Claustrophobia

Chapter Two - Helios - 3

It was not long after that the boarding announcement came in through the loudspeaker.

'Ladies, Gentlemen and passengers of all varieties, it is now time to board. Please proceed to the entranceway, and we will be departing in approximately four hours time. Thank you.'

Here we go, Z9 thought. Time to dance.

Z9 downed the rest of her Amatherrone and put the glass on the side and clutched her small bag. She hated it. Hated clutch bags with a passion. It was her belief that if she ever came to a position of power within Celestria she would outlaw them and force every piece of clothing to be fitted with pockets instead. Much easier and less clumsy.

The guests that would soon be her travelling companions through the many star systems all put down their drinks and rose to their feet. Every passenger looked to be drenched in jewels, the most expensive that The Empire of Humanity, and other empires by the looks of things, could offer. Upon casting glances around as she wandered to the exit of the lounge she spotted a few faces that she knew, able to pick them out now that they were moving. Not far from her was a slim woman with short hair and great vines of earrings that she recognised as Gorshel Unma, a film star of the highest class. And there beside her, though not talking to her, was a strong, athletic man with a third arm on the right side of his torso that could only be Lar.4G, the Hyper-GP racer. He'd just won the championship a few weeks back, and Z9 supposed this was a victory celebration.

Nobody I'm meant to be looking for though, she thought to herself.

She got to the young lady examining everyone's papers, and Z9 produced her identification.

'Thank you, Miss Lyre,' the lady said. 'Welcome to Helios. If you'd just like to step up those stairs and onto the ship, there will be a young man on your right waiting to show you to your room.'

'Thank you,' Z9 replied, bowing her head politely. She stepped out of the lounge and into the open air again, where just before her the steps led up to the entrance to the ship. It loomed ahead of her, once majestic but now strangely dull, stupid looking. Some saw luxury, but Z9 saw a block of flats. She had seen the blueprints and designs and plans of every kind, and knew that there was no expense inside the ship, but to her, the outside left much to be desired.

She took the steps slowly, poised, upright. She didn't try to be noticed, but the cameras flashing away to the sides would catch her nonetheless, and she wanted to look good. Above all, she knew she looked good, and she wanted to prove it for the entire world to see.

She ducked in through the doorway and into the soft light of the ship.

'Miss Lyre,' a voice said beside her. A young man with short hair stood beside her. He looked almost like the young man that she had met at the reception, though he was slightly taller and had different coloured eyes.

'You're to show me to my cabin,' Z9 said. She said this with as much of a combination of elegance and authority as she could muster, and it was not easy blending the two. They didn't mix very well. Authority went well with threatening to shoot someone in the head, and elegance went well with cocktails and chandeliers. She had never shot someone under a chandelier before, though she wondered if she might get the practice before the tour was over.

'I am, Miss Lyre,' the young man said. 'If you would care to follow me.'

She followed him along the corridor, taking a right and then descending a flight of stairs. The walls were a pleasant cream, not a mark upon them. Portraits of famous men and women hung from the walls, the landscapes depicted exotic and breathtaking. Z9 had only been off-planet once, and that had been to an Outpost, not exactly the glamour that she had expected or wanted.

After descending the stairs, her hand running along the polished, dark red wooden railing, she was led down another hallway, each cabin with its own porthole in the door, an homage to days gone past, millennia ago.

'Here we are, Miss,' the young man said, motioning up ahead. 'Room 304.' He took a small piece of metal from his pocket and tugged on the lengths of it. It elongated, the portion between the split a hologram of information, numbers and codes.

'If you'd just like to place your thumb on the screen, Miss Lyre, the door key will recognise your print. It won't open the door for anyone other than yourself, then, you see.'

'How very advanced,' Z9 said, placing her thumb on the projection. A second later it flashed from its regular blue to green, and then returned to normality again. The young man smiled and inserted it into a slot in the wall. Z9 heard the door click, and the young man pushed the door open.

'You'll find your things already inside, Miss. There's a Halo-Screen inside on one of the walls, with a helpline number beside it, should you require any assistance, 24/7. Everything you need should be inside. The vessel departs in roughly two hours. I hope you enjoy your trip.'

'Thank you, young man,' Z9 said, flashing one of the smiles that usually made young men and women weak at the knees. The young man smiled back and walked off, back the way he had come.

They must be androids on this ship, Z9 thought to herself. That should have worked like a charm. I hate it when I don't get treated like a goddess.

She went inside and made herself at home.