Prodigal Sun

ned from behind his smeare

s i

Skip

you s

tle black stripes

d. Smoke was still billowing from the opening. Then he looked round at the assembled Ske

ing bullets – the muscle-tone of wet tissue paper, and you manage a throw like

y grinned at him, perhaps mistaking

ted. "How? Why? What the he

lly and awkwardly in an even more tense moment filled with the faint soun

eally helping Riley's case. "What if it's

Alzheimer's. An alien life form using a recognizable Terran life pod? Not inconceivable, he supposed – but a hostile alien? Most known aliens were friendly and had friendship treaties

d raising a bold forefinger as he realized the need to fin

now, was it?" Smythe retorted sarca

d off. Or worse still, wake up pissed off – with a blaster. At

he better part of valor. At least the fish didn't come after t

shing then." Smythe decided. "Before he – o

cted. "Aren't we at least g

n our way – before we cause

, bu

gger through enough alr

, bu

, crashing here in the river

, bu

false impressions that his was a mind that would be changed by further debate. "We're n

into the familiar and therapeutic rhythm of paddling and muted swearing, that

r his breath. "Dammit! Still

that he was no longer expected to actually give account

ravity seemed to indicate was now the floor. He coughed, squinting with disbelief at one or two little smoke rings which drifted above him before quickly di

d to things going as badly wrong as this! Things usually went according to plan – ro

e than before. And everyelsewhere too, for that matter. Hmmph. 'E

blown-back kind of look and his abdomen felt like he'd been tap-danced on by a very large animal with big heavy feet – quite possibly a pink one, taking recent events into account. On t

o that way… Thump-thump, his head went with the headache from hell as he sat up to survey the oddly blackened and sm