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General

AUTO-MART


HOME OF THE WORLD'S LEADING AUTOMATIC PARTS


Owned and operated by Rizercorp. All rights reserved. Any duplication, reproduction, copy or use of these parts outside restricted areas will result in your termination.


WE HOPE YOU HAVE A NICE DAY!


BE SURE TO CHECK OUR SALE IN AISLE 3 FOR FLAMMABLE FLUIDS

IF YOU NEED THAT EXTRA KICK YOU NO WHERE TO GET IT!


A static sound ended automatic PA announcement.


Sodds ran his hand through his hair. He wore remnants of a raiders outfit mixed with some from the settlement he called home. Today it was his turn to venture out for supplies.


A blizzard was raging outside the quad paned glass that ran along the whole front of the AUTO-MART. It was nearly 2 in the morning. The safest time to stalk and restock.


He made his way with a cloth satchel bag and started to fill up. Aisle two tubing and tools. He packed in a few wrenches, a hammer, and as much tubing as he could get his hands on. The metal could be melted down to help the Coalition. They were their last hope against saving humanity.


When something stopped him in his tracks. He got up and listened intently. He could hear the faint whirring, which sickened his stomach. But the true fear was in the whimpering he heard nearby. Feeling a bit funny about it, Sodds considered leaving. But the better half of him was curious. Gathering his stuff, Sodds swiftly and silently made his way over to Aisle #4.


With his back to buckets of lubricants. He peered over the edge. Seeing a body of a woman and a newborn child tightly wrapped in linen. They didn't look like they were from his settlement, but it didn't matter. Sodds looked up to the cloaked security system.


"Shit."


He'd hit this place up once before and knew about it. But this woman was not as fortunate. And Sodds was for damn sure not leaving a child in a place as horrible, and as menacing as the AUTO-MART.


"Okay, how do I do this again," He whispered to himself as he opened his wristop. He detected a supply line running through the far end of the aisles. He punched in the coordinates into his right wrist and brought out a hatchet from the bag he had been stashing. Side stepping, he threw the axe with robotic precision. It spun in an arc and severed the control's to the gun turret. One of them at least.


"Nice, now for the little one."


Sodds walked silently across the aisles and knelt before the two of them. Gently, he turned the face of the woman to the light. She had comely features, and the expression on her face was serene. She had been facing the babe. Perhaps she had seen that they had survived.


"Look kid," Sodds says as he removed his scarf that been covering his face. "I'm sorry about your mom, but you and I gotta get outta here before security arrives. I think we got like 5 tops before the bucket heads are on us."


The baby looked up at him and smiled trying to grab his face with its chubby hands. Wriggling its tiny feet in his grasp. The cuteness overload made Sodds think on how he had always wanted to be a father, but he wasn't exactly husbando material. A bit overweight. Scarred up face and greasy hair. Sweaty and smelly. It's how he got his name. People always thought he'd gone out for a swim.


"But at least you don't judge folks, now do you?" He asked while strapping the kid to his chest. "But before we leave, we need to do some last minute shopping."


Running now, Sodds sprinted over to Aisle #3 and extended his hand dropping small canisters of jet fuel into his bag, which now was quite heavy.


"Well I guess I won't be needing this anymore, huh Bay B."


Sodds unclipped the C4 charges strapped to his chest. He had two jobs. One was to hit this place for supplies. The other was to demo it. Now it seems his priorities had changed. Getting back at the tin heads can wait.


Sodds could hear the sirens now as he opened the door. The wind was blowing briskly mixed with snow and frost. The blizzard reaching it's fiercest.


With an outstretched arm, Sodds navigated blindly to his hover bike. With a silent prayer he wrapped Bay B up.


"Waah, waaah." The child exclaims to harshness of the freezing air.


Sodds bends over and kneels hugging to the kid. "You're going to be ok, we are going to be ok. Don't fret, little one. This isn't the first time I've had to run from the cops. Just watch, I'll show you a thing or two."


Getting on his bike, it bobbed a bit with the extra weight of his haul while he turned swiftly. Gunning it, he burned out of the parking lot.


THIS IS THE POLICE. STOP YOUR VEHICLE AT ONCE!


Shoulder checking as Sodds took a nearby exit onto the highway. He counted three emergency response units on his tail. He smirked and gunned his bike a second time. The bike lurched forward at ridiculous speeds.


Bay B giggled with glee, bouncing in the large pocket at his chest. Sodds had to admit it was a bit distracting, but at least he wasn't crying.


"You like that don't you?" Cutting the gas dropping velocity while turning at 90 degrees he zoomed into railway network. "How bout this."


It was a bit of work balancing on the phase beam railway. Sparks where shooting out between his own stabilizers and the railways current phase energy.


Bay B's hands reached out to the spark lightning up the snow around them. It touched its little outreached hand and dissipated into its finger. Curious it brought its finger to its mouth and began to suck on it.


The view was magnificent up here, Sodds thought as he turned gently into a bend. They were nearing the hideout. Where he'd dump the bike and lose the trail.


"Ah, ah." Bay B exclaimed. Sodds looks down.


"What is it, bud."


Suddenly laser shots from the blanket of white at their side, cutting in front and behind him. The railway falling beneath the two of them. Panicking as the bike began to fall far beneath him. With fingers barely reaching the control, Sodds frantically began hitting randomly at all the buttons.


A net shot forward, cluster grenades opened up around them and the engines were cut.


"Well shit." Sodds exclaimed. With all his strength he uses both hands to pull himself to the bike. Unnoticed Bay B reached out and hit one of the glowing golden buttons.


Suddenly, his hover bike switched over to a glider bike.


"Oh my god, you little Sodd. I can kiss you." Reaching down he planted a wet one softly on its head.


"Mmmmmh." Exclaimed the cooed Bay B.


Putting one hand onto the controls and the other onto a bottle of explosives. He passed narrowly through two buildings and he threw it at its side creating a blinding explosion. The heat wave briefly washed at his back.


Then he heard a huge explosion which brought a smile on his lips. He turned back to see how many he got. And only saw one last copper in pursuit. The sprawling city was huge and he dived deep into the Catacombs.


Laser beams firing at either side of em. He maneuvered as best he could twisting and turning before rising again to head through Old Town. People below cried out in shock as he dodged through early morning traffic.


He weaved expertly, but a shot hit one of his wings, careening his glider to the side. Just as a taxi came into the intersection.


There was a huge explosion and Sodds was thrown from his bike. With all his willpower, strength and agility he made sure not to hurt the babe. Pain radiated through his body, but he got to his knees. His arm was on fire.


"God, what the hell happened." He knocked on his head to clear the ringing and the double vision. The hissing of snow perked his attention.


"Ah, Wha- ... AGHH."


He wildly patted it and circled around looking for water. Bay B Giggling as he was bounced around.


Then the sirens rang.


"Well at least one of us is happy, but we gotta run... Again."


He made it through the alleyway, unsure of his directions. Unfortunately, it lead to a dead end. Four cops came running into view. Their robotic legs and unified helmets made them indistinguishable from one another.


The 'leader' stepped forward.


MIKO TAKADE YOU ARE HEREBY ARRESTED BY INTERNATIONAL POLICE DIVISION OF SECTION 4-2.


DO HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY IN YOUR DEFENSE.


"Yah, eat an EMP dip shits."


He then put his hands together in front of his face. Shinto style. Releasing a crackling force that killed all surrounding electronics in the area.


Everything went dark.


"I guess it's just you and me now. Let's go home, boyo." He patted the kid on the head. "You know, I should really give you a name. How does Syto sound. You're a boy right. Whatever I'm sure you're mom wouldn't mind either way."

July 29, 2020 06:12

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7 comments

Deborah Angevin
06:59 Jul 31, 2020

A refreshing, unique take on the prompt; I thoroughly enjoyed this! Would you mind checking my recent story out, "A Very, Very Dark Green"? Thank you!

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Chub Chub
06:38 Jul 29, 2020

Cool chase scene, nice reference to your other submissions.

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Keerththan 😀
06:47 Aug 10, 2020

Nice story. I loved the font changing in different sentences. Well written. Would you mind checking out my stories too?

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Rodrigo Juatco
04:29 Aug 08, 2020

Really good, Zion. Your writing is coming along nicely. I got flashes of baby Yoda while I read it. Bravo!!!

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Roshna Rusiniya
08:49 Aug 05, 2020

This was very well-written. Loved how it flowed so smoothly.

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Brittany Gillen
14:04 Aug 02, 2020

Zion - Thank you for sharing your story. Sodds is a fantastically well developed character, and you are doing some great world building. I also loved the curious Bay B. He was an excellent secondary character. My only feedback would be to look at the part where the bike is hit, starts falling and they are hitting all the buttons. On a second read I can better picture what is happening than I did on the first pass. The key is to establish height. Maybe add a few more senses like maybe hearing. The only reference to height I identified in my s...

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Raquel Rodriguez
20:22 Jul 31, 2020

Love your approach to this prompt! Good job, and keep writing! Four things I would say if you would ask me for critique would be: I think you should put quotation marks around the sentences: 'THIS IS THE POLICE. STOP YOUR VEHICLE AT ONCE! 'MIKO TAKADE YOU ARE HEREBY ARRESTED BY INTERNATIONAL POLICE DIVISION OF SECTION 4-2.' 'DO HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY IN YOUR DEFENSE.' (For this sentence, it would be better if you added a question mark at the end, since the police are asking a question.) If you don't mind, could you check o...

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