within.
Egg sac. Thousands upon thousands of little eels. Jessica's earphone was sizzling. Zack. "Jessica? Why haven't you killed it yet?"
"Sacrilege," she said distantly. "The miracle of childbirth. It's an ovary thing—you wouldn't understand."
"You don't know what the hell that creature is."
"Oh, and you do, right, Zack?"
The squirting seemed to have stopped. Once again, the pool was still.
Jessica selected a load for the shock rifle. "Thirty kilos, close enough," she said softly, and turned the dial on the capacitor dart. A green light blinked on the rifle dart; the batteries in the stock held sufficient charge. Reluctantly she thumbed the arming switch.
Justin's long face was peaceful. "Now?"
"Not yet. Let's see if it's supposed to die here."
He nodded. The eel was almost, motionless, merely shuddering. The rippling became regular, as if it were straining at some mighty task. Its black wet muscularity swelled and released.
Then, about one-quarter up from the tail, a puff of black appeared.
"Semen?" Jessica whispered. "Bifertile hermaphroditic?"
"Why extrasomatic?" Evan asked.
"Think about it," Justin said quietly. "In the old days, this pool might have just boiled with eels. They release their egg sacs. Then they release their semen. The semen spreads through the pond, perhaps preferentially fertilizing other egg clusters. Instant exogenesis."
Coleen whistled. "Wrong. I think it's blood."
"Blood?"
The eel had begun to shed its tail. A chunk of meat was separated from the main mass of the body, and blood was more plentiful now.
"All that blood in the water," Justin said. "Best evidence I've seen that grendels weren't native to this island."
Coleen ran to the skeeter, unloaded a roll of absorbent rubber sheeting, and lugged it back to the pond. She took off her shoes and socks and rolled up her pants. "I'd bet minerals in the blood are a clue to Mommy's home territory, her mating ground."
"Mating ground?" Justin asked.
"I say she's not hermaphroditic. Mated before she came up here. Stored up the semen, dumped it here."
"Bet."
The tail had worked its way almost completely loose now, clouding the water with blood. Only a few scraps of tissue held the tail on. They watched as those fibers tore away.
The eel swam in a lazy circle, shedding its former torpor.
"Doesn't look moribund to me," Justin said.
It seemed to notice them for the first time. It dove, wiggling fiercely beneath the surface of the water, and left the pond.
"Time," Jessica whispered, and put a capacitor dart just behind its head. It spasmed once, and then again, and sank.
"Move it!" Justin was already clambering into the water. "We don't want this thing to drown!"
Coleen McAndrews was right after him. "It humped its way over rocks—we saw it out of the water for more than thirty seconds. I think we can make it." The tarp was around the eel in a moment. The children started to plunge in with them. Jessica waved them back. "Watch out for the egg sac!" she yelled. "Stay ashore."
They rolled it out of the pond. Its skin was surprisingly spongy, and oozed water. It was the work of a moment to attach the eel and its roll of protective sheeting to one of the dolphin slings beneath Skeeter VI. Jessica clambered aboard.
"We'll get another skeeter up here," she yelled above the growing whine of the turbines. "Get us an egg sample and meet me at Aquatics."
"There in ten minutes," Justin promised. She whooped and raised her hand, and he slapped it hard. Their eyes shone.
"Got one, dammit," Jessica said.
Ten seconds later Skeeter VI was up in the air, and plunging toward Avalon Town.
Chapter 2
MOTHER EEL
How cheerfully he seems to grin
How neatly spreads his claws
And welcomes little fishes in
With gently smiling jaws!
LEWIS CARROLL, Alice in Wonderland
The skeeter soared. Evan's sure hands took it up so rapidly it seemed the world deflated beneath them. The acceleration was a little much for Jessica, but
Egg sac. Thousands upon thousands of little eels. Jessica's earphone was sizzling. Zack. "Jessica? Why haven't you killed it yet?"
"Sacrilege," she said distantly. "The miracle of childbirth. It's an ovary thing—you wouldn't understand."
"You don't know what the hell that creature is."
"Oh, and you do, right, Zack?"
The squirting seemed to have stopped. Once again, the pool was still.
Jessica selected a load for the shock rifle. "Thirty kilos, close enough," she said softly, and turned the dial on the capacitor dart. A green light blinked on the rifle dart; the batteries in the stock held sufficient charge. Reluctantly she thumbed the arming switch.
Justin's long face was peaceful. "Now?"
"Not yet. Let's see if it's supposed to die here."
He nodded. The eel was almost, motionless, merely shuddering. The rippling became regular, as if it were straining at some mighty task. Its black wet muscularity swelled and released.
Then, about one-quarter up from the tail, a puff of black appeared.
"Semen?" Jessica whispered. "Bifertile hermaphroditic?"
"Why extrasomatic?" Evan asked.
"Think about it," Justin said quietly. "In the old days, this pool might have just boiled with eels. They release their egg sacs. Then they release their semen. The semen spreads through the pond, perhaps preferentially fertilizing other egg clusters. Instant exogenesis."
Coleen whistled. "Wrong. I think it's blood."
"Blood?"
The eel had begun to shed its tail. A chunk of meat was separated from the main mass of the body, and blood was more plentiful now.
"All that blood in the water," Justin said. "Best evidence I've seen that grendels weren't native to this island."
Coleen ran to the skeeter, unloaded a roll of absorbent rubber sheeting, and lugged it back to the pond. She took off her shoes and socks and rolled up her pants. "I'd bet minerals in the blood are a clue to Mommy's home territory, her mating ground."
"Mating ground?" Justin asked.
"I say she's not hermaphroditic. Mated before she came up here. Stored up the semen, dumped it here."
"Bet."
The tail had worked its way almost completely loose now, clouding the water with blood. Only a few scraps of tissue held the tail on. They watched as those fibers tore away.
The eel swam in a lazy circle, shedding its former torpor.
"Doesn't look moribund to me," Justin said.
It seemed to notice them for the first time. It dove, wiggling fiercely beneath the surface of the water, and left the pond.
"Time," Jessica whispered, and put a capacitor dart just behind its head. It spasmed once, and then again, and sank.
"Move it!" Justin was already clambering into the water. "We don't want this thing to drown!"
Coleen McAndrews was right after him. "It humped its way over rocks—we saw it out of the water for more than thirty seconds. I think we can make it." The tarp was around the eel in a moment. The children started to plunge in with them. Jessica waved them back. "Watch out for the egg sac!" she yelled. "Stay ashore."
They rolled it out of the pond. Its skin was surprisingly spongy, and oozed water. It was the work of a moment to attach the eel and its roll of protective sheeting to one of the dolphin slings beneath Skeeter VI. Jessica clambered aboard.
"We'll get another skeeter up here," she yelled above the growing whine of the turbines. "Get us an egg sample and meet me at Aquatics."
"There in ten minutes," Justin promised. She whooped and raised her hand, and he slapped it hard. Their eyes shone.
"Got one, dammit," Jessica said.
Ten seconds later Skeeter VI was up in the air, and plunging toward Avalon Town.
Chapter 2
MOTHER EEL
How cheerfully he seems to grin
How neatly spreads his claws
And welcomes little fishes in
With gently smiling jaws!
LEWIS CARROLL, Alice in Wonderland
The skeeter soared. Evan's sure hands took it up so rapidly it seemed the world deflated beneath them. The acceleration was a little much for Jessica, but
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