Chapter Seven: Mediterranean Nights
Luis wished he had a camera with him as he looked out over the salt flat. Sunset had fallen over the Mediterranean Salt Flats, the light of the cherry red sun painting the sky and wispy clouds in a mosaic of gold and orange. Even the layer of salt that covered the land for untold miles was cast in a fiery light as the once punishing sun began to set.
From his spot leaning against the bluish hull of the Time Flyer Luis watched as night fell over the world of five million years A.D. While he had seen the sun set back home hundreds of time, the sun casting the Toronto skyline in a sharp silhouette but watching the sunset from the seabed of an ancient sea over five million years after he would be dead gave him a renewed interest of the sight. It was interesting how, no matter how much time passed, things could be so different yet remain the same.
"Luis!" the voice of Cassiopeia called from somewhere behind him.
Luis looked to his side to see Cassiopeia walking from behind the Time Flyer. Her face was cast with a reddish glow as the sun dipped lower into the sky, a long shadow trailing across the ground behind her.
"Ah, there you are", Cassiopeia said as she caught sight of Luis against the hull of the timeship.
"Oh, hi there", Luis said, giving the auburn-haired girl a wave. "Something up?"
Cassiopeia cocked an eyebrow as she tried to decipher what he had just said.
"Is anything wrong?" Luis repeated, hoping to clarify.
"Oh", Cassiopeia said, comprehending what the boy had meant. "No, nothing is wrong. I was merely curious on your whereabouts and went out to…"
Luis waited for the rest of Cassiopeia's response but was puzzled when he heard nothing. He turned to where the girl was standing and was surprised to find her staring in the direction of the setting sun, the expression on her face not unlike that of a deer in a headlight, eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape, the light of the setting sun casting an orange glow upon her tanned face. As he looked on Luis could almost swear that he saw a smile creeping onto Cassiopeia's face.
"Astounding", Cassiopeia said in a tone that was almost a whisper.
"Yeah, beautiful isn't it?" Luis said as he walked over to the girl.
Cassiopeia let out a small chuckle, her smile widening. "Yes, yes, it is", she said. "I have seen this in pictures and old films, but to see it with my own eyes."
"Wait", Luis said, a shocked look on his face. "You mean to tell me you've never seen a sunset before."
Cassiopeia shook her head. "No, I haven't", she said. "Constant cloud cover tends not to offer the best conditions for viewing one."
A snicker from Luis caused Cassiopeia to shoot a puzzled look at the boy, who had brought a hand to his mouth to suppress his laugh. "Did I say something humorous?", Cassiopeia asked.
"Oh, no", Luis said, regaining his composure. "Heh, it was just the way you phrased it. You know, like…" Luis trailed off as he saw the growing look of confusion on the future girl's face. "Never mind", he said and quickly redirected his attention back to the horizon just as the sun was about to fully set. The shades of gold and orange were soon replaced with the deeper shades of purple and blue as night began to fall. In the growing darkness stars began to appear.
"I believe we should return to the ship", Cassiopeia said as a cold breeze blew over them. "Temperatures are beginning to fall."
Luis shivered as he felt the breeze wash over him, causing goose pimples to crawl up his arms. "I think you're right", he said, hugging his arms closer to his chest in an attempt to ward off the cold. "Shall we?"
Taking one last look at the now dark landscape, the two made their way around the Time Flyer to the open cargo bay, the white interior lights spilling out to illuminate the darkness. The two stepped inside the bay, the hatch closing behind them with a hiss as Cassiopeia made her way up the ladder, Luis following close behind.
The living quarters of the Time Flyer were pleasantly warm as Luis stepped from the ladder and onto the deck. On one of the bunks Luis could see Ethan sprawled across the mattress, a nutrient bar in his hand as he whistled a tune to himself. From a stall between the bunks and the galley he could hear running water, steam seeping through the edges. On the floor in front of the stall the squibbon was curled up, burbling happily as the warm steam swirled around him.
"Evening, Luis", Ethan said with a wave of his nutrient bar, crumbs falling onto his shirt. "Enjoy sightseeing?
"As a matter of fact, yes", Luis said as he made his way to the bunk opposite of Ethan. "I don't know what it was, but the sunset was absolutely stellar. You should've seen it."
Ethan shrugged. "Eh, you've seen one sunset, you've seen them all", he said as he took another bite from his bar.
Luis shook his head. "Where's your sense of wonder, E?" he asked. "We are experiencing something that no one in our time ever has, or ever will, and you aren't at all impressed?"
Ethan considered. "Baking sun, blistering sand, and sunsets", he said in a thoughtful tone. "I think I can live without that." He took one final bite from his nutrient bar and placed his hands behind his head, eyes closing as he let out a content sigh.
Luis rolled his eyes. How typical that Ethan would not appreciate the fact that he, through some trick of fate, had been transported five million years in the future. Then again, Ethan always had a talent for overlooking the finer details in life, always preferring the more blatantly obvious or eye-catching things. Yet, somehow, this never hindered his ability to understand a subtle joke.
"Alright", Luis said, leaning forward. "Since natural beauty isn't enough to get you excited about the fact you have time traveled, what will?"
Ethan opened his eyes. "I always imagined time travel to be like that movie that came out a few years back. What was it called?"
Luis blinked. "The Time Machine?" he asked.
"Yeah!" Ethan said, sitting up. "Post-apocalyptic mayhem, blood thirsty monsters at every turn, that's what I think when I think time travel."
"Of course", Luis said with a defeated sigh, wondering why he even bothered.
It was then that the sound of running water stopped soon followed by the door to the stall opening as Emily stepped out, as towel on her head as she straightened out the wrinkles in her green shirt.
"Shower's free", she announced as she stroked the squibbon who bounced excitedly at her feet.
"And that's my cue", Ethan said as he rolled out of the cot. "Don't worry, Luis, I'll try and save you some hot water."
"Hold on a second!", Luis said, jumping from his sitting position and in front of the larger boy. "Why should you go next?"
"First come first serve, dude", Ethan said with a shrug as he attempted to go around Luis.
"Bull crap!" Luis exclaimed. "If anyone deserves to go next, it's me."
"And why is that?" Ethan asked.
"Oh, jeez, I don't know", Luis said, faux bewilderment in his tone. "Might have something to do with the fact that I am caked with sweat and dirt from my desert excursion earlier today!"
"And that's my problem because…?" Ethan asked.
"I am getting in there and that is final", Luis said, arms crossed and a defiant scowl on his face.
"Wrong answer", Ethan replied as he lifted Luis by the elbows and placed moved him out of the way.
"Hey!", Luis protested as Ethan plopped him onto the floor and made his way towards the shower stall. Ethan let out triumphant laugh as he was about to stepped into the shower stall, only to be met with a closing stall door and the sound of running water.
"Wha?" Ethan said, bewilderment on his face as the sound of warbled giggling drifted from the stall.
"Looks like Squibby called the shower first", Emily said, an amused look on her face.
"Oh no, I am not letting some overgrown squid take all the hot water", Ethan said as he slid open the shower door. "Hey, get out of there you pe-mmmph!"
Ethan's sentence was cut short as a bar of soap was tossed into his mouth, causing him to stumble back in surprise as the shower door slide back closed, a warbled chuckle emanating from its occupant. Luis let out a laugh as Emily suppressed a giggle as Ethan spat the bar of soap out of his mouth, frantically wiping his tongue on his shirt in an attempt to get the taste of soap and what tasted suspiciously like fish out of his mouth.
"Oh, you think that's funny, do you?" Ethan asked as he glared towards laughing Luis.
"Serves you right", Luis said, wiping a mirthful tear from his eye.
"Oh yeah?" Ethan said, the flame of playful malice growing in his eyes. "Why you little twerp!"
With a lunge Ethan wrapped his massive arms around Luis's neck and dragging him into a chokehold. Luis struggled in the larger boy's grip as Ethan balled up his free fist and began to noogie the poor boy, a manic laugh pouring from his lips as Luis yelped helplessly. Emily, meanwhile, couldn't help but laugh as she watched the display.
"What is going on?" Cassiopeia asked as she entered the crew's quarters from the bridge, a look of worry and confusion on her face as she looked over the display before her.
Ethan stopped his relentless noogieing and blinked as Luis squirmed free from his confines. "Oh, nothing", Ethan said innocently. "Just a, um, ancient human ritual."
Cassiopeia nodded unconvinced. "Right", she said before a pleased look returned to her face. "Anyway, I am pleased to inform you that the engines should be operational by tomorrow afternoon."
"That's great", Luis said, gingerly rubbing the top of his head. "So that means you can take us home?"
Cassiopeia nodded. "Yes, or at least that is what I am hoping. The Time Flyer's computers still need to return to chronosyncronization before it can take off, so that may take a while longer."
"But not too long, right?" Emily asked as she finished drying her hair.
"Most likely", Cassiopeia replied. "By the way, where is the squibbon?"
As if on cue the door from the shower slide open as the terrasquid hopped out, water dripping from his mantle. Before the little cephalopod could shake the water off, Emily had scooped him into her towel and gently dried the creature off.
"Ah, perfect timing", Cassiopeia said with a satisfied nod. "Now, if you do not mind, I will be in the shower."
"Hey, how come you get to go next?" Ethan asked.
"My ship, my rules", Cassiopeia said as she disappeared into the stall, door sliding closed behind her, followed by the sound of running water.
. . . . .
Of course Ethan would take all the hot water, Luis thought as he stepped out of the shower, towel draped around his neck and a slight scowl on his face. As soon as Cassiopeia had finished her shower Ethan had swooped in to claim it for himself, pushing Luis out of the way in the process. When Luis was final able to get into the shower, he was met with a stream of cold-water cascading onto him, resulting in a rather embarrassing squeal.
One the bright side, at least he was clean, Luis thought as he ran a finger through his hair in an attempt to straighten in out. He then folded the towel and placed it in a pile with the other towels that had been used by the others and made his way to the bunks where Ethan and Emily were lounging. The squibbon, curled up at the foot of the bunk Emily was occupying, had long since fallen asleep.
"Thanks for leaving me some hot water, E", Luis said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"No prob, rocket boy", Ethan retorted, a smile on his face. "Happy to do it."
Luis cringed at the jab, a sign that Ethan was still somewhat peeved about his involvement in getting them stuck in the first place. He had made it a priority to somehow make it up to Ethan as soon as they got back to their own time. He was currently debating over whether it would be tutoring for the upcoming exams or lunch at the Snack Shack for the next month, though he had a fairly good idea which Ethan would choose.
"Tell you what, Luis", Emily pipped up, her hands busy braiding her hair back into pigtails. "You get dibs on the shower before me. How's that sound?"
"Thankyou, Emily", Luis said as he crawled into his bunk. "At least you care."
Ethan rolled his eyes as he rolled over towards the wall. Emily only shook her head as she gave the sleeping squibbon at the foot of her bed a gentle stroking on his mantle.
It was then that Cassiopeia emerged from the bridge, where she had retreated to after her shower, a small pad-like device in her hand. Her hair, which had previously been in a ponytail, had been now been let down, barely brushing the nape of her neck. In place of her blue jumpsuit, she now donned a blue gown with a logo resembling an hour glass.
"Is everything alright back here?" she asked, her arms crossed behind her back. "Anything you need?"
"No, I think we're fine", Emily said.
"Good", Cassiopeia said with a satisfied nod. "Well, with that I bid you good night." She then turned to return to the bridge.
"Aren't you coming to bed?" Luis asked.
Cassiopeia paused. "Oh, yes, I will… later. I just have a few things I have to look after on the bridge, nothing to worry about", she said with a nervous smile.
"Alright", Luis said, half convinced. "Try not to stay up too late."
"Good night, C.G.", Emily called out as she began to nestle herself under the covers.
Cassiopeia turned, her head cocked and a confused look on her face. "C.G.?" she said slowly.
"Yeah, C.G., short for Cassiopeia G.", Emily clarified. "Thought it'd be a neat nickname for you."
Cassiopeia went silent, her brows slightly knitting as if in deep thought.
"Cassiopeia?" Emily asked, a look of worry crossing her face as she began to worry that she may have offended the girl. "If you don't like it, I won't…"
"Oh, no", Cassiopeia said, holding up a hand, a reassuring smile on her face. "C.G.", she said slowly, letting the words process. "I think I like it."
Emily smiled as a wave of relief washed over her.
"Tell me", Cassiopeia said, her attention towards Luis. "Is distributing monikers a common custom in your era?"
"Yeah", Luis said. "Though it's mostly between friends."
Cassiopeia nodded at this, an expression crossing her face that neither Luis or Emily could decipher. Finally, Cassiopeia looked up and said, "Well, I won't keep you up any longer. Good night and pleasant dreams." With that she turned and entered the bridge, the door closing behind her as the lights to the crew's quarters dimmed.
"Not much of a talker, is she?" Emily said as she made herself comfortable under the blankets of the cot.
Luis shrugged. "I suppose", he said. "But then again neither was I when you first met me."
"Right", Emily said, remembering back to when she and Luis had first met back in middle school. "So, what do you think of her?"
"Hmm?" Luis said, thinking. "She seems nice enough, a little distant, but pleasant. You?"
"I like her", Emily said. "She has a certain charm to her, I don't know what yet, but it's there."
"Think she's best friend forever material?" Luis joked.
"Perhaps", Emily said, then frowned. "Well, perhaps if things were different."
"Hey, how about less yapping and more sleeping", Ethan moaned from his bunk as he placed a pillow over his head in an attempt to drown out the conversation.
"Sorry, Ethan", Emily said, before turning to Luis. "Well, good night."
"Night", Luis said as she lay his head on his pillow and closed his eyes.
. . . . .
From the other side of the door Cassiopeia listened as the two primitives talked amongst themselves until the room became silent. After hearing that nothing else was being said she moved away from the door and sat down in a chair in front of the large central table in the middle of the table. She let out a long sigh as she dropped her data pad onto the tabletop with a clank.
"Friends?" Cassiopeia said aloud, a pained look on her face. "Oh, Cassiopeia, what have you done?"
Among the many lessons that had been drilled into her head as a student in the academy, one of them had been the prime directive her mission, a basic guideline that was to guide her conduct for its duration: 'Leave no trace behind, not even footprints.'
A lot of good it did her, she thought. Not only had she managed to interrupt the timestream by going back to a time before time travel had been invented, but she had not contaminated it by allowing denizens of that era to imprint on her. Even if she were to get them back to their own time unharmed there was no telling how the timeline would be affected just by her interacting with those three primitives. Not to mention the fact that she had also managed to alert the authorities of the era of her presence, so there was no telling how much of a disturbance that would cause as well.
Cassiopeia let out a groan as she buried her face into her hands. "Well done, Cassiopeia. Well done", she scolded herself as she let her head hit the table with a soft thud.
It was then that she thought back to the start of her mission a little less than a standard day ago. She had entertained the thought that she would somehow make friends on her voyage, a dream that had been dashed as soon as she was introduced to the three robots her father had assigned to her, robots who now lay in a piled heap in the corner of the bridge. Perhaps this unexpected meeting was some work of fate, an answer to an unspoken prayer she would mutter in her lonelier days at the academy. Perhaps this was one of those acts of Soter her mother would made mention of.
Soter works in mysterious ways, little one, her mother would say. When he lays a path before you, it is best to follow it.
Cassiopeia smiled at this thought. Perhaps this was sort of blessing in disguise, some unexpected way of achieving her goal. They would make for far better company than the likes of Nelnut, Suroc, or Visocod Y, certainly. While she may have had to get used to Ethan's brash personality, she felt that she may be able to get along well with Emily. And Luis, well, it certainly wouldn't hurt to have another intellectual aboard, someone to talk to, not to mention that he was easy on the eyes.
Cassiopeia shook her head at the thought. No use in getting caught up in a fantasy, she figured. She could not allow her own selfish desires to cloud her judgement for the mission. Her priority was to get the engines operational again, contact her father, and see where she was to go from there.
Still, she couldn't help but feel her lips curl into a pleasant smile as she thought of the prospect of having friends.
C.G., she thought. Yes, that name would do nicely.