Vacuum (The Cataclysm Series Book 1) Read online

  We approached the desk and found a very distracted clerk. She kept looking behind us at the argument that still raged only a short distance away.

  “Excuse me,” I said.

  “Uh, yes?”

  “Here is my ticket.”

  I held out the disk that contained my ID number and ticket number.

  “Oh, yes,” she said as she absent-mindedly scanned it.

  “This is my assistant.”

  “I see that. Have a nice trip.”

  I don’t think she even heard me, and she certainly didn’t see Salem. No one seemed to cast a glance at the large barrook strapped under my jacket either. I could have smuggled an elephant on board with how distracted she was by the mob. Ever true to her character, Salem walked us through the gateway as though I were sweet and fragile.

  “No sense in getting any of the Metal Heads suspicious,” she explained.

  I agreed.

  As we stepped from the canvas gateway onto the metal slats of the ship’s floor, I could hear our footfalls reverberate with every step. Even Salem’s light steps were audible here, plain as day.

  No one would be able to sneak up on me in this place.

  Chapter Six

  We were shown through the ship by a strange little man. He sounded older, like the age my father would be now if he were alive, and he walked with a slight limp. He insisted on taking our bags, but when I handed mine over to him, I managed to feel his right hand enough to notice that he only had 3 fingers attached to it.

  “The otha only has two,” he remarked as I released the bag into his custody.

  “Pardon?”

  “I noticed you noticing my hand. That’s my good one. The otha hand only has the two.”

  “My apologies,” I said, quite contrite.

  “No worries, you. I don’t begrudge a blind man a little feel. Figured you gotta right to know who you deelin’ wit. I got a bunch of shrapnel scars all over my face too.”

  “I didn’t mean to pry.”

  “You didn’t. You’re at a disadvantage. Most get to judge my appearance right off. You don’t get to. It’s common courtesy I’d say to tell ya who I am. You see a guy wit missin’ fingers and a face all pocked up, it’s a fair assessment to say that he’s been blown up a bit. Prolly not too bright, too. Hello.”

  He wheezed a laugh at me and I smiled back.

  “Welp, let’s get a movin’. Got a lot of ship to see. Ha! Regardless, you won’t be seein’ it, but I’ll explain as best I can.”

  He laughed a coughed the way only a man who had smoked all of his life could. I smiled again, and I could feel Salem suppressing her own laughter. I could feel the tension in her arm from the effort as she took my arm to lead me behind the man with the five total fingers. Our footsteps clanged along the corridors as the man hobbled in front of us.

  “Morgan!”

  “Excuse me?” Salem asked.

  “Morgan’s ma name,” he said as we passed a troop of Metal Heads pounding past us in formation.

  “I’m Salem!”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  I didn’t offer my name and he didn’t ask.

  We stopped at the end of a corridor and I heard him press a button. Apparently, we were at an elevator.

  “Now, this part of tha ship is all temporary. We are in tha fake legs of the ship, so to speak. This bit will detach during takeoff. That’s why it’s all industrialized like this, you see. You know that word, industrialized? Yeah, it’s for use only. No comfort.”

  We nodded and a bell dinged, signaling that the elevator had arrived.

  “There we are now. Our lift to civilization. Hello goodbye.”

  The elevator smelled like circulated air and the musk of humans, all tangy and shallow.

  “This be the greatest ship in tha world or worlds. I’ve been working on her for nigh onto twenty-five years. The temporary part ain’t so pretty, but the ship part is just tops. Well, that’s just one white boy’s opinion, but quite literally, it’s the best.”

  I knew the Goliath to be quite old as far as starships went, but she was as large and sturdy as her counterparts were fast.

  “Hello, we are here.”

  The bell dinged again to let us know that we had arrived on the proper floor. I could hear a multitude of people milling about and talking. Every voice seemed both excited and annoyed. So many people in one place to head out to the unknown makes for quite the spectacle of mob agitation. Morgan hobbled out and we followed as he gave us the grand tour.

  “All above and below you is limesteel. You understand limesteel. It’s a livable organism, quite literally. We use this hybrid so that it’s lighter than steel and flexes to give a better ride. Not many ships use this anymore, but they should. Makes tha ship alive you see. She’s a living thing, this ship. You treat her nice, she treats you nice. Hello goodbye.”

  We continued our journey through the throngs of people and up some stairs. All the while, Morgan pontificated on the ship and her superiority to other ships.

  “These pipes here, you understand pipes, are the cleanest in tha world of worlds. I’m tellin’ ya. Regardless of age, these are the real thing. I’m tellin’ ya here first.”

  Salem let a giggle squeak out and then tried to cover it with her mouth.

  “No worries, little Ma’am. I’m here to entertain as well as instruct. Most ladies find me funny. Shall we say, they find me funny at first. Later, after I marry ‘em, they think I’m an a-hole.”

  Her giggle turned to roaring laughter.

  “See there? Maybe you’s the next Mrs. Ex-Morgan. Hello. Regardless, I think your blind man would object.”

  “We are not together,” I replied.

  I felt her skin go hot under my arm. An uncomfortable silence passed between us.

  “Hey, I understand. But just sayin’ I saw things quite literally between you. It’s not too obvious, but enough to where I can see it, and I’m missing half my face! But you know, the rain will come but when it’s done, the sun’s gonna shine.”

  I had no idea what he meant by this, but we pressed on anyways. He continued to give us our rather unique tour until we stopped in front of a doorway.

  “Hello, this is your room,” he said in a stately manner.

  Salem took the card key the front receptionist gave us and unlocked the door. All three of us entered the room, and Morgan dropped the bags on the bed. I reached into the bag in my pocket and pulled out a few coins. I shook his disfigured hand and gave him the tip.

  “Coins, ay? Don’t see these too often. I see why ya deal in them though, the way you are. Nottin’ quite so final as holding the weight of it in your hand.”

  “Thank you for the truly unique tour, Morgan.”

  “My pleasure. It ain’t what you do in life, it’s how you do it, quite literally. Whatever you do, do it well. That’s what I say, but regardless, what does a dumb blown up guy gotta teach anybody? Hello goodbye.”

  He wheezed and laughed at himself again as he exited the little room. It wasn’t until after we heard his coughing disappear down the corridor that I realized the room had only one bed, and Salem was sitting on it with an air of uncertainty.

  Chapter Seven

  “It’s a pretty big room,” she said in an open-ended type of way.

  “I wouldn’t know.”

  “Well, it is.”

  “What are you driving at?”

  “I could be a big help to you on this flight.”

  “Oh really? How so?”

  “Well, obviously, you don’t know your way around this huge thing, and I could be your guide. Everyone needs friends, Shadow Man.”

  “I have lots of friends.”

  “On this ship?”

  “No.”

  “See,” she said as she got up moved closer to me. “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m your friend.”

  “Are you now? I thought you were a girl who cut my hair and knew too much about my order.”

  “Well, I’m th
at too. There’s no reason we can’t be friends.”

  “The fact you’re a thief by trade makes me a little skeptical.”

  There was a brief pause where I couldn’t tell if she was offended or contemplative.

  “I don’t steal from my friends, only folks who look like they could spare it.”

  “Ah, so you are an honorable thief?”

  “It’s about the same as being an honorable assassin I suspect.”

  “True. Very little is as it seems.”

  The sound of her footsteps told me she was moving closer to me in that slow way women do when they are trying to get your attention. I didn’t move from my position. I didn’t know this room. The echoes from our voices told me approximately how large it was, but I didn’t know the furniture. This would be the same problem for most of the ship. Corridors would be easy to manage—those all echoed the same way and were built for quick travel. However, big ships like these hummed with life and the rooms changed layouts based on use. I knew finding my way would not always be easy. This wasn’t the desert outlands where even the air made sense to me. Perhaps having a companion here would help.

  Salem was right next to me now, waiting on my answer. I couldn’t move.

  “Alright, I agree with you. Having you help me get used to this place would be useful. I don’t have much money, enough for food and such, but not enough to pay a real assistant.”

  “That’s okay!” she beamed.

  “Salem, I have to pay you something. How will you live?”

  “All I ask for payment is to let me stay here with you. I’ll sleep on the sofa—it looks comfortable enough. I brought a little money I had saved, and I can steal whatever else I need.”

  I thought about that for a moment. What did I care if she stole?

  “Alright. We have an accord, but if you get caught stealing, don’t come running to me. I will not bail you out.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Another silence passed while I contemplated how to get her out of the room long enough for me to inspect it. I had to be able to find my way around this place on my own without stumbling. This was to be my base, my safe place. I needed to know every nuance here. It was hard enough to navigate crowded rooms, but large rooms echoed. Footsteps reverberated. People chattered, and sound waves bounced off things like furniture and walls. This all told me how to get around without stumbling. But in a room with no echoes and even less energy moving around to tell me where everything was? It would take me bumbling about the place and feeling out my surroundings.

  To do that in front of her was not something I was willing to subject myself to. I always looked so foolish when I did, and I never let even my trusted friends watch me. As if reading my mind, she spoke.

  “Honesty is normally the best policy in my book.”

  I snickered.

  “In the book of thieves?”

  She huffed at me.

  “In the book of business associates. I am not a thief to you, just like you are not an assassin to me. What we are to other people is not what we are to each other.”

  I was quiet.

  “Salem?”

  “Yes?”

  “Why do you trust me?”

  She started and caught her breath. Apparently, she hadn’t been expecting that one. Truthfully speaking, I hadn’t either.

  “Well, I know your order. I wanted on this ship, and I needed help getting here. You agreed and you’re of the Shadow Class. I know your people don’t hurt women.”

  “What if I’m not of that class anymore,” I replied, pointing to my eyes.

  “I understood Shadow Class was Shadow Class for life.”

  I smiled and laughed a little under my breath.

  “And what if I am here to kill someone?”

  Salem shuffled her feet and the air around her grew wobbly. She was unsure how to respond.

  “If it’s not me, I am fine. I have no business with anyone on board. Just don’t ask me to help you murder.”

  I nodded.

  “Are you here to kill someone, Shadow Man?”

  “Maybe. I don’t know for sure yet.”

  It was a confusing answer, but a true one. I didn’t know the truth yet, and until I did, there was no one to kill. I heard her quietly shuffle toward the door. She was going to leave me to bump into things and make a fool of myself in peace. I heard the click of the door as she opened it, but she paused just before she closed it behind her.

  “Shadow Man?”

  “Yes?”

  “Why do you trust me?”

  I wanted to tell her I was grateful to her. Another answer could have been I knew some things about her and could always use it against her if I needed to. However, I said my answer without thinking. It just spilled from my lips without my consent, and there was no way to reel it back.

  “Because you smell like home.”

  Salem didn’t say a word. She just shut the door, leaving me alone in the still silence of our room. I felt instantly indebted to her for that small act of kindness.

  Chapter Eight

  Everyone knew the moment the ship took off from Artemis. The temporary stabilizers broke their attachments as the main thrusters propelled us upward to break the hold Artemis’s gravity had on us. The Goliath tore through the atmosphere like the behemoth it was—heavy and powerful. People and animals could see and hear the massive blast from miles away. We burned like a great blue flame in the evening sky.

  Everyone on board knew we took off because complimentary champagne was dispersed among the passengers on the viewing deck. A toast was made to everyone involved, for we were true adventurers on a journey to the unknown. The ship rattled only slightly beneath our feet to signal the turbulence of our journey through the atmosphere. I could only imagine what was happening outside of the ship, yet the inside was so stable no one so much as spilled their drink.

  “I hate these older model starships,” blurted a woman to the right of us. “The luxury class is always so dated, and this shaking is making me dizzy.”

  Salem was holding the crook of my arm and I pulled her in closer.

  “If you are going to steal from someone, I would suggest her,” I whispered.

  “I was thinking the same thing.”

  We walked about the deck to get a sense of the place. I had worn my nicer pants and jacket, and Salem was in some sort of dress. Her shoulders were bare when I brushed them, and there was a light swishing sound when she walked. She, like many other women, clicked a little when they walked. High heels, I deduced.

  Very few people came to greet us even though they mingled among themselves. There were lots of conversations around us about the dragons and what they meant. The religious people discussed how beautiful God must be, and what his coming must mean. The scientists discussed energy transference and who might get the honor of naming the new species. The rich society type seemed to not care much for either ideals, and thought most things were drab. A few were excited, but most seemed to only be here for the novelty of it.

  If there were writers, artists and the like who were there to capture the encounters, then I could not hear them. Salem pointed a few out to me, but they were silent. They were probably as uncomfortable in these situations as we were. If I were in the business of making friends on this trip, I might have attached myself to them, but I was not here for that. The ones I could definitely hear were the reporters. They were persistent in their questions as they milled about the crowd. I knew they were near even before I heard their plastic voices ask their silly questions. The beeps of their small cameras gave them away. Every reporter carried a small camera, and they all made a beep, beep, beep sound when activated to record something.

  Beep, beep, beep.

  “Excuse me, sir. What are you hoping to get out of this momentous experience with the dragons?”

  The beeping seemed to always prelude every question. And the question was always followed by a stuttered answer.

  “W-w-well, me and my wife
are just so thrilled, and… uh… we just feel so privileged the be the first ones to see these amazing creatures in hundreds of years.”

  This came from a dumpy man to the left of us who was suddenly surrounded by people dying to know what he thought. He shifted heavily back and forth on his feet. Salem and I moved on.

  Beep, beep, beep.

  “Pardon me, ma’am. Tell me what you and your church are hoping will happen when we get to the dragons?”

  “U-um. Well. W-we believe this is the coming foretold. Our mighty God has… well… He has risen. We will go and atone for our sins. A-a-and we will be delivered into the light.”

  This continued, but we were left alone. No reporter asked anything from us. It was like we were invisible to everyone.

  “I’m not complaining mind you, but isn’t it odd no one has come to talk to us or asked us any questions?” asked Salem.

  “Not really.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Look at me. Am I dressed well enough? Are you?”

  “Well, yes. We look just like everyone else.”

  “Except I’m obviously blind.”

  “Obviously. What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Most people don’t acknowledge me. They don’t want to stare and appear rude, even though I cannot see them, but they are also afraid to speak to me. Most just don’t want to come across as unfeeling, so they pretend I’m just another person in the crowd. I end up standing out by being left alone.”

  “And me?”

  “You are with me.”

  “But I spoke to you.”

  “I don’t think we can really describe you as ‘normal’, can we?”

  “True enough. You know, you wouldn’t be so noticeably blind if you didn’t wear that sash around your eyes.”

  “I’m blind. I don’t try to hide it. Besides, I like being able to walk unmolested through a crowd.”

  We walked a bit more as Salem described where things in the viewing deck were. I tried to remember the smell. It smelled like metal, but most of the ship had that odor. There was also the scent of people and perfume, but there was something cold and almost tangy in the room. It was like the smell of freshly polished glass, a very sterile fragrance.