by Bill Brewer
Diegert caught Barney’s wrinkled stare and looked away from the old man’s scorn.
“Come out here,” Barney said, sweeping his arm out over the ocean. “No grocery store, no police, no hospital…no fuckin’ Internet, and then you can talk about survival.”
Diegert looked at the exasperated old man and waited to see if he was finished. He gazed across the empty horizon, then brought his eyes back to Barney’s, saying, “Yeah… Like I said, we made it through the night. What’s for breakfast, Milk-Bones?”
Barney pulled from his pocket a foil-wrapped Wild Berry granola bar and tossed it to Diegert.
“Eat your fruit. The Skinnys stole all my oatmeal and sold it to some guy to feed his donkey.”
With breakfast over, Barney set a large plastic bucket on the deck. From behind the door of the cabin, he pulled a toilet seat and placed it on the bucket. He dropped his pants and sat down.
Diegert’s expression couldn’t hide his surprise.
“I’ve seen you piss off the stern, but this is where you shit.” Barney leaned to the side and tapped the toilet seat, “And this is a luxury. I expect you to appreciate it.”
Before long, a whiff of the wind told Diegert the old man was done and it was his turn.
Barney informed him, “Make sure you clean it when you’re done.”
“I gotta clean your shit?”
“I’m the captain. This is my home. I’m very comfortable out here. Clean the rags too.”
“Rags? You mean there’s no toilet paper?”
“No.”
A short time later, the bucket was clean, the toilet seat was on its door hook, and two rags were drying in the wind.
17
And so it went for several days. Diegert withstood Barney’s criticism of his generation and ate dog food while the old man taught him about life at sea and how to sail. Diegert fleshed out his lie about the relief agency he worked for, but he felt that Barney was not convinced. As the days passed and they crossed great stretches of ocean, Diegert found himself humming to Mozart and developing a bit of trust in the old man. On an evening following a particularly tasty dinner of ALPO “Prime Beef Cuts,” Diegert decided to share the truth with him.
“I’m not a relief worker.”
“Well, that’s a relief, because I’ve been wait’n for a helicopter to drop a crate of food and old clothes on us.”
Diegert’s eyes turned to the old man as he fought the urge to curl his lips into a smile.
“So now you’re gonna tell me what you really are, besides a liar.”
“The truth is as fluid as this ocean,” Diegert said, gesturing with a wave of his hand over the gunwale.
“Just like the wind and the water are taking us northwest,” said Barney, “the truth is the only thing that’s going to get you through this journey.”
Diegert looked at the old man, realizing that the isolation of the ocean and having to rely on each other allowed him to relieve himself of his secrets.
“I was a soldier in the Army, but it didn’t work out, and I was dishonorably discharged. Then I got a job as a bouncer at a bar in Austin, but that didn’t go so well either, and… I ended up killing two guys.”
“Murder or self-defense?”
“Definitely self-defense. I had to escape, so I went on the darknet and found a job as an assassin.”
“Dare I ask, what is the darknet?”
“It’s an underground network on the Internet. It uses software originally developed by the US Navy called Tor to keep information private and anonymous. I loaded the Tor software on my phone, got on the darknet, and replied to a posting looking for someone to do a two-part job. One hit in Miami and the other in France. A clean job in Miami got you a free flight to Paris on a private jet. No airport security on either end. It was just what I needed, and I was relieved when I got an immediate response.”
“Wait a minute, you decided to become an assassin after killing two guys in self-defense?”
“Look, it was self-defense, but the guys were mobsters and there was no going to the police. I had to get out of Austin, or I would’ve been killed. I completed the job in Miami and hopped on the plane to Paris. From there it was a job in Athens and on to Mogadishu.”
“Hold on a second, you were all alone on the flight from Miami, no one to explain anything or brief you regarding the next mission?”
“Well, there was a flight attendant. Her name was Amber, and she was gorgeous. She provided food and drinks and was very happy to talk with me. She asked the right questions and didn’t question any of my answers. As the flight continued, she told me she would like to have sex with me and that the cabin at the back of the plane would be an ideal place for us to be together. We went into the cabin, with its huge bed, and she started undressing, and so did I. She stepped over to me completely naked. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her and we had sex.” Diegert grinned as he quietly dwelled on the memory.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa…you can’t stop there. You’re talking to guy who hasn’t been with a woman for months and months.”
“Months? Come on, you look like a guy who hasn’t been with a woman for years and years.”
Barney’s face hardened as they looked at each other. Diegert realized he’d crossed a line, but he didn’t care. “Oh, wait, I wasn’t thinking about women who get paid.”
“It’s true that female companionship has become a commodity in my life, but it has only been a matter of months, not years, since my last transaction.”
“Whatever… Amber was beautiful. Sometimes you fuck the girl, other times you get laid. Amber was an erotic artist. She had me feeling pleasure like I had never felt before. She had the right pace, fabulous rhythm, and she performed pleasurable acts in ways I will never forget. The sex was incredible, and when it was over, she lay down next to me and hugged me. She kissed my neck, and I began to sob. She said ‘shh’ in my ear, and I started crying like a baby. She said, ‘There, there, just let it out, don’t be embarrassed, just let yourself cry.’ I cried uncontrollably for a long time. All the killing, all the running, all the looking over my shoulder every minute just built up until I couldn’t take it anymore. Being up that high with such a beautiful woman on a clean, soft bed, I just had to let it out. She was so soft and warm; I was able to find peace like I hadn’t for weeks. She never asked me to explain what I was feeling; she just used her body to comfort me, and in the state I was in, it was better than the sex. I fell asleep and had the deepest rest I’d had for weeks. When I woke up, she was still there. She told me we would be landing soon and that she hoped I would always be able to find peace when I needed it. I thanked her for giving me what I needed when I needed it. She slipped on a robe and left the cabin.”
Barney blinked his eyes several times before turning and looking up at the sky. “I don’t know if that is the sexiest or saddest story I’ve ever heard.”
“Let’s keep it private. It was a very personal thing, and it taught me a lot about coping with this life.”
“Whaddya you mean?”
“Killing for a living. It takes an emotional toll for which you must atone, or you’ll go crazy. Other guys just bottle it up and try to be tough, but they will emotionally implode. They drink too much and become very sanctimonious and judgmental. I’ve seen it in the Army. When you kill someone, you hurt inside. You know it’s wrong on many levels, but you justify it; even if the circumstances require it, it’s wrong and it hurts. If you let that out and express the grief, you can process it and move on. Letting it out allows me to continue.”
“You sound like a priest trying to sell the confessional.”
“I’ve never been in a confessional.”
“Maybe you’ll get the chance someday. But crying is what helps you?”
“It’s the coping mechanism I discovered with Amber at thirty thousand feet.”
“Look, that was quite a bedtime story. I’m gonna let you take first watch, and I’ll see you in six hours.”
/> 18
Barney went below to sleep and Diegert stood on the deck looking out into the inky blackness. Diegert kept himself from falling asleep by pacing around the deck. The pacing also kept the chill of the night from penetrating his cotton T-shirt. After two hours Diegert heard the low rumble of an engine. He looked out to sea in spite of the futility of searching the darkness. The sound was growing closer, but he had no idea from which direction. He stepped down into the cabin to wake Barney. He gently shook the old man’s shoulder. “I hear an engine.”
The old man’s eyes opened with an expression of dread. “Let me speak with them.”
“What? Let’s kill the fuckers before they even get on the boat.”
“They’re already on the boat.”
At that moment Diegert heard footsteps along the gunwales, and then men were shouting in Somali as they descended into the cabin. Armed with AK-47s, they poked the barrels into the chests of the two sailors, forcing them up on to the deck. The pirates went about the business of taking over the boat as if it were so very routine. Diegert was ready to snap. None of these skinny guys looked like they could withstand even one body blow, let alone the kind of strike combinations he would deliver. It was as if they expected no resistance.
“Just remain calm. They may not take anything or find us very interesting.”
“These guys are pussies. Let’s kick ass.”
“Oh no, you don’t. You start a fight with them, and they will simply scuttle the whole boat, leaving us without even a life raft.”
“Bullshit.”
The Somalis shouted for them to stop talking. There were three pirates on board and three more in the skiff. The small size of their open-hulled, rundown old boat surprised Diegert. It wasn’t more than ten feet long, and Diegert wouldn’t have wanted to cross a Minnesota lake in that thing, let alone the Indian Ocean.
One of the pirates went belowdecks and searched for valuables. The other two stayed above and kept their AK-47s in their hands. The pirate belowdecks let out a loud ululation and rejoiced for whatever he had found. The pirate guarding Barney shouted down to him, and when the other pirate shouted back, he couldn’t stop himself and went down below. The single pirate on deck was also distracted by what was going on below. Diegert seized the moment. He elbowed the pirate in the chest, bashed him in the mouth, grabbed the back of his head, and drove his face into a cleat on the mast, splitting his cranium on the rigid piece of metal.
Barney motioned for Diegert to stop, but the younger man stripped the AK off the dying pirate and descended into the cabin. The two pirates belowdecks were so amazed with the case of guns they’d found that, when they turned to see who was coming, Diegert struck the first one with a buttstock to the face. The second received a hand blade strike to the larynx. Both were dazed, and Diegert wrapped the strap of the AK-47 around the first guy’s neck and backhauled him over his shoulder. The force of the maneuver broke the pirate’s neck, and Diegert knew it when he heard the vertebrae snap. The second guy was coughing and struggling to breathe. Diegert noticed a knife on the man’s belt. He grabbed the man’s knife, slashed his throat, and plunged the blade into his chest. The pirate crumpled to the floor as blood bubbled out of his neck.
Three down, three to go. Diegert took the AK-47s and ascended the stairs. He tossed one to Barney and proceeded to the stern where the pirate’s skiff was tethered to the Sue Ellen. The men in the skiff were confused by the commotion on board. Diegert took full advantage of their lack of communication and their expectation that sailors wouldn’t fight back to open fire with the AK. The volley of bullets cut down two while striking the legs of the third.
With the dull illumination of the stern safety light, Diegert could see the third man was wounded, having fallen onto his back in the boat. Diegert’s weapon had a flashlight taped to it. Turning it on, he could see the remaining pirate better. The guy was young, maybe fifteen or sixteen, yet he had a rifle and was pointing it in Diegert’s direction. The defender of the Sue Ellen hesitated to see if the boy made any gesture of surrender. When the wounded pirate leveled his barrel at Diegert, he sealed his fate. With a rapid burst, the young sea robber’s life ended with bullets to the chest and head.
From the moment the second pirate went down into the cabin until the last shot was fired, barely two minutes had passed, and six lives had ended. Diegert’s adrenaline was on full blast, and he was still on point, making sure there were no other threats.
“Relax,” said Barney. “They’re all dead and we’re OK.”
Diegert stepped back for a better look at the skiff where he saw no evidence of life. Barney looked down into the cabin. It was a bloody mess with the two bodies heaped upon one another. He sat down on the bridge with slumped shoulders. Diegert came up along the portside and stepped into the cabin entrance to stand next to Barney.
Neither man knew how to begin the conversation. Diegert thought some statement of gratitude from Barney might be in order, or at least an “ataboy.” He knew Barney had wanted to handle it differently, but this outcome allowed them to continue their trip without interruption. Barney stood quietly as his breathing returned to normal.
“Well, lad, you certainly know how to handle yourself. I have never seen a man use violence with such precision and speed. Maybe I’m just getting old, but I could barely see what was happening, let alone assist.”
“It’s how I’ve been trained.”
“Well, apparently you haven’t been trained to follow orders. I’m angry that you disobeyed me,” said Barney, stepping onto the deck to look Diegert in the eye. “I’m the captain and I run this ship. If I tell you to do something, or not to do something, I expect your compliance.”
Diegert let out a long sigh and chose his words carefully. “I will obey your orders. I’m sorry to have disrespected your authority.”
Barney looked at Diegert, quite taken aback by such a humble reply. “We’ve got a mess to clean up, and we may still face consequences, so let’s get busy before the sun rises. I’ll keep the sails set so we can ride these winds as fast as possible.”
Diegert dragged the bodies up from the cabin and laid them on the deck. He also moved the pirate from the base of the mast so all three were lined up together. Barney boarded the skiff and found fuel, weapons, and ammo, as well as grenades, food in the form of dried fish and coffee, fresh water, and a battery-powered drill with a huge bit on it. In the pocket of one of the men, Barney found a satellite phone. He and Diegert transferred the items to the Sue Ellen.
“We have to perforate both the chest and the abdomen of each man so the bodies will sink,” Diegert said. “I have the knife that one of them was wearing. I’ll do the job and jettison the bodies.” Diegert went to work. He stripped them naked, viewing the tattoos and scars on each man. These bodies had not had easy lives but were now committed to the sea and on their way to the bottom of the Indian Ocean. All the clothing, worn out and tattered, was placed in a bag and sealed so it had no air. It was then tied to the outboard engine, which Barney and Diegert, both standing in the skiff, removed and sank.
“What about the boat itself?”
Barney hoisted the heavy drill. “We’ll scuttle it. That’s what this is for. If a vessel gives them trouble, they drill holes below the waterline and soon the boat is a relic on the ocean floor. So we’ll put holes in the vessel of these devils and send it to the bottom along with everything else we’ve sunk.”
Diegert took the drill from the old man, saying, “I’ll do it, you climb back on board.”
Wearing a life vest and tethered to the Sue Ellen, Diegert started in the stern and put several holes through the hull of the skiff. Soon the whole boat was underwater, and Barney cut the rope. The craft made a slow descent, fading out of sight.
As Diegert watched it sink, the image of the last pirate to die played across his mind, a boy who should’ve been in high school. Then the face of the little boy blown up in Mogadishu appeared in the placid water, haunting Diegert wi
th his toothy smile.
Diegert hauled himself up the tether and back on board the yacht. As the sun rose, the only remaining signs of the night’s events were the bloodstains. Barney and Diegert spent the morning quietly cleaning the bloody splotches off every part of the Sue Ellen.
19
Breakfast was more granola bars, and Barney supplemented his with Somali dried fish. They both appreciated the coffee, hoping the caffeine would supplant the lack of sleep. With their course set, Barney picked up the satellite phone. “This phone is GPS equipped, so they could be tracked as well as being able to communicate while on the ocean. I have no idea if they communicated what was happening out here. When I found it in his pocket it was on, but who knows if a call had been placed.”
“Check the record on the phone?”
Barney had that look of technology ignorance that defines people of different generations.
“Let’s have a look.” Diegert took the phone from Barney. “We used these phones in Afghanistan.”
Pressing the keypad, Diegert brought up the phone’s call history. “Look, they placed a call shortly before midnight, and that was the last one.”
“Midnight would make it just before they came aboard. So their cohorts on land know they encountered a vessel. Hopefully they didn’t get our name.”
“So what if they did? They couldn’t catch up to us.”
“No, but they could task another skiff to come looking or they could use an aircraft.”
“Aircraft?”
“Yes, all that money they get for ransoms buys old airplanes so they can patrol the skies and direct their skiffs more efficiently.”
“I can’t believe they are that sophisticated.”
“Why not? The ransoms corporations pay to get their cargo ships released are in the tens of millions. That kind of business attracts a lot of very smart criminals; please don’t be so naïve. You must realize your violent actions may not be the end of our troubles.”