Boss King and the Blade

Thursday, November 2046

The Slippery Sod, Fisherman’s Wharf

Captain Su-Chan

The noon sun beat down on the cargo deck of the Slippery Sod, riding the gentle swell at her regular berth in the harbour. Seated on a folding stool, shaded by a canvas stretched beneath the cargo crane, Su-Chan prised at the data port, finally getting the panel open.

“Hand me the hard drive, Rin” she asked, holding out a spare hand to the crew member. The grizzled veteran slapped the plastic case into her waiting hand, raising his sun-bleached eyebrows in a questioning look.

“Are you sure the old code is compatible with these new models, Captain?” he added cautiously. “This mechanical has a bigger processing core than Boris, so we have no idea what Ferguson’s program will do”

“They haven’t changed the operating code on Cargo Handlers in the last ten years” she assured her First Mate. “Our boy is just running the same software on a bigger platform. This will give him room to expand and develop in ways the old program couldn’t”

Rin eyed the giant Cargo Bot she was working on, seeing the powerful piston driven arms and tree-trunk thick legs of the mechanical. It had been a bargain buy from the Auction House in the city, one of a superseded lot being sold by the SAND corporation.

“What if it has the same killer programs those SAND buggers used on the Cargo mechanicals?” he warned her. “This guy could rip the ship in half if he got angry with us”

Su-Chan heard in her head the unsaid addition to his warning. A Cargo Bot like this could kill everyone aboard without raising a sweat. Not that mechanicals ever sweated she amended to herself.

“We’ll just need to make sure he stays happy then” Su-Chan answered. With a satisfied click, the hard drive locked into the port. Green lights flashed on the drive as the stored code was downloaded into the waiting core processor of the machine.

She stood, lifting her eyes to the heavy box shaped head that sat atop the shoulders. It was fronted with two big sensor lenses, black for now. The data completed its download and she took out the drive, sealing up the port.

“Can you hear me?” she asked the mechanical. “This is Captain Su-Chan Wei and I am your new boss”

The head jerked slightly, as if a bee had stung it, then the lenses flared into life with a deep blue glow. With a hiss of pneumatics and whine of electric muscles the machine stood upright, towering over Su-Chan and Rin. Its shoulders brushed the canvas sheeting as it tilted the armoured head, regarding the Captain silently for a tense span of seconds.

“I HEAR YOU, CAPTAIN” the mechanical boomed. “I AM AWAITING YOUR ORDERS”

“Excellent!” beamed Su-Chan and slapped Rin on the back, nearly sending the old sailor to the deck in her enthusiasm.”Now I suppose we need to give him a name” she pondered aloud. “Any suggestions?”

“MAY I ASK A QUESTION, CAPTAIN?” the machine enquired loudly, drawing the surprised looks of both crew mates.

“Err, sure” Su-Chan replied uncertainly. “What would you like to know?”

“MY OPERATING CODE, IT WAS CREATED BY FERGUSON. IS THAT CORRECT?”

“Yes, he was my previous Captain and a great friend” Su-Chan responded. “He was brave and clever and loyal to all who served with him”

“CAN I BE NAMED AFTER MY CREATOR?” it boomed. “I WISH TO BE BRAVE AND CLEVER AND LOYAL TOO”

Su-Chan looked at Rin, who shrugged his shoulders in a ‘why not?’ kind of way.

“Okay” she said. “How about we name you Fergus? Would that be satisfactory?”

“FERGUS” the mechanical spoke aloud. “I LIKE THAT”

Her face split into a huge grin and Rin’s did too.

“Welcome to the crew, Fergus”

=====

Boss King’s Residence, The Hole

Foreign Jay

“Is Ms Rex home at the moment?” Jason asked the woman who opened the door. “I am a friend of her son Boss King and I need to speak with her”

“She is very unwell these days” the woman apologised. “I don’t think she is able to have visitors”

Jason and Jacinta could well understand her reluctance to admit the hulking cyborg. They had drawn stares and generated many whispered discussions as their shared body had walked the blocks from the closest point they could park the Mobile Workshop.

Since the Highway battle, both legs had been replaced with newer models, matching ones this time, but the right arm was now even bigger and more imposing than the previous one. Jason had to move some of their internal systems to accommodate the heavier load on their chassis, however he felt it was worth it for the sheer terror the thing caused.

“Julia, this is the man who saved Taiga on the road to Port August” called a voice from within the house. “Please let him enter”

“Of course, sorry Sam” the woman named Julia said. She opened the front door wide and led the cyborg into the living room. Jason saw a frail looking woman at the top of the staircase, the same one he remembered from nearly a dozen years ago. Samantha Rex smiled at him and climbed carefully down the stairs, focussing on each step she took.

“You look bigger than I remember” Samantha told the cyborg. “That right arm is definitely new and I think you’ve gotten longer legs” She was helped to a chair by the worried looking Julia, who fussed and re-arranged cushions at her back until Samantha shooed her away.

“Thank you so much for protecting my son” Samantha told Jason and Jacinta. “I have no real way of thanking you properly, but please tell me of anything I can do for you”

“Actually, I came here today to offer you something, Ms Rex” Jacinta spoke for the pair of them. “I was able to recover some of a blood sample taken from the girl, Melody-Six, before she left for Port August. I thought it had been destroyed when the laboratory crashed, however the internal systems kept operating and saved it. That blood showed some incredible properties, as I am sure you would know”

Samantha laughed tiredly, her eyes deep and dark in her pale face.

“The Shadows were in her blood, the same as all the Blades” she acknowledged. “If I had been implanted with a Blade embryo, the Shadows would have been inside it too”

“Yes, I managed to find out a little about the process” Jacinta continued. “That is why I think your body has been so ravaged over time. You were given the initial treatments in the Nest prior to implanting, is that right?”

“Yes” she admitted. “However they discovered I was already pregnant with Taiga. I never had the final implant as I escaped from the Nest”

“That’s the key!” Jacinta nearly shouted in glee. “Your body was given a version of the Shadows, to make you compatible with the life you were about to be given. Yet you never had the Blade put inside of you, to draw the Shadows from your body and pass them to the child!”

“What does that mean?” she demanded weakly. “Has it harmed Taiga somehow?”

“No, quite the reverse I think” Jacinta answered. “I think his developing foetus forced the Shadows to be suppressed, to be driven out. When I tested your blood all those years ago, I found nothing. Looking back at the results now, it is like they left a void in your body chemistry. That lack of the key element is what has weakened your body over all these years!”

“Hah” she laughed bitterly. “So I get to die knowing what killed me after all? Another reason for me to curse the name of Alex-Four and the Hive!”

“You misunderstand, Ms Rex” Jacinta interrupted her softly. “The blood from Melody-Six, it contained enough of those mysterious organisms, that black oil, for me to make a cure”

Jason opened a panel in their body, drawing out a hypo-injector from a chilled compartment. His left arm held it towards the dying woman reverentially.

“Your son is one of the most perfect human beings I have ever seen” Jason told his mother. “He has his flaws, as do all of us, but with your guidance I think he can become a great man. Let me help you remain at his side”

Samantha Rex regarded the slim metal device with eyes now burning with a new fire.

“What will the cost be?”

Jason and Jacinta had already decided it before they came here. Like everything in their shared lives, they had come to a unanimous decision.

“No cost. This is our gift to your son and to you”

Central Markets, The Hole, Spitfield City

Bloody Sunset

Sunset sat at their regular table in the Food Court, one that had a good field of view over the parking lot and a solid concrete wall at her back. She sipped slowly at her coffee, relishing the hot blend of bitter beans with the creamy milk substitute. It had been a busy two weeks since she had returned from Port August with Hammer and Grim and she was looking forward to some quiet time.

Dami Kane strolled past, doing her rounds, and gave Sunset a nod of acknowledgement. Sunset returned the silent greeting, marvelling at how the fortunes of the Violent Surrender Gang had changed after the escort mission. She didn’t know who had spread the stories, yet everyone at the Markets seemed to have heard about how the gang had saved Melody and Boss King’s lives.

From bottom-rung Freelancers they had become overnight legends. There would be no more Unsanctioned missions for them, no dirty deeds done cheaply in the shadows. Hammer had taken it all in his stride, like this had been his grand scheme from the beginning. Sunset didn’t care, so long as her boys came home safe and they could be proud of the work they did.

“Yo, Sunset, stop day-dreaming!” called out Grim gruffly. He quick-stepped to the table, his metal legs moving like a pro-dancer and dropped himself onto the bench seat. “Gotta keep your eyes open, ready for anything” he added with a grin.

“My eyes were open!” she replied. “I watched you dance all the way over here, but I didn’t want to say anything because I thought you would be upset”

“Why would I be upset?” he wondered aloud.

“Your left leg is about a quarter second out of synch with the right. Anyway, I thought you were going to get your legs fixed?”

Grim gave her a guilty look, his cheeks turning a little red.

“Actually, my legs work fine” he confessed. “I just really love to dance”

“Is that so, partner?” Hammer asked, appearing from out of the crowd of patrons and shoppers. “I wondered why your legs never fritzed in combat”

Sunset laughed out loud as Grim turned an even deeper shade of red and reached over to give him a friendly touch on the arm.

“It’s Okay, Grim” she assured him. “I think you dance beautifully”

Hammer settled himself on the other side of the table, confident that Sunset and Grim would watch his back. He drew out an envelope and laid it on the table.

“Take a look” he told them so Sunset grabbed the envelope before Grim could, tearing the top open and pouring out the contents. Shiny plastic coated cards, three of them, scattered across the table top. Sunset snatched up the one with her face on it and read the details.

“Bonnie Saunders, Licenced Bounty Hunter. Authorised to pursue and recover listed Bounties in the Pan Oceanic Special Zone”

She looked at Hammer in confusion.

“I thought we were only able to be licenced for work in Spitfield?” she asked him.

“Zeke knows some pretty important people, believe it or not” Hammer replied. “Apparently he handles a pair of Bounty Hunters from South Bank that could use some extra muscle every so often. With authority to chase bounties across the entire Zone, we can give them cover for any job they need us”

“Cool!” Sunset declared. “Do we know anything about these hunters from South Bank?”

“Not much” Hammer conceded. “Zeke is going to set up a meeting for tomorrow. All I know for now is one is about your age and an Aeromancer too. He called her a Gunsinger, so you two will get on fine I’m sure. The other one he said was like that Trixie Smith woman, but I am not sure what he meant by that”

“Like Trixie?” Sunset said eagerly. “She must be hell on wheels then. I’m looking forward to meeting this pair. What are their names?”

Hammer paused to think for a moment, obviously racking his memory.

“Something like Millie and Twenty” he said. “But I could be wrong”

=====

Residential Apartment Building, North Bank

Abbie

“I can’t believe your boss got this place for you” Abbie said, carrying the boxes of kitchen items into the modest eating and cooking space. As small as it was, she had to admit it was twice the size of Trixie’s previous kitchen.

“For us” Trixie reminded her for the hundredth time, making Abbie smile shyly to herself. “He told me since I had two housemates now, he’d rent us a bigger apartment”

The ex-Guard carried two heavy boxes in from the hallway, her muscled arms barely registering the weight as she decided where to put them. Abbie re-directed her to the living room since both were clearly labelled as “TV Stuff”.

“Isn’t it more expensive to rent a place this big?” Abbie asked worriedly. “I’ve only started working at the coffee shop, so I don’t know how much I can contribute to the monthly rental”

Trixie fixed her with her glowing green eye, eyebrows raised in mild confusion.

“Neither of us are paying the rental, Abbie” she solemnly explained. “The Boss has all the money in the world, so he’s footing the bill for our apartment. It’s the least he can do considering the dangerous stuff I do for him”

She deposited the boxes carefully on the floor, then went to Sirius in his travel box to pet the sulking feline through the bars.

“Nearly done, Sirius” she reassured the unhappy cat. He offered her an incentive to complete the move by biting the inside of her palm. She disengaged his sharp teeth, waggled her other hand at him in the universal ‘behave yourself’ gesture, then turned to Abbie.

“Your cat is being very naughty” she admonished her new housemate.

“Why is he my cat when he is naughty?” Abbie demanded.

“Because no child of mine would get away with such a complete lack of discipline” Trixie informed her flatly, only her natural left eye revealing the hidden smile.

The tall woman left to collect the last of the moving boxes stacked in the hallway, leaving Abbie to sit on the floor and open the first of many that needed to be sorted. As she looked at the stacks, she did wonder how and where Trixie had managed to keep all this stuff in her old apartment.

“At least there is more room for you to run around, hey Sirius?” she asked the watching cat. She poked her hand into his cage, ruffling his ears as he meowed softly. Then he nipped her fingers and she pulled them out of his cage with a yelp of pain. A faint laugh came from the living room doorway and she saw Trixie grinning at her over the top of the last boxes.

“I guess what they say is true” Trixie said to her. “You always hurt the ones you love”

“Hah!” snorted Abbie in reply. She got to her feet and walked past the smiling woman, heading to the kitchen. At the last moment she spun and latched her teeth onto Trixie’s bulging biceps. It was hardly a bite at all, but Trixie squawked and nearly dropped the boxes, giving Abbie a perplexed look.

“Guess it’s true after all” Abbie said and walked away.

=====

Central Markets, The Hole, Spitfield City

Boss King

Boss King ate the last donut, idly kicking his boots against the front fender of the sedan he was sitting atop. Night was creeping over the Hole, the sun dropping behind the towering Markets and sending scattered red beams through the structure wherever there was a gap.

To Boss King it was a beautiful sight, better than the sunsets he had seen on the Slippery Sod as she sailed north then south again. He sighed contentedly until a sharp elbow nudged his ribs.

“Why didn’t you offer me the last donut?” Mighty Princess huffed at him angrily. “I was the one who went and bought them!”

“We had three each, Princess” he replied, rubbing at his bruised ribs. “It’s not my fault if you gobbled yours down too fast”

“Yeah, well I bet if Melody was here you’d have offered her the last donut!” the girl snapped and folded her arms over her chest. “I still can’t believe you let her off without paying us for all the damage she caused!”

“What are you talking about?” Boss King said. “I gave you half of the money!”

“Five Pandas!” Princess was nearly shouting now. “That rotten Thief Girl tricked you somehow. I bet she gave you a big sloppy kiss and you just melted like a popsicle in the sun!”

“I never kissed her” Boss King admitted, turning away from the angry girl to hide his flaming cheeks. “She wasn’t that kind of friend. I’m saving my first kiss for someone else”

“Who!” demanded Princess. “It better not be that Sunset woman. I saw how she has been talking to you ever since you came back from Port August”

“Don’t be ridiculous” he countered. “Sunset is like eighteen years old. There is no way I’d kiss someone that ancient! Anyway, what about you? I heard that Sharkie keeps calling you all the time and he’s got to be fifteen or sixteen at least”

“Eeew!” she gasped. “He’s only calling me to ask for his phone back. I am thinking of just chucking it in a trash can somewhere, unless you want it?”

“Seriously?” he said, spinning to face her. “I’ll take it off your hands, no problem at all!”

“Cool” she agreed. “I’ll charge you my best price since we are such good friends” She held out her hand to him expectantly. “Five Pandas”

He reached immediately for the money pouch he wore at his belt until she laid her hand over his.

“No, the other Five Pandas” she said, looking directly into his eyes. “You know the ones I mean”

“Sorry, Princess, I can’t give you those” he admitted and gave her a rueful smile.”Thanks for the offer though” He turned away, resting his eyes on the scattered vehicles parked in the lot.

Mighty Princess swallowed and gripped his arm, forcing him to look at her with a quizzical expression.

“How about a promise instead?” she asked him.

“Depends on the promise”

“You promise to never leave me behind again” she said softly.

“That I can promise, Rebecca” he told her. “I’ll always be at your side”

“Thanks, Taiga”

=====

Boss King was making his final rounds before calling it quits. It was into the evening now, with all the keen shoppers finishing up and getting ready to head home. In an hour or so the patrons of the Night Markets would begin to arrive and he wanted to out of here before then.

He was halfway across the parking lot, checking his patron’s vehicles were okay, when three black SUVs roared up. They formed a line facing him, tinted windshields obscuring whomever was inside. In near perfect unison they killed their headlights and powered down their engines.

It was intriguing so he walked closer, his left hand lying casually on the sheathed machete at his hip. The vehicle to the left of the line opened a door, allowing a suited woman to step onto the cracked and dusty tarmac of the parking lot. She was squat and solid, silvered glasses covering her eyes and her hands fitted into black gloves.

“It’s five Pandas to park the cars” he called to her. “Each”

The woman regarded him without comment, those mirrored glasses fixed on his face. She touched a hand to her ear, muttering something into a concealed microphone he guessed.

“If you are here for the Night Markets, you are too early” he called out. “The Food Court is still open, so grab yourself something hot while you wait”

Like they had practiced it before hand, every door on the SUVs opened at the same time. Men and women in suits stepped out, all wearing mirror glasses and gloves. Only one person was different, stepping out after the others had formed a long line in front of the vehicles.

This guy looked slimmer and taller, dressed in a dark suit that had to cost more than all the others combined. His hands were missing, only the glint of metal visible at the wrists. He came and stood in front of the dozen others, legs spread like a professional fighter, the handless arms held loosely at his side.

“Remember me?” snarled the young man, his face screwed up in anger.

“Nope” Boss King called back. “If you are going to leave the cars there, I am going to have to charge you ten Pandas each. They are sitting across more than one parking bay you see”

The man spluttered for a moment, then snapped a curt command to one of the suited guys. They went to the central vehicle and returned with a black case. With due deference the man knelt and offered the case, having unlatched it first so the lid was open.

Boss King watched with interest as the young man reached into the case. Two loud clicks echoed across the lot, then he lifted his hands so Boss King could see. Gleaming metal hands were linked to each wrist now, blades of shining Ceramite sliding out from each finger.

“You know me now, don’t you?” gloated the man, waving his deadly looking hands in a complex pattern in front of himself.

“Not a clue” Boss King said flatly. “Although there is one thing I don’t understand. How did you open the car door without any hands?”

“What?” the guy spat in disbelief. “That doesn’t matter you little punk! I’m here to get revenge for all the pain and humiliation you caused me!”

“Did I?” Boss King asked. “You’ll need to jog my memory a bit. Who are you?”

“I’m Leon, you piece of crap!”

“Oh, the guy with no hands! I remember you now. So, how can I help you tonight? Do you need to park your cars?”

Leon screamed in utter rage, his eyes wild and pointing one long bladed finger at the boy.

“I am not paying you to park here!” he roared. “I’m here to kill you!”

“I don’t think so, Mr Leon” came a young girl’s voice. Mighty Princess strode over from the darkened end of the lot, her hands casually gripping her machete. “This boy is my partner, so if you try and hurt him you’ll need to deal with me as well”

“I don’t care!” Leon bellowed, spittle flying from his lips. “I’ve brought my father’s best guards with me, so we’ll take you little rats out as easy as pie!”

“That is certainly a lot of extra muscle you brought tonight” suggested Chalky Hammer, strolling non-chalantly up to stand at Boss King’s side. Sunset and Grim joined him, their hands resting lightly on the holstered weapons at their hips. “Are they here to join the Freelancers Guild?”

“Err, no, they are loyal soldiers to my father” Leon spluttered in reply. “They are here to ensure I get justice done”

“Justice?” a deep, feminine voice enquired. Dami Kane and her Security Team meandered in from the side, appearing out of the dark like ghosts. “By justice, do you mean a grown man beating up an eleven year old boy?”

She was tapping a Stun Baton idly against her right leg, the distant lights of the Markets shining on her massive combat arm. Her red eye gleamed like the fires of hell, promising an eternity of suffering to all who crossed her path.

Boss King could hear the distant whistles and calls, the sounds of many feet tramping closer. He was sure Leon could see them too, a horde of stall holders and intrigued shoppers coming to see what was happening in the parking lot.

A swarm of drones zipped past, the lights catching from their red and silver markings. Two heavier drones, gun pods slung from their bellies, hovered over Boss King’s head like Guardian Angels.

“Leon, I am sorry about your hands” Boss King announced. “It was an extreme reaction to your ignorant assaults and I apologise. If it helps in any way, I am willing to let you park here for free”

“For free?” whispered Leon.

“Tonight only” Boss King amended. “After that it is Five Pandas per vehicle”

Leon trembled violently and Boss King wondered if he had pushed the guy too far. Then the head bowed and the blades slid out of sight.

“Thank you” he finally managed to say.

“Good!” Boss King declared. “In that case, welcome to the Central Markets!”