TFP: Legends Never Die

Chapter 6: Nightblade

My muzzle was turned towards the ground as I continued on. The ground underneath me shifted from the smooth paved roads to roughened metal. Thankfully, the surface was blunted with the pad protectors I wore, but I could still feel the textures beneath me and they were off-putting, to say the least.

I didn't let that distract me from the scent though. I paused, waiting for the enforcers behind me to catch up. They were much slower than I was, and I had learned that if I didn't wait for them to catch up when I was on a trail, I would be shocked. The same pad protectors had some sort of a shocking device in them as well as the muzzle that I wore.

This muzzle was different than any other I'd worn before. It allowed me to open and close my mouth, but a lining went through my mouth and straps attached a camera and another device that occasionally beeped to my helm.

At first, I'd been terrified of it. Terrified that they would use it to kill me or control me, but I later learned that the harshest thing that these mecha ever did was give me a light shock. It wasn't enough to immobilize me or even to stop me. Just a warning that I need to be aware of them.

Terror had turned to annoyance once I realized it was harmless. The straps in my mouth were off-putting, and more often than not I'd be fidgeting and messing around with it, before and after missions.

The anklets were used a lot during the so-called training, but as soon as I'd understood what they wanted and started to comply with them, I was given much more freedom and far less punishment.

Which led to situations like now. I knew from overhearing them talk that this was a big drug dealer, one of the few that the enforcers bothered to track down. The station I was at and the city as a whole had a reputation for their enforcers being lazy and willing to let criminals slide, but this one was far too dangerous even for the government.

A third device that was attached to my shoulder held the transmissions where they would give me commands. My t-cog was still unstable enough that I couldn't transform, which made speaking back to them impossible. But I could understand Kaonian almost fluently now. Neocybex was a bit harder, but I was getting the hang of it.

"Forward," a voice commanded, and I complied. The order for continuing to follow the scent went unsaid. So far it had let us down to a docking stage where boats prepared to depart on the massive Sea of Rust. The acidic water took special navigation and equipment to be able to transport cargo, but it was oftentimes used to get from one major city to another without wasting fuel on a larger transport. It was also used for smuggling illegal packages, as international waters were not regulated nearly as heavily.

We'd already been to three similar warehouses, and every single time I smelled this mecha's scent a little bit stronger. I knew he was dangerous. I knew he would try to kill me as soon as I alerted the enforcers, but it didn't stop me from trying.

Outside of being ordered, I found a certain thrill from hunting and tracking down these mecha. I hoped that one of them was somehow involved with my capture and that they would be tortured and die a slow death. In addition to that, I was able to run occasionally and oftentimes after a mission well done. They would take me to the outskirts of the Badlands where I was able to run faster and longer than any training facility allowed. They always applied wing clips and a heavier collar though, one that could actually deliver a nasty shock to ensure that I wouldn't be able to escape.

It was tantalizing to be so close to freedom yet so far. Despite the improved conditions where I was now, everything in me still yearned to go back to where I belonged. Nothing could overpower instinct.

Hunting instincts also came into play. It was what made moments like these so enjoyable.

I turned around the corner before alerting the enforcers that my target was near. I stood almost stiff as a board. My muzzle pointed in the direction of where the scent continued. The scent was extremely strong, which usually meant the criminal was behind the doors or had been behind them within the last 30 clicks. Regardless, I was neither equipped, nor the correct choice to apprehend them, so I merely pointed where they were and let the enforcers take over from there.