A Bitter Pill – Chapter 8

“Digestion. Yes,” said Tagicakibau. “I think your Orbis has quite a belly ache by now.”

As if in reply, an earthquake seemed to roll through the cavern. Water slapped against the sides of the pools. The smell of vomit became stronger.

Scarlet and Jack stood in a corner of the platform over the churning water. They were backed up against a long bench covered with dials and levers and strewn with random bits of machinery. It was not far down and the water looked deep enough to do a good bomb, thought Jack. I could easily jump in and swim away. But there was something about the sickly colour that discouraged him. Scarlet fidgeted with the clasp on her bag.

Tagicakibau had spent a few minutes talking at them, but it had made no sense to Jack. The shape changing man did not seem to have any good reason for poisoning Orbis, or at least none that Jack could work out. Oh sure there was lots of talk about ‘great purpose’ and revenge for what was done on the planet Hedreon. But that did not cut any ice with Jack who did not have much interest in things that happened long ago to other people. In fact he found the whole thing rather boring. Apart from the fact that Tagicakibau was clearly mad and that he and Scarlet were in danger. Though after the few minutes of hearing the amoeba man talking even the fear of what he might do faded to the background, along with Tagicakibau’s voice, until both became a dull buzz in the back of his mind. Jack started to fidget. His hands were behind his back and as he leaned against the bench he started to run his fingers over the objects there, feeling them and trying to guess what they were.

There was a sudden change in Tagicakibau’s voice. He scowled at Scarlet and Jack and nodded at them with great finality, as if he had just made a devastating argument that would impossible to argue against. Then he turned away and stalked back to another small table where he began rummaging through what looked like a battered old suitcase.

“Goodness,” said Scarlet.

“I’ll say,” said Jack. “What a wind bag.”

“Oh, Jack. How could you? That was the saddest thing I ever heard.”

“Sad? Are you out of your mind,” said Jack. “That creep is going to get us all killed.”

Jack’s exploring fingers had found a series of switches. Nervously, as he focussed on Scarlet, he started to flick them.

“We have to get out of here,” Jack said. “Not cry about what a sad childhood he had, or whatever his problem was.”

Theil scuttled over to them, waving his hands in a downwards motion to keep them quiet.

“Quiet, you two,” Theil said. “Don’t upset him.”

This snapped Scarlet out of it. Her forehead creased in concentration and she narrowed her eyes.

“What are you doing?” she said. “I thought you were our friend.”

“I am,” said Theil defensively.

“Well were I come from friends don’t help other people destroy their home. That’s what he’s doing, you know.” She pointed a thumb at the Tagicakibau’s back.

Theil shuffled on his feet. His wings drooped so low that the lower tips sat on the ground.

As Scarlet lectured Theil, Jack’s attention began to wander again. I wonder what this switch is for, he thought. I wonder what happens if I turn this dial? He had his back turned to the control panel still, so he could not read any of the gauges. Still, he played with the control panel and let his attention flow out to the rest of the vast chamber to see if he could detect any changes from his fiddling. Once, he thought he saw a light flashing far away over a distant pool, but he was not sure. Another time he was almost certain that a metal door had closed over a gushing pipe, cutting off the flow of water. But there were so many pipes going in and out of the chamber that if he moved his eyes even a fraction he was not certain which one he had been looking at before.

For a moment this frustrated Jack. Then he lost interest even in that and returned his attention to Scarlet.

“We could make a run for it,” he said. “It’d be easy. He doesn’t seem to have a gun or anything.”

They heard a new noise over the roar of the water and Tagicakiau’s raving. Scarlet swivelled round to see a group of people running towards them. They were shouting and waving their arms. The group was about twenty strong. As it grew closer Scarlet saw that the leaders were carrying cameras. None of them seemed very happy.