Chapter Five
The Big Storm
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"WHAT?!" The three women shouted in surprise. Beth and Kate descended from their positions in the air, while Jamie jumped out from behind the rock.

"I have already gotten each of their stories recorded right here to confirm who they are and I have full control of their ship." Kain held up a small black device that he took out of his pocket. "They are now under the Universal Police's protection until they are in custody."

"You have got to be kidding!" Kate began to bang her head on a near by boulder, cursing her dumb luck.

"Forget it." Airison aimed his gun at Kain's head. "I live by my own rules and no one else's. I could care less who has control over whom, I'm taking the bounty whether you say so or not."

"Over my dead body."

"For once we agree." Airison's finger began to tense on the trigger of his gun.

Everyone below the bounty hunter shut their eyes in anticipation of a gunshot.

*Boom* "ARGH!"

"Kaaaaiiiin! Wait a minute." Jamie's eyes popped open and she eagerly looked over to only to find that Kain was still standing unhurt and looking rather surprised.

"Way to go Kain!" Jamie yelled from the background.

"But I didn't do anything." Kain replied in amazement as he shook his head slowly.

Airison was clutching his shoulder and growling at a white haired man holding a smoking gun on the opposite cliff. "I told you," The new arrival put up his gun and turned to leave "You should have left them alone."

"WAIT! Why did you just help us?" Kate yelled after their rescuer. The white haired man paused and looked down at the red head.

A small shadow of a smile came to his lips. "I, unlike by brother, detest going after hapless women."

Kate looked back and forth between the siblings, she couldn't believe that the handsom white haired man could be related to the devilish man. "Yourbrother?"

"YOU IDIOT!" Airison yelled at the retreating man. "You think that I'm done here?"

The man turned around and frowned at his brother. "You can't support that big weapon of yours with your arm shot like that, now can you?"

Airison growled his frustration, but decided to do as his brother suggested and retreated. His brother followed seconds later.

Beth looked over to get some kind of reaction from Kate, but all she got was a blank stare.

Kate thought to her self, "Who was he?" but soon she then realized the danger of doing so when Beth's eyes looking in her direction.

"You like him, don't you?" Beth walked over to Kate, glad to get one up on her captain.

"No, I just wanted to know who he was." Kate got very nervous, but continued to watch the man walk off.

"HEY GUYS! I THINK I HURT MYSELF!"

"And we care because" Beth grumbled inaudibly and started to walk towards the ship. Before she could finisher her thought a hard gust of wind came at her. The air around them was soon filled with dust. A large storm seemed to have closed in on them.

"Get on the ship!" Kate yelled in the midst of the great storm.

Everyone ran for cover, but as soon as they got there Mindy screamed.

"DON'T YOU GUYS WANT YOURE 'STAR SHOOTER THINGY'"?

The elder two looked at each other in disbelief. "You got thewhat I meangreat." Kate stammered.

"And where would you have put it?"

"IT'S ON MY SHIP."

"I'll get it!" Jamie yelled as she ran out the bay door.

"Grrr the things I do." Kain muttered and started started to follow Jamie.

"For love?" Beth batted her eyes at Kain.

"Quiet you vixen!" Kain turned around to face Beth. "Oh and by the way, when I get back I think I'll have a great big glass of milk. Would you like to join me?"

"What do you mean by that?" Beth got up in to his face.

"Well, I best be goin'. Um yeah." Kain ran out of the ship and into the dust.

*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*

"Jamie! Are you out here?" Kain yelled into the darkness around him. He could barely see five feet in front of him. "Why did I come out here?" He questioned himself. Just then he tripped over a large object.

"Ouf!" A squeaky sound came out of the object that was kneeling on the ground.

"Jamie, is that you? I can't really see."

"Yep! You want to help me get this thing out of here?"

*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*

"Can you believe he did that?" Kate gasped. They had just barely gotten off the planet, and they were all covered with dust.

"Oh yeah! Something's going on between the two of them but they just don't have the guts to say anything." Beth commented to the green-eyed woman as
she brushed of the dust.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'THERES SOME THING GOING ON'! HE RAN INTO ME!"

"Boy howdy!" The two women looked at one another.

"HE'S MINE!!!!"
"Since when did she claim men?"

*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*

"Man, this is getting worse!" Jamie strove in vain to cover her face from the pelting sand. "Do you see any cover anywhere?"

Kain placed the crate in his hands on the ground and tried to get a glimpse of the landscape surrounding both him and the young woman. He soon spotted a large mound of dirt that he thought would serve his purpose. His face became ridged with concentration, and to Jamies surprise the earth began to move out from the side of the mound, creating a large, dark cave.

"Did you do that?" Jamie yelled as they sprinted over to get out of the storm.

Kain grinned at the inquisitive girl as they sat down in the back of the makeshift cave. "How about some light? Can you take care of that?"

"I guess it's only fair. You did make the shelter." Jamie pressed her two index fingers together and closed her eyes. A small spark appeared in her palms and she quickly began to build a roaring fire.

"Wow. I didn't know you could do that." Kain sat back against the cave wall.

"You want to know my secret?" Jamie eagerly asked, moving closer to Kain.

"Umsure."

"MATCHES!" Jamie held up a book of  'Joe's Ship Repair' matches. Kain fell over on the ground from the shock.

"Wait do you hear that?" Kain said as he sat up. The noise of heavy boots in sand was getting louder. "Stay back."

Just at that moment a figure detached itself from the dust cloud at the entrance of the cave. As it walked closer to the fire they could see white hair gleaming in the light. The figure didn't get too close to the fire and walked over to the other side of the cave.

"Well welcome to our humble abode." Kain smiled and walked over to the man but received no answer. "Okay, Sunshine. Thank you for spreading you bright, cheery rays of happiness around! And for edicate's sake, I'm Kain and that girl over there playing with the matches is Jamie."

"Well, I do what I can to brighten everyone's day. I'm Elijah" he looked over at the girl striking match after match, "and maybe you should take those matches away."

"Good idea." He walked over and put his hand over the book of matches. Jamie blushed and looked up at him.

"We don't want to burn ourselves do we?" He looked deep in to Jamie's eyes.

For a few minutes she was lost in his bright orange eyes. "Um sorry. I just lovefire. Want to see a trick?"

"Does it involve matches?"

"No, watch." Jamie raised her hands above the roaring fire. With a slight flick of her left wrist a small flame hovered above the fire. She placed her right hand under the flame and moved it closer to Kain.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing, he waved his hand over and through the flame testing it. Jamie put her face closer to the flame and blew it out.

They sat in silence for a few seconds. "What to do nowwas Beth right?"

Before he could answer himself, Elijah interrupted their tender moment.

"Ahem" Elijah cleared his throat. "The storm has suddenly and unexplicably stopped" He began to raise form his seat on the floor.

The others followed him out of the cave and into the bright sun.

*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*

"Kate, the storm on the planet is gone! It was there one second and then gone." Beth turned around to find Mindy sitting on the floor between the two women. She seemed to be shoveling something into her mouth.

The confused women looked at each other till Kate's eyes opened wide. "Um Mindy, I have a question." She got out of her seat and walked over to Mindy, patting her on the head. "Do you have any special powers?"

"WHAT? POWERS? I DONT THINK SO." Mandy stopped eating only to answer the question then went back to stuffing his face.

"Let me try some thing." Beth got up and walked over to where Kate was. "Hey Mindy, how do you feel aboutoh. Kain being with Jamie. Alone?" Mindy's eyes went very dark again and rain began to fall in the bridge. "How about, pie?" The rain suddenly stopped.

"Amazing!" Kate gasped.

*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*

"Nine bottles of beer on the wall, nine bottles of beer! Take one down, pass it around" Jamie voice could be heard sing for miles.

"Will you try sing something that won't bring us to an early grave? Singing about liquid refreshment is not the greatest idea." Kain gave her a wink. "Why did I run after her? I have got to be going crazy." Kain watched Jamie as she tried to think of another song to sing. The way she held her finger to her chin always made him smile.

"I've got it! 'This is the song that doesn't end! Yes it goes on and on my friends! Some people...'" Kain put his hand of her mouth.

"How about we just talk? Maybe Sunshine can tell us a little about himself." Kain turned around and looked at Elijah.

"Nolook an oasis!" Elijah pointed at a spot in the distance. A cloud of dust appears where Jamie once stood. Coughing and rubbing their eyes the two men
started in wonder to find Jamie gone. "I was kidding. I just didn't want to answer any of your dumb questions."

Jamie returned just as fast as her had left. She was holding coconuts, and a bunch of bamboo. "LOOK! I think I can work with these. Mindy's ship is too small
for the three of us."

Kain waved his hands to signal Jamie to stop talking. "The three of us? I didnt know Sunshine was coming with us."

"Well, we can't just leave him here. So, you go get the engine from the cruiser." Jamie pointed to Elijah then turned back to Kain.  "I'll put the hull together and you canhelp me." Jamie blushed a little then ran back over to the oasis.

*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*

"Jamie and KainpieJamie and Kainpie"

"Beth, stop it! You're flooding the bridge." Kate slugged through the 3 feet of water the was now on the bridge.

Beth gave her captain a mischievous smirk. "I can't help myself, this is just too good. Imagine the advantage this gives me over Kain." The blue haired woman began to laugh maniacally.

"Sometimes you just frighten me." Kate muttered under breath.

"I heard that." Beth glared at the green-eyed woman who was now laughing nervously.

"Getting off that subject, how about we try a rescue."

"That'd be great, except for one minor problem"

Kate looked at her pilot quizzically. "And that would be what?"

"There's sand in the thrusters and I think Mindy here has shorted out the consul." Beth attempted to touch the piloting controls, only to receive a mild shock.
Kate shook her head. "Why must we be thus cursed?"

"HEY KAT!" The captain shook her head in irritation, but turned to look at the poor site on the flooded floor anyway. "DO WE HAVE ANYMORE PIE? THESE ARE ALL SOAKED!"

*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*

"I can not believe you made this." Kain walked around a large shell of a ship constructed out of bamboo, coconuts, and, palm tree leaves. In less then an hour
the young woman pieced it all together. Jamie continued to work as Kain walked over to the pool of water under the lone palm tree, where he then plopped down in the shade.

Out of nowhere the gray eyed man appeared carrying the engine from Mindy's crashed ship and any other spare parts he thought Jamie might need. All of which were bundled in his black trench coat. Putting the bundle on the ground seemed to be the easiest part of his errand. He let out a relieved sigh as he wiped heavy sweat from his drenched forehead. Jamie took the parts neither looking up nor saying a word to the exhausted man.

"You're welcome." The sweaty Elijah muttered as her walked over to join Kain in the shade.

"So you've decided to be polite and associate with others?" Kain raised an eyebrow as he questioned the man drinking from the pool.

"Well, this is the only spot in the shade." The white haired man answered in a monotone voice and leaned his head against the tree behind him closing his eyes.

"Oh I see, you're a loner," The orange-eyed man squinted at the other man. "How come you didn't go with you brother? I mean, you did get back to the ship, right?"

"Lets just say he doesn't like to share." Elijah yawned.
"But I thought that was your ship." A smile came over Kain's face, but there was no answer. He moved closer to the unusually quiet man's face. Trying to see if he was sleeping. He was less then four inches away when Elijah's jaw fell open with a loud obnoxious snore as a drop of drool fell out, landing on the sand.

"Man, just when it was getting interesting." Kain lamented.

A little ways away, Jamie stood up straight with a look of great pride about her. Putting her hands to her hips she turned around and shouted, "I am the smartest woman alive!"

Kain fell to the ground but quickly recovered. The thought of leaving the dreadful planet was too alluring.

"Did you get the engine in yet? I thought that Sunshine just dropped it...off..." Kain slowed to a stop when he heard the rumbling of an engine. He had somehow forgotten about her great speed. "Well then, let's go!"

"Okay, I'll wake Elijah." Jamie walked over and kneeled on the sand beside the sleeping man. Yelling his name didn't seem to have an effect on him so she began to jostled the white haired man's shoulder.

"No...Stop calling me that...that's not my name...Obi's not my..." The white haired mans eyes popped open and he sprang to feet. Putting his hand to his waist; where for the first time Jamie noticed a hilt. "Oh, um...sorry." Elijah dropped his hand to his side and slowly walked over to the bamboo ship.

Marvelous work Professor. Now that MaryAnn is awake we can leave. Kain chuckled he often amused himself. When no one else laughed he angrily replied, "I guess you guys aren't big fans of classic TV."

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"You know, its always fun till some one gets hurt, or in this case something is ruined. I would think you would know better then to carry on like that." Kate bent down and filled a metal bucket and handed it to Beth begrudgingly.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." The soaked pilot dumped the water into the waste tube hole in the wall. "I was just trying to have some fun. So sue me!" Beth
challenged, as Kate grumbled something under her breath.

Mindy, who was still on the floor eating, put her fork down and gave Kate a strange look. "I THINK I ATE TOO MUCH!" And with that the creature grabbed her face as she made a heaving sound and ran out of the room.

"She better not puke on the floor." Beth gave a disgusted look then turned to her captain with a sly smile. "Do you want to lock the bathroom door or should I?"

"Let's just get this done. I don't want to be up all night fixing your mess." Kate grabbed the bucket from Beth, shooting her a venemous glare. Her bad temper got
the best of her and she threw the bucket into the water, resulting in a dent in the floor.

Slowly backing away Beth stammered, "I think I'll go fix the computers."

*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*

"Are you sure this will work? I mean you HAVE done this before?" Kain sat down in the seat next to Jamie.
"Well, I've never done 'this' before. But I'm sure it will work." Jamie pressed the buttons on the consul from Mindys crashed curser. In a few minutes they were slowly lifting off the ground and gilding into space.

The ship began orbiting the planet and Jamie's catlike eyes grew larger as a smile spread across her face. "See? I told you!"

A booming noise suddenly reverberated from the back of the bamboo ship. But when the two passengers turned around to see what the source of the horrendous noise was, they both fell to the floor.

"I think our friend is tired." Kain sighed as he climbed back into his chair, ignoring the loud snores from the back of the ship. "So, how do you plan to get us to the ship?" He put his hands behind his head and leaned back.

"Well, I didn't get that far in the plan. You see I don't come up with the ideas. That's Kate's job. We were just lucky that I know how to weave. I guess it was a good idea to take that basket weaving class. I'm glad my mom forced me into it."

Kain was starting to get used to answers like this one and so he just smiled. "How about we just sit here and wait for them to come and find us?"

"Sounds good to me, I could use a nap."

"Me too." Kain gave the girl a sly wink but noticed that she wasn't paying attention to his insinuation. Behind the two the loud noise had stopped.

Jamie smiled at Kain and pointed over to the now alert Elijah. "Sorry." She whispered as she got out of her chair and went over to the corner. Once there she
curled up into a ball and fell fast asleep.

"What a strange girl." The two men sighed in unison.

The Story