The Caged Bird Sings

[Casey Carter]

Casey pushed through the crowd as she made her way towards the Lower Ariel City Docks. From there, many of the common-folk traded and unloaded cargo from ships. It was a place that Casey was very familiar with, a place where she loved to be.

The combination of sights and smells were overwhelming: there was the droning sound of chattering and screaming as people clamored about to view the wares of traders. Overhead, ships would endlessly roar back and forth as they made their way on and off the planet. The aroma of grilling food stations and ship turbine emissions mulled together, and it slowly filled Casey’s nostrils. She absorbed it all with a smirk on her face.

After pushing past the main bazaar, Casey slipped onto one of the side streets and entered one of the smaller hangars. Loitering near the front, were a bunch of men, mechanics and ship-hands that had been dirty and greasy from their work all day.

Casey approached the closest one before speaking up. “Hey. Where’s Dax?”

“Well hello to you too…” the mechanic said sweetly, examining her. He was a burly man, and much taller than Casey. He hovered over her with curiosity.

She rolled her eyes. “In your dreams tubby. Where’s Dax? I need to speak with him.”

The mechanic had a playful scowl on his face. “You know for a pretty little girl, you’re not very lady-like” he said, moving closer to her. Casey stepped back and reached for her satchel when a voice inside the hangar interceded.

“Alright Trev’, that’s enough” an older man warned, approaching the two.

“Dax.” Casey said with relief.

“Run off and go take a shower or something.” Dax said, looking towards Trevor. In turn, Trevor glared at Casey, but complied, and walked away muttering profanities in Chinese.

“Sorry ‘bout that. Trevor is a Chǔn lǘ , and he looks like it too.” Dax whispered to Casey with a smile. “What can I do ya for?”

“I heard you have a job for me. Something especially important.” Casey replied.

“Right, of course! Totally forgot. Markov’s men told me to send my best, so I’m sending you.”

“Who’s Markov?”

“Markov was Niska’s protégé, but recently they’ve had a falling out. I’m sure you’ve heard of Niska, yea? Now Markov has his own shipping company which in part is a front for smuggling goods around the ‘verse.” Dax explained. “One of his ships has stopped by the Ariel City docks and he’s looking for someone to work on it discreetly before it’s sent off again for another run.”

“And naturally you chose the best.” Casey said smiling.

Dax chuckled, and handed her a slip. “This is Markov’s private hanger. The ship should be waiting for you there. He wants it in tip-top shape so make sure you examine the ship mighty carefully or its both our heads.”

“I won’t let you down.” Casey said nodding. She waved to Dax as she slipped back into the busy streets.

“I know you wont.” Dax said softly, and he watched her walk away.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’m here to work on the ship.” Casey explained to the guard, handing him the work slip. The guard looked at it with mild interest.

“We are expecting you. You’re the best to work smuggling ship? You don’t look like much,” the guard said in his thick Russian accent.

“If you want it done right, you call me.” Casey snapped back. The guard shrugged and let her pass through the side door.

The hangar itself was three stories high. On the inside, side rooms and a catwalk lined the edges of the building, and in the center, the large transport ship sat waiting. It was dark inside the hangar, and the only light available was coming through the open roof that shined down on the ship.

Casey sighed, and walked towards the airlock. At the door, tools were placed for her to use. “Time to get to work…” Casey muttered, grabbing the tools quickly before disappeared inside the ship.

[Annette Carter]

Pain. That’s what Annette Carter noticed first. It seemed to be splitting her skull in two. It didn’t help that her aids were whistling at her, making the head ach worse. Then she noticed the binds around her hands and feet. That and of all things she was in a Goram storage container of all things.

Think Annette think. What happened? She asked herself. Oh no, she realized, the job. The job that just looked to good to be true. And I bit. Why did I bite? Oh, right I was so broke that I didn’t even have the credit to hire a shuttle home. Annette hit the back of her head against the container and tried to remember just what about the job went so far south that it ended with her here.

[Casey Carter]

Casey grumbled as she strolled about the ship. As much as she loved to work on them, sometimes the jobs she received seemed less than exciting. She knew she was better than most at the Ariel City Docks, and yet, she was always commissioned the “safer” jobs; running diagnostics and testing all the systems of a ship was a necessary but tedious assignment. Casey felt that her age, appearance, and especially her gender, were all factors responsible for the biased assignments she was constantly given.

Noticing that a coupling along the wall was loose, Casey leaned over it and began to reattach and readjust it. Fumbling with the part, she continued to fume; angered that she was always underrated.

“Just once, I’d like to have a taste of adventure” she mumbled to herself as she worked.

At that moment, she heard a soft thumping sound. One that was irregular and loud enough to not be disregarded as one of the normal sounds on a ship.

“Probably just a rat…” Casey joked, and she kicked the panels along the hallway in response. She hoped the sound was loud enough to get the attention of the stowaway and scare it off.

[Annette Carter]

Annette was startled out of her thoughts by the crash. There was a fifty-fifty chance that it could be someone willing to help, or someone working with the man who’d shoved her in there in the first place. Was she willing to stake getting out of here on drawing more attention on herself? It was a chance she was just going to have to take.

Scrunching down and placing her feet on one of the walls she began to kick at it and shouted, “Help! Please somebody get me Out Of Here!” at the top of her lungs, praying that whoever heard her was friendly.

[Casey Carter]

Confident that she had scared away what she assumed was a rat, Casey picked up her tools and began to walk away. As she was moving though, a series of thumping noises in response to her kick had caught her off guard.

She quickly turned around, and ran back to the panel she was just working at. She heard a muffled voice but couldn’t make out who or what the person was saying. Casey was reluctant to help, unsure if it was some sort of prank or trap.

Whatever it was, it was definitely something or someone that was bigger than a rat; and, they were trying to get out.

Deciding she would take a chance on it, Casey began to quickly scan the wall for any clues: she knew that most smuggling ships either had natural or modified secret compartments for cargo. At a glance, it might’ve been something that even an Alliance boarding party could miss. But if you knew how to make or look for them, then finding it was much easier. After a few moments of searching, she found what she was looking for: through one of the tiny holes in the wall, she slipped two of her fingers in, and began fishing for the latch. A loud, satisfying click popped opened the top part of the panel.

“Got it…” Casey mumbled with a smirk.

She then stretch out her hands and pulled on the panel, and after some struggle, the entire thing came off. She then placed it to the side before examining the inside wall.

There was visibly a large crate stuffed into the secret storage compartment, and on it, a giant metallic lock. Wildly curious now, Casey dragged it out into the hallway and examined it. The crate was certainly big enough to fit a person or a small animal, or whatever that was inside it making noises.

Realizing that she had already overstepped her boundaries as a contractor, she hesitated to then actually open the crate. If one of Markov’s men found her snooping into his private wares, it easily could’ve meant the end of her career, and most likely, her life.

The persistent banging and muffled sounds from inside the crate edged her on though to continue with her investigation. The crate no longer stuffed into the wall, she was able to hear that there was indeed a person inside the crate. Grabbing her tools, Casey then banged away at the lock until it broke off.

Expecting an assault, she grabbed her large wrench before moving to open the crate; one hand rested on the top of the box; the other, held a wrench, poised above her ready to strike down if need be.

After a few moments of hesitation she quickly swung open the crate and nearly swung down to hit the person. She quickly stopped herself though, when she realized it was a girl that was tied up and crammed in the crate.

“Shénme shì dìyù…” she exclaimed softly.

[Annette Carter]

A girl, no older than Annette, jerked open the container. Wrench poised high, as if she anticipated an attack. "Shénme shì dìyù."

Annette blinked multiple times as her eyes adjusted to the light outside the container. Setting her feet down on the floor, she hoarsely whispered, “Tell me you’re here to help.” She thought for a moment before raising her hands, “Or at the vary least have a knife to cut these?”

[Casey Carter]

Casey was stunned. Of all the things she could have discovered, this was the most unexpected. She stepped back slowly and watched as the young woman stretched and readjusted herself from the cramp compartment.

“Tell me you’re here to help” she said hoarsely. “Or at the very least have a knife to cut these?” she asked, raising her arms. Her wrists were bound together by some straps.

“Oh, right. Sorry…” Casey said nodding, breaking out from her trance. She reached for her toolbox and pulled out a small bolt cutter. Still cautious, she carefully cut the strange girl’s bonds, never breaking eye contact from her.

“So…it’s probably none of my business as to why you’ve been stuffed in this here crate” Casey said, breaking the silence “I reckon’ you angered the big man, Markov. If that’s the case, you’re alright in my book. Are you ok though? Hungry?” Casey reached for her backpack and pulled out a sandwich.

“I was gonna save this for lunch, but by the look of things, you probably need it more than I do” she added, tossing it to the other girl. She offered her hand and helped her stand up, the whole time examining her with wild curiosity.

“So what do they call you? Got a name? Or should I call you ‘Box-Girl’ from now on?”

[Annette Carter]

“Thank you,” Annette said as the girl cut the straps without looking at them.

“I don’t really remember” she said sheepishly, rubbing her wrists “But I think I dumped some cargo.” Laughing a little “I probably did. And just getting me out of this box makes you good people.” Annette scratched the back of her head, wincing at the jolt of pain “I’m fine. I just have this splitting head ach.”

Catching sight of the sandwich, her stomach started growling, “I guess I am hungry.” She said, grasping the brunettes hand to pull herself up. Stumbling as she moved away from the container Annette heard the girl ask for her name, “Oh, please don’t! It’s Annette Carter. How ‘bout you?

[Casey Carter]

Catching sight of the sandwich, the girl’s stomach started growling, “I guess I am hungry.” She said, grabbing the mechanic’s hand to pull herself up.

“So what do they call you? Got a name, or should I keep calling you ‘Box-Girl’?” Casey asked her.

“Oh, please don’t! It’s Annette Carter. How ‘bout you?”

“I’m Casey” she replied. After a few awkward moments she spoke up again. “So…now what? We should probably try and get you out of here, so that Markov doesn’t come after us.”

Casey motioned for Annette to help her, and they were in the process of putting the crate and panel back in its place when they heard a noise on the far side of the ship; heavy boots by the sound of it, thumping along the metallic floor and making its way to the girls.
The footsteps made Casey jumped when she finally noticed them. She shushed Annette and the two halted their work.

Attempting to be quiet, she reached into her bag and dug around a bit before she found what she was looking for: carefully, she pulled out a snub revolver.

“One tool I never leave home without. A lotta creeps on the job…” Casey joked, whispering to Annette.

Despite their attempts to be quiet, the guard found them almost instantly. Turning the corner he was surprised to find the mechanic, the open crate, open wall panel, and Markov’s prize out and standing. Reflexively, he reached for his sidearm.

“Uh-oh.” Casey said, shaking as she raised her revolver in defense.

[Annette Carter]

“Casey, huh,” Annette filed it away so she would remember. The silence stretched for a bit before Casey said something about getting out, “Getting out of here would be shiny.” She said moving to help put the panel back where it belonged.

Before they could finish, Casey jumped at something and motioned Annette to stop. Which was when she heard footsteps coming their way over the wine of her hearing aids . Looking over at Casey, she saw her carefully pull a small revolver from her bag “One tool I never leave home without. A lotta creeps on the job.” “Good idea,” she whispered back

Soon after that exchange, the guard rounded the corner. He took one look around, saw both wall panel and crate open and Annette standing, and reached for his gun.

“Somebody hates me,” she said, backing away as she scanned for cover.

[Casey Carter]

“One tool I never leave home without. A lotta creeps on the job.” Casey whispered to Annette, and she showed her the revolver.

“Good idea,” she whispered back.

Soon after that exchange, the guard rounded the corner. He took one look around, saw both wall panel and crate open and Annette standing, and reached for his gun.

“Somebody hates me,” Annette muttered, backing away as she scanned for cover.

“Freeze little girls!” the guard said in his thick Russian accent. He raised his pistol, both arms straight out and directed at the two women.

Despite having a gun pointed at her, Casey did not back down, and she had her revolver pointing right back at the guard. Her faced donned a scowl in defiance, but her arm was shaking with nervousness; she never fired the pistol before that moment, nor did she know how to use the gun exactly.

The whole commotion led to a tense standoff.

“Annette. Grab my bag. We are leaving.” Casey said, never breaking eye contact with the guard. Before the girl could do anything, the guard quickly shifted his aim over to Annette.

“Do. Not. Move,” he hissed, emphasizing each word.

“Annette. Trust me.” Casey said. After some hesitation Annette motioned for Casey’s bag.

“I said—“ the guard yelled, but before he could finish his scolding, Casey fired the snub revolver.

Lacking complete control of the gun, the recoil was largely responsible for the missed shot. The bullet pinged the ceiling light in the hallway. The guard quickly flinched and braced for impact, but after realizing Casey’s failed attempt, he quickly stood up and laughed.

“The boss wants the cargo. You on the other hand, are expendable,” he said with confidence and a smirk. He raised his gun again.

By a streak of luck, the light fixture had been shot out of place above the guard. And after a few moments of barely dangling, it quickly snapped and dropped down over the Russian guard. Followed by some metal and debris, the light fixture floored him, knocking him out completely and covering him all over.

The two girls stood there in shock a while longer. The mechanic was the first to speak up.

“Well…” Casey shrugged, “…my dad said to use it to fight off boys. I guess this counts,” she said, referring to the snub revolver. The two then quickly gathered everything they needed to take. “C’mon, lets get out of here. The collapsing roof I’m sure alerted a few more people. I don’t intend on this becoming a party.”

[Annette Carter]

“Freeze little girls!” the guard said in his thick Russian accent. He raised his pistol, both arms straight out and directed at the two women.

Despite having a gun pointed at her, Casey did not back down, and she had her revolver pointing right back at the guard. Her faced donned a scowl in defiance, but her arm was shaking with nervousness; she never fired the pistol before that moment, nor did she know how to use the gun exactly.

The whole commotion led to a tense standoff.

“Annette. Grab my bag. We are leaving.” She turned toward were Casey had left her bag, but before she could move to get it, the Russian’s aim had shifted squarely on Annette causing her to stop dead.

“Do. Not. Move,” he hissed though clinched teeth. “Annette. Trust me,” Casey coaxed.

“I said-“ the guard didn’t even get to finish his sentence before a shot rang out. And Annette dove for the ground, grabbing the bag as she went. She didn’t look up until the Russian started laughing because the shot went wide.

“The boss want’s the cargo. You on the other had are expendable,” he grinned as he aimed the pistol at Casey. But before he could fire debris, that Annette assumed had been dislodged by the bullet, rained down on the guard. Knocking him out cold.

Flabbergasted, the girls stood there stunned for a few seconds until Casey spoke up, “ Well…my dad said to use it fight off boys. I guess this counts.” Laughing slightly Annette said, “Oh it definitely counts.” She grabbed the Russian’s pistol despite not being any better of a shot than Casey, but she thought that it might come in handy if they had any more surprises. Casey was saying something about getting out before anybody else showed up, “I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: Getting out would be Shiny.”

[Casey Carter]

Annette laughed at the mechanic’s joke. To Casey, it seemed like the appropriate thing to say, despite being almost killed. She was glad that she got a smile out of her.

“C’mon, lets get out of here. The collapsing roof I’m sure alerted a few more people. I don’t intend on this becoming a party.” Casey said, gathering her things.

Annette nodded. “I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: getting out would be shiny.”

The two made it through the ship without incident, but by the time they reached the exit at the large cargo doors they already could hear some scuffling and shouting outside; Markov’s men were assembling, most likely carrying guns, and itching for a fight.

At the door, the girls took some cover and crouched. “I’m sure it’s alright…” Casey said, attempting to smile for Annette. She was trying to comfort her new friend, but she also needed to hear it for herself. They sat there for a few more moments before Casey worked up the courage to quickly check outside.

Leaning over, she peered outside, only to be greeted with a spray of bullets from above. If Annette hadn’t pulled her back in, she would’ve been shot down right then and there.

“Well…its not too bad.” Casey joked. Despite being pinned down in the ship, the mechanic new that they would have to move quickly before Markov’s guards made their way down from the catwalk above. “Its now or never…” Casey said, nodding to Annette.

Without warning the two ran out from the ship and into the wide area that was the private hanger. Crouching and keeping their heads down, the two ran quickly across the floor and towards the back door. In the struggle, Casey fired off a few rounds above her without looking, not particularly aiming at anything.

Luckily most of the men had been in the upper offices or on the catwalk, and the guard that was currently knocked out on the ship had been the doorman. The girls were panting now, but managed to make it outside.

“C’mon, lets go!” Casey urged on to her companion. She stuffed her pistol into to side pack and grabbed Annette’s hand. They ran back onto the main street and attempted to disappear into the large crowd, whose activities had been so loud that none of them heard the distant gunfire. Just as Casey began to relax, she noticed the commotion behind her, and recognized some of Markov’s men pushing their way through the bazaar crowd in their direction. “Keep movin’…” Casey muttered to Annette.

After clearing the crowded bazaar the girls started to run again. But before they could turn onto a side street, gunshots from behind forced them to change direction. Attempting to get clear of the line of fire, Casey and Annette blindly ran into the nearest borough. It had been cleared out a few years back, and all that was left was the cluster of abandoned buildings and the occasional cawing bird. The streets were littered, rubble was everywhere since buildings were falling apart, and unkempt grassy areas were being overrun with tall plants. A place unsuited for living no doubt, but a perfect place to hide.

After turning the corner of a large building, Casey pulled Annette into the open doorway. It was dark and dry inside, completely deserted and half destroyed by time. “This way.” Casey whispered, and the two climbed some creaky stairs. The second floor was in no better shape, and was fashioned with various holes on the ground that revealed down to the lower level. Propped by a window, Casey peered out in the direction that they ran from. She noticed a group of at least 10 men canvasing the area, guns raised and on alert.

“We’ll wait it out here for a while.” Casey whispered over to Annette. She sat down and adjusted herself by the window. The movement made the wooden floor creak underneath her, warning her to be careful.

Casey sighed. “What should we do next?” she asked Annette. Just as she was posing the question, the girls heard some movement down below: it was one of Markov’s men, searching the area for them.

[Annette Carter]

Getting to the front door was somehow easier than she thought. But sounds could be heard on the other side of the door, men could be heard shouting. And if they were shouting then they were probably carring a lot more firepower then the girls two guns, and the men would be a lot more willing to use them.

At the door, they crouched down behind some boxes. Casey smiled “I’m sure it’s all right,” before trying to cetch a peek around the opening. Annette quickly grabbed ahold of her jacked and yanked, getting the younger girl out of the way before a hail of bullets came streaming from the catwalk. “Be careful!” the elder hissed.

“It’s now or never,” Casey said with a nod, and with that the two ran full sprint out into the open hanger, all whil trying to make themselves as small a target as possible. Annette had forgotten about the pistol that she’d taken from the unconscious guard until Casey let off a few rounds of the own gun, which prompted Annette to blindly fire behind her. At least until it clicked signaling that it was empty, prompting her to throw it wildly to the side.

Miraculously the exit had nobody watching it. As they ran out Annette heard Casey yell “C’mon, Let’s go!” before grabbing her hand and jerking her into the crowded main street. Just as they thought that it was safe and slowed down a bit was when Casey noticed the goons pushing in their direction, prompting the girls to brake out in a run after they cleared the crowd.

Gun fire followed them as they ran and changed directions in a sharp turn. That turn lead them to an abandoned nabourhood that had nothing but decaying buildings and trash in the streets. Casey pulled Annette into one of the larger buildings and up to the second floor. “We’ll wait it out here for a while,” the younger whispered as she settled down by the window, causing the floor boards to squeal in Annette’s hearing aids.

“What should we do next?” Casey asked, just as creaking noises came from below, signaling that one of the goons was searching the building.

“We pray,” Annette whispered as she scanned the room before settling on a plank of wood that looked like it fell from the ceiling. Carefully moving toward it she settled in by the door ready to hit who anybody who came in the room.

[Casey Carter]

“What should we do next?” Casey asked, just as creaking noises came from below, signaling that one of the goons was searching the building.

“We pray,” Annette whispered as she scanned the room before settling on a plank of wood that looked like it fell from the ceiling. Carefully moving toward it she settled in by the door ready to hit who anybody who came in the room.

Both girls attempted to remain quiet as the armed man below searched the empty building. From where she was sitting, Casey could lean over and peer down one of the holes to the second floor, and was able to see the thug with his gun and flashlight at the ready. Casey quietly cocked her pistol.

After a few quiet moments the man downstairs muttered something and went for the door. Sighing with relief, the mechanic pointed thumbs up at Annette.

The deep breathing must’ve absorbed dust from the old building though, and Casey fought back a sneeze. Despite the small peep it made, it was enough to get the man’s attention down below.

Briskly now, the man searched the first floor and made his way to the stairs. They creaked as the man shifted his weight and quietly walked up to the second floor. Casey could hear him cocking his pistol, anticipating an ambush.

Casey pulled the pistol up to her shoulder, and angled towards the doorway. From across the room, Annette had done the same with her makeshift weapon.

Heart racing now, Casey waited for the inevitable, and for the man to walk through the door. Within seconds, he did.