Suddenly the door behind him opened, causing the Mariner to jump, but it was only the blond woman from before, returning from her errand, and the Mariner found a glass pushed into his hand. It contained an amber liquid that pleasingly turned out to be a pungent scotch. Unable to hold back he gulped it down. Momentarily lost in his dependency, the Mariner closed his eyes, concentrating on the warmth that flowed down his throat and the, not wholly unpleasant, ache in his stomach. It was a welcome heat after the chill of Mavis’ teachings.
“Captain, I’d like to introduce you to Heidi. Between her and Harris the whole operation we have here is held together.”
“Heidegger,” the woman said, stiffly shaking the Mariner’s hand, draining what little warmth he’d sapped from the scotch.
Passing the glass back to Heidi for a refill, the Mariner decided to address a suspicion he’d felt when listening to Harris’ report. “This Anomenemy Harris captured, I think I might have met her before.”
“Really?” Mavis was intrigued. “And what makes you think that?”
“I met a creature, human in appearance, though straight away it was clear she was something more. She was known as the Oracle, but she had no truths of her own to share, only stolen thoughts. And once thoughts were stolen from her victims, they became Mindless, zombies if you prefer, violent unthinking shells. It sounds like the same Anomenemy that destroyed Harris’ crew.”
“It certainly does,” Mavis said, indicating for Heidi to bring the Mariner his next drink, keen to keep him talking.
As she poured, Heidi took over the explanation. “We heard rumours of an Oracle and tracked it down to an island. An island, I might add, that was a bit of an anomaly itself. But we dealt with the living rocks around it. Dynamite!” Heidi sounded pleased with the incredible feat, but the Mariner wondered if what she said was true, or just wishful thinking? The coral had seemed vast and unconquerable.
“I left Harris and his crew to capture the creature whilst I returned to resume protection of the Beagle. That was a mistake. He clearly became overwhelmed.”
Heidi passed the Mariner a second drink. As it entered his hand he promised himself that he would make it last, a promise he broke mere moments later.
“It seems we met the same Oracle.”
Heidi nodded. “And it escaped us both.”
“Why bring them back here?” he asked, turning to Mavis. “Why not kill them where they’re found?”
“Research. Learning. Before they are put to death we must see what facts can be squeezed out. Perhaps after this latest mishap I need to change that policy. This Anomenemy needs deleting, and we can’t risk it infecting any more with its power. Captain, I want you to take Heidi to this island Harris’ ship crashed into. There she will find this Oracle and kill it. You will do this?”
Without any hesitation, the Mariner agreed.
“Excellent, you’ll have our assistance should you need it. But for now go and eat, stock up on supplies, it’s the least we can do for returning young Harris to our fold.”
Captain Heidegger took the Mariner by the arm and, not too gently, ushered him out, through the dimly lit research room and back into the corridor. No sooner as she closed the door on the old inquisitor, did she suddenly turn and push him against the wall, uneven panels jabbing his back.
“Just what the fuck aren’t you telling us?” Her eyes were aflame, the surprising fury leaving the Mariner aghast. Too vast a collection of thoughts and emotions were coursing through his head. On the one hand, here he was on a strange ship surrounded by another possibly hostile cult; true they seemed friendly now, but weren’t they always at first? On the other hand, he’d just had two whiskeys on an empty, practically starving, stomach, and now pushed round by a rather attractive young woman.
“I haven’t told you all sorts of things,” he mused. “But nearly all of them are irrelevant.”
“You think that’s funny? Harris’ crew are dead, or at the very least lost to us. And yet here you are, claiming not only to have encountered the Anomenemy responsible, but that you managed to escape unscathed?”
“Not entirely,” the Mariner’s retort was bitter as he remembered a devil lying dead in the sand.
“But you did survive, which means you’re not stupid. And yet you were stupid enough to seek out a creature calling itself an ‘Oracle’. So tell me this: what’s the real reason you visited that island?”
“What can I say? I’m a curious fellow.”
The Mariner tried to pull away, but the woman had the advantage, though it was taking most of her weight and energy to achieve.
“Bullshit!” She pressed him harder, jamming her arm into his neck. Two thoughts seeped into his brain. The first was how restricted his breath had become. The second, that her breasts were pressed against his chest.
“Okay!” he relented, croaking the words. “I’m searching for a specific island. It’s ringed by some sort of barrier. I thought the Oracle might have been it, but it wasn’t. Just another trap.”
“Why search?”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember how it began.”
Heidi released the pressure just enough for him to breathe, yet not enough to relax. Suspicion clearly still upon him.
“And knowing this Anomenemy is nothing more than a trap, a freak, an anomaly of nature, you’re willing to go back and risk its presence again?”
This point had him stumped. He hadn’t reluctantly agreed, he’d leapt at the chance. And why? Because of a dream?
“The Wasp,” he whispered. “I believe she knows of the Wasp.”
Heidi frowned, her anger gone and replaced with uncertainty.
“Is that another Anomenemy?”
The Mariner rubbed his neck, painful dimples where she’d crushed him against a pipe. “I don’t know. Have you heard of it?”
“Sounds vaguely familiar but…” Heidi shook her head, drawing a blank. “Perhaps an Anomenemy spoke of it before its death and we missed it somehow.”
“Perhaps you should try talking instead of killing?”
“If you think that then you haven’t met enough of them.”
You’re wrong, he thought, remembering the eels. I’ve met plenty.
Heidi backed away, appraising him with her eyes. Finally she nodded and started down the corridor.
“Are you coming or not? I think a man like you could do with more of that whiskey.”
Amidst the bustle of the ship’s kitchen, the Mariner and Heidi sat upon a small work surface free from activity. Heidi, being second in authority only to Mavis herself, found no trouble at all acquiring a large bottle of scotch, which she emptied into two steins, originally designed for carrying beer, yet generously put to their new task. They drank the fiery liquid, watching a room that never slept.
“How many people are involved?” the Mariner asked, staring in wonder at the huge amount of food being prepared. Sweet scents of roasted meats teased his nose, spices ticked his throat, and chopped onions stung his eyes. Never in his existence had he imagined so many different foods collected in one place.
“Close to three hundred at the last tally,” she said. “Though more join with every day. We offer a slice of the old-world. That’s more than most can resist.”
“Three hundred,” he repeated, whistling through his teeth. “I have no idea how you manage to hold it all together.”
“It’s tough. We had an awful shortage of supplies a while back. Not just food, but medicines, ammo and spare parts. Fortunately we found an old crashed cruise ship to plunder. That solved the food shortages, and once bellies are full, other issues seem to matter less.”