CHAPTER 25
VIKKI'S DEADLY RESCUER
"Help! help! Let me out. I'm trapped in here." Vikki shouted. Something was banging on the door from the other side. She banged the door with the shelf. "Open the door, Let me out" The banging on the other side of the door stopped. "Don't go, Please let me out!"
The door vibrated with a whirring sound. Something like a monstrous corkscrew punched through. It turned and twisted growing larger as it wound its way through the door. "What are you doing?" Vikki yelled, "Just open the door." The screw was almost two feet long and twelve inches wide when it stopped spinning. The door bent forward, and then bent backward surging the water with the swaying. It bent forward again and backward again. The water sloshed with it."Hey you, be careful. This room is full of water. It's going to come out like a flood." The door continued to bow forward and backward. "Hey you, it is going to blow like a bomb! Open it slowly." The door bent far in and then far out. "Do you hear me? The water and stuff is going to knock you on your butt."
She looked for a hand hold so she wouldn't be swept out into the hall and buried under machinery. Vikki struggled back through the water to the far machine. Climbing on top of it, she grabbed for the broken vent. Her thin fingers barely squeezed through the broken shutter for a hold before the door vanished under a charging mass of water and machines. The machine she stood on lunged from under her like a mad horse and for a moment she swung from the vent until it gave way and she fell. The water shot her out the door with machines in front of her.
The surge of water raced up the short hall dragging Vikki along until it spread out in the courtyard of the merchant's section. Vikki skidded to a stop a hundred feet into the darkened courtyard. Scattered all around her were the wet debris of soap bottles, clothing, bedding, and twisted machines on their sides.
She lay on her back. "Holy cow, what a ride, I would pay money to do that again." Slowly she struggled to her feet and looked around. Standing was hard because she ached everywhere and the floor was slippery.
"Hello? Thank you for saving me. Hello? Come on somebody opened the door," There was no answer and one in view. Vikki walked around the mess, "Hello? Are you hurt?"
BOOM! Something began to pop and sizzle. Vicky crouched behind a laundry machine and watched the flashing and sparking. It was coming from a piece of equipment or something. It was spinning in circles. BOOM! A flash spewed sparks from its side. It sparked and flashed until the machine lay still and dark.
Slowly Vikki approached. She had never seen anything like it before. The force of the water had thrown it onto its side. The large metal corkscrew jutted from it. There were large steel arms with iron claws and two forks lifting blades. "You opened the door? What are you?"
"Yesterday," said a child's voice, Vikki's eyes grew big at the unnerving voice, "I was a warehouse load lifter. Today I am Death and Mayhem." It sparked again, the tractor treads spun helplessly. "Daddy, help me." The lights flashed then went out.
"Weird."
"Hey you! Get away from that thing." A man' voice yelled. "Look, Guys, Girlie killed a deathbot."
Vikki looked for the voice but in the darkened cavern of the courtyard, she couldn't see where it came from. It had a menace to it. In the dark distance, she could see lights from equipment moving and swaying with the rhythm of men walking. There was a dozen of them coming toward her. As they approached through the gloom she began to make out the shadow shapes of men in black armor carrying weapons.
"Pirates!"
Their swagger and posture were threatening. They stomped in the water sending splashes with each step. Some carried bottles of liquor.
"It is our lucky day." said a rough voice.
"Yep," said a course voice. "The bars are open and the booze is free. And now here comes some fresh fun with red hair. I like red hair on my fun.
Vikky backed away. Her foot bumped something. She picked it up to use as a weapon but it was only a jug of soap. With her eyes on the emerging pirates, she untwisted the lid as she backed away spilling the soap on the water. She kept backing up.
"Common Girlie." A rough voice said. "You want to have some fun don't you?"
They were yards away. She splashed the last of the soap and picked up another bottle and unscrewed the top emptying it as she backed up. They were too close for comfort; she tossed the jug and dashed across the courtyard splashing as she went.
The pirates came for her splashing in the inch deep water. After ten yards they slid on the soap tumbling over each other and cursing.
"Go around the suds, stupid!"
"Get off me."
"Oww! This burns my eyes."
"Get up. Get her. There will be trouble if you don't"
Vikki ran with all she had. She knew the Merchant's section, it was a playground for the teenagers. She climbed some stairs and sprinted across a catwalk. Looking down was satisfying. The pirates were still struggling in the suds.
Something flashed past her. Another flash seemed to whiz by almost too fast to see. "They are shooting at me." She dodged behind some merchant's booths and began to zigzag through the maze of booths.
"Girlie, we are coming to get you."
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