Mega 4: Behemoth Island

by Jake Bible

  “I am getting a lot of conflicting stories,” Thorne said. “Kinsey has one, you have one, what that Liu thing told me was another. Very few of the facts mesh and I have no idea what to believe.”

  “I’m right there with you,” Ballantine said. “I don’t know what to believe either. It’s best we just forget this place and move on.”

  “And where are we moving on to?” Thorne asked. “How many of these secret islands do you have?”

  “Too many,” Ballantine said and stood up. “And I am willing to wager that more than a few of them are no longer secret. When it went to hell here, the island became visible to satellites once again. How many more have become visible? No way to know until we get there.”

  “Why?” Thorne asked.

  “Why what?” Ballantine asked as he walked towards the main hatchway.

  “Why do we have to get there?” Thorne asked. “Don’t you think it’s time to call it quits? Whatever you hired us for in the beginning has gone completely off the rails. Let it go, Ballantine.”

  “I wish I could, Commander,” Ballantine said. His face looked tired, haggard. “God, I wish I could. But there are few things that happened on this island that makes me think the others aren’t staying as isolated and anonymous as they should be.”

  “What does that mean?” Thorne asked.

  “Not sure yet,” Ballantine shrugged. “I’ll let you know as soon as I do.”

  He walked through the hatchway, leaving Thorne to himself as the voices of Team Grendel began to fill the com in his ear.

  ***

  The Beowulf III steamed at a steady ten knots south and east.

  Lake glanced from the view out of the bridge windows and down at the control console every once in a while to make sure their heading was correct. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, bored out of his mind.

  “Anything yet?” Kinsey asked as she and Darren stepped onto the bridge from the outside hatch.

  Kinsey was dressed in a bright red bikini and looking healthy and rested. Three weeks of no fighting, no running, just steaming along the South Pacific Ocean, was a good thing for the body. Darren, dressed in blue swim trunks, looked tanned and equally as satisfied as Kinsey.

  “Nope,” Lake said. “Just water.”

  “Ballantine said we’d be reaching the next island any day now,” Darren said.

  “Yeah, I know,” Lake replied.

  “What’s up your butt?” Darren asked.

  “We ran out of beer,” Lake said. “I had a stash, but I drank it.”

  “Oh, well,” Kinsey said and patted him on the shoulder. “I’m sure you can find something to do instead of drink.”

  “You only say that because you’re an ex-junkie and sober,” Lake said. He looked at Darren. “Help me out here, D. You feel my pain, right?”

  “The boys are finally all out of weed,” Darren said. “There’s a lot of pain going around.”

  “Welcome to sobriety, bitches!” Kinsey yelled and raised her hands in the air. “Woo hoo!”

  “You suck, Thorne,” Lake said.

  “You know what, Marty? No, I don’t,” Kinsey said. “In fact, I’m pretty far from sucking.”

  She gave Lake a quick kiss on the cheek then left the bridge. Darren watched her go and placed a hand on Lake’s shoulder.

  “We’ll get to civilization soon, Marty,” Darren said. “Ballantine wants us to check out this one island first, though. He said there should be plenty of supplies, so maybe they’ll have beer.”

  “You really believe that?” Lake laughed. “We’ll be lucky if whatever is on this island doesn’t drink us like beer. We barely got away from the last one with our lives.”

  “Says the guy that never stepped foot off this ship,” Darren said then smiled before Lake could protest. “All good, Marty.”

  There was a crack and Lake jumped.

  “Chill, it’s just Max and Shane up in the crow’s nest with Ingrid,” Darren said. “She’s getting a crash course in sniper school.”

  “Lucky her,” Lake said. “She gets to do something different.”

  “You want me to take over being captain again?” Darren asked.

  “You will have to pry this helm from my dead fingers, D,” Lake said. “No way I’m letting you have my ship.”

  “Our ship,” Darren said then left the bridge before Lake could argue.

  Lake watched him go then said, “My ship.”

  ***

  Lucy sat in the mess, only a small bandage on her neck, as Kinsey came in to grab a drink.

  “Just ran out of powdered lemonade,” Lucy said, holding up a plastic cup. “Want the rest of mine?”

  “I’m fine with water,” Kinsey said. “How’s the neck today?”

  “I managed to make it through the week without tearing my stitches,” Lucy said. She tapped the bandage. “Gunnar says that’s a record for me.”

  “Listen, my dad has been talking,” Kinsey said.

  “I know,” Lucy said. “He found me this morning after breakfast.”

  “Oh, cool,” Kinsey said. “Uh…what did he say to you?”

  “You don’t know?” Lucy asked.

  “I’d rather hear it from you,” Kinsey said. “In case his plans changed.”

  “He’s benching me,” Lucy said. “I’m no longer on the Team. Not on the main Team anyway. I guess he’s starting a ship security protocol since we always get boarded and have our asses handed to us before something saves the day.”

  “It’s not a bad idea,” Kinsey said, a little too brightly because Lucy gave her a sharp look. “I don’t mean the benching you part. But the ship does need a dedicated security detail when we’re off on ops. You’d be the veteran operator, so it would pretty much be your team.”

  “Yeah, your dad said as much,” Lucy replied. “How long have you known?”

  “We talked about it while you were still recovering in the infirmary,” Kinsey said. “My dad wasn’t going to even mention it to you unless the whole Team agreed.”

  Kinsey sat down and looked Lucy in the eyes.

  “We’ve almost lost you twice, Luce,” she said. “It’s been dumb luck, but you know how things are. Sometimes luck is the only sign you’re given.”

  “I know,” Lucy said. “You guys are right. If I go on an op with the Team, half of you will be watching my back and waiting for me to take another bullet or get slashed or whatever. That puts the Team in danger.”

  “True,” Kinsey said. They were quiet for a couple minutes. “I’ll miss you out there.”

  “Miss me? Didn’t your dad tell you?” Lucy said. “You’re staying on the ship with me.”

  “What?” Kinsey cried.

  “Got ya,” Lucy laughed. “Man, that felt good.”

  “You bitch,” Kinsey said and smiled. She stood up and stretched. “You staying here? I’m going to shower and get dressed then head to the observation deck for the sunset. Want to join?”

  “You and Darren?” Lucy asked.

  “Everyone,” Kinsey said.

  “Yeah, come grab me on your way up,” Lucy said. “I’m going to chill in here for a bit.”

  “Cool,” Kinsey replied. “See ya in a minute.”

  ***

  The shower room was already filled with steam when Kinsey stepped into it. She set her clothes on the bench and walked towards the sound of running water.

  “Darby?” Kinsey asked as she saw the woman crouched on the floor of the shower, her head resting on her knees. “Darby, are you alright?” She hurried over to her and placed a hand on Darby’s shoulder. “Darby?”

  “I’m fine,” Darby said and lifted her head. Her eyes looked hollow and sunken in.

  “You don’t look fine,” Kinsey said. “And you’re wrinkled like a fucking giant prune. Come on, let’s get you dry.”

  She helped Darby to her feet, shut off the water, and walked her to a bench. She set Darby down and grabbed a towel for her, wrapping it around her shoulders.

&n
bsp; “What’s going on?” Kinsey asked.

  “Nothing,” Darby said.

  “Bullshit,” Kinsey responded. “Out with it or I go get Max.”

  “No!” Darby snapped then shook her head. “Don’t get Max. He’s already freaking out because of the nightmares.”

  “Nightmares?” Kinsey asked. “What nightmares?”

  “I don’t know,” Darby said. “When I wake up, I can’t remember them. I just know that something very bad happened in them. I’m always drenched in sweat and Max is trying to hold me down because I thrash so hard I almost cracked his skull open one night.”

  “Jesus,” Kinsey said. “Have you talked to Gunnar about this?”

  “Gunnar? No. Why would I talk to him?” Darby asked.

  “He is a medical doctor,” Kinsey said. “And he helped me through the rough patches when I was getting clean.”

  “But you’ve been friends with him since childhood,” Darby said. “He can’t help me. I’m losing my mind. That’s not the same as chemical dependency.”

  “You are not losing your mind,” Kinsey said.

  “Yes, Kinsey, I am,” Darby argued. “I keep having this feeling I’m not who I think I am. Then I’ll get flashes of memory that aren’t my memory. I know I didn’t live them.”

  “That’s probably your subconscious feeding you stuff from your nightmares,” Kinsey said.

  “Or my nightmares are being fed by my memory,” Darby said quietly. “A memory I can’t hang onto.”

  “Fuck that,” Kinsey said. She punched Darby in the shoulder. Hard. “Get your ass dried and dressed, girl. I’m going to shower then we’re all heading to the observation deck to watch the sunset. You are joining us.”

  “I really don’t feel like going to watch a sunset,” Darby said. “I’m going to go to my quarters and lie down.”

  “Bullshit,” Kinsey said, a sense of déjà vu over her conversation with Lucy. “You’re joining us. No arguments. Now get dressed and get your tiny ass up on deck.”

  “I’m not going to enjoy it. You can’t make me,” Darby said, but there was a small grin playing at her lips.

  “Fair enough,” Kinsey said as she stripped down then went and turned the water back on.

  Kinsey stepped into the steaming hot stream and sighed. She looked over her shoulder and saw Darby toweling off. It was a start.

  ***

  Everyone filtered past the briefing room on their way to the steps that led up to the observation deck. Ballantine watched them go, knowing the windows were tinted enough that even if they looked in they wouldn’t see him sitting in the shadows. They also wouldn’t see Dana Ballantine sitting right next to him.

  “You know you can’t win, right?” Dana said. “It’s a zero sum game at the best.”

  “I don’t believe that,” Ballantine replied. “I have an amazing Team and a top notch crew.”

  “You have a band of misfits and malcontents running around with high-powered weapons blowing shit up for you,” Dana laughed. “They are skilled, I’ll give you that, but it is only a matter of time before a much better team arrives and stops the fun and games.”

  “That’s why I have this,” Ballantine said, gesturing around him at the ship. “Keep on the move. Never settle. Always be ready for what is coming.”

  “There is no way you can be ready,” Dana said. “You know that too.”

  “Maybe,” Ballantine said and shrugged. “Maybe not.”

  “God, you are as infuriating as ever,” Dana said. “Sometimes I wish I had actually died so I wouldn’t have to be in this position.”

  “What position is that?” Ballantine asked.

  “At your mercy again,” Dana said. “When our daughter—”

  “Do not even start!” Ballantine snapped. “No! You do not get to talk about her!”

  He stood up and loomed over her, his face hidden by shadows, but the anger very apparent as his body shook.

  “We have been down this road before, Dana,” Ballantine said. “It is a road that is closed. Permanently.”

  “You said my name,” Dana responded after Ballantine had calmed down slightly. “That’s the first time since I came on board.”

  “Since you came on board to kill me, you mean,” Ballantine said.

  “Only because you wanted to kill me,” Dana said. “Kill me and everything I built.”

  “You had help building it,” Ballantine said. “Those were the people I wanted dead. Not you. Never you.”

  Dana looked over at Ballantine as he sat down next to her once more.

  “What?” Ballantine barked.

  “You really didn’t want me dead?” Dana asked.

  “Not really,” Ballantine said and shrugged. “Well, yes, I did, but only because I thought you were coming after me. So, if you are talking self-preservation then I did. If you’re talking personal choice then I did not.”

  “That’s the most honest thing you’ve said to me in a very long time,” Dana said.

  “If I’m telling the truth,” Ballantine said and smirked.

  They sat in silence for a few minutes before Ballantine reached out and took her hand.

  “This doesn’t mean we are on good terms,” Ballantine said. “It just means I’m not going to kill you anytime soon. Unless you give me a reason.”

  “Do I still have to sleep in the brig?” Dana asked.

  “It’s a pretty comfortable brig,” Ballantine said.

  “Not as comfortable as a real cabin,” Dana said, a little venom in her voice.

  “Let’s not push it,” Ballantine said. “I just decided not to gut you and throw you overboard. Baby steps, dear.”

  “That’s the only way you work,” Dana said.

  “Oh, I can take giant steps too,” Ballantine said. “I have range.”

  The sliding glass door to the briefing room opened and Kinsey looked in.

  “You are in here,” she said then stopped. “Oh. She is too.”

  “Yes, she is,” Ballantine said. “What can I help you with, Kinsey?”

  “Apparently, not only am I the ship’s counselor today, but I’m also cruise director,” Kinsey replied. “The sun is about to set and I was sent to find you and see if you want to join the rest of the crew as we watch it go down.”

  “Watch the sun set?” Ballantine mused. “I think I could be talked into that. It sounds like a relaxing change of pace.”

  “Why now?” Dana asked. “Why this sunset?”

  “Oh, well, because,” Kinsey said.

  “You can tell her, Kinsey,” Ballantine said. “She isn’t the enemy. Just my enemy.”

  “You fucking asshole,” Dana said.

  Ballantine gave her hand a squeeze. “I’m half joking. Guess which half was the joke?”

  “Yeah, okay,” Kinsey said and backed away from the briefing room. “You two need serious counseling and my work hours are over. Get out here and watch the sunset or don’t, I couldn’t give a fuck at this point.”

  Kinsey slid the door closed.

  “She’s an interesting young woman,” Dana said. “Junkie?”

  “You could tell?” Ballantine asked.

  “There’s a reason I made it as high up in the company as I did,” Dana replied.

  “Shall we?” Ballantine asked, standing up. He gripped her hand and waited.

  “Yes,” Dana replied as she stood. “But I have a feeling it’s going to be cold out there.”

  “It’s the tropics,” Ballantine said. “It’ll be perfect.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” Dana responded.

  “I know,” Ballantine said and led her to the sliding doors.

  ***

  “This is nice,” Ingrid said as she stood amidst the crew of the Beowulf III. “I don’t think we’ve ever done anything like this. We need to watch more sunsets.”

  “This is one too many, if you ask me,” Carlos grumbled.

  No one asked him.

  “Can I say a few words?” Kinsey asked a
s the sky before them glowed a deep orange with streaks of bright yellow and red. “I promise I’ll be done before it’s over.”

  “Go ahead, ‘Sey,” Darren said.

  “I just want to say that other than my childhood growing up with my family and Darren and Gunnar around,” Kinsey began, “this is probably the happiest I have ever been. It’s been months since anyone has died. And we all survived our last op. Even Popeye is back. I’m sober and I have family around me. Not just my dad and cousins, or my ex-husband.” She gave Darren a nod and he smiled warmly at her. “I consider all of you family. Every last one of you.”

  She shrugged and turned back to face the sunset.

  “That’s it,” she said. “I just couldn’t go much longer without saying I appreciate all of you.”

  “Nice speech, Sis,” Max said.

  “Yeah, good one,” Shane agreed.

  “Sis? I thought they were cousins?” Dana asked, leaning close to Ballantine as they stood at the back of the group.

  “Nickname,” Ballantine said. “Now hush and watch the pretty sky.”

  The sun lowered itself into the water. The whole world became a blaze of fire and glittering blue. It was breathtaking. No one moved until the last of the golden orb was lost below the horizon and the reds became purples.

  “Beautiful,” Ronald said. “Simply beautiful.”

  When the purples became deep blues, everyone moved to leave then something happened and they were glued to their spots.

  Far off on the horizon, a ball of fire returned. It rose high into the air and mushroomed out, covering a huge distance across the sky.

  Everyone shielded their eyes from the brightness and most ducked their heads, instinct telling them to get down. The mushroom cloud and fireball lifted higher and higher then dissipated finally.

  All eyes turned to look at Ballantine.

  “I didn’t do that,” Ballantine said.

  “Was that the island we are headed for?” Thorne growled.