“Unless,” Charlene interjected, “they are attempting to trap us in the Syndrome.”
“Yes, agreed,” Willa said. “But how complicated is that? They either have to trap and hold our holograms—not likely given how advanced 2.0 is—or get into all our locked staterooms, undetected, and poison or drug us while we sleep.”
“That would take phenomenal planning and coordination,” Finn said.
“Okay. Good enough for me,” Maybeck said.
“And me,” Willa said.
That was what Finn liked about the Keepers. They’d learned (most of them) to keep their egos in check and work as a group, willing to change their opinions based on information and research. They weren’t perfect at it, and it had taken a couple years to come together. But like a sports team, or a rock band, they’d learned how to work together and use each person’s strengths. The only one he worried about was Philby, who was setting himself apart from the others because of his success with controlling 2.0.
Finn tugged on the lanyard around his neck, noticing the same identifications on the three others. That really was an advantage of 2.0—the increased probability of physical objects crossing over with their DHIs. If they ever came to fully trust it, Finn thought, they could begin carrying the Return with them instead of having to hide it for use later or leaving Philby behind to execute a manual return as they were doing tonight.
“Remember, we belong here. Our IDs are legit. The uniforms—costumes—are legit. No fear,” he said, reminding the Keepers of their shared motto. “If a crew member or fellow Cast Member stops us, we ask for help. If things get crazy, then once we’re all together, we give Philby a call on a Wave Phone and return to our staterooms.”
“Also remember to practice 2.0,” Willa added, “in the next couple minutes. I know we’ve all gotten pretty used to it, but this is a new server, so who knows how it responds?”
“Done,” Maybeck said.
“Charlene and I will take boat fifty-seven. You two, twelve,” Finn said.
“The plan being?” Maybeck asked.
“We stow away. Philby said there’s space in the lifeboat’s bow where they keep a small anchor and food supplies. We listen, we observe, we get back together, add it all up, and see if any of it means anything.”
“That makes it sound too easy,” Charlene said.
“Yeah,” Finn said.
* * *
The first indication of Charlene’s unintentional prophecy were the paw prints. Unfortunately, neither Finn nor Charlene spotted them. Finn led the way. They were actually negative prints—the deck being misted from sea spray, the paw prints being dry spaces amid the wet—the deck lighting throwing a glare that concealed, rather than revealed, them.
Maybeck saw them. Not much escaped his artist’s eye. He and Willa, on the opposite—port—side of Deck 4, from his friends, pushed his teammate back against the wall and pointed them out to her. He made a motion with his thumbs. Willa pulled out her Wave Phone and sent Charlene a text.
animal tracks
Charlene received the text, but a moment too late.
She and Finn had had their attention on the stenciled numbers overhead on the hull of each fiberglass lifeboat. To their mutual consternation, the lifeboats appeared to be in no particular order but installed randomly, the numbers mixed up like Ping-Pong balls in a lottery basket.
Twenty-seven…thirty-four…seventeen…
“This could take all night,” Finn whispered.
“Or maybe not,” Charlene said, grabbing hold of his arm to stop him.
Up ahead, patrolling in a well-defined circle, were two…
“Hyenas?” Finn said, pulling back flat against the wall.
Mangy, starved beasts, with gray matted hair, the telltale hump of shoulder and long neck. Their pink tongues hung out, drool cascading down.
“The Lion King,” Charlene muttered. “You remember how they—”
“I remember,” Finn said. They liked to tear their living prey apart, piece by piece, as they snacked.
Charlene checked her phone as it purred.
“Willa and Maybeck. Warning us of animal prints.” She texted back immediately.
hyenas. b careful
“They look hungry,” Finn said.
But there was something else, something he didn’t tell her. He’d encountered hyenas before, shortly after the library. The jump. He and Willa—or so he’d thought. Pursued through that factory. Being a DHI and Keeper, Finn had his reality toyed with enough to not appreciate such unknowns. Having two separate lives was plenty, thank you very much. He didn’t need to try to sort out authentic dreams from those where he crossed over and became a hologram.