It had been a busy morning. Apollo had been contacted by a distressed Sheba the previous night. She had told him that Starbuck had disappeared and short of dredging up the pool, they had found no trace of him. Things were running so smoothly on Apollo's end of the mission that both he and Boomer decided to help with the search and left Jolly in charge. Apollo was now aiding Sheba in doing a stone to stone perimeter search. Boomer had donned diving gear and had the gruesome task of looking for their friend at the bottom of the pool.
Apollo saw Sheba was completing her sweep of the area. "Anything?" he asked.
She shook her head in disgust. "Nothing. If there were any tracks, the rain has washed them away."
"Try to concentrate on broken foliage." He suggested.
"Problem with that is the botanists were all over this area acquiring samples yesterday. Not to mention the hailstorm last night. It's difficult to differentiate." Sheba explained.
"Let's get Tuija to identify where they were. The botanists seem to have used the same route to get in and out. If Starbuck left the area, there has to be another trail somewhere. There's too much foliage here for there not to be some sign of it."
Boomer chose that moment to surface. He pulled off his breathing gear. Apollo and Sheba waited expectantly. "Nothing," he told them, "Starbuck didn't drown."
Sheba released the breath that she didn't realize she was holding. "I knew it. I guess it's time to find the locals."
"When Boomer and I flew in, we did scan humans, but only randomly and in small groups. I'm not sure where to start. We really need to find a trail to follow." Apollo reiterated.
Boomer looked around. "Well, if I wanted to walk someone out of here without leaving a trace, I'd lead him up the stream."
"Of course," Apollo agreed, "Let's check it out."