by Jack Walker
Grabbing an MRE he looked at it carefully, then decided to look for one exactly the same. With two he could possibly whip up a decent meal. Sorting through them he finally located a similar one; ripped the sachets open and got the gas stove lit. Mixing the two main sachets together; he made one big pile of stroganoff. He heated them on the stove; stirring the whole time. Adding a few spices from the cupboard, he soon had a delicious smell wafting through the small kitchen. He knew there was not a huge amount that he could do with the MRE but he would try his damndest to get a decent meal together for Judith and himself. Slowly the food warmed up and he was really enjoying the role of chef for them. Judith stood watching him and smiled. As she stood watching him, she was enjoying watching him work with the food. He was comfortable in the kitchen; but then again he should be. He had a coffee shop after all. She thought back to the coffee shop wistfully as she looked at him; mixing the spices in and making the kitchen smell lovely. His movements were smooth and unhurried; he obviously knew what he was doing. She folded her arms, as she watched him become totally absorbed in the food. Soon she would be able to have a nice meal, and was now looking forward to it.
Simon was stirring the food, and tore open two other packets of food that turned out to be mashed potatoes. He placed the two lots together in another saucepan, and started to heat those up as well. He grabbed some salt and pepper and added that to the mixture, with a little water to get the mashed potatoes thinned out slightly. Paprika followed into the mix, and he smelt the delicious aroma of the food. He sighed and wanted to really enjoy this meal. He was glad Judith was with him in the galley, and she was just standing there watching him continue to stir the food. He glanced at her, enjoying her smile that made him feel so good inside. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach as she continued to look at him. He knew that she would be special, and he wanted her to be a part of his life for the rest of his being. She was making such an impact on him. Her positive impact that she was having on him, it made him feel really good. Her goodness was just so evident that he could not imagine his life without her. He stopped stirring for a moment as he suddenly had a strange feeling that he had somehow witnessed this very act before. Déjà vu, he thought again. The scene was very similar to earlier, the fact that their closeness had been so evident. He wondered at that again as he just stood there frozen, not really taking notice of the surroundings. How could this have played out before if he had only just met her recently. Unless this was all just a dream, he wondered? Yet he could not say for certain; but felt that this was his reality. He shrugged and continued stirring the food. He finally stopped stirring and grabbed two plates; then dished up the delicious smelling food onto the plates. Judith finally straightened up and moved over to the small table to sit with him. She had to sit opposite him on the small bench seat. She dazzled him with her smile, and she reached for his hand.
“Thank you Simon, this looks absolutely delicious. I am looking forward to enjoying this in your company. I know we have not had much time to be together but I feel so close to you. It almost feels like Déjà vu; I know you have probably felt the same. I have seen you stare off into space for a few moments as well. I know I have had a few like that.” she commented softly.
Simon started; and realised that she was very serious indeed. He felt the warmth of her had in his and looked at her closely. Her green eyes locked with his and he was swept away with emotion. Those green orbs were so mesmerising, and he felt lost as she looked at him. He knew then that she was telling the truth about the episodes of Déjà vu. He shivered as he felt her hand squeeze his fingers softly. He squeezed hers back; then lifted her fingers to his lips and kissed them softly. “You are simply amazing; so very insightful. Here I was thinking I was the only one having flashbacks like that. Now I see that I was not the only one.” he stated softly, “Thank you my dear Judith. I was worried there for a bit.” laughing nervously he shot her another quick look. “Let’s enjoy this meal; I think that we are going to be a long time from eating anything like this for a while. I have this feeling that we are going to be very busy in the next while.”
Judith smiled at him and lifted her knife and fork start eating. The first mouthful she placed in her mouth and she chewed. Stopping midway through chewing; she smiled at Simon then finished her mouthful.
“Simon, this is absolutely delicious; I am really impressed by this. It should not be this tasty at all. You have created something quite tasty here. I am impressed.” she said with a note of awe in her voice. “Can you dish me up some more afterward? The only thing missing is wine.”
Simon laughed at her comment; grinned at her and smiled. He nodded assent and slowly enjoyed watching her eat while he also enjoyed his food. Watching her eat was a joy; she placed delicate morsels into her mouth; chewed slowly and then swallowed. The rest of their meal they enjoyed in silence, their companionable silence was all they needed. For a short time they forgot the rest of the world out there with the infected and all the trials they had gone through. Pushing their plates away after their meal; they sat there in silence. They were just enjoying each other’s company.
“Simon! Get up here!” he heard his name being called by someone from up above.
Chapter Thirty Three
They both looked at each other in the small galley; then got up when their peace was shattered. Getting up onto the deck, they looked toward where the group was pointing out in the water. He looked but could not make out what was going on just yet. He realised that they had travelled pretty far by water; in fact quite close to where the carrier had been he surmised. Looking at Dawson he saw she had binoculars trained on something out in front of the boat. He reached over and touched her on the shoulder then she passed the binoculars to him with a shrug. Taking hold of them he looked out toward the spot; then spotted a figure floating out in the water. He realised that this could possibly be one of the survivors.
“Jones spotted him about 20 seconds ago; then called you. I thought it prudent to get you here so you could see exactly what we found.” Judith said quickly. “But I doubt that he is a survivor of the carrier. He could be one of the people on the boat that was trying to ram the carrier.”
“Good thing you called me; we need to approach slowly, and be careful. Just in case your theory is correct Dawson. Well done you two; I mean that.” Simon said proudly, clapping them both on their backs.
George slowed the boat down as they approached the figure trying vainly to swim toward the distant shore. “It certainly looks like he does not want to be picked up; does it?” he asked Simon, keeping the speed of the boat slow, and steady. “It looks like he could possibly be one of the attackers.”
Jones lifted his rifle; aimed just ahead of the swimming figure; aimed and pulled the trigger. The shot had the desired effect on the swimmer. He instantly stopped and started treading water. He turned to face the boat, and the people on board. As he turned they saw his face flash a look of hatred. Jones had been right to place a shot ahead of him to get him to stop. There was really nowhere else to go anyway. The man accepted defeat and placed his hands in the air as the boat swung in towards him.
“Simon; be careful. I don’t think this guy is American.” Jones said with an earnest voice. “I would rather be safe than sorry.” Jones kept his rifle trained on the man the whole time as they slowly managed to get him out of the water and onto the deck of their boat. By the look the man gave them, he was not American, but he kept his gaze rooted on Jones and the rifle. Jones just kept the rifle trained on the man and smiled. He must have realised that the game was up. “I know you are not American boy; you better come clean and tell me who you are and where you come from.” Jones said slowly. “Otherwise I will put a bullet in your head.”
“My name is Frank Smith,” he said with a clipped British accent, “I was on a sailing ship out here and saw the carrier get hit by another boat. I am a British national on holiday. Please accept my reluctance to stop swimming, but I thought I saw a shark out here and w
anted to get away from it to safety!” he explained, keeping his hands safely up in the air.
“Any way of proving that you are British sir? It is just that I am a bit suspicious right now. That carrier was my home for quite a while before it got attacked and destroyed.” Jones questions the man; still not completely convinced. “Besides, I saw the look of hatred that crossed your face just as you turned around. You did your best to hide it but it was there. Do you have any identification that you are British? You can understand my reluctance to believe you wholeheartedly, I am sure you understand.”
Frank Smith spluttered in indignation; he looked at the large man that pointed the rifle at him and said again, “I can assure you that I am British. Just because my boat sank with my passport after being hit by bullets from the conflagration, does that not mean anything to you?” Smith’s voice rose in indignation. “You Americans are always so pig-headed; no wonder your country is always being targeted by us.” He replied without thinking, and then quickly shut his mouth; realising that he had given the game away.
“Just as I suspected, you were on the attacking boat; weren’t you? I suspect you are may be one of the terrorists who planted the planted the virus in New York.” Jones said quietly, the menace in his voice showing. “Let me tell you something else that we knew about your little insurgency; the fact that you had a mole inside your crew and they were relaying information to us.”
He gestured to the man who was now stunned by this revelation; he could not believe that there had been a mole on board their ship; or even in the organisation.
Jones quickly levelled the rifle at him, and then spoke to George quickly. “Grab a rope, and tie him up securely; I need to tell you all a small secret that I have kept from you about the events that have happened.” he said with a resigned tone.
Dumbfounded everybody looked at Jones; then back at the man sitting on the deck. Then, they looked back at Jones. Everybody started to talk at once; and Simon had to try restore order. Simon could not believe what he was hearing. He put up his hands and shouted above everybody to try and get them to quieten down. The noise persisted; questions being flung at Jones in a flurry. George tied the man up; making sure his bonds were secure; then, they dragged him over to the rail, and tied him securely to it so that he could not attempt to escape by jumping overboard.
“I know I need to explain myself; I needed to keep myself as distanced from the events that have occurred and to keep you safe. It was no accident I was on that helicopter that found you. I had been following and monitoring you all along.” Jones explained. Gasps of surprise issued from everybody on board. Again a flurry of questions erupted and the noise drowned out the low chuckle that Smith issued; but there was one person that did hear him, Ella.
Jones held up his hands, and everyone slowly started to quiet down.
Chapter Thirty Four
Jones then started to explain about the insider first, and then he was going to explain to them about the whole infection. The mole on-board the boat that destroyed the carrier was actually one of the senior terrorists; who, by not having been totally committed to the whole operation had decided to come clean about his involvement; and did not want the plot to infect New York to succeed. He managed to broker a deal to keep his family safe; and for him to remain on board with the terrorists; so he could discover their plot. He would attempt to infiltrate the upper echelons of the group, and feed the information to the United States military. He would feed discover what the group was up to and eventually did pass on the terrorist attack on the UN. That was why the Carrier was actually off the coast of New York, and why the response had been so swift in their reprisals against the infected. They had known from the start that people would die; but they had to let the terrorists think that their plan had worked. All the bridges in and out of New York were subsequently destroyed to keep the infection from spreading beyond the city; otherwise the infection would have been totally devastating to the rest of the western world. That was when they had planted explosives and bombed all of the bridges; to contain completely the infected that they knew would try and escape from the city. Having contained the millions of infected it would then be easier to get rid of the infected people that would be the majority of the population. Having the terrorist insider on their side; feeding them information, would be a huge advantage. Just before the ship had destroyed the carrier however; he had been discovered, then executed. His main goal though had succeeded in getting the information out to the carrier; that could do then do the most damage with the aircraft that it carried on board. The military had known that there would be huge losses; but they had deemed those people that would be infected as casualties of war.
Simon was stunned by this revelation, and was about to ask the next question; but was stopped by Jones. Dawson; I suppose you better come clean, after all it was partly your idea to find the safe house, and get Judith to a safe place. Once I knew of the terrorist plot, I had to get My Judith to safety; that way I would know where she was. She was my only remaining family and I could not let anything happen to her. Dawson was actually tasked with keeping an eye on Judith, and that was why we got on so well. I tasked Dawson with looking after Judith; as she was ex-military, she would be the perfect person to follow my dear Judith. Judith was looking at her uncle now; with equal parts admiration and confusion. He nodded at her and continued; Yes, Dawson was actually paid to keep you as safe as possible. Did you ever think that she was actually at your side very quickly after the initial attack happened on you? She had to try making it look like it was random by getting a few others with her to help get you to safety. That was why she was there so close to you; and could assess the situation and get you to safety. Simon just happened to be the in his coffee shop early that morning; that turned out to be rather fortuitous for my plan. I had planned to come into the city to rescue you, but could not get away any sooner. Dawson had kept me apprised of the situation all the time she was with you in the coffee shop and also once you were out on the boat. When they found the boat; I placed myself on board the helicopter to go out and join you on board. That was when the terrorists plan deviated. Our moles last message was that they had found him out, and his transmissions went dead. We could only assume that the earpiece he had used had been destroyed. Their frigate had then changed course for the carrier; and we can only assume that he had been tortured for the information that he had been relaying to us. That was when their mission had changed to become a suicide mission purely to destroy the carrier; rendering the remaining support useless. That when the plan went a bit awry. I needed to keep you safe when the terrorists had sent the speedboat out to try and destroy is just after we entered the tunnels under the Brooklyn bridge. You see; they also knew about the tunnels, but not about the amount of training that we had done in them. Before they found the mole, he alerted us that a boat had been sent out to try and destroy us in the tunnels. That was why I went back on myself a little; I knew where they were coming from. We had really been training in those tunnels for a while now; that was why I knew exactly where to hide the boat, and then use the surrounding passages to get to their boat. I could easily find their boat because of the location of that particular spot. You see, that was one of our listening posts and we had cameras installed in that point; and when they stopped I was able to track them down and could kill them. You see there were reasons why I did what I did, and when I did them. I had to ensure that everything was actually working to my advantage; because of that upper hand I had I could dictate the next moves we made. I was slightly ahead of them the terrorists the whole time. There were some things I could not control; like the people on the Golf course. That was something that I had no control over entirely. I suspected that they might actually be dangerous, and that was why I had to get them off guard. My circling tactic was also no accident. My comrade in arms; Dawson was again indispensable in that regard. She was the one who had actually been the one who had spotted the other two who held the other people hostage on th
e island. I needed to get to the flank of our position so that I could take them out. That was when I took them out; after Dawson had notified me of their presence, and she was seeing their intent. Dawson was always a key part of this rescue operation; she is still a key part of this operation. Dawson smiled and moved up next to Jones; placing an arm around his waist she leaned in to kiss him then.
Chapter Thirty Five
The whole group gaped at them; not believing the tale they were being told. It was absolutely shocking that these two had fooled everyone on board. Yet it did make sense in a way; the fact that there was always something so calm about Jones, something so deliberate in his actions. Everybody stood in stunned silence then; looking at Dawson and Jones kiss passionately. Jones continued wistfully; the two of them had met at an army function, and had hit it off straight away. There had been an instant spark between them, and they had immediately fallen in love. Jones explained to Judith that he had married Dawson about nine months ago in secret on the carrier; after all it was where he had been based. Their marriage had been kept secret; although Dawson had actually been inserted into civilian life to act as a civilian go-between. Her role had been to covertly gather intelligence and also keep an eye on certain suspected terrorists. Those people that had gone to the United Nations building to start the spread of infection had been the ones that she had been keeping an eye on. Their intelligence gathering had managed to pay dividends when the alert had gone out over the News services that first day. Jones had actually managed to stay in contact with Dawson right up to the time they had actually caught up to Simon and the rest of the group. Then he had not needed the top secret Ultra high frequency earpieces they had both been using to secretly communicate. Judith was crossly looking at her Uncle; starting at him in utter astonishment that he had managed to keep the secret for so long. Jones replied that he had been practising this art form for years; since before Judith was even born, so the little ruse between him and Dawson had been easy to pull off. So very easy in fact that that they had managed it without any hitches at all. He had known that Dawson was going to be exactly where she was supposed to be at all times. He smiled down at his wife; looking deeply into her eyes and kissed her deeply. Knowing that she had been a part of the mission had been the easy part; keeping the fact hidden from Judith and the rest of the group had been the hardest thing that Dawson had ever had to do. Judith spoke to the group as well; apologising that she had been a part of the plot the whole time, and not telling them all of the main aim of her mission. To keep Judith safe. Dawson had done her part admirably; although she had told lies to people she had come to know and care about. It had been a necessary evil, but the ultimate goal had been to do that one good thing.
