by Edge, T. C.
“So we wait to be loaded onto the ship and taken to the mainland?” he asks. “And how long will all that take?”
“Hard to say. They should unload and load within a couple of hours. Then it's a few more hours to New Atlantis. The boat will dock there overnight before returning to the mainland coast.”
“And how do you know all this?”
“I know everything about this city. I've lived here my whole life. You pick up things.”
“And how much air is in here? Are we not all going to suffocate to death?”
Ellie puts her arm onto Link's shoulder. “Look, stop asking so many questions. Cyra says we can trust Theo, so we can, OK.”
I give her a look of thanks and she nods in return. Link grunts but quietens down, before sitting up against the back of the container, Ellie settling in beside him.
I turn to Theo and lower my voice to a quiet whisper. “It's a valid point. How long will the air last?”
“Honestly, I don't know. Should be plenty to see us to New Atlantis.”
“And if the ship goes all the way to the mainland?”
Theo shrugs. “It won't, but if it did we can just open the door anyway. We're not locked in here or anything. I think Link's just trying to pick a fight. He can't stand following my plan.”
“Well, that's fair enough. It's not like you two are the best of friends.”
“Yeah, well things are different now. I want out of this city as much as anyone, and I'm the one who knows it.”
“You don't have to convince me. Just...make sure you guys get along, OK.”
Over the next couple of hours we sit in virtual silence in the dark, listening to the containers being unloaded, and then loaded, outside. As the noise gets louder, we know that they're getting closer. I pray that they won't check inside or sense that the cabinet is heavier than it should be. If they do, we're toast.
Then we hear a sudden shove and the container rocks slightly. Theo clicks on the light and I can see all eyes growing intense. Then we're lifted, turned, and begin moving. The sound of the waves and ocean grows stronger, the twisting of metal and rumbling of engines as huge machines keep working long into the night.
I feel the container being set down on the ship now, locked into place among hundreds of others. We're safely on, I think. That's stage one done.
It doesn't take long before a rumble begins vibrating beneath us, the sound of the ship's engines starting to fire. Then the unmistakable feeling of motion, of the slow churn of the ship against the waves, burrowing through the ocean.
There's a collective sigh of relief among us as we all share nervous glances. Then we sit back and relax, with nothing to do but wait.
I return to my thoughts as we go, the container dark and silent but for the sound of waves crashing against the hull, of wind whistling around us. I can't help but feel guilty, dragging these three on my crusade. Theo and Ellie seemed intent on joining me, but not Link. Despite what he thinks of Eden, I know he wants to serve and help people. Now, after this betrayal, he'll never be considered trustworthy again.
I fall into a dream in the darkness, exhaustion finally overcoming me. I see blurred images of Jackson once more, but not like before. He's no longer wounded, no longer lying on that dirty mattress. He's standing now, tall crumbling buildings around him, starring out as he's lead through the city by the man in the cloak.
I'm awoken by the feel of a hand shaking my shoulder. I look up to see Theo, his face illuminated by his torch, starting at me. “Cyra, wake up. We're here.”
My eyes spring open and I sit up. The feeling of vibration is gone, the engines shut down. All that's left is a gentle swaying as the ship is pitched back and forth by the waves. Outside, there are no voices, no sounds of crates and containers being unloaded. Theo carefully moves to the front and pushes at the door. It creaks and opens a crack. He peers beyond, before pushing the door wider, the caustic smell of salt quickly rushing in.
One by one, we clamber out onto the deck of the ship. We're in a maze of containers, unable to see anything beyond. We creep on towards the railing at the ship's edge and, finally, see the city of New Atlantis grow in our view.
I've seen it before, when Leeta described it to us on our journey to Eden. Yet now, seeing it from this level, is something else entirely. The harbour is huge, a sprawling mass of ships of all sizes, docked at various points. Beyond, towers climb high into the air, linked together by passages and tunnels. In the darkness, the entire city twinkles with a million lights, as striking and beautiful as the night sky. And surrounding it all is a wall, tall enough to deflect the waves and keep the city safe from storms and pirates.
Theo continues to lead us on, sneaking forward and down onto the docks. There's little activity here, the night growing late and the vices of the city coming into full swing. New Atlantis is, as Leeta told us, a mecca for gambling, prostitution, drinking, and drugs. If anywhere is 'off the grid' and left to its own devices by Eden, this city is it. Yet it serves a purpose for those in power. A place where people are able to let off steam and enjoy themselves. A place where anonymity is everything.
With our masks on, we're as anonymous as anyone. As soon as we begin moving through the harbour, Theo starts to loosen up, his walk turning from a crouch to a stroll.
“No one here knows us, and no one would care anyway,” he tells us. “Tonight, we can relax.”
We move into the city, which is littered with platforms and walkways and hard to navigate without knowing your way around. Beneath the surface of the water, the shadow of the towers can be seen, plunging down into the darkness. Some levels are lit, blurred lights shimmering beneath the surface. Down there you can see out to the ocean's depths. The thought sends a shudder through me.
Around us, the people seem rough, mainly men with several days of stubble and a mean look in their eye. Theo says they're the merchants, used to spending days on end at sea and constantly on the move. I know the type. I used to see them in Arbor. I'd even trade with them sometimes if I could find one selling medicine cheaply. Those from Eden and the other sea cities stay in another part of the city. Here, Theo says, it's more sordid and derelict. A place for those with less money and looser morals.
After about 10 minutes, we find a tower rising only a few floors up above the water. It flickers with a light that says 'cheap hotel' and looks about the most unappealing place in the city. “This is perfect,” says Theo, leading us inside.
It's grotty and dank looking. In front of us is a short desk, with a run-down looking woman behind it. A cigarette hangs from her mouth, a glass of liquor in her hand. Her bloodshot eyes raise to us as we walk in, caked in streaky, unpleasant make-up.
“Room for the night is it?” she croaks, her lungs and throat rotten.
“Two,” says Theo, pulling a few notes from his bag. It's odd for me, seeing money. Where I'm from, the only currency is food. That's all I've ever traded with in the past.
“All right,” says the old woman. “Rooms 7 and 8 are free. They're on the 2nd floor.” She sucks in another load of smoke and sends it billowing out into the room as she hands Theo the keys.
He passes one to Link, before addressing all of us with a whisper. “We need to be up early tomorrow morning. Get some sleep, if you can.”
At that, Link quickly walks off, Ellie following behind. It's obvious he doesn't enjoy taking orders from Theo. I stumble after, feeling incredibly drained, yet more at home here than I ever did in Eden. Anywhere that's dank and unkempt is more what I'm used to, what I grew up with. I'm sure, here, I'll sleep just fine.
When we enter our room I change my mind. Not because of the smell or the peeling paint on the walls, but the fact that there's only one bed, and no Eve to call upon another.
Before I can voice my concerns, Theo moves towards a wardrobe in the corner. He opens the door and pulls out a set of spare bedding, before fashioning some sort of makeshift mattress on the floor. “You take the bed,” he says, “I'll take the flo
or.”
I'm too tired to argue, even though that would be my usual inclination. Instead I just drag my feet towards the bed, and slump down onto it.
I watch Theo as he readies his bed and puts his things in order, looking every bit the confident leader. Without him, I have no idea how far I'd have got. Caught at the docks most likely. Even if I'd made it here, what would I be doing now? Finding a warm hole to sleep in for the night? Staggering around, exhausted and alone, with no thoughts of what I'd do next?
“Thanks,” I say, watching him still, “for everything today. I could never have done this without you.”
He looks up, his eyes still alert. “I'd save your thanks for now. We're only just getting started.”
26 - The Chase
I feel as if I've only just closed my eyes when the ceiling light bursts to life and I see Theo above me, shaking me awake.
“Time to leave, Cyra.”
My blurred vision clears and I see that he's already dressed, his clothes soaked and hair dripping with water. Then I hear the patter of rain against the window, tapping on the glass. Through the open curtains I see a murky, gloomy, sky. Dark clouds rumble overhead, dousing the city in a thick grey fog, periodically lit by ferocious streaks of white lightning.
“Where have you been?”
“Down at the docks. I've found a boat that will take us to the mainland, to a quiet port without much security.”
“Who?”
“Just some fisherman. I paid him for passage for the four of us. He's leaving in 20 minutes.”
I rub my eyes and slip out of bed, feeling the biting cold of the air outside of my blanket. “What time is it?”
“It's nearing 7am.”
No wonder I feel so groggy. We've only been here for a few hours.
I slip an extra layer from my bag and put it on, before opening a tin of beans and wolfing down the contents. I suppose we'll all be back on rations again now, scraping around for food. It's what we're all used to, except Theo. How will he cope when we hit the mainland and truly leave his world behind? I doubt he's even stepped foot there before.
I begrudgingly place my morph mask back onto my face, feeling the soft jelly stick once more to my skin. It's suffocating and uncomfortable wearing it for too long, but also a necessity. As we move inland, towards the heat and dust, I can only imagine it will get worse.
We meet Link and Ellie downstairs at reception, Theo telling me he'd already told them the plan before waking me. Once more he's proven himself invaluable. Without his wallet we'd have no way of bartering passage across the narrow sea. He knows this part of the world, how it all works. Yet when we reach the mainland, it will be new territory for all of us.
The city is dead as we step into the pouring rain. As a city of vice, it mainly comes alive at night. When we reach the docks, however, it's a different story. The harbour is thriving, heaving with hundreds of men. Large ships prepare to continue their journeys to the mainland and the other sea cities. Smaller vessels brave the weather and churn out to sea, disappearing past the outer wall and into the raging ocean.
I scan the many vessels ahead, wondering which one will be ours. I take a sharp intake of breath when I see a stout, bearded man waving at us, standing beside a small boat which is little more than a dinghy.
“That's it?!” exclaims Link. “That's our boat?”
“It just needs to get us to the mainland. The size isn't relevant.”
“Yeah, if we overturn and drown it is...”
Theo greets the man and introduces us to him. Captain Mako, he calls himself, which I doubt is his real name. I look at the boat, which is fitted with various harpoons and other odd fishing devices I've never seen.
“He's a shark hunter,” says Theo as we step aboard. “Hence the name. The Mako shark is his speciality he tells me.”
“A shark hunter? That's what he was assigned to be?”
Theo shakes his head. “No, this guy's not attached to any duty. He's a free man living in New Atlantis and out on the ocean. He does it for money. Shark meat is considered a delicacy on Eden.”
We climb onto the boat, disappearing into a small cabin as the rain continues to drench the world outside. It's cramped, with a small kitchen and bunk bed against the side. Clearly Captain Mako spends a lot of time here.
In the harbour, the water is largely still. When we chug beyond the defensive wall, however, we're blasted from all angles. Captain Mako screams to us over the roar not to worry, that he's been in far worse weather a thousand times before. But it's little comfort for those of us who have never been this close to the water.
For the next few hours we sit, rocking from side to side, huddled together inside the small cabin. Ellie looks like she's growing more queasy as the day wears on, eventually rushing out to throw up over the side. Link goes with her, anchoring her in place to make sure she doesn't pitch over the edge into the torrent. He's attentive like that. Sweet and caring underneath that growling, brutish exterior.
“So where are we headed?” I ask Theo as we continue to rock and roll.
“A port town called Virginia Rock. Captain Mako says it's small, and won't have much security.”
“You asked him about security?! Way to make him suspicious!”
“Look, it's early Saturday morning. No one is looking for us yet, OK. Anyway, Mako doesn't care. As long as he gets paid, what's it to him?”
I drop the subject. Until we get there, it's impossible to know if there will be any customs security or Custodians there to greet us. Frankly, I have no idea what to expect, and neither does anyone else. Link and Ellie, they never left their towns either until they were sent to Eden. And I doubt Theo's ever actually been to the mainland, unless on some family trip or something. So all he's going on is what he's heard or read.
After a couple of hours the weather begins to calm, the sun breaking through the clouds above. I step out of the cramped cabin and onto the deck. The scent of rain lingers in the air, but has reduced to nothing more than a light sprinkle. Droplets tap the ocean top, sparkling under the sunshine. In the distance I see fins breaking the waves. Hundreds of them, cutting through the swell before ducking back beneath the surface.
“It's a dolphin superpod, shouts Captain Mako. It's rare to see them that big.”
I watch the dolphins as they get closer, cruising alongside the boat. Some jump and flip and pull off wild stunts, splashing and playing among the waves. Free. Unlike the rest of us.
Gradually the mainland coast comes into view. It starts as a shimmer under the sun, slowly growing clearer and drawing a line between the sea and the sky. Soon I see a harbour, several boats within it, and a scattering of buildings beyond.
“Ready yourselves,” says Captain Mako. “I'm dropping you off and heading straight back out.”
I keep my eyes on the harbour as it gets closer, searching for security points and guards. Then I see them, two men, standing on the boardwalk heading up towards the town. A man pitches up on his boat and moves towards them. He pulls up his sleeve and slips it inside a scanner positioned within a small security checkpoint. They're checking his barcode.
“Did you see that?” Link's by my side, staring ahead at the two guards as the man rolls his sleeve back down and trots past them. “They're scanning codes. These masks are gonna do nothin' when they find out who we really are!”
“Keep your voice down,” whispers Theo, glancing back at Captain Mako. “He doesn't know we're deserters.”
“Well he's the least of our problems!” says Link. “What are we gonna do about those guards?”
“We take them out,” says Ellie. We all turn around to see her eyes set on the guards. “Link, you can take them out, can't you?”
Link dips his head. “Not a problem.”
“No,” says Theo. “We can't draw attention to ourselves like that.”
“Well what choice do we have?” hisses Ellie. “Otherwise we'll never get past.”
“She's right,” I say. “If
we let them scan us then Eden will know we're here. We can't take that risk. Link, can you disable them without hurting them?”
“No problem,” Link says again.
“Right, then do it. And then we run.”
“Run! Run where? Knight's Wall is over 500 miles away, Cyra. We need a transport.”
“And we'll get one. But not here. We have no choice, Theo.”
“You kids all right down there?” We all turn to see Captain Mako, his one good eye staring down at us from the wheel.
“We're fine,” I say quickly. “Thanks for the ride, Captain.”
“My pleasure lil' lady. Now heads up, we're docking in a few minutes.”
We enter the harbour and tuck our bags over our shoulders. Link, who had been carrying Ellie's bag, goes without, priming himself for the fight.
The boat glides peacefully in through the small harbour wall and up against the wooden jetty alongside several other small boats. We step off and I catch the two guards looking at us. I don't know if it's my own paranoia, but they seem suspicious of something.
As Captain Mako begins pulling back out to sea with a wave, I feel my body tensing, my heart rate quickening. We walk, without speaking, along the pier until we meet the guards. There's no one else around, the harbour largely deserted. Hopefully our escape will go unnoticed.
“All right you four,” says one guard. “Sleeves up, lets get you scanned.”
I glance at Link, who steps forward ahead of us. He stretches to his full height, several inches above even the taller guard. “OK, the big one first. Left hand in the scanner.”
Link stands there, not moving. “I said, left hand in the scanner. You deaf or something?!”
The guard steps forward, pulling out an electric rod from his belt. They use them in Arbor to incapacitate people, sending a charge through people's bodies that knocks them out. The rod begins flashing at the end, blue and white sparks zapping between two metal prongs.
“Left hand in the scanner, now. Or else you'll get zapped.” He holds out the rod threateningly, but Link merely smiles and does nothing. I know what he's doing. He's waiting for them to act.