Monday, August 30

two if by sea

"What do you mean you DROPPED him?" I paced back and forth across the laboratory as Kane shifted from one red-stained steel talon to the other uncomfortably.

"Doctor. You did say 'LET GO'. Twice. At the first command I presumed you meant to dislodge my claws from his..." I shut my eyes and held my temples.

"Alright. I understand. So Marcus is...gone. I suppose it's for the best..." Kane's beak pointed to the side as the iris of his right eye tightened.

"But Doctor...I saw your giant robotic squid recover your brother's body." I stopped pacing and stared back at the mechanical crow.

"Mr. Qork? I don't have..."

"It had your family crest painted on the shell, Sir. But the device did seem to be in dire need of repairs..." I covered my mouth with a gasp, and bolted upstairs to the Consulate library. Kane hopped along close behind me. I pulled the copy of the Heroic Adventures of Jeremiah Mason that Miss Nightfire had recovered from the dust of Steeltopia Library and flipped open a two-page illustration of a kraken rendered in shimmering metal.

"Was this what you saw, Kane?" He stared at the drawing for a few seconds, and nodded. I tapped my finger on the caption beneath it. The ILLUMINAUTILUS.

Meanwhile, the lights on the broken frequency helmet that I had set on my lab table downstairs began to flicker.

.- ... .... / -- .- ... --- -. / - --- / -.. .-. / -- .- ... --- -. / .--. .- -. -.. --- .-. ..- ... / .-.. --- -.-. .- - . -.. / .--. .-.. . .- ... . / .- -.. ...- .. ... .

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