🎶 - A song that gets the mun into the muse’s headspace
It was raining in the city of Midwich.
It was always raining, granted the ozone factories in the center of the city had everything to do with it. Great plumeing stacks of steam and gas rising into the heavens as great grey swirling shield of cloud cover that was set to protect what as left of a ravaged earth. It wasn’t exactly the sunniest of places to live but it was home to many and more than likely more.
The clipclop of a camera lense was drowned by the drizzle and bounce of water off the metal caparse of the robot. A soft shift of gears wheezed a puff of vapor as it swiveled it’s hip frame to continue its surveillance of the south Emerald district. The shutter clacked again as it cleared the bits of caught water debris as it followed an air can drift into the higher districts.
A soft beep signaled an incoming communication. “EM-19. You there? Do you copy EM-19?”
“Frank, I’m literally 30 feet from you.” The reply carried the air of bored annoyance, as the hips began to slowly swivel again.
“Respond accordingly, EM-19. I repeat, do you copy?” The same level of annoyance struck back but more of a lack of professionalism than boredom.
Sighing again, EM-19 signaled the reply. “EM-7. This is EM-19, checking in. All is quiet on the southern front, EM-7.”
“Roger, EM-19. Maintain surveillance and report back in at 1600. I’m clocking out, rendezvous with EM-12 at 1630 for patrol. PIT is active. Copy?” The level of annoyance of EM-7 had dimmed apparently from the weary sound of his voice as the orders were sent.
“Roger, EM-7. Orders confirmed.” EM-19 sighed and reached up to rub at his nose as he listened to his superior sign out before the quiet again. Leaning back into his chair EM-19 or rather Zexx would try to get comfortable in his chair again and let his hands fiddle with the joysticks. The STON rig hummed all about him as the camera view of the drone shot directly into his headgear as he monitor the machine as well as his surroundings. Nothing, Tuesdays were always dull.
“This is such a waste of time,” Zexx muttere to himself as he rubbed at his nose again and tried to ignore the numbing throb of his legs. Or rather what had been his legs, the ghost pains of his loss very apparent today in this position. He needed a break but he’d only started his shift three hours ago and breaking down would be a huge pain in the ass. Ten minutes of unhooking from the rig, ten more of attaching his prosthetics, five minutes of coffee, and then whole damn process again to get hooked back up. Just deal with it and wait till lunch, it was straganoff day.
“EM-19, please repond EM-19. Respond!” A loud ding had brought Zexx back as he sat up hearing the calm out.
“EM-19 here, go ahead.” Zexx replies to the urgency of the call, already tracking the call back to EM-12 as he swiveled the drones head in his direction. “What’s up Ed?”
“Got a situation down here, B’s already in her way, but I think gonna need more than just us.” Ed spoke quickly and with effort, the guy had it tougher than Zexx with just using his brain and what little movements he had in his toes.
Zexx grinned as he fired up his mech from its position, the vapor pistoning as the figure stood up straight up and began to prepare to move out. “Where are you Ed? What’s the issue?”
“Cons. Scanner picked them up coming out of the metro.”
“You think they’re hostile?” A resounding of gunfire and flashing pop ups on Zexx’s hud answered that question.
“It’s not them we’re worried about, it’s the Strippers that came out of the diner.” B now responded, her voice low and calm with her breathing following raspy and slightly pained.
“Your filters off B,” Zexx shifted 19’s hips and kicked in the Kevlar pads on the clawed feet of the drone as it kicked off across the rooftops.
“I thought you liked,” B gulped in another thick dose of oxygen. “My heavy breathing.”
“Who says,” a thick gasp broke the banter, as Zexx felt his grin slip hearibg B struggle. “I’m in attire.”
Ed’s growl cut the chatter as he called out. “Call for medical, we got some fallout.”
Fun time was over. Another ripple of gunfire would flag across the hud kicking Zexx into harder run as he moved to assist his squad.
Just another day in the savior city of Midwich.