Chapter 24: Old Friends, New Enemies
*****
If Jack thought his star was on the rise before, the Battle of Aberdeen sent it even higher. About five days had passed since the action in the bay, and the city seemed determined to outdo itself with the treatment of one of the heroes of the battle.
No matter where in the city he went, he had a crowd of people behind him. His many trips to the Admiralty building were marked with throngs of well-wishers and admirers, eager to thank him for saving the city from those evil Occitanians. He also found his money was no good in Aberdeen, and just about every time he went to eat in a public place, the cost of his meals was taken care of by the grateful owners.
When combined with his reputation after being in the Fourth Vector, it seemed there wasn't a citizen in the entire city who didn't want to ask him about his travels or find out whether all Fourthies really had horns on their heads or not. Jack had to hold back the laughter when he heard those more fanciful questions, many of them taken straight from fairy tales told by their parents when they were younger.
"Is it true they all have green skin and only come up about yay high?" asked one particular woman, who was notably missing one of her front teeth, giving her a broken smile to go with her smallpox-scarred face.
Jack smiled. "No, they all look like us, I can assure you that. Although the Lishkerrans are not exactly tall, but then again, they aren't entirely human either."
Her eyes glazed over. "Lishkerrans? I thought we were talking about Fourthies!"
The conversations all sounded the same after awhile, and although the adulation could be enticing to his ego, Jack tried to push it aside. After all, he wasn't the only one that had become a darling of the public in the last few days. Admiral Bancroft's cheers were just as loud as his own, if not louder, as were those of Admiral McKenzie, who at this very moment was on his way back to Aberdeen after a successful engagement with the Occitanians.
Of note, Admiral Reynolds was not being talked about often by the people, and Jack had a feeling that this deeply rankled the vain commander to no end. His task force had taken the worst beating from the enemy during the battle, and there were many in Bancroft's circle who thought his casualties were too excessive for his task. On that matter, Jack was actually on Reynolds' side—after all, what else could have been expected from him when his task force was expected to be the bait to lure in the Occitanians? Jack only had to marvel that his own task force only lost two ships during the fight. It seemed Reynolds was getting a raw bargain.
Even with Jack's feelings on the matter, it didn't help his relationship at all with the man. When he would run into Reynolds at the Admiralty or down near the docks, he would be the frequent recipient of an evil glare, especially if Jack was surrounded by admirers from the battle.
Jack sighed as he thought about it. The battle only served to deepen the gulf between the two men, and he highly doubted there would be any reconciliation between them any time soon.
On this particular morning, Jack was headed back to the
Destiny
, having finished a meeting at the Admiralty, and the first thing he did upon stepping outside was shiver. Winter was now upon them, and just the previous night, the first snowfall of the season covered the city with a blanket about three inches deep. As Jack trudged back to the harbor, his footsteps were heavy as he listened to the steady crunch of each step as the snow compacted under his foot. The wind picked up the closer he got to the ship, making him dig his hands deeper into his overcoat in order to stay warm.
Aberdeen was notorious for the wind that kicked off the bay which had a terrible habit of whipping up speed as it went down the broad city streets. It was one reason that he disliked being in the city, much preferring the calmer and warmer temperatures of Lockhaven or Belfort, which were at lower altitudes.
Even still, he was stuck here for the time being, at least until the emperor arrived. The last he'd heard was that he was on his way, his train making steady progress on its way to Aberdeen. While Jack knew the honor of meeting him personally was great, he was more curious about whom the emperor was bringing as a visitor. So far, there had been no details on that matter, and he could only wonder who was important enough to be deemed acceptable to be brought alongside the emperor.
He put the thoughts out of his mind as he boarded the
Destiny
, quickly making his way below deck to his quarters. Along the way, he ran into someone he didn't expect to see.
Abigail jumped when she saw him, obviously scared by the way he emerged from behind a door near her quarters.
"Jack! You nearly scared the crap out of me!" she said before she calmed down. For that split second, Jack allowed himself the moment to savor seeing the glimpse of the old Abigail.
It had only been a few days since she found out about the death of her sister, and she was still a wreck. The bags under her eyes were heavy and dark, evidence of her lack of sleep. Her hair was matted and greasy due to the lack of personal care. Even the look in her eyes was without the usual spunk or spark, something that stressed him to no end.
For that brief moment in time, he thought he saw that spark before it disappeared beneath the surface, invisible once again.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were right there," he said, taking the moment to grab her shoulder. It made him wince when she pulled away, a shocking new development from the battle. Since that day, Abigail had preferred to suffer in silence, removed from him (and everyone else) so she could be on her own. She had been sleeping in her former quarters, and Jack had no doubt the dust in there was heavy since she'd all but moved into his months ago.
Abigail had been more withdrawn, but every attempt he made to be a supportive partner was rebuffed. Her behavior, which had always been personable at worst and flirty at best, seemed almost sterile in the days since the battle. Not that he could blame her, knowing the deep wounds that the loss of a family member caused, but not having the ability to comfort her wore on his conscience.
"I'm just about to head back to my quarters. Are you doing anything?" he asked, putting himself out there once more. "Come with me?"
He could tell she thought about it for several moments before the inevitable head shake began. "Not right now, Jack. I just need some more time." She pushed past him, slowly walking toward the door of her quarters.
He could feel his heart breaking. "You don't need to do this alone, Abigail. That's what I'm here for. Even Kat too. I don't like seeing you like this and suffering through this by yourself."
Tears appeared in her eyes when she turned around. "Neither do I, Jack. Neither do I."
Before he could get another word in, she quickly crossed the threshold and shut the door firmly behind her. Once more he was left speechless at her door, at a loss for anything that might mend the situation or bring them back to old times. He knew she just needed to get through her personal demons on her own terms before she could rejoin them, but it still gnawed at his heart all the same. Part of him questioned whether Abigail would ever truly go back to normal.
He had to wonder if he was seeing the end of their relationship. Such a thought was painful to even contemplate but it was possible. Death was a catalyst for change in a many people. Jack just hoped that this period was only temporary, and soon she would be back to her normal self.
He entered his quarters not long after, closing the door behind him more sharply than he realized. In doing so, he scared the other woman in his life, and she jumped at the sudden intrusion.
"Sorry," he muttered again, seeing Kat's scared face as she looked up from her book.
"Everything all right?" she asked, concern written into every contour of her face.
"Not exactly. I just ran into Abigail," he replied as he moved closer to join her on the bed.
