Part 45 (1/2)
”Now!” Merced shouted, flipping his mask into place. ”Over the side!” He turned and leaped for the water. Mataroreva, Dawn, and Cora followed. Once in the water they surfaced. Cora looked around for Rachael, finally spotted her still on the deck above. In a moment she joined them, preceded by a sealed container. Cora did not have to ask what it held.
”Have to replace those modules,” her daughter was complaining.
Water geysered around them as three more ma.s.sive black and white shapes exploded from the sea to join the first. The stem of the catamaran began to buckle under their combined weight.
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CACHALOT.
Cora tried to right herself in the confused water, saw a huge shape rus.h.i.+ng at her. There was an in- stant of unavoidable, primeval panic before she rec- ognized it. The shape dipped beneath her and she slid back until she could clutch the slick dorsal fin.
Merced was right behind her. The moment they were securely seated, the whale turned and accelerated.
She thought to switch on her translator.
”Sorrry as the windds arre wwe to hawe taken so long, sorrry arre wwe thhat wwe had to abandonn
youuuu.”
”h.e.l.lo, Latehoht,” she said weakly. ”Never mind your timing. For some reason I just can't find it in my heart to criticize you.”
The five of them were deposited alongside the abandoned catcherfoil still anch.o.r.ed off the reef. Cora slipped off the wide, slick back as another huge blunt head surfaced near them. Thick ivory teeth gleamed in the sun.
”Healthffullll?”
”Healthful we are, Wenkoseemansa, and thank you.”
The whale disappeared, was soon replaced by his mate. Cora watched the Dantean scene taking place around the catamaran. ”What about the? ...”
”Badd mmen on shhip arre in flight rrather thhan fight,” Latehoht sang l.u.s.tily. ”Sit somme within the rreeff whherre wwe cannot go. Thhey arre fearrful and hidden. Thhey will trouble you not, thhey will not bothher you. Onn thhe shhip stand fewerr and fewerr.
Only in its depths hidde soinme like their afrraidful brrethrren inn the rreef. Thhey mayy yet comme out.
Wwe will kill thhen only thhose necessarrry. Did wwe wellll?”
”Most well.” Cora saw Sam offer Rachael a hand up the foil's boarding ladder. The girl disdained the offer, instead carefully handed up the crate containing her precious instrument.
193.
”Got to go nofort. ” 'Why
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should I give such obviously resourceful folk as your- selves a chance to escape?' ” he added, mimicking the manager's former evaluation of their own status.
”Call them off, I tell you! We'll do whatever you