Everything happened so fast. Before they knew it, Wade and Bart had tied them to the two chairs they’d just been sitting on, while the two of them stood in front of them, upright, with their greasiest smirks. Jake was there too, off to the side, trying to distance himself. Daniel sought his gaze a few times. He had questions. He wasn’t scared. More annoyed. Annoyed at Barnes. Were they being tested again?


    "Jake? You too? Where’s everyone else?"


    "Who’s everyone else?" Jake tried to sound as cold as Wade and Bart. But it didn’t suit him.


    "You said they’re all here, waiting for us."


    "Well, our pal Jake told a little lie," Wade raised one hand while holding his rifle with the other. "He lies sometimes, doesn’t he, Jake?"


    Jake looked at him and nodded.


    "Why are we tied up?" Jasper was getting agitated.


    "One thing at a time, buddies. First, let’s answer your question about where the others are. If you’re asking about the bartender Phil and Violet, well, I assure you Violet’s alive." Wade glanced at Bart and winked. "As for the rest… the locals are in their homes. They’re under a slight curfew."


    Jake stood off to the side. His expression was more frightened and slightly confused.


    "Bart, you said we wouldn’t hurt them," the sheriff tried to speak up.


    Daniel was now certain Jake was involved but not entirely on board.


    Wade took three quick steps to reach Jake, clenched his fist, and hit him. Daniel was surprised there was no sound of metal clashing against metal. Jake fell to the ground, clutching the spot where he’d been struck. His face turned blue. Daniel smirked. This was one of the things Barnes had improved over the last month. Daniel had been there, though he didn’t understand electronics. He only dealt with their minds. So Barnes had changed the robots here after all. Strange that he hadn’t seen them in the labs.


    The ropes binding them weren’t particularly tight. Jasper probably felt it too. The robots didn’t have the strength to tie them securely. But neither of them moved. Daniel hoped they weren’t in mortal danger and that there was no way they’d be killed, but Hugo kept surprising him.


    "Bro, Hugo set us up again, didn’t he?" Jasper whispered to him.


    "Most likely…" Daniel wasn’t sure whether to laugh or not.


    "That old bastard…"


    "I’d forgotten how clever he is. Still, it’s weird. Aren’t more guests coming soon? What’s he expecting to happen here when they arrive? Chaos in the bar, two gangsters, two guys tied up or… dead?"


    "They won’t kill us, that’s obvious. But I think Hugo wants to throw the newbies straight into the adventure. He won’t give them a break."


    "Hey, you two," Wade came over and kicked their chairs. "What are you whispering about?"


    "Talking about your mom," Jasper snapped back. "I’d make you a little brother if I got my hands on her."


    Wade lowered his rifle and aimed it at his face.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    "Feeling brave now, fatso?"


    Jake approached Wade and carefully pushed the barrel of the rifle down.


    "We’ve got no use for them if we kill them, Wade."


    "Oh, Jake…" Wade grabbed him by the shirt. There was fear in Jake’s eyes. "I knew you’d go soft, you bastard." Wade shoved him back to the ground.


    "So what do you want from us?" Daniel cut in. "We haven’t done anything."


    "Nothing? Where’s Reed? Where’s Reed?"


    "Didn’t Jake tell you?" Daniel glanced at him. "Reed got on his horse and bolted. If he’d stayed…"


    "If he’d stayed, what? You’d have killed him?"


    "Not us, but his daughters might have."


    Wade burst out laughing.


    "Not to me, buddy. Reed loved his daughters. And they loved him. That can’t be true."


    Jake was back on his feet, standing farther away.


    "The funny thing is, Jake told the same story," Wade pointed his rifle at Jake again. "Did you two cook this up, sheriff? Are you one of them?"


    Bart stepped over, grabbed Jake’s badge, and ripped it off his lapel.


    "What kind of sheriff are you? Everyone mocks you, Jake. Everyone!"


    Jake stared at the ground. He didn’t even try to resist. Wade and Bart laughed. Jake was different. Daniel remembered the first time he saw him. He’d seemed confident, a real sheriff. Little by little, his confidence had faded. Especially when people like Reed or these two showed up.


    "So we’ll stay tied up until you find Reed?"


    "Yeah, fatso. We suspect you two," Wade grabbed a chair, placed it in front of them, and sat down, trying to lock eyes with both at once. "Remember our last meeting? You attacked us."


    "Us?" Daniel jolted. "As far as I recall, you attacked us, and then we ended up in jail."


    "You’ve got it wrong, kid. You attacked us first. Said some nasty words. Our souls are sensitive. We don’t take kindly to people talking bad about us. Believe me, jail was the least of what you got off with back then."


    "And since you’re asking about Reed," Daniel jumped in too, "why weren’t you at our trial? Reed had dragged us to the gallows. If you’d been there, maybe you’d have seen it with your own eyes."


    Daniel knew what had happened. The technicians had sent them for testing, and he wasn’t sure if he should bring it up—whether it might damage the robot or ruin the story—but he did it anyway. If Hugo wanted to test them, he’d play along too.


    "Reed made us run, smartass. The town trusted him, not us. If Reed said he’d caught the deputy sheriffs, no one would bat an eye. But if two of the most wanted men did it… well, then we’d have a problem."


    "Two of the most wanted?"


    Wade glanced at Bart.


    "Guess they’re pretty dumb."


    "And blind," Bart added, pointing to one of the wanted posters hanging on the wall. Wade and Bart were right in the middle. They really hadn’t noticed.


    "So Reed works with thieves and crooks. You seemed the type, but hiding like rats is new."


    Wade swung and slapped Jasper across the face. Jasper was both shocked and furious. He looked at Daniel first. His glare screamed the same thing Daniel was thinking. These guys had hit them again. But this time, no one barged in, and the park’s red lights didn’t flash. Hugo was probably watching. A red mark appeared on Jasper’s face. Bart laughed.


    "Got anything else to say, fatso?"


    Jasper was fuming. His leg was shaking. But he held it together. Daniel knew he could easily untie himself, but he didn’t. Instead, he spat at Wade.


    Wade wiped his face with his hand, stood up, and swung again. This time, Jake didn’t stop him. Bart did.


    "Stop, Wade. We can’t kill them yet, not until we find Reed. I bet the boss will want to deal with them himself."


    Wade stepped aside. Jake stood there, watching. Bart continued.


    "Let’s show them the other surprise." Bart went to the door behind the bar and opened it. He stepped inside and disappeared for a moment. There was a noise. Bart came back almost immediately. But he wasn’t alone. A woman walked in front of him. Her dark red hair was dirty and matted, with wet patches—probably blood. Her dress was muddy, and one side of her face bore a wound stretching from near her forehead down to the middle of her cheek.


    Daniel recognized her. It was Violet.