CHAPTER TWO
1.
“After all these years, one would think there wouldn’t be
anything that could surprise me.”
Two men hang
suspended by their ankles over a pit filled with ravenous crakkon dogs. The
animals are small in stature, but their legendary disposition, large teeth and
spine-covered backs more than make up for their size. Twelve of them circle
around the depression, snarling, trying to snap at the captives, walking over
the bones and ragged remains of past prisoners. Chronos looks up, away from the
carnage to come and towards his feet. The chains wrapped around his ankles led
up onto a pulley, which in turn led to a large wheel. He looked over at his
companion’s bindings and followed the path to yet another wheel. Each wheel was
controlled by a remote, which was now in the hands of a very upset woman.
Chronos
sighed. He was a tall man, rather slim, but muscular. His lean frame often gave
people the wrong impression. His hair was a tangle of light brown, always too
long and never properly combed. His face, currently turning red from the blood
rushing down to his head, attracted even the iciest women. His partner often
commented that he was “too good looking” to be a bounty hunter, usually just to
see what kind of a rise it could get out of him.
“Don’t
worry,” his partner stated in response, “I’ve got a plan.”
As Chronos
watched, Blackley flashed him his largest smile. Blackley was a different sort
of man than his friend. A bit shorter and heavier, he wore his black hair
closely cropped, both on his head and his chin. A thin light red scar sliced
across his right cheek and down onto his neck, leftover from a childhood
accident. While Chronos often outfitted himself in more expensive clothes,
Blackley found that comfort beat out design every time.
“A plan?”
Chronos repeated incredulously. “Am I to understand that being tied up here was
a part of your plan all along?”
“Well, not
really,” Blackley admitted. “Now I’ve got a new plan.”
“Quiet!” The
woman holding their lives in her hands shouted.
The woman
was Meena Thain, a former employer of Blackley’s, who had been up until an hour
before the target of their latest bounty. Meena was wanted on over twelve
different planets for her illegal trade activities, trade that usually involved
two people of the opposite sex, and in one case two completely different
species. That one ended badly. She was an attractive enough woman, though she
carried a rough edge; evident by the large blaster holstered on her thigh.
Chronos and Blackley had broken into her home in the hopes of grabbing her and
getting out quick. Unfortunately her security system had been upgraded since
the last time Blackley had associated with her.
“I had heard
of the price on my head,” Meena spoke, her voice soft and almost caring, “but I
never dreamed that it would be you that tried to collect on it, Blackley.”
“Well that’s
the thing, see it’s kind of my job now.” Blackley said.
She laughed.
“The great Blackley, working for the law. Ironic.”
“Please Meena,
you knew that I was never cut out for your lifestyle.”
“Ah. It
never stopped you from working for me, or trying the merchandise.”
“Merchandise?”
Chronos questioned, then it dawned on him. “Oh. You mean? Heh heh. Good one.”
Meena
ignored him. “Still, you shouldn’t have come here. I won’t enjoy it, but I am
going to have to kill you now.”
Blackley
looked down at the dogs, then at Meena again. “I’ll give you one last chance,
for old times sake, let us go and turn yourself in.”
The woman
looked at her two prisoners a moment, and then pressed the large green button
on the remote. The chains holding them up started moving, slowly lowering them
into the pit. The crakkon dogs started barking madly as their food moved
closer. Desperately, Chronos tried to start himself swinging, hoping to scare
the animals off. However, his movement seemed to make the creatures even more
agitated. Blackley on the other hand stood still, his eyes staring into
Meena’s.
She looked
back at him, and for a moment felt a pang of regret. There was once a time when
she could have fallen for him, back when the two of them ran across the galaxy
causing mayhem and mischief in their wake. Then he had left. No reasons given,
just a simple goodbye. One could say that his act forced her into the life she
led now, though she knew that wasn’t really true. Meena Thain was always set on
her path; the man called Blackley had merely been the distraction that could
have derailed her.
The hoots
and growls of the animals overpowered the heavy whir of the machines turning
the wheels, lowering the men to their doom. The air became rank as the
creatures scent glands went into overdrive, filling the air with pheromones.
Blackley
still watched her. “Meena.”
That broke
her. For a fleeting second the thought of just doing as he asked came into her
mind. Set them free, let them take her in. It was only a second, but it was too
much. Her finger pressed another key on the pad and the motors controlling the
descent let loose, spilling the two men onto the floor.
The crakkons
jumped away from the pair as they smashed down, dust flying at their impact.
Chronos and Blackley quickly righted themselves and got to their feet, their
hands now the only part of them bound. Blackley looked up to the rim of the pit
in time to see Meena turn and leave the room. She was never one for watching
the carnage she caused. All around them the beasts had settled back into attack
formation, the shock of the falling bodies forgotten. As Chronos tried to undo
his hands the dogs slowly started to walk towards them, a cacophony of growls
filling the pit.
With the
speed of lightning, one of the larger animals leapt into the air, its claws and
teeth aimed straight at Blackley’s face.
2.
Chronos watched in terror as the crakkon leapt towards his
partner, but averted his eyes at the last second. He may only have had minutes
to live, but he didn’t want to spend them watching his friend torn to shreds.
Though he didn’t watch, his ears still worked perfectly. Chronos heard Blackley
huff as the creature slammed into him, then the loud thud as the two fell to
the ground. At the sight of the attack the other crakkons started yelping
loudly.
“No. No.
Stop. Get off. Off! Stop!”
Chronos
began to wince, until his brain caught up with his hearing. His friend wasn’t
yelling in pain, he was… laughing?
Chronos
opened his eyes and turned to the commotion, his face registering complete and
utter shock. Sitting on the ground was Blackley, on his lap, practically
burying him, was the crakkon dog. The beast was actually licking his face, the
spiked tail wagging ferociously. Blackley was trying to push the animal away,
but smiling wide the entire time.
“What the?”
Chronos uttered, staring at the other dogs that had sat down around Blackley,
each one with tails wagging. It was an
odd sight, even playful and docile the animals looked rather frightening.
Blackley
turned his face from the constant likings to face his friend, but the look he
saw there caused another laughing fit. “Man, you should see your face!” He
bellowed.
Chronos took
a deep breath, trying to compose himself to the scene, and placed his hands on
his waist. “Blackley. Would you mind telling me what in the universe is going
on here?”
“Relax, I
told you I had a plan didn’t I?”
“A plan? It
might have been nice if you would have told me your plan involved being fed to
ravenous beasts!”
“Yeah, but
then I wouldn’t have been able to see that look!” Blackley laughed again, and
gently pushed the crakkon off of him. Rubbing the animals scalp, the only part
of the creature that didn’t have sharp points growing from it, he stood.
“Chronos, I would like you to meet Biggs. Biggs, say hello to Chronos.”
At his
command the dog barked, a sound more like a defiant roar than a friendly greeting.
Chronos watched as a larger beast walked up to Blackley’s other side.
Blackley’s smile grew even larger as he bent over to pet the new arrival.
“And this
monster here is Cranius.” Cranius lifted its head higher, and closed its eyes,
it looked almost happy as Blackley patted it.
“Biggs?
Cranius? Blackley these are crakkons, how did you?”
Another
laugh. “Well, yeah, crakkons are pretty much known as all around killers. But
what isn’t widely reported is that a domesticated crakkon is fiercely loyal to
their masters, to a fault. And since most attempts at domestication end in
death for the trainer, it isn’t usually attempted. Meena acquired these as
pups, back when I was in her employ. At the time I thought it would be a good
idea to get on their good side, just in case. Meena was a mean bitch even back
then.”
Chronos bent
to pat Cranius, but pulled his hand back quick as the dog tried to snap it off
in its teeth.
“Heh heh
heh. Careful there pal, they’re loyal to me. It might take them a while to warm
up to you.”
“Wonderful.”
Chronos muttered. He looked around the pit they were in, searching for an exit.
“Any idea how we are going to get out of here? Meena is bound to come check on
us eventually.”
“Hold on.”
Blackley said. He held his bound hands to Biggs, who bit through the chains
with ease. Looking from his pet to his friend Blackley shook his head. “We’ll
have to find the keys for you,” he told his partner, “I don’t quite think you
want those teeth near your hands just yet.”
Chronos
shuddered. “I agree.”
Blackley
walked across the pit, stepping gingerly over a pile of bones, towards a small
caged door. He reached his hand through the gap between the gate and wall and
hit a button on the interior. With a beep the gate slid up into the recess
above the door. Without waiting for orders the dozen creature ambled past the
two men into the pen. Blackley bent over to walk inside. Chronos looked around
them once more, then followed his friend.
Inside the
pen was small and musty. Smells from a dozen animals mixed with what had to be
rotting food made for an almost nauseating experience. The crakkons all milled
around the far corner of the area, some settling down, placing their heads on
the ground. Only Biggs and Cranius stayed close to Blackley. As Chronos’ eyes
adjusted to the gloom he saw that Blackley was walking towards a iron door set
at the back of the pen.
“This is the
handlers entrance.” Blackley said quietly. “We’ll get out here.”
“Well have
you noticed that there isn’t a latch or a handle on this side?” His agitated
friend asked.
Another
famous Blackley smiled appeared. “Yeah. But I’ve got a secret password.”
Blackley
turned to the door and whistled. There were five distinct notes. At the
completion of the tune the door made a loud sound as the lock disengaged and
the door swung inwards. As soon as the door opened Chronos heard a male voice
outside.
“Hey! What
the hell! The pen!”
Blackley
looked at the two crakkons beside him. “Psst,” he said.
With a speed
that surprised even Blackley the two creatures launched themselves out of the
pen. Within seconds the sound of laser fire spilled into the pen. Only three
shots were fired, then came the screaming. Suddenly the screams were silenced,
replaced with low growls. The entire time none of the other crakkons even
moved.
“C’mon.”
Blackley walked around the iron door and stepped outside. Chronos took one last
look at the pen around him and followed him out. Expecting to see a slaughter,
Chronos was surprised to see two guards cowering in a corner, kept there by two
growling monsters. One of the guards held a bleeding and obviously broken hand,
the other was just hugging his knees to his chest, uttering a silent prayer.
Blackley walked up to them and stood between the dogs.
“Amazing
animals aren’t they? Even after all these years of you people mistreating them,
they still listen to my commands to just immobilize you. As you can probably
tell they really want to do much more than that.”
The guard
with the injured wrist spoke up. “Please, please. Don’t kill me.”
Biggs took a
step forward at his voice, causing the man to squirm even closer to the wall.
“I have
nothing against you,” Blackley continued, “If you promise to leave, leave
quickly without sounding an alarm, I’ll let you go.”
Both
handlers looked up at that comment, hope and pure fear in their faces. “Oh yes,
yes please!”
Blackley
kneeled down before them, coming real close. “But if that alarm is sounded, if
Meena has any idea that I’m still coming for her, I’ll set them loose. And they
have your scent now.” Blackley looked at the injured one. “And your taste. They
will get you before you can even dream of safety.”
He reached
forward and grasped the key ring from one of the guards’ belt. He never took
his eyes off of them as he unlocked the remains of the binders on his wrist.
Once complete he tossed the keys behind him to Chronos, who caught them in the
air and began to work on his own chains.
Blackley
stood. “Get lost.”
Both men
scrambled to their feet and ran out of the room. The sounds of their scampering
echoed down the hall. Both crakkon dogs flinched at their retreat, eager to
give chase, but remained in place, waiting for Blackley’s next command.
Instead of
ordering them to follow, he walked over to the pen door. He looked inside to
the other animals, his face looked sad.
“I wish I
could take you all with me,” he spoke to his pets, “but the Robbie V wouldn’t
hold you all.”
“Blackley,”
Chronos said. He could hear the pain in his friends voice. Blackley was one of
the strongest men he knew, but there was also a huge amount of humanity in him
as well. “Meena is escaping.”
Blackley
looked to his partner and nodded. Turning back to the pen he spoke the crakkon
dogs. “I’ll send someone to look after you. Just don’t kill him.”
Blackley hit
the switch on the wall, the large door swung shut. Hitting another button,
Chronos heard a whir of machinery and then the dogs inside went wild. The
button was labeled “Food”.
Chronos
smiled and turned, then suddenly stopped. “Um, pal?”
Blackley
walked up to the two animals still outside the holding tank. He patted Cranius
on the head. “Robbie V might be too small for all of them, but not my
favorites. C’mon, lets go catch our bounty!”
3.
Meena Thain ripped open a drawer at her desk, the drawer
fell out of her hands and spilled to the floor, spreading its contents all
around. Meena swore as she knelt over to pick through the items. She began
tossing various things into a case atop the desk. Blackley and his cohort had
found her, that meant that other bounty hunters may come as well. She realized
that Blackley had intimate knowledge of her lair, but that didn’t mean he never
shared it. After all these years he did seem to be a different person, Meena
didn’t doubt he would sell her out if given the chance. Thinking this, Meena
hurried her packing.
Of course
the truth is Blackley hadn’t told anyone else her location, not even Chronos.
He had figured that if she did have to face trial for her crimes, he would be
the best person to bring her in.
Meena
finished sorting through the mess on the floor and turned her attention to yet
another drawer in the desk, this time taking her time to open it so as not to
cause another situation. She picked up a couple data pads, her message booklet,
her hand brushed her hold-out blaster as she grabbed a small jewel and chain
that she had taken as payment many years before. As she was reaching for the
blaster itself she heard an all too familiar voice.
“Give it up
Meena,” Blackley spoke from the doorway.
Meena looked
up to see her former flame leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed
across his chest. Not a hint of his past adventures showed on his face, he was
calm, and seemed almost pleased with himself. Meena grimaced at him as her hand
touched the laser pistol outside of his view.
“Blackley. I
should have expected one of your miraculous escapes. You always did have a
lucky streak.”
Blackley
stood up from the door way and took a slow step into her office. He looked
around at the mess. Clothes lay haphazardly around the room, a safe in the
corner stood open and empty.
“There isn’t
anywhere to run, sweetheart. Just come with us, and I promise you safe passage
to the Galactic Core. You must stand trial for your crimes.”
She spat at
him. “My crimes? Mine? And when will you face judgment for what you have done?
You aren’t sin free yourself Blackley.”
He laughed.
“Trust me, the law and I are square now. But that is neither here or there. Put
your hands out for binding, come quietly.”
Meena slowly
started to pull her hand out of the drawer, the blaster firmly in hand. There
was something dirty in killing someone yourself, but situations called for the
worst sometimes. Regardless of how she had felt for this man in the past, right
now he was standing in her way, and his smugness was starting to piss her off.
Then she felt something cold and hard press into her back.
“Don’t even
consider it, lady.” Came the whisper in her ear.
Meena closed
her eyes and swore to herself. How could she become so preoccupied that she
missed Blackley’s partner sneaking in behind her. A damn rookie mistake, and
she was long past being a rookie. The barrel of Chronos’ blaster jabbed hard
into her back and she dropped her grip on the gun. It fell to the floor with a
crash.
Blackley
looked to the noise and saw the blaster under her desk. He shook his head.
“Really Meena, did we have to come to that? We were being all civilized, even
after you tried to feed us to the dogs, and here you are trying to pull a fast
one on me. A lesser man would be insulted.”
Chronos
turned the woman and placed a pair of electro-binders on her wrists. The chains
were programmed to send a painful jolt into a person at the slightest struggle.
The more the person resisted, the more pain they received. There were species
in the galaxy that were immune to the devices, but that didn’t matter in the
present situation. Meena looked into Chronos’ face with pure hatred, even
though the two had never met before that afternoon. She may have been a pretty
woman, Chronos thought, but piss her off and she’s as ugly as a skeether. In
spite, or stupidity, Meena pulled her hands apart, an electric shock jolting
her. Never once did her eyes leave the face of her captor.
A sound came
from the hall, a mewling sort of growl. Blackley turned to see Cranius standing
in the corridor behind him. He kneeled down to pat the animal on the head,
recognizing the nervousness in the dog. Something he had never before witnessed
in the breed. Blackley looked further down the hall and saw Biggs in the same
state, her eyes and head darting back and forth, from one wall to the other.
Blackley closed his eyes and concentrated. There was nothing, but then he heard
it. The low hum of a ships’ engine. Of many ships engines.
“What is
it?” Chronos asked from behind. He and Meena had come around the desk and were
now standing in the door where Blackley had occupied a moment before.
“Those are
my crakkons.” Meena remarked. “I had wondered how you got out of that one.”
“Shh!”
Blackley ordered her, looking into her eyes with such conviction that she at
once closed her mouth. Beside him Cranius barked once, forcefully. Blackley
nodded at the beast and stood to take council with his partner.
“We’ve got
trouble.” Blackley said to Chronos, then turned to Meena. “Did you call for
help?”
Meena rolled
her eyes. “The only people that I could’ve called would have laughed and
started taking over my assets.”
Chronos
laughed. “Well, we’re all judged by the company we keep.”
“Bite me.”
She whispered.
“No thanks,
I’ve got a previous date with the dogs.”
“Quiet.”
Blackley interrupted the banter. “A dozen, maybe more.”
“Guards?”
Chronos asked.
Blackley
shook his head. “Ships.”
“Oh frag.”
He uttered. “Can we make it to the Robbie V?”
Blackley
looked around the deserted hallway, already seeing the ambush waiting for them.
“We can try. But we have to run. Fast.”
END CHAPTER TWO