3.20

“I’ve got a package for Inventor Pete.” The courier was wearing a grey jumpsuit. She was wheeling an oversized package on a trolley.

She’d never been in The Bunker before, a max security prison for dangerous criminals. She felt uneasy being in the building.

“Yeah, just leave it there. We’ll have to go over it before we take it in to him.” A hulking man covered in tattoos sat at a chair behind a plastic window.

“Of course. I just need you to sign here, ya know, proof that I delivered it.” The courier showed the man the clipboard as he exited his little office space.

“Done.”

“All righty, thank you. Have a good day.” The courier hurried out of the building and roared off down the street.

“What have we got here?” The hulking man turned around to see an elderly woman in a white coat. She was the Warden.

“Some package for that Inventor Pete fella. I’ll open it?”

“But of course.” The elderly woman sidled up to the hulking man, watching as he opened the package.

Inside the brown paper was a mattress. The hulking man flipped it over and inspected it.

“It seems a little heavy for a normal mattress,” he said.

“That’s because its not a normal mattress. That’s one of Inventor Pete’s creations. A mattress robot. Did he actually think he could get away with this?”

“What should we do?”

“I’m going to have a word with him.” The Warden turned and shuffled down the labyrinth, making her way toward Inventor Pete.

Inventor Pete was in a low security wing of the prison. He had been across from Copter, who had recently been released.

He spent his days in the shared garden, growing vegetables. He was forbidden to have access to any tools outside of the garden and anything he asked brought to his cell was accurately catalogued with timestamps.

The plastic door opened, and Inventor Pete turned to see the Warden shuffling in.

“Hello Peter,” said the Warden. An unsettling tone weaved through her voice.

“Hello Warden. What brings you to come see me?”

“I see you were able to get a mattress delivered, somehow, to you here in The Bunker. You didn’t seriously think you were going to get away with it did you?”

“Of course not. But you can’t blame a man for trying. Can you?”

“What did you plan on doing with it? Have it brought to your cell, and you’d get out with it?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“Why don’t you ask the guard how he’s going?”

*

Hummingbird was sitting in a tree, keeping watch over her park. Rollo was asleep at the base of the tree, and it appeared as thought nothing exciting was going to happen tonight.

‘Juniper, I hear something. I’m going to go check it out.’ Rollo got up and ambled into the dark of the park.

‘Rollo, what is it?’ Juniper leapt down from the tree and readied her bow and arrow.

‘I don’t know. Be careful.’

For a few moments, there was only silence from Rollo, but then a roar came through Juniper’s hearing aid and Rollo sounded panicked.

‘Juniper, get out. Get away. That guy with the mattress robot is back. And he’s got a few more. They’re too much for me.’

‘I’m not leaving you to fight on your own.’ Juniper ran into the darkness to aid Rollo, but she was halted by a piercing frequency that reverberated through her skull. Something had happened to Rollo.

Juniper pushed on; her bow nocked with an arrow. She came back into the light and could see Rollo’s mutilated body on the ground.

Standing over Rollo was Inventor Pete, with his mattress robot, as well as two others. One looked like a battery and the other looked like a normal household ceiling fan, the latter was hovering near Inventor Pete’s head.

Juniper released an arrow, hitting the mattress robot. She released another arrow at Inventor Pete, but the fan robot sliced the arrow mid-flight.

“You were one of the one’s that humiliated me. You were with that Mite kid. I’ll teach you for making fun of me.” Inventor Pete stood; his arms raised up. His three robots rushed at Juniper.

She released a flurry of arrows as she dived and tumbled out of the way of the various attackers.

It wasn’t long before she was overwhelmed. The mattress restrained her, the battery shocked her, and the fan almost severed her arm. Juniper let out a cry in pain and collapsed to the ground, blood flowing profusely from her wound.

*

“The hero known as Hummingbird, her real name, Juniper, was found unconscious and bleeding in the early hours of the morning at Fineways Park. Her bear was horribly disfigured, and she’s been taken to The Fortress for medical treatment.”

“Shit,” Hunter turned the t.v. off. He ran his hand through his hair and watched as Stick walked into the room.

“What’s up?” Stick asked.

“Juniper, Hummingbird, was viciously attacked last night. Rollo is dead. She’s at The Fortress.”

“Did you wanna go check up on her?” Stick asked.

“Yeah, I think so. It must be pretty serious for that to happen to her. Did you wanna come?”

“Hmm, I dunno. What about Gauzelle?”

“I’ll be fine.” Hunter jumped in shock; it was the first time Gauzelle had talked in two days. She had been only a pile of bandages in that time.

“How are you feeling?” Hunter asked.

“Yeah, fine. There’s a great horror movie marathon starting now. Can’t really watch it if you guys are here. Go, check up on your friend.”

“Gauzelle…,” said Hunter.

“Go on, get.” Gauzelle turned on the t.v. and the room was immediately drowned with warbled screams as an actor was slowly devoured from the legs up by a rubbery monster.

“Its fine, I’ll watch some movies with her.” Jimena walked into the room and sat down beside Gauzelle. She gave a slight nod to Hunter and both he and Stick left the treehouse.

Hunter and Stick made it to The Fortress and were taken to Juniper’s room. She lay in a bed, a hose up her nose.

The arm that had been injured had to be amputated, and in its place, a sleek looking plastic one had been grafted in.

Juniper awoke and saw Hunter and Stick standing at the end of her bed.

‘Inventor Pete,’ she signed.