Depths of Paradise

by Vance Albright

  “With the reward money, you idiot,” Frank replied, trying to keep the boat near shore. He had seen on a nature program that crocodiles lived near the shore. Frank was in his late forties. He had a slim build, short blonde hair, and no facial hair.

  “What reward money? I ain’t heard nothing about that,” Gary replied.

  “They’ll give us a reward for killing that alligator or whatever it is. Just makes sense.” Frank reached into the cooler. “I just sure hope we find it soon. We’re nearly out of ammunition,” Frank said, staring into the nearly empty beer cooler.

  s s s

  “Typhoon just destroyed his target,” Liz said, watching the destroyed portions of the training dummy float to the surface. Out of the corner of his eye, Max spotted movement. He was surprised to see Mya and her friend walking towards the dock.

  “Liz, we got company. Keep Typhoon and Atragon under the water,” Max said, concerned.

  “What! Who?” Liz asked. She pulled out her clicker trainer. She clicked twice, ordering Typhoon to come to her. Max took a few moments to reply, not wanting, to admit who it was.

  “Mya Kendig and one of her friends.” Liz did not make a joke or torment him about it. She knew how serious the situation was.

  “How did they get in?” Liz questioned.

  “I have no idea. The front gate was locked, right?” Max asked. Liz cursed, realizing her mistake. A simple mistake that could cost them dearly. Liz recalled Okada always saying that it was those types of mistakes that caused the biggest problems. She grunted in frustration.

  “Max, just get rid of your girlfriend as fast as you can.”

  “Planning on it,” Max replied.

  “Hello,” Riley said. Max turned toward her, acting slightly surprised.

  “Oh, hi,” he replied. As part of the act, he took a second to remember who she was. “You’re the girl who waited on me at the Crescent Moon Café. Right?”

  “Yep, if you don’t remember, my name’s Riley, and I’m sure you remember Mya?” Mya smiled and gave a shy wave. She felt like an idiot for not speaking, but she felt so awkward intruding on him like this.

  “How could I forget her?” Max replied. Hearing that made Mya blush again. She moved behind Riley, creating a wall between her and Max.

  “She saw you and wanted to say hi,” Riley said. She slid to the side, leaving Mya and Max face to face.

  “Um. Hi,” Mya said. She knew she should say more than that, but her mind was completely blank.

  “How did you two get in here, anyway? I thought the gate was locked,” Max asked, hoping they would get the hint.

  “No, the gate was unlocked. We didn’t think you’d mind if we came to say hi. I hope we’re not intruding?” Riley answered.

  “I don’t mean to be rude, but I am kind of busy at the moment. I’m in the middle of a dolphin training session for a high-level client, and my training partner is in the water,” Max said seriously.

  “See, I told you,” Mya whispered, gently striking Riley on the shoulder. “Max, sorry, we didn’t mean to intrude. We’ll get going.”

  Max felt guilty blowing Mya off and he really wanted to see her in person again, so he said, “Tell you what, girls. Why don’t you come back in a few days? Things should be calmer then and I’ll have time to introduce you to the dolphins.”

  “Oh my gosh, really!” Riley replied, smiling widely. “Since I was a little girl, I always wanted to touch and swim with dolphins, but never had the money. You…you just made my year!” Mya had mixed feeling about it. She wanted to see Max, but the sight of the ocean still frightened her. Riley pulled out her phone. “What’s your cell? I’ll text you our numbers; then we can arrange the dolphin meet.”

  “I already have Mya’s number. She can give it to you,” Max replied, not wanting to waste any more time than necessary. Below, Liz was starting to become flustered. Atragon still had a lance on and Typhoon kept swimming towards the surface.

  “Oh, you do? She never mentioned that,” Riley replied. Her eyes turned to Mya, who felt like pushing her into the water. Mya and Riley said goodbye and started to walk away. Max began to return the gesture when Liz started screaming.

  “Typhoon is heading to the surface! Typhoon is heading to the surface!” Just then Typhoon’s upper body broke the surface water. He was clicking loudly, demanding his reward for destroying the target. Max let out a breath of relief when he saw Liz had taken off his lance. Hearing the splash made Mya and Riley turn around.

  “Oh my gosh! Can I please, please take a second to touch the dolphin?” Riley asked. She made a sad face. “Please?”

  “Riley, he said we shouldn’t be here. Now let’s go,” Mya said, getting annoyed. She could only imagine how Max thought of them now.

  “It’s okay,” Max reassured. “I can’t let you touch him, but you can toss him a fish.” Max handed Riley a small herring. She was ecstatic when she took it and tossed it to Typhoon.

  “Thank you so much,” Riley said, beaming.

  “All right, Typhoon, say goodbye.” Max made the slash command. Typhoon turned to his side and smacked his tail several times. Mya and Riley screamed when the water struck them. Their expression of shock soon turned to smiles and laugher.

  “I can’t believe you just did that,” Mya said.

  “You’ll get yours, buddy,” Riley added.

  s s s

  At the gulf entrance, Gary Clark spat his beer out.

  “There’s one, Frank!” he screamed, spotting a dorsal fin.

  “Gary, why are you so dang stupid? Crocodiles don’t have fins.”

  “Must be a shark then. Let’s get him.” Not one to let a hunting opportunity get away from him, Frank turned the boat towards the gulf entrance.

  “Hey, Max, there’s a boat coming,” Mya said. Max turned around.

  What the heck, he thought. “Liz, we have intruders. Probably just local fishermen who don’t know the area is off limits,” he said as he tried to make out who was in the unknown vessel.

  “Great, what else is going to go wrong?” Liz replied.

  Frank and Gary opened fire. Small ripples started to form in the water in front of Depth Charge. “Max, what’s happening!” Liz asked. The bullets from the shotguns were raining down in front of her.

  “Hey, diver in the water!” Max yelled, waving his hands up, trying to get the boaters’ attention. Riley and Mya stood motionless, not knowing what to do. Sensing he was in danger, Depth Charge let out a cry of alarm. His pod members started clicking to one another. Liz knew what those clicks met. Those were attack clicks. She tried to signal the dolphin pod to head for the dock area. Typhoon, Aquatail, Seafin, and Atlantis did as commanded. Atragon and Tsunami raced towards Depth Charge.

  “Max, we have two dolphins heading for that boat!” Before Liz could finish, Atragon rammed the lance into the boat’s hull. The two drunk men were still firing when the boat exploded. A fire ball and boat fragments filled the air. Both men were killed instantly. Mya and Riley’s eyes filled with horror. Riley put her hands over her mouth in shock. Mya was breathing heavily as she looked at the wreckage. Nothing was left but splinters of wood. Pieces of flaming debris fell from the air, making a hissing sound when they struck the water. Her body began to tremble.

  No, it couldn’t be? Could it? she thought. Her mind started imagining the dolphins crying out in pain as the water turned red. A large head burst through the dock, killing Max and sending her and Riley into the water. Underwater, she opened her eyes just in time to see that monster kill Riley. He turned to her with a wide, sadistic smile.

  Right before he attacked her, Riley’s cry of “What happened?” brought her back to reality.

  “Blast fishing, most likely,” Max replied, saying the first explanation that came to mind.

  “What?” Mya asked, still shaken by her hallucination.

  “Some people illegally fish with explosives. One of them must have gone off in the boat.” Max put his hands on both girl’s shoulders. �
��Are the two of you okay?” Both girls shook their heads yes. “I have to report this and get the dolphins to safety. So, can you two please leave the area?”

  “Anything we can do to help?” Mya asked.

  “No, right now the best thing you can do is leave,” Max replied. Riley started walking down the dock. Mya gently put her hand on Max’s shoulder.

  “Be careful,” she said.

  “Always am,” he replied. The two exchanged an affectionate glance. Mya smiled and sprinted to catch up with Riley. Liz, who had been waiting just under the surface, came up. She started tearing her diving gear off in frustration.

  “What in hell happened up here?” Before Max could reply, Okada’s voice came over the radio.

  “Max, the mine operation failed. Get the dolphins ready. Be here in half an hour.” Max and Liz exchanged worried looks.

  All Max could say was, “We can’t. We have a major problem over here.”

  “We’re both dead,” Liz said seriously. Atragon broke the surface, making the clicking sound that stated he had killed his target. Max tossed him a fish. “Really,” Liz asked.

  “He did what he was trained to do,” Max replied, shrugging his shoulders.

  Chapter 38

  4:23 PM 05/3/2021 HST

  Due to the incident, the Barracuda was forced to return to base. The local authorities had arrived to recover the bodies of Frank Williams and Gary Clark. Since the men were intoxicated and trespassing on an active military base, no charges were filed. The case was closed with the official cause of the explosion being a stick of dynamite used for blast fishing exploded near the ship’s fuel tank.

  Max and Liz sat in Okada’s office. Okada sat at his desk in front of them. For a few minutes, he said nothing. He remained completely still, just staring at them with a gaze that seemed to uncover every secret they had. Neither Max nor Liz dared to speak. They both knew they had made a mistake that cost two people their lives and disrupted the attack on the water panther. As they prepared for their commander’s judgment, the total silence started to become unnerving. Finally, Okada broke the silence when he said, “I would like an explanation of the events that occurred earlier today.” His tone of voice was neither angry nor pleased. The inability to read his emotion made the situation tenser. Max and Liz would have preferred it if he just started screaming at them. Knowing it was useless to lie or make excuses, Max and Liz reported exactly what happened as they remembered it. For their honesty, Okada gave them a slight look of pleasure.

  “I thank you for speaking the truth.” He took a moment to take a drink. Part of Okada’s disciplinary tactics was making people wait. He found the mental punishments people gave themselves was more effective than any actual punishment he could give. “Half this situation was caused by errors on your part and half was caused by factors beyond your control.” His face turned towards Liz. Liz knew, despite being in a relationship with Okada, he would still discipline her, like any other person under his command. “Liz, base security is part of your duties. You should have made sure that gate was locked.”

  “Yes, sir. I..I understand my failure,” Liz replied. Okada turned his attention to Max.

  “Max, your errors were caused by the plague that causes most men to lose focus.” Okada’s voice gained a slightly more humorous tone when he said, “It was the affection for a woman. Am I correct?”

  “Correct, sir,” Max said softly. His face was turning red from embarrassment. Liz put her head down, trying to hide her grin.

  “Use Liz and I as an example. Separate your work and personal life.” Okada slightly laughed when he continued, “If you and Mya worked together, nothing productive would ever get done.” Max started to prepare himself for the judgment he knew was coming. He hoped his commander, his friend, would at least let him finish the water panther operation before releasing him. Okada’s serious side returned when he said, “I must commend you for coming up with a cover story so quickly. However, you also endangered the entire operation. After looking over the report and hearing your testimonies, I have no choice but to.” Okada stopped to look at his phone. For several long minutes, his fingers moved over the screen. Inside, Max and Liz started to think about their future jobs. Liz figured she would get by, but she was concerned for Max. Okada put the phone down. “As I was saying, I have no choice but to forgive the situation.” Max and Liz did not know if they heard him right.

  “Sorry, sir, did I?” Max started to say.

  “Yes, you heard correctly,” Okada replied. His words destroyed the feeling of nervousness and dread consuming Max and Liz. “However,” Okada said, lifting a finger. “In the future, situations like this must not occur.”

  “Yes sir!” both said in sync.

  Okada looked at Max and said, “Max, are the dolphins ready for tomorrow’s operation?”

  “Ready as they ever will be,” he replied.

  “Max, sorry to do this, but speaking of dolphins.” The look on Liz’s face showed she was about to say something that could cause tension. “Max promised Mya he would introduce her to the dolphins when this is over.” A stunned look formed on Max’s face.

  “How did you know about that?”

  “I was under the dock trying to get Typhoon when you said it,” she replied.

  “That is a promise he will have to break,” Okada replied casually. Before he dismissed them, he said, “Now please inform Ashly Cross I wish to speak with her about smuggling torpedo mines.”

  “What did she do?” Liz asked, surprised.

  “She purchased and used captor mines. Despite strict orders not to use torpedoes in Hawaiian waters.”

  “Okada, if I may.” Max thought for a moment of how to continue. “We kind of need Ashly on the team.”

  “She will receive the same judgment as the two of you.” Max and Liz gave respectful bows and left the office area. They walked into the living area where Ashly was sitting on the living room couch.

  “Are you two okay?” she asked, concerned.

  “We don’t know. All I know is he’s really mad. My own boyfriend won’t give me a straight answer on my future with him,” Liz said, upset as she sat down next to her.

  “Yeah, after cursing us out, he said he wanted to see you. Something about torpedo mines,” Max added. A look of fear formed on Ashly’s face. “Better get in there quick; he hates to be kept waiting.”

  “To think, this could be our last night as a team,” Liz said in a worried tone. Ashly reluctantly got up and headed for Okada’s office. The sound of the door closing brought Liz and Max to uncontrolled laughter. The ringing of Max’s phone brought the laughter to a halt.

  “Aww, your darling calling to check up on you,” Liz said in a lovestruck voice.

  “You don’t ever know who it is,” Max replied, getting up.

  “It’s Mya. I can tell by the look on your face.”

  “I’m off duty,” Max replied and walked outside. He pressed accept on Facetime and said, “Hello.”

  “Max? Hey, after what happened, I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” Mya said with a hint of concern in her voice.

  “I’m fine. Nothing eventful happened after you left,” he replied. Mya sighed with relief.

  “Okay, I was worried you got fired or something.” Max smiled, pleased she was concerned for him.

  “No, I got a lecture but that was it. Are you and Riley okay?”

  “We were both pretty shaken up, but we’re okay now. Are the dolphins okay?”

  “Yep, the dolphins are fine and happily swimming around.” Neither of them spoke for a moment.

  “So, are you working tonight?” Max asked.

  “No, just hanging out at home. Trying to find something to do,” Mya replied, hoping he got the hint.

  “I have a big day planned tomorrow and was thinking of going out to eat and then to a movie to get my mind off things.” A nervous tone entered Max’s voice when he asked, “Care to join me?”

  “Yes. I’d love to,” Mya
replied right away.

  “Does five-thirty work for you?”

  “Sooner the better,” Mya replied. Her voice filled with excitement when she said, “Going to get ready.” Just then Max felt something jump onto his back.

  “Hey,” Liz said, thinking Mya had hung up. On the screen, a shocked, hurt look formed on Mya’s face.

  “You son of a bitch,” Mya said in a hurt, teary voice as memories of her past started flooding her mind. “Enjoy your other girlfriend.” Before Max could respond, she hung up. Max pushed Liz off and glared at her, too angry to even speak.

  “Max, I’m so sorry. I thought she had hung up. Just call her back. I’ll explain everything if you want.”

  “Just go back inside,” Max replied. He thought about calling back but figured she would reject the call. He sent a text that said, Mya, that was my sister fooling around. Please give me a chance to explain. He sent it, waited a few moments, and requested a Facetime. To his surprise, Mya accepted it.

  “I’m listening,” she said. Max could see black streaks from her eye makeup on her face.

  “Mya, that was my co-worker Liz. There is nothing going on between us.”

  “I thought you said she was your sister,” Mya replied, noticing the change in the story. A hint of anger grew in her voice. Max thought for a moment and said, “We’re not biological siblings, but we’re close, and not in a romantic way.”

  “Well, where is she then? If you have nothing to hide, why is she not around?” Mya asked bitterly. Lucky for Max, Liz was still standing on the porch. He motioned for her to come over.

  “She’ll be over in a minute,” Max said. Hearing that surprised Mya and surprised her even more when Liz grabbed the phone.

  “Look, there is nothing going on between me and Max. I know for a fact lover boy only has eyes for you.”

  “Really?” Mya asked. Hearing that was sunbeams breaking the clouds around her heart.