Cerebus - Turn 5

“Stay here, I'll get some disguises.”

With that, Cerebus gets out of the hover car and heads over to the far side of the street down which groups of tourists are walking after leaving the block. Not wishing to be left out of the plan, The Noose, Slammer and Mex-Bot follow him and on spotting them, Cerebus indicates to a nearby dark alleyway near the car.

“SPECIAL OFFERS TO ALL EARTHLINGS ..... TOURIST OFFERS TO DIE FOR .....”

Cerebus is walking stiffly towards the group of foreign-looking tourists, his best robotic voice giving him the impression of being simply a marketing tool.

“SEE THE WONDERS OF THE MEK BOTS .... SEE YOUR FAVORITE MEK IN ACTION ... FOLLOW ME FOR YOUR FREE GIFTS....”

The camera-heavy tourists jabber between themselves, one of them obviously translating for the others.

“We wike fwee gift,” says the smiling spokesperson, the other six tourists behind him also all smiling and nodding.

With cameras constantly snapping, Cerebus leads the tourist party across the street and into the alley from which drifts the sound of his voice declaring, “Show these folks some action!”…

Dressed in a floral print dress too small for him, large hat and large spectacles, Screwball whistles, “I'd make a good exhibit don't you think.” He pirouettes on one leg with his arms high above his head as the others swiftly bundle the bodies into a trash skip, the hover-car boot too small for them.

“You know,” he suggests, “that after we find the data crystal we should hide amongst the exhibits and wait until the place closes.”

“You could set me up on a dais with a big sign saying ‘A Loose Screw’.  I can pull the girls as well Slammer,” he simpers, “We can then do a straight smash and grab and play cops and robbers!”

“I’m sure you’d look better in these,” Slammer pleads with Mex-Bot, pointing down at the yellow checked trousers he has ended up with. Himself dressed in a crimpolene safari suit with his medallion showing amongst his mock chest hair, Mex-Bot drawls, “Har yu keedeeng, We mehicans hav good taste!”

The group of ‘unusual’ tourists make their way up to the entrance to the block and Cerebus is quick off the mark with his camera, repeatedly firing the flash at the optics of the security meks. “Ohh I love these Friendly bots dear,” he declares, “say cheese!”

A red light flashes on the chests of both security meks and one of them announces, “Unauthorised weaponry detected. Halt!” The hands of most of the group go to their concealed guns but Screwball instead is swaying from side to side as if doing some strange dance as he activates his Curse chip.

Waving his hand and doing his best Obee-Wankanobbie from the soft porn vid ‘Star Whores’, he says, “These weapons are authorised.”

“These weapons are authorised,” repeats the mek.

“Move along now, coochy choo!”

“Move along now,” copies the security mek, “coochy choo!”

“Theese ees some weerd sheet,” comments Mex-Bot as they walk past the displays for the World is Wild exhibition.

Slammer cocks his head from side to side as he stares at a statue of the female form with one breast at the front and six on its back. The title is ‘Six of One’ and with a grin he declares, “Dancing with her would be fun.”

“If you could just take your optics off those for a moment,” says Cerebus, “and let us have a look at the map.”

“This way,” he comments running his finger along the pamphlet and pointing to the turning to the left.

The Noose holds up his Energy Locator as they continued past more of the World is Wild, hoping that might give them a reading of the data crystal’s location.

On seeing a long hallway, relatively empty of people, Screwball starts to shake with that strange look coming to his face. Optics rolling, he yelps with delight and starts to cartwheel off down the hallway in the direction of the stairs that will lead down to level two of the basement.

Five Months previous…

“All ex-Labyrinth stock, straight from the Disposable Bays, no questions asked.”

“I take it all processing units have been wiped.”

“No need, I mean they ain’t in the Labyrinth anymore and at least this way you’ll be able to make something interactive. I hear that’s all the rage amongst you artists these days.”

“Oh yes, this will be my greatest work. I will show the fury and might of the mechanised form making the viewer have the thrill of almost primeval fear at the power of technology.”

“Errr…. yeah…. Can I have my money now!”

“I’m getting some strange readings,” mutters The Noose, “like an energy source winking on and off.”

‘Buzz… buzzz… sssystem on-line… mek detected… Labyrinth code ScrewXII4… Activate full system…’

Static… static clears to reveal visual display which includes much red targeting information.

“This is weird,” says The Noose smacking the side of his energy locator.

“Taaa dahh!” declares Screwball as his gymnastic act sees him land facing his fellow meks off ahead of them down the World is Wild hallway.

“It is like the fluctuating energy reading is getting stronger,” continues The Noose whose attention is pulled up from the read-out screen by Slammer who is tapping him on the shoulder and pointing off down the hall.

There is Screwball making a little curtsey whilst behind the dress-wearing mek looms a massive metal nightmare that has come from the Mechanical Works exhibits off to the right. It looks like it has been constructed from a host of sources, there being parts of pangolions, war mekans, xenorax, hulkers, star sappers and many other unidentifiable units. Arms, claws and tentacles extend from this huge cybottin-like beast.

The main head extends and can be seen to be that of the metal hound-like hellguard on the writhing neck of a cobracon.

Screwball wonders what everyone is staring at and why several tourists are running away from him.

Hearing the rumbling and whirring behind him, he turns and can see the fiery opticed head looming over him.

His mouth opens and he hisses the immortal words…

“Oh shit!”