Chapter 13

Marina pinched herself, hard on the wrist not trusting her senses. It was all far too real to be a dream but she'd so many times woken to still be in the cramped palace holding cell this week.

"It's not a dream it's real remember. Stingray and the ships. The gun fight. That all happened." she told herself.

She tried counting ceiling tiles as they passed to focus on something. But that just made her sleepy, so she had to pinch herself again. She nearly missed and pinched Troy. Thankfully he didn't seem to notice. Troy adjusted his hold on her again with a grunt.

Then they were going down a stairwell; and passed a sign for a fire exit.

"Wait a fire exit? Why were we going out the back?" Marin thought, confused. And wriggled to try and sit up again to look about.

A door opened. Cold fresh air against her toes woke her up a little. But it was hard to make what was going on, her eyes struggling to adjust to the sudden change. Light still flashed behind eyelids, impressions and spots even when she shut them tight again.

"Hold up. Keep still Marina. Nearly there. Nearly there."

Marina gave one nod and lowered her gaze. She felt a crunch of gravel, then tarmac hard beneath Troy's feet. And he took them past cars, all shiny chrome and bright colours. Too bright.

"Captain! Over here?"

"Hey Fisher." Troy called, loud near her ears. Marina saw Phone's hand wave too. They walked on a little more.

"You get in first, honey." Troy said. There was a click, and the car doors opened. "Ready Marina? Easy does it."

Marina opened her eyes a little to see Troy as he twisted himself round. He then awkwardly and very carefully sat her in the backseat of a car. And judging by the hands that held her instead he'd passed Marina to someone else. Red nails, soft hands. Atlanta was sat next to her in the backseat.

"I'll see y'all there in a little while?" Marina then heard Phones call.

Troy gave an affirmative, "We'll meet you there buddy."

"Phones? Is he not coming with us? Phones?" Marina turned and lifted her head up in time to see him wave again. And leave. There was another bang of car doors as they shut on her. Shutting her in.

Marina was suddenly overcome with anxiety at the thought of the three of them about being separated. Not after everything today. Or this week. Marina squirmed, her back against the slippery leather, and tried to sit up. To get back out of the car. To see where Phones went. Where Troy was. "Phones!"

But her feet were tucked in under her and the blanket seemed to weigh a great deal. She struggled against it, but someone was talking to her.

"Is that what's worrying you? He's following us. It's okay." Atlanta soothed, making Marina jump. "It's okay, you'll see Phones soon, Marina; don't worry. He's just parked his hover bike in the other car park."

Atlanta was in the backseat too. It had been Atlanta Troy had had help him. Marina nodded, remembering scraps of detail. "Let's get buckled in, there we go."

Atlanta leaned over and Marina watched as a seat belt clipped over her lap. Atlanta did her own. Then put an arm around Marina's shoulder helping her up a little and pulling the blanket more securely snuggly about her; talking to her all the while, telling Marina what she was doing.

"There there. Relax."

"Relax?" Marina huffed, feeling a little patronised. But leant against her friend and tried to do as she was told. Tried to relax into the half hug Marina would stubbornly insist it wasn't if asked. But it was. And it felt nice.

"Gee she looks bad." Fisher said from the driver's seat. And was shushed. Marina hadn't even realised he was there. "Sorry. How are you holding up, Marina?"

Marina just nodded and tried to give a thumbs up. Or an an okay. Fisher looked as convinced as she felt. Troy got in the front to her relief. Marina could hear his voice but once again what was said Marina missed it.

"I wish that would stop happening." She thought. She couldn't even blame it on the rumble of an engine as Fisher only just started the car. Troy turned in his seat and flashed the girls that bright confident grin as they set off.

It was very loud in the car, with no hood. She could see everything too. The back of the leather seats in front. And the sky. The barrier for the car park lifted as Fisher lent out and swiped his card at the electric box. Fisher's car didn't have a roof. And the back seats had to be folded out. Marina remembered the car was yellow and blue too. Like Troy's old one before he'd brought his red car with a roof that folded up. Yellow and blue, only the opposite of stingray, yellow with a blue stripe…

Marina closed her eyes lulled by the movement.

Yellow and blue. Blue and yellow. Blue and-

"Hey!"

A sudden lurch sent her slipping. The sudden lurch from the missile knocked them back. Another terror fish open fired. The seabed below Troy's fish erupted, rocking their ship back and loose more precious distance trying to surf the waves it caused. Too much distance this time. The ship was sinking, they weren't in stingray. Not blue and yellow Stingray but a busted slow terror fish. And they were sinking-!

Atlanta's other arm had shot out to stop her falling forward, the smack of it waking Marina up. Her hearts were pounding, but her breathing was already so fast, and she couldn't breathe in the air. Marina tried anyway. Tried to count on what she could see. And feel. Feel Atlanta's arm still around her. The scratchy blanket.

They were in the car. They were in the car not the terror fish they were safe-! Troy and Phones were safe.

"Woah is she okay back there? Take it easy on those turns Fisher!" Troy complained as Atlanta pulled her back into her seat.

"I only hit a pothole. You know what north two car park is like." Fisher said. "Hey, is she sat up properly? Of course she's going to slip if she'd not strapped in-?"

"You literally just saw me put the seat belt on." Atlanta replied.

"don't argue! Please!" Marina snapped, flapping her hands.

"Why didn't you drive her home then?" Fisher asked.

"Father has the car. You've the bigger back seat anyway."

"Maybe you should have borrowed an ambulance." John complained back. Marina flinched at the idea. "Oh, sorry Marina. Hey sir, you'll never believe this! It's Titian, on our radio!"

"Wait. What did you just say?" Marina frowned. But she hadn't seen his lips move.

"What and alerted the whole town?" Troy scowled instead. Marina clapped one handed at him and Fisher each. Then leant forward to tap tap tap the back of the seat. Troy blinked at her, surprised. Then reeled in his sudden annoyance over the bickering.

"Okay okay. Sorry Marina" he sighed.

Then to Fisher he said, "look thanks for this. But take it easy, Marina's not so good. She might get travel sick if you drive too fast or take any more bumps."

"There's no chance of going too fast," Fisher pointed out. "we're coming from the north car park two so we have to take the one-way system past the family barracks, and back on ourselves. There's kids playing outside, and there's so many speed bumps."

As if to illustrate his point Fisher had to hold it at one of the black and white crossings that in no way resembled a bird; despite the earthmen naming it pelican. He let a corporal with a buggy and another little one on a bike crossover. And then a sudden break and stall the car a marine moment later when a soccer ball came bouncing into the road and the kid who came shooting after it right in front of them.

"And I thought this might be less rough for her than walking or getting the bus." Troy sighed.

Marina wasn't sure if Fisher was right about the road or exaggerating. But every bump in the road was like a shake to her spine. Or a vibration of a submersible.

"Perhaps it's me?" she wondered. She was feeling too rough and delicate, rocking like a buoy on a rough tide. She couldn't tell where they were either. She didn't usually come this way or travel around Marineville at great length. A league of wandering maybe but she didn't like to venture too far.

They'd barely started moving when they came to a stop again.

"Passes? All of them." Said a bored voice. Marina looked up and brief glance of a security uniform. He then saw her and started gaping like a fish under the white helmet. "Smoked kippers, you found her?!"

Gaping like a terror fish, its eyes bulging and mouth opening. Marina shook her head, trying to loosen the image and closed her eyes again, rubbing her eyes with one hand.

"Gee, welcome back miss!" The guard grinned anyway. "Ahem, I mean er, passes please everyone. You as well captain."

Marina was jostled as Atlanta moved to reach into her front pocket. And there was the fumbling of papers and id cards. Followed by a pause.

A long pause.

"Come on Jones, we're not going off base." Troy said.

"Yeah, what's the hold-up Davey?" Fisher frowned. "We all check out."

"You've not got her pass, John." The guard said. "I really shouldn't let you go. You know we're on an amber alert."

"Why? You boys didn't even catch Marina leaving the base last week." Atlanta grumbled under her breath. (Marina laughed, a little.)

Atlanta then put in louder. "we've permission from the commander to take Marina to housing."

"I have to radio and check that Miss Shore." Jones said, apologetically "Wait here please."

"Otherwise, we could cover her up with the blanket, so you don't question it?" Troy called after him.

"you guys are never going to let that go, are you?" Jones sighed trudging back to his little box cabin.

Marina winced. That was a little unfair. Poor guy was only doing his job.

"And Davy was much nicer than Lieutenant Mackrell. I don't particularly like him much." she thought, tipping her head back to look up at the sky. And the stars. Pink and blue and green high high above.
"But why are they out so early? If the sun was still out. The moon hasn't risen yet?"

Marina blinked trying to shake off the spots in her vision again.

"Not stars. Real stars will be out later." she reminded herself, a little cross at herself, for feeling so tired that her eyes were straining. It was getting late judging by how dark blue the sky was getting. Clouds were painted with splashes of orange and pinks though she couldn't see the sunset for the city. Just the occasional streetlight was flickering on.

A minute or so later, Jones let them go. Marina could see in his little cabin still on the phone (away from his ear) as the gate raised and let them through.

It wasn't normally a long distance from the tower to her place – the home that the wasps', they had made her. Not by walking anyway. It felt a very long drive and a blur all at once.

They came to another security post. But this time only paused to be waved through. Troy was still in the front. He turned around in his seat of the car and smiled at her as the barrier lifted. And Marina made to smile back.

But froze. His wetsuit. Troy's wetsuit was stained with purple liquid...