Kings Row : The thunder
and the rain
Shadow-Step and Sun Kil Moon led the other scrappers
towards the south end of the facility, they kept a weary eye out for
sounds or movements, walking softly they reached a side corridor entrance.
On its left wall could be seen a sign indicating the way to the kitchens.
Shadow decided to split the remainder on the force in two, and took
the new corridor along with Sun Kil Moon, Cabaret and Machine while
the others headed towards the hangar facility. Nether Spirit had found
a computer room, and was attempting to hack his way into the database
to gather information, Sir Langley and Machine decided to stay and
lend a hand with that. All was quiet and dark in the underground base,
a gloomy green lighting accompanied the scrappers everywhere they
went.
When Shadow reached the two revolving doors of the cafeteria
entrance, he pushed on one gently, and looked in carefully for signs
of life. All was quiet and still, the twenty tables with chairs in
the dining room were all cleaned and empty, no one had left a tray
or garbage to indicate that they had been here before. At the back
of the room, the kitchen counter was sparkling clean and someone had
left the light on in that room. The scrappers entered and took separate
directions, hugging the walls, they snuck around the dining tables,
to meet again under the stainless steel kitchen counter.
Cabaret took
the bold choice, and walked straight in the middle without trying
to hide her presence, she felt that if someone was here they should
know the base was no longer abandoned, and besides Shadow-Step and
Sun Kil Moon were surely the best back-ups anyone would want when
trouble found you. Especially that Shadow-Step fellow, what a cutie
pie she thought to herself, as she looked at him sneaking along the
wall, dressed in blood stained hospital pants. He must be a very deadly
foe, and she hoped also, a very skilled lover. Bringing her attention
back to the matter at hands, she noticed that across the counter,
in the lighted kitchen, a knife and some sliced onions, mustard and
bread were on the counter. Looking more closely at the scene, the
refrigerator storage door was ajar just a little, not closed all the
way. She made a hand signal to her two team mates, and crouched under
the counter with them. Indicating them to have a look, she felt her
heart quicken, the familiar sensation of a fight and the adrenalin
were bringing her senses back to life.
Shadow-Step felt a tight ball
of creepiness lurk into his stomach, O-Lan was free and roaming about,
and seeing the food left out on the butcher’s block kitchen counter,
reminded him that he was still in a grave danger. Eyes darting to
and fro, he listened more intently, still no sounds.
“I feel life
is here.” Whispered Sun Kil Moon, sitting in a yoga position under
the counter, he was meditating. Shadow and Cabaret both looked at
him with a cocked eyebrow, what a nutcase he could be at times. Of
course there was life here, the food left on the butcher’s block was
fresh, and whoever had taken it out, would be back to finish putting
together the sandwich.
“Ok, Cabaret you stay here, and jump in if
we get into trouble. Sun, you take position behind the fridge door,
when it opens, the target is yours. I’ll hide behind the butcher’s
block and jump on her the minute she comes out. ” Shadow spoke fast
and quietly, then went crouching for the entrance located right beside
the stainless steel service area. Sun was with him, walking on all
fours, the two of them went in and took position.
“What makes you
think it’s a she?” Whispered Cabaret from across the counter, wondering
why Shadow had looked pale a second ago.
“It’s not a she, Cabaret,
it’s the devil.” He replied seriously while taking the huge kitchen
knife away from the butcher’s block and hiding it under the counter.
Looking around, he saw a wooden stand filled with twenty more sharp
knives, then noticed the metal frying pans of different sizes, racks
upon racks of crystal glasses. He suddenly felt very unsafe about
ambushing O-Lan here, very unsafe. He was about to make a hand gesture
to Sun, so he would come out of the kitchen with him, but the refrigerator
door slowly started to open.
Sun hugged the wall while the metal door
came closer to him, he felt like a kid hiding from his older brother.
Shadow ducked back down behind the butcher’s block, heart racing and
pounding, he was grabbing his genitals in both hands while picturing
what might happen when O-Lan got her hands on a sharp knife. Cabaret
who was behind the counter, looked like a cat about to pounce, ready
to jump in and subdue the sandwich maker.
Sun Kil Moon screamed his
battle cry from behind the door, as he pushed it away and came to
stand in front of the new comer. Shadow heard him but was unable to
move, rooted in place by fear and visions of more pain for himself.
He then saw Sun pass over the butcher’s block feet in the air, head
below with his arm flinging. Sun Kil Moon went to hit the far wall
of the kitchen upside down, and landed face first in the industrial
size kitchen sink with a resounding impact. Cabaret jumped over the
counter screaming, but soon after, Shadow heard her say: “What the…”
Then he heard the sound of crashing chairs and tables, and an outraged
cry of pain. He stood up and looked for the O-Lan, but his eyes met
another pair of eyes, seriously angry.
The man was holding cold cuts
and a jar of mayonnaise, and when he saw Shadow stand up, he threw
the cold cuts at his face. Shadow-Step received the sliced pastrami
square in the face, which hung there for a second before falling to
the floor. Shadow, who was expecting to see O-Lan, stalled for a second
while this happened. And a second was all this new person needed to
act. His hand free, he pointed toward Shadow who felt a tingling sensation
all over his body. Then the man, tall and a bit on the skinny side,
with brown short hair and a green bandana, dressed in a green and
black copy of the Riders of Apocalypse suit, started to whistle and
walked towards the butcher’s block, not caring anymore for Shadow-Step
or the others.
Shadow took a swipe for his chin, just to knock him
out, and missed. The man went on whistling while looking at Shadow
with raised eyebrows.
“Such violence, you should at least introduce
yourself before trying to hurt me, it’s not very polite, you know.”
Said the young man, who was now turning his back to Shadow. Sun Kil
Moon had stumbled out of the kitchen sink, and was running towards
the whistler, a guttural roaring in the throat, he dove straight at
him. Much to his surprise, he seemed to slide off the man, and went
on to fly across the butcher’s block, both feet left dangling up as
he hit the floor on the other end. Outraged and angry, he screamed
in pain as his nose hit the floor first. The man looked at the feet
and smiled gently, then resumed making his sandwich.
“You wanna go
get me some more pastrami from the fridge, while you’re over there,
the one I brought is wasted.” He said to Sun Kil Moon while Shadow
missed another punch at him. He tried kicking him, and missed him.
Tried grabbing him but his hands slid off of him like they were greased.
“I have encased you in an energy field, try as hard as you want to
hit me or hurt me, you can’t.” Went on the short haired man who was
still busying himself with the sandwich. “My name is Erg, and unless
you have business here, I would suggest you leave before my friends
comes back.” He wasn’t even looking a them, not a care in the world,
he stood amongst enemies. A chair passed over his head, the four legs
seemed to encase his skull as it went by and crashed into the wall,
but he wasn’t even phased by it. Cabaret threw another one for good
measure, and it missed him by a hair. The man couldn’t be hit.
“I
beg of you to leave this place now, my friends don’t have the same
patience as I do, and they will certainly hurt you senseless, while
you will not be able to hurt them. It’s very dangerous to stay here
right now, you must leave.” He had finished slapping on the mustard,
the mayonnaise and the onions, and was now walking around the block,
heading once more for the fridge. Sun Kil Moon swung at him, and ended
up missing again. Shadow followed him, not attacking anymore, a plan
had just sparked in his head. Erg walked into the fridge whistling,
looking at the two scrappers and smiling to them. Shadow smiled back,
then with his right arm, shoved the fridge door closed on him. Sun
Kil Moon gave Shadow an appraising look and said : “You da man, Shadow.”
“Cabaret, what are you doing here?” Asked a very familiar voice from
across the cafeteria, a voice that sent chills up Shadow-Step’s spine.
Sun Kil Moon smiled when he recognized it.
“O-Lan, we thought you
were lost, or worst, it’s good to see you girl.” Replied Cabaret in
the distance.
“Judging from the mess in the room, I take it you met
Erg?” O-Lan’s footsteps could be heard, and Shadow looked all around
for a hiding place.
“Yeah, me and the boys tried to sneak up on him,
but he got us good.” Answered cabaret with laughter in the voice as
she hugged her friend and whispered in her hear : “Just wait until
you see the sexy guy I met today, you’re gonna have a fit of jealousy
girl.”
“Sexy, I like sexy.” Whispered O-Lan into cabaret’s ear as
they separated.
“Yes, and he knows of you too.” Smiled Cabaret as
she looked towards the kitchen to see Sun Kil Moon appear, alone.
“Well, I hope you didn’t mess up his attempt at making me a sandwich,
I’m starved.” Shadow looked at the incomplete sandwich on the butcher’s
block, gulped heavily and looked at Sun Kil Moon who had started to
walk towards the dining hall. Thinking fast and with survival, for
himself and his only remaining testicle, Shadow opened the fridge
door, and entered it. Standing in front of Erg, who was wondering
what the scrapper would try next, the defender said:
“You know, it
doesn’t matter how hard you will try, the energy field you are encased
in prevents you from hurting anyone, but it’s also preventing me from
hurting you, as long as I maintain it active. And I’m smart enough
to know not to go against scrappers in hand to hand combat.” Erg spoke
that last while taking a seat on a crate of milk. “I’m a pacifist
when it comes to punching and kicking.”
“Save me, please.” Said Shadow-Step,
with genuine fear in his eyes.