Chapter 4
Tracy laid in her bed, emerging from a deep sleep. The room was dark, How long have I been out? She thought. She rubbed her eyes, throwing the covers back, and walking out of her room.
The lights were on downstairs, where her mother, father, Scott and Danica sat, talking quietly. "Oh, hey sweetheart." Her mother said, with a smile.
"What time is it?" She asked, ruffling her pink hair.
"Midnight." Scott said, as her father stood up, walking over to her.
"Hey," he said putting his arms around her, "I'm really sorry for everything that happened at dinner. And I want you to know how much you mean to me, and that I'll do everything I can to treat you better."
She hugged him back, as Scott stood up. "Hey kiddo, you look like a zombie. Why don't you try and get some more sleep. We'll still be here in the morning." He told her.
She shook her head, "I can't sleep, I'm having really weird dreams, again. I think I'm going to just tinker with Robbie." She said.
Back in her room, she strapped on the wristband and picked up her screwdriver. The comms chimed, as Gina's face popped up. "Hey punk. How was your visit?" She asked, fiddling with her hair.
"Got crazy again." She replied, "But they came back, I think everything's okay now, finally."
Gina nodded, "Cool, cool." she said. "What d'ya mean the skinny bloke hit ya like a car?" She continued, in a British accent.
Tracy looked up, slowly, "What are you doing?" She asked, suspiciously.
"He knocked me clean on my ass." Her mother said, standing in the doorway.
She jumped, as her heart started to race, "What the hell?"
Scott walked up to her mother, "If we come across the son of a bitch again, I'm gonna rip his head off." He told her, as if it were everyday banter.
Chills ran up her spine, in confusion and fear. Robbie turned to her, "'Ere we are. Home sweet home." The servbot said, now using the British accent.
Gina reached out, through the holo, grabbing her shoulder, "Hey, Trace. We're here." She said in her normal voice.
She jumped, opening her eyes. The light green glow, from the transport's interior lamp bathed their faces. Her entire body was screaming in pain, as she tried to stand, to get out. Scott and Vapor were continuing the conversation, from her dream, while they helped her step down. "Where are we, exactly?" She asked, holding her ribs as they walked through the dark garage.
"Miles below the Northwest Naval Base. Chesapeake, Virginia. Home of The Black Wraiths." Ripple answered, removing his large, elbow-length, steel gauntlets. Tracy finally got a look at the man who saved her, now that his gear was off. His hair was tightly cornrowed, and his beard kept neatly trimmed. He wore a bright white, pocketed vest, opened over an olive green tank top.
"Thanks for grabbing me up, back there." She told him, as they neared closer to the door.
He looked down at her, grinning, "No sweat, shortstop. That's what the good guys do."
She chuckled, "Besides Scott, you're the first guy I've seen in forty-eight hours, that hasn't beat the shit outta me."
He shook his head, "It's funny, how quick people become savages, when their world, as they know it, gets tipped on it's axis."
"Most of them were already monsters. They just lost the need to keep pretending." She replied.
"Great minds, and all that." Ripple responded, as the door opened, leading to a massive loft.
Helix was the first in, tossing his grey jacket onto the couch. He removed his yellow eye mask, as he opened the refrigerator. "C'mon man, really?" He said, "Who the hell ate my freezer pizzas?"
"Sorry, mate. You were gone on a mission." Glitch answered.
"I was gone two days, man." Helix added.
The two bickered, as Danica put her hand on Tracy's shoulder, "Hey, my infirmary is down the hall. Let's get a look at you." She said, leading her down the hall.
Tracy sat on the padded table, trying to hold still while Danica scanned her sides. "You've got a few cracked ribs. We'll have to get them iced and taped." Danica said, looking up at the bloody gash on the right side of Tracy's head. "After we stitch that up." She added. "Trace, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to shave the area above your ear."
Tracy began to cry, quietly and said, "I don't even care anymore." She said.
Danica put her arms around her, "These are horrible times, but we'll stick together, strengthen each other. I promise we will make it through this."
Scott, Gina and Vapor sat in front of the large console, searching FBI files. "I've tried three different spellings." Vapor said, "There's no listing for the name Shroud, in any of the Personnel Records."
"Probably a codename." Scott said.
"Codename?" He responded, sarcastically. "What kind of idiots still do that?"
Scott grinned, shaking his head, "Shut up. Let's narrow down the pool. White male, mid-thirties, deep south origin."
The images flickered, as Vapor began to scroll through them. After a few minutes, he exclaimed, "Got him!" They all came over, looking into Shroud's face. "Franklin Dobbs, born July seventeenth, twenty fifty-four, in Shreveport, Louisiana."
Gina pointed to the bottom of the text, "Died March twenty-eighth, twenty eighty-eight?" She added.
"Faked his death, maybe?" Scott suggested.
Vapor chewed on a straw, thinking. "I dunno." He shook his head, slowly, "This thing may be bigger than we think, guys."
Glitch poked his head in the doorway, "Ay fellas, house meetin', five minutes."
The group gathered in the living room, while Glitch stood in front of the holovision, "Ah'right, looks like we're all 'ere. I just wanted ta take dis opportunity, for our 'newcomers' ta formally meet ev'ryone." He took a drag of his cigarette, "Ma name's Reginald, codename Glitch. I'm the mission coordinator and President of dis li'l gang of misfits. Ya already know Break an' Red, they joined two years back. Ya see her for medical, an' ya see him for sendin' someone else ta medical. The young bloke, wit' the dreadful red dye-job is Helix, or Gerard. He's our resident undercover, an' an all 'round sneaky twat."
He pointed to Ripple, "The big fella is Damon, codename Ripple. He's the muscle, plain an' simple. An' cue ball over there is Vapor, or Jake. He scares the shit outta me, honestly." He said, laughing.
Glitch looked at them, seriously now, "Ladies, you two ain't visitors 'ere. An' ya ain't kids no more, Wily took that lux'ry from ya. From dis moment, forward, you're Black Wraiths. We ain't heroes, an' we ain't da best. But we'll train ya to survive, an' help who we can, along the way." He took another drag, "Now all of you, get some bloody sleep."
The next morning, Tracy walked into the dining area, to see Helix and Gina standing by the counter, laughing. They were watching Robbie dance, beside a portable speaker. "So he actually thinks? Like a human or animal does?" He asked her.
"Yeah," Gina responded, "Tracy made him from scrap metal. She's really good with stuff like that." She said.
Glitch tapped Tracy's shoulder, holding a plate containing bacon, scrambled eggs and toast. "'Ere ya go." He said, handing it to her.
"Thank you." she replied, taking the plate over to the table.
"Ah, ah, ah." He said, stopping her as she went to sit. "Bring it, you're comin' wid me."
They took a long corridor, to a large metal door. When it opened, the other side was the size of an industrial warehouse. Her eyes filled with awe, looking upon all of the different parts and tools. The possibilities were running through her head, faster than she could think them. She stopped chewing, almost dropping her food.
Glitch crossed his arms, smirking at her, "I talked to ya brother, an' looked into ya school records. I'm good with machines, but I'm not 'ere to train you." He slapped her back, "You should have anything you need 'ere, ta make whatever your heart desires. Welcome to the team, Tron Bonne."
She walked in, slowly, still in her Deathwatch t-shirt and pajama pants. Her black and pink hair, now almost resembling a wide mohawk, was still a mess. Mouth full of eggs, she said quietly, "Can I move my bed in here?"
Glitch laughed, "I'll tell the fellas ta grab ya things."