On the third morning the door opened to admit the bright sunshine. Jack stood in the doorway. He looked fresh and alert, somehow bigger than the boy remembered from the last time he saw him. But then he had been exhausted and haggard, so maybe that was it.

"Hey, boy", Jack said. "Are you all right? Did you get sick at all?"

"No", the boy said fearfully. "Did anyone die?"

"No, we all seem to be fine this morning. It must have been some kind of flu. It's a good thing you were in here and didn't get it. It was pretty bad. You can come out now.", Jack said. "You don't have to stay locked up in here anymore. We'll be sailing for your home soon. Come on and get some breakfast." The boy jumped up to accompany the captain. He wondered why no one had ever asked him his name but decided he wasn't going to volunteer it. He didn't mind being called boy by the big men.

Jack and Aaron were standing together in the control room. The men were busy raising sails, checking on the Sea Grate, and preparing to move on toward the Island. They were also comparing the changes in their bodies, now that the kid had returned to Hawk's room.

"What do you think happened?", Jack asked Aaron.

"You know, Captain,", Aaron said, "We all changed at the same time. Sally's still changing. It was just us, the people that were caught in the GECK explosion. I don't think we had an illness. I think we've mutated."

Jack agreed. "I think that's the most likely explanation. Look at us. We've all gained muscles we didn't even know we had. Dawson was always so slender, hell, his own mama isn't going to recognize him in all that muscle. At least we haven't turned into super mutants. We still seem to be us, just larger."

"Yeah, and our old scars haven't gone away like they have on Sally. They've faded some, but we still have them. Still, Carl healed awfully well, and all the new wounds we got seem to have completely healed without any scarring. You know, maybe this isn't so bad.", Aaron said thoughtfully.

Jack didn't answer. He was going to reserve judgment on that until the consequences of their exposure could be fully determined. For now the men seemed to be adjusting to their new condition and were going about their business fully energized. Sally, on the other hand, was still not awake. That worried him. As soon as they were under sail and moving smoothly he went to their cabin to check on Sally, leaving Mike at the controls, and having instructed Aaron to call the men together in the control room in an hour.

Sally had moved into a new regeneration cycle. Jack checked her eyes and skin and decided she wasn't dehydrated. She had gone in and out of the cycle for days now, and each time she revived she had changed a little more. He watched until her breathing slowed, her heart rate went down, her temperature began to drop. They had used the last saline bag so he hoped it had been enough. He had had to post pone the meeting, but she was now sleeping soundly, so he went out and called the men together.

The crew gathered in the control room, eyeing one another nervously.

"What is this about, Captain?", Bill asked. Jack looked around.

"You've all noticed the changes we've undergon, and that it was the result of the illness we all had. The thing is Aaron and I don't think we had an illness. We believe we may have undergone some mutations caused by our exposure when we got caught in the GECK activation." The men looked at each other, then at Jack.

"We kinda figured that too.", Mike said. "But it doesn't seem to have caused us to change in a bad way. I mean, we all seem stronger, and faster, and we heal up real quick. That's not bad, right?"

"I hope you're right. I hope this is the end of it for us. But I have to tell you, Sally's undergone more drastic changes. She doesn't look the same. Oh, she hasn't become a ghoul or super mutant or anything like that, she's just different. You'll see when she comes out. I just can't guarantee it isn't going to happen to us sooner or later. No one has ever been exposed to this radiation before so no one knows how it's going to affect us long term. But you do need to know that Sally had undergone some previous mutations from different exposures so she may be different from us. She was already able to use radiation to help her heal."

"We understand, Captain, but there isn't anything we can do about it is there?", Bill asked.

"Not that I know of.", Jack replied.

"Then I guess we just go on with what we do and see what happens.", Bill observed. The men agreed.

"All right, then, if no one has anything to add we can get back to work. We've decided to anchor off shore at Tallaha Island and take a dinghy in. Mike and I will take trade goods and pick up some supplies while the rest of you guard the ships. We don't want any trouble over the Sea Grate since we're planning on taking her on to Baton Rouge. If we sail until dark we should just be out of sight of the Island when we anchor, then we can go a little closer in the morning. The ships will be visible from the dock but not as accessible. Any questions?"

"I have one.", Fred said. "You've said Sally uses radiation to help her heal. Well, if we've changed to, does that mean we can use it too?" Jack stared at him. That hadn't occurred to him.

"Aaron?", he asked. Aaron shrugged

"Who knows. One of us could try a little exposure with a gauge to measure it and see what happens." The men all looked at each other.

"I'll do it.", Jack said. "I have to expose Sally anyway. I just won't wear gloves." They ironed out a few more details before the meeting broke up and the men went back to their chores.

The day passed quietly. The lovely weather held and no other ship came in sight. Sailing was easy in the gentle breeze. The boy enjoyed coming up on deck and talking to the men, helping with small chores. They were careful to refer to their illness and not mention the word mutation around him. It wouldn't do for anyone to find out what had happened to the crew of the Tradewind. They dropped anchor just after dark, assuring the boy he would be home in the morning. Still they took the precaution of locking his door for the night.

Jack had spent part of the evening in his cabin working on books and watching Sally. She had slept soundly at first but grew increasingly restless as evening fell. Dawson came in to ask Jack if he would like his dinner brought to the cabin

"How's she doing, Captain?", he asked softly. Jack nodded toward her.

"I think she's dreaming. She seems agitated.", he responded.

Sally moaned softly and moved agitatedly.

They were sitting on the grass, her and David, having a picnic. She knew what was coming, but he wouldn't listen, he wouldn't stay. Her breath caught on a sob as he walked away, her hand to her mouth to hold his last kiss to her. She called after him, but he wouldn't be coming back. She knew that. The mushroom cloud spreading in the distance was going to swallow him again.

Sally gasped, crying out, her eyes springing open on a sob. She focused on the rugged face watching her concernedly, the golden eyes cloudy with worry.

"Jack", her voice was hoarse with relief. "What happened? How did I get in here?"

"How do you feel, darling?", he asked, taking her hand in his. "You passed out on deck. You've been out for days."

She started to sit up but he held her back gently

"Maybe you should take it easy getting up. You've been through some, um, changes.", he said cautiously.

"Have I?", she asked. She looked around. "I'm starving. And thirsty. Do we have any beer? Hey, Dawson, how are you? What have we got to eat?" She pushed against Jack and sat up. Jack hastily grasped the blanket and held it over her naked form. Dawson blushed, backing out the door.

"I'll get you some food and beer.", he said, beating a quick retreat. It was one thing to bathe her when she was unconscious, another to see her naked in front of her lover, his captain.

Sally put a hand up to brush her hair out of her face, an automatic gesture. She frowned as she encountered the short pelt.

"What happened to my hair? Where's my mirror, I want to see."

"Wait, Sally,", Jack said. "Listen, you've undergone some changes. I don't want you to be upset." She lifted a hand and touched her face.

"Changes?", she asked slowly. "Why don't you want me to see, Jack? What have I become?", she asked, her voice rising.

"Hold on, don't panic, it's not like that. You aren't a ghoul or anything, look at your arms, you're clear. In fact all your scars have gone. Look at me Sally, it's not just you. All of us have undergone changes. Carl is almost completely healed and it's only been a few days. Here, I'll get your mirror."

Jack got up and fetched the mirror.