by Jake Bible
“They are kind of cute together, don’t you think, Ballantine?” Wire asked as Sterling and Darby walked off.
“Oh, Darby is taken,” Ballantine said.
Wire glared. “Please tell me what Dana always feared has not happened.”
“What does that mean?”
“You know what it means?”
“I must admit that I do not.”
“She is talking about you and Darby being romantically involved,” Thorne said.
“Ooo, that made my stomach turn,” Ballantine said. “A bit incestuous, considering. I am offended you would even propose an idea like that.” Ballantine shook his head then stopped. “Wait. Dana always thought I’d try that? Disgusting.”
“If not you, then who is the lucky person?” Wire asked.
“Lucky is not a word I’d use,” Thorne said.
***
“Darby,” Max said.
“Max,” Darby said as they passed each other.
Max and Shane were under guard while Darby was escorted by Sterling. The verbal exchange happened as both of them were passing the open hatch to the bridge.
“Hey,” Darren said. “You guys trading places?”
A guard detached from the group escorting the Reynolds brothers and stepped onto the bridge.
“You do not have permission from the captain to be on the bridge,” Lake said, his Desert Eagle held casually down by his thigh.
Sterling appeared quickly, his hand still gripping Darby’s upper arm, keeping her back.
“You will relinquish your weapons and sit tight,” Sterling ordered. “I’ll be back to speak with both of you after I have conducted some business in the conference room. Try anything and my man is authorized to kill.”
“Good for him,” Darren said. “But we won’t be trying anything. Simply sitting on the bridge, watching all the action happen without us.”
“He sounds bitter because he hasn’t punched anyone in a while,” Lake said. “Personally, I am sick and fucking tired of action. I’m ready to be off this ship for good.”
“That so?” Sterling asked. “Interesting. We’ll talk more, for sure. Until then, my man is in charge of this bridge. You don’t touch a goddamn dial without his permission.”
“The ship is out of fuel, there’s nothing to touch,” Lake said and shrugged. He offered the Desert Eagle to the guard who took it quickly. “You guys have any beer onboard?”
“Marty, come on,” Darren said. “Don’t be pitiful.”
“We have plenty of beer,” Sterling replied, chuckling, then was gone.
“Hear that? Plenty of beer,” Lake said and sighed. “I can hardly wait.”
“How about you shut up while you do?” the guard snarled.
Lake and Darren exchanged looks then relaxed into their seats.
“As you wish, buddy,” Darren said.
Lake pantomimed zipping his lips then stared out at the ocean beyond the two ships.
Chapter Four: Talky Talk Talky Time
Wire took the seat at the head of the conference table. Ballantine began to argue, but changed his mind, nodded politely, and took the seat at the opposite end.
“You want to talk terms, so I will indulge you and listen,” Wire said. “At the very least it will be entertaining to hear what that brain comes up with. Your skills at self-delusion know no equal, so, please Ballantine, begin. I cannot wait.”
“Well, first, since you are disarming everyone, I ask that no one be harmed,” Ballantine said. “Is that request self-delusional?”
“It is surprisingly unselfish of you to think of others that way,” Wire said. “I believe your motto at one time was to let the operators shoot until empty and you’ll sort it out after.”
“That sounds about right,” Thorne said.
Wire smiled at the commander. “It does, doesn’t it?”
“I have grown a lot as a person since you last saw me, Wire,” Ballantine said. “Some might say I have had my eyes opened to the true value of life.”
“I doubt it,” Wire replied.
Her eyes scanned the room.
“Ms. Thorne, Gunnar Peterson, and quite a few others are down below, yes?” Wire asked.
“That’s where I left them,” Ballantine said. “Should they be brought up here too? Might get a little crowded in this room.”
“This is your conference room,” Wire replied. “It appears to be able to handle an entire crew.”
“I do like my rooms big,” Ballantine said. “Why go small?”
“You are frustrating as ever,” Wire said. “Okay, so you want your people to remain unharmed. That is more up to you and them than it is up to me. I have no intention of harming or killing anyone until I know who I am dealing with. If people show worth, then I will keep them. If they are superfluous or present a danger, then they will be dealt with appropriately.”
“Superfluous? That’s a might harsh,” Ballantine said.
“Apple didn’t fall far,” Thorne grumbled.
“Oh, Vincent, as much as I love your Oscar the Grouch impression, could you perhaps refrain from uttering unhelpful comments?” Ballantine said.
“Tight-knit team you have,” Wire said. “What other terms do you have, Ballantine? State them now. We have a timetable to keep.”
“Do we? What timetable is that? Is there a storm coming? Governmental organizations on your tail? Pirates?” Ballantine asked.
“We can handle pirates,” Darby said as she stood between Sterling and a guard.
“That we can, Darby,” Ballantine said. “That we can.”
The room was silent until Wire cleared her throat. “Terms, Ballantine.”
“Oh, yes, well, in addition to no harm coming to the crew, I would appreciate if you let them go at the closest safe port,” Ballantine said. “Your quarrel is with me, not them.”
“My quarrel is with you and everyone associated with you. Your crew, your precious Team Grendel, Dana, and any other associates across the globe that still, for whatever misguided reasons they have, consider you an ally and worth supporting.”
Wire leaned forward and rested her palms flat on the table’s surface.
“This is your time of reckoning,” Wire stated. “The Age of Ballantine is over. Permanently.”
“And that means what?” Thorne asked. Ballantine started to interrupt, but Thorne held up a hand and shot a glare at the man that shut him up instantly. “So, because we’ve been conned into playing Ballantine’s games, what? We deserve to be executed? We deserve the same punishment as this guy?”
Thorne pointed an accusatory finger at Ballantine, but his eyes were on Wire.
“You seem to know Ballantine pretty well, lady. Can you honestly tell me you think we would have joined his insane adventures if we’d known what we were really getting into? No. We would have run the other way.”
“I don’t see you as the type of person that runs from anything, Commander Thorne,” Wire said. “So let me tell you how this will all go down. No more terms, for one. The only terms that matter are mine. And my terms can change depending on my mood. So you will want to keep me in a good mood. Good mood equals good terms.”
“Sound philosophy,” Ballantine said. “So, my sort of daughter, but not really because look at you, what are your terms? What is to become of me and my merry band of oceanic warriors?”
“We transfer everyone to my ship. From there, I will determine my next course of action,” Wire said. “Oh, don’t look so glum, Ballantine. Did you expect me to lay out my master plan right here and now like a shitty B-movie villain?”
“It would have been helpful, yes,” Ballantine said. “But, I see the strategy in keeping your cards close to your chest. I’d do the same.”
“My God you are infuriating,” Wire said. “I’d truly forgotten.”
Thorne snorted.
“Well, if that is all, then I will alert my people to your terms and have them start packing immediately,” Ballantine said as he stood up.
“No. There will be no packing. Are you insane? No, don’t answer that. Of course you are. No packing. And my people are already sweeping the lower decks. They will bring everyone up on top and move them to my ship. Then we leave your ship behind and the next phase, albeit a short one, of your life begins.”
“I can hardly wait,” Ballantine said and clapped his hands together. “We should toast to a new beginning. If you press your hand against that panel there—the one behind you and to the left—you’ll reveal a small fridge filled with champagne. Glasses are somewhere, but I can’t remember which panel.”
“Jesus Christ…” Wire muttered.
***
Five guards burst into the infirmary and Kinsey nearly blew their heads off. But word had come over the com to not resist, so instead of killing the guards, which she felt she could have done easily, she held up her hands, each loosely gripping her .45s.
“Move and we kill you, bitch!” one of the guards yelled.
“She’s obviously surrendering, dickhole,” Gunnar said.
“Gunnar, please,” Dana said, placing a hand on his arm. “Do not get emotional. If everyone remains calm, then we have a better chance of surviving this ordeal.”
“You better listen to the lady,” the guard snapped. “Shut your mouth and do what we tell you and you’ll at least live to see sunlight.”
“Can’t guarantee you’ll live much after that,” a second guard said.
All five guards chuckled as two of them relieved Kinsey of her weapons.
“What’s your name?” the first guard asked Kinsey.
“Kinsey Thorne,” Kinsey replied. “What’s yours?”
The guard ignored her as he pulled a tablet from his belt. He swiped and scrolled then nodded.
“She’s a keeper,” the first guard said. “And you? Gunnar, is it?”
“Dr. Gunnar Peterson,” Gunnar replied.
“Let’s see. Let’s see… Yep. Got you here. You get to live, Doc.”
All eyes focused on Dana.
“Dana Ballantine,” she said and sighed. “I’m fairly certain you’ll find my name at the top of the list.”
“You ain’t wrong there, lady,” the first guard said. He gave the second guard a side look then shrugged as he tilted the tablet for him to see. “You’re reading that, right?”
“I read it loud and clear,” the second guard said as he aimed his M4 at Dana’s head.
“Wait! What the fuck are you—?” Kinsey shouted.
The last of her words were drowned out by the two gunshots. Dana’s head was torn apart and she dropped to the infirmary floor, dead.
Kinsey screamed. Gunnar screamed. The guards began shouting for them to shut up and get on the floor. Gunnar started to lurch towards the guards, but Kinsey grabbed him and threw him down onto the bloody ground. She kept her hands held above her head as she dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face as Gunnar continued shouting expletives at the guards.
“Gun! Shut up!” Kinsey shouted. “SHUT UP!”
Gunnar quieted down, but was still sobbing hard.
“That’s a good little faggot,” the first guard said. “Nice and quiet now.”
“Oh, that was the wrong thing to say, asshole,” Kinsey snarled as she launched herself onto her feet and at the closest guard.
“Kins! No!” Gunnar cried.
It was too late. Kinsey Thorne was in motion and there was nothing anyone in the infirmary could do to stop her. She proved that quickly as she ducked under the gunfire from the second guard’s M4. Her fist hit him in the crotch and he grunted and doubled over, giving Kinsey the chance to take that M4 from him, spin it around, and shoot the guard directly under his body armor, tearing his belly wide open.
She let the wounded man fall across her shoulders as a shield. Gunfire exploded in the infirmary, most of it hitting the guard’s body. One of the rounds clipped Kinsey in the right calf, but she ignored the pain as she charged the other guards, rushing forward like the man on her shoulder was a tackling dummy.
Hot lead singed her cheek when she threw the body at the guards and faced them full on. She put three rounds in one, two in another then had to dive and roll out of the way as the first guard strafed the room with semi-automatic rifle fire. A round hit the butt of the M4 Kinsey clutched and she lost her grip as the momentum of the bullet, along with the shock from the impact, tore the weapon from her hands.
“Bitch! Fucking bitch!” the first guard yelled as he and the last guard tried to take her out.
Kinsey rolled and dove, jumped and dodged, threw herself behind exam tables and medical equipment. Bullets were flying everywhere, the ricochets as deadly as the first fires. A second round did more than singe her cheek and Kinsey felt the hot blood flowing down her face, neck, and onto her collar, soaking her T-shirt.
“You’re going to get your friends killed!” the first guard shouted. “Surrender now and you might live through this!”
More gunfire as Kinsey threw herself under an exam table and grabbed a stray bone hammer that lay amongst the medical gear that was strewn everywhere. Why Gunnar had a bone hammer out in the first place, Kinsey couldn’t figure out. Not that she gave too much thought to it as she came out from under the table, the hammer swinging straight for the first guard’s kneecap.
The guard dodged and fell back against the other guard. Gunfire stopped, giving Kinsey the split second she needed to launch back to her feet and swing with all of her strength. The first guard ducked in time, but the other guard wasn’t so lucky. He took the full force of the hammer blow to his right cheekbone, shattering his face instantly.
The man screamed and let go of his weapon as he fell to the ground. The M4’s strap was secured around him, so Kinsey shoved the first guard out of the way, giving him a good shot to the nuts while she was in motion, and grabbed the loose carbine. The guard appeared to think about fighting Kinsey off, his hands even began to come away from his brutalized face, but Kinsey sent a head-butt directly into the destroyed cheekbone and the guard began his screaming again.
The two of them hit the floor and Kinsey managed to get the barrel of the M4 twisted and turned around so it impacted with the soft flesh under the guard’s chin. Then Kinsey found the trigger and squeezed. The top of the guard’s head exploded across the floor, a macabre piece of modern art appearing where shiny steel had been only a split second earlier.
Kinsey tried to yank the carbine free, but the strap was still around the dead guard’s body. She reached for his sidearm again, but froze before her hand could undo the clasp and get the pistol free.
“I should end you,” the first guard hissed as he pressed the muzzle of his M4 against the back of Kinsey’s head. “If I didn’t have orders to keep you alive, that’s exactly what I’d do.”
“You sure about that?” Gunnar asked just before burying two scalpels into each of the guard’s temples.
The man gasped and squeezed the trigger, but Kinsey saw that coming and rolled to the side, the burst of gunfire missing her by inches.
“Thanks,” Kinsey said as the guard’s corpse fell to the ground and she scrambled to the M4 he would no longer be needing. “Snag that M4 there and let’s get out of here.”
***
“That’s a lot of gunfire,” Lucy said, glancing at Cougher.
“Yep,” Cougher replied. “Want me to tell Ingrid to turn off the surveillance audio?”
“No,” Lucy replied as she paced back and forth in the Toyshop, only a meter away from the video and audio surveillance station Ingrid had set up so everyone could see what was going on in the rest of the ship.
The B3 was wired from stem to stern with cameras and mics. Ballantine liked it that way, and the man’s paranoia came in handy while the ship was under siege.
“You sure?” Ingrid asked, seated in front of the bank of equipment. She looked over her shoulder at the pacing Lucy. “I can put in earbuds to listen. Might be more relaxing that—”
“What is
happening?” Lucy asked and stopped pacing. She leaned over Ingrid and studied the video monitors. “Where’d the gunfire come from?”
“Infirmary,” Ingrid replied.
“That’s where Gunnar, Kinsey, and the Ballantine woman are,” Popeye growled. “Not too big a fan of the Ballantine woman.”
“We know,” Carlos groaned from his seat against the far wall. “You tell us all the time, Popeye.”
“And I’ll keep goddamn telling you!” Popeye snarled.
“No need,” Lucy said as she straightened up. “Dana is dead. Looks like she was shot in the head.”
The Toyshop went quiet.
“Where’s Kinsey and Gunnar?” Lucy asked. “I don’t see them in there.”
“They took down the guards and are on the move,” Ingrid said. She rolled her seat over to a different set of controls. “I’ll go ahead and start locking down hatches to mess up the other guards. I can also steer Kinsey and Gunnar to us or to the specimen bay where they can take the mini-sub. At least a couple of us will get out of here.”
“No,” Lucy said with a heavy sigh. “You know the plan, Ingrid.”
“But, come on,” Ingrid sputtered. “Ballantine couldn’t have foreseen this. Kinsey and Gunnar need our help.”
“You really think Ballantine didn’t see this happening?” Lucy asked. “It’s Kinsey. Someone is getting their ass handed to them if Kinsey is out and about. Why else do you think Ballantine didn’t include her in our group? For whatever reason he has, he wanted her loose and dangerous.”
“But she could get killed,” Ingrid said, although the argument was gone from her voice. “Gunnar too. Dana already died.”
Ingrid gasped.
“You don’t think he knew Dana would get killed and let it happen, do you?”
“You’ve known Ballantine longer than I have,” Lucy replied. “You tell me.”
“Oh, he knew,” Carlos said.
“SHUT UP!” everyone shouted at the man.
“Screw you guys,” Carlos mumbled.
“Lucy is correct,” Ronald chimed in. “We follow Ballantine’s plan. He was very specific when he told us that once the Toyshop doors are sealed, we do not leave here. No matter what might happen.”
