The Curiosity Machine

by Richard Newsome

  Ruby’s cheeks shone red under her golden mask. ‘We agreed we would get him a journal and pen,’ she said, her voice quaking. ‘We all contributed to it.’

  Felicity lifted her chin an inch in the air. ‘Well, that’s just a ridiculous choice,’ she sniffed. ‘A boring choice. Gerald would far rather have something practical. Who even writes anything with a pen anymore?’

  Sam looked at the two girls in confusion. ‘What’s more practical than World of Gorecraft?’ he said. ‘I’d kill for that.’

  Ruby tore the mask from her face and rounded on her brother. ‘Shut your stupid face about your stupid video games, will you? And as for you,’—she spun around to face Felicity—‘I can’t believe you would do this. A gift is supposed to be something from the heart that has lasting meaning, not some cheap way to get someone to do what you want.’

  Felicity’s mouth tightened. ‘Look, if it’s about the money, I’ll give your share back if you want. You just have to ask.’

  ‘It’s not about the money,’ Ruby snapped. ‘And as for asking you anything, forget it. I don’t ever want to talk to you again.’ She pressed her lips together and stormed out of the ballroom to the shadows of the deck outside. Gerald looked at Sam and Felicity, then in the direction of Ruby. ‘I better go talk to her,’ he said.

  Sam gave him an encouraging look. ‘Butterfly Boy to the rescue, eh?’

  ‘I guess,’ Gerald said. He bobbled the compass in his hand. ‘Who would have thought birthdays could be so tense?’

  Gerald found Ruby leaning on the rail and staring out into the infinite blackness of the night ocean. Chinese lanterns swaying in the breeze shone red and yellow on her hair. Gerald paused behind her, not sure what to say. He had seen Ruby’s volatile side enough times to know that she could be a little dramatic. But this was different. He took a silent breath. ‘Not having such a great time?’ he asked.

  Ruby stared into the wash churned up by the Archer’s propellers as the ship surged into the night. Gerald waited a few seconds then leaned on the rail beside her. ‘Are you crying?’

  Ruby wiped the soft velvet of the rat mask across her eyes, smearing tears over her cheeks. ‘No,’ she lied.

  Gerald had no idea what to say. ‘Um—’ he started.

  ‘Don’t,’ Ruby said, looking straight ahead. ‘Please just don’t.’

  There was a long silence.

  ‘Don’t worry about the present,’ Gerald said. He looked at the compass he still held in his hand. ‘I really like it.’

  Ruby sniffed back a tear. ‘It’s not about the stupid present,’ she said.

  ‘It’s not?’ Gerald blinked. He had the feeling he was about to enter a conversation that even Felicity’s compass could not help him navigate. ‘Because that little blow up at Felicity seemed to be all about the present.’

  ‘It’s not the gift, though it doesn’t help,’ Ruby said.

  ‘If it’s not the present, then what is it?’ Gerald asked. ‘Have I done something wrong?’

  ‘Yes, you have,’ Ruby said. She turned to face him, her eyes reflecting the light from the lanterns. ‘You inherited all that money, you big dope.’

  Gerald was taken aback by the sheer sadness in Ruby’s face. But before he could think of anything to say a movement at the waterline caught his eye. He leaned over the rail. A jet boat had appeared out of the darkness: sleek, dark and oozing menace. It sped alongside the yacht. Then, swift as cats, six men dressed in black leapt from the boat and onto the Archer. Each of them was carrying a submachine gun.

  Chapter 9

  Gerald and Ruby stared in disbelief. Like a scene from a bad action movie, the squad of black-clad men surged onto the lower deck, crouching as they moved, guns at the ready.

  Gerald turned to Ruby and for a moment his mind spun. ‘We’ve got to tell someone,’ he said.

  Music, laughter and light spilled out from the party inside. Gerald and Ruby dashed towards the broad opening to the ballroom just as Felicity and Sam walked out onto the deck.

  ‘There you are,’ Felicity called. ‘I thought we better come find you so Sam can apologise.’

  Sam recoiled. ‘Me apologise? You’re the one who needs to say sorry.’

  Gerald cut Felicity off before she could continue. ‘There’s no time,’ he said. ‘Where’s Captain Cooper?’

  Felicity was shaken by the tone in Gerald’s voice. ‘I suppose he’s in the ballroom somewhere,’ she said, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder. ‘What’s the matter?’

  A scream sliced through the music. Gerald looked through a bank of windows to see a half dozen gunmen storm into the ballroom. A bar table went flying; trays of glasses shattered across the dance floor. More screams sounded out as the masked figures began herding people into the middle of the room. Gerald saw his parents frogmarched at gunpoint beneath a mirror ball that still spun its slow-moving lightshow. A hand clutched Gerald’s shoulder and pulled him to the deck. He turned to find Ruby staring at him, her eyes urging him to keep silent. Sam and Felicity crouched behind her.

  The music from inside the ballroom was replaced by shouted threats for everyone to follow directions. There was a thunderous crash to Gerald’s right. One of the gunmen had shut the doors to the deck, locking the partygoers inside. The man stood with his back to the glass, his gun trained on the crowd. Gerald’s heart jack-hammered against his ribs. If the gunman so much as glanced to his left he would see them for sure. Gerald touched Ruby’s hand, and with a ‘follow me’ jerk of his head he scuttled towards the rails and deeper into the shadows. Sam and Felicity crawled across to join them.

  ‘What do we do—’ Sam began in a whisper but Ruby stopped him with a finger to his lips. She pointed to an open window across the deck. The doors to the ballroom were closed but they could still be overheard. For a moment, the four of them simply stared at each other, at a loss what to do.

  Finally, Ruby gestured towards a set of stairs further around the curve of the deck that led up to the next level. Gerald nodded—anything that put some distance between them and the gunmen was a good idea. But where could they possibly go to escape? Gerald held up his forefinger, signalling they should go one at a time. He glanced over his shoulder towards the glass doors, then patted Ruby on the arm. She nodded and, true to her rat costume, skulked low to the deck and silently climbed the stairs out of sight. Sam waited a few seconds and, with a cheery thumbs-up, followed his sister.

  Gerald’s mind buzzed. Maybe they could get to the bridge. Did Captain Cooper mention there was a satellite phone there? There must be an emergency radio. They could call the police. Or the coastguard. Or the navy. Someone would come and rescue them. Gerald’s heart sank. What was he thinking? They were in the middle of nowhere. Rescuers could be days away. Felicity tapped Gerald’s hand and disappeared up the stairs. Gerald counted to ten, ready to slink to the stairwell. Then, from inside the ballroom came raised voices. Gerald flinched as a shot rang out. A window exploded, sending a cascade of glass just as Gerald sprang forward, missing him by centimetres. He stumbled to the bottom of the stairs and chanced a look back. Glass shards were strewn across the deck, shining like diamonds in the night. Through what was left of the window, Gerald heard a voice, as dark as death.

  ‘Where is he?’ the voice demanded. ‘Where is Gerald Wilkins?’

  Gerald froze. He strained his ears.

  ‘He was here a moment ago, I know it.’ It was a woman’s voice. A friend of his mother’s, maybe? He could not place it. What Gerald heard next made no sense. It was the man—the voice of death. ‘You were supposed to keep him close so we could extract him quickly.’

  The words bounced around inside Gerald’s skull until they settled in a manner that he could comprehend. Someone who was already on the yacht had the job of helping a bunch of armed hoodlums ‘extract’ him. Gerald’s eyes came to rest on one of the flag decorations strung around the deck, flapping in the breeze: a black and white skull and crossbones. The symbol stuck in his vision.

&nb
sp; Were pirates trying to abduct him?

  Gerald scurried up the stairs to find the upper deck dark and deserted. The swimming pool, the scene of so much boisterous activity earlier in the day, was a silent millpond reflecting the stars overhead. Gerald squinted into the gloom. Where were the others? A hollow void opened in the pit of his stomach. Could they have been caught, snatched by pirates? Mad thoughts crowded his brain. The shotguns from the clay pigeon shooting: he should find them and arm himself. At least then he’d have a fighting chance, could go down in a blaze of pellets and gunpowder—

  A hand reached from the darkness and wrapped around Gerald’s mouth. He stiffened and tried to twist around, struggling to break free. But the hand just pulled him in tighter.

  ‘Stop messing about,’ Sam hissed in his ear. ‘You’re making too much noise.’

  Gerald wrapped his fingers around Sam’s wrist and peeled the hand from his face. He swallowed hard and turned to his friend. ‘I thought you’d been caught,’ he whispered.

  ‘We will be if you don’t shut up,’ Sam said. He jerked his head to the darkened interior of the yacht and Gerald followed after him. If anyone was watching they would see a figure dressed in body-hugging lycra and a cape stalking another figure in pink hotpants and sequins. Despite everything, Gerald giggled. Sam whipped his head around and glared.

  ‘Sorry,’ Gerald whispered. ‘But you look so ridiculous.’

  Sam frowned at him. ‘Don’t risk the wrath of Fluoroboy,’ he said. He knocked three times on a cabin door. There was a soft click from inside and the door cracked ajar. Sam and Gerald squeezed through and locked the door behind them.

  Gerald was set upon in a blur of flailing arms. Felicity and Ruby wrapped him up in a double-barrelled bear hug. ‘We thought you’d been shot,’ Felicity said, squeezing his ribs tight. ‘I was so scared.’

  They were inside a dark cabin, much smaller than Gerald’s palatial suite. The only light came through a bare porthole that looked out to the moon-rippled ocean beyond.

  ‘The speedboat that brought the gunmen is circling us,’ Ruby said.

  ‘Like a shark,’ Felicity added. ‘It just went past so it shouldn’t be back for a few minutes.’

  ‘Should we close the curtain?’ Gerald asked.

  ‘We can’t risk it,’ Ruby said. ‘They might notice that one porthole is suddenly covered when it wasn’t before.’

  Felicity dropped onto the bed. ‘This is so sick-making. Surely there isn’t enough money on board for a bunch of bandits to come all this way to steal it.’

  Gerald looked grim-faced at his friends. ‘They’re here for me,’ he said.

  ‘How do you know?’ Ruby asked.

  ‘I heard them, or at least their leader. They shot out a window. That was the gunshot you heard. The boss man asked for me by name. And here’s the thing: someone already on the yacht is working with them. They were supposed to be keeping an eye on me until the pirates turned up.’

  ‘Is it Mason Green?’ Ruby asked.

  ‘Not unless he has suddenly changed into a woman,’ Gerald replied.

  ‘Not the person helping out on board, you dolt,’ Ruby said. ‘The person behind the attack.’

  Gerald bit the inside of his bottom lip and chewed. ‘There’s something I probably should tell you.’ For the next few minutes he gave them the details of his conversation with Sir Mason Green. Ruby, Felicity and Sam looked at him as if he had gone insane.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell us this before?’ Ruby asked. ‘It’s hardly a minor matter.’

  Gerald shrugged. ‘I didn’t want to ruin the party,’ he said.

  Felicity was barely able to contain her excitement. ‘A trillion dollars, Gerald! You could cure diseases. Put an end to hunger. You could save thousands, millions of lives.’ She was jiggling about like a toddler with a full bladder.

  ‘Steady on, Felicity,’ Gerald said. ‘I haven’t agreed to do anything with the plans yet.’

  Felicity stopped bouncing. ‘Obviously, you’re going to give them to Sir Mason in return for the trillion dollars.’ She stared at him. ‘Aren’t you?’

  Gerald crossed to the cabin door and put an eye to the peephole. ‘The fact that Mason Green has sent a band of pirates to kidnap me suggests holding onto the plans is the best idea for now.’

  Ruby whispered a sudden shush. She pointed to the porthole and pulled Sam back into the shadows. They watched through the glass as the jet boat slid past. No one breathed until it was gone.

  ‘What do we do now?’ Sam asked. ‘There’s no use hiding. They’ll just search room by room until they find us.’

  Gerald turned to the peephole again. The corridor outside was deserted. ‘Did anyone see where those shotguns for the clay pigeons were stored?’ he asked.

  ‘You’re not seriously thinking about fighting these people?’ Ruby said. ‘That’s madness.’

  ‘Keep your voice down,’ Gerald said. ‘And how is it madness? We need to protect ourselves.’

  ‘That is such a fourteen-year-old boy’s response,’ Ruby said. ‘There’s a half-dozen trigger-happy pirates with machine guns wandering this ship and your solution is to add more guns to the equation.’

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ Sam said.

  ‘It’d make me feel safer,’ Gerald said.

  ‘I’ll be sure to mention that in the eulogy at your funeral,’ Ruby said. ‘Gerald Wilkins died in a blaze of gunfire, but we should take comfort that in those last desperate moments he felt incredibly safe. Look, I don’t know what wild west storybook fantasy world it is that you inhabit but maybe if your first response to a bad situation wasn’t to arm yourself with bullets and testosterone, the world would be a safer place. Why not take a minute to figure out what these pirates actually want and make some decisions based on that.’

  Gerald and Sam blinked at Ruby. ‘So no guns?’ Sam said.

  ‘No, Rambo,’ Ruby said. ‘No guns.’

  Sam muttered something about ‘Lame-bo’ under his breath, but Ruby ignored him.

  ‘Ruby’s right,’ Felicity said. ‘We should definitely give these people whatever it is that they want.’

  ‘It must be the plans to the curiosity machine,’ Gerald said. ‘That’s Green’s latest obsession. If we can get to my cabin at least we’ll have some bargaining power.’

  ‘Exactly,’ Ruby said. ‘There are other ways to win a fight than by strapping a six-gun to your hip.’

  ‘Not as much fun though,’ Sam muttered.

  Ruby studied a floor plan of the ship’s interior that was pinned to the inside of the door. A red dot marked their location.

  ‘Your cabin is up on the next level, right?’ she said, tracing a finger over the map. ‘Along this corridor? I say we go and get the plans.’

  ‘What?’ Sam said. ‘Now?’

  ‘That’s right, Annie Oakley. Now.’ She tore the cape from her shoulders and let it flutter to the floor. ‘Come on, Fluoroboy,’ she said to Sam. ‘Try not to stand out too much.’

  Gerald eased the door open and led the unlikely superheroes to the central staircase. He stopped just short of the landing and motioned for the others to stay where they were. Then he tiptoed out to the rail and peered over the edge. There was no sign of any activity on the lower decks. He tilted his head to look up. All was still. For a marauding band of gun-toting pirates, they were remarkably quiet. Gerald had been in more boisterous libraries. It seemed more like the ship had been abandoned. Gerald looked back to Ruby, Sam and Felicity. They looked ludicrous, with their concerned faces wrapped in sparkles and spandex. He waved them forward and started to climb the staircase.

  Chapter 10

  The door to Gerald’s suite stood open. It was the only flaw in the otherwise pristine neatness of the Archer’s fourth level. Gerald, Ruby, Felicity and Sam paused in the passage outside, not sure how to proceed.

  Gerald inched towards the doorway, straining to hear if anyone was inside. His hand fell to the length of wood tucked into his belt and he pulled
it out, holding it forward like a sword. He didn’t think a collapsed butterfly net would provide much protection against a submachine gun, but it was better than nothing.

  He peeked around the doorjamb and his eyes darted to the safe above his bed. The painting hung open and piles of cash lay on the mattress. Gerald took a deep breath and stepped inside. There was no one there. He beckoned the others, and once they were inside he bolted the door.

  ‘We’re too late,’ Gerald said, stepping onto the mattress, kicking bricks of greenbacks and Euros out of the way.

  ‘I guess we can rule out money as a motive,’ Ruby said, picking up a block of hundred-dollar bills.

  Gerald turned around from the safe. ‘The plans for the curiosity machine are gone. But they left the note from Jeremy Davey,’ Gerald said. ‘Green already has a copy of that.’ He jumped from the bed and went to the wardrobe, grabbing out a handful of T-shirts and shorts, tossing them onto an armchair. ‘I told you someone had ransacked my room. It must have been the woman that Green planted on the ship to keep an eye on me. She must have been looking for the plans.’

  ‘And now they’ve found them,’ Ruby said.

  Gerald peeled off the top of his superhero costume and pulled a shirt over his head. ‘I’m tired of Mason Green always being one step ahead of us,’ he said. ‘It’s time we tripped him up.’

  Felicity gave Gerald a hopeful smile. ‘Maybe now that his thugs have got the plans for the curiosity machine they’ll jump back into their boat, and everything can go back to normal.’

  Gerald rummaged through the mound of clothes. ‘If the heavies are still here I’m not going to be kidnapped dressed like a giant runner bean.’ He hooked his thumbs into his waistband and was about to drop his pants when Felicity stopped him.

  ‘Ew, do you mind?’ she said. ‘We’re close friends, but we’re not that close.’

  Gerald nodded at the clothes piled on the chair. ‘Take some if you want. You can change in the bathroom.’