Phoenix said nothing but simply raised an eyebrow as they continued to dance.
"The masses do not need help, they need a firm hand. All the families started from nothing and crawled their way to something. They made something of themselves. They didn't always play by the rules, I agree. But to get anywhere in life you have to step on the backs of the people below you. If I work hard, and my neighbour and I share the fruits of my labour without his doing any work, then where will that get us? There is one throne for a reason."
"There is a saying on Earth which I believe in. The tide raises all boats. I believe it is better to educate the masses than to rule them. That is the only way we can move forward."
Sindee let out a snort and rolled her eyes. A gong sounded at the front of the hall, cutting off her reply. Everyone slowed their dancing to a halt as a raised platform came into view. It showed a pot-bellied Rue-high wearing a crown. One hand held a leg of meat, which he bit into before throwing what was left over his shoulder. Wiping the grease from his mouth with the back of his sleeve, he looked at the hall with a small nod.
"People of the Rue-high! It pleases me greatly to see so many faces here today. Times have not been easy, with the lower-borns not knowing their place, with the lower-borns asking for things that they have no right to," said the king with a shake of his head. "They ask for water, but doesn't it fall free from the sky? They ask for food, but isn't there game wandering in the outlands? They ask for credits, but there is plenty of work to go around for the willing and hard working. Do not give in to the murmurs and the whispers! It is our born right to lead. Our born right to own what we see before us."
What a dick, Phoenix thought as he looked around at the nodding, smiling faces.
"Do not fear the threat of violence that has been sweeping through our streets. That shall soon be over. The Rue-high are warriors. The Rue-high are survivors. The Rue-High are leaders!"
Cheers and thunderous applause swept through the hall, accompanied by feet stamping on the floor. More than one eye in the crowd was leaking as tears ran down beaming faces.
"As we enter into the fold of the Council, we shall gain all the help we need to quash any uprisings! The Rue-high fear nothing," said the king, lifting his arms into the air.
The explosions that echoed through the hall told a different story as Phoenix was blasted off his feet by a wave of hot air.
26
Screams interrupted the ringing in Phoenix's ears as his vision began to clear. Dust from the ceiling rained down on his face as he lay on his back. Phoenix raised himself up on one elbow and noticed a body lying next to him. The man's face was covered in blood and dust; he lay unmoving. Phoenix didn't need to feel his pulse to know that he was dead.
People pushed and shoved each other to get out of the hall as panic spread like wildfire. Phoenix looked around at the bodies littering the floor. Several fires raged in the hall, the flames pushing back anyone who tried to escape.
Phoenix felt something warm trickle down the side of his face. He ignored it, as a woman screamed, clutching a child in her arms. He began to make his way towards her but stopped as gunfire echoed throughout the halls.
More screams followed.
Smoke began to fill the hall, reducing visibility. A figure emerged from behind the woman, a gun pointed at her head. His grinning animal mask told Phoenix everything he needed to know. With a flick of his wrist he brought his pistols up and fired at the figure without a second thought.
The body flew back as the bolts smashed into it.
Another grinning mask appeared to his left, forcing him to duck and roll as plasma bolts flew towards him. Phoenix fired and shot out the man's legs before he got another lock on him.
The man crumpled to the floor, screaming in pain. Phoenix ended his suffering with two more shots to his body.
Phoenix looked around but failed to see the woman and the child. Had they already made their escape? The screams and shouts sounded distant as smoke continued to pour into the area. Flashes of green and red lit up the smoke as foe fired against foe.
Phoenix moved forward and spotted an overturned table, where a group clustered behind it, taking cover from oncoming fire. He recognised two of them as he made his way towards it.
"How the hell did Dre's men get the drop on us like this?" he asked.
"If I knew that, we wouldn't be in this situation, would we?" Saoirse said with a raised eyebrow.
"There were rumours that a hit would take place, but that was meant to be months from now," Sindee said.
"You're only telling us this now?" Phoenix said, shooting a masked figure in the chest before ducking back down. "Don't you think that's something you should have mentioned?"
"The information had no credible merit. It was just hearsay and rumour. If the Council acted on every rumour they heard, they would never get anything done. I inspected the information but dismissed it. I didn't think it was worth my time."
"Well, I bet you feel like an ass now, don't you?" Phoenix said, returning fire over the table.
"Don't worry, she's used to it," Saoirse smirked.
"If it wasn't--"
Another explosion rocked the hall and more bodies flew into the air.
"Fuck! This is getting us nowhere. I'm moving out," Phoenix said, looking over the table.
"I'll cover you," both Sindee and Saoirse said. They glared at each other with scowls.
"Ladies, thank you for the offer, but in those dresses you'll be more of a hindrance then a help."
Sindee and Saoirse both looked down at their full-length dresses and shook their heads. Although beautiful when they had worn them at the start of the night, they were now covered in blood, food, and other unidentifiable stains. Without a word, they both tore them off at the knees, giving Phoenix a view that brought a smile to his face.
"Is he always like this?" Sindee asked.
"Yes. He always ogles like a buffoon," Saoirse said, unclipping a pistol from her leg.
"It is most unbecoming."
"Hey! I don't ogle. I admire beautiful forms and works of art. I have never been so insulted in all my life. Ogle," Phoenix said, shaking his head as he moved away from the table.
He moved quickly, keeping low, as he made his way through the hall. Another explosion, far too close to his right, forced him to duck as it blasted debris over his face.
Shit! This place is turning into a war zone.
A large group of men up ahead were grabbing people by their clothes and hair as they pulled them through a hole that had been blasted in the wall. Phoenix fired his pistol, hitting one masked villain in the head and making him drop his struggling prey. The small girl in question screamed, as she hit the floor with a thump, before she took off running.
"Stay down!" Phoenix shouted, but it was already too late.
Rifle fire hit her from behind, lifting her small body off the floor. She landed mere feet away from Phoenix. Her hand twitched once then rested, still.
Blood pooled from her, spreading towards him.
He could feel the anger building up inside him. These people were no saints, and maybe they deserved everything they got, but senseless murder was still senseless murder.
Phoenix felt a hand touch him on the shoulder; he had still yet to move.
He could see the group disappearing, one after the other, through the hole they created, while a pale character dressed in a reptile-skinned purple jacket stood with his arms crossed, surveying they chaos he had created.
Phoenix knew who he was. Who else could it be?
"I'm going after him," Phoenix said as he took off running.
"Phoenix!" Saoirse yelled behind him. But he ignored her.
He didn't have a plan; he didn't know what he could do. All he knew was that he needed to stop that man and save as many hostages as he could.
This is stupid!
The thought pounded in his skull the closer he got. It screamed at him to stop, but he ignored it. All he could see was t
he dead child's body.
Always the protector, eh, Phoenix?
He raised his gun and fired shot after shot, yelling in fury at the target in front of him.
The figure in purple stood with his feet braced wide and waved Phoenix on. His red eye winked in Phoenix's direction, as he was handed a weapon over his shoulder. Its long tubular body pointed to the ceiling, and the man in purple fired above himself.
He turned around with a flick of his jacket, exiting through the hole without a backwards glance.
The explosion from the ceiling above was blinding. Bits of debris started to drop to the floor. Phoenix's legs powered forward as he used every ounce of strength to push himself on.
As the ceiling fell around Phoenix, and did its best to bury the hole that the men had escaped through, he did the only sensible thing that he could. He leapt forward, aiming for the hole that was quickly disappearing under rubble from above.
27
Phoenix smashed into the wall as he sailed through the hole Dre's men had created. He covered his eyes as dust billowed out from the hole, which was now blocked off by lumps of rock. He did his best to smother his cough as the dust made its way into his lungs.
He wiped his mouth and got to his feet, taking in his surroundings. He was in a narrow corridor that only led in one direction.
Forward.
Multiple sets of new footprints in the dust spoke of a corridor that had not been used in some time. It was hardly surprising, considering the size of the palace. Lost hallways and rooms where only kids played must be quite common in a place like this. It still didn't explain how Dre had managed to sneak past all the guards, find the right corridor adjacent to the hall, and go on a rampage, though.
It looked to Phoenix to be an inside job, but that was hardly surprising; Phoenix had seen how the staff were treated.
A scream some way off brought him out of his thoughts. He moved forward through the corridors, keeping close to the walls. A bloody footprint pointed him in the right direction as he hurried along. Most of the overhead lights either didn't work or flickered intermittently, creating more shadow than light--more places for people to hide than be seen.
That suited Phoenix just fine.
He blinked a few times until his night vision kicked in, illuminating his surroundings. Everything was filtered through a green lens. He smiled as he crept forward, noticing two hazy red heat signatures on either side of the corridor. The two men had slotted themselves in alcoves, waiting for someone to come along.
If it hadn't been for his night vision, Phoenix would have missed them.
He bent down and picked up a stone near his boot, flicking it down the corridor past them, making them both turn around as the stone bounced against the walls.
As their heads turned the other way, Phoenix made a dash towards them. The sound of his boots alerted them he was coming, but it was too late. He was too quick, and he smashed one's head into the wall and kicked the other in the throat. Both dropped to the floor lifeless.
Phoenix knelt by the bodies as he stilled his breathing, waiting, listening to see if his actions had been heard. No shouts or voices came his way, so he moved on.
Something lying on the floor grabbed his attention and made him quicken his pace. An unrecognisable body lay on the floor. Its face had been caved in, and the arms were twisted at awkward angles. The body lay dumped on the floor like tossed rubbish.
Phoenix moved past it as voices up ahead drew his attention.
Two men dragged a struggling figure between them. One side of his face was swollen, forcing one eye closed. As Phoenix crept towards them, he recognised the face. A pot belly hung out of his unbuttoned shirt; the king of the Rue-high had taken quite a beating.
"Let go of me! Do you not know who I am? My people will not rest till justice is done! If you release me now, your punishment shall not be harsh," said the king.
"Hold him," said one of his captors, as he brought his boot down onto the king's ribs. "Now, Your Highness, if you wish to not feel that sort of pain again, I suggest you shut the fuck up, or I will start cutting bits of you that are not needed off."
Everyone's attention was forced elsewhere when Phoenix came out of the shadows. With a twist of his hands he snapped the neck of the man who had kicked the king, before grabbing the other by the back of the head and slamming his face into the wall.
"Are you OK?" Phoenix asked as he checked the king over.
"I am fine, you fool, I have had worse--"
"Hey, motherfucker, is that any way to treat someone who just saved your ass?"
"How dare you speak to me in such a manner? While I thank you for your efforts, if you had done something earlier then I wouldn't be in this mess! I can't believe those lowborn scum would dare place their hands on me!"
"Keep your voice down," Phoenix said, clamping his hand over the king's mouth. He listened to see if Dre's men had been alerted but no sounds came their way. "How many more people do they have?"
"My daughters, some of my advisors, and other people of high-ranking stature. You must do something to save them. We can't let these so-called freedom fighters win," the king said, grabbing Phoenix by the front of his shirt.
"If you treated your own people with a bit more respect and understanding then this wouldn't have happened. When will you people learn? You can only give so much till people start giving back. Education, welfare, housing-" Phoenix stopped as he could see by the king's vacant wide-eyed stare that none of his words were sinking in.
"Forget it," Phoenix said, searching the bodies of Dre's men. He came away with three small grenades and one hunting knife. He wished he had his combat gear, but banquet halls tended to frown on bringing weapons and armour to dinner. He was lucky he had been able to smuggle his pistols in.
Phoenix looked down at the king and tried to keep the disdain from his voice. "Try and find your way back while a lowborn man like me tries to clean up your mess," he said, moving on.
Some people...
Phoenix readied his pistols at the sound of voices up ahead. He could see the outlines of two men carrying a hostage between them. Phoenix focused on his target. He could take the shot but it would alert them to his presence. He would have to take them out as he had done the others.
Fifteen feet out, he heard the whimper of the captured man in their grip.
Ten feet and he saw the hostage's eyes go wide as he saw Phoenix approach. Phoenix held a finger to his lips as he continued to close the distance.
Five feet out and he stretched out his hand; his fingertips were mere inches from their target before one of the men turned round and shouted in surprise.
Shit!
There was nothing for it now. Phoenix opened fire and the shouts from Dre's men echoed in the hallway.
"We have company!" someone shouted up ahead. "Move, move, move."
Footsteps thundered toward Phoenix, as he grabbed the hostage on the floor and threw him against the wall. All hell broke loose as gunfire made its way towards him.
28
Dre's men blasted chips off the corridor wall with their gunfire. Phoenix pressed his body against the brickwork for protection as stone slivers flew through the air.
He had to get past these men fast; they were just buying time for the party up ahead to escape.
The flickering lights overhead, combined with the flashes from the guns, turned the corridor into an underground rave. It confused the senses and made targeting the enemy even more difficult. Phoenix looked up at the lights and smiled as he targeted them with his guns. As each light exploded, another section of the corridor fell into darkness.
"What the shit!"
"You're in my realm now, fuckers," Phoenix said, his laughter bouncing off the walls.
He could see them moving about aimlessly, pointing their weapons at any sound. Phoenix bent down and picked up a chip of stone that had been blasted from the wall. Weighing it in his hands, he aimed between the men and threw it.
It landed between the two men and they turned and fired into each other. Their screams died in their throats, as Phoenix picked off another with a head shot.
"Guys! Guys? Reki?" said the last remaining member from the group.
"I'm still here, asshole," Phoenix said, just above a whisper, so it carried on the still air.
He didn't receive a response; the man turned and ran. Phoenix gave chase as the man fired his rifle blindly over his shoulder.
"He's coming! He's coming!"
Phoenix could see two men kneeling in the corridor ahead, their weapons pointing his way. Once again, Phoenix fired at the light, plunging them into darkness. They didn't wait for the member of their team to reach safety, opening fire and cutting him down.
Phoenix dropped to his back and slid along the floor, shooting both men in the head before popping back up. He didn't break his stride as he carried on. He could see more men up ahead, waiting for him, their rifles at the ready. They opened fire on him, forcing him to slam against a nearby wall for cover.
Shit!
This was getting him nowhere. The longer he messed around with these pawns, the longer Dre had to escape. He poked his head out and retracted it immediately as plasma fire came his way. The grenades he had taken from the men earlier bulged in his pocket. He took two out and tossed them down the corridor, counting to five before he opened fire.
The explosion that followed washed hot air and dust over him. He covered his mouth before continuing down the corridor.
Nothing remained of Dre's men but a few limbs.
He could hear a woman's screams up ahead. A man hurried away from him dragging a woman by her hair. There was no need for Phoenix to be quiet now, the game was up; they knew he was coming. He opened fired upon the man, placing three shots in his back that threw him forward.
Repercussions Page 10