☆ ⁺ « THE GANG'S BACK TOGETHER
★˚⋆ YOU FELL BACKWARDS, CRASHING INTO the bench behind you. Abbacchio barely managed to scramble out of the way as you wrestled with the creature on your face, yelling all the while. The pain was intense. It felt like the thing was trying to suck your face off.
"Don't move!" you heard Rati shout.
"What else am I supposed to do?" you tried to scream back, but the creature made that a bit difficult. It was slimy, and had tentacles like some kind of octopus. No matter how hard you tried to get a grip on it, its writhing made that practically impossible.
"We have to do something," Abbacchio said. You landed heavily on your side, your ribs smarting. Why wouldn't this flacking thing come off?
"Stay back. It could transfer over to you too," Rati warned.
Of course. Stars forbid the creature transfer over to Abbacchio when you were about to flacking suffocate. It might have been your imagination, but the more you struggled against the creature, the stronger it seemed to get.
You gritted your teeth. Like hell were you going to let this stupid-ass organism kill you when the Stand Arrow was within reach.
You managed to get a hold of one of its tentacles and pulled on it as hard as you could. You felt its suction on your face give slightly and you pulled harder, ready to hear its body snap like an elastic.
And snap it did. You let out a savagely satisfied shriek when the organism snapped free of your face, with such force that your hand slammed onto the floor of the motorboat from the recoil. You were about to celebrate before you realized the thing was now on your arm.
"For flack's sake!"
"Rati, get that thing in the cooler," Abbacchio barked.
"How? Do you see how tightly it's attached to Ahren's arm?"
Who the flack is Ahren? You thought deliriously, before you remembered that was the fake name you'd given him.
"Well, do something," you snapped. You felt strangely weak, barely able to struggle anymore. You let your head slump back to the floor of the motorboat, exhausted all of a sudden. Your entire face stung like a bitch.
Abbacchio shifted to move but Rati stopped him. "What's wrong with them?"
"The organism draws energy from its targets. It leaves them incredibly weak."
"Are you sure it's just energy? That thing is bigger than it was before."
"I-I'm not sure."
You could barely move. First the Black Zone and now this? Could you get a break?
The organism was making disgusting snuffling sounds on your arm. Not eating you, but absorbing your energy and matter some other way.
"I'll just shoot it off," you muttered. You scrabbled around for your elector, trying to see where it had fallen. Its cool metal touched your hand and you aimed it at the organism, not caring that you'd probably blow your arm off in the process.
"Wait—" Rati said.
You pulled the trigger three times, in quick succession. To your shock, the organism reared up, stretching out its tentacles to block the elector pulses. A bit of blood spurted out, but it might as well have been swatting flies. It fell on your arm with renewed gusto, now the size of a cat.
"What is it attracted to?" Abbacchio wondered. "How was it able to block those elector pulses?"
"Heat, maybe?" Rati suggested. He'd started moving closer to your arm, the cooler held aloft.
"Why hasn't it gone after you or me then? You'd think we'd be giving off more body heat than an elector."
You groaned, seeing black spots dance across your vision. You didn't know how much energy you had, but you wouldn't last long at this rate.
"I just don't understand how it moves so quickly—" Rati accidentally kicked the bottle of water he'd given you earlier across the boat. In a flash, the organism left your arm and pounced on the bottle instead, water spouting into the air as it dug its tentacles in it.
You let out a relieved gasp, bringing your arm to you. You grimaced at how raw and sensitive it felt. Was it just your imagination, or did it seem thinner than your other arm?
Rati's mouth was open. "Why did it do that? The bottle . . . it's not even living."
You took deep breaths and slowly shifted into a sitting position closer to Abbacchio. You eyed the organism tearing into the waterbottle, as mindlessly as it had been attacking your arm.
You shook your foot weakly in its direction, bracing yourself to be attacked again. The organism ignored you.
"Could it be . . ." You coughed. "Movement? Maybe that thing's tracking movement?"
"Speed," Abbacchio murmured. "Seems like it goes after the fastest thing in the vicinity. First it was you falling backwards, and then that water bottle Rati kicked."
It made sense. That was why Abbacchio and Rati could move around the boat without the organism attacking them, but sudden movements made the organism latch right onto you. You supposed the faster you tried to run from it, the faster it would catch you.
Shivers ran down your spine at the thought. What kind of organism was this? You didn't have to be a scientist to see that it didn't fit in anywhere in Minos' ecosystem. Or any ecosystem, really.
"Fascinating," Rati said. "What an incredible power."
"Power?" you echoed. "What do you mean?"
Rati raised the cooler, ready to catch the organism.
"What the hell are you doing?" Abbacchio snapped. "You can't really be thinking about catching that thing again."
"The scientists need it for research," Rati said plainly.
"It'll kill them before they study anything. We need to get rid of it. You said it yourself how deadly this thing is. It's better off dead than in a lab."
Rati looked almost remorseful. "But there's so much we could learn from it. Especially because it's a—" He cut himself off.
"It's a what?" you said.
"I suppose you're right," Rati said, backtracking. He lowered the cooler. "Electors won't work. None of us can get close enough to it without being attacked. What should we do?"
You're the researcher and you're asking us? you thought. You looked out over the edge of the boat. If only you could chuck the thing into the ocean—wait.
You said to Rati, "Can you get us further out into the water? Where the currents and waves are stronger? If that thing's attracted to speed, it'll just—start chasing the waves until it dies. Or drowns."
"It's not a bad idea," said Abbacchio.
"You're assuming that a boat or vessel faster than the waves won't pass by the organism," Rati said.
You scowled. "You're the one who asked for ideas, smartass."
Rati almost smiled, and something about it caught you off-guard for a few seconds.
"Alright. I'll try to see how far out to sea we can go."
Slowly, Rati made his way back to the console and started up the motorboat again. You tensed every time the boat cut through choppy waves, but it appeared as though the organism was truly mindless. Its focus was almost like a bot, never once straying away from the bottle despite what happened around it.
"Do you think there could be other things out there like it?" you asked.
"Unlikely," Rati answered immediately.
"Why? Is it some kind of mutant?"
"Not the kind you're thinking of," Rati said.
You scowled again. Would it kill this guy to give you a straight answer?
You had to assume that Rati knew where he was taking you. After ten minutes of riding, he shut off the engine again, and this time, the motorboat lurched constantly. Out in the middle of the ocean, the waves were definitely stronger. You thought you could make out island D46 as a speck of green on the horizon.
"It seems like such a shame to kill it," Rati said, going over to the organism. "We'll never find another one like it."
"I'm sure it's a loss you can stand to make," Abbacchio said tightly.
"How are you planning on getting it out?" you asked suspiciously. "Unless there's a hatch or something over there that I don't know about?"
"You would be correct," Rati said, slowly lowering himself to the organism's level. He happened to be at just the right angle to be obscured by the seat bench.
Whatever hatch Rati opened, it didn't sound like any you'd heard before. You heard a splash as the organism fell into the water, caught unawares. Rati got to his feet, leaning over the bow to watch as the organism suddenly burst through the water with a shriek, seemingly momentarily confused before throwing itself into the waves like some kind of rabid fish. The waves would crash over it before it surfaced again, throwing itself into the next wave, and then the next. It was a pathetic sight, and it left a pit in your stomach as it started drifting away.
Rati dusted off his hands even though his skinsuit had gloves. "There. That wasn't so difficult. I thank you two for your help."
Neither you nor Abbacchio replied.
Rati shrugged. "At any rate, I apologize for the delay. We had better get to island D46."
He brushed past you on his way back to the steering console, his skinsuit strangely slick. As the boat cut back through the water, you discreetly asked Abbacchio to trade seats with you so you could see whatever latch Rati had used.
You searched as hard as you could, but the underside of the bow was completely smooth, no ridges or seams anywhere to indicate that it could open. You couldn't find any switches or buttons there either.
You supposed it didn't really matter. However Rati managed to get the organism out of the boat was his business, and it hadn't damaged anything, so what did it matter?
But that strange sound you'd heard when he'd opened the boat. It scratched at your brain, nagging, familiar. What was it? You asked Abbacchio, but he only looked confused. You thought about it the entire ride, something about it bothering you. You studied Rati from the corner of your eye, your unease growing.
And finally, you realized.
It had sounded remarkably like—
A zipper.
- ✦ -
An enormous compound took up most of island D46. There was a slight moment of panic as you scanned your ident chips for access, but it seemed like you and Abbacchio had done a good enough job at your fake research identities. You were let inside without incident.
Inside, a lab tech greeted you, a tablet in the crook of his arm and an ugly-ass smile on his face. You weren't one to judge, but his spiky green hair gave you the distinct impression of a microbe. A pin on his lapel told you his name was Cioccalata.
"Welcome to Lab D46," the tech said, pleasantly enough. He leered at the three of you. "What business do you have here?"
"We're here to meet up with our research group," said Abbacchio. "They would have signed in under A4672."
It took a moment for the tech to find the fake research number Fugo had given you. He seemed almost disappointed when he did.
"Ah, yes, there you are. It says they're only expecting one other member, however. Who might the two of you be?" he said, indicating Abbacchio and Rati.
"He's with me," you said, jutting a thumb at Abbacchio.
"I'm their guide," Rati said cheerfully. "I also have clearance."
Cioccalata's lip curled. He didn't say anything else, though, leading you further into the compound to a decontamination chamber.
"Step inside. Follow the instructions over the speakers. You'll be given shoe covers, goggles, gloves and coats on the other side."
The three of you did as you were told. Cioccalata reluctantly handed over your uniforms on the other side. Rati declined, preferring to wear his skinsuit. He still hadn't removed his visor and it seemed to bother Cioccalata as much as you.
"Follow me," he sniffed. You had to wonder why a bot couldn't have been your guide instead.
You weren't an overly science-oriented person, but the interior of the compound offered all kinds of interesting things to gawk at. One corridor was segmented into cubes, little green things growing inside them while attached tubes rose up to the ceiling. Down another room were various screens hanging from the ceiling, each displaying a feed of a habitat around the island and the organisms living there. You'd never had much reason to go into science compounds before this. Not much to steal in there.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Rati said, suddenly beside you. You shut your mouth, embarrassed that he'd caught you staring.
"It's alright."
"But, of course, you must be used to all of this, being a research student and all."
You decided to say nothing. You could feel Cioccalata perking up his ears from here.
Eventually, you stopped in a room with—unfortunately—nothing cool to look at. Cioccalata curtly told you to wait while he fetched your research team. You took a seat on one of the plain metal benches while Abbacchio leaned against the wall. Rati sat across from you, leaning his hands behind him.
"So what are you planning once you meet up with your crew?" Rati asked.
"I'm not sure." You didn't know what was up with Rati's curiosity, but you didn't like it. You were starting to feel that pulsing feeling in your chest again—that need to get the Stand Arrow. You couldn't say you felt its proximity, but anticipation was building up.
It was going to be over soon. The Stand Arrow would finally get to Zero.
"You know, we haven't talked about how your crew might react to me," said Abbacchio quietly when Rati took out his holopad. "How are you planning on explaining this?"
"It'll be fine," you assured him. "Once they see that you're chill, it'll be fine."
Abbacchio pursed his lips. You had to think for a second why he looked off before you realized he hadn't put on his purple lipstick. "If you say so."
The door to the room slid open. Cioccalata came in first, on his heels, an entire group in sleek white lab coats. You were rushing towards them immediately.
You spread your arms before you realized you didn't know what alias Fugo, or the rest of the crew had given Cioccolata. Not wanting to blow their cover, you dropped your arms awkwardly and coughed.
Fugo seemed to understand. "Thank you, Cioccolata. You can leave us now."
Cioccalata narrowed his eyes. "I've been told to keep an eye on the new research groups that just arrived."
"As you can see, there's nothing in this room. I'm sure you can allow us a few minutes to speak in private." Fugo didn't bother to smile. It was clear he didn't like Cioccalata either.
Cioccalata grunted. Thankfully, he did leave, making it clear that he was only a step away from the door.
You turned toward Fugo, ready to hug him before remembering he didn't like the contact. He smiled awkwardly. "It's good to see you, Captain."
You didn't have time to reply. Mista swung you off of your feet, whooping and hollering. "The Captain's alive! I told you flackers they would be!"
You laughed, nearly falling when Mista set you down. Trish squeezed you into a hug immediately after, grinning into your shirt.
"I'm so glad you're alright. I was so scared you'd actually died."
"I'm glad too," you said. Trish released you, then her eyes widened.
"What happened to your arm?"
"Oh, just a flesh-sucking organism." You pulled down the sleeve of your lab coat.
"What?"
"It was nothing. We dealt with it." You smiled reassuringly at Trish. "I'll tell you some other time." You found Narancia, his wide grin not enough to hide the bandage over his left eye.
"Hey, Cap."
You crushed him in a fierce hug.
"You should have told me," you hissed. "What are we going to do with you if you need a cybernetic? You're our pilot, for flack's sake."
Narancia hugged you back tightly. "You don't need to scold me like I'm a kid. I knew what I was doing. Besides, I didn't want you to worry."
"Well, I'm worrying now."
"I'll be fine, Cap. Cybernetics are all the rage now, didn't you know?"
You tried to glare at him but you were just damn glad to see Narancia again.
"Fugo already chewed me out. No need to yell at me again."
JoJo had been standing off to the side during all of this, scratching a spot beneath his jaw. You waved to him.
"Glad you're still here, rookie?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Right." JoJo blinked. Frowned. His holopad chimed and he scrambled to take it out before holding it up for you.
[ TOP OF THE MORNING TO YA, CAPTAIN! GLAD TO SEE YOU'RE ALIVE! BUT OF COURSE I CALCULATED FOR THAT. ]
"Still back on the ship, Coco?"
[ YEP! YOU HAVE ME TO THANK FOR THE FACT THAT YOUR ENTIRE CREW ISN'T DEAD! ]
You had a feeling it wasn't lying. "Thank you, Coco."
Mista rubbed his hands together. "The gang's back together and according to Coco, the Stand Arrow is just a few feet away. The end is in sight—what is Asswipe doing here?"
Abbacchio raised an eyebrow. Then raised his hands when everyone in the crew raised an elector on him.
"Woah," you said, stepping in front of him. "Stand down. He's not here to arrest us."
"Look, I know you were floating around in Deep Space, but that's actually the Inspector who's been trying to arrest us since forever standing behind you," said Narancia.
"He was the one who saved me. I'd be dead if it weren't for him."
Trish slowly lowered her elector. "He did?"
"Yes. He's on our side." You shot a glance at Abbacchio. "For now, at least. While it counts."
"Can we really trust him?" asked Fugo.
"This is taking place off-record," said Abbacchio. "I won't be an acting GA for this mission. You have my word that I won't act against you until Zero receives the Stand Arrow."
"It's a long story," you said, in response to everyone's skeptical looks.
"So . . . he's on our side now?" said Narancia. He scratched his head. "That's weird to think about."
"Well, he's not shooting us, so that counts for something." Mista stuck his elector back into his holster beneath his lab coat.
"Is that my shoulder holster?" Abbacchio asked sharply.
"Yep. But that's also off-record."
Abbacchio gritted his teeth.
Trish nodded in Rati's direction. "So who's that? Another one of your allies?"
"That remains to be seen," responded Rati. "If you are who I think you are, that is. Would you happen to be Passione? The thieving crew?"
"Keep your voice down," you hissed, hand on your elector.
"I just wanted to make sure," Rati said, smiling. "In that case, wonderful. You would be looking for Dr. Jean Pierre Polnareff, correct? He informed me I would be assisting a group such as yourselves."
"You work for Polnareff?" said Narancia. You were more surprised you'd never learned that Polnareff had a PhD.
"I'll take you to him. He'll feel better if I introduce you all."
With that, Rati pushed himself off the wall and walked to the door. "This way. Dr. Polnareff's lab is quite a ways inside the compound."
Everyone looked at you. When you shrugged, they started trickling outside, one by one.
Abbacchio came up to your side. "He didn't say he was a researcher. I thought he was just a transport worker."
You pursed your lips. "Me too."
- ✦ -
NEXT CHAPTER ─
❝ LYING ABOUT WHAT, OLD-TIMER? ❞
☆ ⁺ « THAT MAKES THINGS DIFFICULT