the airplane

[instar]

Bella, Andi, and Robin all get on the plane. Bella and Robin have toothbrush caps in their pockets containing flies. Nothing in particular happens when they go through security. They fly for an hour, and then Bella, rather than risk crunch time due to turbulence or a line for the bathroom a little later on, gets up to take Trouble into privacy for demorphing and remorphing.

She takes the toothbrush cap out of her pocket and sets it on the tiny little counter, and then flattens herself against a wall to give him room.

Comments

[instar]

And then he is tucked away again.

"Showtime," mutters Bella.

And she and Andi and Robin head to the baggage claim to meet... someone, anyway.

[sundayfish]

Here's someone, all right!

He hugs the twins.

He offers Robin his hand to shake. "You must be Robin."

[hold_infinity]

She shakes his hand. "How'd you guess?"

[sundayfish]

"Process of elimination. What's your bag look like?"

[hold_infinity]

"Little and black with pink and red swirls painted on; you can't miss it."

[sundayfish]

"All right then." And the baggage carousel is observed intently in case it displays such a thing, or either twin's bag.

[instar]

Eventually all of the bags are retrieved, and the girls follow Charlie - for lack of a better word - to his police cruiser.

[hold_infinity]

Robin is quiet.

She just doesn't feel like making conversation right now.

[instar]

So are the twins.

[sundayfish]

Seems to suit Charlie fine.

The drive home takes about forty-five minutes, and then he says:

"You all make yourselves at home. I'll be out for an hour - got a Sharing meeting, you girls are all welcome if you'd like to come along - but then I'll be back and we can catch up."

[instar]

"You have fun, Dad," says Bella softly.

[sundayfish]

"I know you've made yourselves clear you don't think much of it, but just to be sure..."

[pandion]

"We'll just unpack," says Andi, shaking her head.

[hold_infinity]

"Yeah," says Robin.

[sundayfish]

"Suit yourselves."

And he's off.

[pandion]

"I would never, ever guess," says Andi, shuddering, "if I didn't know."

[instar]

Bella unpockets Trouble. "We know when it eats, or at least have a very good guess, now. We can schedule our we-want-to-go-hiking trip accordingly."

[hold_infinity]

Robin unpockets Ethan.

"Right," she says as the boys start to demorph. "Do we know where we want to go hiking?"

[instar]

"Olympic National Park. Probably most convenient if you're the one who really wants to go hiking. It knows us as well as Charlie does."

[hold_infinity]

"Sure," she says. "Tell me all about Olympic National Park so I can get properly excited."

[instar]

Bella relates what she knows about the park and its hiking-related virtues.

[hold_infinity]

Robin constructs an appropriate enthusiasm.

[aeskhyne]

"So let's talk about the part where I get eaten by a bear," says Trouble.

[instar]

"That's cover-up, not part of the rescue itself. We set up the hike, cut as close as we can to when the Yeerk is going to need to nip out for some Kandrona. Before we leave Andi unloads Charlie's gun in case he brings it. While we are out in the woods, we encounter some bears. You guys can rotate out, but don't let him get to the car or otherwise away. Tree him if you can, avoid hurting him if possible - Trouble, the Yeerk will come out when it's hungry enough pool or no pool, right?"

[aeskhyne]

"Yeah. When they starve, they kind of - shrivel up and ooze out."