Rogue Robot

Black Market Friends

Viggo smiled at the city. He knew the place well and was glad to finally be back.So was Eve- it had taken them two days to get through the forest. In those two days Viggo had hunted for food, but there had never been enough to eat. The first night they went hungry. On the last day they had come out near a road and waited some time before someone had come along. They had a hover-cycle, and was a Canadian biker named Harlan. He dropped them off in a small town where he fetched a beat up hover-car and took them to the city.
Now, the first thing they needed to do was to meet up with Viggo's friends. He looked over at Eve. They would need money for a ride of phone call...unless. He gestured for Eve to wait a moment and stopped a passerby. They were a young woman with blonde hair and dark blue eyes. She was pretty tall as well.
"Excuse me miss. My friend and I have just been robbed of what little change we had and our cell was broken in the encounter. Could I borrow your phone for a second to call a friend to come and help us out?" he smiled hopefully. The blonde lady nodded and handed Viggo a ComLet. Despite their names if you wanted to a borrow one from a stranger to make a call it was best to call it a phone. Viggo dialed the number quickly and held his breath. A familiar voice answered.
"Hey, this Vincent speaking and-" Viggo cut the man off.
"Vin, it's Viggo. I'm back in the city." he said, grinning.
"Viggo! Man, has it been a  loooong time! Where ha-" Viggo cut him off again.
"I need you to come and pick us up. We're at.." Viggo paused to read the street signs. "We're at 1st street and Infinite Way." 
"Got it. I'll send someone over right now." Viggo thanked the man and hung up, giving the lady her ComLet back and thanking her. He walked back to Eve, grinning like a mad man.
"I got us a ride. My friend should here to pick us up in a few minutes." Eve looked at him nervously. She really didn't know anything about him, or what he did before. What if he was some sort of ex-criminal? What if he had been in jail? Where did he get the cyborg parts? He had told her himself he was illegal. Did that mean he was going to kill her or kidnap her? What about Juliet, her guardian? Eve had to call her every month and she hadn't done so yet. What was she thinking right now?
These questions chased one another around her head as she waited. Finally, after what seemed to be a lifetime, a small silver hover-car pulled up beside them. Like all hover-cars this one was sleek, slender and arrow-like. the driver was a young woman, perhaps twenty, with dark hair and a pair of black sunglasses that hid her eyes. 
"That's our ride." Viggo said hopping in the passenger seat, leaving Eve to crawl into the back. The hover-car seated only three, leaving the end tapered off. "It's good to see you again, Thea." Viggo greeted the lady.
"The same to you, Viggo." the lady, Thea, replied evenly. She glanced back at Eve. "Whose your friend?" a trace of jealously was in her voice.
"Her name is Eve Wires. I'll explain when we get back to base." Thea nodded in understanding, and drove off.
Eve sat nervously, rubbing her neck and staring out the window. Where was she going now? Was it a safe place? How far was it? The drive seemed to last forever, longer than the wait. Eve had just started to doze off when they parked.
All three got out of the hover-car and Eve surveyed the building they had parked outside of. It was a long, squat one, obviously ten or fifteen years out of date. The paint job on the outside was peeling, revealing the silvery metal underneath. A wide door allowed access inside. There was a man standing outside, but he was too far away to get a good look at.
Thea escorted them to the man and left, going inside the building without a word. The man was of average build and a little taller than normal height. His black hair was shaggy and his hazel eyes had a mischievous glint to them. 
"I'm Vincent, but everyone here calls me Vin." he shook Eve's hand, looking at her. "You must be the other part of the 'we' Viggo said he needed a ride for. What's your name?"
"I'm Eve Wires." his hand was calloused in her's. He let go, looking over at Viggo and a huge grin spread over his face.
"Gears! I can't believe you're really here!" he stepped past Eve and gave Viggo a bear-hug. Viggo responded likewise.
"It's great to see you too Vin! Am I ever glad to see you." he added the next part in a low mutter, pulling away from the embrace. He looked over at Eve, grinned wider and said, "Don't ever take Vin too seriously. He's all bark and no bite."
"Hey! Don't be giving away my secrets just now!" Vincent laughed. He opened the door and led them inside the building.
The inside was a sprawling mass of vendors, curtains, wooden walls and spacers, counters and people. Colour was everywhere, as well as noise. It was like an indoor open-air market. People came and went, opening doors, pushing aside curtains and exchanging money with vendors. The items they bought were even more enchanting then the people themselves. 
"Welcome to the black market. This one here is the safest by far. It also plays host to our little group!' Vincent spread his arms wide.
"Little group?!" Eve half-asked, half-gasped in shock.
"Not everyone is part of it. But everyone will work for us, if we name their price." Vincent moved to the back of the building, guiding the two between vendors, keeping up a commentary the whole time.
"That brown curtained vendor sells food and water, that red and black one has top of the line illegal weapons and that blue and purple striped one has the best body armor. That carved wooden wall has a whole shop of animals behind it, some genetically mutated. Over by that beige wooden divider are cyborg parts and the darker one beside it repairs you. Oh and that green painted wall sells little robots." Eve looked at the green wall Vincent had pointed out.  The two other wooden dividers were close to it, as if it was a robotics garage.
"Finally." Vincent said as he reached a stainless steel door that reminded Eve strongly of the facility she had just come from. He opened the door, gestured for Viggo to close it behind him and lead them down a hallway with heavily curtained walls. At the end was another door, which he unlocked and got Viggo to close again. He lead them down a short hallway and into a large spacious room.
The room looked like dining hall. Two long tables stretched the length of the circular room, both of them crowded with chairs. There was only right people in the room though. On of them was Thea. Vincent walked up to them. Three of them were male and the other four female. Vincent introduced them one by one.
"This is my adopted sister, Maria," a dark skinned woman with bushy hair stepped forward and lightly hit Vincent on the arm. She was slim and tall, like a willow tree. her long brown jacket had buttons all over it, with odd band names and weird slogans. She smiled at them both as Vincent went on, "Here's Thea, you met her, this is Oscar," a m,an stepped forward. He was small with a slender build, lightly tanned skin, dark hair and light eyes. he was fiddling with a gadget and his brown jacket had oil stains all over it. Vincent moved on, "Our gun woman, Helen," a woman stepped forward. She had shoulder length red hair, green eyes, a spray of freckles, wide shoulders and muscled arms. Her red jacket, cameo pants and combat boots give her the look of a warrior. Vincent moved onto the next person, "Our cook, Nigan, or just Ni," another man stepped forward. His skin was tanned, and his hair a dark brown. He had an average build and height. His white coat ended just past his waist and was spotless, helping cement his spot as a chef. Vincent smiled as he reached the last person. "And this is our co-leader,Antonius, or just Tony." the last man stepped forward. he was tall, a a little smaller than the average build. He had light brown hair, almost blonde and a pair of thin framed black glasses perched on his nose. He wore a long black trench coat, giving him an air of authority. 
Eve looked at all right. she didn't know what to think, or do, or say.
"I'm Eve Wires." she said simply, looking at all eight of them and Vincent. They were all so different. So varied. 
And this was all so much. She was so tried from her trek through the forest. She yawned hugely. Vincent broke out in a wide grin.
"Let's get this one and Viggo a bed. Then, maybe, the two ungrateful swine, " his grin widened at his joke, "Will feel welcomed enough to share their story."
And Vincent did just what he said.