The Phoenix Colony

Smith turned and had to smile weakly at the guy he was tough. "Well I guess we got to." He said never one to say not to a lady. He walked weakly towards the guy, gun low but ready. "So you want to take this outside?" He asked jokingly. The guy rubbed his face and didn't seem to be in a jokeing mood.

Smith's head pounding worse every step, he smiled. "Look i'll help you get out of here if you want, but i'm going to have to insist that you take the lead." He said and stepped well out of the way to allow the man to pass if he wished.

 

Joseph didn't know how long he had been hanging from that damned chain before it finally clicked open. He had been drifting in and out of consciousness the entire time since the crash. Something about the air of the place made him uneasy. It wasn't the smoky and nasty air of the wrecked ship, but the air of the planet itself. There was definitely something amiss with the place. Joseph decided he would puzzle that out later.

He had been fortunate enough to hear the announcement that the shackles were being unlocked, one of his few moments of consciousness. There was barely time to grab a hold of anything, so when the things clicked open, Joseph's other arm instantly shot out and grabbed the length of the chain. He exhaled lightly with exertion and let himself off the thing gently. The ship definitely had a bit of a slope to it.

Joseph flexed his overstretched arm a couple of times. It was hard to move...it hurt a little. For the most part he seemed to be able to shrug it off, and within a matter of moments, the arm felt as good as new to him. Strange indeed...

Silently, Joseph stepped out of the place. He could hear voices...people were nearby. Guards maybe? He couldn't tell. His eyes still hadn't adjusted.

 

Chrys watched the man stalk ahead of her, regretting the decision to add him to the party. "What's your name, and why are you here."

He squared his shoulders, turning to face her, "What the hell does it matter to yuo? Do you want to stand stilll and play twenty questions, or do you want to get moving?" He spoke, his voice as rough as gravel.

Chrys said nothing, but moved closer to the guard, who she realized was gradually slowing down. "Let's just get moving. Chad? Which way leads to safety?"

 

Smith tried to think. His head hurting, unable to concentrate. "We should just have to follow this watching out for door holes." He stopped and tried to concentrate. "Oh." He said and he looked up at a damaged portion of the wall, light shining though. "Or we can just make our own way." He added, hopeing that the new guy would go ahead and do the work that he didn't have the strength for. He opened his mouth to say something else but a sharp pain in his head stopped made him lose trake of what he was thinking.

He leaned carefully against the wall keeping a close eye on the new guy. He'd tried for the gun once before and if he passed out he wouldn't be able to protect Chrys. He made up his mind and let go of the rifle with on hand and reached grabbed ahold of the taser. He waited until the man went over to inspect the damaged wall and pressed it into Chrys hands. "Just incase." He whispered and went back to watching the man.

 

Chrys wondered if Chad had been reading her thoughts, "THank you, I was going to ask for it in a second." She smirked, slipping the taser into her back pocket, just as their "leader" turned around, " I don't see anybody, let's walk forward."

They moved forward, Chrys staying somewhere between the guy with no name, and the slowly falling Chad. She leaned back, hoping to be out of No-Names earshot, she whispered to Chad, "Are you sure you can make it? I moght have something in one of my pockets, just in case." She winked, before turning around and watching No-Name wisk around a corner.

 

Quietly, Joseph stalked up the corridor towards the voices. There were two...no, three of them. Sounded like two males and a female. Joseph had now weapons on him, but he knew he sure as hell was going to escape if he could. He had killed people before. It didn't bother him to do it again, especially if they were going to try and lock him up.

Staying in the dark areas of the place, he inched along until the group was in sight. They were armed. That was bad. On top of that, one of the men looked pretty strong. He knew he wouldn't stand a chance if he rushed them. Instead, he kept to the darkness and observed. Everything could be picked apart eventually. Of course, there was always the chance that they were in the same boat as he was. Lost on a crashed ship full of cons.

 

Smith smirked at the girl offering him some drugs but knew they'd probably help. He was kind of worried she had taken the gun so easily, at least it was only a stun. He walked after the man around the corner and was blindsided with a haymaker. Smith stumbled back and hit the wall slideing to the floor.

"Just like a thought." The man said putting a boot to Smith's chest. Smith faught to stay awake the pain shooting though his head. His rifle on the ground at the new guys feet and all he could hope for was that the girl didn't miss.

 

Chrys leaned over Chad, the tazer aimed at No-Name's heart, "You effing bastard! I bet your name's John." She said, glaring into his eyes, placing the taxer in one of her numerous pockets, a smile spreading across her face. She grabbed an extra can of spray paint from her pocket with one hand, her lighter with the other. "Burn, sucker." She stated cooly before igniting the lighter, and spraying a line of paint right at the bastard, "How dare you attack an injured man." She said, now standing over him, "Does it hurt?" He gargled something, "Oh, it does? Well burn." She capped the lighter, and the paint can, placing them back in her pockets.

She turned to pick up Chad, and hopefully drag him the rest of the way. But she was caught off guard, the light from the writhing No-Name had cast light where there was once shadows.

 

Joseph stood silently, his eyes seeming to dance with the reflection of the fire. The girl had seen him. What to do now Joseph? Do you kill a girl?he thought. She was hardly defenseless. Quite capable it seemed. Then there was the injured man. A guard? That might be problematic later...

Quickly running over his options, Joseph raised his palms up at her slowly. He was showing that he had no weapons, no intent to harm her. Everything was still for the moment that he stood waiting for her approval of him. It seemed they were all in the same situation after all.

 

"I'm not going to hurt you. I don't take kindly to people hurting my companions." Chrys said to the man raising his palms to her. She lifted Chad's arm and wrapped it around her shoulders in an effort to lift him, "Would you mind helping me. THe burning dummy knocked him to the floor."

 

"I'm not going to hurt you. I don't take kindly to people hurting my companions." She said to Joseph. She lifted the injured man's arm and wrapped it around her shoulders in an effort to lift him, "Would you mind helping me. The burning dummy knocked him to the floor."

Joseph almost smiled at the thought of her hurting him. That guy was probably just the run of the mill criminal, happy at a chance to be free from the guards. He did not dwell long on the thought though, and quickly bent down to help the girl lift up the guard. What an odd reversal... he thought. The man wasn't that heavy and Joseph managed to lift him up on his own.

"Please," he said to the girl. "I think I've got him."

 

Smith sat on the floor in shock. Not that he'd been sucker punched or kicked. Not even the guy who was following them but the little girl seemed to have developed quiet a killer personality. "See." He said to himself. "These things work out." He said and Chrys and the new guy started to help him up. They got him up before he shrugged them off and carefully picked the rifle back up. His head spinning he leaned against the wall. "I'll be fine." He lied and looked at the new comer.

"People around me usually don't end up dead. I promise." He said and added in a kind smile. He gave the girl a thoughtfull look and then smiled. "And I owe you one now." He said just loud enough for her to hear. "But we really..." His head throbbed and he put a hand up to his temple, his other one held firmly to the rifle. "Lets get going." He finished and stummbled ahead taking the lead himself. He hoped the girl would get in the back that way she could warn him if the guy tried something and be safe herself.

 

Chrys followed behind the two men, wondering if they thought she was crazy, having burned a man alive and all. It was the lioness in her. But they wouldn't understand that, they couldn't, not yet anyway.

"So, uhm," she started, tapping the nemcomer on his shoulder, "My name is Chrystine Waters, Chrys with a 'y.' Heck, I've been called 'Medusa.'" She smirked, that was her favorite. "But waht can I call you?"

 

"So, uhm," came the girls voice as she tapped Joseph on the shoulder. "My name is Chrystine Waters, Chrys with a 'y.' Heck, I've been called 'Medusa. But waht can I call you?"

He sighed. Joseph was reluctant to give his name. After all, it wasn't exactly like no one had heard of Bardon's Rebellion. Even if they hadn't heard of that, then they knew of his father. Half speaking half grumbling, Joseph threw down one word. "Bardon."

 

"Brandon?" She asked, confused, "Brandon what?" She inquired, generally curious. "I knew a Brandon once, but he was such a wimp. He used to cry if I glared at him."

Chrys covered her mouth, the only way to stop herself from blabbering in her sleepy state.

"How close are we to safety? If we can even call it that."

 

Smith walked down the hall heart pounding in his ears. He heard talking behind him and hoped no one was talking to him. If they where he wasn't hearing it. He stopped walking down the slop and turned right, which would have appeared to be a dead end if you didn't know the ship. "We're here." He said walking up to the door that was cloaked in shadows and working the emergency manual open.

The door flung open, fresh air and sunlight rused in, and Smith sat down on the endge of the door. It was a couple feet off the ground but he didn't think he'd stay awake after even that, and Ben was nowhere to be seen. He did look over to see a man on the grass and a large man standing intimidatingly over him. "You two can go on and get down if you want don't mind me." He said his vision blurring as he continue to search for Ben. He knew that his life depended on finding someone who could take charge of these criminals and for that he needed someone who was one of them, and someone who wouldn't kill him. He'd hoped Ben would beat him hear and then he could arm him and let him take control while Smith slept off his concusion it didn't seem that things where going to work out that way.

 

Joseph just decided to let it go at Brandon. It would have to do. After all, it was better that they didn't know him.

"How close are we to safety? If we can even call it that," she asked.

Joseph looked up ahead past the guard. Surely there was an exit somewhere around here. "Well captain?" he said to the guard.

 

Sunlight flooded the dark area and Joseph threw a hand up in front of his eyes to block it. Wherever they were, it looked like the old pictures of Earth that you would see in text books in a history class. Nothing but green for miles in ever direction, with the exception of the long path that the crashed ship had carved.

Joseph brushed past the guard, ignoring anything that he might have been saying. He was free.

 

The sweet sight of sunshine! Chrys pushed past Brandon, and opened her arms to the warmth, "We're finally here! Can you believe it?"

She jumped for joy, then sat down. Just basking in the sunlight, being warmed by the rays...remebering the days before he came here...

 

Smith noticed that those two seemed quiet happy with their new surroundings, but Smith just looked around and saw blurry figures that represented danger to him. He smiled slightly. "Things will work out." He said softly, unable to hear his own words over the pounding in his skull. He gripped the rifle tighter and hoped no one else came out this entrence.

His mind wondered as he sat their. His sheltered past, he had never had any dislike for the governemt and yet he knew that most of the people onboard where anti government he knew that he had been lucky, but still, he had lived happily being ignorant, how had his dad gone though all those years?

 

After the initial joy of being free at last set in, Joseph remembered the no one knew where they were. He turned and took a look at the ship. Completely totaled. He knew the thing would never fly again. After all, it wasn't meant for Terra-Landings. With a great sigh, Joseph took a seat next to the guard.

"You don't look so good chief."

 

Chrys couldn't take it anymore, she didn't want to fall asleep, so she stood up and walked a little ways away from Brandon and Chad, looking for a blank space to fill.

She found one about twenty paces away. Pulling out her spray paint, hoping there was still some left, she shook the can and aimed at the wall. First one stroke, then another, creating an abstract picture on the wall, a jumble of lines, seemingly leading nowhere. But they were like keys to a pianist to her, these lines were her lifeline, her addiction, her sanity.

Her musings came to an end, "Are you fricken joshin me?!"

The can had emptied.

 

Pasha was rocking back and forth on the chains, enjoying the beauty of the other’s pain when the restraints let him go. He didn’t even have time to yell as he plummeted down the floor. He didn’t try to grab anything, knowing he might break his arm that way. He landed on the mesh separator with great force. The edge of it came loose as he pulled himself up. He quickly managed to get his way through it as he slowly let himself fall to the ground below.

He stood up, taking in his surrounding. Prisoners were everywhere. He took note that a lot of them were dead. Some were injured and others were walking around. None of them looked him in the eye as he walked on.

“Almost looks like something you caused.” Her heard Yuri say sarcastically. Pasha shook his head.

“I’m more effective.” He snapped. He turned around as a wounded prisoner grabbed his leg. He looked at the pitiful being, bending down towards him.

“Help me!” the man cried. Pasha smiled, baring his teeth.

“I’ll help you.” He helped pull the man to his feet.

“Pasha, behave.” He heard Yuri say. He ignored him, trying to send his friend to the back of his head.

“This is none of your business Yuri.” He snapped.

The man looked at him with wide eyes, “I’m not Yuri.”

Pasha’s eye shot in the direction of the man as he let him go. Caught off balance, the man fell to the ground with a painful thud. Pasha walked off, cursing under his breath.

“You make me look crazy Yuri.” He said as he walked around aimlessly.

“You are, Pasha.”

He quickly tried to ignore his friend again.

“Go away.” He snarled. His eyes suddenly met an open door, he gave a smile as he headed for the exit.

“No.”

“I said go away Yuri!” he yelled as he met fresh air. He looked around, noticing others had all ready gotten out. He also took note of the guard. He clenched his fists and looked at his surroundings.

“I’m not leaving anymore Pasha.”

 

Harold rubbed his eyes as his head cleared. "Oh that was some strong junk," he said softly while he tried to rub away the throbbing inside his skull. Slowly he sat up and looked around, it looked like the rest of the cons had made it out.

"Where the hell are all the buildings?" he wondered aloud. Krollita slowly got up and worked the stiffness out of his left shoulder. There was a small cluster of pebbles and rocks in the distance. The former enforcer nodded. "Fist things first, I need a weapon."

 

"It's getting cold girly girl, said Big Joey. "Ya gonna keep me warm? Hrum. Damn I need a smoke? Who want's girly girl for a pack of smokes?!"

Juan crawled towards Joey's voice.

"That's right girly girl ... crawl to me. See everybody, girly girl know's how to act. All ready trained and on special today for one pack of smokes."

Juan's fingers brushed against Joey's shoe.

"Stand up girly girl." Big Joey was laughing now.

Juan put lifted his hand. Joey took it and jerked him up. Juan wrapped his arms around the con's thick neck and slammed his head into Joey's nose.

"Son of a b**ch!" said Joey as he staggered back and grabbing his bloodied face.

Juan swung his elbow wildly. It landed badly against the side of Joey's head. The big convict dropped to one knee as Juan started stomping on his head.