Drip, drip, drippity drip. The sewage water dripped from a rusty old pipe, once every second or so. That sound was the first sound that TJ heard as he slowly regained conscious. It was also the sound that brought him back. In just a few minutes, he would regret ever hearing it.
"Ladies and gentleman, if you would kindly divert your attention to me." Requested the pleasant, yet firm and commanding voice of the shuttle supervisor. Once all heads turned to face her, she continued. "Shuttle number 24-Omega will depart at 15:00. All passengers please prepare passports and boarding tickets for inspection."
"You know, when you said we were going to Mirinoi, I thought you were playing around." I said to Kai, as we both set on synthetic cotton-padded chairs and waited for the routine document check. I played, rather nervously, with the fake passport Kai handed to me back at the car.
"What, don't you know? The Mirinoi-Earth shuttle line has been fully active for the last four years. These days it's easier to fly to Mirinoi than it is to get to China. And they cost the same, too. Anyway where the hell is that girl?"
I looked up, everyone minded their own business, no danger in sight. A blonde young woman winked at me from under her sunglasses, I cracked a smile back, not paying much attention to her. If only I knew at that point what that winking actually meant, perhaps – just perhaps – many people who were about to die would actually be alive today.
"That girl, Mr. Chen." I answered, through my teeth, "Kimberly, saved the world more times than you can count. Not to disrespect you or anything, but she can take care of herself."
"Anyway I don't like it, I'm going to look for her. Stay put." Kai ordered.
For some reason, that's what I did.
First came sound, second came smell, third came pain (manifested mostly in a splintering headache), and finally sight. The sight seen through TJ's swollen eyes was that of an old warehouse, probably in the dock due to the ship parts, and a group of men standing around his fiancé. Their eyes met for a second, her hair had been drenched with blood running down her forehead and bruised lips. A cut, most likely done by a knife went between her right shoulder and the top of her left breast. Her breathing was heavy, TJ could only guess the amount of punches Cassie took to her chest and stomach.
"You leave her alone now!" He cried, trying to get up despite the chains wrapped around his ribs.
"Oh look who's awake." A firm, ring-bound palm tightened around TJ's jaw, and suddenly he faced his once friend and comrade, Carlos. "You know, I really don't like doing this, but what can I do when people threaten my business."
"Carlos…" TJ muttered, the effects of the drugs injected into his body hadn't quite worn off, leaving him fully aware but relatively weak.
"Come to think of it, it sort of feels like a little reunion. Here we have you, me, punk Justin hiding somewhere, Cassie over here… All we really need is Ashley and we're all set. Ha! I think that's not too much of a problem, judging by her latest actions, she'll find us.
Carlos let go, and kneeled by Cassie. Her eyes watered in pain and grim understanding of her situation.
"I'm so sorry Cass, but you know how excited I am about our little reunion. If only we had Ashley…" He then violently squeezed her left shoulder, getting her to scream in pain unlike no other. "Hurts baby, doesn't it?" This time there was a sick smile on his lips. "You remember when I hit you there with my Lunar Lance? I never thought it would leave the area so SENSITIVE." She screamed again when he squeezed, this time even harder. "Tell me where Billy Cranston is. You know you want to."
Cassie tried to speak, but only coughed and spat her own blood.
"Let her go mother fucker! She doesn't know anything!" TJ cried at the sight of his molested fiancé.
Carlos got up, took out a pistol and shot Cassie in the chest.
"No!" TJ yelled, but there was nothing he could do. Cassie collapsed to the ground, and her eyes went blank.
"What the fuck are you doing Carlos?!" Justin, who until that point hid behind the other, much larger goons, stormed to the front and pushed Carlos back.
Carlos lost his temper, and smacked him across the face with the same pistol he used to end the life of Cassie, the former Pink Turbo Ranger and Pink Space Ranger. He regained his composure a second later. "She knew nothing, my buddy TJ said so himself. Now he, on the other hand, could tell us a lot. You guys take care of him."
The two largest goons turned to TJ, one with a brass-knuckle, the other with a switchblade. As TJ's screams got louder and louder, Carlos grabbed Justin by the collar and spat in his ear, "You ever disrespect me like that again, I'll take you out myself. And then I'll pay a visit to your father, you understand me?"
"Yeah sure, I understand." Justin's face was bluish-white by then, sporting such a complexion from a combination of fear and lack of oxygen.
"Excuse me," a voice.
"Let us through please" a familiar voice.
"Silver Guardians, let us through." A little too familiar voice. Without looking back, I did what I've trained myself to do over the last three days – I ran.
My flight led me to an alley. The alley carried the foul stench of old garbage, rotting meat and vegetables, sewage, and probably some unfortunate cats crushed under the weight of so many bags.
"Billy Cranston!" I froze. Ambushed. Detective Jack Longbow and his partner Jacobs got to the alley first, and I had nowhere to go.
"Why do they always run?" huffed Wes between his breathes.
"A little short-winded, are we?" taunted his back Eric, whose breathing was much better, "Maybe these smokes aren't good for you, after all."
They stopped at a fork between two roads, and split up.
Eric ran to the right, the path that Billy took several seconds before. His pace was rather slow, slow enough to keep him alive. Wes turned from walking to running when three shots pierced the air, just as he came by a door. The door apparently led to an alley to which employees of Earth Shuttle Port would throw the trash out every evening. With his Quantum Defender pulled, he went out to the alley, where he found Detective Jacobs and Detective Longbow on the ground, bleeding. After pressing two fingers to Longbow's neck, just to notice the lack of pulse, he went on to examine detective Jacobs. Unlike Longbow, who was shot in the head, Jacobs gravest wound was in her upper torso. Her breathing was weak and disordered, for each time she would inhale air through her pierced lung, she would spend more time in surgery later on.
"Cranston."
Eric turned to look at her sweaty face, as she muttered the same word again: "Cranston." Time and time again, each time more excruciating than its predecessor.
Wes came running a twenty seconds later. By then, Detective Rona Jacobs lost consciousness, and dropped into a coma from which she will take a while to recover.
"What the hell happened here!?" Wes rushed to check on Detective Longbow, having not seen Eric doing that beforehand.
"He's gone, she'll be as well if we don't get her some help." Eric stood up, and pointed to the street, "I'm going after him."
"He must be like three blocks away by now!"
"He isn't getting away with another murder." Stressed Eric, and was immediately flushed with adrenaline. "QUANTUM POWER!"