Chapter 21
Mervyn woke groggily -- something had stirred him from a deep sleep. From beyond the curtain he could hear Aurora’s deep breathing and Loren’s snores. A movement caught his eye, he frowned as he recognised the figure of Tarun silhouetted by the flashing lights of Bar None.
‘Valna’s not coming for us until the morning, Tarun. Go back to bed.’.
Tarun pointed out the window, ‘What do you make of this, Merv?’ Mervyn struggles out of bed. Even though the automed had fixed his knee and repaired his ribs he still ached from head to toe. Newly grown muscle always ached.
He stared out into the night. Revlon never slept -- even in the artificial night induce by shuttering off the canals, now inky black lines snaking through the sparsely lit town. Lights blazed in the bars and clubs around the carousel and the swot pool, but in the residential areas few lights showed and Revlon’s wrap-around town was largely dark. Mervyn lowered his gaze to the street below. At first he could see nothing except the deserted street and closed up booths. Then he caught a movement in the shadows opposite.
‘There,’ Tarun said. ‘In the shadows by that booth. There’s something moving, see. I’ve been watching it for a while.’ As he spoke the silhouette of a tall bipedal mammal flitted from one booth to another. The fog in Mervyn’s head evaporated and he focused on the spot. Nothing moved. After a while he wandered if perhaps he had imagined it, but he felt sure he recognised the shape; he just needed one more look.
Just as he thought about returning to bed another figure slipped out of the shadows. This one stood clearly silhouetted in the weak light. It held a brace of small bipedal reptiles on leashes. Mervyn swore under his breath.
‘What are those things on leads, Merv?’
Mervyn’s stomach churned fit to burst and he mouth felt suddenly dry, ‘Raptors,’ he croaked. ‘Hunt in packs, great for tracking. They’ve got these knife-like claws on their hind legs which can disembowel you in seconds.’
‘Quantum, but what are they doing on Revlon?’
‘Hunting,’ he said hoarsely. ‘See, they’re sniffing at that cloth to pick up a trail.’
‘What do you think they are hunting?’
‘Wake the others,’ Mervyn instructed. ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this.’ He licked his lips nervously and jumped as someone rapped on the door.
‘Master Bright, open the door,’ hissed a voice from the corridor. It sounded like Valna.
Mervyn opened the door a crack on the skittery Polerna. He was alone.
‘You must leave, Master Bright -- right now. The Naga knows you are here. He’s searching for you.’ So Mervyn’s hunch was correct -- Halival Tarak had called the Naga, but the pirate had arrived much quicker than Mervyn expected. The raptors were hunting them -- this was worse that bad.
‘What you wake me for?’ Loren demanded groggily
Aurora, as usual, woke almost instantly, ‘What’s up, Mervyn?’
‘Grab what you can -- we’re out of here.’ Luckily they were mostly packed for the morning already. Even Loren, when she saw the look on Mervyn’s face, snatched up her stuff without complaint.
As they filed out the door Aurora grabbed Mervyn’s arm, ‘I don’t trust him, Mervyn, he’s too shifty.’
Tarun looked back over his shoulder, ‘Nah, he’s ok -- nervous, and cautious, that’s all.’ Loren just shrugged.
‘We don’t have a choice,’ Mervyn informed her. ‘Valna’s our only chance. Come on.’
Valna led them up to the still night air of the roof. All around the pale outlines of flat-topped buildings stretched around and above them: a frontier town packed into a bubble of air. The twinkling lights of the town added an almost magical quality to the night. The air smelt cool and fresh as machines scrubbed and purified the day’s used atmosphere.
Silently, they crept around the perimeter of the roof, careful not to cast silhouettes along the skyline. They stopped above an alley separating Bar-None from the adjoining building. Mervyn peered cautiously into the darkness below. Was that movement? Suddenly, someone charged toward him.
For a moment, Mervyn though Valna was going to shove him into the alley. Instead, the Polerna launched himself into the air. Mervyn and Aurora both tried to grab a limb, but he was too quick for them. They watched helplessly as their guide sailed across the alley and landed, sure-footed, on the far building. Aurora’s face wore an ‘I told you so’ expression, but before she could respond Valna beckoned for the others to follow.
‘He’s joking,’ Tarun whispered.
‘I don’t think so,’ Mervyn said, ‘follow me.’ Tarun breathed a sigh of relief as Mervyn headed off down a fire escape leading to the alley below, but after ten steps he doubled back.
Aurora looked confused, ‘Where you going?’
‘False trail,’ he explained, ‘everyone back to the roof.’
Tarun looked horrified, ‘You want us to jump? Are you mad too?’
‘We have to break the trail,’ he said pointing to the alley where squat figures prowled the shadows. ‘Once those raptors get the scent they’ll be on us in no time.’
Aurora eyed up the deep darkness between the two buildings, ‘I’ll go first.’
Mervyn laid a hand on her arm to restrain her, ‘Quietly, they’re in the alley below.’ She nodded, stepped back a few paces, then sprinted towards the edge. Without any visible change in pace she hurled herself at the opposite building and flew gracefully through the air. She landed lightly with plenty of room to spare. With courage like that she could have been human.
‘Watch that brick on the edge,’ Loren said, ‘it wobbled when Aurora jumped.’
‘You’re next, Tarun,’ Mervyn said, but Tarun shook his head. ‘I can’t do it -- I’m scared of heights.’
Loren grinned at Tarun’s discomfort, ‘Heights are ok -- getting squished by the ground is the scary part.’ Tarun chima blanched and stood out in stark relief against the night.
‘Thanks, Loren, that fills me with confidence.’
Mervyn glared at Loren angrily, she could be a right pain when she was nervous, ‘Take no notice, Tarun. Keep your eyes on Aurora, and pretend you’re leaping a stream.’
‘But it’s not just a stream, is it? If I miss I get more than a wet foot.’
Loren punched a fist into her palm, ‘Splat. But if you don’t jump you’re dead anyway. Hmm, hard choice.’
If Loren carried on like this Mervyn doubted if Tarun would ever jump, ‘Tell you what, Loren, why don’t you show him how it’s done?’
‘Oh... err... I could do, I suppose.’
‘It’s just a stream, Loren,’ Tarun added.
‘Quarks. It’s a three-storey drop with raptors at the bottom. Here I go.’