought, Here we go! Said, "I think that you're a bit unstable,
when it comes to fighting. Now, I know that you probably have a lot of
problems. And from what little you said about your hometown, wherever it is,
that's understandable. But why did you have to LOOK that way when you fought
those things back there?"
_____Gally's smile widened yet more. "That is because I truly enjoy physical
confrontations. Through fighting, I grow to be stronger. That is because
fighting is exploration of my potential on a physical and spiritual level. It
is just so beneficial to me." Her eyes seemed to sparkle when she said this.
"I feel...ALIVE."
_____Driving this car, letting his eyes stay on the road ahead, Murphy had no
immediate response. For some uncomfortable moments, there was but the slight
sound of the car's engine and the sound of the tires on the ill-maintained
urban roadway. No talking...
_____Now, his fear about Gally was replaced a bit with indignation. As a
police officer, he saw killing as a last resort. And, killing was done for
justice and public safety, not for personal gain of any kind. "I just hope
you see your victims as more than just targets for cash and experience, Gally."
_____Gally turned away. "You have offended me, Officer Murphy." Her voice
rose in pitch. "You should know, IT IS NOT ABOUT MONEY! I kill as killing
BRINGS GREAT PLEASURE!"
_____Whoa...! Gally lowered her voice, embarrassed. "I give apology, yet you
owe the same to me. Please, do not assume you are aware of all my motives."
The road ahead became slightly more free of junk. They were approaching
the downtown core-region of the city.
_____"Hmm..." went Murphy, jaw clenching. He let out a loud breath... "Okay,
okay, I suppose I went a bit too far," he said. "I'm sorry. It's just that...
You SCARE me, girl! I still think of you as a human being--just with a body
replaced with machinery. But some of the things you do... Well..."
_____"Let us leave it at that," said Gally. "Just assume me to be human.
Faith in my humanity is part of my sanity." And that was all the two said to
each other for the rest of the way back to the 1st Precinct.
...
_____This black patrol cruiser emerged into the core-region of the city--where
everyone and everything looked much cleaner and wealthier. Well-kept buildings
at the sides, a smooth road beneath the car, and the mid-afternoon sky
overhead.
_____Eventually, that vehicle came to the grand 1st Precinct building. Murphy
drove the vehicle down the concrete ramp and into the basement parking area.
It was more dim and cool down here, lit by florescent lighting. About half
the parking spaces were full, occupied by similar black cars.
_____Gally noticed that there were already Metro Cops waiting for them at the
far end of this underground lot--where there were the stairs and elevators.
Four black-clad Metro Cops with a wheeled black cart, standing with Police
Chief Thunderhorse.
_____Murphy drove the car over there, stopped it. He pulled the trunk release,
and the back of the car opened. Then he himself got out of the vehicle,
followed by Gally from the other side.
_____First, the Metro Cop jogged around, then stood stiffly in front of Chief
Thunderhorse. Gally walked over, looked up at the police chief. He was dressed
as usual: white shirt and beige slacks worn over a tall, strong physique. A
tall and noble man.
_____"Good afternoon, sir," said Officer Murphy. "I didn't know that you
were going to be meeting us. It's an honor."
_____The tall swarthy chief chuckled. "Hah hah... It is nothing as high as
that! This is business, actually. I had to meet Gally immediately and
directly--the only cyborg we have fighting on our side!" Turning his head,
he addressed three of the Metro Cops who stood here. "Joel, Samuk, and Trace,
handle what Murphy brought in the trunk. Transport the new prototype cyborg
parts to tech-forensics for analysis."
_____That said, three of the Metro Cops took the wheeled cart over to Murphy's
patrol cruiser. They carefully removed the skeletal metal parts from the
car trunk and put them in the black wheeled cart. The cart was then wheeled
over to one of the elevators--going up into the station.
_____Chief Thunderhorse spoke to Murphy. "I want you inside. Have that shoulder
tended." Murphy opened his mouth to protest, but the police chief raised his
right hand. "No, the wound may seem superficial, but it could worsen. Then
it would cost more to have the skin and muscle regrown! Please do go inside."
_____Somewhat saddened, Murphy nodded and walked over to the elevators. One
opened, and he went in--a bit of blood dripping to the floor from the shredded
armor padding on the injured shoulder.
_____Then Chief Thunderhorse looked down at the cyborg. "Gally, give me your
credit rod."
_____Obeying the police chief, Gally unzipped the slit-pocket at her left
hip. She took out the squat, silvery object. Handed it to him. He took it,
then spoke to one of the Metro Cops.
_____"Janx, wire a hundred more credits into this from my expenses account.
She assisted an injured officer."
_____Officer Janx took a bulky looking device from where it was attached to his
belt. He attached Gally's cred-rod to it, punched some keys, then removed it.
Gave the cred-rod back to the police chief--who gave it back to Gally.
_____Gally put the credit-rod back in her slit-pocket, but did so with a look
of slight contempt. The cyborg-girl only recently reaffirmed to Officer
Murphy that she did not fight for money. And now here she was, taking more
monetary reward--stiff-faced.
_____"Well...! Hah hah hah..." went Chief Thunderhorse, his voice echoing
throughout here. "Today, you show your distaste for 'crass' reward! All the
same, my payment to you is not just about money. It is symbolic. It is
immediate reward--the traditional means of affirming an outsider's service to
this organization."
_____He crossed his arms, bent over slightly. "Now, I also reward you by
personally delivering a message. Someone is to meet you at Cafe 69--down the
street. The person will not know it, but the person WILL be willing to talk
to you."
_____Such an odd statement... But, after this, she had nothing else to do
today but wandering about the city and listen for further clues of Dr. Nova's
whereabouts.
_____She answered, "As odd and as unsubstantiated as that statement sounds, I
will follow it. There is nothing else I can do today."
_____Murphy said nothing about the slight tone of disrespect Gally made toward
the chief. One thing known about Police Chief Thunderhorse was his peculiar
tendency to be RIGHT about some things. He sometimes knew things ahead of time
that other people didn't--like magic.
_____Then, Gally gave a wave of her right hand--a "good bye" sort of gesture.
She turned and walked away, going toward the opening at the far end of this
vast basement garage. It was bright outside; walking to the basement garage
exit was like walking into a white glare.
...
_____...Outside the station. Gally knew where Cafe 69 was. It was a block
over from street on which the 1st Precinct building was located. She and
Murphy passed that place several times before, going to and coming from this
central police station.
_____A minute or so of brisk walking, and she was there. A door at one side,
the place had a panoramic window showing the view inside the small eating
establishment. There was a neon sign at the door--"Cafe 69."
_____Inside, Cafe 69 looked much like the diner she saw in another place: the
tables were at the left side, and the long counter at the front. The counter,
where people made orders for food and sat on stools to talk. A waiter and
waitress--in black-and-white clothing--handled food orders. And the people
eating here were the sort Gally saw in this part of town: well-dressed, well-to-
do professional people. The people who worked white-collar and technical jobs.
_____As it was the afternoon, there was a moderate amount of business being
done; eight or so people sat at tables and at the long counter. They were in
office clothing, but some wore lab coats. People were eating, talking about
things they did at work, things of that sort. They did not notice Gally as
she went over to the counter.
_____Sitting on a stool at the far left side, she picked and unfolded the
menu here. Hmm... An interesting selection of foods. She never saw half
the items listed on this menu. Would these odd foods be compatible with her
artificial digestive system?
_____Well, tea was always a safe option. And, there were several kinds.
"Pekoe cut mint" sounded nice...
_____The cyborg-girl closed the menu and waited for the cook--a portly man in
white clothes, a white apron and hat completing his outfit. He came over.
"Hello," he said, "what would you like?"
_____"I would like the 'Pekoe-cut mint tea'" she said. "And, some simple
sugar within it would do nicely. I actually need sugar."
_____"Heh heh... I know. You're the cyborg-girl," said the cook. "The tea
will be here faster than you can say 'glucose!'" He turned around, went over
to the small cooking area, where a spare waitress was helping in preparing
another order.
_____Gally swiveled a bit around atop this stool, glanced around at the rest
of the diner's interior--a comfortable scene. This place lit with a
combination of overhead florescent lighting and natural sunlight from the
large picture-window. Everyone here chatted, many of them smiling. She was
actually beginning to feel at ease, especially since her presence as the
"cyborg-girl" was becoming accepted.
_____"Here you go, little lady!" said the cook, setting the serving of hot mint
tea on the formica counter-top in front of Gally. The saucer had a few sugar
packets on it. "Pekoe-cut mint tea! With extra sugar."
_____"Wait a moment..." said Gally. She stood from her stool, unzipped her
left slit-pocket and presented her cred-rod to the cook. "I pay in advance,
as my presence may be more or less temporary."
_____"What? More or less...?" went the cook, looking at other people here as
if looking for clarification. "Oh, hah hah...! You must be an amateur
philosopher or something. Okay." He took the cred-rod and walked over to the
register centered behind the counter--attached the squat cylinder to the
register. He charged Gally's tea--two credits. Then he came back, giving
back the cred-rod. "Here you go."
_____Gally took her cred-rod back, put it back into her pocket. Climbing atop
the stool once more, she took a sip of the mint tea. Hmm, quite refreshing.
All the same, she pinched open a few packets of sugar--poured the sweetening
powder into the green tea. Her brain had a taste for sugar; sugar was what kept
it alive.
_____As Gally drank tea, a waitress had a slight problem. That waitress felt
a lump in her right apron pocket. Every waitress' apron had a pocket for
holding pencil and pad for taking table orders. But now, there was something
else in her pocket, and she didn't know what it was. She couldn't take it out
now, though: both her hands were occupied, two trays of food. When she had
time, she'd get the object out. Whatever the Hell it was in there...
_____Taking another quiet sip of tea, the slight murmur of diner clientele
in the background, Gally thought of nothing in particular. This was her time.
With all the problems and troubles she had, she would not care about them for
just a few minutes now. This was a space of peace and quiet.
_____In the meanwhile, that waitress delivered the two orders to the waiting
customers at a table--a man and woman, both in business clothes. Her hands
free of food trays, that waitress reached into her right apron-pocket...
But...nothing! Nothing in the pocket but her order-pad and pen. But she
could have SWORN there was SOMETHING in her pocket: something the size of a
fist.
_____Well, she took out the order-pad and pen. Another customer had an order.
Maybe she was working too hard and just imagined something there.
_____Another customer came in--a pretty, brunette-haired woman with big blue
eyes. Fresh from work at Network 23, she was dressed as most everyone else
was. And today, she had decided to check this diner out; someone told her
the coffee here was exquisite.
_____That pretty newcomer looked around. This place was a bit small inside,
but it was also cozy... Then she saw a familiar, petite, dark-clad figure.
Yes, very familiar, because there was only one cyborg-girl in this city!
_____Walking past tables and passing a waitress, she walked over to the
counter over there. Sat on the stool next to the cyborg-girl. "Why, hello
Gally," said the woman, her light English accent sweetening her voice. "Dear
me, this is quite a surprise. Is this where you go when not working with your
Metro Cop friends?"
_____Gally took another sip of her tea, looked right. She remembered the
woman: It was Theora, Edison Carter's controller. Big blue eyes to go with
her round pretty face.
_____A sip of tea, and the cyborg-girl spoke. "Oh... Good afternoon, Theora.
In truth, it was suggested by my current employer that I stop by here. By
coincidence or by karma, he told me that I was to meet someone here." She
smiled. "Now, I do meet such a person."
_____"Ha hah... How odd!" answered Theora. Leaning her right elbow on the
counter, she looked to the cook. Said to him, "I will try your house special...
Your 'Damned Fine Coffee.' DARK blend."
_____The cook nodded, then went away to make the house special--some "Damned
Fine Coffee." That stuff was becoming more popular all the time. But, just
as he turned the tap to fill a tall mug full of the rich dark coffee, he
noticed that one of his waitresses was trying to take something out of her
apron's pockets--the right-side pocket.
_____Theora looked at the petite cyborg-girl. It was odd, being seated next
to someone who wasn't fully human. It was just safest to think of Gally as
having form-fitting metal armor. But, on an intellectual level, Theora knew
better.
_____"So...!" said the woman, her voice bright. "I've come to hear that you
had a late-night meeting with Edison...when your meeting was interrupted by that
oversized cyborg! Up to then, we've been quite worried about you of late.
Well? Where were you before coming to our rescue? Certainly, you were not in
the city."
_____"I do not know if you would quite believe what I would say to that,"
answered the cyborg-girl. "Truthfully, I cannot quite trust my own memories.
Things are quite odd."
_____Meanwhile, that waitress dipped her fingers deeper into her right apron-
pocket. The thing was there again. It wouldn't come out! Maybe she ought to
ask Sal--the boss--for some scissors so she could CUT it out.
_____Back at the counter, Theora crossed her arms. Said, "Oh? Try me. I
like to believe myself an open-minded person. Tell me where you think you
have been."
_____"I believe that I was in...another place," she said. "A different venue,
a different town. One quite different from this city, and even more unlike
my own native Scrap Iron City. But, there was an aspect to the town that
tested my sanity." She leaned closer to Theora. "In that town, I was...
Was...different. It was a transformation of me."
_____Speaking carefully, Theora asked, "What do you mean by that? You were
'transformed?' I do not understand." It was best to ask this question with
care; Theora had heard rumors about the cyborg-girl's mental stability.
_____By now, the troubled waitress was behind the counter with the head cook
and owner of Cafe 69. As the waitress held her pocket open, the cook--Sal--
found a pair of scissors in a drawer. He slid one sharp part of the scissors
into the waitress' pocket, began to slice.
_____"...My body changed," added Gally. "My current body is one of metal, one
designed for agility and strength. An appropriate body, because I fight. But,
in the Town of Delsea, my physique was one of synthetic flesh--indistinguishable
from a natural human body. That, and my mind underwent troubling changes...some
of which I still retain."
_____Behind the counter, the waitress' pocket problem was being solved. Sal
the cook cut open that waitress' apron-pocket and took out the bulky object
that was inside. "WOW! Thank GOD!" said that waitress, rubbing her hip where
the object rubbed her. "Hey, what the HELL is that thing? Where the HELL did
it come from?"
_____Surprised by the loud waitress, Gally turned to look. Sal the cook must
have been surprised as well--because he dropped the weird thing he found in
the waitress' pocket. It was a fist-sized box made of wood...tumbling down...
_____It THUNKED when it hit the floor. And the lid popped open like a little
door, revealing an impossibly black darkness inside. The box had darkness
inside it.
_____There was darkness in that box...! Because, it was THE box! Gally
gasped, her eyes going wide. She fell off her stool, but never hit the floor--
because she vanished in mid-air, going to another place. Yet again, the
cyborg-girl left the city.