Skye City: The Darkness of Emmilyn

Meeting the Captain

We enter the captain's area, the cockpit, if that is the correct term on an airship. Who knows? Well, actually the captain does, I guess... The huge windows provide views of the pink sky in three directions, confirming we are already high above the ground and floating to a distant land. The room has multiple dashboards with buttons, levers, lights and screens and my head hurts thinking about how they keep track of this chaos.

Three men and a woman are sitting in seats and Burt leaves the cabin as someone stands and faces our group. He is a tallish, broad-framed man with a dark tone and bright eyes, wearing a navy uniform with a golden emblem on his hat. His lined forehead bulges and the skin on his face seems thick and spongy. I would not consider him obese but he is certainly heading in that direction. He approaches Anguson with a warm smile and shakes his hand.

'Taiwo, long time no see!' Anguson says.

'Well, well, if it isn't the Rebellion's most infamous member. Finally realised he's been fighting a lost cause for twenty long years...'

'Took you almost as long to realise,' Anguson says.

'Yup, that's perfectly true. We gave up nearly half our lives, just for it to come to this, eh? What the hell happened today? I could swear I saw the Goddess in the clouds sending her demons to Eryx,' the captain says.

'You saw correct. I'm as baffled as you are,' Anguson says and I could not possibly think of anything more terrifying. Is someone so powerful really playing games with our species? Are we really that helpless now?

'If this truly is the work of the Goddess, what chance do we stand?' the captain says.

'Depends what she has in store for us. If she wanted to wipe us all out, she'd have done so already. The Goddess has always been fickle. Seems strange to talk about her being real though...

'To think I wasted eighteen years of my life as a rebel and forty six as an atheist! I could've been a good boy, earning my place in paradise. Instead I'm stuck on this hell hole with you lot! Maybe this is the last chance for us to prove ourselves. Fuck knows what she wants though. Let's hope she tells us, eh?' Anguson says.

'Are we sure this is the Goddess?' Mother says and I pray this is some elaborate game of the Elites. Pray, now there is a weird word to be using.

'Who else could appear simultaneously above every major Anatolian city and send demons from the sky?' the captain says.

'Every city?' Anguson says.

'It seems that way according to early reports. This truly must be the apocalypse,' the captain says and our mother pulls Kyan closer to her side as my heart palpitates. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to scare the child. Let me show you guys to the main deck. That's where you'll be spending most of your time for the next few weeks.'

The captain leads us from the cockpit and back up the winding stairs to an enormous deck which is basically a crowded bar, providing a panoramic view of the tainted sky. We sit at one of the few empty tables in the middle of the deck, desperate to change our wet clothes and I glance around, but the only point of interest is a dancefloor which is currently empty.

'There's not much in the way of entertainment, I'm afraid. We have the screen up there.' The captain points to a large blank screen near the bar. 'Normally it shows the news, but you could persuade the bar staff to show something kid-friendly. This ship was never intended to entertain children, being an old troop carrier, but we'll have to keep them occupied somehow.'

'It's gonna be interesting trying to occupy Kyan for the entire journey,' Mother says.

'And the rest of 'em.' The captain nods to a bunch of kids running past our table, giggling, bless them. I guess nothing breaks the spirit of a child, not even the end of the world.

'Well at least they're enjoying themselves,' Mother says.

'Some of the kids have brought toys and games along for the ride, but most seem to spend their time running around and screaming. You learn to tune it out after a while,' the captain says.

'If only there was some better way to expend energy in here,' Mother says.

'Well we do have a gym and pool and we play music on the evenings so you can hit the dancefloor if that's your thing. Other than that, just get to know people, eat, drink and try your best to have fun. Just ensure you budget though. Nothing here's free,' the captain says.

'Well, it's not like I'm short of a bob or two and I was smart enough to use a foreign bank so the elites couldn't freeze my assets. I'll ensure no-one goes without. Not sure why you're pursuing capitalism during the apocalypse though. Pretty soon, money will have no meaning,' Anguson says and the captain rises from his seat and tucks it under the table.

'Well I'd rather be prepared for all eventualities so I'll gladly take your money for now. You don't want it? Feel free to give me your entire bank balance!' the captain says.

'Ha, nice try, Taiwo. I'll keep my money until the Goddess decides I don't need it anymore.' Anguson laughs. 'Shit, I'm gonna be praying tonight!'

'Well it's been nice talking to you guys. I'm gonna have to get back to the control room now. I'll speak to you at the end of my shift.' The captain leaves the deck.