Thanks to my reviewer.

Chapter Two

The impact of the ship to the earth was incredible. If I hadn't braced myself, I would have been knocked out or killed. I anticipated the collision perfectly, though, and I was at the very back of the cruiser when it actually hit. I lost my footing at that moment, and fell, breaking my arm, but that was a small price to pay for actually surviving, something I doubted as the ship got closer to the planet. I kicked open the nearest door after I was sure the ship was done with moving and was met with a horrible scene. There were several bodies, mostly ISSP, lying around, some showing signs of life, others as far from life as you could get. I ignored it, however, and ran as fast as I could, joining up with a throng of people fleeing the crash site, sporting cuts and broken limbs of their own. I fit right in. I ran with more urgency than they did, however I was hoping anyone watching would chalk it up to blind panic.

In my rush, I collided into a tall, lanky man with a mop of green hair and questioning eyes. I redirected my gaze from his searching one, and muttered a brief apology. Quickening my pace, I tried to lose myself in the mass confusion. As I hurried on, I could still feel his eyes, studying me, analyzing me. You're being paranoid. Just keep moving and stop worrying about some green haired loser. I took my own advice and kept on, disregarding the pain and the creepy sensation of being watched. 

Spike stretched out across the worn yellow couch, still bundled up to his eyes because the distant memory of that piercing cold remained with him. He had spent another freezing day searching for his bounty head with no avail. He was starting to wonder if Ed had gotten her information wrong. He lit up a cigarette, hoping it wasn't his last, and inhaled deeply. If only he could stay right here, just like this…

"Spike-person is back!" a streak of pure energy bounced around from wall to wall, a yapping figure at its heels. Edward and Ein. Spike sighed as Ed's bouncing landed her on his stomach. "Did Spike-person have a good time in the coooold plaaaace?" Spike shoved Ed off of him. She landed upside down, grinning like a jack-o-lantern.

"No, Ed. As a matter of fact I had a crappy time," Spike replied, finally pealing of his extra layers. Ed frowned, but only momentarily. A frown could not possibly fit on her face anyway.

"Awww…poor, poor, cold, cold Spike, Spike!" She did a back flip onto her knees, giggling gleefully. "Jet-person, told Edward to tell Spike-person that there is nothing to eat." Spike raised his eyebrows in distant interest.

"Oh? And where is Jet?"

"Edward does not know." Spike rolled his eyes. I suppose he told me that so I would go back out and look for that damn bounty while freezing my ass off.

"Well, Ed, I don't know what to tell you, but I am not going back out there until I defrost." Spike sprawled out onto the couch, wondering if he had any more cigarettes left. If he didn't he might have to eat his words and actually brace the cold again.

"Hm, is the lunkhead afraid of a little snow?" A silky, seductive voice questioned sarcastically. Spike opened one eye and stared up at a pair of green pools. He abruptly closed the eye again. There was no getting rest on this ship.

"Why don't you go out there and see if you're still making smart ass comments after one minute on that godforsaken ice ball," Spike muttered darkly. Faye snorted, a very un-lady like gesture if you asked him, then sat down on the couch he was currently occupying. He would have moved, but he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing that she was bothering him.

"I was already out there. It didn't seem so bad to me. I think you're being a baby," she said. Spike knew damn well that she was lying, but he didn't say anything. He heard the familiar sound of her lighting up a stick of nicotine. The smell wafted to his nose, making his desire for one of his own even stronger. I really don't think I have anymore. Damn. I need to go get some. Or bum one off of Faye and never hear the end of it. He opened his eye again and glanced at the violet haired vixen. She was examining a fingernail, paying no heed to him. No, I'll brace the cold. He sat up, causing Faye to fall backwards onto the seat. She gave him a dirty look as he began to pull on his freeze protection again.

"Where are you going?" she demanded.

"Out," he replied aloofly. She glared at him, looking as though she were searching for a scathing response to his one word reply, but he was gone before she found one. There was no way he could deal with Faye without a cigarette.

I stared blankly into my drink, trying to ignore the searing pain in my arm. It was a very difficult task, for any time I moved a new wave of agony shot through my body like electricity. Nothing had been going my way ever since I crashed the stupid cruiser, hell, nothing had been going my way ever since I agreed to go through with that dumb-ass plan to rob the docking port. Gods, that was a stupid plan.

"Howdy, Amigos!" the overexcited voice of the television show host, chirped. "All 300,000 bounty hunters in the solar system. How y'all doin'?" I pointedly paid no attention to the show, silently wishing I had picked another bar—one that had more than just a tiny television—to forget my troubles in. Then again, my troubles weren't all that easy to forget, so no matter how nice the bar was, I might have complained about something.

Had I been faster, and mostly smarter, I would have been able to get my arm treated without any problems. Had I found a hospital or clinic as soon as I left the mass of panicked onlookers, I would not have been on the verge of passing out at that moment. But I wasn't and I didn't, so not I was stuck. Every hospital and legitimate clinic on the planet knew my name and face by then, and would have held me instantly for arrest if I tried to get some sort of treatment. I was royally screwed.

"We have one whopper of a bounty for you cowboys today," the annoying voice went on.

"All you cowgirls out there better make sure not to fall for his good looks," a higher pitched voice added. "This varmint is dangerous."

"He's got a heck of a bounty on his head: 700 million woolongs to be exact." The bar suddenly grew quiet at the mention of all that money. Every eye in the joint turned to the screen. I took a casual sip from my glass. The lukewarm liquid slid down my throat, only soothing me slightly. Alcohol always managed to somehow make me feel better, though and this was no exception. Whoever catches the poor sucker with that bounty is going to be one happy hunter.

"Here he is; Drake James. Aged 21. Charged with attempted robbery, theft, and eight counts of murder, including six ISSP officers." My head snapped up as my face flashed across the screen. My face!

"Holy shit," I gasped. My mouth fell open at the list of charges. Murder? No, not just murder, EIGHT counts of it! I'm dead! I am fucking dead!

Putting my coat on as calmly as I could—and carefully mind you—I placed a pair of sunglasses on my face and finished my drink. I paid the bartender and left, not without the feeling of eyes drilling holes into my back.

I resisted the urge to run down the streets of Aquatown while looking over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't being followed by a swarm of bounty hunters with money on the brain. I tried to push all thoughts out of my mind, so I could concentrate on being calm, but every time I did, they came raging back. You moron! You gods damn to hell moron! How could you think that crashing a space cruiser into a group of ISSP officers was a smart idea? You deserve to die for your stupidity!

Why did I get myself involved in this? Why did I let myself be talked into such a half assed plan in the first place? 700 million woolongs. Gods. Everyone with a working ship, whether bounty hunter or otherwise, was going to be looking for me, and here I was; stuck on a crappy frozen hell hole dared to be called a planet, with no ship, hardly no money, and no means of surviving. I had no connections that could help me. I didn't know someone, who knew someone, who could help me.

"I have become one of the most wanted men in the solar system and I have no clue how to stay alive."

***

Sorry, not the best chapter in the world. I'll make up for it soon.

Shut up