The Search
Crimebot bleeped. He and Ross had just met up after searching the town of Darkwinternight for clues about the location or destination of the chopper. Zero Caspian was supposed to meet up with them, here, too, but he was nowhere to be seen. Ross and Crimebot feared the worst. After a few more minutes of waiting, they decided it would be best if they went and found him, as they agreed Zero did not seem to be the type of half-elf who would be late for a meeting.
The problem was, Crimebot and Ross didn't have any idea where to start looking. Did they start in the seedy industry district of the town? Or the seedy trade district? Or perhaps the seedy uptown district where the rich folk lived? After some debate, they decided they should start in the swanky crime district, which is where Zero said he would be searching. They decided also that it would be best if they went in disguises, as Crimebot was a Crimebot and Ross was an ex-cop and officers of the law weren't welcomed in some parts of the crime district, and they didn't want to ruffle any feathers.
Just under an hour later, Crimebot wheeled up to the door of a particularly creepy looking building. Ringing the doorbell, which played El Chucaracha very loudly. After a few seconds, a man came to the door and opened the eye-slit so he could peer out menacing as criminals are wont to do. What he saw looked to be a man of middling age wearing a Rastafarian hat that couldn't quite conceal the dreadlocks beneath. "What you want, den, eh?" he said in a Cockney accent to the strange Rastafarian man.
"We're, uh, looking for a friend of ours, uh, mon," said Crimebot, who was beneath the disguise all along!!
The Criminal looked suspicious, but he said, "Alright, yous'n come in 'n' look around, but don't yous be touching anything, alright?"
Crimebot nodded and the Criminal opened the door.
Walked into the dank house, he noticed their were people strewn all about. This was obviously some kind of opium den, Crimebot thought to himself, and was about to arrest the Criminal, when he saw Ross walk in wearing his Zulu disguise. Seeing Ross in his green skirt of leaves made Crimebot remember that he was here undercover, and so he checked himself and asked the Criminal, "Any half-elves here?" instead of arresting him.
The Criminal looked about hastily and said, "Not 'ere, mate, but you might want to check up on ol' Gallagher jus' down de' block, eh? Tell 'im Rudy sent yous, 'e'll let yous in, ok?" Crimebot did not know what to say, so he just thanked the man and walked out, Zulu Ross in tow.
Just down the street they found a building with a big neon sign outside that said "GALL--HE-S" and decided that this was probably the place the Criminal had meant. Knocking on the door, Crimebot was once again greeted by El Chucaracha and a suspicious man peering at him through the eye-slit. "What do you want?" the man said, although this time there was no Cockney accent.
"We're looking for a friend, Rudy sent us, mon," Crimebot said.
"Ain't no friends of yours in here, friend, you best be moving on," the man behind the door said, and then slammed the eyeslit shut. Crimebot was furious, his face servos whirring and buzzing as they attempted to reflect his rage. He knocked on the door again. This time, when the man answered and opened the eyeslit, Crimebot slid the screwdriver-bit from the tip of his right index finger, and then jammed it into the left eye of the man who had answered the door, sliding the crook of his finger back behind the bridge of the man's nose.
"OPEN THE DOOR CRIMINAL," Crimebot said in a booming voice. The man, who was screaming pain, had no choice but to do so. When Crimebot heard the door click and unlock, he let the man go, and then pushed the door open.
The man, who was now slumped over behind the door, yelped in pain again when Crimebot smashed him with the inward-swinging door. The house seemed abandoned, so Crimebot moved down the entrance hall into the back room. As he left the hall, he heard a loud, metallic thud, and then his vision started to blur. Turning around, he saw a man standing with a large mallet in his hand and two other men subduing Ross. As he faded into unconciousness, all he could think was "Cra-" before he fell into a deep sleep.
As Ross and Crimebot were dragged deeper into the dank house, the men around them laughed, and it seemed like they were in for a bad night's sleep...
The problem was, Crimebot and Ross didn't have any idea where to start looking. Did they start in the seedy industry district of the town? Or the seedy trade district? Or perhaps the seedy uptown district where the rich folk lived? After some debate, they decided they should start in the swanky crime district, which is where Zero said he would be searching. They decided also that it would be best if they went in disguises, as Crimebot was a Crimebot and Ross was an ex-cop and officers of the law weren't welcomed in some parts of the crime district, and they didn't want to ruffle any feathers.
Just under an hour later, Crimebot wheeled up to the door of a particularly creepy looking building. Ringing the doorbell, which played El Chucaracha very loudly. After a few seconds, a man came to the door and opened the eye-slit so he could peer out menacing as criminals are wont to do. What he saw looked to be a man of middling age wearing a Rastafarian hat that couldn't quite conceal the dreadlocks beneath. "What you want, den, eh?" he said in a Cockney accent to the strange Rastafarian man.
"We're, uh, looking for a friend of ours, uh, mon," said Crimebot, who was beneath the disguise all along!!
The Criminal looked suspicious, but he said, "Alright, yous'n come in 'n' look around, but don't yous be touching anything, alright?"
Crimebot nodded and the Criminal opened the door.
Walked into the dank house, he noticed their were people strewn all about. This was obviously some kind of opium den, Crimebot thought to himself, and was about to arrest the Criminal, when he saw Ross walk in wearing his Zulu disguise. Seeing Ross in his green skirt of leaves made Crimebot remember that he was here undercover, and so he checked himself and asked the Criminal, "Any half-elves here?" instead of arresting him.
The Criminal looked about hastily and said, "Not 'ere, mate, but you might want to check up on ol' Gallagher jus' down de' block, eh? Tell 'im Rudy sent yous, 'e'll let yous in, ok?" Crimebot did not know what to say, so he just thanked the man and walked out, Zulu Ross in tow.
Just down the street they found a building with a big neon sign outside that said "GALL--HE-S" and decided that this was probably the place the Criminal had meant. Knocking on the door, Crimebot was once again greeted by El Chucaracha and a suspicious man peering at him through the eye-slit. "What do you want?" the man said, although this time there was no Cockney accent.
"We're looking for a friend, Rudy sent us, mon," Crimebot said.
"Ain't no friends of yours in here, friend, you best be moving on," the man behind the door said, and then slammed the eyeslit shut. Crimebot was furious, his face servos whirring and buzzing as they attempted to reflect his rage. He knocked on the door again. This time, when the man answered and opened the eyeslit, Crimebot slid the screwdriver-bit from the tip of his right index finger, and then jammed it into the left eye of the man who had answered the door, sliding the crook of his finger back behind the bridge of the man's nose.
"OPEN THE DOOR CRIMINAL," Crimebot said in a booming voice. The man, who was screaming pain, had no choice but to do so. When Crimebot heard the door click and unlock, he let the man go, and then pushed the door open.
The man, who was now slumped over behind the door, yelped in pain again when Crimebot smashed him with the inward-swinging door. The house seemed abandoned, so Crimebot moved down the entrance hall into the back room. As he left the hall, he heard a loud, metallic thud, and then his vision started to blur. Turning around, he saw a man standing with a large mallet in his hand and two other men subduing Ross. As he faded into unconciousness, all he could think was "Cra-" before he fell into a deep sleep.
As Ross and Crimebot were dragged deeper into the dank house, the men around them laughed, and it seemed like they were in for a bad night's sleep...
posted by Andrew Spittal at 3:59 PM
0 comments
