'ATTENTION! All civilians must stay indoors & assist in the combing for terrorists. Any protest would be considered rebellion and will be dealt with capital punishment!' A robotic sound boomed repeatedly.
"You should get rid of this." Fox pulled off Blade's wrist cuff and crushed it.
"Hey! That was costly!"
Fox rolled her eyes and pulled out her breasts as compensation. Blade gaped at the sight of her beautiful tits, forgetting about his loss.
'ATTENTION! DO NOT RESIST!' 'ATTENTION! DO NOT RESIST!'
The mechanical voice kept on repeating while a hovering bulky humanoid robot shot thick laser cannon beams at the buildings, blowing up apartments and cutting through structures, killing people like insects.
"They might have noticed the unregistered signature from your wrist cuff and decided to simply purge the whole locality." Fox said. "All wrist cuffs are registered with the government, and the wearer's data is monitored by SSS. Everything from the citizens' purchase, communications, locations, data, and even heartbeat stats are at SSS's disposal to observe. Unregistered wrist cuffs are detected by their different electromagnetic signals emitted by the core chips. It's not a problem in the Underworld, or even lower Midworld, but here in the upper areas, it's a beacon for danger."
"Damn…I didn't know. But why are they firing randomly and killing innocent civilians?" Blade was shocked.
"This is Saffronshire. Ordinary people here are just mules or bugs to exploit and purge." Fox said bitterly.
"But SSS is supposed to protect the countrymen!"
"No; it's supposed to maintain the King's dictatorship."
'ATTENTION. ATTENTION. Commencing cleansing.'
BOOM! Fzoom!! BOOM! RUMBLE…!
Explosions occurred, buildings broke down and went up in flames. Screams and cries could be heard. Blade's breaths got faster. Fox noticed this and frowned.
"Relax. Your signal is off now. They already passed our building so apparently the bots do not have good antennas or sensors. We are safe."
"But the others are not."
"Blade; don't…."
Blade crawled out from under the bed. The milf grabbed him. "Wait! You'll get killed out there!"
"No more innocent lives will be taken while I'm around." Blade snarled, pushing her aside, and climbed off the rectangular gap in the wall. Fox observed him with melancholy.
"That resolve is all that it takes to make a superhero." She muttered somberly. "I gave it up long ago. But I suppose I can't let a fledgling perish either. Raymond would be so mad at me either way, sigh."
Swoosh!
Blade leapt from one roof to another while assesing the situation. Ugly humanoid robots were moving in the area with single laser cannons installed in their bellies. They used jet technology to keep themselves afloat. It was an old tech; which implied that these were expendable robots. Them having S grade weapons installed in them meant, this was an experiment. Killing two birds with one stone. Testing new weapons installed on expandable robots, while hunting for possible rebels.
As for the collateral damage costing innocent lives…nobody cared. The men that made up most of the population were busy exploiting women and watching porn, or indulging in crimes or survival race if not slavery. Nobody was looking up at the oppressor. The King and his ruthless force- SSS.
'ATTENTION. ATTENTION.'
Shwak! A plasma sword cleaved through a robot as Blade leapt down.
Kaboom!
The robot blew up in smithereens.
'ATTENTION! TERRORIST DETECTED! COMMENCING ANNIHILATION!'
The robots announced in unison, moving towards Blade who began to move around speedily. He was dexterous and fast; experienced in escaping strong foes. The robots were slow and he could guess when any of them was about to fire a canon, from the unique buzz & glow that preceded it. He only needed to look up and locate the shooter robots once at a time.
Fzoom! BOOM!
Fzoom!
Blade dodged the canons and moved up the buildings gradually, climbing up the drain pipes and terraces. Every few minutes he managed to cut down a robot, reducing their numbers. At some point however, the robots seemed to have formulated a counter tactic. They spread out, covering a larger area and out of reach, before targeting the lone young hero.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Multiple robots blew up one after another.
"Stay away from that boy, you dumb scraps!" Fox shouted. Blade glanced over and paused, gaping at the woman. Fox was wearing her old superheroine suit which consisted of a micro bra and a g-string panty made of orange leotard. She was essentially naked!
Carrying a large laser sniper gun, Fox rested the long barrel of it on her knee and took aim. The gun boomed, sending visible ripples through the air, and multiple robots blew up again. The remaining ones changed directions and fired cannons at Fox who leapt off the roof, dodging the lasers and landed on a terrace.
Blade moved up again, reaching higher and higher and jumped upon a robot; grabbed it by an antenna and its head with his phantom blade. Sparks burst at his face and he grunted, moving back. The robot hovered back as well. Blade blinked, realizing that the antenna's movement could influence the robot's movement. He manipulated the antenna and guided the robot towards others.
BOOM! BOOM!! Fzoomm!
Meanwhile Fox was hard at work. She blew up two more robots before she had to abandon her heavy laser gun when a barrage of canon lasers came her way. She switched to the smaller handgun, which needed to be fired at least 40 times before it could destroy a SSS robot.
THUNK! BAANG!
Blade rammed his robot with another and then finished both of them off with his plasma sword before leaping down to another robot which was shooting its cannon at Fox.
Thunk! Slash! BOOM!!
Blade landed near Fox and rolled towards her.
"Good job Blade." Fox praised.
"Thanks for your help. Nice suit." Blade eyed her. Fox smirked.
Fzzom! BOOM!
The roof they were upon, blew up, tossing them away. They had reacted a bit slowly to the robots' humming.
"Fox!" Blade shouted, getting up. All around him was dust and debris. "I'm okay!" Fox said from nearby; her silhouette visible. Blue canon lights glowed up in the sky, along with the whirring sound.
"We cannot stay here. Get out of this building!" Blade shouted, rushing towards Fox.
BOOOM! BOOM!!
More lasers turned the building into rubble.
***
"In another news, terrorists were spotted in an upper Midworld section. SSS has effectively wiped them out. The citizens have expressed their heartfelt thanks to the King." A news anchor spoke, while showing fake footage of people waving to the aerial camera bot.
Meanwhile in reality, the entire section was a scene of ruin. Detective watched this from atop his damaged apartment building. People were shouting, children were wailing, cranes were noisily working to remove debris and dig out corpses.
"53 dead." Detective thought. "They won't find 27 until tomorrow as they are buried deeper."
"I'm sorry, it's my fault." Blade said. He was holding Fox up by the waist. Her hand wrapped around his shoulder. They were both dusty and injured.
"He fought for the people." Fox rasped, vouching for Blade.
"Let's leave this place. We will move to another section where SSS isn't active." Detective suggested.
"But Raymond, our home…"
"Home is wherever we are."
***
It was a lower Middleworld section where Detective leased another apartment and settled in after a few hours. Fox was laid down in a bed to rest up, and the two men talked slowly while she slept.
"She's quite a woman." Blade said.
"I know…" Detective sighed.
"What do you offer in exchange for hex chips?" Blade resumed the pending topic.
"My tutelage."
"I'll use that to kill some people."
"I won't stop you from killing those villains who massacred your friends."
"We have a deal then." Blade said, pulling out a small bag full of chips. "…." He paused. "You could have just taken these when I was unconscious."
"I want to stay honest towards my disciple." Detective answered.
"…You don't really care for these chips."
"No. I just don't want them falling into the wrong hands. You will need these chips to lure your enemies anyway." Detective said, and Blade nodded, pocketing the chips again.
"Let's begin your training tomorrow. I have to go sleuth around tonight. There's been an influx of villains in Saffronshire. Men who are using the borrowed power in acts of banditry. The Underworld ought to be pissed."
Blade said nothing and watched Detective exit the room. Left in silence, he realized that within a day he had seemingly become part of the superhero couple's little family. It was their openness towards him which initially made him wary, but now only surprised him. In the savage Saffronshire, such people were rare.
He thought of his orphan friends & sighed. Even though the boys had been exploiting the girls sexually for years; they were all still a big family, supporting and relying on each other for survival. Now they were all dead. Killed for the damned hex chips. Blade exhaled angrily.
Fox tapped his knee, gaining his attention. She seemed exhausted and weak. Her injuries were mostly muscular with scratches on her fair skin, but overall, she was fine.
"You saved me today." She rasped, reaching for his hand.
"You saved me." Blade took her hand and smiled.
***
Training began the next day. Detective focused on hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship only. These were going to be Blade's expertise. As for the gadgets, sleuthing and ways of the heroes, that would have to wait as Raymond had sleuthing to do most of the time in a day. He forbade Blade from joining him until Blade masters the Plasma sword.
"You are merely scratching the surface of a plasma sword. It is how a pencil is to artists. Despite its simplicity, they use it in countless ways to create different kinds of art styles and countless artworks. You must practice until your arms are sore, and new ideas of using the sword begin coming to you." Detective had said.
Blade would spend about 12 hours a day merely practicing the learned lessons and experimenting with the plasma sword. Fox recovered in two days and began assisting him.Though despite the difference in their ages, they conversed on equal terms.
***
Riza entered a dark basement. The colorful neon lights provided a very confusing view of the machines and bedding installed in the basement.
"How long has it been here? People still have money to afford this kind of luxury?" She asked the man walking in front of her.
"Some do. Digital criminals who manage to evade the King's government's tax traps." The man said, leading her on. He tapped his wrist cuff and white lights turned on, revealing about 50 unconscious people wired to their beds. On every person's head was a helmet with thick cables coming out of it, attached to the machines installed around the bed. Their visors were glowing and they all had blissful smiles on their faces.
"They left this world to live in a digital one. Their worlds vary greatly. Some chose medieval fantasies with dragons and pirates. Others, a utopian world. Some are just up in the clouds. Some went back to their childhood days, spending time in their own animated memories with the loved ones they lost along the way." The man said.
"I know what this place is about. A digital dope to escape reality. They never wake up, do they? Riza asked.
"No. And it is our policy to ensure undisturbed continuation of their dreams." The man answered.
"The government purged all the 'dream hubs' a decade ago. The King would rather every individual worked for him their whole lives."
"Yeah. Any escape of any kind is a crime. People must work till they die."
"Well anyway, is she here? The Dream Queen?" Riza asked.
"Yes. She is. You have already met her." The man smiled as he turned, and Riza paused. The man only had a mouth and nothing else. His head was a featureless bald egg. The next moment he disappeared and the dream hub turned into a desolate black and white area with tall dead trees with their leafless branches jutting towards the sky like crooked claws.
Kree! Kree!
Ghastly screeches of birds she couldn't recognize, echoed all around her. Suddenly hands dug out of the ground, grabbing her ankles. Zombies emerged, surrounding her, but Riza stayed calm and ignored everything.
"It's just a dream. But how did Dream Queen managed to put me into it? Am I wired to the machines just like others?" Riza thought while the zombies bit her and began to eat her alive. The pain felt real but Riza persevered. How could it be real? There were no zombies in Saffronshire.
"Fufufu..not bad. You have mental fortitude rivalling experienced heroes." A feminine voice spoke. The scene dispersed itself fully and Riza found herself lying on a patio with a visored helmet on her head. She took it off while staring at the woman before her. Her memories returned swiftly and she remembered that she had met this woman already and been challenged by her to survive in a dream designed to scare the ghost out of people. Her memory was then temporarily suppressed by the machine and she was made to see the artificial dream.
In front of Riza sat the Dream Queen; a woman in her forties with a beautiful face, long blonde hair, big breasts and big hips. She had a blue leotard suit on, as she sat obscenely on a gaming chair with digital screen projections surrounding her.
"Thanks, Dream Queen." Riza said. "I hope you will consider my request now. I need your help to go against SSS and rescue my allies." Riza said.
"I am not a superheroine. I work for money." Dream Queen said directly. "Pay me a million bitcoins, and I'll help you."
"You must be joking. How can I make that much money?" Riza flustered.
"That's the price. You may come around later anytime." Dream Queen smiled, leaning back. Riza gloated her at once, wanting to fuck her up, but she controlled herself and exited.
"Dream Queen's power is unique and useful greatly. I must get her on my side one way or another." Riza thought and underlined her name on a digital list of names, some of which had been crossed out or ticked green. She had been approaching different superheroines to gather her team. Although Dream Queen had refused to help her without money, Riza was determined to get her way through.