Carrion Crew

21

Even if Ash hadn't been apprehended, Twist would have been compelled to go back to the ship to find out everything he could about the craft. The idea of space-travel had always appealed to him, but now he had actually seen a ship – the means of leaving Earth and launching into vast and endless possibilities... It was like he had found the reason his heart had been pumping blood through his veins his whole life. He could tell, because every time he thought about the ship and about going back to it, his heart tensed in anticipation. Then as Twist remembered why he had no choice but to go back, his stomach clenched in fear.

He couldn't help but think the situation would have been different if Ash hadn't reacted the way she did. She injected fear into a situation that did not call for it. Running was the wrong thing to do. Even sneaking over the fence was antagonistic. They should have just walked around to the front gate and revealed their natural curiosity. At worst, they would have been told to go away. Or the armed guards might have tried to kill them. But there were certain precautions Twist would have taken to reduce the possibility of anything really bad happening. But now, all sensible paths were closed to Twist. Once you start sneaking around, you have to stay hidden, otherwise you'll get asked why you were sneaking in the first place. 

So Twist sneaked. He couldn't figure out why he and Ash had been discovered so easily before. With just himself, Twist managed to practically stroll right into the ship without a single confrontation. He enjoyed the feel of the vessel. The corridors were tight and hung with all sorts of pipes, tubes,vents, and levers for pulling only in case of emergencies. Ocassionally, a near-by light would mysteriously go on or off, or something would beep or hiss. It was everything Twist thought a spacecraft should be, and at the same time, like nothing he ever imagined. He wanted to know the purpose of everything he saw and heard, and he wished there was someone he could ask. But on the rare occasions that he did encounter another person, Twist ducked away and hid until they passed. Despite what he wanted, he was there for Ash. 

Finding Ash was proving to be a frustrating endeavor, though. Every turn was a choice, and the signs in the ship only told Twist where he was, never where he was going. Not that it would have helped. Every location was named by some coding system, and levels “2-Green-D” and “2-Blue-A” looked practically identical. After almost twenty minutes of wandering, Twist found a dead-end at a locked door and realized he was lost. Shortly after that, someone else realized he was lost, too.

“Where did you come from?” A deep voice asked.

Twist spun around to see a tall, muscular man with folded arms and a subtle smirk.

Twist experimented with the truth. “Outside.”

“I can tell,” the man said. “What are you doing inside?”

“Looking around,” said Twist.

“Looking for anything in particular?”

“A friend.”

“Will any friend do,” the man asked, “or did you have something specific in mind?”

Twist couldn't figure out what to make of the man. His words and voice portrayed casual banter, but the circumstances and the man's unsmiling eyes suggested a more dire situation. “She might be in trouble,” he ventured. “She's probably giving somebody a hard time right now. Do you keep prisoners?”

The man raised his eyebrows like the question was surprisingly appropriate instead of humorous. “We don't, but we do know how to take care of trespassers and spies.”

“Spies?” Twist cried. “I'm not spying.” As he said it, he realized that was exactly what he and Ash were doing before she got caught. “I mean, we weren't planning sabotage or anything like that.” And even that was only true as far as Twist was concerned.

“Saboteurs...” the man mused. “There's an interesting thought.”

“We weren't!” Twist insisted. “What are you doing to Ash?”

The man smiled, and Twist didn't like it. “We let her go,” the man said.

“You did?”

“We did. We returned her car to her and she drove to Hospital City.”

“What?”

“Don't worry,” the man said, his smile becoming larger and more unsettling. “She said she would come back for you. She's just running an errand for us, and when she gets back, the two of you can go.”

“Who are you?” Twist asked. 

“I'm Duncan, First Lieutenant on the Alabaster.” The man reached out to shake Twist's hand.

Twist had meant the question in a broader sense as in: Who are you people who have come from space? But Duncan would work for now. Anything more was unnecessary. The situation had been thoroughly explained.

Twist took the offered hand. “I'm Twist, a hostage on the Alabaster.”

Duncan smirked.