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Chapter 89, Arm Race

  Arm Race

  “People are always shocked when some half-destroyed robot bursts out of a junkyard and goes on a rampage. Then they blame the hero for not finishing off! And who's really to blame? The scrap buyers.”

  “Bastards should know those damn things might have self-repair by now, but who cares? Copper is going for a lot right now!”

  They pulled up to the junkyard, which was wild with weeds. “Glad I brought my hero boots who knows what’s living here.” Nahoa said with a half grin.

  No kidding. They climbed out, and were met by the owner, an older man. “Your Tailor contacted me and offered me a good amount for whatever you decide to load up. I don’t know how much in there is worth a darn. My dad bought it when the army left, and I haven’t gone in there for a few years now. After Cash for Clunkers it was never much in demand.

  “Well hopefully we can clear some stuff out for ya.” Badger said, his southern accent is thickening.

  “Any idea what direction to go to find planes?” Levi asked.

  “Yeah, the back. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to work your way around the piles of eighties and nineties cars first. Don’t even worry about them, they're blocks are trashed. After that, you get into the seventies, that’ll all be cars and such, and then you’ll start seeing some military stuff, and that’s where you want to start looking. If you climb up you’ll probably see aircraft tails, but I wouldn’t advise it.”

  “Why shouldn’t we Climb? I mean we weren’t planning to but why? asked Nahoa,

  “Junk might fall on ya.”

  “Oh. Ask a stupid question.” Nahoa said with a laugh. “Well let’s start hunting.”

  This junkyard was obviously not a place people were moving through often, with plants growing between the wheel’s and the torn metal of wrecked cards. Dozens of thirty-year-old cars were stacked near the front, forming creaking metal hallways through which they passed. Before long, the cars started getting older, and rustier, though the damage wasn’t as bad, rust wise, as Nahoa expected.

  “Florida has a lot of rain, but doesn’t generally salt the roads.” Levi said, when he asked. “It’s weird, but anywhere south is easier on cars. Were also far enough from the ocean that sea breezes aren’t bringing salt in. If we were down the state, and not in the panhandle you'd see a bit more salt damage.”

  Nahoa nodded then stopped his eyes narrowing, then going a bit lustful. “You all can do rebuilds right?” He walked over to a car that had been painted baby poop brown, and was dented to hell, the chrome long stolen, “A 1958 Mercury. I’ve wanted one of these since I was a kid. Just like on Hawaii 5-0. I mean the old school show, not the new one.”

  “Well, let's look.” The two mechanics, and the tailing robot, came over and started pulling other parts and wreckage off the car. “Needs all the glass, but that’s not a surprise. Took a hit over here, but I don’t think it’s too deep.” Badger said.

  “Paint’s trash, but that’s expected. Chrome needs to be replaced or restored. Frame is solid, other than over there the body is pretty solid. And I can fix most of these dents bare handed. We can also basically make a new quarter panel for the rear passenger.”

  Badger nodded. “I see the engine, though no idea what condition it’s in, but a crate engine can be done if we have to. I mean, it’s going to need serious welding work, body work, patch work, and a new interior, but some of the stuff we need is sitting in the shop. We could do something with this, yeah.”

  “We’ll get her back to black and chrome and sexy.” Nahoa said, pulling down the larger trash, and pulling the car free of the grass and vines. “Needs a new hardtop too, but she will be beautiful.”

  “We can do that. I think I see another one over there. We’ll grab it too. I think it has the top, but the front end is destroyed.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  After pulling the cars out, along with parts from a few other related looking cars, they continued deeper into the lot. “Oh, I see a jeep. A very flat and burnt out jeep, but it’s an army jeep. I think we're getting close.”

  “I see a wing over there.”

  “Looks like it’s off a Cessna. Yeah, here’s the front cowl.” Levi said, hopping on top of a dump truck flipped on its side, and looking around. “I see some of those old half circle looking buildings you see in old movies, surrounded by stuff galore. I think we want to go that way.”

  “Lead the way.” Badger said as Kar1n giggled happily putting parts from lots of cars and putting it in a bag she was pulling with her.

  “I swear, if we just crashed here overnight, Kar1n would fill half the dang truck. Nahoa chuckled.

  “What do you think I’m planning to do when we’re tired? I’m just gonna let her go!” Badger laughed. “I think it’s a good idea.”

  “You’re not wrong. Oh, that’s the nose of a P-51 Mustang. Nice!” Levi peeked inside. Just the cowling. Might grab this to do wall art or something. Mark the location Kar1n.”

  “Need to find a truck with an intact bed so we can use it as a wagon, that way we don’t have to make as many trips. Nahoa said looking around for something he could drag along.

  “Not a bad idea.” Levi agreed.

  A few minutes later Kar1n called out. “I found a Ford F series, it looks intact enough to use for carrying things.”

  The boys came over, finding a rollin chassis of a truck, without much else. “Yeah, that works. Looks like it was rolled, cabs completely collapsed and engines gone. Shame.”

  Levi gave it a shove. “No brakes, but that works for us. We found you a wagon, Thud.”

  Nahoa chuckled, then ripped off the crumpled hood, and tossed it, crumpling some of the frame into a good handle then began pushing it like a shopping cart.

  “This is what grocery shopping with Anzy must be like.” He joked. “Hey Look over there, Is that a plane tail?”

  “Actually, yes. And a big one at that.” They moved over and started climbing up, finding it was attached to a very damaged fuselage. Levi moved to the one remaining wing, and the engine mounted under it. “Oh yeah, this is one of what we’re looking for. The cowling and engine over here seem intact, though they’ll need an overhaul.”

  “I suspect the Tailor had assumed that.” Badger nodded. “Anything out here is going to need to be overhauled, Should I have Kar1n get the torches ready or can we get to the engine without cutting?”

  Let's torch the nacelle off. We need the cowling and the engine, but not that. We’ll need to move some stuff from under it.”

  Nahoa slipped down, and pushed some junk, stopping when he uncovered a vehicle that looked more or less complete, “What the hell is this? A boat jeep?”

  “Oh! I wanna put guns and a flight system in it.” Badger said, looking the odd vehicle over, it had a boat shaped body with regular tires, with a jeep like cab, it looked purpose built and had faded military markings. “Hey Kar1n can you check Google for what this is?”

  “That is a Ford GPA, an amphibious version of the Willys style jeep. Over twelve thousands of them were made and served in multiple theaters of the war. They were generally released as surplus after the war. Considering this is Florida, this was likely kept due to local environmental conditions until they shut one of the airfields or bases down.”

  Nahoa laughed. “We should take it, if it floats Marcus and I have been talking about getting a fishing boat. This would be super cool for that.”

  “Hell, we could fix it even if it doesn’t. It’s steel, meaning easy to weld.” Pointed out the man of the same code name.

  They pulled the almost entirely intact vehicle out, followed by the canopy from a Sioux helicopter, and Kar1n started cutting the engine off with her plasma cutter.

  “We need some things from the cockpit. Nahoa, you mind giving me a lift up?” Levi asked.

  “No problem.” He reached out and lifted Levi up into the cockpit. “Hopefully there is some good stuff still in there. Yes! The yokes are in here, so that’s good.” He said, climbing through a window after prying it open. Seats are going to need to be redone but are intact. Must have crashed on landing.” He climbed through the transport plane's cockpit and opened the back, then yelped as his flashlight came across a huge, sharpened claw on an arm.

  “What’s wrong!” Nahoa said, looking for enough rock to boost himself up.

  “Just gave me a scare. Looks like some mecha arm is in the bay. But old, like, all clunky hydraulics and iron.” He took a picture, sending it to Kar1n. “You have any idea what this is?”

  “That would be from the Devastator Warbot Mark five, destroyed in nineteen sixty-five after a joint operation to protect the city of Miami by that era's Guardian team, and the USS Iowa.”

  “Right. Damn it, that sounds like a name dino boy would come up with.” Levi said, getting his wind back.

  “If you drop the warbot down, I can strip it. I am sure there are interesting weapon mounts.” Kar1n said pleasantly.

  “Let me see. Yeah, here’s a door. We need it too, anyway.” Levi rolled up his sleeves, and let his hands heat to white hot, stabbing them into the plane's hull half a foot from the door, slowly cutting it out, grabbing the pressure door and setting it down on the ground next to the plane. “I’ll go strip the stuff from the cockpit, if you want to just climb in here and go after the arm.”

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