Page 11 of Survivor
At least the pen and paper would finally come in useful.
* * *
Making the journey through the hub with Tide was almost pleasant, as if we were out for a sightseeing stroll. I’d donned the same garb as the day before, and Tide was wearing a brown hooded cloak. Not that it mattered so much for him. We’d spotted several Athions already. Their blue skin was a dead giveaway. The port was home to all sorts. Leathery-skinned humanoid beings, tall, slender, pale bipedal creatures. Short, squat, dwarf-like androgynous species. My brain struggled to keep up with them all.
Tide steered me with a hand at the small of my back, which was ironic, considering I was the one leading the way.
I swerved past a four-legged creature with a tail and a long neck wearing a hat. “You’re going to need to educate me on all the species at some point.”
Tide chuckled. “That one is a Zykoo; they’re friendly, peace-loving creatures who love to explore the stars. Extremely advanced technology; in fact, they trade with Athion on a regular basis.”
“And the dwarf creatures?”
“Dwarf?”
“The short ones we just passed.”
“Kamari. Short-tempered and aggressive. Steer clear.”
I cut down the alley where I’d followed Vartin and then jumped the chain-link fence into the network of streets beyond.
Tide let out a low whistle.
“Keep up, Athion boy.” I broke into a jog, visualizing the route I’d taken the last time to get me to the walkway I’d vaulted over. It was above me this time, and there was Vartin, leaning up against a post studying his nails. He looked up as we approached and then took a step back.
“No deal,” he said. “No deal for two.”
Tide held up the hoverboard. “Not even for an upgrade on your board?”
Vartin looked from Tide to the board. “Upgrade?”
Tide grinned and then broke into another language, guttural and harsh. Vartin’s body relaxed, and then he was nodding. Tide held the board out, and Vartin took it eagerly.
“We’re good,” Tide said to me.
“Deal on,” Vartin said. “Follow me.”
He set off through the winding streets, and we followed. The buildings clustered closer the deeper we went, and the streets grew narrower. The air grew smoggy and gray.
“The Cogs is up ahead,” Vartin said. “Watch where you step.” He hopped onto his board and whizzed off.
Shit, he was fast. “Wait up.” I sped up with Tide at my side.
The ground began to clang. Metal under our boots. Grilled walkways crisscrossed above us. The buildings were moving. They were built from huge metal interconnecting cogs. It was like stepping into the inner workings of a clock.
And we weren’t the only ones navigating it. Figures milled around us, in and out of the buildings; some even skittered up and across the walkways, as nimble as spiders.
Vartin whizzed back to touch base. “Almost there.” He flew off, swerving to the left.
The ground sloped downward, and the world grew gloomy.
“Over here!” Vartin called out.
I spotted him hovering outside a door built into a tall, slender building that seemed to reach up to the stars. Farther to our left was an arch where two huge creatures stood guard while a thin stream of bodies made their way in. Another entrance?
Vartin hopped off his board and banged a fist on the door.
He called out in his language again.
