The Legacy of the Alliance

Chapter 38

Val and Cordelia slammed into the wall as they were roughly thrown into the prison cell. Before the researcher could gather her bearings, she found herself being tackled into a bear hug.

"Valerie! Oh, Gods, you're here! You- I-"

"Wait. Are you actually my mother?"

"Of course... I'd recognise you at any age. You still look so much like your father..." Cordelia's head snapped up. "Where is he?"

"Mom- Hold on, can I call you mom?" the other woman nodded. "Okay. Mom, I have no idea where dad is or if he is even safe..."

"What happened, Valerie?"

"Val. There was a fire when we went into the village for some supplies. That's how I met my friends on the ship. They saved me... As for dad, I never went back to the village. I wouldn't know..."

"Why wouldn't you go back?" she quickly responded, almost sounding accusatory.

Val quickly realised that she didn't actually know. She thought long and hard until she realised why she had stayed. She was accepted. She wasn't harassed for her interests. She was free and could do enough research to last her full lifetime.

"I didn't want to. Do you realise how shitty it is in that village. I can't have my dad as my only friend for the rest of my life!"

"So you abandoned your father because you wanted to hang out with some friends?!" her voice got louder as she rose from the floor.

"No!" Val stood up as well. "How could you think that? You don't even know me!" She paused for a moment. "It doesn't take long to run out of water samples. Do you even realise what happens in that village? Do you even care!"

For a few long moments, Val just stood there - her face plastered with anger and her breathing heavy. "Of course I care, Valerie-"

"Val." she gritted her teeth.

"Val. I care because you're my daughter. You may not know me, but I at least know a fraction of you."

Back on the ship, Lyra was cooking up a plan whilst also trying to make sure they didn't go too far. A sudden burst of inspiration shot through her. Without missing a step, she rushed below the deck and grabbed a cargo crate. On each crate, there was a list of items. For the one she grabbed, earplugs were clearly written under the title "Sleep Gear". Once she had gathered enough, Lyra rushed back up the stairs and began plugging in the earplugs.

"Lyra? What the hell- Where is Val?" Atlan looked around quickly.

After realising she couldn't hear him, she rushed to Val's coat and grabbed her notebook and pen. She hastily scribbled out 'Siren song. Val went under. Hasn't come back. Help me with Cel's earplugs, I don't know where her ears are.'

After getting Celeste sorted, Atlan gathered the group to read Lyra's note. Theo asked for the book immediately. 'What do we do? It's not like we can breathe underwater.'

Zeke was the next to get the notebook. 'So we just wait?'

Atlan was the last to go. 'It's our best option.'