Chapter 2: The 4th cabinet and Khan's Story

It's been 5 years since I was picked up from that alleyway, the 5 years I spent being looked after by Khan and his 3 metal bodied, AI employees. I'd skip on the same street, see the same cracks, kick the same bricks, and greet the same Old lady after going through my rounds in the scrap yards.

"Young Man! Is Khan alright?" She would always ask.

Frustrating as it would seem, it would always disappear as I knew she meant well.

"Yes, He is." I'd reply with a smile as I wave goodbye with my free hand.

She'd wish me good health as I walk away.

"Maybe he was wrong after all." I mutter happily as I pick up the pace.

Not soon after bumping into her, I'd arrive in front of the shop with its entrance garage door open and one of the Leavies

"It's funny how everything has a slanged nickname" I'd mutter.

Leavies, a nickname given to Levitating Transport. Transports made by combining the vehicular technology made by man and the extra-terrestrial.

It revolutionized transportation for a few years, like how the electric car was invented...but just like the one past, the large influx of those that can purchase Leavies caused air traffic- traffic so bad they had to enforce holo lanes and special altitude laws.

Like technology old and new, Its gets better and better... and the old gets older and older, Naturally the price tag that's attached gets bigger and bigger as well.

While the Wealty's, that reside in city A, B and C, things get outdated, they'll scrap it and throw away; however, the frugal and less fortunate here in city D take care of their belongings, kept them safe, functional and alive. That's where we come in, the Extra-Terrestrial Technicians.

Extra-Terrestrial Technicians, ETech for short, are mechanics, engineers, repairmen or simply technicians of the new world. That's our job! Or it should be. Naturally those of higher birth were held in higher regard than the commoner man even if the later had better skills, which in turn gave birth the the Alphabetical City System.

That's the reason City D's existence and current well being is thriving and surviving, because the ETech's like my grandfather kept it alive by fixing, creating and inventing with the scraps thought to be worthless to the rich, by turning it into precious resources needed by us.

Khan and Charlie, the cute nickname I gave Ch-4 when I was 2, never shared anything other than that.

I can see that the workshop has a leavie on Lift, L1F-3's nickname, on his back while Khan was working the kinks in its underbelly, on a wheeled backrest.

I'd walk through the large open garage doors and the infrared laser stationed on ankle height would ring.

Ring ring!

"I'm home gramps!!"

"Hey kiddo, how was the haul?"

"The best so far gramps! We have the nano circuit from a compact toolkit! It was a steal!!"

He looked at me with confusion as how a 5 year old knew what a nano circuit is. He gave Tyler, Ty-3, a look which he had on his face too. They turn to the 5 year old.

"How do you know its a Nano circuit?"

With a smug look I replied.

"A small blue screen starts moving along the piece when I look at it and it told me that it's a nano circuit!"

Khan blinked numerous times to process. His confused expression turns to one of happiness.

He walks over and kneels in front of me.

"That's great kiddo! You cybernetic augmentation finally kicked in!" He said as he patting my shoulders and helped removing the bag I carried of my arm, off.

Brimming with curiosity Khan lead me to his wall filled with tools.

He picked up one from the lower portion and presented it to me.

"Here Kiddo, What's this?"

I stare at it for a few seconds waiting for a few symbols scan the tool, before a screen shows up.

[Dual-handed steel tipped drill]

"That's A Dual-handed Steel Drill!

"Whoa!! That's perfect!! Spot on!" Khan remarks as he lifted me up in praise.

"hehehe, thanks grampa-"

RrrrrRrrrrRrrrr!

An ear piercing siren started blaring with the sound originating from the hologram handsigns and the holo screens turing bright red.

"Alert!! Please Stay indoors!! A pack Bullet hounds have breached the Outer ring! I repeat, the Outer ring has been breached!"

Bullet hounds, Wolves infected by the virus that gave them the unusual physique of 2 large anti-personel guns growing out of its back.

Everyone scrambles for shelter as the sound of rumbling gets louder and louder. Khan drops me on the ground and sprints for the a red button encased in glass.

[ Lockdown. Enhanced glass ]

With a knuckle fist, Khan shattered the glass in one hit and pressed the button at the same time.

The graffitied garage doors fall down locking itself and another, more durable looking garage door rose from the floor locking itself too.

He waved his bleeding hand back and forth in an effort to lessen the pain as he walked to the 4th cabinet, the cabinet with contents I've never seen.

He removed the fake handle to reveal a fingerprint scanner. He presses his finger for it to scan, it beeps and the cabinet door flies open revealing an assortment of rifles, beside a matching amount of handguns of all shapes and sizes, a dual-handed war hammer, and a bottom shelf with apile of ammunition boxes.

My jaw drops as I see the compact armory capable of arming a small group of individuals. Khan passes one of the smaller rifles accompanied by a handful of loaded magazines, to Charlie and ordered him to take me upstairs. Before disappearing from my view, I see him grab the large Warhammer with one hand and turned towards the sealed garage doors in a battle ready stance.

Charlie rushed into the 2nd floors living space and put me in the middle of the room. He hovered above me with his rifle's stock against his shoulder and the iron sights hoisted up to his eye.

Charlie isn't aware of full ability of my augmentation yet. I could hear, as clear as I could see, everything that happened below.

Khan stared at the double-sealed doors intently listening.

The sounds gunshots filled the air, alongside confused screaming

People have started running in mass panic as the bullet hounds picked them off one by one, the only noise one could clearly hear were cries of panic, growling, the sound of bone and steel being crushed, the sound of lesh being torn alongside historical screams of agony.

I would wince in disgust as my processing speed would depict the scenes as If I was standing before them watching, just from the sounds I'm hearing. I can vividly see the friendly lady being eaten alive and no matter how hard I shut my eyes, I can still see it.

Charlie noticed my face showing sign of discomfort and tried to cheer me.

"It's alright Young master, I am here and I'll protect you with all that I am. I promise." He said in his usual monochrome voice.

Although I knew that he will even before he said that, it comforted me. The sound of metal scratching away at metal started to echo throughout the 2-floored shop.

Not long after the start of the noise, barking and gunshots replaced it.

"This is a Platinum-Tungsten alloy seal, if the dogs are putting dents into it...it must be..That" He seethed grimly.

A large pack of bullet hounds have started to gather in front of the establishment giving shooting through the first garage door and into the second relentlessly.

Khan grips his Warhammer tightly as the ear-piercing sound of gunfire subsided. One would breathe a sigh of relief but not Khan, he keyed a code into the gauntlets he put on. It activated and projected a small arm-held Hexagonal Shield with a yellow-ish hue.

"It's coming" He said.

I flinched as he said that, the sound of metal ominously clanking periodically in the form of footsteps meant that it was very heavy- and very heavily armed.

A Bullet hound the size of a Leavie stared at the battered door and bared its fangs. Unlike the bullet hounds, it didn't have 2 guns protruding from its back but a large turret instead.

It leaned its head down slightly and raised the barrel of its large turret, aiming at the part where the lesser hounds concentrated their fire.

BOOM!

A cloud of smoke mixed with soot and dust erupted upon impact. The onlookers from other buildings peered through their windows to see what that explosion was.

"That black-haired brat was bad luck after all."

"He was good man, why did he have to pick that street trash!"

I heard them loud and clear and I couldn't do anything about it.

The hounds surrounded the building with the biggest in the middle with their lethal arms pointed in the the area where the leader shot.

Clank clank.

Two canisters are thrown through the smoke and they rolled across the concrete pavement

The first of the canisters opened with its sides collapsing open and the top propelled upward.

The top flies to the hound's eye level and flashed brightly, blinding both the hound's and the on lookers alike.

The second canister opens like the first but instead, the contents was a four-sided speaker.

It activated and produced sound so loud the sound waves were tangible to the touch, shattering the surrounding glass into dust.

Charlie covered my ears prior to the blast after dropping his rifle.

The sound and light disappeared leaving the ears and eyes of the wolves, knocking out of commission.

Khan jumped through the smoke with his hammer ready to crash down. The confusion caused by the lack of hearing and sight cause the hounds, except the leader, to blindly fire.

Khan effortlessly blocked with the Holo shield on his left arm and swinging the large hammer with his right, systematically elimitaing threats one after the other. With the leaders sense beginning to come back, he was greeted with a hammer shattering his turret breaking his back alongside it.

The commotion attracted the attention of all of the intruders. Khan welcomed them, hammer in hand; meanwhile, Charles peered through the glass-less windows and gave support.

Charlie fired in three short-bursts, at the hounds out of Khan's range funnelling them within his range.

Ba-ba-bang

Charlie hasn't noticed but I peered through the other window to see their masterful performance. Green-ish goo for blood drained from the lifeless bodies comprised of crushed skulls and pierced heads.

Khan huffed amidst of the corpses, trying to catch his breath. I jump off the chair I'm standing on nearly slipping on the bullet casings on the ground. I run downs the stairs and jumped through the hole on the doors left behind in the hounds wake.

"Gramps! That was awesome! Can you teach me?"

He set down his hammer and patted my head.

"Hmm~ I'll think about it."

[ Lying ]

"Heh, I can even detect lines" I thought smugly.

"Lying is bad grampa. I weally wanna learn!" I pout.

He sees the biggest puppy dog eyes I could muster.

"Ugh.. N-no.. But... Ugh..."he answers I between glances filled with hesitation.

"Alright... Fine, Training will starts at dawn!" he reluctantly said.

"Yes grampa." I smiled at him

Charlie looks at the sight of bantering between a worn, war-hardened soldier and a 5 year old boy with puppy dog eyes, he shakes his head.

"Like I said, 'This will be interesting'."

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