Angel’s hands move swiftly, connecting wires and checking circuits. Sweat beads on her brow and threatens to drop into her eye. She attempts to wipe the sweat from her eye, but her sleeve falls short. The drop of hot salty sweat runs into her eye and she opts to work with one burning eye clamped shut. She can feel the light dimming inside her. Whatever Elias had given her is fading. The storm inside her is growing still.

She bites her cheek and pinches a small amount of the essence with her mind's eye. Carefully she draws the light up into the soul of her mind. Opening her eyes again she scans over the motherboards and exposed circuitry. She marvels as the essence reveals the mysteries to her. She can see the power coursing through the circuits. She can understand them somehow, like an instinct.

Leo walks into the Captain’s Cabin behind her tucking his spent gun into his waistband and sinching up his jeweled black belt. His suit jacket is still remarkably clean, but he wipes the sleeves with his palms anyway and slicks back his hair.

Angel watches as he walks around the lock box behind the captain’s chair. Then leans back against it crossing his feet at the ankles and resting his hands on the edge of the chest. He isn’t tall enough to sit down on the chest, but he still holds his nose in the air as if he is ten feet tall. He pulls a toothpick out of his jacket pocket and flips it into his mouth. His pencil-thin mustache reminds Angel of a woolly worm crawling as he works the pick side to side with his tongue.

Angel drops her eyes back to work on the circuit board, “you are not supposed to be in here Leo. This is the captain’s cabin.” She jumps a wire across, and the lights flicker to life in the cabin. Small fans kick on in the large electrical boxes at the back of the cabin.

Leo sucks his teeth and adjusts his gold watch, “You weren’t supposed to be in my truck either Valley Rat but didn’t stop you.”

Angel stands up and walks past Leo to pop open the electrical box doors. Each cabinet is as tall as she is and filled with circuit boards from floor to ceiling. “I’m from Middletown.” She mumbles grudgingly.

Leo looks around the room casually then watches silent for a few minutes as Angel pulls out circuit boards to inspect them. She begins cutting wires and rerouting them to other circuits. He squints his eyes watching her for a moment. Lights kick on outside the cabin shining into the forest beyond the beach.

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After a few more minutes she successfully reboots the mainframe screens over the dashboard. Grunting to herself in satisfaction she closes up the electrical boxes. She slides into the captain’s chair. She flips a keyboard out of a cubby hole and begins typing in commands on a green screen.

“What are you doing?” Leo leans in closer to squint into the screen.

“Trying to break into the catamaran’s root system and override the commands. Maybe I can get us back to Terre Goth.” Angel answers typing in shorthand commands and symbols.

Leo drums his short fat fingers on the chest he is leaning against. The oversized rings on his hands clink against the thick metal.

“Would you stop that I’m trying to concentrate.” Angel pinches off a little more essence and puts it to work. She is running desperately low. She bites her lip and imagines swallowing her pride to ask Elias for a little more of the miraculous potion around his neck.

“Why don’t you put that clever brain of yours to use to open this chest,” Leo suggests as he eyes the hand scanner on the side of the large metal box. When she doesn’t respond he adds, “Aren’t you a little curious about what is inside this thing? It looks really expensive.”

“I know what is in it.” She glares over her shoulder. “And I already know what you would do with them.”

Leo tips his hat down to hide his face as if he were hiding a blush, “Everyone was scared. I was not myself.” He clears his throat, “What if more of those things are out there? What if there are bigger creatures, packs of creatures? The people should be able to protect themselves.” He pauses for a few moments; Angel keeps typing away. “Besides I already have a gun. I could be acting out right now but here I am sitting all gentle man-like with you.”

“That likely has more to do with you being out of ammo than having any concept of what it means to be a gentleman. If Elias wants to hand out guns to everyone on the ship, let him do it, he is the captain.”

“Should he be though? I mean look at you in here wizarding the computers. Maybe you want a little insurance in your corner. What do you really know about this boy? He might be a tyrant with this sudden power.”

Angel spins her chair and looks level into Leo’s eyes. “Go tempt someone that actually cares about power. I don’t. You are a very observant man, you have already considered Elias and decided I was the weaker choice to manipulate. Gives me more reason to trust him. The only end of a gun I want to see you on is the loud end. Now get out of my face so I can work.”

Leo stands up suddenly and reaches for her throat with both hands. Angel flinches back and places a small, hardwired device to his neck. The short round man pees down the front of his ironed trousers and topples over sideways convulsing on the floor. Then he passes out, drooling his toothpick onto the metal floor.

“Now be quiet so I can work.”