Ink Spade
A screen lit up, revealing the inside of a warehouse full of weapons being moved by Arasaka through some edgerunner gangs. It wasn't an unusual sight for companies putting gangs as test subjects and guinea pigs for their new products but this time there was something different. The camera zoomed in on the merchandise as the corpos and the edgerunner gang members gathered around one of the metal box containers. As one of the corpos opened the box to reveal lots of laser aimed rifles, the box snapped down on the edgerunner's hands, breaking his fingers.
Everyone entered in panic as one by one the edgerunners fell down to the floor, grabbing their necks screaming in pain. Those that didn't fall down pulled out their guns at each other, thinking that there was a doublecross in the warehouse. It was an occupational hazard that there would be such moves from one party or the other, which was why it was always good to have some extra muscle or do so in places where neither side had the clear advantage. But there was always the possibility of a third party crashing the whole scene.
As the edgerunners and corpos threatened each other, one by one they were taken out. A tiny figure punched one of the edgerunners in the face before landing a spinning kick on one of the corpos. The figure moved quickly and quietly, jumping onto the next corpo, pulling them down to the ground by the back of their suit. The next one to fall was an edgerunner as the figure slammed into his stomach with the force of a bullet.
The two remaining goons started firing their guns at the invisible figure that was taking out all their allies. The bullets tore through the floor and through the equipment, but the figure wasn't so much as scratched. The chunks of metal, wood and rock scattered around him, a sight the figure had grown accustomed to all the same. The figure climbed up the corpo's shoulder, firing his grappling hook at the edgerunner across from him. And with a strong tug, the punk was pulled into the corpo, bringing them both down. The figure used this chance to crack them both across the face with his bear fists.
The figure grew back to his normal size, revealing the Ant-Runner.
The feed was paused as the Ant-Runner opened the box dropping a grenade inside it.
"Well, what do you think?" The Alchemax CEO asked.
"A bit too roughly put together for my taste, wouldn't you agree?" Mr. U asked his associates."However, his skills and tactics in guerilla warfare are to be applauded. Taking out six enemies in the span of a few minutes with no help at all." The second in command of the company analyzed the footage with a keen eye.
They had gotten ahold of several scraps of footage just like this one, and all for a single purpose: to find their missing game changer. It was not long before the rumors of the rising legend of the Ant-Runner to spread and reached their ears. Someone that was invisible to everyone and moving in and out without being noticed, attacking Arasaka and any edgerunner punk that worked for them and used products stolen from their company. It took them a little longer to figure out that the Ant-Runner was someone that was connected to their missing and believed-to-be-destroyed size-altering scientific breakthrough. But all the information about those that worked on the project had been erased by their former employee Cross.
"Still you gotta admire the scrappiness and the style. A mixture of edgerunner and one of those old comics," the Alchemax CEO said. "Dig the logo and the helmet in particular. But what does our guest think about this little rogue asset?" He turned to the dark corner of the office.
From the corner of the office, a bright neon blue light shone as a brick house of a man stepped out. He wore a long thick brown trench coat with a matching fedora, a black suit underneath it and a pair of white shoes and gloves with black spade symbols on the back of his hands. Half of his face was metallic red, not chrome, but pure steel. Around his one glowing neon blue eye he had a monocle in the shape of a spade that seemed to stare into the souls of any who he looked at. The other half was stone cold flesh with a perpetual scowl with short black hair and a hazy blue eye with a scar running across it.
"The boy has spunk. But not cocky." His voice was cold, aged like a fine whiskey. "He planned to attack them fast and without giving them an inch to wiggle. Scared opponents and confused ones are easy pickings if you know what you're doing. And he knows what he's doing."
"Got experience in that, Ink Spade?" Mr. U asked.
"More often than nought you give the punks a good shake and they'll tell you where their mothers hide their dirty underwear," Ink Spade replied. "You want me to bring him in? I tend to be rough on my targets."
"If the Ant-Runner is connected to the project headed by the late Dr. Albertson then it is imperative to our plans to have him here." Mr. U explained. "Alive, understood."
"The kid's a fighter, I can't promise he won't come back with a few broken bones." Ink Spade pulled out a cigar, stuffing it in his mouth. "Otherwise, it'll be up to him." He lit his cigar, taking a deep puff of the rolled goodness.
"As long as we get answers from him, we'll make due." Alchemax's CEO looked at the screen before pressing play on it once more. "After all, it isn't the first time someone exceptional has tried to escape our radar." He watched the Ant-Runner pull out his blaster, firing at the camera.
The game was afoot.
Robin looked over his map of the city as he pinned all the known Arasaka safehouses he'd found using the information from his last run-in with the company's goons and security forces. Most of the locations were scattered around the city, hidden under the radar between the territories of different gangs across the city. Each of the safehouses had fronts in the forms of businesses like restaurants, dry cleaners, office buildings that worked for Arasaka subsidiaries, and even a small movie theater that played the latest in the form of entertainment for the right price. They kept their sensitive equipment out of the hands of their enemies and some even made money on the side. With such a flow of people in each local, going in wasn't hard, but there would be too much collateral damage and people could get hurt. Not that Arasaka cared about that.
Most locations were monitored or checked up on by undercover Arasaka employees or third parties that just had to spend a certain amount of hours on each location. It was the best way to keep anyone from getting too close to the truth of what was going on in each location. As far as anyone outside thought, the men and women were just heading to their jobs and not doing anything shady. And that was Robin's in.
He'd spent a week checking out the locations and finding who were the stool pigeons that went in to do Arasaka's dirty work. It helped that he'd put small camera's where no one could spot them to look at things when he wasn't around. And thanks to his recordings, he knew when the workers would leave and at what time they would arrive. The best way to go in and make an entrance was when no one was expecting you.
Sadly, there was a kink in the planning…
"Man, I need to improve my sleeping schedule." Robin yawned.
He hadn't slept in three days. Between watching over Arasaka's safehouses, hitting down their deals, hanging with Becca and Falco and keeping up his humble business, he was burning the candle at both ends. Part of him was tempted to sleep for a whole day just to recharge his energy. The coffee was losing its effects on him and he desperately needed a pick me up that would stick.
"Maybe I should just hit the sack early today." Robin rubbed his eyes as he commanded his ants to hide all his equipment from sight. "But, I'll just take a quick look at the last location, the one in the south side, the camera is a bit wonky. I hope it hasn't been getting any interference from something going on."
He approached his equipment, preparing to head out and do some scouting when there was a knock on the door. Well, it wasn't so much a knock on the door as it was a series of knocks on the door, like someone was playing drums against it.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Robin snapped, heading to the door as the knocking echoed in his head like a rattle. "Keep your panties on." He opened the door.
"I'll try to keep that in mind," Rebecca said. "Whoa, you look like you've been run over by a truck." She looked at Robin, wincing at the bags under his eyes.
"The curse of the working class, Rebecca." Robin rubbed his eyes. "What are you doing here at this hour? I thought you'd be drinking with Maine and the crew."
"Nah, it's a slow night. I was hoping to get you alone for myself." Rebecca smirked at him, giving him the sense of being face to face with a hungry lioness. "But I'm not sure you'll last with those bags under your eyes. Maybe you should get some sleep or else, you might drop dead."
"I have one errand to run, and then I'll hit the hay," Robin yawned. "Sorry for spoiling your plans, Becca."
"Nah, it's fine. Hey, want some company? I'm free," Rebecca asked. "I promise not to get too handsy with you."
Robin couldn't help but blush, feeling her eyes on him. It had become more and more obvious to him the more time he'd spent with her. The glances she'd given him, the playful banter they'd often shared alone or with the rest of the crew when they hung out. Those weren't something she'd do for anyone. She was clearly interested in him in more than a simple friendship, but the mission was far too important. He had to keep his head focus and the last thing he wanted was to drag Rebecca into this mess of his.
"No, don't worry. It'll be something quick. I just need to go check on something," Robin explained. "I promise to make it up to you, Becca."
"Meh, it's cool. I'll just have to drag you away from your work some other day." Rebecca pouted, knowing all her plans for the evening were now taking a rain check. "Don't stay up too long, you're only human." She walked away looking away from him.
Robin felt a pit in his stomach forming as Becca walked away. She was probably pissed and would do anything to make him squirm for her later. But there was a time for rest and a time to act, and right now it was time to act. He closed the door, putting on the sign of closed for the night before heading to his gear.
"It'll be a quick run." Robin put on his helmet. "What's the worst that could happen?" He shrunk down before mounting one of his ants.
Ink Spade had arrived at Night City, driving through the light glistening streets as a melody played from his car's radio. He wasn't a fan of Night City. He saw it as a mockery of the old days of his line of work. Back in the day when you didn't rely on luck to actually get the job done, when there was class at the beginning, middle and end of a job. If he could do himself a favor, he'd stay away from the cesspool that was Night City. But the job called for him to be there, and he would find his man. Alive or dead it didn't matter to him in the slightest bit. A manhunter had his job and by whatever religion existed out there, he was gonna fulfill his job.
"Alright, bub, let's see where I can find you." Ink Spade pulled up the map where the footage had been taken. "You like to be invisible and move around without anyone noticing you. I can see the appeal, but now, you deal with a professional." He drove off to his destination.
Ink Spade found the warehouse easily, it still showed the damages of the clash between the Ant-Runner and the men that were exchanging toys. Kneeling down, his neon blue eye scanned the area for anything he could find. Pictures of different shoe prints and trails blazed through his cybernetic brain until he found the ones he was looking for along with something else.
"There we go." Ink Spade looked at a tiny almost invisible trail in the ground. "No wonder you're so hard to find, no one knows you are right there but can't be seen by anyone." Ink Spade chuckled at how simple yet effective his target had played everyone in the city for suckers.
Despite being the size of a tiny insect, the Ant-Runner left a trace of energy and vapors that his eye allowed him to track. It was so small and faint that he could only compare it to a path being traced by a small laser. He got up, watching how the trail became more visible where he'd grown back to his full size before going back to being faint. He followed the path out, noticing how it was hovering in the air instead of the ground. He wondered how someone so small could fly. There didn't seem to be anything in his suit that led to him being able to fly.
"How are you this high up without anything to help you fly I wonder?" Ink Spade followed the path out of the warehouse, however, he soon found out that he wasn't alone.
"Hey, hey, hey, chrome face." A knife pressed against his throat, but Ink Spade didn't so much react to it.
He looked around noticing a gang of six cyberpunks gathering around him like a pack of hyenas, and a lot less good looking. They all appeared to be from the same gang that was making a deal with Arasaka in the video, given their familiarity with the location and timing. His neon blue eye detected all their weapons, showing them in a list for him, ranging from most dangerous to least dangerous. Oddly, the knife to his throat ranged in the latter despite how close it was.
"You look a little lost, friend. This here is our turf, and so happens that some of our friends got jumped the other night," the punk with the knife said. "And suddenly, you show up. So, either you know what happened or you're in the wrong place at the wrong time. But your fancy threads make me think you're someone's lackey." The punk examined Ink Spade's suit and coat.
"This fool senile or something?"
"Nah, I bet he's dumb."
"It is a fine coat, I'll give you that son." Ink Spade grabbed the punk's free hand. "I must be getting old to let you talk so much. But I love punks like you. I don't feel bad when I have to hurt you because you think of ganging up on a man to get something from him."
Ink Spade crushed the punk's hand as easily as any regular man could crush an egg in their hands. The punk's screams gave the old manhunter the shock he needed. He swung the punk like a baseball bat at two of the punks, smashing their heads in. He then appeared above another one of the punks, with his fist reeled back. Before the punch could fire, Ink Spade brought down his fist on the boy's face, smashing it into the ground, cracking it. The manhunter turned in time to block three shots with his forearm, hearing dings as they collided with his arm.
"Big mistake, boys." Ink Spade's hands lit up in a bright blue aura before he rushed at the remaining two punks. "This is my favorite coat!" His fists tore through their bodies, leaving two holes in the shapes of spades before they fell down dead to the ground.
Ink Spade looked at the mess he'd left, feeling like he'd acted no better than the dumb punks that plagued this city. Maybe he was getting too old for this kind of job and that made him sloppy, but at the very least he'd made sure to keep his anger from his real target. The city was no stranger to slaughters between groups and from the reports he'd read, this would barely make the front pages. Still, the mess and his hands on approach reminded him of how he got his name.
But it was better to give the punks a good thrashing from time to time to get them to behave. So he didn't feel so much guilt after he'd put them through some hell and killed a few.
"Damn kids messed my favorite coat and suit." He checked his coat sleeve. "I could get it patched up later. But I am adding this to the bill for Alchemax. Now, where were we?" His neon blue eye caught the trail once more, noting that it was indeed flying.
Ink Spade smirked, it wasn't the first strange hunt he'd had, but at least this one made him work for it. The others thought they could best him with their strange gimmicks, but this one was smart. Maybe he could retire happily. But thoughts of spending time at a beach would have to wait before he got his prize.
"Now, let's see where the little ant scurried off to." Ink Spade drove off, following the trail to his next destination and prey.
Robin was not having a good night. He'd blown off Rebecca and was not working on fixing the camera he'd installed because someone had spilled a drink on it without knowing. So he cleaned up the camera as best as he could while in his normal size and with whatever cleaning gear he'd gathered.
"What kind of idiot just drops a soda can without looking?" Adam cleaned his fingers from all the dirt he'd caught. "I swear, this city will be prime for roaches and other bugs to live in." He sighed looking at the camera he'd taken apart.
Scrubbing off the remains of the sticky stuff was a nightmare all on its own with how it seemed to get lots of dust on the lens and the antenna to send the information back to his home. But at least he didn't have much to do and could spend some time just relaxing and looking at the city lights.
"At least I got a nice view of the city," Robin said. "Even if the biggest thing I can see is another Arasaka safehouse. I should put the camera back together and go lie down in bed before I fall asleep here and someone finds me." He yawned as he started to put the camera back in one piece. "Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get a good eight hours of sleep I need if I sleep in."
His eyes were heavy and the lights lulled him to sleep, making keeping his eyes open and awake all the much harder. Just then, he spotted movement in the movie theater. The back door opened up as a large black van drove up to it.
"What's going on there?" Robin asked, pulling out a pair of binoculars to see better.
The black van opened its truck to reveal a large container for Arasaka's safehouse. The workers quickly took it inside, without making much of a fuzz.
Robin pulled up his list of spots and items stored in this safehouse. Most of the items listed in that particular safehouse were all meant for 'entertainment' purposes. New and promising projects to ensure the complacency of the consumers to go to Arasaka every single time.
"And if those things are said by anyone at Arasaka that moves stuff in the middle of the night, then you know it's not a good sign." Robin got ready to move out and check it out before they could pull something shady.
However, he soon heard something moving behind him. He turned around as the door to the rooftop opened up. Before he could see who it was, he'd shrunk himself down to the size of an insect. He ran to the shadows, hoping to catch sight of who it was.
It was Ink Spade. He walked onto the rooftop, looking for his target. The trail had led him there and now he had to find the little insect before he got wise to being hunted. His eyes landed on the camera and antenna that had been left by the Ant-Runner. His blue eye scanned the camera, looking for anything in terms of a trail, and he found one.
Robin hid in the darkness, keeping himself from being spotted. His mind raced with questions as to why this huge man was on that very rooftop. He didn't look like the type of guy to come up to a strange rooftop for no apparent reason nor did he look like one of the tenants of the building. So far, he didn't think he'd been spotted.
Ink Spade pulled out a flask from inside his coat, taking a sip from it before pretending to look out into the city.
"You know, bub, I don't like this city much. I always said that it was far too cold for my liking." Ink Spade took another sip. "But you probably thrive here, huh? I bet you do."
Robin narrowed his eyes, making sure to move away from the rambling man. He was probably talking to someone else. There was nothing that made him think that he was there. He silently called one of his ants to get him far from here and closer to the movie theater.
"Where are my manners? Here, have some." Ink Spade turned the flask down directly onto Robin.
Robin barely had enough time to run out of the way before being caught by the splashing liquor. The fallen drink pushed him forwards, like he'd gotten caught in one of the waves at the beach in Lake Michigan when he was younger. To most, that amount would've stained their shoes or just wet their soles, but to him, it was like being caught by a strong enough force to knock him off his balance.
He reeked of booze and coughed to get what he'd swallowed out of his lungs. That had not been an accident, the drops of liquor were aimed directly at him. His eyes went wide as a large foot came down on him to crush him. It was the size of an elephant and was going to do as much damage when it fell on him.
Robin jumped out of the way, hearing the stomp causing a shockwave and knocking some dirt off the ground. He fired his grappling hook, pulling himself back down to the ground, skidding to a halt.
"Now, how about you get back here and let us chat like civilized folks," Ink Spade looked directly at him with his neon blue eye. "This doesn't need to get nastier than it needs to."
"You wanna talk? Here's my first argument." Robin ran towards Ink Spade, firing his grappling hook, pulling himself towards the titanic man.
He reeled back his fist before growing back to his normal size and landing a punch directly into the cyborg's nose. However, the punch had hurt him even more than it had hurt the one getting punched in the face. His whole arm felt like he'd just punched a brick wall with his bare hands. His wincing didn't take long as Ink Spade grabbed him by one of his legs, tossing him against the entrance to the rooftop. The door was dented and Robin's air had been knocked out of him.
"I think it's only fair that I let you have that one, lad. But in my defense, I did share some fine alcohol with you." Ink Spade wiped the blood from his nose. "Though, if I didn't know any better I'd say that you broke my old hooter." Ink Spade walked slowly towards Robin while cracking his knuckles.
It was the first time in a long time that he'd faced someone like this man, this cyborg. The big man even reminded him of Adam Smasher, if only because he was big and imposing. But this one was here for something else. If he'd wanted it, Robin would've been dead ten times over before he could've done anything. That was good, it gave him time to strategise and find a way to best this big bruiser.
"Well, that was my intention. But who may I ask is tossing me around like a rag doll?" Robin picked himself up, as if the lack of sleep and the man's large metal strength weren't already stacked against him. "You seem to have the advantage of me."
"The name is Ink Spade, I'm a manhunter, specialized in finding, locating, and bringing in the targets for the right price. We're cyborgs that specialize catching lads like you." Ink Spade kept his eyes on Robin, waiting to see what he would do. "And someone would like to speak to you, Mr. Ant-Runner, alive if possible."
Robin slowly reached for his blaster as he noticed Ink Spade getting ready to fight him once more.
"Nice story, but I think I'm gonna pass," Ant-Runner said.
"That's non-negotiable. I can bring you in warm or cold, but you're coming with me." Ink Spade's hands glowed ready to strike.
Robin took his shot, firing his blaster at Ink Spade, only for the cyborg to lift his arm against the blast. As the blast struck, the manhunter's sleeve was left with a burning scorch mark on it, making him recoil in shock. Robin fired again and again, with Ink Spade blocking the bolts heading his way with a speed and martial prowess that seemed to fit someone far smaller than the large tough guy. But Robin wasn't planning on finding anything more today.
He sprinted to the edge of the rooftop, jumping out of the fight. The sound of Ink Spade's heavy foot prints caught his attention as he jumped down after him. Robin wasn't planning on playing with the cyborg, he shrunk himself down calling for his ants to catch him. Getting on top of one, he flew away from the falling manhunter. But Ink Spade wasn't going to let him off that easily.
Ink Spade's left hand dug into the building, slowing down his descent. He jumped from the building towards Robin and the ant he was riding. He almost caught them but the Ant-Runner pulled a quick turn, avoiding the metallic hand. Ink Spade crashed through a building room, before stopping. With a glare from his neon blue eye, he quickly caught onto the trail and made a beeline after it.
"You won't be able to hide from me, kid!" Ink Spade broke through walls as he ran after his target.
Robin couldn't tell how this was happening, all he knew was that he needed to get as much distance between him and the big bruiser before he got caught. His ears rang as he heard something crashing through one of the windows, only to see the shadow of the large manhunter coming down on him. His ant ride made a quick turn into a nearby alley, flying far from their pursuer.
But it wasn't enough, Ink Spade landed on the ground and took off after both ant and Ant-Runner. Like a machine, he pushed and shoved anything out of his way trying to catch up to his target.
"Seriously, just my luck. First crazy someone sends after me and it's an unstoppable machine!" Robin cursed his luck as he flew his ant through the busy streets of Night City. "Let's see you track me through here!"
Robin flew past the people and cars going about their day, zigzagging from one place to another to lose Ink Spade. Right, left, up, down, he made sure to make it as confusing as possible to hide where he was going. His mind raced with possibilities of who could have sent the crazed cyborg after him. But he had to fight to focus on losing the bastard. Taking a turn down into another alley, he crossed the street and landed on top of a taxi cab, waiting to see what Ink Spade would do. His eyes landed on the cyborg as he jumped over the different cars, reeling back his glowing fist to strike at the car they'd landed.
"Crap!" Robin's ant took off, just as Ink Spade punched through the parked car, causing it to explode.
Robin was sent flying off of his ant. Cars rushed towards him at top speeds, with little time to call for another ant. He fired his grappling hook at one of the cars, pulling himself towards it. Rolling on top of the car's roof, he stopped himself from falling by grabbing hold of one of the roof's edges. He pulled himself up just in time to see Ink Spade coming out of the blown up car like he'd just stepped out of the grocery store.
Ink Spade's neon blue eye followed the Ant-Runner as the car took him away from him with steely determination.
"Well played, lad." Ink Spade adjusted his fedora hat. "Game on." Ink Spade narrowed his eyes at the trail he had to follow.
Robin kept hanging on to the roof of the car until it finally stopped at the driver's destination. He looked around for whatever sign he could find of the damn cyborg. Even the slightest blue light made his body grow stiff with fear and anticipation. Upon seeing that he wasn't being followed, he took this chance to run off. Jumping off of the car and landing at some back alley, he laid against the concrete wall to catch his breath.
His breath was quick and shallow. Fighting off exhaustion was one thing, but his enemy seemed to know where he was at all times. It wasn't a mistake or a coincidence that he looked at the exact car that he'd taken to escape. Ink Spade was somehow being able to follow his movements and get a clear lock on his trails. Now that he had a second to think things through, then he had time to work on how and why he was being hunted.
"Alright, think, Robin, think." Robin didn't care to say his real name since he was smaller than a mouse in one of the loudest cities on the west coast. "Ink Spade said that he was a manhunter cyborg, so that means that his chrome must have something that helps track my every movement, even when I'm this size. It must be that cybernetic eye of his. He seemed to find me faster with that one. But it would still need something to find me. Could he have used that alcohol to mark me? No, that would mean he was drinking something most people avoid."
The sound of dripping water caught his attention. He looked up at an old air conditioning unit with condensation dripping down. Despite the small probability of whatever was in that flask to be some kind of marker, Robin climbed up to the unit and used the condensation to wash himself of anything, including the stench of booze.
"Freezing, freezing!" Robin hopped and jumped to warm himself up. "Okay, that woke me up. I have to get rid of this guy before even thinking of going back home. Last thing I want is for everyone to get caught in the crossfire. Second, who could've hired that guy? Arasaka doesn't know about me, and I've made sure to cover my tracks. Someone else then. But who would want me dead or captured?"
Robin went through his somewhat small Rogues Gallery. The most prominent ones would be Arasaka, they could afford someone like Ink Spade to bring him in. But if they wanted him dead and gone, then why not just send Adam Smasher? He was their most deadly and efficient killing machine. Robin didn't need to hear all the rumors about him to know that for a fact. The second option would've been Hemingway, but he seemed to hate chrome and was more focused on creating his perfect monster than to hunt him down and capture him. It had to be someone else, someone with resources and a grudge against him.
"This isn't gonna get me anywhere. I need to get rid of this borg bastard before he gets me to meet whoever hired him." Robin needed a plan. "First, I have to make sure he can't trace me, and then I need to take him out of the fight."
His mind went back to one of the stories that Rebecca had told him about one of their past missions.
Robin and Rebecca were drinking by the bar as Johnny Five was cleaning the glasses with the swiftness of a machine and the dexterity of a magician.
"So, what do you guys usually do aside from running jobs?" Robin asked.
"You asking if we pull some kind of daring jobs and tricks around the city?" Rebecca smirked at Robin. "Well, we do a little bit of what you do. Maine usually brings in the jobs, but sometimes Kiwi or Falco have a job in mind and they decide to make us accomplices in their ideas. Only we get paid in Eddies instead of picnic stock." She glared at him.
"You'll never stop making me suffer for that, will you?" Robin asked. "Any jobs that were tricky?"
Rebecca looked up, thinking of what stories she could tell Robin. Not that she didn't want to tell him everything or some of her crazy adventures but she needed to keep a few things from prying ears. The last thing she wanted was Robin or her getting into trouble for her loose lips. She then thought of one of her early adventures with Maine and the crew.
"I got it. So, there was this gonk bitch that thought she was tough shit because she and her crew all wore special ani-net-runner gear on their heads. They had messed with a few contacts Kiwi owed a favor for or two, so we got to kick their asses." Rebecca took a sip of her drink. "But we couldn't track them down, so we brought them to a special little reunion and laid the law down."
"You guys talked it out?" Robin asked.
"Nah, Kiwi and Lucy set a trap for them to render their armors useless," Rebecca said. "They set up a special magnet that almost pulled them apart and left them to our mercy. They thought they had the advantage and then we used their strength to our advantage." Rebecca puffed up her chest in pride.
"So you used a trap to make their strengths into your advantage, I gotta remember to use that some day." Robin smirked at the idea.
The memory sparked a thought in his mind. He couldn't beat him on the outside, but underneath it all Ink Spade was as vulnerable as all the punks he'd taken down. But he would need to take him to a place he knew better than anyone. Or a place he could take him by surprise since neither of them knew. A place he could take out Ink Spade and make him spill the beans. And thankfully, a particular place came to mind.
"It's time to rally up the troops." Robin focused on getting as much help as possible. "Alright, Spade, time for the hunter to be the hunted."
Ink Spade spent a good chunk of the last three hours tracking the car that had given his objective a lift. The vehicle was owned by a middle management old man who had chosen to get a fast car to feel a little younger than he was. It took him very little to convince the man to let him scan his car. Sometimes a gentle nudge did wonders when you were a tall cyborg that could crush cars with his bare hands. The trail was faint, but he managed to pick it up from the residual gasses and a very natural heat signature.
"He rested here, but didn't stick for long." Ink Spade followed the trail all the way to the alley before walking out to see where it was headed. "He won't lead me to his secret base, he'll try to hop around and keep me guessing. Too bad for him that I'm not the kind of guy to be thrown off by something so easy."
His cybernetic eye did a lot for him, from quickly analysing a situation to catching enough information on the person he was hunting. A combination of bodily energy signatures, scents, heat signatures and breathing patterns were all considered to put the pin on anyone he was hunting. It also helped that the suit had a strange kind of energy coming off of it in this particular case. It didn't matter how tough the kid was, he always got his man in the end.
He drove through town, keeping his eyes on the trail that was left by the Ant-Runner. Most of the time, he drove around in circles around the city. But little by little, he caught up with the trail, leading him back to where he had first met his target the first time.
"Not the most uncommon thing to do, but hardly the smartest thing to do the same night." Ink Spade walked out of his car.
He climbed up the stairs, wondering what could be so important to come back to the scene of their first meeting. Maybe the kid thought that it would be the last place he'd look for him. Many had thought the same as he had. But the kid wasn't stupid. If he'd caught onto the fact that he was tracking him, then he'd stay away from spots he would be tracked to. This was a desperate move. Scared guys make desperate moves and desperate moves get them caught. There had to be a different reason to come back here.
Or maybe there was a reason behind that very action?
Pushing the door open, he spotted the same camera that had been left there before. The ground had been moved and the trail was as bright as a Christmas tree. That meant it was fresh, and the boy had looked at something and went off to finish the job.
His eyes looked around, spotting a trail flying off from the spot. Ink Spade knelt, looking into the camera to see what the big deal was. The lens only showed him the movie theater that was only a block from where they were. He looked up and saw the trail going straight to that location. For whatever reason, the Ant-Runner was heading there despite the danger he was in. Which meant that there was something important there for him to risk coming back here. Or it was his homebase and the cameras were meant to be his surveillance to keep others from finding the spot.
"It doesn't matter where you run, I'll find you." Ink Spade got up and headed back down the movie theater for answers.
Robin worked quickly, preparing his surprise for Ink Spade, as all the Arasaka workers had just left for the night and only the night guard remained. He commanded his ants to hide in the darkness as he finished up rigging the light switches and the music to help him take out the cyborg. It was a risky plan, but if it worked then he'd have some ideas of what to do with someone like Adam Smasher.
Movie theaters were more or less obsolete places for people to watch XBDs without anyone bothering them. The tradition of going to the movies on Friday and watching the latest summer sensation was long dead, but it had managed to adapt for everyone that wanted some fun with XBDs. They also doubled as discos or night clubs for the right price, but for Robin, they were his best place to set a trap. He just hoped the damn cyborg got the bait and decided to follow after him.
"Chrip."
"Huh?" Robin turned to one of his ants. "Here already?"
"Chirp."
"Alright then, let's give this guy a movie night he'll never forget." Robin smirked as he jumped on top of his flying ant, taking off into the air.
Ink Spade walked through the hallway as he looked for his target. He hadn't taken a single step without making sure that he was not stepping into a trap. But so far, he hadn't come across any wires or switches that could get him killed or trigger traps. Everything told him that the world around him was far too noisy and far too full of people to be the home base of a man that wanted to stay out of the picture. But it was also the best place as it was the last place anyone would look at for a hideout. The cat and mouse game was far better than it had been in a long time for him. It almost made him shed a tear that it had to end. The trail was getting warmer and the best games are the ones that eventually have a decisive victor.
"No where for you to run to, lad." Ink Spade reached the door, cracking his knuckles.
He opened the door expecting to find a few things: A room with a bed, a lab to make his freaky suit, an armory, hell, maybe a whole squad of traps ready to fire upon him like in one of those gangster movies. But no, instead he was face to face with an empty room. A dance floor meant for the people coming over, that was as empty as a graveyard. But Ink Spade's eyes focused more on what many couldn't see, the trail.
The trail was moving all over the room. It was a web of trails going around and around the room like a merry go round. He couldn't tell where it began or where it ended, but he could tell that everything was fresh. The paths were so fresh that he could have been looking at his target and not know that he was there. The silence wasn't helping him either. It was quiet, too quiet for his taste. His fists lit up, expecting a sneak attack coming from the shadows around him. He grabbed the door behind him, using the energy of his hands to melt the doors together, locking himself and his target inside.
"Alright, lad, you had your fun. But the game is over." Ink Spade scanned the room. "Come quietly and I won't have to hurt you too much. A broken arm at the very most." He walked deeper into the room, trying to find the spot where his target was hiding.
Ink Spade walked deeper into the room, using his eye to find which of the trails was the freshest out of all of them. He was certain at least that Ant-Runner wasn't going for the exit. And there didn't seem to be any movements towards the air vents or anything other exit that he could go for. As it stood, Ink Spade was waiting for the trap to spring.
Music started blaring from the side of the room, making Ink Spade turn around. He turned around, punching the speaker into pieces. However, the music kept on blaring and going from the other speakers. The room slowly filled with music, covering every single inch of it, leaving Ink Spade with nothing to listen to but bad dancing electronic music. But the music was only the beginning.
All the lights turned on in the room, forcing Ink Spade to cover his eyes only for a second to lose track of the trail.
"You think this is enough to blind me? Think again, lad." Ink Spade's cybernetic eye adjusted to the harsh lights of the room, but what he saw wasn't a welcoming sight.
Ink Spade saw the Ant-Runner riding on top of an ant before jumping straight at his eye with a short sword in his hand.
Robin slashed at the cybernetic eye with his short sword, making Ink Spade scream in pain.
"Let's see you track me now!" Robin stabbed Ink Spade's eye over and over, letting out all his frustrations out with rage. "I'm taking you down!"
Ink Spade stumbled, screaming in pain as his brain felt all the electricity shocking and frying the inside of his head. He reached up to his eye trying to pry the little bastard off of him but his size made him hard to grab. Scratching at his eye and face got him no closer as he continued to suffer what was basically someone shoving an electric needle into his eye over and over. He had gotten used to being shot at, punched, even run through buildings and getting hit by trucks three times his size, and yet someone so small was making him suffer ten times worse. The humiliation that he felt made the wounds even more painful than anything else he could imagine. The rage that filled him, made him fight all the harder. He kicked, punched and shook his head at anything that could get in his way to get the pesky little ant off of him.
The mess he was making was like a scene out of a disaster movie and no one would've noticed the difference if an angry bull had torn up the place in a blind rage. But Ink Spade had long since gotten tired of anything getting in his way. His one good eye caught sight of a water bottle on the floor. Snatching it with one of his hands, he poured the water on his face, getting Robin off of his face for good.
Robin fell off of Ink Spade's face, calling for his ants to get him before he reached the floor. One of his ants caught him just before he could hit the floor. He turned to see Ink Spade glaring at him with his one good eye. It was time to enact the second phase of the plan.
"Alright you little shit! It's time to die!" Ink Spade charged at him swinging his glowing fists at the Ant-Runner.
Robin commanded his ant ride to bob and weave through the attacks. They flew back, dodging and moving out of the way of the blows. Despite feeling the intensity of the punches through the air that blasted past them, Robin kept his nerve. He needed more time. Flying around the large cyborg like a damn mosquito was the only way to get another shot. But he needed him angrier and more reckless. Time for some of Rebecca and Pilar's colorful commentary.
"Come on! Bring it on you borg son of a bitch!" Robin called out as he dodged another punch from Ink Spade. "You think you're tough because of your size? Well, what does it say that someone so small is running circles around you?! You are nothing more than a pansy jerk that thinks his size will get him anywhere!"
"Shut up you little shit!" Ink Spade swung his fists, breaking the furniture around him. "You think you're special because you got one good hit on me?! Well you ain't! I will make sure that you see the difference between a little snot nosed brat like you and someone like me!" Ink Spade punched a hole through the wall, narrowly missing Robin's head.
Robin focused, hoping to get him with one more trick. He just needed a little more time.
Ink Spade swung his arm at Robin, sending a bunch of debris at him. One piece of rubble struck him in the back, sending him off of his ride.
Robin grew back to his normal size to take on the hit. He tried to get up once more, but a large hand grabbed him from the back of his neck, pulling him up like a puppet on a string. Ink Spade swung him into the wall, tossing him so hard that he bounced against the surface. The air was knocked out of him as his feet touched the floor. He looked up only for Ink Spade's metal hand to grab him by the throat, pinning him against the wall.
"Enough games, lad!" Ink Spade snarled, gnashing his teeth as his face glistened from the water on his face. "You're coming with me, dead or alive. I don't know what Alchemax wants with you, but I will make sure you arrive slightly bruised!"
"A-Alchemax?" Robin had many questions about it, but he had to keep focused on his task. "They sent you? What does Alchemax want with me?"
"I don't know. But from what I can guess, you stole their stuff and you are gonna give it back. Now, you best come quiet or I am gonna get even more rough on you." Ink Spade slammed Robin against the wall twice.
"You sure… you don't wanna… talk about it a little more?" Robin groaned. "It'll make things a lot smoother for you."
"What are you babbling on about la-?!" Ink Spade twitched.
He looked at his hands as they began to shake. Sparks started to come out from his empty eye socket as he felt shocks coursing through his spine.
"W-W-What th-e-the h-h-helllll-?" Ink Spade muttered as his brain was stuck on a bug.
"Talk about being saved by the bell." Robin pried Ink Spade's hand from his throat. "But it looks like my friends are having a field day with you."
Ink Spade didn't understand, he was just twitching and spasming where he stood.
"Right, you don't know. While I was stabbing your cyborg eye, I wasn't just trying to keep you from tracking me, I was making a hole for my troops to go in. But I had to give them a little incentive." Robin picked up the bottle. "This bottle wasn't here when I got here. I put it here so that you'd get an eyeful of it."
Ink Spade licked some of the water that was on his face. It tasted sweet.
"Y-Y-Y-YOU!" Ink Spade snarled.
"That's right, you got a whole ant hill inside you feasting on your sweetened cables and brain!" Robin pointed to Ink Spade's eye as lots of ants crawled out of it. "I gotta thank you, Ink Spade, you taught me a few good tricks for later. And now… Let me show you what this one little guy can do!" Robin pulled out livewire from the wall, sticking it into Ink Spade's empty eye, sending violent volts of electricity through his body.
Ink Spade convulsed violently, screaming bloody murder as his first swung wildly at anything that moved. The electricity fried everything and made him go on a rampage, beating and punching at everything that he could lay his hands on. He tore through the walls and the floor in his rampage, destroying everything on his path. If his thrashing had been the same as that of a bull in a china shop, then this one was comparable to that of a tornado being unleashed in a tiny room. And the room couldn't take much more of the thrashing and destruction that was being unleashed upon it.
The ground started to give way as the room couldn't stand the amount of destruction that was being unleashed upon the area. Robin ran out the door, pulling out his blaster. He fired a hole into the door before shrinking down. Commanding his ants to follow him out, he left Ink Spade to his fate as he decimated everything that even so much as got close to him.
The roof and all the cables that were tucked away fell down as the ground below gave out. Ink Spade fell to the deeper levels of the theater as the structure began to fall apart on top of the room and the containment units below. The cables fell upon the liquor, igniting it like Chinese New Year. The flames spread quickly, destroying everything that was stored there and the equipment that Arasaka had stored there just that night. It was a glorious burn out for all to see.
Robin watched from far away with his ants as the building burnt down. The Arasaka safehouse had been taken out for good and now it was all burnt ash, rubber and cybernetics. And he had lost Ink Spade before he could get answers out of him on why he was being hunted. But those questions would have to wait. For now, he was alive and free. He rubbed the heads of the ants that were next to him, showing his appreciation for them and all their good work.
"Good boys," Robin said. "You did great. You're all getting some extra rations for this. Now, let's go home and have a nice long sleep." He climbed up on top of one of his ants as they all took off into the sky.
Whatever victory he'd won, he felt he deserved getting some much needed rest after all. And maybe call up Becca for a date later on.
Back at the Alchemax headquarters, the CEO was looking at the report on his desk.
"It would seem Ink Spade has failed, sir." Mr. U looked out the window into the windy city. "The Ant-Runner is a lot craftier than what he expected."
"But just as I expected him to be." The CEO smirked, pouring himself a drink.
"Pardon, sir?"
"This proves that with the right power anyone can become a force to be reckoned with. And if this can be achieved with only a few pieces of metal and a scrappy attitude, then imagine what would be possible with real resources." The CEO took a sip from his drink.
"Are you speaking of Project A, sir?" Mr. U looked at his employer with curiosity. "I thought we were still looking for potential candidates."
"Oh, I have a few in mind, my friend. But an experiment is only good when you see it in the wild, when the story all comes together." The CEO joined Mr. U on the window. "And the Ant-Runner is proving it just right."
"In that case, let us change the world. To your health."
"And to yours my friend. Cheers then."
"Cheers sir."