Again I'm a lazy bastard and I really wanna catch my movie date I have planned so I'm not editing this so it's going up, ugliness and all unedited. When you find any mistakes just point them out in the comment section below. Now I'm off!
5:00 PM. Saturday.
Dane was down crouched down near the second floor window of the warehouse. He stared through the old, worn down glass at the cliff city below him. Below it almost resembled a mix between a fortress and a city. In truth that is what it was. A massive castle embedded in the side of a mountain hanging over the edge of a cliff with a city built on the plateau surrounding it.
The current warehouse he found himself residing in just happened to be farther up the mountain. It was an old military warehouse, probably not used in decades or longer. It was one of several installations scattered across the mountain no longer in use.
And now the android was hiding in it.
A clicking sound got his attention. He turned around. Gin loaded another magazine into her Glock.
“How much do you have left?” he asked.
“Just two mags per gun. So we have to get as far as we can before I run out and then it’s all on you,” she responded.
“How long do you think we should wait until we pull the chutes?”
“As long as possible. Those fuckin’ flying things will catch us otherwise. Once we land, we book it straight for the shuttle, we get back to the ship and you figure out a way for us to get the hell off this rock and into orbit.”
“I told you earlier, I can’t access the ship’s systems without the codes or the prints.”
“Well you’re just gonna have to find a way then. Okay?!” She sighed, “We’re not ON EARTH anymore or anywhere near Sol for that matter so we need to figure out just what the fuck is going on before we do anything. And I would prefer to be in Orbit so whatever these people are can’t get us.”
Dane sighed, “Last night I looked at the star maps. From what I can guess we’re something like 10000 light years from where we were. But whatever; we’ll work on it when we get back to the ship.”
“Thank you,” Gin said putting the gun back into its holster and checking the other. Dane simply looked at his hands before pulling on a pack that was sitting on the ground next to him. Once he was sufficiently strapped in he looked at the bartender who had strapped a bag onto her back as well.
“You ready?” he asked walking over to her.
“Yeah.”
They both started running towards the large, old glass windows. The glass shattered as the pair dove through and towards the city below.
***
10:00 AM. Seven Hours Earlier.
“So what am I doing?” Jett asked.
“Just a simple Sparing match,” Spitfire grinned, “All you need to do is win. Or try to. Just don’t kill him.”
The android turned and looked at Soarin’ who was stretching on the other side of the field wearing something resembling a Karategi. There were some random females over on the other side interacting with him but the android could not identify them at the moment.
“Alright you two!” Fleetfoot yelled, “Get on your sides of the field.”
Jett shrugged and stepped over the white line onto the field. Soarin’ did the same and cracked his knuckles.
“…And… Go!”
Soarin’ roared and bolted towards the android.
“So this is a sparring mat-” he was cut off rather quickly as a fist impacted his face.
An audible gasp was heard as the android’s head flew back… and then quickly returned to its previous position. Jett was still standing in the exact same position.
Soarin’ was holding his hand, looking at the android who simply cocked his head. He shook his hand off and swung again. This time, Jett ducked.
“You’re going to have to be faster than that.”
Soarin’ growled and swung again. Again Jett dodged. He leaned back with precision balance before springing back up. This time Soarin’ was prepared with a round house. The android expertly avoided this with a back handspring coming to rest near the edge of the sparring ring.
“Fight back Jett!” Spitfire yelled from the sidelines.
“Uh, what do you want me to do?” he asked as he spun around to dodge in incoming strike before returning to his previous position.
“Anything! Just hit back!”
“Okay, uh, like this?” Soarin’ moved to strike the android’s head again. This time Jett turned and rather quickly redirected the flyer’s arm before tucking his thumb and striking Soarin’s throat with a spear hand strike. Before he could even cough, Jett swept his foot across the ground, knocking his feet out from under him. As he fell, Jett performed a palm strike straight down, hitting the jock in the sternum and sending him flying to the ground on his back.
Then he started coughing and clenching his throat.
The entire sequence took a little over a second to complete, leaving the entire crowd watching with shocked looks on their faces.
“Like that?”
The sound of coughing and retching got everyone’s attention as Soarin’ rolled over onto his side.
“Uh, yeah, just like that.”
“So I won?”
“Well you certainly didn’t lose,” Spitfire said.
A moaning drew the android’s attention. Soarin’ coughed again as a nurse ran up to him. She had one of those strange marks on her forehead which glowed brightly. A glow of the same color surrounded the flyer before subsiding. The coughing and retching stopped as Soarin’ slowly pulled himself to his feet.
“What… the… fuck… was… that?” he asked.
Fleetfoot ran down from the box, “You got your ass handed to you on a silver platter. Oh man I’m so glad I got that on camera!”
“Wait,” Spitfire blinked, “You got that on video?”
“Yeah!” Fleetfoot pulled her phone out, “Check this shit out.”
Everyone gathered around the small screen as a video of Soarin’ getting jabbed in the neck and then having his feet kicked out from under him followed by him being pounded into the ground.
“Aw, man!” Soarin’ moaned.
“Well to be fair, you did go up against a piece of military hardware,” Spitfire laughed.
“Whatever.”
“Well come on guys. We do have the rest of the training field to go through.”
“Joy.”
***
“So what’s the deal here?” Gin asked.
“Well first off, the engine start up sequence requires an assistant engineer’s access codes plus their fingerprint. Which I don’t have either.”
“So basically, we’re stuck here?”
“Until I can hack the codes out of this thing, but again, the ship’s computer is almost as good as mine so I’d be here for a while.”
“Tell me at least you have access to other ship systems.”
“I can open and close the doors and I can hack the shuttles. That’s about it.”
Gin sighed, “I think it’s time we figure out where the hell we are. Prep a shuttle. I’ll grab some gear.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“And brush up on your martial arts if you’ve taken any cause we don’t know what’s out there.”
Dane grinned, “Why? You planning on grappling a bear to death?”
“Hey, unlike you pretty boy, I can’t just download a fighting style all matrix like. I actually had to practice. Plus, I’m no android to being able to street fight in the wrong part of town is something I’d rather have in my back pocket than be sorry otherwise.”
“Whatever you say missy.”
“Shut up and get the ship ready.”
***
Soarin’ was having a bad day. He should have seen it coming and kept his big mouth shut. What was the old saying? Loose lips sink ships? Something like that. Needless to say, it would have been better if he had said nothing rather than challenge the android.
So far the damn thing had won every single challenge from combat knives to riflery the android had won. Archery had been interesting considering the android had almost shot each arrow perfectly through each other.
Now only one challenge was left. Swordsmanship.
Spitfire sighed, “Now where did he go?”
“He said he went down to the forge to get something,” Blaze said.
Soarin’ was busy readying his academy cutlass. Jett was still missing.
“He better get here soon,” Spitfire grumbled.
“Who better get here soon?” Jett asked sipping from a tea cup.
“Fuck!” Spitfire jumped, “You need to stop doing that! How the fuck are you so stealthy like that?”
“I’m a robot. Not too hard.”
“Whatever,” she sighed, “So you ready?”
“Yup,” Jett said setting his cup on the ground. It had an unnatural blue appearance to it.
“Where did you get that?” Fleetfoot asked.
“Oh the cup? I made a set a while ago. That was when the cobalt stuff blew up. You can use it to stain glass.”
“Wait,” Misty said, “I thought you were using that on your sword.”
“No, you can’t use cobalt like that on metal. At least, not with the tech you have in this place.”
He unslung a heavy sheathed object from his back. He quickly removes the sheath from it and lets it fall to the ground. In his hands was a rather unique looking sword. It was almost a cross between a Japanese katana and a European sword. The blade was thicker than the average katana but still had the distinctive curve to it. The blade had an almost unnoticeable bulb shape near the tip of the blade. The handle itself was wrapped in a black cloth that came down to a metal sphere at the pommel. The blade was an ominous sapphire color.
“How the fuck did you get the blade blue?” Blaze asked.
“Easy, I just used blue steel.”
“Blue steel?”
“Yeah, why? You’ve never heard of it? Cause that blacksmith just down the road carries it along with the stuff on how to make it.”
“Whatever man. Sick sword.”
“Thanks.”
Spitfire interjected, “Alright. So this is the last one for the day. Jett, keep up your winning streak.”
He nodded.
Fleetfoot ran up to the mic again, “Alright people, this is a simple duel here. No punching or kicking each other, only use your blades. And no dismembering people either. Just disarm or knock your opponent to the ground.”
“Sounds fair,” Spitfire said.
Jett again stepped onto the field.
“…And… Go!”
***
“Careful,” Gin said, “Carefully.”
“For heaven’s sake women, Shut up and let me fly,” Dane said.
“Whatever. I just don’t want us to die after what you did to this thing.”
“For the last time, all I did was hook up the Matchbox to this thing. Not that big a deal.”
The android expertly maneuvered the twin engine shuttle towards the mountains. Various cliffs and terraces came into view as the ship sped by the mountain side. Various trees and other foliage occasionally would stick out of a cliff face or wall. Usually they were located near a waterfall or some other kind of water source.
Then something in the distance caught the android’s attention. Dane cocked his head.
“Computer, zoom in on frame 120 by 30. Magnify and enhance.”
A tall spire was poking up just beyond a group of cliffs.
“What the hell is that?” Gin asked.
“I have no clue.”
The shuttle sped closer to the object and it soon became clear that it was the tallest spire of some kind of fortress. Soon other details could be made about the structure. It was some kind of castle of some importance as it was embedded halfway up an almost completely vertical mountain surrounded by a smaller town of similar elegance. The town itself had no real recognizable form of architecture to it and instead resembled something out of a fantasy story. All throughout it were various people going about their daily lives. Some had wings and were flying about, others no wings and some had strange markings on their bodies that converged on a gem like object in their forehead.
Gin cringed, “We are DEFINITELY not in Kansas anymore.”
“These… these aren’t humans- Ah Jesus H. Christ!” he yelled as one of the ones with wings got a little too close to the shuttle for comfort.
“Dane, land the ship.”
“What?”
“Land the ship. Put us down just outside of that city. Somewhere where we won’t be spotted.”
“Why?”
“For one, we’re still invisible so we don’t need any fucking angel people running into an invisible wall anytime soon. That and we are obviously not on Earth. Check the star maps; see where we may have landed.”
“Alright.”
The android guided the shuttle towards the outside of the city. He brought the ship down behind one of the walls, hidden near a garden terrace. The landing gear emerged out of the ship as it touched the ground just outside the city limits.
Dane looked out the cockpit windows. The city was just below them by a few meters. A small path led down into the city streets. He spun around in his chair.
“So what’s the plan?”
Gin grabbed her guns and loaded a magazine into both of them, “We’ve obviously gone through the wormhole so to speak since Yellowstone and I would really like to learn about wherever the fuck we’ve ended up. SO… I figured we could do some in-the-field work. Blend in, observe, and then we get to leave.”
“Aren’t you afraid we might get… caught?”
“I have two guns, my street skills and you’re a fucking robot with the entire collected knowledge of humanity in your head. I think it would take a small army to stop that.”
“Fine. Just keep on the down low. I don’t want us getting… caught by shit.”
Gin sighed, “Fine.”
“And put stun rounds in your gun. We don’t need you giving anyone a life altering injury.”
“Since when did a gunshot wound become life altering?”
“Uh, since we landed in the middle of primitive civilization with substandard medical care. That’s when.”
Gin sighed like a girl told she couldn’t take daddy’s care onto the freeway, “Ugh, FINE.”
“Thank you.”
The bartender swapped out the magazines and grabbed a pack of the stun rounds.
“You ready?”
“Yup.”
“You sure you put us somewhere where we won’t be seen?” Gin asked.
“Yes mom, now can we get going or what?”
“Fine, don’t throw a man fit, asshole.”
“Bitch.”
“Go fuck yourself with a ten foot pole.”
“Well that escalated quickly.”
***
Jett ducked just as brass colored blade swung right over his head. He rolled back and sprang back to his feet just in time to block another swing by Soarin’.
So far the duel had been lasting a bit longer than all the other competitions. If there was one thing Soarin’ was reasonably good at other than flying, it was swordsmanship.
Jett circled his blade and disengaged it from Soarin’s. He turned and spun his body to bring the most amount of force applicable in with his next swing. His blade contacted the cutlass with a jarring impact. Soarin’ pushed forward to repel the attack but Jett was stronger. He forced him back and he stumbled but regained his footing.
Jett spun his sword and tossed it in the air before catching it and striking a fighting stance.
Soarin’, with sweat coming down his forehead, growled.
Jett grinned, “Go ahead, make my day.”
Soarin’ roared and rushed forward, his blade by now had multiple notches in it while Jett’s barely had a scratch. Jett rushed forward to meet him. Their two blades collided with a loud bang and locked together. Soarin’ started to push forward. Jett, getting reasonable footing, rotated his body to break the lock so his back was facing him. He spun farther and removed his sword from the lock with a swing, the blade narrowly missing Soarin’s face.
The two rushed at each other and clashed again.
On the sidelines were the rest of the team and some of the Wonderbolts support staff. The exchange had been going on for almost half an hour now.
Fleetfoot sighed, “Okay, now this is getting ridiculous.”
“You’re the one who said for them to only use their blades. And that’s all they’ve been doing,” Spitfire responded, “All this is about now is who’s gonna last longer though I have a pretty good idea on who that’s gonna be.”
Misty shouted, “Jett are you even trying?!”
“Yes!” he replied, ducking to avoid a blade before thrusting forward with his, “I’ve just slowed myself down a bit to make it fair. That and we’re using almost two completely incompatible fighting styles and swords. But then again, I did decide to not use some of my personal and not so personal experience in this matter so that could be it too!”
“Why! Won’t! You! Just! Lose!?” Soarin’ yelled with each swing of his blade.
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Blaze sighed, “Hands and feet are allowed now! First one to disarm or compromise the other wins!”
Fleetfoot turned, “Well that should speed things up a bit.”
Soarin’ thrust forward with his sword. Jett raised his hand and deflected his blade to the left before trying to get in a slice with his blade. Soarin’ caught his hand, locking the two together. They grappled, each trying to get the upper hand before Soarin’ pushed forward sending the android backwards. He quickly regained his footing and jumped back into the fight.
Soarin’ ran forward and locked his blade with the android’s before striking him in the face with a left hook. Jett responded with a left hook of his own, only his hand was made of metal. Soarin’ now stumbled back in a daze before recovering. Jett was a bit occupied in a self-diagnostic as Soarin’ rushed forward. He looked up at the last second in time to jump out of the way of a hammer blow. Soarin’ ran forward only this time, things were going to be a bit different.
Soarin’ ran with his blade held back, ready to swing. This time, just as he was beginning to move his arms, Jett’s left arm backhanded the weapon right out of his hand and sent it spinning into the stands, forcing many to jump out of the way. The golden blade stuck precariously out of the wooden surface. Jett meanwhile swung his weapon low, knocking Soarin’s feet out from under him and sticking the weapon uncomfortably close to his face.
“Yield,” he sighed.
“You know what; I don’t give a fuck anymore. You win, now let my ass sleep,” Soarin’ sighed.
Jett sighed and lowered his weapon before walking off the field.
Spitfire ran up to him, “Well that took longer than expected.”
“Tell me about it,” he said slicking his hair back, “I must admit I am feeling, what you would consider, ‘winded.’”
“You? Tired?”
“Hey even robots need rest sometimes. That entire fight took a little extra power to do but whatever.”
Spitfire laughed before rubbing her head, “So… are you free this afternoon? You know, you wanna go do something?”
“Sorry but I can’t today,” Jett said walking over to the bleachers and sheathing his sword, “I’m catching lunch with someone.”
“Oh,” Spitfire deflated, “Who?”
“Her name is Starry Skies.”
“WAIT!” Fleetfoot butted in, “You’re going on a date with her?!”
“Well if that’s what you wanna call it then I guess. But whatever, I’m gonna be late if I hang around here any longer. I’ll catch you all later!” he smiled before heading off the field.
Spitfire stood on the field with an open mouth, watching the android leave. The entire team and staff watched in confusion as he left the area, happily humming to himself.
I was high on insomnia listening to this the whole time I wrote.