Chapter 14: The Chasm
Out of life's school of war: What does not destroy me, makes me stronger.
Friedrich Nietzsche, The Twilight of the Idols (1899)
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The men's toilet was empty but for the Perseid, who was looking at his reflection and fiddling with a small flask. His hands were shaking.
"Flash's not good for you," Rhade leaned on the doorframe. "Actually, neither is conducting illegal surgeries."
Fohn jumped up letting go of the flask, which dropped on the floor and disappeared under the sink. "Who?..."
Rhade walked slowly towards him, blocking the door. "We seriously need to talk, doctor Fohn. About that last job you had."
Then the gun fire torn the air.
---
The pulse in Beka's head was running wild. She could hear it go bum and bum again, like a damned bell hitting on the temples. The screams in the background muffled. As if they were there, but miles away.
"All dressed up, baby," Danny King grinned with admiration. "Found yourself a wealthy stud?"
Beka did not play with face-slapping. Knowing the skirt of the dress was wide enough, she slammed her shin into his groin. Next thing, she had three guns aimed at her head. Peachy.
Danny was trying to get up, obviously in great pain.
"Aw, honey," Beka returned the grin. "You should have protected yourself. Remember the last time we danced?"
She thought he's going to hit her. He looked that way for a moment. Then he turned from her. "Get those shitheads from the balcony!" he shouted orders. "Check everything. Under the tables, the can, every-fuckin'-where!"
"Since when are you a pirate, Danny-boy?" Beka breathed in to keep herself composed.
"Since I'm getting paid," he snapped. "Right, Ortiz, you think you can take it from here? Me and my baby are going to have a private talk somewhere else."
A bearded guy, presumably Ortiz, nodded and smirked, eyeing Beka.
"Ike, care to lend me a hand here?" Danny waved at a muscle guy in the security uniform. Great, they were everywhere.
Ike grabbed Beka by her waist and flung her up, onto his shoulder. She was kicking like hell, pounding on his back with fists, but it didn't help a little bit.
"Feisty," Danny smiled. "Just as I like you, buttercup."
Ike carried her out, following Danny. Beka could watch the 'aristocratic snobs' as she called them, sitting cuddled on the floor, petrified. She could look deep into their eyes and she felt bad, not feeling sympathy.
---
Toilet's door flung open, hitting the wall. A blonde man with an earring looked in, his hand gun at the ready.
Not seeing a living soul, he looked back. Coughed, relaxed, and walked towards the mirror. He admired himself for a minute, fixed the hair and finally pointed the gun at his reflection.
"Are you talking to me? You, talking to me? Ha! Didn't think so…"
Rhade, hidden behind the air vent with a scared to death Perseid clinging to his side, rolled his eyes.
What's with Beka? Hope she stays low. Don't do anything stupid…
The blonde 'tough-guy' left the restroom.
"W-why d-d-didn't you…?" Fohn was staggering; it occurred to Rhade that he didn't take the Flash doze. The fear may soon change into excessive agitation and that will consist a serious problem.
"Because the rest would notice his absence," he answered. The air condition system was not the most comfortable place on the Andrea Gloria, but it's corridors were decently larger than the standard ones. At least the Nietzschean could move around without bumping his head every once in a while.
"Beka," Rhade activated the VSA, a tricky "vocal to sub-audio" device that Harper had installed them before the departure. Though the tiny midget did brag a little that Nietzscheans should not get one. "Beka, come in. If you cannot talk, cough twice."
The Perseid looked at Rhade with suspicion. "Are you, by any chance, schizophrenic?"
Rhade ignored him. "Beka, any sign would be good."
After a while that lasted far too long for Rhade's taste, he heard Beka's voice in his ear. Though she wasn't talking to him.
"So, Danny. Yourbig and heavily armed friend is apparently carrying me down the stairs to… Where? No, I will not shut up. So where are we? Captain's quarters? My, my, it's deck five, isn't it?..."
Rhade pulled out a tiny flexi pad from an inner pocket and looked through the schemata.
"What is this?" Fohn looked over his shoulder. "The plan of this ship? Where did you get that? Are you sure you're not a terrorist?"
Rhade shot him a glance after which the Perseid closed his mouth. Hopefully, that'll do for a little while. "Follow me," he ordered, starting to crawl on hands and knees through the narrow corridor. "And try not to make too much noise."
---
Ike dropped Beka straight on the bed. She bounced on the soft mattress. The Captain sure had a nice, double bed. Quite unusual, actually. Still, taking into consideration it was a tourist ship and the cruise took three nights…
Danny waved Ike to leave. He still had his gun aimed at Beka as he sunk in a armchair opposite the bed.
"So?" he asked. "You have something to tell me? Other than that stupid ramblings you did back then?"
"No," Beka crossed arms on her chest. "I'm waiting for you to apologize."
Danny bellowed laughter. "What!"
"You disappeared with my cargo. Eight years ago."
"Details."
"Compared to what you're doing now? Yeah. Details."
Suddenly everything moved. The world – Andrea Gloria – shook as if something hit her. And then she was still. The chandelier was still dangling unsteadily.
"What was that?" Beka looked around.
"Nothing," Danny cut off. "The engines, maybe. Who cares now?"
"We hit something," Beka nervously scanned her surroundings in search for something apt for defense. "Shouldn't you check that out?"
"Now that I have nice prospects of getting even?" Danny's left lip corner went up in a smirk she used to like. A long time ago. "Baby, I missed our bedside stories."
He got up from the armchair and approached Beka, the gun still aimed. She didn't move.
"You're seriously messed up," Beka, this isn't helping you…hell, it's not like it can get any worse, so why should you go easy on him?...
"Lay back," he stopped with legs touching the side of the bed.
Beka laughed into his face. "You have one hell of a way to deal with women."
"You used to like it," his gun was pointing at her forehead.
"Yeah. I was young and inexperienced. From the time perspective, you were below mediocre."
He pushed her, his weight pinning her down. Once again she landed on the soft mattress, which gave way, embracing her.
"Below mediocre?... Aw, honey. I was trying to be nice."
Her outstretched hand grabbed the decorative paperweight on the Captain's night table. Just what she wanted. And he was where she wanted him to be.
"Don't," she whispered.
"Don't what?"
"Don't try to be nice."
The paper weight landed on his skull with a kind of a juicy sound that made Beka squirm. He collapsed on top of her. "Aw, honey…" Beka hissed, pushing the limp body aside. "What have you been eating? Heavy, dumb, sorry excuse for an ass…"
Something fell from the ceiling and landed by the bed. Beka jolted up, grabbing Danny's gun and aiming at…
Rhade.
"Fashionably late," she noted. "I had to knock him down myself."
Rhade helped her up. "Excellent work, I must admit."
Beka smiled and looked up, at the hole in the ceiling and a Perseid, staring down. "I see you've found our friend," she smirked.
"Speaking of which, there seem to be a lot of your 'friends' on this ship," Rhade cocked his head.
"That's just mean," Beka secured the gun and tried to find a place she could holster it. With no success. "I only knew this one over there and that was a long time ago."
"Erm, excuse me…" Fohn waved from the hole. "Could you, please, pause the flirting for a second… and help me get down?"
"Well, excuse me," Beka placed her free hand on her hip and went into the patronizing mode, "but when did you get the right to speak unasked?"
"I'm sorry, lady, do I know you?"
"Duh. Remember the lady you've cut open you son of a-"
Rhade put his hand over her mouth and placed a finger on his lips. "Behind the door," he whispered. Now Beka too could hear footsteps approaching. Heavy boots on the metal deck.
And it's getting better and better every passing minute…
Rhade pointed at the hole in the ceiling. Beka frowned. "How the hell am I going to get up there in this freaking dress?" she hissed into his ear. His eyebrow raised in a way she not quite liked… Especially when there was this faint, a bit mischievous smile flickering around the corners of his lips.
He lifted her and tossed up in the air. Cursing under her breath, she grabbed the edges of the hole – the Perseid wisely backed away – and started climbing. Rhade pushed her up, surprisingly paying attention not to touch any 'strategic' places. This made her even more irritated. Once she was up, laying on her stomach and gazing down the hole, Rhade threw her the cover of the air vent.
"Hold it," he mouthed. She nodded, reaching out and leaving enough space in the hole for him to climb. Again, she was surprised at how high can a Nietzschean actually jump. The moment Rhade placed himself at her side and put the air vent cover in its slots, the Captain's quarter's door opened.
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Beka could see what was going on below through the narrow slots in the vent cover. For the moment, all there was visible was the bed and Danny's motionless body. She was wondering if he was alive. She hit him pretty hard and the object was not light either…
The steps were moving closer. Beka thought that those who just walked in are not at all interested in Danny. Typical: the dumb ass picked wrong men for his merry pirate band. Now they're probably thrilled with excitement that the boss is dead and there is more to go around.
Or maybe not.
She felt Rhade's muscles tense as a man walked into their field of vision. He kind of seemed familiar… A bit. She squinted her eyes and tilted the head. Now if that man would just turn to the left…
The man looked up.
Beka could not resist this stupid thought that he is looking straight through her… No, straight at her. His eyes were like cold steel, not grey and not blue. Like steel.
Middle-aged. Balding. Very lean, the cheekbones were protruding. The nose was long and pointed. Lips thin but curved. There was something to him that was… Carnivorous.
For a moment that seemed eternity, the predatory man was looking at the air vent. His upper lip curved, revealing a row of perfectly white, perfectly even teeth. It could have been a smile. Beka felt her heart freeze in a bathe of icy liquid.
The man turned his gaze from the vent.
And then he spoke. Glass breaking in his larynx. The voice that would have made Beka jump if it wasn't for Rhade, holding her against his chest. She reached out, touched the bone blades under the sleeve of his jacket and felt a bit more secure. The firm grip on the gun helped too.
"Go," said the man she was scared to meet face to face. "Find her. Unharmed."
Footsteps were moving away. The man looked at Danny, kicked his limp leg, dangling from the bed. Danny didn't move. The man once again barred his teeth in a grimace that must have been a smile.
"Amazing creature," he said to himself, leaving.
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Alas, poor Danny, we barely knew you...
Oh, nevermind.
Finally, the villain shows up. In -almost- full glory. And if you're curious whose face I had in mind when picturing him, try this guy: Colm Feore. Here's the IMD site of his: http/ So the kiss stays undiscussed. I guess that in the current circumstances, this can be forgiven. The issues 'in-between' need to wait for a better moment and You can trust Beka to be sarcastic and defiant all the time...
Next time (when i finnish the chapter;)) we'll visit the Andromeda (Dylan feels better...) and see what do Perseids do when faced with a perspective of violent death. Plus many more. (end of a teaser)
To all my Great Reviewers many thanks! I've bought myself a Live CD "Awake" and I'm currently charging my writing batteries...