NOVEL NEXT 81. He is underneath me
"Bagel! They're bringing the ferry here!"
They wee actually doing it? Bagel was not surprised. He was amused but that was to be expected. The humans had done so many unusual things that he was going to have to figure out a way to categorize them all.
For sure we're the ones that kept going to jobs that were clearly not going to get any more products. And then there were the ones that saw that nothing was changed because it hadn't gone the system and they had barely been paying attention. People that were chronic cell phone and losers who never looked up were often the ones that ran into mobs and for one reason or another thought that they were adorable pets.
Those people didn't last long. For the most part they were not need to know what New Yorkers either. It was one of those things that you just kind of got used to when you stuck around for long enough.
"Okay so what does that have to do with us?" Bagel asked, wide eyed.
"We are monitoring it with drones as it floats up towards our location. It's an amazing thing and you should be appreciating the Majesty of human engineering and how we can still make things go even after the world goes to shit."
They might be monitoring it with drones, but they were also definitely taking advantage of hundreds of years of human history and engineering and fast it's someone had just left the ferry there unattended.
"Aren't there rich people with super yachts that you can steal those from? I feel like that would be easier to crew," Bagel said. " The TV used to make a note of all these super yachts and stuff, especially when they would get a story to fall under the sea or something."
Khaleesi made a smile that did did not reach her eyes.
"Every summer we lost one of them. It's a shame that we can't continue that tradition."
"Lost one of what?"
"Oh those billionaires... I guess it's more of a meme than anything else. I don't think the system taught you memes."
Bagel fluffed his tail about. He recalled something called keyboard cat. That was about the extent of it.
"I'm not tracking you but if I need to get a keyboard to keep your attention, just let me know," he said.
"I doubt that whoever is maintaining YouTube is going to keep doing it indefinitely. Anyway. The ferry. It's coming here. And the guild is going to be setting up some zipline just to board it.
Checking through street view showed her what the past new terminal looked like before the apocalypse had happened. And it looked very cheery as if it was a time and place that they could return to. It was unlikely that it looked like that, but just having an idea of how the land was going to be set up. Felt helpful. They were almost done getting the ferry moving and on its way up back to 42nd Street. By the time that Ashley took herself out of Street view.
It wasn't the best thing to get lost in something but nostalgia of actually having a functioning Society centered around capitalism in the very near past meant that at least Ashley could yearn for parts of it, the America she once knew.
Janet too interrupted her. "0 I've done analysis of this both systems and how much fuel is left inside of it. My best guess is that we can make about seven trips without having to refuel it. This is something that you could work on by making some other fuel or by figuring out an alternative."
The image of a ferry boat with sales on top made. Ashley smile. How else were they going to transport some people so fast. There had to be motorboats right? Where did all those Rich f****** tie up their boats?
" Janet too. Where would I find a bunch of boats if I wanted to get some?"
Janet beeped several times
" There are several beers nearby. I can find a close buy one or Marina and then we can call it into the adventurers guild."
" We can let Khaleesi know. This way if I just have to fix the engine I can figure out a way to pattern power that we have the designs for an electric battery right?"
" Yes boss. It's going to require several cars worth of lithium, but it's something that we could make based off of older's tech. Is also the option of us becoming pirates and getting a sailboat that way."
Within 5 minutes, they had figured out how to get the ferry detached and began moving it up to 42nd Street. With 10 more teams ready to join them, they would be in for a fun time
---
It took it took far more time than Ashley had realized to make her figure out one very important thing. It would have saved him so much time to just more the ferry at randalls Island. The small island just north of the United Nations plaza on the East River had a walkway and it was just the right height that they could put the ferry there. When someone pointed it out, Ashley did her best not to growl about it.
" I'm just saying next time we can just go there. We can just use the bridge and walk over."
" You're going to spend this time on our very first cruise with this Ferry Cruise. I will remind you that will take us into a battle forth territory against a hostile system spawned enemy."
" Look it just makes sense now that we can. We can see it from here and it's really not that far and we can still do the zip line thing if you really want to. It's just going to be a b**** to get the zip stuff back up to the top and then ride it down. It'll be easier if we just have to walk over there and work from there."
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Ashley didn't really have an argument against this. The man with a neckbeard clearly had thought through this argument several times and that was when she realized something special.
" Todd, you can take over that can't you?"
"All right boss."
" Again Todd, I'm not the boss here. I might be in charge of the guild but that's because nobody else has the ovaries to step up and fill the roll. You didn't even want to be on the team that secured this Ferry and got themselves the rest. That the first group of 30 got. Hell according to my AI, we can't take this trip too many times."
Todd, a man who looked like he had never met a girlfriend. He didn't insult was now acting awfully kind to Ashley. She was tempted to deny him outright of this special request. It was far simpler for Ashley to just assign him the task of doing it. If he wanted to do it, he was able to do it himself. He was more than capable. The problem was that Ashley had a limited amount of her own attention and she was also trying to f****** invade Staten Island.
"I take it that you are going to think very carefully about what you say next Todd? Because if you are going to tell me we need to go to Roosevelt Island that you also need to give me a plan. So take your party. Your adventurers guilt team and you talk about this and come to us with a proposal and then we'll make something. Do we understand each other?"
Todd nodded emphatically. "After we get our foothold into Staten Island I'll get right on that."
Men had always wanted too much. The good ones know when to not bother Ashley. Unfortunately there were only so many left and the kind of person that relished fighting mobs was not average.
She'd only gotten glimpses of the ocean before but the smell permeated her clothing.
---
"The thing about moving on a ship is that you don't want to have anything carbonated. So yes, all the wine you have," the man said.
He was the last of the ones heading onto the ferry. He'd brought a soft bag and grabbed two bottles taking care not to clink them. Bagel had checked out the oddity of the Jerry rigged setup from the top of the Henry Hudson parkway. There was already somebody working on the island that ended six blocks north. That wasn't the surprising part.
The surprising part wasn't that the humans were doing so much ridiculousness. The surprising part was what they were carrying into battle.
It was a lot of liquor.
They had also cleaned him out twice of drinks. They had enough for a week or so out there.
"You never know. We might have to grow potatoes over there to support ourselves."
Bagel flicked his tail. "Good luck. If you get any good cards, remember to bring them in. We don't have a lot of dark cards here."
The man saluted with the red wine bottle as he walked out. The door jingled.
Copernicus raced in. "Hide me."
Bagel looked around. He motioned to the area under the counter. Copernicus was up and over in a blink. Briefly his tail came up and Bagel swatted it down.
It made no sense to hide himself but if he was going to do it here, Bagel would entertain whatever nonsense the other cat was a part of. After all it was his domain unless the cat had gotten the ire
Lisa walked in. "They're already drinking like we won the battle. Hello my dear."
Her eyes darted around like she was trying to make it now obvious that she was looking for something.
Bagel meowed as she patted his head. She has magical fingers but she never sat down long enough for him to take a nap until the day was done. And once again, those humans had decided that today would be a long day.
"We've got to restock everything again," he said. "But the cooks made Mexican rice today with fah something."
Lisa walked down to the grill, inspecting the lunch options. She pursed her lips as the cooks frantically made more rice, beans and meat.
"It's not like I have an option. My steak is going to be good tonight. Now I have a very important question."
She turned, walking back from the grill.
"Have you seen our new guest here?"
Bagel did he best to look anywhere but behind the counter. It was working magnificently.
There's no way that the human would ever suspect that the cat that he was hiding was right underneath him. After all, what kind of cat would hide underneath the cat.
More to the point, what kind of human would suspect a cat fighting underneath the cat. So when Liza rested her palms on the countertop, there was no way that she was suspecting that Copernicus was there.
"You know it's a shame. I used to hear the cats at such a good sense of smell but..." She drew out her words. "It appears that someone needs a bath."
She was of course staring at Bagel.
"Of course, if a different cat were to be found more in need of a bath than the one in question I would have no issue giving that cat a bath instead. Be a real shame if..."
"He is underneath me," Bagel said.
"Bagel!" Copernicus yelled.
"Got him!"