Crowds of people inside the buildings of this flying vessel panicked at the sudden sonic boom traveling at speeds beyond their expectations, startling everyone from their own activities. Some began to cover themselves and screaming in fear as the explosion echoed throughout the entire place, sounding like a terrifying thunder strike appearing in every direction.
Others tried to see what's happening only to realize the extreme, stormy weather that would be unheard of outside of their vessel. Fortunately, this ship is capable of withstanding such harsh environments to ensure the safety of all its passengers.
On the other hand, the ship captain had no idea what to do after experiencing an immediate change of weather as he paced back and forth in the control room with no one other than his armed friend standing near the entrance with his back resting on the wall.
Many anxious thoughts run through his mind: why did the sky become so violent? Did something happen that caused such a disturbance in the atmosphere? How in hell can the sky produce such sound without any sign of shifts or patterns to indicate a possible change in the environment?
These are all questions that he does not know how to answer, nor does he have any clues as to what is causing the sky to behave in such a strange manner. All he can do is make guesses and assumptions based on observations that may or may not be correct.
He needs to stay calm, but it's not easy when everyone is in panic and confusion. There is no time for hesitation or second-guessing; he must act now to prevent serious causalities. As the captain of this vessel, it is his duty to protect those under his care.
Stopping in his tracks, he glanced around the control room with its vast space filled with machines and monitors displaying all sorts of data. The walls were a dull gray color, and the floor was carpeted in a rich navy blue as though it were designed to provide a calming effect for the staff.
The overhead lights cast a dim glow, creating a soft, yellow hue. It was a stark contrast to the bright white illumination of the rest of the vessel. In the center of the room was a large console, where the controls and instruments were housed.
At the far end of the control room, there was a huge window that looked out onto the vast, dark expanse of space. It was hard to imagine that they were flying in the midst of it all. To the right of the window was a door that led to a smaller, private room where the captain could sleep if he wanted to.
It was a surreal feeling to be up there in the heavens, so high above the earth. It was a beautiful, awe-inspiring sight, as well as a sense of loneliness and isolation, being adrift in an endlessly hostile environment. It was frightening, to say the least.
"Caps," with his two-handed axe dangling behind his back, Bull crossed his arms together as his dark expression gazed directly into his eyes, "do you have a plan?" Blunt and cold as usual, he wasn't shy about letting the captain know he had no time for bullshit.
Shaking his head, he sighed heavily in frustration and turned back towards the vast expanse of space. He didn't have any idea what to do, as he is the type of man to always prepare for what is ahead. "The sudden change of weather is all I know."
"Well, what could have caused such commotion?" Uncrossing his arms, Bull took a few steps closer to his side. "The captain should know these things, no?" Trying to lighten up the mood, he smirked for the first time within a month after being freed, "Unless that captain is just an old fool."
Snorting at his retort, Henry pinched his own nose in frustration. "I know for the fact that the data on the monitors is always correct," he said, gesturing to the banks of computer screens lining the walls. The green, fluorescent characters glowed brightly, illuminating the entire room with a sickly, artificial glow. "Every time I set up the coordinators, it tells me everything from weather changes to the possible trajectory of objects. Yet, that is why I am puzzled at how this place became so turbulent without a warning from our equipment."
A sigh escaped his lips before speaking once more, "and judging by the screens, the sudden shift in weather would be a combination of wind and precipitation. A rare phenomenon, yes, but still highly dangerous," he said, having a difficult time maintaining his composure. "However, what surprised me the most is how they didn't warn me of this!" Pointing out the faulty machines.
Letting out another annoyed grumble, "I've checked these things over and over again, so why aren't they working properly!? This is the first time in my life that she has failed me!" Sounding infuriated, Henry shook his fist before heading to the nearby wall, slamming it with powerful force.
"They shouldn't fail on me!"
A wave of sympathy washed over the towering Minotaur, "machines aren't perfect caps," reassuring his friend by placing his hand on the human's shoulder, "all of this advanced stuff you see is all fine and dandy, but at the end of the day they can't predict the future," common sense that even his friend should have learned from the very beginning.
Although he was a little angered and shocked that his beautiful ship had failed him, Captain Henry calmly let out another exasperated breath, trying to clear his thoughts and figure out a solution. But as much as he thought he had come up with an idea, a doubt slowly formed inside of him that caused his stomach to knot and twist itself into a tight ball.
What if Bull was wrong? Henry knows for a fact that his ship will never fail him, so there could be two options. One is actually the ship, and the second is caused by someone or something that made her malfunction. That can't be possible because he didn't see anyone close to our ship based on the readings of his monitors.
"Okay..." Calming himself down, he turned around and watched his friend take a couple of steps backwards to allow each other's space. "Your right, I shouldn't rely too much on my ship all the time. Especially now that I realize this is beyond our control for the moment," he continued, "probably the best I could do now is steer my ship to avoid any obstacle while also searching for an appropriate shelter that can protect us until this storm passes."
A smile graced Bull's lips. "Smart choice," he replied with satisfaction. "However," raising his left finger upwards, "what should we do with the other crew members?" Realizing how many are in chaos from the surprise of the storm, "we can't expect them to behave, capt."
For a brief moment, Henry closed his eyes and tapped his foot onto the steel ground while considering what to do. He knows for a fact that there are currently many recruits on the ship who are surprised and not well prepared for this sudden turn of events. While there are some who have experienced this kind of chaos for the first time in their lives, he is no stranger to these circumstances.
Henry knew all too well how terrible things can be. In his early days of sailing, he was caught in one of the worst storms he'd ever seen. It was a nightmare—a true nightmare. The winds were so strong that he thought he was going to get blown away. He could barely hold on to the wheel as the rain and the waves threatened to wash him away.
But he survived that day, and if someone who was once an inexperienced young lad like himself can hold a wheel, then so can everyone else. "They'll survive," he said without a shred of doubt, "just like I did all those years ago," remembering how he lost his family and friends to the raging tempest. "We will all get through this together," optimism filled his heart. "I believe in them."
Chuckling wholeheartedly from this response, Bull raised his fist between them and asked, "Promise?" Being amused by this request, the captain then also gave his own, bumping his knuckles to his own before feeling the pain of hitting something hard.
"Ow!" Shaking his own hand, he tried to laugh off this sudden embarrassment. Looking back at his Minotaur friend, who somehow appeared to be unaffected by this reaction. "You got quite the thick skin there, bud!" Feeling the sting of that, he didn't expect to hit a rock-solid arm. "Seriously, it felt like hitting a wall!" Complimenting how sturdy his friend's muscle was.
Lowering his entire arm, Bull chuckled lightly once again. "I'm tough as nails," he said in-between his own laughter, "plus my fur is also quite durable," pointing out his own rough skin. Although this small bit of banter was interrupted by violent shaking from the ship, causing all the crew members to lose their balance except him.
The captain was about to fall to his side until Bull quickly reached his arms forward to stop his descent. But upon gripping his captain's forearms and saying, "Hey man, I got you," pulling him back up, Bull's eyebrows lowered for a moment. "Are you okay?"
Before Henry could answer, loud, desperate knocks were visibly heard from the door: "We need to speak!" The voice of Saomi from the other side was heard: "It's an emergency!" She hollered loudly over the roaring sound of the torrential winds.
Glancing at each other for a moment, Bull loosened his grip, watching Henry take careful steps forward in case the ship shook once more. He eventually took hold of the doorknob and pulled it open, revealing a drenched Saomi, who was forced to remain standing as the entire floor was covered with water.
Schrodinger walked beside him, his fur soaked in wetness and carrying a concerned expression. For a brief moment, the captain stood there to understand why they would be here out of all places, but soon the realization hit him: "Where is your friend?" He asked with some worry.
"We looked all over for Janus," she said in an awkward voice as the young woman pushed him to the side to be let in. "I thought he was outside, so I searched, but there was no sign of him!" Fear, horror, and worry were all visible over her body as she paced back and forth with an anxious breath.
As the white cat entered the room, the Minotaur asked in a doubtful voice, "If he's not out, then he could be in any of the buildings," rationalizing where the individual could've gone, "neither of you actually believe he would be swept away from the wind, right? That guy is smart enough to know where and what to do."
Closing the door behind him, Captain Henry stared pitifully at the panicked girl who couldn't come to a conclusion. "Saomi, hey!" He tried to call her, hoping to break her train of thought, but it proved to be difficult when she didn't listen.
"It's useless," Schrodinger said without much care. "She can't hear or see us until she comes to terms that he is not on this ship." Staying neutral on this subject, the white cat calmly stated what should be done. "I tried to make her listen to the whole explanation, but she wasn't bothered; the moment I told her that his not on the ship, she went in panic and continuously thought that Janus is just lost somewhere in this ship," he said, explaining what had transpired just now.
The two men turned their eyes on him and asked, "Where do you think he is?" Henry inquired, hoping that Schrodinger could at least answer the question for them: "If he's not on the ship, then where exactly is he?" The question lingered for a moment, trying to get the cat to make some sense of what was going on.
As if realizing the subtle hints, Schrodinger then cleared his throat. "His...currently fighting someone," this immediately caught their intention, "as to fighting who? I'm not sure of the exact answer to that; I know for fact that I managed to witness him departing with a person in a not so friendly way." Being perspective and intelligent enough, he came to that conclusion just by Janus reaction of what he saw alone.
Widening his eyes, the captain finally understood everything. "It made sense." Tapping his foot, he caressed his chin in contemplation as he looked down on the floor. "That would explain the sudden change of weather and the data not detecting any anomaly outside, yet somehow still affecting the ship in the first place..."
