CHAPTER SIXTEEN

sea stalked into the house with Yo trailing behind her. She headed straight for the spare

room, but Yo grabbed her arm and stopped her.

'What are you going to do?'

He asked.

'Um, find out where she's been? See if she knows who put those capybaras in my

room? Forbid her to defile yet another of my houses with her frightening exploits?'

sea yanked her arm out of his grasp.

'sea. sea, stop. She's a bit.... occupied at the moment, if you know what I mean. It

might not be a good time to burst in...'

Always the voice of reason. sea sighed and stopped.

'Okay, what do you suggest?'

Saturn Girl peered out into the hall through the space between the bottom of the door

and the floor. No feet. She stood up and silently opened the door the tiniest bit. No one in

sight. She opened the door and poked her head out. There was no one in the house. She felt

joyous. She closed the door behind her and headed down the hall, checking all the rooms,

looking for the one that beloned to sea. sea had all the best toys, and Saturn Girl always

made sure to borrow from her; it was why she had become sea's roommate in the first place.

She came to the last door at the end of the hall and turned the knob. Stepping quietly

inside, she closed the door behind her and turned around, coming face-to-face with sea.

'So there were these three men walking down the road...'
Phil paused, frowning.

'Oh, zark, I can't remember the punchline to that one. Can't tell you a joke if I

don't remember the punchline, now can I? Bugger.'

Standing by the entrance to DNA's lair, Marv looked up.

'The punchline, Phil, is 42.'

Unknown to both men, at the very moment Marv had said '42', a tear had

appeared in the fabric of space-time. The word had travelled across the planet to a small

classroom in rural Pennsylvania where a young man was taking a calculus exam. It was the

hardest test of his high school career, and he needed an A or he would never pass the course.

Sadly, he had no idea what the correct answer was. Suddenly, he heard someone say

'42'. The boy shrugged, figured it must have been divine intervention, and wrote

down the number.

Of course, back in Innsbruck, Marv and Phil had no idea what had happened, and carried

on their conversation.

'Oh, right. Thank you, Marv.'

Marv sighed and went back to his analysis of the door in front of him, not really listening

to Phil's joke, and having no clue that he had just unknowingly obliterated a young child's

chances of going to college and discovering a cure for the common cold.

'Looking for something?'
sea kept her face stoic despite the desire to laugh at the guilty expression on Saturn

Girl's face.

Saturn Girl went pale for a moment, then smiled.

'You, actually. I wanted to... let you know I was here. Hi!'

'Uh huh. Sure. You were looking for my tools again, weren't you?'
sea held up a hand to stop Saturn Girl's response.

'Look, it doesn't matter. I just want to know some things. Where have you been?

When did you leave the house, before or after the capybaras appeared in my

room?'

'Capybaras?'
To her credit, Saturn Girl betrayed no knowledge of what sea was talking about. sea

decided that she was either a very good actress or had no clue what had happened.

'We left shortly after you did. Busterbone wanted to try out this new place he

had found, it's this--'

Saturn Girl was stopped cold as sea slapped a hand over her mouth.

'Please, spare me the details.'

Saturn Girl shrugged.

'Suit yourself. Now, are we done? I have a man tied up in your spare room, and

I'd like to get back to him, if you don't mind.'

'Actually, you don't. As we've been talking, Yo has been busy untying your... 'friend'

and kicking him out of the house. As for you... well, you may have the house back in the

States. Here are my keys, and here...'
sea wrote out a check.

'...here is a check for $100,000. Consider this a payment to stay out of my house

and all of my houses in the future. I think it's more than fair, considering. Now, please

remove yourself and your... boy toy from my property.'

Saturn Girl stared at the check and the keys, then looked at sea.

'You're paying me to stay away from you?'

'That would be the intention, yes.'

Saturn Girl gaped at her.

'But... but...'

sea arched an eyebrow. Why the insistence in being nearby? Just how had

Saturn Girl come to know she was in London, and found her?

'Is there a problem? I certainly hope not, as I must warn you that I'd get a lot of

pleasure out of throwing you out the front door. Oh, and just for your information, my

having to do so would cost you $100,000 and a house in the States.'

Saturn Girl looked at the check and the keys, then at sea. She glared at sea, then

stomped out of the room. sea went to the door of her room and saw Yo standing outside.

'How did it go?'
Yo asked even though he could tell by the look on sea's face.

'I want her followed. I don't trust her.'
sea watched Saturn Girl leave, and crossed her arms. The door slammed.

The Quest

Collection

sea

20.06.02 Front Page

Back Issue Page