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Chapter Two

"Make Your Choice"

An hour had passed before the ending work bell had rung. Its many now tired workers were dragging their feet heading back to their rooms for a well-deserved rest. Alex had stayed behind, still sitting in that same chair. Looking around he took a sigh, wondering where Natasha had gone, she had to return for her ship sooner or later, but no check-ups or to see how her ship is coming along. She just vanished and this struck him as odd.

Another hour passed, now the workplace was completely empty of other people, just him was left inside and he felt exposed, he hung his head and began to pack up his tools. A little bummed that he was not able to see her for another day.

"At least your finished" He commented softly tapping the armored shell. Turning around with his now filled bag in hand he was startled by Natasha's sudden appearance, with a quick gasp and a drop of his tool bag spilling his equipment all over the floor.

A blank face as Natasha started to chuckle and already picking some up for him. "You do some really good work there, I'm impressed..." she said to him as they both picked up more tools. "So where have you been?" He asked her once all the tools were picked up, she ignored him and began walking around her repaired ship and touching it softly.

"You did well, very well" "Why thank you, I always enjoy when others like my work" Alex blushed a little and kicked a bolt on the ground, a loud hissing sound as the front cock-pit glass lifted upwards, with no further words Natasha climbed into it and it closed atop her. He looked with a bewildered look on his face, stunned; and then realized something, she was taking the ship.

No money, No payment, it dawned on him that she was stealing the ship. "No!!! Riggs! Come back here!" he then ran toward it, and jumped upon the wing yelling at her into the glass. "You can't do this to me! Get out of it right now!!" and futilely trying to open the cock-pit with his hands.

With a soft smile, she looked at him then winked. With that, the engines roared up, there was a loud beeping alarm and a soft rumbling on the ground hanger as bay doors were preparing to open. "That's Bad!" He shouted, stumbling off the vessel onto the ground with a thud, and running as hard as he could, Alex yelled again "No, no, no!!"

Running to escape the hanger, a jolt of adrenaline purged through him, his heart seeming to be in his neck. The threat was imminent, the vacuum of space, it would suck him out and launch him into the depths like a rocket, he would be lost forever and die quickly if he got caught in that. The pressure would explode his head and freeze him into glass..."My Tools!"

He remembered, but it was to late... The massive chains upon the hanger gates were tightening to pull away the doors and Natasha had already heated up her afterburners and they began to spit flames from behind itself with loud blasts of high pitched whirring; with a heavy groan he ran and exited the hanger closing a sliding steel door behind him and latching its lock.

"What is wrong with that woman!?" He shouted slamming his fist on the door, a loud blast and a soft rumble in the floor, Natasha had hit the throttle and ignited the afterburners. "Management is going to be really pissed..." Alex whispered to himself.

He did not bother opening the door again to gather tools, for they all were in space now, hundreds of dollars in tools, and a freshly rebuilt craft in lots of money in parts, gone. Not to mention the illegal and very expensive armor plating he put on it; of course he would never tell them he did that, he stole it himself. If only his hand-tools were magnetized...

Approaching his room, he stood before the door. "What am I going to do about this? Security is probably already on the way for this, this is really bad" Alex began to sweat, for he knew he was in deep. He looked at and took a step closer to it and the door made loud creaking noises and grinding sounds.

It was really wanting to open this time, he waited for a few minutes and then gave it a hard kick, and was quickly angered by what he realizes. He could not get into his own room, he needed his wrench to wedge it open through the door crack. It was the only thing strong enough to take its weight.

"GREAT!!!" He screamed now beating upon the door with his foot and kicking it several times. With a surprise, the door started to creek open, it slowly opened with a metal grinding sound and he was surprised to see Natasha laying in his bed with a duffle-bag in front of her.

He was surprised and paused for a moment till it registered "H-how? You were just... but I saw you???" Natasha in a hurry pushed open his door and he took a step into his room and the door slammed behind him with a boom upon her letting it go.

Her attitude changed, standing tall before him Alex realized all his belongings were in that bag. His room was empty and barren...it was the only clear possibility. "What's going on here?" He asked her not caring how she got back in the Hardy. "Your getting out of this dump, your to good to be working for low pay and in such a terrible environment" Her voice was much more in charge and demanding then before. "But I...can't" "Why not?" "I have nowhere else to go"

She chuckled. "You do now lad, look outside" She as stuffing his clothing in to the bag. A massive gray vessel was coasting outside. "That is a federation ship...waiting, you have a choice to make" He watched her open up his drawers and take all of his remaining clothes and stuff them into the duffle bag, and zip it up. He was dumb-struck. "What do you mean choice?" She stood up and approached him quickly Alex backed up; his back touching the wall as she looked over him seeming to be yelling at him. "I will lay it simple, I know you hate this place, take my option to leave it and make something better of yourself and not fall into the fray with the rest of these idiots!"

She stepped back from him and sighed, brushed the white multiple spines that were on her head back. "I am sorry...make your choice" and crossed her arms.

Alex looked outside and then smiled. A desire he wanted for many years upon working on this port... to leave it and become something more then what he was. He looked down at the ground and then heard shuffling sounds, Natasha dangled his bag in front of his face. "Let's go" She smiled at him. "You got it" She lowered his bag into his arms and let go, it was much heavier then she made it appear to be.

For he nearly fell to the floor once all the weight fell onto his arms. A sudden and powerful lurching of the ship sharply to the left with a loud bang, knocking Alex to the floor and Natasha to pres herself against the wall. She helped him up to his feet as a loud lengthy alarm began to blare. "Oh no, we are out of time!" she shouted.

Natasha gripped the steel door tightly and slammed it open with a yell, the door was now completely broken for it was stuck between the wall. "What is happening?" Alex thought to himself as Natasha had took to a sprint and exited the room, Alex following close behind her his bag dangling behind him...so heavy. He thought to himself, with a weird wobble to his run to carry the bag.

"What's the hurry?" "Things are heating up!!" The alarm continued to blare. "Wait! What!? That's the damn fire alarm! A stupid tank must of ruptured!" He heard it more then once, for many times a fire would start in the welding station, something must have exploded, it also has happened more then once.

They turned around a corner and suddenly stopped... "There she is! She is taking Alex from us!" shouted a male security guard, drawing a stun-baton from his belt. "Go Alex! Get to the Hanger!" She took a stance and ran at the guard as he ran at her wielding his baton.

Doing as requested, Alex could only hear the yelling of the male guard as he reached the hanger bay door. He reached for the handle and the froze as around the corner more and more ruckus of yelling, shocking sounds and finally laser blasts. Alex grew worried and began to walk in the direction of the noise, Natasha came running around the corner holding the guards baton.

"Open the door!" she screamed as many guards suddenly appeared following her, some wielding guns, others with batons. Alex stalled as he then turned and tried sliding the doors handles. "It won't open!" "yeah right!" she kicked the door and gave it a pushing motion to the right and it opened.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Alex now confused as to what is occurring around him, fear building up inside him. Natasha slammed the sliding door behind them and grabbed a large bench and set it against the handle. She brushed the spines on her head back again. "That will hold the bastards, ready to do something stupid?" she told him, and quickly yanking him in her arms, Alex was so confused at this point, why was she holding him? She then started walking toward the other hanger bay doors leading into space a hand pressed to her ear she said. "Alright Federation, blast those doors open" "WHAT!!!!?" Alex screamed.

A bright deafening flash, followed by a cold so cold he felt his heart pause and beat again. His body locked up and seized like a person falling into arctic waters. He opened his eyes to see the Hardy Express growing smaller and smaller in the distance.

Alex was drifting in space, held by Natasha with a firm grip that caused him pain around his stomach.

He knew he could not breath, if he did he would freeze from the inside out, on the flight he looked at Natasha who let him go, both floating side by side. "Relax kid, they are on the way" He began to struggle for breath, it was already 45 seconds passed. "Hold it..." he heard Natasha whisper, she sounded as if it was not affecting her at all. He began to turn blue, his skin freezing, he could feel his body locking up even more from cold... like a popsicle; he could not move his fingers anymore, his chest started to grow tight and numb.

"Ok, inhale" He refused, forced his eyes closed in the burning pain of the cold stinging into his flesh, but suddenly. All of it ended. He felt warm and comfortable, was he dead already? He opened his eyes and found himself in a fancy room, with air, with food and water. He fell to the floor for air on his hands and knees deeply gasping up air.

The room was very subtle, the bed clean and pressed foam mattress, a large closet and TV, with a mini-fridge located under the bed with a nice bathroom across from the closet. "This is some freaky stuff... how did I get in here!?" He coughed still sucking in air relived to be here and removing his duffle bag from his back, Natasha came out of the closet. "Hmm, a little inaccurate..." patting down her legs of frost. He laughed "Glad to see you came out of the closet..." Alex joked gagging and then sitting on the bed holding his chest still gasping for air.

"Here... you may want to read this, its classified; but I feel as you deserve an explanation why I wanted you out of that place so bad" Natasha opened up the closet again and took a towel. "Call me when your all caught up" she said heading into the bathroom and quietly shutting the door. The book was emblemed with two swords and a gun, Alex was still so confused.

Inside the book, were documents of the Hardy Express, he could not believe what he was reading, for the Federation had evidence that the vessel is an illicit underground chop shop; but has the face of a legit auto-shop space port. It had turned out they were doing illegal trading and equipment selling to gangsters and other illegal groups, under cover federation troops had written many reports of their findings, evidences and pictures. Alex realized that the Hardy Express was a criminal operation, and he never knew it.

They were to perform a warrant to find evidence, and seize the vessel and its in habitants for crimes against the federation. He now knew why Natasha wanted him out, he was about to fall with them, she used them for free work, with first intentions of just leaving. He realized she thought about him and his capabilities and returned to get him; but why? Alex looked outside to no longer see the Express. "It makes sense, I guess, but what next?" He quickly thought of one, relax! "I need to slow down...and catch my breath"

Closing the small book, he jumped on the bed and turned on the TV. "This is much better, screw the Hardy Express!" He took his boots off and watched the news, another Soparla male spoke. "Federation serves warrant upon Hardy Express, discovers hundreds of stolen parts and equipment, and unexplained amounts of money to the receipts of jobs, many have been arrested and are now under federal investigation, more news as it develops". He already turned it off with a blank face.

"So, now you know why I took you, I could not let one so talented take the wrap for such scum" Natasha said with a towel wrapped around her head and her in silk pajamas. He glanced at her and then looked away. "Then you know that the plating I put on was illegal..." "I knew it the moment I saw it, but don't worry. It was illegal; but it isn't no more.

They will never know; someone else put it on" She winked at him. Alex only felt down knowing she knew. "Look, I took you because I could use someone like you, your working for me and the federation now" He took a sigh. "Joy... I'm loving it already here" he thought to himself, it was like getting traded from one slave runner to another. "You will sleep on the floor, the federation knows you're here and told me it is imperative that you stay close to me at all times"

He only sighed another time and got on the floor, he now realized why she took all his junk, inside the duffle bag was his bed rolled up, his pillow, and all of his few personal items. A loud crack of a beer can as Natasha took a drink, and began watching TV. They said nothing more to each other for the rest of the night, Alex felt nothing more then an object now...a tool to be used until broken.

What did she think of him? He was not a criminal, he hated to break laws. In the heat of the moment he did something that he is now regretting with a heavy heart. Alex glanced at Natasha drinking her beer. "Should have listened to Dad" he thought to himself as he made his bed, worried of what the next day had in store for him.