The Curiosity Machine (10 page)

‘Who are you supposed to be?' Gerald asked.

She pulled a scarlet red eye mask onto her face. ‘Ferocious Felicity,' she said, planting her fists on her hips. ‘And don't you forget it, fella.'

‘Your mum did an amazing job with these costumes, Gerald,' Ruby said, following Felicity out of the bathroom. ‘They look fantastic.' She beamed at him from beneath a silk skullcap that covered the upper half of her face. It had pointed golden ears on top and almond-shaped eyeholes. A cream satin cape, pinned to a golden sleeveless bodysuit, draped from her shoulders to the floor. ‘I'm Rambunctious Ruby,' she said in answer to Gerald's querying look. ‘The rodent defender of all that is right in the world.'

‘So you're a rat,' Gerald said. ‘Ruby the rat.'

Ruby narrowed her eyes. ‘I'm righteous, I'm resilient, I'm rowdy, I'm—'

‘A rat,' Gerald said, smirking.

Ruby's eyes narrowed further. ‘Oh all right, I'm a rat. But a golden one, so that must count for something.'

They were interrupted by Sam as he stepped in from the adjoining cabin. ‘Can we stop talking about rats, please?' he said. Gerald, Felicity and Ruby looked at him. Sam wore pink hotpants, white knee-high boots and a sequined lime green muscle shirt. He stared back at them. Gerald tried to hold in a laugh. ‘And you are?'

Sam looked down at his outfit. ‘I think I'm either Fluoroboy or Sparklyman,' he said. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. ‘There wasn't much left to choose from. It was either this or a gorilla suit.'

Felicity pressed a knuckle to her mouth. ‘Why didn't you pick the gorilla suit?'

‘What?' Sam said. ‘And look a right idiot?'

Ruby couldn't contain her laughter. She hooked her arm through Sam's and led the way out the door. ‘Come on Prince Sparklepony. Let's have some fun.'

Chapter 8

The strains of ‘Happy Birthday' spilled out from the
Archer
's main ballroom, rolled across the rear deck and floated off into the balmy night. Chinese lanterns lining the rails swayed in the lightest of tropical breezes. There were balloons, bunting, streamers and people dressed as the most unlikely of superheroes. The party was in full swing and Gerald was at the centre of it all, feeling his most self-conscious. He stood in the middle of the ballroom, his arms straight by his sides and his face growing a deeper shade of awkward by the moment. His overwhelming discomfort was not helped by his costume. He was surrounded by a sea of people in similarly outlandish outfits, singing and smiling at him, waving glasses in time to the music. Gerald could
feel the blood pulsing in his ears as the chorus reached its final notes, ‘…
birthday to yoooo
.'

‘Kill me now,' he muttered to himself. ‘Please, kill me now.'

A cheer erupted from the crowd, and Vi leapt forward to wrap Gerald in her arms. She was dressed in a black cat suit, complete with a long tail that snaked over one shoulder. ‘My darling boy,' she said as she rocked Gerald from side to side in her embrace. ‘Fourteen years old, but still my little baby.'

‘Mum!' Gerald protested, struggling to free himself. ‘Your whiskers are stabbing me in the face.'

Vi loosened her grip and Gerald wriggled free. ‘We'll cut the cake later, but you go open your presents,' she said. ‘And cheer up, for goodness sake—it's your birthday!'

A sharp
pop
sounded from behind them and a champagne cork whizzed past Gerald's ear. Vi's face lit up. ‘There's the starter's pistol. You go play with your friends, Gerald, and I'll go play with mine.' Vi waved an empty glass towards a waiter who was pouring champagne from an enormous bottle. ‘Yoohoo!' she cried. ‘A lady's not a camel, you know!'

Music blared and Gerald watched his mother weave across the dance floor through party guests who writhed and pranced in figure-hugging spandex and brightly coloured capes. He grinned. His mother may spread a fog of wince-inducing embarrassment wherever they
went together but Gerald had to admit it: she knew how to have fun.

‘Come on, Super Gerald,' Felicity said, appearing by his side with Ruby. ‘Let's see what you've scored at the present table.' A long table draped with a burgundy cloth was piled high with gifts. Gerald picked up a small box with a red bow on top, and read the card. ‘It's from my mum's friends, Frannie and Jacinta,' he said. He looked over to the dance floor, which was grinding to a crush of sweaty superheroes. Jacinta and Frannie were somewhere in the middle of the crowd, whooping with their hands in the air. Gerald undid the bow and pulled the top from the box. He took out a decorative glass bottle. ‘Aftershave?' he said, giving the bottle a shake.

Ruby took it from him, twisted off the cap and wafted the opening under her nose. ‘Oh, goodness,' she said, blinking rapidly. ‘You'd need to be Superman to get away with that. It reeks.'

Gerald selected a long, narrow box from the front of the pile. ‘It's from Jasper Mantle,' he said, reading the card. ‘That's odd. Why would he send me a present?'

‘You are a member of the Billionaire's Club now,' Felicity said. ‘He is the head of the membership committee. Maybe he sends birthday gifts to every member.'

‘I'd say he owes you a favour,' Ruby said. ‘You did point him in the direction of that massive butterfly collection in the Billionaire's Club.'

Gerald tore off the wrapping and opened the box.

‘What is it?' Sam asked.

Gerald pulled out a stout rod of polished wood, about thirty centimetres long and the diameter of a ten-cent piece. He held it up in front of his face. ‘What do you think?' he asked.

‘I think you're too old to be getting wizard-based birthday presents,' Ruby said, wrinkling her nose.

‘I hardly think Jasper Mantle is going to give me a magic wand,' Gerald said, waving the stick about. ‘Is he?'

Felicity took the object from Gerald's fingers. ‘It's quite heavy. And look—there's a button on one end.' A raised metal nub of dull brass protruded from the bottom of the stick. Felicity pressed it with her thumb. With a jolt, the stick telescoped out, hidden springs pushing section after section into place until it was almost two metres long.

‘Oh my goodness!' Felicity said as the stick threatened to take out Sam's eye. The final section slotted into place and fanned open to reveal a triangular sheet of fine gauze. ‘What on earth is that?' Felicity asked, holding onto the now quite long stick as if it was a fishing rod.

Ruby snuffled a laugh. ‘It's a butterfly net,' she said. ‘Jasper Mantle has given you your very own butterfly net.'

Sam snorted. ‘Just what every fourteen-year-old billionaire needs,' he said. ‘Pack your aftershave and your butterfly net. Oh, the adventures we shall have.'

Gerald took the net back from Felicity. He pressed
the brass button and the net reversed its opening routine, retracting back to a stout length of polished timber, which Gerald tapped into his open palm. He glanced with menace at Sam, who was still helpless with mirth. ‘I could always bludgeon my enemies into silence,' he said. ‘Permanently.'

Sam waved a calming hand at him. ‘Put it away Butterfly Boy. You're terrifying me.'

Gerald slid the net into his belt like a sword and cast an eye over the presents on the table. ‘Aftershave and a butterfly net,' he said. ‘Maybe I'll open the rest of these later.'

Felicity's face fell. ‘But what about our present?' she said. ‘We put ever so much thought into choosing it.'

‘That's right,' Sam said. ‘I sunk a month's worth of pocket money into it.'

Ruby picked up a box wrapped in simple brown paper. ‘Here you are,' she said, and smiled. ‘Happy birthday.'

Gerald took the package and grinned thanks to his friends. He ripped off the paper, flipped the lid from the box and looked inside. His brow furrowed.

‘Go on,' Felicity said. ‘Take it out.'

From a bed of blue tissue paper, Gerald pulled out a squat polished-brass cylinder. The top was hinged at the back. He folded it up.

‘It's a compass,' he said.

Felicity beamed at him, bouncing up and down on
her toes. ‘And there's a little telescope built into the base, and a flint to start fires. Isn't it marvellous? It's an adventurer's super tool.'

Ruby and Sam stared at the instrument in Gerald's hand. ‘I thought we were getting him
World of Gorecraft VI
on Xbox,' Sam said.

‘You were supposed to get him the leather-bound journal and fountain pen that I suggested,' Ruby said, darting a look at Felicity. ‘Why would you get him a compass?'

Felicity ignored the Valentines' complaints. ‘Look,' she said, pointing to the inside of the lid. ‘It's even engraved.'

Gerald squinted to read the tiny lettering: ‘
To Gerald on his 14th birthday—may this keep you in perpetual motion
.' He looked at Felicity, who beamed back at him.

‘Don't you just love it?' she said.

‘Felicity,' Gerald said, ‘are you using my birthday present to bring up the perpetual motion machine again?'

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.