Marcus's hazel eyes glinted with anticipation as the pounding on his door grew more insistent.
"Marcus Crassus! OPEN UP!"
He remained calm, sitting in a chair at the back of the room. His frail body barely moved, but his eyes were sharp, focused.
"Captain Bot," Marcus said. "Prepare your squadron. This is a test."
The Captain Bot saluted. "Yes, Creator."
The bounty hunters outside continued their threats.
"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way! You got 10 seconds before we break in and break your legs!"
Marcus smirked. "We shall see about that."
The door burst open, splinters flying everywhere. Three bounty hunters stormed in, guns drawn, eyes scanning the room. They spotted Marcus sitting calmly in his chair.
"Hands up!" one of them barked.
Marcus remained seated, he smiled and raised his hands. "Captain Bot, engage," he commanded.
The cloaked and masked robots moved forward silently. The Captain Bot took the lead with the grabber and stabber bots flanking him. The workhorses stayed behind, ready to assist as needed.
The bounty hunters' eyes widened in shock. "What the—"
Before they could react, the grabber bot lunged, its stiff arms locking onto the nearest bounty hunter. A hissing sound filled the room as the bot released gas, and the hunter collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
"Impressive," Marcus noted. "Grabber bot's speed and efficiency are satisfactory."
The stabber bot moved next, targeting the second bounty hunter. With a swift motion, it plunged a blade into him. The hunter let out a choked scream before falling limp.
"Precision is adequate," Marcus remarked, jotting down notes on his wrist-holo.
The last bounty hunter, recognizing the threat, aimed his gun at Marcus. "Call them off, or I'll shoot-" but it was already too late, while the bots were slow they moved in unison, the Captain bot could communicate in nano-seconds with his squadron. Already three workhorses grabbed onto the mans limbs with iron like grips. They squeezed him until he fell down unconscious.
The bounty hunter crumpled, groaning in pain.
Marcus clapped his hands once. "Well done. Captain Bot, secure the perimeter." The bots carried out his orders with military precision. The bounty hunters lay subdued, every movement monitored by Marcus's robots.
Captain bot saluted "What about the survivors Creator?"
Marcus glanced at the three bounty hunters on the floor, they were some of the weakest certainly he could tell that much from observing and more would be coming. He couldn't afford to have his secrets reveled.
"What survivors?" Marcus said and the Captain bot nodded, a few moments later the Stabber bot moved like a phantom limb finishing off the remaining two bounty hunters in quick succession.
Still seated, Marcus took a deep puff from his wakeleaf pipe. "System, log results."
[Performance logged. All enemy combatants neutralized. Success rate: 100%. Approximate strength of a Squadron estimated to match three low level bounty hunters, lacking in range capabilities.]
"Good," Marcus said. "But this is just the beginning. Stronger foes will come."
The Captain Bot, now finished with its task, stood at attention. "Creator, what are your next orders?"
Marcus looked around his bare, dusty apartment. "I must move. They'll send more. Help me dismantle the medical equipment and load it onto the workhorses."
"Yes, Creator," responded the Captain Bot.
The robots went to work immediately, efficiently packing the dialysis machines, medical bed, and other essentials. Marcus supervised, his mind already planning the next steps.
"It's important to stay ahead," Marcus muttered to himself. "Anticipate and adapt."
Finally, the room was emptied, except for Marcus's chair. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.
He scribbled a note and laughed at the text, he left it sitting in the center of the room.
He tacked the note to the fridge for those he knew would come looking, the Black Hoods would come to collect his debt but he would be long gone.
"Captain Bot, lead the way to the sewers."
The Captain Bot nodded. "Understood. Follow me, squadron."
The bots moved in formation, workhorses carrying the medical equipment, the grabber and stabber guarding the rear. Marcus in the center, leaning on his cane but moving with determination.
As they exited the apartment, Marcus couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction. "System, calculate estimated time until next pursuit."
[Estimated time: 4 hours. Stronger bounty hunters expected.]
"Plenty of time," Marcus said. "We'll set up base in the sewers. It'll be unpleasant, but it'll buy us time. That Rat had quite the set up, I might as well make use of it."
They reached the sewer entrance, a heavy grate that the workhorses lifted effortlessly. Marcus climbed down slowly, his frail body supported by the sturdy rungs.
The sewers were dark and damp, the air thick with the stench of decay. Marcus wrinkled his nose but pressed on. "Workhorses, activate your lights."
The Workhorse's eyes glowed, illuminating their path. The squadron moved silently, their cloaks rustling softly.
Marcus found a relatively dry platform and instructed the workhorses to set down the medical equipment. "This will be our base for now." Marcus had them dispose of the old body of the Rat now mostly nothing but bones and wondered how he would modify the gas system the Rat had set up, but he shook his head, he had more pressing matters.
He turned to the Captain Bot. "Your performance was acceptable. Are you ready for your first mission?"
The Captain Bot saluted. "Yes, Creator. What are your orders?"
Marcus's eyes flicked to the screen. "You and your squadron will venture to the Market again. Despite our recent encounter, it remains the best source for what we need. Collect the items on this list."The Captain Bot's optical sensors glowed as it received the data. "Understood."
Marcus nodded and sent off the bot, they were a ragtag bunch but they followed orders well. And Marcus knew none could stand up to him on the field of tactics.He grinned and returned to setting up the equipment.