Welllll...look who's alive! That's what my roommate says when I finally wake up on the weekends. I feel the same way posting this new chapter as it has been quite a while since the last one; and I wouldn't blame you, dear reader, if you wondered if I had been hit by a truck or something. But I haven't, just have been extremely busy at work, 50 hour minimum weeks, and flight lessons on the weekends. In sacrificing an hour a night though, I was finally able to find time for writing down the latest installment of the fight between our heroes and the shadowy foes of Medical Mechanica. I did a lot of fiddling with this one, trying to get it juusssst the way I wanted. Hopefully you'll enjoy it! Enough of me, you've waited too long, read on!
. . .
He really should've known better. Letting his temper get away from him like that, especially in the middle of a crowded Hi-Way…definitely not the coolest thing to do. But once he'd gotten started, there was no stopping himself. Four angry, bitter and resentful years' worth of buried hurt erupted all at once. The hardened and calloused over scar across his heart had burst at the seam, pouring across the table, sloshing onto the floor and drawing the attention of everyone in earshot with its ugly, sloppy mess. She just irked him to no end by how little she cared about the consequences of her actions and the people she'd hurt. It wasn't so much her actual deeds, but the lack of remorse that angered him the most. Even still, he should've known better, because Naota knew fully good 'n' well what happened when he worked himself into a state of severe emotional distress.
"Oh no." Haruko said, her bracelet's chain link madly rattling before aiming at him. "You can't be serious."
"Oh shit. Oh shiii..HAaaaa-ooOOuuuchhh!" He let go of the table and fell to the floor, untangled his feet from hers and started to crawl. The door. He had to get outside. 'Not in here, not with so many people around…' He managed to stand, both hands firmly clasped on his head. Everyone had stopped eating and now watched him, wondering just what the hell was going on. With his vision swimming, he made it to the door and shoved it open with his shoulder. Now the pressure was building, that long needle stabbing straight through his mind.
'No! Not again! Stay…out…of…my…HEAD!' His mental order echoed around his skull, banging loudly off the sides. And, for a moment, the pain and pressure receded. It didn't go fully away, but it did back down. In what was becoming his worst headache, he tried to drown out the force, shoving it to the back of his mind by focusing on something, anything else; flooding his mind's eye with memories, thoughts, wild emotion. He was aware of someone yelling, calling his name. His eyes snapped open. He'd made it to the middle of the parking lot, at least he was outside. Then he saw her. Haruko's face was wracked with worry, concern written all over it, and that double-necked guitar was off her back and in her hands.
"Naota, are you okay?" She asked, in the most genuine, caring fashion he'd ever heard her use. With that, he lost concentration.
'Here we go again.' He thought as the Medical Mechanica bot on the other side broke through. It grew first as an extension of his head, then morphed into its own manifestation before breaking their connection with a shoving jolt. Dizzy, dazed and his ears ringing, he managed to not get shoved over and turned around to see what the latest attempt on his life looked like. He immediately wished he'd just ran instead.
It wasn't as tall as the Industrial Heavy-Hitter, only about seven feet, but much wider across. The first thing it reminded him of was a scorpion with claws, six legs, tail, stinger and all. This beefed up bug had been given an additional set of pincers, bringing the total to four. Each claw was a heavy, serrated blade a hand tall and six feet long. It was missing an obvious head and had instead a rounded mound with six black, whirring as they focused, soulless eyes in two rows of three; recessed into reinforced sockets. The head and body were both sheathed in overlapping armor plate, even along the length of its tail that towered to twelve feet. Then, to top it all off, the robot had been painted in a haphazard series of angles, neon green, black and red in color; making it nigh impossible to tell which parts of it were moving where.
Schwick!...Schlack!...Tick-tack!...Schliinnngg…Clack!...Tick-tack! It snapped its blades together, shears sharp and strong enough to sever arm thick steel cable. The bot's six legs ended in slender, pointed tips that would pierce the asphalt with sharp snaps at each step forward.
"Haruko…" He stepped backwards to her side. "Would you be willing to put that guitar to work?"
"Well…I would maybe, possibly, consider, lending you half, but somebody…" She rolled her eyes over at him, giving a snarl and smile at the same time. "Fused them together! But I didn't know your portal was still active! That'd be something to be up-front with next time!"
"Oh excuse me for not mentioning it, must've slipped my mind!" He snapped. How could she not have known? Was she really that scatterbrained, or did she just not care? Either way, he'd have to find out later, there was a bigger issue at hand. Normally and four years removed, he would've let Haruko handle the bot herself. But with as tired and worn out looking as she was, and an urge to put some of the techniques Rig had taught him to use, he wasn't going to be a mere bystander. He cast around for a weapon, and found one in a three foot piece of steel rebar in the truck bed next to him. Armed, insufficiently he felt, he turned to Haruko to cobble together some semblance of a plan.
"Okay, so, how about I go right, and you…"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever, just stay outta the way!" She ordered, waving him back with a dismissive hand. "I'll take care of it, try to take notes." As she bragged, the bot advanced within striking range of its claws and stopped, seeming to wait for them to make the first move. While they stared each other down, the loudspeaker mounted to the front of Hi-Way, for those eating on the veranda, continued to play the latest of Beau's Beats Buffet; giving the standoff its own soundtrack.
Are you ready Steve?!
Uh-huh…
Andy?!
Yeaahhh…
Mick?!
Okay…
Alright fellahs…LET'S GOOOOOO!
"Wow-how! Let's jam!" Haruko cried, taking a running leap towards the robot, guitar held above her head. The robot, despite its stubby appearance and short legs, scuttled clear and Haruko's swing missed. She did however, succeed in smashing a two foot deep, three foot across, crater in the parking lot, sending chips of asphalt flying through car windows, setting off a dozen alarms. Ignoring her, the bot started for Naota, clasping the halves of its pincers together into long, pointed swords. SCH-THWUNK! The first set of pincers stabbed through the asphalt and between his feet. He'd leaped back just in time to avoid being cleaved in half, only seeing a green, black and red blur headed for his chest. Before he could locate a weak point to attack, the bot withdrew its first claw and attacked with the second, following up with a third and fourth, sending him in a series of bounds and leaps just to stay out of the way, never mind fighting back. At a piercing war-cry, the bot withdrew its claws and retreated to fend off another high-flying attack from Haruko.
Oh, it's been gettin' so hard, livin' with the things you do to me…
My dreams are getting' so strange, I'd like to tell you everything I see…
OH! I see a man in the back, as a matter of fact! His eyes are as red as the sun!
And the Girl in The Corner, let no one ignore her, 'cause she thinks she's the passionate one!
"Hey! Will you slow down?!" He yelled as Haruko flouted just outside the bot's reach, dodging another stab, leaping into the air, dodging more stabs, using the flat edge of that pincer's blade as a springboard, spinning in a forward roll, still in the air, swinging her guitar in a near miss at the bot's head, launching off the end unit of its tail, to finally land on the roof of a minivan; then jump away again just as spritely as a pincer blade dissected the minivan at its center. "We need a plan, we can't just keep rushing it!"
"Sorry! Little too busy to think right now!" She called, hand-springing backwards, scarcely ahead of the bot's stinger. With Haruko sufficiently distanced, it turned to him again.
Ohhh yeah! It was like lightning! Everybody was frightening!
And the music was soothing, and they all started grooving!
And The Man in The Back said 'Everyone attack!' and it turned into a Ballroom Blitz!
And the Girl in The Corner said 'Boy I wanna warn you, it'll turn into a Ballroom Blitz!'
Ballroom Blitz! Ballroom Blitz! Ballroom Blitz!...*
Chips of asphalt flew, striking his upheld arms and unshielded face with sharp, ragged edges, all while the thuds of the bot's blades striking pavement shook his boots and the swish of those toothy swords filled his ears. Using the rebar, he was able to fend off a few of the closer attacks, only just deflecting or redirecting the incoming blades. As he backed up, he tripped over a concrete parking spot bollard, landing hard in the grass on his back. Another yippie-kay-ay! Yell from Haruko distracted the robot long enough for him to roll behind another car and catch his breath.
'Okay…okay…oh shit…oh shit…okay…okay, think…' His breathing somewhat restored to normal, he took stock of his resources and tried to figure out how best to apply them. He looked down to discover he was bleeding what appeared an awful lot, due to cuts from asphalt shards and a slash on his arm from a too close robot blade. All he had, immediately available, was the piece of rebar in his hands…and that was about it. Judging from the yelling and swearing, and crash of guitar on metal, Haruko was still in the fight, but wasn't making much headway either. 'What to do…?' Then he remembered his work cell phone.
. . .
If I'd had the presence of mind to keep track, I'm pudry darn sure I broke any and all records, including my own, of getting from Midstate, through Black Moshannon, and to Philipsburg. Trees, speed suggestion signs, mailboxes, that odd possum that didn't get outta the way in time, may the poor bastard rest in peace, all flicked by in a blur as I practically flew from hill to hill; at times scarcely touching the ground. There wasn't time for all of us to stop at home, so I was being sent out as the first responder with Tommy and George to act as reinforcements once they'd swung by the house. I'd just made it out of Black Moshannon Forest and was coming to the city limits when my phone started buzzing. Already I had put on the Bluetooth I keep in one of the Ought-Too's toolboxes, so I tapped my ear and answered.
"Greetings, this's Rig Carson Enterprises, Central campus. How can I help you this evening?"
"Rig? RIG?! Where the hell are you?!" Naota, if you yell loud enough, I won't need the phone, my cousins in MICHIGAN will hear you!
"Out 'n' about. 'Sup?"
"Uh, well, remember that red robot that came out of my head at Dahl's, and you and your cousin beat the daylights out of?"
"Rings ah bell." And how could I forget it, when it had nearly popped my head like a grape?
"Well, it has a friend, a green, red and black friend that kinda looks like a giant scorpion on 'roids."
"Oh…kay." Well, fuck. Fuckity-fuck-fuck. M-M wasn't screwin' around this time. Tommy the Fortune Teller's predictions had come true: Medical Mechanica had sent a dedicated assassin unit. Just haaaaad to be right, didn't you Tommy? "I'll…I'll be right there, annnn'…see what can be done 'bout it. What's it got for fightin' utensils?"
"Double set of pincers with swords for claws and a stinger from Hell that'll go through an engine block." He paused as there was a series of yells, something metallic smashing and the tinkle of broken glass. "And a nasty attitude to boot. Haruko's doing her best, but we could use some help; even if you can just distract it for her."
"Gotcha. I'm on the way, Tommy an' George'll be right 'hind me, an' the guys from the shop too! So just stay alive for…eh, five minutes?"
"Five minutes? That's actually a long time you know…"
"Just keep calm and carry on."
"I'll see what I can do." He compromised and hung up, leaving a dial tone in my ear. Keep calm Nao'. Actually, as I thought 'bout it, he'd actually sounded decently calm, considering. He'd given a good description of the enemy and wasn't screaming, crying or blubbering…perhaps having robots come out of your head does that to someone? No time to think about it, have to pick up some weaponry of my own…
. . .
'Rig and Tommy are on the way…alright.' He thought, then realized it had gotten too quiet. 'What happened to all the racket?'
"Whatcha doing back here?" Haruko swung herself over the trunk of the car Naota was hiding behind, and plopped down beside him in the grass. Her face was flushed with hot, pumped-up blood, her eyes wide and alert, chest rising and falling with increased breath. She'd somehow changed from earlier, life flooding back into her tired body to give her worn down form a much needed boost.
'Adrenaline's an amazing thing.' He thought, looking at a Haruko swelled up with bloodlust.
"Hangin' out, trying to not get shish-kabobed." He answered, wondering…if Haruko was next to him…where was the bot? "You?"
"Same. Hey…uhm, are you gonna sit there all night…or are you gonna help out?"
"Oh, is that bot giving you, the Mighty Haruko, a hard time?"
"It's attacks kinda suck because it's so slow, but its defense is just stupid good. I need you to distract it, smack it 'round some with that metal stick or something."
"That's your plan? Having me smack it around with a metal stick? What all did they teach you in the G.S.P.B.?"
"Well then, what's YOUR plan, smart ass?" He cast around for a withering comeback, still wondering where the bot was. He received his answer in a loud and dangerously close SCH-THUH-LUNK! A set of pincers, clasped together as a single blade, had stabbed through the car's opposite side and breached through on their side. Ah-ha, the bot was right behind them, of course it was, where else would it be?
"So, distract it huh? I'll go left, you go right."
"Sounds legit, let's go!" Haruko flashed one of her canine filled grins and rolled to her right. He stood, getting clear of the car just in time. The bot opened its pincer, ripping the car in half from the middle out, and tossed the pieces across the lot. Hissing and spitting globs of steaming dark green oil, the bot backed off, using its claws to fend off another barrage of swings from Haruko. So much for waiting for him to distract it…
'Weak point, gotta be a weak point somewhere!' His vision flicked from leg, to head, to claws, to head, to stinger, seeing only layers of overlapping steel armor. Then the bot turned, showing him its right side and where the joints where the legs joined its body. In order for its legs to have any range of motion, the builders had left off a covering over the connection; showing a slight glimmer of internal workings, wires, tubes and lights. He waited for Haruko to fling herself off the hood of a truck, then ran forward to ram the pointed end of the rebar a good foot deep into the socket of the bot's front right leg.
'I, I hit it!' He thought as oil began spluttering from the socket and the rebar vibrated in his hands. 'Holy shit, that was way too easy! Wait a minute…' With a screeching roar, the bot whirled in place, the stuck rebar slamming him in his stomach in a lung-emptying blow. The rebar pulled free and went with him as his feet left the ground. Wondering how far he would fly, he was answered by landing back-first in a pick-up truck's windshield. The glass didn't shatter, but fractured into a razor filled spiderweb. Still very much NOT dead, but VERY much angry, the bot turned to him, rearing up on its back legs, and stabbed down with all eight of its blades. The truck was turned into a metal pincushion, and Naota a shade paler as he crawled under the bot; having rolled off the truck's hood a hair of a second before impact.
With its serrated claws stuck in the truck's engine, Haruko saw her chance and, with her typical impulsiveness, seized it. Another attack from on high, she brought the double-necked guitar smashing down onto the top left set of pincers, right at the shoulder. A shower of sparks erupted, a crunch of crumpled metal and a wobbling chord of electric notes rang out as the arm separated from its host.
"Alright, one down, three to go!" Haruko's feet had scarcely touched ground and she was off again. "Here I come, ready or not!" She waded into the fight, trying to slam her guitar's body against any relatively solid part of the bot she could reach, stopped by its three still functioning sets of blades. Naota staggered to his feet, the back of his right shoulder beginning to sear with a stabbing pain; he knew he had to have shards of glass from that windshield in him. The bot managed to push Haruko back and went for him again, attacking with its two right sets of claws and using the third for defense. He couldn't find an opening, the claws moved too fast for him to find any sort of pattern. All he could do was hold them off, hoping Haruko could take advantage of its focus on him. But his shoulder was starting to ache furiously from the jarring blows and he could feel blood starting to run down his back, then the bot smashed the rebar from his hands; sending it spinning into a car's door. This was it, he was unarmed and in the middle of the lot with no car remotely nearby to dive behind. The bot raised its claws…
"Don't just stand there! Move your ass!" Haruko commanded, stepping between him and the incoming sweep attack from the flat side of the bot's pincer. Both of them were lifted off their feet, but she took the brunt of the blow, getting hit square on her lower back so hard he would have sworn he heard a vertebrae or two pop. Tangled they flipped, rolled and flopped to a stop next to Hi-Way's front door. Standing proved painful, but possible and both rolled their heads around and stretched their backs, feeling bruised bone crackle and pop back in place.
"Thank…thank you for that…" He managed to pant, looking around for his piece of rebar and spotted it jutting out from a Prius's door at a ninety degree angle. "Are you okay?"
"Pffft, me hurt? And I thought you knew me better than that. Let's pay it back, double!" She shrugged off whatever injury she may have felt and ran forward again, this time the guitar held low. She was going for the lower of the left arms, intent on uppercutting the limb right off.
"Above you!" He warned as she recklessly got sucked into tunnel vision, totally focused on her target. Haruko looked up to avoid being run through with the stinger, but still was clubbed sideways with the rest of the tail behind it. Her body was tossed off to the side, landing in Hi-Way's dumpster. Her guitar, however, clattered to the pavement; equally between Naota and the bot…and they both saw it at the same time.
. . .
"Thanks for choosing Shantz Hardware, have a good night!" Another happy customer, another sale for Mr. Shantz and his hardware store. It was getting late, time to start closing up shop. In the late July heat, he'd propped open the front doors with cinder blocks, hoping to tempt in the breeze. He looked away from the doors, about to call for the service clerk taking inventory in the fastener section. Before he could get a word out, there arrived the sound of a very loud engine, through the front doors.
"'Scuse me, sorry, pardon, comin' through!" A young man on an orange and black dirk bike rode straight though the front doors, made a turn at the counter and headed for plumbing.
"What on God's green Earth?!" Mr. Shantz looked around the counter's corner, only to see an orange and black blur headed back for him. "Jeff Carson?! What's in your head boy?! Hey, hey…HEY! You gotta pay for that!" The youngest Carson had snagged a thirty inch adjustable wrench off the rack and had lain it across his handlebars.
"Sorry Mr. Shantz! No time! Send us an invoice!" Rig yelled as he sped out the same doors he'd came in, leaving with a four hundred dollar wrench, and a burnout tire track on the floor.
"Ohhhh…that kid." Mr. Shantz sighed, watching Rig's taillight disappear southward down North Centre street. "What mischief's he gotten himself into this time?"
. . .
"God…dammit." Naota swore, his eyes flicking up and down between the robot and the guitar. The guitar was about thirty feet away and the bot thirty more beyond that. Oil was beginning to pool by its right leg and under its left shoulder, the crushed stump occasionally giving off a burst of sparks.
'What's it waiting for?' he wondered, watching that double row of eyes blink in and out of focus, watching all of its surroundings at once. 'It's going to bleed out of oil if it just stands there…' As he hoped he could just wait out the robot until its reservoir ran dry, there was a nails on the chalkboard scratching and the bot's leaks of oil ceased. Squinting in the fading light, he could see the bot had shifted its armor plating, scabbing over its wounds, even detaching the remnants of its crippled arm. 'Oh, so it can fix itself. Isn't that just great?'
K-THUD!...Tack-tack!...K-THUD!...Tack-tack-tack! The bot advanced, stabbing down with one of its pincers as a cane, favoring its right side; its remaining legs clacking more heavily on the parking lot as they took up the weight. A pair of pincers shot out with the tips held just far apart as if it were going to pluck up the guitar for itself, hey, wait a secon', SHIT! Naota took six foot long bounds forward, snatching the guitar before the bot's claws could. Expecting an immediate follow up strike, he flattened out and slid across the lot, painfully stopping too early directly underneath the bot's body. It seemed to have lost track of him for a moment, and he realized he was in perfect position for a sucker punch. Hey, all's fair when fighting killer robots from another planet.
'Right there outta do some damage.' He aimed for the middle leg on the bot's right side and swung. A pang of notes rang out as the guitar's strings vibrated and the bot's leg shattered along its length, all the way up to the joint. It sprang backwards, knocking over a row of motorcycles and landed on another car. Dragging its crippled leg, it stumbled towards him, stinger swaying in its greatly altered stride.
"OOoooooohhhhh…fuck me!" Haruko was awake and furious, crawling out of the dumpster. Crusts, buffalo and marinara sauce, and old flour stuck to her in a slimy, surprisingly aromatic, mess. "Is that…THING, dead yet?"
"Nope, still here despite my best efforts." He answered, stepping to the side as Haruko stomped by, gently moving him out of her way with a hand on his shoulder. If prompted, he would have sworn he saw steam jetting from her ears as her pride and temper flared. "Hey, are you…okay?" A slight whistling seemed to be coming from her as she boiled over. Without an answer, she sprinted headlong at the bot, picking up her own piece of rebar, and screamed bloody murder the entire way. He took off after her in a vain attempt to keep pace. She reached the bot first, dodging the first set of pincers, deflecting the second and knocking aside the third. Her way clear, she stepped inside the bot's claws, right in front of a mouth filled with needles, crushing gears and blades, all snapping and gnashing against each other, and with a guttural shout, rammed the rebar three feet down the robot's gullet.
"Throw me in the trash will yah?!" Haruko taunted, pushing the bar further, following the bot as it stumbled and tripped backwards to get away from the pink-haired psycho rearranging its innards. "Well I'm gonna throw you in the junkyard, you Medical Mechanica piece of scrap!" With a rattling clang, she withdrew the rebar and was rewarded with a bot-sized upchuck of oil and broken parts. Covered with the green slop, she stumbled away from the bot, trying to clear her eyes. Naota stepped forward, grabbing her by the back of her jacket and dragged her out of the bot's reach.
"Good hit, I think you really fucked up its insides." He congratulated as the bot tucked itself into a corner of the lot. A high fence was on its left and the convenience store on its right, securing its flanks. It leaned heavily against the wall, its legs starting to lose pressure to maintain its posture. But its claws and stinger still worked, snapping and stabbing at them whenever they got too close.
"I gotta say, I'm a little impressed." Haruko shook a strand of oiled hair out of her eyes. "I took a quick break and you managed to not get killed…not bad. Now gimme that guitar back…" She held out her hand, fingers waggling in anticipation.
"I dunno, I've grown kinda fond of it." He stepped sideways, watching both Haruko and the bot. "And, half of it technically is mine after all."
"Are you really going to do this, right here, right now?!" She rolled her eyes back almost to white in her annoyance. "Just give it NOW!"
"Oh what're you gonna do?"
"I got a couple of ideas…"
"Uh-huh, sure you do…" He trailed off, eyes drawn upwards to the roof of the convenience store. "What the hell? Rig?" It was Rig, tip-toeing along the store's roof, unafraid of heights as always, but now with a massive wrench on his shoulder. He made eye contact with Naota and Haruko, smiled and put a finger to his lips. Taking the wrench in both hands, Rig steadied himself, took a few quick breaths, jumped…and missed.
To be fair, the robot's eyes had swiveled to look behind and above it, just for the express purpose of checking its six. Just in time to spot and avoid the wrench-wielding Pennsylvanian, letting a foot deep furrow be gouged into the earth instead of its own head. Faced with now three foes, the bot readied itself to gallantly resist incoming attack; blades and stinger at the ready.
"You MISSED?!" Haruko was torn between disbelief and laughter. "How in the Hell do you miss that?!" She pointed with her rebar at the bot, currently trying to pierce Rig's sternum with its stinger.
"Well, forgive me! Forgive me for not, gahhh!" Rig had to roll sideways to avoid dismemberment. "For not being some kind of expert! This's only the secon' one I've fought!"
"Hang on…" Haruko stopped to stare at Rig for a full second. "Did you say…"
"Not now Haruko!" Naota ordered, batting back a set of pincers, breaking off one of the blades with a heavy swing. The severed chunk spun sideways, end over end, to embed itself in the convenience store's wall. "Let's kill this fucking thing first and worry 'bout that later!"
"No, I wanna know what he meant by second! What haven't you told me?!"
"You've got some nerve, you of all people demanding answers! It's not important right now!"
"Oh I think it is…"
"Will both of yah jest shaddap!" Both clapped their traps. Rig, with his audience's attention captured, got them back on track, first by pointing to Haruko. "Mizz Haruko. Go for its eyes, use the rebar's length to poke 'em out. Nao'. You're first with that…guitar, I'll be right 'hind you. Go for its other left arm!" With a strategy in place, the trio moved with purpose. Naota was up front, brushing aside the stinger and tail with the guitar's body as he headed for its last left arm. The stinger slammed two feet deep into the pavement and stuck fast, its tip bent and dulled from missed strikes. Rig took advantage of his position to bring the pointed side of the wrench's head down on the tail's spine, separating the stinger unit from the tail, save for a few stubborn wires. Naota meanwhile smashed his way through a set of chipped blades, then reversed his swing to crush the shoulder joint of the bot's remaining left arm, jamming it in place.
"Now punch his lights out Mizz Haruko!" Rig ordered and Haruko began a series of jabs, knocking out the protective shells of the bot's eyes one by one. Blinded save for one eye, the bot tucked its remaining blades and the stump of its tail over its body, trying to protect its vision; it's most vital sense. But all of its thrashing had reopened old wounds and it lost pressure to even more, slumping into a puddle of its own oil.
"Mizz Haruko, left side, Naota center, aim for it's noggin'!" Rig yelled as he ran up on of the bot's right arms, beginning to swing his wrench above his head for a killing blow. "All together now, three, two, ONE!" KRR-TH-RUNNCHHH! Both Rig and Naota swung while Haruko stabbed; two parts crushing and one part piercing the bot's head and central control unit. With all its reservoirs bled bone dry, vision blacked and its brain shattered, the bot collapsed on itself with a last, pathetic burble of hydraulic drool spitting from its mouth, and finally had the damned common decency to die.
. . .
Wheeeeewww…Well, bein' completely forward with y'all, that went 'xceptionally better than I thought it would. No one got killed, the bot was dead, and there (so far) seemed to be minimal eyewitnesses. All three little boxes on my checklist for an encounter with an M-M robot were checked. All that was left was to get it outta the parking lot and our butts home before the cops showed up.
"Alrighty you two." I leaned on my newest wrench, t'was a fine one at that, and looked 'tween Naota and Haruko. "What…in the blazes hell…happened?"
"'Kay, see, it was like this…" Naota started but hardly got a few syllables in edgewise.
"Uhhhgg…nope! You're telling it wrong!" Haruko interrupted, putting her hand over his mouth to tell her own version of the tale. "We had a bit of a, well, a lover's quarrel in the restaurant…"
"Love's quarrel my ass!"
"Deny, deny…deny away…"
"You bet I will! I ask a few simple questions and you…"
"Got tired of your whining, like I am right now…" She needled, yawning with an obvious snark. "Such a drama queen you are…"
"If it's drama you want, you bring enough for the whole planet…"
"HEY!" I'd let the bickering go on much longer than I ought to. It'd been a day of stress, high blood pressure, family problems, I was out of tobacco and out of fucks to give. "That's enough, fuckin' quit it! Bitch later, answer now." I pointed with my wrench at Naota. "What happened, speak."
"…Haruko and I were arguing about, stuff. I let my temper get away from me, and another M-M bot came out. We were fighting it and were doing okay. You showed up to help finish it off, and now we're here."
"Thank you. Mizz Haruko, anything to add?"
"Uhhh…nope. Yep, that 'bout sums it up." She corroborated, preoccupied with peeling off stuck on pizza crusts. Looks like someone took a dive in the dumpster. "So what do we do with it?" She nodded back at the bot. "Usually they blow up or something, never had one just lay there."
"I've got that covered, believe it or not. Tommy'll be here any second with a boom truck to pick it up. Then, we can take it home, get its armor off, and do…heh-heh, unholy, things to it." I was eyeballin' the newest addition to G&R's collection; ohhhh…scorpion-bot…we're gonna have allll kinds of fun together. I could already tell just by lookin' at it, this had to be a dedicated Assassin Class. It was too immaculately built, a highly customized, one of a kind piece of walkin', slashin' an' stingin', deadly mechanical art. Which makes killin' 'em and ripping them apart to see its internal clockwork all the more satisfying!
"Sounds great, another specimen for Johnny, Josh and Mike." Naota nodded, watching the bot like he expected it to jump back up again any second; like it had just been taking a quick nap. "They'll really love this one…Oh no you don't!" He took two big steps back, holding that double-necked guitar behind him. As we'd talked and admired M-M's latest unit, Haruko'd been inching closer to Naota, fingers wigglin' as she tried to snatch back that guitar.
"Did I say you could have that?! Give. It. BACK." She growled, taking her own steps towards Naota. This wasn't good, in case you hadn't already figured that out.
"Like hell I will! Half of its mine, half is Atomsk's, and even if neither of those were true, I don't trust you with it!"
"Grrrr…..I….you….mrrrrpph…WHAT?!" Haruko's face started to turn crimson and a vein ticked in her neck as she tried to think of something to say.
"You heard me. Let me put it in simple terms. I trust you with this guitar as much as…the tap water in Flint Michigan."
"I don't even know where that is! Just gimme the damn thing before I take it from you and shove it up your…"
"Naota." This was ending. Now. Not just for Naota's sake, but for mine too. What? Self-preservation is not selfishness. My main, number one, top of the list, job was to protect Naota. If he kept pissing Haruko off, she would most certainly make that job difficult to say the least. And then, I'd have to put six zero-point-three-fifty-seven caliber sized skylights in Mizz Haruko's skull. No ifs, ands or buts about it. The problem with that was two-fold. First, I really didn't want to have to do that in front of Naota; mental trauma would not begin to cover it. Second, with Haruko's physical abilities and complete disregard for the known laws of physics, I seriously doubted I'd be actually able to put any rounds on target anyway. So the only conclusion was for Naota to simmer down and all of us hugging it out and singing Kumbaya…at least for the immediate future. "It's fine. The bot's dead, just chill, and give her the guitar back."
"Are you kidding me? Did you really just…?" The look of betrayal was defined by Naota's face right then.
"I said, its fine." Listen to me man. You're totally, 110% right! But, if you don't listen to me, that wacko in front of you is gonna rip your head off and cram it down your own goddamn throat. So swallow your pride and do us both a favor! "It'll be alright, trust me okay? She fought that bot when she could've cut and run, so cut her just a little slack eh?" Naota looked almost furious for a moment, like he was madder at ME than her. But to my immense relief, he slowly handed the guitar over.
"Thank you!" Haruko snatched it from his fingers and quickly slung it across her back. "I knew you'd come around."
"And don't you be getting' too high-and-mighty Mizzy." I pointed with my wrench to accent my point. "He bought you time to crawl outta the dumpster, all by his lonesome; or do you wanna go back in the dumpster an' rethink your attitude?"
"Whatever." She blew me off like yesterday's news. Now I knew where Naota's bad vibes about her were coming from. If there was anyone that needed a serious attitude adjustment, it was Haruko Haruhara. "When's your cousin or whoever 'sposed to get here? I really don't feel up to walking, my back's killing me…"
"Here he comes." Tommy pulled into the parking lot, weaving through flipped over and smashed cars, the truck's tires crunching over broken glass. He jumped out of the cab with his crowbar in hand; Johnny, Josh and Mike had been riding on the boom truck's flat bed and followed suit. They appeared unarmed, but I knew better. "Yo Tommy! What kept you?"
"We got hung up at…holy fuck!" He'd found the bot. "What in the actual hell is that?!" He ran up to it, pokin' around with his crowbar as if he was making sure it was really real. "Mike, Josh, Johnny! Get ah-load-ah this thing!"
"Duuudddeee…" Josh looked like Christmas, his birthday, the Fourth of July and $0.25 pints at Grizzly's had all come on the same day. "That…is…awwwsome! Naota!" He turned to Naota, eyes popped wide in excitement. "How'd you manage it? Dude, gimme a hug, we're gonna learn so much from this thing!" He actually went and hugged Naota, tellin' him he'd made his year. "Whoa, hey, what's with the blood? Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah…totally fine." Naota sluffed off his injuries with a careless sigh. He couldn't see the back of his shirt though, it was covered from collar to tail in a dark stain. If we dicked around much longer, I feared he was going to pass out from blood loss. Time to wrap this up.
"Josh!" Mike and Johnny were looking at the bot's head unit and its rows of eyes. "You gotta see this!" Josh scampered off to take a gander, leaving me, Nao', Haruko and Tommy.
"I'm sure you've got a lot to say…" Tommy started before any of us could get in a 'let me explain'. People, drawn by all the racket, were starting to show up, and with them would come police. In the age of the camera phone, this also had the possibility to end up on youtube, not good either, and Tommy knew it. He'd taken one look around the parking lot, its devastation, and knew we had already stayed too long. "But that's a big ole' hunk of machinery we gotta get outta here, and that's a whole lot of blood on your shirt Naota. We're going home before anyone asks us questions with no good answers. Johnny, Mike, Josh! Wrap it up, chain it up and pick it up! We're leaving!"
"Rog', let's get the hell outta here!" Josh agreed and they began to hook spreader cables up to the bot.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Haruko added, sauntering over to the truck without offering to help. Of course she would agree, that tidy little fortune tacked on her head by G.S.P.B. was good dead or alive. But hey, whatever gets this party moving. We hooked up the bot by a set of hard points on its back, chained it down on the truck's deck, covered it with tarps best we could, and did our finest disappearing act into the evening gloom. I felt really bad for Jerry, what with the damage to his parkin' lot and all. I don't think his insurance agent would believe even half of what happened to it; even if you showed him a video. And speaking of those, at least no one caught this incident on tape; at least, that I knew of. That's a scary thought…
. . .
"Sir? I have to stop recording, the file'll be too big to transfer otherwise."
"That will be fine Mister Kauffman, I have seen enough." The Man in Black checked his pocketwatch, the orbs around the edge of its main face were in motion and the hand in the center face was lazily spinning; having gone berserk minutes before. "We were given more than our money's worth, they put on a magnificent show!"
"But, they killed the robot?" Cody didn't quite understand why The Man in Black seemed so upbeat despite this latest setback. "I thought the whole point was for it to take Naota out?"
"Oh it was, young Mister Kauffman, do not let me be misunderstood." The Man in Black accepted Cody's phone and opened his briefcase, opposite Cody so its contents were hidden from his view. He withdrew a cable from it, plugged that into Cody's phone and placed it on the table they were sitting at; outside the gas station just up the road from Hi-Way. "You see, since the robot has failed, it is now my turn to take the stage."
"Why're you so, I dunno, happy about it though? Seems like a lotta work."
"Allow me to explain. Ahmm…why, do your fellow humans stalk dangerous game, such as the lion, elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros, of the African continent?"
"For the challenge I guess, because they're so dangerous."
"Exactly!" The Man in Black said, thumping the table in his excitement. It was difficult for Cody to work out his moods, especially with The Man in Black's habit of constantly wearing his sunglasses, and the odd feeling of mental fog and forgetfulness whenever he looked at the Man's face too long. "For the challenge, the thrill. You see, I have been to many planets, seen countless races upon them, and many of them were sooo…boring. Can you imagine why?"
"I don't think so, why?"
"Because they were, by and large, atrocious at being enemies. They folded under their own cowardice, fell upon their own inadequacies or devoured each other in bitter, and foolish, civil conquests that made my work all too easy. When you get to a position in life like mine, merely winning has lost its luster; for I have won many a battle and conquered many a planet. Victory becomes hollow, and more like a chore than anything else."
"So you're bored with your own success? If you win all the time, the game's no fun anymore."
"Precisely. I have been in a rut, hunting the prairie dog equivalent of civilizations, when I myself have been born, bred, and trained to kill lions. So you can imagine what that does to one's morale."
"But now…" Cody was beginning to grasp what The Man in Black was driving at.
"But now, I have what appears to be the makings of a real contest, actually worth my time. I refuse to get my hopes up to have them dashed, but there is potential. Watching that trio fight a metal beast twice their size and immeasurably nastier in disposition, and coming out relatively unscathed, gives me hope. If Naota and his other human friend, are any indication of this planet's fighting ability, you, my friend, and I, will have ourselves a rousing good fight on our hands."
"If this's your idea of a good time, you must have some really weird hobbies." Cody remarked, taking his phone back, the transfer complete. "I mean, I hate the Carsons with all my being, but I don't look forward to actually fighting them when my family is going to move in and take them down. They're a hard bunch, one I totally despise, but I fear too. So why're you so happy about going up against some people that just killed one of your machines with nothing but a wrench, a guitar and a piece of rebar?"
"Oh, how does that saying go?" The Man in Black snapped his briefcase closed. "If…you do what, you love…Ah, I remember now. If you do what you love, you truly never work a day in your life; and I haven't worked a single day since I was born."
. . .
"Ooowwwww…everything hurts…" Naota groaned, adjusting his posture as he sat down on the lower half of his bunk bed. He had gotten out a spare change of clothes for after a shower, but as the soreness settled into his body, he decided it would be best to rest for a moment. The ice pack and wrapping of bandages on his back and right shoulder bulged out, making leaning against the wall feel lopsided and uncomfortable. Then again, everything he did was uncomfortable. Where the piece of rebar had hit him, a band of black, blue and purple bruises, surrounded by yellowed skin and broken vessels, had sprang up. His elbows, knuckles and forearms were skinned raw from sliding and rolling across the asphalt and the chips of pavement that had sliced him in jagged gashes. Rig and Tommy had bandaged him up, sending him straight home when they were done; both surprisingly were well versed on battlefield first aid. The robot's computer was relatively intact, but encrypted despite Josh's best initial efforts. Canti had been recruited to plug in via hardline and try to 'talk' to the scorpion's computer directly. When he and Haruko had left, there had been no progress.
"Me too…" Haruko slouched into the room, her hands pressing on the small of her back. "And I reek of garlic bread…" She dumped her backpack, helmet, goggles, gloves and scarf next to his desk, then gently leaned her guitar in the corner next to his bass. "Hey, is it okay if I use the shower?"
"Straight out, first door at the top of the stairs." He directed, and after grabbing her backpack, she left him alone in his room. "And no, I won't be joining you!"
"Just thought I'd offer…" She'd stuck her head back into the room, and he knew what she was sure to ask. "I'll leave the door unlocked in case you change your tune."
"I'll keep it in mind." Having no other place to go, and Rig nearly laughing himself to tears when Naota had asked Rig if he would take Haruko in, she was going to be staying with him. Naota wasn't sure if it was the best idea, especially since he hadn't asked his Dad or Shingekuni. Kamon was in Penn State until Friday afternoon, and it was currently Tuesday. That meant he had just over two days to either find somewhere else for her to go, a prison on the Moon sounded perfect, or come up with a really good explanation as to why she was there; and he didn't want to even contemplate what Gramps would say if he found out first.
'Always causing trouble…one way or another.' He fumed, looking down the hall at the bathroom door, then leaning back again and closing his eyes to rest them. She really was an enigma. Just over an hour ago, they'd been bickering like cats and dogs, murder in her eyes as he refused to hand over her guitar. And, then…just, a complete one-eighty in her behavior. What could possibly be her angle this time? She didn't need his head to bring out Atomsk; the Pirate King was, to his knowledge anyway, still on the run. And Rig was right, she could've taken off and ran, leaving him to deal with the robot himself. She had even gone as far as putting herself in harm's way to save him from what would have been a killing blow. All considered, it seemed that the only thing he really knew for sure, was that he knew nothing. That fact used to not even enter his thoughts, but now it troubled him deeply. And, speaking of troubling things…
'This…this, bullshit, of M-M trying to kill me all the time's really getting old.' Yes, he had lost his temper, which was completely his fault, but Medical Mechanica sure's hell didn't have to piggyback on that by sending some assassination unit! What was their deal, what was the point now, of trying to off him? Was it because of Haruko showing up? No, that wasn't right, that wouldn't explain the first bot back in June. Maybe it had to do with the portal itself? It was in a way a door, one that maybe they viewed as a security risk? Or it could be part of another plot to take over Earth…a combination of his ideas perhaps? 'Either way, this's gotta stop. I'll ask the guys at work tomorrow and see what they think. Their guesses are probably as good as mine.'
"Ahhhhh! A shower can make you feel reborn!" Haruko had finished in the bathroom. "Hey Naota, where's Mon-chan?" She now waltzed back into the room, towing with her the scent of soap. "I've been here for an hour and haven't been hit on or leered at once. What gives?"
"He's in Penn State, 'bout an hour or so east. Got a job as an assistant editor in chief of a newspaper there."
"Ohhhh…okay. And Shingekuni?" His eyelids were still heavy, and therefore still closed, but he could hear her walking around. It sounded like she was going through his CD collection.
"He's a typical old man. Up at sunrise, in bed by eight, snores like a diesel truck the whole night through."
"Cool, cool…" He heard her flipping pages. "Well, bathroom's open whenever you're ready."
"Duly noted." He had finally gotten comfortable and didn't want to disturb that. Plus, whatever soap Haruko had used smelled incredible. It wasn't anything he, Kamon or Gramps kept in the house, it was soft with a slight tickle on his nose when he breathed it in. He wasn't in any hurry to move, just a few moments longer.
"You asleep?"
"Yes. Fast asleep, counting sheep." He heard her put the CD book down and pad softly across the room. Pressure points on the bed appeared, one on either side of his waist; she was leaning over him. He kept his eyes closed. She was close, he could feel her presence, hear her breath, smell that soap as its scent swirled 'round inside his head.
"You okay? You're not dyin' on me are you?"
"I don't think so. Why?"
"Just checking."
"Well, thank you. Hey, I'm gonna go shower."
"Okay." She acknowledged him but he didn't feel her move.
"I need you to move please." He tried to imagine what face she was wearing this time. Concerned? Sultry? Probably her favorite, the smug, teasing grin.
"What if I don't want to?" She challenged.
"You're not naked are you?"
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." Of course she wouldn't give a yes or a no; he'd been naïve to expect otherwise. "Open your eyes and find out."
"I'll just use my imagination." He raised his hands, found her shoulders and gently moved her aside. He had already memorized the layout of his house, he could walk it blindfolded. Eyes still closed, he went two steps forward, made a ninety degree turn to the right, five steps forward and made it to the bathroom. He showered and changed, following the directions Tommy and Rig had given earlier for cleaning and re-bandaging his 'battle scars.' Back in his room, Haruko had changed, wearing a Led Zeppelin 'Kashmir' A-shirt that stopped just above her midriff, and dark blue athletic short-shorts; her hair still wrapped in a towel.
"You've got quite the collection here." She was still thumbing through his CD book. "Clapton, Santana, Hendrix, Zeppelin, Boston, Deep Purple…your taste is excellent. Oh, you never said you were a Doors fan?"
"Yeah, they're pretty good, especially for relaxing and chillin' out." He sat back down on his lower half of the bed and leaned against the wall; keeping his eyes open this time. "The L.A. Woman album is one of my favorites of theirs."
"Is it now?" She slipped a CD free of its sleeve and placed it in the stereo on top of the dresser. "It's one of mine too…" A soft rainstorm began playing, thunder gently rolling as a piano and drums were added in the background. Haruko undid the towel on her head, hanging it on his desk chair, and slowly shook her hair out. With her hands on the dresser, facing away from him, she began to rock her hips back and forth in time with the music.
Riders on the storm…Riders on the storm…
Into this house we're born…into this world we're thrown…
Like a dog without a bone, an actor all alone…
Riders on the storm…
Now she moved across the room, her eyes the ones closed this time. She raised her arms above her head, stretching out towards the ceiling, twirling in slow circles. When she had first crashed into his life, he hadn't ever really looked at or watched her. It was not a matter of him deliberately avoiding putting her in his line of vision, it was…he'd looked, but not seen. Now that he actually did, he picked up things his twelve year old self had glossed over. She was slim but not scrawny, long slender legs flexed supple muscle as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Now the enticing flare of her hipbones beckoned him, their lines and crests outlined on her stomach before narrowing at her waist. With her arms up-stretched, and midriff bared, the faint outlines of her ribs rose and fell in match of her deep, slow breaths. Her mouth hung slightly open, soft lips just parted as she quietly sang along…
Girl, yah gotta love your man…
Girl, yah gotta love your man…
Take him by the hand, make him understand…
The world on you depends, our life will never end…
Gotta love your man…Yeahhh…**
"Hmmm…" She sighed, bringing her arms down and sliding her hands across her stomach to rest just above her short's hem, where the lower lines of her hipbones converged together. "Won't you dance with me?"
"Sorry, I'm not really the dancing type." He said, hardly daring to move. It felt as though he were in a lucid dream, watching her move with such uncharacteristically gentle and calm motions; unprompted and for his view alone.
"That's too bad…I think you'd really like it, if you gave it a chance." She turned away from him, slowing her twirl to almost a standstill with her hips cocked to the side, shorts scarcely hiding the curve of her butt, then completed the rotation. She now looked down at him with half lidded eyes, her hair tussled around her face with stray strands further hiding her, making her look all the more mysterious. "I'd let you dance with me, if you wanted to…no one dances with me…"
"I think I'll pass for tonight." He couldn't decide what her motives were, ulterior or otherwise. With his wounds sore and eyelids heavier than ever, it was proving too tiring to figure out, so he decided it was time to go to bed. "C'mon, we both gotta get up for work in the morning, let's get some sleep."
"Hmmph…okay, if you say so." She sighed and turned the stereo off. "Where's my spot?"
"You have topside, same as before."
"I'm on top, again? Maybe I'd like to try being on bottom?"
"I think we're getting a little off topic?"
"I'm just talking about us trying new ways of sleeping in bed…" She put her hands on the upper bunk and leaned in so her head was under it, just a foot away from his. "What're you thinking about in that dirty mind of yours?"
"About going to bed, just go to sleep."
"You'd like it up top…"
"Good night." He lay down and rolled over to face the wall. Shutting his eyes, he hoped to drop off immediately. He could hear Haruko sigh in what sounded resignation, then turn off the light. The bed creaked slightly as she climbed the ladder and got settled; burrowing into the pile of spare blankets he hadn't gotten around to putting away. Dug in, her noises quieted and silence crept into the room.
Nights in Osceola Mills were incredibly quiet, especially compared to Mabase. His hometown had thrummed with factories, honking cars and a throbbing nightlife. Out here in Coal Country, when the sun went down, it took all the noise with it; save for chirping crickets, peeping frogs, the tic-tack of his clock, and now, Haruko's snoring. As he reflected on the hectic day he'd had, he didn't feel any sort of guilt about his reaction to her return. Justified, in his opinion, didn't begin to cover it. She hadn't shown the least amount of remorse, regret or sign of reflection on her actions. Then add on their spat in Hi-Way, their snarling and snapping even as they fought, and after the fact, a Medical Mechanica robot. She certainly wasn't going out of her way to earn any Brownie Points.
But, yes, there was a 'but'. But if he had to be truthful, he didn't wish her grievous harm or death. He was beyond angry and suspicious, but not inhuman. As badly as he wanted to seize her by the shoulders and shake her with all his strength until some common sense, empathy and decency rattled into her head, he didn't want her dead. Maybe to suffer a little, nothing mortal. Sure, he'd said he wished her crash on the Carson Runway had broken her neck, but that had been his temper talking. Now that his fury had ceded, he started posing questions to himself, to try and understand where Haruko might be coming from; why she was the way she was. The thought had often occurred to him that Haruko didn't have any family, or friends even; himself, and maybe Canti if he stretched the definition, being the sole, poor exceptions. She'd never mentioned any family, friends, relations or lovers; never volunteering any personal information. To be fair though, he had never asked. The lack of familial relations didn't exempt her from what she had done, but he did find himself pitying her just a little for it.
"Hey, Haruko."
"Nnnn…'sup?"
"Don't read too deeply into this, but…it's, good to see you, and that you're not, y'know…dead, or something." That was as much as he would allow himself to give her, but it was the truth.
"Thanks, and same here. Glad you're not dead, or something, too."
"I just thought you'd like to know. Anyway, goodnight."
"Night." She mumbled in a voice filled already with sleep. Silence again filled the room, punctuated only when one of them shifted position. Naota, although exhausted, found sleep difficult. He was looking forward to work in the morning, hoping maybe to get some fresh outside perspective on his connection to Medical Mechanica. Whatever the link between them was, he had decided, while staring up at the top bunk in the pitch darkness, that enough was enough. Dealing with Haruko could wait, this was something needing addressed in the here and now. He was sick of living in fear of letting another monstrosity of gears, wires and malice loose. That night, whether it was spurred on by his time spent with Rig in the rural trappings of his home range, Haruko's dramatic reentry into his life, the most recent fight for his existence, or a force inside his own self, a fuming rage woke up in his heart; directed at Medical Mechanica and the havoc they'd brought into his life. Then he remembered something Rig was fond of saying, especially after listening to the news anchors talk about the latest government over-reach or terror attack in the world:
"There's only so much a human being can take, and even less that they should take, but does anyway because it's the 'polite' or 'politically correct' thing to do. Good, decent people will sit quietly, accepting the unwarranted punishment of the world because, well, why? Because they have no will of their own, it's easier to just say 'Woe is me' than to do something. I, for one, refuse to accept getting shit shoveled in my face, and then be talked down to when I protest. Don't just take things because you might hurt someone's feelings, because they have a tin star on their chest, sold their soul for a government office, or doing something may carry a degree of risk. When there's a wolf at your throat, don't concern yourself with the opinions of the other animals that call themselves humans. I mean, if there were a zombie outbreak today, there would be zombie rights advocates tomorrow; same with that wolf trying to eat your face off, there will be people cheering for it. Fuck 'em. Bite, claw, kick, scream, holler, punch that fucker in the throat. You have one beating heart, one set of lungs to give you air, only one life, don't just defend it; go on the offense! And damn those that would seek to hinder you in that pursuit. Or something like that, sorry for rambling again. Shut me up next time okay?" The wolves had just tried to eat him again, and he had only temporarily fended them off. They were sure to return, licking their chops for another go at his jugular. It was time to fight back, however possible…and by any means necessary.
. . .
Songs:
*The Sweet - Ballroom Blitz
**The Doors - Riders on the Storm
For those of you that read the first rendition of this story, you'll remember that I had used 'A little less conversation' by Elvis Presley, during the fight between Naota and Haruko, and the scorpion assassin unit. It's a great, good song, by The King himself, but it just didn't feel right this time around the same it did the first. I was driving home from work, thinking and talking over the fight scenes when I heard Ballroom Blitz...and it just fit. I thought so anyway.
Fight scenes are something that I have always enjoyed reading and writing. This one was no exception, trying to describe the parking lot brawl between man, alien and machine. Ah, the timeless classic, amiright? We also got another conversation, brief, but insightful, with The Man in Black; and also the first dialogue of a Kauffman brother. More of both will be coming your way in the near future, so stay tuned!
Last, and VERY important! I am going, again in the near future, to be introducing some other characters into the mix, ones that you already know: Commander Amarao and Lieutenant Kitsurubami. They will be making their own entrance to the stage, but I have an issue. With some of the things I have in the works, typing out 'Kitsurubami' each time she talks, is mentioned or is even in the room, is a real chore! Kitsurubami, that's five syllables, eleven letters and one long name. I am trying to come up with a first name for her, hopefully something SHORT. Short and cute, just like her hee-hee. Where was I? Kitsurubami's name, right. So, that's your homework, what is the good Lieutenant's first name? Please either use that review box or PM me with your suggestions. Okay, got that? Excellent! Class dismissed! See you next time, thank you again so, so very much for reading!