Part Two- The Cage
“HEY! WAKE THE FUCK UP!”
Both Masters and the Rookie sat upright, clawing at their coms.
“Sweet fuck!”
“What the hell?!?”
“Ah, there you two are. Put your party dresses on ladies, it’s time to get in some trouble! Get your asses down here and let’s go!”
“Let me piss first,” Masters yawned.
The Rookie rubbed his ear. “Fuck, I think I’m deaf.”
“Bullshit. Get you ass down here. Debauchery doesn’t just happen, you know.”
“He really gets into this shit, huh?” the Rookie asked.
“You ain’t seen nothing like a night out with Jay.”
“Damn fucking right! Now MOVE!”
***
“Where we headed?” the Rookie asked, watching the building lights wiz by as Jay swerved in and out of traffic. “And why are we in such a fucking hurry?”
“Oh, you’ll see,” Jay smirked. “And we are hurrying so we don’t miss the first bout.”
“First bout?” Masters asked. “No way! How’d you get us on the list?”
“I called in a favor. Broke my heart to do it, but figured we should show the Rookie how to live a little.”
“Fucking sweet!”
“Bout?” the Rookie asked, his blood running cold. “Jay, where exactly are we going?”
Jay’s smirk widened.
***
“This is going to be fucking great! I wish Harlow could see this. Man is she going to be pissed she missed it,” Masters said, literally bouncing in his seat as Jay punched in a code to the parking garage they pulled up to. The gate lifted and they drove through, circling down several levels until they were stopped by two very large, well armed guards.
“Pass code?” one guard asked.
“Legit’s bitch,” Jay said casually.
“Alright. Hop on out guys. Jimmy here will show you the way,” the guard said, handing Jay a valet ticket.
“Fucking great!” Masters repeated.
***
Bass boomed, shaking the narrow stairs that Jimmy led the pilots down. He pounded twice on a massive iron door at the bottom. Within seconds it opened, revealing a cavernous space crowded with people, yelling, laughing and drinking.
At the center of the space was an enormous steel cage surrounding a blood stained mat.
“Follow me, gentlemen,” Jimmy said, parting the crowd with his bulk.
Masters and Jay followed eagerly, but the Rookie froze. Masters turned to say something and frowned, seeing the Rookie’s face.
“What’s up, kid?”
“I shouldn’t be here.”
Masters grabbed the Rookie and yanked him along.
***
“Holy shit! Jay Rind! Long time, my friend!” Legit exclaimed, clasping Jay’s hand and patting him on the shoulder as Jimmy excused himself, having led the three pilots to a private box set up in front of the fight cage. “How long has it been?”
“Not long enough, you ugly bastard!” Jay shouted, trying to be heard above the crowd yelling and calling for the first fight to start.
“Scoot the fuck over!” Legit ordered three spectators seated in the box. They unquestioningly got up and moved. Legit motioned for the three to sit then stopped short, eyeing the Rookie.
***
“Mitch Masters. Damn glad to meet ya,” Mitch said extending his hand. Legit took his eyes away from the Rookie and shook Masters’ hand.
“Masters you say?” Legit smiled. “You’ve made quite a name for yourself. I saw the vid from the Smyrna battle. Impressive.”
Legit didn’t wait for Masters to respond, stepping around him to the Rookie.
“You’ve got balls coming back,” Legit said with honest surprise and a dangerous smile.
“No, Legit, that’s our new Rookie,” Jay said.
Legit turned to Jay. “You really don’t know who this is, do you?” Legit laughed heartily. “This is fucking priceless!”
***
“You want the bullet between your eyes now or after you watch a fight or two?” Legit asked the Rookie, eyes cold.
The Rookie responded by cracking his neck and stepping forward.
One of Legit’s bodyguards grabbed the Rookie’s shoulder. With blinding speed the Rookie reached up and snapped two of his fingers back, forcing the muscled man to the floor.
“You want him to keep these?” the Rookie asked, never taking his eyes from Legit’s.
Jay stepped between the two men. “I don’t know what is fucking going on, but can we dial down the murder and mayhem talk?”
***
Legit and the Rookie locked eyes for a few moments then Legit smiled and raised his hands. “You know what? I’m a reasonable man. How about you let my man go and we have a seat and talk some business?”
The Rookie let go of the bodyguard’s fingers, but didn’t sit.
Jay looked from the Rookie to Legit. “Anyone gonna tell us what’s going on?”
Legit sat down and lit a cigar, puffing until the end cherried red. “You really don’t know?”
“Not a clue.”
“Come on Jay, you’ve never heard of the Razor?”
The Rookie sighed and sat down.
***
“The Razor?” Jay sat down abruptly. “You’re the fucking Razor?”
The Rookie wouldn’t meet Jay’s gaze. “Yeah.”
“Who’s the Razor? I mean, I know now, but who was he, you, who-the-fuck-ever?” Masters asked, looking from Jay to the Rookie to Legit and back again.
“Best fighter to ever enter that ring,” Legit answered, nodding towards the steel cage. “284 fights. Undefeated.”
Masters’ jaw dropped. “Holy shit. So why the name ‘The Razor’?”
“Because when I was done killing my opponents, I’d slice their face off with a straight razor and wear it for the next fight,” the Rookie answered flatly.
***
A half-naked waitress set a tray of drinks down next to Legit. “Thanks darlin’.” He tweaked a nipple, pulling her down to him and kissed her deeply. “Be available later.” Legit handed each of the pilots a drink. “Not as good as Jay’s shit, if I remember right, but it’ll do the trick.”
The pilots each took their drinks.
“So, before the fights start, let’s get business out of the way,” Legit puffed his cigar, slowly exhaling. “My proposal is: I’ll let Razor live –no, wait, I won’t have him killed- if he agrees to one more fight. Sound good?”
***
The Rookie stood. “I don’t fight anymore.”
Legit laughed. “Don’t fight? You’re a fucking mech pilot! What the fuck do you call that? Dancing?”
“That’s different.”
“BULLSHIT!” Legit roared. Several conversations stopped, but everyone had the good sense not to look their way.
“You think I can’t make it out of here?” the Rookie grinned confidently.
“You? Sure,” Legit said taking out a pistol and placing it against Masters’ temple. “But Hot Shot will be dead before you get two steps.”
“Sit down,” Jay said calmly. The Rookie glared down at Jay. “Sit. Now.”
The Rookie reluctantly took his seat.
***
“What are you thinking?” Jay asked Legit.
Legit tucked the pistol away and reached over and patted Jay on the knee. “I could always trust Jay Rind to see reason.” Legit leaned back and took another drink. “The last fight tonight is between Kilroy and Crusher John. Now Crusher John is all mine, but Kilroy refuses to play along. He’s also the reigning champ at 135 undefeated bouts. I need Kilroy to go down or I stand to loose a lot of money.”
Legit fixated on the Rookie. “Not quite the 17.4 mill you cost me, but it’s a lot.”
***
“He fights, Kilroy goes down, you make yours and we get to go free? That the deal?” Jay asked Legit.
“Yep.”
“What’s this got to do with me?” Jay asked.
“You brought the Razor here. Nothing personal Jay, just business.”
Jay smirked. “So even though this ain’t my business, you’re making it mine? That it?”
“If you want to see it that way, I guess so.”
“Good. Then if it’s business, let’s talk some real business.”
Legit laughed heartily. “You’ll never hear me say Jay Rind ain’t got balls!”
“I also have remote control of two mechs.”
Legit stopped laughing.
***
Legit turned and stabbed his cigar at Jay. “You may be crazy, but you ain’t that crazy.”
“I just uploaded your DNA to my mech. My life signs go and it comes looking for you. It’s done, Legit. No going back now. You want to hear my deal or not?”
“Keep talking, crazy man.”
Jay tapped at his tablet. “I just sent you a list of parts I need. They’re a little outside my usual budget. Get those and the kid fights.”
“Tomorrow, okay?”
“Nope.”
“Fine… You’ll have them by the end of the night.”
“Great. Deal done?”
“Deal done.”
***
Jay leaned in close to the Rookie. “Know anything about Kilroy?”
“Nope.”
“Think you can take him anyway?”
“Yep.”
Jay studied the Rookie closely then laughed and took a drink. “I can’t figure you out, kid. I hope we live through this so I can.”
Masters stood up. “If everyone’s done using me as the pawn of death I really need to piss.”
Legit nodded to a bodyguard. “He’ll take you. Don’t try anything.”
“Is he gonna hold my dick for me?”
“If that’s your kink, mech boy, then sure.”
“Good to know I have my options open.”
“Go piss…”
***
The first fight took Masters and Jay by surprise. The Rookie didn’t bat an eye.
“Kids? Are you fucking kidding me?” Masters asked, shocked as two boys, no more than twelve were tossed inside the cage.
“Gotta start somewhere,” Legit answered casually.
A buzzer sounded and the two boys stepped out ready to kill. No handshake, no greeting, just death.
It was over in a moment as one boy pinned the other and tore out his opponent’s throat with his teeth. Blood sprayed everywhere as the child stood over the corpse, animalistic screams of triumph coming from his bloody maw.
***
“You’ll like this next fight, Masters,” Legit taunted. “They’re not quite as skilled as your woman, but they’ll put on a show.”
Masters turned on Legit, but Jay held him back as two women, stripped to the waist, entered the cage. “Chill,” Jay cautioned.
“Don’t look so surprised,” Legit scoffed. “Officer Rodriguez and I are old friends. You’re his favorite subject.”
Although the bout lasted a little longer than the previous, it was no less gruesome as one fighter dug her sharpened nails into the other’s chest and ripped a breast clean off.
The crowd exploded with cheers and bloodlust.
***
The third fight was a much stronger contest.
The pilots watched as two evenly matched men went after each other like caged animals, which they were.
One fighter, a squat, tightly muscled man, was a strong ground fighter, but his opponent, wiry and lean, was lightning fast and flexible and able to squirm out of the other’s grasp each time before getting a limb ripped off.
“Skinny goes down in four,” Legit winked at Jay and sure enough the lean fighter started to wobble only seconds into the fourth round.
The slight hesitation resulted in his quick and messy decapitation.
***
As the fourth fight was under way, Masters leaned over to the Rookie. “Drugs?”
The Rookie nodded.
“So how did you…?” Masters asked.
“I didn’t eat or drink the entire day of or during the fight. I wouldn’t let anyone get near me and I watched my gear like a starving zombie.”
Masters glanced down at the Rookie’s cocktail, which was half way finished. Almost imperceptibly, the Rookie nodded to the floor. Below his seat was a small puddle of liquid.
Masters looked at his own drink and blanched, flagging down a passing waitress. “Hey! You guys got any coffee?”
***
“So where are you getting the Reaper chips?” Jay asked Legit as the latest corpse was removed from the cage.
“Huh? I don’t know what you mean, Jay. UDC provides all city/state citizens with Reaper chips at birth,” Legit responded with veiled sarcasm.
“Bullshit. I’ve lived in the waste long enough to know you aren’t getting your fighters from inside the walls. Who are you buying them from? The Ranchers? Or do you just pick from the refugees trying to get in, hoping for a better life than the waste.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rind,” Legit smiled.
***
“If you’re sticking to the same format, I’m up after this one,” the Rookie said, getting to his feet, eyeing the cage as three ‘offenders’ were whipped mercilessly for the crowd’s entertainment.
“You got it, kid,” Legit smirked. “You’re up. I’ll be announcing this one. What do you want me to call you.”
“The Rookie.”
“Excellent! That’ll make the odds skyrocket in my favor. No one will believe an unknown named The Rookie can take down Kilroy.”
“They can believe what they want. They’ll know the truth soon enough when his body is dragged from the cage.”
“Love that spirit!”
***
“Ladies and Gentlemen and those in between!” Legit boomed over the PA. “I’m sorry to say that tonight’s fight has changed.”
A groan erupted from the crowd. Legit made a theatrical quiet down motion. He paused before bringing the old fashioned mic back to his lips, savoring the moment.
“Now you all know me, would I disappoint?”
No's and never's rang out.
“Don’t worry, Kilroy will be fighting, but instead of Crusher John he’ll be taking on a newcomer.”
Legit caught the eye of the Rookie standing just outside the cage and grinned wickedly.
“Folks, I give you The Rookie!”
***
Kilroy stepped into the cage, his muscles twitching with nervous, murderous energy. “So you’re the piece of shit that’s supposed to end my reign?”
“Just settling an old debt. Nothing personal,” the Rookie shouted over the crowd noise. “I’ll try to make it quick.” Kilroy just laughed.
The bell sounded and Kilroy came out swinging, his massive arms cutting through the air like steel girders.
The Rookie danced out of reach, studying the big fighter’s movements, watching for his weaknesses, his habits.
“I know what you’re doing!” Kilroy yelled between swings. “But you ain’t gonna find what you’re looking for.”
***
“Jeezus, that guy is fucking huge,” Masters said. “What’s he on?”
“Everything money can buy,” Legit interjected. “300 pounds and almost zero body fat. He’s an unstoppable killing machine. Too bad unstoppable is bad for business.”
They watched the Rookie move around Kilroy, ducking and dodging.
“Ahh, the Razor has gone soft,” Legit mocked.
“Maybe he just isn’t the killer you knew,” Jay said. “People change.”
“Bullshit. That kid’s a homicidal madman. Why’d you think he became a mech pilot?”
Masters and Jay stayed silent, neither sure they wanted to explore the answer.
“Because he needed bigger prey, that’s why!”
***
The crowd grew impatient with the Rookie’s skillful dodging. Glasses and bottles started pelting the fight cage. Liquor splashed the Rookie in the face momentarily blinding him.
That moment was all Kilroy needed. He closed in quickly on the Rookie, landing two powerful gut punches and a right uppercut, simultaneously doubling the Rookie over and sending him flying backwards against the cage.
Stunned, the Rookie barely avoided a boot stomp to the face by rolling across the mat into a crouch. That was when he saw the weakness.
The Rookie stood up, dodged two more swings and cracked his neck.
***
Kilroy was a mat-bound ton of muscle. The Rookie smiled at this realization.
“Keep fucking smiling, dead boy!” Kilroy roared.
The Rookie stayed silent, but turned his body just right, backing himself into a corner, giving the illusion of carelessness. Kilroy took the bait, putting all his power behind a right arm punch.
The Rookie reached above, grabbing the steel cage, and pulled himself up, just clear of Kilroy’s punch. While the brawler was lucky enough not to connect with one of the steel bars, he was unlucky enough to have his arm become trapped between two bars, wedged tight.
***
The Rookie let go of the cage, letting all of his weight fall onto Kilroy’s trapped arm. The snap brought a massive groan from the crowd and then an equally massive cheer. Kilroy tried to slump to the ground, but his still trapped arm wouldn’t let him, forcing him to hang and pull on the limb in agony.
The Rookie casually stepped away from Kilroy and walked to the edge of the cage to stare at Legit. “We’re done!”
Legit grinned viciously and shook his head. Finish it, he mouthed.
“It is!”
Legit pulled his pistol and turned on Masters.
***
Four bodyguards pounced on Jay and Masters, holding both of them tight as Legit placed the barrel of the pistol against Masters’ forehead.
“It’s a shame really,” Legit said. “You seem like a good guy.”
Masters and Jay struggled as Legit pulled the hammer back. The Rookie raged at the cage’s door, trying to force it open, the crowd oblivious to the sideshow as they raged for Kilroy’s head.
Legit paused as the screams of bloodlust turned to screams of agony. He glanced over his shoulder as one by one, members of the crowd grabbed at their heads in pain.
***
Legit’s bodyguards released Jay and Masters, falling to their knees, palms pressed firmly against their skulls, their faces distorted by pain.
“What the fuck?” Legit said, turning and watching the entire roomful of people brought to the ground by some unseen torture.
The screams joined into one horrible crescendo and then…silence.
Before him, every single person laid unmoving, chests still, dead.
Legit was so distracted by the scene that the brutal rabbit punches to his kidneys took him completely by surprise, dropping him to his knees. Masters wrapped an arm around Legit’s throat, locking it tight.
“Any last words?”
***
“Wait!” the Rookie shouted.
Masters placed a knee in the center of Legit’s back and pressed, causing the man to wince and gasp as his spine was stretched. “Why?”
“Because he knows the codes to get out of here. The door is secured from the inside,” the Rookie answered, motioning to the entrance they had come through earlier in the night.
“He’s…right,” Legit choked.
Masters hesitated then slammed Legit upside the head and shoved him to the ground. Jay stepped in quickly and picked up Legit’s pistol.
“Good. Now how about someone open this fucking cage?” the Rookie yelled.
***
Jay shoved Legit against the cage door, pistol trained on his forehead. “Open it asshole.”
“You ain’t gonna shoot me, Jay,” Legit smirked. “You ain’t that kinda guy.”
“But, I am,” Masters called over, having retrieved Legit’s bodyguards’ sidearms. “In fact,” Masters continued hefting a rather large auto-pistol. “I’m the kinda guy that will ass rape you with this before I pull the trigger.”
Legit sized up Masters, laughed and faced the Rookie. “I knew you hadn’t gone soft. These assholes are just your kind of crazy.” Legit reached for the number pad and started to key in the code.
***
Legit had half the code typed in when movement out of the corner of his eye distracted him.
“Whatcha fuckin’ waiting on?” Jay growled.
Legit glanced away from the keypad to one of the dead spectators in the front row. “Did that guy move?”
“What? You saw what happened! Everyone’s Reaper chip took a shit and fried their brains. Which begs the question: why aren’t you fried?”
“Had mine taken out. Ain’t lettin’ nobody have control over my life.”
“Yeah, yeah, finish typing,” Jay sneered. But before Legit could continue, every corpse in the room twitched simultaneously.
“See!” Legit shouted.
***
“Whoa! What the fuck is going on?” Masters yelled, watching the corpses convulse. “They shouldn’t be doing that!”
“No shit!” Jay yelled back. He turned on Legit. “Finish typing in the code! Now!”
“I’m trying! Back the fuck off, Rind!”
The Rookie eyed Kilroy’s corpse as it shook, still dangling by its trapped arm. Then as one, the corpses stilled.
“This is fucking weird,” Masters said.
“You think it’s because of the inoculation?” the Rookie mused, his eyes never leaving Kilroy’s now still form.
“Let me guess,” Jay said to Legit. “You didn’t get inoculated, but all your people did.”
***
The Rookie never let his eyes leave Kilroy’s corpse, instinct keeping him wary.
“I don’t give a fuck who got a shot in their ass! Get me out of here!” the Rookie insisted.
And then, Kilroy moved. His body no longer dangled, as the corpse stood and tried to turn towards the Rookie, but was prevented by its wedged arm. Kilroy growled low and began to pull against the arm. Flesh started to rip.
“Um, guys?!?” the Rookie gulped.
“Yeah, we know!” Masters responded.
The Rookie risked a glance away from Kilroy.
Every corpse in the room began to stand.
***
Double fisted and taking quick, targeted aim, Masters opened fire. The zombies’ heads exploded with each expertly placed shot.
Legit hit the last number and the cage lock disengaged. “Don’t say I didn’t do nothing for ya Razor! Now someone give me a fucking gun!”
Masters kicked a pistol over and Legit grabbed it up in time to dodge a lunging zombie, putting a bullet in its brain, the headless corpse falling against the cage door.
The Rookie dove for the door, but a loud click told him he was again trapped with the raging corpse of a trained killer.
***
The crunch of bone and snap, pop, tear of sinew and flesh forced the Rookie to switch his focus from the once again locked cage door, to the zombie that was Kilroy.
The hulking abomination, black blood spewing from the stump of its right arm, bared its teeth and roared. The Rookie cracked his neck, readying himself for the attack.
“Anytime you want to try opening the door again, feel free!” the Rookie yelled.
“You’re just going to have to suck it up, kid and deal with your one zombie! We’ve got a few more on our hands!” Jay yelled.
***
“I’m almost out!” Masters hollered.
“Behind the bar! Sixth bottle from the left! Pull it!” Legit yelled back.
Masters ducked two zombies, spun and buried his empty auto-pistols into their heads. He rolled to the bar, springing up and over in one fluid motion and grabbed the bottle as he tumbled to the floor.
Even over the cacophony of zombie howls and gunfire, Masters heard gears clanging. Within seconds the entire wall behind the bar opened onto an arsenal to rival the mech base itself.
“Oh, I wish Harlow could see this,” Masters muttered, grabbing a 12 gauge full-auto shotgun.
***
The Rookie ignored the deafening shotgun blasts and focused on the newly freed zombie Kilroy.
“Okay, big boy, let’s see what you-” but before he could finish Kilroy charged.
The Rookie rolled to the side, grabbing the cage for leverage and kicked out hard with his left leg, connecting with Kilroy’s right calf, knocking the enraged zombie to the mat. The Rookie pulled himself upright and continued to climb the cage wall, trying to get out of reach of the already recovered zombie as it rushed him again.
“FUCK ME!” he yelled, barley swinging his legs away from Kilroy’s grasp.
***
Jay caught the A1-59 auto pistol Masters tossed him just as his own clicked empty. Opening fire he dropped three more zombies as he tried to sidestep over to the bar.
Legit lifted a chair, smashing it down atop two zombies, crushing but not killing them. He grabbed another chair and swung it out in an arc, clearing away the zombies rushing him.
“A little help!” Legit screamed.
Jay hesitated briefly, but quickly opened fire, making a path for Legit to get to the bar.
“Clear! Move your ass!” Jay called out, slapping the fresh magazine home Masters handed him.
***
“FUCK OFF!” the Rookie screamed, kicking the Kilroy zombie squarely in the face. The reanimated brawler stumbled back and roared.
The Rookie reached up and grabbed the top of the cage, swinging himself to the other side, careful to keep his legs out of Kilroy’s grasp.
Kilroy leapt several times, its one arm reaching and swinging for the Rookie, becoming more and more enraged with each miss.
The Rookie knew he couldn’t hang from the cage indefinitely and couldn’t expect assistance anytime soon. He swore he’d never die in the fight cage and he planned on keeping it that way.
***
“We may need to burn this place!” Masters yelled as Legit joined him and Jay behind the bar. “Is there a back exit?”
“No!” Legit answered.
“WHAT?!?” Jay yelled dropping nine more zombies, but dozens remained. “How the fuck’d you expect to get out if you were raided?”
“I don’t get raided!” Legit answered.
“Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?”
“Doesn’t matter!” Masters hollered. “Keep firing!”
Legit pulled down a minigun and ammo. He clicked on the motor drive and began strafing the zombies with over a thousand rounds per minute. Those stupid enough to stay standing were vaporized. “How’s that?!?”
***
The Rookie dropped with his back against the cage wall. Kilroy charged. At the very last second, the Rookie dodged, rolled then leapt, kicking Kilroy’s head into the steel bars of the cage, wedging it tightly. The zombie roared and clawed at its neck, trying to free itself.
Not losing a moment, the Rookie leapt again, using the cage wall to launch himself back to the top. He took two swings then dropped his entire weight onto Kilroy’s shoulders. The zombie’s wedged head ripped from its body and stayed stuck between the bars. The body twitched, fell and was still.
***
The minigun jammed and Legit tossed it to the ground, replacing it with a dual-mag sub-machine gun. Masters and Jay continued to fire, desperately trying to whittle down the undead’s numbers.
“Hey! Over here you deader fucks!” the Rookie yelled, rattling the fight cage, trying to divert the zombies away from Masters and Jay. Legit could fuck off and die as far as he was concerned.
About 150 zombie patrons were left and more than half turned towards the cage. “Yeah! That’s right! Meat in a box! Come and get it!”
The zombies swarmed and the cage began to groan.
***
Legit ducked underneath the arsenal and pulled open a concealed drawer. He pulled out five small, flat boxes and set them upright on the bar.
“You are gonna want to get down Razor!” Legit yelled. Masters and Jay glanced at Legit, puzzled. “These go boom and shred. You’ll want to get down too.” Neither needed to be told twice and they ducked behind the bar.
Legit tapped five times on a small touch he grabbed with the boxes then winked at Jay and Masters.
“3…2…1!”
The Rookie flattened himself on the mat as the room exploded in fire.
***
“Holy fucking shit! I’ve wanted to shoot those fuckers off since I got them!” Legit whooped.
“Glad we could share the experience,” Jay said sarcastically. “How about we skip the encore and get the fuck out of here?”
Masters peered over the bar. “Clear.”
The three stood and surveyed the scene. Shredded, smoldering bodies were everywhere. Some still moved, but none seemed capable of any attack.
“I’ve got the stragglers,” Masters said as he vaulted the bar and immediately set to work putting down the zombies that hadn’t been destroyed by the blast.
“OPEN THE FUCKING CAGE!” the Rookie bellowed.
***
The cage door clicked open and the Rookie shoved against it, exited and immediately stepped up to Legit, grabbed him by the back of the head and brought Legit’s face to his rising knee, shattering his nose.
Legit stumbled back, tripped over the zombie corpses and fell hard. “What the FUCK?!?”
“You call me Razor again and I’ll feed you your balls,” the Rookie growled, walking to the only door in or out. “What’s the fucking code?”
Before Legit could answer, a loud pounding from the other side of the door echoed through the room.
“UDC Security! Open up immediately!”
***
“That sounds like your friend Rodriguez,” Legit said, winking at Masters.
“Stop winking at me asshole,” Masters replied, moving to the other side of the room as he loaded shells into a pump-action shotgun. The Rookie and Jay armed themselves also and joined Masters, putting distance between themselves and the door.
“Y’all need to relax,” Legit laughed and keyed in the code. The door clicked open. “Rodriguez, my man, glad to-!” was all Legit was able to say before the back of his head exploded and Rodriguez kicked the door all the way open, his matte black 9mm still smoking.
***
Six more UDC security officers, weapons drawn, followed Rodriguez into the room and surveyed the scene. The pilots didn’t move a muscle, their own weapons raised.
One of the security officers caught sight of the three and his head cocked to an unnatural angle. “Masters, Mitchell, Mech Pilot. Rind, Jay, Chief Mechanic. Both listed for termination. Third human does not exist. Termination order authorized.” The seven officers raised their weapons in unison.
“What the fuck…?” Masters muttered.
The Rookie didn’t wait to find out and started firing first, racing to the cover of the bar. Masters and Jay followed suit.