by DAN MONTY
“God bless you Robin Hood! I’ll follow you anywhere!” John insisted.
“Get to work my friend. This is just the beginning," Robin replied, walking into a room and leaving John to return to his work.
*****
Friar Tuck poured a drink for Marion who wore a fishnet outfit and stepped towards him after the sound of applause. Her song was beautiful and she had won over a small audience of colourful bar patrons, some looking like reptilian creatures from the far regions of the galaxy. Marion took her drink, running her fingers through her long dark hair.
“Thank you Tuck,” she said, throwing the drink down and sitting on a bar stool.
“Another song about Robin no doubt," Tuck winked and Marion sighed.
“I thought he came back for me. I thought he wanted to marry me. I guess I was expecting too much from him," she replied and Tuck nodded, pouring another drink.
The Sheriff of Nottingham walked up to the bar, smiling at Marion. His eyes wide with wonder, but his manner seeming sleazy and confident.
“That voice should be heard by the king, my lady. You have the voice of a lustrous angel,” the sheriff said, turning his attention to the friar, who also seemed oddly confident.
“A drink, Sheriff?” The friar offered and the sheriff accepted a freshly poured ale, drinking it down.
“You owe rent on these premises, friar. I hope you...” he started, the friar quickly flipping him the single gold coin Robin had given him.
“Gold? Where did you get this?” The sheriff asked and the friar smiled.
“Where I get the money, with all due respect sir, is my business. That should keep you happy for a while, yes?” The friar asked boldly. The sheriff studied the coin, looking back at the friar as a slow smile crept across his face. A smile that made the friar’s skin crawl.
“You have become acquainted with an outlaw by the name of Robin of Loxley, have you not?” The sheriff asked. Tuck shook his head and acted as dumb as he could.
“Never heard of him," the friar said as the sheriff nodded his head.
“Indeed. Well, it’s just as well. This... Loxley... is wanted by the king. He will be found and brought to justice. I’d hate to think you were involved with such a... vile criminal, Tuck. It might not look too good for your business,” the sheriff said, bowing to Marion as he stepped out of the bar and into the busy neon lit streets.
Marion looked at Tuck, who was pouring yet another drink. She eyed him carefully.
“Robin of Loxley? Outlaw? What the hell kind of crap are the two of you pulling? The sheriff is relentless! The king doesn’t tolerate vigilantes, Tuck. Where is he?” Marion asked and Tuck threw down a drink.
“Lady Marion, I don’t know where he is, but I can say that he most definately is doing something you would certainly not approve of. I promise you this though, if he’s successful... things are going to change around here very quickly. Perhaps you should think about leaving the planet. For your own safety my dear," Tuck said. Marion shook him off, pouring herself another drink.
“Oh no, I’m not going anywhere. If Robin wants me to leave he can come and tell me himself! Oh, and you can tell him that,” Marion added, scooping up the bottle and walking out of the bar and into the street.
Chapter five: Marion
Marion Clorinda wandered the streets of the city of Sherwood. She was the walking picture of a beautiful woman; buxom, athletic and attractive. Her eyes were an elegant blue and her complexion pale. She wore a crimson lipstick which accentuated her full lips and her fashion sense was not unlike most women in their thirties on the planet, though perhaps a little rogueish. She wore fishnets, which teased the men that noticed her just a little, yet she gave nothing away. She wore knee high boots, though she certainly wasn’t a whore or anything like that. Marion was a performer, and her style and stride in her step suggested a reluctance to be like everyone else, and a fierce independence most men could unlikely handle.
She walked down the long street lit with dome-shaped structures and neon lit holographic advertising, cool and confident and without looking back. The streets were buzzing with activity, people pushing past her and walking by that were both humanoid and completely alien. Punks in colourful leathers admiring her clothing, and perhaps her body as she walked by, though none of them causing her to flutter an eyelid. Marion had no fear of pedestrians or the patrolling robot police that flew by in their hovering patrol cars, she feared nothing at all. Marion had seen her share of crime and hard times, but she was no flake.
She approached a floating vendor that was operated by a Japanese man and his robotic companion. The robot’s name was Jazz, and despite having no sex, the machine was made up to look like a mechanical female. As Marion approached, Jazz nodded and her eyes blinked. Jazz was one of the newer models, a TRX-428; literally a servant droid with a humanoid appearance. Despite this, her hair was obviously a wig, her flesh no doubt artificial synthetic fibres that were a little imperfect and her hands were very mechanical looking with no flesh over them. Marion knew them both well, both Jazz and Chu, who had come from earth after the great floods of the twentieth century.
Chu was an old Japanese cybergenetic man with a pleasant manner, a robotic arm and a kind soul. He regarded Marion with a friendly smile. He had sold hot dogs at this hover stand for nearly five years, and Marion had dropped by every day.
“You never miss a day, Marion! My hot dogs are not that good," Chu said with a smile. Marion shrugged.
“Better than eating the lizard dogs in the east end, Chu. Besides, I like your food,” Marion stated, handing him some credits as he passed her a beautifully cooked hot dog in a bun, dripping with ketchup and mustard and topped with onions.
“Well I’m glad you appreciate our cooking, Marion. You still sing at the Friar’s?” Chu asked and Marion nodded.
“Every night," she replied and Chu smiled thoughtfully.
“You go girl!” he said and Marion waved goodbye, turning away and continuing down the street as she ate her hot dog.
The towering skyscrapers climbed high into the sky and in the night they were lit up like Christmas trees. The streets were loud with impressive advertising that popped out of the buildings in beautiful colour – a spectacle of light and sound that would cause even the busiest pedestrians to often stop what they were doing and glance upward, watching as holographic robots fought or alluring naked women danced seductively. Sex wasn’t considered taboo or risquè on Sherwood; in fact, prostitution was both an acceptable employment and an exibitable art. The red light district of Sherwood attracted billions of people and was a well known area for those who wanted to relax, let loose and unwind. Sex workers in leathers and lingerie lined the streets, blowing kisses to pedestrians and none of them were ever accosted or arrested in the red light district. The sex trade registration act of 2314 had seen to that. Now in 2354, sex workers were considered as respectable as those that worked on the stock market.
Marion lived in the red light district above a strip club. The rent was cheap, mostly because of the neon red signs that shined through her window but also because of the noisy streets, loud punk music and sex noises that came from the floors below her. She’d been offered work in the club several times, she did after all have an amazing body; but Marion was a singer, and her heart had been stolen by another.
Marion went up the spiral staircase outside her building and jiggled her keys in the hand that wasn’t holding her hot dog. She opened the door and stepped inside her red-lit apartment.
The apartment was simply furnished with a bed, a sofa, a holographic television, walk in closet and a bathroom and kitchen. She had brick walls that were lined with posters of old movies and punk bands and her bed was covered in plush toys and cushions. She flipped on the television with a tiny remote and a porno popped on, although it seemed more like a soap opera. A lot of tv shows seemed pornographic, but the stories were extremely well written. Marion yawned changing the channel and watching as a news story came
on. The news reader was reporting about a series of thefts in Sherwood City. Marion continued eating her hot dog as she grabbed a beer from the fridge and fell onto her sofa, the red light shining into the apartment from outside her window not phasing her at all. She listened to the news as she ate and drank.
“Seven of the most wealthy people in this city have claimed to have been robbed by a man in a green outfit and hood, who goes by the name ‘Robin Hood’. Now this is an unusual story... we have been seeing a rise in crime lately that is unprecedented when compared to previous years. The Sherwood Police force have been ordered by the Sherriff of Nottingham to kill this man on sight by order of the king. If anyone sees or hears anything about the whereabouts of this Robin Hood, it’s imperative that you contact the police immediately,” the news reader said. Marion glared at the holographic tv set, her lips forming a cheeky smile.
“WHAT the hell are you up to, Robin?” she asked aloud and taking another bite of her hot dog. She finished her meal, flipped off the television and walked over to her bed, stepping out of her pants and falling backward into a pile of pillows.
She thought of him, gently touching herself as loud music played through her window from outside. She moaned loud and unashamedly, bringing herself to a quick climax as the music pounded. Marion let out a final whimper of satisfaction, her eyes rolling back and her lips parting as she came again, the music outside coming to the end of the song. Marion lay back in the bed on her chest, her buttocks exposed and lit by the red of the outside neon. She would dream of Robin again, she knew she would. Just like she knew that one day very soon, she would see him again.
Chapter six: The Army of Nottingham Castle
Deep below the catacombs of the great castle of Nottingham in the very centre of the city, the Sheriff walked down a long great tunnel. The caves were like a great hive, intricate tunnels burrowed into the rock connecting to a central chamber.
Robert DuCree, who was in his late sixties, became the sheriff several years ago, but it was his dedication to the job and intolerance for the poor that had ultimately won the king over in the first place. As sheriff, his job was to carry out all of the reclusive King’s orders, including collecting rent and taxes as well as taking charge of all matters regarding law and punishment. He was viewed as an imposing figure, despite his seemingly scrawny appearence, but it was his eyes that truly drove fear into the hearts of men – his gaze was cold and lifeless. He was always seen draped in robes of black, a mane of long, black hair often hanging over most of his face. Rumour had it that he was mad, but the truth was he was simply twisted and cruel. He had reportedly destroyed several alien vessels in a space battle once due to a hatred of the species.
The sheriff strode into the central chamber of the catacombs, entering a massive laboratory which housed several work stations and hundreds of coffin like chambers where a new type of robotic enforcer was being engineered. The man in charge of overseeing this project was a bald, portly professor named Shando Khan. As the sheriff entered the room, the professor greeted him with a devilish grin.
“The King’s army is almost ready, sire. I have also prepared your own little surprise,” Khan said, motioning the sheriff to sit in a large metal reclining chair which had all manner of wires attached to the back of it. The sheriff seemed somewhat nervous, an uncharacteristically strange look on the man.
“Are you sure the experiment is safe, Professor? I wish to be stronger! More powerful than any creature on this planet, not dead,” The sheriff said and the professor laughed, strapping the sheriff into the metal beast of a chair, flipping some switches.
“When this serum is injected into your veins, you will have the power of ten men. You will be unstoppable! No one will dare stand in your way, sire! I can promise you that!” The professor said as needle tipped wires slithered their way into the sheriff’s arms, the needles puncturing his veins. The great steel contraption was powered by a strange mechanical robot that revealed itself as it rose from a trap door in the floor. At either side of its expressionless head were two large glass vials full of a dark green matter. The serum began to pump from the vials and into the veins of the sheriff through the needles.
Pain! Searing pain! The sheriff closed his eyes tightly as the serum was injected, more needles injecting into the base of his skull. Soon, the sheriff was virtually hidden under a web of wires and tubes that worked their way out of the robotic machine and into him, pumping the serum into his body.
“I must warn you sheriff, you will experience a great deal of discomfort during the procedure as I warned you. When the procedure is complete, you and your army will be connected... able to communicate with a sheer thought! You will be faster and stronger than you have ever imagined! No one will stand in your way!”
Something was happening. The sheriff’s skin was stretching and contorting – muscles were growing and expanding and his body was growing in size, grotesquely so. The sheriff’s eyes blazed red like fire and he screamed as microscopic robots entered his body, rebuilding organs and frantically strengthening every strand of DNA in his entire body. This was both a fusion of man and machine, and a biological implosion that caused not only a massive surge in growth but ability as well. The sheriff howled in agony as the tiny robots inside him worked with the serum, transforming him into something else... A monstrous, beastly man that was highly intelligent, super fast and virtually unstoppable. A perfect pairing of man and machine, and the professor smiled as the sheriff’s face twisted and contorted. This would be his greatest creation and no one on Sherwood would ever see it coming. Except perhaps for one.
Poking his head out from a small tunnel, Will Scarlet watched in horror. He had found his way into the catacombs many times before, but never made it this far into the central chamber. His discovery that the sheriff was building an army was one thing, but this? This was like something out of a nightmare. Will tried to stay calm as he backed away from the terrifying sight, crawling back into the dark hole he had climbed through from the sewers. He had to speak to Robin.
*****
On the streets of Sherwood, a colony of homeless men and women sat under a bridge in a run down part of the city called the barrens. There were small huts made with sheet metal and broken signs, and men and women in ragged clothing – far too many to count, gathered around burning barrels trying to stay warm.
Many of the surrounding buildings were damaged or burned out which provided some shelter for the homeless, however food was scarce and robot drones would often shoot homeless people that were not hiding.
A mechanical drone with red eyes buzzed through the district, a small laser powered mini gun mounted on top of it. The homeless men ran, startled as they spied the drone, scooping up their children and belongings and fleeing for cover. One woman tripped, falling flat on her face in the mad dash and the drone turned its attention to her, buzzing towards her. The woman screamed as the drone prepared to bombard her with laser fire.
There was a loud explosion of gunfire as the drone exploded, fragments of it littering the ground around the fallen woman. A green flying Lamborghini flew into view – a single laser cannon mounted onto its hood. The car hovered on auto pilot and a man in a green hooded tunic leapt out, landing on the street. He helped the woman to her feet. The woman looked at the man, whose face was hidden behind a black ski mask under his green hood. She smiled at the stranger.
“You’re all safe. But none of you... any of you belong here!” Robin Hood declared to the homeless onlookers, perhaps fifty men and women that hadn’t run off.
“Where are we supposed to go? The sheriff took our homes! Our money! We have nothing!” One of the homeless men yelled. Robin said nothing, but removed a small remote control from his belt, pointing it at the chassis of his hovering emerald car. He pressed a button and a compartment under the hovering vehicle opened, spilling bags of plastic credits onto the road around them. The homeless ran to the bags, opening them up and cheering at the site of the credits... hundreds,
thousands of dollars worth. Enough to keep them all off the streets.
“Now, you can have anything,” Robin said as the homeless men and women laughed and cheered. The homeless man that had yelled at him earlier approached him, tears in his eyes.
“Who are you?” The man asked, fighting back tears of joy. Robin removed a grapple gun from his belt and fired at the under carriage of his car, a hook at the end of a rope launching out and attaching to a rail underneath the car. Robin tested the rope to ensure it would hold his weight.
“I’m Robin Hood, and this city belongs to you now," he said, allowing the grapple gun to lift him off the ground and up to his car. Robin climbed around and jumped into the driver side of the car, flying away from the barrens as the once homeless cheered and showered themselves in the money he had provided.
Robin guided the jet car towards the forest that surrounded the city. He let out a sigh as he flew over skyscrapers and holographic neon advertisements. There was so much more to do, but he was making a difference. He could feel it.
Chapter seven: Bearer of bad news
When Robin returned to what had become a village in the trees of Sherwood Forest, his men had gathered in a ring. Robin exited the car which hovered just above the ground and strode over to the circle of men that were gathered around Will Scarlet. Will looked at Robin, seeming quite dishevelled as Robin threw back his hood and peeled off his ski mask.
“It’s far worse than we thought, Loxley! The sheriff has built a mechanical army! There are thousands of mechanical soldiers lying in wait beneath the castle of Nottingham. The sheriff has subjected himself to a body-altering experiment! I don’t know why but he’s turning himself into some kind of monster, part man... part machine. We are hilariously outnumbered! This plan of yours is going to get us all killed! We can not fight an army that size, we are but a hundred men! This is folly,” Will said, wiping sweat from his brow.
