"Well," Leela says. "Here we are. Peoples Alpha." She looks further out the ship's window. "Looks like it hasn't changed at all."
That was for sure. The crew hovered high over the ramshackle buildings, the thugs and gangs covered the streets, fist fights breaking out, and the all too familiar red-blue blue-red jerseys that symbolized the two main gang groups. The Blips, who have the red side on the left and the blue side on the right, and the Cruds, who have the same colors but reversed.
"What are we delivering?" Fry asks.
"Let's see. Bender, can I use your box opener from last time?" Leela says, turning to Bender.
"Be my guest, meatbag." He opens his chest compartment and tosses Leela the box opener. She sticks it underneath the box's top and pushes down. The wooden lid pops open.
"It looks like... giant spider repellent," Leela says, taking a rather large can of spray out of the box.
"At least it's not guns, like last time," Fry offers.
After a short silence, Leela says, "Alright; I'm parking the ship. You two are going to be making the delivery."
"Why aren't you going with us?" Fry whined.
"Because someone needs to guard the ship. I don't trust you to do it, and when Bender did it, we had to go around the universe looking for his body parts," Leela says.
"Worth it, though," Bender says, knocking his hand on his metal body with a metallic clang.
"Now go. We don't have all day," Leela says impatiently.
Bender mutters something that Leela nor Fry could hear, and follows Fry to the crate. Bender lifts the crate onto a wheeler and starts pushing it down the street.
"So... did Leela say where we're taking this?" Fry asks.
"She said to go down a few blocks from here, and that some Cruds should be waiting," Bender responds.
"Oh," Fry says. "So, do you wanna hang out later or-"
Before Fry can continue, two men with guns jump out from an ally and land in front of them. They're wearing vests with the red on the left and the blue on the right. The Blips point their guns at him and Bender.
"What's in the crate?" one of the guys says.
"Just some spider repellent," Bender says smoothly. Fry, meanwhile, has his hands held up and is looking like he's going to pass out from fear.
"Who's it goin' to?" the other Blip asks.
"The Cruds. My delivery partner and I should really get going," Bender says.
"Nuh uh. We told those Cruds we needed the repellent more, but they wouldn't listen to us. We're gonna take that crate now, then we're gonna kill you so they're no witnesses. Come to think of it, we should probably do that first."
Bender runs toward Fry, knowing humans will die if they're shot. A bullet shoots towards him but misses, and at the same time, the other Blip pulls the trigger and a bullet rips through Fry's stomach.
Fry falls to the ground unconscious just as Bender reaches him. He collapses next to Fry and the already growing pool of blood.
"No, no, no," Bender whispers, just as more gunshots ring out. Bender throws himself over Fry, not caring if he is shot too, because all he knew is he had to protect Fry.
But those guns weren't aimed at him. The two Blips fall to the ground a second after the bullets went through their heads.
Bender hears footsteps in front of him and sits up, ashamed to realize he must've looked like a weakling.
"Are y'all okay?" asks a guy with a vest opposite of the two dead men ten feet away. "We heard the gunfire while we were waiting for the delivery." Two more Cruds run up behind him.
"Th-the box is over there," Bender says in a shaking voice, pointing.
The same Crud nods. "One of yuh get the box, the other, go find a board or somethin to carry the shot guy back to his ship!"
One of the two remaining men run into a beaten down warehouse and comes back not a minute later with a wooden board slightly taller than Fry. Each man grabs a side to stabilize it.
"Can yuh grab the guy and put him on here?" the other man says.
Bender bends down and grabs Fry, gently setting him down on the board.
"Aight. You lead, we'll follow," the Crud says.
Bender runs slow enough for the men to follow.
"Bender!" Leela calls out when she spots him. "What in the universe took so long to deliver- FRY!" She stops as the Cruds come around the corner carrying the board.
"Hand one side to me and one to Bender," she says steadily. As they do this, Leela says in an anchoring tone, "Thanks. Bender, help me carry Fry to the ship and tell me what happened."
