Angry Jasper: Forty-five

Jazz and Skull boy reached the hall just as the tide of emotion was reaching its frenzied peak. He spotted several of the coup leaders. The rest, no doubt were scattered through the chamber. Once the coup began Kate would be caught in a deadly crossfire. Nearby Maury’s man had been caught in the surge and was fighting his way through the crowd. Jazz recognized him as the man he’d seen slipping from the ship during the battle on the surface. As he brushed past Jazz wondered why he seemed in such hurry to leave.

“Wait here,” Jazz told the boy. Jazz shoved his way through the bodies straining for a glimpse of their leader, as if it might rescue them from hopelessness, as if his words and the air breathed from Thomas’ lungs would restore them to life again. Jazz caught the guy at the edge of the crowd and dropped him with a well place shot to the kidney.

“Where the hell are you going?” Jazz took the guy in a headlock.

“I hate crowds,” Maury’s man groaned through gritted teeth. He was still fighting for breath.

“And I hate smart asses, so you better come clean.” Jazz twisted the guy’s neck a little farther until the bloke gave up.

“All right, all right,” he said through gritted teeth and blinding agony. “Maury’s gonna hit this place hard. Everything, the whole damn place will be toast, and everyone in it.”

“You led him right to this place,” Jazz had half a mind to snap the guys neck.

“Yes, I admit it. But they’ve abandoned me, and if you can get me off this planet I’ll see that you are handsomely rewarded.”

Jazz remembered the beating his ship had taken. It had been through worse. If he could get to it there was a better than fair chance of getting off this charcoal brisket of a planet.

“Know the way to the surface?”

“I do.”
“If you want out of here then you’re gonna have to do something for me.”

“Anything!”

Jazz let him go and pointed to Kate among the ocean of frantic admirers. “She comes with.

“You’re insane! That would be suicide,” the guy scoffed.

“Non-negotiable.”

“Let me up!” the guy exclaimed. Jazz reluctantly released Maury’s spy. They stood facing one another a moment. “You swear you have a ship.”

“Help me get the Space Whore and I can get us off the planet.” Skullboy appeared from the crowd. He drew up close to Jazz. The spy grimaced and looked to Jazz as if to ask what exactly that was. Jazz only shrugged.

“We’ll need some help if we’re getting her out of this madness.” Around them the crowd surged and roared with feverish excitement.

“What did you have in mind?”

The Spy drew two ARP-21s from beneath his cloak and reluctantly shoved one into Jazz’ hand. Quickly Jazz explained about the coup and pointed out two of the nearest conspirators. He had barely finished when several shots from somewhere cut down one of Thomas’ men, right beside Kate. An instant later gunfire resounded throughout the hall, joined quickly by screams nd the predicatble tsunami of the panicked.

An ARP round clipped Kate’s shoulder and slammed her sideways into Thomas. Losing his footing Thomas spilled into the crowd which was now fighting a desperate battle for escape. He came up face to face with one of the conspirators, staring down the barrel of his weapon.

“Et tu, you load of hybrid dung?” what else was there to say? Suddenly the man’s eyes went wide, a fraction of an instant before he pulled the trigger. The man’s eyes rolled back and he toppled forward into Thomas’ arms. There were two fist size holes in his back. Thomas looked up into Jazz’ eyes. He knew instantly.