by Simon Archer
16
Predictably, it took us a couple of weeks to arrive at the nearest continent. The voyage carried on as well as it had started. Each night, we would cook a meal, though most of the work would always fall to Cindra. She grumbled about it, but in the end, she was always happy to oblige since none of us could make the kind of masterpieces out of nothing that she managed to create. Then we would talk and drink and make merry to our heart’s content. It was honestly like nothing I had ever experienced before. It was like a giant, well-needed break in the middle of a bunch of crazy shit that had been going down left and right.
And the views of the ocean were really unbeatable, not that any of us had anything to compare it to, both from above where Iggy spent most of his time, and down in the cabin underneath the sea where we spent most of ours.
And all that rest did wonders for our physical health. Clem’s leg problems cleared up in no time, and Kira never had even a hint of a headache. As for my back, it got to the point near the end of our voyage where I didn’t even need the bandages and medicine anymore. It was completely healed, with skin as good as new. We would be fresh and ready for whatever we had to face when we arrived onshore. Well, we would be ready physically, at least.
But lurking beneath all of the fun we were having lurked the constant dread about what was to come, and fear of all of the unknowns we knew we would be facing before we knew it. And the closer we got to what Iggy called our “destination coordinates,” the more overwhelming that feeling became, though none of us voiced it until our last morning on board the ship.
“Well, this is the day,” Malthe said glumly over a breakfast of pancakes that Cindra had made from dried ingredients and more of that life saving olive oil, and some coffee from a can.
“Yeah, it is,” I said, already feeling my stomach turning at the very thought of what was to come. We hadn’t even talked about what the plan was since that first night, acting on a silent agreement that we would leave all this dread until the day of because going around in circles about it endlessly would only serve to make us more anxious.
“So we sneak in with some of the cargo,” Malthe said, and he was turning rather greenish to match the sea outside the windows and the lighting inside the cabin. “What’s the cargo again?”
“Iggy said it was mostly clothing,” Kinley reminded us. “So it shouldn’t be too hard to pack it up tightly and sneak in with it. And he’s going to poke some small air holes in the crates so we can breathe and not worry about being seen. Until they open the crates, that is.”
“Yeah, well, when is that going to happen?” Clem asked, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation. “On the ship? Or elsewhere?”
“It doesn’t really matter, remember?” I reminded him. “We decided that we’re going to get out of the crates while we’re on the other ship anyway so that we can gather some information on the outside world.”
“It’s not the outside world anymore,” Lin said darkly. “We left Termina behind a long damn time ago. We’re practically there already.”
“That’s true,” I said, nodding slowly. “All the more reason to get more information quickly. From what Iggy’s told us, there aren’t usually a lot of people on the other ship. So we should be able to take most of them out. It’s just a matter of leaving one of them alive long enough to take us into shore.”
“But if we kill the crew, won’t it be obvious that something went wrong on the ship?” Lin asked.
“Yeah…” I said, my voice trailing off as I considered this. “Okay, let’s go up and talk to Iggy. I have an idea.”
We made our way up the narrow stairwell to where we knew Iggy would be sitting at the wheel, sipping his coffee and watching the sunrise over the waves. But this day, he didn’t look nearly as calm and serene as usual, his foot and fingers tapping on the floor and his coffee mug, respectively, showing his anxiety.
“Hey, Iggy,” I said tentatively as we approached him. “Can we talk about today?” He glanced up at me with a slightly panicked look on his face.
“Oh, I suppose,” he said absent mindedly.
“Well, we’re thinking that we’re probably going to have to take out the shippers on the other ship,” I said, dreading his reaction already. “So I was wondering if… well, would you want to take us into shore on that ship and then sail it back home? You already told us the ships are pretty cool, so you’d be trading up if you want to look at it that way.” He gave me a long look, narrowing his eyes.
“You kids are going to get me in a lot of trouble,” he said at long last, shaking his head.
“They’ll protect you back in Termina,” I said. “Go to Semra right away and tell her what happened. Don’t tell anyone else. And hopefully, you’ll be back before anyone notices the ship’s gone, anyway.”
“I don’t like this,” Iggy said, pursing his lips and shaking his head again. “I don’t like this at all.”
“I know,” I said, grimacing. “And I’m sorry about that. I really, really am. But this is our best shot, and it’s so important that we take it. Otherwise, everyone back home in Termina could end up suffering for it.”
Iggy took a long time to consider this, sipping the rest of his coffee and staring out at the rolling waves of the sea in silence. Finally, when he finished off his coffee, he spoke again.
“Okay, Nic,” he said at long last. “If you really think this is what you need, I’ll do it. But don’t think no one back home is gonna notice when I show up with a different ship than the one I left with.”
“Most people don’t pay much attention to the docks,” I said. “Not the ones who would go blabbing to the media, anyway. And as for the other shippers, you can just tell them you ran into a storm out here, and since you were so close to the shore, the shippers from the other continent let you take theirs and had some people come to get them. It’s that simple.”
“I guess so,” Iggy said, scratching his head. “I just don’t like it, all this lyin’ and sneakin’ around. I don’t like it at all. I’ve always thought of myself as an honest man.” I looked to the rest of my group for help, not sure how to respond to this myself.
“Look, Iggy,” Kinley said, stepping forward. “South siders tend to be honest with each other, that’s true. But this isn’t lying to south siders, not in the long term, anyway. The whole point of this is to dupe the north siders, and who gives a shit about them, anyway? They just stir up a whole lot of trouble for us, anyway. Why go asking for that?”
“I guess so,” Iggy said again, pursing his lips as he considered this. Then he nodded in a determined fashion, “Okay, if you really think it’ll help, I’ll do it, then.”
“Excellent, thanks, Iggy,” I said, nodding to him and clapping him on the shoulder gratefully. “We really, really appreciate it.”
“Well, okay, then,” Iggy said, staring wide-eyed back out at the sea as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just gotten himself into. “I suppose we’re doin’ this thing, then.”
“I guess so,” I said. “So when will we get there?”
“Should be about midmorning,” he reasoned. “Shouldn’t be long. In about an hour, you should all get in those crates. I prepared them for you already.” He jerked his thumb back to indicate the seven crates stacked just behind him.
“Alright then,” I said, turning to look at them. “There’s not one big one that’ll fit more than one of us?” This was something that I’d been a little worried about that we wouldn’t be able to stick together at first on the other ship. It looked like that fear was becoming a reality.
“Nah, they have to pick the damn things up, remember?” Iggy asked. “I’m gonna do my best and try to carry most of ‘em with you guys in ‘em myself, or if that fails, tell the others that we got a heavier order than we were expecting.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” I said, a bit deflated. I’d thought of that much but had hoped that maybe we could at least double up since the foxgirls were so much smaller than the rest of us, by
and large.
“Okay,” Malthe said, gulping audibly. “What’s the plan once we get over there?”
“Well, we’re going to have to wait until all the cargo is over there if we can,” I said. “Then Clem and I will attack. Then the foxgirls will back us up, and Malthe and Lin will sneak off and go look for information while we fight.”
“How many shippers do you reckon there will be again, Iggy?” Clem asked, turning back to the old man.
“Oh, I don’t know,” he said, considering this. “Maybe four or five?”
“Are they armed?” I asked.
“Yeah, usually some kind of gun or something,” he said as if this was perfectly normal. For him, I supposed it was.
“Okay,” I said, nodding as my brain whirred, trying to come up with a game plan. “So, Clem and I will come out first, like I said. We have our own weapons, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. Listen for me, Clem, then come out.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Clem said, though now he, too, was looking a little green.
“Then we come out,” Cindra said.
“Yes,” I said, nodding. “Once Clem and I have a handle on the first couple shippers, you girls come out and help. Mostly, distract all of the other shippers so Lin and Malthe can make a clean getaway down into the ship.”
“What are we expecting to find down there?” Lin asked. She didn’t look too sure about any of this, either, but the more I talked about it, the more confident I became that we could pull this off somehow.
“Okay,” I said. “Start with the cabins down below. Make sure you have some knives at least in case you run into anybody, but am I right, Iggy, to think that everyone comes up to help with the cargo?”
“I think so,” Iggy said. “I’ve never really thought much about it before. I don’t see why anybody would need to be left behind, except maybe someone to steer the ship, but he’d be up on the top deck like the rest of ‘em. I’ve got some knives you kids can grab.”
“Thanks, Iggy,” Lin said, but her eyes were wide with fear.
“Chances are you won’t run into anyone,” I reassured her. “But stick together nonetheless and try not to freeze up if you run into anyone. And once you get down there, just look around for anything that could give us intel on these people. Tech is the main thing, try to find some of that.”
“Have you ever seen these guys with tech, Iggy?” Malthe asked the shipper. “Anything at all on their ships that they might use to contact the outside world or anything?”
“Well, I don’t think so, but I’ve never been anywhere but where they put the cargo,” Iggy admitted.
“That’s fine, just look for anything you can find, guys,” I told Malthe and Lin. “As for the rest of us, once we’ve subdued the ship’s crew, we’ll try to get some intel out of them, too.”
“Okay, sounds like a plan,” Malthe said, gulping audibly again.
We passed the next hour just kind of standing there and trying not to think or worry too much about what was coming.
“Alright, kids, it’s that time,” Iggy said, his voice and body language full of apprehension as he put the ship on autopilot and walked over to us. He pulled the top off one of the crates and indicated for one of us to get inside.
“Lin, you get in this one, since it’s in the back,” I directed, pointing between her and the crate. “Malthe, you get in the next one. Take one of Iggy’s knives first, each of you.” They both obliged, handling the knives awkwardly, and crawled in each crate amongst all the top of the line clothing inside.
“Okay, you next,” I said to the foxgirls, turning to them. “Kira, you’re in this one, then Kinley, then Cindra. Clem, you’re in this one second to the front, and then it’s me.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Cindra said, eyeing her crate with disdain before shrugging and hopping inside, giving into the reality of our situation.
“Iggy, just make sure the crates line up on the other ship in this exact order,” I instructed the shipper, holding my arms out to demonstrate the line of crates. “Me at the front, then Clem, then the foxgirls, with Malthe and Lin in the back. We want Malthe and Lin to be able to sneak out down to the cabins while Clem and I fight the shippers, with the foxgirls in the middle.” I laid it all out for him again just to make sure he understood properly. He nodded slowly as I spoke, with each instruction that I gave, with a slightly panicked look on his face.
“Okay, Nic, I think I can manage that much,” he said, though he didn’t sound so sure.
“Okay, just do your best,” I told him, not wanting to press him any further for fear he’d reach his breaking point. We’d already asked more than enough of the poor guy. We’d just have to improvise like we always did if things went sour. Or even just not according to plan, which seemed to be the norm for us.
So then, we just waited inside the crates for Iggy to reach our destination and converse with the shippers.
It was musty inside the crate, but not too hot because of the breeze coming off the ocean. The small holes, almost invisible to the naked eye so none of the other shippers would see us, that Iggy had peppered over the crates gave me more than enough fresh air to get by with, even if it was mildly uncomfortable. I would live.
I felt in our bond that the foxgirls were all apprehensive, but full of adrenaline and ready for what was coming like me. I just hoped that the rest of our team was in the same position.
I waited with bated breath until I heard several male voices conversing with each other.
“Here, let’s grab these first, they’re the heaviest,” I heard Iggy say, and then a cluster of footsteps came in my direction. I heard them moving one of the boxes behind me, probably containing Lin, then two more guys grabbed another, most likely Malthe. Two more grabbed a third, probably Kira, and that was it. There was no one else there. So aside from Iggy, there were five other shippers there.
Five guys who we had to take out. Okay. We could manage that, especially if we caught them unawares. We’d been through worse before. But it was the element of the unknown that bothered me. Much like I’d felt when Clem and I first ventured into the tunnels, I didn’t know what to expect from these strange people in an outside world that I’d never really known had existed.
The footsteps grew more distant, and then they returned to grab Kinley, Cindra, and Clem, leaving me alone in my crate on the ship from Termina. I didn’t hear any talking. Like Iggy had warned us, these guys weren’t very chatty.
Then they came back.
“Why don’t you guys go over that-away and get the other cargo?” I heard Iggy instruct the other shippers. “I’ll grab this last one with you over there. This one’s the heaviest.”
Hands lifted the crate I was in, and I was haphazardly and roughly thrown about as Iggy and the other shipper took me over to the other ship.
“Damn, this one is heavy,” a voice I didn’t recognize right over my ear grunted. “What the fuck’s in these things? I thought we were pickin’ up clothes!” The man had a strange accent that I couldn’t quite place. Everyone in Termina mostly sounded the same, with some minor differences between north siders, south siders, and the foxgirls. This guy sounded like he was from somewhere else entirely. Which he was, but it was still all very strange to me. I kept thinking that all of this was impossible, but it wasn’t. It was happening.
“Designer shoes,” Iggy grunted back. “They’ve got metal platings and some shit. I don’t know why people where ‘em, it never made much sense to me, anyway.”
“Nothing about you people makes sense,” the other shipper grumbled, which was telling. We were as strange to them as they were to us, it seemed. Except they knew about us, and we knew next to nothing about them. There was that.
Finally, with a loud bang and some tumbling around, I fell back on the ground. But I didn’t make any moves yet. Iggy wouldn’t want to lose any of the cargo with his ship, so I wanted to wait until it was all moved over, but before Iggy had crossed back over to his ship. That way, he’d be he
re so he could sail us to the shore and then sail himself back home.
I waited with bated breath once again as Iggy and the other shippers deposited the rest of the crates onto the second ship. I could feel the foxgirls growing restless in our bond, and judging by the way Clem kept shifting around in the crate beside me, they weren’t the only ones. The shippers passed this period in silence once again, until finally, Iggy spoke, this time almost conspicuously loudly.
“Well, I think that’s the last of ‘em,” he said. “I’d better be gettin’ back to my own ship now.”
“You do that,” one of the other shippers said gruffly like he couldn’t imagine why Iggy would find it necessary to announce this information to the group.
And with that, I leapt into action. I sprang out of the crate, pushing off the top and pulling out my holo knife in one quick motion. Hearing this, Clem quickly followed suit, clambering out of his crate decidedly less gracefully and grabbing for his own holo knife.
For a moment, the shippers just all stared at us, blinking and trying to process what was happening. Thankfully, they were caught off guard just like we’d hoped they’d be. Clem and I used to opportunity to lunge at them, but then right before we reached them, a flash of recognition cross the one at the front’s features.
“It’s them!” he cried, and much like them when they saw us, I wasn’t quite sure how to process this. They knew who we were? Did they recognize us somehow? Or they knew we were coming? Or some combination thereof? All these questions and more flashed through my mind as I lunged at the nearest shipper, the one who had recognized us.
He swerved out of the way at the last minute, sending me slashing my holo knife at empty air. He swirled around behind me and pulled out what looked like a gun, but before he had a chance to shoot it, I shot out my foot and tripped him, sending him sprawling to the floor.
I ran at him again, taking advantage of this situation, and pressed my knee against his sternum, holding him down as I pried the gun from his grasp before slitting the man’s throat with my holo knife. I stared at the weapon for a second. We didn’t really use these things in Termina. Binders used their minds and souls, and when that failed, holo knives for their quick and dirty appeal. Brawlers used their hands and the occasional pair of brass knuckles. And pretty much everybody else just tried to stay out of the way.