There is a certain illusion of safety that is possessed as soon as you have a weapon on your hands; well unless you are the kind of bungler with absolutely no sense of gun safety and therefore are a danger to yourself and those around you. Actually anybody with that level of ineptitude may still have that illusion of safety regardless of how true it was actually. Most people find it hard to discern when they are lacking something, only gaining knowledge of their blind spots right after it ruins their lives like some screwed-up trade-off; Warden wasn’t any exception.

His thoughts ran away from him as he mechanically went about testing his weight. While he could move slowly it wouldn’t be without pain and his leg thrummed with that mild discomfort that could turn to agony in a second. Thankfully he had an excellent doctor back at Coldreach, fixing his ankle wouldn’t be an issue for Surge. The duo of Eazel and…Jelly?? (he still lacked the name of Undo’s race) had gone off to speak to the cops and it seemed that none of them had approached himself or Wendy, the two obvious outsiders. Did they have some sort of pull in the community? Undo had mentioned that he was guarding the place as a favour for Biffteer but did that mean he was a bodyguard or a cop or from the army and if he was from the army then which army. Planet 842D didn’t seem to have any army but he wasn’t aware that there were any other races besides the Eazel but Biffteer had mentioned the Regis as well and he had been reluctant to expose his ignorance.

“That’s sorted out,” Undo said as he slithered towards them shaped like a snake before he took on Warden’s image once more; he seemed to like doing that. “We have free reign on this case for the next two days. I’ll take care of any of the fallout.”

“I’ve never met a policeman who would so eagerly hand over a case,” Warden replied trying to glean a few more scraps of information from the ooze to get a better picture of the situation.

“From my talks with the local fuzz it seems they lack the equipment to confront them,” Undo shrugged. “They’ve already lost two trained members in an already small population. Remember 842D was meant to be a small mining colony with a minimal danger rating. This spate of thefts is already far outside their ambit. They believe that somebody offshore is sponsoring them and I’m inclined to agree but as to which third party it is I can only claim ignorance.”

“I’m also a bit ignorant on the local politics,” Warden admitted easily, before changing the subject. “Wendy have you found where the smell is leading?” he asked his secretary. She was the key to the whole plan; her prodigious sense of smell.

“I have memorized the scent, Sir,” Wendy stated, not letting him down. “It should be relatively easy to track them down.”

“Do you still insist of coming with us?” Undo asked. “I would gladly accept the help of your bodyguard but besides your Precognition and that newly acquired pistol you seem to lack any way of defending yourself.”

“If I don’t go then Wendy won’t,” Warden said calmly gesturing a thumb towards his bodyguard who nodded dutifully. “If Wendy doesn’t go then it is much less likely you manage to track down the thieves. If you can’t track down the thieves then we won’t get the Solar-Sail Convertors which means my goals haven’t been obtained. I’ll keep my head down and leave the bulk of the fighting to you two.”

“I will trust in your discretion then,” Undo stated. “Feel free to begin tracking down whenever you are ready.”

“Let’s get them Wendy,” Warden said with an agreement and his bodyguard took a deep breath before she turned and pointed in a direction before taking off at a fair clip. Undo collapsed into a roiling mass of blue jelly before moving like a river after her. Warden took off after them aiming his pistol carefully towards the ground due to lack of holster or safety. None of the crowd followed them as they broke through the assembly of Eazel staring and gossiping about the collapsed building. Despite the assertion that they are alike humans mentally it seems they may have a better sense of self-preservation, or maybe it was because this was essentially a mining colony, maybe it attracted a certain kind of human.

“We’re moving into the Permanent District,” Undo stated thoughtfully despite being nothing more than a moving puddle of jelly.

“Does that have any significance,” Warden stated cursing as he tried to keep up with their speed despite the throbbing pain. Once this whole situation was done he needed a break. Maybe he could get Wendy to fix the food problems and maybe Choir or Surge to balance the books while he just slept.

“It means they are not temporary or low income workers,” Undo stated. “It means that we might be stepping on some toes. I’m trying not to put too much thought into just whom that we’ll be attacking so I can claim ignorance afterwards.”

“You could always just blame us for the aftermath,” Warden said as he nearly tripped on a short rock sending a shock of pain. These roads were really starting to get on his nerves. “We are not planning on sticking around for very long afterwards.” The blocky floating buildings had started to form into whole complexes of monochromatic cuboid structures and some almost seemed to reach the size of his family’s mansion.

“Nah, I’ve already slapped my name on the decision,” Undo stated. “It’s really not as big of a deal I’m making it out to be. I’ve__”

“We’re here,” Wendy stated gravely, cutting off the discussion with a serious voice before she suddenly read the atmosphere. “Sorry, sorry. I meant that the house ahead is where they went to.” She pointed at another dark-grey block of stone the size of a small castle but with a barren rocky yet sculpted landscape surrounding the building. The entire structure was surrounded on all sides by a dome fence with bars tightly interlocked. Neither Warden nor Wendy would be able to slip through the bars but Undo would probably have no issue.

“Do you think they may be electrified?” Warden asked.

“Is that something your species does?” Undo responded immediately. “No, no, they should fully trust in the strength of metal to protect them from trespassers.”

“Great then bend the bars open,” Warden commanded and Wendy stepped forward placing her hand on the fence before with a screech the structure warped and buckled beneath her hands before links in the bars tore open beneath her strength.

“Okay wow,” Undo stated, his voice still displaying no emotions as he shaped himself into a poor copy of Wendy. “I can see why these Eazels might be wrong to trust in their metal alone. Is your species common around here?” he addressed Wendy. “I think even most Regis may envy that strength. We could use a few of you back in the force.”

“My species is not common,” Wendy stated politely but there was no encouragement to follow up.

“Yes Wendy is practically an endangered species,” Warden stated jokingly trying to diffuse the tension as he stepped towards the fence of the ‘manor’ that housed that apparently served as the base of the thieves. “Let’s try not to commit an environmental crime and get back safely to our home.”

“I’m happy with my job,” Wendy confirmed with a smile that showed for an instant, before she resumed her stoic look.

“So how are we going to do this?” Warden asked as Wendy took the first steps into the yard. “Think stealth is still possible.” As if to spite him a dull hum rang out as soon as Wendy’s foot touched the ground.

“And that was the alarm,” Undo confirmed just as the ground cracked over causing four massive pillars to rise up from the ground as the grounds began to pulse a dull green light. Immediately Warden lifted his weapon and fired four times at the pillar on the right taking off chunks of the stone pillar on the right as the metal began to shift into the form of something significantly more warlike. Chunks exploded off the pillar and Wendy took that as an invitation to charge at the second pillar.

His arm ached at the recoil but he gritted his teeth and stepped forward firing again and again. While he couldn’t hit a moving target so well a massive pillar wasn’t as easy to miss and bursts of red exploding from the point of impact announced every success. The gun he now proudly touted held up wonderfully and every glint of red reduced the mass of the pillar even as it slowly transformed into a blocky turret directed towards him. The race against time was won as eventually something gave way as the structure tilted to the side before collapsing onto the rocky turf without even a single round being fired off.

“Slow,” Warden commented to himself turning towards the other turrets in time to see Wendy smash into one of the remaining turrets causing it to bend before she exerted herself and ripped the structure right off the ground and sent the whole thing crashing down. On the far left Undo had destroyed the third cannon by apparently stuffing some kind of explosion down the barrel. His body was ever shifting and unbelievably quick barely remaining in one place and shape for long before it dissolved and he appeared in a different place.

A vague feeling of foreboding reached him and Warden picked up the pace diving behind the ruined turret before a blast of green exploded the place he was standing causing the rocky turf to melt.

“Wow, that hurts,” Warden said chuckling to himself as his eyes watered with pain. His ankle was not going to be healing up naturally anytime soon. He tilted his head around the corner just in time to see Wendy and Undo tear the remaining turret apart. Wincing he stood up from the hard ground and limped over to the pair just as Wendy tipped over the structure causing it to clatter to the ground.

“Good you’re alive,” Undo said as he limped towards them. “Is this your first raid?”

“It’s only my third time discharging my weapon at a reactive target,” Warden admitted. “Are those sorts of things legal?”

“Turrets of that calibre,” Undo said. “No they’re definitely not. It’s doesn’t bode well if they’re willing to resort to that level of weaponry.”

“But that also removes the obligation for us to hold back,” Warden admitted. “Not that I was in a very forgiving mood after they shot at us the first time but it’s nice having confirmation that they are fully prepared to go lethal.”

“Do I have permission to do the same, Sir?” Wendy asked taking some form of attentive stance.

“If anybody attacks you I authorize-no I order you to respond with appropriate force,” Warden replied instantly. “Not that it stopped you the first time,” he teased before his smile dropped as a look of shame crossed her face. He would deal with that later, now was the time for action.

“I’m going to break down the door,” Undo stated freeing him from the bonds of having to make that action. “When the explosion goes off we go in.” From somewhere in his body he withdrew a brown bag before pulling out a lump of what looked like C4 although it was probably a local equivalent.

“Ready Wendy,” Warden said checking his weapon which seemed a few shades duller but still glowed reassuringly.

“Always, Sir,” Wendy responded as Undo silently placed the lump on the door allowing it to stick there before holding up three amorphous fingers. In his head Warden counted down as the fingers dropped. 3.2.1. He looked away as the bomb went off and was rewarded by not having to gaze into a blue nova that illuminated the surroundings.

On the other hand the explosion was surprisingly silent but no less effective for it as the door exploded inwards and he fired two shots into the room before following Wendy into the destroyed entrance way. Beams of green met Wendy who barely slowed down and launched herself at one of the floating Eazel that remained capacitate even after the explosion. However despite their toughness their efforts against Hurricane Wendy proved futile as the green beams scored horrific wounds that nevertheless healed up nearly instantly not even causing her to slow down.

Undo sidled in second as they were all distracted by his secretary and fired shot after shot at the Eazel. Now, not forced to defend his friend, or ambushed and unprepared he showed just how deadly he was. With deadly efficiency the metal jellyfish started to drop. Where one shot wouldn’t kill them he used two or three until they were down and then moved on with quick succession to the next one. The pair of them were so deadly together that by the time Warden entered he was only able to get a few shots on the stragglers and even then the rest were still crushed by the onslaught of the Eazel and whatever the heck Wendy was.

“Next room?” Warden asked stowing his weapon.

“Yeah,” Undo stated after a few moments contemplation. “God, that’s sixteen Eazels so far. They’re not the most plentiful race in the first place. I hope whoever is running this doesn’t have too much more to throw at us.”

“I smell twenty-eight more scattered throughout the house,” Wendy said giving him a pitying look. “And one…well one of your species.”

“Dammit,” Undo said. “We’re called Silvers by the way. Dammit, the Silver is will be in charge. Dammit, can you at least tell me where the Silver is?”

“The sole Silver is actually right beneath us,” Wendy said.

“So there is a basement or something,” Warden said thoughtfully. “Any Eazel in the next room?”

“A handful, Sir,” Wendy responded immediately. “They seem scattered.”

“No doubt going to ambush us,” Undo responded. “Well then we only have one option.”

“We’re going to blow up the floor,” Warden replied instantly.

“We’re going to blow up the floor,” Undo confirmed pulling another one of those C4 analogues out of that bag.

“I have your back,” Warden responded taking a step back while wondering if he honestly could store that bag inside himself and if so then why could he never see it when he looked transparent sometimes.

Wendy stepped in front of him as his back hit the wall and he deliberately looked away once more as the bomb exploded causing a rupture within the floor. A shout from below warned him that their actions had definitely not gone unnoticed and he watched as Undo leapt down immediately before he wrapped his arm around Wendy’s body silently trying to ask her to carry him down. His impromptu sign language didn’t go untranslated and his bodyguard immediately picked him up gently before running forward and leaping into the breach herself.