Mayhem and Mutiny

by Charissa Dufour

  Jerking, Bit fought once again the urge to curse. She raised the back of her filthy hand to her cheek. It came away wet. In the darkness, Bit couldn’t tell what had cut her cheek, but she suspected it was rusted like everything else. She let out a long sigh, regretting it as more fetid air filled her lungs.

  Her stomach convulsed and, before she could control herself, she vomited. She jerked, banging her head against the top of the tunnel. Dirt tumbled down on her and she covered her head, her cut cheek lying in her own vomit. A large piece of concrete released from its position above her, landing on her buttocks. When the dust settled, Bit forced herself to continue. She slid through her vomit, trying her best not to notice the way the acid smell mixed with the rancid air of the tunnel. Eventually, the lump of concrete slipped off her rump.

  Finally, she noticed the faint glow ahead of her. As she continued, the glow focused into three narrow beams of light—the result of finger holes in a manhole cover. Bit reached it and took a deep breath of the slightly less foul air. After a moment’s rest, she pushed the cover up and slid it onto the street. She heard a few cries of surprise as pedestrians jumped to the side.

  She climbed up onto the filthy street, having no doubt she looked like a sewage monster—and smelled like one, too.

  The pedestrians gave her a wide berth as she took deep lungfuls of fresh air. She had never considered the over-crowded Johannesburg to have quality air, but after the tunnel, it felt as fresh as a beach on Mars. Slowly, Bit climbed to her feet.

  Without realizing it, she turned toward a familiar sound. Forrest?

  Sure enough, she spotted Forrest and Jeremiah mixing with the crowds. Bit stumbled back, ducking into the nearest alley. She watched from the corner, hiding behind a local shop’s garbage can. The two engineers passed by without noticing her, though they did sniff the air as though something had accosted their noses.

  What are they doing here?

  Bit knew Jack had turned her into the authorities, but she had no idea the crew was in Johannesburg. It was too far-fetched to believe they had gotten a delivery job to Earth just as she ran to it herself, much less to the exact city she went to.

  But how do they know I’m here?

  Slowly, Bit realized they had found some way to track her ticket—or maybe her description. Either way, they knew she was here. Bit’s chest tightened. They had come for her. They cared about her safety.

  Bit nearly stumbled out of the alley after Forrest and Jeremiah.

  No. Jack just wants me back to work off my debt… and pay for my crimes. After all, stealing his money resulted in yet more debt—not to mention the millions she already owed. Jack wasn’t here for her, he was here for his money.

  Bit wanted to go to Forrest and Jeremiah, knowing they would keep her safe for whatever reason—whether it was for money or for her own sake—and Bit just wanted to be safe. She wanted to eat Vance’s food and sleep in her hammock and…

  But her family, that child out there, needed her. She didn’t know if they were getting fed or if they were cold or if they slept on a pallet just as Bit had done before Calen won her debt in a poker game. Bit closed her eyes, willing her feet to stay where they were.

  She let Forrest and Jeremiah pass by, oblivious of her presence. Tears leaked from her burning eyes, making trails down her smudged cheeks.

  Bit had to finish this alone.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jack glanced around the main street of the suburb Rudy had directed them to. Even at six in the morning on a Saturday the streets were crowded.

  Saturday.

  They were now on their third day since arriving in Johannesburg, and they still hadn’t found her. Jack grimaced. He shouldn’t be surprised, and he knew it. Bit had been wily before Randal had taken her under his wing. Now she was downright invisible.

  Even Rudy, with his hordes of minions, couldn’t find her. How are we supposed to manage it?

  Jack took a deep breath as he followed the other men. He let Randal lead for a time, giving him an opportunity to think. The confrontation with Rudy had made him nervous. Was he risking his crew’s lives by remaining in Johannesburg after pissing off a gang leader?

  Jack suspected the answer was yes… but! He frowned, considering what the “but” might be.

  But his crew would never leave her behind.

  They would resign their positions and stay on the planet if he decided to give up. A smile pulled on his lips. His crew might be a rag-tag bunch of misfits, but they were loyal to a fault.

  Truth was, Jack would never leave without her, but for more complicated reasons. His heart pounded against his ribs—a nervousness that someone might find out his secret. His romantic interest in the spunky indentured servant was strictly forbidden in his book. How could he expect her to return his feelings when he practically owned her? It would be highly inappropriate for him to make a move. She would feel coerced, and whatever they had would never be real.

  “You okay?” Oden asked, slowing to match Jack’s pace.

  Jack eyed his first pilot. Though the man had tattoos and enough piercings to make him stick to the fridge, Jack knew him to be an honorable man. Bit could do a lot worse. Maybe his best option was to encourage Oden to go after the girl. The sooner she was off the market, the better he would rest.

  “Yeah, just worried,” he said when he realized Oden was still waiting for an answer.

  The pilot stared at him a moment, clearly not buying it, before nodding.

  “What’s over there?” Randal asked a few minutes later.

  The small group pushed their way through the early morning crowd to where police officers had sectioned off part of the street. Two bodies lay in the street, still damp after the recent flash flood. A few tired-looking locals were standing in a huddle near a shop, a few officers standing guard. One officer held a pad and was scribbling notes while a local talked.

  Jack sidled up to the cording and inched toward the writing officer.

  “It was a big man. With a tattoo on his cheek or by his eye. I don’t remember,” said the local.

  “And the girl?”

  “Small. Couldn’t believe she could throw a punch like that. She was fighting the man with the tattoo. Then them two…” He gestured at the dead bodies. “They joined the fight. After that, it looked more like the blonde girl and the man with the tattoo were on the same side. It were weird. Then they knocked those two out and the guy with the tattoo dragged the girl away. I think she wanted to stay and make sure those folks didn’t die, but tattoo guy wouldn’t let her.”

  The officer nodded, taking one last note. “Thanks. You all are free to go, but don’t leave town. We may need you to testify.”

  Jack slipped back to where his men waited.

  “Hear anything?” asked Randal.

  “Sounds like Bit was here after all. With some guy with a tattoo on his face. And they left together. Heading that direction.”

  The group turned and went in the direction Jack had indicated. At the next intersection, they stopped.

  “Split up, guys. One hour, then meet back here.” Jack jabbed his finger down, pointing at the muddy ground. “Listen to gossip. See if someone else has seen something strange. But don’t ask around. We don’t want to be connected with her right now when she’s possibly wanted for murder.”

  Jack couldn’t help but notice the frown forming on Oden’s face. “You’re not going to turn her in, right?”

  “Of course not. She’s family. Besides, knowing Bit she left them to drown because that guy was dragging her away. She’s not a murderer.”

  The other men all nodded in agreement.

  “One hour,” Jack repeated before turning away.

  He walked down the wider of the two streets. After a few turns, he noticed a group of women sitting outside the entrance to an apartment building, washing their clothing in a large trough. He sauntered to that side of the street and took a perch on a set of stairs a few feet away from the women.

&
nbsp; “How’d you fair with the storm?” asked one woman to another who had just joined their ranks.

  The new woman lowered her large, homemade basket. “Oh, we had some damage, but not bad considering we’re on the top floor.”

  The other women nodded.

  “But something strange happened,” she said, nodding up toward what appeared to be their building. “A girl climbed up onto our roof. Then a guy did, too. He fell through Mesi’s roof. Completely destroyed their main room.”

  The women all started talking at once. Jack tried to catch what the storyteller was saying, but the only words he caught were “roof” and “next building.”

  Jack casually left his perch and began walking around the building. He spotted another structure with a narrow gap between it and the women’s home. It was small enough Bit could have jumped. He walked around the next building, finding an old fire escape that adorned all but three stories of the building. Above the fire escape, he spotted a rope ladder. Jack climbed the fire escape. On the second floor, well above the recent flood line, he spotted a small trace of blood. It wasn’t much, but it was something. If Jack had been a betting man, he would bet his last gold that he was looking at Bit’s blood.

  Slowly, Jack made his way back to the intersection. At the hour mark, the other men returned.

  “I think I found something,” began Jack, “but I need Oden to take a look. You think more like Bit does, and with Randal’s tracking abilities, I think we might be able to follow the trail.”

  Jack led them through his route, explaining the gossip he had heard and his reasoning behind his trail. He stopped at the fire escape and told them of the drying blood.

  “That’s Bit all right,” agreed Oden.

  Randal was already examining the sides of the buildings and the piles of trash littering the alleyway. “With the flood, it will be hard to track her.”

  They followed Randal for a few blocks, their hope dwindling.

  The small group was just turning down another street when a mass of men emerged from a nearby alley. Jack immediately recognized them as gang members from their “we rule this land” swagger. He had thought they were out of Rudy’s territory, but clearly, he had been wrong.

  “We don’t want to fight you,” Jack said, foolishly hoping he could talk their way out of it.

  The mob of young men didn’t even respond. One minute they were walking, their swagger looking ridiculous, the next they were running at Jack and his men, knives drawn. His own men had their knives out before their enemy reached them.

  A boy who couldn’t have been more than sixteen or seventeen years old lunged at Jack. With a minimal move of his shoulders, Jack avoided the small knife, thrust up toward his jaw. Jack brought the handle of his knife down on the kid’s back, dropping him with a single blow. He turned just in time to dodge an attack from an older, more seasoned fighter.

  As Jack worked to find an advantage, he realized his men were vastly outnumbered. Most of them were dodging attacks from two or more gang members. He was just about to try negotiations again when more men joined the fray, fighting against Rudy’s men. Every few minutes another man ran up to the small battle, not bothering to use non-lethal methods.

  In surprisingly short order, all the gang members were dead at the hands of the newcomers.

  “And who might you be?” asked one of the men.

  “I’m Captain Jack Macleef of the Lenore. A freighter.”

  A different man laughed. “How’d you piss off Rudy this much?”

  “You mean you don’t work for Rudy?”

  The group erupted into varying denials, most of them quite colorful.

  Jack raised his hands for peace. “My apologies, men. I thought we were still in Rudy’s turf. I’m clearly mistaken.”

  “You’re in Wic’s territory. He took it from Rudy a couple years ago.”

  “Well, we are in your debt, Mr. Wic,” said Jack, reaching out to the spokesman.

  The group laughed again. “I ain’t Wic. He’s off chasing some girl.”

  “Some girl?” asked Oden, stepping forward with excitement.

  “Aye. She pissed Rudy off and Rudy’s trying to get her, so of course Wic wants to get her just to piss off Rudy.”

  Oden couldn’t contain his question. “Is she petite with blonde dreadlocks?”

  “Aye. How’d you know?”

  “She’s on my crew. We’re trying to find her, as well,” answered Jack. “Do you know where Wic is now?”

  “Last we heard from him, he was in Alexandra, but he had just lost her again. He said he was heading south toward Alberton.”

  “The frequency?” murmured Oden.

  Jack nodded.

  “Your girl’s the wiliest bitch I’ve ever heard of to hear Wic tell.”

  Jack’s men laughed and nodded. “She was trained by the best. And she knows this town well.”

  “You guys look like you could use a hot meal. Why don’t you come to our place and take a rest?” offered their spokesman, whom Jack guessed to be Wic’s second.

  “I wish we could, but we believe our girl is wounded. We need to find her.”

  The man nodded. “She is hurt. Wic says her knee is banged up bad, and she’s probably got some other injuries too by now. Well, our offer stands. Any enemy of Rudy’s is a friend of ours.”

  Jack grinned and shook the man’s hand with a firm grip. “Likewise. What does Wic look like?”

  “You’ll know Wic by his tattoos. The most recognizable is two tiny sparrows under his left eye. And when you see him, say ‘The birds sing for you.’ He’ll know you’ve met with me.”

  “Thank you. I will. The crew of the Lenore won’t forget your kindness.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “What took you so long?” demanded Nathyn as he stood over Blaine.

  The large security guard had just begun to come to, and though the cantina owner was allowing them to use his space for the morning, Nathyn didn’t want to have to deal with a conscious Blaine by himself.

  “Sorry, Nathyn, it takes a while to get all the tickets. We were only gone an hour.”

  “Yeah, but he’s waking up.”

  Blaine groaned. “What the… Nathyn?…hey, untie me.”

  “Not a chance, buddy.”

  “What are you doing?” demanded Blaine.

  “We’re taking you back to the ship where you can’t kill and torture anyone,” said Jeremiah, sounding a bit like a disgruntled teenager.

  “You’ve crossed the line,” added Forrest. “We’ll take you to the ship until Jack gets back and decides what to do with you.”

  “This is crazy. We have to find Bit.”

  “Not at this cost,” said Nathyn, squatting down in front of Blaine. “If you really think Bit would be okay with your actions, then you don’t know her at all. Bit would rather die herself than have someone die for her… especially that innocent woman you murdered. We were all wrong to have followed you before. Now we’re just doing what we can to make it right.”

  “And if Bit dies?”

  “Then she died due to her own folly. After all, she is the one who ran away. She chose this path.”

  The owner appeared with a squeaky, old wagon. The four men lifted Blaine onto the wagon, fighting his squirming body. He cursed at them, and they ignored him. With the owner’s company, they wheeled Blaine to the enormous elevator that would lift them up to the elevated platform where transport ships took off for the orbiting space station or shipyard.

  The crowds eyed the strange sight, but no one stopped them. They weren’t interested in getting involved, whatever was happening—even if that poor man was being kidnapped.

  At the elevator, they tossed him into the foot space ignoring his curses, yet again. While Forrest and Jeremiah strapped themselves in, Nathyn turned to the cantina owner.

  “We can’t apologize enough,” Nathyn said, reaching out his hand.

  The other man took it in a fierce shake. “Bit’s always been quite
a gal. I’m glad she has such good friends who will stop evil when they see it. If I see her, I’ll try to get her back to you.”

  Nathyn nodded, handing the man a contact card. “We would appreciate that.”

  With that, they parted ways. It took them a long time to reach the Lenore, especially with one of their companions bound in ropes.

  “What is going on?” demanded Kat when the airlock opened and they began to drag Blaine into their ship.

  Dried blood trailed down the side of his head where Jeremiah had struck him with the bat.

  “Blaine tortured a woman to death trying to find Bit. We kidnapped him to stop him and brought him back for Jack to deal with.”

  “Did she know anything?” asked the XO.

  “What?” demanded Nathyn. “No, she didn’t, but that’s hardly the point!”

  Kat didn’t reply but changed the subject. “Use Dirk’s quarters to lock him up. Dirk already came by and cleaned it out.”

  Nathyn withdrew his gun while Jeremiah cut the cords. They guided him into the quarters, shut the door, and locked it.

  “I want a guard on the door at all times,” Nathyn ordered.

  “Umm… I outrank you,” snapped Kat.

  “Not in areas of safety. I’m the only security officer on board at present, which makes his detainment my call. This is a matter of safety, after all.”

  Kat glared at him a moment before nodding.

  “Right. Kat, take first watch. Forrest, you trade off at noon. Vance in the evening. I’ll take after Vance. Then Jer in the second half of the night. Got it?”

  They all nodded and parted ways, leaving the newest member of the crew to watch a locked door.

  Bit had tried to brush off the worst of the grime from the tunnel, but it was too ingrained in her clothing, and no matter how much she scrubbed at her face, it remained brown. She didn’t even bother worrying about her hair.

  People began staring at her as she stepped out from behind the garbage can. She needed to find somewhere to clean up. Glancing up at the bright blue sky, Bit realized she couldn’t rely on a wet-season rainstorm to cleanse her. It didn’t take Bit long to realize where she had come out. She was back in her old stomping ground, close to where Calen had first acquired her debt. Won was more accurate. She had been gambled in a game of high stakes poker.