Planet 49

Part 5

The sun was fully up now, but the rain kept the heat at bay. When Jordan stepped back into the camp, she saw the others standing in the rain, trying to catch it on their tongues, or in their hands. They all looked happy an relaxed, not at all like the stressful people back on the main ships. Jordan noticed that someone had put all their supplies under a tree where they would stay dry and the fire had burned out again, but for now that didn't matter.

"This place is really something?" said a voice behind her. Jordan turned around to find Charlie looking into storm clouds. "This planet gets better and better every day." agreed Jordan. Charlie nodded. "Where did you say you found those apples?" he asked.

"I didn't."

"We should pick some more. we're going to need them when we leave." He said to the sky.

"Leaving, why are we leaving?" Jordan asked, confused.

"While you were gone, I saw smoke above the trees, we are going to travel towards it. Maybe Dr. Lectus is there." Charlie looked at her. "We're leaving tonight, after we gather enough supplies."

"Ok." Jordan said quietly, not wanting to get in the way. she walked to the backpacks and picked up an empty one before heading into the woods after Charlie.

They walked past several trees and other giant foliage. "So, back on the ships," he started, "how did you get into the pod nest?" That's a weird question thought Jordan. "I pushed through the doors." she shrugged.

"Yeah, but how did you know the exact time the guards would change shifts? that's not common knowledge?" He said. There was a few seconds of heavy silence. Jordan didn't want to tell him she had been detained and had picked up on the guards schedules. "How did you know the guards wouldn't be there?" she asked, turning around the question.

"I noted the times the guards changed posts." he said simply. "in the asylum on Valute-"

"The asylum?" Jordan asked. she thought there was only a prison on the Valute ship. "Yeah, I was sent there a few years ago. My father thought I was insane because I wasn't afraid of anything." He shrugged. Jordan was surprised about how open Charlie was. She guessed it was because he wasn't afraid of what people would think. It was silent again.

"So how did you know." he said.

More silence. "I was convicted two years ago." Jordan said slowly. letting it sink in.

"So did you steal the pod to follow Lectus or to escape?" He asked, a smile pulled at the edge of his lips.

"It doesn't bother you that your walking with a criminal alone?" Jordan asked, a smile played across her face. Charlie just laughed. "you're walking alone with an insane escapee. The two of us-," he flourished his hands out in front of him sweeping around in a semi circle. "-just a criminal and a crazy. Two people against the world,-" he said dramatically "-defending themselves with their backs against the wall. In their last ditch effort to survive, they commit several felonies in order to get to a dangerous new world." They laughed and he dropped his arms.

They walked in silence again,but it wasn't awkward anymore. This was the first time someone hadn't been freaked out by the fact that Jordan had been on the death sentence. She was glad that Charlie was here with her, even though he was a little nuts.

"Well here we are." she said, stopping at the giant apple tree in front of them.

"Here we are." Charlie drawled as he walked to the nearest branch and picked off an apple. He was tall, way over 6 ft. Jordan noticed that his beard hadn't gotten any bigger, in fact, nobody else on the planet seemed to look any different.