by Adam Carter
Which meant she would have to re-plan everything very quickly indeed.
“Rosalita, how do you feel about taking this ship?”
Rosalita laughed. She stopped laughing when she saw Arowana was not joining her. “You serious? Why would we want to do that? If you’re right and your man’s come to rescue you, there should be enough room in there for both of us.”
“But not everyone.”
“Everyone?”
“I’m not leaving these slaves in the hands of Haskell. Are there any children here?”
“Sure. Captain Gardener picked up any survivors he could find.”
“And you’re willing to leave children to suffer like I have?”
Rosalita did not answer and the two continued shuffling down the corridor for several minutes. There were few crewmembers who ever went down to the slave storage area so there was little chance they would happen upon anyone, especially since Haskell’s torture chamber would be purposefully set away from general traffic. After an eternity, Rosalita said, “There’s no evidence to suggest she’d torture a child. She thinks you’re a spy, so she has justification.”
“There could never be any justification for what she did. Besides, if she wanted any answers she should have asked more questions.” When Rosalita did not reply, Arowana said, “She told me about a girl named Matilda. I checked the newspaper records of the time. She was a stowaway Haskell caught and tortured to death. She was sixteen.”
“How did you check newspaper records?”
“It doesn’t matter. That woman butchered a sixteen-year-old girl and she’ll do the same to any slave who takes her fancy. You know she will. So are you going to just run away and leave her to do that or are we going to do something about her?”
“Why don’t we just murder her? It would be simpler than taking over the ship.”
“Murder her?” Arowana had not even considered that, but nor did she want to. “We don’t have the right to just kill someone, Rosalita.”
“And if we try to take over this ship we’ll get ourselves killed.”
They stumbled and Arowana fell against the wall. She groaned in pain and felt fresh blood gush from her side.
“We can’t keep moving,” Rosalita said. “I have to find you a doctor.”
“I have my own physician, thanks.”
“Joking aside, you need help.”
Arowana shifted her weight until she was marginally more comfortable. The fancy clothes she wore were soaked with blood and she tore at them so she could better see her injuries. Blood covered her side and she could see it pumping thickly from the four puncture wounds the knuckledusters had left. There were welts across her flesh where the whip had torn into her, while the remainder of her body was covered in bruising or blood spread by her excessive sweat.
“We don’t have time for a doctor,” Arowana said, feeling lightheaded at the pain. “Is there a bathroom near here?”
“I think there’s one a couple of corridors down.”
“Then get me there.”
“Iris, I don’t think you should be …”
“Get me there.”
It was clear Rosalita was not happy about the situation, but she placed Arowana’s arm across her shoulder once more and together they stumbled onwards. Reaching the bathroom was agony, yet finally they made it. By this time she felt about ready to pass out but took in her surroundings as best she could. It was a standard communal toilet area, with a row of sinks, some cubicles and two urinals. Arowana collapsed against the wall and grimaced, only then noticing the trail of blood she had left in her wake. Once Haskell returned to the torture chamber she would have no problem at all in tracking her prey.
“What now?” Rosalita asked. “I can bathe your wounds, but I don’t know squat about surgery.”
“It’s all right, I do.”
“You a doctor all of a sudden?”
Arowana closed her eyes, tiredness overtaking her. “No, but I’ve picked a few things up along the way.”
“Along what way?”
Arowana heard the sound of a tap running and then Rosalita was crouched beside her, sponging her body with a soaked piece of kitchen towel she had taken from a dispenser. Arowana did not answer, for she was accessing information in her augmented brain. She scanned through various theses surgeons had written and studied maps of the human body. She read up on all the surgical procedures throughout human history and kept in mind any she thought might be of any use. She could delete the information later, for it would always be stored in her mental database, but if she could sift out all the useful nuggets she might stand a chance of talking Rosalita through saving her life.
“Is there a first-aid box in here?” she asked.
“Uh …” Rosalita looked around and finally found one attached to the wall. She opened it and various things spilled out. “We have bandages, plasters, cold things, hot things, needle and thread.”
“Bring it all. Especially the needle and thread.”
“You’re going to make me sow you up, aren’t you?”
“Eventually.” Her eyes still closed, Arowana licked her parched lips and said, “This isn’t going to be pleasant, for either of us. But if you don’t do this I’m going to die.” She opened her eyes to find the other woman trembling at what she was being asked to do. “I don’t know you, Rosalita, and the only connexion we have is a womanising gypsy neither of us really likes that much. But you’re the only hope I have of surviving this and I’m pretty much begging you here.”
“I’ll do it.” She did not look happy about it, but her back was a little straighter at the responsibility. “Just talk me through what I have to do.”
Fighting to stay conscious, Arowana began to explain.
CHAPTER TEN
“I don’t think she’s here,” Rayne said. She had led Gordon and Cassiel to the slave area and asked about Haskell, but no one had seen her in some time. Also, no one had seen Gordon’s woman at all, which likely meant she had not been taken to the other slaves at all. They had moved freely among the slaves, asking whatever questions they needed to, and Rayne hoped this would at least prove to Gordon that being able to move about their pen afforded the slaves a sense of freedom. Like free-range chickens laying an untold number of eggs. “Haskell must be keeping her in a cell or something.”
“Where?” Gordon asked.
“I have no idea. It would have to be somewhere in the slave area, though. But this place is huge.”
Gordon cursed. Rayne felt sorry for him, she could see he really did love this Iris woman, but there was no real problem. Iris would be around somewhere, it was just that the Obsidian was a really big ship.
“We honestly should go see the captain,” she said. “Five minutes with him and we could have everything sorted out. Just explain who you are to him and everything’ll be peachy.”
“Everything is not going to be peachy,” Gordon said irritably. “Cass, take a look around the ship. See what you can find.”
“Whoa, hold on,” Rayne said. “I can’t let her just wander around this ship.”
“Why? I thought we were trusting one another now.”
“I show you Iris, you go to the captain. That was the deal.”
“Then show me Iris.”
“It’s not my fault I can’t find her.”
“Cass?”
Cassiel nodded and walked towards the exit. Several slaves were watching her, likely wondering what was going on. Rayne felt a fool, not being able to control two intruders, but there was nothing she could physically do to stop them.
“I’ll call the captain,” she threatened.
“You do that.”
Cassiel had already slipped through the door, leaving Rayne no choice. She pulled out her radio, keeping a careful eye upon Gordon. “Captain Gardener.”
“Carla? Where are you? I need you up here.”
“I’m in the slave area.”
“Why?”
“I have the intruders with me. W
ell, one of them anyway. The other’s just left.”
“Intruders? Miss Dubois?”
“No, Heathcliff.”
“The engineering guy?”
“Seems Miss Dubois and Heathcliff are lovers.”
“Which would explain all that flak we encountered. Can you keep him there?”
Rayne paused. She had expected Gordon to have attacked her by now, although he had made no move at all. “I think so. His name’s Gordon, by the way. Still don’t know the surname. The other intruder’s a woman called Cassiel. She’s dressed up in a weird black suit and is carrying a sword.”
“A sword?”
“Yeah, I have no idea why, either.”
“All right, I’ll get people looking for her. Stay where you are.”
“Captain, he’s looking for Miss Dubois. If we could get all these people together I’m sure we could talk this through.”
“Just stay there.” He terminated the call.
Rayne kept her eyes on Gordon as she put away her radio. “You didn’t hit me or anything.”
“Why would I hit you? I’ve never hit a woman in my life.”
“Would you have hit me if I was a man?”
“No. Beating you up won’t get me to see Iris.”
“That’s very mature of you. Are you going to wait here for the captain like he asked?”
“I don’t have much choice, do I?”
Just then a booming voice thundered through the room and Rayne looked over to see Victoria Haskell storming towards them. Her eyes blazed with fire and her body shook with fury. “You stupid girl,” she said, marching straight up to Rayne and backhanding her across the face. Rayne staggered but did not fall, the shock of the attack knocking her senseless just as the blow itself had. “You let one of the intruders run off with a sword?”
“I didn’t let her do anything. She …”
“Don’t answer me back.” Haskell struck her again across the face and followed it up with a fist to the belly which knocked Rayne to her hands and knees. She gasped for breath even as her vision swam haphazardly. Then the pain set in.
“Get off her,” Gordon said, and Rayne was aware of a large muscular body crouched beside her, an arm draped protectively across her. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
“I’m a crewmember,” Haskell replied. “I should be asking who you are.”
“Then ask. Where do you get off, attacking her?”
“She’s an idiot.”
“She’s a decent human being who’s just doing her job. Now back off.”
Rayne had never had anyone step in for her like that and as Gordon helped her to her feet she saw a mixture of emotions upon his face. Anger at Haskell’s actions, concern for Rayne’s well-being and a sadness that she was suffering.
It took her a few moments for her to realise he had asked her whether she was all right.
“I’ll be fine,” she said, taking a painful deep breath. “She’s right, though. I should have called the captain as soon as I found you.”
“We found you,” Gordon reminded her. “We ambushed you and took you prisoner.”
“Well,” Haskell said, “now the tables are turned.”
“Where’s Iris?”
“I don’t answer your questions.”
“Have you hit her, too?”
“I do my job and answer only to the captain. I keep the slaves in line and as long as I do that the captain leaves me alone. A cargo this size should need half a dozen handlers, but the captain gets along fine with just me and any unpaid assistants I like to nominate among the slaves. He saves money and I get job satisfaction.”
“You mean you can beat up a few slaves and the captain turns a blind eye because he’s pocketing cash over it.”
“If you like.”
“Gordon, please,” Rayne said, placing a hand upon his. She noticed his arm was still draped protectively over her shoulders and was tempted to ask him to remove it. She surprised herself when she didn’t.
“Gordon, please?” Haskell asked, her eyebrows rising even though one was half-concealed by the eyepatch. “Oh, great. Now I see what’s going on. Now I understand how the captain’s interference could have ruined things for you, Rayne.”
“It’s not like that.”
“No? You,” Haskell said to Gordon. “Miss Dubois. What’s her real name?”
“If she hasn’t told you herself, what makes you think I’m going to?”
“You really are making this difficult for Iris, you know.”
Gordon did not seem to know what she meant by that, but Rayne had a pretty good idea. There were stories about Haskell, bad stories. Rayne had never known for there to be any proof to back them up, but everyone knew not to be alone with her.
“What the blazes is going on?” Captain Gardener said as he thundered into the chamber. Hawthorn narrowed his eyes, sensing trouble, while Haskell backed off, seething that she had not accomplished anything prior to the captain’s arrival. Rayne noted many of the slaves backed away as well, keeping to themselves. Rayne herself straightened. She was never made to salute the captain, for they were not a military crew, but the man demanded respect and since she was in the wrong here she was terrified of what he might do. The Obsidian offered the best life she had ever known and she hated to think she might be sold off because of one mistake.
“Mademoiselle Dubois is gone,” Haskell said. “I went to check on her and someone had sprung her.”
“You?” Gardener asked Gordon.
“If I’d done it, I wouldn’t be here.”
“Who are you?”
“People keep asking me that as though they actually expect me to answer.”
“Captain,” Rayne said, stepping in before Gardener could explode, “maybe we should put out a ship-wide call to search for the two missing women.”
Gardener looked at her then and Rayne cringed at his scrutiny. “What happened to you? This brute been hitting you?”
She glanced to Haskell, but it was not the place of a slave to say anything against one of her masters. Yet nor would she lie to protect her.
“I didn’t hit her,” Gordon said. “You know full well Haskell there beats the slaves. If she’s so much as touched Iris I swear I’ll blow this ship apart.”
“We don’t break any laws.”
“Only the laws of decency.”
“There are no laws of decency, just guidelines.”
“Any respect I may have had for you, Captain, I just lost.”
Rayne had never before heard anyone talk to Captain Gardener like that. He was a good man, always fair with his crew and especially to his slaves. She wanted to defend him, to tell Gordon that he didn’t know what he was talking about, but at the same time she did not want to get in the way of Gordon and his worry over Iris.
“I really don’t have time for this nonsense,” Gardener said. “Haskell, find their ship. If they sneaked aboard during that flak incident they’ve probably attached it to the hull somewhere.”
“Captain, I need to find Iris.”
“You need to do as you’re told. We’re understaffed as it is and I need someone I can trust looking for that ship. Besides, if Gordon and Iris are so connected, she’ll be heading there herself.”
That seemed to please Haskell because a broad grin spread itself across her face. Rayne shuddered at the thought of Iris falling into her hands again.
“What do you want me to do, Captain?” Rayne asked.
“Stay with the one prisoner we’ve managed to keep a hold of.” He looked around and finally approached Haskell. Taking something off her, he walked towards Rayne and Gordon. Gordon dropped into a defensive crouch but Gardener waved away such silliness. “Unless you’re going to strike me you’re not going to stop me doing this.” And before Gordon could consider his options Gardener had snapped a metal ring about his wrist. He quickly snapped another to Rayne’s, with a chain linking them.
Gordon raised the handcuffs in surprise.
“Stay with him,” Gardener ordered Rayne. “You lose him, I lose you.” With that, he turned and strode from the slave area. Haskell offered Rayne a snide smile and followed him out.
Rayne was shocked speechless. She had never seen the captain so angry, nor had he ever spoken to her in such a way. She had been fearing his reaction all this time, but she had no doubt now that he really would get rid of her should Gordon escape.
She yelped as Gordon made for the exit after them.
“Where are you going?” she asked, trying to pull him back but finding herself dragged along behind him.
“I’m going after Iris.”
“You heard the captain. If you do that, he’s going to sell me.”
“Then he’s not the nice guy you’ve been painting him as.”
“He’s under a lot of stress at the moment. Half the crew’s come down with radiation sickness and if we don’t get back to Malkavia on schedule they’ll probably die.”
She had not meant to say that, but it did give Gordon pause. “I thought his schedule was all about getting these slaves to market before they spoil.”
“That, too. But mainly he cares about the lives of his crew. Our doctors can treat the sickness, but they can’t cure it. Once we get home, everyone gets the cure, crew and slave alike. The more trouble you cause, the more you slow us down, and the more you slow us down the more chance there is of all our people dying. The captain has a lot of weight on his shoulders and you’re just making things worse.”
“And you expect me to just stand here while that monster Haskell goes after Iris?”
For that Rayne had no answer. She wanted to tell Gordon that if Haskell had already conducted a session with Iris there was a good chance there wasn’t much of Iris left to find. But that she had escaped spoke otherwise, and if Haskell managed to track her down it would be horrific.
“You’re asking me to risk my way of life,” she said.
“I’m asking you to help save the woman I love from a monster. So yes, I’m asking you to risk your life as a slave in order to do that.”