Chapter 5
It was darkish inside, lit only by harsh florescent strip lighting. The corridors were narrow and the ceilings low - if I'd been in human form, I'd have felt very claustrophobic. As a wasp, it was nothing. We kept close to the walls - Ferdie running down by the skirting board, hidden partly by the pipework, like a large, slender rat. I buzzed along the ceiling, close to the walls. As we followed the scent of food in our noses, we turned many corners and came to many T junctions. I could remember which way to turn on the way back - left or right - but had no idea of the landmarks since my sight was poor.
--Ferdie, I hope you can remember which way we're going. I don't want to get lost on the way back.--
--It all looks identical,-- said Ferdie. --Just pipes and corridors. It's like a maze. There's no signs or anything telling you where anything is.--
--To fox the unwary,-- I muttered. --Just tell me if you think we're completely lost - I'm relying on your eyesight, here, Flawless.--
--Everything all right down there?-- I heard Sam's thought-speak voice, faint, in my head.
--Yeah…everything's fine,-- I said back, hoping it was true.
Eventually, we found the canteen. It had taken a while - we'd had no leads other than our noses, and had to stop and hide a few times when someone came down the corridor. Now in the presence of glorious food, my wasp brain was going mad - it took a lot of control to resist the temptation to go and buzz down to the nearest sweet cake I could find. Ferdie, too, seemed keen to eat. He was crouched down beneath a low pipe, his nose sticking out into the room, whiskers twitching, his paws eagerly moving forwards into the open room.
--Hold back, Flawless,-- I said. --We can't just go bounding in willy-nilly.--
--I'm starving…-- muttered Ferdie. --Just look at the cake there. It's dying to be eaten. And look at those sandwiches! Oh, and those crisps! Mmm! God, I thought sailors just lived on fish and dried fruit!--
--Yes, doesn't it look appetising,-- I said dryly, perfectly aware that there was no way a ferret and a wasp would be able to make off with a twelve inch cake between us. --Come on, I'm going to fly up to the ceiling and look for some leftovers near the ground or something.--
--Leftovers?-- said Ferdie, appalled. --If I'm going to smuggle anything out of here, I want it to be something that is actually edible!--
--Shut up, Flawless, and just do as I say,-- I snapped.
Finally, after much sulking from Ferdie, and much argument from myself, we managed to get into the kitchen and find a low shelf on which stood small boxed sandwiches and biscuits. Dodging feet and eyelines, Ferdie hauled as much as possible between his tiny ferret teeth and we scampered back out of the canteen and back up on to deck. We left the sandwiches under a lifeboat, and informed Sam of their whereabouts, and then went back for more. Tediously, and dangerously, we went back for more, three more times until we all had a sandwich to eat as human. Maggie and Sam had found some leftover cereal bars someone had left out on deck. The four of us ate in silence, crouched as human back behind the boats.
"You're being unusually quiet, Sam," said Ferdie. "What's up? Taste of food never felt so good before?"
Sam stared at Ferdie for a second, her eyes unblinking, her mouth chewing her food repeatedly.
"Yes…" she swallowed. "I was debating when to tell you guys this…"
"Tell us what?" I asked.
"Look…it's all my fault, whatever happened, ok, so I'm really sorry about his, but…"
"Sam, what is it?" asked Ferdie. He looked at Maggie, who averted her eyes.
Sam took a deep breath. "This ship," she said, "is crawling with Controllers. It's not a British Naval ship at all. It's in the hands of the Yeerks."