THE NOTHING MECHANISM: The Black Fish 1:6

Just as Karcsi had suggested the passengers were restricted to their cabins. Only the two guard details and the smallest possible operations crew were allowed to leave their cabins.

The Black Fish boasted an experimental coal-fueled steam-powered rotary engine. With temperatures plummeting the added heat from the burning coal and rotating steel would be all too welcome. The sails were stowed and the engine fired up. This helped to lessen the operations team to just those men needed to keep the fire satisfied and the lookout to keep the vessel from smashing into something.

Antal, a member of the Expedition Team, and currently a member of a roaming two man security detail called for Vincent, the current lookout, to climb down from the crow’s nest.

“Did you see the man?” Antal asked, agitated and out of breath.

“What?” Asked Vincent as he stepped from the rope ladder to the deck.

“Wallace and I saw someone on deck. There’s not supposed to be anyone else out here. We chased him, but we got separated.”

Vincent pulled a knife from his belt. “Let’s have a look.”

The two men set to investigating the night-obscured deck. It didn’t take long before they stumbled upon a trail of blood, which they followed into a corner shadowed by a stack of cargo containers. A figure cloaked in the darkness of the cargo containers was crouched over another figure, probably Wallace, working him over with a knife. Wallace was a lifeless mass.



“Get off him!” Vincent cried lunging at the shadow-man with his knife.

With lightning speed the shadow-man stepped out of the way. Vincent, off balance, sailed past him, missing him with his knife. As Vincent sailed past him, the shadow-man swung his blade slicing through Vincent’s clothing and flesh. Blood sprayed as Vincent cried out.

Antal froze in horror as the shadow-man glanced at him then dashed away. Antal dropped to his knees to help Vincent. He tore Vincent’s many clothing layers off to get to the wound; luckily the clothing had absorbed most of the blade’s bite. The other man was indeed Wallace and he was very dead. His blood was spreading out in a pool on the deck.

“CAPTAIN!” Antal’s cry tore across the night’s quiet air. As if on cue, a clap of thunder followed.