Chapter Six, Ellypsiss
Diviant was chasing Starcloud around the ship. He followed her to the cabin but when he got there she had already packed her belongings and left. He went up to the main deck, the next place he thought she would go and saw her at the ship of the ship leaning against the safety ropes that surrounded the deck. As he approached she gave him a last glance, then jumped overboard. He ran up to the edge, only to see her swimming towards the shore. They weren't far from Ellypsiss but he didn't know if she intended to go there. All he could do was slump against the ropes trying to understand what happened, why she did what she did. This issue stayed with him all through the night, she hadn't seemed to have changed much, but Lyra wasn't an aggressive person. He was totally surprised by her outburst and intense rage. If they met up again, what would they say? He stood up and headed to the canteen to talk to Thruvis and his gang.
Lyra made it to the shore in little time, had found a way up the cliff-face and had started on her way along the cliff-top towards Ellypsiss. She knew that Diviant would not understand why she shot him, but he didn't know about the life she'd had in Hyde City. In a place like that, you can't afford to be soft, if a problem comes your way to don't just sort it, you make sure it doesn't come back again. Thruvis was a problem, he had made that clear when he'd sent one of his obedient men to kill Diviant and had got her instead. She hadn't intended to kill him though, but still, deep inside, she knew that if he did die she wouldn't care. She stopped walking. What had she become? A monster? A mindless killer? And what must Diviant think of her. She should have thought about it, he'd only ever known her as how she was in Omni-1. The Lyra back then wouldn't have even thought of vengeance like that. She started walking again. So what should she do now? Lyra though for a while, thinking through scenarios of how she could fix the situation. After an hour of thinking, looking out to sea and swapping hands in carrying the heavy briefcase she came to a ridge. As she crossed over it she saw over a grassy and rocky plateau the luxury resort of Ellypsiss.
In the canteen, Diviant was against all the odds, having a civilised conversation with the rogue gang about Lyra. He was surprised when they told him about her similar gang like control over the area outside the two bars. It turned out that she and the staff of the 'Dead Hinge' bar were also the local enforcement over the area, except they enforced under their own rules. They mugged people, attacked opposing gangs, dictated what could and could not happen in their area, the list went on. He tried not to believe it but for some reason he could see her doing just that. When they offered him a drink he refused and stormed out of the canteen. He returned to the cabin and dragged the body into the room. He then cleaned up the corridor where blood had stained the steel against the wall and floor. When it was suitably clean he searched the body for anything worth taking. Inside one pocket he found instructions for the thug to kill him. He knew now why Lyra was so angry. She wasn't expecting to get hurt. She was angry anyway that they had targeted Diviant in the first place and when she had got shot, she snapped. An arrival horn sounded and he left in a rush for the top deck without bothering to conceal the body at all.
Ellypsiss, a beautiful feat of engineering and creative splendour. A bay was first dug out to form a bay with statues carved out of the cliff- faces inside the bay and looking out to sea. The city itself consisted of a large building of glass and titanium alloys. This building starts at the top of the cliff and is built into the inward side of the bay in the same way some flowers seem to be falling over the edge of hanging baskets. In addition, a passing river on the cliff top was redirected to flow through the glass structure. This was simply an attempt to impress people staying in Ellypsiss and generate further interest and revenue. The resort was also home to a thriving dock at the bottom of the structure where people could arrive to the stunning view of huge 100-foot statues and a glass and water architectural wonder.
Starcloud was compelled to stop to admire the view. By day the resort is stunning, at night it was better. It was designed to light up the bay cliffs through the water that fell through the building. As a result, the bay glowed with a rippling blue light. Lyra walked towards the lobby at the top of the building, still trying to work out what to say to Draco. She got to the resort entrance and could see the Gyromus in dock at the bottom of the bay. Her heart fell; jumping off the ship was like escaping for her, seeing it again brought back dread. She peered over the edge of the level and could see the step like formation of all the levels below. Then she spotted Diviant, heading towards a lift to the top floor, where she was. If we're going to meet up I might as well try and make it easy. She ran to the lift doors on her level and waited, hands linked behind her back.
Diviant had been looking for Lyra all over the resort but he had assumed that she would not have gotten far into the resort, if she'd come there at all. He had left the ship before the gang and had seen Thruvis on a stretcher being carried off ship by medics. He was in a lift at present, going up to the top and last floor he had to check. He had many questions to ask her and he felt that if they did meet up it might end in an argument. Diviant thought about his options, he could search the surrounding area, he could carry on with what he was doing before and ask people in various settlements if they'd seen her, maybe he should report her to the police force and they could find her. They would probably jail her for assault in a suppressed zone but at least they would meet again. The lift reached its destination and standing there was Lyra.
The doors swept open and he stepped out.
"I'm sorry," she said, knowing that it wouldn't excuse what she'd done.
"You're sorry? That's good but it doesn't tell me much." He replied. She looked at the ground; eye contact in a conversation like this wasn't pleasant.
"I lost my temper. He deserved it anyway, one hit deserves another."
"Is that your philosophy now?"
"What else am I supposed to think? What would you have me done? Let him get away with it? You don't treat people like him that way or they just do it again. I doubt he'll think of messing with us now."
"You could have killed him!" Draco shouted, losing his patience for once.
"And what about me? I could have been killed too!"
He sat down on a bench by the lift doors. Lyra came down and stood in front of him, looking down.
"I know that. Look, you're not the person I thought you were but I'm still willing to go to Omni-1 with you. Just, no more outbursts like that. I don't want to think that the Lyra I knew is gone."
"Ok, I'll think next time something like that happens. Are you ok to go? I think there's a bus heading east about to leave."
He looked up at her and shrugged.
"Help me up."
She pulled him to his feet and they ran to the road outside the lobby. The incident of the ship had separated them and now, they no longer felt safe travelling together.
Diviant was chasing Starcloud around the ship. He followed her to the cabin but when he got there she had already packed her belongings and left. He went up to the main deck, the next place he thought she would go and saw her at the ship of the ship leaning against the safety ropes that surrounded the deck. As he approached she gave him a last glance, then jumped overboard. He ran up to the edge, only to see her swimming towards the shore. They weren't far from Ellypsiss but he didn't know if she intended to go there. All he could do was slump against the ropes trying to understand what happened, why she did what she did. This issue stayed with him all through the night, she hadn't seemed to have changed much, but Lyra wasn't an aggressive person. He was totally surprised by her outburst and intense rage. If they met up again, what would they say? He stood up and headed to the canteen to talk to Thruvis and his gang.
Lyra made it to the shore in little time, had found a way up the cliff-face and had started on her way along the cliff-top towards Ellypsiss. She knew that Diviant would not understand why she shot him, but he didn't know about the life she'd had in Hyde City. In a place like that, you can't afford to be soft, if a problem comes your way to don't just sort it, you make sure it doesn't come back again. Thruvis was a problem, he had made that clear when he'd sent one of his obedient men to kill Diviant and had got her instead. She hadn't intended to kill him though, but still, deep inside, she knew that if he did die she wouldn't care. She stopped walking. What had she become? A monster? A mindless killer? And what must Diviant think of her. She should have thought about it, he'd only ever known her as how she was in Omni-1. The Lyra back then wouldn't have even thought of vengeance like that. She started walking again. So what should she do now? Lyra though for a while, thinking through scenarios of how she could fix the situation. After an hour of thinking, looking out to sea and swapping hands in carrying the heavy briefcase she came to a ridge. As she crossed over it she saw over a grassy and rocky plateau the luxury resort of Ellypsiss.
In the canteen, Diviant was against all the odds, having a civilised conversation with the rogue gang about Lyra. He was surprised when they told him about her similar gang like control over the area outside the two bars. It turned out that she and the staff of the 'Dead Hinge' bar were also the local enforcement over the area, except they enforced under their own rules. They mugged people, attacked opposing gangs, dictated what could and could not happen in their area, the list went on. He tried not to believe it but for some reason he could see her doing just that. When they offered him a drink he refused and stormed out of the canteen. He returned to the cabin and dragged the body into the room. He then cleaned up the corridor where blood had stained the steel against the wall and floor. When it was suitably clean he searched the body for anything worth taking. Inside one pocket he found instructions for the thug to kill him. He knew now why Lyra was so angry. She wasn't expecting to get hurt. She was angry anyway that they had targeted Diviant in the first place and when she had got shot, she snapped. An arrival horn sounded and he left in a rush for the top deck without bothering to conceal the body at all.
Ellypsiss, a beautiful feat of engineering and creative splendour. A bay was first dug out to form a bay with statues carved out of the cliff- faces inside the bay and looking out to sea. The city itself consisted of a large building of glass and titanium alloys. This building starts at the top of the cliff and is built into the inward side of the bay in the same way some flowers seem to be falling over the edge of hanging baskets. In addition, a passing river on the cliff top was redirected to flow through the glass structure. This was simply an attempt to impress people staying in Ellypsiss and generate further interest and revenue. The resort was also home to a thriving dock at the bottom of the structure where people could arrive to the stunning view of huge 100-foot statues and a glass and water architectural wonder.
Starcloud was compelled to stop to admire the view. By day the resort is stunning, at night it was better. It was designed to light up the bay cliffs through the water that fell through the building. As a result, the bay glowed with a rippling blue light. Lyra walked towards the lobby at the top of the building, still trying to work out what to say to Draco. She got to the resort entrance and could see the Gyromus in dock at the bottom of the bay. Her heart fell; jumping off the ship was like escaping for her, seeing it again brought back dread. She peered over the edge of the level and could see the step like formation of all the levels below. Then she spotted Diviant, heading towards a lift to the top floor, where she was. If we're going to meet up I might as well try and make it easy. She ran to the lift doors on her level and waited, hands linked behind her back.
Diviant had been looking for Lyra all over the resort but he had assumed that she would not have gotten far into the resort, if she'd come there at all. He had left the ship before the gang and had seen Thruvis on a stretcher being carried off ship by medics. He was in a lift at present, going up to the top and last floor he had to check. He had many questions to ask her and he felt that if they did meet up it might end in an argument. Diviant thought about his options, he could search the surrounding area, he could carry on with what he was doing before and ask people in various settlements if they'd seen her, maybe he should report her to the police force and they could find her. They would probably jail her for assault in a suppressed zone but at least they would meet again. The lift reached its destination and standing there was Lyra.
The doors swept open and he stepped out.
"I'm sorry," she said, knowing that it wouldn't excuse what she'd done.
"You're sorry? That's good but it doesn't tell me much." He replied. She looked at the ground; eye contact in a conversation like this wasn't pleasant.
"I lost my temper. He deserved it anyway, one hit deserves another."
"Is that your philosophy now?"
"What else am I supposed to think? What would you have me done? Let him get away with it? You don't treat people like him that way or they just do it again. I doubt he'll think of messing with us now."
"You could have killed him!" Draco shouted, losing his patience for once.
"And what about me? I could have been killed too!"
He sat down on a bench by the lift doors. Lyra came down and stood in front of him, looking down.
"I know that. Look, you're not the person I thought you were but I'm still willing to go to Omni-1 with you. Just, no more outbursts like that. I don't want to think that the Lyra I knew is gone."
"Ok, I'll think next time something like that happens. Are you ok to go? I think there's a bus heading east about to leave."
He looked up at her and shrugged.
"Help me up."
She pulled him to his feet and they ran to the road outside the lobby. The incident of the ship had separated them and now, they no longer felt safe travelling together.
