Edmond and Willas walked across the deck. Halcreek had been awake all night. On patrol, as usual. There didn't seem to be any bloodshed from the sirens. They found Halcreek at the back of the ship.

"Get to shoot anything?" Willas asked him, then tried to peer at the water through the fog.

"Not this night." Halcreek almost sounded disappointed.

"Captain!" All three of them heard the call from somewhere on the deck.

"Here!" Edmond returned a call, "At the helm!"

After much shuffling and clanking, Piles emerged from the fog, walking with makeshift crutches. "Captain!" He greeted Edmond a little breathlessly, "Reporting for duty!"

Edmond couldn't help but smile. He closed the gap and gave Piles a strong hug. He was so happy to see him up and about again. Even the color had returned to Piles' skin. He just looked and sounded so alive. It brought Edmond's heart joy.

Halcreek smiled as well and clasped Piles on the shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Edmond released the man.

"Trying to work." Piles readjusted the planks under his arms. "I swear, Captain. I am still useful! I can still work!"

That was when the realization hit Edmond. Along with a hollow sadness. Piles had known ships for as long as he could walk. His whole life had been spent working on a deck. It was all he knew. And now, with one leg and no free hands, what was Piles to do? He could barely keep his balance now while the ship was idle. He could only imagine how unstable he would be when they started moving again. Piles' whole life had changed. Piles just hadn't realized it yet. Still desperate to prove his worth.

Edmond couldn't stop the sad frown that appeared on his face as he thought of how to respond.

Piles was quick to convince his captain, "honest, Captain! Any job! I can do it as well as any man!" Edmond's heart went out to him.

After some consideration, Edmond thought of a job that Piles could do while seated. "I do have one important job." Edmond told him. "But it isn't pretty."

"Anything." Piles assured him.

Edmond nodded, "I need someone to monitor Davis. It won't be easy. You'll watch a man under the spell of madness. He is strapped down for now, but he needs to be fed and cleaned up. His bedding needs changed."

"I can clean and feed him!" Piles agreed.

"No. Not you." Edmond corrected him, "It's too dangerous for one man alone. You'll only monitor him. I'll send someone down later to help with the rest."

"But I can do it, Captain." Piles sounded desperate. Of course he was. If he wasn't a functioning member of the crew, then what was he?

Edmond felt the need to reassure him, "I know you can. You're as capable as any. But for now, only monitor."

Piles didn't look happy. He looked hurt. As if he were simply being cast aside to sit in a corner while the men did the real work. He nodded reluctantly, but made his way down, shuffling unsteadily along the way.

Edmond, Halcreek, Willas, and the researchers met in Edmond's quarters. It was time for a plan. Edmond would much rather be sailing. How was he supposed to keep her? How could he convince Willas and Halcreek?

"The fog may follow us, but eventually we will reach land." The researcher offered his plan first. "If we can just get her to land, we will all be safe."

"That's not the plan." Willas told them. "Our plan is to return her. Not take her with us."

"That is your plan." The researcher disagreed, "I have my own plans."

"We have shackles in the brig." Halcreek reminded them. "I say we use them. If she is docile, maybe we can reason enough with her to use them without a struggle."

"And if she isn't docile?" Edmond really wanted any excuse to keep her.

"There are five of us. One of her." Halcreek pointed out. "If push comes to shove, we may overpower her. Plus, we have rifles."

"We can't kill her!" Edmond was quick to spit out.

"Only to threaten her." Halcreek shrugged. "They are smart enough to know what guns are. Let's use that to our advantage."

"Great." Willas chimed in. "We use shackles to help with the hands, and I say we use sheets. Wrap her up and drag her to the lifeboat. We can lower her back down to her family safely. Returning her kindly can show them our regret."

Edmond tried to pick this one apart. "If she shreds the sheets?"

"I don't think she will." Willas thought, "She wants to go home as badly as we want her to. Therefore, a little explanation can go a long way. She should let us if we communicate our side."

"It seems dangerous." Edmond mumbled. He wasn't sure of how to stop this without looking insane.

"This is our life's work we are talking about!" The researcher proclaimed. "You can't do this! I am telling you! Sail until we reach land. Just sail!"

All of them looked to Edmond. The final call was his. On one hand, he faced ridicule from two researchers desperately trying to hold onto their evidence. On the other hand, he faced potential mutiny. His men looked to him for reason and protection. How would it appear for him to suddenly side with the researchers. To put all his men at further risk just for... for what? His daughter.

He rubbed his temples. Stalling. He had to think. How could he pull this off?

"It is possible..." He began with a hint of uncertainty, "That land isn't far off..."

Willas already knew this was coming. "In which way?" He asked without expecting an answer. "Which way do we blindly sail in hopes of not crashing into something? For how long, Captain?" He was becoming increasingly more agitated. "How many days will pass before you are ready to release her at last?"

Never. At least, that is what Edmond wanted to say. He knew better. Logically, he knew Willas and Halcreek were right. But his emotions were eating him up from the inside out. He wanted to scream into the void.

"What are we waiting for?" Halcreek asked.

"We need our Captain to agree." Willas looked to Edmond.

Edmond couldn't bring himself to say anything. He only looked down at his desk.

"You can't do this, Captain Conway!" The researcher begged. "We will double the pay! Triple the pay!" He leaned on the captain's desk in desperation, not realizing he was fighting already for what Edmond wanted.

"I'll tell you where you can shove that triple pay!" Halcreek snapped. "You realize men are at risk? We are practically out of food! We will all starve!"

"Do you know how many lives we can save by keeping her? To understand their powers? To understand how they learn. How they grow. How they communicate." The researcher pointed out, "This will really change the world!"

"Not on my watch!" Halcreek shot down the whole idea of it.

"Tell them." Willas looked to Edmond, "Tell them we will return her."

Edmond felt like he was backed into a corner. Torn between the two options. How much he wished he could just let down the sails now. But their food supply was so thin. They needed to act before the sirens or starvation did.

He felt a ringing in his ears. A pressure squeezed his head. They all looked to him for an answer. He didn't know what to say. The words just couldn't come out. He couldn't physically tell them to get rid of her. It seemed so alien to him that not so long ago, he was demanding she be thrown from the ship. He felt like that past him was somehow a totally different person. How could he have been so blind to what these creatures were.

Screaming could be heard from outside the door. "Captain! Captain!"

DeVitas entered the door. He hadn't even bothered to knock. He was still screaming, "Davis!"

There were no questions asked. It was clear there wasn't the time. Edmond, Willas, and Halcreek all rushed from the room toward the holding cell.

Inside, Keller was struggling on the ground with Davis. Blood and feces were smeared all over the floor and walls. Within the bloody smears on the floor, lied Piles, in a puddle of his own blood. His face and neck had been chewed to a point where he wasn't even recognizable anymore. He was still gasping for air.

Edmond and Halcreek rushed to his sides, while Willas worked with Keller to strap Davis back down.

"Piles!" Halcreek screamed to him. Edmond grabbed Piles' hand just to find that it too had been chewed up. The man's face and neck looked like they had gone through a meat grinder. Blood was still pooling around his head.

Piles sputtered, blood leaking as he spoke, "I thought..." He shivered, his words shaking as much as he was, "I thought I could do it..." The mess of meat around his mouth mushed as he spoke.

"You damn fool!" Halcreek screamed over him. "We told you to wait!"

Piles' eyes were red as he looked around the room without eyelids. Tears mixed with blood seeped into his butchered face. The blood from his neck pulsed out to join the rest on the floor. Every time he tried to swallow, the muscles in his neck could be seen moving from under the broken skin. He took a couple of ragged breaths just to gasp and go still.

Even Davis' screaming seemed tuned out in that moment while Edmond looked at Piles' disfigured remains. That's all he was now. Remains. So desperate to prove he was still capable. He got himself killed. Edmond should have known better to put Piles over such a task. The puddle of blood was soaking into Edmond's pants.

Edmond slowly let go of Piles' hand and rested it on his chest. His eyes went down to Piles' leg. Or rather, the stump that used to be a leg. All the work Halcreek had done to try to save the man's life. All the pain and suffering.

Halcreek stood. His hands ran through his hair, and he let out a frustrated scream that shook the air around them. He swung his fist to punch the wall. He seemed feral. He stormed over to Davis, who was strapped down, and wrapped his burly hands around the man's throat to strangle him.

"No!" Edmond was up in a flash to grab Halcreek. Willas and Keller both tried to yank Halccreek's hands free of the man's throat. DeVitas joined in to pull him off. It took all four of them to rip him away from Davis at last.

"I'll kill him!" Halcreek roared. Edmond did his best to stand in front of Halcreek to prevent him from going after Davis again.

In all the commotion of trying to calm Halcreek down, another sound was heard. Back in the cell, strapped to the cot, Davis cackled joyfully.