Somewhere in the Shallow Sea

by Dennis Macaraeg

  He wondered why out of all the things in the world, Commander Berto wanted the Rx-18 compound and how could anyone possibly know its existence. If another scientist was aware of it, it would be very easy to reverse engineer the compound’s properties and reinvent it to a viable material. But what for? They were not doing anything out of the ordinary and several companies in the biotechnology field already had ongoing research for the same fish food technology. Danny and Blake had been working on developing the compound for four years and had tried mixing different chemicals and natural fish substitutes to make it work but their creation had yet to yield good results.

  Danny and Blake wanted to create a compound like the Cube to save the world’s fish population. The theory behind their invention was simple but profound. The compound would attract small fish, which in turn would attract bigger fish to follow, and thus be led to the protected waters that several countries had already agreed to create. Their goal was to save hundreds, if not thousands, of fish species from commercial overfishing.

  * * *

  Danny had only been on the island of Jolo less than an hour and he was already full of dread and despair. His only thoughts were for Blake’s condition. Had a rope been tied around his waist so that he couldn’t stray away, as if he were a farm animal? Danny wiped the sweat dripping on his forehead. Mindanao. The island’s name itself evoked mystery and fear. He wondered how a place featured on travel magazine covers, surrounded by fine sand, picturesque coconut trees and clear waters could also be infested with rebels and outlaws.

  * * *

  They stopped on the side of the road next to an open field.

  “I think we are here,” Melchor said as he checked the coordinates on his handheld GPS.

  Danny grabbed the rollaway and climbed down the Jeepney’s rear.

  “We need to walk across the open field and go to the nipa hut. The guide will meet us there and then take us to Commander Berto’s camp,” Melchor said, reaching inside the bag for his 9mm pistol, a pair of small binoculars, and a two-way handheld radio.

  “Do you have to bring that?” Helen asked.

  “This is Mindanao. We’re on our own and we need to protect ourselves from anyone trying to kill us,” Melchor replied.

  From where they stood, they could see several huts standing in the open field.

  “Which hut do we need to go to?” Danny asked.

  Melchor looked through his binoculars and surveyed the area. “The one with a white T-shirt flapping on the pole. It’s about a half hour’s walk.”

  * * *

  The nipa hut’s roof was made of dried brown straw and the walls were constructed with a lattice of split bamboos. Melchor approached the bamboo pole on the hut’s side, took the white piece of cloth down and replaced it with a red scarf.

  “I just sent a signal for our guide to come and get us. Why don’t you two get inside to stay away from the hot sun and cool off? I’ll wait here for our guide to fetch us.”

  Danny and Helen sat on the floor made from bamboos slats. They both found the wind blowing through the open windows refreshing. He unzipped his backpack and took out two energy bars.

  “I think you might need one. We don’t know how long this ordeal is going to last.”

  “Thank you,” Helen replied.

  She leaned on the wall and tore the wrapper open. As she slowly chewed, she began to reminisce about the first time she met Danny more than five years ago.

  It was a summer night at a rented cottage on a beach in San Diego when Helen noticed Danny standing with Blake and several other friends, bottles of beer in their hands. There were at least two dozen people at the after-college-graduation get-together. As she mingled with the rest of the women in the party, she noticed Danny kept stealing glances at her.

  Helen was curious about the tall, shirtless man with the even tan and with the big smile. From across the front yard, they had watched each other, both wondering how to get closer. Finally, Blake introduced them. At first, Danny tried to just give her a quick nod but Helen offered her hand. Though their handshake was light and fast—the kind where only fingers touch—their gaze was heavy and it was difficult for their eyes to peel away. She was sizzling with a hunger that she had never experienced with any man she’d encountered before —her deep attraction to him was almost primordial in nature.

  The group spent the following day cooking, eating, drinking homemade sangria and lying on the beach. That night, while everyone was outside sitting around the bonfire half drunk, Helen noticed Danny stealing another peek at her. She knew that Danny wanted her and she wanted him, too. She crafted a plan to get him away from the group so they could be alone. While everyone was busy discussing whether grad school was worth the time and money, she got up, made eye contact with him, picked up the dirty glasses, and walked back into the empty cottage. A few minutes later, while standing next to a bookshelf with a book in her hand, Danny approached her. He asked Helen what she was reading. She turned it over and showed him the cover. By chance, she had picked one of his favorite books. Danny turned the pages and showed her his favorite passage. Inches away from each other, the attraction that had been simmering since they had met the day before finally boiled over into a steamy passion. As if the stars above had already predetermined their next move, Danny and Helen kissed in the dimly lit living room.

  * * *

  Danny had always thought about the day when he would see Helen again. In his mind, they would meet at some unexpected party. She would be standing across the room and he would walk up to her and say hello. After talking awkwardly for a few minutes, the temperature in the room would immediately drop to an arctic level. They would run out of things to say and would part ways knowing that both of them had moved on with their lives and had nothing in common anymore.

  He knew it would probably be better to leave their past in the confines of his memory, never to be revisited again. But, as he watched her sitting silently just a few feet away, he knew that his love—a love that had been simmering in his heart for years—was real and he would be stupid to let her slip through his hands once more.

  “I didn’t mean to raise my voice earlier. I was just surprised when you suddenly showed up,” Danny said, looking directly at her.

  “Forget about it. Both of us were a bit high strung from all the excitement. Besides, I yelled at you, too. I thought you were here for no reason. I’m sorry, too,” Helen replied with a slight smile.

  “Everything is happening so fast and we’re both on edge.”

  “Sure is,” Helen replied, taking a sip from her water bottle.

  “It’s been almost three years since I’ve seen you. What have you been up to?” Danny asked.

  “I went back to school to earn my Masters of Arts in Education. I’ve been teaching in an elementary school in the Boston area for a couple of years.”

  “I wished I was there for you on your graduation day. I’m sorry, but I didn’t know.”

  Helen crumpled the wrapper. “I didn’t really tell most of my friends either. Just my immediate family attended.”

  “Seriously, I would have gone if I’d known.”

  “You and Blake have been working on the Rx-18 compound for almost five years now. Did you ever get any results? It’s puzzling to hear that someone like Commander Berto, who doesn’t know anything about it, let alone care for scientific research, would want to have your invention.”

  “That’s what’s been baffling me ever since Jeff told me that the Cube was one of the conditions for his release.”

  “Someone within your close circle who knows about the Rx-18 compound must be behind this kidnapping. There has to be more to this.”

  “How did you get involved in this mess?”

  “Your boss called Blake’s parents and told them what had happened. But the U.S. government officials told him that negotiating with terrorists, even if the company was willing to pay the ransom, isn’t recommended. He was worried that the whole thing might end up in d
isaster so he hinted to Blake’s parents that if they could come up with the money, something could be done. Blake’s parents called me and told me what had happened and asked if I could deliver the money. I agreed so they passed on Jeff’s contact number. Jeff told me to leave right away and to contact Melchor,” Helen said.

  * * *

  While Danny tried to unravel her story, he heard a knock on the wall.

  “Our pickup is here!” Melchor shouted through the window. “We need to go now.”

  Danny and Helen exited the nipa hut. They saw their guide standing next to Melchor, an older man wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat.

  “Are you sure about him?” Danny asked.

  “Not really. That’s why I brought my 9mm with me, remember?”

  “How would a single handgun even with a full magazine defend us from the AK-47s and M-14s those kidnappers have?” Helen interjected.

  “Look. We don’t know if this man will take us straight to Hades to meet Lucifer himself. We have no choice but to go with him. If you have doubts and think we shouldn’t go with him, then maybe it’s better to turn back now and let the authorities deal with the negotiations. Like I said earlier, Commander Berto wanted to meet with us because he wants to make the exchange now and get his money. What do you want to do, Danny?” Melchor asked.

  Though he recognized that their situation was getting sketchier by the minute, Danny didn’t see that they had any other choice.

  “Let’s get it done so we can all fly back to Manila with Blake by midnight,” Danny replied, turning to Helen for approval.

  * * *

  Danny, Helen and Melchor silently followed the guide. There was a sense of calm as they walked quietly across the field. Birds flew recklessly from the bushes. Cotton clumps of clouds floated over the mountains. Winds blew in from the ocean, ruffling the knee-high grass on the ground. They soon came across a small village with six wooden houses. Kids were playing a game of tag and adults were tending to a plot with tomatoes, onions and cabbage next to their houses. As they passed by, the residents momentarily stopped what they were doing with curious looks on their faces.

  * * *

  After a few miles of hard walking, they finally reached a shallow creek somewhere deep in the forest. The guide instructed them to stay behind while he fetched Commander Berto’s men.

  Weary but relieved to take a break from the long trek, they sat on the ground in the shade and waited for the guide to come back.

  “You two sounded like an old married couple when you were arguing earlier,” Melchor commented. “Is there something that I’m supposed to know?”

  “Our paths have crossed,” Danny answered, trying to downplay his past relationship with her.

  “Are you sure it’s just that?”

  “We were once sort of engaged,” Helen added as she clarified Danny’s response.

  “I’m glad that you two are involved in Blake’s rescue,” Melchor said. “Hopefully, things will go smoothly and we’ll be off this island soon.”

  Danny lay on the ground, his hands behind his head, looking up at the coconut tree above as the sunrays flickered in between the rustling leaves.

  “How are we going to make a wire transfer while we’re in the middle of the jungle?” Helen asked.

  “These guys have satellite phones and a setup capable of handling the transfer,” Melchor replied. “They know what to do and all we have to do is follow instructions.”

  * * *

  Danny saw a rifle’s muzzle pointed at him. His eyes traced the weapon and saw that it was an AK-47, held by a man in camouflage with a black bandana wrapped around his head. He quickly sat up and saw six more camouflaged men armed with rifles standing next to Helen and Melchor. It was one thing to search for the devil himself, and another to actually find him. Four of the men had black ski masks, but the other two didn’t bother to conceal their faces. Danny felt a knot form in his stomach. He turned to Helen who had fear written all over her face. The men were more menacing in person than he thought. If someone had told Danny that one day he’d be staring directly at the faces of the pseudo-rebels notorious for kidnapping foreigners for money on a hot April day, he would have dismissed the notion as absurd. But here he was, inches away from the men who had taken Blake by force with their AK-47 and rocket launchers.

  “I’m Commander Berto’s right-hand man. Call me Vincent for now. My real name doesn’t concern you. Yeah, just like the movie character.”

  “Do you have the money and the stuff we need?” said one of the unmasked men, a gold filling on his front tooth.

  “Where’s Blake?” Danny asked.

  “He’s not with us,” Vincent replied. “We need to take you to a small island near Tawi-Tawi. A boat is waiting for us on the beach to take us there.”

  Danny thought about the absurdity of the man’s arrogance for thinking he was some sort of Hollywood character and wearing American-made blue jeans. His group was known for publicly pronouncing their hatred for anything the West had to offer, and yet still enjoying the products it produces.

  “Here’s the money you want,” Helen said, showing him the contents of her bag.

  Vincent picked up a bundle of $100 bills, bent them and ran his thumb on the edge of the stack. He grinned at the sight of the money and threw the stack back in the bag.

  “The rest is in the bank. We will transfer the money as soon as we get Blake back,” Helen said.

  “Here’s the compound you’re asking for,” Danny said, showing Vincent the contents of his carry-on suitcase.

  “You just have to be patient. Your friend is getting our best island hospitality and has the best group of guys guarding him,” Vincent replied sarcastically.

  “We came here to give you what you want and to leave with Blake,” Danny said.

  “Commander Berto wanted to test your science experiment to see if it’s working at all. What if you’re just giving me a lump of shit?”

  Going with the men to yet another island to rendezvous with Blake wasn’t part of the plan but neither Danny, Helen nor Melchor dared to protest. Commander Berto and his men were holding all the cards and there wasn’t anything they could do.

  Just as Vincent was about to walk toward where he needed to take the group, a whistling sound came roaring across the sky. A bright flash burst through the ground with yellowish tendrils. Then, a deafening bang followed, disturbing the quiet afternoon. Milliseconds later, a puff of hot air slapped Danny’s face and the overpowering smell of sulfur filled his nasal passages. Fearing for Helen’s safety, he buried her face in his chest and dropped to the ground. Soil and pebbles rained on his back. The thunderous explosion muffled his hearing. All he could hear was the muted sound of weapons discharging from behind the trees.

  “We need to get out of here!” Melchor shouted.

  Danny grabbed Helen’s hand while trying to avoid the bullets wheezing over their heads. Trying not to get shot in the crossfire, he led Helen as they ran and ducked toward the direction they had arrived at earlier. Melchor quickly followed.

  “What’s going on?” Danny yelled as soon as they were safely tucked behind a clump of tall grass.

  “I don’t know but I don’t like it!” Melchor shouted through the mayhem.

  “I think the Army Scout Rangers are here for an ambush,” Danny said.

  In response, Vincent threw several canisters of smoke bombs toward the trees where the shooting was coming from. Billowing red smoke engulfed the surroundings and the visibility dropped to zero. Through a tiny break in the smoke screen, Danny saw Vincent and his men running toward the other side of the creek and away from the hail of bullets the soldiers were raining down on them.

  As if clouds had swallowed the entire forest, it was difficult to see in any direction. Careful not to get caught in friendly fire, the soldiers stopped shooting.

  Helen shouted, “They can help us!”

  “No!” Melchor fired back, “They will detain us for questioning and stop us from
getting to Commander Berto. I’m not even sure they’re army. Look, some of them are wearing blue jeans and T-shirts. They might be from another faction.”

  Realizing that Melchor made sense, Danny said, “Helen, we need to go this way.”

  Knowing that the people shooting at them would emerge from the trees as soon as the smoke lifted, Danny looked up at the sun’s position in the sky and turned the compass dial on his watch. Orienting himself back toward the direction they came, he pointed to the path leading out of the forest.

  From behind the woods, Danny heard loud footsteps scuffing the earth and getting near them. Melchor pulled out his gun and started firing in the general direction of the ghostlike movements coming up from the bushes.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Danny was shocked to see a man he hadn’t seen since graduate school. The man stood at six foot five, with a head of thick gray hair and pale alabaster skin. This was the mentor that had sparked Danny’s interest in the world’s oceans. But unfortunately, he had also tried to destroy his career and in the process break him into a thousand pieces. This was the man who had taken him and Blake to court over the possession of the Rx-18 compound. Everything now made sense. Dr. Klein, his old teacher, wanted the compound for himself.

  Danny, Helen and Melchor started running downhill.

  * * *

  Dr. Klein and his men emerged from the trees looking for Danny. With the smoke lifting, he sprinted toward Danny as he towed the rollaway. Just as he was getting closer, he heard the popping sounds of a discharging gun. He fell down to the ground. A bullet hit a rock next to him and created a spark.

  “Stay down until it’s clear,” Dr. Klein ordered his men.

  After twenty minutes, the sea wind blew the smoke away and visibility returned to near 100 percent. Dr. Klein got up and began searching for Danny and his party.

  “Look for footprints and find out where the fuck they ran!” Dr. Klein commanded.

  His hired goons and ragtag mercenaries fanned out and searched the ground for footprints.