Metropolis: Fallen Light

Chapter 6. Fallen Robots

The door was wrenched from her grasp and she fell into someone's arms. Her first impression of the tall and slender person was Rock, but looking up she saw the face of none other than Duke Red.

"Ah, Halo Kane, the exact person I wanted to see." Red put her straight on her feet but took her upper right arm in his steel-firm grasp and led her over to his car. He had a Marduk cuff her and he himself lowered her down to sit in the seat. Turning to the other Marduks that had accompanied him, his said, "Burn it."

"No! Red, are you crazy! There's women and children up there!"

Duke Red looked at her and lowered himself to sit in the seat next to her but didn't say a word until they had begun to drive off.

"Amazing, really, how they both gave in like that. We would have never found you if it weren't for them."

Halo looked sharply and doubtfully at Duke Red. She knew exactly who he was speaking of.

"Rock and Kenna would never have told you where we were."

"Ah, but in fact they did."

"What'd you do, threaten to kill 'em?"

"Ah . . . well, something to that effect." Duke Red gave a small laugh. "A little persuasion didn't harm, either."

"I'm not one to make deals or negotiations, and I'm not persuasive, but if you let me go I'll make sure you'll get off good with President Harbin. It's easy-"

"Look, m'lady, I haven't taken you captive."

"Then what the Hell'd ya cuff me for?"

"A mere caution. Wouldn't want you running away before I've had my say in this little ordeal, now, would we?"

He gave his odd little chuckle again and Halo could only glare at him. He had so far cuffed her, taken her from her tower, BURNED the tower, and LIED. What in Hell was he going on about, some ordeal?

He looked at the angry (A/N: strike that, INFURIATED) glare on Halo's face and then looked ahead at the mirror in the front to see behind them. Halo was obviously mad.

"I still don't believe you. Rock and Kenna wouldn't sell us out, mot if they knew the girls and children were in the tower."

"Ah, but they did."

The car pulled to a stop and Duke Red stepped out while two Marduks assisted each other in pulling an angry Halo from the right-side seat. Halo was stubborn but aside that they had her out in a matter of minutes.

"If you don't let me go, I'll-!"

"Like I said, you're not a captive."

"Well I feel like one!"

"I bet your friend Kenna Davis feels like one as well."

Halo gave an angry, surprised, and somewhat worried look Duke Red's way and snapped,

"If you did ANYTHING to harm him, I'll-!"

"I beg your pardon, but I believe you did more damage to him yourself than we did."

Halo immediately turned pale after letting his words sink in.

"H- how in the . . . How in Hell could you have known about that!" she stammered, her eyes widening.

"Rock tributed a few things to us about you. Quite an interesting subject you are. How you argue with him about the rights of robots, how brave. You do know he could have killed you anytime at any one of your little meetings at my command? Be happy I spared you . . . For now." (A/N: Kinky cliche, I know).

A sudden force was thrown to the side of Halo's head, seemingly the butt of a hand-gun, and she was thrown off-balance and to the ground. Duke Red bent over her and whispered into her ear, "And now you ARE my captive."

*~*~*

The water was pooling around them, about an inch and a half deep. Rats were squeaking at their feet and scurrying away at the slightest movement.

Kenna sat against the farthest wall a cigarette held between his thumb and index finger. He blew the smoke from between his thin lips and from his nostrils, thinking of it as one single pleasure in the whole situation.

Rock, who sat against the bars on the wall to Kenna's right, stared at him, disgusted. He was slumped down, knees apart, his hands held calloused and limp over them. One hand was, however, clamped tightly over his shades.

Both were beaten pretty badly. They had both received a few slaps and punches from the Duke, though Rock guessed they took a little pity and had some mercy for Kenna because Halo put a bullet through his leg. Rock had been given numerous slaps and punches, far more than he could remember counting. He had a cut lower lip and something along the lines of a bruise forming on the right of his cheek.

And he felt like he hadn't showered in days! The smoke from the burning nicotine (A/N: that you call cigarettes, I call early heart-attack) Kenna had wasn't making Rock feel any better about his hygiene.

Rock was on the mere brink of telling Kenna he stank bed enough, why make it worse when a high-pitched yelling noise reached their ears . . . Everyone's ears.

"Let me go, damn it! Sit boy, and get your paws off me!"

Rock nearly face-faulted in the rats and water as he tried to turn around. He made such a splashing noise but was soon watching the seen from his knees, his hands grasping the bars tightly (having dropped his sunglasses). A secondary Marduk was practically holding Halo in the air as she kicked and screamed. She eventually got herself thrown in the water by the two boy's cell. Kenna was now right up beside Rock, his cigarette dropped into the water (A/N: attracting the rats).

Halo turned to them and crawled swiftly to them, but when she got there she reached her hands through the nicely spaced (yet grimy) bars and gave each of them a hearty (or heartfelt) slap.

"You dumb bastards, you sold us out!"

Kenna looked dumb-struck, yet Rock looked positively blissful.

"You knew damn well Karen, Fern, and the boys were in that tower!"

"But Duke Red promised nothing would happen-"

"Duke Red ordered the tower be burned. Fern and Karen are smart, they probably took the boys and split." She looked at Rock. "What the Hell do you have to smile about?" Halo looked angrily at him and gave him another slap. "Stupid Marduk. I never should have trusted you! Well, look where it landed you now!" Halo had stood and was towering over the both of them, casting her long, thin shadow and glaring.

Rock gave her his usual smirk and stood as well, coming still taller than her.

"Tell me . . . Did they scream?"

Halo's mouth gaped open a little bit, her eyes widened slightly, and an eyebrow rose.

"What?"

"I said did they scream?"

"I . . . dunno." Halo was being overcome with fear yet again. She had always cowered at people like Rock, especially when they acted the way he was now. It was like a weakness. He closed his eyes, turned, and began walking back to the far wall.

"Everyone in that tower should have died. Every single robot-supporting human."

*~*~*

Duke Red turned.

"But, President Boone! These robots are ruining the cause of society! With them running around the streets there would be no need for humans in Metropolis and you would therefore have no real city to run!"

"Duke Red, how many times must I repeat myself to the governmental selectors? Without our little beneficiaries there would be no Metropolis AT ALL! Better to run a city populated with more robots than humans than no city at all."

"What about the financial aid? Without people there's no taxes and no one gets paid!"

"When humans don't have jobs robots
do. Instead of humans getting the money, the robots earn it."

"What are robots going to use money for? Humans are living things, robots aren't. Humans need to eat, robots don't. It's the cycle of nature!"

"What about the little group of representatives President Harbin sent over? They'll have to have a say in the matter."

"I've taken care of them, sir. They're no longer in Metropolis."

Boone chuckled.

"Well, then, Duke Red. . . I believe you have yourself assignment! I want every robot supporter in Metropolis rallied up at the gates of City Hall Sunday morning before eleven o' clock."

"And Harbin's representatives, sir?"

Boone turned to Duke Red with a devious-looking smile chiseled into his wide face.

"I'll pay ol' Harbin a visit. For those representatives, that statue out there looks pretty lonely."

*~*~*

Since Duke Red decided to be nice to his 'little angel' he decided too lend Halo a room in his manor for a few days, until Sunday morning. He said by then he would have a more suitable place for her to be.

Halo hardly ever returned to the manor except for meals, showers, and bed. Kenna had been released from his cell to be treated at some clinic or hospital or something like that. Rock had been released because 1) he was Duke Red's 'son' and 2) he was head Marduk. He was, however, not to be seen. He hadn't been seen at the manor since he had been released.

Back to Halo: She pretty much stayed away from the manor, mostly our in the 'park' or in Zones One, Two, or Three. She pretty much tried to stay away from Back-Alley as much as possible.

Rock often watched her sitting or sleeping on a bench in the park, waiting for the right time to make Duke Red's announcement to her and then nab her, much like today. Saturday afternoon, crisp air, slightly warm. She sat there, slumped down, her mouth slightly open. Her chest moved softly with her every breath.

Rock had been standing in front of her, watching, for a few minutes before she finally opened her eyes. She yawned and sat up, then looked into his sunglasses (A/N: How many times does he have to buy a new pair of shades? And WHERE does he GET them?!) and cowered, shrinking back into her little 'mouse' form. It was evident and she had to admit it: she was afraid of him. The only thing in the world she was afraid of and it had to be Rock, head of Marduks. Point a gun at her and tell her she'll die in five seconds, she's cool with that. Let ROCK point a gun at her and tell her she's dead in five seconds and she shrinks and dies before the trigger is pulled. Ironic.

"R-Rock!" she stuttered. It was now or never, what Rock had been sent to do.

"Halo . . . I have to take you in. Duke Red's orders."

"But why? What did I NOT do this time?"

Rock ignored her sarcasm and grabbed her arm pulled her with him. He cuffed her hands in front of her (A/N: Big mistake if you ask me ^.^) and began to tug the chain to make her follow. She followed cooperatively.

Arriving at what they called a precinct, Duke Red was already there. After Halo demanded to know what was going on, he led her and Rock to a cell and sat them both down for what appeared to become a nice long chat.

Duke Red explained to them that Sunday morning fellow robot-supporters were to be gathered in front of the City Hall Gates for a rally. The only thing he didn't explain was that Halo would be hanging from the outstretched arms of the statue of the Guardian of Babel.

Author's Notes: You all will remember Atlas leaning against a statue or something when he got shot and died. Well, I'm sort of taking that statue and . . . er, moving it, so to speak. I'm also re-carving! ^.^ Go me! *coughcough* Anyway, it's an angel with a terrified look on its face and it has outstretched arms reaching toward the Heavens. We all know that the Tower of Babel was thought to reach God (and I would tell you the story but let's not get into it ^.^) and so this angel was the Guardian of Babel. Only it's a statue. Believe me, it WILL serve a purpose . . . I think. And just a fair warning for all you Duke Red fans . . . You're not gonna like the ending ^.^