WOOO! ten views in one day... excellent... here's chapter two and I will finish this story no matter what... I ain't leaving until the job is finished...
Chapter Two
When Ty regained consciousness, he found himself in a worse predicament then he had originally been in. For one thing, they took away his ruined dive suit and left him in only his boxers with a blanket that covered him. That was thoughtful. His shoulder was crudely bandaged. A red spot had stained through already but at least it was bandaged. The last thing Hatchet had done for him was tie him to a pipe that ran up the wall he was next to. The rope was tied securely with a complicated looking knot. The other end of the rope was tied to Ty's left wrist. He fiddled with the knot a bit but couldn't seem to loosen it. Obviously the outlaws didn't want him going anywhere.
He coughed and shifted his position. He looked around the room he was in. It was definitely the common room. In front of him he could see padded benches lining the wall with a table surrounded by them. More benches lined another wall but he was nowhere close to it. He looked up and saw a dart board above from where he was laying. Instead of darts, knives were used. Taxidermy sea creatures adorned the walls and a punching bag was suspended in the corner opposite him.
"You awake, guppy?"
Ty turned his head and saw the dark haired outlaw. His messy hair looked like it never met a brush. It was knot-filled and sticking up in every direction.
"The name's Eel," the outlaw said and sat down cross legged by Ty. "What's yours?"
He turned his head and looked away.
"Giving me the silent treatment, eh?" he said and smiled. "That's alright. I understand. But we need to call you something." He smiled even wider like he had one of those light bulb moments. "We can call you Guppy. It's perfect for you, too. Being as young as you are and all."
Ty didn't look back at him and swallowed hard. Tears stung his eyes. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to be called Guppy. He wanted to go home. He yanked the rope that kept him tied to the pipe. He took in a deep breath to calm his rattled nerves and closed his eyes, waiting for this nightmare to end.
"Has he said anything yet, Eel?" It could only be Shade.
"Nope. Tight lipped for now but give him a day or two and he'll open right up."
Ty heard Shade take a few steps closer. A hand gripped his chin. He opened his eyes and thrashed out of his grip. He widened his eyes when he saw that Shade wasn't albino at all. His skin was smooth and tan. Did he wear white zinc paste to fool everyone? His eyes were a deep shade of blue, like the ocean. They weren't pink or black or anything like that. Maybe he wore dark lenses. Shade looked… normal, like an actual human being.
Shade smirked at his expense. "Confused aren't you?" His gaze dropped to Ty's injured shoulder. He prodded it, making Ty wince. "Should've stopped bleeding by now. I wouldn't have shot you if you hadn't been following me. Now you have to pay the consequences." He straightened to his full height and crossed his arms over his bare chest, showing off a strong chest and strong arms. "What do you think we should call him until he opens up?"
"Figure we could call him Guppy for now until he starts talking," answered Eel.
Shade nodded in agreement. "Guppy it is."
Ty looked to the wall and shut his eyes. When would this nightmare end?
When he opened his eyes again, Shade and Eel were gone. He was all alone in his corner and that was the way he wanted to keep it.
He heard the outlaws talking in a hatch in the ceiling. Another room was up there. This sub was huge. He listened for the dull roar of an engine of sorts but couldn't find one. There was only a soft hum. It was a stealth sub, gliding silently through the waters like an actual Great White shark.
He was in and out of consciousness throughout the rest of the day. He wasn't sure what to do in this situation. His parents never told him what to do if he was taken hostage.
The smell of food cooking woke him up. His stomach growled. Hopefully the outlaws would be planning to feed him. He couldn't exactly afford to lose weight.
The outlaws assembled around the table in the common room across from Ty. He pulled the blanket up higher. As long as he didn't look at them he could at least try to pretend that this was some horrible nightmare and that he would wake up soon enough.
From the corner of his eye, he could see six outlaws gathered around the table. Shade was the only one with the shaved head so it was pretty easy to identify him. Pretty was pretty easy as well. His blonde hair dropped down to his ribs and his ice blue eyes stared at him with little interest. Eel had two gold teeth set in his mouth. He seemed the friendliest out of all of them. If Ty had a choice, he'd be most willing to talk to Eel, but still he was an outlaw.
He remembered Hatchet alright. The pointed teeth looked like they could rip through anything, but compared to Pretty's icy stare they weren't all that menacing as they seemed. The other two he had no idea what their names were. One looked to be near Ty's age, fifteen. He was probably a year older than Ty, the youngest of the gang with vibrant green eyes that looked radioactive. The last one had a wicked looking scar running across his cheek. But with his combed back hair he could pass as a Topsider.
Ty knew a little bit about this gang. The Seablite Gang he thought they were called. Didn't they escape from prison a few years ago? Only most of them looked too young to have been in jail a few years ago. It didn't make any sense.
Let's see. What else did he know about this gang? Shade was the leader. He certainly looked like the oldest since the others did everything that he ordered them to do. What was the name of the submarine he was in again? Prospector, star… no. Specter! That's it. Ty was on the Specter. That was bad news though. No one knew how to catch the Specter. It was impossible. No one knew how it was done but whenever the Specter passed overhead, lights would cut out and everything electrical would be off and wouldn't come back on until the sub had passed.
The Seablite Gang has been terrorizing Benthic Territory and ships all over the place. Ranger Grimes at the Trade Station wouldn't do anything about the situation. Ty wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even leave his office to come looking for him.
"What should we do with him?" he heard Pretty ask.
They talked like he wasn't even there. He pulled the blanket up further and pressed harder into the wall, wishing he could just go through it and drop back into the ocean.
"Ransom him," Eel said. "His parents will pay a lovely price to get him back."
"Not before he gives us all away first," the outlaw with the green eyes said and ate something from the bowl in front of him.
"We can make sure he never speaks again," Pretty suggested. Ty saw him finger a knife and shivered.
"That's not how we work," Shade said firmly. "None of you are touching him for as long as he is on the Specter. Got it?" The outlaws grumbled in agreement. "Besides, I'm sure Guppy has some useful information that we could have. Warehouses, ships, fishing hotspots for example…"
"How are you suggesting we get the information out of him?" Hatchet asked. "Kid hasn't said a word since we hauled him in."
"He'll talk," Shade assured them, "if he knows what's good for him."
Ty turned to face the wall and tugged on the rope. No matter what he tried, the rope would not come loose. The knot was too tight and too intricate. It would take him forever to get free. Maybe when they were all asleep he could try and escape. They had dive suits, liquigen, everything he needed to go back home, assuming he wouldn't get lost on the way.
The outlaws finished their meal and went off to do other things, whatever those things were. A bowl of something was set down beside him. He looked up and saw Pretty.
"Eat up," he said and walked away.
Ty hauled himself into a sitting position with the aid of the pipe. He kept the blanket tightly wrapped around himself. He looked down at the bowl of unknown contents and picked it up. It was warm but didn't look all that appetizing. Random bits of fish floated around in this milky soup like substance. If this was the type of food he was going to get here, he couldn't afford to be choosy.
Picking up the spoon, he ate a small bite preparing himself for the worst. It wasn't all that bad. It wasn't like Ma's cooking but at least it tasted alright. He lapped it up quickly and scraped the last remaining bits of the fish stew out of the bowl. He set it down beside him and sat in the corner, unmoving.
The outlaws walked about through hatches and kept themselves busy. The youngest outlaw picked up Ty's bowl and tossed him a bottle of water. The outlaw scowled at him and disappeared through the open hatchway past the common room. He sipped the water carefully. It could be drugged. Who knows what kinds of things they had in store for him here.
Later on, he heard chatting in a hatchway above the common room. The sleeping berths were up there, he supposed. The outlaws were settling down for the night. They laughed and joked with each other, like one big happy family really. The lights were dimmed so the contours of objects were still visible but not their details and the like.
He sent out a series of clicks. They bounced off the walls and objects back to him and he created a mental image of his surroundings. Just so he was sure no one would sneak up on him during the night and knife him. He was at the mercy of the Seablite Gang now. He had nothing to protect himself but the blanket. He pulled it tighter around himself.
When he was sure the outlaws were asleep, he started to work on the knot. Sending out clicks he made out the shape of the knot and worked on it tirelessly. He was no closer to escaping than he was when Shade shot him.
He pulled his hand back under the blankets and cradled his injured arm. With one more round of clicks sent out, making sure no one was around; he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
I don't think the story is going that bad... I like it so far... until next time enjoy your day