Down in the Underworld

Chapter 30 - What is this, some kind of army?

Fury was waiting outside for Lady as she appeared through the doorway of Stumpie’s. He still looked a bit bleary eyed, but he was on his way to sobering up.  

‘It’ll be about 2 hours,’ offered Lady as he looked up at her expectantly, ‘you look like hell, feeling better?’

‘Urgh, this is the twighlight world between drunk and awake,’ Fury groaned as he felt the sour taste of sobriety growing in his mouth.

‘Yeah, whisky will do that to ya,’ Lady offered without sympathy, ‘don’t look now though but there’s a rather large group of people heading our way.’

Fury shielded his eyes unnecessarily, and focused on the approaching crowd. He recognised his crew and Lady’s crew, but it also seemed that they had half the city with them as well.

‘Lady, Fury,’ nodded Fizz as she reached them, ‘we’ve collected some new friends who’d like to see Demise on the way to his maker.’

‘What is this, some kind of army?’ Lady smiled.

‘In a manner of speaking you could say that,’ Deadeye smiled back.

‘I fucking love it!’ yelled Fury, throwing an uppercut at an imaginary opponent.  

‘They all volunteered when they saw us collecting supplies, many of them are Commanders of their own subs and most of them have had run ins with Demise before, so no love is lost there,’ Fizz explained.

Lady beamed at the people standing around her. Finally, she was starting to feel like they might have a chance at this. Stopping the madman before he did something truly terrible.

‘So what’s the plan then?’ someone called from the back.

‘I’m glad you asked!’ Lady yelled back, before facing the rest of the crowd, ‘I don’t know how much you know, and I don’t have time to tell you everything, but we believe Demise and the Overworlders are working together to create some kind of terraforming machine, using Mellion tech, which could spell very bad news for us, and our friends in the Barrens and the Dead West. So we intend to sail, as soon as we can, for Londinium to meet him in the Old Bridge tunnels, Demise thinks we’re coming alone, that we’ll be easy to defeat and then he and the Overworlders can do what they want, take us out, kill us off, but with your help we’ll beat him and the Overworlders. But it will be dangerous, Demise has a new ally, a Ghost and her people, a new species, Mellion mixed with human DNA. We don’t know how many of them there are, but they are fierce fighters, bred as the ultimate weapon in the war to protect us but then hunted and abandoned when the war is over. They are understandably pissed, but as far as we know they are not on our side. I know a lot of you are just itching to get your hands on Demise, that he has fucked with many of you and you’d like to return the favour, but this is will be the fight of your lives! No one will think less of you if you change your minds, but if you will stand with me, I promise you that I and my crew will fight to the death to see Demise and the Overworlders fail!’

As Lady finished talking, a great cheer of ‘yes!’ and ‘we’re with you!’ went up from the gathering crowd, before they hushed again expectantly.  

‘So, we have some work to do,’ Lady continued, ‘as I’m sure you’ve noticed our crews have been prepping for war, and now it is time for you to do the same. Meet me back here in an hour, and then we sail for Londinium, to the end of the world or the beginning – let’s dance!’

‘May Bowie be with us!’ yelled the crowd in unison before they began to scatter to all corners of the city, while some hustled to their vessels to get them ready to dive.

‘Nice speech Lady,’ Fury smiled in admiration, ‘we might be OK after all.’

‘Yes, now we just need back-up from the Barrens and the Deadies, I’ll need your help with that.’ 

‘Of course.’ 

‘I don’t think Peggy of the Barrens has quite forgiven me for our last run in, can you talk to him? I can handle the Deadies.’

Fury started laughing.

‘It’s not that funny,’ Lady frowned.

‘What did you do to old Peggy again?’ 

‘That’s a story for another time… ‘ Lady pursed her lips and walked back towards the city.

‘Where are you going?’ Fury asked.

‘I need to grab some things from Cals, I’ll be back here in an hour, get your sub ready.’

As Fury watched Lady go he had a sense that something was slipping away from him, that it was ending, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was.

‘Ashes to ashes,’ he whispered to himself with a sigh, before heading over to the Marvyl.