Warren Fahy: Fragment

“Nell.” The warbling clarinet-like voice startled her. She looked up to see Hender in the middle of the gym, rubbing his chin with one hand and cocking his head.

She tugged on her towel but was sitting on it and had to stand up to pull it around herself. Hender was creeping forward the whole time, his eyes scanning her up and down and sideways.

“Hello, Hender!”

“Nell,” Hender warbled softly, moving gently closer.

She backed away and Hender stopped, turning his head to look at the photos on the locker doors. He reached his hands out to touch Glyn, Dawn, Jesse, and the others who had died when they landed on the island twenty-four days ago. He touched Dante’s picture with recognition. He turned his head to her and his eyes withdrew under his furry lids. “Nell thank you.”

Hender softly padded out of the room on six feet, his head down.

She sniffled and stared after him. Then she rubbed the tears from her eyes, dropped the towel, and reached for her panties.

“Here I come!” Geoffrey warned, rounding the corner.

“Oh, I’m not dressed yet!” Nell yelped.

“Oh!” Geoffrey lifted his hands in surprise and his towel fell from around his waist.

With a speed that astonished even him, Geoffrey hurtled back around the corner. They doubled over, helpless with laughter.

“OK, get dressed, woman! How long do you take, anyway!” he howled.

“I’m doing it!” she snorted, throwing her towel in his direction. “Put a towel on!”

Nell and Geoffrey, who had managed to get dressed without further incident and choose shoes from the garish collection of sneakers provided bySeaLife’sgenerous sponsors, entered the bridge with Samir and Andy.

Thatcher watched them climbing the stairs to the bridge and he followed, slipping in after them.

Warburton, Captain Sol, and Marcello were already there and in a troubled mood.

“The hendros are all tucked into their own private quarters,” Andy reported. “They definitely prefer to be alone. When Samir and I showed them how to use the toilet, I think they fell in love.”

“They definitely like peanut butter,” Samir said.

“And shrimp,” Andy said.

“We’ve got to check in on them.” Nell looked at Geoffrey, who nodded.

“Copey isn’t leaving Hender’s side. Somehow he found Hender’s room.”

“Is that where that dog went?” asked Marcello. “He wolfed down the steak Cook gave him and then took off like a shot.”

“Where’s Cynthea?” Captain Sol asked.

“She’s with Zero, I think.”

Warburton and the captain shared a look.

“We were just trying to make a plan,” Captain Sol told them.

“Any ideas?” Geoffrey asked. He wore an orangeSeaLifeT-shirt.

“That wasn’t exactly the answer we were looking for,” Warburton said.

“Sorry. By the way, my name is Geoffrey Binswanger.”

“Welcome aboard, young man.” Captain Sol shook his hand, firmly, glancing from Nell to the handsome scientist curiously. “Hello, Mr. Redmond, you don’t have to skulk around back there. Come and join the conversation.”

Nell and Geoffrey turned to see Thatcher in the doorway, his face flushing red. He waved weakly at the others.

“As I was saying to Carl,” the captain continued, “I don’t like keeping secrets from the Navy.”

“We’re being hailed, Captain,” Warburton reported. “This isTrident, over?”

“Trident,we can see that you’re at safe distance now. We have been instructed by the President to let you know that you can proceed to port without further restrictions. Copy?”

“Very well,Enterprise.Thanks for the escort.”

“No problem, Trident.Just part of the Navy’s job. Please proceedto Pearl Harbor for final inspection and debriefing. Good working with you.Enterpriseover and out.”

Everyone sighed loudly in relief as Warburton clicked off the radio.

Thatcher cleared his throat. “Now what?”

“We have to phone the President,” Captain Sol decided. “He has to know about our guests.”

“When the Navy gets a little farther away,” Nell pleaded.

“They’ll be in this vicinity for a while,” the Captain reminded her grimly. “They’re nuking an island ten hours from now.”

“How can we call the President?” Thatcher asked.

Warburton pointed to a phone charging in its cradle on the wall. “Satellite phone. Just dial zero and the country code.”

“What’s the country code for the United States?” Thatcher asked.

“One.”

“Hmm.That figures.”

“Can we trust the President?”

“We have to, I think, Andy,” Geoffrey told him.

“It’s a risk,” Nell warned.

“Either the President or the Army deliberately left us behind on that island!”

Nell’s face went pale. “We don’t know that, Andy.”

“It’s less of a risk than not calling him,” Captain Sol argued. “We’ll get a little breathing room between us and the Pacific Fleet first, and then call in the morning. In ten hours, a nuclear bomb is going off and I intend to be far away.”

“Will we be safe?” Nell asked.

“The Navy said nine miles is the minimum safe distance, and we should reach that in another twenty minutes, so we’ll be OK, but I’d rather get as much distance between my ship and that island as possible. I suggest everyone grab a little shuteye in the meantime. Tomorrow will be a full day.”

“Captain,” Thatcher said, “how would one go about getting something to eat on this boat?”

“Ship,” Captain Sol corrected. “Nell, could you show Mr. Redmond the galley?”

“It’s ‘Doctor,’” Thatcher said.

“Eh?”

“Dr. Redmond.”

“Oh…”

“I’m starving,” Nell interjected. “How about you, Geoffrey?”

“Yeah, I’m hungrier than a spiger.”

She laughed. “This way, you two.”

In the mess, they sat at a table, Nell and Geoffrey eating tuna fish sandwiches and Thatcher nibbling at a veggie burger with pickles.

“So, Thatcher, do you still think we made the wrong decision?” Nell asked.

“The question is moot,” Thatcher grunted, wiping his mustache with a napkin.

“But do you?” she persisted.