YARGH! ANOTHER MISCOUNT! It turns out there actually *are* five swear words
in Metropolis! I forgot to count the word that Atlas' friend calls Pero and
the rest of the robots! He strictly says, "We lost our jobs to you ______!" (I'll let you watch the movie yourself)
Oh yeah-one more side note about property rights: The Marduks named henceforth (with the exception of Lance) are the property of I, evangel- blader. An asterisk shall indicate this beside their name in their debut appearance (If I remember). The Marduks named previously (Devin, Sam, Patrick, Orion) are characters from the movie but weren't named, so I named them. Devin is the only blonde haired dude, Sam is the with the moustache and two different hair colours that shot Rock in the Ziggurat, Patrick is the brown-haired, blue-eyed man that stands to Minister Skunk's right in the assassination of President Boon, and Orion is the brown-haired, brown- eyed chap to the right of the screen when Lamp was shot (the other fellow is Lance).
One more thing: HAH! I SPELT MARDUK RIGHT! If you go to www.metropolis- movie.com, you'll clearly see that they spell it "M-A-R-D-U-K", not "M-A-L- D-U-K". That website is the official one, too! The manufacturers of the DVD spelt it incorrectly, so that's the third and final reason as to why I'm right. Heh-like I'm ever wrong!
Hah! Before I forget-reviews! Thank you so very much to Rocku-I appreciate your comment about my writing style very much! *sobbing* I don't know how I can ever repay you...the first reviewer out of three chapters...WAAAAAAAAAH! It's a tragedy!
4. You're Hired
"Hang on, keep your eyes closed," Kenichi cajoled as he led Sanguine to the mysterious location.
"Just tell me what it is, Kenichi. Will it kill you?" Sanguine replied as she stepped warily with her eyes closed.
Kenichi opened the door to the room and switched on the light. "Okay, you can open them, now."
Sanguine's eyes fluttered open rapidly and she made a small gasp as she stepped backward. Kenichi glanced at her expression and stepped forward towards what sat on the table in front of them. "What's wrong? This is my surprise and I agree that the initial view is a bit disturbing, but..."
Sanguine stepped forward cautiously and slowly. She analyzed the object that sat upright on the table before her with wide eyes. Sanguine let her clothes drop to the floor beside her as her hands lay limp at her sides. "Y-you never told me of this, Kenichi..."
"Well, like I said, it was a surprise, " Kenichi said as he ran his fingers along one of the sturdy steel bars of the object. "I had to fight myself not to ask for your help. I wanted to see your face when you saw that she was finally rebuilt."
Sanguine's shocked face softened into one of sympathy and joy. "Tima's rebuilt...The only thing you need now is her exterior," she said, turning to Kenichi.
He nodded. "Unfortunately I don't know how I'll do that. I don't know what materials Dr. Laughton originally used. And he's dead, so I can hardly ask him."
At that point Sanguine reached for her jacket on the floor. Kenichi watched as her hand slipped inside one of the inside pockets and pulled out a small red book. She stood up and waved it in front of Kenichi's face. "That's what this is for."
"That's his notebook!" Kenichi gasped. "But how did you get that? It was in the Ziggurat explosion!"
Sanguine pulled it back towards herself and looked at it admiringly. "Yeah, I know. I saw your uncle throw it across the floor at Duke Red. Luckily, like Duke Red and Rock, it survived the explosion, just as it had Dr. Laughton's lab explosion. It's a miracle, but don't let me stand in the way. I found it in the wreckage of the Ziggurat when I was searching for survivors. I was keeping it for a time like this, which has now come. Go on, take it, Kenichi."
Kenichi stared at it a moment and then reached out for it to relieve it of her outstretched hand. "Thank you. Should I give it back when I'm done?"
Sanguine took off her hat and then her bolero just before she flopped down on the couch. "If you want. I don't particularly need it. If you're having trouble, just ask me for help, or...say, when are you going back to Japan again?"
"In around two weeks," he replied, flipping through the pages of the book.
"Well, if you don't finish it by then, you should take it back to Japan with you. Maybe your Uncle Shunsaku could help you. You're coming back to Metropolis after, right?"
"Yeah. Don't worry, I wouldn't leave you here with no one to be friends with. And by then, hopefully my uncle would have helped me to finish Tima," Kenichi answered, looking up from the pages of the book.
"Ah, don't worry about li'l old me. I can take care of myself, I don't need a friend around to be happy, especially since they'll only interfere with my new job. I'm a Marduk now, remember?" Sanguine sighed airily with a wave of her hand. "You just worry about the reconstruction of your best friend, Tima."
Kenichi lowered his head, though kept his eyes on her, smiled gingerly and blushed. "Uh...yeah. I will. Tima'll be as good as new in no time."
*
Two weeks later...
"Raise that window, men! It has to align with the frame of that one up there! No! No! No! You're supposed to be working on the rebuilding of the Ziggurat, not the conference centre, sir. What's that? Duke Red you say? Oh, he's still in hospital as far as I know. Patrick! Stop fooling around and keep your focus on those supplies you're handling!" Sanguine shouted as construction went on all around her.
She sighed and went to sit down in one of the resting stations off to the side. She took off her hat to lay back in the chair and fan herself with it. Devin approached her, surveying the movement of people, robots and other machines around them. Sanguine looked up at him. "What is it, Devin? Don't expect me to give a big long lecture, because my throat is killing me. I've been yelling commands all day."
"Don't worry, I won't. I've just come to tell you that our Marduk numbers are dwindling and that Duke Red wants us to recruit new members," he explained, also taking his hat off to fan himself.
Sanguine sat up and lay her hands in a position to push herself up at the ready. "How does he expect us to do that? Will we carry out auditions or something? Or do we simply pick them up off the street?"
"Well, the whole city is almost fully rebuilt and so we'll have to choose from the survivors on both levels of ZONE-1 and the ground level. We just have to finish the new Ziggurat and some of the political buildings. He didn't specify how he wanted it done, so I'll leave it up to you. By the way, have you gone to see him lately?"
"No. I've been too busy with the supervising of the city's reconstruction to visit either him or Rock. I don't even know whether they're out of the hospital or not."
Devin looked up at the sky. "Don't look at me-I've no clue." He paused. "Rock..." He then lowered his head to make eye contact with her. "Should we rehire him? Sorry- I mean you-are you going to rehire him?"
"What do you mean? Him take up his old position as Marduk leader? And isn't it up to Duke Red to decide who's in and who's out?"
"No, not necessarily. The leader can also decide. He doesn't have to take your position, just for him to be a Marduk."
"Oh," Sanguine mumbled, lowering her head to stare at her lap. "If you don't mind me being leader, then sure. I had that idea in mind myself. Once he's out of the hospital I'll talk to him. I want you and the other Marduks to stop your roles in reconstruction and set out in search for the new recruits. You are to interview them and then test their natural skills in target gunning. We do not have time to train them since robots will be running around these streets with many people, too. You are to bring the recruits to me when you are sure that they are Marduk material, do you understand?"
Devin stood erectly and replaced his military hat on his head. "Yes, ma'am."
Sanguine stood up and glared up at him in the eye. "How many recruits do we need?"
"Duke Red wants a total of twelve Marduks. There are five of us already-Patrick, Sam, Orion, you, and I. We would have had two more but they were killed by robots in the Ziggurat rampage. If you can manage to convince Rock to rejoin us, then that will leave room for six new recruits."
"Very well. You gather the rest of the Marduks and begin the selection process in the training rooms of Duke Red's mansion, Devin. I trust that you shall be able to make the right decisions without me there?" Sanguine asked, starting to walk away.
"Yes, ma'am," Devin answered with a sharp salute. Devin watched her depart a moment before losing his composure. "Oh, um...Sanguine?"
She stopped and turned, throwing her hat back on. "Yeah?"
"Uh, I've been meaning to ask..." He paused, foolishly allowing his face to become a bright red. "If um...i-if Rock were to be in the hospital for the rest of his life..." He hesitated again, thinking seriously about what he was about to say.
"Yeah? What if Rock were to be in the hospital for the rest of his life...?"
Devin suddenly found his shoes very interesting. "Uh...um...would your arm still hurt?!" he blurted, not what he had been intending to say.
Sanguine seemed stunned at the comment. "Uh...I guess it would for a while, but now I've become used to the recoil, so...I don't really see how my arm's pain would tie in with where Rock spent the rest of his life, though..."
"Oh. Uh...that's just one of my problems-don't you mind me. You just worry yourself about recruiting Rock, ma'am..."
She simpered sympathetically and turned to stride away.
*
He sobbed into his mother's brown hair that was of the same shade as his own. He lifted her head to stare into her wide, otherworldly eyes that the blood from her forehead was now beginning to run over and stain the watery surface of. He watched with overwhelming tears as the emerald green that they were now gave way to crimson red.
The shiny red fluid slowly concealed the green, and the light from her eyes faded. They were once either bright green, slate grey, brown like their hair, or blue like his own eyes. No more. They changed with the glint of the light, but now they would be stained blood-red forever-a colour they had never been before.
He glanced to the object hanging around her neck-a necklace with a locket on the end. She had always told him, "If I die, this pendant shall become yours. Always remember me, little one, and take it from my lifeless body if you must, I just want you to have it. If at some point you wish for someone else to have it, don't hesitate to hand it down to them so that they may remember you, I, and your father."
He reached behind her head and lifted the string up and over it. He stared at it with teary, blurred eyes for a moment before looking back to her head resting on his shoulder. He clutched it to his chest and hugged her once more. "Mother..." He then slipped out of her grasp, letting her fall to the ground where he had been standing, watching her blood trail from his shoulder. He placed the necklace around his neck and ran out to find his parents' murderers.
He stared at the pendant in his hand with the same teary, blurred eyes as he had ten years ago. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small rectangular picture frame. Looking over the picture of Duke Red being hugged by the young boy he once knew. He took his left hand and pried the locket open, revealing a picture of him and his family smiling-when they were still alive. Seeing both these photos only brought an onslaught of more tears.
The locket was attached to a black leather thong to prevent easy breakage. The locket itself had a red jewel that fully covered the front with a gold threaded lining around it. From the jewel spread a pair of snow- white wings with five feathers on each side. Of course, all of these materials were synthetic having come from a poor family, but it possessed the same value as if they were real.
He then clutched the locket to his chest once more and lowered his head, closing his eyes to shut out the painful memory. He raised a black sleeved arm to wipe the tears from his eyes that were not hidden by the rim of his cap.
"Hah! Look at the big strong Marduk leader, now!"
"Yeah! One day he's gunning down robots like a man and the next he's crying like a baby!"
Rock lifted his head to glower at the two young children that had been causing the commotion. The two laughed as one of them started to mimic his actions. Rock instinctively reached for his belt to grab a hold of his non-existent gun. On feeling its absence, he simply slipped his hand into his pocket and watched as they continued their uproarious laughter, running away for fear of what he might do to them. "Run now, but I'll find you once I get my gun back. Then I'll teach you a lesson in manners your parents should have!" he yelled after them.
He closed the locket and dropped it inside his shirt and slipped the frame inside his pocket. "Just you wait! I'll get my position back and then I'll be the one laughing when my father banishes you two from the city!"
"You don't have a father!" one of the children called back, only causing Rock's scowl and anger to intensify.
He took a step forward in the direction of their retreat. "Duke Red is my father, you insignificant fools! And unlike you, I at least have some importance in this-"
"My, my, quite the talker, aren't you? You never made comebacks like this when you were in hospital. I think I like the helpless, vulnerable Rock better."
Rock turned to his left to see Sanguine emerging from behind the wall at the end of the bridge. "Wh-what are you doing here? And...why are you dressed like that? You look like a Marduk-specifically Marduk leader."
In one sweeping motion she used her right hand to swipe the hat from her head and bring it back down to her side, placing her other hand akimbo as she swung her hips to meet it. "Huh. Nothing gets past you, does it, Rocky? Say hello to your new Marduk leader."
Rock observed as she came to a stop a foot or two away from him. He scrutinized her from bottom to top-finally coming to her eyes, which were hidden by none other than his sunglasses. "'New Marduk leader'? And those are my sunglasses!"
Sanguine took them off and pushed them into Rock's chest. "You're right. Here you go." She then pulled out two guns from either bolero sleeve, one of which Rock recognized immediately.
She twirled them expertly in her hands before both ends of the shafts came to rest on Rock. "I believe you'll be wanting this back, too," she said, lowering her right hand to dangle the firearm in front of his face.
He snatched both items with his left hand. He slipped the gun into his belt and fit the glasses to his head, though Sanguine could still see the scowl that wrinkled his features. "Yes, I will be wanting it back. First of all, where did you learn to handle a gun? Why were you spying on me? How did you know I was out of the hospital? Why would my father make a girl Marduk leader? Last, don't call me 'Rocky'!"
Sanguine pulled out her own sunglasses and fit them to her head, swinging her hat back on. "Whoa, calm down, Mr. Interrogative. I learned to handle a gun from your friend, Devin, I wasn't spying on you, I didn't know you were out of the hospital and I don't know. Why don't you ask your 'father'?"
"If you weren't spying on me, then what are you doing here?" Rock persisted, his scowl not faltering.
"I came here because I was on my way to the hospital to inquire about your presence there. It just so happened that I took a shortcut through ZONE-1. I was looking for you."
Rock finally backed down, easing up and backing away. "Why were you looking for me?"
Sanguine took her hands off her hips and folded them. "You are wanted back as a Marduk, Rock, but as you can probably guess, not for commanding services. I have word from Devin that Duke Red wants us to increase our numbers, seeing as we are but a dwindling five. The Duke has left me in charge since I am the new captain of the squadron and between Number Two and I, we have come to the conclusion that you would make a suitable re- addition to our ranks."
"Nice speech-did you write it yourself or did you get 'Number Two' to do it for you?" Rock asked sarcastically as he gave her a quizzical look.
"It was completely spontaneous. I would ask that you meet me tomorrow at Duke Red's mansion to assist in the selection of new recruits," Sanguine ordered as she turned to leave.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa-You can't order me around unless I'm willing to obey, which I'm not. The only other way is if I agree to your terms, which I don't, Miss-Marduk-Leader-Wannabe. I'm not going back to the Marduks unless I'm the leader, which I'm obviously not anymore, so you can just forget about my allegiance to that stupid political party," Rock snapped, folding his arms and intending not to move from where he stood.
Sanguine froze and whipped back around. She strode back to Rock with a devilish smirk on her features. She pushed her face right into his, but he didn't move. "Oh really? Well, you should just hop on the next trip to reality, leaving any moment now. I'm the Marduk leader, and you'll listen to me because you're willing to listen to your dear old 'father'. And if you think you won't take Marduk orders from me, think again. City law states that I can hire whoever I want, no questions asked. Welcome back, Rock. You're hired." She reached into her jacket and pulled out his old uniform, then pushed it into his chest again.
She raised her hand and flicked her finger on the bridge of his nose near his forehead, making the sunglasses tumble to ground and him cringe from the sharp sting of her nail, still recognizable through her black glove. With that, she walked away prissily leaving Rock to stare in disbelief, holding his red and black uniform as he rubbed the area between his eyes ruefully.
the rest of the robots! He strictly says, "We lost our jobs to you ______!" (I'll let you watch the movie yourself)
Oh yeah-one more side note about property rights: The Marduks named henceforth (with the exception of Lance) are the property of I, evangel- blader. An asterisk shall indicate this beside their name in their debut appearance (If I remember). The Marduks named previously (Devin, Sam, Patrick, Orion) are characters from the movie but weren't named, so I named them. Devin is the only blonde haired dude, Sam is the with the moustache and two different hair colours that shot Rock in the Ziggurat, Patrick is the brown-haired, blue-eyed man that stands to Minister Skunk's right in the assassination of President Boon, and Orion is the brown-haired, brown- eyed chap to the right of the screen when Lamp was shot (the other fellow is Lance).
One more thing: HAH! I SPELT MARDUK RIGHT! If you go to www.metropolis- movie.com, you'll clearly see that they spell it "M-A-R-D-U-K", not "M-A-L- D-U-K". That website is the official one, too! The manufacturers of the DVD spelt it incorrectly, so that's the third and final reason as to why I'm right. Heh-like I'm ever wrong!
Hah! Before I forget-reviews! Thank you so very much to Rocku-I appreciate your comment about my writing style very much! *sobbing* I don't know how I can ever repay you...the first reviewer out of three chapters...WAAAAAAAAAH! It's a tragedy!
4. You're Hired
"Hang on, keep your eyes closed," Kenichi cajoled as he led Sanguine to the mysterious location.
"Just tell me what it is, Kenichi. Will it kill you?" Sanguine replied as she stepped warily with her eyes closed.
Kenichi opened the door to the room and switched on the light. "Okay, you can open them, now."
Sanguine's eyes fluttered open rapidly and she made a small gasp as she stepped backward. Kenichi glanced at her expression and stepped forward towards what sat on the table in front of them. "What's wrong? This is my surprise and I agree that the initial view is a bit disturbing, but..."
Sanguine stepped forward cautiously and slowly. She analyzed the object that sat upright on the table before her with wide eyes. Sanguine let her clothes drop to the floor beside her as her hands lay limp at her sides. "Y-you never told me of this, Kenichi..."
"Well, like I said, it was a surprise, " Kenichi said as he ran his fingers along one of the sturdy steel bars of the object. "I had to fight myself not to ask for your help. I wanted to see your face when you saw that she was finally rebuilt."
Sanguine's shocked face softened into one of sympathy and joy. "Tima's rebuilt...The only thing you need now is her exterior," she said, turning to Kenichi.
He nodded. "Unfortunately I don't know how I'll do that. I don't know what materials Dr. Laughton originally used. And he's dead, so I can hardly ask him."
At that point Sanguine reached for her jacket on the floor. Kenichi watched as her hand slipped inside one of the inside pockets and pulled out a small red book. She stood up and waved it in front of Kenichi's face. "That's what this is for."
"That's his notebook!" Kenichi gasped. "But how did you get that? It was in the Ziggurat explosion!"
Sanguine pulled it back towards herself and looked at it admiringly. "Yeah, I know. I saw your uncle throw it across the floor at Duke Red. Luckily, like Duke Red and Rock, it survived the explosion, just as it had Dr. Laughton's lab explosion. It's a miracle, but don't let me stand in the way. I found it in the wreckage of the Ziggurat when I was searching for survivors. I was keeping it for a time like this, which has now come. Go on, take it, Kenichi."
Kenichi stared at it a moment and then reached out for it to relieve it of her outstretched hand. "Thank you. Should I give it back when I'm done?"
Sanguine took off her hat and then her bolero just before she flopped down on the couch. "If you want. I don't particularly need it. If you're having trouble, just ask me for help, or...say, when are you going back to Japan again?"
"In around two weeks," he replied, flipping through the pages of the book.
"Well, if you don't finish it by then, you should take it back to Japan with you. Maybe your Uncle Shunsaku could help you. You're coming back to Metropolis after, right?"
"Yeah. Don't worry, I wouldn't leave you here with no one to be friends with. And by then, hopefully my uncle would have helped me to finish Tima," Kenichi answered, looking up from the pages of the book.
"Ah, don't worry about li'l old me. I can take care of myself, I don't need a friend around to be happy, especially since they'll only interfere with my new job. I'm a Marduk now, remember?" Sanguine sighed airily with a wave of her hand. "You just worry about the reconstruction of your best friend, Tima."
Kenichi lowered his head, though kept his eyes on her, smiled gingerly and blushed. "Uh...yeah. I will. Tima'll be as good as new in no time."
*
Two weeks later...
"Raise that window, men! It has to align with the frame of that one up there! No! No! No! You're supposed to be working on the rebuilding of the Ziggurat, not the conference centre, sir. What's that? Duke Red you say? Oh, he's still in hospital as far as I know. Patrick! Stop fooling around and keep your focus on those supplies you're handling!" Sanguine shouted as construction went on all around her.
She sighed and went to sit down in one of the resting stations off to the side. She took off her hat to lay back in the chair and fan herself with it. Devin approached her, surveying the movement of people, robots and other machines around them. Sanguine looked up at him. "What is it, Devin? Don't expect me to give a big long lecture, because my throat is killing me. I've been yelling commands all day."
"Don't worry, I won't. I've just come to tell you that our Marduk numbers are dwindling and that Duke Red wants us to recruit new members," he explained, also taking his hat off to fan himself.
Sanguine sat up and lay her hands in a position to push herself up at the ready. "How does he expect us to do that? Will we carry out auditions or something? Or do we simply pick them up off the street?"
"Well, the whole city is almost fully rebuilt and so we'll have to choose from the survivors on both levels of ZONE-1 and the ground level. We just have to finish the new Ziggurat and some of the political buildings. He didn't specify how he wanted it done, so I'll leave it up to you. By the way, have you gone to see him lately?"
"No. I've been too busy with the supervising of the city's reconstruction to visit either him or Rock. I don't even know whether they're out of the hospital or not."
Devin looked up at the sky. "Don't look at me-I've no clue." He paused. "Rock..." He then lowered his head to make eye contact with her. "Should we rehire him? Sorry- I mean you-are you going to rehire him?"
"What do you mean? Him take up his old position as Marduk leader? And isn't it up to Duke Red to decide who's in and who's out?"
"No, not necessarily. The leader can also decide. He doesn't have to take your position, just for him to be a Marduk."
"Oh," Sanguine mumbled, lowering her head to stare at her lap. "If you don't mind me being leader, then sure. I had that idea in mind myself. Once he's out of the hospital I'll talk to him. I want you and the other Marduks to stop your roles in reconstruction and set out in search for the new recruits. You are to interview them and then test their natural skills in target gunning. We do not have time to train them since robots will be running around these streets with many people, too. You are to bring the recruits to me when you are sure that they are Marduk material, do you understand?"
Devin stood erectly and replaced his military hat on his head. "Yes, ma'am."
Sanguine stood up and glared up at him in the eye. "How many recruits do we need?"
"Duke Red wants a total of twelve Marduks. There are five of us already-Patrick, Sam, Orion, you, and I. We would have had two more but they were killed by robots in the Ziggurat rampage. If you can manage to convince Rock to rejoin us, then that will leave room for six new recruits."
"Very well. You gather the rest of the Marduks and begin the selection process in the training rooms of Duke Red's mansion, Devin. I trust that you shall be able to make the right decisions without me there?" Sanguine asked, starting to walk away.
"Yes, ma'am," Devin answered with a sharp salute. Devin watched her depart a moment before losing his composure. "Oh, um...Sanguine?"
She stopped and turned, throwing her hat back on. "Yeah?"
"Uh, I've been meaning to ask..." He paused, foolishly allowing his face to become a bright red. "If um...i-if Rock were to be in the hospital for the rest of his life..." He hesitated again, thinking seriously about what he was about to say.
"Yeah? What if Rock were to be in the hospital for the rest of his life...?"
Devin suddenly found his shoes very interesting. "Uh...um...would your arm still hurt?!" he blurted, not what he had been intending to say.
Sanguine seemed stunned at the comment. "Uh...I guess it would for a while, but now I've become used to the recoil, so...I don't really see how my arm's pain would tie in with where Rock spent the rest of his life, though..."
"Oh. Uh...that's just one of my problems-don't you mind me. You just worry yourself about recruiting Rock, ma'am..."
She simpered sympathetically and turned to stride away.
*
He sobbed into his mother's brown hair that was of the same shade as his own. He lifted her head to stare into her wide, otherworldly eyes that the blood from her forehead was now beginning to run over and stain the watery surface of. He watched with overwhelming tears as the emerald green that they were now gave way to crimson red.
The shiny red fluid slowly concealed the green, and the light from her eyes faded. They were once either bright green, slate grey, brown like their hair, or blue like his own eyes. No more. They changed with the glint of the light, but now they would be stained blood-red forever-a colour they had never been before.
He glanced to the object hanging around her neck-a necklace with a locket on the end. She had always told him, "If I die, this pendant shall become yours. Always remember me, little one, and take it from my lifeless body if you must, I just want you to have it. If at some point you wish for someone else to have it, don't hesitate to hand it down to them so that they may remember you, I, and your father."
He reached behind her head and lifted the string up and over it. He stared at it with teary, blurred eyes for a moment before looking back to her head resting on his shoulder. He clutched it to his chest and hugged her once more. "Mother..." He then slipped out of her grasp, letting her fall to the ground where he had been standing, watching her blood trail from his shoulder. He placed the necklace around his neck and ran out to find his parents' murderers.
He stared at the pendant in his hand with the same teary, blurred eyes as he had ten years ago. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small rectangular picture frame. Looking over the picture of Duke Red being hugged by the young boy he once knew. He took his left hand and pried the locket open, revealing a picture of him and his family smiling-when they were still alive. Seeing both these photos only brought an onslaught of more tears.
The locket was attached to a black leather thong to prevent easy breakage. The locket itself had a red jewel that fully covered the front with a gold threaded lining around it. From the jewel spread a pair of snow- white wings with five feathers on each side. Of course, all of these materials were synthetic having come from a poor family, but it possessed the same value as if they were real.
He then clutched the locket to his chest once more and lowered his head, closing his eyes to shut out the painful memory. He raised a black sleeved arm to wipe the tears from his eyes that were not hidden by the rim of his cap.
"Hah! Look at the big strong Marduk leader, now!"
"Yeah! One day he's gunning down robots like a man and the next he's crying like a baby!"
Rock lifted his head to glower at the two young children that had been causing the commotion. The two laughed as one of them started to mimic his actions. Rock instinctively reached for his belt to grab a hold of his non-existent gun. On feeling its absence, he simply slipped his hand into his pocket and watched as they continued their uproarious laughter, running away for fear of what he might do to them. "Run now, but I'll find you once I get my gun back. Then I'll teach you a lesson in manners your parents should have!" he yelled after them.
He closed the locket and dropped it inside his shirt and slipped the frame inside his pocket. "Just you wait! I'll get my position back and then I'll be the one laughing when my father banishes you two from the city!"
"You don't have a father!" one of the children called back, only causing Rock's scowl and anger to intensify.
He took a step forward in the direction of their retreat. "Duke Red is my father, you insignificant fools! And unlike you, I at least have some importance in this-"
"My, my, quite the talker, aren't you? You never made comebacks like this when you were in hospital. I think I like the helpless, vulnerable Rock better."
Rock turned to his left to see Sanguine emerging from behind the wall at the end of the bridge. "Wh-what are you doing here? And...why are you dressed like that? You look like a Marduk-specifically Marduk leader."
In one sweeping motion she used her right hand to swipe the hat from her head and bring it back down to her side, placing her other hand akimbo as she swung her hips to meet it. "Huh. Nothing gets past you, does it, Rocky? Say hello to your new Marduk leader."
Rock observed as she came to a stop a foot or two away from him. He scrutinized her from bottom to top-finally coming to her eyes, which were hidden by none other than his sunglasses. "'New Marduk leader'? And those are my sunglasses!"
Sanguine took them off and pushed them into Rock's chest. "You're right. Here you go." She then pulled out two guns from either bolero sleeve, one of which Rock recognized immediately.
She twirled them expertly in her hands before both ends of the shafts came to rest on Rock. "I believe you'll be wanting this back, too," she said, lowering her right hand to dangle the firearm in front of his face.
He snatched both items with his left hand. He slipped the gun into his belt and fit the glasses to his head, though Sanguine could still see the scowl that wrinkled his features. "Yes, I will be wanting it back. First of all, where did you learn to handle a gun? Why were you spying on me? How did you know I was out of the hospital? Why would my father make a girl Marduk leader? Last, don't call me 'Rocky'!"
Sanguine pulled out her own sunglasses and fit them to her head, swinging her hat back on. "Whoa, calm down, Mr. Interrogative. I learned to handle a gun from your friend, Devin, I wasn't spying on you, I didn't know you were out of the hospital and I don't know. Why don't you ask your 'father'?"
"If you weren't spying on me, then what are you doing here?" Rock persisted, his scowl not faltering.
"I came here because I was on my way to the hospital to inquire about your presence there. It just so happened that I took a shortcut through ZONE-1. I was looking for you."
Rock finally backed down, easing up and backing away. "Why were you looking for me?"
Sanguine took her hands off her hips and folded them. "You are wanted back as a Marduk, Rock, but as you can probably guess, not for commanding services. I have word from Devin that Duke Red wants us to increase our numbers, seeing as we are but a dwindling five. The Duke has left me in charge since I am the new captain of the squadron and between Number Two and I, we have come to the conclusion that you would make a suitable re- addition to our ranks."
"Nice speech-did you write it yourself or did you get 'Number Two' to do it for you?" Rock asked sarcastically as he gave her a quizzical look.
"It was completely spontaneous. I would ask that you meet me tomorrow at Duke Red's mansion to assist in the selection of new recruits," Sanguine ordered as she turned to leave.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa-You can't order me around unless I'm willing to obey, which I'm not. The only other way is if I agree to your terms, which I don't, Miss-Marduk-Leader-Wannabe. I'm not going back to the Marduks unless I'm the leader, which I'm obviously not anymore, so you can just forget about my allegiance to that stupid political party," Rock snapped, folding his arms and intending not to move from where he stood.
Sanguine froze and whipped back around. She strode back to Rock with a devilish smirk on her features. She pushed her face right into his, but he didn't move. "Oh really? Well, you should just hop on the next trip to reality, leaving any moment now. I'm the Marduk leader, and you'll listen to me because you're willing to listen to your dear old 'father'. And if you think you won't take Marduk orders from me, think again. City law states that I can hire whoever I want, no questions asked. Welcome back, Rock. You're hired." She reached into her jacket and pulled out his old uniform, then pushed it into his chest again.
She raised her hand and flicked her finger on the bridge of his nose near his forehead, making the sunglasses tumble to ground and him cringe from the sharp sting of her nail, still recognizable through her black glove. With that, she walked away prissily leaving Rock to stare in disbelief, holding his red and black uniform as he rubbed the area between his eyes ruefully.