Floodworld
Page 20
She’d dragged the Mariner captain from the water, handing him to the Shore Boys who had locked him in the Zoo’s deepest cell. Cane had followed, unable to meet Kara’s eye.
“I wonder what they’ll do with him?” Joe wondered, and Kara shrugged.
“Execute him, most likely. If Maura Glass has anything to do with it.”
“They shouldn’t,” Nate said. “They should find the darkest hole they can and throw him in it. Make sure he never sees his precious ocean again.”
“Well, he was wrong about one thing,” Joe said, pointing. “Things aren’t going to go back to how they were. People are working together already. Look.”
A crowd had gathered around the canvas hospital; he could see one of the Shore Boys lifting a stretcher, a MetCo officer taking the other end. Miss Ella had assembled a group of bedraggled city folk and was trying to get them organised, waving her arms like she was back in the classroom.
“How long will it last, though?” Kara asked. “They could be at each other’s throats again by nightfall. I don’t—”
A sudden wail cut through the stillness. It sounded like a foghorn far out in the shipping lanes. Joe squinted, seeing reflected light in the distance. “Is that a ship?”
Nate shielded his eyes. “A tanker? They might not have heard what happened.”
The grey shape rolled into the Cut, slicing through the mist still clinging to the water. That high blast sounded again, echoing from the towers on either side. Then down in the harbour someone cried out, “The Mariners! The Mariners are back!”
They jumped up. Joe still had Redeye’s binoculars in his pocket; he tugged them out and peered through, seeing waves cresting round a sharp prow, a silver spire gleaming in the sun. The Disc had been packed into the hangars but the outline of the Hub was unmistakable.
Maura marched from the Zoo, a squad of Shore Boys at her back. “Is it them? Are they really back?”
Joe nodded. “It’s the Neptune.”
She turned to her men. “Round up as many of our people as you can. We can win this if we—”
“Wait,” Kara said. “We should at least find out what they want.”
“They’re Mariners,” Maura spat. “We know what they want.”
“But they’re not all the same. Nate’s proof of that.” Suddenly Kara’s eyes lit up. “I’ve got an idea. Find Cane. Bring her to the docks as quick as you can.”
Maura frowned. “Cortez’s daughter? What can she do?”
“Just trust me.”
They ran down the steps, weaving between the craters. As they reached the sea wall Joe heard the Neptune cut her engines, an anchor rattling from the hull. On the upper deck he could see figures at the railing.
“This is the Mariner Ark Neptune.” The voice came through a loudhailer and Joe couldn’t help flashing back to last night, to that terrible moment when Cortez had addressed the crowd. But this was a woman’s voice, distant but recognisable. “We received an automated distress call. Where is John Cortez?”
Kara fumbled in her pocket, yanking out Remick’s transmitter. “Doctor Chandra,” she said, her voice crackling from the busted speakers. “Cortez is … not here.”
“Is he dead?” the doctor demanded. “What happened? What did you—”
“Just wait,” Kara said, glancing back, “there’s someone else who wants to speak to you.”
Maura strode towards them, shoving Cane ahead of her. The girl looked exhausted, her face flushing as she spotted Joe and Nate. Then she saw the Neptune and her fists clenched.
“We need you to talk to them,” Kara told her, holding out the transmitter. “You have to convince them to stand down. You’re the only one they’ll listen to.”
Cane looked at her in astonishment. “Why would I do that?”
“Because of what’ll happen if you don’t,” Kara said. “Think. How few people did Cortez leave behind on the Neptune? And how few of those are soldiers? They’re loyal to him; they’ll fight if they feel like there’s no other choice. But they’ll die, Cane. You can save them.”
The girl blanched. “I’m not a traitor.”
Kara’s face softened. “I know. But you’re not a fool either. And I don’t think you’re a killer, despite everything. You didn’t want to shoot Nate, I know that. And he knows it too, don’t you?”
Nate frowned, then he nodded slowly.
“Don’t make your father’s mistake,” Kara pleaded. “It’s time to stop fighting and work together.”
They faced one another for a long moment, and Joe could see the struggle taking place behind the Mariner girl’s eyes. But at last she took the transmitter, raising it reluctantly to her mouth.
“Th-this is Cane Cortez,” she said. “My father’s been taken prisoner, Doctor Chandra. I don’t know how much you knew of his plans, but… Well, they didn’t work out.”
The doctor peered over the railing. “And what about you? Are they telling you what to say?”
“No,” Cane admitted. “I’m speaking for myself. I just… Look, I know how loyal you all were to him. I know everyone on board loved him, but you haven’t seen what I’ve seen. He did terrible things. He killed so many people. But they fought back. And they’ll fight again if you force them.”
Chandra lowered her transmitter, turning to the other Mariners gathered at the railing. Among them Joe could see a figure in a wheelchair, his blond hair bright in the sunshine.
“So what do you want us to do?” the doctor asked at last. “Just turn round and go?”
Kara reached out, taking the transmitter from Cane’s hand. “Actually we’d like you to stay.”
Maura began to protest but Kara held up a hand. “There are wounded people here. They need medicine and blankets. You have food and fuel on board; we’ll need those too. Please. Stay and help us.”
Chandra turned away, conferring with the others. Joe saw her speaking animatedly, gesturing down at the docks and the Pavilion. He took Kara’s hand, enjoying as he always did the sight of his little brown paw clasped in her big rosy-pink one.
“Maybe it’s happening,” he whispered. “Just like in your speech. Maybe everyone’s really going to work together. Maybe we really are going to make the world better.”
Kara nodded as the sun topped the Wall, bathing them in clear light.
“Maybe,” she said.
Acknowledgements
Ella Diamond Kahn put the wind back in my sails. Kirsty Stansfield expertly steered me and the Mariners through exposition-infested waters. And as ever, Rosie Greatorex is the star by which I set my course.
Special credit is due to Scott Eastlick – the Mariners are your offspring too (we’ll call him Nate, if it’s a boy). Jensine Eckwall drew the coolest map imaginable, Manuel Šumberac created that dizzying cover and Elisabetta Barbazza wrangled it all together beautifully.
Lauren Fortune and Tilda Johnson got things back on track while Cavan Scott kept me both inspired and in gainful employment, along with Emil Fortune, Sammy Holland, Nick Kyme, David Jenkins, George Mann and many others. Daisy Brown and Kitty Coulson Byng offered enthusiasm and excellent notes, while Alfie Brown, Sarah Huddleston and Steve Huddleston cheered from the sidelines.
I’d be sunk without Sean, Nic and all the other No Sorrows past and present, my Stokey Litfest patrons Liz Vater and Kate Manning and of course Lindsey Bowden, who enables me to live out my teenage dreams once annually at the Twin Peaks UK Festival.
It’s taken a long time to get here so there are far too many friends to thank for their support, particularly this past year. You know who you are, I love you all dearly and. I’ll see you down the Butchers.
Copyright
First published in the UK in 2019 by Nosy Crow Ltd
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Text copyright © Tom Huddleston, 2019
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Cover copyright © Manuel Šumberac, 2019
Map copyright © Jensine Eckwall, 2019
p143: lines from “The City in the Sea” by Edgar Allan Poe.
First published under that title in American Review, 1945.
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