"You're gonna regret the day you was born!" The weasel-looking thug sneered at the fallen old man. Bleeding from his face, from the edge of the sword, the man clasped his hands and begged for mercy.

"Please! Just let me get the money from my work! I have a sick wife. I'm the only who can wo-" The larger thug swiped his hand and struck the old man across the face.

"Shut up! We came here for money or blood! And it looks like you're out of money!" the greasy one said.

He raised his hand again.

"Stop." I said. I was rolling across the cobblestone road. My arm worked furiously as I approached the old man.

"Well well well. What's this? A cripple defending an old man!" Greasy hair guffawed.

"Please, don't come near them. They are from the street gang that rules this neighborhood. Please, just go" the old man managed to say to me. He was trying to save me. From these ... vermin.

The weasely one walked up to me and stopped my wheelchair with his foot.

"You should take the old man's advice, boy. It's the last he's ever going to give!"

*I highly advise you to remove yourself from this situation, AEGIS. Our options are severely limited, and our mobility is - *

"Shut up" I said, to everyone.

I pointed to the old man. "You! Are you ok? You're bleeding."

He looked at me with pleading eyes. He had lost hope. And in his eyes some insane crippled boy was going to get hurt as well.

I saw out of the corner of my eye that Clarissa and Gier had stepped outside their house. She was looking at me with wide eyes, her hand to her mouth.

"Shut up? Did you just tell me to shut up?" Greasy man said. He sauntered up to me.

Good. He wasn't paying attention to the old man now.

'Interface. What are my options? Do I have any weapons inside me?'

*AEGIS, in some ways, your whole body is a weapon. There are several routines for hand to hand combat. But I highly advise ...*

"Ah ah ah" I said.

Greasy man was taken aback somewhat by my audacity.

"What's with you boy? Do you have a death wish? Tired of wheeling around like a worm?" Greasy said.

Weasel laughed.

The old man took a step backwards.

Greasy turned to him

"You! Stay right there. We'll deal with you after the crazy worm boy here gets a lesson in manners!"

I could feel the power welling up within me. I KNEW this was the right thing. I gripped the chair so hard the metal started crushing under my grip.

"Yes, greasy. Teach me a lesson." I said calmly as I stared into his eyes.

Something about the way I looked at him made him shiver.

"C'mon man! The boss is waiting. We need to kill this old man and get out of here!" Weasel said.

How could I be saying what I thought I would say? Was I crazy after all?

"Over my dead body" I said quietly.

"Nuuhhh!" Greasy swung the flat of his sword at me. I think his intention was to knock me out of the chair. Probably would kick me then and mock me.

Not. Going. To. Happen.

Like a coiled spring, I struck.

As his sword came close to me I reached out with my only hand and gripped the sword so hard the blade collapsed under my hand. I used that leverage to launch myself toward the greasy man and hit him head first with my forehead.

My whole body shook with the force of impact and I heard a crunch as his nose collapsed beneath my metallic head. Blood burst from his face and I spun away - pushing with my torso to uppercut him in the chin. Tumbling, I landed on my hand - balancing my body ... impossibly with one hand with splayed out fingers. I was upside down but fortunately my illusion magic had thought to give me pants below my belly.

Greasy man fell back and hit the ground hard. His face was a bloody mess. The ruined sword clattered to the pavement.

All eyes were on me. Weasel man, old guy, bystanders, Gier, Clarissa. Everyone.

I lowered myself carefully to the ground and lifted my hand to Weasel. I beckoned him with my fingers. Balancing on my legless torso was tricky.

'Neo would be proud' I thought to myself. While I stayed calm on the outside, internally I was ecstatic. I could DO this! What in the heck WAS I?

*Well, AEGIS, this is unexpected.* My Interface said dryly.

"Damn right it is." I said out loud.

I was a spirit trapped in a robot body with only one arm and no lower half, but at that moment I never felt so alive. So RIGHT.

Footsteps sounded behind me. Gasps from the bystanders caused me to glance backward. The police were running toward our little encounter. That's just GREAT. Where were they 10 minutes ago?

In that moment of distraction my weasel friend pulled what looked like a gun. It had an odd appearance -- strangely misshapen. Like a cross between a flintlock gun and a small hair dryer.

*Caution, AEGIS. That weapon can fire metallic projectiles. While it won't harm you, it could ricochet and hurt a bystander.*

I nodded.

"Look man! I don't know who or what you are, but you've messed with the WRONG guild!"

He turned abruptly and fired at the old man.

NO!

I launched myself instinctively to put myself between the bullet and the man, but it was already too late. The bullet ripped into the man's side and I went sprawling and hit the wall of the nearby building.. Hard.

*Warning! Impact has damaged your internal calibration systems. Advise retreat immediately!* Interface warned.

The police arrived, they also had those strange hair dryer looking weapons.

"Halt! " They yelled.

The weasely one looked down at the old man, bleeding. And then to his friend who was out like a light and bleeding himself. He sneered.

"We'll be seeing you - worm!" He yelled and took off running.

"Stop!" Called one of the policemen, he took off running after the thug. The other rushed to the old man's side. People screamed and scattered at the first shot.

Gier and Clarissa ran across the street as the second thug escaped. Gier knelt down and lifted me upright.

"Ughghgh" I said. Rubbing my head.

Clarissa knelt down as well, she put my face in her hands.

"Are you ok? Are you hurt?" she asked. Her eyes were full of concern.

"That was a brave thing to do, son." Gier said as he glanced over at the fallen thug. More police were arriving.

He looked me in the eye --- "Brave, ... or stupid," he quirked a half smile.

"Both." I said wearily. "Definitely both."

One of the policemen was the same guy as before. He walked up to me as other men in uniform were already lifting the unconscious man by his shoulders.

"Will he be ok?" I called out to the men.

"Oh he'll be fine. Can't say the same for old man Roddins." The officer said sadly.

"Oh!" I sat up and looked over at the old man. He wasn't moving. Two officers were kneeling over him. One reached down and closed the man's eyes.

"NO!" I cried.

NO! This was NOT how it was supposed to happen! I was supposed to show off my incredible skills, beat the thugs, and win the girl! Instead, I nearly killed the first thug, the weasely thug had killed the old man, and had gotten away anyway!

What kind of crappy game was this?

Gier walked back to me, his face a stony mask.

"Aegis, I convinced them that you had acted in self defense. They will probably want to question you later but they are going to let me take you back home. Promise me you won't kill anyone before we get back to the house."

I cringed. I looked over at Clarissa. She was looking at me with a mixture of awe, fear, and maybe something like respect? I had really messed this up.

"Yes, mister Sarman. I understand."

After lifting me up onto the wheelchair he pushed me back to their house. People avoided us as we crossed. The crowd that had gathered because of the disturbance parted like some kind of biblical sea before my Moses of mortification.

After we entered the house, Gier helped me to my bed and left without a word. Bud jumped on my bed and lay at the foot - whining quietly.

The day was growing darker. I spent the rest of it looking out the curtained window and learned that golems can cry.