Revenge: (Space Outlaw 3) Read online

  51

  The veins on Phoenix's neck bulged as he shouted out Saoirse's name. His hands were muddy, his knees damp, and his face bled from where branches had scratched at his face. He had run down the ravine as fast as his legs could carry him, tripping and rolling down the hill only to get back up and do it over again in a bid to make his way to its bottom as quickly as possible.

  The knot in his stomach felt like a fist punching him repeatedly. He couldn't get enough oxygen into his lungs; he couldn't stop shouting, even though he knew it was foolish to do so. I should have pushed her out of the way! I should have... I should have...

  Phoenix stopped at the water's edge and shouted Saoirse's name for the hundredth time. The water created foam as it fought with the banks. Spray created a fine mist in the air that drizzled upon Phoenix.

  "Saoirse!"

  Phoenix followed the bank, going as quickly as he dared so he didn't miss anything.

  Someone could survive that fall easily.

  With a beast like that attached to them?

  It wasn't that big!

  Who you lying to?

  "Saoirse!"

  Even if someone could survive that fall, what about the water?

  What about it?

  Phoenix scanned the banks and moved on. His head snapped from left to right, seeking out any movement, any shape that might look like Saoirse. His fists clenched in tight balls as he kept on following the river.

  Phoenix, the water.

  What about the fucking water?

  Look at it!

  Phoenix finally allowed his eyes to roam up and down the river that battled with itself. It caused waves and swirls that would suck anything under its watery depths, never to resurface again.

  He looked at it till the seconds and minutes ticked by, not knowing what to do.

  "Argghh!" Phoenix screamed from the pit of his stomach. Spittle flew from his mouth as he challenged the very water before his feet. Kicking at its insubstantial edge, he shook his head and continued on.

  It can't end like this! Not now, not while we were so close.

  Phoenix continued down the river till he lost track of time. Voices in the distance halted him in his tracks. He dropped low and began to cover the distance towards the source. Parting the undergrowth, he saw two backs facing him.

  One had a red X tattooed on the back of his pale head. The other man had spiky bone-like fragments sticking out of his head.

  "I just got a message through the holocom--could barely understand what it said, but they want us back at base," said X.

  "You gotta be kidding me. Just as we got here? Do they know how hard this fucking jungle is to navigate without being poisoned or eaten alive?" said Bones.

  "Look! I'm just relaying the shit they told me, alright? If you want to try and get through to HQ and plead your case, be my guest. But the holocoms have been playing up, and Holger's temper has been on the rise lately."

  "When is that fat bastard ever happy about anything in life? Even with the amount of credits his daddy gives him, he hasn't been able to find one ounce of joy in his life. His hard luck and misfortune is always someone else's fault. I still don't know what those misfortunes are. It's sure not women, because he brings those in by the shipload," said Bones.

  "Look! I'm freezing my ass off, here. I'm soaked through, and I could eat one of those mountain bears, I'm that hungry. If they want us back in the warmth and dry, I'm all up for it. Plus we're less likely to fucking get eaten," said X.

  "Fine. Lead the way, my lady," said Bones.

  Phoenix followed both men, eyes ablaze, jaw clenched, heartbeat steady. He focused only on the task ahead of him; he didn't want to listen to the little voice at the back of his mind. The voice that shouted that he should have continued looking for Saoirse. That he should have abandoned this dream of revenge, this crusade he was on to right whatever wrongs had been done to him.

  Instead, he followed both men with an intensity that bordered on obsession. Keeping as far back as he dared, he followed them, flitting from tree to tree, from bush cover to undergrowth. He moved like a tiger stalking its prey.

  A castle that would suit any medieval king eventually came into view between the leaves of the trees. Cannons adorned all four corners. They lay dormant but Phoenix had no doubt that they could pack a punch. As lightning lit up the dark grey sky, the walls of the castle came alive with faces.

  Phoenix drew a sharp intake of breath; they were people hanging from the castle walls--swinging by their arms against the elements. Scanning each face, he realised that all were dead. Their bloated faces stared out onto the jungle with an unblinking focus, and Phoenix tried to record as much as he could about each face. He looked at each and every one until they were imprinted on his brain.

  "I still can't get over that," said Bones, pointing to the bodies.

  "What's not to get?" asked X.

  Bones gestured wildly in the air, trying to find the right words. "What do you mean, what's not to get? Are you seeing the same shit that I am? Because what I'm seeing has gone past evil and is steamrolling straight into fucked up. He has bodies hanging from the walls, for fuck's sake. The Council would strip his family name from the table if they ever found out."

  "Do you really think that the other families don't do the same shit--or worse? The name of the game is to smile at the masses while stabbing them in the back. The Council doesn't care about those poor souls as much as they care about lining their pockets. Its all one big cluster-fuck," said X.

  Bones and X stood watching the walls with their hands on their hips, shaking their heads. Bones took out a small pipe and sucked on it. White smoke escaped from the bones on top of his head.

  "You know the most fucked-up thing about all this?" Bones said, gesturing to the wall with his pipe "It's that I don't know what they did wrong. Do you?"

  X gave him a slight shrug and spat on the ground.

  "Great for morale, that is." Bones let out a sigh as he took another pull from his pipe. Shaking his head once more, he placed the pipe back in his jacket. "The next time we go off-world, I'm getting out of this shit gig."

  "Where you going to go?"

  "Anywhere that isn't here. Holocom them and let them know we're coming in. It's time to get back into the warmth."

  52

  As Bones and X made their way towards the castle, Phoenix kept pace in the shadows. The gloom and rain that lashed down upon their shoulders made his progress a lot easier. Thank goodness for bad weather.

  The guards trekked along the walls of the castle until they came upon a side entrance, hidden by overhanging vines. Phoenix knew that this was his moment; it was now or never. As X waved his hand in front of the door, and it ascended upwards, Phoenix made his move.

  He sprinted towards the pair, a pistol in each hand, and took careful aim. The wet grass masked his footsteps as he ran towards them. His sights were locked on his targets as he moved in for a better shot.

  X did a double take as he saw Phoenix coming towards them. Phoenix fired before they made a sound or alerted others to his presence. Two head shots dropped the guards to the floor.

  The door was still open. Phoenix grabbed both guards by the hands and dragged them inside. Shoving them in a corner, he threw their weapons outside and surveyed his new surroundings. He was in a long dark tunnel with a mouldy, dripping ceiling. Bare walls with dark stains hinted that he should turn back and leave this place, but he was never one to take advice.

  As the entrance door slid down, blocking off his only hope of escape, Phoenix licked his lips and moved forward. There was no sound but the dripping of water.

  He came to the first doorway, after which the tunnel split off into three directions. He picked one at random. He kept his footsteps light, precise, as he continued on his journey. The decor didn't improve as Phoenix took one turn after the next.

  He saw a guard coming out of a room with his back towards him. Phoenix moved without a second thought and wrapped his a
rm around the man's neck. The squeeze Phoenix applied made the man buck and kick as he tried to peel Phoenix's arm off him.

  Phoenix ignored the scratches on his arm and redoubled his pressure. The man passed out in his arms. Phoenix walked backwards into the room the guard had come out of and dropped him to the floor, closing the door behind him.

  The image he saw before him left him empty.

  Two naked women hung from the ceiling. Leather rope kept them suspended, like puppets being played by a puppeteer. White porcelain masks covered their faces. Phoenix took a step forward then stopped. His heart was in his mouth, and his tongue tasted like iron. Phoenix took another step forward as he felt tears prick the corners of his eyes. He refused to let them flow. Not now. Not here.

  Phoenix snapped out of his dreamlike state and moved forward. He cut both of them down as fast as he could and lowered each woman to the floor. Phoenix removed their masks.

  They were twins, identical in each and every way.

  Their beauty was a thing to behold. Delicate doll-like faces appeared so fine that Phoenix hesitated to touch them in case they broke. Their bodies were covered in bruises that had turned dark blue and purple. Those marks were old.

  The ones that left the skin weeping with blood were a lot fresher.

  Phoenix touched the neck of the first twin and couldn't find a pulse. He brushed a hand down her face and kissed the top of her forehead, his tears falling on her face and running down her cheeks. She looked peaceful.

  He moved onto the next twin, placing his hand on her neck. He was startled when her eyes shot open. Deep blue pools stared up at him in shock, the fear and panic of a wounded animal contained within them. She began to move, but Phoenix held her tighter.

  "Shh, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help. What's your name?" asked Phoenix.

  She looked hesitant, as her eyes took in as much as they could. "Mia," she said softly.

  "Mia, erm... I don't know how to say this--"

  "Where's my sister?"

  Phoenix tried to find the right words, tried to think of something to say to cushion the blow--anything. But the words simply wouldn't come. Mia's gaze locked onto the sight of her sister by her side, and she rushed over to her. Her hands touched her sister's lips, cheeks, arms, all in silence.

  There was no outrage, no wailing, no tears.

  Mia's fingers ran through her sister's hair as she pulled her head onto her lap. She rocked it back and forth, singing softly while she stared off into space.

  "She was the stronger of both of us, the harder one. She endured what he put us through, and she never cried once. Never begged for mercy. Never allowed her dignity to be broken. That monster did things to us, touched us..." Mia shook her head, making the tears that ran down her face land on Phoenix's hand. They burnt.

  "I... How long have you been there?"

  "Does it matter, anymore?" said Mia.

  Phoenix looked up at the ceiling, at the blood-soaked ropes, and felt his hands curl into fists. He tried to take deep calming breaths, but it just didn't seem to work.

  "We were just toys...playthings to keep him amused. Nothing more, nothing less. I...don't know what to do," said Mia.

  Phoenix knelt beside her. "I want you to take this pistol and knife, and free as many girls as you can. Help will be on its way, but before it comes, I need you to help me to stop this madness."

  Mia took the weapons awkwardly, and Phoenix placed his hand over hers. "You point and pull this trigger; that's it. Sharp point of the knife goes into anyone that attacks you. Understand?"

  She gave him a small nod. As she got up to go, she turned back to look at her sister.

  "We'll come back for her, and everyone like her that has died here. They will receive a proper burial. You have my word."

  Without another backwards glance she left the room and was on her way.

  53

  Phoenix's head snapped to the unconscious guard on the floor. His right hand flexed and un-flexed. He still got a tickling sensation up his right forearm. Freyan had told him that it was just his nerves adapting to his bionic hand. Phoenix had wanted to know how long the feeling would last, but Freyan couldn't really say.

  He got up from where he knelt and stripped the guard of his clothes. Placing them over the remaining twin, he walked back to the guard and kicked him in the groin. He woke with a start, jolting back when he saw Phoenix in front of him.

  "I'm going to ask you some questions, then I'm going to kill you. Understand?" Phoenix said, his arms crossed over his chest.

  The guard looked around, startled, the information not going in. Phoenix slapped him across the face until the man's eyes focused on him.

  "Do you understand?"

  "Who are you?"

  Phoenix threw a straight right that snapped the guard's head back, and blood gushed out his broken nose. "That was five percent of my strength. If you want me to keep it at that level, you answer my questions. Nod if you understand."

  The guard gave a small nod as blood dripped down onto his lips.

  "How many guards are in this building?"

  The guard scratched his head as he looked to the ceiling for an answer. "At present, fifty."

  That was more than he had been counting on.

  "Where would I most likely find Holger?" asked Phoenix.

  "At this hour, in his chambers."

  "Is it heavily guarded?"

  "Does a mountain bear shit in the woods?"

  "How heavily guarded?" asked Phoenix.

  The guard shook his head in irritation. His eyebrows knotted together, and he gave Phoenix a shrug. "What does it matter? You'll never make it there."

  Another blow from Phoenix flattened the guard's nose to his face.

  "Why should I fucking tell you? You just said that you were going to kill me."

  "It matters because I can kill you slowly or I can kill you quickly. I would prefer slowly, the mood that I'm in."

  "Fine! If you were a megalomaniac rich kid with daddy issues, how heavily guarded do you think your chambers would be?" said the guard with both palms up. "Yeah, that guarded."

  "Tell me how to get there," said Phoenix.

  With all the information Phoenix wanted in his possession, he took out his pistol with slow, deliberate patience.

  "You don't have to do this, you know," pleaded the guard. "I mean, I have given you everything that you need. Why...look, there must be something else I can do for you."

  "How often did you come in here?"

  The guard looked over his shoulder at what his clothes covered and paused. He licked his lips before turning to face Phoenix. His eyes never made it to Phoenix's.

  "That...that...had nothing to do with me. I wasn't part of any of that weird shit, you gotta believe me."

  "Then why were you in here?" asked Phoenix.

  "Because I had to make sure that they stayed...alive," said the guard in a whisper.

  "Fat lot of good you were at that job."

  "Look, you don't understand--"

  Phoenix shot the guard between the eyes. He felt nothing but disgust as he watched him fall backwards. "That is more than you deserve."

  54

  Phoenix followed the directions the guard had given him, a pistol in each hand. He had to keep reminding himself not to grip the handles too tightly. His eyes no longer leaked; his tears had left a burning reminder along his cheeks of the sight he had witnessed.

  A guard moving out of a side door took a plasma bolt through the head. Phoenix grabbed the guard's falling body and barged into the room. The body acted as a shield as it took the first few shots sent Phoenix's way. Phoenix picked off the four men that occupied the room, blasting each one in the face.

  Phoenix closed the door behind him as he exited, and carried on his mission.

  He took a corner and was faced with two guards in front of him. He was the quicker one to respond. Phoenix kicked the legs of the guard to his left out from under him, dropping him t
o the floor. The one to his right went for his rifle but Phoenix shot him in the throat.

  The guard on his back opened his mouth to yell, but Phoenix's boot slammed down into his mouth, shattering teeth and breaking his jawbone. A final stomp and twist finished off any struggling.

  Phoenix brought his pistol up as a startled servant walked into his view. Her frightened eyes stared at the pistol before her in silent horror. She followed it wherever it moved. Phoenix noticed hand marks along her pale arms and a healing cut on her bottom lip.

  "Do you know what's been going on here?" asked Phoenix.

  She gave a slight nod.

  "Why do you still work here?" Phoenix asked in disgust.

  The fright and panic was replaced by something stronger. "Because I have no choice," the servant spat. "You think this is easy, to know what goes on here and not be able to do anything? To know that at any moment it could be you that they throw in some unmarked hole? That if you don't please the...people you work for, your family won't eat?"

  Phoenix looked into her eyes and shook his head. "I'm here to help. I have freed one girl and given her a weapon. I want you to take both--"

  A guard rounded the corner and swung a plasma blade their way. Phoenix shouldered the servant out of the way and felt the tip of the blade nick his flesh. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Phoenix ducked another blow aimed for his head. His right hand shot out and caught the guard in the stomach.

  Blood spurted out of the guard's mouth as he doubled over in agony. Phoenix grabbed the arm that held the plasma blade and broke it in half. As a half-formed scream escaped the guard's lips, Phoenix swung the blade at his head, taking it clean off his shoulders. The head bounced and rolled out of sight.

  Phoenix looked at the woman and saw that one side of her face was splattered with blood. As it dripped onto her clothes, Phoenix walked over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I want you to take all these weapons and give them to anyone you trust. It's time to fight back. It's time to follow a path that is better than this one."