Stranger On A Plane

On the flight back to Adelaide, Gaius is collating his notes.

Drat! They are all out of order.

Three pages of mantis shrimp notes followed by a diagram of a funnel web spider, and a photo of a large purple jellyfish. Then more shrimp notes, or are they? No, this looks like a page on the leafy sea dragon and what's this, the program for this year's Tour Down Under.....

If only Arthur were here.

He glances at Dries, who is busy counselling Terence.

Dries: Can you think of any reason why you chose the term 'milkshake'?

Terence: I didn't choose it.

Dries: Is it something to do with your mother?

Terence: No.

Dries: Your father?

Terence: No. Which one?

Dries: Blood?

Terence: Yuck! There's no blood in a milkshake!

Dries: You did say a red milkshake;

Terence: I didn't.

This is most unproductive.

Baby B-B is up in the front of the cabin with a flight attendant, being looked after.

Baby B-B: So Gaius says, EVERYONE dies.

Flight attendant: Hmm. Which one is Gaius?

Gaius meanwhile has managed to spill his notes into the lap of the stranger in the seat alongside him.

The Stranger: Eh-up! Let me help you.

Gaius: Very kind of you. Thank you. I normally travel with an assistant to look after these things.

The Stranger: I see you are some sort of scientist.

Gaius: Indeed. I am currently researching the mantis shrimp and its remarkable abilities.

The Stranger: What are they?

Gaius: Secret light communication using circular polarised light.

The Stranger: How interesting. And I suppose there are applications in remote sensing?

Gaius: Yes, I believe so. Also in biomedical imaging and computer data storage.

The Stranger: Fascinating. Oops! Here is another one of your papers. The Tour Down Under program. What a coincidence. That's why I'm going to Adelaide.

Gaius: Me too. I'm supposed to be in it. Must get in some team practice before the weekend.

The Stranger: Then we shall be rivals.

Gaius: How so?

The Stranger: I am Jack Bobridge.

Is he really Jack Bobridge?

In a very short time we shall know.