The readings were pointing straight at the lake.

Mica frowned. This wasn't the first time that her readings had led her somewhere strange. She'd nearly walked off cliffs, crawled into caves, and generally poked around in places that no living soul would willingly go. Sometimes it turned up with some interesting results, but most often, Mica simply ended up purchasing new clothing to replace gear destroyed by harsh environments. Now she found herself staring out at the lake, debating. It was entirely possible that there was better data out there to find, more information for the increasingly complex puzzle. That wasn't her concern. Her concern lay in her ability to travel into a lake.

Sighing, she stuffed her POD into her belt and turned to walk to her car. Within moments, she was coming back out, attaching waterproof gear along her body. For not the first time, Mica appreciated hacking off her hair. Doubtless her sister would complain and gasp, but the shortness made things infinitely easier on the scientist. It certainly made sliding into the skintight suit easier, not to mention adjusting the various masks.

One last adjustment to the POD, and Mica was striding out into the lake. The cool water lapped against her heels, and she stopped at the lake's edge. There were rumors of things that lived here, mostly involving large creatures that ate people. But she'd never heard of anything intelligent living here.

But there seemed to be signs otherwise...

Mica tilted her head and walked a few steps into the lake, letting her body adjust. Something was definitely odd here. Yet if someone actually lived here, then they could provide necessary information, an insider's view that could lead to untold data.

"Hello?" she called, feeling rather silly. "Is anyone there?"

Besides the inevitable lake monsters, of course.

A female... Ha. Not many of those came to his home, at least, not willingly. Most females that ended up in his cabin were sick ones, or maybe that one with the sprained ankle. He wasn't sure she'd been a female though, with the low voice and the huge Adam's apple. Did human females had Adam's apples? Oh well... It'd been an uneventful evening either way.

Mnko moved under the water, eyes fixed on the image above the surface. He was close enough to the edge to see, but not too close so he would be seen. No. The Kryton preferred to evaluate things first, just to see if it was safe to come out or not. He'd learned thanks to the professor, that not every hairy human was evil, and this one didn't appear to have much hair. Plus she was a she. That alone made her less threatening, right? Except for that machine she was carrying. He'd seen something like that before, held by the knights and others who dared come close. They were plastic and metal things with numbers and pictures. Not something Mnko understood, despite the many classes on how to use the device. His must had been lost long ago under the lake. No one had told him you couldn't bring it underwater! Not his fault, really.

The water alien swam to his usual hiding spot, head raised slightly above the surface of the water, just his eyes showing under a large water lily. The many plants were perfect to hide. Very few could manage to see him. Ah, but she was talking and his manners forced him to answer.

"Hello." He said from his hiding spot, his voice sounding like a kid blowing bubbles in his drink. "You might be referring to me, miss. The someone, I rather. But maybe you're looking for someone else? In which case I'm not here."

Oh yes, that sounded believable.