Dragon Down

by Casey Knight

  I’d just crawled back in bed when the night nurse came by. Satisfied I was where I belonged she moved off. Tomorrow I would check out the rest of the building and ask some more questions. As I drifted off to sleep I tried to imagine why they were so secretive about this place. It was hard for me to imagine any legitimate reasons. I knew I needed to get my memory back before they decided I was a threat of any sort. A threat to what I had no idea, but it gave me a bad feeling. Call it an educated guess, even if I didn’t know whether I was even educated

  I woke with a start as sirens blared all around me. People were running down the halls and shouting instructions. I listened and it didn’t take long to learn there had been an accident aboard one of the ships or had it been attacked? I couldn’t be sure, but when I tried my door I found it was locked. This was new. I had no choice but to sit and listen. Sometime after mid-day the commotion subsided and food was brought to my room. I tried to ask questions but was told it was none of my concern and I was to stay in my room. To insure I complied, I was again locked in.

  With nothing better to do, I listened. It appeared one of their submarines was attacked and there were many injuries. They were still working feverishly to save lives. No one mentioned why they were attacked or by whom. Just when I’d almost decided to go back to bed I heard the doctor speaking angrily to someone.

  “Do we know who attacked the sub?”

  “Doc, all we know is our shipment was hijacked and then the sub was hit by torpedoes.”

  “How did they know when and where to attack or for that matter, what we were shipping?”

  “Doc, let me know how the survivors are doing and I’ll find out who is behind this”.

  “I will General. Let me know when you have some answers and I’ll do my best to save these men’s lives.”

  The men seemed to have moved on to their respective duties, because the hall was quiet except for the people caring for the wounded. The man moved back to his bed to contemplate what he had learned. Whatever was going on these people were obviously under attack or at least their submarines were. Nothing he had seen or heard here made much sense. What he knew for certain was they were at the bottom of the ocean. They had submarines that were shipping who knew what or to where. Apparently, they had men that turned into dragons. This was probably the most disturbing piece. Who knew dragons could swim. Whatever is going on I don’t think it is good for me. I may come under further suspicion if they don’t find out who attacked them. I need to get out of here to continue my investigation. Still, I didn’t think they would let me out any time soon.

  The man fell back on his pillows and studied his room with a new interest. If he couldn’t get out the door was there another way out of this room. There didn’t appear to be anything in his room. Wearily, he got up to check out the bathroom. That is when he saw the vent cover on the wall over the shower. If he could get the cover off it, he thought he might just fit through it. It would be worth a try when things settled down.

  The activity outside his room continued throughout the day. It was less frantic and he tried to listen to any conversations he could hear. But, he didn’t learn anything new. At some point the guard brought him some food. He tried to get the man to talk, but he just put down the food tray and left. Eating made him sleepy, so he retired to his cot and slept. He woke with a start when a nurse entered his room to check on him. When she left he got up and went to his bathroom.

  He closed the door and climbed up to look more closely at the grate. He thought he might be able to get the screws out using a nail file he found in one of the drawers under his bathroom sink. It wasn’t easy but, he was making progress. Periodically he checked to make sure it was quiet outside his room. He fixed his covers to make it look like he was sleeping in case anyone checked. Unlikely since, they were busy with more pressing issues and he was locked in.

  Yes, the final screw was finally out. Tugging lightly, he pulled the front of the grate off and placed it on the floor by the toilet. Locking the door in case someone checked on him, he stood up on the counter to look more carefully at the opening. It wasn’t a standard air shaft but, he guessed that was because they were at the bottom of the ocean. Maybe they needed to equalize the pressure as well as circulate the air. He wasn’t sure, but it was better for him. He would fit in with some room to spare. Grabbing the edges of the vent he pulled himself up and into the shaft. He had no idea where this would take him. Nevertheless, he was glad to get out of his room.

  He crawled along at a steady rate until he saw light ahead. He inched more cautiously toward the light and listened. There didn’t appear to be anyone in the area and he moved forward to try and see into the room through the grate. It wasn’t a room it was a hall way, which was empty. Purposefully, he continued along stopping and listening at each opening. There didn’t appear to be anyone in the area. He needed to get to another floor if he wanted to find out what was going on. The upper floors were where he had seen the offices and conference rooms. Unfortunately, he hadn’t seen any vertical shafts. He reasoned there must be at some point. Just when he was about to give up and return to his room, he found a larger shaft which moved up and down. Yes, he was able to wedge his back against one side of the round vent and his feet against the opposite side. Pushing and pulling he moved slowly upward. It wasn’t long before he reached another series of horizontal shafts. This had to be the second floor. He kept at it until he reached the top floor and moved off down the shaft on his right. His hard work was rewarded very quickly. There were definitely people on this floor he could hear movement and voices. The closer he got to the voices, the more carefully he moved forward until he could clearly hear the conversation.

  “Can anyone explain to me what the hell happened out there today?”

  “General Tunis, as you know, our submarine was making a standard delivery when it was hit by a torpedo or some kind of large shell. There was extensive damage which caused a fire onboard.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know, damn it. Was the cargo damaged? Do we have any idea who is behind this?”

  “The cargo was ruined because of the extensive water damage and fire. Between the lost cargo and the damage to the vessel we lost millions today. As for whom we aren’t sure and until we can look at the ship more closely we won’t know. The engineers will inspect the damage and hopefully find out who was behind the attack.”

  The general was quiet for some time before he spoke, “who would stand to gain the most from our loss of cargo? If we can figure that out, we will probably find our culprits. Varns, you are our head of security, what do you think happened or do I need a new security chief.”

  “I can assure you General every precaution was taken and no effort is being spared in finding out who was behind this attack. As for who would benefit, our competitors wouldn’t mind seeing us suffer the financial loss and the vampires could have double crossed us. If we default on our payment we will owe them unlimited access to our ports. Then there are the fae who are none too happy we are doing business with the vampires.”

  “Varns, you know the vampire and fae delegations will be here by the week’s end, for our annual business meetings. Not to mention King Oran will be here and if he finds out about this people will die. We don’t want to tell any of them we are under attack and can’t guarantee the safety of their product. We stand to lose a great deal. Get this figured out.”

  The meeting seemed to break up and the man moved back the way he came and crawled back into bed undetected. Something he had heard was troubling him. In truth much of what he heard alarmed him. Why would these people be dealing with the vampires and the fae? He didn’t know how or why he knew, but he knew this signaled trouble. He fell asleep trying to figure out what was bothering him.

  The next morning things on his floor seemed to return to a more normal schedule. He didn’t see the nurse or the doctor. However, he did receive all his meals and his door remained locked. Reflecting on the conversation he’d overheard, he wo
ndered again about what put him off. He finally realized he still had no idea who he was. However, he intuitively knew he had experience with vampires. He certainly knew what vampires and fae were. Moreover, he knew the groups would not be sitting down for any discussions. Not unless, they were up to some type of illegal activity. Still, he didn’t know how this underwater city, which was home to at least two aquatic dragons figure in. He had no clue. Still, he knew it was the key to understanding the entire conundrum. The only thing he was certain of was he would again be spending his night searching for answers.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  I continued to send my mind out into the astral plane searching for any trace of Traygen’s location. Where are you Traygen? It took me a few minutes and then I received a clear steady signal. Yes! Gotcha, my elusive lover. Unfortunately, as happy as I was to feel him near, I was troubled. I mean we were out in the God forsaken ocean miles from shore. Was it a faulty reading? No, it was too clear a signal. There had to be another explanation. Unfortunately, before I could give it any more thought Tokem streaked by and landed on the railing near me.

  “Could you give me a little warning before you zoom past my face? You’re just lucky this boat doesn’t have a fly swatter or we would be scrapping you off it.”

  “Are you finished? I can wait, but you will want to hear what I have to say. I have found something interesting.” Tokem smugly stood inspecting his nails. There was just the barest trace of a smile on his lips.

  “You have five seconds to spit it out or I’ll use you as bait to attract baby sharks. Okay, have it your way.”

  “There is no need to get snippy. I just thought you would want to know that I found...”

  “Found what,” Corbin asked.

  I squeaked. What was it with these damned vampires? “Corbin, darn you, I don’t know why you get such obvious glee from startling me.”

  “Did you say Glee? That is my favorite show. I will be acquiring all the back episodes when I get to L.A.”

  “Jeez, if you too can put a lid on it, I have news.”

  “Okay, Tokem you have our attention out with it.”

  “I was checking out the area east of us and I saw something floating on the surface. I dove down near the water to check it out. It doesn’t make any sense but, it looks like debris from a boat or maybe a plane. The pieces were pretty small but there was an oil slick. I didn’t check further because I wanted to let you know. Do you think it is important?”

  “Tokem, can you give Corbin the approximate coordinates. It may or may not mean anything, but we should check it out.”

  Tokem gave the coordinates to Corbin and we got the boat turned around and headed in the direction that Tokem had found the debris field. It took them about an hour to spot the debris and another half hour to tack into the middle of it.

  “Lauren, what do you think caused this?”

  “I’m not sure. Let’s see if we can find a bigger piece of debris and see if there is any writing or anything on any of it.”

  “Tokem, can you see if you can find any bigger pieces and Corbin let’s get the dingy. We can move that around more quickly than the boat.”

  “Lauren, help me get the sails down and I’ll throw out both anchors. That will keep the boat from going too far.”

  Once they got the boat’s sails down and the anchors out they hauled the dingy over the side. Then Corbin rowed while Lauren looked for anything that would help them identify the wreckage. Lauren pulled up a few pieces but there wasn’t anything to identify what they were looking at. After about forty minutes, Tokem whistled for them to check out something he’d found. Corbin turned the dingy around and rowed them toward the area Tokem was hovering over. We left Hans to watch the boat. It was easier than explaining.

  “If you two can turn this big piece over, there might be something on it,” Tokem offered.

  They rowed alongside a rectangular piece of metal that was about three foot long and two feet wide. Lauren and Corbin reached over and grabbed the piece turning it over.

  “Tokem, good job. There is something on this. A logo maybe? I can’t make it out. Corbin do you recognize it? Maybe it is from a vampire vessel.”

  Corbin pulled the piece of metal closer so he could get a better view. “It isn’t any vampire vessel. It looks like a logo or more accurately family crest.”

  “Do you recognize it?”

  “It looks familiar but, I am having a hard time remembering where I’ve seen it. Let me think about it while we look through this other stuff.”

  They searched the rest of the area without finding anything else with an identifiable marking. Whatever happened to this vessel there had been an explosion. The pieces they found were small and most of them where charred with jagged edges. Satisfied they’d found out all they could from the debris field, they rowed back to the ship. Once they got the dingy lashed down and the sails and anchors up, they got under way. There was an hour or two before sunset so they resumed their grid pattern. They didn’t find anything else. Once the sun set, they lowered the sails and set their watch schedule.

  “Are you any closer to remembering where you saw that crest? It isn’t human or from Traygen’s family. I would recognize those if I saw them. It isn’t intricate enough to be fae and besides most of their vessels are smaller.”

  “Lauren, I just can’t place it. Still, I know I’ve seen it. It will come to me.”

  “Maybe if you sketch out the likeness it will trigger something.”

  “It is worth a try. I’ll go get something to draw it on. Can you take the helm?”

  “Sure I’ve got it and could you make some coffee while you are down there. I get seasick if I am down there too long. Thanks.”

  Corbin nodded and went below decks. When he returned he handed me a cup of coffee and then sat down to draw. When he was finished he passed around the sketch for Tokem and me to see.

  “What does that look like to you two,” he asked.

  “It looks like a career in design is out for you Bat Boy.”

  “Fine by me, I want to model it, not draw it.”

  “Let me see that while you two bicker.”

  Lauren took the drawing from Corbin and looked at it. Turning in several different directions to see if that would help them figure it out. “It could be waves or....I don’t know.”

  “Lauren, that’s it. It is the symbol for the Nargon navy. Those are waves and that is a whale’s tail. See? Turn it to the left and now look. Do you see it?”

  “I’ll be damned. So, where have you seen the symbol?”

  “The vampire courts unofficially do business with the Nargon. We use them when we need something smuggled through countries we don’t have a trade agreement with. Traygen’s country does not allow us or the fae passage. Humans certainly don’t want drugs or prostitution rings entering across their borders.”

  “So, what would the Nargon be doing out here?”

  “They have underwater cities all over the area.”

  “Underwater cities? I’ve never heard of them. How does someone find them?”

  “You don’t, they find you if they want to make contact and then they meet their guests on the surface. They bring all their visitors down in specially made subs.”

  “So, how do we get down there or find out if there is even a city near here? Since, I’ve gotten my strongest signals from Traygen in this general vicinity. Maybe they had something to do with his disappearance.”

  “Lauren, slow down a minute, let’s take one thing at a time. The Nargon do not broadcast the coordinates for their bases. They find you if they want to make contact. Then they bring you in under the cover of darkness. So, unless you know someone with a submarine and a pretty good idea where to look, you might never find them.”

  “Uhh, guys I think we’ve got company. Something or someone surfaced off our starboard side about a quarter mile out. It could be a whale or a small submarine. I can’t be sure.”

  “Tokem, head back where you sa
w it and see if you can spot it again. Lauren, help me get the anchors and sails up in case we need to make a run for.”

  Corbin and I got to work and had both anchors hauled onboard and the sail almost up when Tokem shouted at us.

  “It is headed our way and it is one and a half times the length of our boat. I don’t think it is a sub. I think it is a whale or a supernatural. I mean, we are still pretty close to the Paradise Islands. Maybe that is what wrecked the other vessel.”

  “Tokem, you keep an eye on it and we will try to out run it. Lauren, take the wheel while I tie off the sails. Let’s see if we can out run it.”

  We sailed away from the whale or whatever it was for several hours. We kept moving until, Tokem confirmed he hadn’t spotted it in over an hour. Perhaps we outpaced it or perhaps it had driven us from its territory. There was really no way to know. I got some food and took over for Corbin so he could get some rest. Tokem kept up his periodic surveillance but, he did not report anything unusual. At some point, Corbin replaced me and I slept until the sun woke me.

  “Lauren, it is about time you got up. Corbin has a plan and I think you should listen. Hans has the helm. You know we’ll have to drop him off before long. There’s too much we can’t explain.”

  “You’re correct about Hans. Let me get some coffee and I’ll join you both on deck.” I darted briefly below decks and when was waiting.

  “Hey, Corbin thank you for letting me sleep in. Tokem tells me that you have a plan.”

  “Yes, I think I have a way to get a look at the Nargon city. My father said he would help us if he could. So, I thought I would contact him and see if he is aware of any activity in this area involving the Nargon. Then if he finds something I am going to ask him to front me a ride on a sub to make contact with the Nargon.”

  “When do we go? I’m ready.”

  “Lauren, slow down, first I need to make contact with my father and it will be quicker if I fly. You and Hans man the boat until I can get back or send you some help.”