Or, I could get a little creative…
I couldn’t aim at the guard out there but I could aim at the stand the traditional helmets had been placed on.
I took aim and fired.
I struck the base of the helmet rack.
It teetered and collapsed forward, atop the guard lying on the floor.
The helmets clattered.
This was it.
One chance to return fire.
Don’t get scared now.
I eased up onto one knee and took aim.
The guard tossed a pair of helmets aside and brought his plasma rifle up.
I pulled the trigger.
The bolt exploded out the end of the rifle like liquid magma fired from a rocket launcher.
It crackled through the air as it dived headlong for my target.
It didn’t even matter where it hit him.
It singed the top of his head and ignited his cap like hay on a midsummer’s day.
I smelled it immediately as the guard’s entire ensemble erupted into flames.
He let off a single shot that struck the far wall.
I ran to him and kicked the rifle from his hands.
Not that he was in much mood to fight about then.
He kicked and flailed and fought and patted the flames to put them out.
“Roll, asshole!” I said.
As his attempts weren’t working so well, he did as I said and rolled.
He crashed into a nice collection of extinct species’ furry hides.
They immediately burst into flames.
Some people could never catch a break.
I reached for his plasma rifle when a bolt of liquid lightning struck the floor in front of my hand.
The other guards drew down on me, racing up the ramp.
They were not good shots.
Their bolts flew everywhere and nowhere.
Say what you like about perfect headshots but it’s hard to beat a crowd of frantic shooters.
If they fired a hundred shots, odds were good at least one would find their mark.
I took the hint and left the rifle where it was.
I ran toward the back of the hangar for a door I knew had to be there.
I was relieved to find I was right.
I kicked it open and immediately slammed my back against the wall.
If someone was going to get the drop on me, it would be from here.
I would be facing an enemy on two fronts and chances were they would pin me down.
That would be the smart thing to do.
But were these things smart?
The jury was still out on that one.
They knew what they were doing with their merchant business, that was for sure.
They needed to be good at hiding to survive for this long beneath the prison guards’ noses without them knowing they existed.
But that didn’t translate to being good at fighting.
When no shots fired from the other side of the door, I knew I at least had a chance of getting out of there.
I eased the door open with the tip of my rifle and peered around it.
The stairs were on the left and the slaves I saw earlier huddled in a corner.
Their chains clinked as they raised their arms over their heads in surrender.
They made low moaning sounds of pure dread.
If they weren’t so far gone, so helpless, I might have released them of their chains and encouraged them to fight their captors.
They were too far gone for that.
They were as likely to attack me as they were their enemy.
I hastened up the broad stairs three, four at a time.
They belonged in a palace more than a ramshackle vehicle such as this.
I didn’t stop until I reached the top.
I checked over my shoulders and found no one pursuing me.
At least, not yet.
I approached a wide arch of a doorway.
On the other side, I spied a pair of figures.
The bracelets hanging from their thin wrists caught the suns’ glare and winked at me.
“Hello?” I said. “Is someone there?”
I aimed at the opening and waited as one of the figures stepped forward.
She was tall with long lithe limbs and lips that were a little too thick for my liking. She was otherwise a stunner.
“Do you have an appointment to see his excellency?” she said.
Her voice was slow and drawling.
Just listening to her made me feel relaxed.
“Uh, no,” I said. “I don’t have an appointment.”
The girl smiled at me amiably and motioned for me to enter.
“Please, take a seat. Draw will be with you in a moment.”
Okay, so this wasn’t what I was expecting.
A gang of ravenous guards armed to the teeth and willing to fight to the death?
Absolutely.
A battle with the putrid and disgusting Draw who possessed more strength and speed than I ever thought possible?
Sure.
A pair of sweet girls with happy smiley faces?
Not so much.
I eased through the doorway and kept a close eye on my surroundings in case this was part of an ambush.
I saw no danger and slipped inside.
I appraised the open layout and the modern feel to the room.
The other girl had a ribbon of red hair that kept moving even when she didn’t move a muscle.
“May I take your jacket?” she said.
“Uh, no,” I said. “I’m okay. Thanks.”
She reached for the plasma rifle and I gripped it tighter.
She didn’t wear an expression of surprise, only interest.
“You can keep it if you want,” she said.
“I will, thanks,” I said.
The first helper floated over with a tray.
On it was a cold towel and a fresh glass of water.
I waved her away and focused on them both.
“I’m looking for the girl Draw brought here. Her name is Agatha.”
“She’s with the supreme leader right now,” the girl with the flowing hair said. “We suggest you take a seat and he’ll be right with you once he’s… finished.”
It was the first and only time I noticed a hint of hesitancy in her tone.
She blinked as if coming awake and then immediately returned to her glassy-eyed expression.
It was all an act, I realized.
Neither of them wanted to be
