Seekers: Chapter Nine: Preperations
#6 of Seekers
Location: New Vega, Northern District, Airport Outskirts.
Time: 16:20pm.
Year: 2180, March 8th.
I jerked up and was breathing heavily; I had obviously slept for too long, because my joints were a little stiff, my mouth was dry and my fur was tangled and matted. The bed covers felt slightly damp, so it was obvious that I had been sweating as well. I got up from bed, and reached over for a small brush set down one a small bedside table next to my bed.
After brushing down all of my fur, I got dressed in my usual Seeker cloak and headed out of the room; I didn't need a shower, but I did need a glass of water; for my face, as well as my throat. Luckily, my room was just opposite of what could be called the 'dining room' of The Cradle. I simply slid the door open and walked in, collapsing on the nearest chair that I could find, leaning back so far that my head was facing up towards the ceiling.
I saw a cold bottle of water standing up on the small dining table in the middle. I struggled to get up and traverse around the many boxes and crates that were stacked up in the corners and sides of the room. I sat down again on a chair right next to the table, and picked up the bottle, twisting the cap off and taking a good drink of whatever was inside. It didn't taste like anything I had ever tasted; it was thin, but rather strong at the same time; it didn't even taste of any particular fruits or anything; not that it bothered me much.
I must've drank at least half of the bottle, since by the time I put it back on the table, it felt much lighter. I stretched my arms and legs out, moaning in slight pleasure. It always felt so good to have a stretch like that every time I woke up. I almost didn't notice a slight tug on my waist. My body began to loosen up, and I looked down to my waist to see what that tugging feeling was. It turned out to be my white belt; and my small pistol was strapped to it. I must've picked the pistol up without noticing.
I pulled the small, white-silver gun from its holster and inspected it, pulling out the stubby magazine hidden under the grip. The magazine was the same silver-white color as the gun itself, with the exception of the guns dull grey grip, and the magazines one clear side to inspect how many bullets I had left. The bullets looked rather odd; they weren't real bullets, but small black pellets - though they were small enough to be able to pierce flesh or even a thin sheet of metal if I was close enough.
It'd be of no use against Rosie, though. It had to have at least an inch of metal guarding the flesh underneath; in fact, I wasn't even sure if that thing was even alive. Maybe it was just a husk in a diving suit. Thoughts like that raised a lot of questions; why would something like be looking for money and riches? If it wasn't alive, could it think? Maybe it was working for someone else; though I would be terrified to have something like that working for me. It was like being a mouse, and having a huge lion as a bodyguard.
After a few minutes of silence and thought, I got up and walked out of the room, looking for Elise; I didn't feel the ship moving, so I knew that she couldn't be driving, meaning she wasn't at the stern. I was about to check her room, but she found me first. I heard a dull clunk of a heavy door from behind me; I turned around to see the pressure door to the shower, fully open. Elise stepped out, just wearing a towel to cover her lower body. I was starting to blush slightly; her thick chest fur had been reduced to a thinner and damp coating, which barely covered her...
"Something on your mind?" Elise teased, walking up to me and lifting my head gently with her hand, and pushing me to the side so she could walk by. "Oh, by the way, we've arrived at the outskirts of the airport."
"What?!" I asked suddenly; "Then what are we doing here? We need to get to the airport if we're going to get to those Foxes in time!"
"I'm not going anywhere yet." Elise explained; "You're going first. Lure them somewhere where you can pick them off easily. I'll follow behind you in about half an hour."
"That's it?!" I asked as she walked into the room next to mine, which was completely identical. I followed quickly behind her. "What kind of plan is that? You're really bad at this, you know!"
"I'm not." The Red Wolf retorted, sitting down on her bed. "I've been planning like this ever since I started looking for the treasure; of course, without a partner, but you know what I mean."
I sighed: "You rarely ever go into detail." I complained; "First off, I'd like to know what that cube was back in the Rover Factory was. Secondly, what kind of teenager owns a rack full of guns? Who are you really?"
"...I just need you to trust me." Elise said after a long pause. "Listen...I'll fill you in once these Foxes are taken care of. I just need you to believe what I say; I can't afford to get held up by things like this right now. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
I looked into Elise's eyes; there was a sign of desperation in them. It looked like a mixture of emotions; sadness, fear, but mostly desperation. I sighed and sat down next to her, reaching my arm around her right side and rubbing her arm in comfort. I didn't know what to say; and I eventually just said the first thing that came into my head.
"I'll do it." I said gently; "We'll do it; we'll kill those Foxes, trample over Rosie, and we'll get all the keys. We'll get that treasure -Hell, you could even have half if you want. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have got this far. I'd probably be dead. I owe you my life."
"...I want to show you something." Elise whispered into my ear. "I'll be out in five minutes. In the meantime, go ahead and prepare to head out."
I simply obeyed, stepping out of the room and into the narrow hallway. I was already prepared; with my small pistol, my crowbar and dressed in my Seeker outfit, which I had tightened back up to form a slightly loose jumpsuit. I just went outside to the stern of The Cradle, looking over the edge at the airport which was surprisingly small, made up of one stubby building for citizens and pilots, and plenty of flat land for planes to land on. I almost couldn't see the flashing beacon on the small building.
It appeared to be on top of a steep hill - almost flat. It must have appeared like that from where I was standing. I looked around to see that we were in a trench-like hole. It made sense since we needed to hide the ship.
I had seen the ship from the side before; it just looked like a kind of oval shape on its side, facing long-ways; whilst from the stern it looked like a rectangle, like an illusion. It was a rather odd build; in fact, there was some kind of vent or fan that went underneath the ship and through the ship like a tube. It must have been the wind turbine that Elise mentioned. It made sense to build it there since it would take in the wind as we moved, which would generate electricity whilst we were on the move.
I waited for a few minutes, admiring the scenery and just thinking about what I'd do after this was all over. I wondered if the club would take me back; after somehow making an enemy out of the Enforcers, it was too dangerous to go back and let the Enforcers find out about the club. I decided that in my spare time, I would give The Administrator a call. I immediately pulled out my phone and dialed the numbers in, pacing around impatiently.
"Kobalt; what is it now?" The Administrator answered, sounding slightly tired; "Have you found those keys yet?"
"I'm not that fast, sir." I replied, looking over at the airport. "I just need to know what'll happen after we find this money."
"I know what you're really asking." The Administrator sighed; "I expected you to come into some trouble with Enforcers anyway, so I altered the club's records a bit. You haven't left the club at all; so the Enforcers can't arrest you for that. As long as you tread carefully and don't lead the Enforcers back to the club, you're always welcome to come back."
"Understood." I replied, sighing. "I'll try and up my pace a bit and be careful. Just be sure to keep a warm seat for me when I get back."
"You sound like you miss your old life." The Administrator laughed. "I would have figured that you'd be glad to be out of the club for a while."
"Well, treasure hunting ain't all that bad." I muttered. "I have some company, and I get to see the sights; the only problem is that treasure is hard to find."
"Don't get so down." The Administrator said gently. "I need to go, but I'll keep in touch along the way. Try not to die."
I groaned and hung up. I knew that he was making a small joke, but it still left me a little shaken up. I usually didn't take death seriously; it sounds clichéd, but I'm way too young to die. It just wasn't natural to die at such an early age; but before I could think any more, Elise appeared at the door leading down into the inside of The Cradle, wearing her usual red and black cloak. She beckoned me inside, and walked down the corridor, with me trailing behind her.
We both came to a dead end; at least, that was what I thought. Elise bent down and pulled away a tile of metal flooring, revealing a small ladder leading further down into the ship. I waited for her to step down, and followed quickly. The lower level was completely dark. The upper level had at least a few light bulbs, though they were almost always a little dim. I stood still until I heard Elise flicking a couple of switches, after which the room started to illuminate itself, revealing the interior.
The lower level was rather cramped. A long tube, possible the wind turbine, was running through the exact centre of the room. The left side was packed with a few crates, one water boiler and one water cooler. The right side was filled with stacks of solar panels with wires neatly set out, and not tangled at all. It was a tight squeeze to get down the narrow space and reach Elise, at the far side of the room. I saw her feel across the wall until she stopped suddenly, and slid yet another metal panel from the ship. I wasn't exactly surprised, but at the same time I looked in awe at what was behind the wall.
There was more equipment, though there were only four items. Arranged neatly and planted into the opening were three small headsets, and something else that looked more like a canon than an actual gun. I had done a fair share of history, so it was easy to recognize the gun's original make. It looked like an AK-47, only it was much longer and bulkier, and the whole thing looked like it should be held upside down, and slung under one's arm. Elise didn't pick that out, though; she picked out two headsets instead, passing one of them to me. Close up, it only looked like a single earphone with a mike connected, and looked like it fit into someone's right ear.
"This headset will keep me in touch with you as we go." Elise began; "Just flip the switch on the earpiece. Just remember to keep your hood up, and no one will even notice that we're talking."
I fiddled with the headset and finally put it in my right ear, flipping the switch. Elise did the same with her headset, and we both drew our hoods over, almost hiding the headset completely. Elise simply nodded to me; I knew by instinct that she was telling me to go. I nodded back and walked back to the short ladder, stepping up and exiting The Cradle. I didn't look back, but kept advancing on, out of the small trench that housed the ship.
I pulled my pistol from its holster and held it in my left hand, hiding it under my slightly loose sleeve.
I would be alone when facing these Foxes, so I had to be fully prepared.