Ch 4
Disclaimer: all I own is Samn
Mr. Arrow leads us across the deck and I watch as the crew's eyes follow our every move. This place is starting to get creepy...
As we walk down the stairs to the galley Doc starts complaining about Captain Amelia.
"That-that feline! Who does she think is working for whom?!" I give a sigh and roll my eyes scratching the back of my head absently, but Jim starts in on it.
"It's my map and she's got me bussin' tables." I turn around fast kinda sick of their b*tching because they're lucky enough to be going on this adventure. I'm the one who signed up to work for the Doc and I gotta work.
"You both sound like girls just keep it to yourself; do you not realize Mr. Arrow is right behind you? By the gods..." Arrow stares at me like he had been about to say something, but then pushes Doc and Jim forward.
"Our Captain is one of the finest officers in this or any galaxy. So I don't wanna hear another cross word about her." I turn away from them and listened to the fine tune of whistling and...gears?
Arrow pushes them in front of me so I just follow from behind. "Mr. Silver!" Arrow bellows. I peek out from behind him as a figure appears from within the shadows. As he comes into the light I see that the figure is...a cyborg. Jim and I gasp slightly, but his attention is on the cyborg and he doesn't notice my gasp.
"Why, Mr. Arrow, bringing such fine and distinguished gents to grace my humble galley if I had known I woulda tucked in me shirt." I scoff a little bringing attention to myself. "Oh sorry lass, I didn't see ya behind Mr. Arrow Sir, my apologies." Silver who had tucked in his apron while he was talking undid it once again, and wiped both his mechanical hand and his normal hand on it then bowed to me. What a gentleman...but that voice...I've heard it before...
Arrow clears his throat and gestures to Doc. "Let me introduce Doctor Doppler the financier of our voyage."
Doc takes a loud step toward Silver who examines Doc with his mechanical eye. "Love the suit Doc,"
Doc covers his...suit and the room fills with awkward. I avert my eyes. "Oh well thank you, love the eye." Doc seems to feel uncomfortable, and pulls Jim by the arm over to him. "And this young lad is Jim Hawkins."
Silver outstretchs his mechanical hand, but it comes out as a bunch of knives. "Jimbo," He realizes it's the wrong setting and I watch as a "real", and I use that term very loosely, hand emerges. Jim only stares at Silver's hand so I shake it instead just to break the ice. It's cold as ice.
"I'm Samn, Samn Crisis." Silver nods to me then looks back to Jim who averts his gaze.
"Ah now don't be afraid of this hunka hardware Jimbo." Silver's hand turns into a butcher knife. I'm beginning not to feel safe anymore. His knife chops while his real hand pushs raw "squid meat" (Like I really know what exists in this place). He chops so fast that his other hand dissapears. "Whoa" It looks like he chopped his hand off 'till he excitedly shows us that it was in his sleeve and he was just being funny. "These gears have been tough getting used to, but they do come in mighty handy." He does a whole bunch of stuff then turns his "hand" into a flame thrower and heats the cast iron skillet before pouring its contents into a big kettle.
Silver adds some spices then take a spoonful and tastes it, quickly expelling it from his mouth. His face is of disgust.
"Uhh...you okay?" Curse my empathy for people...
Silver recovers and wipes his face with his sleeve and looks to me before returning to the kettle and adding what looks like salt.
"Neva' betta lass, just needs more salt." Silver reaches up and got bowls then filled three with whatever slop he had been making and handed them to us. "Here, have a swig."
Delbert stuck his tongue in the bowl and lapped it like dog water. "Mmm, delightfully tangy, yet...robust."
"Old family recipe." Silver smiled and I watched as an eyeball floated up in Doc's "soup" and he screamed. Silver only chuckled and picked it up. "In fact that was part of the old family." Silver popped the eye in his mouth...gross
"I can see you're very close." I comment staring at my own bowl hoping that some black lagoon creature won't pop out.
"Ah I'm only kiddin' Doc. I ain't nothin' if I ain't a kidder." Silver stopped briefly seeming to finally understand or heard my comment and chuckles. Someone's a little slow today. Silver walks toward me, sending shivers up my spine. Could this be the same Cyborg?
"Go on Sammy, have a swig." He slaps me on the back with his good hand causing me to jolt forward my necklace freeing itself from where it had been hiding beneath my shirt. It catches the light and shines, bringing way too much attention to itself. I still have the bowl in my hand but I quickly shoved the stone back in its original place.
I shoot Jim a quick look. His spoon is transforming into something. It's a straw and its slurping up his bowl.
"What the hell?" my voice is quiet, but everyone looks. Jim outstretches the bowl, almost like he wants to throw it and watches the straw. Once it's done it morphs into a pink blob and burps.
Silver smiles and put his hands on his hips. "Morph! You jiggle headed blob a mischief. So that's where you was hiding." Morph (I guess) circles all around us and lands in front of Jim.
"What is that thing?" Jim reaches out and touches Morph who...morphs into Jim and copies him.
"What us that thing?" Is that weird or cute...
"He's...a morph. I rescued the little shape shifter on Proteus 1" Morph looks to me and transforms into a tinier version.
"Is my hair really that bad?" I sigh and put my hand through it, Morph copies me.
"Is my hair really that bad?" Morph giggles and runs back to Silver.
"He took a shine to me and we been together ever since." Silver for a moment seems to soften. A bell rings from above snapping him out of whatever trance he's thrown himself into.
Arrow turns to the Doc. "We're about to get under way. Would you like to observe the launch Doctor?" Arrow points up.
"Would I?! Does an active galactic nucleus have superluminal jets?" Arrow stands tall ignoring the Doc's scientist joke killing his excitement "I'll follow you."
"Uh...what's a sublimital jet thingy?" I asked into the air not really asking for an answer. Doc raises a finger, but I put my hands in front of me in the classic do-not-want position. "That was rhetorical!" Doc shrugs sadly and walks past Arrow and up the stairs. Jim and I go to follow bumping into Arrow, we both stumbled back.
"Mr. Hawkins and Ms. Crisis will stay here, Mr. Silver you're in charge."
Silver chokes behind us and spit his stew out. "I beggin' ya pardon sir, but a-"
"Captains orders! See to it they are both kept busy." His voice booms throughout the room.
I take a seat on the table and pinched the bridge of my nose a small headache beginning to form, both Silver and Jim try to protest but it's not easy to say no to an 8 foot tall rock monster. (I actually have no idea how tall he really is.) Once the protesting stops and they give up, Arrow turns and continues up the stairs, the three of us are left in the galley.
"So, Captains put you with me aye?" Silver stands up tall then slouches backwards sticking out his...gut. Jim whatevers him while I jump off the table and walk over to a barrel and peer inside. To my surprise it's half full with some sort of fruit.
"Silver?" I ask grabbing one, "What's this?"
Silver sighs and looks to me, "That lass would be a purp, juicy and fresh by the look of the one you grabbed. Ain't you never seen one?" I shake my head no.
This is my first time on this planet…
"Try it, I bet you'll love it ". I looked to Jim who joins me at the barrel and picks one up. He tosses it gently in his hand and walks to the counter, hopping up and taking a big bite out of the purp.
I glance down at the purple lime lookin' thing and take a much smaller bite. What the hell? It's just like an apple.
"Y'know these purps are kinda like the ones back home...on Montressor. Ya ever been there?" Jim gives a cunning grin like he has a plan in mind, but I don't really care, I got food.
"Ahhh, can't says I have Jimbo." Jim takes another bite and I watch Silver cut up who knows what. For all I know it's a potapple. (Potato-apple).
Jim smiles again...creepy. "Come to think of it, just before I left; I, uh, met this old Salamander guy. Who, uh, was looking for a cyborg buddy of his."
Silver half listens. "Is that so?"
"Yeah," Jim puts his hand to his head trying to remember, I can tell it's an act. "What was that old Salamanders name again? Oh yeah, Bones; Billy Bones." I watch to see if Silver recognizes the name, but he doesn't flinch. Either he doesn't know or he's quite the actor.
"Bones? Boonnness? Not ringing any bells. Musta been a different Cyborg; there's a slew a cyborgs roaming these parts."
From up above we can hear Arrow bellow. "Prepare for launch!"
Silver pushes Jim toward the stairs. "Off with ya lad, go and watch the launch, there will be plenty of work for ya when ya get back. Go on and bring the Lass with ya. A ship launch is a grand thing to see, I wouldn't want either of you to miss it."
Jim looks at me with excited eyes, then grabs my hand and bolts upstairs.