The Warrior

Issue 6- The Mechanic (Part 3)

"I like machines, they make sense.

They break and I fix them. They

get old and I upgrade them.

I never have to be worried about

saying the wrong thing either."

--Keela

"Don't know if you notice this, but none of us are mutants," Captain Budd said as he gestured to the three of them seated around their dining table.

   "I know this," Lin replied, her voice steady and her eyes closed.

   "You know what they do to non-mutants on that ship? Because I do. Death is the best you two can hope for, me they turn into a damn battery for eternity."

   "Then we don't get caught."

   "That simple, is it?"

   "It has to be."

   Budd shook his head wildly. "No, no it doesn't. We could also just go pretty much any-fucking-where else in the damn universe."

   Lin's eyes opened slowly. "You're right. We could do that, and then one day you'll have to watch the Goblin Empress flay both Keela and myself alive." Keela shivered at the thought. "Is that preferable?"

   "No," he grunted. "But maybe that will never happen."

   "And maybe you'll be made a member of the Council. I do not want to go anywhere near that ship or what is inside, but I prefer those odds to the ones if we do not do what she wants us to do."

   "Wh-what about New Krakoa?" Keela interjected. "Don't they also have gates to Krakoa?"

   Budd rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "They do, but Lin is right. We have a better chance with the Voidpiercer. New Krakoa has theirs under guard, Voidpiercer doesn't. Of course either way then we're in the middle of Krakoa, and they ain't exactly going to be happy to see us."

   "Isn't Krakoan tech all geared towards mutants?" Keela asked. "How will we use the gate at all?"

   "I have a spell that should do the job. It isn't pleasant, but should work."

   Keela's eyes turned to Lin from behind her helmet. "What do you mean that it isn't pleasant? Do you need to hurt somebody."

   "If we're lucky we may even find a mutant willing to help," Budd interjected. "I mean, sure, most of them will just wanna throw us into their engine or use us to practise their powers on, but I'm sure we'd find one or two nice ones in there."

   "The gate isn't even our greatest problem," Lin noted as she crossed her arms.

   Budd leaned back in his seat. "What is?"

   "Getting on board. They do not allow just any vessels to dock."

   Budd took a slow breath. "So how are we getting on board?"

   "I have disengaged all systems that may prevent them from detecting the Warrior."

   Keela rubbed her hands together. "But that would mean..."

   "They're going to come take us," Budd grumbled as he ran a hand through his hair. "So our plan is to let them capture us and hope we can slip away?"

   Lin gave a single nod. "Hopefully they do not determine what each of us truly is."

   A red light began to flash and Budd rose to his feet. "Alright everybody, get ready to be prisoners in a nightmare."