Outlaw Star: A New Dawn
Author's Notes: A friend of mine got mad because of my last few chapters and what happened in them. I just smiled and told her to keep reading. Things would turn out as she least suspects. Oh, and in response to the review I just got, I know Aisha and Suzuka were back already. They just happened not to join my story until then.
Chapter 5: Confusion
Gene stared at the man, his face twisted in shock as if he had just been punched in the gut.
"Five years? What do you mean?" Gene asked, already suspecting an answer that he dreaded hearing. The man frowned at him. He gave Gene a look that suggested that he thought Gene was crazy.
"You nuts or somethin' pal? The Emperor has ruled over the Universe for five years now," the man answered.
"WHAT?!" Gene cried.
"Just where have you been anyway? Living on one of those deserted planets?" the man demanded.
"Tell me," Suzuka interrupted calmly. "Are you happy under Darkman's rule?"
The man's eyes suddenly blazed up in anger. He glared fiercely at Suzuka and clutched the table so hard that his knuckles turned white.
"YOU DARE CALL HIM BY HIS NAME WITHOUT ITS PROPER TITLE?! HOW DARE YOU QUESTION LOYALTY TO LORD AND MASTER DARKMAN!" He screamed, making Gene and the girls jump. What was this guy's problem?
"Whoa, buddy. Just calm-" Gene started but didn't get a chance to finish. The man's ravings had started attracting attention from the others in the pier.
"You're some of them Outlaws ain't you?" the man demanded, a mad gleam in his eyes.
"Man, you're-"
"EVERYONE! LISTEN UP! WE'VE GOT SOME OUTLAWS HERE!" he announced suddenly.
There was an instant reaction from the other people standing around. Angry mutterings and scowls of pure hatred appeared on many of their faces. Several angry shouts rang out. Gene looked around in alarm as they were suddenly closed in by mobs of people.
"What the hell?!" Gene grumbled as the angry mob advanced. Someone grabbed his arm roughly and jerked him backwards.
Using the momentum of the stumble, Gene lashed out with his elbow and hit someone right in the stomach. Gene heard a muted oof and his arm were freed. He turned and rammed his knee into the man's stomach.
Behind him, Aisha was causing quite a scene. She flailed wildly in random directions with her powerful arms and legs, sending people flying left and right. Then with a ferocious roar, she transformed into her powerful beast form. She and Suzuka flew into the crowd, fighting their way out.
"Gene! Help!" Melfina cried as three men came near her.
"Melfina!" Gene yelled and dove at the men to help her. Where was his Caster when he needed it? Gene stood in front of the bio-android and struggled to fight off the men.
One of the attackers got a good hit onto Gene's left cheek. He grunted and stepped back, his defense broken. A leg flew towards his face and connected with a painful crack. Gene fell back onto the ground. The attackers relentlessly began kicking and punching him as he lied there helplessly.
"Damn Outlaws!"
"Outlaw scum!"
"How dare you oppose Emperor Darkman!"
"Bastards! Kill them all!"
An ear-splitting explosion nearby suddenly drowned the inane and hate-filled protests out. Gene, now in a lot of pain and bleeding, felt the ground tremble violently underneath him and pieces of wood pelting him. The assaults on him ceased. The mob stopped beating on them for the moment as they turned to find out what was going on.
"What the hell?" one man demanded angrily and then looked over to something Gene couldn't see from his position. What he did see was the man's face suddenly tighten in surprise. "Look! Is she another Outlaw?"
"She must be! She's helping these bastards!" a burly woman answered.
Curious despite his condition, Gene slowly turned his head and peered through a gap in the mob. He blinked when he saw a teenaged girl standing a distance away. She was a petite girl with orange-red hair that framed her serious face. She stood calmly near them, a gun raised a bit off from the crowd.
Gene sat up a little and wiped the blood off of his face. He blinked several times to focus on what he was seeing and gasped when he realized what type of weapon the girl had. She was holding a Caster.
"You bitch! What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you an Outlaw?" one man demanded and took a menacing step in her direction.
Cold honey colored eyes locked on the man and the Caster was suddenly pointed straight into the crowd.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," She stated. "I won't hesitate to shoot you."
"Oh yeah? Well I'll take my chances! Come on, let's get her!" the man shouted. Uproar of agreement went up from the crowd and they surged towards her, their previous victims forgotten.
Gene managed to get to his feet and drag himself away as the incensed mob rushed away. He watched as the girl simply point the Caster at the dock underneath the crowd and fire. He flinched and closed his eyes as more wood was splintered violently. Pieces of it and water rained down onto him.
Cries of surprise and pain rang out as the startled people fell through the massive hole in the wooden pier and fell into the water. The ones who had managed to escape the fall cowered away. Some were still foolish enough to continue trying to get to the girl.
Gene could've sworn he saw her smirk before she moved. In a blur of movement, the redhead attacked her challengers. She grabbed one guy's descending fist and twisted it so that his wrist was in an unusual angle. Then she struck his forearm with the butt of the Caster.
Whirling, she jumped and executed a gravity-defying kick to another man's face. Gene turned away when he felt a tug on his shirt. He turned to find a bruised Melfina looking at him intently.
"Gene! We have to get out of here!" Melfina cried. Aisha, Suzuka's arm draped over her shoulders as she held her up, stumbled up to them.
"Let's run for it!" Gene screamed. He gave a quick glance back in the direction of the mad chaos that was ensuing.
Around the girl lay five unconscious men. She looked up at them and their eyes locked briefly. With amazing agility, she ran and did a high jump onto the roof of a shack next to them. Running along the roof, she made it past the hole and hopped down in front of them.
"Hurry. This way," She ordered simply. And began running down the pier. Gene and the others followed, not sure what else there was to do.
The stranger led them through the market place of the small dock. She seemed very alert and that made Gene a bit nervous. Was there more to worry about than some angry mob of people?
As if someone had read his thoughts, two objects burst through the water. Gene recognized them as robots. The same robots that had been accompanying Darkman when they had last seen him. One of them fired, barely missing the girl and destroying a crate of fish nearby. They stopped short, looking at the pair of robots apprehensively.
"Shit!" She hissed and gave Gene a quick glance. "You'd better take cover."
"Right," Gene grabbed Melfina's hand and dove behind a stack of barrels. He peeked out at the girl. She dove aside and rolled as the robots unleashed another barrage of fire. She pointed the Caster at one of them and fired. It exploded, showering metal and flaming parts of it all over the place.
The second robot fired at her. She jumped to her feet and bolted away. The robot wheeled and continued its advances. Out of no where another blast struck the robot in the back. It exploded in another burst of charred metal.
"Merris!" a blond teenaged boy ran out from the corner and towards the girl. He looked over at Gene and halted abruptly. Cerulean blue eyes widened. The blond boy just stared at Gene, his jaw dropped in shock.
"G-GENE?!"
Author's Notes: A friend of mine got mad because of my last few chapters and what happened in them. I just smiled and told her to keep reading. Things would turn out as she least suspects. Oh, and in response to the review I just got, I know Aisha and Suzuka were back already. They just happened not to join my story until then.
Chapter 5: Confusion
Gene stared at the man, his face twisted in shock as if he had just been punched in the gut.
"Five years? What do you mean?" Gene asked, already suspecting an answer that he dreaded hearing. The man frowned at him. He gave Gene a look that suggested that he thought Gene was crazy.
"You nuts or somethin' pal? The Emperor has ruled over the Universe for five years now," the man answered.
"WHAT?!" Gene cried.
"Just where have you been anyway? Living on one of those deserted planets?" the man demanded.
"Tell me," Suzuka interrupted calmly. "Are you happy under Darkman's rule?"
The man's eyes suddenly blazed up in anger. He glared fiercely at Suzuka and clutched the table so hard that his knuckles turned white.
"YOU DARE CALL HIM BY HIS NAME WITHOUT ITS PROPER TITLE?! HOW DARE YOU QUESTION LOYALTY TO LORD AND MASTER DARKMAN!" He screamed, making Gene and the girls jump. What was this guy's problem?
"Whoa, buddy. Just calm-" Gene started but didn't get a chance to finish. The man's ravings had started attracting attention from the others in the pier.
"You're some of them Outlaws ain't you?" the man demanded, a mad gleam in his eyes.
"Man, you're-"
"EVERYONE! LISTEN UP! WE'VE GOT SOME OUTLAWS HERE!" he announced suddenly.
There was an instant reaction from the other people standing around. Angry mutterings and scowls of pure hatred appeared on many of their faces. Several angry shouts rang out. Gene looked around in alarm as they were suddenly closed in by mobs of people.
"What the hell?!" Gene grumbled as the angry mob advanced. Someone grabbed his arm roughly and jerked him backwards.
Using the momentum of the stumble, Gene lashed out with his elbow and hit someone right in the stomach. Gene heard a muted oof and his arm were freed. He turned and rammed his knee into the man's stomach.
Behind him, Aisha was causing quite a scene. She flailed wildly in random directions with her powerful arms and legs, sending people flying left and right. Then with a ferocious roar, she transformed into her powerful beast form. She and Suzuka flew into the crowd, fighting their way out.
"Gene! Help!" Melfina cried as three men came near her.
"Melfina!" Gene yelled and dove at the men to help her. Where was his Caster when he needed it? Gene stood in front of the bio-android and struggled to fight off the men.
One of the attackers got a good hit onto Gene's left cheek. He grunted and stepped back, his defense broken. A leg flew towards his face and connected with a painful crack. Gene fell back onto the ground. The attackers relentlessly began kicking and punching him as he lied there helplessly.
"Damn Outlaws!"
"Outlaw scum!"
"How dare you oppose Emperor Darkman!"
"Bastards! Kill them all!"
An ear-splitting explosion nearby suddenly drowned the inane and hate-filled protests out. Gene, now in a lot of pain and bleeding, felt the ground tremble violently underneath him and pieces of wood pelting him. The assaults on him ceased. The mob stopped beating on them for the moment as they turned to find out what was going on.
"What the hell?" one man demanded angrily and then looked over to something Gene couldn't see from his position. What he did see was the man's face suddenly tighten in surprise. "Look! Is she another Outlaw?"
"She must be! She's helping these bastards!" a burly woman answered.
Curious despite his condition, Gene slowly turned his head and peered through a gap in the mob. He blinked when he saw a teenaged girl standing a distance away. She was a petite girl with orange-red hair that framed her serious face. She stood calmly near them, a gun raised a bit off from the crowd.
Gene sat up a little and wiped the blood off of his face. He blinked several times to focus on what he was seeing and gasped when he realized what type of weapon the girl had. She was holding a Caster.
"You bitch! What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you an Outlaw?" one man demanded and took a menacing step in her direction.
Cold honey colored eyes locked on the man and the Caster was suddenly pointed straight into the crowd.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," She stated. "I won't hesitate to shoot you."
"Oh yeah? Well I'll take my chances! Come on, let's get her!" the man shouted. Uproar of agreement went up from the crowd and they surged towards her, their previous victims forgotten.
Gene managed to get to his feet and drag himself away as the incensed mob rushed away. He watched as the girl simply point the Caster at the dock underneath the crowd and fire. He flinched and closed his eyes as more wood was splintered violently. Pieces of it and water rained down onto him.
Cries of surprise and pain rang out as the startled people fell through the massive hole in the wooden pier and fell into the water. The ones who had managed to escape the fall cowered away. Some were still foolish enough to continue trying to get to the girl.
Gene could've sworn he saw her smirk before she moved. In a blur of movement, the redhead attacked her challengers. She grabbed one guy's descending fist and twisted it so that his wrist was in an unusual angle. Then she struck his forearm with the butt of the Caster.
Whirling, she jumped and executed a gravity-defying kick to another man's face. Gene turned away when he felt a tug on his shirt. He turned to find a bruised Melfina looking at him intently.
"Gene! We have to get out of here!" Melfina cried. Aisha, Suzuka's arm draped over her shoulders as she held her up, stumbled up to them.
"Let's run for it!" Gene screamed. He gave a quick glance back in the direction of the mad chaos that was ensuing.
Around the girl lay five unconscious men. She looked up at them and their eyes locked briefly. With amazing agility, she ran and did a high jump onto the roof of a shack next to them. Running along the roof, she made it past the hole and hopped down in front of them.
"Hurry. This way," She ordered simply. And began running down the pier. Gene and the others followed, not sure what else there was to do.
The stranger led them through the market place of the small dock. She seemed very alert and that made Gene a bit nervous. Was there more to worry about than some angry mob of people?
As if someone had read his thoughts, two objects burst through the water. Gene recognized them as robots. The same robots that had been accompanying Darkman when they had last seen him. One of them fired, barely missing the girl and destroying a crate of fish nearby. They stopped short, looking at the pair of robots apprehensively.
"Shit!" She hissed and gave Gene a quick glance. "You'd better take cover."
"Right," Gene grabbed Melfina's hand and dove behind a stack of barrels. He peeked out at the girl. She dove aside and rolled as the robots unleashed another barrage of fire. She pointed the Caster at one of them and fired. It exploded, showering metal and flaming parts of it all over the place.
The second robot fired at her. She jumped to her feet and bolted away. The robot wheeled and continued its advances. Out of no where another blast struck the robot in the back. It exploded in another burst of charred metal.
"Merris!" a blond teenaged boy ran out from the corner and towards the girl. He looked over at Gene and halted abruptly. Cerulean blue eyes widened. The blond boy just stared at Gene, his jaw dropped in shock.
"G-GENE?!"