Rising Ark

“Arthur Regine, or Smith Watt as he presented himself,” Noah began, presenting her holo-emitted file on him, “Is one of the many bounty hunters not-so-secretly on the Walters’ payroll to find errant family members.”

“Are you saying Blossom’s secretly been a Walters this whole time?” Sam asked, “Why would she hide that?”

“It’s always quite the bounty on lost Walters,” Senyr said, “Part of why I threatened her that first night on the ship.”

“You threatened her?” Sam asked, white hair standing on end.

“He told me to.” Senyr pointed at Avery.

“We had no intentions to bring her in,” Avery said, “We wanted insurance in case you considered selling us out.”

“There’s no bounty on either of you,” Noah said, “Why would you be worried about that?”

Senyr and Avery turned to each other.

“Our cargo can do dangerous things,” Senyr explained.

“What cargo?” Noah asked.

“Don’t bother,” Sam said.

“No,” Noah said, “I’m bothering.”

“Some other time,” Senyr said, “We should worry about bringing the ship’s engineer back before everything decays and we suffocate in the Intermundoran Sea.”

The crew agreed.

“Can’t do anything until The Widow gets close enough to Regine’s ship,” Noah said, “In the meantime,” she turned to Avery and Senyr, “I want an explanation for why you didn’t say who you were from the start, assuming you recognized me.”

“Of course we recognized you,” Avery said.

“Sorry we—”

“Explanation,” Noah interrupted, “Not apology.”

Avery gave the smile of a quick silent laugh.

“As you know,” Senyr began, “Avery and I were the only survivors of our last mission.”

“The contents were supposedly lost,” Avery continued, “But that was a lie. The contents were dangerous.”

Noah’s expression darkened.

“Did you sacrifice your crew to keep it a secret.”

“What?” Avery asked, “What type of captain do you think I am? If the destruction was intentional, I would have gotten everyone off first, not the other way around.”

“Yes,” Senyr said. Avery turned to them in surprise.

“I didn’t plan on it,” they explained, “My family are mystics going way back, not that I’d even seen a talisman until we saw this one. Of course I had to find an evil one.”

“Evil one?” Noah asked. She’d heard of mystics, but the families kept to themselves. Talismans were even more of a mystery. She didn’t realize they could have personalities, let alone morals.

“Does bad things more often then good, tends to possess people instead of bond with them?”

Noah nodded as if that made any sense.

“Anyways. It sensed me as much as I sensed it, and before I knew it, I was in its control. I tried to force it out, and I made a hole large enough to take out all of the oxygen. Everyone died peacefully, though.”

“You never told me that,” Avery said.

“You never asked.”

“How did either of you survive?” Noah asked.

Senyr shrugged.

“It was still on me at the time, so maybe it just didn’t let me die. I hid it once we exited and were searched.”

“I don’t just heal from cuts,” Avery said.

Noah nodded.

“So you’re on the run to keep this talisman out of the wrong hands?”

Avery and Senyr nodded.

“We’ll talk about it after we save Blossom,” Noah said, “But there’s more to discuss.”

Avery and Senyr looked to each other in fear.

Blossom felt less. The Rising was gone from her, and now she only had her own body to tell her where she was.

Her hands were cuffed and lengthily chained to a bar in a room empty except for a bed and a toilet.

“Shit.”

“Language, Ms. Gentry.”

Smith Watt watched her with a disconcerting look in his eyes.

“The Walters haven’t cared about me in a minute,” Blossom assessed, “And this was clearly premeditated. What’s happening now?”

“Shouldn’t have chosen a mage beau,” Watt said, “Apparently it makes your kids less likely to have any powers.”

“I don’t want kids.” The Rising was the only thing she was willing to put that much work toward, “And the last one came from Mage stock too.”

Watt shrugged.

“None of my business. My business is getting you back home.”

“That facility isn’t a home.”

The Walters offered special education for free to any members of the family, no matter how extended. They hadn’t found Blossom until she was a teenager, which gave her enough awareness to resist indoctrination. She only stayed for the higher likelihood of getting into a good engineering school. The problem was they heavily emphasized the part of spreading the Walters seed, so of course they didn’t care about Blossom’s escape until she risked that directive.

“Have I mentioned how much I hate them before?” Blossom asked, “Because you’re a piece of shit purely by association.”

“Testy, aren’t you?”

Watt put a plate within range of her with a sandwich on it. No need for utensils with finger food.

“Eat up, They’ll pay less if you’re starved.”

She spat in his face.

“Fine then. I tried.”

He finally left her alone. She searched her surroundings for anything that could help get out.

She wasn’t going near the toilet unless absolutely necessary, the bed was bolted down. The plate was paper.

She searched for a camera, and waved at the one she found.

She adjusted herself so her back covered her hand trying to unscrew a bolt on the bed. It was stuck fast, but she had time.

Sam checked his supplies for the fifth time, trying to occupy himself.

“You’re not going,” Noah said, lounging on the side of the doorframe.

“Of course I’m going. I can get you through—”

“We only have two working fishbowls, and Regine’s a professional. I’m taking Avery.”

Sam rolled his eyes.

“So I’m not allowed to save my partner?”

“No,” Noah said, “You’re not allowed. After Blossom, you’re the most valuable person here,” she put a finger up before he could argue, “I’m replaceable, so is The Widow, it’s a lot harder to find a medical officer who’s a free operative.”

“That’s because I’m not a medical officer, I’m just a doctor.”

“Of course, of course. Point is, Avery and I are a lot more expendable, and a lot more likely to get Blossom back without anyone getting hurt.”

Sam glared.

“Yes, please pout about it,” Noah said, “It shows you know I’m right.”

“How are you getting her back without a third fishbowl?”

“Quickly,” Noah answered, “Very Quickly.”

“What are fishbowls” Senyr asked, having eavesdropped, “Because I doubt you’re putting bowls with fish in them over your heads.”

The fishbowls held only a cursory resemblance to their namesake. The front half of them looked like slightly damaged space-suit helmets, which they were. The back half was made up mostly of the same plants that put the Rising together. Though the Intermundoran sea was fine on pressure, it lacked oxygen, so most earth ships kept the same suits for both space and in-between excursions.

Given the patchwork nature of the Rising, Blossom worked with strange materials for the same effect. Instead of full suits, Blossom took the helmets on consignment and fixed any holes by replacing much of it with her vines. They stayed connected to the rest of the ship until necessary for excursions.

The plants also provided enough oxygen, and tightened around the wearer enough to make a comfortable seal.

Senyr held one of them with fascination.

“How have you not died?” they asked.

“I’m tough, and Sam’s a little immune to death, Spirit Mage privileges.”

“I’m also tough,” Avery said.

“We knew that,” Noah and Senyr said together. Noah gave them a fond smile.

“Missed you, roomie.”

“I’m still mad at you for flunking out after all that work I put in tutoring you.”

“You’re not forgiven by the way,” Noah said, watching Avery.

“I did see potential in you. I was greatly disappointed when I’d heard you failed.”

“You heard?”

“I recommended you. They sent me regular updates about your progress.”

“Great.”

It had been years and Noah was still embarrassed.

“You make a good captain,” Avery added, oblivious, “Your crew’s small, and insubordinate, but they respect you.”

“My crew’s insubordinate, but somehow I make a good captain.”

“Because you embrace it,” Senyr said, “You know how to order them around so it feels like their idea until it’s really necessary to raise your voice.”

Noah shook her head. She didn’t care for their flattery.

“Have any weapons you carry with you?” she asked Avery.

Avery presented his fists.

“Great.”

“We’ve found another ship,” The Widow said, “Starboard side.”

Noah and Avery gave each other a nod.

Blossom managed to remove the bolt, her fingers all but bloody from the effort. It was too thick to pick the lock on the cuffs, but it gave her something more to try while she was brought to her doom.

“Once I manage to escape them again, I’m killing you, Watt.”

After several minutes of useless fiddling, she dropped the bolt, watching it disappear through the grating of the floor.

“No!”

She heard the noise of something above her.

“What the hell?”

Arthur Regine never understood his targets trying to run away from what could be the best gig of their life. The Walters fed, schooled, and housed anyone who was even mildly related to them. All they had to do was keep the family going.

Ms. Gentry hadn’t even been in love with someone when she left. She just ran for no reason.

His utter misunderstanding was interrupted by the noise of something above him, despite being in the cockpit of his ship.

“Cannon,” he asked his ship’s AI, “What was that?”

“I do not understand the question, Mr. Regine.”

“The noise. Did something hit us?”

“Mild pressure on the hull above the cockpit. Moving toward the windshield.”

“The windshield?”

A pair of boots kicked against the windshield. Before the nanotech could repair it, they jumped and kicked again so Vyrna, another passenger on the Rising, could fall in. Regine held his breath as the window repaired itself.

“You here to take my bounty?” he asked.

“More or less,” Vyrna—or Avery, not that Regine recognized him—said.

Regine grabbed his gun and took a shot at the weird helmet Avery wore, making a hole in the front of it that didn’t repair.

“They only have so many of these,” Avery said.

Quicker than Regine’s reflexes, Avery grabbed the gun. Regine punched at the hole he made before, shattering the helmet.

“Now you can’t get out of here,” Regine said.

“You underestimate me,” Avery said, presenting the gun to Regine.

“What?”

“I want a fair fight, and something tells me you have no chance in hand-to-hand.”

Regine got over his stunned expression and shot Avery through the heart, making a clean shot. Avery went down.

“Idiot.”

He leaned down for a better look at the body. Dragging it or pushing it out of the ship would be more tedious than just walking over it until he could claim work-hazards from his employer and get better pay.

Then the body grabbed him by the neck, and he realized he picked a fight with the wrong person.

The clothes bore the clean shot from before, but the wound had disappeared.

“Champion?” Regine choked.

“Damn straight.”

Champions were rare, but decidedly not worth fighting.

“I surrender.”

Regine put his hands up, getting tossed to the floor for his trouble.

“You’re a terrible person,” Avery said. Regine cowered under his gaze.

“Aren’t you going to save the girl or something?”

“No, no,” Avery said, “I was just the distraction.”

Blossom saw a piece of the ceiling above her push down, and held her breath.

Sure enough, an X was sliced with a blade made from the bone of Noah’s arm, Noah jumped through it immediately after the blade disappeared.

Blossom watched the nanotech fill the hole just made, and turned her gaze toward Noah.

“Where’s Sam?”

“On the Rising. Avery’s distracting Regine. Let’s go.”

“Avery?” Why was he helping now?

Noah grabbed Blossom by the hand without any more explanation, watching her face. Blossom took the prompt to hold her breath.

Noah sliced through the hull just past the bed and jumped out. Pulling Blossom close so as not to lose her.

Blossom’s hold of oxygen lasted just until the edge of the ship.

“You scared me,” Blossom heard as she opened her eyes. She saw the familiar white hair and milky eyes of her ship’s medic.

“Sorry, doctor,” She said. Sam’s expression didn’t soften like it usually did.

“Can you tell me why someone on the Walters’ payroll was after you?”

“I pissed them off, same as you.”

Sam wasn’t on the run from the Walters. They were just the reason he could no longer get a job at a hospital.

Sam accepted the answer and moved on, thankfully. He lightly stroked his fingers through her hair, and she leaned into the touch.

“You really should brush it, you know.”

She scowled at him.

“I almost died thanks to your sister.”

“You’re welcome!” Noah said from the doorway. Blossom ignored her.

“Now that you’re back and in one piece. We need your opinion on two more potential crew members.

“Fuck off,” Sam said, “She’s still recovering.”

“I’ll consider that probationary membership, then,” Noah said, now leaning out the doorway, “To our new ship’s cook and science officer.”

Senyr and Avery shared a smile.