How the Brain Works in Space

Chapter #4

     The library grew cold as Ferris stepped in, books lined with dust on the top shelves and well-used books near the bottom. They all had latches, gleaming bands of gold, and hooks that secured the bindings together.

     "First, What the h-" Ferris was cut off

     "Before you sold me, we had to do it, or else you wouldn't be safe, the amulet is fine, and the countess is far behind," Ryuu explained, motioning to the green stone floating in blue light.

     "Second, how-" Once again, Ferris was unable to finish his question.

     "Levitational device we call AGD, which stands for anti-gravity device, it's nothing special."      Silence passed between the two, Ryuu took a stroll around the room, running his hands over the spines of the books. Ferris, on the other hand, walked towards the floating amulet, wondering what it was and why it had come to him, more importantly, if it came to him.

    "Any other queries in your mind?" Ryuu asked.

     "Where are we?" Ferris found languages on books that he's never seen before.

     "The Icarus Galaxy, or at least what we call your solar system, your galaxy."

     "And who's this 'we' you keep talking about." The visitor stopped, "and, I mean, we're on Earth...right?"

     Ryuu smiled, "I'll give you 3 guesses, and the first two don't count."

     "Don't tell me..." Ferris trailed off looking for a window.

     Ryuu pulled the curtain back from the window he was blocking. The vast emptiness engulfed the window, but it was only that window, they couldn't be in space. "You're not as alone in the universe as you thought." Ryuu let go of the curtain and motioned for Ferris to follow him.

     Back in the dining area, Ryuu called for Aahori. The same woman walked in, with Ferris no longer in shock, he could see her clearly now. She had red hair that left a firey trail behind her and hazel eyes that switched between blues, greens, and browns.

     "Draw the curtain please," Ryuu called out.

     Aahori nodded and pushed a button on a panel with a bunch of switches. Ferris didn't see it before, but there was a gray curtain that almost blended in with the rest of the walls. The curtain slowly revealed a large wall of glass. The emptiness of space greeted Ferris with stars gleaming and planets not too far away. He adjusted his glasses in disbelief.

     "We needed to get you off Earth, and figure out how to turn the beacon off," Ryuu chuckled a bit 

     "That amulet is certainly going to be a pain."

     "How and where-"

     "This shuttle was specifically designed for emergency flight, I kept it in orbit, but out of sight from your space exploration companies, you have on Earth. We're headed to Venus for now, but I believe Saturn was the better option." Aahori turned to Ryuu with a judgemental glare.

     "I'm the one that flyes this ship...and, Saturn is nice and all, but it's aligned with Pluto for a bit, and that means we're going to be in a whole lot of trouble." Said the captain, rubbing the back of his neck. Beeping erupted from above.

     "Fantastic." Aahori crossed her arms and pressed another button. A ladder extended from a latch in the ceiling.

     "Come with us." Ryuu waved at Ferris to follow

     The three stood in the cockpit of the ship, Earth still in view but millions of miles away.

     The craft jolted forward, something had hit the ship. "The Countess already has eyes on us." Aahori strapped into a side chair, and Ryuu got himself situated in the front seat.

     "The Countess?" Ferris grabbed on to the back of the main seat.

     "Countess Andromeda, she's a very powerful person. You'll find she's not as friendly as we are." The captain spoke, steering the ship out of harm's way.

     Another blow to the ship rocked it forward.

     "I told you, Saturn was the better choice." Aahori pressed glowing buttons on the front panel.

     "Are we breaking space laws?"

     Ryuu sighed, looking like he was about to burst, "Let's get somewhere safe, and then I'll explain."

     The ship turned and fled from the storm of light beams passing by through the window.

     "There isn't an asteroid belt like there would be if we were headed the opposite direction to Saturn, but there are small rocks and debris we can blend in with." Aahori flipped a switch above her head and pulled out a map of the solar system in great detail. She compared that to a live feed hologram of their path to Venus.

     Ryuu took a slow breath and focused on the enemy ship hot on their tail, "I found a piece of debris large enough to hide the ship, we just need to shake them."

     "There's an incoming transmission." Aahori quickly checked different screens.

     "We're not going to give ourselves away, ignore it." The captain spoke in a more serious tone, 

     "Ferris, go get the amulet since it likes you the best."

      The newest member of the crew looked between the captain and first mate.

     "Go!" Aahori lightly pushed Ferris's arm.

     The new guy rushed down the ladder, almost losing his glasses a few times, but made it to the main floor. Finding the library again was a tad harder being under pressure. Another blow to the ship knocked Ferris forward. He reached to the walls to steady himself. The door opened as the man approached it. He looked into the small library, scanning the room for the amulet. Books had been knocked down to the floor, and the amulet was no longer floating in the light of the AGD.

     Ferris's heart seemed to stop, he rushed in and began to search through the books, tossing ones to the side that might've covered the amulet. A pale green emerged from the brown leather covers. The man frantically reached out to grab it and held it close. He carefully stood up and began his journey back to the cockpit.

     Ferris clung to the back of the main chair, clutching the amulet.

     "You got it?" Ryuu asked trying to glance behind him.

   "Yeah, I got it." The man caught his breath, but his heart didn't stop beating rapidly.

    "I think I got them to stop following us." Ryuu checked screens and scanners.

     "Or maybe they knew where we were headed and went to report that to the Countess, so now she can make a more decreet entrance on Venus," Aahori said matter of factly.  

     "We'll lay low, but it should only be a few hours until we reach our destination." Ryuu flipped a few switches and stood from his seat. One by one, the three made their way back down and began to devise a plan.