Against All Odds: Part 6 - Close Encounters
#6 of Against All Odds Universe
Part 6 - I'm doing well at keeping up these weekly postings! Long may it continue :)
Enjoy!
Part 6 - Close Encounters
Scared and hiding his face behind shaking paws, the husky remained curled up on the floor for the longest time. He waited with sickening dread for the seemingly inevitable impact of the fox's lumbering paws. It never came. Cautiously, Nathan re-opened his eyes, afraid even to draw breath. Everything around him had fallen silent, with the exception of his still-rapidly beating heart. "What the..." To his shock, the giant hadn't torn a hole through the fencing, nor did it look as if he had any intention of smashing the passageway to pieces. Instead, the looming vulpine had knelt down upon one knee, scrunching his body up so that his size now matched that of a townhouse rather than a tower block. Behind his massive frame, a vast, white-tipped brush wagged gently, its fur waving softly in the sea-breeze. "H-hey there, big guy," Nathan wheezed, his mouth bonedry from anxiety. With his concern for his safety slowly easing, and with the red-furred fox mere feet away now, the husky noticed the shiny, yellow hard-hat and the fluorescent orange jacket he wore. Clearly, the giant worked there at the harbour. 'Gods, I'm an idiot.' Looking up past the huge trouser-clad legs before him, Nathan could make out the kind smile stretching across the pointed white muzzle high above. He also noted that the dockworker seemed to be making a concerted effort to keep from baring his teeth, something the husky appreciated immensely from his position.
Nathan picked himself up from the floor, his pulse beginning to calm and his breathing gradually normalising. He took a tentative step forward, then another, finally reaching the window with his third. All the while, the fox remained perfectly still, only moving to grasp at the chain fence sitting between them with a single paw. "I guess... you're not gonna hurt me after all." Nathan's fears eased away, the sense of curiosity and excitement he felt upon landing in Bolstrovo returning to take their place. He pressed a paw onto the glass, gazing up to the crouching vulpine with a warm expression of his own. What came next knocked the husky aback. The giant fox cocked his head and grinned, squeezing a paw through a gap in the fence and moving it slowly in the direction of the walkway. "Hey, what are you doing!?" Before he had a chance to step back, the pad of a large, black-furred finger had pressed gently against the window, as if to return his touch. "Oh... well, aren't you sweet," Nathan beamed, his tail wagging excitedly as he placed his paw back on the window in the same position as the dockworker's palm-sized digit tip. "Hold on, big guy. I seriously need to take a photo of this."
Within a few short moments, Nathan had readied his phone and snapped at least a dozen pictures of the cheery vulpine outside. "If only Shaun was here to see this. Think his head would melt." "Pavel likes to meet the tourists." A female Bolstrovan voice scoffed from further along the corridor. Her accent was soft, sounding close to Linvendian, but with a slightly drawn out intonation of vowels that made Pavel sound more like 'Par-vel'; a notable prevalence in Velikan speech. Nathan turned his head left, glaring curiously in the direction of the harbour building he'd been heading towards before his diversion. "Whenever he sees someone who is obviously not local, he cannot help but come greet them." A female panther strode along the walkway, smirking while peering up at the tower-like fox, Pavel. Judging by her attire, a burgundy blouse along with black formal trousers and shoes, she also worked at the harbour in some capacity. "How did... sorry?" "You must have appeared nervous and caught his attention." Nathan thought back to his panic attack, to the moment the huge vulpine spotted him lying in an worried heap on the floor. "I might have... been giving off a slight hint of anxiety." "And he has calmed you, it seems." "Yeah, he has," he replied, scratching his muzzle thoughtfully. "Excuse me, do you mind if I ask?" The panther stopped beside him. "You need directing? The arrivals hall is a short walk ahead of you." "Oh no, thank you but... I was wondering about... here, Bolstrovo actually. Are you always kept apart like this, in separate compartments and tunnels?" "No, only in busy public places like here and in the big cities. Also where there are many people who are not used to interacting with people like Pavel here." She smiled and motioned to the fox outside, his frame still eclipsing the sun to cast a long shadow over the tunnelway. "So, you really do live in unity?" "Things are not always perfect, but mostly yes; we do." "I see," Nathan answered back cheerfully, his thoughts drifting off to imagine sharing a giant version of a city like Arlone with a population of Velikans. "Is this all I can assist with? Do you have any other questions?" "No, thank you. You've been a big help." "Good. You're welcome. Have a good day."
The panther started off along the tunnel again, disappearing down the incline that would lead her to the shuttle stop underground. "Thank the gods no-one else saw me freak out," the husky chuckled with a shake of the head, looking back to Pavel. By this point, the fox had pulled his arm back from the window and risen to stand at his full, imposing height. "Just... wow. I guess I need to get used to this." With another kind grin, the giant waved down at Nathan, waiting for him to respond in kind before thundering off back to the docks. 'If the Velikans are like him, I think I'm gonna be okay.' The husky smiled, picking up his case and heading off to await his ferry. He felt a lot better about the trip than he did a few hours previous, and doubly so about the idea of being among giants. 'Just a little bit longer now, Alex.'
Late afternoon had descended upon the coast by the time Nathan's arduous, three-hour wait at the harbour had passed. Finally though, the time had come to step out into the fresh, salty sea air and board the ship that would carry him off to Velika and unite him with Alexei. The craft itself, part of the imposing fleet that he'd spied from the shuttle walkway earlier in the day, looked even bigger up close, as did the stream of giant passengers boarding at an entrance of their own a little further along from the husky and other similarly-sized travellers. Much like everywhere else he'd ventured since landing, the ferry contained a separate, scaled-down compartment within, no doubt with the purpose of keeping the smaller journeymakers safe from accidental harm while out on the water. With another couple of hours at least to kill while the ship traversed the Bay of Bolstrovo on its way to its destination, Nathan decided to park himself at the bar onboard, hoping a drink or two would help time pass that little bit quicker.
"What would you like?" the barman, a lanky, brown mouse asked in a thick accent that sounded much closer to Velikan than Bolstrovan, pronouncing the 'W's as 'V's just like Alexei, albeit with a touch more mastery of the Polcian language. "I'll have a draught beer please." "Which?" The bartender motioned a paw at the line of pouring taps, each labelled with brands he didn't recognise from back home. "I'll have... I'll take whichever one's good, please." The mouse shrugged, grabbing a glass from his side of the bar and holding it up to the tap closest to him. While he waited, Nathan swiveled on his stool to assess his surroundings. Light wood-panelled walls accompanied deep green carpeting, with a collection of mostly unoccupied tables organised throughout the room. A wide-ranging collection of sports memorabilia adorned the walls: jerseys, flags, team photos and the like. Their countries of origin remained unclear to the husky; the subject of team sports not being one of his strongest. The only other customer in the place, a old, spectacle-wearing cougar, sat silently at a booth in the corner, grasping a half-empty pint glass while scanning over the broadsheet newspaper laid out on the table in front of him. "That will be five Krona, please." Nathan turned back to the bar, just in time to see the barman place his drink down. With a smile, he pulled out his wallet, retrieving his currency card and handing it over to the brown-furred mouse. "Do you take Polcian cards?" "We take these, yes." The bartender plucked the plastic from the canine's paw without a smile, running it through a nearby swipe machine before handing it back. "Enjoy." "Thank you," he replied, taking a sip from the tall glass. To his pleasant surprise, he found the mysterious beer favourable. 'Smooth.'
The next few minutes passed quickly for Nathan, nursing his drink while scanning through the 'foreign affairs' section of a Polcian-language Bolstrovan newspaper. Headlines like 'Velikan Prime Minister: We shall foster closer economic ties with Bolstrovo, Polcian continent,' and 'Polcian districts of Velika to expand as immigration levels increase,' caught his eye, drawing the hint of a grin. Other headings such as 'Anti-Polcia protests mar opening of new Velikan-Polcian industrial complex,' did a good job of counteracting his warm feelings of reassurance. "Hey there, can I get a glass of whatever this guy's drinkin', please?" Nathan looked to his left upon hearing those nasally-accented, softly-spoken words, watching as a short otter placed himself casually upon the barstool next to him. Going by the accent, he deduced that the blackish-brown mustelid must have been a native of Andrera, a nation on the distant western coast of Polcia. "Hey, mind if I sit here? Name's Chris." The husky looked down at the webbed paw being extended out to him, a little dumbstruck at the stranger's almost forward levels of politeness. Still, he offered his own hand in response. "Nathan. Nice to meet you." "Likewise." The otter looked back to the bar, handing over payment for his drink before returning his grey eyes to Nathan. "So, what takes you off to Velika?" "Visiting a friend." "Cool, a vacation. That sounds fun. A Polcian?" He shook his head, answering in a guarded fashion, "Velikan." "Oh, man," Chris replied with a good measure of surprise. "That's different." Nathan huffed with a slight chuckle, "I guess."
The otter shuffled a little on his seat, appearing a little uneasy. "Pardon the questions. Just that I've been cooped up at the harbour for a good five hours with an anxious wife and two rowdy cubs." He raised his glass with a grin. "She very kindly agreed to keep them occupied in the video arcade, so time for a bit of me time, y'know." "Oh... no worries," Nathan responded with a smile and a slight shrug. "So, how about you? Why you travelling?" "Work. I've taken a job there, so we're relocating to Zelengorod, the capital." "That's quite a step." Chris took a long sip of his drink before answering. "It is, but I've been outta work for almost a year now, without so much as a sniff of anythin' coming my way. That wouldn't 'a been so much of a problem a few years back, but with two young mouths to feed now, unemployment credits just don't cut it." "I see." Nathan nodded sympathetically, taking a sip of his own drink and allowing the sleek-bodied otter to carry on with his explanation. "What's more, with all the Velikan incentives being thrown around for skills they're in demand of, I'm gonna be on double the pay I coulda got workin' back home." The husky almost choked on his beer at hearing that. "Double? Good gods, sounds like you're laughing all the way to the bank." "Yeah, I know, right?" Chris grinned, twitching his long whiskers. "What is it you do, if you don't mind my asking?" "I.T, networkin' and the like. Pretty competitive back home in Andrera, probably is in Linvendia too... I'm guessing that's where you're from, right?" "Got it in one," Nathan confirmed with a snort and a toothy grin. "Anyways, they're just cryin' out for more workers over in Velika; to further interface their systems with Polcian ones, as well as developing them in order to try and catch up with our levels of advancement." Nathan remained silent, holding his drink up to his muzzle with a slight wrinkling of his face, thinking about how Shaun would have reacted to hearing that last part. 'All about our tech...'
"Don't get me wrong," Chris scratched behind one of his small, round ears, waiting for the mouse behind the bar to move away before filling the silence. "It's not all flowers and sunshine to me. I'm a little nervous about it all." Nathan looked back to his left, meeting the otter's thoughtful grey eyes. Like before, he felt a little uncomfortable at how forward and open a complete stranger had decided to be with him. Regardless, he felt it only polite to hear him out at least. "I can understand that. Anything in particular?" "About moving my family to Velika. I mean, it's one thing for me to go, but I worry about something happening." "To them?" The short-furred mustelid nodded meekly in response. "The Polcian districts, the 'cities within cities' are secure, guarded." "Well, that's something at least." "Yeah, but it's when it comes to going out into the rest of the city... Even with the raised walkways, the tunnels and all the other facilities, you ain't so secure no more." "You think a Velikan'll try something?" Nathan asked, sensing Chris's nervousness slowly seeping into him. "I dunno... probably not, but," Chris sighed, rubbing over his eyes with a palm, "y'still worry, y'know?" "I know, really. I feel it too," he replied softly, thinking about his own reasoning for the journey into the relative unknown. "It must really be for the best though, right? I mean you wouldn't be doing this if... you didn't have someon-- something better waiting for you." That comment won a happier expression from the otter. "Yeah... I really believe this is the best I can do by my family." "I think so too, from the sounds of it."
"Would you like another?" the thin mouse behind the bar asked, glancing at the otter's near empty glass. "Naw, I'm good f' now, buddy. Thanks." "Okay," the bartender replied, moving down the line to greet the cougar who'd moved from his spot in the corner. Chris huffed, waving a paw dismissively at no-one in particular. "In an ideal world, I'd 'a gone to Bolstrovo. Nothin' like as much money, but they've got the job demand too. Wouldn't be having anything close to this level of worry then. Gods-damned immigration." Nathan pouted unhappily, still trying to convey his sympathies. "Couldn't get entry?" "They're strict as it is, but my last job was with the Andreran government. Anyone with political or military links has precisely zero chance of getting a work pass." The dark brown otter took a sip of his drink, huffing before continuing on. "I saw at least three decent roles in Bolstrovo advertised, but with that hangin' over me..." He rumbled a growl, looking down the bar to make sure the barman remained stood out of earshot. "Fuckin' mistrustin' Bolstrovans. You saw how fenced off our section of the airport was, right?" "Yeah. It almost felt like an assembly line." "Exactly. It's as if they're still tryin' to stay out of a war that's long over. I'll never forget that phone call from their embassy. 'I'm zorry Mr. Newhouse, vee cannot accept your application.'" Nathan bit back a snicker upon hearing the poor imitation of a Bolstrovan accent, suspecting it not intentionally comical. He didn't know where to look, or how to respond. With nothing coming to mind, he simply picked up his beer and held it out to the sullen-looking otter. "Screw it, here's to a safe new start in Velika." "To a safe new start," Chris beamed in response, clinking his glass to the husky's. 'For both of us, hopefully.'
For the next hour and a half, the two young travellers discussed everything from their families to their hobbies, with Nathan getting progressively more light-hearted and light-headed with each drink they partook in. As it turned out, the otter played Andreran Football back home in his college days, something the husky found immensely interesting upon hearing about, despite his usual indifference to sport in general. This fact allowed Chris to point out the various sporting pictures hung on the wall and explain that many of them related to 'Bolstrovan Andreran Football' teams. "Wait, so they play Andreran Football in Bolstrovo?" "Yeah, among other sports." "Normal Bolstrovans or giants?" "Both, in different leagues of course." "What the... damn. So, big, lumbering macros pummel into each other, smash each other to the ground and all the rest, just like in the normal version?" "Sure do." "Wow," Nathan snickered with a huge grin. "I'm amazed we can't feel it all the way back in Polcia come game time. Dear gods, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near the stadium while that's going on. It'd be like something out of a damn monster movie!" The pair cracked up on their stools unreservedly, earning a disapproving look from both the already dour bartending mouse and the increasingly inebriated cougar.
A short while later, Chris announced his intention to go and rejoin his family and prepare for disembarkation. The pair exchanged numbers and wished each other the best, promising to stay in touch with one another. With a firm handshake, Nathan found himself alone again, just half an hour away from Velika and Alexei. "Alex!" So caught up in his enjoyment at the bar, he'd not once thought to confirm to the wolf his impending arrival. He swiftly pulled out his phone, only to find he had a message already waiting. 'At Harbour. Collection point. See you soon :)' Nathan grinned with a happy sigh. He knew it silly, but even a simple text from Alex could set his tail wagging and heart racing. "Such a sweetheart." He stared at the message contently, eventually replying, '25mins to go!' The text did originally start out with '30mins', but had to be revised by the time he'd finally decided against including an 'x' at the end of the message. With the response sent, Nathan returned to waiting at the bar, sipping at the residual of his drink while trying to hide his irrepressible excitement.
The pink-tinged, early evening sky blanketed Velika's shoreline as the ferry docked, proceeding to lower both the normal and macro-sized stairways down to the harbour's edge. 'So, this is Velika?' Nathan considered to himself, a chilly, gusting breeze whipping through his fur as he stood at the open doorway of the ship. He looked out at the huge, grey tower blocks and, relatively, small houses that made up the town beyond the giant buildings and machinery of the docklands. The paw towing his case shook with emotion, his alcoholic haze all but faded as he left the craft, stepping out onto the staircase and carefully negotiating it downwards. Once down on the dock, the Polcian-sized passengers were directed by the ferry's crew into a protective tunnel that appeared to lead off into the main harbour complex. 'Not too different to the port in Bolstrovo, though it's a bit more... thrown together,' Nathan thought to himself, noting that the passageway seemed more like a temporary canopy when compared to the sturdy, well-built version in which he'd encountered Pavel, the dockworking fox. He did his best to overlook this, hurrying along with a growing smile. Once inside the harbour terminal, the husky found himself within an immaculately clean, white-painted corridor. Evidently, Velikans had as much desire as Bolstrovans to put on a good first impression. "Think back to the airport in Bolstrovo," a voice muffled from among the crowd of travellers pacing down the hallway, only just audible to Nathan's half-perked ears. "It's almost like they're trying to outdo each other." A large, sign hung down from the ceiling just before a junction in the hallway, welcoming all that read it to Velika and wishing them a pleasant stay. For a typically generic message , the husky found it strangely reassuring, as if adding a bit of normality to the otherwise absurd notion of arriving on a continent teeming with giants. At the intersection, another sign gave directions in both the Polcian and Velikan languages. Through a corridor to the left, an automatic walkway carried passengers off towards an area marked 'Transport for city', while to the right, an escalator would take them up to the 'Collect Point'. "Guess that's me," Nathan muttered, stepping onto the moving staircase with his trolley bag. He glanced behind, noting that most, in fact, all of his fellow travellers were filing onto the conveyor belt running in the opposite direction. He couldn't help feeling a little awkward at that.
"Oh my gods," the husky could feel his heart speeding up with a combination of excitement, anxiety and even a hint of terror. "I'm going to meet you at last, Alex... I've waited so long." The escalator seemed almost unending, sweeping him up ten, twenty, thirty feet. At the very top, a small opening awaited him, along with the ever-loudening sounds of footsteps and voices. Not long after passing the halfway point, the noise began to make Nathan's hearing uncomfortable. "Damn, I forgot to put it on!" Quickly, he unzipped his case and proceeded to dig around for the Normaliser buried somewhere within, the throbbing of his sensitive, canine ears growing in intensity with each passing moment. After a few agonising seconds, Nathan finally laid paws upon the device, pulling it out hurriedly and shoving the two plugs into his ears as he closed in on the arrivals hall of the harbour. "That was close." He breathed a sigh of relief once the ear-splitting noise of the busy sounding arrivals area faded, turning into more normal levels of gentle chatter and loud, but not excessively booming pawsteps. "Wow, this thing's great." Nathan stepped off of the moving staircase, stopping just inside the doorway to fasten the Normaliser's voice-boosting collar and close his trolley. "D-damn, I must be more nervous than I thought," he muffled, his shaking paws severely restricting his dexterity as he worked awkwardly at his case's zip. 'Listen!' the trembling husky barked internally, staring at the vast, white-painted wall just outside. 'Around the corner, Alex is waiting for you. You've come too far to chicken out now. Get a grip and get out there!' With a deep breath, he paced forward, tentatively stepping out into the glow of the room's bright lighting fixtures. "This is it... I'm here."