Phoenix stood transfixed as earth crumbled and disappeared before his very eyes. It ate away at itself, spreading out wider and wider. Phoenix slowly backed away, but at the rate the hole was expanding, it would get to him in no time if he didn't move quickly.
He stopped in his tracks as he ran past the bodies. He looked at both of them, then looked back at the oncoming terror that was the expanding hole in the ground.
There is no way I can carry them both.
Freyan made you stronger, didn't he?
Not that strong!
"Fuck!"
Phoenix bent down and threw one body over each shoulder, finding they were heavier than they looked. As he began to run, the awkwardness of them didn't allow him to develop a proper stride. He was constantly adjusting, constantly shifting their weight so he wouldn't drop them.
"Argh!" he yelled in frustration; he could hear the rumble approaching from behind. It was gaining on him. He tucked his head down and willed his legs to push harder, go faster.
They are already dead. Leave them, whispered a voice in his head.
"Why don't you shut the fuck up?"
He wanted to look behind him but couldn't. There wouldn't be much point anyway; he'd either make it or he wouldn't. Movement on his left drew his attention to a buggy that sped towards him.
Sindee positioned the buggy just ahead of him. "Get on board," she yelled over her shoulder.
"Them first," Phoenix said, doing his best to keep pace with the buggy. He hoisted one sister from his shoulder and threw her as gently as he could into the back. As he went to do the same with the other sister, he stumbled and only caught the body at the last moment.
With one final fling, he managed to get her on board.
"Hurry, it's nearly upon us!" Sindee said, wide-eyed as she looked behind him.
"Go, go, go," Phoenix yelled, waving her on as he looked behind him. The ever-expanding hole was almost upon them. It ate the dirt faster than he could keep track. It was at the heels of his feet.
"Jump!"
Phoenix felt his legs give out underneath him as the ground fell away. He pitched forward with one thought dominating his mind: I'm not going to make it.
32
Phoenix's right hand clamped the back of the buggy as he leapt forward. His fingers bit into steel and the motion of the vehicle yanked him forward. He saw nothing but darkness below him.
The buggy powered forward, its wheels biting into the dirt as fast as it disappeared beneath them. Phoenix hung on for dear life as the little vehicle powered away. Dirt flew in his face but he didn't care; he was still alive--for the moment. He just didn't know how long that moment would be.
"Move! Move! Move!" he shouted over the loud whine of the buggy's engine.
"What do you think I'm doing?"
Phoenix opened his mouth to respond but dirt flew inside, choking what little breath he had. As his body bounced along the ground, he tightened his grip.
The roar as the ground crumbled away was deafening. Once again, he thanked Freyan for his bionic hand and the nanobots that coursed through his veins. Without them, he wouldn't be alive.
Phoenix closed his eyes and prayed to whatever gods were listening. He and Sindee would need all the help that they could get if they wanted to get out of this alive.
How was it possible? I thought no one had made it out of that prison alive! I had to leave him. I had no other choice.
"Hang on, it's about to get bumpy."
Bumpy? How much more bumpy can it get?
His body jarred and his bones rattled. Even over the roar of the earth, he heard the metal of the buggy slamming into an unseen object. It lifted the vehicle--and him--into the air. Still holding on for dear life, he felt the buggy crash back down on its wheels with an almighty bang and skid from side to side as it tried to regain some grip.
Phoenix gritted his teeth as he smashed into the metal of the buggy. Although his bones didn't break as easily as they once had, he still felt the same amount of pain. He found himself swung from side to side, flowers whipping him in the face as he was dragged through their beds.
They finally came to a stop and Phoenix released his grip. The ground underneath him was solid once more.
He rolled onto his back and looked up into a sky that was devoid of clouds.
"Are you alive?" asked the shadow that appeared above him.
"I think so," Phoenix replied, cleaning his face of the dirt that coated it. "How about you? You're not injured, are you?"
"No, I didn't sustain any injuries," Sindee said as she bent down to get a closer look at Phoenix. "How... How are you free of injuries? Any normal being would have broken bones and lacerations...but you appear to be in fine health. A little dirty, yes, but apart from that..."
"Good genes, I guess," Phoenix said, leaping to his feet as she moved closer.
He looked behind him at the now unrecognisable landscape. The once lush garden was nothing more than a sinkhole in the ground, stretching for a mile or more. Phoenix walked forward and stopped as he reached the edge.
He looked down and blackness greeted him.
He couldn't see the bottom, even with his enhanced vision. Picking up a stone next to his foot he threw it in and listened for the sound of it reaching the bottom. Nothing. He was still waiting to hear something when he felt a hand touch him on the shoulder.
"The P34--or to give it its street name, the gravedigger--is only found on the black market for a hefty sum. It's been outlawed across the galaxy for some time. I'm surprised that any still exist."
Phoenix didn't say anything as he nodded his head and walked the other way. He stopped as he reached the buggy, placing one hand on the dirt-encrusted metal. He looked straight ahead but he could still see the pale skin and stained dresses out of the corner of his eye.
"There was nothing that you could do," Sindee said from behind him.
Phoenix nodded his head again but his hands balled into fists at his sides. "We'll see about that," he said as he walked away.
33
There was carnage everywhere.
Phoenix stepped through the hall that had, only hours before, been filled with laughter and dancing. Obnoxious laughter and terrible dancing, yes, but that didn't make what had taken place any more bearable.
Glass crunched underfoot as he made his way through the hall. The smell of burnt flesh caught at the back of his throat, as he side-stepped bodies covered with white sheets. He stopped in the middle of the hall and closed his eyes. Amidst the silence, Phoenix could still hear the echoes of screams and gunfire.
Muted guards collected the bodies of the fallen. He nodded his head at those that passed him, but none met his eyes as they walked past.
Like him, they had failed in their duty.
He saw a midnight blue back that he knew all too well standing in a corner. As he made his way towards her, she turned and gave him a look that he couldn't quite read.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine," Saoirse said. "What about you?"
Phoenix nodded silently and cast his gaze back to the hall. The lump in his throat refused to leave, and his hands balled at his sides.
"You don't owe these people anything. None of us do. What happened happened. Now, the best thing we can do is find a way to make sure it doesn't happen again," Saoirse said, grabbing Phoenix by the arm.
He turned and faced her, nodding as another small body was carried past them. "How are the others?" he whispered.
"I sent L and Kai back to the ship to see Freyan. They had minor cuts and bruises but nothing too serious. Plowstow is speaking to the guards, servants, and working staff. Dre's men didn't get this far without help. Their means of entry and escape indicate it was someone who knows the palace well."
"I thought the same thing," Phoenix said with a nod. He should have been on his game; he should have manoeuvred the crew as soon as he got back. But... "Thank you, Saoirse. You've thought of everything."
Sindee wal
ked their way, her face still smudged with dirt and her torn dress hugging the contours of her body. "Did you find anything out?"
"You first," Saoirse said, hand on hips.
Sindee let out an irritated sigh and rolled her eyes. "My ships are still searching around the planet, but we haven't found anything so far. Tensions in the city are rising. Just in the last few hours alone, there have been bombs set off in a few local markets. Those were bad enough, but the bombs that were detonated amongst the housing estates were worse. People are scared to leave their homes."
"Have any attempts been made to apprehend the people responsible?" Saoirse asked.
"No, but steps are being taken."
"Steps are being--" Phoenix shook his head in frustration and raised both hands in the air. "What does that even mean?"
"It means that I'm trying my best to do everything in my power to get this resolved quickly and safety. You and your crew can walk away from this at any time, Mr Jones. I have a family name to uphold, something that--"
"Our people are looking too," Saoirse said, stepping between the pair. "Once we find anything of importance, you shall be the first to know."
"Thank you," Sindee said with a nod of the head. "Florin wants a meeting later tonight. I would suggest we hold it in the palace...but walls have ears."
"We can do it on our ship," Phoenix said.
"That would suit me. Until tonight then," Sindee said, turning on her heel for the exit.
34
The crew sat in the "meetings and shit" room, affectionately nicknamed by Plowstow. Phoenix was happy that only one of those things took place in the room, because no matter how close he was to the crew, he didn't want to see or share that with any of them.
Sindee sat at the table with them, her arms folded across her beautiful chest. She had changed into a black tight-fitting top and bottoms combo that left very little to the imagination. Any slight movement moved another part of her anatomy that made Phoenix try his best to see if Freyan had also given him x-ray vision.
A slight cough from L brought him back to his senses. She flicked her eyes not so subtly in Saoirse's direction. Saoirse's tight-lipped expression told Phoenix everything he needed to know.
"If you are done," Saoirse said through gritted teeth, "then maybe we can get started."
"I was in deep thought, thank you very much," Phoenix said with a look of mock hurt on his face.
"Is that what you call it?"
Phoenix opened his mouth to reply but bit back his response; Saoirse's tight-eyed stare silenced him.
"Can we begin?" Sindee asked.
Phoenix nodded and waved his hand, gesturing that she could get started. She placed a small flat metal device in the middle of the table and tapped its surface as if she were dialling a phone. The metal glowed faintly with each tap.
Sindee sat back in her chair and a holocom image of Florin appeared above the table. The image distorted itself and went out of focus before returning, crystal clear. Florin's gaze swept around the room, and he gave each of them a nod. "I take it this room is secure?" he asked.
"We are on my ship. It doesn't get more secure than that," Phoenix said.
"Good, good." Florin let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Bags hung under the weary eyes that looked about the room once more. "No one from your team was injured, I hope?"
"No."
"Good, good... I shall be blunt with everyone. This mess..." Florin let out another sigh. "This mess is the worst thing that could have happened, right now. News of this has been making the rounds through the galaxy, and it makes the Council look weak. Although Rue is not part of the Council, it wants to be, and if this is what happens to a planet that wants to join the Council, what will happen to a planet that is already in it?
"Questions that nobody has any answers to are being asked. If this attack took place on a Council world then the response would be simple. But because Rue is not yet part of the Council, the Council refuses to act."
"Why?" Phoenix said.
"The all-knowing, all-powerful Council is a myth. Do you know how many planets and territories it has to police? Its forces are spread out so thinly that any disputes not within its ranks are left alone. If it were to step into every conflict, its power would soon crumble," Florin said.
"The illusion of power is just as powerful as power itself," Freyan said with a shake of his head.
"Yes, it is, and that is why the Council will not act anytime soon."
"How did news of this get out so fast?" Sindee asked.
"Just like the last attack on the cruise liner, this attack was also filmed and sent to news outlets across the stars. As you can imagine, it is causing quite a stir.
"Sindee, have you found anything out about Dre's origins yet?" Florin said, looking her way.
"I am still working on it, as well as the other issue that you place me on."
"What other issue?" Phoenix asked, his head snapping between the pair.
"I have placed Sindee on a mission. I can't discuss the details. When the--"
"Are you fucking kidding me? You are choosing to keep secrets now, after everything that has happened here? After me and my crew saved your ass! After me and my crew risked our lives, time and time again. After what happened here?" Phoenix slammed his fist on the table.
"How dare you speak to my cousin that way!" Sindee rose to her feet.
"I will speak to him however I like--"
"You arrogant--"
"Sindee! Enough!" Florin's face was red with rage.
Sindee's nostrils flared as her chest rose and fell with each deep breath she took. Her gaze bore through Phoenix, who returned it. "Your lax attitude to the proper order of things is your weakness, Florin," she spat, storming out of the room.
Silence fell as Florin swept his gaze across them all.
"This is not a slight against you or your people, Phoenix. You will be told everything in due course, but right now, I need your attention elsewhere. I need you to focus on finding out as much as you can about Dre. That, above all else, is what is most important," Florin said. "Now, if there is nothing else, I do believe we have work to do."
"I know who Dre is," said Phoenix.
35
"What?" More than one voice echoed in the room.
"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Florin asked.
"Because I didn't know what I know now," Phoenix said, stroking his chin. He took a deep breath as all eyes turned his way.
Where to start...? The beginning, I suppose.
"Dre was a prisoner on Dredar. I have no doubt that going by the name Dre is just his sick nod to that. I don't believe anyone on that prison ship met him in person. We may have--we could have--it was a large ship. Even if we had, sometimes it's all we can do to block out those experiences...so we don't have to relive it again," Phoenix said, tapping his fingers along the table. "Anyway, while we were making our escape, a message came through asking for help--"
"Oh, Phoenix," L said, her hand going to mouth.
"We ignored it. No," Phoenix shook his head, "I ignored it. We had already left the prison ship. There wasn't time to go back. I had to save my family. I had to save my planet. I knew that I was laying a death sentence on whoever it was--I knew that. With the cells open, and the chaos, no one would survive--"
"Well, you were wrong, weren't you?" Freyan yelled, his fist denting the table in front of him.
"Freyan, I had to--"
"I take it this happened while I was unconscious?"
"It was after the Warden had tortured you and you were unresponsive, yes."
Freyan shook with an anger Phoenix had never seen before. Gone was the calm and collected doctor; in his place stood someone whose eyes blazed and pierced Phoenix's soul.
"How many times have I told you that your actions have far-reaching consequences, Phoenix Jones? How many times do I need to repeat that advice to you? You are unlike anyone I have ever encountered, affecting the ripples of
everything around you in a catastrophic way. It is both beautiful and terrifying to behold."
"Freyan, I would do it all again."
"That is my point exactly!" The Bloodless Being pointed at Phoenix. "You don't learn your lesson! Violence is not always the way. You can't bend the galaxy to your will!"
"What would you have me do, huh, Freyan? Would it please you if I let billions die on my planet? Would it please you if I allowed my blood to die, without trying to save them? Would it please you if, every time we met some difficulty, we ran the other way?
"Life is chaos, suffering, and survival. You can either meet it head on, or you can allow it to bowl you over. I made my choice a long time ago, and I suggest that you accept it."
Freyan got up from his chair and knocked it to the floor in one fluid motion. He pointed at Phoenix and shook his head before lowering his arm and turning for the door.
"I would do it all again, Freyan," Phoenix said to the Bloodless One's retreating back. "I would do it all again--and more--for anyone in my crew, for anyone who shares my blood. Because you are all family to me."
"That's what scares me the most," Freyan said as he made his way out of the room.
"Well, that could have gone better," L said, her hair turning jet black.
"Yes, it could have," Phoenix said, groaning through his hands.
"I, for one, Phoenix, must thank you for saving our asses," Plowstow said. "If another time comes when you have to leave some fool behind to save our skins, then I want you to hit that flaring button without another backwards glance. I'm too young to die; I can't be thinking about the lives of other people who I don't even know."
"Thank you, Plowstow. As always, your words of wisdom and kindheartedness warm my soul like burning coals against unprotected flesh."
"Least I can do," Plowstow said, nodding.
"Will your man be alright?" Florin asked.
"He... I don't know," Phoenix replied. "That is the first time I have truly seen him angry. I don't believe... He'll be fine. It's nothing."
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