Bonnie and Clyde departed Perdition at the crack of dawn after fueling up the Humvee and traveled south east for an hour or so before they found their search for their quarry was fruitless. Right now, anyway. Besides, the further south east they drove, the more barren the landscape became telling them they were on the edge of the Great Nothing. A place so hot and dry no one dares try and cross it unless they never want to be seen again.

“Ah shit, Bon. Nothing here but tumble weeds and bones. Let’s head back west. We had better luck in that direction. Closer to the mountains. Seems more of those things like the cooler, shadier climates than this eternal litter box here.”

Bonnie turned the Humvee around started heading back the direction they had come from as Clyde pulled himself back into the vehicle and closed up the whole in the roof. It was clear that Bonnie hadn’t shaken what ever was bothering her from the night before as the scowl she wore looked to be never ending.

“I could have told you that, shit head. We never get lucky when we go this way.”

“We did that one time.”

“That’s only because it was just dusk and it was coming up from under the sand.”

“So. You can’t say NEVER when we got that one.”

“Fine, asshole, we only got lucky ONE time out of about a hundred times. Better?”

Clyde grinned and nodded.

“Yep…”

As they started making their way back towards Perdition, Bonnie’s mind was elsewhere as Clyde was just settling in to try and take a quick nap. What was it about that settlement last night that didn’t set well with her? The others were human, or if they weren’t, they did a good job of hiding it. And they didn’t seem to be trash sympathizers. So what the hell made her feel as though they were being watched by something?

Her scowl changed to a mixed look of astonishment and predatory as they came up on the area the crats had been congregating the night before. Slamming on the brakes of the Humvee, the vehicle skidded to a halt on the dirt covered road throwing Clyde partially onto the dashboard.

“What the F#%$, Bonnie!?”

As he peeled himself off the Humvee’s interior and got himself set back in the seat, he glared as he looked over at her.

“Are you trying to f#%*ing kill me? What the hell did you do that for?”

Bonnie was too busy to look over at Clyde as her hawk like eyes searched the area before them. Clyde turned his attention out the window and saw what Bonnie had seen.

“Holy shit. What the hell happened here?”

What was on the ground before them had nothing to do with the pack of crats they came across last night. At least the crats clean up after themselves instead of leaving this sort of mess behind.

Checking her side arms before grabbing her bow, Bonnie slowly exited the Humvee but kept it running and left the door open. Clyde quickly checked his weapons and exited the vehicle as well. Both moved with a stealth like presence making each step calculating as they approached closer to what caught Bonnie’s eye.

Blood was trailed all over the place. From what they could tell something got into a fight inside the doorway and it ended up outside. Looking at each other, they nodded then stepped into the hotel and began doing a check of the place. There was someone dead on the floor of the lobby and when Bonnie got closer, she nudged the body with the toe of her boot. When no noise came form the body, she used her booted foot to turn the body over so she and Clyde could see who it was. Imagine their surprise when they saw it was some sort of…..hyena hybrid that had been killed. Clyde looked down at the body them back at Bonnie with a frown.

“Someone trying muscle in on our profession?”

Bonnie stared at the strange looking face before she looked up at Clyde with an equally concerned frown.

“Not sure, but if they are, we need to find out what their game is.”

Moving further into the hotel, they soon found another victim. What they found inside Room 12 caught them both by surprise. Some sort of hybrid bear-man laid cut in half. Blood and entrails littered the floor and part of the walls and when Bonnie moved in for a closer look, she could see it was a clean cut, not something that had ripped him apart. But it was the blood and bite marks she could see around his genital area that caused her brow to arch. Moving back to Clyde who kept watch at the door, Bonnie quickly assessed the situation with what she saw before her.

“Looks like somebody didn’t care for the bear man. And I would say it was female, what ever it is.”

Clyde snapped his head around and saw why Bonnie suggested that and winced.

“Damn! That had to hurt.”

Once they were sure the place was secure and no threat existed, they made their way back out of the hotel and saw the direction the blood trail took. Looking over at Clyde, Bonnie nodded towards the vehicle.

“I’ll track them.”

Clyde nodded, took Bonnie’s bow as she handed it to him and rushed back to the Humvee and got behind the drivers wheel and started following Bonnie as she began tracking the blood and foot prints that lead away from the hotel.

As she moved along at a good pace, but not all that fast, she could tell something or someone had been dragged along the ground and later, two others rushed away. When she reached the rocky area she could see the blood in different places letting her know that what ever had been dragged away from the hotel was dragged along this area as well. But it was still bleeding from a wound as the blood was a deeper red then he other blood she saw. No doubt the thing was getting scraped and cut as it was dragged over the rocks.

When they reached the ridge over Perdition, Bonnie shielded her eyes from the sun and looked down at the settlement then looked over to see the body of a second hyena hybrid. Carefully approaching the body, she looked all around to make sure the killer wasn’t still in the area and when she saw the damage done to the hyena’s face, the fact the jaw was halfway ripped off by something with large claws, she knew what ever it was it was quite powerful.

Clyde pulled the Humvee to a stop and got out to join Bonnie where she stood over the mutilated body of the hyena hybrid.

“Damn. What ever did that has some muscle to back up their words.”

Bonnie nodded.

“Yeah…..and from the looks of it, they have razor sharp claws too. Not good. Anything with claws…”

Clyde finished the sentence for her.

“…. usually means they are hunters themselves.”

Bonnie started on the trail again and after a few minutes stopped to double check things again. Another set of foot prints joined in. Two sets headed north west while the other went due north. Clyde joined her again.

“They split up. One set goes this way, the other goes that direction. The set headed north west are injured. Might be easy quarry. But not much of a challenge for us. The other set appear to be uninjured. One of them is quite large and his stride is very wide and sunk in a little deeper than the other.”

Looking over at Clyde, Bonnie tilted her head slightly.

“So? Which direction do you wanna head in? Easy or not so easy?”

Clyde looked at the blood trail the one set was leaving and looked back to Bonnie.

“From the looks of it, by the time we reach these two, they’ll be dead. What fun is that? I’d rather take my chances with the healthier of the two sets. So….north it is. Besides, I wanna see what’s so friggin big it leaves foot prints this far apart.”

Bonnie nodded.

“Be careful what you wish for, Clyde.”

Clyde chuckled and headed back for the Humvee as Bonnie started tracking the trail headed north.

“I keep wishing for you to stop being so serious all the time and to stop thinking of me like your brother so much so I can find out if your parts all work right but none of that has happened….yet. All the same, that doesn’t stop me from wishing for them, sweet heart.”

Bonnie gave Clyde the one finger salute to his sweet heart comment and that caused Clyde to only laugh as they headed out again.

Zack thoughtfully looked up then gave smile at wondering where to travel indeed. “Well to be honest I thought you knew where you were going I was supposed to find these two.” He pulled a photo of two people sitting on a humvee (Bonnie and Clyde) handing the photo to Sin. “They killed a priest at one of the branches of the church.” Giving a thoughtful scratch at the corner of a scar as he wondered how he would find them.

“Sin do you know anyone outside here?” giving a small nod indicating the outside world. “I know a few people who may be able to help you if you have a certain objective.” To find his target he was going to go to a branch of his church but plans change when certain ‘elements’ collide with it. He stood walking to his coat giving it a shake he slipped the old thing on. His hand reached for his claymore he took it up with a spin he sheathed it fluidly with a practiced hand.

“Any idea where we going then?”

“hmm I don’t really remember sitting in the training simulators must have been with a separate trainer still we should both avoid them as we are both non-human and it would be dangerous to try and attack them.” He dropped his hand from the scars looking around then back to Sin “Go for a stroll till we decide what to do?” Zack had the idea of attacking the facility but to go back there may cause psychological harm to both of them.

Zack looked down to the hand it had been too long since a true caring hand held his they walked holding conversation then she mentioned a return to the lab. Zack stopped for a second at the stairs still thinking upon her first question. “I think it would be us jumping towards danger rather than avoiding.” He gives a moment thought thinking over whether I would be possible to save them. “It would be dangerous but we might be able to save them.” Zack also knew what the people went through as he had accompanied the Doctor for so many years.

Looking round when she mentioned the house he gave a nod. “Indeed it is funny that the building is standing a miracle or its just been restored by humans for living purposes.” They both came to the kitchen he stops here. “A bite to eat would be nice actually.” Thinking over how little they had eaten.

.
Looking to her with a frown as her stomach growls he watches her turn over all the cupboards no tins then the clucking he stifled a laugh as he knew it was going to be feeding time. The two discussed the plan on how they would get the meal she designated herself hunter and Zack as….. well the ‘fire boy’.

Zack shifts through his coat pulling a tinder box finding to his frustration no matches left he pulled the kindling from his box and a small block of what seemed to be flint. Zack pulling his claymore from his back began the old method of flint on metal for sparks to set alight kindling. After many attempts he finally got it going throwing the kindling into a nearby wood stood breathing life into the flame it starts to burn. “One complete fire.” As he watches the flames he sits down waiting for the ‘meal’ hoping Sin did not simply maul it to death.

.
Zack got up happy for chicken but it was Sin empty handed who entered a quick evil stare stopped him from asking any questions. He watched patiently as she edged out of the room again he looked around the cosy Kitchen when he heard a crunch of a neck breaking. “Guess she got one.” He began to walk to the door when suddenly Sin ran in like a live rocket that’s when he noticed the loud sound of clucking. Sin yelling for the door closed he put his shoulder to it the whole door closing with a slam he looked around for a way to stock it from moving deciding on using his claymore as a secondary wedge.

“So who’s gonna prep this ‘chicken’ for cooking wondering if they had taught her that at the facility.

.
Zack cringes he hated chicken preparation he stuck his tongue out at Sins back as she walked away just as she turns around he stops acting all innocent she walks off to find a pair of clothes not so ‘wrecked’. Zack takes his time cleaning the animal ensuring it is ready for the process of being cooked. Finally after so long he had always hated chicken he carefully placed it into the stove sitting down enjoying the smell of cooking chicken.

Zack watched the flames licking the chicken he began to think of peculiar examples within the flame which he dismissed ensuring he would watch the chicken cook.

Pheyd always seemed to know the time, down to the last second and as they stood on the high ridge that Clarence the lizard-man had crossed over approximately sixteen minutes before them, the time was 8:33 am. The large orange sun had climbed over the horizon and in the long shadow of the ridge, Pheyd's telescopic sight spotted the prehistoric looking creature moving toward a giant billboard sign leaning against a peculiar looking mound of rubble on the side of the mountain. The sign was ancient, faded and weathered by the elements, but one could still make out the outline of the word, 'BIO' and then a few spaces over was the letter, 'N' and the word ended with an 'X'.

"BIOGENEX", Pheyd said softly to himself.



Looming over the white haired man, the giant lion mutant acknowledged the word his companion had spoke but did not inquire of it. "Do you see him?" He asked.

"It appears that he is entering a concealed doorway in that billboard." Answered the Synthecan and he pointed to the small rectangular object in the distance, "There, do you see it?"

Stasinus followed the direction of Pheyd's pointing hand. His vision was mono-chromatic and the object did not leap out of the mountainside for him as it would for Human eyes, but with some direction it became visible. "Yes. Thank you."

"I believe that billboard is hiding something." Pheyd surmised as he pulled back his vision allowing him to see more clearly the shape of the mound of rock that the billboard rested upon. "A long time ago, it appears that there was a rock slide and it buried the entire research facility."

"So the place you seek is there?" Asked the lion.

"Yes, Stasinus. I believe it is." He answered then began to make his way down the ridge. As he heard, the large mutant follow, he turned, "I thank you, for your assistance, but if I am correct, the place that billboard is hiding is a hell for people like you. It would be wise for you to go your way."

Stasinus puffed out his chest, at first taking the suggestion as an insult to his bravery but then he quickly realized that the synthetic man meant no offense and considered his counsel. He looked back over his shoulder, toward Perdition then back to Pheyd and realized that he had no where to go. "I shall stay with you."

Pheyd chewed the side of lip then nodded. He continued down the side of the ridge and Stasinus followed.

"Y'know, being named after a greek poet, doesn't seem to suit you." Pheyd mentioned to Stasinus. How about I call you, Chewbacca?"

The lion mutant shot his eyes toward the man and smiled. "Only if I can call you, Han."

Pheyd stopped in his tracks and looked up at the lion mutant who had a smug look on his feline face. How could he possibly have known what he was talking about? Then noting the look of confusion and surprise in Pheyd's expression, Stasinus explained, "I grew up with an extensive library with books and videos. You do know what videos are, do you not?" He jabbed.

Pheyd actually laughed. An outburst he was not even aware that he was naturally capable of, and yet in the company of this beastly humanoid in a god forsaken world he had performed a natural Human response without being prompted. He awkwardly stopped his laughter and for an instance felt a kinship with the mutant, a feeling he had only experienced once before.

The strange pair continued down the side of the ridge, down into the bottom of a ravine before climbing up the other side toward their destination. They had no idea if the facility had some sort of security system so they approached cautiously as they ascended the mountain side, climbing up the steep slope to where Pheyd believed was a buried building the entrance to which hidden behind an ancient billboard sign.

Zack cocks his head to the side watching the chicken when she walks in her summer dress slightly gob smacked but giving a slight cough to bring himself back to reality. “It looks lovely on you.” A serene smile coming from Zack as he turns to the chicken he could hear the little demon giggling in the back of his mind at the position he was in. Zack turning to her when hearing her apology he gives a nod of understanding turning back to the chicken. “We all vent our feeling out on something so don’t worry I know you’re a good person its just the situation.
Turning back to the chicken he wondered how long before it would be cooked, murmuring to himself. “Killer Chicks.”