Arcade Catastrophe
Page 40
The Jets gathered a few hundred feet above the destroyer to confer. Although the waterway was wide, shore lights remained visible beyond the water on both sides.
“Seems quiet,” Chris said.
“I guess he’s not in a band,” Nate said.
Lindy rolled her eyes. “I don’t see any light.”
“Hopefully he’s asleep,” Risa replied.
“How long before the Subs get here?” Lindy wondered.
“We were hauling and we didn’t get lost,” Chris said. “Even if they found a ride to the nearest water, we’ve got to be like an hour ahead of them.”
“We can’t get too cocky,” Nate said. “They move through the water almost like how we fly. They might get here faster than we expect.”
“Not sooner than half an hour,” Chris said firmly.
“I want to be gone before they arrive,” Lindy said.
“Wouldn’t that be nice?” Nate said. “It’s a big boat.”
“If the Hermit doesn’t want to be found, it could take all night,” Chris said. “We should get started.”
“Chris and Risa should wait here,” Nate suggested.
“No way,” Chris said. “It’ll take twice as long to find him without us.”
“Think about it,” Nate argued. “Somebody needs to keep watch for the Subs. Also, somebody needs to be ready in case the Hermit tries to slip away. If he escapes, we’re all in huge trouble.”
“Maybe Risa and Lindy should stay here,” Chris negotiated. “You and I can go in after him.” Chris held up a pair of handcuffs he had brought from the training facility.
“Lindy is really good at finding people,” Nate said. “I don’t mean she’s lucky, I mean she has an eerie gift.” They hadn’t told Chris and Risa about Lindy’s eye. Until Nate knew he could trust them, he wanted to keep that secret advantage private. He hoped he could bluff his way through this without a full explanation.
“And I guess she feels most comfortable working with you,” Chris said.
“Yeah,” Lindy agreed. “Is that okay?”
“Keeping watch isn’t a weak job,” Nate assured them. “If we flush him out, you guys will be more likely to catch him than we will.”
“Fine, go,” Chris said. “You’re wasting time.”
“You have handcuffs?” Nate asked Lindy.
She nodded. “You have pepper spray?”
“It’s supposed to be strong enough for a bear,” Nate said. “Hikers carry it.”
Lindy led the way down to the ship, diving steeply before alighting on the deck. Nate landed beside her.
“Know where he is?” Nate asked.
Lindy scanned the ship, then nodded. “Follow me.”
She walked quietly to a door, opened it, and Nate followed her through into the darkness beyond. He paused to switch on his night vision, illuminating the hallway in greenish hues. Nate had a flashlight, but he knew that relying on the night vision would give him a better chance of surprising the Hermit.
Lindy levitated a few inches off the ground. Nate followed her lead—it would enable them to move silently. They drifted along the narrow hall. The ship creaked and groaned around them—low, slow sounds. The interior of the ship smelled like old metal and mildew. Lindy led the way down a stairway. Nate hovered close to the stairs, slanting down through the still air.
Partway down the next hall, Lindy paused and waited for Nate to drift close. She put her lips to his ear and whispered, “He’s up here on the right.”
Nate nodded that he understood. He pulled out a canister of pepper spray and made sure it was ready to fire.
Lindy looked at him with wide eyes, her face green because of the night vision. He could see her fear. He felt it himself.
Who were they about to confront? They knew he was called the Hermit. They knew he might try to run. But what if he decided to fight? In the close confines within the ship, flying wouldn’t offer much advantage.
Nate pantomimed a pistol.
Lindy produced her tranquilizer gun.
Nate put his lips beside her ear. “Our first choice isn’t to put him to sleep, but if things get dangerous, let him have it.”
She gave him a thumbs-up to show her understanding. She still looked scared.
Nate took the lead, his toes inches above the floor. He glided down the corridor like a ghost. Lindy stayed close behind. Pulling alongside Nate, Lindy gestured toward a particular doorway, then let him reclaim the lead.
Pepper spray ready, Nate peered through the open doorway.
A man stood in the center of the room.
Stripped to the waist, he wore tattered jean shorts and had pale skin. His head was completely bald, but his ashen body was covered by sparse black hairs so bristly that they almost looked like short quills. The hairs were thickest on the front of his legs, the back of his arms, and atop his shoulders. He had a small, upturned nose with nostrils that almost faced forward. Fleshy webbing spanned his fingers and toes.
“Who are you two?” he asked in a scholarly voice with a faint British accent. “You came directly to my room.”
The sight of the man had made Nate gasp quietly. The calm, controlled voice did not match his strange appearance. The man made no threatening movement.
“Are you the Hermit?” Nate asked.
“Would it help if I told you no?” the man said dryly.
“Probably not,” Nate admitted.
“You’re floating,” the Hermit said.
“Yep.” Nate kept the pepper spray ready.
“I’m not dreaming, am I?” the Hermit checked.
“No. We’re here.”
“What do you want?” the Hermit asked.
“The Gate,” Nate said.
“The Gate? What Gate?”
“The Gate to Uweya,” Nate said.
The Hermit said nothing. Then he blinked. It was not a normal blink. It was like a clear film flowing over his eyeballs and then retracting.
“You can float,” the Hermit said. “You know about the Gate. You trespassed with impunity. You found me without searching. Who sent you?”
“Does it matter?” Nate asked.
“You want to take one of my most prized possessions,” the Hermit said. “I want to know who sent you. You’ve both been enhanced. The girl has a very impressive eye. Top-notch work. Who?”
“Jonas White,” Lindy said.
The Hermit laughed without cheer. “A fellow Simulcrist, of course, of course. I recently thought I felt someone reaching out for me. Just for a moment. I decided I must have imagined it. Shame on me—I probably should have left immediately.” He grasped a metallic figure eight that dangled from a length of twine around his neck. “He can glimpse me, perhaps, but no matter his power, he can’t touch me.”
“Seems quiet,” Chris said.
“I guess he’s not in a band,” Nate said.
Lindy rolled her eyes. “I don’t see any light.”
“Hopefully he’s asleep,” Risa replied.
“How long before the Subs get here?” Lindy wondered.
“We were hauling and we didn’t get lost,” Chris said. “Even if they found a ride to the nearest water, we’ve got to be like an hour ahead of them.”
“We can’t get too cocky,” Nate said. “They move through the water almost like how we fly. They might get here faster than we expect.”
“Not sooner than half an hour,” Chris said firmly.
“I want to be gone before they arrive,” Lindy said.
“Wouldn’t that be nice?” Nate said. “It’s a big boat.”
“If the Hermit doesn’t want to be found, it could take all night,” Chris said. “We should get started.”
“Chris and Risa should wait here,” Nate suggested.
“No way,” Chris said. “It’ll take twice as long to find him without us.”
“Think about it,” Nate argued. “Somebody needs to keep watch for the Subs. Also, somebody needs to be ready in case the Hermit tries to slip away. If he escapes, we’re all in huge trouble.”
“Maybe Risa and Lindy should stay here,” Chris negotiated. “You and I can go in after him.” Chris held up a pair of handcuffs he had brought from the training facility.
“Lindy is really good at finding people,” Nate said. “I don’t mean she’s lucky, I mean she has an eerie gift.” They hadn’t told Chris and Risa about Lindy’s eye. Until Nate knew he could trust them, he wanted to keep that secret advantage private. He hoped he could bluff his way through this without a full explanation.
“And I guess she feels most comfortable working with you,” Chris said.
“Yeah,” Lindy agreed. “Is that okay?”
“Keeping watch isn’t a weak job,” Nate assured them. “If we flush him out, you guys will be more likely to catch him than we will.”
“Fine, go,” Chris said. “You’re wasting time.”
“You have handcuffs?” Nate asked Lindy.
She nodded. “You have pepper spray?”
“It’s supposed to be strong enough for a bear,” Nate said. “Hikers carry it.”
Lindy led the way down to the ship, diving steeply before alighting on the deck. Nate landed beside her.
“Know where he is?” Nate asked.
Lindy scanned the ship, then nodded. “Follow me.”
She walked quietly to a door, opened it, and Nate followed her through into the darkness beyond. He paused to switch on his night vision, illuminating the hallway in greenish hues. Nate had a flashlight, but he knew that relying on the night vision would give him a better chance of surprising the Hermit.
Lindy levitated a few inches off the ground. Nate followed her lead—it would enable them to move silently. They drifted along the narrow hall. The ship creaked and groaned around them—low, slow sounds. The interior of the ship smelled like old metal and mildew. Lindy led the way down a stairway. Nate hovered close to the stairs, slanting down through the still air.
Partway down the next hall, Lindy paused and waited for Nate to drift close. She put her lips to his ear and whispered, “He’s up here on the right.”
Nate nodded that he understood. He pulled out a canister of pepper spray and made sure it was ready to fire.
Lindy looked at him with wide eyes, her face green because of the night vision. He could see her fear. He felt it himself.
Who were they about to confront? They knew he was called the Hermit. They knew he might try to run. But what if he decided to fight? In the close confines within the ship, flying wouldn’t offer much advantage.
Nate pantomimed a pistol.
Lindy produced her tranquilizer gun.
Nate put his lips beside her ear. “Our first choice isn’t to put him to sleep, but if things get dangerous, let him have it.”
She gave him a thumbs-up to show her understanding. She still looked scared.
Nate took the lead, his toes inches above the floor. He glided down the corridor like a ghost. Lindy stayed close behind. Pulling alongside Nate, Lindy gestured toward a particular doorway, then let him reclaim the lead.
Pepper spray ready, Nate peered through the open doorway.
A man stood in the center of the room.
Stripped to the waist, he wore tattered jean shorts and had pale skin. His head was completely bald, but his ashen body was covered by sparse black hairs so bristly that they almost looked like short quills. The hairs were thickest on the front of his legs, the back of his arms, and atop his shoulders. He had a small, upturned nose with nostrils that almost faced forward. Fleshy webbing spanned his fingers and toes.
“Who are you two?” he asked in a scholarly voice with a faint British accent. “You came directly to my room.”
The sight of the man had made Nate gasp quietly. The calm, controlled voice did not match his strange appearance. The man made no threatening movement.
“Are you the Hermit?” Nate asked.
“Would it help if I told you no?” the man said dryly.
“Probably not,” Nate admitted.
“You’re floating,” the Hermit said.
“Yep.” Nate kept the pepper spray ready.
“I’m not dreaming, am I?” the Hermit checked.
“No. We’re here.”
“What do you want?” the Hermit asked.
“The Gate,” Nate said.
“The Gate? What Gate?”
“The Gate to Uweya,” Nate said.
The Hermit said nothing. Then he blinked. It was not a normal blink. It was like a clear film flowing over his eyeballs and then retracting.
“You can float,” the Hermit said. “You know about the Gate. You trespassed with impunity. You found me without searching. Who sent you?”
“Does it matter?” Nate asked.
“You want to take one of my most prized possessions,” the Hermit said. “I want to know who sent you. You’ve both been enhanced. The girl has a very impressive eye. Top-notch work. Who?”
“Jonas White,” Lindy said.
The Hermit laughed without cheer. “A fellow Simulcrist, of course, of course. I recently thought I felt someone reaching out for me. Just for a moment. I decided I must have imagined it. Shame on me—I probably should have left immediately.” He grasped a metallic figure eight that dangled from a length of twine around his neck. “He can glimpse me, perhaps, but no matter his power, he can’t touch me.”
