Galactic Gale

Chapter Twenty-One

Blasted Junk

Kael ducked into the stairwell as the room he had been previously standing in erupted. The walls shattered, glass fragments from the windows flying across the space. He slammed the door shut behind him and scampered back, the sound of the chaos unescapable.

"What a smart idea running into the storm was," Cyre growled. A few steps below Kael, she was sitting with her chin in her hands, dark hair drawn into a messy bun.

Rumbling vibrated through the walls and Kael winced. "Shouldn't we keep moving?" He placed a hand on the wall, as if that would help him decided if the structure was still stable, then glanced to Amara for answers.

But Amara kept her lips sealed. She turned from Kael to look upward, and he copied her movement, finding the Red Runner Alex leaning over one of the railings. The flickering lights revealed her youthful features; dark round eyes, two dimples, and full lips.

"This building was commissioned by the Yotee royals. The stairwells were reinforced with the kind of steal they use on ships. It'll hold." Alex's eyes narrowed as she looked between them. "What brought you lot to Yolkemi anyway?"

"What brought you?" Amara took a step towards the door, posed for a quick escape. It didn't appear they would be leaving the stairwell anytime soon from what Kael was hearing, but he did not mention his thoughts to Amara.

"Business of Retch's. He was buying a new toy." Alex smiled and her dark features brightened. She was pretty girl, despite the black gear she was wearing, and there was a shimmer to her skin. A blaster was strapped to each of her hips.

"That new toy wouldn't be the thing catapulting waste around, would it?"

"Retch doesn't need to kill himself. There are plenty of people lined up to do the job for him."

The door handle shot off, hitting Amara in the torso. She flattered and stumbled back, Kael quickly stepping in to help her regain balance. Ignoring Crye's bitter laugh was almost second nature, but he had not been expecting Alex to snort.

Reinforced steel. Kael shook his head. The builders had overlooked the door handles – and possibly other features too. He kicked the plastic handle aside.

Stepping away, Amara nodded an awkward thanks to him. She turned back to Alex almost at once. "Retch is aware he's being targeted. It would have been nice for him to give us a heads up."

"It's not good for business when your associates are scared of being flattened by a tonne of garbage," Alex said. Pulling away from the barrier, she arced her neck and inspected the lower level of the stairs. "A tunnel should run under here. We can use it to get back to the surface."

A click of a blaster being loaded echoed around them. Cyre raised the weapon at Alex and the other girl raised her hands in surrender.

"Just how much do you know about these attacks?" Amara pressed.

"Not enough." Alex placed a finger atop Crye's blaster and tried to push it lower. Cyre's hold did not waver. "I just saved your boy's life. If I wanted to fight, I would have left him out there to get crushed."

Flustered, Kael pointed to the darkness below. The stairs coiled towards the lower depths of the city; their destination covered by shadow. What little lights remained functioning in the stairwell flickered.

"We should get moving," he said as casually as he could. He didn't like where the conversation was heading. The last thing they needed was to upset one of Retch's people – a top agent of the Red Runners, at that.