Adventure to Destiny: The Unity Objective Series

by Sandra Golden

  Young children raced up and down the beach playing with friends, the teen-agers had congregated near the stage where they danced along to the rock and roll music. After a few short speeches, thanking those who had work so hard for a successful and pleasant day were out of the way, it was now time for the big finale of the day. The fire-works show was about to begin.

  J.R and Helaina were more excited than most of the children or teen-agers who had gathered on the dock to get a water front view of the dancing lights. For half an hour, rocket after rocket was fired into the sky then exploded into colorful lights. Music played over the speakers, the brilliant colored lights danced in unison to the variety of music that accompanied them, like a well-choreographed Broadway show. Since it was now dark, Peanut had awakened and sat on Helaina's shoulder. She was doing a little people watching and hoping that the little terrier a few yards away wouldn't take an interest in her. Suddenly the sky above became quiet, the lights on the beach were dimmed and the music came to a temporary halt. Excitement and anticipation at what was to come built up in the crowd on the beach. But not more than in the two teens who were sitting together on the dock, with their bare legs swinging over the platform, their feet being cooled by the ocean waters.

  J.R. whispered to his cousin, “It’s time.”

  “I know. Be quiet.”

  But J.R was too excited to be quiet. “Now you are going to see what a real genius I really am.”

  “You idiot, we are both geniuses, remember that test we took?”

  “Taking a test doesn’t show your true potential.”

  “I know, now shut up, it’s time.”

  Suddenly the music began, within a few notes Charlie and David knew what song was playing. Helaina and J.R looked over and saw their fathers smiling and begin singing along to the music. They looked at each other and smiled taking joy in knowing that they made their parents day a little more special. Soon the fire-works began and they were spectacular! The crowd began to sing along to the music as they watched. Then without any warning the music started speeding up, the rockets started shooting from the barge, faster and faster causing the mechanism to begin smoking. That’s when the two little schemers stood up and started moving towards the back of the crowd where they couldn’t be seen. Helaina took Peanut off her shoulder, placed her in her bag and zipped it up, which angered Peanut.

  The rockets stopped shooting into the air, which was really not a very good sign of things to come. Everyone stood up to watch what was about to happen, the beach was silent. The smoke got worse, the music still played, but no one was singing now. It was a good thing that the barge and the computer that controlled the fireworks were on that barge, far away from the beach. It was also lucky the technician who controlled it all worked from a little tower on the beach. Because what happened next could have caused any person on the barge great harm or even death. The Engineer who was in the control tower tried to override the program and stop the rockets but it was too late. The rockets got jammed in their silos; which caused them to overheat, which caused the remaining rockets to be ignited, which caused the whole barge to blow up in one big spectacular ball of colorful fire that even the residents living on the coast, from Spokane to Alaska, would be able to see.

  The patrol boats quickly responded to the situation and were able to put out the fire within minutes. Then the crowd broke out in applause. William and Hanna, wanting to defuse the unexpected ending took the stage, along with David and Charlie.

  Taking the microphone Charlie began speaking, “What an explosive way to begin our new positions at Unity Corporation.”

  Everyone laughed then broke out in thunderous applause. Charlie waited until the applause died down before he continued.

  “We want to thank everyone for coming and celebrating with us the beginning of a new era. Let’s give a big round applause to everyone who made this day one to remember.”

  Everyone on the beach applauded, and cheered showing their new CEO’s and their predecessors how much they were appreciated. Hanna and William hugged their sons, then standing shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, raised their arms together. A new generation had come into office and there was a promise of great things to come, for them and the world. It was a proud and heartwarming moment of celebration.

  The family left the stage all smiles, at the bottom of the stairs they were met with people wishing them well, a lot of hugs and handshakes. It wasn’t until they had safely returned to the house that they felt they could let loose with the laughter they fought to control. They knew who was responsible for the unexpected display, they weren’t angry and they weren’t concerned. They knew that J.R. and Helaina just wanted to show their love for their parents. They had to admit it was a brilliant idea that had ended in an unexpected way, and when they thought about it, it was hilarious; they just had to laugh about it. Just not in front of the people, after all they had keep things in control, right?

  As for J.R. and Helaina, after the barge blew up they headed to the house with the other family members, not saying a word, wondering if anyone knew what they had done. They quickly retired to their rooms, where they laid in the dark all night wondering if they would be in trouble the next morning. What better punishment could there be? And their Elders agreed.

  CHAPTER THREE

  J.R. AND HELAINA LEARN OF THEIR FATE

  The next morning everyone was busy preparing to go home and back to work at the various companies that the Unity Corporation owned. At breakfast, everyone was discussing the previous day’s activities, not one single person accused J.R and Helaina of last night’s mishap. Some of their cousins and siblings talked about the exploding barge, how cool it was when all the remaining rockets exploded and what a beautiful display it made, right there on the water. The younger kids thought that it would be cool to be on a patrol boat and help put out that fire. Before J.R. and Helaina could go back upstairs to pack their bags for the trip home they were told to go to Grandfather’s den because their fathers wanted to talk to them. Slowly they made their way to the second floor, not saying a word, only using Mind Speak to communicate.

  “This was all your idea!” Helaina accused her cousin.

  “You wanted to help.”

  “What kind of punishment do you think we will get?”

  “Maybe we will have to go clean up the beach. Grandma made me do that once when I blew up the trash dumpster,” J.R smiled slightly at the memory.

  “Maybe we will have to rebuild that barge. If that is the case maybe we can stay here for a few more weeks. I sure hate working with hammers and nails. I always end up smashing my fingers!”

  “That would be cool. Staying a few more weeks, not smashing your fingers,” laughed J.R.

  As the two teens climbed the stairs, little Peanut had woken up climbed out of her travel bag, and with her harness and leash securely on climbed to sit on Helaina’s shoulder. J.R reached out a finger and rubbed the small animal’s soft fur. They now stood at Granddad’s door but before they could knock the door opened to let them in. They walked in with their heads down, looking as remorseful as possible.

  Helaina’s dad spoke first, “You two look like you are headed to the electric chair, cheer up, we have wonderful news for the two of you.”

  Helaina and J.R looked up in confusion. Using their Mind Speak and in unison they said, “They don’t know! Great, maybe we are going to get away with it!”

  William came up behind them, putting his hands on their shoulders giving both teens a start, which got their hearts beating rapidly and sent Peanut racing into her carrying bag. William smiled, knowing what they were saying to each other, but not letting on to their secret.

  “Sit down children your parents have come to a decision about the rest of your summer.”

  “Maybe they do know.” They were still were using Mind Speak, as they called it.

  “Why are they torturing us like this?” asked Helaina.

  “Why don’t they punish us and get it over with
?”

  “Maybe they ….”

  Their conversation, not heard by anyone but their Granddad, was interrupted by Charlie. “Kids it has been decided that you will spend the remainder of your summer with your Grandparents, they have much to teach you and would love spending a little more time with you.”

  Helaina jumped up excitedly, causing little Peanut to curl up into a ball and start shaking from fear. “That’s wonderful, really! That’s great.” Not wanting to hurt her Dad she added, “I will miss you and the camping trip we had planned.”

  This was a dream come true for her. She loved being on the island and with her Grandparents. The more time they spent on the Hope Island, the better.

  “Don’t you worry about that, you will be having a few adventures with your Grandparents. I assure you, you will have lots of fun.”

  J.R. spoke, “Do we have to rebuild that barge that blew up last night?”

  “Now son, why would we make you do that?” Charlie asked his son.

  “No reason, I was just wondering.” Then he thought for a minute and asked, “Can I work on some of the antique cars?”

  “I have something a lot more interesting to show you, now go and tell your brother and sisters good-bye. They are going to be envious of you, getting to stay here with us. Then go help your mothers pack up the luggage into the cars,” David Unity instructed his daughter and nephew.

  In unison, they said, “This is going to be great!” then they stopped. J.R and Helaina looked at the men in the room. “Why do we keep speaking together like that?” they asked.

  David and Charlie just smiled, then together, in unison they said, “One day you will know the answer, but not now.”

  The kids just looked at their fathers with quizzical expressions.

  Just as they were about to leave Williams's office David stopped them. “About the fireworks last night, I think that it was extremely lucky that no one got hurt.”

  “We do too!'

  “I think that in the future only those with the skills and knowledge to execute events should program the controls. This will help prevent dangerous mishaps from happening and prevent injuries to innocent bystanders. What do you two think?” David asked the two teens.

  J.R and Helaina looked at each other and turned back around to face their fathers and grandfather. “We think that you are probably right,” J.R answered for both of them.

  “We're glad you think that,” Charles Black told his son. Now both David and Charlie smiled at them, then Charlie continued. “Boy! We were very surprised to hear our favorite song. And it was sure cool to see the fireworks performing to our song. It was a very nice thing to do and it was our favorite part of the day. Something we will remember the rest of our lives.”

  “Even the barge blowing up was cool!” said David. “But dangerous! And we are sure that something like that won't happen again, right?”

  “Right!” everyone agreed. Then J.R and Helaina left their Elders, going to do as they were instructed.

  The rest of the morning, and a good part of the afternoon was taken up with saying good-bye to brothers and sisters, moms and dads, and aunts and uncles. Small planes filled with family, friends, and board members were taken to the mainland. From there they got on fights that took them all over the country, and all over the world, back to their homes, back to their jobs at the various companies owned by Unity Corporation. The residents of Hope Island were now hard at work, cleaning up and putting things back in order, getting ready to welcome in a new week.

  At the helicopter receiving room at Washington’s International Airport, helicopter pilot Jack Webber stood waiting. Two men dressed in dark suits approached him, without exchanging pleasantries, without any expression at all, the taller of the two simply said, “The package please!”

  Jack pulled out the small pink note book that he had wrapped carefully in brown paper, from the inside pocket of his black leather flight jacket. Then he handed it to the men. Without a word they took the package and walked away. Jack suddenly felt regret, he worked for two companies, both secretive, both looking out for their own interest. It was a good thing that Jack knew who the good guys were and who were the bad guys, and he always made sure he was on the good side of both. Just for insurance, he had removed some of the pages from the girl’s pink Dream Stories journal, he didn’t know why he had done that, he just knew deep down inside that he had to.

  After all the good-byes were said, and everyone was gone, J.R and Helaina went down to the beach for a swim, dressed in their scuba gear, dragging with them a small inflatable raft. William and Jennifer Unity watched them from the second story balcony. The kids swam out to where the barge had been, and began collecting the wood and debris from the water, placing it in the raft. When it was full they pulled it back to shore, emptied it into a trash dumpster, then went back to collect more. Jennifer turned to her husband of nearly 45 years.

  “They’re good kids.”

  “Yes my dear, they are. They have good hearts.”

  For the next hour they watched as Helaina and J.R. cleaned up, then they went out and joined them in the clean-up.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

  Breakfast the next day was served out on the patio, near the swimming pool. Since there was only Jennifer, William, and J.R and Helaina, there was no need to mess up the big dining room. After the four of them finished breakfast William announced that he had an arranged a special trip. They would take the new yacht and travel down the coast towards California.

  The yacht, one of two identical ships built, the other given to Hanna Black, was a 44 Steel, built in Italy. She was a beautiful ship, 144 feet for stem to stern. She had a top speed of 17 knots and cruised comfortably at 14 knots. She was outfitted with a large recreation room, a lap pool, basketball hoop, a theatre to watch television or the latest movie, a large restaurant style kitchen, and sleeping quarters for 8. Below deck was a tender garage which held a small submersible and a small cabin cruiser to take passengers to shore. She was equipped with the latest computer and navigational technology available. The Unity One was given to William as a retirement gift; The Unity Two was given to Hanna Black, and was delivered to her at her sea side home in Florida. This would be Unity One’s first trip.

  J.R and Helaina were excited about being the first to travel on the Unity One. They were sent to pack their bags. Helaina made sure she packed plenty of special food for little Peanut, and brought along Peanut’s rather large cage. Of course, she couldn’t forget to bring along at least 3 books to read, and one of her little pink note books. J.R made sure he had his lap top computer and the newest gadget he was working on. However he did forget to pack socks, but who needed socks when you were on a luxury yacht in the heat of summer? Helaina on the other hand packed enough clothes for a month, with matching accessories for Peanut of course.

  Captain Elijah Alexander had gotten orders from his employer to prepare the Unity One, for at least a one week voyage. Elijah Alexander had retired from the Royal British Navy and had moved to Hope Island with his wife ten years earlier to be closer to their daughter and her family. When William needed someone to captain his yacht Elijah had been the perfect choice, having plenty of experience piloting small and large sea vessels. Elijah welcomed the opportunity and enjoyed this part time position, and loved the chance to get back out on the water. (A pass time his wife had never fully enjoyed)

  Elijah’s friend and second mate Mason Johnston, was down below checking the engines and making sure everything was in working order. Mason had worked for William for over thirty years, starting when he was just a twenty-two, and just out of mechanic school, they both had bonded over their love of antique vehicles. Everyone considered him family, and a trusted friend. The third member of the crew would be Sophia, Jennifer Unity’s assistant in all things home related, and her dear and trusted friend. Sophia had already boarded the Unity One, stored her things away, and was busy putting away the food in the big walk in
freezer. Elijah, Mason and Sophia were the only crew that was needed on the Unity One, the state of the art equipment made that possible.

  The family arrived at one in the afternoon, and at one thirty the Unity One pulled away from her dock, to begin her maiden voyage. They began their journey traveling south, down the coast towards California. Elijah and Mason had taken this trip many times on William’s old yacht the Jenny, name for Jennifer Unity. Elijah and Mason were happy that the family had purchased this brand-new vessel, for the Jenny was an old relic that constantly needed repair, and parts for her engines were getting very scarce. For years, they had pleaded with William to retire her, but his love for antiques and everything old kept him from doing so. Even now the “Jenny” was being taken to a dry dock to be refurbished. William just couldn't let her go.

  Once they were on their way William brought J.R. and Helaina up to the pilot house. J.R. was interested in all the gadgets, Helaina, with Peanut riding on top of her head, was more interested in using the binoculars to find sea lions and dolphins; she believed the pilot house was the perfect look out spot. Elijah had to stop J.R. from touching the controls, and noticed the interesting watch that he was wearing.