Revenge: (Space Outlaw 3)

by Dominique Mondesir

  Other stalls sold nothing but food and livestock, of the variety that made Phoenix's stomach queasy. Six-eyed pink-skinned animals with forked tongues stared unblinkingly in his direction. Insects that reminded him of dragonflies banged against the jars that they were kept in.

  The noise from the place was deafening. And among it all, figures lurked in the shadows, scowling at anyone that looked their way. Tattoos covered necks and knuckles. Weapons hung from belts like charms on a bracelet. Scars ran along more than one face, and earrings that Phoenix himself was envious of dangled proudly.

  Phoenix tried to stop himself, but couldn't help the laughter that escaped his lips.

  "What's so funny?" said Plowstow.

  "This!"

  "What about it?"

  "It's just so...cliché. The scowling tough guys, the death glares, the tattoos. I guess the earrings look okay, but who are these wannabe losers?" asked Phoenix.

  "Who are they? Who are they, he asks. That over there is one of the baddest pirates around, Mr Smiles. And that woman over there," Plowstow said with a sideways gesture of his head, "is Madam Cuts. What are you doing? Don't stare at her!"

  "One cornball name after the next," said Phoenix.

  "Do you know how many people those two have killed? Do you know the bounty on their heads? This shit be for real. Haven't you pissed off enough people for the month?"

  "What can I say, I'm a people person."

  Saoirse stopped in her tracks, her lips pressed in a fine line. "It would be in our best interest to get this over and done with. If you have not forgotten we are wanted criminals? Bounty hunters stalk these halls."

  "How does it feel to be on the other side?" Phoenix said with a smile.

  Saoirse's nostrils flared, and her mouth worked back and forth.

  "I mean, with what you did in your past profession and all...you know..."

  Saoirse took a step towards Phoenix, her eyes cat-like, her gaze never leaving his.

  "Bounty hunters ain't allowed to attack us here anyway, it's against the code. A code amongst thieves," said Plowstow.

  "There's a code?" Phoenix asked with a raised eyebrow.

  "More like guidelines," Saoirse spat.

  "Saoirse, relax. I'm just trying to lighten the mood. It's called banter," Phoenix said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

  "Banter?"

  "It's what friends do amongst themselves. They make fun of each other, tell rude jokes about the other person, tease each other. Thinking about it now, it's not a very nice thing to do. But it's what friends do, back on Earth," Phoenix said.

  "Oh, it would be akin to my saying that your mother has bedded many men in one night amongst disease-ridden sheets?"

  "Erm...kind of...but it needs work. Why don't you lead the way, so we're not late for our meeting," said Phoenix.

  25

  The market stalls thinned out and give way to shops and little cafes that reminded Phoenix of bistros in Paris. Groups huddled together, speaking in hurried whispers, checking over their shoulders every so often. Armed guards stood around the speakers and did their best to scare away anyone who got too close.

  Phoenix noticed that the shops around this part of town sold a lot more heavy weaponry. Ship missiles, lasers, cluster bombs; anything and everything a ship would need to go to war.

  "Maybe I should take L back a gift," said Phoenix.

  "We don't have time. We're here," Saoirse said, nodding at a little restaurant. They entered.

  Like all the others before it, the place had small round tables with chairs positioned around them. Plants and flowers were slotted between each table.

  "What's with all the plants?" said Phoenix.

  "It's to give the people inside the restaurant some privacy. If you notice, you can't see the front of the restaurant, yes?" asked Saoirse.

  Phoenix stood still and looked around him. He felt like he was in a small forest. He couldn't see ahead of him clearly, and the way they had just come in was now blocked by greenery.

  "I truly can't see the forest for the trees."

  "It's not state of the art, by any means, but it does the job."

  The restaurant was deserted. White walls were hung with pictures of different aliens. A counter with a bar stood at one end of the room, leading to the kitchens at the back.

  "Where is everyone?" asked Phoenix.

  Silence answered his question, and he, Saoirse and Plowstow took in the scene before them. All the tables and chairs had been cleared away, leaving only one to take centre stage in the middle of the restaurant. The three of them fanned out, hands resting on pistol handles.

  "Easy, easy. This isn't some two-bit drug deal, you know. This is a civilised meeting between two groups of respectable individuals," said a voice from the kitchen. A man of considerable bulk emerged into the restaurant. His skin was white, nose flat, ears pointy, and his white hair curled into little ringlets. He reminded Phoenix of Florin, but that was where the similarities ended. He wore a full-length purple fur coat, the breast pocket studded with gemstones. He wore a ring on every finger, and a few had more than one.

  "Now, shall we do this with some decorum?" he asked.

  "Julius, I apologise... We were taken aback by the setting," said Saoirse.

  "Oh, this," Julius said, indicating the room with a wave of his hand. "I wanted our little meeting to go unheard--unnoticed. So I offered the owner a price he couldn't refuse!" Laughter rolled from his throat like a foghorn calling ships out at sea.

  "I'm...glad that you took my meeting this seriously," said Saoirse.

  "Oh, I did, dear. You must believe me, from the bottom of my heart. Really, you must. Shall we sit?"

  Phoenix, Saoirse and Julius all sat, while Plowstow chose to remain standing.

  "You do not have to stand, my dear man," said Julius.

  Plowstow shook his head and remained where he was, his eyes darting to and fro around the room.

  "Very well, suit yourself. How have you been, my dear, through these troubling times?"

  "Good. How can I really complain when your family is going through so much pain?"

  "Yes, yes you are correct. Times are...tough," said Julius with a sigh. "But we must not lose all hope. We must keep up the good fight, what, what? Because through the darkest hour, our resolve is tested the most. That is what the old man would have said, or something of that nature. All I can really say is that things are coming to a head at the Council."

  "In what way?" Saoirse asked.

  "As you well know, the old man was pushing for laws to strip some of the power away from the families and give it to the people. This, I'm afraid, didn't go down too well with the six families. But the masses loved it. Wanted it. And what the masses want, they will get," Julius said with a laugh.

  "Not always," said Saoirse.

  "No, but when the masses gather in force--when they stop serving the meals, cleaning the streets, fixing things as simple as the floating light orbs in the street--then chaos quickly descends. That is what power is always about--distracting the many long enough so the few can take everything.

  "The old man could see the writing on the wall. Ha! He knew it was coming sooner than those fools at the top, but alas, his star was cut short. Now there is a vacuum where there used to be his space."

  "But surely Florin's position is secure?"

  Julius played with the rings on his fingers, head bowed down. Bringing his index finger to his lips, he kissed a silver ring set with a red stone. "It's not Florin's place that is in jeopardy, my dear. It's the whole family's. The younger families sense weakness, they sense an opportunity. They are knocking on the doors, wanting to be let in, and with our family's name not the most welcomed thing on most lips at the Council table...I believe it's only a matter of time before families join together and knock us off the Council table altogether."

  "Julius! You mustn't let that happen. All that we have accomplished, all that we must accomplish, for Lord Fren. For Florin. Our work is not
yet done," Saoirse said, grabbing Julius by the hand.

  "If your captain here weren't so heavy-handed, maybe things wouldn't have occurred so soon."

  Phoenix let out a snort and shook his head. "Listen, Caesar, or Brutus, or whatever your name is. I don't really give a fuck about your petty family squabbles--"

  Julius gasped, placing a hand over his chest. "Well, I never!"

  "All I care about is one man. One snivelling man-child, who will pay for what he has done to me, my family and my friends. Ever since I had the misfortune of coming across Holger Portendorfer, he has been nothing but a thorn in my side. Nothing but a constant irritation. And I do not like irritations," said Phoenix.

  "Be that as it may, my good fellow, I find it hard to believe that your hand didn't force his to act."

  "If Holger was behind this, then he was planning it long before I came along. I will not take or share blame for another man's actions. Especially when it concerns something as important as death."

  Julius leaned back in his chair and twisted one of his rings back and forth. He looked up at the ceiling and offered Saoirse a sly smile. "I see what you mean. Stubborn fool, isn't he?" Julius said with a laugh.

  "You have no idea," said Saoirse.

  "Well, be that as it may, Florin still wants to see you, my dear. He would be most interested in meeting you, Phoenix. You will find everything you need on this," Julius said, handing over a small chip.

  "Julius... Florin doesn't think we had anything to do with...?"

  "Oh, no, my dear, he knows you too well for that. Rest assured, you are safe," said Julius.

  Saoirse rose from her chair and gave him a slight nod.

  "Tell me, with the current attacks on your family, I would expect more...security around you," said Phoenix.

  "Why? I have nothing to fear from friends," Julius smiled.

  "Julius, until next time," Saoirse said with another nod.

  As they made their way back out the way they had come in, Phoenix stopped in his tracks. His back went rigid, head looking straight forward, teeth trying to grind themselves into dust.

  "Hey, what's the hold-up?" Plowstow asked, bumping into Phoenix.

  Phoenix still didn't say anything. He wasn't lost for words, he just couldn't believe who was standing in front of him. He had guessed when they never found a body that he would be alive somewhere. That he had crawled in some hole. But Phoenix would have never guessed that he would have the courage to try and go toe to toe with Phoenix again.

  "Mr Jones, how good it is to see you," said Rustem.

  26

  Rustem!

  As if this week wasn't already going down the shitter. Now he would have to deal with this fool.

  As Rustem stood squarely in front of Phoenix with his hands on his hips, Phoenix noticed that there were some noticeable differences. Gone where the plaits with the bells; instead, Rustem's head was clean-shaven. A jagged pink scar worked its way across from the left side of his forehead and down to the top of his right cheek. It appeared as though a crack of light were opening amidst the blackness of Rustem's features.

  "Rustem, old buddy! Is that you? I hardly recognised you. That's a new coat you're wearing, isn't it?" said Phoenix.

  Rustem crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head with a smile.

  "I must say, I liked the red coat a lot better. It had a certain sense of badassery about it. This black one you've replaced it with... Well, it makes you look like a flasher. You lot get flashers around these parts?" Phoenix said, elbowing Plowstow.

  Plowstow's mouth opened to respond, but nothing came out. Giving up on words, he shrugged in Phoenix's direction.

  "You know--flashers. People who wear long black coats, like the one being modelled so beautifully by Rustem. They wear those types of coats but nothing else underneath, and they flash innocent passers. I don't know if it's caught on here, but it's a thing back on Earth. Anyway, like I was saying, I think you should have stuck with the red."

  "Phoenix Jones, always running your mouth. I see nothing has changed," said Rustem.

  "You can't change perfection, Rustem. Or should I say Bell Man? But...oh, wait," Phoenix said, pointing to Rustem's head, his brow knotted in mock confusion. "Where's...the...hair gone?"

  Rustem exhaled heavily before passing a hand over his shaved head. "Things have changed since our last encounter," he said, tapping the top of his head. A metallic sound rang out with each tap.

  "Oh, that wasn't...me, was it?"

  "I guess you're wondering why I'm--"

  "Couldn't give a fuuuck," said Phoenix.

  "I have come to pay off old debts."

  "By yourself? Didn't you remember that ass whipping I gave you last time?"

  "Who said I was by myself?" Rustem said, snapping his fingers.

  The crowd that were milling around the group all stopped as one--old people that were walking past; couples sat at restaurant tables; people having conversations on holocoms.

  They all stopped and turned Phoenix's way as one force.

  "I'll ask you again. What makes you think I'm alone?"

  Phoenix didn't answer but drew both his pistols and fired in Rustem's direction. He took off at a run with Saoirse and Plowstow close behind him. He heard the crowd move as a unit behind them.

  "What does he want?" Plowstow shouted.

  "Payback! What else? Just run for the docking station. Saoirse--"

  "I've already sent a message to the ship," Saoirse said.

  "Then let's get to--" An elderly blue alien, who had been sitting down eating, jumped up trying to tackle Phoenix, but he was met with a downward chop to the back of the neck.

  Two more from their left tried their luck with Saoirse, thinking she was an easier target, but broken bones proved that looks could be deceiving.

  As the trio made their way into the marketplace, Plowstow grabbed one of Rustem's men behind the neck and ran him headlong into a stall. As the stall crashed into another, they all began to fall like dominos. Shouts of anger filled the air, and customers tried to grab what they could, while market traders beat them back.

  Phoenix leapfrogged scattered clothing and bent down to grab a handful of jewels that had spilled onto the floor. Tossing them into the air, he yelled, "Free jewels," before fighting his way out of the crowd.

  Fists flew, and it wasn't long before weapons were drawn. The booming bass of bolt rifles played as a backing soundtrack to the screams that followed. Alarms echoed along the walls, as red flashing lights glowed overhead.

  "We need to get to the ship. It won't be long before--"

  An all too familiar whine filled the air. It set Phoenix's teeth on edge. He knew the sources of that sound all too well; they had nearly claimed his life more than once.

  Weapons bots.

  A cluster swooped down from above, firing upon the crowd gathered before them. They hit innocent and guilty alike, as they were trapped between the stalls and the walls. People had nowhere to go as they were gunned down. Phoenix saw children duck and cower, looking for shelter.

  "Why are they firing on everyone?" asked Phoenix.

  "This is how outlaws handle things that get out of hand!" said Saoirse.

  "But some of these people are innocent!"

  "This is the law of the universe."

  "There are children here! Fuck this!" said Phoenix, opening fire on as many bots as he could.

  Blowing up the first two that came his way, he ducked out of the way as another sped past him. Spinning around, he fired upon it, destroying it before it had a chance to turn back around. There were too many to deal with by himself, too many that warranted his attention.

  "Phoenix, you can't save them all!" Saoirse said, tugging as his arm.

  "We caused this," Phoenix said, meeting Saoirse's gaze.

  She gave him a nod, and she unbuckled a blue-spotted ball attached to a chain from her belt and began to spin it overhead. It crackled and popped with electricity as she spun it faster. The curr
ent jumped and leapt onto any bots that came her way, short-circuiting them. They dropped from the sky in a trail of smoke, crashing to the ground, lifeless.

  It appeared the bots shared a collective mind, as all turned and focused their attentions on Phoenix and Saoirse.

  "Err...I think that should about do it," said Phoenix.

  Back on the move, they dodged and ducked as fire from incoming bots peppered the floor behind them.

  "Where's Plowstow?" asked Phoenix.

  Saoirse pointed ahead to the sight of Plowstow, bent over, stuffing his pockets with whatever merchandise he could get in them. He had already run out of space in his trousers; they bulged at the crotch to the point of breaking.

  "Come on!" Phoenix said, pulling him along by the arm as they passed him.

  The entrance to the docking station was up ahead. Bolts and plasma fire exploded stalls and shop windows, covering Phoenix and the others with glass.

  Phoenix did a three-sixty spin, taking out two more bots as he did so, before making a run for the docking station. Plowstow had already made it to the entrance and had pressed a button that began to lower the metal shutter.

  Like hell I'm getting stuck with these metal bastards!

  Phoenix ran flat out, grabbing Saoirse by the waist, and dived under the shutters just as they slammed shut.

  27

  Phoenix got slowly to his feet and placed his hands behind his back. He let out a small moan as he popped what he could back into place. "I thought I was meant to be superhuman," he said with a shake of the head.

  "Shit, that was close," said Plowstow.

  "It's not over yet," Saoirse said, pointing to the metal shutter behind them.

  Gun blasts could be heard as the weapons bots tried to find a way to gain entry. Spots on the shutter glowed red, heated by continuous fire. The frame of the shutter shook as metal bots smashed into it. Dust rained down as the bolts rattled in hinge slots.

  "I don't know how long that will hold, but let's not be around to find out, eh?" said Phoenix, moving away from the shutters. "By the way, Plowstow, I'm glad you chose to stuff your pockets before helping us out."