In Love With the Manhunter

The ship came out of hyperspace. A Blue planet with debris was looming over the ship seeming to glow in the black inkiness of space. The planet slowly rotated. The debris was a making for a graveyard. Pieces of ships, and scrap metal rotated opposite of the planet seeming to have a dying mind of it’s own. Zero appeared next to me her arms behind her. Her body language was the complete opposite of what her emotion portrayed. I grabbed my mask from the navigator's seat, and walked over toward a wall. I hit the wall it slide away revealing a room. I walked into the small room taking off the grey duster. “How is she?” I asked
Zero stared out at the planet and said nothing. Her holographic eyes seeming to be glazed over.
I put the duster on a metal arm that had came out. I turned to look at Zero, “Zero?”
Zero snapped back to reality sighing, “Well the tears have stopped. She’s sleeping, but she has begun to mumble in her slumber.”
“Don’t worry this will blow over.”
Zero’s emotion of sadness still didn’t waver, but seemed to thicken. Zero mumbled just over a whisper, “How do you know that? All the times you said that…… It’s just gotten worse. Things are not just going to hold up any longer if they keep breaking!”
I unbuckled the bullet proof vest when I heard Zero’s mumble. I tossed it to the ground. I felt a little pain when Zero said that, but it was totally true. When I first got her implanted in me for the army, They also put a serum in me that could remotely kill me. When Zero found it The Last Regiment tried to execute me. Then when I decided to change sides to the New Tranquility I won the war for them, only to be put into court for being a traitor. As their ego would not allow them to be helped by someone else other than their own pure blood. Now this…… Zero might be right again, but not before I have to put May the golden princess to the end of my blasters.
Zero looked at me apologetically, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that. It’s just that-”
“No….. Your right every time we’ve done something regardless if bad or good there has always been a backlash.”
Zero looked at me her eyes losing the glaze of sadness from before seeming to darken. “Shadow I- I-”
I cut her off before she could continue, “But no more.” I growled, “Now we’re on the attack. Were going to have to be savage, but were also going to need to endure whatever May throws at us when we start to go after her.” I stepped into the space the holographic list popped up. I selected my heavy bounty hunter armor. The metal arms shot out again placing the obsidian black lined with crimson designed plates on. As each plate locked into place an audible click, and a burst of steam shooting out of the plates caused me to grin a toothy smile. The heaviness of the plates feeling natural, like a second skin that I’ve always had. I sighed picking up my heavy armored helmet. I put it on earning a burst of steam as the helmet sealed. “Alright I’m going to see Stripes. You, and Jessica just stay here.”
Zero looked at me the sadness had disappeared, and was replaced with annoyance. “Stripes? Your gambling friend she’s your best bet?” Zero, and Stripes didn’t have the greatest of friendships. The three times Stripes ever meet Zero she was dead drunk as she usually came to me for a place to crash for some reason. Now Stripes isn’t always drunk, she not an alcoholic don’t get me wrong. Stripes knows when she’s at her limit, and tries not to do anything while she is drunk.
I sat back into the driver’s seat taking control of the ship. When we broke the atmosphere lighting raced across the sky being chased by the sounds of thunder. The rain pounded on my ship like an endless dropping bullets. When we were past the clouds cities were suspended by rod the pierced black waves. The black waves pummeled against the supports trying in a ferocious attempt to bring the people to it’s dark, cold abyss. The water seemed like an endless abyss that had no bottom, and would have no mercy if anything fell into it. The waves seemed like they were alive, and were trying to climb the supports to claim as many lives as it could. I flew to a ship port that was separated from the cities. All that connected the ship port to the cities was a long narrow bridge illuminated by a stream of lamps, but they did not go against the rain that covered everything in darkness. When I got into the ship port the rain was amplified as it pounded the roof, and sides of the ship port. The ship landed with a thud. A metal brace came down, and locked over my ship. A holographic clipboard appeared into Zero’s hand. Then a pink quill popped into her hand, and wrote something down with it. When she lifted her quill from the clipboard it vanished. “What was that about?” I asked turning the ship off.
Zero sighed, “It was a docking procedure. The brace that just locked on to our ship was to make sure if this platform falls the ship will stay here.”
I got up from the driver's seat, and walked to the exit of the ship. As I opened the the door to the ship port I turned around looking at Zero who just appeared. “ Do you have a list?”
Zero nodded a chip popped from her pedestal, “Make it quick Shadow. Also if you could bring food that would be great. Just some restaurant not any of that fast food you always get.”
“Yeah, yeah yeah I get it.” I said nodding walking down the ramp my boots clicking on the metal floor.
A man walked up to me as soon as my both feet were on the port’s floor. He was wearing a black leather jacket with a blue star on the front. He spoke without making eye contact, and when I saw his eyes they had a frightened look to them. He wasn’t half my size so I could see why he was so scared. “Coul-could you just p-put ten credits down a-a-and just s-sign t-th-this?”
I took the clipboard from his hand, and sighed it. When I went to give it to him I put down the 20 gold credits, “My ship needs repairs,” with that statement I continued toward the exit of the ship port. When I exited the ship port I was met with a wall of rain that you couldn’t even see two feet in front of you. I jogged across the narrow bridge a shaky plasma blue line slowly moved across my visor clearing my vision from the rain. It was a vain attempt though as it would clear some rain only for my vision to be filled with drops of rain making it harder to see. I only bumped into one person when I was jogging down the narrow bridge. They were trying to get to the spaceport, so it was a head on collision. The person I bumped into was a rich guy who thought he was entitled to everything. He was wearing a black suit with the reddest rose in his chest pocket, also he had a chrome droid that was holding on to a umbrella. He also had this feeling of annoyance to him, but I found out why he had that feeling soon. He went on a giant rant how he should not be bumped into by lower pests, and how he should have me locked up on Rip-lock prison. But when I drew my heavy pistol, and put it to his throat, and told him how I didn’t give a damn. That’s when he shut up, and let me keep going. I hated rich people. Now the rich people that spread that wealth to the poor I don’t mind, nor the rich people that have some sense into them that they know they are still normal people no matter how much credits they have. When I reached the city, and finally got under some cover from the rain I sighed. I opened the door to the city, and took a step in I almost got flattened by a police shuttle blasted past me. Crime city. It’s good to be back. I thought shaking off the encounter I had continuing down the sidewalk. I looked up to find a dome, and the rain washing over it. I looked forward to see Stripes’ house. One of the windows was boarded up with molded wood. The other windows were cracked or broken. But then I saw a man stumbled out the door holding his arm. It was bent at the elbow in the opposite direction. When he continued down the street toward me I recognized something disturbing. He wore a trench coat that had a bull’s skull on the sleeves. The symbols belonged to Eddie’s gang enforcers. Eddie was one of the top gang leaders in Crime City. Stripes use to be his girlfriend, but left him after she found out how much bounty hunting can pay. Eddie is one of those stereotypical mean boyfriends who think they say when the relationship is over or is not. So when Stripes left him it ticked him off pretty good. Stripes usually can beat the crap out of Eddie’s gang, but his time it seems maybe they got the best of her. I picked up the pace toward Stripes’ house. When I got to the door it was locked. As I tried the handle of the door for the second time I heard a crash, curse, and then a feminine howl of pain. I backed up and ran at the door. The instant I hit it the door cracked right off it’s hinges with a loud snap. The room was a mess. There was two coffee tables that were totally smashed. Four chair turned over with blaster marks in them, and there was two bodies. One was slumped over a chair with a big blaster mark in the back. The other was also slumped over a chair, but unlike the other it was facing up. Then she fell a groan escaping her mouth. All I could see now were heeled black and white striped boots that went up to the knees. I walked forward a shard of glass shattering as my boot pushed down. I looked down to see a women who’s black, and white hair lay lazily over her face.
She moved the hair from her amber eyes. She looked at me her eyes glazed over in a drunken haze, “I- I said no to the- party. I don't want- to go.” She hiccuped with each pause.
All I could do was smile under my mask. I offered a helping hand up. She took it missing the first couple times. I grabbed her hand hoisting her up off the ground. She stumbled forward tripping on her own feet. I caught her lifting her back up to a standing position. Her eyes drifting around lazily.
Too much to drink again Stripes? That’s what two weeks since the last one? I thought.
She hiccuped again pointing behind me, “Here comes- another party taker. I don’t want to go though.”
I turned around to see a man, and a women. The man wore a midnight blue duster that had the letters E.T.G. plastered crudely over the word police. The women wore a grey leather suit that had a hood, and a cape. The armor seemed to have symbols in the leather, but I couldn’t tell from the low light. The women also had on a mask that went from her neck up to the bridge of her nose. Even though a stream of moonlight stretched over her face all I saw was two red dots.
The man raised two pistols at me. He muttered to the women, but I was still able to hear it. His tone was boastful, “One guy, and a drunken lady that’s it!? I was hoping for more of a challenge!”
The women spoke next her words were icy, and somewhat slurred. But it was not a drunken slur. More like a hunger slur, “He is the supposed unbeatable one. He is stronger than you easily. But I barely compare even with my darkness embrace. This is a fight we can not win with only two of us.”
The man seemed dumbfounded at what the women said. He chuckled, “Watch me beat him myself!” He challenged rushing me with pistols firing.
I pushed Stripes behind me. My shield brightened as the bullets hit my armor. They were dropping fast as he was using explosive rounds. I clotheslined him. He hit the ground with a thud, and a grunt of pain. He tried to sweep my feet from under me, but I picked him up by the throat. He dropped his pistols clothing from his neck. A blade came out his boot. He kicked me hitting me in the thigh it broke on contact with my armor, but my shields fell. Now any damage I take I will feel unless my armor can take it. I punched him in the gut three times before I slammed him into a nearby wall. The wall cracked pieces of it crumbled away clattering to the floor. I let go of his neck, earning a gasp and choke from him as his lungs were given some life saving air. I slammed my boot into his head. His head hit the wall going through it with a loud crack, and a thud. He groaned before passing out. slumping down with his head hanging in the wall. I looked at the women cracking my neck, and then cracking my knuckles.
She sighed, “Idiot.” She took out a knife, and a revolver from her cloak. A red button glowed on the tip of the hilt of the knife. She pressed it, and the knife exploded with electricity with a crackle. “With him out of the way time for the adults to argue now.”
I put my hands to my thighs. My armor opened up revealing two machine gun pistols twelve inch slides. As my hand gripped around the grips of the pistols they opened up ejecting two cylinders that were glowing red and smoking They hit the floor with a cling. Two small metal arms loaded in two other cylinders that glowed purple. I twirled the pistols closing them with a click as the locks locked. I aimed them to her turning off the safeties. I pulled the triggers lasers fired rapidly. Burns filled the wall behind her as she vanished. I took my fingers off the triggers. Smoke bellowed from the muzzle. I looked to my left to see the knife hit my helmet. The electricity destroyed my shields, and my helmet. I threw it off, as the electricity started to spread to my armor. Stripes staggered forward before face planting into the wood floor. My vision was spinning. I shook my head in a vain attempt to clear my vision. As it started the women jumped on my back. She raised the knife to stab me, but I slammed her into a wall. The wall was a weaker one so we busted through it into the kitchen. She groaned, as I rolled off her getting onto one knee. I spit out some blood onto the tiled floor. The crimson liquid shined in the moonlight on the tiled floor. I pushed myself to my feet cracking my neck. When I looked back down I saw the women lapping up my blood. “Vampires oh gee.” I mumbled grabbing her by her cloak. She hissed at me like an animal trying to break free of my grasp. I threw her back through the hole we created. Right before she was going to hit the wall, she disappeared into a cloud of smoke. My eyes scanned the room. I walked into the room slowly, and carefully my every step being punctuated by a creek of the floorboards. I glanced over my shoulder to find nothing. I looked down at the floor in front of me to see one of my automatic pistols on the ground. I suddenly heard one of the floorboards behind me creek. I whipped around throwing my elbow blindly. She ducked dodging my blow by inches. She stabbed the knife at me landing it in my armor. Luckily for me it only pierced my armor not my flesh, and the electricity was off too. I grabbed the knife trying to pry it from my armor, but it was no use. She drop kicked one of my knees bringing me to my knees. I grabbed my pistol, that was on the ground, but I was too late as she pulled down her face mask and sunk her teeth into my neck. Suddenly she jerked away holding her mouth, a small stream of crimson liquid flowing through her fingers. I checked my neck with my hand where she, bit me to feel a pair of something hard jutting out of my armor plates. I pulled them out to find two white fangs in my palm. I chuckled to myself grabbing the pistol. She was up against the wall still holding her mouth. I put the pistol to her forehead. Her blood red eyes widened, as I pulled the pistol’s hammer back with a click. “It’s really sad really.” I said dropping her fangs on the ground crushing them with my boot.
She looked at me with hatred, and worry in her eyes. The she snapped at me, “What is?”
“That Eddie is in such desperation that he sends a vampire to retrieve Stripes.” I laughed before I pistol whipped her knocking her unconsciousness. I holstered the pistol turning around, and walking to Stripes. I kneeled down next to her. She was face first on the dusty wood floor her black, and white striped hair covering her face. Her body slowly rose, and fell. A almost silent snore escaped her lips. In the distance I heard police sirens, but I also heard engines revving. I grabbed my helmet throwing it on. I picked up Stripes bolting out the back door. "Hopefully Eddie's gang, and the police keep each other company for a while.” I spoke aloud running down an alley my boots sloshing in the grey puddles left by the rain. I continued down a couple of more alleys until I felt we would be unable to be followed. I put Stripes on a bench I found, and removed my helmet. My breath froze in front of my face. Stripes curled up on the bench shivering. I looked at her to see she was just in a white hoodie, and black leggings. I threw the helmet back on sighing, “Alright time to get somewhere warm.” I picked her up again walking down an ally to the open streets. As I exited an ally a man in a hood came up to me, and pulled out a plasma knife. Before he could talk I pulled out a heavy pistol placing it between his eyes, “Don’t even think about it.” I growled trying to keep hold for Stripes with a hand, and a arm. The man dropped the knife, and bolted down the street. I holstered my pistol walking across the street to a motel.
I walked into the motel, the door let out a ding, and a voice called from a distant location. The voice was old, “I’m sorry, but we're closing for good.”
I remembered the voice as if I had heard it just yesterday, “You can’t just make an exception for some rascal kids?”
I heard a shuffle, than a old man with robotic legs, and arms. He squinted to try to see us. When he realized who Stripes and I were, his eyes lit up, and he shuffled to us, “Ahh, it’s you two! Where have you guys been? It’s been so long since I’ve seen you kids!”
“Likewise Joe. What’s been happening around the old joint.”
His mouth went from a wide smile to a bit of a frown, “Sadly it has to go. She can’t stay up and running anymore.”
My own smile that I had also fell away, “What do you mean Joe? What’s happened.” I set Stripes down on a couch, and walked back to Joe.
“Between Eddie’s gang, other better motels, high tech hotels, and the taxes I can’t keep up. Money is not coming in as fast as it used to.”
I grabbed a stool from a nearby table, and sat down. Joe did the same, “This place, can’t go…. It has such good history to it.” I whispered
“Unfortunately history doesn’t pay me a single credit. It also doesn’t help that Eddie has been trying to squeeze out credits from the lower security places. I just have to close up there’s nothing I can do.”
I went to grab some credits from my pocket, but Joe’s robotic hand grabbed my wrist, “Kid it’s not going to do anything. Eddie will just come back and take it, or the tax collectors will. I wish I could keep this place running, but it just will not work no matter what I or you do. The only way anything will work is if Eddie’s gang disappears, the taxes vanish, and my health is perfect for eternity. But that just won’t happen not anytime so.”
I took my hand out of my pocket and sighed, “ I wish there was something I could do Joe.”
“I know you would, but the ride is coming to an end. We can’t change what happens it’s just up to fate to decide what happens to us.”
I sighed looking back up at him, “Well it was good while it lasted. It feels like just yesterday, when me and Stripes were old teenagers, and we rushed in here with a plan to steal your liqueur.”
Joe laughed as he recalled the events of that early morning, “You two had the perfect plan to get in and out but you two never thought of a way to carry it all.”
I chuckled, as I remembered Joe coming out of the back with his shotgun only to find dumb kids trying to haul out two hundred and thirty seven bottles of liquor out a door, “That was the first time we actually made friends with a person we were robbing.”
“Yeah those were the days. Do you want a drink?”
I shook my head, “No, I have to stay sober to take sleeping beauty over there to my ship. I- I uh need her feminine expertise to help me with a problem I have no idea how to tackle.”
Joe looked at me with question clearly plastered on his face, “What is that you say? You have a problem?”
“Uh- yeah it’s kinda um tough for a male like me.”
“What’s the problem?” Joe asked putting on some glasses from his pocket.
“It’s a long story.” I said twiddling with my armored fingers.
“I’m not going anywhere for the rest of the week, and I could use a good rest from all my packing.”
I sighed looking at my boots, “I may have gone on a mission, and picked up a princess from a kingdom… accidentally.”
“Ah so it’s a lady friend you have finally picked up.”
I chuckled shaking my head, “No it’s not like that Joe. The story is: I went to a planet I bused into a kingdom for a target, but the target was not even there at all. When I went to leave a girl was there, and somehow alerted the whole entire kingdom. I used her to get me out of there, but when I got my butt out of there she somehow got on my ship without me knowing. Then when I barely escaped she revealed herself I got a transmission of her supposed run away. Now she is stuck with me so there you go.”
Joe looked at me, “Good cover.” He simply said getting up off the stool.
I sighed doing the same. I started to chuckle shaking my head, “It’s good to know you have not changed a single bit Joe Sanderson.”
Joe turned around, “I will not change for any reason Shadow not now, not ever.”
I the door busted open and when the intruders made there demands. My blood boiled, and I gained a strong desire to beat their faces in.