Three Brachiosaurs were munching on leafy branches about 20 feet outside the compound near the ballroom. The Brackos heard a thunderous commotion coming from the building. People stood and yelled, and in some cases stomped their feet on tables, cheering for Meg and me. The Brackos, realizing that the cheering wasn’t for them, strode as fast as they could in the opposite direction. The entire building shook and glasses tinkled from the sudden Bracko walk. Someone looked out a window and announced the departure of the three giants.
Randy, the master of ceremonies, waited for the cheering and laughing to stop.
“I’ll be going through a reminiscence of our past 10 years in this community we call Malta Town,” Randy said. “It’s hard to imagine that this is the year 2027. But first I want to introduce two people whose wedding anniversary coincides with the anniversary of our town—Captain Harry and Meg Fenton, the George and Martha Washington of Malta Town. Both of these wonderful people have shown us what true leadership is.”
“I wonder if Martha Washington was as good in bed as you, hon,” I said, one hand over the microphone. Ouch. Elbow to the ribs.
“Let’s hear it for our mayor, Captain Harry.”
The cheering and yelling started up again. I raised the microphone, my other arm around Meg.
“There isn’t a person in this room who doesn’t want to return to the time and place where we came from.” I said. More cheers followed. “That includes me, with one big exception. I don’t want to be anywhere that my Meg isn’t. She’s beautiful, she’s funny, and for the past 10 years, she’s all mine. I can put up with anything—time travel, dinosaurs, dwindling supplies, but there’s one part of life I can’t do without—Meg. Even when she calls me nasty names.”
Meg wiped a tear from her eye and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Gimme a kiss, Dickbrain.”
She didn’t realize that the microphone was turned on and was near her mouth. The crowd burst out into laughs and applause. It would take a few weeks before people stopped calling me Captain Dickbrain. Meg later told me she had never been more embarrassed in her life. I thought it was the funniest thing I’d heard in years. Captain Dickbrain, reporting for duty.
The party continued until 3 a.m. Bob Flowers had long ago figured out a way to distill liquor, so the booze flowed freely. I turned to Randy and said, “What would we do without Bob Flowers?”
“Stay sober, for one thing.”
“Goodnight, everybody,” I said. “Here’s to a great anniversary for a great community.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Good morning, Buster,” Captain Lars said. “Please join me for breakfast.”
“Good morning, Captain. I think the Melody of the Seas is the perfect place to conduct my investigation. The breeze off the ocean opens my mind to clues.”
When I came aboard the Melody, Captain Lars and I realized that we knew one another. Lars was a key witness in a terrorism case I worked on a few years ago. As a CIA agent, I felt uncomfortable as hell with people knowing my identity, but it’s an inevitability we spooks live with.
“I find it interesting that we haven’t seen one of those monster sharks after a full day at sea, captain. A few days ago we’d see one of the bastards every time we looked at the water.”
“We’re still in the Azores, Buster. There’s hope yet. But as you’ve said before, a giant shark doesn’t have anything to do with a ship disappearing.”
“Our friend, Crazy Al from Lisbon, isn’t so sure,” I said. “Where is Al, anyway? It took a lot of persuasion to get him to take this cruise. You’d think he would be up here on deck.”
“Hi guys,” Al Avila said as he walked up to our table. “Sorry I ‘m late for breakfast. She—I mean ‘I’— decided to sleep late.”
“That was one good-looking woman you were dancing with last night,” I said.
“Yes, she certainly knows how to, uh, dance. So, any prehistoric shark sightings to tell me about?”
“Nothing, Al,” I said. “I think this trip may be a waste of time.”
“All you feds can think about is working on a case. Can’t you just relax and enjoy yourself?”
“The day a spook doesn’t chase down leads,” I said, “is the day the spook evaporates. You’re the biggest lead we’ve had so far, Al, somebody who actually saw the Maltese disappear. If we do encounter something, you’ll help us figure it out. Chances are, you’re the only person in the world who witnessed the dark turning to light and heard a ship rumbling.”
I had already told Lars about the Al Avila story.
“Please take a seat,” Captain Lars said. “Buster and I haven’t eaten yet.”
“If my calculations are accurate we should pass near the Maltese position at 9:33 tonight,” Al said. “As I’ve said before, captain, I recommend that you give the position a wide berth. Yes, I took a fix that night, but because I was busy freaking out, I can’t guarantee that it’s accurate. The last thing we want to do is get gobbled up like the Maltese was.”
“Don’t worry, Al,” Captain Lars said. “Although I’m not a superstitious man, I agree that we shouldn’t take any chances.”
“I really don’t expect anything,” Al said. The Maltese Incident will just be one of those unexplained events in life. So, tonight at 9:33 this ship will pass near the last known location of the Maltese. Please don’t make it too near. It gives me the shakes thinking about it. Buster here wants me to join him on the upper deck at that time.”
“Assuming you won’t be busy with your newfound lady friend,” I said with a wink.
“No problem, Buster. I think she’s working her way down the passenger list.”
***
“Forrest Sherman, Forrest Sherman, this is Melody of the Seas, over.”
“Read you loud and clear, Melody.”
“This is Captain Ragnarssen, may I please speak to Captain Langdon.”
“Hello, Lars, Jim Langdon here. We seem to be in a megashark-free zone. We haven’t seen one of those buggers so far, although we’ll be in the Azores for another day. I’m assuming, of course, that the big sharks have some geographic relationship with the Azores, although I don’t know for sure.”
“Tonight at 9:33, Jim, we’ll be near the location where the Maltese was last seen,” Lars said. “I intend to be cautious and not steam too close to the location. We still don’t know what happened to the Maltese, but whatever did happen, I don’t want the Melody to have the same problem. There’s a guy aboard who claims that he saw the Maltese disappear. He gave me the coordinates of the incident. I’m going to give the spot a wide berth.”
***
At 9:05, Al and I stood on the upper deck, near an outdoor bar. Al ordered his second drink within 10 minutes.
“Maybe we should watch our drinking,” I said. “In case something happens we want to have our wits about us.”
“If we disappear,” Al said, “I want to be good and fucking plastered to greet the event.”
I looked at my watch.
“We’re coming up on the mark. Captain Lars told me he’s leaving a nautical mile between us and the coordinates of the incident.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. One mile off our starboard side is the location of the Maltese Incident. I thought you may want to make a note if you keep a diary.”
The ship lurched to a sudden drop in speed, as if we hit something in the water. The sudden lurch was followed by a steady bumping sensation, shaking the deck and breaking glasses. The darkness was replaced by bright daylight.
“Holy shit,” Al yelled. “I need another drink.”
In two minutes, the darkness returned and the rumbling stopped. But the shouts from below decks continued. The ship was near panic.
“Dear God Almighty,” Captain Lars said to First Officer Bob Simmons. “Get me Captain Jim on the Forrest Sherman.”
“Forrest Sherman, Forrest Sherman, this is Melody of the Seas, over.”
“Forrest Sherma
n, Forrest Sherman, this is Melody of the Seas, over.”
“Forrest Sherman, Forrest Sherman, this is Melody of the Seas, over.”
Bob Simmons looked at Captain Lars and said the obvious. “They don’t answer, sir. The Forrest Sherman is no longer behind us.”
Lars and Simmons stepped outside onto the open deck next to the bridge. It was dark, but there were no stars visible as there were a few minutes before. The sea was surprisingly calm. The men looked up at the sky and then at each other.
“Where the hell are we, Bob?”
“God knows, captain. I sure don’t.”
“Send out an announcement that I want to see Buster and Al Avila on the bridge.”
Al and I entered the bridge as Bob Simmons was calling us.
Lars looked shaken. Who could blame him? Everybody on the ship, including me, was stunned.
“Mr. Avila, you’re on record as having seen the Maltese Incident. Any comments?” Lars said.
“It looks like the fix I took that night wasn’t accurate,” Al said. “The light show and the rumbling were the same as the Maltese Incident, only closer. In answer to your next question, captain, I have no idea where we are.”
“Captain, I recommend that you make an announcement to try to calm people down,” First Officer Simmons said. “From all the shouting I hear, I think the passengers are on the verge of an emotional crack-up.”
“Thanks for your input, Bob. I’ll do that right away.”
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Ragnarssen speaking. The turbulence that we just went through is out of the ordinary, to say the least. With me on the bridge are some people who are familiar with this phenomenon. I will keep you up to date as events unfold, but I assure you there’s nothing to be concerned about.”
“I’d call that a gentle lie, captain,” I said. “How long do you think it will keep things calm?”
“Not very long, I’m afraid, Buster” Lars said. “People want answers and I don’t have any to give them.”
“Who will tell the next story, captain?” asked Al Avila. “Please don’t ask me to make an announcement explaining what happened. All I know is that this is the second time it happened, and this time I’m in it. Why don’t you ask one of the bands to play?”
“You mean like on the Titanic?” Lars said, a smirk on his face.
“No sir, we’re not sinking like the Titanic, but a little music may help people to calm down. They’re frightened, captain, and so am I. How about drinks on the house?”
“Oh sure, take a thousand upset people and turn them into a thousand upset drunks,” Lars said.
Master at Arms Ciano walked onto the bridge after asking permission. Dennis Ciano is the ship’s “top cop.” He’s in charge of law enforcement and keeping the peace. Having once worked as a detective with the New York City Police Department, he was accustomed to large crowds—large unruly crowds.
“Fourth deck aft is secure for the time being, sir. People are talking and laughing.”
“How did you pull that off, Dennis?” Lars asked.
“I decided it was time to start telling big stories. I told them that this phenomenon occurs all the time in April in the Azores, and that they should enjoy the new scenery. It’s known among mariners as the April Sky, I told them. When people asked me about the rumbling I told them that whales like to mate near the surface in April. I also told them that daylight will be beautiful.”
“Great,” Al Avila said, “if it’s like the daylight I saw around the Maltese it will look like spilled milk. Hey Dennis, if you ever want a job selling used boats, look me up.”
“Thanks to our quick-thinking master at arms, we at least have a narrative to get us through a few days,” Captain Lars said.
“A few days?” Al Avila said. “I remind you that the Maltese has been missing for two months.”
“I don’t care,” said Captain Lars. “I can’t get on the public-address system and announce that we have no idea what happened and no idea where we are. The passengers need to be told a story that will calm them down. Any thoughts, Buster?”
“I humbly disagree, captain,” I said. “I’ve had some experience with crowd behavior. If you lie to them, they will eventually figure it out and then you’ll be confronted by a bunch of angry people.. If you talk straight, they’ll be upset but will gradually adjust to reality. The majority will turn to the panicked minority and reason with them. I’ve seen this happen. Don’t worry, these people can handle a harsh truth. All they really need is an occasional update, even if nothing’s new. But, typically, the captain, just like on an airplane, lets the passengers sit in ignorance of what’s going on—and the passengers get pissed off.”
“As the captain of this ship, it’s my decision, of course. But I would like to see a straw poll among you concerning Buster’s suggestion that I tell the complete truth as I know it. All in favor?”
Every hand went up, including Dennis Ciano’s.
***
At 8 a.m., after a depressing milky daylight appeared, Lars picked up the microphone for the public-address system. Al Avila and I were next to him on the bridge.
“Remember, captain,” Al Avila said, “the less bullshit the better.”
“And remind them that they could have taken advantage of a free flight home a few days ago,” Bob Simmons said. “What do you think, Buster?”
“Hell no,” I said. “That would be picking a fight. They can figure out all on their own that they chose to stay on the ship.”
“This is Captain Ragnarssen speaking. May I please have your attention?”
His last comment drew some laughs. Under the circumstances, nobody would dream of not giving the captain’s words their full attention.
“Most of you will find what I’m about to say upsetting. That’s understandable, because I find it upsetting myself. Some of our personnel have been telling people that the phenomenon we experienced was a thing called the April Sky. Well, although strange weather can accompany the month of April, what happened to us last night had nothing to do with it. You’ve heard about the widely reported disappearance of the American ship, the Maltese. Two months ago, the Maltese went missing and nothing has been found. It has become known as the Maltese Incident. A man who’s aboard witnessed the disappearance of that ship, and he tells us that the phenomenon we experienced last night was similar to what happened to the Maltese. This afternoon at 2 p.m. we’re going to meet in the main theater. Because many passengers chose to fly home a few days ago rather than wait for the home office to decide on a new itinerary, we can accommodate as many people who wish to attend. I strongly urge you to be there
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Happening Now with Jon Scott and me—Jenna Lee, for Fox News. You have probably already heard of the bizarre disappearance of the Norwegian Cruise Line ship the Melody of the Seas. Last night at 9:33 p.m., ship’s time and local time in Portugal and 4:33 p.m. our time in New York, the Melody of the Seas suddenly disappeared. The American destroyer USS Forrest Sherman was steaming a half a mile behind the Melody when the cruise ship disappeared from sight. Captain James Langdon, commanding officer of the Sherman, said that he had the Melody in view a matter of seconds before it vanished. He and others on the destroyer reported a strange light surrounding the Melody just before it went missing.
“This event comes on the heels of another maritime incident just two months ago when the corporate cruise ship Maltese went missing in the same waters. No trace of the Maltese has been found, in what’s become known as the Maltese Incident.
“The United States Navy and Coast Guard are on the scene conducting a massive search-and-rescue operation. Let’s hope they find more than they did while searching for the Maltese. The search-and-rescue operation for the Maltese is now a search operation only. The significance of that decision is obvious—they don’t expect to find any survivors of that tragedy.
“Norwegian Cruise Line
, the owner of the Melody of the Seas, reports a 92 percent cancellation rate just since last night. Other cruise ship companies, including Carnival, Celebrity, and Viking, report similar cancellation numbers. People are starting to see cruising as a dangerous way to vacation.
“Just a few days ago I reported another strange series of events involving the Melody of the Seas. The ship’s captain reported multiple sightings of a giant shark known as a Megalodon—a fish that was thought to be extinct. Photographs taken by passengers and crew add reality to the reports. I’m asking our camera man to zoom in on some of these photos. You can see how terrifying it must have been to stand on a ship and see these monsters in the water.
“Our guest this afternoon is Mr. Mike Fletcher, speaking to us from Norwegian Cruise Line headquarters in Brandon, Florida. Mr. Fletcher is a former sea captain and a professional maritime disaster investigator.
“Mike, give us your take on these strange goings on,” Jon Scott said.
“Good afternoon, John and Jenna,” Fletcher said. “These events are strange, indeed. I was the full-time investigator for the Maltese Incident, and the event is still in my active folder. The disappearance of the Melody of the Seas has me completely stumped, I must admit. I was scheduled to be on the Melody to confer with her captain, Lars Ragnarssen, when I was abruptly summoned back to Florida by Norwegian Cruise Line management. If it weren’t for my meeting at headquarters, I would have disappeared along with the Melody. There doesn’t seem to be a ready explanation, just as with the Maltese Incident. Although the search-and-rescue operation has just begun, we fear that we may find the same result as we did with the Maltese—not only couldn’t we find the ship, we were unable to find any debris or metallic sounds to tell us where the ship went down. Another part of this strange story is that both ships went missing in the same area of ocean in the Azores.”
The Maltese Incident Page 10
