Weekly Expression #11 ~BK

(I will change out the pic when I get the new one. haha for now, you will have to look at the screen shot from my tablet! ;) haha)

Part Two: A continuation of Weekly Expression #9

Kate stopped, bent over with her hands on her knees. She hadn’t stopped running. What was wrong with her? Her mind felt foggy. She couldn’t think straight, let alone run straight. She did not know where she was going or how she had gotten this far.

She was completely lost and hopeless in this dark, forgotten jungle. The air seemed thick, hard to breathe in. Fear settled into her heart. A strange madness was overtaking her.

Something stirred in the bush to her right. The small path she stood on seemed to narrow. In a flash of a blackness and furr, something tore at her. Her flesh burned as she was thrown off the path and down the muddy hill. She rolled down, screaming as she fell. She hit the ground on her back, muddy water splashed around her. The air knocked out of her.The moon shone overhead. When had it become night?

Her chest burned like fire. Her breathing intensified as if the fog that surrounded her carried not just water droplets…

Again something stirred nearby. She rolled onto her side in an effort to escape another terrifying ordeal. It was then she felt the touch. It wasn’t a fearsome claw that she had anticipated. No, it was a gentle touch of a hand. The hand rolled her onto her back. It was then she saw the shadow of a man. He moved her arm that she had instinctively held over her chest to protect her wound. She could not hear a sound come from him nor see his facial expressions as he inspected her wound. Without a word, he lifted her up into his arms and carried her away. “Stay with me.” His deep voice begged. But she was tired and in pain. Her mind was foggy. And sleep had never felt so good.

Her eyes felt heavy as she tried opening them.For the first time since the crash, she felt warm. A blanket was lain over her as a fire was burning nearby. She tried to sit up just as she could see the large boots enter the small room through the door near her head. He knelt beside her and kept her down. “Don’t sit up.” He said gently. She obeyed, more out of exhaustion than actual obedience. “How do you feel?” He asked as he took a seat near the fire. She closed her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. Still too tired to speak. He pulled out a mug from the embers. “Here, drink this. I’ll help you.” He brought the mug to her mouth and gently lifted her head up enough for her to sip on the warm drink. She had no idea what it was but it was good. It had a minty, leafy taste to it. Perhaps sweetened with honey? She drank over half of it before she stopped and he replaced it back into the embers to keep warm.

“That should help you regain some strength.”

Already she felt well enough to speak. “Who are you?”

“My name is Dane Hudson. Better yet, who are you?”

“Kate Archer.” She decided to hold off on her title for now.

He stifled a laugh. “Fits your weapon.” He nodded over to the door where her bow and Harris’ weapon leaned against the wall near it. “Where did you come from?” He leaned in closer, hope filled his eyes. She wondered who he was, why he was here. She didn’t know much about this  planet but this was not the type of inhabitant she was expecting to find.

“My ship crashed on the coast.” She watched the hope immediately diminish. His eyes skittered across the room, searching his mind for something.

“Is it repairable?”

Images of the once magnificent vessel broken into many pieces and scattered in the sea and shore flashed across her mind. “No.”

He sighed as he leaned against the wall and threw a stick into the fire.

“You gave me your name but you have yet to tell me who you are.”

“Dane Hudson. Science advisor, among other things, nf the ship Titan commanded by Captain Burke West. I’ll be honest with you, even after three years, I didn’t know I could still say it perfectly.”

“Three years? Since what?”

“Since we landed on this god-forsaken planet. Three years since I last saw another human being.” He threw another stick into the fire, his gaze lost in its dance. “We were on a secret science mission. A secret weapon was to be tested on this desert rock.” He paused which let her mind question his meaning. This by far was no desert. This was a vast jungle and ocean. Perhaps the desert was farther inland?

“Water and sand. That was all that this planet consisted of three years ago. Perfect testing site for what we assumed was a regular weapon. We all stood outside of our ship as we docked about ten miles away from the point of detonation. We assumed it was a safe distance. If you could have seen that cloud you would know it was no ordinary weapon. As it came closer and closer I managed to get most of the crew back inside. I had never seen anything like it. The science captain, the guy in charge of this mission stayed outside, captivated with wonder. As the cloud flew by, as I watched him and the others burn alive, I knew it wasn’t a weapon. At the same time, I didn’t know what to call it. Our ship was severely damaged by the cloud but we remained safe and unaffected inside our ship. We monitored the air outside and after seven days we were able to leave the ship. What we saw, words could not express our astonishment. Grass was growing. Trees had sprouted. As months went by, we noticed more and more life forms emerging from the shrubbery. Where they came from, none of us could guess. Mountains grew at incredible rates. Everything we saw astonished us. But the cost was great. Six of us had survived the initial cloud. But one by one, over time, I lost the rest of the crew of the Titan. I alone have  been able to survive all these years alone. Adapting to the new elements that are thrown at me everyday.”

He took a deep breath. “Sorry.” He shook his head. “I didn’t mean to say all that. It’s just I haven’t been able to talk to intelligent life in a very long time. That is a long time to not talk about something incredible.” The weight of his burden settled onto her.She couldn’t nor would she want to imagine the totality of not being able to express one's thoughts to another person would bring.

“I’m sorry. I can’t even begin to imagine.”

He sighed and nodded. A silent acceptance of her apology. “What are you here for?”

Suddenly the realization of her new mission sprang to life. Along with it came a sudden distrust in Dane. What was she supposed to say? Nothing of his mission rang any bells for her. Could he be trusted? Was this a ruse? She was glad now that she did not tell him she was a commander.

“I am not sure. You know all the higher ups in U.S.Global. It’s all hush-hush. I’m only a cadet. I worked in navigation.” She hated lying. It spewed out of her mouth like a poisonous venom. She hoped this didn’t dampen anything later. He would understand, though, right? She had to put the mission first. “Are there any outposts nearby?”

“Yeah but they have been long since abandoned. Even before my arrival. I have checked out a few of them. They are in bad condition from the cloud and years of neglect. They hold no hope.”

She sighed. “Are there more on the planet?”

“Yeah. But the others are pretty far. There is a map on the wall in the nearest outpost. It shows where the other outposts are. But I don’t see the point.”

“Well, unlike you, I am not about to spend three years doing nothing. I am not going to stop until  I find a way off this rock. So either you come with me and we can get off together, or you just point the way and I’ll go on my own.”

Dane laughed. “There is no way you could make it a hundred yards let alone to the nearest outpost without me. Alright, I’ll go. But we wait until morning light. The night is too dangerous. It is full of death.” His eyes wandered off as if reliving a distant memory.

“Ok. First thing in the morning.”

Dane got up and walked over to the door. He looked out and smiled. “Come here. You need to see this.” He came over and pulled Kate to her feet. She leaned on him as they walked out of the hut onto the small patio. They were nestled in a tree off the side of a mountain. Or at least, that was what she could tell in the moonlight. It was a strange orange glow all around them. The clouds had settled low during the night and it covered the valley, shielding her eyes from new wonders. It was a spectacular sight.

“Not hard to get used to a view like this.” Dane said as he stared at the same thing she was captivated by.

“No, not at all.” She nestled her head into his shoulder. Exhaustion pouring over her yet again. She hoped what little sleep she would get would be enough for her to make the journey. She didn’t know how long the flash drive would stay protected in her stomach.

She didn’t know how she would explain it to Dane.

She looked up at his strong chiseled face. Truly handsome. He had somehow found a way to keep up with shaving. Though, it looked as if he hadn’t for a few days. She could see the marks where he had cut himself too deep, now leaving scars in their places. Suddenly she felt as if she could bare her soul to this man. This sudden shift in her trust in him startled her. What about him made her so relaxed? Perhaps it was the air. Down below in the valley she seemed to lose her mind but up here in the mountains, everything seemed to be so clear. She breathed in the fresh clean air. Nothing like the city air where U.S. Global was located.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to stay here after all…

No, the flash drive was her mission.

Her mission was her priority.

She let go of Dane and walked back into the hut to her mat and laid back down.

Weekly Expressions #11 Pic Joe

Weekly Expressions Week #10 Joe

Nearly empty streets, now filling with fog and mist. The air reeks of a musty, dry, dirty smell. It's 9:32 AM, not really going to suddenly have a whole bunch of people rush in at once, but they will come. This is a train station, anyone at all who wants a ride to wherever, will be here, most likely. Observation of it from a longer distance away, a body could perceive it was not time yet for boarding, a time of peace in this a moment devoid of movement. I'm just sitting here waiting for my train, the 10:00 one, and it hasn't come yet.

   "Hey Jess, you still there?", said a voice.

   "Huh?", I questioned. Oh. It was just me thinking. Nothing there, just thoughts invading. Yup, it was only my thinking. If you looked at me, at first glance you'd be thinking I was totally ordinary. Of course you would. You obviously wouldn't have guessed I was an assassin, yes, that's my job. I'm a highly-efficient, trained, fighter-worthy assassin, quite good at it too. No one would ever suspect someone like me of it, I mean, at first glance probably. I've been at this since I was 5 yrs old, a pretty good deal of time spent on learning these very things for assassin's work like: stealth, speedy retreats, whispering ideas (An idea is a powerful weapon, don't forget that, although it's only used for certain adversaries. Say in political status, for instance.), and back-stabbing (My personal favorite.). Those are my qualifications, impressive, yes. Although at this moment it doesn't matter, because of a situation I got myself into a little while back. That time is stuck in my head, I can't get it out of life, it was the day I almost died. That day.

I had been on a journey, a business venture I'd been offered to kill a gangster. The price I was offered was exactly 2,000 dollars, a fair amount for a not really well-known "boss". Nevertheless, it was money, I couldn't argue. All it would probably take was the old,"One two! One two! And my blade would go snicker-snack!" Simple? Not so, or so I found out later on. I brought a bow and some arrows, including a foreign specialty blade strapped to my back, right next to my quiver. I had heard the guy was partial to open spaces, which made me think he's gotta be outside. Right in the open, so I can find a perfect sniping position for my arrows, or maybe come from behind with my blade.                                                                                    

When finally got there, it was the barest barren piece of land I'd ever been on. There were lots of cracks, corners, and crevices I was sure gang-members hid behind. Lying in wait to kill me. Was I going to let that happen? No! I saw out of the corner something above me moving, so I took an arrow from my quiver, drew the bow-string back and whoosh! It flew through the air at whatever it was, missing the target. The target, now I realized was just my imagination, didn't move at all. Leaving me wondering where I was supposed to go next, I didn't have to wait to long, for down leaped a thug. I got rid of him, but was then followed by 3 more baddies. I gave them a firm warning, to that they ignored, coming closer. I shot at the middle one of them who sent the other 2 after me, they failed. Gracefully hitting the ground, they were then proceeded by their comrade who was not in the least bit amused. We fought each other for a little while until he then, getting the upper-hand, had me down on the ground. Taking punches, kicks, and thrashings to my body, I lay there helpless. He then started to give me a speech, a boring one, which luckily I stabbed into with my blade. He fell, thus for extra measure, I wiped my blade on his miserable dead body. I bandaged myself up there.

I was panting, he'd put up quite the struggle. As a matter of fact, so did I. It was not yet over, for my journey wasn't quite finished. A sound could be heard from behind me, as I realized cold barrel of a pistol was aimed at the back of my head, and the sound was him cocking the trigger. A tear ran down my face, it was a rather unhappy life I've been living after all. Not a lit to it. Just then as that thought came to me, a smiling man burst from the shadows, grinning from ear to ear. He paused his steps towards me, somersaulted forward, landing on the toes of his shiny black boots. Leaning he began to speak in a slimy voice, almost sounding like a gurgle.

   "You've come far, I've observed. I see your a good fighter, too. The best I think I've laid eyes on."

   "You speak better grammar than your one thug, I'll give you that.", I said with a wink.

He slapped me across the face. He apparently was not attracted to girls who had senses of humor, and could slit throats faster than you could say,"Bob's your uncle!"

   "I've also seen that from my little contraption here, it says your an assassin.", he said with a pouting face on."I do believe this will not do, yes, this will never do!", he said while shaking his head."Well, I'll have to let my "thug" as you call him, blow your head off. To bad, this could have amounted into something better. Kill her now. Go on. On with it."

He didn't budge, he had not moved a single muscle, that guy hadn't even tried to do anything then. He just stared blankly back at him.

   "Get on with the bloody murder, make it quick!", he yelled. He looked ticked now. Stop standing around, and just shoot her hea...."

The man in question, whoever he was, shot the boss in the head. Everything went in slow-motion just then, the blasting sound from the gun, and the bullet sailing into the head. Almost you could say, shattering the skull, bits of it flying across the area. I was shocked, not because of the breaking of a man's face, I had seen that many a time. But one of his men saving me, shooting his boss instead, that says something. The man then turned around to face me, his aviators covering his eyes, though is face showed some emotion. It was very noticeable.

   "Go.", he said.

   "What?", I said.

   "Go, leave, don't come back!" he said with an even firmer tone.

   "But you just killed your boss, right here right now, taking his life without a second glance! What were you thinking?!" There was a moment of silence, just me staring at him, wondering when he would get to the point.

   "My employer may have seen you were a good fighter, but he didn't notice the feeling you put into it. I could never hurt anyone who didn't fully deserve it. I respect that."

A sort of smile broke out across his face, I couldn't help but start to smile too. He was very gracious to let me live.

   "As I said, please leave.", he now said with an almost pleading expression. A horde of gang people could be seen running from a distance. They looked angrier than thunder, and they were coming in fast."Go now, they won't get you if you leave now, I've got you. I promise you, if you go now, you'll be safe."

  "But you'll be killed!", I said. I had grown now, for some reason, feelings for this guy. To have him die would be tragic, and in that way, it would be sad.

  "It doesn't matter, just if your alive, that's all that matters." A bullet grazed his shoulder then, and blood came out of his side, he gritted his teeth from the pain."Go!"

That's when I ran, hard and fast, very. Running across plains and who-know's-where regions, as long as I was away from them. I was far away now, really far. I don't know how long I had run, but I do know that I reached my headquarters by 3:00 PM the next day, 'cause a lady there told me so. So here I am, bloodied up, tired. I'm in no mood for thinking of assassinations, what had happened, or even what would be the end factor. All I knew was that I had a near death experience, been slapped by a filthy scumbag, to add on to this I hadn't completed my mission. A gallant man (What would you call him? Didn't save your life.) had come in, bested the filthy boss of his, and took the fall for me.(Bittersweet, actually.) I must do something. I gotta get away before anyone finds me. Hmmm. What could I do. I know, I'll get a train ticket. Can't be to expensive. Yes, a perfect idea.

That's where I am now, here, waiting for my train. I wonder about the man who saved me, and I sit in the cold fog thinking about him. Now he's dead and I've got to move on. But how? I don't know.

Weekly Expressions week #10 ~TJ

~The Train~

A collection of thoughts formatted into a story.

It's after 9:30, and the train has not arrived.

My demons are here to escort me to my doom. Somehow, I know their names, but not their faces. I don't wish to know their faces, but I fear the day they will reveal themselves, and my eyes will never again reopen.

I knew not who ran this train, nor where it would take me. My small understanding of unknown origin told me the demons would not accompany me on the train. I could run, I could run off the platform right now and they'd never catch me.
But I was never their catch in the first place. I am their prisoner without handcuffs or bars.

If I did run, where would I go? I knew not anyone, if anyone, would be out there to help me. I could see them, but could not hear them; and they could neither see nor hear me. 

Men in tall hats and women in gold skirts often walked in the cities. All the people were dazed at the first sight of them, and brought them offerings of words, respect, and attention. Even those who came from the countryside to sell their grain would be seduced. But the men in hats and the women in gold were displeased with the amount of offerings the people gave them, and demanded more constantly.

I could see the demons in black, watching their every move. Perhaps the men in hats and women in gold could not see that their demons used the influence on society to prey upon the helpless.

When I was young, I followed a man in a tall hat. I offered him the best of my offerings, but as always, it wasn't enough. The man chased after a woman in gold, and my offerings could not be more worthless to him. I gave up, thinking I was not worthy of society.
It was then that I saw the demon.

The man had no idea, nor intention of leading his followers into his trap, but he loved the offerings too much to notice.

I ran from the demon, seeking my own company. But how could I bestow offerings upon myself? I hid in the woods of my own shame. But it was there I noticed a small girl in a small gold skirt, dancing through the pricker bushes without receiving a single scratch. She was hardly a threat. Since I was curious, I followed the girl.

A demon in a black hood began to follow me. I ran faster after the girl, hoping to simultaneously catch her and lose the demons. But I was wrong; the more I ran, the more demons appeared. They didn't run like I was, but they managed to catch up.

When I finally caught the young girl to ask her who she was, I could not see a face. I could not see anything. So I let her go, letting her lead me to wherever she was dancing to.

I was now in the company of my own demons that I brought upon myself, I tried to show them to so many people to see if they could tell me how to get rid of them, but no one can see them but myself.

If an angel would show up, I would follow after him as fast as I could, but every time I see one, I look back upon my demons to see if they still follow me. When I look back twords the angel, he is gone.

I now stand alone on a train platform, waiting for a train that may never come. I hope it never comes, but if it does, I fear I may not be able to run away, but rather though to the train.

But then it dawned on me: I am not the only one of my kind. Why are there not others on this platform with me? Perhaps the train took them away and they can never return.
No. No more choices I cannot turn back from.
I started to walk off the platform when I heard the whistle of the train in the distance. It sent a shiver up my spine, but at the same time, it sparked my body with energy, and the feeling of curiosity was too good to pass up.

This is the feeling I got when I looked into the faceless head of the little golden girl. And she left me here to rot.

I turned to run away from the whistle. I could hear the demons following. They never grab me, tackle me to the ground, nor touch me. Just by being in their presence, I mindlessly submit to their will.

But no more...

I will not get on that train. I will go find that angel again.

Weekly Expression #10~ BK

 I can't wait for the week I choose the picture,because I already know which one I will pick. I found it a long time ago and never new what to write for it. Well now i do. Stay tuned for Part 2 in like 2 weeks.

Till then, feast your eyes on part one!

Three weeks in Rome. Probably sounded like the title of a movie. He laughed, silently, at that thought.

He held her hand tightly as they walked the streets one last time. It had been a movie, only that it had been the best three weeks of his life. It was full of coffee, wine, pasta, ancient places and romance that would swoon all of America’s single - and married- audiences. She was his everything and he couldn’t tell her. The train station loomed ahead and he felt her grip tighten. He knew in his heart that this was just as hard on her as it was on him. But her dreams and life long planning weighed heavier than even her own heart’s desires.

She purchased her tickets, never once losing her grip on his hand. He wouldn't have let her go anyway.

A sad heaviness hung over him.

This was real.

She was really leaving.

They stood in the middle of the walkway waiting for the train. Neither spoke.

What was there to say? How could he tell her how much this hurt him? How he died a little more with every step she took away from him? How badly he wanted to drop everything, his home, his job, his friends, all of it to be with her. But gently she refused the idea when he tried to bring it up to her several days ago. Her goals and aspirations for life were not meant to be shared. Or so she said.

Already the anger festered inside of him. Perhaps he was wrong and she didn’t love him at all? She couldn’t just tell him the truth could she? So she was just going to completely cut him off. He had no way to ever contact her again. No phone, no email. Just her name. Even then, what is a name if you don’t know where to look. Next month she could be in France or Brazil for all he knew. She didn’t know either.

So what was one name to search for the world over?

The train screeched to a halt beside them and he knew their time was up.

God, why did she have to go!

She hugged his neck tightly and ran inside the train.He watched her run to a window and opened it. He ran over and took her hand that she held out for him. The train blew again and he watched her search for words. Both had a death grip on the other.

This just couldn’t be happening.

Slowly the train moved away.

He walked alongside it, not bearing to let her go. Why couldn’t he speak? Why couldn’t he beg her? His pace began to quicken and he feared he would not hold on much longer. Genuine fear grabbed him.

A tear fell down her cheek as her hand slipped out of his.

He watched her lips and heard her voice gasp, “No!”

And then she was gone.

His heart was aching like he had never felt before. What could he do to relieve the pain he felt? He wanted to cry and scream. Why was this happening to him? Why had she come into his life? He wasn’t angry anymore. The tear in her eye told him what she felt. She had made a mistake. So, maybe he would see her again?

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, depression began to settle over him. He began the long walk back, alone in the dark, misty path beside the tracks. Few people hustled by him. He took a deep breath. He could not allow depression to win. Yes, he would miss her with his whole heart. And whether she returned the next day or in the next ten years, he would believe she would indeed return.  He would forever hold onto that hope...

WE pic #10 ~CK

     Here's the pic for this week, guys! Sorry i haven't gotten to finish up my WE yet for this week, but it seems that i have been detained by homework and the Living Christmas Tree that i am apart of singing in this weekend. and fyi, if i don't happen to comment on your story, please don't be offended! i just haven't had any time for reading WE's this week. but happy writing, everyone! :)

Weekly Expression week 9 ~TJ

I ducked as the bandit's clever hammer chopped off a few inches of my hair, nearly missing my neck. I responded by crouching and kicking the ugly man's feet out from under him. No sooner had his back thudded on the ground before I sank my hunting knife in his chest.
I got up on my knees, surveying the six bodies that lay bleeding around me. Bandits often hunted in small groups, ravaging small caravans and care trucks, murdering wanderers, raping women, stealing currency... or most anything for that matter. Things could not be worse.
My roll of bandage tape was running low, but I couldn't let my wound bleed any more. The fourth bandit had a menacing blunter with nails through one end, (A blunter is an improvised weapon with no definite edge) and landed a solid strike to my right arm.

Marvelle, the fourth planet in the Interstellar Parliamentary Alliance, had been destroyed through war, famine, natural disasters, chemical weapons. Nothing could be worse, to destroy the entire planet wholesale would be mercy at this point. But too many resources such as iron, copper, and not a few precious gems and metals still resided here. The mining establishments here made this an extremely rich region 215 years ago, but when I was a little girl, the IPA, or the Alliance, had grown too greedy for the riches in our communities, as well as other planets. Over half of the entire system of colonized planets revolted against their Alliance masters, but their foes were too well armed and equipped. The rebels referred to themselves as 'Independents,' but since their lack of proper uniforms caused most of their soldiers to be seen in their brown coats on the battlefield, Alliance loyalists often nicknamed them 'Browncoats'.
All my life, I wished to join them, but dreams are more worthless than whisps of air out here on the border planets. Everyone fights for what they can get, and not uncommonly, what they already have. I used to belong to a refugee camp in Ravenwald on the other side of Borje Canyon, but the Alliance mistakenly assumed that it was a Browncoat base, and bombed it to ash... then bombed the ashes just to be sure of no survivors. I was thirteen, and had left to go hunting for my first time alone, when I returned, every soul I had ever known was taken away from me.

After looting the bodies of my attackers, I found 4 credits, and about 32 platinum currency. Not a bad find at all. Not enough to get some medicine, but enough for resources for the next few days. Although finding currency was never an issue with this occupation, finding someone willing to exchange supplies I need is. Apparently I'm not the ugliest female in the universe, or I am and no one seems to care; bad men in every town I step in eyeball me head-to-toe with their probing eyes. I usually end up killing them in defense and turning half the town into an uproar after me. It's like a curse that follows me, constantly reminding me that I'll never belong anywhere.

After retrieving my arrows for my bow slung over my back, I limped off to the great unknown. I had found an old prospector's map from my travelings, and although it didn't give the locations of any political borders or cities or points of civilization, it was extremely accurate as to geographical terrain and significant natural landmarks.
The mountain cresting the horizon in the distance was called Kinefold. Rumor has it that when the terraforming machines landed here and started giving the planet Earth-like qualities, Kinefold was too high for the oxygen atmosphere levels to reach. So the extra-soiled dirt never hindered the mining facilities there, the miners could dig straight through the raw sand and rock to obtain minerals. Plus without the resistance of atmosphere for take-offs and landings, it was a prime location for a spaceport.
Perfect mining facilities? Perfect location for a commercial exportation spaceport? There's no way there's no civilization there. There has to be somebody there... somebody with some resources to get me through to the next city.

For the next two days, I saw no living creature in sight. I had become accustomed to the extreme silence and loneliness that one encounters when they don't meet anyone else for long periods of time. But I still feared the possibility that one day I might be the last human on this planet. I feared it more than death.
But I was not alone long after that. I moved mostly at night, and on the third night after my previous encounter, I heard men sitting around a campfire, yelling vulgarities and laughing at inappropriate humor. They were camped outside of a downed spaceship, half buried by the sandstorms that occur in this region. I sneaked around the front of the ship, and almost walked right in front of a guard, sitting on the nose of the ship. I could try to go around him, but it'd be lengthy. Besides, he looks tired and might have some spare loot on him. I crawled up the side of the ship without making a sound, and with the swing of my sike, I severed his spine with almost no noise. After a quick looting of his pockets, I found a measly three platinum... hardly worth a kill, but it was more for convenience of travel than for coin.
The voice behind me startled me, "that doesn't belong to you."
I turned to face a man over 6 feet tall, browner skin, and has never seen a razor in his life. "And I suppose he came by it by more noble means?" I questioned the man.
"That's none of your concern..." he looked at my body up and down, "dang!" he said in astonishment. I hated hearing that. It was obvious his intentions were less than admirable.
I raised my improvised blade to show I meant business, but he took no note of it. "I'm not interested in trouble, I just want to be on my way."
"I think you should come more MY way." the man yelled, then lunged at me. He must've been too drunk to see straight, because I stepped out of the way just before cleaving his head right off.
The other bandits took notice, one of them called out, "hey Merf! Look there! Another whore to bleed!"
Oh God, why did You make me a woman?
I took off running with what little energy I had. The dark night was my friend tonight. I ducked under the ship's starboard engine that had wrecked in a sand dune 200 meters from the wreck. The obscenities and vulgar language of the bandits could still be heard ringing through the air, but it was apparent no one knew where I was.
By daylight I was able to identify that the intense run had caused my arm to begin bleeding again. I was drained of energy and felt more and more lightheaded with every passing hour. It was apparent I needed medical attention, my arm felt like a puppet with no hand, and no command for movement seemed to twitch it.
I traveled for another full day without rest or shelter. Doubts began to squirm their way into my mind- why on earth would people settle in a barren land like this? I hadn't seen a plant for at least 25 miles. I slunk to my knees as a light sandstorm began to roll in. The sun was almost non-exsistant, my supplies were almost out, I was watching myself bleed to death...
...maybe to die isn't such a bad idea after all.

I fell on my back and closed my eyes. The bells of Hell had come to collect me...
No, wait, that was a REAL bell! That's a signal bell! They use those in primitive colonies to signal imminent natural disasters.
Looking over a nearby ledge, I saw it! The mining colony under Kinefold! I didn't have the energy to be excited; in fact, the only thing I could do was utter, "oh finally!"

The trek down the rocky cliff was less than painless to say the least. I think I fell from more ledges then I actually climbed down from. I made it into the town right as the sand started to dart through the air like crumb-sized darts. Picking a nearby establishment that looked like it had goods in it, I darted through the front door.
It was the general store, luckily. The tender was bald with a big black mustache and glasses, yet had beautiful blue eyes. The wood floor was well swept, but obviously extremely old. Old plants and trophy skulls were mounted on the ceiling rafters. And the best part of all, apart from the tender, every inhabitant was a woman, so I had little danger here. Tenders weren't usually interested in making trouble for me since I gave them money. "Long journey, eh miss?" he asked in a strange accent, I had almost forgotten about the dirt and old blood then encased my entire body.
"I reckon so. Just looking for some supplies," the women looked at me as if I was an intruding ghost, "you don't happen to have meds here, do you?"
"Naw miss. Small apothecary ain't got nothin' niether, not the caliber you need," he pointed to my injured arm, "but the big ol' fancy Alliance base on the top 'o Kinefold would have stuff you need, if you're okay tradin' with the feds."
I gave him a stone look, "I'm not." I'd rather die than go crawl to my enemies asking for help.
"I see," said the tender, "where are you headed, miss?"
"Anywhere and nowhere. Alliance done burned everything I ever known back to dust."
"You ain't the only one, miss," he stroked his mustache, "you fight, missy?"
"I've been surviving tangles with murderers and rapists for come near a decade."
The tender was impressed, "well I'll tell you what, sweetheart, you have coin?"
Verbally, he sounded suspicious, but his body language nor his expressions showed any signs of mischief, I figured an abstract answer couldn't hurt much, "a little, why?"
He indicated his shelves, "we've been having some troubles down here under the boot of the darned Alliance. So here's what I say, take a listen: You buy what you need to get up to yonder mountain, you steal meds you need, and any more you can carry and bring them back to us so we can heal some of our sick. If you do that, and come back alive, not only will I have the doc fix you up for nothin' but I'll pay back twice whatever you buy from my store today."
I turned to the ladies sitting at the tables in the middle of the store for confirmation, "he tells the truth, dear. You hold up your end, he'll hold up his. Jeffworthy ain't no liar."
I gave the tender a disbelieving glance, "you must be pretty desperate under those terms, hm?"
The tender gently took off his glasses, then folded them in his pocket, "I don't think you understand, miss. We were once the richest community on the planet until the war, 30,000 people used to live here. Now we're bucking for 300 maybe. We need med help, and the goramn Alliance isn't going to help us any. You're the first person who hasn't tried to take advantage of us or didn't hate the Alliance."

I thought for a moment. It would be a suicide mission. But which would I prefer? To die in the wilderness, or die avenging my people with a small percent chance of survival? I began to walk out the door to see if the tender would try to stop me, but he didn't make a sound. Instead, he simply looked at me with pleading eyes.
I shook my head, "I'm going to need bandage tape, grinding stone, life support gear, something with 20% or more protein content, I'm going to need two knives weighing no more than 3 ounces each and enough explosive material." I sputtered it out so fast that the tender ripped a piece of paper out and started writing it all down.
He lifted his eyebrows questioningly when he finished making his list, "anything ELSE?"
A small smirk escaped me, "Yeah... do you got something to drink in this joint?"

I was surprised at how mild the sandstorm was, it only lasted for about half an hour and delivered only an inch or two of sand. I left nearly my entire fortune at the general store, I wouldn't need currency if this is a one-way suicide trip. Something felt wrong about not holding up my end of the bargain to bring back promised meds for that desperate town, but who can yell at me for being dead?
The tender told me of a old abandoned miners elevator that leads to the top of the mountain. It was half buried but it ran on an independent battery source (in case cave-in's killed the main power) and was still operational.
The ride up took about 4 hours. The power only hiccuped twice and only for a few seconds. I wore the robust life support the entire way up in case the oxygen had been drained. I expected to pop above ground in almost zero gravity and no oxygen, but niether seemed to have effect, and it was very dark. I was under an A-Sphere. With high tech technology, small bases and spaceports adjacent to a planet could produce it's own oxygen, and recycle it with that of the planet's. If an A-Sphere was in place, that meant I was extremely close to the base. I climbed on top of a nearby hill and saw bright lights further up the hill. I packed away my life support and started climbing.

The base was massive! The biggest I have ever seen. From the fuel tanks, I could tell that this was a refueling and rearming station for cruisers and battleships. The symbols on the tanks weren't Tachyon-1 gas like civilians were supposed to use, it was Ulphiria-12L. Tachyon is mined in asteroids that have been heated and cooled quickly, it's a gas that, when lit, excites very quickly and will propel things through space. It's not very efficient, but it's cheap, and that's what the Alliance wants out of it's galaxy, cheap. Ulphiria is a much more rare gas and is illegal for civilians to use, it's carefully collected out of dying blue stars, and burns very slowly but efficiently. The numbers simply meant the degree of which the material was refined for better efficiency.
If those tanks contained Ulphiria, and I ignited them, then it would take decades to cool this place to the point that the Alliance could use it again, even space-cold wouldn't touch it. But Ulphiria only burns under intense heat. Then how to they ignite it in battleships? They must use high-grade Tachyon to start the engines, then inject Ulphiria to get it going.
If I could find Tachyon tanks, and use those to ignite the Ulphiria, my mission would be no less than complete!

I made it to the fuel tanks without much trouble, but this was the hard part: The fuel security is patrolled by small droids with light machine guns, they are programmed to identify anything out of the ordinary. As I began to plan a daring attempt to sneak inside, I noticed they only patrol the inner 3 isles of tanks, I could drop my satchel charge over the fence by the far tank and let it blow after I'm clear.
It began to dawn on me that I might make it out of here alive.
I dropped my satchel charge by a T-4 tank that should ignite the two U-12L tanks right beside it, then began to make my way into the infirmary. It was at the back of the main barracks, somehow I would have to get through all those Alliance troops to make a medicine heist and make it back out alive. I was about to peek my head through the door when I heard them talk about a droid discovering something suspicious by the fuel drums.
Darn! They found my explosives!
I waited for the barracks to clear out, then bolted without even looking through the barracks to the back infirmary. A doctor was shocked to see me come running through his door, but under pure adrenaline rush, I sank my knife in his chest before he could scream. But the nurse noticed and screamed for him. Dang! This is NOT going as planned! I ran to the shelves and took sweeping motions with my arm, knocking dozens upon dozens of medicines, vials, and bottles into my backpack. I was back out of the infirmary in about 30 seconds total, but it was enough for an Alliance soldier to take notice. He started to attack me with the butt of his rifle, but my reflexes proved their worth, I ducked under and slid my knife clear through his gut while I sank my second knife in his neck. I retrieved them both before he fell and started running for the door as fast as I could.
I made it outside the barracks only to be greeted by 30+ Alliance guns trained on me. The officer was enraged, "what won't those goramn villagers think of next? Now they're preforming medical theft!" He shook his head, "no matter. Say goodnight, traitor."
Taking a chance on the explosives, I armed the detonator, "goodnight!"

~*~*~*~

The woman came in, terrified, "Jeffworthy! Jeffworthy! Did you see that catastrophic explosion on the mountain?"
The general store tender left his counter and stood outside on the dirt and sand road. The mountaintop glowed with an intense burning blue flame. "Well, I guess she got her revenge."
"...and you got your meds." I said, limping twords the store. "Now, how about that bargain?" I nearly passed out in his arms.
"I'd be honored..."

Weekly Expressions Week #9 Joe

        There I was, camping with a sniper rifle in the shadows. I'm a member of the prestigious gang known as "The Unknown", and currently my job is to keep watch over our borderlands, waiting for someone or something to appear in my sights. If they did, death would be the inevitable outcome. Objectives that I've lived with ever since I became apart of this clan of sorts, although it was more like a dysfunctional working bunch of oddities, if you ask me. Fixing ourselves in the darker, more secluded corners of the remains of rubble and ashes along the waterfront area, we were hardly ever bothered by anything. Only sometimes there will be the occasional unfortunate fellow who, in coming too close for comfort, either would be picked off by yours truly, or would be ransacked and brutally beaten for all he had. But alas, no one dared come near to the abode we called shelter, home, living quarters. The meager supplies we'd taken from all oncoming miscreants, were always tended to.

       Huh, what's that? Positioning my weapon, I sighted down the scope, aiming for the place I heard the noise. Crouching in silence, I patiently positioned myself to be ready. Let them come. Nothing, nobody there. Just my nerves. Think man, think. Pay close attention. We wouldn't want anyone getting through the lines. I mean, it's water-bound, there's no way of escape if they approach too carelessly. It's fine. Calm yourself. You'll be safe. Anything, far or near, can't get past without you or someone else killing them. The way everything has been going so far, it will be smooth sailing for you, my friend.

       A gentle breeze passed over me. Peaceful, if you could call it that, and beginning to seem more that it was only jitters I had felt. I'd hadn't thought of that in a while, my feelings, that is. Then an arrow whisked past my skull. Wait a minute. There was a girl down there. Alone. Dressed in a tank-top, torn khakis, with a white scarf around her neck. Armed, her repertoire included a bow, arrows, and a kind of blade. Couldn't make out the type of fighting item it was, but no matter. She'd used one of her arrows against me, or she was a terrible shot, which I firmly doubted. Then before I'd had a chance of targeting her, one of the thuggish filth I associated myself with jumped down before her. Drawing a machete from the holster on his back, he sliced through the air with exact precision. To that, she countered the blows meant for her with the hard steel of her blade, although his weapon bore hard upon hers. Taking the shiv from a pouch on her shirt, she continued to struggle against him with one hand, while she slit his throat with the other. Gasping, he fell. After he was done breathing, she retrieved the dagger-like shiv from his neck and kept on walking. Successful? Not at all. Three more came from the cracks and crevices of the dead walls surrounding her.

     "Really?" she said under her breath."Observe if you will. I just annihilated this destitute bone-head: do you really want to hurt me?"

     The three gave brief glances to each other, then proceeded forward revealing the arsenal strapped to their bodies. The girl let loose a sigh, instantaneously drawing back an arrow, thus shooting the front man in the forehead. Knees buckling, he ripped the arrow from his head with an agonized cry. Motioning between winces, he sent the other two after her. Running towards her, the one threw punches as the other brought a sleek sword from his cloak, moving more carefully than his counterpart. Using a risky move, she rushed through them with the steely blades in hand, and bled 'em there. Those two out of the way, she went for the wounded one, still trying to recover from the previous attack. She knelt on one knee, stared into the eyes of her enemy, and raised the bow to aim once again. But this time, with swift agility, he kicked her knees out from under her. Flipped over, she was stunned by this move. He began kicking her repeatedly, at first slowly, then becoming faster, draining his prey's body of life. Her face was bloody and bruised.

     "You're a hard one ta kill," he sneered in weird broken language. Slurring his speech, he cussed, then muttered,"I've never met anyone lok you befur! Oh, wull, you're just gonna have ta die, I suppose. It was nice knowing ya...." Just as he was about to raise his knife to thrust it into her, she grabbed her shiv, and flung it at his chest. He became motionless then, staring at his upper body where the shiv had struck him."Oh shoot, ya gone and done me in!" he blurted, as he slumped lower, falling flat on his face. She removed her weapon from the remains of the beastly brute, wiping it on the dead felon's chest. Struggling to get a firm footing on the slippery ground, she managed to bring herself up to her feet. That's where I now come in.                                                                                                                                                                                   I jumped from my hiding spot, and chose my direction of landing to be 5 feet away from where she was, the spot was a corner darker than the grave. A perfect assassinating place, she'll........my thoughts trailed off. I watched her take her scarf, tearing it in two, making bandages for her wounds. The emotion on her face was that of a tired, weary, and frightened girl, who didn't want to be bothered by any scum that tramped near her for murdering purposes. All she wanted was to go her own way. To have safe passage through wherever she wished to plant her footsteps, and I, at this moment, would be the only thing in her way. At least, if she noticed me, but she didn't. My duty now was to kill this person, of whom disturbed my home, my shelter, my...........it didn't matter. She'd come a long way. By the looks of it, she's hurt. She, this beautiful girl, had fought four of my comrades, bravely. No doubt about it, whatsoever. Letting her live, or giving her a bullet to the head. I drew a pistol a pouch on my gear, raising it to fire, and........
 

   

Weekly Expression #9 ~ BK

Kate took a deep breath as she pressed her jacket with her hands, flattening the wrinkles. She was nervous. And that was an oddity for her. A strong, independent woman, overcoming every obstacle thrown at her, raising the bar for the men around her and here she was, quaking in her boots at the thought of meeting the most powerful man in the world.

Why they wanted her to wait on him was ridiculous. She had other, more important duties to perform. Maybe she should look at it more as a personal escort, private security type job. After all, he was the most important man and many people were on the watch list of very aggressive blokes.

She knocked and heard him say “Enter.” She walked in and shut the door behind her. He smiled.

“Commander.” He nodded as they walked towards each other. He held out his hand and she shook it. “It’s my privilege to be on board with you.”

“The honor is all ours, Mr.President.” She placed her hands behind her back as she took her stance. He walked over to the table and picked up his small cup of coffee and walked across the room to the open window. The view overlooked the clouds.

“This is fine ship. May I call it a ship?”

“Yes, Sir. She’s the finest ship in the fleet. The first of her kind.”

“But newer ones have been made, with newer updates...so to speak?”
“Yes, but in my personal opinion, the original is always the best. We can count on her to get the job done.”

He smiled and nodded and turned his attention back on the clouds. “How long have you been aboard, Commander?”

“Three months. This ship belongs to Commander Harris who regrets that he cannot meet with you until later. You did get to visit the bridge, correct?”

“Yes, it was magnificent. And complicated!” He laughed and she couldn’t help but smile.

“Commander Harris was gracious enough to offer me his second in command position for this mission. Sir, I have been wondering.” She looked over her shoulder to make sure the door was shut. This was stepping out of line on so many levels. “What is the mission?”

“I was hoping you would ask!” He turned around so fast, it startled her. He quickly put down the coffee mug on the small end table to free both his hands. He pulled out a small flash drive out of the inside pocket in his suit. “This, Commander, this is the future of U.S.Global.”

“What is on it?”

“That,” He pointed into the air. “Unfortunately is classified.” He replaced the flash drive into his pocket.

He picked back up the mug and sipped at it. Suddenly he looked depressed and she wondered why his mood had quickly shifted.

“How old are you, Commander, if I may ask?”

She smiled. “I am twenty nine.”

“I am only twenty four and already I have the world’s burdens on my shoulders. I don’t know how to handle it all. If it were up to me, I would tell you everything that is on that drive but my advisors advise against it. I see their points but this is something I am so excited about. This literally contains all future knowledge. And it is hard to not explain it to you.”

He took another sip as he paused. “You and I are similar. We conquered society’s list of “don’ts”. I will bet you were the first and youngest female Commander.”

She couldn’t hide her pride in that fact. She nodded. “Right on both accounts. Youngest and first female.”

“And I am the world’s youngest President. But I am also a genius.” He tapped his head with his forefinger. “It is truly amazing what you can accomplish when you really want something. Why, just the other…”

A loud explosion made the ship jolt. She fell to her knees. She looked up and the President was just getting to his feet. Coffee was spilt all over him. She ran to the communicator and hailed the bridge.

“Bridge, what just happened?” She yelled into the speaker.

The foggy voice came back just enough for her to hear. “We lost engine one.”

There were three engines on this ship. They could still stay in the air with two. “Stay here!” She ordered as she ran to the door. The ship jolted suddenly from another explosion and she fell forward into the door. She could hear more explosions and felt another jolt.

Her mind was racing. What was happening to the ship? It was as if it were being blown from the inside out!

Suddenly the floor underneath the president began to crack. Their eyes met after both watching the floor. Both eyes went wide. His face went white as he remained motionless. She quickly pulled herself up and ran to the center of the room just as it began to fall out from under him. She dove then, grabbing onto the table’s leg that was secured to the floor and caught his arm just as he began falling out of sight.

They both grunted as she stopped his fall. Below him was broken levels of the ship. She thought for a moment she could see even the ocean they were drifting above. She grunted as she tried to pull him up, which was difficult to do with one arm. She could feel him beginning to slip.

He reached into his pocket with his free arm and pulled out the flash drive. “You have to make sure this gets to Markovich. Do you understand?”

“No, I’ll get you up.”

“No, there isn’t any time. Get this to Markovitch or all is lost!” He reached up and held out the flash drive. Not wanting to let go of the table leg, she reached down and took hold of it with her teeth. The ship jolted again and she lost her grip on his hand. She watched him fall. She opened her mouth to scream her anger at losing him. The flashdrive began to follow him to his death. She let go of the leg then and began to slide down slightly. She grabbed onto the drive and a cord hanging out of the floor simultaneously. She put the drive safely in a pocket and climbed up out of the hollow floor.

The ships gravitational system was failing and she climbed up the once flat floor to the door and into the hall.

She finally made it to the bridge. Everyone was scrambling to hold onto something or locking themselves into their seats. It was utter chaos. Commander Harris climbed up to her.

“Where is the President? Is he secure?”

She shook her head solemnly. “No. The floor beneath him fell out. I tried..”

He immediately grabbed her shoulders and pulled her closer, a crazy look in his eyes. A look also of desperation. “Did he say anything to you? Did he give anything to you?” He emphasized the word ‘give’.

“Yes.” She pulled out the flash drive, confused at her Commanding officer’s actions. He forcibly pulled her out of the bridge, into the main hall. It was a downward walk this time. They nearly ran to the escape shuttle. He threw her in there. “Get that to safety. Whatever it takes. Goodluck.” He nodded and shut the door. Panic filled her. She quickly got into the only seat and strapped in. This was more of an escape pod. It was meant for only one.

For the only who would escape certain death.

She felt her body shift upwards as the pod went down from the inside of the ship. A spark flew past her, followed by several more. The pod’s system was failing. The lights began flickering off and she could hear the small engine fail.

And then it was silence in dead air.

The pod shook as it fell through the air. She held onto the straps and closed her eyes. Her heart was racing. Fear finally wedged into the spot where adrenaline now failed her.

She gasped as the horrifying ride was finally over. She could hardly breathe as smoke began filling the pod. She reached down and pulled out her knife and cut the straps off. She held with a firm grip the handlebar above the exit latch and with all her might, kicked out the door. She swung out and rolled onto the ground. She breathed in the clean air as she relaxed for just a second. A strange sound pulled her out of this feeling. She pushed herself to her hands and knees and looked up to the sky.  Falling quickly was the maiden ship of the Eagle class. Adrenaline coursed through her body as she pushed herself to her feet and sprinted down the coastline. The sound of creaking and crunching metal ripped through the air behind her. The loud screech felt like a stab to her brain but she pushed forward. Finally, the large ship met the earth. The ground shook as it pushed her into the air. She rolled onto the ground as the earth rumbled. She dared not look behind her but covered her head with her arms and let the dirt and dust wave flow past her. She waited until the air settled before she picked herself up and slowly turned around to see the damage. The ship, her ship, was destroyed. Several large pieces of the ship had broken apart and were buried half in the sand. Not wanting to face the reality and the carnage of the crash, she screamed into the air. Grief washed over her and she could not help but allow several tears to escape. Who was there to watch? No one could have survived that crash. Survivors guilt already began to plague her heart. Why had it been her? Why not the President? Or Harris? Why her?

She shook her head as she began to trudge along the coast, heading straight for the wreckage. As much as she wished to run away, she had to go back. She would need supplies and a weapon if she were to brave the forest beyond.

Time seemed to drag on as she picked her way through the wreckage. She had climbed through one of the large pieces of the ship and found what was left of the arsenal. She picked up the long bow. How many years had it been since she used one of these? It seemed more like an ancient relic rather than an actual weapon. It was then, as she lifted the bow over her head she saw it. It was a trophy of Commander Harris. To the naked eye, it was just a piece of metal. But as she pressed the button, dust spewed out as it folded out to create a longer metal knife over a foot long, with ragged edges on both side. Used in the Great War of the new millennium, Commander Harris, in his younger days had killed hundreds of rebel scum in hand to hand combat. It was honor to hold it. She clutched it tightly, knowing she needed it to survive but felt guilty for taking such a trophy as this.

She found a satchel and buckled it around her body. That was enough scavenging she had the strength for. She walked over to what was left of a doorway which led down to a narrow hole that would lead her out of the wreckage. She found her footing and began to climb down.

Without warning, the wreckage shifted. Her hands slipped from their grip on the broken metal. She fell through the narrow passageway, shards of metal sticking out ripped her flesh as she fell. She screamed as she finally fell the last five feet to the ground. She could hear the wreckage shift more and she pulled herself out from under it. Just as soon as she was clear, it fell. She was breathing hard after her narrow escape. Her arms stung from the wounds she received. She walked down the coast, mentally exhausted. She pulled off her uniform jacket and used the small tears to rip off bandages for her arm. She pulled them tight around her arm to stop the bleeding. As she tore the last of the jacket, a small metal shard fell to the sand. She almost paid it no mind, until she realized what it was.

The flash drive.

Her heart sank as she realized she nearly lost it. Not wanting to lose it again, she did what she knew she needed to do to keep it safe. With luck, she would make it to the nearest outpost by nightfall. Enough time to keep it safely hidden where no one could find. She took a deep breath and forced the small flash drive down her through. She keeled over and tried not to throw it up. Her gag reflexes made it nearly impossible.

There.

It was safe.

It was time to get answers.