New Elysium: Breakout

New Caledonia(17)

The ruins of New Caledonia struck Red as the way he wanted Helion 7 Prison Complex to look after he was through with it. Rubble was still strewn over the surface. Blue sky greeted them, a breeze caressed his cheek. All of it only softening the blow of a ruined settlement. The vespers had rained destruction down on New Caledonia, not only ensuring it's destruction but no one else had tried to resettle the place.

His stomach growled over the empty space. His own augs would cover the worst of being hungry but nothing quieted an empty stomach. He could hear Dag's stomach give an answering rumble. It was ridiculous enough that he laughed out loud shattering the quiet.

Ember stared at him as she picked her way through the ruined buildings. "Hey guys, I think I found something."

Both Red and Dag hopped around rubble to get to her. "What is it?" Dag reached her first. She pointed a fallen wall.

"There's a chamber underneath this, intact. Last time I was here, this was a deli."

Dag took hold of one section of the wall and lifted it. His arm easily moving the wall. Red was never sure how it worked, the arm seamlessly connected to his skin, Dag's muscled rippled beneath his brown shirt and the wall moved.

Red was running a short wave scan himself. He could see the gap in the ground underneath, he tapped a small button on his head, invisible to anyone who didn't know it was there, and the hologram projected out in front of him. He smiled, it had been a long time since he'd used this. Ember stared at the mapped floor. "Well that's something I *can't* do." She smirked and then turned her focus on the opening Dag had just created for them.

Dag was breathing hard. "Haven't done that in ages." He muttered. Sweat dripped off his head and he wiped it and threw the drops away. "Who wants to go first?"

"Me." Red skirted the edge. It was only ten feet down. He dropped through before anyone else could get a word in. Behind him Ember and Dag exchanged glances before Ember dropped down after Red. Dag stayed topside. You never knew what was coming up behind you. And not every world was as desolate as you thought it could be. Not to mention, he simply did not like small dark spaces. A fact that Red was very much aware of.

Inside Red was coughing at the amount of dust flying when Ember thudded to the ground behind him. He was still running a hologram of the room in front of him that simultaneously lit up the small room they were in.

"What was here?" He asked her.

"I thought I said a Deli." She turned to the corners and sifted through the boxes.

"No, I mean the whole settlement, did they have a place where they sold clothes?" He shrugged through the hologram when she swung to look at him. Red stared at the floor again for a moment. He wasn't sure how to convey his sudden need to no longer look like a prisoner. He wanted the prison garb as far away from as possible.

"Clothes..." Ember repeated. "I am not sure...but maybe we'll find something." She pulled at a box and it fell open, food packs falling to the floor. Red rushed to her side.

"Jack pot." He whispered.

"Hey guys," Dag called down, "We got company."

The "new comers" were dressed in rags. They were survivors of Ember's attack, Red realized. He glanced back at Ember, seeing she'd stiffened in shock. "How's the ship?" He whispered suddenly. "You are still connected, right?"

"Of course." She broke her eye contact with the survivors and stared at him. Fear, apprehension, shame rolled over her face before she managed to smooth her face into a practiced calm. Red was learning to read that that calm face meant the worst storms were brewing underneath.

"Just making sure." Red stepped in front of the other two almost protectively. He wondered if they looked just as strange to the New Caledonians, they in rags, and Red and his crew in plain brown prison garb.

His crew. When had he started to think of himself as in charge?

Red slipped into the role easily as he'd done before. He scanned the people in front of him for neural links, anything that could be used as a weapon. He picked up some hardware but nothing as advanced as what the three of them were packing.

A man stepped forward, his shoulder length hair in tangles but tied back with a string. His muscular frame belied years of living off the surface without aid of any kind. His skin was tanned and leathery. His eyes were calm, clear, eyes that had seen much. 

"It's been a few years since anyone has landed here," the man said. "Are you coming to reclaim this territory? Because I should warn you... it's still very much occupied."

Red wanted to laugh. But he knew the request was serious. If Neo-Tokyo wanted to, they could blow this whole rock out of existence. Again. Or they could have in the past. Who knew what the technology was like now. Seven years meant things could be very different. Or the same. You never knew how far or backwards the technology was going to go. 

His stomach growled loudly in the silence between the two men. The sound cut through tension in a way that words didn't. Suddenly the New Caledonians understood what the brown clothing meant. Red could see it on their faces. They were not colonizers, but escapees.

"Augs?" He guessed, and Red nodded. There were a few augs in the group so the danger that they'd be turned in didn't seem likely. He still didn't know these people, there was no need to give more information than necessary...

"We don't want any trouble," Red finally managed. "We were just..."

"Hungry?" The man finally smiled. "I'm Eoghan Shust. This is what remains of New Caledonia, after..." He gestured behind him, the people glanced between themselves. Red knew it couldn't be all of them. Just a small show of force to either intimidate or volunteers to see what would happen. It's what he would have done. The rest were hidden somewhere, watching, waiting...

"Red, Ember, and Dag." Red pointed to each of them in turn. Eoghan waited and when no more names were forthcoming he nodded. 

"Well welcome to New Caledonia, or what's left of it." Eoghan nodded. "If you follow us, we could get you fed, are there more of you?"

"No," Red said quickly. He left out the part of the two boys still on the ship.

"We saw your ship come down...it's what brought us this way." Eoghan continued. "We haven't seen anyone land in years, we wondered if there might be relief coming..." His voice trailed off and Red saw in the man's eyes a hunger that probably matched Red's own when he latched onto Ember to get them out of the prison. Fear wormed it's way into his stomach. He made no mention of the packs of food behind them. He had no idea of the intentions of these people. They were desperate to escape and he could understand that. But would they come with them, or try to take the ship from them by force?

"I'll come and leave my crew to watch the ship." He said out loud. Eoghan frowned.

"I'm afraid I must insist that all of you come with us."

Well shit, Red thought as glanced at Dag and Ember. If that didn't make their intentions loud and clear, nothing would. Ember's face held an expression he couldn't place. Resignation? He couldn't place it

"Are we prisoners," the big man asked. "Because I'm not going to be a prisoner again. I've got a family to get back to."

Eoghan's voice softened. "Not prisoners. Honored guests, until we come to ...terms." He held out his hand and gestured for them to follow. Red hesitated and followed, Dag and Ember behind him. His blue augs lit up under his chin. The New Caledonians kept staring at them, but Red was keeping his scanners running for any sign of immediate danger. Ember would be doing the same and Dag was simply ready to smash their way out.

Red wondered what the terms would be.