Everywhere the small band of travellers went, and no matter how careful they tried to be, they always seemed to land themselves in hot water, either due to accidentally causing offence to the people inhabiting the zone they were passing through, or by becoming inadvertently enmeshed in events beyond their control. If they could have simply travelled on, avoiding contact with any of the civilisations inhabiting the various zones, maybe they could have stayed out of trouble, but that simply wasn’t possible.

They couldn’t carry enough provisions for the entire journey, they had no idea how much further they still had to go to reach the island’s east coast, and although they tried to live off the land where possible, they still needed to regularly replenish their supplies. The only way to do that was to approach any settlements they came across and hope for a cordial reception. They didn’t always get it.

Even when the people seemed hospitable to start with, the situation could, and often did, deteriorate, usually through no fault of their own. People could be… complicated. Now, here they were, in trouble again.

“So much for making a favourable impression on our hosts.” Willaway slumped down beside Scott on the bottom bunk in the cell. “How were we supposed to know they were so completely anti-science?”

“Yeah, and now we’ve been branded heretics.” Leaning against the wall beside the cell door, Fred folded his arms across his chest. “Don’t know how we’re gonna get outta this one.”

A scratching sound outside the cell drew their attention to the door, and a small paw became visible, scratching away at the dirt, widening the gap below the heavy wooden planks.

“Oh, Sil-El,” Liana sighed. “I don’t think digging our way out is going to work. It would take too long.”

But that wasn’t what the cat had in mind. As soon as the gap was big enough, Sil-El squeezed through, reaching back with one paw, and dragging a familiar pouch into the cell.

Varian laughed when he saw it, bending to retrieve the sonic energiser. “I think it’s about time we left here, don’t you?”

Using the device, it didn’t take long for him to free them from the cell. To their relief, they found their other belongings had been left in the antechamber beyond.

Less than an hour later, they left the zone without a backward glance.


The End