Repercussions

by Dominique Mondesir

  "Plot a course for the nearest location where we can land."

  "But that would mean we are...retreating," Andana said behind her.

  Sindee still hadn't moved from the gaping hole in the bridge. She watched silently as the mass of bots dipped and weaved their way.

  Was our bargain worth this?

  She let out a sigh and placed both hands behind her back. "Yes. We are retreating--"

  "But we've never--"

  "We have done all that we can," Sindee said forcefully, turning around. "We have done all that we can for the PH1. They are on their own, now. I will not risk any more of my men, in the name of this madness--"

  Sindee was lifted off her feet and thrown forward as the ship rocked violently.

  She heard screams and shouts from her crew around her. Enough of this. I will not lose any more men.

  "Andana! I thought I told you to get us out of here," Sindee said, getting to her feet. Blood blurred the vision in one eye.

  "I'm working on it, my lady. Full evasive movements! Ship Zackson, we are the only ones left, we need to look out for each other while we get out of here. Plotting a course for the nearest landing zone."

  Sindee landed heavily in her captain's chair as the ship shook again.

  "Shields down to twenty percent!" yelled a member of her crew.

  "Tell me something I don't know," Andana muttered while she moved from one station to the next. "Fuck! We've lost Zackson."

  "Shields down to fifteen!"

  "We're going down. Engine one is failing. I repeat, engine one is failing."

  Sindee gripped the armrest of her chair and leaned forward. "Andana, have you found that location?"

  "You're not going to like it, my lady."

  "Tell me."

  The bridge grew still as her second in command passed her hand through her hair. No one spoke, as everyone held their breath. "Rue, my lady. We are landing on Rue."

  Sindee pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to hold the thoughts of despair at bay.

  "If the PH1 is not successful, then landing on that planet--"

  "Engine two is failing!" someone yelled as the ship jerked left to right.

  "That may not matter if we don't even make the landing," Sindee said, gripping the arms of her chair as the ship spun out of control.

  55

  Phoenix powered forward with Saoirse's and Plowstow's feet thundering behind him. The sound bounced from wall to wall as their heavy breathing fought the silence of the corridor.

  Their destination was blocked by the door to the bridge.

  No doubt it's locked.

  "Saoirse, you got anything to open that fucker?" Phoenix asked.

  "I--"

  The first body exploded behind them. It was too far away to cause any damage, but there were others, and they were closer.

  "Is placing an explosion in front of us the best course of action?" asked Plowstow. "I mean, isn't that what we're running away from?"

  "We haven't got much of a choice!' Phoenix said, turning around as another explosion went off behind them.

  "Whatever you're going to do, do it now! I'm too young to die."

  Another explosion rocked the corridor, unbalancing them as they pushed forward. Saoirse dug her hands into the folds of her clothes and began to root around. Phoenix turned his head in her direction, before focusing his gaze ahead of him.

  Another explosion whooshed hot air over their heads.

  Phoenix frowned; Saoirse still had her hands buried inside her clothes.

  "It won't magically appear if you keep staring," Saoirse snapped, pulling out a small device and examining it on the move. With a shake of her head, she threw it over her shoulder.

  "What is taking so long, woman?" Plowstow screamed.

  They were halfway to the door and getting closer.

  Saoirse pulled out a metal tube and brought it to her ear. She shook it and frowned before tossing that too over her shoulder.

  "Come on," Phoenix said, throwing his hands in the air. "That's your problem, always carrying too much shit. All you need is a pistol and your fists to get a job--"

  Another body exploded. This one was much closer. It pelted the trio with wet bits of flesh, and blood splattered them in a fine spray.

  "Got it," Saoirse said, bringing two small flat discs to bear. Holding one in each hand, she threw them ahead of her. They flew like frisbees towards the bridge door, sticking against its metal surface. The metal discs began to spark and burn brightly as they ate through the metal around them.

  "Cover your faces!"

  Phoenix did as he was told as he kept on running. The explosions behind them went off as their legs pumped towards their goal.

  They were nearly upon the door when another explosion rattled the fillings in Phoenix's teeth; it lifted him forward and carried him through the bridge door, accompanied by Plowstow screaming in his ear.

  56

  Metal flakes, that sparked like the sun, flew in the air as they crashed through the door of the bridge. The trio collapsed in a tangled heap of arms and legs.

  Phoenix was the first to his feet as a grinning mask came towards him. He blocked the kick aimed for his groin, caught the foot, and spun the attacker around, releasing him towards the crowd coming his way.

  Phoenix helped Plowstow and Saoirse to their feet as more men approached.

  "Just maim them! Do not kill any. We have seen what happens when they die," Phoenix said, rushing towards the crowd.

  He ducked the kicks and punches aimed his way and returned them with vigour. A blow across his back pitched him forward, where he was caught by two ugly blue brutes. They had four teeth between them and smelled like a pig trough.

  Phoenix's arms were pinned behind his back as another ran towards him and punched him in the stomach.

  Phoenix grinned at him when his attacker looked up at him, expecting some grunt of pain. The puncher delivered two more blows to Phoenix's stomach, but Phoenix merely shrugged.

  "Hit him again," said one of the blue goons holding his arms.

  The blows came hard and fast, and Phoenix's grin grew wider.

  The puncher stepped back as cries of pain from his crewmates surrounded him.

  "Harder!" Phoenix yelled.

  The puncher threw a blow to Phoenix's chin that snapped his head back, and still the grin remained.

  "Harder!"

  Another blow.

  "Harder!"

  Blow after blow rained upon Phoenix, but the punches were getting slower and softer; his enemy was running out of gas. He huffed and puffed, hands now down on his hips.

  "Come on! What are you waiting for?" Phoenix taunted, spittle flying from his mouth. "This is your chance to get your own back. This is your chance to inflict pain on me, for whatever wrong I have done to you. Come on!"

  The puncher took a step back as veins pulsed along Phoenix's neck. The blue brutes had also stepped back, releasing their grip on Phoenix. He turned and delivered two blows with his right hand that sent the blue goons toppling backward, where they hit the deck with a thud.

  Phoenix walked forward slowly as he approached the man who had been punching him. Phoenix stretched his arms out, continuing his approach.

  "Well?" he asked his attacker.

  The man turned and ran right into the barn door that was Plowstow. Bouncing off, he fell on his ass. He jumped to his feet and took another swing at Phoenix. Phoenix swatted the blow away and returned with a headbutt that knocked his opponent unconscious.

  "Dickhead," Phoenix spat as he stepped over the prone body.

  Phoenix looked around the bridge that they were on, taking it in properly for the first time. It formed a semicircle, with silver consoles and screens lining the walls. Orb lights flickered on and off as he made his way forward.

  Saoirse and Plowstow flanked him as they picked their way through the unconscious bodies that littered the floor. No enemy was left standing. The only sound that could be heard was the faint hum
from the ship. It sounded like an old man taking his last wheezing breaths on his deathbed.

  "Phoenix," said Saoirse.

  "I know. What does it look like?"

  "It should be a big red button that acts like a kill switch to all the systems controls."

  "Like that one?" Phoenix said, pointing to a red button in front of a small blue alien.

  The alien in question jumped when he realised the trio's attention had turned to him. He took a few hesitant steps back until his back bumped against the console behind him. He looked to his left, all the way down to the end of the bridge, where a chair sat in the shadows.

  He looked back and gasped in horror; Phoenix had two pistols pointed his way. He dived out of the way as the pistol blasted the console behind him to bits. Molten metal and plastic mixed as one and dripped to the floor. The toxic fumes it gave off burnt the throat.

  "What the fuck?" Plowstow yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

  "What?" Phoenix asked, confusion crossing his face.

  "You bumbling fool! You could have destroyed us all," said the blue alien, "do you even know what you're doing?"

  "I'll be honest, most of the time, I kinda don't. I just look good, smell good, and the rest takes care of itself."

  Saoirse said, "Phoenix, even I must admit that was reckless. You could have set off any number of explosions or made the matter worse. You can't always--"

  "Did it get the job done?" Phoenix asked, cutting her off.

  Saoirse glared his way, her lips pressed together.

  "Dre!" cried the blue alien. "He has knocked out the cannon and the space bots. I can't get a signal back up without repairing the damage done."

  Phoenix pointed to the alien and gave Saoirse a smirk. She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

  "Dre!" the blue fuzzball said to the shadows. "What should we do?"

  The shadows appeared to lengthen as Phoenix stared towards the captain's chair. He could make out the shape of a sitting man, but the face was shrouded in darkness. Only a red light shone from the darkness.

  "We shall do what we were meant to when we were reborn from the pits of Dredar. We shall cast punishment on the unjust and deserving," said a voice from the shadows.

  "Dre?"

  "Phoenix Jones. How that name has rung out among the stars, causing pain to the tongues of those it lands on."

  "This is over," Phoenix said, walking towards the shadows. "Your men are dead. Your fleet is destroyed, and we have captured your main ship. Give up now. Enough blood has been shed."

  Laughter crept from the shadows as Phoenix continued to walk forward.

  "Over? It has only begun."

  57

  Movement halted Phoenix's motion, as he waited for what was to come. The sound of laughter echoed from the shadows, and footsteps made their way towards him.

  Dre emerged from the darkness, his purple leather jacket flapping behind him with each footstep, his slick purple hair glistening in the light. His red glowing eye searched Phoenix's face.

  "Like I said, this is over," Phoenix said, spreading his arms wide. "Who else is there to fight for, or with you?"

  Dre tapped his breast pocket and smiled. "The only people I need with me are right here. They are with me every passing second. Like they were in Dredar."

  Phoenix scratched his chin and lifted his head towards the ceiling. Shaking it, he let out a small sigh.

  "It's like looking in a mirror isn't, it?"

  "How so?" Phoenix replied.

  "If the events were reversed, you would be standing in my position and I would be standing in yours. I know you, Phoenix Jones. I have studied you. I know your temper, what you did to escape, what you did to prevent the loss of your loved ones."

  Phoenix said nothing but looked into the depths of a soul that had long been crushed.

  "It's funny. My acts," Dre said, walking forward as he placed a hand on his chest, "are seen as evil. Yours are seen as heroic. We have both murdered our way to freedom. We both used the resources available to us to get what we need. We both tried to protect and save the people we love. While you were successful... I was...less so."

  Phoenix didn't lower his gaze from the twisted face full of agony that made its way towards him. "I... If you want me to apologise for leaving you in that hellhole, I won't, because I'm not sorry. If I had to do it all over again, I would. Without a second thought."

  Dre tilted his head to the side as a smile crept across his lips. He clapped his hands together and then pointed a shaky finger at Phoenix. "Ha! I appreciate your honesty. In this universe, full of lairs and cheats, I appreciate your honesty."

  "What I will apologise for, although it was no fault of mine, is the loss of your family. Sometimes--"

  "Keep their names off your lips," Dre hissed through gritted teeth.

  "Sometimes--"

  "Sometimes what? Sometimes these things happen? Sometimes that's just life? Sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways?"

  "Sometimes," Phoenix said slowly, "fucked-up shit just happens."

  Dre stared at Phoenix open-mouthed, his brow knotting together. Then he threw his head back and bellowed in laughter. He held his sides and wiped a tear from his normal eye, shaking his head.

  "No truer word has ever been spoken," Dre said, standing in front of Phoenix. "Now, shall we commence?"

  "You're not listening. I already told you--"

  The headbutt caught Phoenix by surprise and he staggered backwards. The two punches that followed he should have easily avoided, but his blurry eyes only saw a double image of the fist before he felt the blows to his face.

  Phoenix took a step back as a bitter iron taste flooded his mouth. He spat out the blood and shook his head clear.

  "Dre, this will not bring them back. This will not ease the pain."

  "Ease the pain! What would you know of such things? What pain has the great Phoenix Jones experienced that can compare to mine?"

  "We all experience pain, man. You aren't the first person to experience the loss of their family, and you won't be the last. How do you think the families of the people you have murdered in cold blood feel?"

  Dre threw a sloppy high kick that Phoenix blocked easily.

  "I don't know. You tell me," Dre said. He kept attacking with punches and kicks that didn't have the desired effect. With Phoenix's enhanced strength from the nanobots, it took a lot more damage to inflict pain than it used to.

  Dre sucked oxygen through his mouth as he threw another one-two.

  Phoenix stood still and took them on the chin. "We can do this all day, but this won't get you anywhere."

  "This is pointless," Saoirse said from behind him. "Capture or--"

  "I want both of you to wait for me in the cargo bay. There is nothing more that either of you can do here."

  "But--"

  "Trust me," Phoenix said over his shoulder.

  Saoirse and Plowstow each gave him a nod and made their way off the bridge. Phoenix turned back to Dre as a peaceful silence fell over the bridge.

  "Do you believe hurting or killing me will bring them back?"

  Dre walked towards Phoenix and delivered a leaping left hook that staggered Phoenix backwards. Phoenix brought his hand to his mouth and wiped a small trickle of blood from the corner.

  "Do you believe that destroying your home planet will bring them back?"

  "Phoenix Jones, Phoenix Jones! The man who left so much behind to escape to the stars. Phoenix Jones, Phoenix Jones! The man who will lose all he has tried so hard to protect," Dre sang as he swung his fist once more Phoenix's way. Phoenix caught the arm but Dre pulled it loose and encircled Phoenix with both arms, hugging him close.

  "The main goal was never the destruction of my planet," Dre said, looking Phoenix in the eye. "It was you."

  "But why?"

  "I was two days too late in getting to my home. Two days earlier, and I would have saved my family. Two days earlier, and none of these events would have ha
ppened. I was two days too late, because you refused to help me. It is because of your actions that we are here."

  Phoenix felt Dre's grip tighten around him, as Dre pulled him in closer.

  "I was just a decoy. Something to keep you busy, while the master plan was set in motion. You shall soon know the pain that I feel. Lord Portendorfer says hello," Dre whispered in his ear.

  Phoenix tried to pull back, but he didn't get very far as Dre's grip was iron tight. Phoenix looked upon Dre's face and saw the all too familiar red lines criss-crossing his face.

  Dre's head tilted back as laughter escaped his lips. His body began to shake as Phoenix tried with all his might to shake himself free. White light began to appear under cracks of Dre's skin as he continued to laugh.

  Phoenix pulled his body free but the sound of laughter still filled his ears.

  He turned to run but he knew it was too late. He was too close. There was nothing he could do as the blast from Dre's body punched him in the back, turning everything white.

  58

  Phoenix woke to the smell of burnt flesh.

  It tickled the back of his throat, causing him to gag. He lifted his right hand and slowly brought it to his face and did the same with the left. He let out a small sigh; both were uninjured. Sitting up, he passed his eyes over his body, looking for any injuries. He found none.

  Phoenix got to his feet and felt a burning sensation along his back. He brought his hand to it, and winced as pain shot through his veins. His fingers came away wet, a mixture of blood and cloth.

  Well, not so uninjured after all.

  There was nothing left of Dre; his remains were splattered along the bridge covering the walls and ceiling. Phoenix walked to the spot where Dre last stood and knelt down on one knee.

  He closed his eyes as tears prickled their corners. He understood the man's pain all too well. Here was a man that, if the roles were reversed, then... The guilt Phoenix felt weighed heavily in the pit of his stomach.