Squeaky clean [Mutts/Planet Express] Day 2

I don’t know how to even react to what is going on. The cargo hold, as I am told we are in, seems desolate, and in a desperate need for a paint job. I hadn’t felt comfortable since I had stepped foot in the arena, and to be quite honest, I don’t think I would ever feel that. There was nothing here for me to anchor myself down too, and it was becoming more and more clear that all they wanted from us was to kill each other until there was only one of us left. This was a game to them, and there was nothing that could have distracted from that. We were mice in a maze and the people watching were the cats that were just waiting to pierce our soft skin with their sharp teeth.

Speaking of teeth, while I was exploring, I had come across a box that kind of looked out of place from everything else. When I shook it, all I heard was multiple rattling sounds, and then when I opened it, I found teeth. ”What in the fuck?” I said as I brought the box over to Sullivan and Alphie. I had no clue what to make of it, but I’m sure that Alphie would want to be neurotic and count it or something. That was his prerogative, and if he wanted to go ahead and do so, I wasn’t going to stop him.

As I applied first aid to myself, there was a certain air in the room that I couldn’t quite place as I looked at the boys I decided to go at this with. We were all broken, and maybe that was because we had already lost Blue, or maybe its because we had no clue what to do next. It didn’t matter at this point, we were at a disadvantage, which meant we were going to have to work that much harder to get through this nonsense. But we would do it. We didn’t have a choice.

No one in the arena did.

---

The weird chat app on the watch kept going off through the night, which made me a little uneasy until I learned how to properly use it. I could have just ignored it, but my temper wouldn’t let me do so. From where I stood, if they were going to come after me, then I was just going to say what I felt in the moment. There was some giggling, there were some jokes, and then there were some comments that made me need to look away from it. Whatever it was, I had Sullivan help me around the cargo hold so we could explore more.

That’s when we grabbed various items that we thought could be helpful. Gauntlets, battery packs, thermoses… or whatever the fuck they were called. None of it mattered to me truthfully, I just wanted to go home at this point. But that wasn’t going to happen. Not anytime soon. First I had to barrel my way through 20 other people in order to do so. I sighed as I asked Sullivan to put me down for a second so I could just think.

And that’s when the Anthem came on our watches instead of the chat.

It projected itself in the air and began to show the faces of the dead. First Blue, to which I felt my heart beat faster for. I hated seeing his face there. Then the girl from two and the girl from six, both of which were a shock to me, because I thought they were going to make it farther than the bloodbath.

All I could do was hope that they were resting well.

---

After that I fell asleep, and the moment I awoke, I noticed that my leg didn’t hurt as much. Whatever they put into those first aid packs truly did wonders. I stood freely, as I looked at the rest of the boys and just smiled. ”Well, lets go. Time to explore more of this place and find more useful items. These gauntlets are only going to get us so far.” I spoke with a harsh honesty in my voice.

It was clear that we needed more to get us by, and if we didn’t die, then we had to start moving.

Now.

And so after everyone had gotten up, we walked towards the large door. After a couple moments, it opened to a weird room with test tubes and computers everywhere. I walked forward, scoping it out to make sure we would be safe, until I saw a collection of what people called robots come out of nowhere. The moment they moved was the moment I saw the flails, which reminded me of the axes I used to use back home. Perfect.

Until water had started to leak out of random pipes, cause puddles to pool in weird places. I couldnt help but sigh, but still, nothing was standing in our way of grabbing the items for our picking.

That was until they decided to block the path to them.

”Will yall get the fuck out of the way.” I spoke with a bit of veracity, sure that they couldn’t understand me, but not really caring otherwise. That’s when one of them had swung their arms at my foot.

”Are you kidding me?” I spoke with my teeth gritted. It hurt, but as long as I didn’t stand on it, I was going to be okay. Now these little shits had to pay.

I hobbled over and brought my hands down on the one that hit me in the foot.

I would show it what it meant to deal with someone with rage.

Our night was mostly uneventful after crossing through the door into the Cargo Hold. Other than Hanaa finding the box of teeth. I was revolted and curious all at the same time. Why was there a box of teeth here? There were definitely more than what would come from one person, so how many peoples' teeth were in there? Were they all baby teeth, or were some or most adult teeth? Even though I had all of these questions I didn't quite have the courage to rifle through the box to find out. There was something eerie about touching bits of people who were probably long dead.

We explored some of the Cargo Hold. Sullivan had to help both Hanaa and me hobble around as we collected things. I was fascinated by the parts and tools that were scattered throughout but I focused on things that would be useful to us. When I put the heavy duty gloves on I felt a strange surge of energy. The gloves looked really similar to the boots that we had all been given and I wondered what their function was. I had a feeling we would find out soon enough so I didn't experiment.

When the anthem came on I couldn't watch. The faces of an ally - Blue - and the girl I killed stared at me in disgust. I felt like I had killed them both, even though I only dealt the final blow to the girl. I let Blue down, and that was more than enough to make me feel guilty. When a third face I didn't fully recognize appeared after them I almost felt relief. I was relieved that they weren't staring at me anymore and relieved that there was one less person I had to kill.

I wasn't sure how the other two slept but my night was fitful. I couldn't get comfortable and any time I was able to drift off I immediately plunged into dreams of crunching bone and vacant eyes. My knee throbbed whenever I moved which made everything worse.

I woke up to Hanaa talking. It took me a couple moments to realize she was talking to me - and to Sullivan as well but he was already awake and listening. By the time I focus on her words I missed half of what she had said. "- more of this place and find more useful items. These gauntlets are only going to get us so far." My knee is less sore after finally sleeping and I can put weight on it when I stand up. Sullivan is probably thankful he doesn't have to lug the two of us around anymore.

We walk to the far end of the Cargo Hold and out into the hall connected to it. We never made it this deep in yesterday so I try to see what is around. There isn't much in terms of something new, so I turn my focus back to where we're going. Hanaa leads the way and I follow. Sullivan traipses behind me and I don't know whether he is being protective or fearful. I know where I stand on that scale - much closer to fearful - so I have no problem with Hanaa taking charge.

This time when we open the air lock I don't nearly get sucked into nothingness. It took a couple deep breaths before I was even able to attempt it, but I breathed out heavily when I made it without issue. This area felt entirely different from the Cargo Hold. Immediately I felt both more at ease and more disturbed. The scent of living green things and fresh water permeated the air and I took a deep breath. This was home, but there was something ultimately very wrong about it.

Sometime in the night or maybe early morning the pipes had burst. There was water everywhere leaving slippery puddles and shining, dripping walls. The purple lights flickering throughout everywhere made everything appear unearthly. A slight whirring sound came from ahead of us and got more aggressive as Hanaa took steps forward. Finally, as if she had gone too far, a row of little robots formed a line in front of us. They seemed annoyed, maybe at us or maybe at the amount of work they had to do. Each clutched a mop or broom and I guessed they were trying to clean up after the burst pipes. I almost felt bad for being in their way.

”Will yall get the fuck out of the way.” Hanaa didn't hold the same contentions as me, apparently. She went to move once more and the robots all began to race toward us. One swung at Sullivan, two zipped toward me, and the last one went for Hanaa. ”Are you kidding me?” Hanaa's yelp of pain and the crunch of bone made me turn instead of facing the robots head on. She was hopping on one foot and looked completely pissed off. That was when I felt a bash on my own foot. Thankfully no crunching bone for me. Until the second swung at me from behind.

I felt my breath vanish for a second due to intense pain. Once more the echoing crunch of bone reached my ears and it was the only thing I could focus on as a dull ache settled into the base of my spine. Vaguely I wondered what had just been crushed by these over-zealous robots, and slowly I came to the conclusion that it had been my tailbone. Groaning, I turned to face the thing that had just hit me so hard. I watch Hanaa and Sullivan smash the one that had attacked Hanaa and knew that I would have to kill this one as well.

At least it wasn't a living thing - or not one with flesh and blood anyway.

Things aren’t going the way I want them, and its clear that this isn’t going to be an easy adventure.

However, I knew what I was signing up for the moment I opened my mouth. The pain. The grit and torture, and the constant fear of being murdered were all prevalent here, but I wasn’t afraid of any of that. I wouldn’t be.

Because in order to send a message, I needed to be here, and trying to find a sort of equilibrium in that notion distracted me.

My hands came down with a crash, and I’m trying my hardest to ignore the pain in my foot. However, my rage isn’t quite enough, but Sullivan backed me up right away. That was something I could appreciate. I knew that not all men were trash, just my father.

These two were on my side, and while we might have lost one already, that didn’t meant they left us per say. They were with us in spirit, guiding us and making sure that we did our best to get out alive.

While only one us could escape this horrid wasteland, the feeling did not subside. We all knew the depravities of the games, but for now at the least, we were together, and we were strong because of it.

We just needed to focus on the now, more than the later.

”One down.” I spoke as I watched Alphabet in toe. He wasn’t afraid, I could tell that much.

Good, because being afraid would get us nowhere here.

”We got this guys…” I say, trying to create a bit of empowerment between this. Sure, we were beaten and bruised. ”They can break our bones, but we’ll still come out victorious.” I smirk, the pain passing in and out of tolerance.

Everything will be okay, and I know it, we just had to make it out of this in one piece.

They quickly retaliated, none of which swung their crazy arms at me. ”Chivalrous robots? Well I never. ” I roll my eyes. ”I can take a hit.” I speak with power in my voice as I bring my hands up and look down at my target.

”Move it lose it bitches, we aint got time for this shit anymore.” I take a long inhale before bringing my hands down with a loud grunt.

And in that moment, I feel more powerful then I had ever before.

"One down." Hanaa echoes my thoughts as she looks at the robot she and Sullivan had smashed. Her eyes dart to me, as if making sure I wasn't going to run away. "We got this guys…" I'm hoping so as well, as long as we can continue to take them down we can manage. "They can break our bones, but we’ll still come out victorious." I grimace at that, feeling the throbbing in the lowest part of my spine.

I swing my fist at the machine that had broken my tail bone. Unfortunately I was not proficient with any weapon, including my hands, so my blow is relatively gentle. Even still, the thing beeps angrily and continues to bustle around. Behind me, Sullivan and Hanaa smash at a different robot and cause it to fall silent. I supposed they killed it, but it is hard to know with a thing that doesn't bleed.

My fists are clenched as I prepare for another blow from the robots. When one doesn't come I turn around to see a robot coming at me. I try to dodge but don't get out of the way quite in time. A crunch sounds as the thing hits me but I don't feel the same level of pain as before. I hear a yelp from Sullivan and realize these crazy machines have broken one of his bones as well. If we're not careful none of us will be able to move after all of this.

Hanaa is almost angry as the robots seem to ignore her this time. "Chivalrous robots? Well I never." My lips twitch a bit and I am struck that already I had forgotten what it was like to laugh. "I can take a hit." She almost sounds like she's ordering them to attack her. It's foolish but I can't help being a bit awed by it. Still, was she doing that to take some of the strain away from Sullivan and me, or because her pride is getting the better of her? I don't know her well enough to say.

"Move it lose it bitches, we aint got time for this shit anymore." This time I actually do smile, even if rather grimly. We do have to kill these things, all of them. There is no walking away from this.

I watch Hanaa bring her gloved hands down on the robot, giving it a hard but still glancing blow on its shoulder. Sullivan follows her with a quick strike to what would be its legs if it had any. With a shrill beep the energy fades from it and I take a breath. We're not doing too bad. If only I can knock down the one that seems keen on breaking our bones then we might be in okay shape.

There is a weird sensation as my gauntlets smash down on the robots. I don’t know exactly what it is like to feel or hear the sound of machines, but now I can admit that I am not much of a fan. Oh well.

I wasn’t here for that reason. I was here to win.

And maybe it was vain of me, but there was a part of me that could imagine myself in a crown, and man, they should see me in it. I would transcend this world, and look like I had done stuff to make it as far as I did.

Im sure that people would hate me, but I wouldn’t care, because at the end of the day, I was not here for them. I am here because I am trying to send a message to my father, and that message is to show him how easy it is to lose someone you love.

While others might not understand my reasoning for volunteering over the plucky Jenny Sycamore, I didn’t give a damn. I was here because this just felt right. Like it was destiny or some shit that those weird people who think they know the stars and whatever the fuck.

A chance for a better life, and a chance to show my father that he is nothing more than a spineless asshole?

I would have signed up years ago.

I noticed I didn’t do enough to take down the robot, but Sullivan was right behind me again, this time, taking down the one I had attacked first. Good.

I didn’t care that he was stealing kills, because at the end of the day, it didn’t matter who killed what.

This was about survival.

”Two down.” I said taking a moment to analyze how the robots were moving.

Alphabet had attacked the one that hit him in the ass pretty hard, but it still wasn’t enough to take it down. ”Alphabet, rage out. You got this. Just bring those arms down and…” I was showing him how, before I heard the sound of metal clang against my own gauntlets. ”You little piece of shit…” I looked the robot that attacked me and was thankful that this time it collided with the gauntlets more than my own skin.

Moving towards the robot that had made its advance on me. The pain was guiding me at this point, ”Bring them down just like… THIS.” I added a bit of emphasis as I continued to smash through the robots.

They would not stand in our way.

No way.

No how.

The sound of Hanaa counting down the robots is almost a comfort. "Two down." I wish that were three but this robot is putting up a fight. My strike to its base is not enough to make it stop, though the beeping it is emitting is even more shrill and honestly the thing sounds pissed off. The irony that I was perfectly able to crush a human skull with a single blow and yet I can't even break a small robot with multiple swings is not lost on me. I shudder at the ghostly sensation of bone breaking beneath my heel as I floated.

Hanaa seems to notice my distraction and begins to snap directions at me. "Alphabet, rage out. You got this. Just bring those arms down and…" A clang made me look in her direction, ready to jump in front of her. She had been offering to take hits earlier but that didn't mean I should let her. She was alright though, her gauntlets having helped her to stop the blow before it hit her. I let out a small sigh of relief but Hanaa wasn't done with me, and especially not with the robot that tried to swing at her.

"You little piece of shit…" I saw her wind up, saw her narrow her eyes. She was frustrated and perhaps even a little scared? I know I felt the electric hum of fear in my spine, maybe she did as well. Would she be a fool not to? These are small robots but they were causing us real pain. "Bring them down just like… THIS." Her armored hand crashed into the back of the robot, nearly sending it toppling. Almost unfazed, though, it continued on.

I shook my head, amazed by how these robots were able to take these hits from us and carry on without any pause. Of course, that was the benefit of not experiencing pain. Unfortunately for myself and my allies that wasn't the case for us. All of our faces were drawn, showing the signs that we were being beaten and broken by these emotionless things. This had to stop.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sullivan try to swing at the same robot I had struck before. As though it sensed the blow coming it raised one arm to absorb the swing. I groaned, looking at the two robots that remained. I had to finish one of them off, I had to. The only problem was, which one?

My decision was made when I saw the one that had attacked Hanaa rise up for another strike at her. That one had to go.