"-Goes Around"
13 Mar 2022Isabella Levine
Continued from "What Comes Around-"
Date: [ January 14th, 3308]
System: [Trumuye System]
Body: [ Trumuye 2]
Cooper had managed to get to the rear cabin of the T9 fumbling with each step as his vision blurred and his head ached as he'd just had a bad hangover. He managed to reach a pressure door that led to the rear main cabin and once he opened it, a wafting smell of burning plastic and a hint of a metallic-like stench filled his nose. He immediately coughed at the inhaled toxins and covered his face. The action didn't do much as he moved further in noticing that some of the small cell doors rowed on both sides adjacent to each other had been opened. He made it to the end of the haze-filled cabin to find three security officers with their 6 prisoners. All of them were cuffed and equipped with a sealed helmet over the top of their heads.
"Cooper, the hell is the bridge crew? Where are they?"
Cooper dramatically pulled open a locker and grabbed a helmet to put over his head. Once it sealed to his suit and pressurized his internal atmosphere, he took in a few heavy breaths before answering with a hoarse voice.
"I don't know. Dead? The damn bridge is on fire! I almost died!"
The security officer, by the name of Kylen Rockwell that showed on the breastplate of his armour, sighed and looked at the cuffed prisoners they had before slowly shaking his head while taking out his pistol. He carefully handed the weapon to Cooper and Cooper took it.
"Take this and bring them outside with these two. Watch the prisoners while my guys create a perimeter. If the prisoners try anything...shoot them. I'm going to look for survivors inside. Oh…and reinforcements are coming in ten."
Cooper looked at the gun in his hand as the security officer walked away. He had rarely used one in the past and wasn't sure how to go about it. He knew the basics like aiming and pulling the trigger but he surmised that that was enough to keep handcuffed prisoners at bay. Thinking of, his eyes moved up to the helmeted heads of the 6 prisoners. All of which glared at him making Cooper a bit uneasy. It felt as if he was on a stage and was about to sell a speech to an audience, something he remembered having to do once before in his life. His nerves rose up in his gut for a moment but he remembered who they were and who had the gun. A quick glance showed that the two security guards had moved towards the loading ramp. An order to follow was commanded by them but no one moved.
"What? Got a problem, boys? To the loading ramp like the man said."
They all idly stood by not moving but all eyes on him. That anxiety rose back up but he crushed it with false bravado of authority and a gun.
"You all deaf? Move! To the damn loading ramp!"
One of the 6 prisoners didn't move when the others did. He stood and looked upon the pilot. His hard dark brown eyes locked onto Cooper as if he could peer into his soul. See all his dirty secrets.
"You're scared. You have no idea what you're doing. It's telling. The way you hold the gun. Your voice. Your posture."
Cooper looked at the man but couldn’t figure him out. Who he was and what he did. He looked normal unlike the other tugs but something sinister seemed to come off him. Like he was someone of power. Pushing his thoughts aside, he glared harshly at the man before him.
“Keep it moving. Down to the loading ramp. Go!”
The unknown man shrugged and complied with the demands, walking his way through the tight bulkheads of the interior of the ship until reaching the rear loading ramp. Someone somewhere must have activated the depressurization button as the rear bay hissed and the smog around Cooper's feet vacuumed out of the lowering ramp that let light flood in.
Only meer moments passed as the ramp lowered completely, daylight now flooding in and blinding Cooper as his eyes had to adjust to the light differences. Once they did, a dusty brown landscape of rocks along with borders filled his view. Following the others outside, Cooper gazed up into the hazy blue sky to see dotted stars dimly lit above him. The atmosphere was obviously tenuous to be able to see the backdrop of stars in the sky, even the sister planet that hung low in the sky to his left was clearly visible. The sight was rather gorgeous but his attention was ripped away when he noticed a blur of purple energy and one of the two guards dropped straight to the ground like a sack of heavy potatoes. Cooper couldn't believe his eyes for a moment, his brain failed to react to whatever just happened so he froze as the other guard ran towards his direction shouting orders.
"Back inside! Get back inside!"
He still found he couldn't move until he forced himself to, seeing that same purple flash. He only did it because that streak of purple energy came hurtling across the desert air and directly towards him when the guard moved out of the way. The quick dodged was close but unfortunately, a prisoner behind took the landing shot.
"Shit! Fuck!"
Panic rose inside his mind clouding proper thought. There weren't many places to go so Cooper ran towards the ramp with the other 5 prisoners. Being the first, he spun to his six and waved the prisoners on board as he watched the last guard fire a hand-held Rocket Launcher at a pair of massive rocks the shooter was most likely hiding behind. Cooper figured the shooter was there but couldn’t tell when the rocket fired struck the large boulder and detonated with a flurry of dust, smoke and rocks that flew up in all directions.
"Good God! The hell is going on!"
One of the prisoners shrieked. Cooper looked back at where the prisoners were and saw that they had congregated at the far end of the loading bay. All of them looking terrified and confused at what was happening.
"Shouldn't you be helping? You have a gun."
One of the prisoners said. Another spoke up as well.
"Yeah, bro. Like, shoot at that guy or something."
Cooper froze as he gazed back out at the ensuing firefight. The guard, he never knew the name of, put up what seemed like a good fight as he was able to take another shot and retreat simultaneously as he switched to a Laser Rifle. He peppered the same relative area before he turned and ran towards the loading ramp. Cooper knew that this was his time to take his chance and cover fire so the guard could retreat but his legs didn't seem to move. He was frozen. His mind told him to stand up and fight but his body protested. It felt as if he'd been tranquillized by fear and his whole body seized to work. But none of that mattered as a slender silhouette shifted out into the light followed by a brilliant purple flash and a ball of plasma that ejected from where the flash happened.
Cooper's eyes moved between two moving objects. A ball of burning plasma and a guard that tried to sprint up a ramp. He knew one was faster than the other and as predicted, the plasma ball won and stuck the guard in the back sending a shimmering flash over his body as the plasma dissipated over its target. Shields. The guard had shields on his suit. He kept running and found the ramp lift button hitting it hard and turning to face outside. He reloaded his rifle with surprising speed and began to fire at the figure outside once more to keep them at bay. It all happened in a blur but the ramp lifted and began to block the outside view gradually. The shots from the guard's rifle were precise and accurate. A shimmer of blue came off the dark figure as it disappeared behind a boulder once more. Cooper couldn't see anything more as the ramp obscured the view fully and closed leaving them in the dim red light as the atmosphere began to fill the room. After a few moments of silence beside the sound of his own heartbeat in his chest like war drums, the dim red lights turned green and he took off his helmet to take in a deep breath as did others.
"Holy shit! Dude! Haha! Where the hell did you learn that shit? You like some ex-Fed assassin or special forces? I mean you held up pretty well…"
He trailed off as the guard didn't acknowledge him. He turned towards the furthest doors and opened them deactivating his shields as he stepped through. Cooper followed him along with the prisoners until they met with the guard from earlier. Rockwell. His eyes met Cooper's with a fiery gaze and soon he realized why.
Before he could say anything, a devastating blow landed square on his nose and he swore he heard it crack. The pain made his eyes water as he doubled over in pain
"What the fuck, man! I'm…oh I'm sooo putting this as a complaint."
"What the fuck? What the fuck, you left your crew to die you piece of shit! You're a coward! Pathetic."
Rockwell sighed in frustration as he turned his attention to the second guard and the prisoners.
"Where's Dmitri?"
"Hit. Didn't make it. A shooter ambushed us when we stepped outside. Most likely the one who shot us down."
Cooper couldn't believe his ears. This person…whoever it was, was relentless. They were clearly after someone inside. Most likely one of the prisoners.
"Why are they after us? Killing us to free scum?"
The guard glared at the 5 prisoners that stood idle with their hands still cuffed.
"A prisoner is missing. Was he hit too?"
"Yes, sir. Think he took a stray shot. Wasn't focused on them. Only the shooter."
Cooper piped in on the two guards talking.
"It's someone in here they're after. A prisoner. They obviously don't care about lives, otherwise, they would have been more careful, right? So…who is it?"
Cooper turned to face the 5 prisoners but no one said a thing. The hazy room filled with silence.
"Okay…so if no one talks, we'll send all of you out there and see who survives. How's that?"
No one spoke until one prisoner stepped forward. Cooper recognized him from before when he spoke to him about being scared.
"It's me. She wants me."
"She?"
Both the guard and Cooper said at the same time.
"Long story. I tried screwing her over. Didn't work. Landed me here and now she's killing everyone in her way to kill me so…defend me."
Cooper laughed out loud to that.
"Yeah, no. We're handing you over and surviving. This…she…isn't messing around clearly so let's go."
Taking a step forward, the man backed up prompting Cooper to stop.
"Damnit, dude. Don't make this harder than it has to be."
"You think I'm going to just let you surrender me to her? She's a psycho. She'll kill me."
"Yeah, well She'll kill all of us if we defend you. Should have probably kept your mouth shut for your own sake. Now let's go-"
Cooper stepped in to grab the prisoner but he resisted. The two began to struggle but whatever Cooper tried, the prisoner twisted and squirmed his way out of. The two guards watched including the other four prisoners as the whole ordeal became a comedic show for a few moments. The guards let it go on for a few more moments until Cooper drew his gun and pointed it at the prisoner's head. That's when they finally stepped in.
"Hey! Cooper! What the fuck! Give me that weapon. Yo-"
They all stopped to a sudden sound coming from farther inside the ship. Down the stretch of dimly lit corridor that connected the loading bay to the center passenger cabin. No one said a word for what seemed minutes until one of the guards did.
"Sounded like something…dropping? Cooper, Ferid...check that sound out. Might be something."
"Whoa…hold on. No. I'm not going to check that out. You're crazy, I've seen this in every movie. I'm not getting…well…you know…whatever happens to those people. No."
The prisoner Cooper had fought with smiled devilishly at him. Glee on his face at the turn of events.
"Doesn't feel so good, huh? Being pushed to do something. How the tables turn. Go ahead, pilot. Go get 'em."
"Screw you, dick head. Guah…fine. I'll go check it out. Ferid or whatever comes with me. I'm not going alone back up there."
Kylen nodded at Ferid and he shouldered his carbine and moved forward into the connecting stretch of corridor before him. Cooper glanced at Kylen with a dissatisfied look knowing being sent was merely a way to get back at leaving behind the bridge crew from earlier. He sighed deeply, thinking back to why he left. Panic. Seer panic. But it didn't matter now as Farid had begun moving down the connected corridor into the prisoner cabin and beyond.
Kylen watched as the two men faded into dark silhouettes as they entered through the prisoner cabin. The haze from the smoke choked-up his vision badly now and it was only getting worse as fires spread inside. The overall situation was a disaster. Kylen understood that. Their escorts were taken out or fled, they were shot down over a massive creator, the person who shot them down was after someone in the ship and back up was still a few minutes away. Delayed for some god-forsaken reason. Whoever it was had to be desperate. To stage a prison break before actual prison was foolishly reckless but somehow everything was going spectacularly wrong today. He tried to think who was so important to do such a foolish act like this. Even if it was planned to perfection, he knew from his time in the Federal Navy that even the best-laid plans had hiccups and it was easy to lose control. Something to this level just didn't make sense when it was lowlife criminals. But turning to face the 5 prisoners they transported, that's when he knew one of them had to be important enough to actually try and pull this off. Kylen glanced away from the now empty corridor and faced the 5 grouped prisoners. The cargo.
"What one of you is this person after? Who is it again? You right?"
Kylen pointed at the man who the rest of the 4 prisoners distanced themselves from and understandably. He stepped forward and raised his cuffed hands as a wave.
"That's me, friend. She is. Her name is Isabella Levine. She's relentless when she's focused. I've dealt with her before when she held one of my men captive while I tried to detain her. Nearly killed him and she nearly killed two guards. Shot one of them in the head with his own gun. You never read her background. I have. I know I'm most likely dead. I know you are too if you stand in her way. Do me a favor…shoot me in the head and end this. Let me go out on my terms. Not hers. Rob her of the satisfaction. She'll do horrible things to me."
Kylen looked at him with disgust. He wasn't just going to execute a prisoner.
"You're sick. I'm not shooting you. We'll wait here for reinforcements. Those two should-"
Kylen stopped dead in his sentence hearing commotion far down the corridor of the ship. It sounded like someone fell at first listen but upon closer listening, he could hear fighting break out as it echoed throughout the ship's interior. Getting louder and louder as whatever was going on intensified. It wasn't long at all until there was a flash from beyond the haze followed by a deafening bang. Quite.
"They're probably dead. Doubt they'd kill her with one shot. She probably ambushed them. Look, please. Just shoot me. Right now. Shoot me. Don't let her get me."
"No, I'm not doing that! Piss off, you crazy bastard!"
Kylen reached for his Assault Rifle slowly and brought it to his shoulders. He held it low but at the ready wanting to be sure no friendly came running into his line of fire spooking him and resulting in a friendly shot. He squinted his eyes tight trying to see through the haze but he knew it wouldn't help him. The smoke was too much to see very far at all.
"Hey, look. Save yourself, huh. Take the rest with you, cut my hands free and give me your gun. I'll fight her off here for as long as I can. You're not a target but you will be if you stand there like a damn idiot."
Kylen turned his head slightly to look at the man with suspension and concern. He felt that he was serious but didn't trust giving a prisoner a gun after releasing him from cuffs. Logically it was flawed but morally? If he was telling the truth, that this 'Isabella Levine' was here to kill him, then maybe doing what he asked was the best move morally. To let him go out on his terms rather than whoever this psychopath was.
"What's your name, prisoner? Who are you?"
Kylen asked as he activated his shields, a flash of blue lighting up the hazy smoke as the shields activated.
"Names Corb-"
The words never finished before a flash of orange emitted from the far end of the corridor and a glow from it rocketed its way towards Kylen. He tried to evade but was too late as it struck him with a concussive blast so hard he blacked out. His mind filled with static and deafening ringing as he tried to figure out what way was what and if he still had all his body parts together. His vision slowly came to and he saw someone running towards him. He couldn't make out who it was but the closer they got into his field of vision, the more details came to be. It was him. The prisoner, Kylen, realized. And he wasn't coming for him but instead the rifle he dropped. No, he thought. He knew what was coming next. He tried to speak but his voice was too quiet and weak. His vision became fair and he noticed another silhouette enter. Not one of his. Slender frame and lightning fast, the figure moved in as the prisoner he never got the name of awkwardly levelled the rifle on her and fired. Several muffled shots rang out with hazy flashes of yellow and blue. The female figures' shields absorbed whatever few shots landed before the rifle was knocked out of the hands of the prisoner and he was throat punched in the neck.
He collapsed instantly and the female gazed in his direction but Kylen realized she wasn't looking at him but the other prisoners first. The woman then finally looked at Kylen as he laid helplessly on the ground. His ears and head still ringing from the blast. Her lips behind her helmet moved but he couldn't make out words before she turned and grabbed something from off the floor. Kylen followed her with his gaze and found she'd grabbed a helmet. She then placed it on his chest and spoke again before looking past him and at the prisoners no less. Taking his helmet, he painfully lifted his head and placed it on as he watched her kick the rifle away from the only prisoner she had just punched and force a helmet on his head as well. The unknown woman then grabbed him, pulling him up before hitting the red button on the side of the bulkhead to lower the ramp. The dim green light above Kylen turned red and he heard the hiss of atmosphere depressurizing as his hearing slowly came back. The hum and vibration of the ramp lowering was felt as the ramp lowered and let new light flood in. The two figures moved and he strained his neck to see but only light from outside blinded him as his eyes adjusted. He gave up looking and gazed back up at the ceiling of the loading ramp. His head still buzzed and ached and his vision slowly collapsed around him. He knew he was fading into unconsciousness but couldn’t stop it. His mind worried that the prisoners would kill him or escape. But a voice in the back of his mind reminded him that they were on a desert world with an unbreathable atmosphere and no ship to use to escape. There was no point. And with that realization, the world spun and he became dizzy as the wall closed in. The last thought was of home before it went black.