Chapter 4:
Silent Knight, Holy Knight
Percussive Maintenance: Where Do Naughty Robots Go When They Die?
𒀮𒁓𒆸𒐖𒈦𒀮
Her gun’s display still read.
I’m going to die, with an illegal gun in my hand and only Mitsuki Haiku as my witness.
Anh then looked at the Haiku again. It was idling, waiting for instructions, the large bulky machine covered in cheap neons hummed softly.
“Haiku, how do I fix the gun?”
The Haiku figure turned to Anh and looked at the display. Anh flashed at the screen.
The Mitsuki Haiku transformed from her “popstar” outfit to an office lady with glasses. A sign she was in “search and recall mode.” An hourglass in the corner.
Anh could seen four more figures starting to move towards her. She scrambled for a bottle before tossing it out behind her. Another stream of bullets came out ravaged the mirror in front of her, she was now almost blind. Only a few shards left.
“Oh, if your PAN Weapon is showing that, it means the bio-psycho components of the device are unhinged and need to be rebinded. Apply proper restorative measures over the course of 4 hours it may….”
“I’m in the middle of a gunfight!”
To her left, a cook with a Molotov cocktail emerged from a barricade of tables.
"仆街橙色屌 !"
He shouted some obscenities in Chinese before tossing a Molotov cocktail at the raiders. He over shot the bottle hit the frames and relic covered wall above. Flaming rock star relics came crashing down on the floor. A protestor crushed by a large metal poster of a hair metal band. The cook took his chance to run for the exit to the plaza.
Alarms blared, sprinklers turned on. Anh was now drenched in water.
“HAIKU!”
The Haiku flickered….
”Um. Perhaps apply “Percussive Maintenance?"
Percussive Maintenance? Wait…you're kidding!
Anh smacks the gun against the metallic rim of the counter.
The gun sniffled and the ichor stopped leaking out.
𒀮𒐣𒌋𒐋𒀮
Honestly amazed that it worked. But wait…only 16 shots left???
She wiped the dirty water from her eyes and saw the swinging doors of the kitchen. And through what’s left of the mirror the men step away from the dousing fires reloading.
Of course, a kitchen probably has an exit for trash and stuff. Do I risk it?
I need help.
“Haiku, I need you to send a message to Saito Tower, report malfunctions and assault of company personnel, and request rescue.”
“But Anon-san, the lines to Saito corp are suffering heavy traffic right now, why don’t you give me your cell number and I can schedule a call back in 15 minu….”
Anh fired off a few rounds, striking a large man with a submachine gun and Lotus with Bomb symbol. She ducked again before another cavalcade of bullets.
Anh grabs her lanyard out of her purse and flashes it to the Haiku’s Screen. She hears a ping on the device.
“Hai. Employee number logged, Tranh-Sama. Sending priority signal.”
Ok someone would have come out the kitchen if there was a problem. The only way out is through. I need to make a break for the doors. She moves her lanyard around her neck and prepares to run.
The Loading signal on the Haiku stopped and she gave a thumbs up pose.
“Priority Signal sent!” She bubbled. “Emergency Response 794-4 four four four four……”
The Screen turned a bright white, Anh backed away as if it was going to explode. Clear fluid leaked out of the vents.
Oh No. Not again.
“They sell the innocent for silver,”
From the corner of her eye, Past the Haiku console she saw a large man In a pink windbreaker padded jeans.
“and the needy for a pair of sandals.”Oh god, is that a sword? I’ve got to get out of here before the bike knight finds me.
His face is obscured by a neon blue Biker’s helmet, yet Anh could feel him looking at her. The man walked with purpose towards her.
“Get out, Altar boy, she’s ours!” A group of the raiders in orange drew their knives and surrounded the man.
“The Lady demands her, The Lady will have her.”
The Helmeted man spoke with a soft metallic distortion while his body adjusted his pose.“She and Saito owe a debt to the hungry ghosts, and we will collect.”
“If that is your mission we are on the same side.”“No we aren’t. Not with you, and not with your whore.”
One of the members, a portly man with a beard charged towards him. The man took a side step and with a single stroke the blade connected to the man's neck, the head rolled. The other two shout obscenities. Keeping his momentum the helmeted man used the swing of the blade to move forward and drive his sword into the chest of the skinny bald rioter trying to grab his gun. The Helmeted figure then looked to the last of the three charging towards him. And kicked him. The rioter with a large bag of loot staggered. Then unsheathing the blade from the body of the skinny man, the Pink and Neon Blue knight took the hilt of his sword and like an axe drove it into his opponent’s head. The figure fell on his knees as the knight turned towards her.Oh Shit.
She fired in his direction, and he took cover. Anh looked towards the swinging doors of the kitchen and ran for it. She fired her cover shots, before charging in, kicking the door open.
She expected to see cooks, staff, possibly Corey even. There was no one. The kitchen staff was raptured away. To her right the stoves still simmered with sauces and soups, deep fryers held now burning fries.
Only the knives are gone.
In front of her was a counter and a metal dish cart. She walked around the cart staying towards the left side of the room.
The Exit is here, I just need to make a bee line to it.
“Stop right there!”
The man in the helmet comes bursting through the door, sword in hand. Anh points to fire at the man. The fluid comes out again. The gun goes click.
𒀮𐏓𒋻𒐖𒈦𒀮
The man points his sword at her.
“I am to bring you to Phu Nhan Maria .”
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