Stranded: (Space Outlaw 2) Page 6

  Footsteps echoing on the wooden floor brought Phoenix out of his reverie.

  Saoirse descended towards him, her face expressionless. Phoenix stopped and watched her stride towards him. She was beautiful. Her hair flowed like a lion's mane, and her walk was confident, powerful, sure.

  Phoenix watched her outfit hug her figure, showing the outlines of her curves. He traced each peak and valley, lost for a moment in the amusement park that was her body.

  "You're blocking the way."

  "What?" said Phoenix with a jerk.

  "You're blocking the way. I suggest you move," said Saoirse.

  Phoenix swallowed hard and took a deep lungful of stale air to try and clear his head. "There was something I wanted to talk to you about..." Phoenix said, his gaze once again trailing where it shouldn't.

  "Which was?"

  "Err...yes. Yes. I just wanted to apologise for not inviting you along, to come with me and L to the VRG store. We could have used your help."

  "Yes, you could have."

  "We could have used your help, but I honestly didn't think it was going to turn out how it did. I should have run it past the crew to see what they thought about the idea. Or at the very least I should have told you where we were going. I don't think we will ever be able to trust one another if we don't start sharing. Talking as a group. Making decisions as a group," said Phoenix.

  Saoirse nodded her head slowly, a slight hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I completely agree. With that said, I must inform you that I have found information on Kai's whereabouts and was planning to head there tomorrow night."

  "By yourself..."

  "Yes. I thought that would have been best."

  "You always need someone to watch your back. I'll tag along. And I know you may not want to, but I think we should take L." Phoenix held up his hand when he saw the look Saoirse gave him. "I don't think she will ever forgive either of us if she doesn't get to tag along. Do you want to tell her that she will be staying behind?"

  "No, I wouldn't. There would be a lot of crying and tantrums involved," Saoirse said with a sigh.

  "Don't worry, she will be fine," said Phoenix.

  I hope, he thought, as he made his way past Saoirse.

  Phoenix spotted Freyan sitting at a table by himself. A cloak covered most of his features. The only thing that gave him away was his white hands. Phoenix pulled up a chair and sat down in front of him.

  "Penny for your thoughts?"

  "Penny...for your...thoughts?" said Freyan.

  "Its an Earth saying. It means what's on your mind. What are you thinking about?" Phoenix asked.

  "Oh, Earth sayings. Yes. Well, what I am thinking about would probably bore you. Or you wouldn't possibly understand."

  "With you being a highly evolved and intelligent race, you mean. Your thoughts alone would confuse and frighten a small mind such as mine?"

  "Exactly."

  They both looked at each other before breaking out in quiet laughter.

  Phoenix spotted a barmaid with light blue skin and waved her over. She had a twinkle in her eye, and she gave him a dazzling smile. She gently touched Phoenix's shoulder as she positioned herself close to him. She was that close Phoenix could feel the heat she gave off, and a sweet honeysuckle smell drifted off her like the mist off a cold December shore.

  "What will you have to drink?" she asked.

  "I will have whatever you think is best that won't kill me. This is my first time on this beautiful planet, so show me what the drink of choice is," said Phoenix.

  "Hah! I would hardly call this rock beautiful."

  "It all depends on who's doing the looking, I guess."

  The barmaid bit her bottom lip and gave Phoenix a thoughtful look before saying, "I'll bring something over that I think you'll like. It's sweet to the taste and light to the touch."

  "That sounds just what I am looking for."

  With that, the barmaid let them be.

  "It amazes me that even this far from Earth most of the species I have encountered look so alike. I mean, L could pass for a human. Not only her but many that I have seen along the way. Different skin tones, yes, but not that much different," said Phoenix.

  "The universe is endless, Phoenix. Are you really that surprised that you may meet some races that look like you? Or some races that couldn't be further apart? There seems to be a general rule of thumb that most races you encounter will be bipedal. That's the most common trait, it seems, when it comes to how races evolve. But that isn't always the case. The Rocha are made up of mostly rock. And don't get me started on the insect races. The point is, there are many wonders that you have yet to see–that even I have yet to see. Let's just hope we live long enough to see them."

  "So with regards to interspecies relations..." said Phoenix.

  Freyan gave Phoenix a blank stare from under his cloak as the silence between them stretched out.

  "You know, making the beast with two backs. Doing the old bedroom shaker. Waking the neighbours with the headboard banger."

  "I don't follow you."

  Phoenix raised both hands in the air and made one hand a circle and slid his finger in and out of it.

  "Oh! You mean coitus."

  "Well, it doesn't sound sexy when you say it like that, but yes. Regarding that...will there be complications if I chose to spend the evening with a female who isn't human?"

  "If they look like you, walk like you, and smile at you, then it should be okay. You should stay away from certain races, because the females eat their sexual partners after mating. But you will know what one of those looks like when you see it," said Freyan, rising from his seat.

  "Oh, that reminds me. I haven't seen you around here much. Not getting into any trouble, I hope," said Phoenix.

  "Me? No, dear friend, I would do nothing of the sort. I have just been getting...supplies that we will need when we get off this rock," Freyan said, walking away.

  Phoenix leaned back in his chair and pondered Freyan's response. Something didn't feel right about it, but just now he had enough on his plate to worry about. Freyan's comings and goings would have to wait for another day.

  A gentle touch on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts.

  "I can't seem to find the drink of choice behind the bar, but I remembered I may still have some up in my room..." The barmaid smiled.

  "Won't you be missed?"

  "Tia is covering me."

  "Then lead the way. I am dying to try something with some homegrown flavour."

  "I was hoping you would say that," said the barmaid, taking Phoenix by the hand.

  18

  He was here again.

  The same place he told himself that he wouldn't be. The same place he told himself he would never see. The same place his feet always brought him. No matter how hard his brain tried to tell him that he shouldn't be there. No matter how hard his gut rumbled and protested at the image he saw.

  Blake ran his scarred hands over his face. He breathed in and out slowly. His heart raced. He wiped his sweaty hands on the front of his top. He licked his cracked lips but his mouth was dry.

  Today was the day. It would all change after he had his conversation with Duke. It would be better. He would gain his freedom again. Duke would see reason.

  Today was the day.

  It would be the last time he saw that damn door!

  Today was the day.

  Blake lifted his hand and tapped lightly–once–and with it his heart picked up an extra pace.

  "Enter!"

  Blake grabbed the handle of the door and placed his other hand over the top of the first to stop it from shaking. Taking another deep breath, he pushed the door open.

  "Ahh, there you are. Good. I have a few things to discuss with you," Duke said, sitting behind his desk.

  Blake held out his hand and began to sign but was cut short by Duke.

  "Blake, I'll hear what you have to say in a minute, but this is important. I think gangs f
rom different cities have been attacking some of our men out near the digging sites. I think we may need to place more men out there."

  Blake's jaw grew taut, and he fixed Duke with a glare.

  "What?"

  Blake gave Duke a few hand signs before throwing his hands up in the air.

  "I know we don't have the men, but those water territories are important. If we lose those, we may as well say goodbye to our hold on this city. Those territories are our lifeline to survival. They're the most important thing that we have."

  Blake shook his head, hands waving in front of him as he paced toward Duke's desk. Standing in front of it, he placed both hands on the desk.

  "Look, I know we lost men. I know we've had to go deeper and deeper into worm country, but that's where all the untapped underground lakes are."

  Blake slammed his fist on the table and turned his back, making his way towards the office door.

  "Blake! What is this about?"

  Blake stopped in his tracks, head low, but didn't turn around.

  "Look, we have to get the water somehow. What do you want me to do?"

  Blake spun around and pointed out the window, to one of the large floating orbs in the sky.

  "Why not dig this close to the city?" said Duke. "If the resources are here, it would be stupid not to. What are a few worm attacks? Once you're behind the city walls, you're protected anyway. Plus, no one should be leaving the city. We have everything anyone could need right here. The warnings have gone out. People know the risk. It's on them if they chose to ignore them."

  Blake's shoulders rose and fell as he stared at a person he no longer knew.

  "My promise still stands. After all this is over, it will just be me and you. One long holiday. Maybe to one of the resort planets," said Duke.

  Blake continued to stare, hands down at his sides.

  "Blake, I mean it."

  Blake shook his head once, twice, and then he was gone, walking through the door that now made his skin crawl.

  Today was meant to be the day.

  But as Blake's footsteps carried him further and further away from Duke's office, he knew that it wasn't going to be.

  19

  Phoenix peered at the scene ahead of him with a slight frown on his face. Zipping his jacket up, he allowed it to hug his body, protecting him against the night air that threatened to steal the breath from his lungs. He flexed his numb fingers so the blood flowed through them and warmed them. He looked towards Saoirse. "I thought you said that security would be light on the ground."

  "This is light," said L. "Normally, there would be a whole squad of men just milling about. But Duke must truly own the city if he only needs one man to stand guard."

  "L is correct. From my observations of the building, this is our best time," said Saoirse.

  Phoenix scratched his growing stubble. The building seemed to be an abandoned warehouse. Some glass windows were shattered; others were left open. The whole building just didn't seem to be in use.

  The only thing that gave it away was the occupied guard station in front of it. Behind, the warehouse loomed like a mountain of metal in the distance. Scrap heaps were piled high as far as the eye could see. Among the metal heaps, the odd ship shone like a jewel sticking out of the dirt. Most of them looked to be out of commission–rust buckets that had barely stood the test of time.

  A few, though, stood out like sore thumbs: sleek in body, with powerful thrusters sticking out the back, and weapon turrets adorning every inch of available space.

  "Would you look at those," said Phoenix, letting out a low whistle.

  "Crime pays," said L.

  "So I've heard."

  "We should be going. The routines of the guards are never predictable," said Saoirse.

  "Alright. Let's do this," said Phoenix.

  They moved as one towards the guard station. Phoenix and Saoirse drew their weapons, sweeping the area ahead of them. They stopped periodically to scan the surrounding area. Although it appeared to be quiet, appearances tended to be deceiving.

  They stopped at the mouth of an alley. They could go no further without being seen. They would have to cross an open area, which would allow the guard to see them and alert anyone else of their presence before they got to him.

  "Thoughts?" Phoenix asked Saoirse.

  "On it."

  Saoirse took out what appeared to be two clear balls attached by a length of rope. Pressing the centre of each ball made them pulse red. Twirling the balls above her, she locked her gaze on the target ahead of her. Released at full swing the balls sped through the air with a slight hum.

  The guard looked towards the direction of the weapon but it was too late. They hit him square in the chest, wrapping round his torso. He began to utter a yell but it was cut short as electricity leapt from the balls and danced along his body. As he fell face first in the dirt, the only sound that could be heard was the thud of his body smacking the ground.

  Saoirse looked through the scope of her weapon, she held her fist clenched, signalling her companions to remain stationary. She waved the others forward and they began to move towards the building.

  "Are we just going to walk right through the front door?" L asked.

  "No. There's a entrance to the side that would serve us better," said Saoirse.

  They stopped at the body of the fallen guard and saw that he was still out for the count. Phoenix went to grab him by the foot and stopped.

  "Is this still live?" he asked.

  "No, the current should have passed by now," said Saoirse.

  "Should have?"

  "Stop being an infant. Your incessant worrying will not change matters."

  "Incessant. Infant."

  Phoenix shook his head and grabbed a hold of one of the guard's boots. His body convulsed uncontrollably and he let out a soft groan. Panic crossed Saoirse's face, and she rushed to his aid, stopping halfway when she saw the smile plastered across Phoenix's face.

  "Worried?" Phoenix asked.

  Saoirse's nostrils flared as she took a step towards him, free hand clenched in a fist, and she was only stopped by L stepping in between the pair.

  "If you two don't mind, I would like to get my brother back while he's still alive."

  "Sorry," they both muttered.

  Phoenix dragged the limp body out of sight and made sure that he was gagged and tied. They didn't want any unwelcome surprises while this mission was underway. As he walked away, he heard a slight moan behind him. Turning back around, he saw that the guard was beginning to stir. Phoenix delivered a punch that made the guard's head bounce on the ground like a basketball.

  "Stay down."

  The trio moved silently around the building. They stopped every so often to check their surroundings. Nothing stirred in the dead of night but animals that scuttled from one hole in the wall to the next. Moving to a rusty door, Saoirse began to unpack items from her person.

  "What are you doing?" asked Phoenix.

  "Opening the door," she said, slotting metal tools into one another like a jigsaw puzzle.

  "Allow me," said Phoenix, grabbing the handle of the door and pulling it towards him.

  Phoenix wanted to smirk. He could feel the corners of his mouth twitch but he didn't dare. It would be one smirk too many, the one that would push Saoirse over the edge.

  "After you," said Phoenix.

  Saoirse tried her best to swallow the look of anger that flashed across her face but couldn't manage it. Her nostrils still flared despite her best efforts.

  "Thank... you," said Saoirse.

  L ignored them both and took a step into the darkness without a backwards glance their way.

  "L," Phoenix and Saoirse said as one.

  But it was no use. She was already lost in the darkness. Vanishing from them right before their eyes, she was swallowed up whole.

  Phoenix and Saoirse each mirrored the other's worried expression before they made their way into the darkness after her.

  20


  Darkness engulfed Phoenix's senses; it was as if he was trapped under the ocean with no way out. He halted his steps and took deep calming breaths to slow his racing heart. Slowly, his eyesight adjusted to the gloom around him.

  Saoirse stood a few feet away from him, hand on her pistol, scanning the room. She appeared to have adjusted to the darkness a lot quicker than he had.

  Phoenix looked for any sign of L. There was none. Swearing under his breath, he saw two doors that she might have gone through. Pointing to himself, Phoenix gestured to one door. He pointed to Saoirse and gestured to the other. She nodded her head in understanding and took off.

  Phoenix would have liked the group to stay together, but there was nothing for it now. With L nowhere to be found, their first task was to find her–then her brother. He just hoped that neither got themselves killed before they could be saved.

  Phoenix walked towards his allocated doorway. He swept his plasma pistol in front of him. He wished he had something with a bit more punch. But being down on credits, and not being able to salvage much from their downed ship, had left them with few options when it came to weaponry.

  Saoirse, on the other hand, seemed to be a walking armoury. That woman went to bed with more weapons on her then she did clothes. He didn't know where she kept them.

  Phoenix came to the arch of the doorway and tried to get a better picture of what lay beyond. Nothing screamed danger. But in this darkness he didn't want to take any unnecessary chances.

  He held his breath as he walked through the door. He looked left, then right, but the coast seemed clear. Phoenix spun around as he heard movement behind him but couldn't see anything. He wanted something to come at him as he scanned the darkness. He wanted something to break the tension that was so thick you could practically swim in it.

  Just rats. Or the space equivalent.

  Phoenix kept his pistol level and continued on. Plates of food were clustered here and there. Someone had half attempted to clean them up, but most had been left stacked in a corner.