Bracing for the Storm

by Matt Lincoln

  “Hey, Lin,” she chirped, her familiar Spanish accent coming through clearly. “How’s La Isla Del Encanto?”

  “Gorgeous, Ma,” I replied as I sank into my still-functional sofa. “I just got back from my first patrol here. I was just calling to check in, really. I can’t believe this is real. I actually live here now.”

  “You do, mi amor,” she said softly. “You need to visit your father for me, and then you need to go explore that beautiful island. The years will be gone before you know it, and I don’t want you to waste a second. I will be down to visit as soon as I have the money.”

  “I can’t wait to see you,” I replied as I stared through my living room window. “Give me a month or two to get settled at least first. I’m surrounded by cardboard boxes. Then I’ll take you to visit dad.”

  “Yes, that sounds perfect.” I heard the familiar sounds of my mother working in the kitchen through the phone, and I swore for a moment I could actually smell the arroz con gandules that I knew was on the stove back home.

  “Hey, do you know of a good place to eat around here?” I asked. A sandwich for lunch was one thing, but I did not fly down to Puerto Rico to eat simply. I needed legitimate Puerto Rican food before my next patrol. Preferably by tonight.

  “Oh, of course!” I could hear the excitement in my mom’s voice. “Hold on, I will text you a few options.” I heard some shuffling around on the other end, and before long, my text message tone was going off multiple times.

  “Alright, Ma, geez,” I interjected. “I was mostly looking for a single place to go tonight.”

  “Well, work your way down that list and start with the first one. It is the best. They have the best mofongo. Everyone will say their place is the best, but they’re all wrong. The first one on the list. That’s the place.”

  “Thanks, Ma.” I pulled my phone away from my ear and looked down at the screen. Eight text messages. This woman knew her food. “I’ll go there tonight.”

  “Let me know how it is,” she insisted.

  “Of course. I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you, Ma.”

  “Love you too, Linda. Cuídate.”

  “I’m always safe, Ma,” I replied as I hung up the phone.

  My next phone call was one that I was very excited to make.

  2

  Jake

  I couldn’t move out of Miami, not with Bridget still here. After losing Dare last year, she had been going out on dives less frequently and turning down more and more invitations. Darrell “Dare” Lemon was my half brother, and he and his wife Bridget were YouTube diving sensations. His dive videos had a huge following in the dive community, and his death left a void that couldn’t be filled. Bridget and I had always been close, and I found I was leaning on her as much as she was leaning on me these days.

  As much as I wanted to stay close by, I could no longer justify keeping an entire house in Miami, so I downsized to a small condo overlooking Biscayne Bay. I was unpacking the last few items when the phone rang. I glanced over at it and saw a familiar name sprawled across the screen. My heart warmed, and I reached over and answered it.

  “Hello, XO,” I teased into the phone.

  “Jake!” Linda’s voice came through the phone loudly, her excitement contagious. “Jake, I just got back!”

  “How’s Puerto Rico?” I knew damn well how Puerto Rico was. I had just been there a few months ago on a mission. Spoiler alert: It was still as serene as ever.

  “Oh my god, Jake, it’s fantastic!” The excitement in her voice reminded me of the time she got a puppy for Christmas when we were kids. She had screamed my name into my ear that day, too. I was surprised I still had my hearing after that momentous occasion.

  “What have you seen so far?” I asked. For a small place, Puerto Rico had a ton to see.

  “Not much, to be honest,” she replied, the edge of excitement falling out of her voice slightly. “We got underway the day after my stuff arrived, and we just got back yesterday. Most of what I’ve seen has been from the boat.”

  “Wait until you see the rest of it,” I chuckled. “I’ll finally go deaf in one ear from all your excitement.”

  “Jake!” she screamed in my ear before snickering loudly.

  I chuckled myself. “I miss you. Text me before you get underway again. I have plans to hit up Aguadilla soon. Wraith needs a home.”

  Wraith was my baby. She was a smooth, badass supercavitating boat that moved quickly and silently and undetected to wherever I needed to go. I needed to keep her under wraps and away from prying eyes, as she wasn’t exactly… legal in the strictest sense of the word. Law enforcement has only gotten near her once, and that was with my permission in order to find my half-brother, Dare. MBLIS and I had an understanding that we would use Wraith to help them solve their case, and in return, they wouldn’t ask questions or give me any problems about her. It was a pretty unique scenario that I didn’t foresee happening again.

  “I’ll make sure I have gas in the car,” she said, her voice much more serious now. “There’s no way we are both here at the same time and don’t see each other, even if we are on opposite ends of the island.”

  “It’d be tragic,” I jested.

  “See ya later, Jakey,” she said with a snicker. She was literally the only person on Earth who could get away with calling me that, and she knew not to do it in public.

  “See ya,” I called out before hanging up.

  I really did miss Linda. I had known her since we were kids. Yeah, I was a few years older than her, but our moms were best friends, so it was only natural that we ended up as close as we did. She was always the one bursting with excitement to try new things and rambled on throughout our whole childhood about how she wanted to get out there and see the world. I was glad to hear she was finally getting to do that and in Puerto Rico of all places. Her dad must be screaming with the same excitement from wherever he is.

  I looked around my little condo. The amenities here weren’t as important as the ones I would need in Aguadilla, but at the very least, I needed to ensure I had my coffee maker set up, bed made, and closet filled before setting off on my next mission. Now that everything was set, there was only one thing left to do. I set up my coffee maker and brewed my first cup, then set up a couple of patio chairs and a small table out on the balcony. By the time I had everything set up, the coffee maker beeped. I made myself a cup and headed out to the balcony, both hands wrapped around the warm mug.

  As I propped my elbows up on the ledge and looked out at the bay, I thought back to the last time I had spoken to Carl Reyes, Linda’s father. He was sick, the kind of sick you don’t come back from, and he had a major request for me.

  “Whatever you do, and wherever you end up, you have to promise me one thing.”

  I had never seen him look so serious. I knew he’d seen a lot of serious crap in his military career, and I imagined this face had accompanied said crap.

  “Whatever you need,” I had replied, unsure what I was about to agree to, but damned sure I’d follow through.

  “You look out for my Linda,” he rasped. “You make sure she stays safe and secure. Don’t let her do anything stupid.”

  “Of course!” I was surprised that he felt the need to say that out loud. “You don’t even have to ask.”

  “I know,” he said faintly, “but I’m asking it anyway. I always liked the two of you together. You’re good for each other.” He smirked and winked at me. “I know you’ll take good care of my daughter, whether you two end up together or not.”

  I had rolled my eyes at that comment. Linda and I both knew that her dad had always wanted us to be a couple. To his credit, we had thought it would work a few times. Growing up together so close in age, we were always joined at the hip and had been tempted on several occasions to test that closeness. It just never worked out that way, I suppose.

  That didn’t change anything, though. I loved Linda, and I would always ensure her safety. It’s why I had suggested the Coast Guar
d in the first place. A secure job that satisfied her desire to serve her country while minimizing the risks of her unexpectedly getting called overseas seemed the best solution.

  I thought back to when Carl Reyes had found out about that. He was furious, but he had to admit that there was no stopping her from joining a service. I simply guided her to the best option for her. Besides, she seemed to be settling into her new career quite nicely.

  My coffee cup empty and my musing complete, I wandered back inside and washed out my mug. It was time to head out and prep Wraith for her big move.

  3

  Linda

  I threw the last few items into my bag and headed out the door, spinning around at the last minute to grab my coffee mug, which had been left forgotten beneath the coffee maker while I packed. I took a tentative sip and found it just a tad too hot, but by the time I reached the garage, it would be perfect.

  The evenings were amazing here in Puerto Rico. Last night, I had sprawled out on my hammock out on my balcony and listened to the sounds of the coquis singing their song into the evening air. The sounds all overlapped, creating a symphony of “coqui, coqui, coqui” all evening long. It was the perfect noise to fall asleep to, but thankfully I was able to snap out of it and make my way inside and back to bed so that I could be fully rested for this morning’s patrol. Falling asleep in a hammock was a surefire way to wake up with a crick in my neck.

  I did need to be fully rested, too. This was my first patrol as a fully-functioning and fully-qualified Executive Officer. The XO’s job is to manage the crew, handle complaints, and process the paperwork. There was so much paperwork, and that was a fact I was slowly coming to terms with.

  For now, though, it was just me, my Jeep, and the open road in front of me. I loved my Jeep. It was a two-door soft-top Jeep Wrangler, and I had opted for a crisp white paint job to contrast the black top. It had seen me through my entire career so far, and I never wanted to part with it.

  I decided to take the scenic route to work. After all, I lived in Puerto Rico now, and I wanted to soak it all in. The sun, the palm trees, even the enormous iguana that ran in front of my car. Damn, that thing was huge. Its impossibly long black-striped tail dragged across the street long after its scaly greenish-brown body had reached the curb.

  I drove down the main strip alongside Bahía de San Juan, appreciating the view. It was too early for the cruise ships to pull in, so the bay was fully visible. The bay water didn’t look as clean and clear as some of the other water I’d seen around here, but I attributed that to the cruise ships and tourists making their mess.

  I made a few wonky turns at the end, ambling over the cobblestone streets that led to Calle la Puntilla, which was the street that led to the front entrance to the base. The streets could be smoother, and my Jeep was no friend to the potholes and cobblestones, but if that was my biggest complaint, I felt I was doing pretty well.

  My cutter was docked in the last spot. A solid one hundred and fifty-four feet long, the white hull shone in the morning sun, and the orange and blue stripes on the forward part of the hull announced to anyone that came close who we all were. Most of the other cutters were in as well, and the row of white hulls overpowered the view as I searched for a parking spot. I was happy to be able to park as close as I did, and made my way onto the boat with plenty of time to spare. I dropped off my bags and headed up to the bridge. I knew that a lot of the crew would be showing up soon, and I wanted to be settled in before they arrived.

  The bridge was the uppermost room from which the ship was commanded. Surrounded by windows, the equipment and screens across the forward part of the bridge were used in tracking and navigation. They were set in front of two large seats, one for the Commanding Officer and the other for the OOD, or Officer of the Deck, whoever that happened to be that day. On the port, or left side, there was a computer station set up. On the starboard, or right side, there was a small seat and smaller screen that controlled the forward gun mount, and the QMOW station sat right behind it. The QMOW, or Quartermaster of the Watch, plotted the course that the ship was on, and also aided the small boat’s course when it was launched.

  When I got up to the bridge, I saw my Commanding Officer taking his usual seat and sipping on his own coffee. When he saw me, he smiled and sat his coffee down, waving me forward.

  CO Charles Watson had been here a year already, and I was hoping to pick up as much knowledge as possible before he left. I had heard good things about him before I arrived, so I felt confident that this would be a great learning experience.

  I sat down in the OOD chair beside him and set my own mug down before looking up at him. Without the Officer of the Deck on the bridge, this seat was free for the taking. He had expressive brown eyes and cropped brown hair, and he looked a bit tired, bags beginning to form under his eyes and a slight slouch to his shoulders. The sunlight pouring through the windows around us did nothing to soften his appearance.

  “Good morning, Reyes,” he said with a grin. Despite his apparent tiredness, he seemed to be in a good mood.

  “Good morning, sir,” I replied with a smile to mirror his. “I’m excited to be able to dive in fully this time!”

  “Good,” he said, grasping his mug and taking an absentminded sip of coffee before putting it back down. “This patrol, I’d like you to pay close attention to how I handle things. To be completely transparent with you, that new training initiative is something I’d like to take seriously. I’m trying to build my case for advancement, and tackling this initiative head-on will look great for me. So, you’re officially my trainee. If we work together on this, we can help both of our careers.”

  This new training initiative he was referring to was one of those big ideas passed down from the Command. Not all of their ideas were practical once they were put into play, but this initiative sounded promising. It would benefit the trainer’s career while boosting the trainee’s knowledge base to help them advance.

  “Sounds good, sir,” I sat up a little straighter. “What do I need to do?”

  “For now, stick by me,” CO Watson replied with a grin. “Take mental notes, learn as much as you can. Next patrol, I am turning over a lot of my responsibilities to you. I will still be here to oversee and advise, of course, but I will let you take the reins and see how you do.”

  Wow, that was a lot of responsibility suddenly on my shoulders.

  “Of course, I still need you to handle your job as XO as well.” Watson took another sip of coffee. “If it ever becomes too much, you let me know, and we will re-adjust.”

  “Yes, sir. Thank you!” I knew that admitting I couldn’t handle the workload was not an option. It sounded like a ton of work for me, but if I could handle this, I’d be a shoo-in for a CO position at my next unit. On the other hand, if I felt I couldn’t handle it, admitting defeat would look bad not only for myself but for Watson as well. I needed him on my good side, so I couldn’t disappoint him.

  GM2 Slade, our one and only Gunner’s Mate, walked in then with a box of donuts. “Hello, sir, ma’am,” she said, nodding to us in turn and holding out the open box in front of us. Her black hair was slicked back into a perfect bun, and her dark skin glowed in the morning sunlight. She looked extremely well-rested, the antithesis of CO Watson’s expression.

  “Good morning,” we both uttered simultaneously.

  “Don’t mind if I do,” I smirked and reached out for my favorite blueberry donut. “Thank you!”

  “None for me, thanks,” Watson said, a slight frown on his face. “I told myself I’d use this patrol to get my diet in check. Donuts would be a bad start.”

  “Ahh, well, I’ll bring the rest down to the mess deck.” Slade closed up the box and turned to head out.

  “GM2,” Watson called out. Slade pivoted back around to face us, an expectant look on her face.

  “Sir?” she pressed.

  “How’s everything going for the upcoming inspection?” Watson’s tired eyes searched Slade’s face for th
e answer.

  “It’s going decently.” She shrugged. “Once we are back in port, I have a few things I need to follow up on. We’re lucky that this patrol, both port calls are here at home. I can get more done.”

  “Perfect.” Watson took a thoughtful sip of coffee. “Let me know if there’s anything you need. I want to make sure it goes smoothly.”

  “Yes, sir!” Slade perked up and grinned before pivoting back and heading down the ladderwell to the mess deck.

  CO Watson and I made small talk while the rest of the crew slowly filed onto the boat and got settled in. Before I knew it, we were ready to go, and the lines were being pulled in.

  The first day of the patrol was pretty uneventful. What I woke up to that night, however, was chaos.

  “XO Reyes,” I heard from outside my door. I had just drifted off to sleep, so it took me a moment to get my bearings. I cracked it open to find our Operations Officer, Ensign Jared Driscoll, standing outside my door. Driscoll was a blue-eyed blonde with a baby face I didn’t think he would ever outgrow.

  “What’s up, OPS?” I muttered groggily.

  “We got a tip on a drug bust,” he said urgently. “CO is requesting your presence on the bridge.”

  “Alright, I’ll be up in a minute.” I closed the door and stumbled over to quickly throw my uniform on and brush my teeth haphazardly. Looking in the mirror, I flattened out my hair with the palms of my hands before shoving a couple of extra bobby pins in to get me by. Within a few minutes of Driscoll’s visit, I was heading up to the bridge. When I reached the bridge, Watson looked much more alert than when I’d seen him earlier.

  “Reyes.” He waved me over. The only other person on the bridge was Chief Sanchez, who had been on watch. Sanchez had been the first person to greet me when I’d first arrived, and was cheerful as hell, but now his lips pressed together in a thin line as he looked over everything in front of him. He was on the shorter side, about my height at five and a half feet, and sported a thick, dark mustache.