Interruption

"The Four Without Graves were killed by an entirely new disease," you begin, but Claudia grabs your arm and looks up.

Clonk-clonk-karunk. Something is moving across the deck overhead.

"It's William," you say.

"Or a polar bear," Claudia says.

You listen as something heavy is dragged over the deck. "Come on," she says, pulling on her mittens and drawing her hood tight. You both clatter up the gangway.

Out on deck, the wind is howling. A figure dragging a haulsack struggles to crawl across the icy deck. It's William. "HEY!" you shout. He doesn't look up.

"Take my hand!" Claudia yells. With one hand you seize her wrist. The other you clamp onto a stanchion. Claudia creeps out onto the ice. Her outstretched hand falls short.

You pull her back into the doorway. "Gimme your foot."

With your hand around her ankle, she crawls out onto the ice. You both stretch as far as you can, but William is still out of reach.

An Access Excellence Science Mystery sponsored by Genentech, Inc.
Copyright © 1997 Genentech, Inc.; all rights reserved.