Factory

Over a nice meal together in the huge dining hall, Max and Misty filled in Factory on everything that had happened and Factory did the same for the girls.

"So, you and Factory are super horny when you're high," Misty said with a big laugh. "That is just too funny."

Factory was thoroughly embarrassed.

"Yeah, ha-ha," she said, trying to laugh at herself.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny," Max said with a sneer. "You know, I'm really surprised we haven't already been attacked again."

"What'd you mean?" Misty asked.

"Well, Revenant found us pretty easy. And then Factory and him fought on a security feed. I would think we'd up to our necks in hostility by now."

At that moment, the girls noticed that the entire dining hall was quiet and still. The three of them were the only ones around and their waiter had stopped coming to check on them.

"You just had to say something didn't you?" Misty asked in anger.

Standing up together Misty and Max revealed weapons they had kept hidden on them. Misty held a large knife in her left hand, and a high caliber pistol in her right, both of them flat black in color. Max revealed a two small machine pistols and quickly handed Factory the two revolvers she had previously used.

"Always be prepared," Max said with a wink.

"Everyone see them?" Misty asked. "I got a wolfman walkin' in the hall."

"There's some sort of robotic swordsman behind Max," Factory pointed out.

"And looks like I got a tall-ass mummy," Max said. "I think this is Revenant, right? Guess he doesn't die so easily."

Factory temporarily looked over her shoulder to confirm Max's assumption was true. The three bounty hunters that had come after them were well-known: Revenant the Immortal, Xenos the Blade, and Suritogi the Beast.

Xenos was a man of average height, but was far from average in strength and speed. Most of his body had been replaced by robotics or fused with his own organic material. From the shoulders down, Xenos was far from human. He shined in the light with a silver and gray metal body of synthetic muscle and bone that he only covered up with loose fitted pants meant for martial arts. His head, the only human part left, was actually quite handsome. He was a soft tanned color probably due to the sun more so that his genetics, but partially covered up by a visor that covered his eyes. His hair was clean and shiny, pushed backward behind him by a large band that kept it out of his way as he fought.

In Misty's view was a gruesome looking wolf monster standing on hind legs and wearing shorts that hugged his body. The wolf monster Suritogi was actually a male member of the Dorin race; a beast-like people that were the first to trade with and help humanity colonize planets. His fur was mostly dark blue, with his hands, feet, and c.h.e.s.t receiving white instead.

"Suppose these won't do much then, if he's still alive," Max said, putting her guns away. "Good luck guys."

"Bounty heads!" Suritogi called out, in a very deep, growling voice. "I am Suritogi the Beast. You now have the full attention of the Warriors Guild. Surrender or know that thousands of the galaxy's finest and most honorable warriors will come down upon you and erase your evil existence."

"Sounds like we all have a price on our heads now," Misty said with a chuckle.

"Whatever we are accused of," Max began, "is a complete fabrication and nothing but lies! We only wish to leave this planet and live quietly without violence."

"If what you say is true, then you should have no issue with surrendering and explaining your situation!" Xenos replied, heavy robotic tone overlaying his voice.

"Whoever is after us is powerful and could easily manipulate systems to their will!" Misty argued. "If we surrender to you then we will be throwing our lives away!"

"Then I suppose we have nothing left to discuss," Revenant said, stretching out his arms.

"Prepare to be subdued!" Xenos called out.

Far faster than Max and Misty could follow, Xenos raced towards them with a large sword unsheathed, his robotic body giving him incredible speed. Stopping him a few feet from his friends, Factory quickly moved in front of him and held both guns to his neck. Keeping her from firing, Xenos held the sharp edge of his sword under Factory's jaw.

"Very interesting," Xenos said. "You will be my first true opponent. I will wait for you upstairs so that we may have ample room for our quick movements."

Xenos quickly stepped back and then jumped upward into the air. His artificial body flipped backward several times before landing on the second floor up above. Factory quickly looked to the stairs and was on her way after him.

"Who do you think is stronger?" Max asked Misty. "The mummy or the wolf?"

"Well, we already know he comes back to life if you shoot him," Misty replied.

"Good point."

Max rushed at Revenant with fists ready, gritting her teeth and feeling her blood pump rapidly. Revenant held up his guard to absorb the blow from his opponent but was instead knocked back into the wall of which he stood several yards away from. The wall cracked and crumbled behind him. As he quickly recovered and looked up at his opponent, Max struck him again with a charging shoulder and they both smashed completely through the wall and into a vast kitchen.

Misty stood still and stared hard Suritogi. The large beast was ready for a fight, teeth barred and breathing heavy. In an attempt to get things going, Misty raised her gun and fired at the Dorin. The shot struck his left shoulder and was knocked away by his massive muscle and protective fur, but the impact made him flinch and hold the bruising area while roaring back at her.

"At least he felt it," Misty said with a sigh.

Suritogi growled loudly and charged at Misty head on, tossing tables out of his way as he advanced. The furry mass of muscles was not nearly as quick as Xenos or Revenant, but was definitely the most powerful. Firing the rest of her shots at her opponent, Misty's gun became empty right as Suritogi reached her. With a single monstrous hand he grabbed a hold of her head and raised her into the air so they would be face to face. What would surely crack and crush a normal person's skull was nothing to Misty. Suritogi noticed this fact.

"What are you?" he asked.

"I'm probably the least impressive of the three," Misty replied.

With a quick swipe, Misty sliced her knife along the face of Suritogi and sent the sharp blade through the surface of his right eye. Suritogi immediately let go of Misty and roared out in pain as he staggered backward.

On the second floor balcony, Factory stood several yards away from Xenos, who was waiting at ease for her to arrive. With a few twirls of his sword, Xenos stood ready for Factory's advance. Factory stared at him, slowly c.o.c.king back the hammers of her revolvers.

"Now, where were we?" Xenos said.

Charging at Factory once again, Xenos began swinging quickly and expertly. Factory used her heavy revolvers as deflecting tools as the sharp blade tried its best to reach her flesh. Xenos's skill was amazingly quick and precise, a perfect match for Factory, who realized she was moving much quicker than before. The samurai had never had so much difficulty with an opponent. Xenos continuously pushed Factory back with his advance, but try as he might his speed was not greater than Factory's. Attempting to bring down his blade onto her head, he was stopped by a pair of crossed barrels, steadying the blade away.

"I see that you also have strength you can call upon," Xenos observed again. "I am a bit jealous, as I did not possess such natural talent in my previous body."

"Neither did I," Factory said, holding her block firm. "I wasn't even aware I was this strong or quick a few hours ago."

"Then let's see how fast you are."

In a swing suddenly much faster than before, Xenos pulled his sword back and brought it in from the side. At the very last moment, Factory crossed her right revolver over and blocked the attack while simultaneously firing a shot with her left. The bullet ripped through Xenos's left shoulder, causing fluid to spray upward with a quick retreat by the samurai. His arm dangled limp and useless.

Only taking this into account for a moment, he held his sword in his good hand and went on the attack again. The samurai lunged and swiped with everything he had. The blade clanged violently against Factory's pistols as she did her best to keep his attacks at bay. Xenos's expert technique made her struggle and fatigue quickly. As she attempted to block a jab, she moved incorrectly and the pistol was knocked away, leaving a deep slice into her hand. As Xenos came with a finishing swipe Factory charged into his body and avoided the blade on the inside, meeting him c.h.e.s.t to c.h.e.s.t with a barrel pressed against his throat.

"I can't believe it," he said. "No one has ever bested me before."

"There's a first time for everything," Factory said.

Xenos dropped his sword and surrendered to Factory, with eyes closed and face calm.

"I won't kill you if you're giving up," Factory said.

"But I have lost this duel. There is no honor in living a failure."

"You're not a failure. You're an amazing swordsman. Fix your arm and come find me again before I leave the planet. I will give you another duel then. But in return for this it will not be a duel to the death, only a struggle between two warriors for sport."

Xenos looked at Factory sternly.

"Very well," he accepted. "I hope the charges against you are indeed false. You would be a valued member to our fellowship."

Before taking his leave as he sheathed his sword, Xenos glanced downward at Suritogi and Misty.

"I suppose we came ill prepared," he said. "I never noticed until now how very short a high-speed encounter is. Until next time, warrior."

"Factory," she corrected.

"Interesting name. I will be sure to update your records so that all will know. You can call me, Xenos."

As Suritogi reacted to the attack, Misty quickly ran for cover behind a thick pillar that held up the second floor balcony and reloaded her pistol. The Dorin roared out in anger at his enemy.

"You make this very difficult to keep you alive!" he threatened.

"Didn't you just try and crush my head?" Misty replied.

After a sniff of the air, he located Misty and charged the pillar. Reacting quickly, Misty fired a shot and struck the beast in the forehead. The shot disoriented Suritogi and it caused his charge to slam into the pillar, breaking its connection to the first floor and dropping debris.

"You had better stop now or I'll just continue to make you look bad, Suritogi," Misty taunted, leaning against another pillar. "You are a bad match for me."

Recovering from the crash, Suritogi hurled a large piece of debris and struck Misty in the c.h.e.s.t, pushing her up against the pillar. Just as the projectile fell, the Dorin came at her and pushed Misty through the pillar with his massive arm. She landed half buried in the rubble of the ruined pillar but did not lose her composure. Firing from the floor, she struck Suritogi in the head again, disorienting him further. The beast shook his head side to side trying to regain his clear vision, all the while not paying attention to an important detail.

"I'm sure this will end poorly for one of us," Misty predicted.

Unsure of what she meant, Suritogi then noticed the strained sound of materials giving way and a section of the second floor balcony came crashing down upon them, with it at least a dozen tables.

Inside the giant kitchen of long counters and countless stainless steel appliances, things weren't going as well as Max had hoped. Revenant was not landing many hits upon her but showed no sign of fatigue, whereas Max was out of breath.

"You look tired," Revenant observed. "Are you nearing your end?"

"No way," she replied. "I could do this shit all night."

"I could do this for eternity."

Trying to take advantage of her fatigue, Revenant went on the attack again. His blows were still blocked by Max but he noticed their decreased speed. With a bit of creativity he worked his way inside her defenses and landed a blow to her stomach. With his opponent stunned he picked her up over his head.

"You are falling victim to the same faults as your friend," Revenant explained.

"Yeah, but my little sis' beat you," Max replied.

Feeling a bit of irritation, Revenant tossed Max into a large stove, injuring her side. As Max sat holding herself in pain, Revenant walked slowly towards her with renewed confidence.

"It is difficult to best an immortal," he said, standing before her.

"I'm not out yet," Max replied.

Revenant ignored Max's threat and grabbed her by the neck. Max's feet dangled in the air as she was raised and airways tightened. Using the opportunity, Max brought her fists together and smashed Revenant's forearm. Reacting in pain but not verbally telling so, Revenant let go and staggered backward. Trying to catch her breath but knowing she had little time, she rushed at the stunned Revenant and slammed her fist into his right leg, bending it devastatingly in an unnatural fashion and dropping him to the floor.

"It wasn't all that difficult," Max taunted, before crashing her fist into Revenant's neck.

"Hello?" Misty called out, muffled by debris. "Can someone help me out of here?"

Max and Factory returned to the main dining area while holding tender wounds. Factory had wrapped her hand tightly with a torn piece of her shirt, while Max held her side, m.o.a.ning and whimpering.

"I'm sure I have a cracked rib or something," she complained.

"Oh, come on!" Misty w.h.i.n.ed. "Is anybody out there?"

After a bit of digging with Max's strength, Misty was found lodged underneath a large piece of the upper floor. Max and Factory couldn't help but giggle.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Misty said. "I'm not as well equipped to deal with this sort of situation. Please get this crap off of me."

"Did you win against that wolf guy?" Factory asked.

"I suppose so," Mist answered. "He hasn't burst from the rubble somewhere yet, so I guess he's dead or asleep. How did things go with you two?"

"I have a feeling Revenant will pull himself together at some point," Max explained. "But at least he's pretty f.u.c.k.e.d up right now. What about you, Factory?"

"He was pretty cool if I'm honest," Factory replied. "It was really quick because we were so fast, but he wanted me to kill him out of honor. I told him that he could duel me some other time when he's ready. I tried really hard to talk intelligently like he was."

The girls all enjoyed a nice laugh at their victory, although the joy did pain Max a little.

"Seeing as I'm the only one seriously injured, I feel like the most vulnerable," Max said. "Can we move on now please? I'd like to end this exciting life of ours as soon as possible."