The sheriff strode into the central chamber of the catacombs, entering a massive laboratory which housed several work stations and hundreds of coffin like chambers where a new type of robotic enforcer was being engineered. The man in charge of overseeing this project was a bald, portly professor named Shando Khan. As the sheriff entered the room, the professor greeted him with a devilish grin.
“The King’s army is almost ready, sire. I have also prepared your own little surprise,” Khan said, motioning the sheriff to sit in a large metal reclining chair which had all manner of wires attached to the back of it. The sheriff seemed somewhat nervous, an uncharacteristically strange look on the man.
“Are you sure the experiment is safe, Professor? I wish to be stronger! More powerful than any creature on this planet, not dead,” The sheriff said and the professor laughed, strapping the sheriff into the metal beast of a chair, flipping some switches.
“When this serum is injected into your veins, you will have the power of ten men. You will be unstoppable! No one will dare stand in your way, sire! I can promise you that!” The professor said as needle tipped wires slithered their way into the sheriff’s arms, the needles puncturing his veins. The great steel contraption was powered by a strange mechanical robot that revealed itself as it rose from a trap door in the floor. At either side of its expressionless head were two large glass vials full of a dark green matter. The serum began to pump from the vials and into the veins of the sheriff through the needles.
Pain! Searing pain! The sheriff closed his eyes tightly as the serum was injected, more needles injecting into the base of his skull. Soon, the sheriff was virtually hidden under a web of wires and tubes that worked their way out of the robotic machine and into him, pumping the serum into his body.
“I must warn you sheriff, you will experience a great deal of discomfort during the procedure as I warned you. When the procedure is complete, you and your army will be connected... able to communicate with a sheer thought! You will be faster and stronger than you have ever imagined! No one will stand in your way!”
Something was happening. The sheriff’s skin was stretching and contorting – muscles were growing and expanding and his body was growing in size, grotesquely so. The sheriff’s eyes blazed red like fire and he screamed as microscopic robots entered his body, rebuilding organs and frantically strengthening every strand of DNA in his entire body. This was both a fusion of man and machine, and a biological implosion that caused not only a massive surge in growth but ability as well. The sheriff howled in agony as the tiny robots inside him worked with the serum, transforming him into something else... A monstrous, beastly man that was highly intelligent, super fast and virtually unstoppable. A perfect pairing of man and machine, and the professor smiled as the sheriff’s face twisted and contorted. This would be his greatest creation and no one on Sherwood would ever see it coming. Except perhaps for one.
Poking his head out from a small tunnel, Will Scarlet watched in horror. He had found his way into the catacombs many times before, but never made it this far into the central chamber. His discovery that the sheriff was building an army was one thing, but this? This was like something out of a nightmare. Will tried to stay calm as he backed away from the terrifying sight, crawling back into the dark hole he had climbed through from the sewers. He had to speak to Robin.
*****
On the streets of Sherwood, a colony of homeless men and women sat under a bridge in a run down part of the city called the barrens. There were small huts made with sheet metal and broken signs, and men and women in ragged clothing – far too many to count, gathered around burning barrels trying to stay warm.
Many of the surrounding buildings were damaged or burned out which provided some shelter for the homeless, however food was scarce and robot drones would often shoot homeless people that were not hiding.
A mechanical drone with red eyes buzzed through the district, a small laser powered mini gun mounted on top of it. The homeless men ran, startled as they spied the drone, scooping up their children and belongings and fleeing for cover. One woman tripped, falling flat on her face in the mad dash and the drone turned its attention to her, buzzing towards her. The woman screamed as the drone prepared to bombard her with laser fire.
There was a loud explosion of gunfire as the drone exploded, fragments of it littering the ground around the fallen woman. A green flying Lamborghini flew into view – a single laser cannon mounted onto its hood. The car hovered on auto pilot and a man in a green hooded tunic leapt out, landing on the street. He helped the woman to her feet. The woman looked at the man, whose face was hidden behind a black ski mask under his green hood. She smiled at the stranger.
“You’re all safe. But none of you... any of you belong here!” Robin Hood declared to the homeless onlookers, perhaps fifty men and women that hadn’t run off.
“Where are we supposed to go? The sheriff took our homes! Our money! We have nothing!” One of the homeless men yelled. Robin said nothing, but removed a small remote control from his belt, pointing it at the chassis of his hovering emerald car. He pressed a button and a
