Twinks in Space: Fantastic Voyage - Part Two - 14. Chapter 14 - Reconnected

Fonith glared at her device. The screen in her palm blinked with the number forty-eight hours and zero minutes. Its countdown had ended, and Quigley had not followed Fonith’s instructions to save his family.

After having spent the day with Thesda in the river city, Fonith and the others were now back on her ship, and the Cometskipper was headed for its home docking port in Boullia Bay. The group was in the vehicle’s lounge. Fonith looked over at her niece.

Riah was asleep on a large chair, and Froufrou was asleep with her. The pug was upside down with his belly toward the ceiling, and one of Riah’s little arms was over him. Froufrou was snoring.

At a small table, Captain Suoki was attempting to teach Finnow and Golvinte how to play a complicated card game.

During the forty-eight hour countdown, Finnow had asked Fonith about the timer several times, but she had lost track of how many hours had elapsed.

Fonith stood and exited the room. She made her way to the bridge of her ship and sat in her command chair. Alright, Quigley, she thought, I made my play and you are yet to respond. She checked her timer again, as if it was still counting down. “Godsdammit,” she growled as she initiated a second audio-only call to Quigley.

Phentrom answered.

“Hello, Fonith.”

“Phentrom?!”

“I’m with Quigley,” the mandroid informed her.

“Hi, Fonith,” the bounty hunter said, “sorry about all this. We’re in Boullia Bay.”

Fonith was more than surprised. “Phentrom, you’re okay? You two are together? What’s going on?!”

Quigley asked a question of his own, and he cringed as the words left his lips. “What happened to the man I shot?”

“Yeah, is Suoki okay?” Phentrom added.

“He is,” Fonith replied. “He was badly injured, but he’s all bandaged up now. But tell me what happened to you!”

“We talked,” Phentrom explained. “It turns out, Quigley and I have more in common than we expected. He may have pursued a bounty on me, but he didn’t turn me over to his clients, and he just wants peace, like me.”

“Also,” Quigley interposed, “Fonith, I would have asked you about my family, but I know they’re safe with you.”

“They are,” Fonith confirmed. “Riah is asleep.”

A sob threatened to rise in Quigley’s throat at hearing his daughter’s name, and he coughed to force it down. “Where are you?” he managed.

“We’re on the Cometskipper, my ship,” Fonith replied, “and we’re headed to you in Boullia Bay.”

“Phentrom and I will be waiting,” Quigley said with a smile.

“How long until you arrive?” Phentrom asked, but there was no reply.

Quigley’s communication device was lying on a table between him and the mandroid. The quiet humming buzz of the connection remained over its speaker, but Fonith’s voice was gone. The two men waited a moment.

“Fonith, are you there?” Phentrom asked.

Static hissed, and the quiet was suddenly shattered by an ear-piercing digital wail. Quigley and Phentrom brought their hands to their ears, and as the horrible sound died, a muffled voice began to cut in and out.

“…tain Disigorth of… …tleship Scorched Atmo… …to be board…”

Quigley gasped. “Disigorth?!” He cried out, “Not Disigorth! Fonith, can you hear us? What’s your positioning?? Send it to us before your coms are cut! Fonith, send it! Send it now!”