Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2013 16:32:32 GMT -5
Drexx cautiously opened the door and walked in, stopping dead all the noise in the crowded bar. He made his way over to the counter amid sideways glances and hushed voices. They knew what he was. They knew why he was here. It would be like every other time Benjin sent his dog to retrieve something. The bartender looked up from polishing his glass and his eyes grew wide.
“Wha… What do you want?” He asked haistly putting down the cup and putting his hands flat on the table, as if he’d been ordered to keep his hands visible. Drexx arched an eyebrow but said nothing else besides that. Others around the bar steered clear.
“I’m sorry do I know you?” Drexx cleared his throat and the bartender nearly leapt out of his skin. The bartender regained his composure and Drexx relaxed the eyebrow. It was getting a workout today.
“What are you here for? What does Benjin need?” The bartenders hand crept under the table. What was he going for?
“Benjin? How do you know my father?” Drexx asked taking a step back. Had he been in this place before? Had his father sent him here for something? Benjin had just died, and Drexx was setting out on his own for the first time. His creator always told him that though they were shady, bars were great places to look for work.
“Uhh.. No. Nope. Never met.” The Bartender said hastily and turned away muttering to himself. He repacked up the glass and began cleaning it more intently than before; making sure it was spotless for some lucky customer. Drexx remarked the encounter as strange and turned away. A small face was peering up at him from the next seat.
“Heya.” The voice came out of a small human female sitting next to the android. She was very small, dressed in a pink dress with her hair done up in small bows. The dress was ripped and dirty. Her feet were black with soot and grime. She was a mess.
“You’re a mess.” Drexx remarked candidly. The little girl giggled loudly and stood on her stool. She patted Drexx on the shoulder.
“You and me both.” She sighed and sat down with a thud. She tapped the bar and the bartender put a shotglass in front of her. Drexx’s eyebrow’s nearly left his face. The bartender sighed and grabbed a bottle from under the counter.
“surely you’re not going to…” The bartender slightly turned the bottle and Drexx caught the word “Milk”. He sighed a breath of relief while the little girl giggled next to him.
“You’re a little uptight aren’t you?” She giggled and pushed against the android playfully. She seemed very surprise that he didn’t budge. “What do you weigh a million tons?”
“That is illogical. In order to weigh a million tons I would have to be made out of …” Drexx was prepared to go on but the little girl held up a hand and downed her shot of milk. She tapped the table and the bartender rolled his eyes.
“I get the illogicalness of that. It was a remark. Yous gotta lighten up.”
“Lightening up would require me to lose mass or weight, both of these thin—” The girl held up her hand for him to stop talking again.
“My names Tina, most folks call me Tiny Tina if they call me anything at all. What’s your name tall dark and brooding?”
“Drexx.” The android said and held out his hand to shake, she took it and had a surprisingly firm grip for such a small being.
She downed another shot of milk and spun off the stool, landing lightly on her feet. Without a word she motioned Drexx to follow her but didn’t stop to look if he was or not. The android looked to the bartender for advice.
“She’s an orphan girl that lives around here. Got nobody to look after her so I let her stay in the bar every now and then. She keeps to herself mostly. I’ve never even seen her talk to anybody before you. Just humor her and go along with it. But I swear to god android you do anything to hurt that little girl and I will put you down, I don’t care how tough you are.” With that the bartender turned away and finished wiping down the glass.
Drexx turned and walked after the small child, not really knowing what was going on. She led him back into a dark alley, a small cardboard box was propped up in the back corner of the alley, with a sign that said “Tiny Tina’s”. She turned and spun in the alley, landing softly on a pile of ratty and ripped blankets.
“Welcome to my humble abode. Be sure to wipe your feet, wouldn’t want to track any mud in here. Hah!” She giggled a little before motioning for Drexx to sit down next to her. He complied, sitting on the blankets cross-legged and was thankful to not have nostrils.
“Why do you live here?” The android asked candidly. He was still getting used to human interaction and didn’t know the proper way to ask something like that, if there even is one.
“Joe, the bartender, he’s a good guy. He makes sure I don’t starve and gives me lots of extra blankets in the winter. He said he would adopt me if he could but his wife’s kind of a bitch.” She giggled at the word. Drexx was still confused; he didn’t fully understand the concept of being homeless.
“But why not a house?” Tina shrugged at the question, as if she never really took time to think about houses and homes.
“I have other things to worry about; I don’t need a house to live in.” She smiled a sweet smile that broke Drexx’s heart. As if on cue she called out
“EVERYONE OUT!!!!” two faces popped out behind the sign, and a third body stood up behind the cardboard box. The two faces around the sign were identical twin boys, red curly hair bouncing as they made their way jostling towards Tina. They smiled at the android with identical gaps between their two front teeth. The third face was almost a complete circle, paired with a matching body. The boy looked like beach ball. He waddled over to Drexx and looked at him, he too adopting a sweet smile.
“You… you all live here?” Drexx asked puzzled. They all nodded in unison. “Why?”
The fat one spoke up. “We don’t have anywhere else…” he said in a falsetto that furthered Drexx’s belief that this was an anthropomorphic beach-ball. Tina nodded and sighed, the first time Drexx had seen a chink in the emotional armor she had up.
“Drexx… there’s a reason I asked you to come here. I know what you are.” Drexx’s brow furrowed as he tried to contemplate her meaning. She cleared her throat as if what she was saying was hard.
“Theres a reason we’re all orphans…” She said looking up at him with sad eyes. A chill crept down the back of Drexx. Was he the reason? Everyone in the bar seemed to regard him as a bad being. Was this the reason? Was he the cause of their suffering.
“A man named Sledge killed our parents. They all owed him money and couldn’t pay so he killed them.” She said it with such candor that Drexx assumed she talked about it all the time. The android couldn’t imagine someone so evil to take these beautiful kid’s parents.
“We need him dead.” The way she said it, Drexx knew it was something she absolutely needed. It was like water to her, like air and shelter. She needed it as much as she needed to keep existing. Perhaps more.
“I don’t do assassinations. I protect…” Drexx began, but Tina held up her hand.
“The world would be a much better and safer place without him in it. You want to protect? Kill him.” Drexx was taken aback, but at the same time, he knew he would do it. He nodded and relief came to Tina’s face. Drexx looked at the others as well, all nodding and smiling. Death? Death made them smile? The thought of someone else dying… It was more tragic than anything Drexx had experienced in his life thus far. He stood up and ruffled the hair of one of the red-heads.
“Where are you going?” The beach-ball-boy asked.
“He’s going to… bring the hammer down…” Tina put on her shades and turned to face the sun. One of the gingers kicked her in the shin. Drexx rose into the air amid the giggles and laughter of the children.
“How do you know where you’re going?” Tina asked the rising android.
“I have my ways.” He said mysteriously. She giggled and Drexx flew away.
After a few days of searching and much food and blankets sent to the orphans, the android finally got a lead on the mysterious’ Sledge’s whereabouts. His trail led him to a large factory just outside of Central City. The doors were busted open and the building seemed to be abandoned for a long time. Drexx walked into the factory and looked around. It was completely empty aside from a small office in the back. A small light was coming from a computer Drexx could see through the window.
Drexx slowly opened the door to the office and walked into the office. There was a message scrolling on the screen over and over. It read; “Haha Fucker.” Drexx then noticed the pressure plate on the floor.
“Really should have scanned for that.” The explosion threw Drexx through the wall and into the empty factory. The android groaned and rolled over, patting the flames off of his burnt clothing. The factory was surprisingly full now, ugly men filling the room.
“Greetings.” Drexx said making his way to his feet. He was surprised to see so many humans in the room, all of them armed with some sort of weapon. A small man stepped forward, barely five feet tall with a thin wiry frame and a shock of blonde hair on his head. He was dressed in a doctor’s coat and goggles around his neck.
“Greetings intruder. I assume that there is a very good reason for you being here. And for not dying when you get blown up and thrown through my wall. It looks like there’s barely a scratch on you!” He seemed more fascinated than upset as he circled the android inspecting him.
“You must be… Sledge?” The man giggled as Drexx asked him. He pranced and spun as he continued circling.
“You are correct! I am the great and all-powerful Sledge” He contorted his fingers as he raised his hands in the air at his own name. He seemed to have a large ego.
“May I enquire as to why you’re here, Oh one who doesn’t burn?” Drexx fell into a fighting stance, Sledge frowned and nodded.
“You know this doesn’t have to happen… I could use a man who doesn’t die when hit with explosions or fired.” Sledge began making his way up the stairs to the second floor. Drexx realized he was getting out of the way of the fight.
“That’s not why I’m here. I’m here to kill you. You are a threat to innocents everywhere and you need to be stopped.” Sledge laughed at the words and slipped through a door Drexx hadn’t seen before. Apparently he wasn’t going down without a fight. The large ugly men tightened the circle around the android, weapons in hand.
“I am not here to kill any of you. If you leave now and do no more harm I will not come after you.” It was Drexx’s final offer to those gathered. Sledge would die. The others didn’t need to. But large ugly men are often dim-witted and none took up the offer. The protector shrugged. Then they came at him. A baseball bat broke over the android’s head, but he didn’t budge. He slammed his fist into the attackers face and grabbed him around the collar. He threw the man into the others gathered, knocking them to the floor. He knelt to the ground and raised his hands. The first one that stood up took a ki blast to the chest and went down quickly. The others opted to stay down.
Drexx quickly scaled the stairs and entered the hidden room. Sledge slowly spun to face him.
“No mister bond. I expect you to die.” He said then broke into a fit of giggles. “Haven’t you just always wanted to say that?” He pressed a few buttons on his chair and it rose into the air. It contorted around his body to form a suit of armor of sorts.
“I suppose you’ve killed all my muscle bound buffons?” Drexx shook his head. Sledge giggled.
“Cursed with a conscience are we? Kill the big baddy but not all the ones who do his bidding. Oh aren’t you the hero?” Sledge giggled some more and then raised his hand at Drexx, a large glowing circle in the middle of it.
“I’ve never been very tough. I’ve never been physically capable of much. Look at me; scan me you’ll see my power level is barely over three. But one thing I’ve always had is my intellect. And with that intellect I’ve made a great deal of inventions.” an arc of lighting burst from his open palm to strike Drexx in the chest, sending him backwards through the wall and crashing towards the floor. The large ugly men had cleared the room, leaving Drexx alone in a crater made by his own body. Sledge slammed down into the android’s chest, the weight of the armor adding much more impact. He leapt off the android’s chest and kicked him in the ribs sending him spinning. Drexx caught himself in a three point stance. Sledge rose into the air and turned to face the Android.
“So why are you here mystery man? You are here to kill me, obviously. But why? We’ve never met before. What have I done to you?” Drexx rose to his feet and
“Does the name Tina ring a bell?” Drexx asked the man. Sledge’s face softened a little, something that took Drexx aback.
“Tina is my daughter.” The man suddenly looked old and ragged. Drexx didn’t know how to continue this fight, or even the conversation.
“The others?” Drexx asked, finding it hard to speak. His mouth felt dry.
“Brats. I’m surprised they haven’t died yet.” he spoke of the other orphans as if they were scum. Tina was the only one he apparently cared about, but even still she was an orphan and he did nothing.
“You’re an evil man.” Drexx spat at Sledge, who giggled. The armored human zoomed down and kicked Drexx across the chin, a blow that leveled him. Sledge zoomed around and kicked Drexx in the chest with both feet.
“I don’t believe in things like good and evil, right and wrong, who even cares about such little petty things?”
“Your daughter!? Don’t you care?!” The android spat angrily. Sledge eyed Drexx curiously for a moment before he broke into another giggle fit.
“Do I care? Does it look like I care? I never wanted the brat, why is it my responsibility to take care of her?” Drexx heard a muffled cry from the front door and turned to see Tina standing there.
“Drexx?” Sledge landed and turned to face her, a curious look on his face.
“Tina…” He lifted his hand and pointed it at the little girl. “Look how beautiful you’ve grown. You look just like your mother.” his voice softened and cracked a little bit. Then the arc of lighting left his hand. Everything appeared to happen in slow motion; Drexx leapt up and threw himself in the way of the blast. It was much more powerful than the other one had been. It ripped through the android’s chest, but faded before hitting the small girl.
“Oh how sad…” Sledge said and then giggled covering his mouth with both of his hands, one still smoking from the lighting blast. Tina’s eyes grew wide, her hand flew up to her mouth but she couldn’t stifle the scream. Or the tears. She rushed over to the android and kept saying his name over and over.
“nononononononono. Drexx. Drexx wake up! DREXX!!!! WAKE UP!!!!!” She pleaded desperately. She shook his lifeless body and cried into his collar. She looked up at her birth father with hate and tears in her eyes. “Why?! Why??!?!?!! Why…”
She launched herself at Sledge with surprising force. Her first punch took him by surprise, knocking him spinning to the floor.
“What is this?!” He sputtered with confusion and disbelief. He scanned her power-level and was surprised. “It’s Really really close to nine-thousand!!!! Like almost there! I mean it’s not quite there but… come on… Gods that still impressive.”
Tina charged at him again, smacking him across the face with enough force to break his jaw through the armor.
“You DIE NOW!!!!” She clenched both fists together and slammed them into his face, breaking his nose and spattering blood across his pristine armor.
“Tina… stop…” She heard a soft voice call out across from the room, barely strong enough to be above a whisper. She rushed over to Drexx’s body and held him up. He smiled at her.
“You’re… an… android…” Drexx remarked weakly. She nodded her head and cleared the tears from her eyes. Sledge spat blood and stood up, with a loud crack he set his jaw back into place. His eyes were full of fire.
“You. Little. Bitch.” he looked from Tina to Drexx. “Didn’t I just kill you??!” then he noticed the sparks of electricity popping from Drexx’s chest and the exposed wires.
“Another damn android! Why can’t I be rid of you all once and for good?!” He screamed and launched arc of lighting after arc of lighting at the two of them. Tina shielded the wounded protector with her body, the lightning bolts seeming to arc away from her. Drexx rose steadily to his feet, oil and blood pumping from the hole in his chest. It wasn’t fatal but it certainly was slowing him down.
“Tina. I need you to leave.” It was taking all of the android’s strength to remain standing. The smaller android shook her head and grabbed his hand.
“We do this together.” she stated firmly. He nodded. For the first time Sledge seemed worried.
“Honey… Tina… There’s no need to do this honey.” Drexx and Tina both raised their hands, Sledge’s eyes grew wide and he raised his hands, forming a bubble around himself.
“There’s nothing that can pop this bubble!? You might as well leave.” He said and stuck out his tongue. He was clearly insane. Death stared him in the face and he stuck out his tongue.
“Dad?” Tina asked looking up at Sledge. His expression softened.
“Yes sweetheart?”
“Say hi to mom.” She said, a single tear falling down her cheek. Sledge’s eyes grew sad and he looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time.
“Tina?” he asked confused. “What’s going on honey?” the bubble fell and he took a staggered step forward towards Tina. His face hardened again and he began to raise his hands at the pair. A blast of ki left both outturned hands, her pouring everything she had into it. Drexx did the same, evaporating Sledge and leaving nothing left. Darkness overcame the android and he fell.
When Drexx awoke he was in Tiny Tina’s alleyway. Tina was over him with her hands in his chest futzing around with wires. She smiled down at him.
“Heya sleepy head.” She giggled and ruffled his hair, then jumped off his chest, closing up the hole the lighting had made with a patch of organic metal. It blended seamlessly with his flesh.
“What happened?” Drexx looked around the alley and noticed with happiness the other orphans gathered around him.
“You saved us. You avenged our parents. Thank you.”
“But it was…” Tina held up her finger to her lips and winked at him.
“Thank you Drexx.” she hugged him tightly around the neck and planted a small kiss on his cheek. The other orphans mobbed him as well, hugging and piling on him. They giggled and played till the night ended.
Pl please. Light weights in effect.
“Wha… What do you want?” He asked haistly putting down the cup and putting his hands flat on the table, as if he’d been ordered to keep his hands visible. Drexx arched an eyebrow but said nothing else besides that. Others around the bar steered clear.
“I’m sorry do I know you?” Drexx cleared his throat and the bartender nearly leapt out of his skin. The bartender regained his composure and Drexx relaxed the eyebrow. It was getting a workout today.
“What are you here for? What does Benjin need?” The bartenders hand crept under the table. What was he going for?
“Benjin? How do you know my father?” Drexx asked taking a step back. Had he been in this place before? Had his father sent him here for something? Benjin had just died, and Drexx was setting out on his own for the first time. His creator always told him that though they were shady, bars were great places to look for work.
“Uhh.. No. Nope. Never met.” The Bartender said hastily and turned away muttering to himself. He repacked up the glass and began cleaning it more intently than before; making sure it was spotless for some lucky customer. Drexx remarked the encounter as strange and turned away. A small face was peering up at him from the next seat.
“Heya.” The voice came out of a small human female sitting next to the android. She was very small, dressed in a pink dress with her hair done up in small bows. The dress was ripped and dirty. Her feet were black with soot and grime. She was a mess.
“You’re a mess.” Drexx remarked candidly. The little girl giggled loudly and stood on her stool. She patted Drexx on the shoulder.
“You and me both.” She sighed and sat down with a thud. She tapped the bar and the bartender put a shotglass in front of her. Drexx’s eyebrow’s nearly left his face. The bartender sighed and grabbed a bottle from under the counter.
“surely you’re not going to…” The bartender slightly turned the bottle and Drexx caught the word “Milk”. He sighed a breath of relief while the little girl giggled next to him.
“You’re a little uptight aren’t you?” She giggled and pushed against the android playfully. She seemed very surprise that he didn’t budge. “What do you weigh a million tons?”
“That is illogical. In order to weigh a million tons I would have to be made out of …” Drexx was prepared to go on but the little girl held up a hand and downed her shot of milk. She tapped the table and the bartender rolled his eyes.
“I get the illogicalness of that. It was a remark. Yous gotta lighten up.”
“Lightening up would require me to lose mass or weight, both of these thin—” The girl held up her hand for him to stop talking again.
“My names Tina, most folks call me Tiny Tina if they call me anything at all. What’s your name tall dark and brooding?”
“Drexx.” The android said and held out his hand to shake, she took it and had a surprisingly firm grip for such a small being.
She downed another shot of milk and spun off the stool, landing lightly on her feet. Without a word she motioned Drexx to follow her but didn’t stop to look if he was or not. The android looked to the bartender for advice.
“She’s an orphan girl that lives around here. Got nobody to look after her so I let her stay in the bar every now and then. She keeps to herself mostly. I’ve never even seen her talk to anybody before you. Just humor her and go along with it. But I swear to god android you do anything to hurt that little girl and I will put you down, I don’t care how tough you are.” With that the bartender turned away and finished wiping down the glass.
Drexx turned and walked after the small child, not really knowing what was going on. She led him back into a dark alley, a small cardboard box was propped up in the back corner of the alley, with a sign that said “Tiny Tina’s”. She turned and spun in the alley, landing softly on a pile of ratty and ripped blankets.
“Welcome to my humble abode. Be sure to wipe your feet, wouldn’t want to track any mud in here. Hah!” She giggled a little before motioning for Drexx to sit down next to her. He complied, sitting on the blankets cross-legged and was thankful to not have nostrils.
“Why do you live here?” The android asked candidly. He was still getting used to human interaction and didn’t know the proper way to ask something like that, if there even is one.
“Joe, the bartender, he’s a good guy. He makes sure I don’t starve and gives me lots of extra blankets in the winter. He said he would adopt me if he could but his wife’s kind of a bitch.” She giggled at the word. Drexx was still confused; he didn’t fully understand the concept of being homeless.
“But why not a house?” Tina shrugged at the question, as if she never really took time to think about houses and homes.
“I have other things to worry about; I don’t need a house to live in.” She smiled a sweet smile that broke Drexx’s heart. As if on cue she called out
“EVERYONE OUT!!!!” two faces popped out behind the sign, and a third body stood up behind the cardboard box. The two faces around the sign were identical twin boys, red curly hair bouncing as they made their way jostling towards Tina. They smiled at the android with identical gaps between their two front teeth. The third face was almost a complete circle, paired with a matching body. The boy looked like beach ball. He waddled over to Drexx and looked at him, he too adopting a sweet smile.
“You… you all live here?” Drexx asked puzzled. They all nodded in unison. “Why?”
The fat one spoke up. “We don’t have anywhere else…” he said in a falsetto that furthered Drexx’s belief that this was an anthropomorphic beach-ball. Tina nodded and sighed, the first time Drexx had seen a chink in the emotional armor she had up.
“Drexx… there’s a reason I asked you to come here. I know what you are.” Drexx’s brow furrowed as he tried to contemplate her meaning. She cleared her throat as if what she was saying was hard.
“Theres a reason we’re all orphans…” She said looking up at him with sad eyes. A chill crept down the back of Drexx. Was he the reason? Everyone in the bar seemed to regard him as a bad being. Was this the reason? Was he the cause of their suffering.
“A man named Sledge killed our parents. They all owed him money and couldn’t pay so he killed them.” She said it with such candor that Drexx assumed she talked about it all the time. The android couldn’t imagine someone so evil to take these beautiful kid’s parents.
“We need him dead.” The way she said it, Drexx knew it was something she absolutely needed. It was like water to her, like air and shelter. She needed it as much as she needed to keep existing. Perhaps more.
“I don’t do assassinations. I protect…” Drexx began, but Tina held up her hand.
“The world would be a much better and safer place without him in it. You want to protect? Kill him.” Drexx was taken aback, but at the same time, he knew he would do it. He nodded and relief came to Tina’s face. Drexx looked at the others as well, all nodding and smiling. Death? Death made them smile? The thought of someone else dying… It was more tragic than anything Drexx had experienced in his life thus far. He stood up and ruffled the hair of one of the red-heads.
“Where are you going?” The beach-ball-boy asked.
“He’s going to… bring the hammer down…” Tina put on her shades and turned to face the sun. One of the gingers kicked her in the shin. Drexx rose into the air amid the giggles and laughter of the children.
“How do you know where you’re going?” Tina asked the rising android.
“I have my ways.” He said mysteriously. She giggled and Drexx flew away.
After a few days of searching and much food and blankets sent to the orphans, the android finally got a lead on the mysterious’ Sledge’s whereabouts. His trail led him to a large factory just outside of Central City. The doors were busted open and the building seemed to be abandoned for a long time. Drexx walked into the factory and looked around. It was completely empty aside from a small office in the back. A small light was coming from a computer Drexx could see through the window.
Drexx slowly opened the door to the office and walked into the office. There was a message scrolling on the screen over and over. It read; “Haha Fucker.” Drexx then noticed the pressure plate on the floor.
“Really should have scanned for that.” The explosion threw Drexx through the wall and into the empty factory. The android groaned and rolled over, patting the flames off of his burnt clothing. The factory was surprisingly full now, ugly men filling the room.
“Greetings.” Drexx said making his way to his feet. He was surprised to see so many humans in the room, all of them armed with some sort of weapon. A small man stepped forward, barely five feet tall with a thin wiry frame and a shock of blonde hair on his head. He was dressed in a doctor’s coat and goggles around his neck.
“Greetings intruder. I assume that there is a very good reason for you being here. And for not dying when you get blown up and thrown through my wall. It looks like there’s barely a scratch on you!” He seemed more fascinated than upset as he circled the android inspecting him.
“You must be… Sledge?” The man giggled as Drexx asked him. He pranced and spun as he continued circling.
“You are correct! I am the great and all-powerful Sledge” He contorted his fingers as he raised his hands in the air at his own name. He seemed to have a large ego.
“May I enquire as to why you’re here, Oh one who doesn’t burn?” Drexx fell into a fighting stance, Sledge frowned and nodded.
“You know this doesn’t have to happen… I could use a man who doesn’t die when hit with explosions or fired.” Sledge began making his way up the stairs to the second floor. Drexx realized he was getting out of the way of the fight.
“That’s not why I’m here. I’m here to kill you. You are a threat to innocents everywhere and you need to be stopped.” Sledge laughed at the words and slipped through a door Drexx hadn’t seen before. Apparently he wasn’t going down without a fight. The large ugly men tightened the circle around the android, weapons in hand.
“I am not here to kill any of you. If you leave now and do no more harm I will not come after you.” It was Drexx’s final offer to those gathered. Sledge would die. The others didn’t need to. But large ugly men are often dim-witted and none took up the offer. The protector shrugged. Then they came at him. A baseball bat broke over the android’s head, but he didn’t budge. He slammed his fist into the attackers face and grabbed him around the collar. He threw the man into the others gathered, knocking them to the floor. He knelt to the ground and raised his hands. The first one that stood up took a ki blast to the chest and went down quickly. The others opted to stay down.
Drexx quickly scaled the stairs and entered the hidden room. Sledge slowly spun to face him.
“No mister bond. I expect you to die.” He said then broke into a fit of giggles. “Haven’t you just always wanted to say that?” He pressed a few buttons on his chair and it rose into the air. It contorted around his body to form a suit of armor of sorts.
“I suppose you’ve killed all my muscle bound buffons?” Drexx shook his head. Sledge giggled.
“Cursed with a conscience are we? Kill the big baddy but not all the ones who do his bidding. Oh aren’t you the hero?” Sledge giggled some more and then raised his hand at Drexx, a large glowing circle in the middle of it.
“I’ve never been very tough. I’ve never been physically capable of much. Look at me; scan me you’ll see my power level is barely over three. But one thing I’ve always had is my intellect. And with that intellect I’ve made a great deal of inventions.” an arc of lighting burst from his open palm to strike Drexx in the chest, sending him backwards through the wall and crashing towards the floor. The large ugly men had cleared the room, leaving Drexx alone in a crater made by his own body. Sledge slammed down into the android’s chest, the weight of the armor adding much more impact. He leapt off the android’s chest and kicked him in the ribs sending him spinning. Drexx caught himself in a three point stance. Sledge rose into the air and turned to face the Android.
“So why are you here mystery man? You are here to kill me, obviously. But why? We’ve never met before. What have I done to you?” Drexx rose to his feet and
“Does the name Tina ring a bell?” Drexx asked the man. Sledge’s face softened a little, something that took Drexx aback.
“Tina is my daughter.” The man suddenly looked old and ragged. Drexx didn’t know how to continue this fight, or even the conversation.
“The others?” Drexx asked, finding it hard to speak. His mouth felt dry.
“Brats. I’m surprised they haven’t died yet.” he spoke of the other orphans as if they were scum. Tina was the only one he apparently cared about, but even still she was an orphan and he did nothing.
“You’re an evil man.” Drexx spat at Sledge, who giggled. The armored human zoomed down and kicked Drexx across the chin, a blow that leveled him. Sledge zoomed around and kicked Drexx in the chest with both feet.
“I don’t believe in things like good and evil, right and wrong, who even cares about such little petty things?”
“Your daughter!? Don’t you care?!” The android spat angrily. Sledge eyed Drexx curiously for a moment before he broke into another giggle fit.
“Do I care? Does it look like I care? I never wanted the brat, why is it my responsibility to take care of her?” Drexx heard a muffled cry from the front door and turned to see Tina standing there.
“Drexx?” Sledge landed and turned to face her, a curious look on his face.
“Tina…” He lifted his hand and pointed it at the little girl. “Look how beautiful you’ve grown. You look just like your mother.” his voice softened and cracked a little bit. Then the arc of lighting left his hand. Everything appeared to happen in slow motion; Drexx leapt up and threw himself in the way of the blast. It was much more powerful than the other one had been. It ripped through the android’s chest, but faded before hitting the small girl.
“Oh how sad…” Sledge said and then giggled covering his mouth with both of his hands, one still smoking from the lighting blast. Tina’s eyes grew wide, her hand flew up to her mouth but she couldn’t stifle the scream. Or the tears. She rushed over to the android and kept saying his name over and over.
“nononononononono. Drexx. Drexx wake up! DREXX!!!! WAKE UP!!!!!” She pleaded desperately. She shook his lifeless body and cried into his collar. She looked up at her birth father with hate and tears in her eyes. “Why?! Why??!?!?!! Why…”
She launched herself at Sledge with surprising force. Her first punch took him by surprise, knocking him spinning to the floor.
“What is this?!” He sputtered with confusion and disbelief. He scanned her power-level and was surprised. “It’s Really really close to nine-thousand!!!! Like almost there! I mean it’s not quite there but… come on… Gods that still impressive.”
Tina charged at him again, smacking him across the face with enough force to break his jaw through the armor.
“You DIE NOW!!!!” She clenched both fists together and slammed them into his face, breaking his nose and spattering blood across his pristine armor.
“Tina… stop…” She heard a soft voice call out across from the room, barely strong enough to be above a whisper. She rushed over to Drexx’s body and held him up. He smiled at her.
“You’re… an… android…” Drexx remarked weakly. She nodded her head and cleared the tears from her eyes. Sledge spat blood and stood up, with a loud crack he set his jaw back into place. His eyes were full of fire.
“You. Little. Bitch.” he looked from Tina to Drexx. “Didn’t I just kill you??!” then he noticed the sparks of electricity popping from Drexx’s chest and the exposed wires.
“Another damn android! Why can’t I be rid of you all once and for good?!” He screamed and launched arc of lighting after arc of lighting at the two of them. Tina shielded the wounded protector with her body, the lightning bolts seeming to arc away from her. Drexx rose steadily to his feet, oil and blood pumping from the hole in his chest. It wasn’t fatal but it certainly was slowing him down.
“Tina. I need you to leave.” It was taking all of the android’s strength to remain standing. The smaller android shook her head and grabbed his hand.
“We do this together.” she stated firmly. He nodded. For the first time Sledge seemed worried.
“Honey… Tina… There’s no need to do this honey.” Drexx and Tina both raised their hands, Sledge’s eyes grew wide and he raised his hands, forming a bubble around himself.
“There’s nothing that can pop this bubble!? You might as well leave.” He said and stuck out his tongue. He was clearly insane. Death stared him in the face and he stuck out his tongue.
“Dad?” Tina asked looking up at Sledge. His expression softened.
“Yes sweetheart?”
“Say hi to mom.” She said, a single tear falling down her cheek. Sledge’s eyes grew sad and he looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time.
“Tina?” he asked confused. “What’s going on honey?” the bubble fell and he took a staggered step forward towards Tina. His face hardened again and he began to raise his hands at the pair. A blast of ki left both outturned hands, her pouring everything she had into it. Drexx did the same, evaporating Sledge and leaving nothing left. Darkness overcame the android and he fell.
When Drexx awoke he was in Tiny Tina’s alleyway. Tina was over him with her hands in his chest futzing around with wires. She smiled down at him.
“Heya sleepy head.” She giggled and ruffled his hair, then jumped off his chest, closing up the hole the lighting had made with a patch of organic metal. It blended seamlessly with his flesh.
“What happened?” Drexx looked around the alley and noticed with happiness the other orphans gathered around him.
“You saved us. You avenged our parents. Thank you.”
“But it was…” Tina held up her finger to her lips and winked at him.
“Thank you Drexx.” she hugged him tightly around the neck and planted a small kiss on his cheek. The other orphans mobbed him as well, hugging and piling on him. They giggled and played till the night ended.
Pl please. Light weights in effect.
