And hello! Newest chapter uploaded and posted on the originally planned Monday! I feel so proud of myself right now! *treats self to chocolate chip cookie* Yum!
Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure planet! It belongs to it's rightful owners!
~o0O0o~
"Good job lad!" Silver bellowed, smacking Jim on the shoulder nearly making him collapse. He grinned. He was just about to thank the cyborg for teaching him how to tie a proper lifeline knot when something small ran into his legs, nearly knocking him over. Looking down at the thing that had rammed him, he was surprised to see Mike look up at him, red-faced, teary-eyed and hiccupping loudly. He was trying to say something but his hiccups kept interrupting him, sending small spasms shooting through his body.
"What is it laddie?" Silver bent down and scooped up the boy, who had started sobbing again.
"...s-she's… d-de-dead…she-she's d-dead…." And more wailing ensued as Mike buried his head in Silver's shoulder. Jim stopped breathing.
"Where is she? Mike? Where is she?" Jim asked, voice shaking. The little boy lifted his head slightly and pointed to the railing. Jim rushed over, pushing several crew members to the side in his haste, Silver at his heels. There, on the ground against the railing, lay Neera's burned body. Jim slowly kneeled as Mike wailed. By now, most of the crew had noticed and were gathering around. Captain Amelia and Dr. Doppler made their way to the front of the crowd where Jim sat holding Neera's limp body as Mike crawled towards her and cried into her lap. Silence engulfed the ship like a wave, only the sound of Mike's wailing and a few hushed whispers were heard.
"Neera?" Jim asked, turning her head to face him. Mike curled up in his sister's chest, hugging her and crying into her torn and burnt shirt. Silver knelt beside them, hat over his heart in respect before gently prying Mike off of her body.
"C'mon now lad. There's nuthin' we can do now," Mike started wailing harder as Silver lifted him from his sister, screaming her name.
"Neera! Neera! Wake up Neera, please! NEERA!" Jim could feel tears swimming in his eyes as he tried to block out Mike's hysterical cries for his sister but he held them back. Neera lay so still in his arms. Staring at her face he saw it. Barely visible but definitely there! Her eye twitched! She started fidgeting in his lap. Jim could hardly believe it! She's alive!
"She's alive," Jim whispered before repeating himself only louder, "She's alive! Doc! Help me! She's alive!" Mike had stopped bawling into Silver's shirt staring at Jim, "She's alive!"
Mike squirmed frantically in Silver's arms so that the old cyborg was forced to drop him. Hitting the deck, he scrambled over to Neera who was wincing in pain. Dr. Doppler right behind him.
"Nee-nee?" Mike's voice called out, small and shaking. He brought his hand up to her face, and poked her lightly in the face like he used to do when he woke up before her back at home. Neera flinched at the contact but Mike kept prodding her, chanting her name over and over again like a mantra. Big, brown eyes opened slightly, taking everything in.
"Mike?" her voice was hoarse and cracked but Silver let out a bark-like laugh. Mike started crying again and nodded with a small smile. Jim couldn't believe it! She was still here with him.
"Well let's get her to the Doc's room then," Silver knelt and picked up Neera who winced again at the contact. Doc was complaining that he simply wasn't a real doctor but he complied anyway. Lifting her through the galley into the Doc's room, Jim cleared a table and Silver laid her on her stomach. Doppler had found the 1st aid kit and propped it up near Neera's feet. The Doc found a pair of scissors and proceeded to cut off the remnants of Neera's shirt. When the scraps fell away, everyone present gasped. Her back was covered in various degrees of burns and multiple dark purple, bleeding wounds the size of small rocks were spotted all over her back. The purple wounds almost looked like a constellation, but the people present had their minds on more important things. Neera winced and moaned painfully. Jim gaped at the wound before Silver spoke up.
"Doc! Fetch some bandages an' ice water! Captain, I'm going to need the strongest brandy yeh got!" and Silver set to work.
As soon as Amelia brought in the brandy, he took a quick swig before handing it to the barely conscious Neera.
"Here, it'll take care o' most of the bite," she grabbed at the bottle weakly; Jim was ordered to help her choke some of it down. She spluttered and coughed at the bitter taste burning her mouth but she managed to down two large gulps. The warmth and slight numbness seeped through her, blurring her vision slightly. She had begun to relax when Silver started picking out debris from her skin. She screamed and would have bitten her tongue if the Doc wasn't there to slip a piece wood in her mouth. Jim was ushered out of the door and sent to check up on the brother. He had disappeared while they were carrying Neera to Doc's room. Walking down the hall he could hear Neera's tortured screams all the way to her and Mike's room. He found the boy cocooned in a mass of blankets huddled in a corner. Slipping down next to him, they sat there for who knows how long, jumping every time a scream tore through the ship.
Silver wiped his face dry with his handkerchief, before taking another swig of the brandy. It was nearly empty. After a while of unbearable pain, Neera had grabbed the bottle and drank deeply and sweet numbing relief flooded her system, temporarily blocking the pain. When it wore off, she would take another swig. He had dug out the cause of the dark purple mounds, a small handful of sharp little meteorite shards that must have embedded themselves in Neera's back when she fell on the deck. She winced again and grabbed at the bottle. Her vision was swimming and fuzzy so she missed, knocking the bottle to the floor. Amelia wiped Neera's sweaty brow as Doppler picked up the bottle and went to fetch another bottle, just in case.
When Silver finished fishing out bits of space rock, the bandages that had been soaking in the ice-water, were carefully draped over the burns. Neera moaned at the feeling. This was better than the brandy! Her skin felt as if it were on fire so the icy bandages were welcome relief.
Mike had fallen asleep in Jim's lap when Doppler came in, blood smeared all over his hands and shirt. He had been helping Silver with picking out the bits of space rock. Jim looked him over terrified of the grave news he would undoubtedly share. But Doppler smiled kindly and nodded his head in the direction of the newly dubbed 'medical room.' Jim let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding before easing out from under Mike and moving him to his bed. The boy did not stir and continued sleeping without a care in the world. Closing the door behind him, Jim followed Doc to where Neera was.
The heat in the room almost took Jims' breath away. It had bombarded him the second Doc had opened the door. Silver sat slumped in a chair in the corner, taking a swig of a honey-colored liquid; Captain Amelia was pacing a hole in the carpet, wringing her bloodied gloves in her hands, stopping to look at them when they came in only to resume pacing again. Jim looked over the table where Neera lay.
She was covered in a layer of sweat, hair plastered to her face and neck and bloody bandages covered most of her back. Her green tank top lay in tatters in a corner and the hem of her pants were discolored with drying blood. Silver noticed his expression.
"She'll be alright lad," Silver stood up and clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder. Jim didn't take his eyes off the girl passed out on the table.
"She was mostly covered in burns but we had to go an' dig these things out," Silver pointed to the pile of space rocks that had been embedded in Neera's back, "She's some piece o' work, that's fer sure. Must've covered the little laddie with her own body and everythin' to protect 'im from the heat! When we set to work on her, she nearly drank the whole bottle!" Silver gestured to the empty brandy bottle on the floor with a grim chuckle, "Never seen a lady knock back such a strong brandy like that before!" The corner of Jim's mouth turned upwards slightly. Silver shook out his arms and left the boiling room. Jim sat on the chair Silver had left and held his head in his hands. Silence ensued. He sat there and watched as Doc and Amelia took turns changing Neera's bandages, replacing them with fresh, ice-watered ones, sometimes taking the time to smear some ointment over the worst of her burns. Every now and then he would catch a glimpse of her eyes opening, unfocused and delirious, gazing around the room before closing them again.
Morning came when Neera woke up to Mike talking animatedly to Jim about how Neera had saved him. She smiled to herself before she eased herself up into a sitting position. She gasped when a wrong move pulled at the healing skin on her back. Jim heard her and looked up. Their eyes met and she saw the deep circles under his eyes, how exhausted he looked.
"How long was I out?" Jim helped her sit up straight and handed her a glass of water. She gratefully drank the water in three gulps.
"Not long. You passed yesterday," Jim's eyes wandered to her throat where a stray drop of water rolled over her collarbone and disappear beneath her baggy shirt. After her last bandage change, Amelia had slipped a large baggy shirt over her body to give her a little modesty despite her situation. Neera finished the water and set the glass down next to her. Mike crawled up beside her and started chattering about everything and nothing in particular. Jim watched as Mike proudly presented his bandaged arm to her, bragging about how they both matched. Neera smiled painfully.
"The Captain said she wanted to meet with you once you woke up," Jim told Neera and she nodded. Mike held her hand as Jim helped her walk to the Captain's office where Amelia sat regally behind her desk, discussing something with Doppler.
"Ah! Neera! Just the person I wanted to see. Thank you Mr. Hawkins," Jim left Neera and Mike to stand off to the side behind Amelia. Doppler looked nervous. Amelia got straight to the point.
"It has come to my attention that you two are a rather strange duo," Neera raised her eyebrow. Amelia continued, "As witnessed by Mr. Hawkins, Dr. Doppler and myself, you seem to know what happens, before it happens." A pregnant pause hung in the air. Neera could feel her palms starting to sweat and her burns twitch painfully. They couldn't know! Could they?
"I don't understand what you mean," Neera played dumb. She would figure out what they knew and see where it would go from there. Amelia eyed her warily.
"For example," Amelia stood up and began pacing, "the first day, when Mr. Hawkins was introduced to you and Mr. Silver, your brother asked a peculiar question did you not, Mr. Mike?" Mike looked up from the floor.
"I don't know…" he trailed off quietly. Neera squeezed his hand in comfort. Amelia turned to Jim.
"He asked me if I had the ball to Treasure Planet," Jim stated without making eye contact with Neera who was openly glaring at him. Amelia turned back to Neera who lifted the eyes of death from Jim.
"Hm. Yes a ball, to Treasure Planet. A ball that no one on this ship knew about," Amelia stressed the word but continued, "That same day, your brother was conversing with Dr. Doppler and made an off hand comment on how he was going to fall, which happened not long after," Neera could have sworn Doppler's cheeks reddened slightly. Amelia continued relentlessly, "Then the time Mr. Scroop and Mr. Hawkins got into a brawl, you were fixing him up when you said something about how Silver was going to save him anyway. And then, the whole black hole situation. I want to know what is going on, on my ship and I want the information now! Is that clear?" Jim, Doppler and Amelia gazed at the siblings standing uncomfortably in the middle of the office. Neera could feel the sweat dripping down her back and under her bandages. The salt stung but she paid no mind to it. How was she supposed to get the two of them out of this mess? She couldn't tell the truth, that would imply insanity and they would take Mike away from her. She racked her brain. They only knew that they said things would happen before it happened. Sorta like fortune telling. Fortune telling was a form of telling the future. She got it!
"Do you really want to know?" Neera asked nervously, the pit in her stomach tightening hoping to any god out there that this would work. They all nodded. Neera took a deep breath.
"I can see the future."
Silence. Uncomfortable, deafening, horrifyingly awful silence. Neera dared not look up from the carpet, clutching Mike's hand in hers tightly. He didn't say a word and stared into the carpet. The tightening feeling in her stomach didn't go away like she thought it would. In fact, it got worse. Her stomach plummeted and she was tempted to wipe her hands in her trousers but that would mean letting go of Mike, her only anchor.
Taking a chance, Neera looked up. Jim, Amelia and Doppler all stared at her, flabbergasted. Amelia actually tried cleaning her ears.
"Come again?"
"I can see the future," Neera repeated. 'Ok, time to play this up a bit,' Neera held her head up high and squeezed Mike's hand, signaling him to please keep his mouth shut, "I know it sounds crazy but it's true. I didn't want anyone to know about it 'cause they might try to take advantage of it. Or look at me like your doing now." Amelia shook her head in disbelief.
"There's no such thing as fortune telling. It's nonsense! Nonsense spouted by those who tend to swindle people," Amelia scoffed at the idea of fortune telling. In all honesty, Neera would have too, but since pretty much her and Mike's survival counted on this to work, she went with it.
"Do you need proof? 'Cause I can give you proof," Neera proposed. Jim and Doppler nodded; Amelia stood by.
"Umm…ok. Look I know this was in the past, back on the first day? But I can guarantee this room is spyproof, so I believe its good evidence for starters." Amelia looked on skeptically.
"So is this where you break out the candles and incense and begin useless chanting in unknown tongues or speak in riddles?" Amelia smiled. Neera cringed.
"No thankfully. Unless you like riddles. I just…see…things. Dr. Doppler!" he jumped slightly at his name and Neera stared at him, "With the greatest possible respect, zip your howling screamer."
Doppler gaped, Jim's jaw dropped and Amelia's eyes widened.
"That doesn't prove anything! That's in the past! Someone must have heard!" Amelia began pacing. Neera racked her brain for something in the near future that wouldn't jeopardize the whole movie plot. She didn't know what would happen if she revealed the climax of the movie to these people.
She couldn't say Silver was planning a mutiny. That was a major part of the storyline! They had to be captured!
She couldn't say anything about Treasure Planet being a giant bomb. That was pretty much the highlight of the whole movie. No she couldn't reveal that.
'Near future! Near future! C'mon think! Aha!'
"Have you talked to the crew about the black hole yet? Have you seen Mr. Arrow?" That made Amelia's ears perk up.
"No and no, I have not. But speaking of which I must congratulate them on a job well done," Amelia made a move for the door but Neera ran in front of her, eyes wide.
"When you ask for Mr. Arrow, that spider-psycho Mr. Scroop will come forward and give you Arrow's hat! That's all I can say," Neera could feel Jim and Doppler's eyes on her but she continued watching Amelia. She sighed
"Very well then. Come along and we'll see if it's true what you say," Amelia opened the door and motioned Neera and Mike out in front, Jim and Doppler not far behind, before she closed and locked her office door. Coming on deck she addressed the crew.
"Congratulation boys! Yesterday, you overcame a supernova and bested a black hole!" the crew cheered, whooped and hollered with joy; Amelia turned to Silver, "I must say Mr. Silver, that's one fine cabin boy you've got there. All hands accounted for Mr. Arrow?" the crew looked around for the hunkering mass of rock with the booming voice, but he was nowhere to be found, "Mr. Arrow?" Doppler and Jim held their breath as Mr. Scroop came forward through the crowd.
"I'm afraid Mr. Arrow was lost," Scroop handed Captain Amelia Mr. Arrow's hat; "His lifeline was not secured."