TIME SHIP (Book Two) - A Time Travel Romantic Adventure
Page 2
The Captain stood speechless, staring at the doctor, his jaw wide open, his face red with fury, but his eyes showing the confusion and the questions bubbling around in his mind.
Sally stepped forward, raising her hand and placing it on the breast of the Captain's coat.
"Captain Rob, I am as terrified as you. If the doctor is right, there is now every chance that I will now be infected, or will become infected with this disease. My life may now also hang in the balance, and quite frankly...I want to live! You have to listen to the doctor. He speaks the truth. And I think, that before you make your decision, I know a way how to convince you that he, and I, are speaking the truth. This IS the year 2014, and if the year you come from was 1699, then your world no longer exists... Captain, other men are going to come here. Lots of them. But before they come, so that we can defend you properly, I need you to convince us that you are indeed speaking the truth. At first I thought that this was all a joke, that you were part of a big prank...but now...I am so confused... I am beginning to believe that you are pirates, or at least that you believe you are, and that perhaps, just perhaps, you could actually come from the past. I just want to ask you if before I prove to you that this is the year 2014, if you could prove to us that you are really, truly, from the year 1699? Bloody hell, am I really having this conversation with you?" she said, turning to Dr Mitchell for moral support and possible guidance. The doctor smiled, shaking his head. Sally continued.
"Captain Rob, I know you are a powerful man...that the crew look up to you, and that no doubt, if you are a pirate, that you are capable of committing acts of violence and brutality. But for some reason, I am not scared of you. I can see that you are an intelligent man, and that you genuinely care for your men, and your ship. And I can see that you are confused, and that you cannot understand what is happening. But, I can also see that you are seeking answers, and that deep down inside you are questioning if perhaps we are telling the truth. I think you already know that we are, and I think that you also already know that what the doctor has just said, is also the truth. That is why you have not ordered for us to be killed, or imprisoned. I think you know that both you and I, and the doctor, are each telling the truth. So we have to listen to each other and to trust each other. I promise to prove to you that what we are saying is true and as soon as we leave the ship, I will do that. But before we go, is there any way that you can prove to us that you are also telling the truth? That you are who you say you are?"
The Captain looked from Sally to Dr Mitchell and then to Mr Bones. He shook his head gently, and then looked out of the window of the ship, casting his eyes across to the resort, whose rooftops were now visible in the sunshine above the treetops.
His shoulders shrugged involuntarily, and then he spoke quietly.
"So be it, I will demonstrate to you that we are who we claim to be. And then I will give you the opportunity to return the deed. If you are telling the truth, then...we shall discuss this matter further. But if you are lying to me..." the Captain said, letting the threat hang menacingly in the air.
"You will soon understand. I will take you both down to our hold. I will show you both something that you will never forget as long as you live. Once I have shown you it, you will understand why I cannot allow you to live, if you are lying to me. If this is the year 1699, then by seeing our secret, it will be your death sentence. My men will not let you live, and I, as their captain, must support them. If however, this is the year 2014, and we are as powerless in this world as you say we are, then I would be a fool not to first learn more about it and reconsider the value of what we have hidden below. This is my deal to you. Do you accept it?"
Sally and the doctor quickly exchanged glances, and then both nodded and said 'yes'.
"Good," the Captain replied. "Then both follow me. Mr Bones, please accompany us."
Sally and the two doctors followed the Captain down three sets of ladders, straining to see anything as their eyes slowly adapted to the darkness below decks. They walked down a long corridor, their senses alive and being bombarded by a million different pieces of information from the ship: the dank, almost putrid smell of the air, the smell of the wood, the sound of rats scuttling away from them along the deck, the sound of the timbers creaking and the rocking of the ship on the waves as the tide ebbed. A light ahead of them lit the way, and as they neared a man called out a question, which neither of them understood. The Captain shouted a reply, probably a password of some form, and continued walking toward the light.
As they neared the end of the corridor, three men stood up from the crates upon which they were sitting, cutlasses drawn but pointing towards the ground.
"Morning Captain Rob," one of the men said, lifting up an oil lantern in front of their faces, so that they could see the Captain and those accompanying him.
"To you too, Mr Self. Now please stand aside, so that I can let our guests see what it is that you are hiding in the hold beyond!"
As the men did as they were asked, the Captain reached inside his breeches and took out a key, unlocking the door, and opening it before them. The Captain turned to face Sally and the doctor.
"Before I ask you both to step inside, I will command from you an answer to a single question. For what does a pirate search when he sails the seven seas?"
Almost simultaneously both Sally and the doctor whispered the same word in reply.
"Treasure."
The Captain laughed. "Then, if as you say, treasure is what defines a pirate, then the proof of who we are lies within these walls...Please, step inside and feast your eyes upon the greatest treasure in all of Christendom!"
Taking the lantern off the seaman, Captain McGregor held it high inside the doorway, its yellow light banishing the shadows and illuminating what lay beyond.
The hold beyond was full of chests, sacks and boxes. At first there was nothing of any apparent value to marvel at, but when the Captain stepped around them, bent down and opened the lids to three of the chests, Sally clapped her hands together and laughed aloud, and the doctor said two words: "Bloody hell!"
Wherever the light from the lantern fell, the glint of gold reflected back.
Coins, gold bars, goblets, plates, jewelry, everything that any child - or adult - had ever dreamt of in their wildest dreams of finding long lost treasure, was contained within these three boxes.
Captain Rob leaned forward, scooping up a handful of the gold coins and offering them to Sally and Dr Mitchell. As they held out their hands, he spilled the coins casually between them, and then gestured with the empty hand to the sacks and the other chests.
"They are all full of the same. Treasure. Treasure. And then more treasure. Or as we prefer to call it...'booty'. Call it what you will. Now please, bend forward and immerse your hand inside any chest of your choosing. Pull out any coin you wish, and examine the date. Not a single coin will show a date later than 1699."
Laughing, Sally and the doctor bent down in front of the chests, and started to rummage their hands in amongst the coins and their contents. It was every person's dream come true!
The Captain bent forward again, picking out what looked like a primitive crown, and a roughly fashioned ingot of gold. He reached across and gave the gold bar to the doctor, and rested the crown upon Sally's head.
"Doctor Mitchell, sir. Perhaps you would rather examine the date the Spanish have stamped on this ingot they so kindly donated to our cause?"
As the Captain handed the small bar over, the doctor almost dropped it on the deck, completely underestimating its weight.
"Wow! It's heavy!" he exclaimed.
The Captain smiled, and lifted the lantern closer so that they could look at the dates on the coins and the gold bar.
"1645...1688...1645....1523...1548...1682..." Sally said aloud as she swiftly examined one coin after another. "This is incredible!"
"And this bar says 1538!"
"All the sacks, this chest and the other chests are full of the same." The Captain ass
ured them. "Pirate booty. Booty that pirates live and die for. Booty that by your definition of the word, defines and proves us to be 'pirates'! Or do you not agree?"
"Who does the treasure belong to?" the doctor asked, rising to his feet, and looking at the gold crown on Sally's head.
"Us. It is ours."
"But before?"
"To those who had it before us. But now it is ours."
Captain McGregor offered an outstretched hand to Sally, and he helped her gently to her feet. "Now, if you would be so kind, please return the treasure back into the pirate's chest. You may however, keep one gold coin each: a gift to help you remember who we are, and to remind you never to question again, any claim which I make! And now, if you will, it is time we left, so that you can prove to me, that you also speak the truth."
Ten minutes later, they were being rowed back to the shore, and the twenty-first century.
Chapter 26
The Blue Emerald Bay Resort
Puerto Rico
9.35 a.m.
As two of the pirates rowed them back to shore in the pinnace, the doctor pulled out a notebook from his medicine bag, and he began to make some notes to himself. It was not even 10 o'clock in the morning and he was already sweating. He outlined his thoughts to the Captain and Sally as they rowed.
"I've left Mr Bones to look after your men on the Sea Dancer. He's doing a fine job of caring for them and we can't really do anything more until we get medical supplies and antibiotics. I've asked him to keep anyone developing any symptoms completely isolated from the rest of those on board. At the first sign of illness he is to move the patient from the deck to the cabins downstairs. I've asked him to send out a group of men to catch and kill as many rats as possible. I'm also going to ask for a supply of fresh clothes to be sent to us, and as soon as they arrive, I want all of your men to put their clothes in a pile on the beach and we will burn them. We have to kill all the fleas. I don't want any more of your men who are onshore to go back to the boat. Sally, that includes us. I suggest we both strip on the beach, and leave our clothes there. We'll go back to my room and get fresh clothes. Cotton, nothing that fleas can hide in. You too, Captain. Lose the coat and breeches. Come back to my room and I will give you some clothes."
"I also want you to stop moving any more food or water back to your ship. We are going to need all the supplies we can get hold of on shore. But don't go back to the boat for any you have already transported."
"Our main task for now is to slow down the rate of the spread of infection. The problem we have is that quite a few of your men on shore will already be infected. If they are sneezing, coughing or even breathing too close to our residents, they will pass the infection on. With so many hostages in the dining hall, it is inevitable that a number of our guests will already be infected. As soon as we land, you need to help me identify any of your seamen who have already started to show symptoms. We have to isolate them and put them in a separate room or rooms, away from everyone else. Any guest who shows signs of sickness tomorrow or in the next few days will also have to be isolated. I think it is a bad idea to have such a large group of people together in the main hall...we need to split them up and put them in smaller groups in different parts of the hotel. Ideally, we should just send them all back to their hotel rooms, with strict instructions that they must not leave or talk to others...," Dr Mitchell suggested.
Sally nodded.
"I think that's the best plan. It will stop people panicking too. They can watch TV or listen to the radio and chill out. But as soon as they feel ill, they should call reception and get you or another doctor to visit them..."
"Stop!", Captain McGregor finally intervened, after having heard enough. "I am in charge here! These are our hostages! I will keep them all together so that I can control them and see what they are doing..."
Sally interrupted.
"Please, listen to Dr Mitchell. Time is of the essence here. A single sneeze from one of your men could infect and ultimately kill anyone who breathes the air expelled from his lungs. We have to move fast. I will come with you to get new clothes from the doctor, and then I will take you directly to our business suite. There I will prove to you, without a shadow of a doubt, that you are in the twenty-first century. And as soon as you understand that, you and I must work together to save the lives of your crew, the residents of my resort, and our lives as well."
"No. Understand me, Miss Sally. If I let you take our hostages, then I lose my strategic advantage and then I have no power to bargain with..."
"Then how about, half the hostages are allowed to go back to their rooms now, and the rest as soon as you are convinced?"
The Captain thought about it for a minute, then nodded. "You drive a hard bargain, woman, but I will agree to your terms. However, I would remind you that the cannons on my ship are trained on the resort, so if you do not keep your word, or you try to fool me in any way, I will order them to be fired. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly. And in your shoes, I would do the same."
Captain McGregor looked away from Sally, and down at his shoes.
"It's a figure of speech," she said. Smiling.
"Okay, now that's agreed, there are a few more things...," the doctor carried on.
"When the helicopters start to drop supplies to us, I will ask that one of them picks up one of the two bodies from the ship. The World Health Organisation will need to do tests on the deceased to ascertain the type and severity of the plague. They can tell us what we are dealing with. After that I think we will be burning any new dead on the beach, so I would suggest we get some men to start digging a large pit in the sand. If the number of dead grows too fast, we may have to have a JCB digger airlifted in and start digging trenches...And all of this is just the start, things we need to do in the next hour or so, until the W.H.O. arrives and takes over. Lastly, Sally, you must leave word that when the helicopter with the wounded guard arrives back on the beach, they should all be taken and quarantined in my surgery offices. Forcibly if need be. They must go there and then they must not leave."
The Captain was just about to ask what on earth Dr Mitchell had said, not understanding most of it, when the pinnace landed on the sand, and they all hurried out.
"Okay, let's get to work!" Doctor Mitchell shouted as he jumped off the boat, onto the sand and started stripping his clothes off. "Every second counts now. Every second could mean a life saved. Remember that!"
At first the Captain stood beside Sally and the doctor, not knowing what he should do. For a moment in time, he was no longer the Captain of the Sea Dancer, but a little boy who was too shy to take off his clothes.
Sally also hesitated for a second, but as soon as she saw that Dr Mitchell was deadly serious, she stripped. By the time she was down to her bra and panties, Dr Mitchell was in the sea, washing his body hurriedly, dipping his head and hair into the water, as well as his pubic hair. He washed himself thoroughly, without embarrassment or any second thoughts. Sally soon dived in after him, and the Captain followed.
As they emerged from the water, there was a moment of embarrassment as Sally saw the naked body of the Captain, and he admired hers. The Captain was a tall, very good looking, muscular man. Sally couldn't help but notice a long scar on his upper right chest. Captain McGregor saw her interest, and said simply,"...A battle with the French. We won!"
The other pirates on the beach stood and stared in amazement at what was going on, particularly at the sight of the beautiful and now naked woman beside the Captain.
"Men, all stay here! Do not go near the resort or allow others to join your group, until I order otherwise. There is illness on the Sea Dancer. We must limit the reach of its tentacles on the men of our ship. And please, for now, keep separate from each other, lest one of you who may be ill infect the others. Do not carry any more supplies back to the Sea Dancer. Keep them all here, until I order otherwise. Is that understood?"
The men all nodded, and continued staring at Sally.
She led them along the beach and around the outside of the resort, following the path taken by Richard Tyler earlier that day. They managed to circumnavigate the resort without being spotted, until they left the outside path and headed into the center. As they ran to the building with the staff quarters, one of the guests who was still in his bedroom, opened a window and whistled at Sally.
She turned a deeper shade of red, and ran faster.
They passed two pirate guards, each carrying both an old musket and a new semi-automatic which they must have acquired from the resort guards. The Captain stopped and issued them with a few instructions, which Sally didn't hear. When they continued on past, both the men were staring after her, and laughing.
Within minutes, all three of them were standing outside the door of the doctor's quarters. It was only then that he realised that he had left his keys with his clothes on the beach.