by Elliot Mesina
The Zoomerang sputtered white smoke as its engines strained to lift the airship out of the sky. After a few seconds, it finally began rising into the sky and started to head out to sea. Satisfied, Harmon stepped back from the controls and began checking and double-checking the weaponry and invisibility coating for any errors. The clouds looked like white cotton candy drifting through a light blue sea, and momentarily at peace, Harmon paused for a minute to look through the colossal floor to ceiling windows of the command room. Then, a glint of metal caught his eye and perplexed, Harmon watched as the metal floated through the air, seemingly of its own power. Then too late, he realised what the metal was attached to and was about to give the order for the crew of the airship to man their weapons, when an explosion threw him across the room. Terrifyingly, the Zoomerang moaned as it entered a fast dive to the ground, a metal tomb cutting through the sky.
Harmon tried to reach the controls, but the airship was suspended in the air. With a short grunt, he extended his mechanical legs and pulled up with all his strength. The airship stopped its fall and shifted into a steep glide, still approaching the ground at terminal speeds. He pressed a button on the control panel, the emergency engines kicked in, and finally, the Zoomerang began a slow ascent. Harmon looked out of the window and saw his attackers. The Mothership, rumoured to be one of the most monumental airships ever created and the most advanced technology yet, hung in the sky with a prominent pirate flag flapping on its crest. The Mothership was known for its series of victories against other airships, raiding their contents and nearby towns. However, Harmon’s airship had next to no fuel, and he wouldn’t have enough time to get down to the ground. The only viable solution would be to try to board the pirate ship and claim it for his own.
The cogs and wheels threatened to collapse as the Zoomerang rose, and after an eternity the Mothership came into view. It almost instantly spotted him and fired a spiralling missile at the airship. In response, Harmon fired back, and the missiles collided in a kaleidoscope of colours. The Zoomerang was almost out of fuel, but it kept climbing until it was directly above the Mothership. Harmon strapped on a parachute and was about to jump when turrets opened up on the top of the pirate airship and riddled holes into his parachute and engines. Finally failing, the Zoomerang slowly began falling, trying to make a controlled descent.
Stripping off the now useless parachute, Harmon helplessly watched as the Mothership glided away. Even if he could somehow fall slowly, he would never be able to reach the pirate ship even if he tried to jump the distance. Then, the Zoomerang gave a final push with the remaining dregs of its fuel, and Harmon decided to take the leap of faith. He hit the side of the Mothership with force, and his hands scrabbled to find a hold in the smooth surface of the airship’s hull. Harmon finally found a grip and began shuffling to see where the Mothership’s entrance was, careful to keep his balance. Eventually, he found a door and stepped inside the pirate airship. The decoration was magnificent, with beautifully decorated rugs and pillows, as well as fascinating paintings of heavenly landscapes, but mysteriously it was coated in a thick layer of dust as if no one had been there for centuries.
After finding many dead ends, Harmon found the control room, empty of life. In place of a captain manning the controls, instead, an automaton controlled the airship. Taking careful steps so that he wouldn’t attract the robot’s attention, he focused on the glowing gateway of light next to the control panel. It pulsed with light and power, and Harmon felt inexplicably drawn by it. He watched in horror as something caused him to move forwards, and step into the light …
