| Fiction | A.C. Hall |
A Saga of Revenge
Part Three: Bixby’s Train Ride
Bixby
closed his eyes as the train began speeding down the tracks.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept and was
hoping this train ride would present him with a chance to
catch a quick nap. His eyes snapped open as he heard the
door to the train car whoosh open. It was a security bot.
Bixby hated robots. He eyed it suspiciously as it walked
slowly down the aisle, its metal feet thudding heavily
against the floor with every step. It stopped in front of
him. Bixby knew something was wrong but as he pulled his gun
the security bot grabbed him by the throat.
“Initiate program: eliminate Bixby.”
As the powerful hydraulic hand of the bot tightened around
his throat he brought his gun up to the bots head and
prepared to fire. The security bot tossed him sideways with
ease. He flew down the car and slammed into the door, his
sight going fuzzy for a second from the impact. He fired
twice, striking the security bot but doing no damage. Bixby
knew he needed to re-group, so he stood up and quickly ran
through the door behind him. He expertly walked across the
thin connectors holding the back car to the rest of the
train. The wind whipped at him as the scenery sped past in a
blur. He knew the security bot chasing him was getting
close, so he moved into the last car quickly. He stopped in
his tracks as he saw what was inside. A hundred robotic
voices chimed out, one on top of the other, as row after row
of security bots activated.
“Initiate program: eliminate Bixby.”
“Initiate program: eliminate Bixby.”
“Initiate program: eliminate Bixby.”
He heard movement behind him and turned to see the security
bot that had been chasing him charging towards him. As it
lunged at him he stepped to the side and gripped its arm,
then fired four quick shots into its shoulder, blowing the
arm off. He swung the arm out wildly as it spewed hydraulic
oil everywhere. He was careful not to slip in it as he moved
backwards out of the car. The security bots surged towards
him and Bixby threw the oil spewing arm at them and shot it
in mid air, causing it to explode and blow apart many of the
closest security bots in the process. More explosions
followed as the spilled hydraulic oil ignited in the car.
Bixby quickly dropped down and unhooked the connectors
between the cars. The train pulled quickly away from the
burning car full of security bots. Bixby returned to his
seat but didn’t even entertain the thought of trying to
rest. He’d soon be at his destination. The city where Tavern
X was located, the city where he’d finally confront the man
he hunted. The city where he would die.

