| Chapter 12 Nick jerked awake, sitting straight up in bed. He tried to calm his breathing as he rubbed his face. He couldn't remember the nightmare, but the feeling it left him with was unnerving. His skin was crawling. He slid out of bed and walked over to what he thought was a closet. He wanted to get a shower and get out of the clothes he'd been wearing since he was taken. He wasn't sure exactly how long he'd been gone. There was no clock in the room, and he wasn't even sure if it was day or night. He ran his hands over the door for a moment, trying to figure out how to open it. Then he remembered that Ana had passed her mark over a sensor to open the door to his room. He looked along the sides of the door, smiling when he found it. He passed his wrist across it and the door hissed open, revealing a closet full of clothes. Nick stepped in and looked through them. Most of them he wouldn't wear on a bet. They reminded him of something out of the King Arthur movies, tights with a shirt that hung down past his rear. He quickly passed those up. There was no way he was wearing tights. He dug to the back of the closet finding a jumpsuit like the one Ana was wearing. His was a bit more frilly than hers. Of course it bared the raven on it, and it had gold piping down the legs, but it was better than tights, so he grabbed it. He managed to find some boxer briefs, socks, and a t-shirt in one of the chests. He didn't know if everyone wore these, or they just got them for him, but he didn't care. Right now, anything that he was used to, was welcome. He took the pile of clothes and headed over to the bathroom. He'd been in here a couple of times, but only to do his business. He hadn't really looked around. To say it was opulent would be an understatement. The floor looked like marble, and you could've fit ten people in the tub. He sat his clothes down on a dressing table and went in search of some towels. When he found those he went over and investigated the shower. It didn't look like any shower he'd ever seen. There were knobs and switches. It looked more like the cockpit of a plane than it did a shower. He bit his lip, wondering what to do. After a few minutes he was no closer to figuring the thing out, and getting angry with himself. He finally walked out of the bathroom and over to the door. As he approached he could tell there were two guards standing outside. He passed his wrist over the sensor and the door opened, surprising them. Nick smiled shyly, "Um could one of you help me?" The guards looked at one another, and Nick realized they didn't understand him. "Could one of you help me?" he asked again. The older of the two stepped forward, "What can I do for you?" "Can you show me how to work the shower?" Nick asked, completely embarrassed. The guard smiled, "Yes your highness, follow me." After a minute or so of explanation, the guard left and Nick stripped down and got in the shower. The water was exactly the right temperature, and he sighed, letting it undo some of the tension in his muscles. As he soaped up he noticed a few bruises on his arm and stomach. He assumed they were either from him struggling or from some of the tests they had done. He washed his hair and face, and then just stood there. It felt to good to get out, so he indulged. He was waiting for the water to get cold, but it never did. He finally decided to get out, rinsing his hair once more then turning off the water. He stepped out and dried off, then dressed. After he dressed, he walked over to the sink. Everything he needed had been laid out for him. He quickly glanced into the room, wondering who had come in and done it. No one was there, so he stepped back into the bathroom. He shaved and brushed his teeth, then fixed his hair. It was to short to do much of anything with, but spike it, so he did. When he finished he stepped out, noticing a pair of boots setting next to the bed. "OK those weren't there before either," he said, looking around. This was starting to weird him out a little. Mostly because he wasn't sensing anyone coming or going. The items just seemed to appear out of thin air. Nick took one more look around, then walked over and started putting on the boots. They laced up to about mid-calf, so he tucked his pants legs into them. He thought he remembered that was how Ana had worn them. When he was done, he went back over to the door and opened it. The guards turned to him. "Is it day or night?" he asked. "Morning, your highness," one of the men answered. Nick smiled, "Good, please tell Ana that I'd like to see her." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian stepped out of the bathroom with his towel wrapped around him, his teeth chattering. "Oh no, please don't tell me," A.J. whined. "N-n-no hotttt waterrr," Brian stuttered. A.J. sighed, "I told you not to tell me Rok." "S-sorry," he said, quickly putting his clothes on, trying to get warm. Howie sat up in his bunk, "I wonder if their ship is like this one." "What do ya mean?" Kevin asked. "Well, everything on this bucket is falling apart. Sometimes things work and sometimes they don't, I just wonder what kind of shape their ships are in," Howie said. "For Nick's sake, I hope it's much better than this," Brian said. "I'm sure it is," Kevin agreed. "So what are we doing today?" A.J. asked, "I can't just sit in this room for a month. I'll go nuts." "I hear ya," Kevin said, standing up, "I was thinking of asking Agent Dawson if they could give us jobs." "Jobs?" Howie asked. "Yeah jobs," Kevin retorted, "We've gotta do something to pull our own weight around here. You guys saw how the soldiers were looking at us. I think they think we're here for a free ride." "Aren't we?" A.J. asked. Kevin glared at him, "No! We're here to help get Nick back, but until then we've gotta contribute something to the upkeep of this ship." The three stared at him for a moment. "You're right Kev," Brian said. A.J. elbowed him, "You're only agreeing with him because he's your cousin." "No, I'm agreeing because he's right. Those soldiers aren't gonna protect us if we don't show them we aren't some spoiled pop stars hitching a ride. We gotta help out and earn their respect if we want them to save our ass's if it comes down to that," Brian said. "Good point," Howie said. "Yeah, I guess I never thought about it that way," A.J. said. "Fine, so its agreed then?" Kevin asked, "We all get a job until we reach Celeste." The three agreed, somewhat reluctantly, but they agreed. "Good," Kevin said, "I'll go see Agent Dawson and get things going." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ana stepped into Nick's room, "You asked to see me?" Nick turned around from the window and smiled. Ana was still in a jumpsuit, although this one was a different color. Her hair was down and fell to the middle of her back in ringlets. Nick felt his heart skip a beat, she was so pretty. Why hadn't he noticed that before? Probably because he was to scared to before. Ana stared at him, "Your highness?" "I thought we agreed you weren't gonna call me that," Nick said. Ana blushed, "Sorry, I forgot." That made Nick smile even more, "It's forgiven. I want to look around the ship, I'm tired of being in here." "Nick, I'm not sure that's a good idea," she said. "Please Ana, I feel like a caged animal. Just for a walk, we don't have to stop and talk to anyone," he pleaded. Ana sighed, looking at him, "You know, pouting isn't a good quality for a royal. It demeans you." Nick just stared at her, giving her his best puppy dog look. He didn't know how effective it would be, knowing the lavender eyes probably took some of the edge off. Ana groaned, "OK, OK, stop that." Nick smiled, "It may be demeaning, but it works." She laughed, shaking her head. The two stepped out of the room. The guards looked at Ana questionally. "His highness wishes to look around the ship," she told them. They both nodded, following along. "Are they gonna follow us the whole time?" Nick asked. Ana looked up at him, "They are your royal guards. Where you go, they do too." "Oh ... I guess I'm used to that. I've had a bodyguard since I was twelve," he said, looking around. Ana stayed quiet, watching him. He seemed fascinated with everything. Nick stopped, peering through a window into a large docking bay. "Wow, how many of those are on the ship?" he asked. "We have three docking bays. This one is the smallest of the three," she answered. "Can we go in there? Those ships are cool," he asked excitedly. "Yes," Ana said, leading him to the door and going through. Nick walked into the bay, his mouth slightly open in awe. There were four small ships in the bay. Each looked like it would hold twenty people. Nick walked along the hull of the closest ship, letting his hand slide down the metal. He was so enthralled with the ship, that he didn't notice the mechanics and flight crews that were in the bay. They all stared at him wide eyed, and when Nick approached them, they all bowed. The movement caught Nick's attention, and he looked over, then back to Ana, "What are they doing?" "You are the prince, they are showing you respect by bowing," she answered. "Um, can I tell them to stand up, it's kinda freaking me out," he said. Ana stifled a laugh, "Yes you can." Nick looked at them, "Please, stand up." Slowly they stood up, still staring at Nick in awe. Nick smiled at them, then went back to looking at the ship. "Can I go in?" he asked. Ana gestured toward the ramp, and Nick walked up. He was trying not to seem to excited, but he couldn't help it. He'd never seen anything like this in his life, and it was just .... to cool. He walked from the back of the ship to the front, looking at everything. He ended up in the cockpit and sat down in the captain's chair, peering through the windshield into the docking bay. "I gotta learn how to fly one of these," he said. Ana grinned, "Alright, but not today." Nick laughed, "I didn't mean right this instant." Ana nodded as he got up and exited the ship. The workers were still in the same places they had been when Nick went in the ship. They were whispering excitedly amongst themselves, but when Nick came down the ramp, they quieted down. "Ana, am I suppose to dismiss them or something?" he asked. "No your highness, they are just curious. You are like a legend to most of us, and seeing you in real life is a bit overwhelming," she explained. "Oh," Nick said, heading toward the door they had come in. When he reached it he turned around, "Thanks for letting me look around." The crew glanced at each other in awe for a moment, then one of them stepped forward, "You're welcome your highness." Nick smiled, then left the bay. "Ana, why are were they so shocked?" he asked. "Because you said something to them that wasn't an order," she said. He looked at her, "Was I not suppose to?" "Well, it's rare for a royal to address anyone in a lower class than they are without it being an order," she said. "Well that's stupid," Nick said, continuing down the corridor, "People are people, it doesn't matter what class your in." Ana laughed, "If only more of your family thought that way." They turned the corner and Nick stopped dead in his tracks, "Whoa!" "This is the garden," Ana said. Nick stared at the vast forest in front of him. There were trees. Yes trees, growing in the middle of the ship. "How did you ...." Nick asked, to curious to finish his own question. Ana watched as he stepped into the vegetation and looked at the leaves and flowers around him. "This is beautiful," he finally said. "We like it," Ana said, walking up next to him, "We have them on all our X class ships. It helps on long trips to come here. It reminds us of home, and helps tremendously with morale." "I bet," Nick said, walking along the path, gawking at everything he passed. "How big is this?" he asked. "It covers almost half of this section of the ship," she answered. Nick walked down the path until it left the trees and opened up into a meadow of sorts. There was the flower from his dreams. The entire meadow was filled with them. He reached down and picked one, bringing it up to smell. "I've dreamed of these my whole life," he said, looking back at Ana. She smiled, "It is the flower of the royal family. It's called...." "Tsar's Might," Nick said, "The agents told me." Ana nodded, "At least they got something right." Nick laughed, walking back over to her, "You don't like them do you?" "Not really," she admitted, "Any world that would do what earth did doesn't deserve to be liked." He looked at her seriously, "Ana, there are good people there. Don't hold what a few did on all of them. The majority of the world doesn't even know there is life on other planets yet." She looked at him shocked, "You're kidding?" "No, I'm not. I only found out a few weeks ago, when they told me I wasn't human," he said. Now she was even more shocked, "You thought you were human?" He nodded, "Yes I did. Why do you look so angry?" "They told us you knew who you were," she said. "When did they say that?" Nick asked. "A few years ago. We sent delegates for an inter-galactical meeting. While they were there, they asked about you. Your government said that you were fully aware of who you were and that you had no desire to meet with them," she said. "Son of a bitch," Nick said, angrily. "Now you see why we dislike them," Ana said. "I'm beginning to," Nick said, turning his attention to the flower in his hand. He raised it up to smell it's fragrance once more, then offered it to her. Ana stepped back, "I cannot." "Why?" Nick asked. "Nick, the royals present this flower to those they are courting. Wether it be dignitaries from another planet, or those they wish to date, I am neither, so I cannot take it," she said. "Oh," Nick said, disappointed, "I didn't know." "Shall we continue?" she asked. He nodded, following her down the path, still carrying the flower. They came upon a young mother and her toddler. The child was playing in the grass as the mother read a book. She hadn't noticed Nick, as she continued to read. Nick leaned close to Ana, "Can I give the flower to the child?" "It would be a great honor to the family if you did," she said. He nodded, walking up to the two. Nick sat down next to the child and smiled at her, "What you making?" The child stared at him with her crystal blue eyes, "A house." "Oh that's a good house," Nick said. By this time the mother had noticed him and was down on her knees bowing to him. "Please, get up," Nick said, smiling at her. The woman stood up and watched as Nick played with her daughter for a moment. "I know what'll make this the best house ever," Nick said. "What?" the young girl asked. Nick sat the flower right in the middle of the stick house, "There ya go." The little girls mouth dropped open in surprise and she jumped up and hugged him so tight he couldn't breathe for a moment. "Thank you," she said. Nick smiled at her as he got up, "You're welcome little one." Nick nodded to the mother, then headed down the path, Ana and the guards following. Ana caught up to him, "You have a way with children." Nick laughed, "I like kids. They just tell ya how it is ya know? No prejudices or preconceived notions of how you're suppose to be. Besides the majority of my fans are young, like her." "Most of your fans are three?" Ana asked. Nick looked at her, "There is no way she was three! Five, six maybe but not three." "She was three, I know the family. You must remember our children are a bit more advanced than those of earth," she said. "I'm trying," Nick said, "There's just so much stuff I don't know yet." "Which is why we should be working," Ana prompted. Nick laughed, "Alright, we'll go back to my room." Ana chuckled, "Yes, I think you've touched enough lives for today. I can hear the stories already." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kevin returned to the room with Tom. "So, we got jobs?" Brian asked. "Yup," Kevin said. Tom took out a list, "OK, Howie and Kevin, you'll be working in the kitchen. Brian, you're assigned to maintenance. And A.J. you're with the cleaning crew." "Wait, isn't maintenance the cleaning crew?" A.J. asked. "No, maintenance in the docking bays. Brian's gonna be working on the transports," he answered. "Oh cool!" Brian said, grinning. "So what exactly am I gonna be doing?" A.J. asked. "Cleaning crew," Tom said, like he should know what that means, "You know, the floors, the bathrooms." "Ohh no!" A.J. protested, "How come I get that, and they get kitchen and mechanic?" "J we pulled our names out of a hat," Kevin said, "It could've been any of us." A.J. glared at him, "Why don't I believe you?" "I'll trade if you want J. I can clean toilets with the best of them," Brian said. A.J. rolled his eyes and sighed, "No, it's fine Rok. If that's what I got, I'll deal." "Good," Tom said, "Here are your assignments and who to report to," he said, handing them each a slip of paper. "When do we start?" Howie asked. "Right now," Tom said. The four followed Tom out of their quarters and down the hall. "Hey D, see what you can do with that crap they call food, will ya," A.J. called as he turned down a different hall. Howie laughed, "I'll try." Chapter 13 |