The Unwritten Sin

Chapter 24

The streets were unusually quiet. Cleaner bots whirred around sweeping debris into their tanks, but there were few traders or citizens at all outside. The two of them walked across the city to approximately the area where the ship was stationed. Wilder had never been to this side of the city, and he was more than nervous. He couldn't keep from thinking about James. He felt the now-familiar rush of blood to his groin, and fought back the feeling. Neptune was too busy switching the settings on his new pistol to notice his turmoil.

He wished, in his heart of hearts, that Ness had never died. It made things complicated. Not only did everyone in the ministry not believe in reconnecting with victims of second breach, he could have been reincarnated into anyone. One of the convent members, maybe even October. But the timeline didn't work, he rationalized to himself. Wilder found the feeling in his chest reminded him of someone trying to grip his heart with a wickedly powerful hand. Envy. Rearing it's ugly head.

"Any clues that would help us find them?" he asked Neptune, who shook his head. 

"No one was willing to talk to me," he said, "I don't know what October must have said to them, but I don't think anyone likes me."

"I think that's bullshit," Wilder said. "Don't even do that to yourself. Shh. Do you hear that?"

A heavy clicking noise was coming from behind them. Wilder, relying on his instincts, ducked into the nearest alleyway, pulling Neptune behind him. A droid clattered by, and Wilder immediately recognized what was mounted on it's face. A rifle with a rack of projectile ammunition strapped behind it in a container marked with strange writing he couldn't read.

"Whoa." Neptune stared as it whirred down the street, looking every which way with the bayonet. 

Suddenly, there was a shattering noise, and they both watched in disbelief as it fired off it's rounds into an unsuspecting cleaner bot, and the little frame was riddled with smoking holes.

Wilder clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from screaming. The cleaner bot struggled to move, as the droid moved off in search of other prey. The two crept out from their hiding place to inspect the broken shell of the cleaner bot. Neptune looked both ways, and swept it into his deep space bag. They followed the droid further down the street, careful to make as little noise as possible. Suddenly, it stopped in it's tracks, and spun around to face them. "Oh shit."

"Run!" The two of them took off, zigzagging through the rubble as the droid followed them.

"Error. Not registered. Error. Must delete." The droid was fast. It was quickly gaining on them as they fell over each other trying to scramble into an alleyway. 

"Up here!" Neptune scurried up a fire escape ladder, and swung Wilder up behind him. They climbed like mad as the droid rounded the corner a split second after them, looking around as if confused. 

"Error. Error." It kept repeating to itself. 

The two reached the top of the building, and hid behind the housing of an internal fan. "Do you think it can follow us up here?" Neptune asked nervously. 

Wilder felt his heart beating in every part of his body. He didn't bother to answer. He was watching the droid. He could see the mass above the city clearer from this vantage point. 

He wasn't even surprised when he could see the clear outlines of a vehicle. There were even doors on the sides like portholes. "If they come up here," he said, "we can try out our new pistols." 

"I could really use some mj right now," Neptune mumbled. "Take all the pain right away from you. It's like moon mushrooms, actually."

Wilder couldn't believe he was talking about getting high at a time like this. He made sure the laser pistol was set and loaded. His hands trembled as he held the gun. His finger teased the trigger, as he watched the droid below them, half hoping it would come up so he could test out his aim.

Neptune threw a rock down from the ceiling, and it popped right on top of the bayonet shell.

The droid turned to point it's rifle at them. "What do you think you're doing!" Wilder dropped down behind the coils as the whirring of the droid's motors got louder and louder. Three seconds later, the droid crested the roof and began rattling off shots. Neptune tumbled behind the fan housing again as the explosives ripped holes in the roof. Wilder took aim with his pistol and squeezed the trigger. The kick from the gun was more intense than he anticipated, and it flew back and hit him right between the eyes. Blinded by pain, he shot again, and heart a hiss as one of the droid's legs was taken off and a fluid leaked from the wound.

"Shoot, Neptune!" Wilder screamed, taking another shot. The droid spun around as the force of the shot winged it's frame. Neptune managed to get one shot off, and took off two more of it's spidery legs. Wilder manged to free one of his knives from the belt, and threw it underhand. The knife spun like mad, and split the bayonet in half and buried itself in the brain of the droid.

Smoking and spluttering with electricity, the droid crashed to the rooftop, and exploded.

Wilder coughed through the smoke, and went to retrieve his knife.

"Neptune, I swear to God, I will shoot you if you provoke another one of them."