8 Heading home

Chapter Eight HEADING HOME. The farther south they went, the colder the waters became. Connor knew they must be well on their way to Antarctica. After the Beagle had guided the pod of whales south for a while, all at once they suddenly began to swim much faster. A new, excited mood seemed to have come over them. They swam

right past the Beagle and kept going. "What's happening? Are the whales okay?" asked Roshni. "They're fine, I think," Connor replied. "They must recognize where they are. They're back on their migration route!" One by one, the whales overtook them. Last of all came the mother whale and the calf they'd rescued, who was swimming right beside her. The mother whale broke away from the others and began swimming up to the surface. Roshni and Connor traded glances. Without saying a word, Connor guided the Beagle after her. He kept the sub a safe distance away. They reached the surface first and looked out over the glittering dark waters. "What's she doing?" Roshni asked.

"Just watch," Connor whispered. The whale launched herself out of the water. Time seemed to slow down as her enormous body rose, turned and fell. She came crashing down onto her back, sending foam and water up

in a massive burst. The Beagle rocked around crazily. Moments later, the little calf flung itself out of the water, copying what its mother had done. It made a much smaller splash, but Connor and Roshni still clapped and cheered!

One by one, the other whales rose, too. They blew jets of spray from their blowholes, then dived back down again. "I think they're saying goodbye," Roshni said. Connor nodded. "Goodbye," he called out to them. "I'll never forget this." The last of the whales vanished below the surf. The flukes that flared out at the end of its huge tail flicked for a moment, like a vast waving hand. Then it was gone. "They'll be okay from here, right?" Roshni asked. "More than okay," Connor replied. "They'll find their way to the Antarctic just fine. They don't need our help anymore." With a soft PING, the "START" button on the Beagle's dashboard lit up. Now it read "HOME." Connor and Roshni breathed a

sigh of relief. "Mission accomplished," Roshni said. "Let's go!" Connor pushed the button. The Beagle shuddered and trembled, as if it were going through a car wash. The engines behind them gave a deafening roar. Suddenly, like they were being shot from a massive rubber band, the Beagle rushed forward at mindboggling speed. They were whizzing through a tunnel of dazzling white light. Around them, the Beagle's cockpit began to change. The dashboard sank back into the floor, the glass bubble slid backward and vanished, the padded seats deflated like an air bed, all the compartments and equipment folded away like a magic trick, and four