She knew this was a bad idea. She could feel it in her gut, and ideas of turning around and running back home swam through her mind. But Charlie was never one to back down when things turned rough. She gritted her teeth and crept against the warehouse's corrugated outer wall, hoping to find a window or side door to peek through, but there was nothing. She turned around, planning on circling from the other side, and ran smack into something hard. She yelped and propelled herself backward several feet before realizing what she'd hit.
"Jesus, Tommy, you scared the hell out of me," she called out over the sound of rain, gasping.
"This unit is sorry, Charlie. What are you doing here?"
"Following Smedley. I tracked him to this block, but I've lost him. He's got to be in one of these warehouses," she explained, wiping water from her eyes. "What about you?"
"The same with Heap. This unit knew he shouldn't have followed him, but the opportunity was hard to pass. Sorry." Tommy lifted the brim of his fedora so Charlie could see his eyes, full and glowing.
"Don't be. I'm glad you're here. So where did Heap go?"
"There," said Tommy, pointing across an intersecting side street at another warehouse.
There was no one else around, so they decided to forego sneaking and ran quickly through the rain. There was a large overhead door that was closed and padlocked beside another entrance--a door that appeared to be boarded up. This door, however, was slightly ajar, and a thin stream of light spilled out onto a gathering puddle on the sidewalk. They pressed themselves up against the building, protected from the rain by an overhang on the roof while Tommy assessed the situation.
"Do you know what's going on in there?" Charlie asked.
"No," he replied. "Stay here. This unit will be right back."
Tommy quickly moved from one side of the door to the other. That brief moment was all he needed to peek inside and gain a visual, and he sprinted back to Charlie.
"Well?"
"Two men on the other side. Guards or bouncers, this unit would guess."
"Let's go around back," Charlie suggested. "There may be another way in."
They followed the edge of the building around the side, where an alley cut through the block. A large, green dumpster was pushed up against the side, covering another door that also appeared to be boarded up. Tommy examined it for a moment.
"It's sealed," he said.
"Can you hear anything inside?"
He shook his head. "The rains making too much noise for this unit to pick up any other sounds."
They continued around to the back of the building, where there was a single barred window facing the backside of yet another wide, featureless warehouse. They peered through the window, its glass dirty and filled with the hollow corpses of long-dead insects. Directly on the other side was what appeared to be a dark, abandoned office, but beyond that was a large well-lit room. They could see rows of people, yelling, clutching small pieces of paper in their hands, staring intently at something just out of sight. Suddenly, something else fell into their field of vision, tumbling down at the feet of the spectators, who leapt from their seats, either cheering or stomping the ground. The thing on the floor, Tommy and Charlie immediately realized, was the body of a robot, wires crossed, sparks flying. Failed betting slips were tossed into the air, falling slowly like ticker tape.
"Ugh," Charlie exclaimed, disgusted. "A robot fight."
"This unit thought robot fights were illegal."
"They are, Tommy. That's why they're in the middle of a supposedly abandoned warehouse," said Charlie. "Look, there's one of our boys. Big surprise."
Smedley had walked into view, having a very animated conversation with a man carrying a notebook, who appeared to check and recheck something written in it.
"Heap must be there, too," said Tommy.
"Did he go anywhere else? Before he came here, did Heap make any other stops?"
"Just one. There's a large garage down the street. He was inside for approximately three minutes before heading here."
"Do you have the address?" Charlie asked.
"Of course. This unit will check it out tomorrow."
"I'll come with you," said Charlie, biting her lip. She was concerned. She knew how robot fights were organized, with the competitors either assembled from scrapped robots or, in more extreme cases, swept off the street and reprogrammed. Tommy may have been strong and fast, but if there was some sort of robot theft ring operating in this neighborhood, she wanted to be prepared.
Tommy's eyes glowed warmly.
"Record the address for this place, while you're at it. I think I'll send an anonymous tip to the cops and get this place shut down. It gives me the creeps."
Charlie began jogging away through the rain, pausing at the corner to wait for Tommy, who lingered a moment, bathed in the strange, stray light of a world he could never imagine. He could still see the deactivated robot's face, the light in its eyes going dim. Tommy tugged his hat down, covering his face. If he'd had flesh, it would have shivered.
"Me too," he said softly to himself, then followed Charlie, his heavy feet splashing through dark puddles of rain.
"Jesus, Tommy, you scared the hell out of me," she called out over the sound of rain, gasping.
"This unit is sorry, Charlie. What are you doing here?"
"Following Smedley. I tracked him to this block, but I've lost him. He's got to be in one of these warehouses," she explained, wiping water from her eyes. "What about you?"
"The same with Heap. This unit knew he shouldn't have followed him, but the opportunity was hard to pass. Sorry." Tommy lifted the brim of his fedora so Charlie could see his eyes, full and glowing.
"Don't be. I'm glad you're here. So where did Heap go?"
"There," said Tommy, pointing across an intersecting side street at another warehouse.
There was no one else around, so they decided to forego sneaking and ran quickly through the rain. There was a large overhead door that was closed and padlocked beside another entrance--a door that appeared to be boarded up. This door, however, was slightly ajar, and a thin stream of light spilled out onto a gathering puddle on the sidewalk. They pressed themselves up against the building, protected from the rain by an overhang on the roof while Tommy assessed the situation.
"Do you know what's going on in there?" Charlie asked.
"No," he replied. "Stay here. This unit will be right back."
Tommy quickly moved from one side of the door to the other. That brief moment was all he needed to peek inside and gain a visual, and he sprinted back to Charlie.
"Well?"
"Two men on the other side. Guards or bouncers, this unit would guess."
"Let's go around back," Charlie suggested. "There may be another way in."
They followed the edge of the building around the side, where an alley cut through the block. A large, green dumpster was pushed up against the side, covering another door that also appeared to be boarded up. Tommy examined it for a moment.
"It's sealed," he said.
"Can you hear anything inside?"
He shook his head. "The rains making too much noise for this unit to pick up any other sounds."
They continued around to the back of the building, where there was a single barred window facing the backside of yet another wide, featureless warehouse. They peered through the window, its glass dirty and filled with the hollow corpses of long-dead insects. Directly on the other side was what appeared to be a dark, abandoned office, but beyond that was a large well-lit room. They could see rows of people, yelling, clutching small pieces of paper in their hands, staring intently at something just out of sight. Suddenly, something else fell into their field of vision, tumbling down at the feet of the spectators, who leapt from their seats, either cheering or stomping the ground. The thing on the floor, Tommy and Charlie immediately realized, was the body of a robot, wires crossed, sparks flying. Failed betting slips were tossed into the air, falling slowly like ticker tape.
"Ugh," Charlie exclaimed, disgusted. "A robot fight."
"This unit thought robot fights were illegal."
"They are, Tommy. That's why they're in the middle of a supposedly abandoned warehouse," said Charlie. "Look, there's one of our boys. Big surprise."
Smedley had walked into view, having a very animated conversation with a man carrying a notebook, who appeared to check and recheck something written in it.
"Heap must be there, too," said Tommy.
"Did he go anywhere else? Before he came here, did Heap make any other stops?"
"Just one. There's a large garage down the street. He was inside for approximately three minutes before heading here."
"Do you have the address?" Charlie asked.
"Of course. This unit will check it out tomorrow."
"I'll come with you," said Charlie, biting her lip. She was concerned. She knew how robot fights were organized, with the competitors either assembled from scrapped robots or, in more extreme cases, swept off the street and reprogrammed. Tommy may have been strong and fast, but if there was some sort of robot theft ring operating in this neighborhood, she wanted to be prepared.
Tommy's eyes glowed warmly.
"Record the address for this place, while you're at it. I think I'll send an anonymous tip to the cops and get this place shut down. It gives me the creeps."
Charlie began jogging away through the rain, pausing at the corner to wait for Tommy, who lingered a moment, bathed in the strange, stray light of a world he could never imagine. He could still see the deactivated robot's face, the light in its eyes going dim. Tommy tugged his hat down, covering his face. If he'd had flesh, it would have shivered.
"Me too," he said softly to himself, then followed Charlie, his heavy feet splashing through dark puddles of rain.
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