"I'm Captain Knud, and I'll be manning the ship while you all go about your work." The balding captain said, smiling. As he did so, I saw that he had a few missing teeth. What remained looked either broken or crooked. We all introduced ourselves, and he led us through the ship, finally directing us to sit at a table in the mess hall.

"I'll give it to you how it is." Knud said, resting easy in his chair. "The truth is, Daniel's scarce findings are nothing new around here. Across the United Scandinavian coast, many towns and settlements haven't been having much luck. Toft isn't the only community trying to survive, ya know." Knud paused, staring.

"It appears we've run out of things to find."

"How is that possible?" It was Roscoe. "You're telling me that there's nothing left out there?"

"Quite the opposite, actually." Knud held out a finger. "There's plenty of stuff out there. It's just that we've been going to the same exact locations for dozens of years, expending its resources over time until it eventually ran out. This was bound to happen sooner or later."

"So what's our mission?" This time it was Brandt who spoke up. Tova cleared her throat, and we all looked at her.

"Our job is to go farther out than ever before. Like Knud said, there's lots more out there to discover. And we're not the only people doing this. Dozens of other communities around the nation are trying the same thing."

"You already knew about this?" I asked. She nodded.

"Sorry, but that's pretty much all I know so far. I was sent here to aid you on this mission, but I don't know where we're going either."

Tova turned to the old man.

"Where are we going, captain?"

"Please, call me Knud. To answer your question, I spoke with Ivor and the council some days ago. It turns out, there's only one place no one else wants to go. So naturally, we picked it as our choice."

"Great. So we're heading off to the middle of nowhere is what you're telling me?" Brandt said. I could sense the irritation behind his words.

"Not at all." Knud responded. "We'll be heading west, over the Pacific. We're sailing for North America, the United States to be more specific." Everyone fell silent. North America? Now that was just crazy. All the information we had about the United States was either outdated or myth. No one had set foot there in years. Roscoe finally voiced the question that was beginning to form in my mind.

"I thought the United States..." Roscoe's words dangled in the air for a moment but then he continued, rephrasing the question. "Haven't they been bombed off the face of this earth? We haven't received any news about them since the war, and that was years ago."

Knud gave a small shrug.

"I admit, it is hard to believe. But from the history we have of the United States, they were once the most powerful nation."

"Even so," Felman spoke up, "what do we hope to find?"

The captain nodded to Tova.

"Ask her. She's the scientist."

"Well first of all," she started, "I'm a researcher, not a scientist. There are several things we can hope to find. Even if we don't know a lot about the United States, we can treat it like any other raiding location. Remember, we're only there to scout and report back, nothing too serious. If it turns out to be a goldmine, it'll be well worth the trouble."

"And if it's not?" Brandt prompted.

Tova gave a shrug of her own.

"If not, at least we'll be able to learn what happened to the country. Any information I can get my hands on could be useful. That is my field of work."

"But still, I don't like it. It seems as if we're banking too much on a 'goldmine', as you put it. The risk outweighs the benefit, here."

"When has it not?" I interjected. All eyes turned to me, and I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. "We've been doing this for what, 15 years now? And every time we've left our shores, there's been at least some risk involved. I've been on six raiding parties myself, and there was always some kind of danger. I'm sure you can attest to that, can't you?" Brandt nodded in assent. I pressed on. "All I'm saying is that we've been taking big risks all this time. What's one more? The sooner we do this, the better."

Another pause.

"Alvarsson's right." Tova said, breaking the silence. "We've been taking our chances year after year on small rewards. This could be our breakthrough."

"I have to agree." Felman said. "And anyways, it's not like we have a choice or not. We were picked for this by Ivor and the council. It's not like we can disobey direct orders from them."

Roscoe inclined his head, stroking his mustache.

"I agree as well. Let's see it through. You're not getting too old for this, are you?" That last question was directed at Brandt, who glared in response. He gave a heavy sigh and began to look around the mess hall.

"You're right." he lifted his shoulders in assent.

"Good." Captain Knud stood abruptly. "Now that's been taken care of, does anyone care for a drink?"

A couple of days had passed, and we were now making quick progress aboard the Voyager. We had spent the first night settling in the speedy ship. Knud had shown us around, telling everyone where every important component of the ship lay. The corvette, as I had guessed, was much more spacious within, despite the ship's small frame.

"Are you the only one who runs this beast?" Felman had asked. "I don't see any other crew."

Knud had grinned at the observation and proceeded to lead us to the bridge.

"This ship here isn't outdated, like any of your ships." he had said, pointing to the empty commander's room. "Computers run the Voyager, and I just look after them. They haven't failed me yet. No sir, this ship is state-of-the-art, from up north. Almost one of a kind, she is."

"What if the computers fail?" It was Tova who had expressed her worry. Knud had waved her concern away.

"They won't. They're too smart for that. I've been captain of this ship for five years, and not once has she failed me. Like I said, the technology's impressive."

The night yesterday was spent getting used to the ins and outs of the Voyager, and soon enough, I felt comfortable knowing where most things were. After that, I had spent a restful night in a simple one-man room, noting that the beds were far more comfortable than any other ship bed I had laid on. Now it was morning, and the sun had just risen over the horizon. After charting our path the day before, Brandt, Felman, and I all agreed that the trip would take around seven days to reach North America. The speed of the ship was breathtaking and would cut off a few days from the voyage. I recalled a meeting we had the night before.

"We'll have to make a stop at one of the ocean cities." Brandt had said, scratching his stubble and pointing at our map. "I spoke with Captain Knud and he agreed. We'll refuel for the ship, get any supplies we need, then get out."

"Ocean cities?" I had questioned. "Aren't they dangerous or something?"

Brandt had tilted his head to one side.

"They could be. But we won't stay for long. We'll just grab and go, that's all. You and Roscoe will come with me. The ocean city we'll be stopping by is English territory, so stay alert. Bring your weapons if you want, then join me tomorrow morning on deck."

It was an hour past sunrise when I awoke, and now I was walking up the stairs to the top deck, pulling on my jacket to stave off the cold. I checked my long knife that was strapped to my thigh, making sure it was secure. I didn't see a need to bring my firearm along with me. Stepping up into the frigid ocean breeze, I began windmilling my arms to get the blood flowing throughout my body. I saw Brandt standing at the bow, his back turned to me. A simple handaxe was fixed on his left side by a frog, and a pistol lay holstered on his right.

"We're nearing the city." he said curtly. I looked past him and saw it, my mouth slightly hanging open at the sight of it. A large, floating mass of buildings and miscellaneous constructions appeared before us. It was an enormous engineering accomplishment, to say the least. I had only ever heard about these legendary cities, but now I finally had the chance to gaze upon one. Thick concrete pillars supported the sprawling city, high enough so that the crashing waves below barely reached it.

"It's huge." Roscoe's words sounded from behind. Still buttoning up his own jacket and fixing the sword he kept at his side, Roscoe stood next to us, rubbing both eyes with his hands. "How are we supposed to get up there?" he said, pointing to the city which was well over one hundred yards above us.

Brandt nodded a greeting to Roscoe.

"They have a depot much lower to the water where they can receive ships. We'll hop off there." Sure enough, the Voyager began to make its way towards the gigantic floating city, the ship weaving precariously between the large pillars. On the far end of the floating metropolis, a large concrete garage at water level appeared, big enough to house at least five frigate sized ships. Its doors were closed, but as we approached, flashing lights around the vicinity began to flash rhythmically. Just as we reached the large structure, the doors opened wide and the Voyager smoothly slipped inside.

"Brandt, Roscoe, Alvarsson." We all turned and saw Captain Knud walking towards us. Looking back and over the side of the ship I realized we were still moving, and the barriers inside the garage were getting awfully close. Brandt seemed to realize as well and frowned at the balding man.

"Shouldn't you be up on the bridge, taking control of the ship?"

Knud cackled and patted Brandt on the shoulder.

"Calm down, Brandt. I could never maneuver her as precisely as the computers can." Just as he said that I felt a slight jolt as the Voyager came to a halt. I leaned over the gunwale and saw that the landing was only inches away. It sure was a tight squeeze.

"Told ya so." Knud said, a wide grin on his face. Brandt mumbled something I couldn't discern and then headed for a gangplank which was coming up to us.

"Oh, and before you go," Knud called out to Brandt, "Tova wants you to gather as much information as you can about the United States." Brandt waved a dismissive hand in reply and Roscoe and I proceeded to follow after him.

"So Roscoe, what's your story?" I asked the shorter blond-haired man beside me. After riding an elevator up to the city's ground level, Brandt parted ways with us to go find the local library.

"You and Roscoe can go find whatever you might need. I'll see if I can get some info. Let's meet back at the ship in an hour." the older sailor had said. Now, Roscoe and I were wandering cramped streets, trying to find the nearest trading post.

"What was that?" Roscoe turned to me, a puzzled look on his face.

"I said, 'what's your story?' Where are you from? I haven't seen you in Toft before."

"Oh, well, I'm from Whitefalls. It's a floating city like this one except much smaller, just north of United Scandinavia and within the boundaries. Like Tova, I was called here to aid in the mission."

A pause came between us. Just then, a thought struck me. Brandt hadn't even bothered to say what the name of this city was.

"Say, Roscoe, do you know what this place is called? Brandt didn't say."

"From what I know, there are only a handful of these types of cities around the oceans, and this is obviously one of the bigger ones." he stroked his mustache. "And Brandt said this was English territory, which narrows it down a bit. This could be the capital." he said finally.

"The capital of what?"

"The U.K. This is London, I'm guessing."

I frowned, not recognizing the name.

"Never heard of it."

Roscoe shrugged.

"I've only ever read about it. It doesn't really matter. We'll be out of here soon."

Another pause.

"So what's your specialty?" I said finally, nodding to his sword which casually hung in its scabbard. Even on the Voyager, he always seemed to carry it wherever he went.

"I was in the army for a while. The sword was just a skill I picked up, along with the rifle." he said simply.

"You any good with it?" I asked. He stared at me for a moment, then grinned.

"If I wasn't any good, I wouldn't be wearing it." Just as he finished, a figure dressed in plain black robes stepped in our way. A deep cowl pulled forward, the figure's face was obscured in darkness. Instantly, Roscoe gave a quick glance over his shoulder, then faced the robed stranger. His hand strayed to his sword, and my own hand fell to my knife.

"Morning, newcomers." The voice was male but high in pitch, almost annoyingly high, and it carried a heavy English accent that made it almost indiscernible.

"The hell you want from us?" Roscoe said in a stern voice, then to me he said, "There's two more behind us, Alvarsson—don't look." my head was already halfway around when I caught Roscoe's interjection. I stopped and looked at the stranger. "He's a druid, a sorcerer actually." Roscoe said in a steady tone. I turned to the robed figure. Nothing about him seemed magical. "We have a few of these rats scurrying around Whitefalls." he continued. "They're a cult, and a bad one at that. They thrive in cities like this, performing their magic in the slums."

"You can do magic?" I said doubtfully. The ominous figure, whose hands were crossed, began to raise his arms now, and I thought I could see the faintest signs of a smile from within the shadow of the cowl. The man spoke again, but this time nonsensical words came out of his mouth.

The gibberish turned into a monotone chant and I heard Roscoe say, "You really had to ask, didn't you?" I gave a quick look around. We were situated in the middle of a wide street, with vendors and tradesmen lining both sides. Now, a small crowd began to form around us, puzzled at the sight of the robed figure.

"Show these unbelievers your power, my lord." the man's voice rose in pitch, and I winced at the sound of it. The man's arms were stretched above his head, and he began to shudder violently. After letting out a screech that momentarily deafened me, the druid started to rise into the air, his feet lifting off the ground.

"The hell?" was all I could manage as I saw what was happening. As I stared at the hovering druid a hand grabbed my shoulder from behind and I stumbled back, penetrating through the thin circle of people gathered around the spectacle.

"Let's get out of this place." Roscoe said briskly, and then we were off.

"How did he do that?" I asked incredulously. Roscoe, who had just spoken with the person behind the counter, motioned for me to quiet down. The owner returned with three boxes of ammunition and Roscoe paid the man. I watched as the man placed the boxes in a paper bag and handed it to Roscoe.

"We should be getting back to the Voyager." he said out of the side of his mouth. We left the store headed down the street we came from. Roscoe seemed awfully calm about all this.

"You saw him, didn't you? He was almost flying. It must be some sort of trick, right?"

I scanned my surroundings, making sure no robed men were nearby.

"It's no trick." Roscoe said with some spite.

"Then how did he do it?"

"Like I said, they use magic. Dark magic. I've seen them do it a couple of times where I live."

"But magic isn't real."

Roscoe looked me in the eye at that comment and sighed.

"Magic is real, Alvarsson. But the druids don't use the fairy type of magic you read in books. The obsessed ones are said to sell their souls to the devil, literally. I believe it. I've witnessed one or two of these rituals in the city. It's not pretty, and it's not something we should be talking about."

We continued to where the elevator systems were located, dodging and swerving between passing citizens. I thought back to my strange meeting with my father. Surely, that wasn't magic. Was it? No, that was just divine intervention. I shook away the thoughts, dismayed.

"Roscoe, Alvarsson." We both turned at the sound of Brandt's voice. The older sailor, holding a folder in one hand, walked briskly towards us. "I've got some much-needed info." he continued, and we followed him into an open elevator. Speedily, we raced down the shaft to the ship garage. I looked down and saw Brandt tapping the folder in his hand.

"What did you get?" I inquired.

"Everyone needs to hear this." he replied simply. Soon, we made our way back onto the Voyager, and Brandt called everyone to the mess hall. Captain Knud joined us as well.

"Well, what is it?" Felman asked, gesturing to the file. We were all seated at the table, with Brandt at the head.

"It took me a while but I met with a historian who works at the local library. When I asked about North America, he said that the latest records they keep are at least ten years old." he sighed. "We'll be sailing into relatively uncharted territory, so we should keep our heads on a swivel at all times."

"What about the United States?" Tova said, peering from her sitting position to read what was in the folder. Brandt slid the file to the center of the table for all to see.

"Well, that's where our plan takes an interesting turn." We all looked at Brandt, who stood with his arms crossed, a grim expression on his face.

"The United States is no more."