After several hours of sleepless rest, James thought that it was late enough for them to make their descent. By now, most everyone on board should be asleep. James climbed the stairs and was surprised to see Celeste fully awake and sitting on her bed. He eyed her suspiciously.

“We almost ready?” she asked.

“You’re… coming with?” James asked.

“Of course!” she said. “Last time you went down there that happened!” She gestured to his bloody pants. He could see her point, but he also didn’t like the idea of her descending down the rope.

“I’ll be fine,” James insisted.

“Maybe, but I won’t be,” Celeste said, her face growing sullen. “Sitting there on that platform waiting for you to come back was the most scared I’ve ever been.” She looked up at him, her expression growing strong. “I’m going with you.”

James tried to muster the energy to argue against her, but it all drained from him when he saw her face. Instead, he simply nodded and carried on up the stairs. He found Kiri sound asleep on his bed. For being in a completely foreign and possibly dangerous place, she sure could let her guard down. He nudged her on the arm and was met with a hand around the throat. He tapped on it rapidly until the daze left her eyes and she released him. She muttered an apology and stood up.

“So, we’re off?” she asked, stretching.

James nodded, rubbing at his throat. “Follow me and Celeste down to the bottom floor. The rope should be waiting there.”

Kiri nodded, shooting a narrow-eyed look at Celeste when she rose to go with them. Despite the look she gave, she still followed them both out the door. James peered down the same darkened hallway that he had the day before.

Had it really only been a day, he thought to himself. It feels like weeks have gone by.

He shook the thought away and focused on something much more important—keeping them all from getting caught. They had made it down three sets of stairs when James noticed something strange. He held up his hand to halt the two behind him and could hear Celeste suck in a nervous breath. The corridor took a sharp turn at the end of the hall, and James could see a shadow flickering on the wall. People were approaching.

Luckily, during his constant exploration, he had thoroughly explored his own ship. It was because of this that he knew the room three doors ahead and on the left was vacant. The old man that had lived there—Mr. Wallace, if James remembered correctly—decided to transfer to another ship, and the room had turned into a temporary storage area.

The shadows were growing larger on the wall, indicating that they needed to move now if they wanted to avoid being spotted. James quickly ushered them forward, swung the door open, and pushed them inside just as a figure reached the corner. James shut the door to where there was only a slit of space to see out of. The figure turned out to be two regulators. James watched them as they walked by, handcuffs jingling against their belts. He felt a shiver run down his spine. What were they doing here? They did roam ships at night from time to time, but it was a rare occasion when they did.

“What is it?” Celeste asked.

“Regulators,” James said over his shoulder. Celeste cursed to herself.

“What are they?” Kiri asked in confusion.

“The people who keep order on the ship,” James said, though his thoughts were focused on something else. Do they know what’s beneath the clouds? This thought bothered him more than he thought it would. How many people were against them? How many people knew the truth and allowed it to continue?

“Is it clear?” Celeste whispered from behind, jolting James back to reality. He slid the door open further and peered out. He saw no sign of the two regulators.

“We’re fine. They’re gone. Follow me.”

James had to repeat this hiding maneuver two more times before reaching the bottom. Each time, the figures turned out to be regulators. Something wasn’t right. They were looking for something, or perhaps someone. Surprisingly, the bottom floor was vacant. Still, the three crept slowly to the final door in the corridor. Something felt off, but James couldn’t quite place what it was. He stopped in front of the door, on the other side of which he knew rested a confusing tangle of rope. He looked back down the corridor past Celeste and Kiri. Only silence greeted him. James breathed out a nervous breath and reached for the door. It slid open easily. The room was pitch black, but he could still see the jumble of rope thanks to one of the lights in the hall. He hurried in, grabbed a bundle of rope, and turned to Celeste and Kiri.

“Alright, let’s hurry,” he said.

Just as he was about to take a step towards the door, a hand fell on his shoulder and Captain Shamran stepped out of the shadows behind him. James froze in shock, but both Celeste and Kiri jolted to life, sprinting back down the corridor. James heard the sounds of sliding doors and of Kiri and Celeste’s struggling voices. Finally, James’s mind kicked back into gear allowing him to twist free of Shamran and dart out into the hall. Five regulators stood in the hallway, two of which were gripping Celeste and Kiri. James charged after them. He couldn’t let this happen. Kiri needed to get back to her people, and he hated himself for getting Celeste involved in this. A regulator reached for him, but James ducked under his arms and plowed forward. Another regulator blocked the path forward, spreading his body out to the side to block the entire corridor. James chose to run full on into him, sending them both tumbling to the floor. James tried to get to his feet but was held down by a series of arms. He struggled against them, shrugging a few off. Though, for each that he shrugged away, two more took its place. Before long, he could do nothing but wiggle about under their firm grasp. James panted, partly because of the effort but also because he was angry. Angrier than he had ever been before.

The hands gripping him hoisted him to his feet. At the same time, a rueful laugh sounded from behind him. The hands turned him about and he found himself facing Captain Shamran.

“I was hoping you would choose a better path, child. It’s why I didn’t simply snatch you from your room… but you chose to disappoint me,” Captain Shamran said, shaking his head.

“How did you know?” James demanded through gritted teeth.

“Ah. You see, there are some on your ship that are still loyal to Vinci, like Zeke for example,” Captain Shamran said, wearing a smile that made James’s skin crawl.

James lunged for him but was held back by the regulators. Their presence in all this screamed at his mind.

“Do they know!?” James said, almost hysterical. “About the supplies we get!? About what the Divers do!?”

Captain Shamran quickly placed his hand over James’s mouth and turned to the regulators.

“Gag and cuff them. Otherwise, they’ll be screaming the whole way back.”

“R-right, sir,” one of the men said. He seemed to be the highest ranked in the group. The man reached towards his belt, then hesitated. “What exactly are they being detained for, sir? And… what exactly was he screaming about?” He asked the second question as if it pained him somehow to do so.

Captain Shamran looked from the man to James and back to the man. “Ah. In truth, I probably shouldn’t be so harsh on the lad.” James froze at Captain Shamran’s words. “He believes he is doing to right thing. But first I owe you all an apology. I am about to tell you all something that cannot leave this hallway. Can I trust you, men?” The regulators looked at each other and nodded apprehensively. “We are not staying stationed here to collect more materials or anything of the sort. In the Divers’ last descent, they made contact with other people.” A few gasps rose from the regulators. “Unfortunately, they were incredibly hostile towards us. The Divers did all they could to maintain peace, but… Well, they were barely able to escape with their lives.” James’s blood boiled, and he tried once again to struggle against their hold. He even tried shouting, but it was muffled by Captain Shamran’s hand. “We haven’t told anyone because we don’t want to cause a panic.” The regulators nodded in understanding. “Can I trust you all to keep this a secret?”

“Of course, sir,” the lead regulator said, speaking for the entire crew. “It will be kept, sir… but what does that have to do with these three?”

“Ah. You see, little did we know, James descended using his own rope. He always did want to be a Diver.” Captain Shamran sighed in sorrow. “I believe the group beneath the clouds intercepted him and brainwashed him. You know how impressionable kids are at his age.” James continued to struggle with no success. “They even tricked him into letting one of them onto the ship,” Shamran said, pointing at Kiri. “Perhaps to figure out how to harm us further. But luckily, we can use this as a chance to find out why they are so aggressive towards us and hopefully forge peace between us. Imagine resting in your beds at night knowing that a friendly group of humans walks the ground beneath us. That would be something special.” Shamran let his words linger in the air before continuing. “But to do that, I need to question these three. Can I entrust the duty of transferring them to the central ship to you? Our future prosperity depends on it.”

The men nodded, standing a little taller. “It will be done, sir!” the lead regulator said, pulling a strap from his belt that he quickly tied across James’s mouth.

“Good,” Shamran said, then looked down at James’s tied mouth. “Good.”

A short time later, the three were being taken across the metal bridge towards the center ship. James was being carried since he had refused to walk. He stared absently into the darkness beneath the ship. He wondered what it looked like on the earth’s surface. Had the fire finished burning? Perhaps all that was left was a field of ash. He almost laughed, thinking of the irony that Captain Shamran’s actions might have created the very world that he claimed existed beneath the clouds. Suddenly, they were brought to a halt at the end of the bridge. James glanced forward to see the several regulators who had been escorting them speaking to the two regulators that guarded the bridge. Based on the words he caught of the discussion, the two guard regulators were insisting that they be handed off to them. The lead regulator that had gagged his mouth wasn’t having any of it. James was ready for an argument to ensue. Perhaps, that would provide an opportunity to get free. Then, from behind, he heard a voice that belonged to a man he had come to loath.

“Ah. Yes. It’s alright, men. These two can be trusted. Transfer the three to them, and I will carry on with them.” His voice left no room for argument. One by one the regulators nodded and handed James, Celeste, and Kiri over to them. The two regulators that had been guarding the bridge took Celeste and Kiri, while Shamran gripped James firmly by the arm. Shamran pulled him forward. The motion caused the handcuffs that the regulators had put on him to become taught and dig into his wrist. James grunted and stumbled forward. The three were taken inside along a path that James knew well; he had taken it just the other night. Before long, Shamran pulled him to a stop in front of the Wheelhouse. Celeste and Kiri were brought to a stop next to him.

“Take the ground walker to the interrogation room,” Captain Shamran said. The man carrying Kiri gave a curt nod and began pushing her down the hall. James flailed against Shamran’s grip, managing to land a kick onto his shin. Captain Shamran cursed but kept his grip strong. He turned to the man carrying Celeste and motioned towards the wheelhouse door. Celeste quite literally dragged her feet, forcing the regulator to carry her by her arms. Despite their attempts at resistance, Celeste and James found themselves chained to the metal chairs within the Wheelhouse. Shamran looked at the two of them and shook his head in disappointment. He looked over at the other regulator.

“Those men that transferred the children over to you. I had to tell them more than I would have liked. Follow them. If they start to divulge any information to people… well, you know what to do.” The man nodded and left the room. If he felt any sympathy for the men who had handed them over, James didn’t see it expressed on his face. Shamran turned back to them, taking a seat in his own chair as the regulator left the room. “I think it’s time we had a chat.”