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Chapter 11

I lash out in defence and receive a sharp slap across the face for my efforts.

‘Something terrible has happened, Nina.’ It’s Izzy.

I breathe a sigh of relief, ‘I know, I was there, the place is on fire.’

‘No,’ Fernando says, ‘Borker nearly caught us.’

‘And McGraw,’ Izzy adds. ‘Here on the Western Hub. They’re after us.’

I can’t believe these two aren’t more worried about the fire, but maybe they don’t realise how bad it is. ‘I know, I bumped into them,’ literally. ‘We’ve got to leave, guys. Right now!’

I start to go, but Fernando drags me in a different direction, ‘The steps are this way, Nina.’

As we fight our way through the crowds to the second level, a terrific explosion, much bigger than the first, rocks the entire platform. I grab the railings frantically as the post hub collapses on one side and leaves us dangling over an abyss of nothingness. Someone clings to my leg – Izzy, trying to steady herself against the bucking steps and prevent herself sliding into oblivion. We all hang on until the swaying subsides then scramble to safety. Some of the supporting cables must have severed.

A post packet, its gondola on fire, its blimp perforated by flying splinters, plunges past. It must have taken the full force of the second explosion. Suddenly, I feel grateful the Shonti Bloom is moored on the lower levels, but she is still in grave danger and so are we.

The Shonti Bloom desperately needs to ship out before the whole post hub goes down in flames. More cables part or maybe some of the supporting helium balloons pop and the steps lurch again, to an even steeper angle. We scramble down to the next level through a shower of burning sparks. It must be hell on the top deck.

The residential decks are in uproar, sparks have started fires here too. Hot-air is being pumped into balloons on the meagre supply of life rafts, ‘Women and children first.’ The emergency lockers are open, but there is nowhere near enough back up parachutes for everyone and fights are breaking out. Emergency teams and rescue crews charge in all directions forcing us off the steps

We cling to anything to prevent us sliding off the canting crowded deck.

Izzy slides towards me, ‘Shouldn’t we help?’

‘No. Save the Shonti Bloom!’ I order. This is way beyond the ability of one teenager to make a difference. I spot a gap and struggle down the next set of steps.

The platform lurches in the opposite direction. As we hit the lowest level, the platform rights itself – the rescue teams must have released more helium balloons to stabilise the structure.

There’s the Shonti Bloom swaying at a drunken angle, tangled in its mooring ropes, but otherwise intact.

Scud is already cutting mooring ropes, ‘What’s going on, Nina?’

I wave the others away as they leap to explain, ‘Later, just keep cutting!’ I make a note to fill everyone in once we were safe.

The Shonti Bloom is righted and we scramble aboard, leaving Scud with the last mooring rope.

The ship is deserted, ‘Where’s Stitch?’ No one knows, ‘Then we wait!’’

Fernando grabs a telescope and searches through the stricken post hub. ‘I see him,’ he calls eventually, ‘two stories up, hanging from the steps.’’ I follow his pointing arm with my own telescope. Every deck is alight now. Through the billowing smoke I see people still fighting the fires. Then I spy Stitch hanging onto a set of steps by one hand. Even as I focus on him, he swings back onto the steps scrambles down and disappears into the smoke.

‘He’ll never make it,’ Fernando says, as burning debris rains down around the Shonti Bloom.

A Sergeant at arms runs past, ‘Abandon the platform! Abandon the platform! She’s going down.’ The platform lurches again, starting to lose altitude, and a crowd of desperate people run towards us, ‘Help. Save us. Take us with you.’

‘Cast off!’ Fernando orders to Scud on the dockside.

‘Belay that, Scud,’ I bellow, furious with Fernando. ‘We’re taking these people on.’

Fernando ignores me and makes for the door, ‘Then I’ll do it myself – you’ll kill us all Nina.’

I race Fernando to the door, swing my fist, and punch him to the deck. The satisfaction of seeing him stagger to one knee only partly dulls the pain in my fist, which burns like fire, but I can think of no other way to stop him. My great fear is of Izzy taking Fernando’s side. Scud I know I can always count on, but which way will Izzy veer in a mutiny? I need to know.

I stare directly at Izzy; time to assert my authority. ‘While I’m Captain, we do things my way,’ I yell. ‘We look after our own. We don’t leave anyone behind. And if we’re forced to, we go back for them. If you can’t live with that,’’ I snarl as Fernando struggles to his feet, ‘get off my ship.’

Izzy looks from me to Fernando and back again. She purses her lips and nods her head slowly. She has decided, but what has she decided?

Next Chapter: Chapter 12