Then it was replaced by a printed sign that read WOPCART -- SUMMER EXPEDITION (IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF BRIGHTON) The music faded, there was a moment of blackness, and the transmission began again. "Greetings, children of the deep! ..." "See?" asked Fishcake, turning to Wren. He had forgotten that she was his hostage, so eager was he to share the astonishing message with somebody. His eyes were shining-- his whole face was radiant--and Wren realized for the first time how young he really was: just a small boy, far from home and longing for love and comfort. "What do you think I should do?" he asked. "I checked for Brighton's homing beacon. They're close. About fifty, sixty miles southwest of us. I never heard of a city coming that near to the Dead Continent...." Wren could feel the sense of yearning building in the cramped cabin as Fishcake imagined that city full of mums and dads floating fifty miles away. What if she could persuade him to rendezvous with Brighton?
