Engine Room

"Someone else is still alive? Christ in heaven, I might actually start smiling again." Connor said as he gently lowered Risa to the floor, his happiness barely contained. It was still too early to tell whether or not this new survivor would last for any significant amount of time, but given everything Connor had just gone through, he was desperate for something to just lift his spirits. Though he desperately wanted to rush over to the new survivor to give them a quick one-over, he resisted the urge and stayed where he was to continue with his task. Risa was the top priority for now; she could still be saved, even if the chances were slim.

TamTam bounded up through the trapdoor back into the mess and called back down to someone she called 'Interlulz'. That could not be the other man's real name, it sounded much too ridiculous, even for people from the future, or people he assumed were from the future. Then, she addressed another person she called 'Smokie', and it took Connor more than a few moments to realize that that was his assigned nickname. "My name is Connor," He replied and shifted his attention back to the still form of Risa at his feet. Getting her up and through the door was going to be easier said than done, but he had to at least try.

With a grunt, he picked up the girl by the waist and slowly raised her up over his head. "Bloody hell," He said through gritted teeth as his arms slowly extended. "Take her, quick!" He shouted out. It was amazing how some of his fellow militiamen or even regular Shetlanders could make this maneuver look so effortless.

It came as a great relief to him when TamTam took her off his hands quite literally. "She's a heavy one." Connor said, gasping. Catching his breath, he quickly added with a grin, "Don't tell her that, if you would be as kind." This was certainly a turn-around from his previous demeanor. He was actually quipping and grinning again. Then again, Connor could not help but at the very least crack a slight smile when he looked at TamTam. Though he had initially found her odd to say the least, and a bit too over-energetic, he had to admit that her exuberance was both contagious and somewhat of a spirit-lifter.

However, now it was time for Connor to deal with the last of the people that had been trapped with him, and that was the girl behind the boiler. She had been silent ever since the appearance of the creature, and Connor did not just fear the worse, he had accepted it with much resignation. 'Interlulz' was probably seeing to Suichiro - Connor supposed that was the name of the man that had been trapped in the engine room as well - and that left Connor with the unenviable job of slowly pulling the other girl out from behind the boiler. The damned piece of machinery was heavy, but it stood on four stubby legs that allowed Connor to use some leverage to shift it slightly to one side.

He knelt beside the girl's body and placed two fingers to her neck, then two to the wrist, as he had seen countless physicians do. Disappointingly but not too surprisingly, he found no traces of a pulse. Perhaps she still lived, and it was simply because he was too unskilled to be able to find it, but Connor was not about to pin his hopes on that possibility. He let out a long sigh, closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly. How sad it must be, to die so far away from her home. "I know not what Gods you worship, but I hope you find peace." Connor said. He had never given last rites before - he barely practiced his religion, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

He stood up and walked over to 'Interlulz' with a grave look on his face. "The other one is gone," Connor said and squatted down beside Suichiro. The Asiatic certainly looked as if he had seen better days, but at least he was breathing and conscious. Little victories, Connor supposed. He looked to 'Interlulz'. "When you're ready, we should move him." He said, then looked back to Suichiro. "Unless you think you can walk under your own power?"

Engine Room

"Unless you think you can walk under your own power?"

Walking. Suichi blinked a couple times with his one good eye. He could feel swelling on his face around his injured eye. That was right, he hadn't tried to stand up. He put his feet into a position where he could stand up while leaning on whatever he was leaned up against. He slowly and unsteadily rose to a standing position while pulling himself up the whole time. He didn't want to be a burden to these people.

He slowly let go like a toddler learning how to walk he took a few steps away. His head pounded for a brief moment and he stopped to put his hand up to his forehead. "Urgghh." He took a few deep breaths and the pounding went away. "O-oh okay. I-I think if I go easy on myself I can walk." His head still hurt, but if he kept calm then it was bearable.

He finally remembered where he was and that the only help he had was with these people. "Did we find any way out of this room?" At this point he hadn't remembered who he knew and who he didn't, only the situation and that he was with others.

On the deck, the battle of the sea raged and swelled and hissed and roared and smashed against the hull. Wind howled in the rigging; rope snapped and whipped. The tatters of flags flung in the ferocious salt spray. Crashes of sea foam leaped into the air and slammed the boat to and fro, tossing it up and dropping it, plummeting down again into the tumult of waves.

A pair of headphones skidded across the foamy wet deck, connected to nothing.

A lumberjack's boot caught against the mainmast, soaked through and ruined by salt.

A slashed, bloodied and unraveled sweater -- bearing the letters TSU -- was tangled wetly in the cannon ropes.

Thunder boomed and cracked open the sky with a violent flash of light. The ship thrashed; a cascade of water tumbled into the Mess through the grate, and with it fell the glimmer of a stopped pocket watch and a little silver key, two treasures that had until now been in the cat-boy's pockets.

These were all that were left of Dakota, Tommy, Samira and Elin.

Water sloshed thick and foamy against the walls of the Mess, crashing and hissing every time the floor shifted in a new direction. It fell in buckets through the open hatch and quenched the last of the flames. The bodies collected beneath it -- waiting to be hauled above -- were soon drenched.

Zosime -- after being dragged out from behind the boiler -- no longer breathed nor exhibited a pulse, but there appeared to be no injury to her person. She was, quite simply and incomprehensibly, dead.

Risa, on the other hand, continued to breathe but refused to wake. Her skin was cold to the touch.

Light accompanied a deafening crack of thunder. Throughout the ship, every unwitting passenger was blinded by brightness. By the time their eyes once again adjusted to the dark, TamTam had suddenly and silently disappeared.

And so, six remained.

The gray fox stood silent in the sloshing water, its fur matted and dripping, offering an intelligent stare to Connor, then Sidwell, Suichiro, Chris and Christopher. Its ears pricked and turned, listening to something no one else could hear over the waves and the wind.

The ship tossed. Cannons on the far side of the tilting floor strained against their straps. The cannon ball that TamTam had used to open the trap door rolled and rumbled through the hissing water and smacked the wall.

Lightning flashed once more; in that moment of light, only Christopher and Moss might see the spectral, translucent image of TamTam pressed back against the leafy wall of the Mess, her head thrown back in a silent scream of terror.

R-r-r-r-ke-ke-ke-ke

A familiar growling, clicking sound filled the engine room. Although unseen, the dark lizard lurked somewhere in the shadows and smoke.

The vines that crisscrossed the machinery had been burned and frayed. Some of those vines snapped, and gears began to grind and turn. A few of the larger gears were jammed by the mangled bones of an old corpse caught in their metal teeth.

While the boilers remained cold, there was little the machines could do.

Moving to get people out was tough with the rolling of the ship. Getting a good footing was not a simple task and even with some resilience the motion was slightly nauseating. It was all he could do to get Risa up and out. Water came pouring down on his head as he went back down for more. This storm would be the end of them. With some help with TamTam she moved the next one over to the ladder before a blinding flash of light hit. The other end of the body dropped and the usual chatter stopped completely. "Tam?" No response. Further calls went just as unanswered. She was gone.

So not he was in the engine room alone with bodies. Or at least what he assumed were bodies. Checking for a pulse confirmed that there was nothing they really could do for them. The least he could do was prop them up just in case. But now he wanted out. Doing his best to position them the sound of a creature came through. That was enough for him. Making his bay back to the ladder he stumbled a bit and beaned his head. Thankfully it should only result in a knot and nothing major. Still not fun. Scrambling out he slammed the hatch once all were clear. "They're all gone. There's nothing we can do for them." Sitting down on the floor he didn't care that water was sloshing around him. He was already soaked. This place, where had they been taken?

All of it was beginning to be quite taxing both physically and mentally. He didn't even know where to go next. Despite keeping a cool expression his eyes told of the wall he'd hit. A cannonball rolling across the room snapped him back when it knocked him in the back. "Ow. Ah, okay... We need to find somewhere more dry." The sound of waves crashing over the deck told of the danger above. "We're not going back up that's for sure." Listing himself up he became away of a small object he was sitting on. Fishing it out it was a pocket watch. Not the most useful trinket in the world but keeping track of time was generally a good thing. In a flash of lightning he could see that the hands were stopped. He pressed the button to its side to see if it would function. The thing could very well be broken.

Scrambling out he slammed the hatch once all were clear. "They're all gone. There's nothing we can do for them."

As soon as Suichiro was out, the hatch banged shut with a slam and a splash; the waves breathed outside, the ship creaked and groaned and rocked. Rain and seafoam hammered on the deck above them. Wind howled across the grate, and the small grove of plantlife growing in the middle of the floor trembled and bent under a torrent of water. The ankle-deep slosh of saltwater removed the stench of vinegar from the floor, at least.

Listing himself up he became away of a small object he was sitting on. Fishing it out it was a pocket watch. Not the most useful trinket in the world but keeping track of time was generally a good thing. In a flash of lightning he could see that the hands were stopped. He pressed the button to its side to see if it would function. The thing could very well be broken.

The brass tarnished watch spilled a splash of saltwater upon opening. Behind the scuffed glass -- behind the still silver hands of the clock -- instead of a display of numbers, its face was black: a deep, hollow black, like the sky on a starless night.

Opposite the face, etched carefully into the inside of the lid: 526 418 749 1131

The button was pressed, and the gears began to turn and click. The minute-hand ticked: 6:17.

---

Below deck, a shrill scream was suddenly cut off.

A vine snapped.

A metallic click, click, click echoed in the room under their feet. Rustling. Moving. The clatter of what sounded like rocks being poured into a copper bucket.

R-r-r-r-r-ke-ke-ke-ke the beast hissed, skittering in the engine room below.

---

Lightning cracked.

The drenched fox stared at those who remained, shaking and dripping. Aside from the hatch, there were two ways out of the Mess: up the stairs toward the deck and the galley, or back toward the stern of the ship, where beyond the pole of the mainmast was a dry, dim room that smelled like wood dust and metal. It was the ship's workshop, where repairs and inventions were made -- and where someone of some eccentricity apparently had lived.

At the back of the workshop was a metal staircase that led up into an open space in the ceiling.

Suichi stared at the water after he was led out of the room. So there was a way out of the room. He finally became used to the aching of his head, but even still concentrating was hard. He looked at those that came out with him and stared for a while. He knew that he had originally woken up with other people. He remembered one of them was particularly scared. He didn't recognize any of them. He simply couldn't remember.

"I, uh, I d-" Then he heard something.

R-r-r-r-r-ke-ke-ke-ke the beast hissed, skittering in the engine room below.

He let out a fearful shout and found himself a corner to curl up in. He remembered that fearsome noise from just before he blacked out. He remembered the terror that thing produced. He shuddered uncontrollably, repeating. "No... No... No..."

Ordinarily Chris would not think much about the engines below starting at the same time he clicked the button on the watch. But so far this ship has been anything than what he expected. Everything had some strange twist or angle. Clicking the button once the engine stopped. Again and it started. The sound of the creature below reminded him of what he read earlier. Looking around he quickly found something with weight and shoved a full barrel over the hatch. "Alright, calm down. I got it trapped down there." He tried to gather himself as well while reassuring Suichi.

This place was insane. The fact that it could be remotely real was terrifying because thus far it made no sense. Where does one even start when you're on a weird old steampunk ship that appears to be a living plant? And then there were the flashes of creatures and strange sounds. Nope, Chris was done. Everyone has their defense mechanisms. In the case of the young man he tuned things out. It meant he could continue on in the mean time but would likely suffer for it later. Rather than saying anything to the others he started moving on toward the Galley.

The room was much drier which was a slight easing of the mind. However the rest of the room was not quite what one would expect. Clearly a tinkerer had claimed this space as a workshop. Gears, pulleys, and levers were everywhere. Another common theme was drawings and models of spiders. Hell even the small table had legs. Curiously it moved and swayed to counter the rocking of the boat. Were Chris in his more usual mood he would have studied it closer. Curiosity wasn't completely gone as he saw a valve off to one side. So far everything had caused one event or another so he degan to turn it.

Near his feet something moved. They looked like large spider legs. Whether they were or not didn't matter because when they sprung out it caused Chris to jump and stumble over the parts strewn everywhere. Coming down with a crash one of the models was crushed under his arm. A dark fluid leaked out onto his arm, oil maybe. Looking up he tried to find what surprised him. Maybe he was just on edge but he swore that he felt something move on his arm but there was only the oil.

He let out a fearful shout and found himself a corner to curl up in. He remembered that fearsome noise from just before he blacked out. He remembered the terror that thing produced. He shuddered uncontrollably, repeating. "No... No... No..."

The sounds under the floor faded to a small scuffle, a few clinks and shuffles, the hushing sound of vines being torn away from the machines. Then, there was quiet.

The gray fox padded up to Suichiro, snuffled his ear and licked his face, its bushy tail swishing empathetically.

Above, thunder crashed. Light flashed through the cracks in the ceiling. The ship tossed and rocked and crashed on the waves. The gray fox skittered, crouched, and crawled close again to Suichiro, whining.

Hell even the small table had legs. Curiously it moved and swayed to counter the rocking of the boat. Curiosity wasn't completely gone as he saw a valve off to one side. So far everything had caused one event or another so he degan to turn it.

Near his feet something moved. They looked like large spider legs. Whether they were or not didn't matter because when they sprung out it caused Chris to jump and stumble over the parts strewn everywhere. Coming down with a crash one of the models was crushed under his arm. A dark fluid leaked out onto his arm, oil maybe. Looking up he tried to find what surprised him. Maybe he was just on edge but he swore that he felt something move on his arm but there was only the oil.

Indeed, those hinged machines that littered the workshop -- strewn throughout the room by years of being flung about in storms and waves -- appeared to be moving in the corner of Chris' eye.

Turning the valve did nothing, at first. But as the minutes went on, the pipe it was connected to would slowly heat up, and a dim hiss of steam would flow through it freely.

The boilers in the engine room had been filled and set alight.

The oil on Chris' arm didn't behave like usual oil -- it clung to his arm, more like a leech than a liquid, and occasionally it shifted as if the oil itself were alive. Simply brushing it off would send it to the floor, where it would seep into the cracks between the floorboards.

"WHO'S THERE!"

A gravelly voice shouted from the pile of wreckage behind Chris, and the gears and spider-legs began to shift and move. The inventions seemed as if they might be coming to life, their springs and hinges extended to capture Chris and devour him into their metal chaos --

Instead, a very human old man pushed his way out from behind them, grunting and grumbling and huffing with the effort of untangling himself from a set of hanging spider legs. He was a slightly rotund, red-faced, bushy-bearded old man who had possibly never smiled a day in his life, and he squinted through foggy spectacles at Chris.

"WHO ARE YOU?" he shouted, throwing his big hands in the air. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" He grabbed Chris' arm where the oil had spilled, and yanked it close so he could see the stain closer. "WHAT DID YOU TOUCH?"

His voice boomed throughout the ship, followed by a crack of lightning outside.

In the Mess, the gray fox perked its ears and stared with interest in the direction of the workshop.

Mess

Suichi felt a cool moist something touch his hand. The words of his comrade hadn't gotten through to him, but when he noticed the fox he felt a bit more relaxed. The animal brushing up against him had a soothing effect on him. He pet the animal lightly as it skittered up against him when the lightning struck.

He waited for some time with the fox, calming himself down the best he could. He remembered that there had been others on the ship with him, where had they gone? He shivered when he thought of the possibilities. Then he heard a booming voice off in the distance and looked off towards where Chris had gone. What happened? Would Chris be alright?

Then the fox started heading towards the workshop. Suichi slowly but steadily stood up and made his way over. He felt a heavy pressure in his head as he stood up, something he could only believe was a concussion. He would have to take it easy.

Galley

As Suichi entered the drier galley he noticed a spider theme, and a person he didn't recognize with Chris. He half mumbled. "W-what's going on?" He then saw the stranger grab Chris' arm and pull him in close. "Don't hurt him!" He blurted those words out without thinking panic rising. He didn't want any fighting to happen. He only wanted for people to be safe. At least as safe as they could be in this ship.