Chapter Five, Along the coast
The passenger vessel Gyromus sounded its boarding sound and the small line that had assembled on its adjacent jetty began moving onboard. The moon was at a height and position above the sea horizon that it and its distorted twin lay close to each other. As Lyra and Draco slowly moved further up the line she surveyed the ship. It was painted blue and white, made of the same materials as the city implying that Hyde City was it's birthplace and was about 200 foot long. Not a pretty ship, more like a tank on the water than a beautifully crafted ocean going liner. Against the night sky it was only visible by the moonlight that concentrated on the rivets and bolts along the side.
Once onboard they headed below deck and found their quarters. A bunk bed hung to one wall, halving the room's size. The room was steel walled in the same colour scheme as the exterior of the ship and the only light source was a small caged light on the ceiling that flickered as the ship swayed on the ocean. Starcloud took the bottom bed and lay down, guarding it from Diviant who was looking at her with a mixed expression of amusement and curiosity. She opened the gun case as Diviant closed the cabin door and took out the pair of shiny silver pistols, aiming them both at Draco and pretending to be shooting him. He ignored her and jumped onto the top bed, then tried to drift to sleep. Lyra took out two magazines out of the case and loaded them full, 12 bullets each. The case came with two spare magazines that she left empty. She then closed the case, pushed it far under the bed, placed the guns under her pillow and turned the light off for Diviant. After about 20 minutes of lying awake in the dark, Lyra heard the ship's departure horn and felt the ship beginning to move. It was strange that once the ship was moving, Lyra fell asleep not soon after.
The next morning at sunrise, Diviant awoke and jumped down onto the floor, making a loud clanging thud that woke up Lyra as well. She yawned loudly, slowly crawled off the bed and stretched out, something of a routine she had. Diviant looked at her.
"I'm going up on deck, need some fresh air. You coming?"
"Yea." She yawned. "Yea I'll go."
They closed the door behind them and it closed with another metal clang. The corridor was brightly lit but the dark blue paint that bordered the walls and covered the floor gave it an unpleasant feel. On deck they had missed the sunrise and were now just looking to the coast on the port side and the passing seawater along the bow and side. The ship was doing about 50 knots; very fast for its type, they could be at Ellypsiss within two days if they kept up this speed.
"Everything ok?" asked Diviant.
"Yea. Apart from that wake up call."
"I'll be more careful next time."
There was a pause as Diviant though of something to say to break the silence. Many things were on his mind but he didn't want to talk about them, not to her anyway. She had enough problems herself to work out. Just as he thought of something to say, the two of them were interrupted. A waiter came up to Diviant and gave him a note.
"From the gentleman over there" he said, pointing to a man familiar to Diviant. This man was big, had little hair and was surrounded by about 10 other men of similar likeness. His name was Thruvis and a criminal from an early age, now not knowing any other life. He dominated a small area of Hyde City and depended on fear to control his pitch. Draco's retaliation had left his image spoilt and he was now onboard to get it back. Diviant opened the note, it read 'Nice girl, don't get too close though, she might get hurt when you're gone'. He looked up at the man who was staring like a hawk from a distance.
"Who is this guy?" Lyra asked.
"A friend from Hyde City, the reason I wanted to leave in a rush. I'm going back to the cabin, we should walk around armed to be on the safe side and try not to split up."
"You're serious, if this guy's dangerous we should sort it out now, he won't be expecting it."
"No, I think we can avoid a confrontation. I'll see you below beck." Diviant said before taking the stairway downstairs. Lyra turned to look at the man who was now staring at her. She smiled and walked to follow Diviant after seeing his face turn from relaxed and confident to unsettled. She had a reputation in Hyde City, he knew who she was, he didn't wanted to cross her.
A day passed and nothing really happened. They ate in a modest canteen where the food was decent but relatively flavourless. They got up in time for the sunset on the second day but it was cloudy and the view of the sun was severely shrouded. The coast off the port side had begun to rise, showing cliffs rather than beaches. Apart from this, nothing so far had been eventful. It was the evening of the second day and Lyra was in the cabin alone, Diviant having gone out to visit the engine room for reasons she could not understand. There was a knock at the door. Assuming it was Diviant she walked up to it. Suddenly, gunshots went off on the other side of the door and bullets peppered it. Starcloud fell to the floor wounded in her right shoulder and bleeding. She reached under her pillow, drew one of her new pistols and fired 4 rounds into the door. He heard a slumping sound on the other side and then nothing. Trying to decide whether to get up and check or not she just stayed still, knelt on the steel blood stained floor, her left arm not moving from its aim of the door. A sudden sharp rush of pain down her right arm made her drop her aim and hold the wound. It hurt badly but she could still move her right arm. She crawled back onto the bed and waited for Diviant to return.
Only minutes past before he came rushing in guns drawn and eyes wide. "Are you hurt?" he stuttered loudly.
"What does it look like?" she replied, standing up and showing him the wound.
"Ok, hold still"
He placed his guns in their holsters and closed the door behind him. He then walked up to her and closed his eyes. He began making movements as if he were washing his hands and they began to glow a red haze with sparkling lights flowing around them like fireflies around a light source. Then, he placed his hands over the wound and took them away. The wound was gone, healed as if it had never been there.
"I would have done it myself but I've been out of nanos since that bird transformation." She said, moving her shoulder around.
"It's ok, we'll get you more in Omni-1. Until then, try and be more careful."
"That friends of yours has asked for it." she growled, picking up her guns.
"Don't." Diviant said, blocking her path with his arm. "Do this and we'll get thrown of the ship."
"Don't try and stop me, no-one stops me when I'm angry."
She pushed through his arm and ran out the cabin, reloading on the way. Diviant stopped for a second to think, then ran out of the cabin, over the dead rogue and down the corridor after her.
In the canteen, Thruvis and his friends were sitting around a circular table, laughing and joking with each other. Lyra entered the room from a door on the far side and walked towards the group. The man sat upright as he approached. She stood between two of his gang members opposite him and across the table. The man took up a tankard and took a glug from the contents as she stood there waiting for him to speak. He slowly put the tankard down.
"How's your friend?" he asked.
"Good." She replied, nodding. "Me however, I'm angry."
The men around the table all looked at her, seeing the rage in her eyes. Then she acted on impulse. With all her strength and will her kicked up her end of the table. It span 90 degrees in the air and as in stood between her and the man, she fired two shots, one from each gun through the table surface. The other men just sat rigid, not moving. Diviant ran into the room and crossed over to her. She turned and started to walk as Diviant arrived by her side, looking at the upside down table and the man on the other side who was still alive but hurt. As he left the area, leaving the men to sit looking at each other in dismay, Diviant realised that Starcloud had changed, she was not the person he once knew.
The passenger vessel Gyromus sounded its boarding sound and the small line that had assembled on its adjacent jetty began moving onboard. The moon was at a height and position above the sea horizon that it and its distorted twin lay close to each other. As Lyra and Draco slowly moved further up the line she surveyed the ship. It was painted blue and white, made of the same materials as the city implying that Hyde City was it's birthplace and was about 200 foot long. Not a pretty ship, more like a tank on the water than a beautifully crafted ocean going liner. Against the night sky it was only visible by the moonlight that concentrated on the rivets and bolts along the side.
Once onboard they headed below deck and found their quarters. A bunk bed hung to one wall, halving the room's size. The room was steel walled in the same colour scheme as the exterior of the ship and the only light source was a small caged light on the ceiling that flickered as the ship swayed on the ocean. Starcloud took the bottom bed and lay down, guarding it from Diviant who was looking at her with a mixed expression of amusement and curiosity. She opened the gun case as Diviant closed the cabin door and took out the pair of shiny silver pistols, aiming them both at Draco and pretending to be shooting him. He ignored her and jumped onto the top bed, then tried to drift to sleep. Lyra took out two magazines out of the case and loaded them full, 12 bullets each. The case came with two spare magazines that she left empty. She then closed the case, pushed it far under the bed, placed the guns under her pillow and turned the light off for Diviant. After about 20 minutes of lying awake in the dark, Lyra heard the ship's departure horn and felt the ship beginning to move. It was strange that once the ship was moving, Lyra fell asleep not soon after.
The next morning at sunrise, Diviant awoke and jumped down onto the floor, making a loud clanging thud that woke up Lyra as well. She yawned loudly, slowly crawled off the bed and stretched out, something of a routine she had. Diviant looked at her.
"I'm going up on deck, need some fresh air. You coming?"
"Yea." She yawned. "Yea I'll go."
They closed the door behind them and it closed with another metal clang. The corridor was brightly lit but the dark blue paint that bordered the walls and covered the floor gave it an unpleasant feel. On deck they had missed the sunrise and were now just looking to the coast on the port side and the passing seawater along the bow and side. The ship was doing about 50 knots; very fast for its type, they could be at Ellypsiss within two days if they kept up this speed.
"Everything ok?" asked Diviant.
"Yea. Apart from that wake up call."
"I'll be more careful next time."
There was a pause as Diviant though of something to say to break the silence. Many things were on his mind but he didn't want to talk about them, not to her anyway. She had enough problems herself to work out. Just as he thought of something to say, the two of them were interrupted. A waiter came up to Diviant and gave him a note.
"From the gentleman over there" he said, pointing to a man familiar to Diviant. This man was big, had little hair and was surrounded by about 10 other men of similar likeness. His name was Thruvis and a criminal from an early age, now not knowing any other life. He dominated a small area of Hyde City and depended on fear to control his pitch. Draco's retaliation had left his image spoilt and he was now onboard to get it back. Diviant opened the note, it read 'Nice girl, don't get too close though, she might get hurt when you're gone'. He looked up at the man who was staring like a hawk from a distance.
"Who is this guy?" Lyra asked.
"A friend from Hyde City, the reason I wanted to leave in a rush. I'm going back to the cabin, we should walk around armed to be on the safe side and try not to split up."
"You're serious, if this guy's dangerous we should sort it out now, he won't be expecting it."
"No, I think we can avoid a confrontation. I'll see you below beck." Diviant said before taking the stairway downstairs. Lyra turned to look at the man who was now staring at her. She smiled and walked to follow Diviant after seeing his face turn from relaxed and confident to unsettled. She had a reputation in Hyde City, he knew who she was, he didn't wanted to cross her.
A day passed and nothing really happened. They ate in a modest canteen where the food was decent but relatively flavourless. They got up in time for the sunset on the second day but it was cloudy and the view of the sun was severely shrouded. The coast off the port side had begun to rise, showing cliffs rather than beaches. Apart from this, nothing so far had been eventful. It was the evening of the second day and Lyra was in the cabin alone, Diviant having gone out to visit the engine room for reasons she could not understand. There was a knock at the door. Assuming it was Diviant she walked up to it. Suddenly, gunshots went off on the other side of the door and bullets peppered it. Starcloud fell to the floor wounded in her right shoulder and bleeding. She reached under her pillow, drew one of her new pistols and fired 4 rounds into the door. He heard a slumping sound on the other side and then nothing. Trying to decide whether to get up and check or not she just stayed still, knelt on the steel blood stained floor, her left arm not moving from its aim of the door. A sudden sharp rush of pain down her right arm made her drop her aim and hold the wound. It hurt badly but she could still move her right arm. She crawled back onto the bed and waited for Diviant to return.
Only minutes past before he came rushing in guns drawn and eyes wide. "Are you hurt?" he stuttered loudly.
"What does it look like?" she replied, standing up and showing him the wound.
"Ok, hold still"
He placed his guns in their holsters and closed the door behind him. He then walked up to her and closed his eyes. He began making movements as if he were washing his hands and they began to glow a red haze with sparkling lights flowing around them like fireflies around a light source. Then, he placed his hands over the wound and took them away. The wound was gone, healed as if it had never been there.
"I would have done it myself but I've been out of nanos since that bird transformation." She said, moving her shoulder around.
"It's ok, we'll get you more in Omni-1. Until then, try and be more careful."
"That friends of yours has asked for it." she growled, picking up her guns.
"Don't." Diviant said, blocking her path with his arm. "Do this and we'll get thrown of the ship."
"Don't try and stop me, no-one stops me when I'm angry."
She pushed through his arm and ran out the cabin, reloading on the way. Diviant stopped for a second to think, then ran out of the cabin, over the dead rogue and down the corridor after her.
In the canteen, Thruvis and his friends were sitting around a circular table, laughing and joking with each other. Lyra entered the room from a door on the far side and walked towards the group. The man sat upright as he approached. She stood between two of his gang members opposite him and across the table. The man took up a tankard and took a glug from the contents as she stood there waiting for him to speak. He slowly put the tankard down.
"How's your friend?" he asked.
"Good." She replied, nodding. "Me however, I'm angry."
The men around the table all looked at her, seeing the rage in her eyes. Then she acted on impulse. With all her strength and will her kicked up her end of the table. It span 90 degrees in the air and as in stood between her and the man, she fired two shots, one from each gun through the table surface. The other men just sat rigid, not moving. Diviant ran into the room and crossed over to her. She turned and started to walk as Diviant arrived by her side, looking at the upside down table and the man on the other side who was still alive but hurt. As he left the area, leaving the men to sit looking at each other in dismay, Diviant realised that Starcloud had changed, she was not the person he once knew.
