AFTERWORD

Chapter 55

20. Moving On

Overview

Bob boards the Clipper as a deckhand under an assumed name, successfully hiding Bender in a shipping crate. However, he observes what appears to be a surveillance bird investigating crates, and when the boat reaches Six Hills, authorities arrest him and confiscate a decoy crate, revealing that Crew operatives are coming to interrogate him.

Summary

After fleeing Misty Falls with help from Theresa Sykorski—who uses her family name to intimidate the police—Bob reshapes his appearance and relocates Bender from his original trunk to an unmarked shipping container. He hires on as a deckhand with the Clipper, a catamaran heading downriver, and places his crate among the postal items on deck. During the voyage, Bob encounters a group of Quinlans (Tina, Fred, Tony, Barb) planning to homestead in the wild, and has concerning conversations with crew members about Quinlans devolving into non-sentience and losing interest in civilization. Bob's team meets remotely to discuss whether to contact the Administrator about the Quinlans' decline, with Bob and Hugh engaging in tense wordplay suggesting mutual suspicion about the Administrator's true motivations and knowledge. Bob notices a small bird—a firl—apparently reading shipping labels on crates. After conferring with Bill, Bob realizes the Administrator may be searching for him systematically through river traffic and sets up a countermeasure by swapping his crate's label with another overnight. At Six Hills, police arrive and arrest Bob while confiscating the decoy crate, revealing that Crew operatives are being sent to interrogate him—a far worse scenario than a simple inspection.

Characters

  • BobDeckhand who boards the Clipper with Bender hidden in a shipping crate; attempts to evade authorities by disguising himself and using a decoy
  • Theresa SykorskiBob's companion from the Hurricane; uses her prestigious family name to intimidate police and help Bob escape Misty Falls
  • RalphForeman on the Clipper who assigns Bob work and discusses unusual segments and climate variations
  • Captain (of the Clipper)Aggressive ship captain who drives the crew hard due to delivery deadlines; pays Bob for his work
  • TinaLeader of a Quinlan group of four planning to homestead in the wild; discusses their philosophy of rejecting civilization
  • FredMember of Tina's sabbat group; mostly silent
  • TonyMember of Tina's sabbat group; mostly silent
  • BarbMember of Tina's sabbat group; mostly silent
  • GilDeckhand on the Clipper who gathers breakfast with Bob
  • HughExpedition member contacted by Bob via intercom; discusses the Administrator's possible surveillance technology
  • WillExpedition member present in video window during team meeting
  • BridgetExpedition member present in video window; expresses concern about the ethical implications of the Quinlans' decline
  • BillExpedition member present in video window; provides strategic analysis of how the Administrator might be tracking Bob
  • GarfieldExpedition member present in video window; references Star Trek's Prime Directive
  • Police officer (Misty Falls)Attempts to inspect Bob's trunk before Theresa intimidates him into backing off
  • Shipping office clerkSells Bob a shipping container and postage materials
  • Dockmaster's assistantProvides Bob with names of ships needing deckhands
  • Police officer (Six Hills)Arrests Bob and confiscates the decoy crate; reveals that Crew operatives are coming to interrogate him