Captain's Captive

by C. F. Harris

  "It's just not strong enough. I need something heavy duty for transmitting."

  I closed my eyes. It really had been too good to be true. For a moment I thought all we’d need to do is come in here and look at this equipment and then he would get ahold of whoever he needed to get ahold of.

  "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing? If you're going to fondle the merchandise you need to pay for it!"

  I glanced over, more than a little annoyed. There was an overweight gentleman with a massive mustache and mutton chops standing at the end of the aisle. Presumably the pawn shop owner, or at the very least someone who worked here.

  "Fuck off buddy," I said.

  "Go fuck yourself lady," he said, but at least he turned and wandered off. I guess he didn’t want to go to the hassle of hassling somebody if they were going to hassle right back.

  As soon as he was gone Flin turned and smiled.

  "I'm guessing that wasn't an offer on either of your parts for a mating ritual? This is more colorful language from your world?"

  I blushed. As though I would ever be interested in “mating” with that throwback from the ‘80s! Not that I’d say as much considering Flin wouldn’t even know what the ‘80s were.

  Now Flin, on the other hand. Maybe it was because I was still worked up from all the gentlemen at the club. Maybe it was because I was still pumped with adrenaline and the feeling of being alive after being chased by men from another planet. Whatever the reason, I could see myself getting with him.

  If we weren’t in the middle of a dingy pawnshop, that is.

  The bell at the front entrance to the pawn shop dinged but it barely registered. I was too busy concentrating on the communications equipment in front of us. The communications equipment which was completely and utterly useless.

  "This sucks," I said.

  Flin cocked an eyebrow, but I didn't bother to explain it. Those lost in translation moments were going to have to slide, because it was going to take too much time to explain every bit of local language. Besides, he had more pressing business to take care of.

  "So what's the next step of the plan?" I asked.

  I looked back to Flin, expecting a confident grin and maybe a quip about how he’d be able to get us out of this, but there was nothing of the sort on his face. No, he looked worried instead. Maybe even a little afraid. And if he was afraid then I figured I should be very afraid.

  "What's wrong?"

  "Up front," he whispered.

  He hunched down a little bit. I glanced over and realized there was a wall of merchandise separating us from the front of the store. He was hunching down so he wouldn't be seen. A chill went through me. That could only mean there was someone up there who shouldn’t be seeing us. Damn.

  I moved to the edge of that wall of merchandise and peered around it. I didn't recognize either of the men I saw up at the front of the pawn shop, but I sure as hell recognized those uniforms. I'd had a glimpse of them back at the club. Strange men in strange clothes with strange weapons firing blasts of light across the room and disintegrating people in every direction. Yeah, those were exactly the guys we were trying to hide from, and apparently they'd found us.

  That wasn’t what really stood out to me, though.

  I turned back to Flin. "They used the front door."

  He blinked. Looked at me as though I was nuts. "What are you talking about?"

  "You said they’d teleport in if they were trying to get us, but they used the front door. I was right. You were wrong!"

  He rolled his eyes. Apparently that was a universal gesture of human body language. Or maybe not. Maybe he was rolling his eyes to let me know I was a genius, and I was interpreting it the wrong way because I'd been raised in the wrong culture and on the wrong world.

  "Is that eye roll a good thing on your world?" I asked.

  "No, it isn't. Now get back. I don't want them to look back here and see you."

  "You think they know what I look like?"

  "Those mind controlled dancers know what you look like," he pointed out. “Chances are they were keeping tabs on everyone the dancers talked to. Do you want to take that chance?”

  That was fair enough. So I ducked back from behind the wall. I figured I didn't want any more trouble anyways. The encounter with the cops had been enough to convince me it’d be a good idea to just roll with whatever Flin said.

  "So what do we do?" I asked.

  "I need you to get down and stay there. No running around or trying to escape like you did at the last place."

  He pulled out his weapon and leaned forward to peer around the wall, and I did exactly as he said. It seemed like a sensible enough thing to do. For the moment. I didn’t have any intention of letting him leave me behind, for example.

  I briefly considered trying to make a break for it. Maybe looking for a back entrance to the pawn shop or something. After all, those guys chasing me were probably chasing me because I was with Flin, but at the same time he was the only connection I had to my friends. So I was going to set my happy ass down, risk my life, and I hope he could take care of these guys. Because otherwise there wasn't a chance I was going to be able to find my friends.

  Besides, I figured it was a good idea to stay right next to him and that magic raygun he carried with him. If something went down then I wanted to be close to the guy with the weapon. It looked like tonight I was going to continue risking my life with this trigger-happy alien from another world.

  11

  Flin

  I took a creeping step around the display and felt Melissa moving behind me. I stopped and turned to glare at her. Now was not the time for her to get all headstrong on me!

  "I need you to stay right here," I hissed. "Do you understand that? Right here. If you try to come with me you're only going to endanger your life."

  Melissa nodded, but there was something about the way she looked at me that told me she wasn't going to listen. Damn it.

  Either way, there was work to be done. So I moved around the edge of the display. I hoped that if I crept around behind them they wouldn't be able to figure out I was sneaking up on them until it was too late. I could always try to take them out from a distance, but there was a chance I’d hit the shopkeeper. Even though there had been untold carnage already this evening I really wanted to try and avoid any more bloodshed than necessary.

  If I happened to vaporize someone when we weren’t in the middle of a firefight and it wasn't necessary I don't think I could live with myself. I was going to have enough guilt over all of the unintentional deaths I'd caused this evening as it was.

  As I got to the front I heard something behind me. I turned, weapon glowing, my finger almost depressing the trigger. And then I breathed out in frustration. I couldn't do anything else, because that would risk alerting them that I was sneaking up on them.

  I couldn't even talk. I just gave Melissa a look that made it absolutely clear how pissed off I was that she'd follow me after I told her not to. She shrugged and smiled. Apparently she didn't care that she was breaking the rules.

  I shook my head and gestured for her to continue following. If she was going to do it anyways there was no point in telling her to stop. Besides, we were too close to the front of the store at this point to have her go back.

  I peered around a corner. There was no doubt in my mind that I was looking at two Imperium stooges. For one they both carried weapons that looked far too advanced for this world. Plus they both wore Imperium uniforms. No great leap of deductive reasoning was needed to figure out who they worked for.

  Apparently Rethvar wasn't bothering with subtlety this evening. I wasn't sure if that was because of how strange this world was and he figured his guys would blend in even in their Imperium monkey suits, or because he'd been in hiding and now he was in a rush to find me and they didn’t have time to get local clothes. Either way, it would be easy to identify his men. They weren’t making any attempt to blend in.

  "Sure, had a guy and a g
irl coming in just a few minutes ago. They're back by the radio equipment," the store keeper said.

  "You're sure about this?"

  "What? Do I look like a fucking idiot? You asked if I saw a guy and a girl come through here, and I'm telling you there's a guy and a girl who came through here. What else do you want to know?"

  "Thank you," the first one said. "You have been very helpful."

  The one doing the talking nodded to the one next to him. The grunt held his weapon up, pulled the trigger, and fired. The blast took the store owner before he could even register surprise, and a moment later his entire body had melted away in a glowing blast of light. I shook my head.

  And Melissa gasped behind me. A sound that immediately drew the attention of both of the Imperium stooges.

  Both of them went for their weapons at the same time. The one, he looked like a security grunt of some sort from his insignia, still had his weapon pointed at the shopkeeper and the other one that I had pegged for an officer still had his weapon holstered at his side.

  I figured one with the weapon out was going to be the first to bring his gun to bear on me, and so he was the one I fired at first. I squeezed off a couple of shots in quick succession just to make sure, and at this close range it hit him square in the chest. He vanished in a puff of vapor rather than disintegrating slowly.

  By that time the other guy had pulled his weapon out and fired, but I ducked behind the meager protection of the line of merchandise. Which splintered and exploded behind me as I ran and the Imperium officer followed my progress with his gun.

  "They’re in here," I heard the guy saying. "Reinforcements. Now!"

  I grimaced. Damn it. There were going to be more Imperium pukes either teleporting in here or rushing in through the front door.

  I tried to grab at Melissa's arm as I rushed past her, but she was already running in the opposite direction. I turned to follow her, but then the display behind me exploded and cheap electronics from this world went flying in every direction. I had no choice but to keep running in one direction as she went in the other.

  Damn it. Getting separated in this damn store was the last thing I needed. Now I was going to have to try and figure out an escape and figure out how to track her down. Damn it!

  "Captain Flin?"

  I ducked into a small spot where I couldn't be seen. These displays weren’t much in the way of cover, but whatever.

  "I know you're out there," Rethvar said.

  Well then. Apparently I warranted a personal visit from the big man himself. This guy really had an obsession with tracking me down. Not that I was going to say anything to him. No, engaging him in conversation would just lead to him firing his weapon in my general direction, and that was something I really wanted to avoid.

  "If you just give yourself up now I promise you I'll let you go. Just let me take the girls."

  "Like hell you well!" Melissa shouted out from the opposite side of the shop.

  I squeezed my eyes shut. Damn it. Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut? That girl had too much spirit for her own good. Particularly considering she didn't have a weapon like I did.

  Why couldn't she be like the nice native girls on other worlds who were terrified of all the crazy technology on display?

  Probably because there would be no such thing as a nice native girl afraid of all the crazy technology on this world. This place was advanced enough that they had science fiction. They’d probably imagined all sorts of things that were futuristic for them but that I took for granted as a piece of my daily life.

  I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Listened. Tried to determine if somebody was sneaking up on me. It was a trick I'd used on more than one occasion, but it was ruined by the constant noise from the electronics in this place. Damn it. Everywhere I turned the technology on this world, primitive as it was compared to what I had, thwarted me.

  I opened my eyes and glanced up and down the halls. All I saw was cheap electronics as far as the eye could see. No sign of Melissa. Hopefully she'd gone to ground somewhere in the store and was keeping quiet.

  The scream rang out through the store. I squeezed my eyes shut. So much for that bit of wishful thinking. That was distinctly Melissa. She'd obviously been captured, damn it. I waited for the sound of a weapon going off that would mark her end, but that sound never came.

  "Do you hear that Flin?" Rethvar shouted. "I have your girl on this world too! How many worlds do you think we can do this on? Because I have to say I’m growing fond of your taste in local females."

  I moved into action. I had no idea how many of them there were in here, but I needed to do something. I wasn't going to let that Rethvar jerk have her after I'd spent so much time and energy trying to rescue her. I kept telling myself that if I could just rescue this one it would make this whole failed mission worthwhile.

  It had absolutely nothing to do with how beautiful she was. With how my pulse raced every time I saw her. No, certainly not. At least that was why I told myself.

  "This one will be a perfect addition to my own personal harem," Rethvar said. "They let us do that, you know. Pick the best of the spoils. I already have your girl from that other world. This one will add to that collection quite nicely!"

  I gritted my teeth and skidded out into the open, my weapon drawn. Only I didn’t fire. No, Rethvar stood with his gun pointed at Melissa's head. She still struggled, but she was being held in place by a couple of Imperium security pukes. Including the one I hadn’t had the pleasure of vaporizing a few minutes ago.

  I should’ve taken the time to kill him too. Then he wouldn’t be able to call for help. We wouldn’t be in this situation. Then again killing both of them probably would’ve tripped some alarm and brought the hammer down. Either way I’d learned not to second guess myself too much. Better to act and hope things worked out.

  They usually did. For me, at least. Not for whoever I was up against. It’s why I was the best in the Fleet, and I needed to remember that.

  "Captain Flin! So nice of you to finally join us!"

  "I don't suppose you'd let the girl go if I asked nicely, would you?" I asked.

  Rethvar chuckled. "I don't think so."

  I looked at the three men standing at the front of the store. Two officers and a security guy trying to hold Melissa in place.

  I weighed my options. The one to the left, the officer, had his weapon down at his side. It wasn't quite the same as being in his holster, but he’d be slow on the draw. Rethvar had his weapon pointed at Melissa, but I knew he was also a little slow on the draw from hard-won experience on the last world where we tangled. That third one was preoccupied with holding her back.

  How to pull this off?

  I kept my weapon at my side, but I flipped it to the stun setting. I was going to have to use the thing, and I didn't want to risk accidentally killing Melissa if I happened to hit her in the crossfire.

  Damn she looked hot even being held captive. That spirit was doing her well now. She still struggled and kicked at the guy trying to hold her. He looked down with a bemused expression. Apparently these Imperium pukes weren’t used to their captives trying to resist. Then again, if they'd been pulling the old religion gambit on all the worlds they were raiding that's not exactly surprising.

  "Surrender Flin," Rethvar said. "I don't want to kill you. I just want you to go on living knowing that I defeated you. That I humiliated you."

  "And what happens to the girl if I surrender?"

  Rethvar leaned down. Grabbed some of her hair and pulled it up to his nose. Took a deep sniff and looked over at me which left absolutely no doubt in my mind as to exactly what he intended to do with her.

  Unfortunately for him and his future plans for Melissa he’d also just given me the opportunity I'd been waiting for. Leaning down like that meant moving his weapon away from her ever so slightly, and I pulled my own up. Squeezed off several shots. One landed on Rethvar and he flew back over the counter. The second hit the officer type who sti
ll had his weapon down at his side. Sloppy. The asshole should've kept that trained on me the entire time. That was his problem, though.

  He slammed against a pile of boxes which went sliding down around him.

  I turned my weapon on the third one, but I needn't have bothered. No, in the momentary distraction created by my firing Melissa had elbowed him in the gut, moved a fist up to slam into his nose, and then for good measure she wheeled around and kneed him right in a very sensitive spot between his legs.

  I winced. The man might be an Imperium security puke, but that was the sort of injury that I’d never wish on anyone. Even my most mortal enemy. Okay, so maybe I’d wish that sort of injury on Rethvar who seemed to relish taking me on, but not one of the unfortunate guys who just worked for him.

  The guy went down and fell to the side, moaning, but I knew it would only be a matter of moments before he made a full recovery and was shooting at us. Melissa turned and sprinted for me.

  She slammed against me and wrapped her arms around me. Pressed her cheek against my chest. I was distracted for a moment. It was a very nice distraction, feeling her against me like that. A guy could get used to that sort of distraction!

  I didn’t bother to look for a door. No time for that. No, instead I blasted a hole in the wall just like I had with the walls back at that club. They were cheaply made and no match for a disintegrator ray, though they blasted out rather than being disintegrated. For some reason these weapons never worked on nonliving stuff quite as well as they did on living tissue.

  Blasts hit behind us. Far more than could be accounted for by just Rethvar and his one remaining stooge firing at us. That meant they had more of their security people along for the ride. Not good. Not good at all.

  “Is there anyplace we can go to hide for a little while?” I asked.

  Melissa pulled out her communication screen and tapped at it. I was impressed with the way she could keep her attention on that thing and still run from the Imperium agents firing at us without breaking stride. I’d almost think she’d been training on walking with that thing and still paying attention to her surroundings.