“And if I want to stay and help with this robot thing?”
“I can’t stop you, right?” Tanaka said with a smile. “In fact, I’d really like you to help. You’re good in a fight, you’re strong, I mean, like, really strong, and I love how you just ripped the robots like a Wookie who loses a game of... Well, whatever that game was in Star Wars.”
David’s loud laugh cause several people to look in his direction. He ignored them and said, “Careful, dude. Your nerd is showing.”
Tanaka nearly jumped when his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the ID. He quickly answered, “What’s up?”
“Get me now,” Daniel’s voice said. “I have Nancy. We’re near where you teleported us too. Can you make it here?”
“Sure, give me a few minutes to finish my cone.”
“No, now. I have a bunch of robots after me.”
“This cone cost me eight bucks!”
“Now!”
“Fine, fine.” He hung the phone up and looked at David.
“Well?” David asked.
“Daniel got her and wants me to teleport there.”
“Well, good luck,” David said, shoving an entire burrito in his mouth.
Tanaka stood up and pictured the location in his mind. When the image in his mind clarified, he felt his power turn on and he popped out of the food court and appeared an instant later in the middle of the desert.
Tanaka fell to his knees as his head seemed to explode in pain. His body had never felt so weak and he seemed to be blind for a moment. His ears rang painfully, as if he had just been next to a speaker at a heavy metal show. He dropped his ice cream cone onto the sand. “Damn it!”
“Tanaka?” came a voice from the darkness. Tanaka looked around and saw Daniel with Nancy right behind him, running.
Daniel was favoring his right leg. Even in the dark his skin looked white, as if he had seen a ghost. “What happened to you?”
“Long story,” Daniel said. “Get us out of here.”
“All right,” Tanaka said taking a deep breath. “Everyone hold hands, we’re heading back to the MGM food court.”
Tanaka pictured in his mind the food court and, once again teleported.
When they all appeared, Tanaka fell to the ground, his body so weak his could barely move, his head felt as if it were going to fall off, his stomach lurched. He moaned and rolled on the ground. “What the hell is going on? Why is this happening to me now?”
“We’ll get you checked out when we go back to Haven,” Daniels said, holding out his hand.
Tanaka reached out and grabbed it as his brother pulled him up. He looked at Daniel, who was still fully dressed in his ninja gear. “You might want to change.”
Nancy walked up to Tanaka and rubbed his back. “How do you feel?”
“Better, thanks. So, what now?”
“Well,” Daniel said, “We got Nancy. I think we should just go, leave town and go back to Haven.”
“Really?” Tanaka asked. “You’re just giving up?”
“I saw things there,” Daniel said. “Things that I know we can’t handle.”
“Really?” Tanaka asked taken aback by his brother’s suggestion. “What did you see?”
Daniel gave Nancy a look. It was quick, something that most people would have missed. A look Tanaka had never seen before. They were communicating, somehow giving each other a message.
Nancy, her hand on his back, grabbed Tanaka’s shirt so quickly that he couldn’t react in time to stop her. She threw him with the strength of a hundred men, tossing him toward a souvenir store. He crashed through the tough glass window, through a rack of clothes, and into a cashier booth, where he hit hard enough to knock the wind out of him.
He looked up in time to see Daniel pull his sword from his belt, and in one quick motion, thrust it forward, impaling David in the chest. The bloody end of the sword stuck out of his back. David’s face paled and his eyes grew wide. His body slumped down as his life left his body.
Tanaka staggered to his feet. People in the store and the food court ran away screaming. Children cried as they were picked up by their families.
“Get him!” Nancy shouted, pointing at Tanaka.
Tanaka stood there, his legs weak and his head pounding. He had no weapons, having left his uniform in a locker at the Stratosphere. “So, let me guess, you guys are robots?”
Robot Daniel, with his sword at the ready, stepped through the broken glass. He detached the buckler shield from his belt and strapped it to his hand. “We have your brother. I have his skills and his weapons.”
“Of course you do,” Tanaka said. “Wouldn’t be a fair fight if you didn’t.”
Robot Daniel took the shield and with lighting speed threw it at Tanaka.
Tanaka teleported behind the robot as the shield slammed into the wooden kiosk. Tanaka, now behind Robot Daniel, jumped onto the robot’s back and grabbed its head. He started to twist it, hoping to rip it off. Robot Daniel grabbed his arm, bent over, and pulled with all his robot strength, throwing Tanaka off his back and into a shelving of knickknacks. Tanaka, laying amongst the cheap plastic toys, sprang to his feet as quickly as he could, narrowly avoiding the down thrust of a Kanata blade. Robot Daniel’s face was right there, and when he looked up, he was met with a powerful kick to the nose.
The sword still in his hand, Robot Daniel staggered backwards from the blow. Tanaka, using the heel of his right palm, struck again, then again with his left, hitting the robot in rapid succession. Right, left, right, left, until Tanaka backed Robot Daniel up against a wall lined with snow globes. The Robot looked stunned, confused.
Tanaka took one of the snow globes and smashed it over the robot’s head. It shattered, sending a stream of oily, smelly water down the robot’s face. Two more snow globes were nearby. Tanaka grabbed one for each hand and brought them down on the head of the robot, ripping the skin away to reveal the metal skull.
Robot Daniel brought his knee up into Tanaka’s stomach with enough power to force the air out of Tanaka’s lungs. Tanaka stumbled backwards, trying hard to catch his breath. Robot Daniel staggered forward, shaking his head. His wet hair sent the snow globe water everywhere. He looked up at Tanaka, his eyes seemed to convey the emotion of fear. “Tanaka, strike now and strike hard.”
That was Daniel’s real voice, not the robot’s. Was Daniel inside there somewhere, trying to get control? The thought struck fear into Tanaka but he had to listen to his brother.
He looked over to where the buckler shield had landed and teleported to it. He grabbed it and pulled it from the wood. He looked over at the Robot Daniel. He stood there hunched over, the sword on the ground like a cane. Tanaka strapped the shield to his hand. He was never trained to use it, never really wanted to, but he had seen enough of his brother’s skills to know just how deadly it really was. He charged forward with his arm lifted over his head. The robot Daniel looked up and grabbed the sword. Tanaka brought the shield downward with all his strength just as the Robot Daniel brought his sword up to block. The katana blade came up too slowly while Tanaka’s aim was true.
The razor-sharp edge of the shield embedded itself into the skull of the robot. Sparks shot out as the robot’s body fell limp to the wet ground. Tanaka jumped back and let the sparks set the skin on fire, melting it away into the now familiar slag of dripping plastic. Robot Daniel sat there on his knees as the plastic skin fell away. The large gash in his head shot out sparks as if from a sparkler toy on the fourth of July. Tanaka watched, hoping the fight was over. The robot, its full skeleton now exposed, stood from his knee and gripped the katana tightly. Its voice, no longer sounding like Daniel’s, spoke. “The link to your brother is gone. It is now just me and you.”
“Swell,” Tanaka said.
The robot didn’t answer and charged forward, the sword held in front of him as he did. Tanaka deflected the blade with the shield and stepped aside, letting the robot pass. The sword struck a support pillar, lodging it
self deep into it.
Tanaka spun, and with the flat part of the shield, hit the back of the robot’s head. The robot turned and was met with another heel to the face. He let go of the sword as he staggered back from the blow. Tanaka brought his foot up and kicked the robot hard in the chest, sending it backwards into the rack of clothes. The robot stumbled and fell over.
Tanaka took the sword in his right hand and pulled, removing it from the pillar. He looked at the robot who was using its elbows to move backwards and away from the clothes. Standing over the robot with his sword above is head, Tanaka asked, “What happens to my brother if I kill you?”
He saw the blur a second before it hit him, sending him once again flying through a solid window. He landed on the ground of the food court and slid hard into a wall. Stunned and winded, he looked up to see Robot Nancy lending a hand to Robot Daniel, helping him stand. Slowly Tanaka stood, his back, arms, head, and legs feeling as if they had simply given up the fight and wanted to quit.
Instead he stood with a katana in his right hand and a buckler shield in his left. “Well, okay then. Let’s get this over with,” he said waiting for the robots to attack.
Both charged him at the same time. Tanaka leapt into the air and did a flip over the charging ‘bots. He landed behind them, and as they turned, charged forward. Swinging his katana at the Nancy robot, he managed to nick the top of her head as she ducked. He then teleported to the other side of the court just the Daniel ‘bot was about to smash his head in.
The robots both turned to face him and charged again. He stood there waiting. When they covered half the distance, he took the shield off his hand then threw it like a Frisbee. Its flight wasn’t nearly as smooth as when Daniel threw it, but it was true to its mark as it took Nancy ‘bot’s leg clean off. She fell to the floor and skid on her face, screaming as she did so.
The Daniel ‘bot paused for a second to look at his fallen comrade, then continued his charge forward. Tanaka took a step back, then a step to the side, then spun, swinging the sword in a perfect arc taking its head off at the neck. The robot fell to the ground and its head rolled away in different direction.
Nancy ‘bot started to crawl toward Tanaka. “I will kill you!”
Tanaka teleported over to her then put his foot on her back, stopping her movement. He lifted the sword and brought its point down and into Robot Nancy’s head. She stopped moving as her circuits lost power.
“There, that should do it.” Tanaka said, pulling his sword out from her head. He looked over at David and was astonished to see him move slightly. He ran over and knelt down. David was looking at him, still alive but barely breathing. “You are one tough son of a bitch,” Tanaka said.
“Not for long,” David said and coughed. “Told you I was vulnerable when standing still. Guess that robot knew that, too.” David coughed again and spat some blood onto Tanaka’s shirt. He grabbed Tanaka’s arm and said, “Take care of Nancy, and thanks for trying to help.”
“Come on, dude. You’re tough. You’ll make it.”
“No, not as tough as you thought.” Then David lowered his head and died.
“God damn it!” Tanaka yelled. “They are so going to pay for this. First, I find my brother, then I find Nancy, then I kick some robot ass.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Tanaka appeared in the same location in the desert where he had picked up the robots. Every fiber of his being ached with pain. He closed his eyes and willed the throbbing to go away simply because he didn’t have time for it. He had no idea what was happening with his teleportation powers. Short jumps didn’t seem to bother him; longer ones were the issue.
The sun had set a few hours ago and the desert was pitch black. On the horizon, he saw the faint glow of bright lights and figured that was where the bunkers stood.
On his back was his sword, and in another scabbard his brother’s, forming an X. The buckler shield was clipped to his belt. He took the mask out of his pocket and put it on his head. The mask covered everything from the top of his lip up, leaving his mouth free so the enemies could see his cocky smile.
He scanned the ground until he found some footprints. Bending down, he looked at them carefully. “Ah, Daniel’s tracks,” he said to himself, then started following them. After a few miles of walking, he found himself on a hilltop looking over a series of bunkers and hangers. Four robot guards walked around a perimeter fence carrying guns. Tanaka looked closer and saw some of the guards had Daniel’s face, while others looked like Nancy. “Must have known I was coming,” Tanaka said under his breath. “Probably thought I might hesitate if I saw the face of my brother or Nancy. Well, they were wrong.”
He waited until the robots were far enough apart that they might not hear his telltale pop when he used his power and teleported to the roof of a hanger. He looked down from there; it was a good five story drop to the ground. He teleported to the ground and fell to his belly. There were no guards anywhere near, so he stood and walked around until he found a door. He opened it and walked in, then was greeted with a steel door with a keypad lock.
Reaching into one of his belt pouches he pulled out a small tool kit then proceeded to take the panel apart. He looked at the circuits inside the box and frowned. He liked to study all sorts of security systems and was considered an expert in these types of locks. This configuration was familiar enough that was sure he could open the door, yet looked different enough to wonder if doing so would also set off an alarm. “I don’t really see any other option,” he said to himself then started working on the wires.
After a spark and a small shock, the door opened with a click. Tanaka pulled it open and stepped inside. A set of stairs spiraled down into darkness. Tanaka took his sword out, closed the door, and headed down. Half-way down, he heard the sound of dozens of feet running, then stopping, at the bottom of the stairs. “Okay then. Looks like I might have set off an alarm.”
He continued down the stairs walking as slowly and quietly has he could.
“Tanaka, we know you’re there.” The voice was that of Nancy.
Tanaka’s heart stopped beating for a moment. “Nancy, are you okay?”
“I’m better than okay,” she replied. “I’m alive.”
“Good,” Tanaka replied. “Is Destructo treating you well?”
“He’s treating me well,” She replied. “But you have to understand. I’m not his prisoner.”
Tanaka stopped moving, confused. If she wasn’t his prisoner then, what exactly was she? He couldn’t find it in his heart to think she was working with him. The thought of it hurt more than his recent issues with teleporting long distances. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m not his prisoner because I’m his partner.”
Tanaka’s legs weakened and he lowered his sword to the ground as if it weighed a ton. There was no gray area there. “You betrayed me?”
“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” she said. “If you survive the next few minutes, I might tell you what’s really going on.”
“What about my brother?”
“He’s not working with us.”
“Is he alive?”
“He is,” She replied. “I need him alive if I’m going to... Well, I just need him alive. You, however, I don’t.”
He raised his katana when he heard the sound of feet running up the steps toward him. He couldn’t see enough to teleport out of the way. He could teleport upstairs but they might close the door to him, rendering him unable to get back down into the base. Rage filled him, and he decided he didn’t want to run from this fight.
He saw the first robot, with the face of Daniel, and kicked it as hard as he could. The robot’s head snapped back and it fell. Two more robots stepped over the fallen body. Tanaka jumped over them, landing on the step behind them. In the cramped space, he couldn’t swing his katana but he was able to thrust it, impaling the one robot. The other one turned his head and was met with a fist to the face. Hitting the metal skull nearly broke Tanaka’s
hand but he was so full of adrenaline he barely felt it.
A pair of hands grabbed him from behind and lifted him off the ground. He lost his grip on his sword as he was tossed down the remaining steps. He tumbled end over end, his brother’s sword and shield making a god awful clanking noise as he did. He landed on the bottom of the steps face up and surrounded by seven Daniel robots.
He looked past them, to the hallway, and teleported. He appeared, still on his back. He kicked his legs forward and sprang to his feet. The seven robots looked at him, their eyes red. Tanaka pulled out his brother’s katana and undid his shield. He glanced behind him, knowing he could run. They would pursue him, never giving up until they caught him. They were a problem he had to deal with now, not later. This fight needed to be fast.
A thought came into Tanaka’s brain. He smiled, then put his sword and shield away. “I really wish you robots had emotions, because what I’m about to do is going to be really awesome.”
Tanaka crouched on the ground, then put both his hands out next to him. He looked at a spot between all the robots, then teleported to it. The first two robots he touched disappeared. Tanaka spun on the tips of his feet and touched two more, who also just vanished with a loud pop. The remaining three stepped toward Tanaka, who teleported, appearing behind them. He touched them, teleporting them with the others. The last robot actually seemed unsure what to do. Tanaka stepped up to him, placed his finger on its nose and said, “Be gone!”
The robot disappeared with a pop. Tanaka stood in the hallway alone. “I really hope that looked as cool as it felt.”
Robot Nancy watched the fight from a monitor. She smiled watching Tanaka dismantle all the Daniel robots. “He’s got some real aggression to work out,” she said to human Daniel.
Daniel lay on a table next to her. Wires of all colors came out of holes on his scalp and connected to what looked like an old telephone switchboard. His body twitched as his mind controlled the robots which looked like him. His mouth moved as well, forming words he was unable to get past his robot doppelganger programming.
The Evolutionite Chronicles Book Two: Dagger and Shadow Ninja in: Welcome to Las Vegas Page 17