NOTE: Hey guys...I'm writing again and now dipping into not only a new fandom but doing some slash which is very new for me. However what can I say, I'm crazy. For a bunch of art on this story head over to my Deviant Art! phoenixcrysketches/gallery
Merciless as the Sea
"…this was a mistake."
Staring up at the timbers above his bunk Tony swallowed the bile that had jumped to back of his throat as another wave of nausea washed over him. Assured of his privacy in the small room in the belly of the ship he had taken his shirt off to allow the soft blue glow of the medallion embedded in his chest to light the mostly featureless room. Having the light helped somewhat with the seasickness as opposed to just rolling around in the pitch darkness with no real sense of up or down. There was a small open porthole across from his bed on the starboard side of the ship, however with no moon out there was nothing but inky blackness outside.
A cool salty breeze wafted in from the opening in the side of the hull but it didn't bring Tony any relief. The ship creaked and rolled more heavily as the sails caught the uptick in the wind. Tony could handle the truly rough seas, for some reason they didn't trigger his seasickness the same way the languid slow pitching of gently swelling waters did. Unable to hold his stomach any longer Tony scrambled out of bed and hurried over to the bucket in the corner of the room. Dropping to his knees he retched against a mostly empty stomach. Dry heaving noisily he choked on the acrid taste it brought on.
"Stark!" A gruff voice barked from the next room over. "If you're that sick you need to go sleep topside! Staying below decks is just going to make you worse, and I ain't cleaning that cabin come daylight!"
"I know, Eckles."
"Then go and let the rest of us get some damn sleep!"
"You're the one shouting." Tony muttered to himself still on his knees clutching the bucket.
"What was that?" Eckles snarled.
"Nothing."
"Still don't know why Captain let you on this tub." Eckles grumbled sourly.
'Because I paid him more than twice than what this whole ship is worth to do so.' Tony thought to himself bitterly.
Tony could hear Eckles snoring as the seasoned sailor quickly fell back asleep. With his stomach still rebelling Tony knew he wasn't going to get any sleep. What he didn't know was if the risks of going up top were greater than staying below. Despite the fact that he had been promised that no one would enter his cabin without permission on penalty of death he wasn't sure if Eckles would care about promises made by his Captain if he was woken again. There were bolts on the door, but they'd only be as strong as the wood they were attached to. When the ship rolled heavily beneath him again Tony's decision became easier as he found himself too miserable to stay in the suffocating cabin.
Stumbling over to the small closet Tony first retrieved a long strip of heavy black cloth. Wrapping the strip around his chest he carefully covered the tell tale glow before tucking the free end of the cloth under the binding. Satisfied that it was well hidden by the way the room had gone pitch black he pulled his shirt and black leather vest on. Everyone on board knew who he was, but no one suspected what he was.
Fully aware that the crew would tear his heart out if they found out Tony didn't like to be on the ship's deck on dark nights since there was a greater chance of his light escaping and giving him away. Trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible Tony tip toed barefoot through the narrow hall and up the companionway stairs. Peeking his head out into the fresh night air instantly helped relieve some of his sea sickness symptoms. After glancing down at his chest one last time to ensure the unnatural light was covered Tony stepped out onto the deck of the large double mast ship.
As a decommissioned warship she was heavily built but still sliced through the water gracefully. With only half her canvas up they made their way through the dark waters at a leisurely pace. This late at night there were only a few people awake on deck, one at the helm, one up in the crow's nest and two just hanging out midship. Heading to the bow to be alone Tony rested his arms on the rail and looked out at the bright stars that hung above.
Starting to relax to the sound of the hull cutting through the waves Tony stiffened again when he heard the Captain approaching. He knew it was Captain Daniels without having to turn and look, the man's salvaged robotic arm made a distinct noise as its ancient servos whirred and clicked. Tony doubled checked his chest discreetly as Daniels came to stand next to him.
"I don't know how you did it, but this arm has never worked better." Daniels praised as he flexed and stretched his mechanical fingers. "I'd keep you on my ship for your technomancy even if you can't sail worth a damn."
"It just wasn't calibrated properly, anyone who knows even the basics could have fixed it." Tony lied. "And I don't think I'm cut out for life at sea."
"Both of those statements are lies." Daniels said confidently. "There are plenty who understand enough to get the tech of the Ancients running, but I've never met a soul who can actually improve it like you can."
"I just like to tinker." Tony said dismissively. "Besides that doesn't mean I can handle being on the ocean, I can barely keep a meal down."
"Some of the best sailors I know spend a good deal of their time puking over the side in these rolling seas. But I don't think you belong here because you are a natural at it, far from it. No, you are meant to be at sea because you are clearly a man who's running from something and there is no better place to hide than the ocean."
"I just want to get to the Neo World."
"The journey is long and dangerous, but I'll get you there. You certainly paid me enough for the voyage since I don't usually accept passengers. However, my offer to stay aboard stands. If I had someone like you on my crew I could actually get an engine on this old gal and we wouldn't be so dependent on the whims of the winds."
"I'll think about it."
"More lies." Daniels mused. "Interesting."
Feeling increasingly uneasy around the observant captain Tony barely resisted the urge to reach up and rub at the secret embedded in his chest. He wondered if Daniels' offer would still stand if he knew the truth. There was the slight chance that he actually was worth more to the Captain alive than dead. Not willing to take that chance Tony was about to excuse himself and go back to his cabin when the man up crow's nest suddenly whistled out in an excited alarm.
"Green flash to port bow!"
Daniels whipped around and raced over to the port rail. Tony followed after him having no idea what the alarm 'green flash' meant. The men stared out at the dark horizon for a moment before the green flash repeated itself. Tony wasn't sure what he had been expecting but it hadn't been a literal bright green glow to streak out under the sea. Although the light was a good distance away Tony could still make out the spray the green streak caused when it struck something solid that lay beneath the waves. The Captain clapped his mechanical hand on Tony's shoulder.
"Are you sure you won't stay, Stark? You have brought me more luck and fortune than I've seen in a long time!"
"What are you talking about? What is that?"
"That's mer magic!"
"Mer magic? As in mer-folk? I thought they went extinct during the War."
"Not extinct, just exceedingly rare, and worth a fortune if you can capture them! Twice that if you get one alive!"