Everlast, TX

Spor-ific!

Colt took Maddox’ hand. “You gonna be alright?”

She shook him off. “Alright? I don’t even know what the frick is happening. I find out my father is alive, which you would think would be a good thing. Except I find out he’s still just as much of a hard-ass jerk as ever.”

“He’s concerned—”

“He didn’t even say hello! Or sorry I faked my own death, honey.”

Shasta interceded, giving Maddox the hug she needed.

It looked like she was deciding to cry it out when she suddenly stamped her foot. “Forget the old man. What’s this bull crap about us being infected?”

“Contaminated, not infected.” Gideon had used the down time to cross over to the hatch and wrap on it with his knuckles. “They’ve sealed us in here, along with whoever is still on the other submersible, because something nasty has gotten into the gulf.”

“The Batillus?” Colt asked.

“That’d be my guess. Something must have been on that ship and now it’s in the water.”

“But we cruised right through the wreckage.” Shasta added.

Colt wiped the moisture from his face and inspected his hand. “What kind of microscopic creepy crawly you think we’re dealing with?”

Gideon shrugged.

“Still think the Batillus broke up in the storm?” Maddox glared at the hatch with laser eyes. “My money says Captain Hothead Jebediah blew it out of the water.”

Nobody responded.

Maddox charged the hatch screaming. She pounded the thick glass portal with her fists. “Say something! I know you can hear us!”

The intercom crackled. “The scuttling of the Batillus was accidental.” Jebediah spoke flatly. “We haven’t confirmed that our torpedo led to the catastrophic chain of explosions, or if they were detonated internally.”

“So you did blow it up!” Maddox yelled.

“Your listening skills haven’t improved since my departure.”

“Departure? Is that what you call faking your own death?”

Jebediah scoffed. “I did nothing of the ding dang sort. I left Everlast on a difficult mission that turned south from the get go. You and the others assumed everyone had died.”

Colt cut in. “And the others?”

Jebediah hesitated. “Half of us survived.”

“What about—”

“I will not go into names currently.”

Colt bit his tongue. He’d gone two years wondering. He supposed he could stomach a few more days if need be.

“In case you haven’t noticed, our mission is ongoing.” Jebediah continued. “And now the four of you have mucked it up further.”

“It seems like you’re doing a good job of that all on your—”

“That’s enough of your disrespect!” Jebediah interrupted Maddox. “I have not served as your father for the last two years, but I’m the commanding officer of this station and everyone in it. So shut your sass hole and try to listen.”

Maddox squeezed her fists until her eye twitched.

Colt thought she might explode.

Finally she cracked the vertebra in her neck and returned her long braid to the center of her back.