Chapter 20: Ninjas and Normal Shit

I always ask myself this one question when I'm watching a movie, especially the action movies. When did the fighter in the movie just sit down exhausted from killing one hundred ninjas. You'd have to be at least thirsty after all of that, I mean Jesus, Im thirsty now just writing this. I can feel my tongue, dry as I unstick it from the top of my mouth. But back to my question, when does all the normal shit happen in these action movies. You're telling me the ninja killer isn't going to spend a least 30 minutes at his computer resetting his password on his online account so he can pay his gas bill? It was a question that was often at the forefront of my thoughts recently. But I did manage to come up with the answer and its adrenalin, a lot of drugs as well, but mainly adrenalin. I had been in more fights in the past few weeks then I'd been in my whole life. How did I manage to make it through all this without curling up in the fetal position and giving up: the answer to that one's called 'the greater good' or living for something bigger than yourself. We started this project, building Steel Raps, creating something that no one has come close to one field of robotics and artificial intelligence. We were destined to see this through and the closer we came to the end the fiercer we became. I suppose I should describe my surroundings as I write this, a pile of dishes in the sink, computer equipment covering about every free surface the ashtrays aren't covering and the kitchen table, piled high with guns. Yeah, we had a meeting with Nawlns Jr later tonight but more about that later, time to rest after I reset this password so I can pay this gas bill.

Chapter 19: Talk Gently to the Giant

Back into the pit we went. The VIP experience was a little too real for us anyway. We ordered another round of shots after the first 3. We were throwing caution to the wind at this point. We've already already been to hell and back and were probably on our way there again.

"So what's the plan again?" Danny asked

"Not to suck dick!" My humor was more twisted by the day.

"I just think one round of paper, rocks, scissors is not enough to decide maybe two out of..."

I interrupted again, "Stop fucking around already and just focus on the code, remember we only have one shot at this. Just say the code in the mic when you battle Steel then he'll reset and we'll ."

"Alright, alright, alright..."the host came on the mic, annoying but comforting somehow. The lights dimmed. Showtime. "Now, it is the time to do what we came here to do...can I get a aaaa-yo?"

The crowd, begrudgingly in response, "aaaaa-yo"

"I can't hear you, can I get a hell yeah!" The lights were all the way down now.

"HEEEEELLLLL YEEEAAAH!!!" The crowd was onto the warm-up and put an end to it with one affirmative shout.

"Okay okay okay..." The host always spoke in threes for some reason. "We have a very special night planned for you all. This is not your ordinary rap battle. This is a limited edition, special battle we have planned. Winner takes all, as usual. This is King of the Hill. Each rapper will have a chance to battle the one, the only, Steel Raps to throw him off the top. If that contestant, that sooth sayer, ryhme spayer, rapper with the mostest but not more than the hostest, should succeed..." He looked around at the crowd gauging interest. " ...then he will become the next king of the hill and will win a very special prize which will be revealed at the end of the show." I glanced over, Sho Nuff was massaging Steels shoulders like a prize fighter next to the stage whispering into his ears to what looked like from across the room to be the cure to cancer.

"First up, first challenger, first to take a stab at the king..." The host opening the list to read off the first name. "Danny VIP...Mr VIP, please come to the stage an take this mic." I glanced at Danny ready to laugh but the anxiety of getting Steel smothered the laughter. Danny made his way to the side of the stage. He's was cursing under his breathe the whole time walking up to the stage. "Okay VIP, you know the rules. 30 seconds on the clock, Dee Jay drop that moths fuckin beat already."

Badumm Dumm  krshhh Badumm Dumm krshhh...

The bass shook the building it was so loud. Danny was warming up the beat with a couple yo's as he unraveled the paper with the code. Steel stood akimbo across the stage. Red light streaming out from behind his sun glasses. Why would they change his eye colors? Either way he'd be reset in a second...

"Oh ffffuck..." I noticed the engineer pointing towards Danny in the stage and whispering into Nuff's ear. Nuff looked startled. Shit they knew what we were up to. And just as I realized Nuff's crew dashed out on the stage grabbing Danny. I rushed the stage and pulled one of the dudes feet out from under him. It was an all out brawl. The fighting from the stage grew to the floor, pretty soon I didn't
know who I was fighting. As I kicked one dude in the balls I yelled over to Danny to get out of here. I pointed towards the back door where Steel and Nuff slipped out of.

We crashed through the back door, the same door we exited the club last time from. "Shit, they're gone." We saw the tail lights of Nuff's Cadillac take off down the street. Then a voice behind us...

"Yun boys tr'an take on de big gator, hm?"  If was the same Louisiana accent from before. He stood behind smoking a cigarette underneath the little light of the alley in gator skin boots and a very large knife proudly hung on his belt buckle.

"Who are you man?"

"Da names Nawlins Jr." The name registered but I couldn't quite place it.

"Oh you're Nawlin's son?!" This was the son of the man Nuff murdered years back. I could see in his eyes what he wanted. "Revenge?"

"Sho Nuff."

Chapter 18: If I Ever Go To Prison-- "I Ain't Sucking Dick"

I found a crowded place at the bar as far away from VIP.  This could work, once Steel was disengaged I was hedging against the fact Nuff would no longer want him and leave him for scraps.  Danny put his hand on my shoulder.  "Finally you made it Danny, what took y-."

"Hey slim."  I was frantic.  Nuff stood there smiling.  The cat had the mouse cornered.  "Get your drink slim.  I feel like we got off on the wrong foot.  I don't think I ever told you anything about me, about the music game back in the day, about how I got to where I am."

I shrugged my shoulders, I just wanted him to stop talking.

"There are times everybody hits obstacles.  And when you hit those, you think you know what the right thing to do is.  But your brains all scrambled, up is down, left is right, you know what I'm saying?"

Please shut up.  No? There's more? Please continue...

"When I hit obstacles I always asked myself one question.  How. Far. Are you. Willing. To go?"  Nuff paused.  I didn't know whether that was rhetorical or just a threat.

"I guess so."

Nuff continued, "when I was your age, the answer for me was always-all the way.  Nothing and nobody got in my way.  But hey, lighten up this is a party, plus I'm an old dude."  He pauses to sip from his oversized pimp cup.  "But you know, sometimes habits die hard.  Guess I should slow down but I feel like sometimes I'm just getting started."

Danny just showed up and froze with his eyes popping out.

"Danny, hey man, just talking to your man slim here.  Just about to bring you guys over to the VIP.  Tonight we gonna party, how's that sound, c'mon now grab your drinks."

We sat there on the far end of the couch.  Absolutely humiliated.  We just became Nuff's bitches.  Cyrus and Fishlips would look over and mock us.  "We're so glummm, nobody likes us, eeerrrrr."  Then laugh as they threw back drinks.  Steel stood in the back silent like the headlights of a car parked in the dark woods.

This is so fucking humiliating.  What the fuck were we thinking.  This is like prison.  I'm stuck in prison on a VIP couch getting mind-fucked by a murderous old thug and his group of misfits and wasn't a damn thing I could do.  If this was prison, this is me having to suck dick.  The first night in prison and I'm already sucking dick.  I'm a fucking jail bitch.  Pretty soon I'll be taking it up the ass on the regular and when Nuff is done with me I'll get traded like a commodity for a pack of smokes.  Probably never be the same, cause habits are formed they don't break....fuck this.   I'm not sucking dick.  Fuck that, you better kill me cause I'm not sucking dick, you dick sucking mother fuckers.  I ain't spending the rest of my life as a dick sucker.  Fuck this.  Fuck this.

"Fuck this. I ain't sucking dick"  I let it out surprising myself, but I meant it.  Everyone stopped to look over.

Nuff asked, "Come again slim?"

"Fuck you, I'm not sucking dick."

"Oh yeah". As pulled a blade out but the engineer stopped him "not here playa'."

Cyrus jumped up in front of me, "what pla-" I threw a punch at him and it misfired in his neck.  Fish lips, Nuff and a bunch of other goons jumped at me as the intensity exploded.  Steel roared and everyone froze.  He went crazy and started throwing tables, chairs, punched holes in the wall and threw one of Cyrus goons into the air when he stepped in the way.  All of us were frozen.  It was like watching a lion in a room full of gazelles.  After that hour-long second, Fishlips jumped over to stop him "Steel!  Chill man chill" as he laid his hand on Steel we couldn't believe what we were about to see.
Fishlips started convulsing.  He was being electrocuted.  Steel stopped as Fishlips dropped to the ground wriggling and writhing like a fish out of water.  After pissing himself, he passed out and rolled off the VIP deck.  Danny broke the silence, "what the fuck man?  Did you just see that too?"  Probably foreign voltage built up from jumping around. 

Nuff leaned over and without hesitation signaled to his goons, "get this mother fucker out of here, bad for business, drop him off in front the ER, rolling stop, ya'll know the drill."  Nuff turned around to the DJ to start the music, "ok slim, think you better find a more congenial place to sit tonight.  And slim, guess we know the answer to that question huh?"

Danny and I ordered three shots a piece.  A man next to us looked over and muttered, "ges jawns gon dun pik da fight wit da big gator, huh?  Bu' yat be kay, eh jus ain't met abigga gata' yet, naw'm sayin'?...awrite, you's boys njoy ya drink." 

Chapter 17: Rappers, Paper, Steel...Go!

There I was again. The one place I never wanted to come back to. I suppose this was the repetition of life.

Danny and I stood in the middle of the club. It was Thursday, and on every second Thursday of the month, a new rap battle. The atmosphere was heightened by Sho Nuffs presence. Danny was excited. I have to admit, so was I. We were on a mission to return stolen property.

"Look there's Steel" Danny pointed to the corner of the club where the tables were. Steel was amidst enemies and he didn't even know it. It looked like a rap video. Bottle service, everyone dressed like it's their fucking birthday. Sho Nuff would taunt everyone on the non-VIP side of the rope. It was clear to me he was insecure with class and divisions when in the end it was only a rope separating him and the rest of the crowd. Fuck him. If I ever got the chance I would hang him by that VIP rope. I'd put on his tombstone, RIP broke motherfucker hung by...I digress.

"Something's different about him, his eyes...they're red!?" Danny pointed. "We have to get him away from the group so I can reprogram him." There was a series of words that if said in order would reset Steel's programming back to its defaults so whatever changes Nuff's engineer made would be undone. It wasn't easy retrieving the 'series of words' either. After realizing we both didn't remember the code, Danny disappointed that he'd have to revisit his friend from the backyard, explained how he had written the code on a piece of paper but that paper was in his pocket when he was jumping the fence with the dog in tow. Just as he leapt over the fence the paper fell and the dog ate it. Let's just say returning to the rap battle was not the first half of this mission. The first half involved laxatives and patience. Danny pulled the paper out of his pocket rehearsing the code just in case he didn't have time to read it to Steel.

"So how exactly do you expect to get Steel away from them again?" And just like that...

"Any last contestants please sign in now the battle will begin shortly." We both knew this was our chance and without hesitating," rocks, paper, scissors...rocks!" Danny had scissors.

"Fuck me" Danny made his way to the back where the sign ups were. 

This just might work

Chapter 16: Don King and Mean Dogs

"You just going to stand there?  Where is he slim?"

I nodded towards the back room.  Nuff lurched up.  "He's broken."  I bleated out.

"We'll see."

Nuff disappeared through the hallway.    I looked over to the other two.  "What?  You two touch pee pee's now?"

Fishlips responded, "just business," quickly hiding behind another gloss of Chapstick.

"Yeah you think I'm going to get O.J.'d and let this just happen?"

Cyrus quickly responded, "it just did playa'."

Nuff appeared again holding Steel like a giant baby, struggling under the weight.  "What are you two?cheerleaders?  Come help me with him."

"Told you he was broken.  Only I can fix him.  What are you going to do with him?"

"No need slim, remember my engineer?  Turns out he's a rocket scientist too.  Gonna get him purring like a kitten.  Steel's my new prize fighter."

"Are you the Don King of rap now?"

"Only in America baby."

I watched them struggle to get Steel into the backseat and I shut the front door.

I stood there frozen, replaying what just happened.  Then another knock.  Fishlips stepped back inside.  "Um, You got his power cord?"

I fetched it from the back room and threw it at him.

"No hard feelings right man?"  He unsheathed his Chapstick and I slapped it out of his hand.  "Get out."  As he leaned down to pick up his Chapstick, "leave it!  That's mine now!"  Silly thinking back to that now, but felt right at the time.

Fishlips put two hands up, "just business man."  I slammed the door behind him catching the back of his shoe.  Another small win.

I called Danny and he actually picked up.  "Danny where have you been?  They took Steel and I think Natasha  was with them."

"I know."

"What are talking about you know."

"I'm here, open the door."

I opened the door to Danny in head to toe camouflage and covered in leaves and dirt.

Danny rushed past me to the kitchen and started raiding the fridge.  "What did Steel say when they took him?"

"Ducks and bunnies," Danny looked up perplexed, "...never mind.  Where have you been?"

"I've been tailing Natasha, so I had to go in survivalist mode...I had to jump through a few back yards to get here, how long do tetanus shots last?"

"What are you talking about, you're not making sense?"

"Oh right, you have mean dogs out here.  I was two yards away and jumped in the wrong yard.  I was halfway up the fence and the most discontent terrier I've ever come across bit my ass.  He was hanging there and wouldn't let go."

"How'd you get rid of him?"

"Oh right, the bite made me fart.  And believe me after eating all the cans of beans while I was in hiding, made him cry and run away, fucking mutt."

"Jesus, well, look we need a plan to get Steel back, he could be dangerous in the wrong hands...then we're going to dismantle him."

"I know just what to do," Danny responded with unusual clarity.  "Remember the fail safe words?  We can use that to turn him off.  Our best chance is to get him at the big battle tomorrow night."

"I don't really remember the fail safe, do you?"

"I thought you would know."

Chapter 15: The Difference between Telling and Asking

There was a knock on the door.  Jesus who is it at this time.  I opened the door, Nuff appeared in front of me, and smiled like the Cheshire cat.  "We gotta talk."  He strode past me and I could see standing outside his car were Fishlips and Lord Cyrus.
"Please tell me I'm dreaming."

"I can say two things for certain.  One that I am certain I just ate a delicious plate of waffles and eggs.  And as certain as I am that those were waffles and eggs, I assure you slim, you are certainly not dreaming."

"What do you want?"

Nuff sat down comfortably.  "Where's Steel, where's my boy St-e-e-e-l", he called out.

"He's asleep."

"Asleep huh.  Let me ask you something slim.  What do you think I do out here? Matter of fact let me answer that for you.  You see that's what they call a rhetorical question."

"I know what a rhetorical question is."

"Ooooh now hold on slim.  Don't get ahead of yourself.  We're just having a nice relaxed conversation."  As Fishlips and Lord Cyrus walked in.  "I won't even make you answer no questions slim how about that?  I'll keep asking more of those rhetorical questions."

"You see now what is the most important part of being an artist?  Let me answer that.  You need to stay relevant.  And the only way one can stay relevant is by first and foremost, " as he rose from his chair and leaned in towards me, "...you know what I'm about to say?  No, don't answer my bad, it's about leveling the playing field.  See what I'm getting at?  DAMN, my bad again slim, I promised you didn't need to answer no questions."

"What is this? Am I getting muscled here?"

"Super job slim, A plus.  But I shouldn't be surprised, you's a rocket scientist ain't you?"

Fishlips and Cyrus chuckled in the background.

"So let me ask you slim, how long you think you and Danny could keep your little secret?  My bad again.  See that wasn't rhetorical.  Oh well, maybe I ain't as smart as you slim.  But I know when I need to level the playing field.  That's just the right thing to do.  Isn't that fair wouldn't you say?  GODDAMMiT."  As he slammed his fist into the table.  "I did it again, guess I should just stop asking and start telling.  Go get Steel."

Chapter 14: The Comfort of Sleep

I had enough.  I went to sleep.  It had become the only place of solace.  But even there my problems emerged in strange forms.  I was washing felt and dirt off the dishes.  The wetter and harder I washed the greasier and messier they became.  I turned behind to Steel who was supervising, "how am I supposed to do this?  There's antlers every where?  Why?"

"That's how you have to clean them."  I believed him without question.

With lifelike movements Steel shifted his weight as he stood behind waiting for me to finish.

I couldn't concentrate with Lord Cyrus and Danny running around in the other room.  They were laughing as they pulled the wires out of the walls.

When they reached the baseboard, they starting ripping apart the wood, laughing hysterically.

Fishlips appeared from the other room and began wrapping me in the arm.  He was laughing and frolicking too and began tearing the electrical wires out of Steel.

He took out a knife from the drawer and used it to pry out the remaining electric.  It didn't bother Steel, it actually made him more life like.  Shifting under his shirt as a mannequin coming to life.  I looked over my shoulder and told Fishlips to stop.  He turned his attention to me and started stabbing me in the ribs.  I was going to die, but I couldn't look down until I finished cleaning the dishes.  Danny reminded me that we weren't really alive unless we were willing to die, and at that moment I truly felt regret.
The webbing grew exponentially over the dishes.  I turned the water to boiling hot and blood seeped from the antlers coagulating when it touched the air.  The steam caused my teeth to soften and pieces began falling out.

"Wake up" laughed Fishlips.

"Yes wake up" confirmed Steel.

Danny and Lord Cyrus mocked in the other room, "yeah c'mon wake up, hahaha."

I awoke.  The dawn was just breaking and Steel's shadow became visible.  Under my breath "what a dream."

"I dream" stated Steel softly.

"What are you talking about, you don't dream, you recharge and defragment, you're not real."

Steel paused.  "What are dreams but a collection of recordings associated in a mirage of sensory responses. What do you think makes you human?"

"Emotions, a soul...for one."

"And what are emotions but calculated responses informed by events past, a soul simply the identity of those collections defined by what it is not."

"Ok but what do you feel when you see that sunrise?"

"I see what you call beauty, in fact I see infinitely more, which makes me more human than human.  I see an infinity array of colors.  The complexity is pleasing for many reasons that are too complex for you to understand.  The lines of code that make me up are not dissimilar from your genetic codes, it's just that mine are more logical and efficient."

"Son of a-" he was right.

"Ok Steel lets go through your prompts."  The startup checks hadn't been done in weeks and with the big battle coming up we had to get him functioning top notch.

"What's your name?"

"Steel"

"Good...Where are you from?"

"Original date January 15th"

"No where were you manufactured?"

"Ducks and bunnies, bunnybunnybunnybunnybunny duck -d-d-d-d...fatal error."

"Uh oh"

Chapter 13: Long ways from Lab Coats

Word was out. Sho'Nuff had added one of Steels tracks to a local mixtape and it was generating a lot of buzz.  You might of heard it, it was called "Flood Da Streets: Volume 3". Everyone wanted to know who this mysterious new figure was. Quite frankly so did I. As Steel became more involved with Natasha and the music business the less I saw him. I was missing the old days when it was  all of us sitting around a table, dreaming 'what-ifs'.

I was concerned though. I wasn't quite sure the legalities of the music business and was becoming more of a fish out of water each day. Let's just say I was a long way from lab coats and Bunsen burners. I had to lawyer up. I couldn't trust most of the things Sho'Nuff told me, besides it was well known that most of his artists got burned in the long run. While you were able to get exposure quickly with 'Nuff' it would never last long. Most of the time new artists just kept him current, it was self serving. I couldn't knock it, it was a hustle and he, a hustler.  Besides, 'Nuff was already making his presence uncomfortable. He had wanted to add himself as a Hype-man to the track and I specifically told him not too. But sure enough when the mixtape hit the streets it was 'Nuff adding little "eh eh, yeah you know who it is" he even added 'Nufffffff' right at the end of the song and trailed out hanging on the f. It's all about branding and while this whole album was free given the contest we were being cajoled into Big Daddy Sho'Nuffs corner. These streets are like vultures. When everyone spots a gravy train they jump on board. I understood why you couldn't trust anyone in the business. People you think are friends turn on you.

I opened my apartment door. I was out at the grocery store getting dinner. As I was turning the handle, I hear the last voice I wanted to hear or see. Fucking Fish Lips. And he was sitting at the table with Steel and some other guy in a suit. I closed the door hard to let my presence known. I was already a little pissy given I just walked up three flights of stairs with about ten grocery bags in my hand.

"We'll come on in, have a seat" I was seething

"Sorry man just had to talk some business with your man here and you weren't home but Steel let us in. I wanted to talk to you first..." Bullshit. "But you weren't home and all. Well looks like I'm out of here. I got these girls waiting for me to go out tonight and it's getting late." Bullshit again. "I'll see you around man, Steel it was good talking to you." He slipped Steel a phone number from what I could see in the reflection of the glass in the cabinet. I couldn't even turn to look at Fish Lips I was so pissed. Him and the Suit left the apartment.

"Steel, what's going on?"

"Tony wants to represent us."

"Us? Listen, Steel, Tony is a fake. He doesn't know the first thing about business. He's in it to get paid and that's it. He'll be the first one to stab us in the back."

"He's represented other local artists like G-money, The Get-Guap Gang, Lord Cyrus..."

"Lord Cyrus?! We're getting hustled here."

"I don't understand." This was one of those complex emotions Steel was still trying I understand.

"Listen, Tony's no good. He'll put money before his own mother." I could see Steel tense up so I backed off from my speech. His hand was clenching a coffee cup and his grip was tightening. As I went to say Tony's name again Steel crushed the coffee cup in his hand. "You okay Steel?"

"I'm perfect."

Chapter 12: The Humble Beginnings of Big Daddy Sho' 'Nuff

The tension left with Danny.  I called out, "Danny c'mon man," as he waved me off and kept walking down the street disappearing into the green light.  Exhale.  Through the walls, I could hear Steel rapping in the rhythm and tone of Carol of the Bells...unbelievable.  His musical scope was incredible, thanks to Danny really, for all the different music he was exposing to Steel.  Danny didn't know it, but I forgave him then for his outburst.  This world will never understand people like Danny, they saw above the narrow paths the rest of us crawled. 

"Aaaah shit! If it isn't the creator himself, hey slick, wassup pah-tna?"

It was Big Daddy Sho' 'Nuff who owned Down N' Out Studios and other nefarious businesses. 

"Hey 'Nuff."  Even his handshakes were high energy.  Before I knew it my hand was being raped.  Slap, pound, curl, snap.  "One Hund'ed." 

He was around since the beginning.  His name had changed over the 20 years of mainstream rap.  In the early nineties he had a hit, a song self-titled Big Daddy (Sure Enuff) on his self-titled album which was coincidentally his self title.  His name changed as the game changed, but he always just added an aka.  Full name Big Daddy Sho' 'Nuff aka the Messiah aka Money Bandit Cru aka Don Pablo aka Big $penda aka One Track King aka the Unpretender aka the CEO and in the late nineties just went by a symbol.  He covered his bases.  But since rap lost the cartoon characters, he just goes by Sho' 'Nuff now, although spelling may change.  He wasn't respected as a rapper anymore, but remains an image of success as a business man. He got a lot of big rappers where they are today.

"My man" as he hooked me around the neck graciously and walked back into the studio.  We were standing behind the engineer watching Steel listening to the next track in the booth. Maybe not listening, but processing, and I knew 'cause his eye would twitch as the RAM was over burdened, searching the catalogs of music, lyrics, and language within a complex algorithm to match to the next track.  "Listen slick...(shaking his finger at Steel)...This guy's an ani-MAL," preached Sho' 'Nuff. 

The engineer looked up, "more like a robot." 

What d'ya mean?

"Just incredible, he's been laying tracks down one take, no writing, after he's heard the song one time.  I've never seen anything like it before."

"He's good that's for sure." 

"He not good, he something else, you couldn't make someone like him, " the engineer said with conviction.  I played it off.  "yeah..."

Sho' 'Nuff peered around to see Natasha, an adoring fan smiling from ear to ear.  "Who is this lovely lady?  C'mere darling Big Daddy don't bite."  But he did.  The engineer eyed Sho' 'Nuff and tapped his watch.  "Oh, ya'll don't stop on account of me, you right you right, time is money."  And Sho' 'Nuff continued the conversation with Natasha in the corner of the room, but not before pointing two fingers in my chest, "Hey slick I like what ya'll are doing out here, but remind me, we gotta talk." 

Always an important man with pressing business, I never bought it, but it was charming. 

"Fo' Sho' 'Nuff," I replied. 

The engineer started talking as he stared at the controls.  "He wasn't always like that-'Nuff.  He came from a rough spot growing up.  People get caught up with the flashy image, but this guy did it all with nothing, just pure drive out of hopelessness...Nuff grew up in the slums like project housing where the doors missing from break-ins, straight gutter life, single mother with 5 kids, and an older brother was mentally crazy.  Nuff was one of those fresh air kids, program to bring hood kids out to the country.  White folks liked him too, but was drawn to the streets.  He was fearless, had older kids looking up to him including me. He didn't know then but he was ruthless too.

Old cat named Nawlins, O.G.  from down south took Nuff under his wing.  They called him the barber cause he was real nice with a blade, even had an eye patch which made him that much more animated to Nuff.  Word was he was some bastard of the mob guys down there, and migrated up north when the Louisiana turf wars exploded.  Nuff naturally fell into his camp.  Nawlins had that same energy...that draw to the streets and power.  He owned the local bodega and did things like let folks get food before their welfare check came in, that's when gangsters were part of the hood things were more intimate back then.  But he was crazy too, one time Nawlins jacked a bus from the port authority and drove it up and down the streets just wilin' out.  Anyways, Nawlins graduated Nuff to boosting and heisting, they'd find out where the dope boys spots were and jack them.  That's when Nuff got his name.  Guys always ask him 'you think you can do that?' and he'd respond 'sure enough' with a smile.  Became his slogan after a bit. 

Nawlins and Nuff eventually began to fall out, maybe because Nawlins was spending too much time in and out of Rikers and was realizing he was losing his grip since the game was changing in the early eighties.  That's when crime wasn't personal anymore.  You had beef, won't no talking about it or intimidation, these young cowboys would just spray your whole block.  At the same time Nuff was getting into the hip hop seen that was coming up with Grandmaster Flash and DJ Herc who started looping disco beats.  Word was Nawlins was calling out Nuff about making too much money on the side.  His worst mistake was putting a price on Nuffs head.  One early morning when Nawlins was getting his daily shave in front of the bodega by one of his boriqua chicks, Nuff slid up behind him took the shaving blade.  No one knows what Nawlins said before Nuff slit his throat, some think he said 'sho' 'nuff' in disbelief that Nuff would catch dude unaware before he spilled his throat out into the street.  They say two things about that day, one, that that day 'Nuff sold his soul to the Devil.  And the other, it was the day Santa died because the blood mixed with the shaving cream and Nawlins looked like a dead mother fucking Santa Claus sprawled out in the street, and won't nobody getting credit before they welfare check came in anymore. 

Nuff went from dope boy to b-boy, that's when me and him hooked up.  We started playing parties and eventually put our grind towards making demos and sending them to the record companies.  Nuff never had patience, and couldn't understand why we weren't getting call backs.  He got fed up and ran into the record company office and found his way to A&R and found out it was just a guy in a sweat suit in a corner office with a box full of records.  Guy said he didn't know what to call the music we were making.  Took me everything I had to pull Nuff off the guy.  Then finally he said fuck it, and we set up our studio right here.  Anyways...

He really digs ya'll's sound, reminds me of him when he was rapping, he wasn't as lyrically gifted but it was real.  Most guys come in here with their whole crew, celebrating like they already made it, and they're garbage...Steel reminds me of Sho' 'Nuff, just stands there quietly waiting, and when the mics hot, he transforms.  But you know, its not about making it, its about making music.  These kids out here don't get that.  Their just going to get somewhere, but ya'll are just going.  See wha'm sayin?"

I did.  This guy was spiritual about the music.  I couldn't of felt more fake at that point.  But at the same time it would be nice to pay some bills too. 

In the background.  Sho' 'Nuff phone rings.  "Cy' my man.  uh huh.  right...hold that."

Sho' 'Nuff walked up to the booth.  "Hey ya'll we gotta wrap this up, we need to close this down for the night, aight.  Hey good work, let's pick this up another time."

I signaled to Steel.  We were standing outside before we knew it. 

Chapter 11: Down n out for real

I pulled Danny off Steel and threw him in the opposite direction knocking over the engineer. We were truly giving the definition of 'down and out' at Down 'N Out  studios. We were doing great before this scene erupted. I knew this was coming, I just didn't know when.

"Fuck you Steel and fuck you too Natasha, both of you just go fuck each other!!" Danny tripped as he was saying this walking backwards towards the door. 

"Danny, your drunk just calm the fuck down." I turned to the audience in the room. "I got him, it's no problem." I walked him out the door. He was still fighting me out the door until we got outside on the street and again he tripped.

"This was never supposed to happen. This...this was just an innocent fucking project. I'm losing my mind. You saw it too didn't you? It was gross. That was my girl. I mean my girl literally ran off with my project. What the fuck?" We could hear the bass thumping start again through the walls. They must of started recording again. Danny took this as the end of the conversation and walked off. He'd be okay, he just needed time to process. I couldn't babysit everybody. I had enough problems of my own between the fucked up dreams that we're keeping me up at night and the budding rap career of one of my more successful creations. Besides I think the tension was making for a better album. We had recorded 16 songs within one week and were finalizing production tonight. We were almost there.

Chapter 10: Calm waters

It had been two weeks and Natasha still hadn't left the apartment. We didn't mind. She was always the type to add to situation rather than take away from it or become a nuisance. Perhaps she felt a connection to our project since he provided us with much needed materials in the beginning. She would also take Steel Raps out some nights to go clubbing or get a bite to eat. It took pressure off from us to always entertain Steel. He had the mind of a child so we had to explain everything to him. How to eat a sandwich or what a spoon was used for instead of a fork, the basics. Recently his questions were getting more complex, emotionsal things he was feeling.

"thank you for such a lovely time last night, you are quite the gentleman!" Natasha had woken up dancing into the kitchen and hugging him as she made her way to the coffee machine.

"Good morning to you too." Danny was never quite the morning person.

"...and good morning to you too Danny, and Dr., good morning." Natasha was always quick to resolve a situation. We had become a family of sorts over the past weeks, an odd, strange and quirky family. It was still a family. We all took off for the day. I had taken a teaching job at the university to cover the costs of the project. Danny and Natasha, well I never quite knew what they did all day buy neighbors had recently started giving me the stink eye so lord knows. Everything was as calm as could be. We had the studio session coming up soon at down n out studios. Natasha and Danny were on again instead of off again. I was documenting my project s that one day I could present my findings.

Despite everything good I was experiencing the strangest dreams. Over the past week I dreamt I was walking around the garbage dump where Danny and I had procured some of our equipment but I was watching myself from a distance and when I would look down I had the same arrow sticking out of my chest that the buck had, the same one we saw that night. Everytime I tried to pull it out, it would only sunk deeper. Then my dream would end when I'd look back to the dump to watch myself again but instead it wasn't me and Danny, it was Steel Raps and Fish Lips staring at me. I know, not the most settling thing to wake up from.

Chapter 9: Sleep standing up

It was almost morning before we got back from the hospital. Danny had a couple stitches but other than that it was just bruises, and more to our pride than physical. The hospital was interesting. Another cold spot in the ocean. A deviation from reality to a place of death and hope all mixed in to create  more questions in your head then you'd care to answer in the brightest fuckin lights this time at night. And whenever you  leave the hospital the first thought is always when you'll be back because it's inevitable. Our creations are what live on.

As we approached the apartment we heard voices behind the door. For a brief second I thought perhaps the goon squad had a change in heart. But the voices were familiar. We turned the handle and opened the door and there was Steel Raps with none other than Danny's art department hook up, Natasha. She was exactly how the name sounded. We weren't sure if she was Russian but she'd often jump into the accent while she smoked her cigarettes. The arts crowd was like that. Plus she was hot so we didn't question it. I met her through Danny when they were dating back in college. They were on again off again more times than I can count. But, Danny would always take her back. I think his first love was his work so she was always second priority.

"Natasha, Steel Raps...what's going on!? I was wondering how you were going to make it back?" She was drunk and slid the bottle to me across the table. "Breakfast of champions."

" I was on my way home from a party when I recognized this rob... this man who looked awfully familiar so I offered him a ride back home." Natasha had found our creation.

"He goes by Steel Raps now...or at least that's his rap alias." I knew we still needed to give him a real name."
"Dr., where did you go on my last battle? I killed it didnt I?" Steel Raps looked genuinely concerned.

"Fuck yeah you did. Danny and I had to go workout some business with the owners of the joint. Tell him how it is." I didn't want to worry him too much although I could see on his face he knew I was lying. Damn this thing, this man is smart. Steel Raps went to his resting spot where he charged. He charged or slept standing up. There were little fixes like this that we still had to workout to make this robot real in everyway. Besides it was too later abandoned project. I don't think I would have it in me to take him apart. To me he had a soul already. A connection to this world that I, even being his creator, couldnt destroy.

Now that Steel Raps was resting, Natasha poured 3 shots and held up it up for a toast. "To the laziest scientists in the world, you've finally finished something!" We laughed and drank the shots. "Now, tell me how you did it. I mean no wonder you guys haven't been around, I thought for second there you replaced poor Natasha with a newer version of me...ah who am I kidding, I'm the only version of me!!" She laughed.

We told her the whole story from the very beginning. All the malfunctions and mishaps. The time he froze on stage due to a programming glitch. The week he didn't stop singing Frank Sinatra because we thought Fish Lips was tampering with him when we weren't home. It had been a rough couple of months and in a way we all been sleeping standing up. By this time we were so drunk I fell asleep in my chair and Danny and Natasha ran off to resume there on again off again relationship.

Chapter 8: Maximum capacity (Part 3)

I remembered swimming in the ocean on a family trip to the beach when I was young. I had swam out just past the breakers. I would hit a cold spot and suddenly realize how far away from shore I was and really felt fear for the first time in my life. I would panic and my limbs would freeze up unable to carry me back. But, my mind would refocus. I'd pull myself together and swim back to the warm beach where my family was sitting.

I hit another cold spot.

"...instructions is real fuckin' simple, the only people who don't listen to instructions is dead motherfuckers...". He must of been talking to me the whole time but I was just able to tune in what he was saying now.

We fell into the back alley of the club. It was hard to believe this was right outside the same place where I felt the warm glow of green lasers and the ambiance of a thousand conversations happening at once. It was cold and even though it hadn't rained in days there was water dripping somewhere. There was Danny, pushed up to the side on the brick wall with about 4 goons surrounding him. He didn't look good. His clothes were torn and his face beat to hell.

Somebody was walking up the alley whose face had not yet submerged  under the grotesque lighting of the one spolight outside the back door. There must of been someone with him because he was whispering and he had not yet let made his presence known.

Lord Cyrus stepped forward, "you motherfuckers fucked up," I was more and more enlightened by the vocabulary every time these fuckers spoke, "I don't ever want to see you motherfuckers around here. This is my town. I run shit around here. You take yourselves and that piece of junk 'steel raps' with you. I better not catch any of you back here again." He waived his hand for his goon squad to move. Danny and I each of us got another kick in our stomachs as a going away present I suppose. And what did he mean by 'junk' did he know about our project? Who was that with him when they were walking up?

"Danny, you...you alright man?"

"Oh never better. Besides its cozy out here." Danny still had his sense of humor. "Did Steel Raps win?" I nodded, He smiled. "Well, I suppose we should get going before they start charging us rent here."

We both stumbled to get up and dragged our asses out the alley. I felt accomplished. Our project was a success despite it all. It was time to regroup at the apartment and sleep this night off. i would search for Steel Raps in the morning.

Chapter 7: Maximum capacity (Part 2)

It was too late.

Steel Raps already started on his last verse...and he was killin it. Shit, this was getting out of hand. How am I going to get him to stop before he wins the competition.

"... No respect for bitches like you, I chew through these beats like pit bulls, walking out of here, thousand dollars, fistfulls...". Although my life was threatened I couldn't help but admire my work of art. He was adapting to his surroundings quite well and if there ever a place to do it it was here, right now.

"...your boasts are utter lies, weak like cacoons and butterflies, doesn't matter how hard you try, I'm gonna make you cry plus your 10 goons..." The. crowd went nuts at this, probably all too familiar with Lord Cryus' intimidation method and uncomfortable company. The gun poked harder into my back.

The beat cut off. The crowd chanted. "Steel Raps, Steel Raps, Steel Raps..."

The beat started again, "okay 30 seconds for Lord Cyrus, let's go..." Like I said the host always had the place on the edge of chaos.

"Yo...yo...yo..." Lord Cyus was hesitating. "Yo what I'm saying... Yall ... Stop playing... Yo yo I never get guap...uh I mean I always get guap... You're ...fuck..." He choked. Never ever choke. The crowd shut it down. There was 20 seconds left on the clock but it didn't matter. It was over. Steel Raps won. The audience rushed the stage. The place crossed that edge and became chaotic. I was pulled to the back exit as everyone else moved forward. I lost eye contact with Steel Raps. He was on his own.

Chapter 6: Maximum capacity (Part 1)

"Could care less what you're reppin', yo its what next kid, your style's expired, long past due like books due back at the library, too bad you can't read either, nevertheless sign language..." Robot gives his competitor the finger. Danny and I look at each other at the same time intrigued by the progress its made. The crowd reacts strongly.

The host steps in, "Whoa whoa my man with the raps like steel. That's time, that's time." His competitor looked pissed. He brought about 10 of his personal goons with him and they were scattered throughout the crowd. The place was just outside of the college town. The place where you're driving and the scene outside the window takes a turn for the real. The place was a bit smokey but charming nevertheless. There was green lasers illuminating the back of the club.  It was packed too and probably over maximum capacity. You could still move throughout the room but it took awhile to negotiate your way through the crowd. 

The host had the room just on the edge of chaos, "Okay let me hear it for my man 'steel raps' over here", the crowd went crazy. " Alright, alright, alright...now for my man 'Lord Cyrus'" He put his hand over the competitor. He stepped towards the stage right in front of the judges for intimidation, no doubt. The crowd went equally crazy for Lord Cyrus. He had won the last 5 rap battles and each was a $1,000 grand prize. Small potatoes, but still potatoes. 

Lord Cyrus was in his element and knew very well the whole routine except for one thing,  'Steel Raps' was on the other side and didn't take his eyes off of him the whole time he was up to his shenanigans. His confidence was shook. Danny saw it too. The only time 'steel raps' took his eyes off the competitor was to look at me, to which I just gave a nod of approval. 

"Okay one final round to decide the winner, 30 seconds for each of ya, remember, winner takes all, $1,000 in cash and a chance to make a record at the world famous 'Down n' Out Studios. Yo deejay, drop that motha fuckin' beaaaaaat!"

ba-ba-bum...ksshh...ba-ba-bum...ksshh...

The place was electric. Steel Raps was just about to start. I turned to see Danny's reaction but he was gone. most likely headed to the bar to get one last drink before the last battle started. I felt Danny sticking his finger into my back. 

"Danny, took you long enough..." The finger in my back pushed harder.

"Sorry kid, Danny ain't coming back with no fucking drinks." This was one of Lord Cyrus' goons and this wasn't a finger in my back but a small handgun. "You wan' see your boy again, you tell your man to lose the battle, now" He squeezed out the last word with his teeth clenched. no wonder this dude won the last 5 battles. 

Chapter 5: Sittin' on a rainbow

(Singing) "I've got the world on a string, sitting on a rainbow, got the string around my finger..."

What the fuck. "Danny what the fuck??"

"Im going to go with a.) Frank Sinatra." Danny replied without hesitation.

"I know that, what are you doing uploading that goodfellas shit?"

"Wasn't me Dr." Danny never hesitated when he was programming, he just let the conversation pass through him. Quite a technique he perfected over the years. Probably the only reason he made it through college given his only other skill was drinking.

"Robot, stop!" He stopped singing. We were just about complete with our creation. Artificial intelligence is not your typical weekend project of building a bird house. The apartment was a wreck. There was wires and metal everywhere and glass if you want to count all the scotch bottles we went through. Something about drinking when you're creating, it's just the ultimate high. The robot was quite a work of art. Six feet tall. Lifelike body, thanks to Danny's hook up at the art department of the university, which he referred to as "oh, her".

I'm not sure what the material was called but it reflected human skin, a little rubbery if you ask me but real to the untrained eye. Danny was working on the vocabulary and comprehension with some program he put together. All we had to do was upload albums to the thing's central membrane through his computer and the robot would retain everything like vocabulary, rhythm...well the flow really and eventually be able to create its own.

"Dr.?" I never knew why he called me Dr., he's about ten times smarter than me and beside neither of us dumb fucks got our PH D. I think it started as joke years back but stuck. I waded through the material strewn everywhere and what was once an easy task to walk 10 feet in my apartment took a minute.

"What is it?" I said as I lined my eyes to his line of sight.

Danny pointed, "Chap stick."

Chapter 4: Guardian of the green light

Danny and I spent the whole night at the club.  Fueled by loud music and libations.  We sat there in a cocoon as the hours slipped by, we talked mechanics.  “We need to replicate a human, we need to create life itself.  It needs a muscle system, sensory system, a power source, a brain to run it all and of course a body to keep it altogether.” Danny added, “it’ll be perfect, actually more than perfect, cause it’ll never die.”  I wasn’t sure what he meant but it was too fucking loud in the club to get into details.

We felt elevated, above the people around us, over all the things that ever felt uncontrollable.  We sat there on the barstools like poor millionaires.  We made plans to get to the dump early the next morning, starting couldn’t wait, and the scavengers would strip any of the good junk early.  The junkyard was only a few blocks from the university, and you can find all sorts of good junk that gets thrown out.  We could speed along if we found used engine parts or robotic parts from toys so we’re not fabricating from scratch  The people that frequented there were either college students from the art department or retired blue collar workers trolling through the scraps with apprehension always darting from their still eyes, which sat atop massive troglodyte necks.  Their hands like sausage links, swollen and calloused from working with their hands.  They moved at one speed, with purpose and cautiously.  They were always judging and talking in terms of distances and time, practical beings.  These giants slothed about, but usually kept out of the way. There was always one that would ask what you’re plan was with certain scraps, fishing for an opportunity to impart their practical knowledge.  They spoke a different language, loud and in guttural one-syllable words.  It was more of an annoyance, but one I was willing to put up with for this journey.  

“What do we call it?”

“G bot…thug bot…” Danny offered.  “Bot not” I said laughing back, “what about just Al?”  We agreed to think about it some more.  It had to be perfect, more than perfect.

We went on about the robot’s features, creating his look, his persona, his abilities.

“And no your momma jokes, that’s played out” Danny added.  We were so giddy with our creation we could of said anything and it sounded great.  Our cocoon grew denser with every thought another thread spun.  It was a numbness to everything else.

It was a few minutes after 5 am.  We found ourselves walking towards the dump, the remains of the drinks having reached their climax hours before.  The dump had green lights which glowed irreverently across town.  It breathed through the curtains of fog.  I hated that light.  It always masked your ability to see any stars.  It was always on.  It made postcards of some Midwest destination under an enormous sky, which from distant hills stretched to more distant hills, that much more tantalizing.  It was always there, sometimes menacingly, always watching.  We were transfixed by it in our state as a ship to a sorely needed beacon.  The humidity settled in, leaving patches of our cocoon stuck to our skin as it mixed with sweat.

“What’s that noise,”  Danny froze.  I could hear it too.

Clop, Clop….Clop…clop.  It echoed from a side street.

Appearing from behind a curtain of green fog, an enormous buck appears just ahead.  Its appearance made more grisly by the arrow hanging from it massive breast, its antlers throwing a net-like shadow across the street, while it made quick jabs at the ground beneath him. What was it doing here, in the middle of town.  It stomped and raised its head perpendicular to us and snorted.  The green fog disappeared and culminated into the glaring glow from its eyes.  I was afraid to move, it pierced our rib cages.   It was difficult to tell whether it was analyzing us or maybe the opposite.  It kicked the ground three more times in a pawing motion as it snorted.

Oncoming car lights broke the scene.  And with a giant leap the guardian of the green light was gone.  The green curtain swept back, reappearing around us.

“Was that the same buck we saw when we fired that rocket?”  Danny asked.

“Maybe, minus the arrow,”  I replied.

Chapter 3: "Ah, this fucking guy"

Bang!Bang!Bang!...kick!  The door shook on its hinges. "Ah, this fucking guy" I muttered under my breath.  "Open the door bitches!" Over stating his presence from the hallway.  Tony.  This fucking guy.  We had an eclectic group of friends.  And some of them appeared like unwanted scraps pulled in from a disparaging fishing net onto the deck.  You were forced to deal with these types, but knew they were harmless enough and would soon find there way back into the sea.  Danny walked over to open the inevitable future that was fated to us.  "Bout time bitches.  Where the girls at" tony said as he sprung in the room as if on official business, as if ready to deliver 4Q earnings to a board of directors that weren't there.  "I thought they were with you?  Did you scare them off again?".  I reluctantly replied with a wittingly playful tone, knowing this would further our distance from ever leaving.  "Haha yeah right never me, more like you" as he wrapped me one in my arm.  He was still walking around the room  unsheathing a fresh Chap Stick to rub on his lips.  He was looking for all the exits because he watched too many gangster movies and without a strong enough personality of his own, adopted an alpha macho stereotypical persona.  For both of these reasons we nick named him Tony fish lips.  Danny was still too excited about the unraveling idea of a rap robot.  He made the mistake of stepping into the net.. "we're going to make a rap robot.".  Tony just finished another gloss, "yeah that's cool, I had a friend that did that.". They made a lot of money.  You need money to make money.". He was full of shit, a one upper.  "Obviously" I couldn't help myself, as he wrapped me another one in the arm.  Fish lips could tell we were going to be boring.  So he sprang up and unsheathed more chap stick on his way to the door.  "I gotta go bitches...have fun with your.." and in his best robot voice as he mimed robot arms " ro-bot, I am a ro-bot, and I will now rap be-cause I am a rap robot.".  Not sure why that sticks out in my mind as I tell this story, but it does.  It was like personification of the challenges that lay ahead of us had ran around the room and paraded out just as fast, the moment lingering in the air.  As Danny and I started out he started in on algorithms and what we would need to make it work, acknowledging the personification of challenges that I just witnessed swim back into the sea.

Chapter 2: It just might be possible

I suppose I should start from the beginning. It all started quite innocently actually. My old friend from college was visiting and we were having a few drinks. Danny was a linguistics major that roomed with me through sophomore year. I was still an undergrad in the robotics field at the time still deciding if the major was for me. We were watching music videos before heading out for a club. "Look at how these rappers look nowadays." Danny exclaimed. "They could all be professional body builders, they're just too perfect, where's their flaws?" I glanced over at what he was looking at, it was Flo Rida. "What, you don't like this song?" Danny paused, "it's not that I don't like this song, it just seems too setup, too designed. It makes me feel like a robot just listening to it." I was half chuckling but I could tell he was getting annoyed, "why don't you build your own robot and stop complaining already." Danny's head stopped moving. Uh oh he's thinking. Danny often had these crazy brainstorms that would consume him for months before he would finally give up on them. At one point I had to stop talking to him for a whole month. "Let's build a robot!" Danny's eyes were widening. I could already tell this idea was going to take forever for him to get over. "Let's build a rap robot. Let's create the obvious next step. Think about it. Our lives will be made if it were a success. Come on..." I raised my eyebrow like 'come on' was going to clinch the deal for me. "You know what happened last time." I reminded him. "But that was different, we didn't know what we're doing at that point." Danny retorted. We had built a rocket that ended up hitting a weather balloon and was all over the news. "I'll think about it." Trying to appease Danny. "Now let's go before the club closes on us." I picked up the remote and before I turned the tv off I found myself wondering as I watched the final seconds of the video, it just might be possible.

Chapter 1: Something went wrong...

"Something went wrong...", I heard the voice say as I struggled to adjust my eyes to read the clock. 2:34 am. And again shouted the voice, "...something went wrong, Dr. Are you there?". I snapped to reality "Yes, I'm here Danny, what happened?", I responded. "It's...its...its killed someone!" I could hear Danny collapse as he finished the sentence as if saying it was killing him too. "Okay, I'll be right there!" I threw on whatever clothes I had nearby and hopped in my car and off into the night I went. I wasn't really sure if I had even closed the front door behind me. Not important now. I needed to focus on the problem. I knew I should never had left Danny with it alone at the rap battle. Too many variables that could occur. But killed? What did it kill? I knew the machine was becoming aggressive over the recent weeks, but killed?? My mind raced. How quickly this all developed.