Felicity appeared from the open hatch where the thick ropes of algae were pumping like pressurized hoses and expanding down the hallway toward the personal quarters. Water beaded on her face and trickled down her naked body. Felicity looked so different, like, totally green. The dark hair hung down, slicked back and wet; her eyes might have been large black orbs in her now much-too-narrow face. Felicity’s mouth looked wider, too. Water streamed out of the gill slits above her collarbones. She stepped forward on longer legs, and Felix realized she was now a whole head taller than him.

She reached out, placed her right hand against his cheek; with her left, she took Sheena’s other hand. The warmth came through her fingers, damp, reassuring. Like Sheena, he felt himself tense, his vision going dim. Then he, Sheena, and Felicity gasped and cried out in unison as their bodies merged.

Thoughts formed in Felix’s head. We don’t have much time. The supports for the Pod will be gone. Maybe another day. How many of the grownups are left?

“Michaela, Kel, Vik, Iso, Jym, and Mother.” Did Felix speak or just think that?

Kel’s gone. Tried to close the hatch on us. We’re absorbing him now. Jym tried to take Tomaya and drive the launch through us. He was faced the other way when she hit him with a wrench. She’s with Toni in the Underwater Bay. That leaves the rest. Where?

“Michaela and Iso are locked in personal quarters. We’ll have to rescue Saleen after we kill Iso.”

Mikoru had Saleen, so he’s safe. But Iso still has Vetch and Kayle. She’s our next priority. Once we’ve recovered the youngest, we can hunt the others.

“Come on, then, let’s break Iso’s door down. We can use your strength.”

He turned, severing the reassuring contact of Felicity’s touch on his cheek. His vision began to sharpen, his thoughts shared with Sheena’s as she held his hand and they started down the hall. To Felix’s surprise, Michaela’s battered door was open, the room empty.

No matter. They’d find her. The Pod was only so big.

Nor did Iso’s door prove much of an obstacle. With Felicity’s added strength and the ax, they pried it open in less than five minutes, advancing into the room as Iso screamed.

84

Kalico leaned against the gate that opened to the aircar field on Port Authority’s west side. Capella’s bright light burned down, illuminating the lines of aircars—some functional, others just abandoned hulks that had been scavenged for parts. The latter had been moved out to the perimeter, next to where Terry Mishka’s field of beans, corn, okra, squash, and garlic stretched out to the verdant bush. There, silvered by mirage, the scrub aquajade and chabacho wavered and seemed to flow.