Rapture

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say.

Stars twinkled in the distance beyond the massive dome as I stared out into the void.

“Attention passengers. We will be docking in Solace shortly. The Reverie will be at port for 3 days. If passes for Solace are included with your package, you may disembark at anytime. If you do not have passes, they can be purchased from the guest services kiosk in your cabin or any kiosk on board. If wish to remain aboard, all cruise amenities will still be available and operational. The Reverie will depart Solace at Eventide on the third day. If Solace is your port of connection, thank you for traveling with Aeterna. We hope you have enjoyed your stay with us and we look forward to flying with you again.”

The attendant droned on as my thoughts drifted back to the dome and screams in space. I cast a cursory glance around the room. If the dome were to crack this instant and give way, at least 500 people would be sucked up and out of the ship. Myself included. Would we hear each other’s screams? Or would we be too traumatized to register our surroundings?

I reclined back onto the chaise lounge I was currently occupying and turned my attention back toward the dome. The thought may be morbid but space is scary as hell. Not unlike an ocean. Except I would take space over the ocean any day.

When Merrick told us the news that Ethereal Edge had been booked by Aeterna for a six month tour, I was ecstatic, though you’d never be able to tell. I may be Earthborn, but space was my home. And they called to me every single day for the last three years. So I busted my ass to make sure I was going to be part of the traveling troupe. Not that I needed to but it wasn’t something I wanted to leave to chance. Merrick was known for being unpredictable when it came to the show’s line-up and it’s performers.

The show had grown in popularity over the last three years, thanks largely in part to me. Merrick wasn’t a bad guy. I had worked with three other show runners when I first returned to Earth and Merrick was a damn saint in comparison. The change in persona from when he was stage versus booking was staggering. Merrick was legendary on stage. He captivated an audience in seconds and kept them entranced for the entirety of the show. Off stage, you’d swear he had a grumpy twin brother that was brunt and lacked all social graces.

Somehow he managed to seal the deal and here we are. Aboard the Reverie. The current nova of Aeterna’s elite cruise fleet and the Milky Way galaxy.

The journey from Earth had been smooth sailing so far. Or smooth flying rather. This certainly wasn’t Aeterna’s first interstellar cruise liner but the Reverie was their largest and fastest to date. No expense was spared when designing her and damn if it didn’t show. Easy to do when you’re a quintillion dollar conglomerate like Aeterna.

What used to be a nine month trek on a non-stop trajectory, the trip from Earth to Mars could now be done in 9 hours. If you wanted quick and cheap that is. If you wanted to travel in luxury, the average liner made the trip in 4 months. The Reverie is the only liner to date that can make it in two. We were halfway to Mars.

“There you are! You need to start gettin stretched sunshine. They made a mistake during scheduling. First act goes on in two hours, not four. And Merrick wants us up after that.”

A heavy bag dropped on top of my legs then as an angelic face replaced my view of the dome and the stars. Not a bad replacement but I would never let him know that.

“Get your bag off of me Laith,” I replied as I began sitting up from the chaise.

Laith smiled and grabbed his bag, quickly chucking it onto the chaise opposite us. He lifted my legs and promptly sat down and began my stretching my legs and ankles for me.

“Did he say why?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Nope. Guessing he wants to start off with a bang. Dom and Kellan should be here in a bit,” Laith responded. I could see the muscles in his jaw ticking.

“Enchantress?” I asked, again already knowing the answer.

Laith gave a curt nod in response. The three of them didn’t much care for each other. Yours truly being the main reason for that. Laith considered himself my protector. I found him on the street and brought him in and ever since he has taken it upon himself to watch out for me. It was sweet and while I didn’t need it, I couldn’t bring myself to take that away from him. It was a grounding mechanism for him and it helped him cope with his time on the streets.

Dom and Kellan were headliners that had left their long time troupe and were highly sought after. No one knows why they chose Ethereal but the show continued to soar since they joined. They were phenomenal performers but they had a notorious reputation of being rebellious and were shameless when it came to women.

They attempted to woo me once which didn’t go over very well with Laith. After a particular instance that left Laith in bad shape, some significant threats were exchanged. They had laughed at me at the time, but that facade instantly crumbled when I made good on mine. Priceless.

I brushed the golden brown strands back away from Laith’s face and his features softened. They may hate each other but they were damn good together and freakishly attuned with one another despite all the unspoken hostility between them. Whatever the hell it was, it worked. But Laith was my family and his wellbeing was my top priority. If a day comes where this quad pod can no longer function civilly, I would choose Laith without hesitation. A fact I made sure Merrick explicitly understood.

“Then we better get going. Dom and Kellan can catch up. Its been a month since we’ve ran Enchantress so we need to get a least three runs before we go on tonight,” I said, swinging my legs off Laith’s lap and rising from the chaise.

Laith grabbed his bag as we joined the throng of disembarking passengers, excitement crackling in the air. Solace wasn’t just any sky island. It was a space oasis. Another asset Aeterna spared no expense when building. Gasps sounded in front of us and I turned not wanting to miss the look on Laith’s face.

I had passed through Solace on my journey back to Earth but it had definitely become far more lavish since then. What had been a small depot had been transformed into an interstellar marvel. It was a major feat for humans.

Laith’s eyes widened, the awe and wonder evident in his expression. The “boardwalk” extended in front, to the right and to the left of us. Small bungalows were situation off of the right and left boardwalks and were constructed over crystalline blue water. The main boardwalk lead to the main gate which lead to other areas of the island. This section of Solace had been inspired by the Maldives on Earth and was a big draw for extraterrestrials.

“This,” Laith said as he still stared awestruck at the scenery, “is mind blowing.”

I snapped a quick picture wanting to forever capture that childlike wonder.

“We may not have been able go while we were on earth but we’re able go now,” I responded, clapping him on the arm. “Come on kiddo. Let’s get going. We’ll have plenty of time to explore after this evening’s performance.”

Laith smiled and nodded excitedly. Before we made it a single step, I was jostled off balance as a large mountain collided with Laith and continued past us.

“What the hell man!” Laith yelled readjusting the shoulder strap of his bag. I may have been out the game for a few years but I was far from rusty. I pulled what felt like a key card out of my rear pocket and stepped into Laith, straightening the strap of his bag. I quickly slid my hand into the inside pocket of his jacket removing what felt like another key card and immediately dropped them on the ground.

“Hey!” I shouted as I stooped, picking up the cards and followed after the brute. I dipped and maneuvered through the throng before running the short distance and pulling him back by his arm. “You dropped these,” I said holding the cards up in front of him. The brief shock that registered was gone as quickly as it appeared.

“I don’t recognize em,” he gruffed as he began to turn away. I didn’t release my grip and gently pulled him back.

“I’m positive. I saw them fall. Right after you, barreled into my friend back there,” I responded. I saw the smile in his eyes as the corner of his mouth curved slightly upward. He knew I made him. He glanced at the key card again and plucked it from my fingers. From the twinkle in his eye he was intrigued. And he wasn’t human.

“How about that. They are mine,” he answered. “Thanks for returning them. Most wouldn’t have.”

“Happy to help,” I say releasing his arm. “You really should be more careful in the future. Would be unfortunate if they were to end up in the wrong hands.”

“It would indeed. Thank you again.”

I wink and turn my back on the stranger. That last thing I wanted to do was draw anymore attention. I made my way back to Laith feeling the stranger’s gaze burning between my shoulder blades. Shit.

“You good?” Laith asked, his eyes fixed on the stranger behind me.

“Yep. I’m good. Let’s get going. Time’s a wasting,” I smile as we turn back toward the main gate. Laith moves in front of me grabbing my hand to lead us forward.

“I would suggest the east gate, little one,” the stranger’s deep voice whispered in my ear. I whipped around the see the stranger retreating and headed toward the west gate. Worry began to knot my stomach when Laith grabbed my hand again.

“There’s Merrick. He’s waving us over the east gate.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and cast one last glance over my shoulder at the mysterious stranger as we jogged toward the east gate.

A faint rumble echoed beyond the main gate and halted me in my tracks. I quickly grabbed Laith’s arm and glanced at the water’s surface as slow ripples moved outward from the gate in front of us.

“Get down!” I yelled, grabbing Laith and pulling him to the ground with me as the main gate exploded outward, the impact knocking us to the ground. Dark spots flooded my vision as muffled screams rang out around us. I reached out, pulling Laith’s prone body to me as darkness slowly took me.