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[color=#A4303F][b]“Hey! HEY! Don’t touch him! That’s mine!”[/b][/color] Umbri interrupted Stabby’s thumb scratching at the blood. She hadn’t figured out a path for her lies to go before speaking, all that was in her head was stopping these [b][i]thieves[/i][/b] from figuring out they’d caught a [b][i]thief murdering Rogue.[/i][/b] [color=#A4303F][b]“Put whatever you just took out of him back!”[/b][/color]

[b]“You own the funny robot?”[/b] She felt she was being mocked by Shanks.

[color=#A4303F][b]“I do.”[/b][/color]

Temujin shot her a double take. The scowl on his mask seemed to deepen just a little. [color=DC091C][b]“You-... I…”[/b][/color] His hot-headedness reared up for a second. The thick globs of white spitting from his spine convinced it otherwise. 

[b]“And who are you supposed to be?”[/b]

[b]“Stake didn’t say anything about a fifth,” [/b]Shivs paused her power sawing to interject, readjusting her position. [b]“Better drop the problem now before this job leaves any loose thread.”[/b] She finished, deadpan, before starting up her saw again and grinding against the train roof with a horrible shriek. Umbri felt Shank’s grip loosen.

[color=#A4303F][b]“DON’T…! Please don’t do that,”[/b][/color] she rushed out, [color=#A4303F][b]“You can keep whatever you found inside the robot. It can’t be that important, he still… talks.”[/b][/color]

Stabby stroked their chin. Their gaze twinkled with a smirk. [b]“That ‘whatever’ was an expensive little trinket, missy. It isn’t exactly standard issue in funny robots. In fact…”[/b] Stabby leaned forward, arms clasped and stretched behind their back. Their attention wandered down what remained of his jet-black synthetic body, the shadows of once raw, honed muscles lingered between the cracks and crevices, and they whistled. [b]“Nothing here is standard issue. You don’t just trip over Fontaine synth fiber or nanoblast steel over any ol’ smuck in the black market!”[/b] They looked up to Umbri, down to Temujin, and back again. Their eyes squinted in suspicion. [b]“...How did you say you got this funny robot again?”[/b]

[color=#A4303F][b]“I didn’t say,”[/b][/color] she forced through gritted teeth, when she really wanted to scream, [color=#A4303F][b]“And I’m not going to say until I can stand and [i]think.”[/i][/b][/color]

[b]Thud.[/b] The laser saw powered down. [b]“We’re in. Drop her.”[/b]

…

[b]“Well? Shanks, come on. We’re not letting some unknown tag along on our [u]crime.[/u]”[/b]

[b]“Oh yeah, that would be bad, so let’s commit another one and kill her instead!”[/b]

[b]“And [i]you [/i]should leave the robot. This whole thing’s fishy. I don’t want that stink on me.”[/b]

[b]“Aww, fuck you. You're right.”[/b]

Shivs and Stabby gathered by the hole, Stabby sneaking Temujin’s part with them. Shanks and Umbri looked at each other. Umbri saw consideration cross his face, followed by her life flashing by. No,[i] surely,[/i] they were thieves, but not murderers… a sentiment Umbri began to doubt as she watched Shivs and Stabby gearing up. They lived up to their monikers. Shanks shook his head. Umbri slowly shook hers back. He dipped his hand into one of his deep pockets, pulled out a small metal cylinder, and pressed a button.

[i]Shlunk.[/i] A metal staff sprang to its full length in his hand. He planted it on the train and yanked Umbri in. She snatched the pole with her other hand before he let her go and she transferred both hands with a yelp. He walked between Umbri and Temujin to rejoin his companions.

[b]“Just hold on. Next stop’s in thirty minutes,”[/b] he said, and grunted to Shivs, [b]“Keep the magnet field up.”[/b] The three of them jumped down the hole, not before they heard Shivs grumbling over lost gear.

Then it was all quiet, apart from the deafening sound of being left dangling off the side of a sky train.