Chapter Two

"Hey! Abby!" shouted Chester Williams as he walked down the windy Houma street towards the hospital in his hippie-style suede jacket. "I finally connected with you! Liz told me you were here. I figured I'd come over." He paused for a moment as she attempted a smile. "How's things with your, uh, your ex-husband?"

"Oh," said Abby as she walked with him away from hospital entrance, "well, he told me about the movies he'd seen, and we discussed politics, and he said he liked my outfit..."

"Really?"

"No." Abby was silent for a long moment. "Look, I'm sorry. Since Alec died, coming here to see Matt, I just feel empty, like I don't have enough to mourn both of them. Do you mind if we skip the eco-business tonight? I was thinking of driving out to the swamps."

"You want to be alone?" asked Chester.

"Alone? Chester, for the last few months I've been stuck on an island where I had no chance of fitting in, where the kids are being trained to combat god-knows-what, and where I had only one friend, who happened to be in her mid-eighties but looked younger than me, and who couldn't begin to understand my apprehension because of her own career choices. Before that I was working with old people, whose kids had stuck them in a home with a lot of people they don't know, and, you know...? No... no, I don't want to be alone," Abby concluded as she walked towards her rented sedan. Chester followed her, saying nothing.

***

Flying through the clouds over the southwestern United States...

"Any luck on the readouts, Prof?"

"Not so far, Red. It's not -- wait! Wait, I'm picking it up again! The energy trail looks like it landed somewhere in Louisiana. Ace, readjust your course west by 23 degrees."

"Got it, Prof."

"What do ya figure it is?"

"I'm not sure, Rocky. It looks like it could be some kind of energy life- form, though."

"Not another energy life-form!"

"We mustn't assume it's hostile. For all we know it could be terrestrial."

"Like E.T.?"

"No, Rocky. E.T. means extra-terrestrial. Not of this earth."

"Wouldn't extra-terrestrial mean really really from earth?"

"No, Rocky."

"Well, maybe we should bring a phone with us, huh?"

"Pardon me?"

"'Cause maybe our E.T. will wanna phone home, y'know?"

"..."

"Or, uh, maybe a bike?"

"I'm moving back up to the front now."

"Okay... Psst! Red! Did you see the look on his face? He bought the whole story!"

"You tricky bastard! Ha-ha! You know, he's gonna catch on to your stupid act one of these days, if he hasn't already. Just be glad he doesn't engage in practical jokes himself."

***

"Don't worry about it, Abby," said Chester as they stopped in a driveway. "I'll let Liz where we're going. Be back in a sec."

"Thanks. And take your time. I'm in no hurry."

Chester rang the doorbell. "A-all right," he heard Liz say from inside. "All right, I'm just coming."

"Hi, Liz. How you doing?" Chester said as she let him inside. Although he'd gotten to know Liz since February, she was still quite awkward around everyone, especially men. She had gotten married to Dr. Dennis Barclay sometime after their adventures with the Swamp Thing, but Dennis' mind had snapped. He had become completely paranoid and had infected Liz with his paranoia to such an extent that the television journalist had been reduced to the trembling woman she was now. It all came to a head when Dennis came after her with a shotgun in an act his diseased mind must have believed was the best thing to do. After all, they were hunted by the DDI. Was it not better for him to take his wife's life and his own rather than become captured by the enemy? Abby had rescued her, and Dennis had died by his own folly in the swamps. Liz still cried at night over him.

"I'm okay. Uh. H-how... how are you?"

"Okay, thanks. Say, Abby and I were just about to go out to the swamp. Uh, did you want to come, or...?"

"Oh, no. No, I couldn't. Just couldn't."

"Sorry, I didn't mean--"

"No, no, it's not your fault. It's mine. I'm such a mess. Abby helps me out so much. You must think I'm pathetic. You're right. I don't help Abby out enough, I'm useless with..."

"Hey! Slow down!" said Chester gently. "You're somebody who got head tripped real bad, is all. It happens. I don't think you're pathetic."

"Y-you don't?" Liz asked, genuinely surprised.

"No way," Chester said smiling and looking at her through his granny glasses. "You're beautiful. You just have to mellow out a little. Anyway, Abby's out in the car. We're just gonna head over to the swamp for a bit. You take it easy, okay?"

"O-okay."

The telephone rang just then. Liz looked at it. It rang again. And again.

"You gonna get that?" asked Chester, walking back up to the step.

"I-it's probably for Abby. I-I wouldn't want to mess any messages up or anything, I--"

"It's okay, it's okay, I'll get it," Chester said and picked up the telephone receiver. "Hello? Yeah, she's here. Can I ask who's calling? The hospital? Okay, I'll go get her." He smiled as he handed the receiver to Liz and said, "It's a call for Abby."

Liz stood there, perplexed as she held the receiver and watched him walk out to the car. Beautiful. He said beautiful.

Abby walked in and took the phone. "Hello?"

"Mrs. Cable?" the voice said.

"Yes?"

"Mrs. Matthew Cable?"

"Yes, this is Abby Cable," she said. "What's wrong? Did something happen to Matt?"

"Well, yes. We can't explain it. He--"

"What is it?" Abby asked as the woman trailed off.

"Well, the thing is, he appears to have come out of his coma. Mrs. Cable, your husband is awake."

Abby dropped the receiver.

"Mrs. Cable...?"

Abby dropped to the floor in a faint.

"Mrs. Cable? Hello?"