Boss King and the Blade

Central Markets, The Hole, Spitfield City

Boss King

The whole rhythm of his life had been thrown out of whack in just two days, Boss King reflected as he leaned against the massive bulk of Foreign Jay’s mobile workshop. Not only had this strange girl named Melody disrupted his business at the Central Markets, she had embroiled him in a battle against unknown enemies.

“Thanks for guarding us all the way back here, Jay” he called out to the cyborg. Foreign Jay had returned just after they boarded a taxi-cab, insisting on escorting the trio of youngsters to the relative safety of the markets. Jay had parked his rig at the far end of the parking lot and Boss King had never seen the giant workshop sitting at rest for so long. The combined vehicles took up over a dozen parking bays, steam and pale blue smoke venting occasionally from the exhausts while it idled. It was like seeing a metal dragon sleeping, yet knowing at any moment it could burst into life and attack them all.

“Well, I kind of felt I owed ye a small favour, laddie” Foreign Jay responded in his mixed accents. “Once I realised the robot head was tracking your location, I suspected someone was going to try and waylay your little band”

“I appreciate your concern” Boss King said. The cyborg was casually strolling along the length of his workshop as they talked, checking seals and hydraulic connections with an experienced eye. It was after dusk now, the lights of the Market throwing shadows across the metallic man as he completed his checks.

Foreign Jay stopped in front of Boss King, his three eyes looking down at the boy with an almost quizzical expression.

“Why are you risking everything to help her?” Jay asked him, his voice almost feminine in its softness. “She has no connection to you at all, or am I wrong?”

“She’s family of sorts, not immediate family but like a distant cousin” the boy replied evasively. “Anyway, something occurred to me after you talked about her blood”

“Really?” pondered Jay aloud. “What was that?”

Both of them glanced involuntarily at the main entrance to the Markets. Mighty Princess had taken Melody in there to get some food and drinks. They would be back at any moment and Boss King didn’t want either girl to hear what he said next.

“Her blood is different, isn’t it?” he insisted. “You think she has something in her blood that makes her super-human”

“Perhaps, my little warrior” Jay evaded now as well. “I haven’t had time to run my tests”

“Could what Melody has in her blood be the same stuff that could cure my mom?” he asked hurriedly. “She comes from the same place my mom used to live at, so maybe there is some special element or compound that mom needs”

Foreign Jay turned and laid his own broad metal shoulders against the workshop sides, gazing out over the parking lot with Boss King. His fake brows were furrowed as he thought intently about what the boy had suggested.

“You may be right, Boss King” Jay said at last in that weird almost feminine voice. “If your mom was being given regular doses of something in the past, her body may be failing now because it has faded from her blood. Whatever that stuff was, I might be able to identify it from Melody’s sample!” The cyborg paused as if having some internal discussion with itself then continued.

“Okay, I’ll see what I can discover” Jay agreed in a new voice. “But that kind of work doesn’t come cheap”

“I know” Boss King nodded slowly. “I’ll pay whatever you ask if you can save my mother”

Foreign Jay stood up once more, stepping away from the workshop to extend his long fingered right hand. Boss King took it in his own right hand and they shook firmly, eliciting a small groan of pain from him as his shoulder twinged.

“It’s a deal, kid” the cyborg confirmed. “Now how about I give you a shot of something to reduce the bruising from that Suppression round?”

“Thanks Jay” he said. “On the house?” he added optimistically.

“Hell no, Boss King” Foreign Jay replied. “I’ll just add it to your bill”

=====

Melody-Six

Melody was being told off by Mighty Princess for what felt like the tenth time as they threaded their way through the crowd of shoppers. It was warm and humid in the busy marketplace, surrounded by the food stalls and drink vendors.

“I thought Boss King would appreciate some fresh donuts” Melody replied to her angry companion. “I didn’t know it would take so long to get them made!” She clutched the paper bag of hot treats in her left hand, her right holding a tray of coffees from a tall Jamaican that Princess called ‘Coffee Beanpole’.

“Yeah, well we better hurry back before he gets worried” Mighty Princess snapped. “If I leave him alone for too long he always ends up in trouble!”

She reached the main entrance and began to step lightly down the stairs when an arm lunged out from the side, stopping Mighty Princess in her tracks. Melody jarred to a stop at the head of the stairs, confused about what was happening.

“Hey, little girl, where is your partner?” demanded a surly looking man. The guy appeared to be about twenty years old, dressed in a shiny black jacket and blue jeans combination that looked expensive. Two more men, similarly dressed, moved to surround Princess as they pushed the shoppers aside. One laid his hand on the sheathed machete, preventing her from drawing it.

“He’s home tonight” Princess drawled casually, seemingly unfazed by the three men around her. “It’s my night to run the parking lot. Did you need to pay me for your car?”

Melody stepped sideways, laying the coffee and donuts on the floor next to a concrete pillar. The men looked like young braggarts, not Freelancers or those suited men she had run from before. She was still deciding on what action to take when a fourth man stepped into sight, a worried looking young woman at his side.

This man had his right arm bound with bandages, the hand missing from the wrist downwards. His left hand held a naked Katana, the curved fighting sword of the Samurai.

“Actually, I need to pay your partner back for the other night” the one handed man said with an evil smile. “I brought a few friends along to make sure the debt is paid in full”

Before Melody could react, the men dragged Princess down the remaining steps and into the night. The girl let out one piercing whistle before the guy holding her slapped a hand over her mouth. The one handed man glared up at the surprised shoppers and a few stall holders that had come to see what the fuss was about.

“Tell that kid, Boss King, I have his partner!” the man snarled. “If he wants her back, he needs to come and find me!” With that he slashed his sword through the air dramatically then stalked away, following his companions. The woman who was with him glanced nervously at the crowd of onlookers, then ran after his retreating shape.

“Bloody Havenites!” spat one old lady, a woman Melody recognised as running a noodle stall. “Always coming here and causing trouble!” She fit two fingers into her mouth and let out a series of sharp whistles, soon repeated and carrying throughout the noisy markets.

For a few brief moments, Melody was torn on what to do. She had no doubt that the Security for the Markets was being summoned by the whistles, yet the men could be far away with Mighty Princess by the time they arrived. Boss King would want Melody to find him first, but Princess was in danger now.

“No choice really” Melody muttered to herself and leapt down the stairs, dashing into the badly lit parking lot. She wasn’t heading to Boss King, despite how angry he was going to be. Melody had to rescue his partner before these thugs carried her off someplace.

She just wished she had something to fight with!

=====

Mighty Princess

Not for the first time, Mighty Princess wondered how much trouble her partner could get her into in just one day. She was being dragged by two of the Havenite goons, one gripping each arm, while the third was waving her machete around like a complete novice.

She recognised the one handed guy as Leon, the spoiled a-hole from Haven who had lost the fight with Boss King only last night. Rather than get proper medical aid she guessed he had rounded up some buddies to get revenge instead.

Leon was in front of the group, that young woman click-clacking at his side in fancy black high-heels and a red faux leather mini-dress. From what Princess could tell, she was trying to persuade her boyfriend to let the girl go. She was reminding him they had no support out here in the Hole, not like back in Haven.

“That’s why we’re taking the kid to Haven” snarled Leon. “That Boss King will have to come to our turf to get her back. Once I’m on my father’s estate, I’ll have all the support I need!”

They had reached the southern edge of the parking lot, at the curb of one of the four roads that bounded the Central Markets. It was dark out here, with only the lights from the premium parking area casting long shadows across the road. A few electric cars whined past, their lights briefly illuminating two big SUVs parked on the roadside.

“Fitzy, get the cars open” Leon snapped to the guy still waving the stolen machete around. “And stop swinging that bloody sword! You’re giving me flashbacks!”

“Err, sorry Leon” said Fitzy in an embarrassed tone. “I’ll do it now”. The guy in question stepped up to the first of the SUVs and fished a Smart Key from his pocket. With a flash of the park lights, the doors unlocked and the interior globe flickered on.

“Let the girl go and nobody gets hurt!” demanded a girl’s voice. Everyone’s eyes darted around, trying to see where the words had come from. Princess knew right away whose voice it was and pointed her chin at the roof of the SUV.

“Do as she says, boys” smirked Mighty Princess. “That’s the Thief Girl up there, and if you get her angry she’ll steal your lives away!”

All of Leon’s gang looked up in astonishment at the girl standing defiantly on the SUV roof, arms on her hips and glaring boldly at them. It would have been more impressive if she wasn’t wearing the bright pink Spewnicorn jacket thought Princess, but she’d take whatever rescue was being offered.

“Get her off there!” Leon demanded harshly. “We need to get moving before the damned Security team finds us!”

Fitzy went to the front of the SUV, climbing onto the hood while holding Princess’s machete. Another one let go of Princess, dashing to the rear of the car with the aim of tackling Melody from two sides. He drew a short knife as he ran, the blade glinting evilly in the light from the interior.

“You really should have let me go” Mighty Princess whispered to her remaining captor.

“Yeah?” he snorted and gripped her arm even tighter. “What is a little girl like you going to do against a big man like me?”

Princess stamped her foot down onto his instep suddenly, then followed that with a driving knee to his groin. The guy screamed in multiple agonies and let her go, staggering backwards as he tried to hop on one leg and protect his private parts.

“I have three older brothers” she explained to her whimpering ex-captor. “I’ve been fighting dirty against guys like you my entire life!”

She turned to see what Melody was doing, just in time to see the first guy, the one called Fitzy, square up to her with the stolen machete.

“Banzai Butterfly!” Melody screamed and leapt at the poor fool like a whirlwind of flying fists and feet. He tried to block her attacks with his weapon but Princess could see he was totally outclassed.

“Should have let me go” she reminded them and ran forwards, yelling her own battle-cry.

“No change! No refunds!” she bellowed and crashed into a very surprised Leon. He was knocked forwards, yet unluckily for Princess he managed to stay on his feet, turning towards her with a vicious grin on his face.

The hilt of his Katana slammed down onto her skull, stunning Mighty Princess and sending her to the ground instead.

“Crap!” she muttered as she lay there, the world spinning around her. “Looks like I need Thief Girl after all”

=====

Melody-Six

“Banzai Butterfly!” Melody screamed and jumped at the guy clambering onto the front hood of the SUV. Her training flowed naturally into her body, guiding her feet and hands with expert precision as she punched and kicked the hapless fool.

He staggered backwards, his feet sliding on the slick surface of the hood, the machete waving ineffectually in front of him as if it was some kind of magic wand. Melody spun and kicked the blade out of his hands, sending it spinning towards the small group on the ground.

She followed up with a straight armed punch to his jaw, putting all of her body weight behind the blow.

There was a crack of jawbone and with a muffled cry the guy fell off the SUV, slamming down hard onto the road. One down, three to go she reckoned to herself.

“Take this, you brat!” yelled the second guy, dancing over the SUV rooftop with remarkable agility. He held a folding knife in this right hand, blade forwards as he lunged at her. Melody twisted as he thrust, only managing to knock his knife hand aside at the last instant.

With the momentum of his charge he body-slammed her, sending both of them tumbling off the hood and crashing onto the first poor guy.

“Aaargh!” screamed the guy caught underneath, his injuries now added to by a knife blade jammed into his collar bone.

“Sorry Fitzy!” apologised the knife wielder, then ripped it out of the flesh with another scream of pain from his companion. He poked it towards Melody, who scrambled clear on all fours to avoid the dangerous thrust.

“Wrong move, little girl!” Leon shouted with glee and Melody realised she had ended up at his feet. Mighty Princess was close by too, seemingly stunned and struggling to stand up. The young man grinned as he lifted his Katana high, ready to bring it down in a deadly blow.

Time seemed to stand still for Melody as she gazed at her imminent death. She was too stunned from her fall to get clear, her body too weakened from a hectic day of running and fighting.

“I sorry, Nursemother” she whispered to herself. “I was never good enough to be a Blade after all”

“You were always my favourite, Melody-Six” a voice sighed in her memories.

Melody looked again at the triumphant face of Leon, looming over her like he was better than her. Like she was nothing, a small inconvenience that he would dispose of without remorse. She saw Mighty Princess, blood trickling from a wound on her forehead, desperately trying to stand and help her. Anger surged through Melody, filling her body with a strange kind of strength like her blood was on fire.

A fire born of shadows and despair, the flame kindled by terrible loss and grief for things gone forever. Melody felt herself flooded with a sensation she had never expected to feel. Exquisite pain, flowing from her heart and mind and filling her right arm, held upraised against the descending Katana of her enemy.

At her fingertip, a single drop of black oil appeared, drawn from her blood. Then in an instant a long thin edged blade of darkness manifested, fully extended a meter long and razor sharp.

Her first parry severed the Katana in half, the top of the blade clattering uselessly to the dusty ground. She rose up as she swung again, Leon backpedalling and wailing in terror as she pursued him.

The Shadow Blade arced sideways and Leon’s remaining hand fell wetly to the same dusty ground as his sword.

Leon’s girlfriend screamed too, snatching a pistol from her purse and aiming it at Melody. Melody laughed at the terrified girl, raising her Shadow Blade into a guard in front of her.

“If you leave now, you might be able to reattach his hand” Melody said calmly, her voice deeper and stronger than before. “Choose quickly, because I am really wanting to see if I can take you all down!”

The two women regarded each other for a few tense seconds, then the older one lowered her gun.

“I’m sorry” the girlfriend said at last. “I promise you’ll never see us again”

With that she issued terse commands to the other men. They seemed about to refuse when they saw Melody’s eyes and quailed visibly. There were no more arguments after that, with the unwounded ones helping the injured ones into the two vehicles.

“Leave the machete” Melody demanded and it was fearfully laid on the ground before they hurried away.

Mighty Princess retrieved her blade and the pair of them stood side by side as the Havenites drove rapidly away into the night. As soon as they were gone, Melody sagged in exhaustion against the younger girl, her Shadow Blade slowly drawing itself back into her flesh.

“Sorry I wasn’t quicker to help you, Mighty Princess” she breathed out.

“That’s Okay, Melody” she replied to her. “By the way, did you know your eyes are completely black? It’s super cool looking”

“Are they?” mumbled Melody, who would have collapsed completely if Princess hadn’t supported her by the arms.

“Well, they were” Princess amended. “Just regular old Thief Girl eyes now”

“Neat” Melody said and then the darkness overtook her.