CHAPTER 4: Run Away

Mallory walked up to her apartment and opened the unlocked door she had chased Crystal from less than an hour ago. Mallory walked to her bedroom and took a bag from the closet. It was prefilled with clothes, pre-loaded disposable credit chits, and a weapon with ammo. Mallory looked in the closet and saw the coffee can she kept her Red Sand in. Mallory shook with rage and threw it against the wall.

If she hadn't gotten hooked on this shit Crystal and her wouldn't have argued.

Mallory shivered at the sight of the Red Sand on the floor before turning and leaving her bedroom forever. Mallory walked into the living room and the shattered photo frame on the ground caught her eye. She timidly walked over and poured out the broken glass to pick up the picture inside.

In the photo were four people in the Red Room. One was younger Crystal in a t-shirt and shorts behind the bar. Another was Chris sitting at the bar opposite Crystal and smirking at a younger Mallory as the young girl held a beer at arm's length with a disgusted look on her face. The last was Jared on the far right of the picture sitting at the end of the bar laughing uproariously. Mallory used a pocket knife to cut Jared from the photo and then looked at it again.

Crystal was shaking her head at Chris and Mallory in the photo. Mallory swallowed hard and put the photo in the pocket of her jacket. Her head snapped up as she heard engines stopping in front of the apartment. Mallory approached the front door and looked at the screen linked to a camera outside. She saw a dozen Reds approaching the house with long guns in hand and masks over their faces. Mallory swore and turned to run for the bedroom.

She stopped in the doorway to the bedroom and looked at the floor.

"Shit!"

Mallory scooped up the coffee can full of packets of Red Sand before moving to the window and opening it. As she swung her legs out and onto the sidewalk just outside, she heard the front door break open. Mallory dropped her other leg outside and began running down the sidewalk. As she reached the corner a bullet zipped past her ear and Mallory swore again as she turned the corner.

Mallory ran into an alley and began climbing a ladder to the rooftops of Atlanta-Miami. The former Red heard engines start back by her apartment and ran towards the nearest next rooftop. She jumped across the gap between buildings and continued parallel to the road on the rooftops.

Mallory grimaced as an aircar flew past above her head before pulling a turn that must have knocked out at least one of the occupants. The aircar dropped to rooftop level and let out two Reds who began chasing after Mallory on foot.

Mallory pulled the pistol from the shoulder holster and jumped across another gap onto a fire escape that would take her higher onto the rooftops. As she mounted the second flight towards the rooftops, a bullet smacked the wall in front of her. Mallory ignored it and continued towards the third and final flight.

When she reached the top she fired two rounds downwards at the Reds who were attempting the same jump to the fire escape. She smiled toothily as one of the Reds stumbled and missed the jump plummeting third stories onto a dumpster. The Red was clutching his side and rolling off of the dumpster as Mallory turned away and continued running.

Mallory flipped the aircar the bird as it flew overhead. When the ganger looked over he shoulder she saw the second Red just making it to the top to the fire escape. She faced forward and continued running as another bullet pinged off of a vent to her right. Mallory still had the toothy smile on her face when she reached the other side of the building and jumped across the gap to the next. The aircar passed over again and began descending.

Mal laughed when the aircar set down and a single Red got out with a shotgun. The biotic fired a couple of rounds at him that caused him to duck. While he was down the woman rushed him and by the time he came up to fire, Mallory was close enough to pull off a snapshot into the guy's chest. The guy fell over and began groaning as he clutched his chest.

He was wearing a vest. Lucky bastard.

Mallory got in the aircar and hit the button to close the canopy. As it closed, she flipped the bird to the Red who was just making the jump onto the rooftop. The air car lifted off and turned for the spaceport as several bullets bounced off the car and one punched a hole through the driver side window. Mallory grinned and punched the accelerator.

Mallory walked over the tarmac of the spaceport with her duffel bag over her shoulder. A multitude of freighters were being loaded and passenger ships were slowing moving over to a terminal. Mallory moved towards the cargo loading section and into a crew rest area.

A number of freighter crewmen and longshoremen were resting in the building and didn't even turn to look as a Mallory entered. The ganger looked around and found a freighter crewman she knew. Mallory smirked.

Perfect.

The man was eating some synth-food and his eyes widened when Mallory walked over.

"Uh…hey Mal…" There was a slight tremor in the man's voice. Mallory calmly sat down and pursed her lips.

"Rahim. How's it going? Making that money, huh?"

Rahim swallowed and shook his head.

"Uh…look Mal. I just need some time, ok? I know I owe you guys but…"

Mal leaned forward and clenched her fist.

"Shut up. You are two payments behind and owe us well over a 1000 creds. You know I've broken legs for less."

Rahim sat back in his chair and clasped his hands together in his lap.

"Look, Mal…"

Mal hammered the table with her fist and a few heads turned her way before turning away.

"No you look Rahim. You're going to do me a favor. When you're done we'll revisit the debt."

Rahim's face regained some color.

"Uh, yeah…anything! What can I do?"

Mallory leaned forward and put her elbows on the table.

"You're going to get me on board a freighter headed off world. Out to the colonies. I can make my way from there, but you're going to get me there."

Rahim frowned.

"Just you? Why doesn't Jared just pay for a passenger flight."

Mallory bared her teeth.

"Are you really asking question you half-wit?! I'm offering to wipe away your debt and here you are asking stupid fucking questions about why a ganger would want to avoid Alliance Security at the passenger terminal…"

Rahim shrank in his seat.

"Uh…yeah, ok. Let me see what I can do and I'll be right back."

Mallory grabbed his wrist and issued a threatening look.

"Better hurry Rahim."

Rahim nodded and moved towards a man in nicer clothes than the greasy coveralls that Rahim sported. Probably an officer of some sort. Rahim said something to the man and saluted. The man returned the salute before offering Rahim a seat. Rahim clasped his hands together and motioned his head to Mallory. The officer turned to look at Mallory before looking back at Rahim and shaking his head.

Rahim lowered his head and bit his lip before saying something else. The officer raised an eyebrow and took a second look at Mallory before sighing and nodding to Rahim. The freighter crewman's face brightened before standing and giving a sharp salute. The officer returned it and waved Rahim away before returning to his drink.

Rahim came over and stood next to Mallory. He offered a hand towards her bag.

"Let me get that."

Mallory stood and shouldered her duffel bag.

"I got it. What's the word."

Rahim dropped the hand and waved for her to follow him.

"One ticket aboard the SSV Haber-Bosch."

Mallory smiled and followed Rahim.

"See Rahim? I knew you wanted to pay your debt."

Rahim nodded vigorously as he and Mallory boarded a transport vehicle to the Haber-Bosch.

Mallory locked the door to the room provided to her by the captain of the Haber-Bosch. The Kowloon-Class Haber-Bosch had a small passenger section separate from crew spaces that was intended for short hops or extra personnel. One of these staterooms is where Mallory would spend the next day or so. It consisted of two beds and a small table. The beds featured two small lockable drawers beneath the mattress rails. Communal restrooms were down the hall.

Mallory kicked off her boots and dropped her jacket on the second bed in the room. Her head hit the pillow and Mallory suddenly felt extremely tired. The weight of the previous few hours fell on her as if she was Atlas.

Mallory clenched her fists in front of her first as her eyes stung and she opened her mouth in a silent scream. A million images flooded her mind of her entire life up this point.

Crystal and Chris.

Jared and The Reds.

The Bombers.

Red Sand and bloody vomit.

What had it all been for? She was alone. Again.

Mallory sucked in a trembling breath as she realized that her surrogate mother and father had been killed by the very same gang she'd called family for her entire life that she could remember. The man she'd been loyal to and sacrificed her body for had killed her parents.

She was an addict. She and Crystal had argued over Mallory's continued use of Red Sand. Mallory wasn't stupid. That argument was why Crystal and Chris went after Jared. Trying to protect her.

Mallory took a deep breath and then her lips became tight at the thought of Crystal and Chris. Chris…she could go either way with. She could have called him a big brother or a dad or something, but Crystal…

Mallory remembered coming to Crystal with a skinned knee and crying because it was bleeding. Crystal had been twenty-six and picked up Mallory. Crystal cleaned off the knee, put a bandage on it, and kissed it. Mallory had been upset at the kiss because other kids had made fun of her for it. The next time she skinned her knee, she didn't let Crystal kiss the bandage.

Mallory hated that.

Her shoulders shook and finally a sob escaped as she realized that the woman she had privately thought of as "Mama" when she was still a little girl was gone and wouldn't return. There would be no more bedtime stories or late-night snacks.

Crystal was a good woman. If there was an afterlife, she was for sure going to the better of the two.

Mallory had killed some people. She'd broken bones and beaten people senseless. Sold drugs and people alike. If there was a Hell, she was sure to have a seat reserved.

"All hands secure for transit of Charon Relay."

Mallory thought about going to the window for a moment but decided to lay in bed and ignore the space outside. She'd been vacuum side before…never hit a Mass Relay, but whatever. At the end of the day, it was a big pitcher and catcher combo.

Mallory took the photo and examined it as the ship vibrated and sound reverberated through the metal. The captain came over the intercom and addressed the crew.

"Welcome to the Exodus Cluster ladies and gentlemen. We have a FTL cycle of 6 hours followed by another 12 hours to Eden Prime. Let's get it done."

Mallory breathed out and got ready.

Eden Prime here I come.