Skull Flowers
Page 3
808 empties the clips to the Uzi's into the cab of the Transport.
The Drone behind the wheel bursts into flames.
The Transport swerves and then tumps over in the street.
Sparks go flying everywhere.
It comes to a stop.
Alexis slowly crawls out the back with her Charm Bracelets flickering and a falling off.
The Shadow Runner pulls up with Officer Whistle Britches and 808 inside.
Officer Whistle Britches gets out.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
You alright?
Alexis gasps.
She is bent over on her hands and knees in a attempt to catch her breath.
ALEXIS
Yeah, I'm fine. I think I just got the wind knocked out of me.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
At least your hair didn't catch on fire.
Alexis looks over at 808 and begins to rub on his head like he is a schoolboy with a head full of hair.
ALEXIS
Thanks 808.
808 shrug's it off like it isn't a big deal.
In the distance several S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s armored patrol cars driven by Enforcer Drones that stand for
Strategic Tactical Armored K-9 Enforcement Robot
Begin to race towards the wrecked Transport.
ALEXIS
Let's go.
Verse XIII
Outside of the Lafayette Cemetery Drones line the streets to escort Governor Champagne's coffin.
The coffin is in a carriage being pulled by several robotic black horses.
The funeral procession is being followed by a candlelight vigil and a Second Line Band.
They file through the cemetery gates and into a mausoleum, the Chateau Nouveaux.
Governor Champagne's coffin is laid to rest next to Alexis mother's crypt inside the Chateau Nouveaux.
A small ceremony is held.
Mystre the High Priest ov tha Cult ov tha Priestess ov Mars offers up a prayer and burns incense around the crypt.
Destiny exits the crypt with the Marquis Van Gogh and Judge Thorn by her side and begins to give alms to the poor.
CITIZEN #1
Bless you ma'am.
CITIZEN #2
Thank you your majesty.
The door to the crypt is closed.
The people began to disperse in a orderly fashion.
Assault and Battery disguised as angry mourner's begin picking up loose bricks from the crypts.
ASSAULT
They did it!
Assault throws his brick at a Drone.
BATTERY
They killed him so they could pass their proposition!
The people begin to riot.
Destiny is whisked away in a Transport.
The Drones, protected by riot shields called Punisher's, move in and begin to beat the people with their Circuit Breaker's.
General Grindcore and the Think Tanks of the Armada also move in and begin to try and lock down the cemetery.
General Grindcore begins broadcasting Judge Thorn's proclamation over his large sound cannon called a Pitch Shifter.
GENERAL GRINDCORE
Attention, Attention, Attention.
The Armada is here to help.
Remain calm.
Civil disobedience will not be tolerated...
A cannister of Whup Azz hits the ground and begins smoking.
GENERAL GRINDCORE
By order of the House ov Cards, Judge Thorn declares this to be an unlawful assembly...
Drones begin arresting people.
GENERAL GRINDCORE
All those assembled are ordered to immediately disperse...
Drones begin herding people into Transports.
GENERAL GRINDCORE
If you remain you will be in violation of Proposition 666 and you will be arrested.
Verse XIV
Inside the Shadow Runner the Quarantine streams LIVE on the Grimoire Mobile in the dash.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
You OK?
ALEXIS
Yeah, I'm fine.
Alexis looks out her window and tries to hide the hurt.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
I know it's a lot to deal with and if you need someone to talk to feel free to...
Alexis turns violently and looks into the backseat like a crazed bitch.
ALEXIS
I said, I'm fine!
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
OK, OK.
Don't get your panties in a wad.
I'm here if you need me.
Officer Whistle Britches throws his hands up.
ALEXIS
Thank you.
Alexis turns back around.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
So what are we gonna do?
ALEXIS
We're gonna go find Candy.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
Whose Candy?
ALEXIS
A dust head I shared a dorm with my freshman year.
Alexis watches Hollow Point race passed her window.
ALEXIS
She turned out to be a better paper hanger than student and ended up spending more time in the Orphans ov Doom's stash houses than she did in class….
808 looks in the rear view mirror of the Shadow Runner.
ALEXIS
If anybody can make a connection between the Orphans ov Doom and what you saw it'll be her.
Verse XV
808 slowly creeps to the intersection at the entrance to the Grully.
A tiny compartment appears in the arm rest between Alexis and 808.
Inside are two automatic .45 handguns with extended clips known as Enigma's.
Alexis begins to holster one to each thigh.
A Circuit Breaker appears in the armrest in the backseat.
ALEXIS
Take it.
You might need it.
Officer Whistle Britches picks up the Circuit Breaker.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
Where did you get all this stuff?
ALEXIS
Professor Proxy, the Shadow Runner's a prototype vehicle intended to be used in the prevention of Star Dust trafficking along the Super Highway.
Officer Whistle Britches looks dumbfounded as he looks at Alexis holster her Enigma's.
ALEXIS
What? I had my cadet training when I was 18 like everyone else.
I gave my two years and I know how to use it, thank you very much.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
Don't you think we might need to go to the Chairman with this and see what he can do about it.
ALEXIS
No.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
And, why not.
ALEXIS
You saw him giving his speech on the Status Quo.
Alexis motions to the Grimoire Mobile in the dash.
It is streaming Johnny Lyes who is analyzing the Marquis Van Gogh's speech on WXTZ along with several other pundits.
ALEXIS
It's pretty obvious he had something to do with my father's murder because he sure is basking in the glow of his new found fame.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
That doesn't mean he had anything to do with the murder of your father.
ALEXIS
Look,
Alexis is getting impatient.
ALEXIS
He was seated right next to my father and the Duchess Warburg in the Skybox.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
Yeah, and?
ALEXIS
Both of em' are dead and he's still breathing.
The replay of the Marquis Van Gogh's announcement after Governor Champagne's assassination continues streaming.
Whistle Britches looks sullen.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
Then what do we do?
ALEXIS
Figure it out ourselves.
808 tugs at Alexis's dress.
; He's spotted Candy leaving the Hocus Pocus Liquor Store next door to the Payday Bone.
ALEXIS
There she is!
Alexis starts to exit the Shadow Runner.
Candy looks up and sees Alexis coming after her.
She attempts to run down a sidewalk and get away.
Alexis bum-rushes Candy and sends her face first into the pavement in front of Payday Bone.
CANDY
Lemme' alone! I ain't done nuthin'!
Alexis grabs Candy by the hair and backhands her across the face with one of her Enigma's.
ALEXIS
Shut up! I'm not in the mood to put up with your dust-headed shit today!
Alexis starts to pat Candy down.
A group of people begin to gather outside.
Officer Whistle Britches lets a few sparks fly from the Circuit Breaker to let everyone know he means business.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
There's nothing to see here.
Move along, move along.
Candy spits a tooth out onto the pavement.
CANDY
Whatta' you want?
Alexis pulls a vile of Star Dust from a crease in Candy's torn panty hose.
CANDY
That ain't mine!
Alexis tosses Officer Whistle Britches the vile of Star Dust.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
Sure it ain't.
He pockets it for evidence.
Alexis allows Candy to stand up.
Scarzenksy's Roach runs up a trash can and hides amongst some garbage.
ALEXIS
I want to know why Viirus killed my father.
CANDY
Viirus didn't plan nothing, he's too stupid for something like that.
ALEXIS
I watched him kill my father with my own two eyes.
The Status Quo is playing on WXTZ Channel 13 on some used Eyegasmatron's in the Payday Bone's storefront window behind some iron bars.
Governor Champagne's assassination is being replayed as a special bulletin.
CANDY
Look, all I know is that he was way in over his head with that weird looking cat with the eye patch.
Officer Whistle Britches and Alexis both have bumfuzzled looks on their faces.
ALEXIS AND OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
Scarzensky!
808's writing everything down.
ALEXIS
How'd Viirus get caught up with him?
CANDY
Everything we was gettin' was so stomped on you needed more and more to level you out until a couple of Shugga Nuttz goons showed up with that creepy looking fella' and started given dust away for free.
Candy pulls out a pack of cigarettes from underneath her titty and lights a smoke.
CANDY
Said it didn't have no comedown and that the fiends would love it.
So it wasn't like they had to twist his arm to take it.
ALEXIS
Where's Shugga now?
CANDY
The Mayhaw Housing Projects off ah' Plantation Parkway.
Verse XVI
As the Shadow Runner pulls up in front the Mayhaw Housing Projects a group of homeless fiends is chopping down a telephone pole for some firewood.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
You sure you wanna go in there?
Alexis motions to 808 to come on.
ALEXIS
You can stay out here and develop blisters on your ass if you want.
Alexis begins to exit the Shadow Runner.
ALEXIS
But, I'm goin' inside.
Alexis exits the Shadow Runner.
She clicks the Heart Shaped Hologram on her key chain.
The Shadow Runner to transforms and arm its shields so that no one could break in.
In the courtyard of the Mayhaw, O.D. one of the local scarecrow lookin' fiends is asleep on a bench.
He is nodding in and out of consciousness with lice jumping out of his hair.
A bunch of giggling kids are daring one another to tip him over like a cow.
One of them pushes him.
He nearly falls off the bench.
O.D.
Crumb-snatchin'...
Officer Whistle Britches squints his eyes.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
O.D., is that you?
Officer Whistle Britches holsters his Circuit Breaker.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
O.D., it is you.
ALEXIS
Whose that?
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
That's O.D. he was one of my C.I.'s when I was a detective.
O.D. tosses the PC's Pizza Box he was using as a blanket to the side.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
What on earth are you doing out here?
O.D.
Safer then sleeping in there.
O.D. motions to the Mayhaw.
O.D.
They got fiends in there big as the Booga Monster, mane'.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
Where's Shugga at in this edifice?
A rumbling kick drum can be heard in the distance.
O.D.
Just follow the bass.
He can't be missed.
OFFICER WHISTLE BRITCHES
He got any Goons up there with him?
O.D.
Dizzy, Mumbles, Pick Pocket, Taint, Sid, they all up der' livin' like a bunch of infidels.
One of Shugga's Goons pops his head out of one of the Mayhaw Housing Projects windows.
He starts throwing vile's out by the handful.
O.D.
In fack', there goes one of em' right now.
MUMBLES
Testers! Testers! We got that Star Dust right chea',
The fiends outside the Mayhaw scramble to the vile's.
MUMBLES
That's the stuff that dreams are made of.
Verse XVII
Drugs, murder, sex, n'‚ death is spray painted on the first floor wall of the Mayhaw.
Alexis, 808, and Officer Whistle Britches slowly make their way passed the entrance of the Mayhaw and into the stairwell.
As they make their way up the stairwell one of Shugga Nuttz goons, Pick Pocket, opens the door to the second floor.
Pick Pocket spots them.
He is about to run.
Officer Whistle Britches smacks him upside the head with his Circuit Breaker.
Pick Pocket is knocked out cold and falls end over end down the flight of stairs.
He lands unconscious on the first floor in front of a Microchips Potato Chips vending machine.
ALEXIS
That had to hurt.
Officer Whistle Britches shrugs it off like he doesn't care.
They continue on up the stairs.
They exit onto the second floor.
808 lays some Remote Controlled Proximity Mines that look like beepers called Snot Boxes in the entrance to the stairwell.
Slowly they make their way down the hall.
You can hear the music blaring along with some of Shugga's goons who are arguing.
Alexis peeps around the corner of Unit 100.
Sid's passed smooth out with a Goonzaga's Magazine on his chest.
Taint picks up the magazine and looks at the centerfold.
TAINT
Bitch is fine, yo!
Taint tosses Mumbles the Goonzaga's Magazine.
MUMBLES
Man, you wouldn't know what to do with a piece of trim like that if it booty clapped you in the face and broke your nose!
TAINT
Forget you, bitch!
At least I ain't the one paying fuh' the pussy!
MUMBLES
Fool, I don't pay em' so they'll let me hit it!
I pay em' to get the hell up and leave!
Taint starts drawing all over his face with a black magick marker.