"Keep transmitting."
I left it on. "Alex, thanks for getting me out of there." "It's okay. Keep it in mind next time you want a raise." Two people hanging on to one chair doesn't work well. Whenever either of us put a little weight on it, it went under. "Chase," he said, "you ever hear of a malfunction like this?" "It was deliberate," I said. "Somebody had to go in and either jerry the AI or attach a parasite system." "You're sure?" "Absolutely. Even if the AI had simply failed, the skimmer wouldn't have behaved the way it did. What I can't figure is why the power came back at the end." "That's because they didn't want us dead." "Really?" I looked around at the empty sky. "If we got killed, it would attract a lot of attention. And it would connect with Vicki. Somebody wants us to go away but doesn't want to deal with publicity." "It's a warning?" "Yes. I'd say so." Another wave came by. We rode over it. "What the hell did she get into?"
We were drifting, looking at each other, watching for the rescue vehicle, when Alex's eyes widened. He was staring past my shoulder. I turned. Forty or fifty meters away, a long black tail had risen out of the water. There was a fork at the end. It stood erect for a few seconds, then splashed down. "Better hurry," I told the Shore Watch. Whatever was in the water didn't seem to be going anywhere. The tail lifted and fell again. "Not good," said Alex. I was grateful to discover I hadn't lost my scrambler. There was no way to be sure it could screw up the nervous system of a fish in an ocean on another world, but they're supposed to work on just about anything. I held it out of the water and tried to shake it dry. "Will it work after getting dunked?" Alex asked. "It's supposed to work underwater." "Then why are you trying to dry it off?" "Feels like the right thing to do." I set it for lethal . "Are you trying to start an argument with me?" "No." "I mean, that's probably not a good idea. I'm the only one here with a gun." "I know." "You should think about carrying one." "Chase, normally I have no need for one. I'm an antiquarian." "It's the one time you do need one that makes it worthwhile." The tail vanished, leaving behind swirling water. Then it reappeared, closer to us, stood erect, and slapped down again. I watched it slide beneath the surface. The water grew quiet. "Can you see anything?" asked Alex. "No." I handed him my bracelet. "Keep it out of the water so they don't lose the signal." "Okay. What are you going to do?"
"Take a look." "Not a good idea, Chase." "Neither is staying here. I'll be back in a minute."
The water was clear, and I saw the creature off to one side. It was flat and long, shaped like a spade, maybe three or four times as big as I was. Two eyes centered close together on the snout watched Alex. Rotated to me. Went back to Alex. Alex's legs hung down. He couldn't keep them still without sinking. They must have looked like a tasty morsel. The mouth opened to reveal several rows of teeth. I figured the underwater range of the scrambler was about half the distance to the creature. It was going to have to get closer. I didn't think there'd be any problem arranging that. I went back up. "It's interested in us," I said. Alex took a deep breath. No joking around this time. "What is it?" "It looks a little like a ray. It's a big fish with a lot of teeth." "We're not its natural prey," he said. "By the time it figures that out, you and I will be hamburger." "There's another one." "Where?" He pointed. Another tail hoisted well out of the water. On the opposite side of us. It curled and straightened and curled again, then splashed down. "You think they hunt in tandem?" "Maybe. We'd better assume they do." We were both thinking how it would've been a good time for a second weapon. "Try not to move," I told him. I went down again. They were both watching us. They were spaced exactly opposite each other, although the newcomer was farther away. But it was approaching. I suspected that when both were at the same range, they'd attack. If that happened, and they were as quick as they looked, I thought I'd be able to take out one, but not both. I surfaced again. "How's it look?" he said. "Okay. Leave it to me." "What are you going to do?" "Explain later." At least I hoped I would. "Just keep still. Don't move." I took a deep breath and went back down. The creatures were lining up on us, getting ready. I had to take the initiative away from them. I kicked off in the direction of the first one. It started toward me. That long mouth opened again, and I looked past those incisors and saw a serpentine tongue. It charged head-on, no sign of caution, no indication it saw any reason to fear me. I was easy pickings. When it got within range, I fired a full charge past the teeth and down its throat. The mouth gaped wide. The tongue snaked out and whipped through the water. Then the creature spasmed. It thrashed and rolled over and, trailing black blood, dived into the depths. I spun away, looking for the other one. But we got lucky: Instead of coming after Alex or me, the creature went after its partner. Maybe it was trying to help. More likely, it was the promise of extra meat. I went back up, and the water stayed quiet.
It's fair to say we were relieved to see the Patrol appear in the eastern sky. We were floating, hanging on to the chair, scanning the ocean for more tails. The aircraft grew larger, and they asked whether we were okay and explained how they'd have us out of the water in a minute. It was a black-and-white skimmer, with SHORE WATCH imprinted on its hull. A door opened, and two uniformed crewmen appeared and waved. They tossed down a rope ladder, and the skimmer maneuvered until it was directly overhead. Then I climbed up, and they hauled me in. Somebody handed me a cup with a hot brew. They pulled Alex in moments later. When they had us safely on board, they asked what had happened to our skimmer. "Don't know," I said. "It just went out of control."
One of the crew was a tall, athletic woman with red hair. "You guys were pretty lucky," she said. "Why's that?" Alex asked. "You don't want to go swimming in these waters." "They dangerous?" She heaved a sigh of relief. "You have no idea, champ."
TWELVE
There's something in the woods, Becky. We don't know what it is. No one has ever seen it. But on cold nights, when the wind turns around and comes in from the east, you can feel it. And that's when you want to stay inside and keep the door locked.
- Etude in Black
They took us back to where we'd started. We spent two days filling out forms for both the Shore Watch and Reliable Transport. Then we booked our crossing with a commercial carrier. We were waiting next morning for our flight to leave when Rob Peifer called. "I heard you guys were in an accident." "Skimmer went down," said Alex.
"You okay?"
"We're fine. Got a little wet."
"I don't guess you got any pictures?"
"No, Rob. Sorry. I never thought about it."
"Okay. We have some file shots we can use."
Alex's eyes rolled skyward. "Why not just let it go, Rob? It's not worth reporting."
"Are you kidding me? 'Alex Benedict Down at Sea.' 'Benedict Rides Skimmer into Ocean near Maillot.'"
"Where's Maillot?" Alex asked.
"I'd like to do an interview, Alex. But the setting's not right. I wonder if you and what's-her-name, Chase, would want to go somewhere where we could get the ocean in the background? One of the hotels, maybe?"
"Rob, we're on the run at the moment. We have a flight to catch."
"Okay. Sure. We can fill in the background later. Listen, Alex, why don't you tell me how you were feeling as you hit the water?"
Alex took a deep breath. "Scared, Rob."
We made it safely across the Crystal Sea on our second try, and landed at Port Arbor. From there we boarded a train to Packwood, which was a coastal town whose principal claim to fame was Packwood University. It was one of the sites where Vicki had spoken. According to one of the history teachers, she'd spent a day there, won over the crowds, and even some skeptical literature teachers with her wit and charm. They ran the presentation for us, and she was as energetic as ever.