The She-Devil

Byte leaped from the commander's hands to the bed, then trotted toward Axel, emitting soft meows along the way.

"Come here, girl."

Axel called and Without hesitation, Byte leaped into his lap, her presence bringing a comforting warmth to Axel's chest. He couldn't help but smile as the kitten began to purr contentedly in his embrace.

As if there was nothing to hide, Axel casually reached out to touch Byte's harness, ensuring the credsticks were still tucked away. He didn't want either the robot or the human to catch on to what he was doing.

His fingers brushed against the familiar bump, and he felt a sense of relief knowing they were still there, safe and sound as always.

Then, like an ancient light switch flipping on, Byte suddenly leaped onto Axel's chest, causing him to lean back against the bed frame. She began to paw at his cheeks, almost as if she were trying to wake him up from a daze.

"What the? Hey, stop that! You're going to tear my wound open!" 

Despite his protests, Byte continued to pummel his cheeks with her tiny paws.

"Okay, I'm sorry that I worried you. Okay, that's enough."

Finally, Byte ceased her attack, allowing Axel to catch his breath and assess the situation.

'She sure pack a punch for such a small critter.'

Byte let out a satisfied meow before leaping down from the bed.

'Stupid bitch!'

Axel cussed, though there was a hint of affection in his tone as he eyed the black cat.

Rubbing his sore cheeks, Axel couldn't help but smile. Despite her rough treatment, he knew Byte only acted that way when she was worried about him. It was comforting to know that he at least had somebody who cared about his well-being.

"How are you feeling, Mr...uh..."

The MediBot hesitated, unable to recall his name. Even after scanning his face, he remained unrecognized in any database.

"A stray helping the police, huh, that's new."

Remarked the Commander, leaning against the door frame. She had donned her glasses, which she hadn't been wearing when she first entered the room.

'When did she have that? Strange.'

"The name's Quinn. Quinn Alacantar. You can call me Officer Alacantar, Stray."

The woman introduced herself confidently. Quinn Alacantar had an air of haughtiness about her, but she didn't strike Axel as the type to abuse her power or authority.

"Do you have a name I can call you by, or should I just stick with 'Stray'?"

"Stray" was what they called folks who didn't pop up in the Authority's Data Sphere. They were like ghosts, could be from slums or underground places, or just people who decided to ditch the system and erase their profiles.

Axel hailed from some no-name corner of the world, cut off from the fancy civilized hubs. No police or Authority had ever bothered with him enough to put his name in their system.

"Axel..."

Officer Alacantar nodded.

"So, how are you feeling, Axel?"

The MediBot chimed in, its voice soft and soothing, programmed to offer comfort.

"I'm feeling fine, doc."

"Well, your wound was serious; you've been asleep for a week."

"WHAT?!?" Axel exclaimed in disbelief. A whole week?

"What do you mean a week!?!"

"I'm sorry. We had to put you in a coma so we could patch your wound properly."

The MediBot apologized.

"I see. And I guess there's a lot of medical bills that need paying."

Axel said with a heavy sigh, already feeling the weight of imaginary bills piling up.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Your injuries were the result of you being a hero and helping the police do their job. The police will foot the entire bill."

The MediBot chimed in cheerfully, turning towards Officer Quinn for confirmation. Officer Alacantar's eyes twitched slightly as she forced a smile.

"Of course... of course... Anything for our brave hero."

Axel understood that the city was dirt poor and could use every credit it could get. But what could he do? He was poorer than the dirt itself. There was no way he could say, "Do not worry, my lady, I shall take care of the bills myself."

In fact, Axel didn't have a single credit to his name. So he simply smiled at the officer, pretending to be thrilled with the arrangement.

"Thank you, officer. And if I may ask, where's my Boss?"

"Boss? You had someone with you?"

She asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Not someone, officer. My bad. I meant my car."

Axel Chuckled.

"Oh, that rusted piece of junk. Yeah, we got rid of that, had no choice but to, the thing was completely burned up."

Officer Alacantar explained casually.

"What the fuck!"

He screamed, his hands clutching at his hair in sheer horror. The horror he had just heard was simply too much to handle. How could she just dump his Boss in the junkyard? That car was his only shelter and means of income.

Without it, he couldn't travel. Without it, he couldn't complete his jobs.

The car was his lifeline. He had poured his entire savings into it, and now this woman—this vile creature who wore the skin of a human—was nonchalantly confessing she chucked his entire life savings into the dumpster like yesterday's leftovers.

"Hey, you little shit, calm down. Your shouting ain't helping you none."

"That car was my everything. My house, my paycheck, and my future, you dumb bitch."

"Watch your language, kid."

"To hell with language!"

Byte meowed as she leaped onto Axel's shoulder, rubbing herself against him for comfort.

"I don't give a damn if you're the commander of this precinct. You had no right to toss away my Boss like it's some piece of garbage."

He was seething with anger, his hands trembling and his breaths coming out in heavy pants. How was he supposed to survive now? Who would provide him shelter? His Boss? His beautiful Boss? Her curves, her engine, her... her... everything, gone.

He couldn't wrap his head around it. How could this happen?

"Listen, boy. I ain't got time for your crap. The department will cover the medical bill, okay? Just be grateful for that. Your piece of junk will cost a fortune to fix. Get over it."

"Shut the hell up! I'll cover the medical bills myself, and I'll damn well sue all of you for what you did to my Boss!"

He didn't need any medical treatment. What he needed was vengeance. He wanted to drag this little shit to the ground and make her rebuild his Boss with her own hands.

"You hear that, Sable? He's gonna cover the bills himself. Ain't he just the bravest and most honest little boy?" The sarcasm dripped from her words.

"Indeed, officer. Such a brave and honest lad."

Doctor Sable glanced at him, shaking her head as if she were disappointed in him, as if he were a fool.

Axel couldn't believe his ears. The audacity of this little witch. Not the cute doctor, but the she-devil herself.

"So, the department won't have to foot the bill for this person's treatment anymore, huh?" the she-devil asked with a gleam in her eye.

"Yes, that's correct, Officer Alacantar."

Replied the MediBot, casting a disdainful glance at the officer for deceiving a child.

"Wait a minute... something's not right."

A sense of unease settling over him as he sensed there was more to the situation than met the eye.

"Now that you've decided to 'man up' and cover the bills, here's the kicker—I forgot to mention that we actually haven't destroyed your 'Boss' yet. It's still sitting right where you left it on the road."

The officer's smile widened as she gazed at Axel.

"You-you... fucking bitch!"