Recap: Rock's father is dead. His heart and mind boil with anger and hate as he finally reaches the shuttle that will take him to Earth, where he will either continue his search for his father's killer... or turn her in. If he doesn't manage to get himself into even bigger trouble, of course.
Chapter Two: Faux
Rock ran as fast as he could to the small ladder that led up the steps up of the shuttle as the loud intercom voice called out 'Last call, shuttle 4377 for Earth, last call'. The automated doors began to shut as Rock flung himself from the second-to-last step through the door of the shuttle in an impressive martial arts roll, breathing heavily as a man in steward's uniform offered to help him to his feet. Rock looked up to the man and took his hand, pulling himself up to his feet as the man inquired "Sir... might I see your ticket?" Rock nodded as he released his clenched fist, revealing the crumpled ticket. The man grumbled for a minute as he scanned it through the small slot in the wall to confirm it's authenticity before handing it back to him. "Enjoy your trip, sir." Rock nodded as he took his ticket back and opened the door in front of him. The room was only about 10x10 feet, and it was only a small checking room before allowing passengers access to the main lobby. He stepped through the door and what a lobby it was... the floor was exquisitely carpeted with light blue and gold embroidery. The entire room was a circular shape, and although the ceiling was fairly high, the extraordinary breadth of the room gave it more of a horizontal orientation. A stylish round-shaped counter on the left served as a bar, and the rest of the room was decorated with various tables, chairs, and couches. It was pretty obvious by his speedy entrance into the shuttle that he was the last one aboard, so there weren't any free seats except for one at a small table meant for two.
There was a girl sitting there, fairly young, and she was fiddling with a small handheld computer as Rock came up to the table and accompanied her at the opposite end of the table. He didn't say hello... he avoided direct eye contact and he spent most of the time fidgeting with his cuffs.. he found the girl rather cute and just looking at her made him want to take a sip of the glass of water that sat on the table. The young girl looked up to him with eyes of scarlet, brushing back some of her long red hair back over her shoulder as she impatiently laid down her handheld computer and stylus "Kid.. what are you doing here? Can't you see I'm busy?" Rock was getting quite nervous now, and he eyed the screen briefly before looking down at his lap "Sorry, ma'am.. I'll go" He started to push his seat back to stand as the girl let out a sigh of frustration, half-muttering "It's ok, kid.. you can sit" Rock quietly complied as the girl went back to her computer "Shit.. it's gone up again" The girl's demeanor became agitated and angry for several moment before she looked up to her table partner "So, kid... got a name? Or should I keep calling you kid?" Rock zipped and unzipped his cuffs nervously as he quietly replied "I'm Rock.." The girl touched her screen a few times with the stylus "Rock, huh?" "Yes'm, Rock Howard" At the mention of this, the girl set to work typing a few letters into the computer, and after a few moments of looking over the screen she grinned and closed it up, laying it on the table "No kidding... Howard, huh?" Rock nodded, quickly took the water from the table, drunk nerviously, and set it back down, accidentally setting his glass down on thin air and dropping it to the floor. He was just getting ready to pick it up when the girl sighed and said "Let me do it, you look pretty tired." She bent over to pick it up and as she set it on the table she pondered quietly, her chin in her hand. Rock blinked at her twice but she was lost in her own world. He leaned a bit closer to her and waved his hand in front of her eyes a few times "Miss?" The girl shook her head once and met eye contact with him "Hey, kid... you got blood all over you, you ok?" All Rock could do was nod as his eyes began a rather abnormal feat.. they changed color, on the spot. The red shade faded away, leaving a pale gray with the faintest hint of blue "My father was killed." This put the girl into a visible state of anxiety as she dug into her pocket and presented Rock with a few dollars "You're probably not in the best mood kid, go get yourself a drink.. on me." He nodded quietly, took the money, and left the girl to herself again as he stepped quietly to the impressively crafted marble counter.
It reminded him of postmodern art, the way the curve of the bar seemed thickest at the center. He pulled up a seat and just sighed looking at his reflection in the bar. The barkeep came to him, no one else to tend to, as he said "Wow, kid.. you look majorly wiped. Let me get you a free martini." Even though there weren't any laws restricting drinking age, Rock never cared much for alcohol.. He didn't object though, just drank it quietly as he looked at the pale blue marble.
Back at the table, the girl watched him as she took out her headset and plugged it into her handheld computer. She promptly dialed in a phone number on the screen and spoke in a hushed voice as the other end picked up the phone "Galaxy Police? I'd like to report a murder..." A grin that could only be described as pure evil came to her face as she repeated the operator's inquiry "The victim? His name is..." She tried to not laugh out loud as she plainly stated "Geese Howard. The killer was Rock Howard.. he's on shuttle 4377 headed for Earth. He hasn't had a chance to change since the murder, he's still soaked in the victim's blood." And with that, she pulled out her headset and hung up. She knew the GP would pull up the shuttle number to see where it had taken off from and what it's path should be, so they wouldn't have any trouble finding it. In fact, if she was lucky, they'd have a unit nearby and Rock could be out of her hair soon. She tapped her fingers against her thigh as she spent the better half of an hour waiting for the familiar sound of the GP cruiser docking to the shuttle, but it still didn't come.
Throughout this whole time, Rock had been sitting at the bar pondering "I don't even know what she looks like.. except the red hair." He quickly noted that the girl he had sat with had red hair, and turned and looked at her, but there were plenty of women in the rest of the lobby with red hair, some of them even close to the killer's height. He spent a few moments thinking about the shuttle 'These new stabilized transports are really nice... couldn't even feel the take-off.' He turned his attention back to his martini, the third one, as he just looked at it. All of a sudden the drink fell from his hand and the glass shattered on the ground as a loud rumbling shook the room. He turned and looked at the entrance door as a girl with turquoise hair busted through the door and charged directly at him, her laser pistol raised "Galaxy Police Officer Kiyone! You're under arrest for the first-degree murder of Geese Howard!" Before Rock could object, he was clubbed in the forehead with the barrel of the gun and knocked unconscious. The girl dragged him from the shuttle into her cruiser without another word and undocked, taking off in hyperspace to her destination, the Mars prison.
Chapter Two: Faux
Rock ran as fast as he could to the small ladder that led up the steps up of the shuttle as the loud intercom voice called out 'Last call, shuttle 4377 for Earth, last call'. The automated doors began to shut as Rock flung himself from the second-to-last step through the door of the shuttle in an impressive martial arts roll, breathing heavily as a man in steward's uniform offered to help him to his feet. Rock looked up to the man and took his hand, pulling himself up to his feet as the man inquired "Sir... might I see your ticket?" Rock nodded as he released his clenched fist, revealing the crumpled ticket. The man grumbled for a minute as he scanned it through the small slot in the wall to confirm it's authenticity before handing it back to him. "Enjoy your trip, sir." Rock nodded as he took his ticket back and opened the door in front of him. The room was only about 10x10 feet, and it was only a small checking room before allowing passengers access to the main lobby. He stepped through the door and what a lobby it was... the floor was exquisitely carpeted with light blue and gold embroidery. The entire room was a circular shape, and although the ceiling was fairly high, the extraordinary breadth of the room gave it more of a horizontal orientation. A stylish round-shaped counter on the left served as a bar, and the rest of the room was decorated with various tables, chairs, and couches. It was pretty obvious by his speedy entrance into the shuttle that he was the last one aboard, so there weren't any free seats except for one at a small table meant for two.
There was a girl sitting there, fairly young, and she was fiddling with a small handheld computer as Rock came up to the table and accompanied her at the opposite end of the table. He didn't say hello... he avoided direct eye contact and he spent most of the time fidgeting with his cuffs.. he found the girl rather cute and just looking at her made him want to take a sip of the glass of water that sat on the table. The young girl looked up to him with eyes of scarlet, brushing back some of her long red hair back over her shoulder as she impatiently laid down her handheld computer and stylus "Kid.. what are you doing here? Can't you see I'm busy?" Rock was getting quite nervous now, and he eyed the screen briefly before looking down at his lap "Sorry, ma'am.. I'll go" He started to push his seat back to stand as the girl let out a sigh of frustration, half-muttering "It's ok, kid.. you can sit" Rock quietly complied as the girl went back to her computer "Shit.. it's gone up again" The girl's demeanor became agitated and angry for several moment before she looked up to her table partner "So, kid... got a name? Or should I keep calling you kid?" Rock zipped and unzipped his cuffs nervously as he quietly replied "I'm Rock.." The girl touched her screen a few times with the stylus "Rock, huh?" "Yes'm, Rock Howard" At the mention of this, the girl set to work typing a few letters into the computer, and after a few moments of looking over the screen she grinned and closed it up, laying it on the table "No kidding... Howard, huh?" Rock nodded, quickly took the water from the table, drunk nerviously, and set it back down, accidentally setting his glass down on thin air and dropping it to the floor. He was just getting ready to pick it up when the girl sighed and said "Let me do it, you look pretty tired." She bent over to pick it up and as she set it on the table she pondered quietly, her chin in her hand. Rock blinked at her twice but she was lost in her own world. He leaned a bit closer to her and waved his hand in front of her eyes a few times "Miss?" The girl shook her head once and met eye contact with him "Hey, kid... you got blood all over you, you ok?" All Rock could do was nod as his eyes began a rather abnormal feat.. they changed color, on the spot. The red shade faded away, leaving a pale gray with the faintest hint of blue "My father was killed." This put the girl into a visible state of anxiety as she dug into her pocket and presented Rock with a few dollars "You're probably not in the best mood kid, go get yourself a drink.. on me." He nodded quietly, took the money, and left the girl to herself again as he stepped quietly to the impressively crafted marble counter.
It reminded him of postmodern art, the way the curve of the bar seemed thickest at the center. He pulled up a seat and just sighed looking at his reflection in the bar. The barkeep came to him, no one else to tend to, as he said "Wow, kid.. you look majorly wiped. Let me get you a free martini." Even though there weren't any laws restricting drinking age, Rock never cared much for alcohol.. He didn't object though, just drank it quietly as he looked at the pale blue marble.
Back at the table, the girl watched him as she took out her headset and plugged it into her handheld computer. She promptly dialed in a phone number on the screen and spoke in a hushed voice as the other end picked up the phone "Galaxy Police? I'd like to report a murder..." A grin that could only be described as pure evil came to her face as she repeated the operator's inquiry "The victim? His name is..." She tried to not laugh out loud as she plainly stated "Geese Howard. The killer was Rock Howard.. he's on shuttle 4377 headed for Earth. He hasn't had a chance to change since the murder, he's still soaked in the victim's blood." And with that, she pulled out her headset and hung up. She knew the GP would pull up the shuttle number to see where it had taken off from and what it's path should be, so they wouldn't have any trouble finding it. In fact, if she was lucky, they'd have a unit nearby and Rock could be out of her hair soon. She tapped her fingers against her thigh as she spent the better half of an hour waiting for the familiar sound of the GP cruiser docking to the shuttle, but it still didn't come.
Throughout this whole time, Rock had been sitting at the bar pondering "I don't even know what she looks like.. except the red hair." He quickly noted that the girl he had sat with had red hair, and turned and looked at her, but there were plenty of women in the rest of the lobby with red hair, some of them even close to the killer's height. He spent a few moments thinking about the shuttle 'These new stabilized transports are really nice... couldn't even feel the take-off.' He turned his attention back to his martini, the third one, as he just looked at it. All of a sudden the drink fell from his hand and the glass shattered on the ground as a loud rumbling shook the room. He turned and looked at the entrance door as a girl with turquoise hair busted through the door and charged directly at him, her laser pistol raised "Galaxy Police Officer Kiyone! You're under arrest for the first-degree murder of Geese Howard!" Before Rock could object, he was clubbed in the forehead with the barrel of the gun and knocked unconscious. The girl dragged him from the shuttle into her cruiser without another word and undocked, taking off in hyperspace to her destination, the Mars prison.