Breakout: (Space Outlaw 1)

by Dominique Mondesir

  She remembered them well and if she ever forgot, she had the scars to remind her.

  "It seems that I am not the only one trying to forget their past. How interesting. I wonder what your newfound friends would think if they knew who you really are. You think you can hide? I think not."

  Saoirse feinted low with her knife, then came back up with an elbow to the Warden's face. His head snapped back, with a trickle of blood making its way down his lip.

  "I would focus more on the fight before you than anything else...Warden."

  The Warden rubbed the blood away with the back of his hands before giving Saoirse a smile. Crouching low, he feinted high before coming in low. Not taking the bait, Saoirse moved out of the way.

  "This person I stole from you was dear, no?"

  Eyes hard as steel, Saoirse didn't say anything. She had a debt to pay and a dishonour to right.

  "A friend?"

  Only the leaves from the overhead trees responded.

  "A family member? A lover?"

  Saoirse tried to hide her emotions, but her face twitched despite her best efforts.

  "Ahh! Now the puzzle becomes clearer," the Warden said.

  Saoirse kicked the Warden in the leg, making it buckle under him. Crying out in pain, he landed heavily on his knee. Following up with a kick, Saoirse once more knocked him on his ass.

  "I assure you, this will not help. It will not bring him back. He is gone. Dust, lost forever."

  "Stand up!"

  The Warden once more got up to his feet. "If he died because of my goods, then was he really worth loving?"

  Saoirse's kick landed on the same leg as earlier. The Warden stumbled but didn't fall. Saoirse threw a punch that connected with his nose, shattering the bone on impact.

  "Is it that easy for you? Is it that easy to replace someone that you loved? Someone you cared for? Is it?"

  The Warden bent low and grabbed a handful of dirt, throwing it in Saoirse's face. He used it as a distraction as he dove towards her with his blade. Aiming for her heart, he smiled as he saw her eyes were closed.

  He couldn't miss. He was too close, too steady-handed, too--

  Saoirse's hand came down like a clamp on the Warden's wrist. The Warden looked down and saw the blade was millimetres from entering over her heart. Her grip only got tighter until bones began to break and crack. Crying out in pain, the Warden tried to release himself.

  His free hand struck her again and again, flailing like a fish trapped on the beach. It brought no release from the pain.

  "Your lover took my goods willingly. Your anger should be aimed at him, not me," the Warden said, just above a whisper.

  Saoirse opened her eyes and stared into the Warden's soul. "He didn't take them by choice."

  "Oh...Drypaw."

  Recognition shining behind his eyes, the Warden's face grew pale. As Saoirse's blade slid into his heart, it blew that flame out.

  "Now the debt has been repaid."

  Phoenix kept low and silent while he watched the events play out before his eyes. He had backtracked the way he came, hoping to stumble upon the crash. He wasn't worried about getting lost; the crash area was big enough that he would find it sooner or later. Hearing Saoirse's voice shouting had brought a halt to his journey.

  Her anger-filled voice led Phoenix towards her.

  Phoenix had stumbled upon the scene in front of him in shock. He first thought Saoirse would need help, but when he recalled the ass-kicking she'd given him, he highly doubted it.

  Holding himself back, he saw her throw a weapon at the Warden's feet.

  From there, things got interesting. He could only make out a sentence here, a word there. It wasn't enough to tell him the whole story, but he had guessed back in the prison that there was some history between the two.

  Phoenix kept out of sight and watched the end come for the Warden. It was swift and clean. Almost too painless for the horrors and crimes he had committed. But thinking you were the judge for any man's fate was a slippery slope.

  Phoenix didn't move as Saoirse stood over the Warden's corpse. She stared lost in her own world. Making his way towards her, Phoenix stopped in his tracks.

  What would he say? What could he say to calm the raging emotions she must be feeling?

  Turning away, Phoenix left Saoirse to her thoughts. He thought he would get answers to some questions that had been playing on his mind. But all he got was more questions.

  One word did stand out among the few he had caught: Princess.

  56

  Phoenix approached the wreckage of their ship to find Freyan and L waiting for him. Walking up towards them, he gave a slight nod of his head.

  "I'm glad to see you're awake after all the fighting was done. Very brave of you," said Phoenix with a smirk.

  "Well, you do know I am a healer," said Freyan. "Fighting is just so messy, so uncalled for. It is only the most uneducated that resort to such low methods of resolving anything."

  "It's good to have you back," said Phoenix, patting Freyan on the shoulder.

  Seemingly at a loss for what to say, the Bloodless seemed embarrassed.

  "How you holding up? Any injuries?" Phoenix asked L.

  "Nah, you know me, I'm all good. Stuff got a bit bumpy there for a moment, but I was pretty sure everything would turn out okay. How could it not?"

  "I'm glad you were so confident--at least that makes one of us."

  "I try my best," said L, doing a dance on the spot.

  Movement off to their left brought Plowstow bursting through the undergrowth. Green blood leaked from numerous cuts along his body, and he limped towards them with a scowl on his face that could be seen a mile away.

  "No, no. Please. Don't rush over all at once to see if I'm okay. Better yet, why don't y'all stand around yapping instead of doing what you should have done in the first place? And that's send out a search party to come and look for me. Two guards I had to deal with--two guards," said Plowstow, waving two fingers in the air. "With high-powered plasma rifles. Lucky I came out alive, but it--"

  "We're happy you're alive, Plowstow," said Phoenix with an eye-roll.

  Freyan let out a snort and turned his back on Plowstow, walking the other way.

  "Well...most of us are, anyway," said Phoenix.

  Phoenix looked towards Freyan's retreating back and fully understood. The pain and suffering he had gone through was hard to imagine. The rift between Freyan and Plowstow might never heal. But if it did, the only thing that could make it work would be time.

  Plowstow began to walk after Freyan, but Phoenix caught his arm. Looking up at the Orcian, he gave him a simple shake of the head.

  "Midnight!"

  Phoenix turned around to see L rushing towards Saoirse. Leaping into her arms, the little engineer hugged her for all she was worth. Walking towards them with L still dangling from her neck, Saoirse gave Plowstow and Phoenix a nod.

  "I'm glad to see you're alive and well," said Phoenix.

  "Same goes for you."

  "Any trouble?"

  "None."

  Phoenix nodded his head before looking at the wreckage around him. "We can't leave any of this stuff lying around. It will only raise more questions than it answers."

  "What do you suggest we do?" asked Saoirse.

  "Destroy our ship. But first, we have to load the drugs from their ship into it. Destroy the whole thing. Nothing can remain that might be recovered," said Phoenix.

  "Not the drugs!" said Plowstow. "Do you know how much we can sell that stuff for? I mean, I like doing the right thing and all, but I like getting paid more. Just think about--"

  He stopped mid-sentence as glares from both Phoenix and Saoirse told of uncomfortable things to happen if he continued on.

  "Fine," said Plowstow, crossing his arms.

  "Is that the last of it?" asked Phoenix.

  "Seems to be," L shouted from the cargo hold of the Warden's ship.

  "Okay, I guess we can take off. Let's get this o
ver with."

  Making his way towards the bridge, Phoenix saw Saoirse playing with the main controls of the ship. Although newer, it wasn't that much larger than their old ship.

  L had given it a once-over and wasn't very impressed. Pretender, she called it. It had all the outer casings of a fighter-class vehicle, but underneath it was nothing more than a cargo runner. She said that many ships were built like that to save on costs. You had all the shiny bells and whistles on the outside, but nothing much to power it with.

  The name of the game was always intimidation and fear. If you looked bigger and scarier than your opponent, odds were he wouldn't want to fight you. Seemed the same rules not only applied on Earth, but everywhere else, too.

  "Are we all ready?" asked Phoenix.

  "Just double-checking everything is in order," replied Saoirse.

  "I can't believe we're destroying all that loot. We could all go our separate ways richer than you could possibly imagine. I mean, the things I could do if I had that kind of credit. It's not like--"

  "There will always be more loot, Plowstow. Let it be," said Phoenix, patting him on the shoulder.

  As the ship rose off the ground, they hovered above the canopy. Phoenix looked down at the mess below and breathed a sigh of relief.

  They had made it. Well, just. Twisted metal mocked him from below like a bad university student's attempt at abstract art.

  He grabbed the back of Saoirse's and Plowstow's chairs and stared down at a fate worse than death that he had just narrowly escaped.

  "Fire!"

  Without her shields up, laser cannons punched into their escape ship's hull, warping and melting the metal even more. Firing the laser cannons constantly into the wreckage turned it into nothing more than a boiling pool of hot metal.

  "Well, that should about do it," said Phoenix.

  Tapping both of them on their shoulders, Phoenix could feel the tension release from Plowstow and Saoirse.

  "Follow the directions I gave you. I have something important I need Freyan to do for me," said Phoenix, walking back the way he came.

  57

  Phoenix walked with his head bowed along the hospital corridors, hooded black top masking most of his features. Freyan followed him closely behind, cloaked and also hooded. He had told Phoenix the disguise was unnecessary; all he needed was a little time and he could configure his systems to give him any appearance he wanted.

  The idea did sound appealing to Phoenix, but he didn't want to waste any more time than he already had. Time was of the essence. He wanted to claw back every second that he'd lost.

  "I think it's down here," whispered Phoenix.

  They came to a halt outside a door Phoenix had seen one too many times. He stopped with his hand on the doorknob. How he hated this fucking door and everything it stood for. It brought nothing but bad memories. Memories of tears and loss. Placing his other hand on the door, he wanted to open it but something kept him from doing so.

  Phoenix felt a hand on his shoulder giving him a slight squeeze. "I know, I know."

  Phoenix took a deep breath and opened the door of his nightmares, the door that never allowed him a moment's rest. Laid up in bed were his brother and sister. The twins.

  Phoenix walked slowly towards them, afraid that every step he took might wake them. He had faced so many horrors, but they all paled in comparison to this. What he wouldn't trade to face Shanks one more time instead of being here.

  They were both hooked up to more wires than he could count. His breath caught in his lungs, threatening to choke him on the spot. Olivia had a big mop of brown, curly hair, while Oliver liked to keep his hair short to the scalp. Even in sleep, Olivia had a determined expression on her face. Always serious, always focused. Oliver had his usual playful smile that would light up any room. He saw the joke in everything, saw good in everyone. He was good to the very core.

  Phoenix looked behind him to see Freyan still standing near the open door. Waving him in, Phoenix motioned for him to shut the door behind him.

  "Are you sure you can cure this?"

  "Cure this?" asked Freyan with a snort. "My good fellow, this is beyond basic for my capabilities. If it weren't you asking, I would be offended by the very question. Cure this? Ah," said Freyan.

  "Shh." Bringing his finger to his lips, Phoenix turned around and saw the twins begin to move. He moved closer to their bedside and grabbed both of their little hands as they stared up at him in shock.

  "What are you doing here?" demanded Olivia.

  "He said he would see us soon. Don't you remember?" Oliver smiled.

  "Well, that was ages ago. No one has heard from or seen you. Auntie did her best to hide it from us, but to be fair, she isn't that smart."

  "Watch your mouth, young lady. She is still your auntie. Give her the respect she deserves."

  "Sorry," mumbled Olivia.

  "Where have you been, anyway? The police came round and spoke to us and asked us questions. Said you where involved in something naughty," Oliver said.

  "It's a really long story and I'll tell you--"

  "Later? Oh no you won't. Please, please tell us."

  "But first, I've brought someone to make you better. Once he does his thing, we'll talk, I promise." Turning to Freyan, Phoenix waved him over.

  Freyan lowered his hood to the gasps of the twins. They both stared wide-eyed at the Bloodless.

  "It's a artificial being," they whispered as one.

  Face in shock, Freyan turned towards Phoenix. "I like them already."

  Phoenix escorted the twins through the hospital. Holding them both by their hands, he led them back to their room.

  “Stop playing with your disguises,” said Phoenix.

  “But it itches,” they both complained.

  The cure Freyan had administered worked in a few days. Phoenix had taken a camera from the ship and planted it in their room, so he could monitor their progress. Freyan had dismissed the idea as silly, but having the camera in the room wasn't only to see if the cure worked, it was just to simply watch them. Be close to them.

  He had asked the crew to allow him to spend some time in the orbit of Earth while he decided what he wanted to do. It was simple, really. He had seen too much, done too much. Plus, it seemed Holger had given the police false information on him. So now he was a wanted man.

  He had snuck into his home in the dead of night like a thief and taken everything that might be useful. It wasn't much--clothes, food he would miss like chocolate, pictures of his family, and that was about it. Everything else had been looted or taken as evidence by the police. Crossing his fingers, he searched where he'd hidden the cash and found it. Bringing it to his lips, he kissed it, letting out a sigh of relief.

  He looked over to Olivia; she hugged a bag that was bulging with cash. He had told her what to do with it and when to use it. He trusted her with it a lot more than he trusted himself.

  "Fewer people will come looking for me. Do as you've done before--say you never saw me and don't know where I went," whispered Phoenix whispered.

  "How can we tell them where you are? You won't even be on Earth anymore."

  "That spaceship was amazing," said Oliver.

  "You both liked it?"

  Their little heads nodded as one.

  "It's the least I could do. I can't very well tell my favourite brother and sister that I've been having space adventures without showing them the spaceship, can I now?"

  "Your only brother and sister," said Olivia, pointing a stern finger in his direction.

  Phoenix let out a small laugh, shaking his head. He was worried about leaving them alone, but he was sure that Olivia would take care of everything. She always did.

  "Did I ever tell either of you how much I love you?"

  "Well, you have, but it would be nice to hear it again," teased Oliver.

  "Don't get all soppy on us," said Olivia with an eye-roll.

  Finally, in their room, Phoenix bent down and gave each of them a tight
hug.

  "Mum and Dad would be proud of you two. You've overcome so much and are so smart; you'd be their pride and joy. No matter how tough it gets in the weeks to come, remember you always have each other. No matter how many fights you have or who did what to who, remember you always have each other."

  Kissing each of them on the forehead, he stepped back.

  "Dad would be proud of you, too," whispered Olivia.

  "Now, a lot of people will be asking a lot of questions about how you recovered so quickly. So don't be alarmed."

  "Oh, that," said Olivia with a wave of her hand.

  "We'll just tell them a robot from space fixed us." Oliver laughed.

  Smiling, Phoenix kissed them again. "Perfect," he said, before stepping back.

  Turning to leave, he stopped in his tracks and turned back around.

  "Oh, by the way. I saw you two talking an awful lot to Freyan. What was that about?"

  Snapping her fingers, Olivia shook her head. "Argh, thought you wouldn't notice. He spoke to us about our future and what we should do with it."

  "Really?"

  "Yes. He gave us some tips and advice. It was really cool," said Oliver, waving his arms in the air.

  "Like...what...kind...of advice?"

  "Oh, you know. How to cure cancer and a few other diseases. The blueprint for a Flaring engine that allows space travel," said Olivia, waving her hands dismissively.

  "Not much," Oliver giggled.

  "Well, you just..." Letting out a sigh, Phoenix run his hand over his head. "Just be careful. And remember to patent everything in your names."

  Walking over to them, Phoenix kissed both on the forehead once more before leaving.

  "I will see you soon. You both have those mobile-like devices Freyan gave you to reach me on. If anything is wrong or if you just want to speak to me, call. I love you both."