Globe Tracers 1: The Case of Thomas Crain

Chapter 31: Where we go from Here

Kyle:

The trip to the main craft was quiet again. The idea that the world was getting more complicated than I thought was sinking in. I always thought I was one of the ones out fighting the bad guys and blood-thirsty killers. Wonderful job I had done of that since I was that close to being one of them.

We docked and passed through the entry chamber from the small submarine into Xao's real craft.

Finally, it was Jessica who figured out what to say. "Well... if all that is true... we can't do anything about it, and we shouldn't forget it, but in the end, we need to move on. After all, we can't change what happened, can we? We can better ourselves, and we can save this kid," she said, giving Thomas a side hug. Xao smiled at her and moved over to the ship controls.

I shrugged. "We've been through a lot, but I guess the adventure is over now isn't it?"

"As they say about the opera, it ain't over till the fat lady sings," said Jessica.

"Ya know I've never heard that one," Thomas said.

"That's alright, someone else will probably get the credit for it in time... trust me, I won't let it die," Jessica replied.

"Still what does it mean?" I asked.

Jessica looked around the sub as it lurched into motion. "It means we need a fat lady." She continued to look around. I supposed this was Jessica's way of saying she was sick of the silence. Finally, Jessica's eyes fell on Xao. "Xao!" she shouted.

"Excuse me?" he asked, rather startled and quickly turning around.

"We need a fat lady," she said.

"Um... what do you want me to do, make you a deal?" he asked.

"Nnnnoooo," she replied. "You swore you wouldn't do that."

"Then what do you want?" he asked.

"Confusion," she said nodding her head.

(***)

Well, Jessica was back, and the next day flew by... barely making a lick of sense half the time.

Thomas was a sponge for any kind of information. He asked about every control on the sub, even those not connected to navigation. In the end, I think he probably knew more about how the ship worked than I did and I had been given a formal class. Xao even let him pilot a few times. Jessica said she had been paying good attention and asked if she could pilot, but everyone else agreed they liked breathing and opted against giving her the proverbial wheel before she steered us into a shark. Speaking of which, yes, she did several times dare Thomas or Xao to hit animal life as it swam across a virtual screen which showed the outside of the sub.

Halfway through the day, I think Thomas had either had enough of Jessica's antics or just wanted to participate. Either way, the two of them eventually ended up wrestling on the floor.

I rested against the side of the ship near the controls as they tumbled around and chuckled, seeing Xao was also starting to grin. "So where do you guys go from here?" Xao asked looking at me.

I shrugged, "Not sure. I think I like this."

"This as in what?" Xao asked.

"The adventure of helping find someone. It was all fun in the end." I said.

"Fun?" Xao asked. "Might I point out, it's providence any of us are even alive after all that."

"Yeah well, nothing's worth doing if it isn't hard to do," I replied.