[18]
The hours passed in uneasy silence on the bridge; Captain Derek steered the old Vulture05 following the Brutus800’ trajectory. Jimmy finally broke the silence.
“Go ahead, Cap, I’ll take over.”
Derek turned his head back to see what Jimmy was staring at. Sophie stood behind them.
“We need to talk,” she said softly.
Both walked into the corridor.
“Where’s Annouk?”
“At Liz’s.” Sophie took Derek’s hands. “Jerom’s arrival doesn’t change anything between us,” said Sophie.
“I hope not. I… I can’t offer you the flashy tech, but…” Derek looked down at his feet.
“You have given me much more than he ever has!” Sophie exclaimed, “I can trust you, unlike him. I could never trust Jerome would take me with him. I don’t care about his tech bling. You are a better man!” Sophie threw her arms around his neck. Derek squeezed her tight. He couldn’t imagine parting from her; in the brief minutes between making love and falling asleep, Derek had whispered his deepest thoughts and inner struggles to Sophie. Something he would never share with anybody. Sophie felt like a part of him he never knew he was missing until he found her.
“Besides, you’re way better equipped than he is…” she whispered in Derek’s ear. He gave a short chuckle.
When he returned to steering the Gravedigger ship, the boys greeted him with sly grins. Of course, he hadn’t turned off his transmitter and they heard the whole conversation.
“You’re one lucky guy, Cap!” Said Jimmy. Derek ignored their smirks as well as his remark.
***
“Damn… “ even Derek had to admit this was beyond anything he could imagine. The Rebel ship Brutus800 pulled the tiny Vulture05 into the Rebel settlement. Only it wasn’t a tiny village, it was a huge city, covered by a protective magnetic shield; no Ghoul missile could penetrate it. The shield parted for Brutus800 to gracefully fly into the city. Oh, and what a sight it was - white and grey perfectly minimalistic buildings, with patches of greenery growing between them. Even gardens and parks glared between and on top of the buildings. Everything was perfect. Perfectly cold, Derek thought.
“Cap, this place is too fancy for a bunch of ol’ Gravediggers,” Jimmy said shaking his head and Derek agreed wholeheartedly. People on the streets were all dressed in perfect grey or white clothes, they eyed the old Vultur05 approaching with unhidden interest.
Brutus800 and Vulture05 landed on a huge platform on one of the perfectly white buildings.
Jerome informed them there’s no danger of contamination inside the dome, and they could walk out safely. He greeted the inhabitants of Vulture05 himself.
“Welcome to Rebel city 25,” Jerome said proudly, but received no reply.
“Our Murblard still needs medical care, could you provide it?” Doc Liz asked. She stood near Ake lying on whole two stretchers, carried by four old medical bots.
Jerome gave both the obsolete bots and the Murblard a stare full of contempt, but said: “Of course. Follow me, please!”
Ake grumbled something in Liz’s ear.
The Gravedigger crew, Sophie and Annouk, doc Liz and Ake, all followed Jerome and his crew of men and women in perfect grey uniforms into an elevator.
“Ake says something ain’t right. This isn’t the settlement he once knew. He doesn’t trust these people,” Doc Liz whispered in Derek’s ear.
“We have to be careful, keep our eyes open,” Captain Derek replied, eyeing Jerome’s silhouette in front of the column.