The door’s bells barely had a chance to jingle before the group barreled past the door frame. A crowd had started to gather outside the building and they leapt out of the way of the bounty hunters. Leaping onto one of Winston’s rusty tables, Reggie took up the lead with Boris by vaulting onto his back. Mercy followed closely behind them by jumping over the decorative fence surrounding the tables like a professional track athlete. Henry, his kneecap popping with the unexpected cardiovascular exercise, took up the rear.

I should’ve gotten that graft instead of letting it heal.

REG: me n mercy should head for the old main st car deck? Ye?

ME: Yeah. Should give the best view of the others.

Running past the adjacent alley to Winston’s, Henry glanced down it to see Luke was standing halfway through the open door. With a quick nod of acknowledgment, he vanished from Henry’s sight as Henry moved past the corner of the neighboring building.

“Mercy! At the end of this block, we’re gonna keep going straight and head for that car deck!” Using her free hand to cling to Boris, Reggie lifted her shotgun to point toward the crumbling relic.

“Got it.” Mercy had repositioned her rifle case so she was carrying it under her arm while hunched forward like a football or rugby player. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but the scars on her body seemed to have a faint light to them.

Has to be her grafts.

ME: Boris, you able to troubleshoot?

BOR: Yes. Diagnostic test determined pistons are jammed due to the damage.

ME: Think you can still fight?

BOR: My hand lacks mobility but I can still move the arm as normal.

ME: Okay. Let’s hope this works so we don’t end up dealing with this thing ourselves.

BOR: I wouldn’t mind fighting it. See if stories are true.

ME: And that’s how you get killed by one.

BOR: You survived one, yes? I think I’ll be fine.

“Hey, what is a legion?” Henry was relieved to have Mercy interrupt. “That thing… was it even alive?”

Reggie shot a glance at Henry.

“No. They aren’t alive…”

“So, are they some kind of android or something?”

Henry didn’t respond.

“Best way to explain it is they’re a bunch of grafts stuck together.” Reggie directed her attention to Mercy.

“But how does it move? And why is it following that lady?”

“People aren’t entirely sure. We are a bit cut off from the major cities, and any of the techs or toolers that might have an answer get sucked up by the Ultras.”

“Back home, Sasha and I had heard stories of creatures like this. Angry spirits puppeting the discarded parts of victims to seek vengeance.” Reggie pulled herself a bit forward to be face-to-face with Boris.

“Nice ghost story, Boris, but let’s stick to the real world.” She pulled back to her previous position. “From what I’ve read, best theories include graft freaks going too far, failed grimsewn or brimsewn, or maybe some bodies get caught at the same point with their grafts linking together over time.”

Henry could see Mercy had no clue what Reggie was talking about.

“Where’d she lose you at?”

“Guess I just don’t know the local lingo yet.”

“All you need to know is it’s not alive, most likely working on data stored in its grafts, and it’s hunting down a person that we’re helping based on that data. The thing is operating on the most basic logic. Hunt. Kill. Kill anything that stops it.” Mercy was digesting what he had said. “Clear?”

“Y-yeah…”

“Good, cus this is our stop.” Reggie hopped off Boris and Mercy skidded to a stop. Sasha’s zodiac circled around the two. “I’ll keep you updated.” She motioned her head to Mercy and the two continued running forward with the zodiac trailing behind. Henry and Boris turned down the perpendicular street and broke out into a sprint. 

They had managed to make it about two blocks with no issue, but Henry could already feel his lungs burning.

Come on old man! Just a few more blocks!

BOR: Captain, if you need to catch your breath, we can slow down.

ME: Keep going. I can catch my breath when we get to Old Town.

Henry’s breathing was all he could hear in his helmet. Luckily his visor wasn’t getting fogged up.

REG: we’re set up.

ME: Got eyes on the others?

REG: yeah they’re heading down main.

Boris and Henry swerved around two syndicate enforcers heading down the street. Henry didn’t immediately recognize what group they belonged to but their attire definitely meant they weren’t part of Old Town’s, so he ignored them and kept going.

ME: We’re about 3 blocks away. Keep an eye on things.

REG: Aye Aye

SAS: Sir, the lady we are escorting has a question for you.

ME: Does she have a SIG?

SAS: No sir. Her question is why is the legion pursuing her? Did her approaching it earlier provoke it?

ME: Unless she hit it, no, she didn’t provoke it. As for why, in one of that things grafts is some data that includes her.

SAS: Are legions not machines controlled by ghosts?

ME: I see you and Boris are on the superstitious train.

SAS: It just feels like if slapping some used grafts together is what makes them, then there would be more popping up.

ME: I mean, go to the sewers and you’ll find some hollows and such, but I suppose it is weird we don’t get more legions. Maybe there’s more to it, but I don’t buy it being ghosts.

The architecture of the buildings around Henry and Boris began transitioning into old brickwork factory houses with asphalt shingle rooftops. Short brick walls ran parallel to the sidewalk with some of their sections marked by the application of new mortar harshly meeting the old. A tiny brick church Henry’s family used to attend was fast approaching.

Alright, less than a block. You got this!

SAS: I have relayed the information and now she is wondering where the data came from.

ME: Most likely someone who knew her. A lot of people go missing here. Could be someone she knew that died, whether she knew they passed or not.

REG: hey u got a sec?

ME: Everything good?

REG: yeah I was just doing some research and we might be in luck. Police have been looking for the culprit behind a series of killings involving a crude cutting implement. Sound familiar?

ME: Are they recent?

REG: yep. Most recent was a few days ago.

ME: Could be the legion, but don’t get too excited. The bb will get first dibs on the bounty if it is.

REG: aw boo

ME: I think we’re close enough to hit OT dispatch. I’m going to give them a ring.

REG: roger 

ME: Sasha, we’re going to try contacting the bb. Everything good over there?

SAS: Yes, sir. The lady seems troubled by your information but nothing else to note. 

ME: Okay everyone. Hang tight for a sec.

AIM: We’re always tight :P

Henry dialed the dispatch hotline and listened carefully for someone to pick up. He really wished the syndicates had stuck with the hard numbers, but he understood why they changed it to automatically assigned calls. He remembered his dad talking about some prior mishaps where people had called the enforcers of one district to another for help. A lot of syndicate turf disputes happened as a result and this system ended up being their workaround to prevent more infighting from happening again.

There was a crackle before a voice spoke into the receiver.

“Yeah?” The man sounded like he smoked a carton a day as he proceeded to cough and hack into the phone.

ME: My name is Henry Buckley with Street Sweeper Bounty Operation. My squad is being chased by a legion. Requesting a blockbuster for assistance.

The man continued to cough chunky phlegm into the receiver. Henry motioned to Boris and they stopped. 

Guess I could be in worse shape.

“Fuck…” The man barely got the word out as he deeply inhaled.

REG: Henry, we might have a problem

There’s always something.

ME: What’s wrong?

REG: some guys are blocking Sasha’s group from moving forward 

ME: In the way or actively stopping them?

REG: actively. It’s hard to make out, but I think they’re enforcers.

ME: Sasha’s group, what’s happening on your end?

LUKE: Not real sure. These guys walked up and started talking to Sasha and then they got angry when we tried to go around them.

AIM: Henry it’s getting closer @-@ 

ME: What are they talking about?

LUKE: No clue. They’re speaking Russian? Russian adjacent?

BOR: Sasha, whatever these guys want with you, tell them to back off until we deal with the legion.

Henry waited to see if Sasha responded, but his display didn’t show any sign of him typing back.

“So…blockbuster…” Henry forgot he was still on the line. “Request denied.”

ME: Denied!? The fuck you mean denied!?

“They’re out on vacation. Hands are tied.” Before Henry could respond he heard the click of a disconnect as a droning tone filled his brain.

Shit! Are you fucking kidding me?! What’s closer? The Mill?! Uptown?! Keep going to the docks?

REG: Henry, they’re pulling weapons on Sasha!

Fucking… what the fuck is happening over there!?

There was an echoing pop that filled the air. Henry’s fur stood on end as he instinctively knew what it was before his mind fully processed it. As a thought began to piece together in his head, another gunshot rang out. Henry looked to Boris and they both knew they had only one option.