Prelude

They watched Surprise board the Rostov Bus. Wasn’t much of a goodbye. Cassie shed a tear or two. Cynthiamae just huffed ... Surprise wasn’t even married ... Funny how circumstance can change attitudes.

JW said gruffly, “Cassie?”

“Sir?”

“You got five minutes.” He sounded like a drill sergeant ordering a platoon on a night patrol.

“What?”

“We’re going to Crossroads.”

“In five minutes?”

Billy said, “Hold on, Slick. I’ll need longer than that.”

Cynthia agreed.

Zoe grinned at JW. “You sure will.” She stamped her foot.

And so it was ... they left through the portal the day AFTER Surprise flew to Moscow. Zoe wasn’t letting JW leave without doing his duty ... and neither was Cynthia. Billy had night work.

Cassie did her nails. Cassie was, after all said and done, Cassandran ... and female.

And not just moving the rocking chair to the space in front of the Crossroads portal ... there were other duties to perform before taking leave of spouses and friends.

Fifteen minutes gone is still fifteen minutes. Chaos was known to live up to its name.

Zoe Flintkote and Miss Tyche (Tyke) Flintkote, Cynthiamae McWilliams (Née) Flintkote, Khrystyna Kucherenko, (Krys), the increasingly competent crew, were seated in front of the portal.

They were engaged in various occupations.

Zoe was entertaining Tyke by tickling. Tyke was keeping Zoe interested by laughing her head off.

Cynthia, hugely expecting the arrival of the Flintkote heir, was knitting baby booties and displaying her skill with the needles at intervals.

Krys was examining the Ordinary Seaman handbook. She had a test coming.

There was an old fashioned clapper bell alarm clock on the shelf by the door ... ticking away the seconds before the adventurers return. The clock was just in case ... just in case the waiting throng had fallen asleep.

Others in the crew were cooking, cleaning and tinkering ... keeping on with the maintenance necessary with the safe operation of a ninety foot catamaran ... docked in a Russian port.

But not make work ... interesting maintenance in the engine rooms. Chemistry and physics meant celebratory brownies in the galley.

No one was expecting failure when the alarm rang.

Chapter 1 »