Welcome to Immersion, you have reached Strata 15
The Ship of Sirens (Superstition)
Renyke now realised that he may have permanently lost access to his internal GPS and other useful tools performed by *POS.
'Can we get any signal here for information? How do your people get around and communicate? I didn't see you or Shabra with any personal devices.'
Renyke looked at Flex frowning. His confusion seemed to be mounting. 'It makes no sense, how can societies run efficiently…..’
‘Woa, what’s with the interrogation ….calm down…!’
Renyke took a breath, still looking to Flex for answers.
'Well, see, this is the wild country my friend,' Flex answered, 'we don't have too much need for that stuff because that is how they catch you see.’
'Who catches you?' asked Renyke.
'Enemies of course. We have a motto in the zones, 'the watcher may win but the unseen succeeds. You gotta be invisible Renyke. They could be watching you right now, you know that? They could know exactly who you are and what you are up to.’
'Some of my POS isn't working,' explained Renyke, with a worried tone.
'Good,' said Flex, 'now let's get going’.
Maybeline jumped off Renyke's shoulder and stood on her hind legs twitching her whiskers towards the small boat.
Unsure if a droid could survive without a POS or in water, Renyke followed Flex's lead and they gently set the boat out into the waterway.
The small sailboat was dwarfed by an expanse of open water with inlets and makeshift jetties that jutted from the coastline. There were remnants of industrial activity, torn and broken bridges, and old shipwrecks.
'What happened here?' Renyke asks, pointing at the knotted metal casings of old aircraft and skeletal flyovers. It looks like a war zone.’
'It was just that brother, a war zone. They left because of the gas and radiation, way back after the China-Russia wars killed everything off. Even the weeds stopped growing. It's OK now but they never came back to fix it. Not yet anyway, so the *urchs and *zoners made homes here.’
Renyke suddenly engages his arm extension and catches a fish. POS is unavailable so he asks Flex,
'Can I eat this? Is it safe?’
Flex raised an eyebrow.
'Man, you are fast, I didn't even see your hand move.’
A large fish is wriggling in Renyke's hand.
'Yes, we can eat the fish. Here, I will save it till we make……
Before Flex had a chance to mention a campfire, Renyke swallowed the fish's head and eagerly chomped on it. The fish's tail fin let go of one final motor neuron impulse as Renyke devoured it.
'Ah man, you droids are sickos. Get me another for lunch, we can cook it, if you don't mind.’
Renyke collected a pile of fish onto the deck, separating one out for Maybeline.
'I never really ate before. Not since I woke in the Alley. Then I felt hungry.' explains Renyke.
'Something must have happened when you, ya know...' Flex trails off as a Large ship approaches.
'Ah *fuxywot, it's a *cadre ship. Don't look, they will steal your dreams!’
The ship bears a large female figurehead. There is a winged insignia in gold on a death black hull. A warning horn sounded as strange music bellowed. They were singing, some kind of primal opera, and drums. The noise was terrifying and captivating at the same time. Renyke looked on in disbelief.
Dark feminine figures stood on the ship's deck wearing masks. They carried glistening weapons that pierced the air with light beams as they began to pound sticks on the deck.
'Who are they?' Ask Renyke.
'Stop staring,' Flex hissed, 'they hate being stared at. It's insulting brother.’
‘But.....'
'Stop it!' shouts Flex, splashing water in Renyke's face.’
The ship moved slowly past, its black hull like a monster eating the waves. The women were beautiful and something stirred in Renyke’s loins as strong as the hunger he had felt before.
The chanting echoed to the rhythm of the clattering and pounding of sticks. The sounds were petrifying and exhilarating all at once.
The women stared back at Renyke burning their energy deep into his soul until he finally looked away. Then he gasped as if their energy had made its way into his lungs. Water dripped from his nose and chin.
'You are going to get us killed, do you hear me....killed, a nasty slow death-by-siren, that's what.’
'But they were so…..'
'Droid got no clue,' mumbled Flex.
An angry wind rises as the black ship fades from sight.
The sky turns grey and there is a sudden temperature drop.
'See now brother, that's the curse for staring. Now we got a storm to deal with.’
There is a small inlet with an old pier that Flex points to.
'We should take cover, no point fighting a storm.’
'How far to Redact?' Asked Renyke.
'We are real close. See that island yonder, it's a peninsular. That is where *Redact is. But it is tricky to get there by sea because of the rocks, best on foot my friend. Especially in a storm.’
Renyke was keen to get to the island. It would be a fast sail in the wind and the rain is light.
'I am a strong swimmer,' lied Renyke, not sure if he could actually swim without research or instruction.
'Ha, what like some kinda reptile droid now are you?' Flex laughed hysterically, shoving Renyke towards the boat edge just enough to scare him.
'Ha, what are you Renyke my friend, an amphibian or a smartphone?
Hahahaha.
You wanna try that my friend you go alone with that rat on your head, and I will be on my way. I will see your insides washed up on the shore next week and use them for *swapsy-trade. Ain't no fool like a midcast fool, fresh from the laundry room.’
Flex’s smile dropped, he was no longer laughing and was warning Renyke behind a joke.
Renyke thinks for a moment longer as the rain pelts.
to be continued...
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The Book of Immersion : Volume 1 Kindle Editionby Sarnia de la Mare (Author) Format: Kindle EditionIndividual Chapters/Strata
