The Remarkable Palingenesis of Shelley E.

Chapter 28: Going South

The boat was dangerously overloaded. Water lapped over its gunwales and onto Ellström's boots. She held fast to one of her precious nodes, fearing an imminent capsizing. Etoile held the other node upright, his face bursting with an incongruous delight, seemingly directed at the vast body of water. Purity perched at the prow with a Smith and Wesson piece cradled in her lap as Badger's muscular form pulled strong, efficient strokes on the oars, compelling the little boat towards cousin Abel's sloop, which presented itself as a prominent silhouette, moored a hundred or so yards away.

"We didn't kill these two because?..." said Badger in a somewhat resigned tone.

Purity maintained her gaze on Ellström and Etoile.

"Keeping a balance, cousin Badger. The airship is still intact - not what Senator Mackey wanted - so at least we're giving him the important things: The equipment and someone who can run it," said Purity with a wink at Ellström.

"What if we go over the side, stay under and swim for it ?" thought Uriah.

"That woman has a gun, but she's not even holding it right now, and that Badger fellow is blocking her from us... a bit."

"No way, we'd never make it! Besides, Harry's out of it again." thought Elllström.

"He looks ecstatic. What's going on with him?" returned Uriah.

"I'm guessing it's the colony creature; the Silurian-era creatures were aquatic. They must be itching to get in the water."

Ellström frowned at Toronto's receding skyline.

"How do you think Pagan is, Uriah? Is he really dead? Can you ...um ..tell? I mean, being deceased yourself? "

"I really don't know - I hope not ... It's quite a bore in the afterlife - to say the least," thought Uriah, with a sigh.

A light began to flicker in sequence some yards off on the silhouetted ship. Purity answered it with a flashlight. A moment later, the boat rubbed gently against the hull of Abel's sloop. People and equipment were hauled quickly and silently on board. Abel weighed anchor and sailed away on a southerly course with the wind at his back.

Ellström and Etoile were bound back to back in the forward hold of the ship under the bow deck. To respect his status as an escape artist, they had been wrapped in lengths of chain secured with several padlocks. The space was small and uncomfortable, lined with heaps of moldering and blown-out foresails. Ellström turned her head, straining to see Etoile, whom she could hear humming gently to himself.

"Perfect, just perfect.." thought Uriah, bitterly. "Harry might even like this if he were aware of it. Can't we shake him out of it? He'd get us unbound in a twinkling! At least we'd be able to move around a bit."

"Okay, okay!" said Ellström. "Harry?... Hello Harry, are you in there? We need Harry, please."

"We want the lovely water! We want to swim in it and swallow it!" said the creature.

"It is lovely, isn't it !" encouraged Ellström. "Harry could free his arms for you. You could go for a swim - wouldn't that be nice? If you could let Harry come forward, we could talk to him about it."

"Yes! Harry is able to do things like that !" said the creature with enthusiasm.

"Yes, that's right! Harry, come on, we need to talk."

The idiotic grin on Etoile's face began to flicker into confusion as his head turned towards Ellström's.

"Harry! Harry, is that you?" asked Ellström, anxiously.

Etoile's head jerked back. "Certainly not, girl! What is the meaning of this? Binding yourself so closely to my Harry- it's indecent!" said Harry's mother.