Actually, the only thing Beatrice needed at this moment was for humans to stay out of her way. Time was getting short and she still had miles to go. She worked her way south, through rural Alabama, staying off the Chattahoochee but following it closely.

Lt. Bob Wilson ran the blob sequence for the third time. There was something there. It had moved out of frame before the camera could lock focus. He ran his hands through his hair. It didn't make sense. It wasn't a car; not that far into the swamp. Wrong signature for a boat. Too big for an alligator. He had tried various filters without success. There just wasn't enough footage. He clicked the arrow to play the loop again.

Fitz stuck his head in the crew-room door. "Bob, debrief is starting."

Wilson sighed and hit the delete button. No sense in distracting them with something he couldn't identify. He had the beaver footage. That was the money shot.

Beatrice felt safe re-entering the river near a small crossroads called Lucy, Alabama. She passed behind an old church whose unpainted oak siding gleamed silver in the twilight. Stepping carefully around weathered headstones in the ancient cemetery, she worked her way down the hill and slid into the cool water. From there it was just a short swim to the Florida line and the swamps that marked the northern edge of Lake Seminole.

It didn't mean anything to Beatrice but just before she entered Lake Seminole she passed the little town of Two Egg, Florida, whose claim to fame (other than their name) is as the childhood home of Faye Dunaway. Beatrice also felt like she was going home.

Lake Seminole is a reservoir located in the southwest corner of Georgia along its border with Florida. It is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and, at full capacity, contains almost 38,000 acres of water and 376 miles of shoreline. The Chattahoochee, Crystal, and Flint rivers meet in the lake and become the Apalachicola River as they flow through the dam. According to the Florida State Tourism Board, the lake is home to largemouth bass, crappie, chain pickerel, catfish, striped bass, American alligators, snakes, and various waterfowl. The official description makes no reference to Beatrice and her kin.

At the bottom of the lake, lies the ruins of historic Fort Scott. Abandoned in 1821, It was covered in the mid-fifties by the rising waters.

The lake waters conceal another facility that does not show up on any map or in any document. Carved into the living limestone and protected by the Silver Lake Wildlife Management Area it is simply known as "The Sanctuary".

Beatrice knows it well. Forty years ago, she was hatched there.