by Jake Bible
“We’ll pick up more when we get there,” Shane smiled.
“Be careful,” Gunnar said. “Come back in one piece.”
“Eh, it ain’t so bad missing pieces,” Popeye cackled.
“We’ll take your word for it, Pop,” Max said as the three left the specimen bay.
“Moshi? You about done?” Gunnar called out.
Moshi stuck her hand out and held up five fingers.
“Five minutes?” Gunnar asked.
She gave a thumbs up in response.
***
“Let’s make this simple, Ballantine,” Espanoza said. “I want my product and I want my brother back. You send them over and I don’t kill your pet.”
“I don’t own pets,” Ballantine replied over the com. “They are an entanglement and hassle that my lifestyle doesn’t allow for. Gone for weeks, many times months on end, out living a life of danger and excitement. It just wouldn’t be fair to a dog or cat. Or even a goldfish for that matter. Do you think a goldfish would miss me, Ricardo?”
“Shut up, Ballantine,” Espanoza said. “I am done jousting with you. These are not negotiations. This isn’t a conversation where we feel each other out and look for weaknesses. I have none. You have all of them.”
“I could kill your brother and dump the product overboard,” Ballantine replied. “Or would that be a weakness too?”
“Stop playing,” Espanoza said. “Darby means something to you. You have acted like she’s nothing but a bodyguard or right hand. But I know she’s not. The reason I know this is because my brother is the same to me.”
“Then you would probably care if I stuck a knife in his heart,” Ballantine said. “Because that is what I will do if you harm a hair on Darby’s head.”
“You see? That wasn’t so hard was it? You showed some emotion towards another person,” Espanoza laughed. “You know why the Mexican cartels cannot be stopped, Ballantine? Because we are filled with emotion! It fills every fiber in our bodies. We don’t separate business from emotion. We are not cold like Americans. We feel every kill. We savor every victory and mourn every loss. We live life, Ballantine. You should try it.”
“Oh, I know how to live life, Ricardo,” Ballantine said. “I’ve been doing it since I was born. Popped right out of the womb living life to its fullest. You think I became the man I am by not wanting to live life? Tsk-tsk, Ricardo, I thought you had me all figured out.”
Espanoza sighed. “My brother and my product for your Darby, whatever the fuck she is.”
“How do I know she’s still alive?” Ballantine asked.
“I have a video feed,” Espanoza said. “Proof of life.”
“Sorry, but I don’t have power,” Ballantine said. “Video is down. All I have is emergency power for the com. Put her on so I can have a chat. Then we’ll go from there.”
“Patch her through,” Espanoza said to the ensign.
“Yes, sir,” the ensign replied.
There was some static then McCarthy shouted, “Talk to him, bitch!”
“Ballantine?” Darby’s voice asked.
“Hello, old friend,” Ballantine said. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m holding,” Darby replied.
“Your voice sounds thick, have they been beating you?” Ballantine asked, a slight hint of anger in his voice, but he kept it in check.
“Theyhaven’t,” Darby said. “Buthe has.”
“He? He who?” Ballantine asked.
“McCarthy,” Darby said. “Son of a bitch killed Dr. Morganton too.”
“What?” McCarthy screamed. “I didn’t kill her!You did, you lying cunt!”
“McCarthy, stay off the com,” Espanoza said. “We’ll sort out the Dr. Morganton issue after all of this is finished.”
“Ricardo, if your man McCarthy hurts Darby again I will match it blow for blow, cut for cut, shot for shot on your brother,” Ballantine said. “You know I will.”
“I do, Ballantine,” Espanoza responded. “That’s why Mr. McCarthy will not touch her again. Right, James?”
“Listen, Mr. Espanoza, you have to believe me when I say I didn’t kill-”
“Just answer the question, James,” Espanoza ordered. “Will you or will you not harm Ms. Darby again?”
“I-I-I-I won’t,” McCarthy stuttered.
“It’s Darby,” Darby said.
“Excuse me?” Espanoza asked.
“Not Ms. Darby, just Darby,” Darby answered.
“So Darby is your first name?” Espanoza asked, curious to see if the woman would admit who she was..
“Just Darby,” Darby stated flatly.
“Well, that’s settled,” Ballantine said. “But I still don’t know if I can trust you, Ricardo.”
“You have my word,” Espanoza said. “That’s all I can give. Do you really have any other choice, Ballantine? Think it through. You have one chance to see Just Darby again.” He chuckled at his little joke. “Give me my brother and my product.”
Ballantine was silent for a long while. “Fine. I’ll do it. We’ll send a couple Zodiacs over with the product and with your brother.”
“No, no, no,” Espanoza said. “You’ll send over the whale sub. I want that also.”
“That will take some time since we are without power,” Ballantine said. “We can’t open the bay doors without power, Ricardo.”
“One hour,” Espanoza said. “Just to show I am being fair. Every minute over an hour, just Darby loses a finger. Are we clear?”
“Crystal, Ricardo,” Ballantine stated cooly.
“And one more thing.”
“Don’t fucking push it,” Ballantine growled.
“The sub pilot, the legless SEAL,” Espanoza smiled. “Send him with. He’s the only one that can pilot the sub anyway. And I’d like to tie up that loose end.”
“You want me to send a man to his death?” Ballantine asked.
“Of course,” Espanoza replied. “That’s what you do, isn’t it? Send men and women to their deaths?”
He snapped his fingers and the ensign cut the com.
***
“Are we clear?” Ballantine asked.
“Yeah,” Ingrid said. “I have them blocked again.”
“Keep them that way for the next couple of minutes then give them access,” Ballantine said. “I want it to sound like we’re having technical troubles on our end. We can’t make it too easy for them or they’ll get suspicious. Where’s Lake?”
“Standing right here,” Lake said as he leaned against a shelf. “Plan on filling me in on what the fuck is going on?”
“Yes,” Ballantine said. “But not yet. Too many moving parts and if I stop to explain it all, then I’ll lose track of something. The margin of error is this small.” Ballantine held his thumb and forefinger close together.
“I crush your head,” Ingrid said. The men looked at her. “Kids In The Hall? I crush your head? You do know the lounge on this ship gets Netflix, right? Try it sometime.”
“Thank you, Ingrid,” Ballantine said. “When I have some free time I may just do that. Could you write down some suggestions? I hate searching through menus to figure out what to watch.”
“Me too,” Ingrid said. “I totally hate that. I’ll get you a super cool list. But I need to go check on Lucy first.”
“I would hope so,” Ballantine said. “How is Ms. Durning doing?’
“She’s in and out,” Ingrid said. “I know she has a concussion, but I don’t know how bad it is. The med bay she’s in is keeping an eye on her vital signs. But I have to keep an eye on the med bay since it’s a prototype and I know machines, not medicine.”
“Completely understood,” Ballantine smiled. “Now, Acting Captain Lake, I am going to need you to come with me to Gunnar’s lab.”
“What for?” Lake asked. “To get Espanoza’s brother and his coke?”
“Not coke,” Ballantine said, holding up a finger. “Something else, but not coke. And yes, I need your help getting that down
to the sub.”
“Lead the way,” Lake shrugged. “But know I have no intention of letting Espanoza win.”
“Oh, neither do I, Acting Captain Lake,” Ballantine replied.
“Just call me Marty,” Lake said. “It’s kinda weird when you say Acting Captain Lake.”
“Fine. Marty it is,” Ballantine said as he left the Toyshop.
***
“Cool you know how to drive this thing, Sis,” Shane said. “We’ll have to go joyriding and do some ocean donuts when we live through this shit.”
“When we live through this shit,” Max said as he opened the case and gave a nice, long whistle. “Well, lookey here.”
“You know I did say when, right?” Shane said. “I didn’t sayifwe live, I saidwhen we live. I’m full on optimist with this shit today.”
“What’s in the case?” Kinsey asked from the mini-sub’s pilot’s seat. “Please tell me it’s laser pistols or some cool shit like that.”
“Nope,” Max said. “But close enough.”
He pulled out four flat boxes, each about twelve inches square and two inches thick.
“Great,” Shane said. “Giant metal coasters.”
“Uh, nope,” Max said as he picked up a note. “It says these are similar to FMG9s, but with a little more kick to them. Uses same rounds as the cartel’s favorite toy, the AK-47. There are already 30 rounds in the magazine so please don’t shoot yourselves when opening. That’s what the note says.”
“Cool,” Shane said. “Gimme.”
Max handed over a box and Shane inspected it then turned away from Max and pressed the button on top. He flicked his hand and the box became a snub nosed semi-automatic rifle.
“Not going to have much range or accuracy at a long distance,” Shane said, getting the feel for the weapon. “This is a sniper’s nightmare.”
“This is an assault, not hide and seek,” Kinsey said. “You’ll get plenty of other opportunities to sit in a hide for a week. Embrace the fight, boys. Embrace it.”
“Sometime I worry about you, Sis,” Max said. “I think you embrace the fight a little too much.”
“Thanks,” Kinsey said. “I’m taking that as a compliment, whether you meant it or not.”
“Oh, it was,” Max said. “But I still worry about you.”
“Worry away,” Kinsey said. “And stay out of my way. Time to go get my girl, Darby.”
“Hey, she’s all of our girl,” Shane said. “Except for Max. I think. What’s up with you two?”
“I don’t know,” Max shrugged. “If it happens then that’s cool, but for now I ain’t pining.”
“Yeah, I think she’s noticed,” Kinsey said.
“What does that mean?” Max asked.
“Nothing,” Kinsey said. “Just that she noticed.”
“What does that mean?” Max asked, turning to Shane.
“I don’t know, bro,” Shane replied. “I’ve given up figuring out your fickle ways. Just yesterday you wanted to bang that MILF.”
“What?” Kinsey asked, looking back at the boys. “What’s a MILF?”
“Oh, Sis,” Shane said. “For a woman that has been to hell and back you have a lot to learn about this world.”
“I didn’t want to bang her,” Max said. Shane raised his eyebrows. “Not that I wouldn’t have liked to get to know her better.” He paused. “Was that yesterday? Wasn’t that like just this morning?”
“Dude, we’ve been out at sea for like a week,” Shane grinned.
“Two weeks,” Max replied.
“A month.”
“It’s been a year.”
“Boys, shut up,” Kinsey snapped. “You’re killing me here.”
“Somebody sounds just like her daddy,” Max whispered loudly.
“I swear I will pull this sub over and kick you out right here,” Kinsey laughed. “No, seriously, shut the fuck up. Time to get our heads in the game.” She held up a finger. “And no jokes about games or head or anything. Quiet time.”
***
The smell was overwhelming for the shadow. It raced towards the shape on the bottom of the ocean, hungry for what was inside. But rage took hold when it reached the shape and found the belly to be empty. It slammed its head against the shape over and over, trying to dislodge what little of the delicious smelling substance still lingered inside.
The shadow wedged its head inside the shape, forcing itself deeper until it was able to taste and breathe what its senses had alerted it to above. When the substance was exhausted, the shadow withdrew and began to swim back towards the surface. It would investigate the large, long shape once more. Now that it knew the smell of the substance, it was sure it had smelled it near the large, long shape.
But, as it ascended, it sensed movement from something else, something moving in the water, something new. Maybe the new thing would have the substance it wanted so bad? It changed directions and sent itself off, its tail pushing it forward as it whipped back and forth.
***
“And we can’t just kill him?” Mike asked as Diego kept screaming on the table.
“No,” Thorne said. “Ballantine has plans.”
“I do,” Ballantine said as he walked into the lab with Lake. “And how are those plans coming?”
Thorne looked up from his work and frowned. “You’re sure about this?”
“Yes,” Ballantine said.
“What if he finds it, it pisses him off and he calls in the order to kill Darby?” Thorne asked.
“I’m hoping your daughter and nephews prevent that from happening,” Ballantine replied.
“Too many pieces in play, Ballantine,” Lake said. “One gets out of whack and the game is up.”
“I am aware of that, Marty,” Ballantine said. “But at this point there is nothing I can do. What has happened has happened. We all do our parts and maybe our friends, and family, make it out alive. Can’t make promises, only guesses.”
“Done,” Thorne said. “Now let’s get this down to the sub.”
“Pallet jack is right here,” Lake said.
He pushed the jack over and slid it under the narrow pallet the kilos of drugs rested on. Many of the bags had to be taped up as they were punctured from the many battles the lab had seen. In fact, as Lake pulled the pallet back towards the hatchway, he figured the whole lab would have to be redone since he doubted Gunnar wanted to work in a bullet ridden space.
As Thorne and Lake struggled to get the pallet from deck to deck, having to maneuver it into three different supply lifts in order to get it down below, Ballantine and Mike took a more direct route and reached the specimen bay well before the other men.
“He going to make it?” Mike asked as he saw Gunnar and Darren sitting on the catwalk.
“He will,” Gunnar said. “Physically.”
Darren looked over at Ballantine and Mike and frowned.
“Bummer guy is here,” Darren said, putting a finger to his lips. “Better not say what I’m thinking.”
“And what is that, Captain?” Ballantine smiled. “I’m all ears.”
“Don’t answer that,” Gunnar said to Darren then looked at Ballantine. “Not cool picking on the infirm.”
“Sometimes it’s therapeutic to say what’s on one’s mind while under the influence of mind altering substances,” Ballantine said. “I spent six weeks in the Sonoran Desert with a shaman drinking fermented cactus juice and eating rattlesnake. Add a drop of the venom to the cactus juice and you have yourself a rocket ride, I can assure you.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Gunnar said. “And you still don’t get to take advantage of Darren.”
“Shouldn’t you get him to the infirmary?” Mike asked as he moved his wheelchair next to Gunnar. “If he’s that messed up you may want to hook him up to some machines or something.”
“That your medical advice?” Gunnar laughed. “Hook him up to some machines or something?”
“I don’t know,” Mike frowned. “Don’t be a dick.”
“Sorry, it’s a shit day,” Gunnar said. “Darren is happy where he is and I have no energy to fight him. Right now I’m testing his cognitive responses.” He turned to Darren. “Hey, Darren, do you know where you are?”
“Right next to my best friend,” Darren said and hugged Gunnar. Hard.
“Ow, ow,” Gunnar winced, removing Darren. “No more hugging, remember? We’ve talked about this.”
“But I like hugging you, G-Man,” Darren said. “Not in a humpy way, but like best buds forever. I’d rather hug ‘Sey in a humpy way, if you know what I mean.”
“I do know what you mean,” Gunnar said.
“No you don’t,” Darren laughed. “You do guys, not girls. Your way is totally different than my way. Maybe. I guess that depends on whether you’re a-”
“And we’re done,” Gunnar said, putting his hand over Darren’s mouth. He looked at Mike and Ballantine. “Isn’t this fun?”
“Actually,” Ballantine said. “It is, in a way. This drug seems to really lower inhibitions and loosen the tongue. Might be some applications for that.”
“Yeah, it does those things,” Gunnar said. “It also heightens aggression to an extreme no one wants to witness. Not to mention the whole psychosis thing.” Darren went in for another hug. “And the emotional comedown.”
“We’ll talk about this at a later date,” Ballantine smiled as he turned and looked down at the sub below. “Moshi! Good to see you. Is the sub ready as planned?”
Moshi held up a thumb as she sat cross-legged on top of the sub, running one hand along the faux skin.
“Excellent,” Ballantine said. He turned to Mike. “I’ll need you to do as we discussed, please.”
“You bet,” Mike said.
He slid out of the wheelchair and hand-walked over to the ladder. He easily swung himself around and climbed down the ladder using only his hands. He caught Gunnar looking and gave him a wink. Gunnar rolled his eyes and went back to keeping Darren from hugging him.
Mike was able to get down to the deck and over to the sub without any problem since he’d done it plenty of times before when working with McCarthy. The thought of McCarthy and what he pulled on him and the other two pilots made Mike’s blood boil and Moshi recoiled from Mike, afraid of the look on his face, as he crawled past her to the cockpit hatch.