by Jake Devlin
“Sure, Doc. Still keeping track of your points?”
Louise, laughing, said, “Oh, yeah, sure, Gordy. 700 so far.”
“Cool; just 300 to go.”
“Right. Have a nice chat, guys. See you in an hour or so, Gordy.” And off she ran.
“Sorry, guys. Your names again? Just first names, okay?”
“Steven.”
“Bruce.”
Stifling a chuckle as they shook hands, Gordy said, “Thanks; my memory isn't too good with names. So what can I do for you?”
“Well,” Bruce began, “Louise gave us each copies of your book and we read it, and we'd like to talk with you about using it in our classes.”
“But,” Steven added, “we'd like you to cut out all the fluff outside of the policies that your dictator sets out, focus just on those.”
“Well, you two do get right to the point, don't you?”
“We don't have a lot of time. I've got a class to teach at 10:30, and Bruce has one at 11:00.”
“Okay.”
“We've gone through the book and marked the parts we'd like to keep in, and a few edits within those parts, like getting rid of the audience commentary in Chapter 5 and some of the press conference questions.” Steve held out a copy of the book to Gordy, who began thumbing through it.
“So what you want is basically just the Donne parts?”
“Exactly.”
“Hmm. That's the part most readers have trouble with.”
“I can understand that. It's probably too much economics and policy.”
“So you like his policies?”
“I didn't say that,” Bruce, the economics professor, replied, “but they're outside the box enough to trigger some critical thinking and debate among the students.”
“And that's what college is about, after all, wouldn't you agree?” Steven asked.
“I guess so,” Gordy nodded, distracted, still leafing through the book.
“So what do you think?” Bruce asked.
“Well, I'd have to talk it over with the – uh, with some people, but it sounds interesting.”
“Good. We've also put some notes and ideas for discussion and debate on those papers in the back there.”
Gordy looked at those briefly, then studied them more closely. “'What might be some intended and/or unintended consequences of a Sovereign Wealth Fund?' Would Donne's tax and regulatory policies actually achieve his goal of ten percent GDP growth within eight years?' 'What advantages/disadvantages are there for a dictatorship versus a democracy? And how would you define (in depth) democracy?' You guys have put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?”
“And a lot of argument and debate,” Steve said, as Bruce nodded. “But we've got to run. We taped our business cards on the inside front cover, and we'd appreciate it if you'd give us a call and we can maybe get together and go through it all in some detail.”
Gordy looked up at them and out of the corner of his eye saw Rosemary coming onto the beach.
“Sounds like a plan. I'll need a week or so to go through this all, but if that works for you, I'd be happy to do it. Okay?”
“Great. We'll look forward to hearing from you,” Bruce said.
Steven added, “No rush. We can't do anything about it until after the first of the year, anyhow. Bureaucracy, you know.”
“I do,” Gordy said. “Sounds good.” Glancing over at Rosemary, he held out his hand and shook both of theirs, and with appropriate goodbyes, the two professors headed back to the parking lot.
Rosemary came over to Gordy, set her chair down, and said, “What was that about?” Gordy gave her an abbreviated outline of the conversation.
“That's great. I'd be excited if I were in your shoes.”
“We'll see. And I think you mean in my flip-flops.”
Rosemary chuckled and said, “Right; sorry.”
“So how ya doing on this fine morning, Ro?”
- 29 -
November 13, 2012
3:32 a.m. local time
On the Aegean Sea
As Cam sped away from the monastery, towing the other jet ski behind her, she failed to notice the naked and bloody bodies and body parts falling from above. Further away, again enjoying the vibration of the jet ski on the choppy water, she also failed to notice the scores of dorsal fins carving the surface, swimming rapidly past her toward the monastery.
Even further away, with visions of Armando exaggerating the effect of the machine underneath her, propelling her on to an unimaginably powerful, nearly volcanic internal eruption, she also failed to notice the single huge dorsal fin directly ahead of her.
- 30 -
November 13, 2012
5:36 a.m. local time
Aboard Defiance
On the Red Sea
Jake awoke groggily, finally noticing the rumpled and very damp and sticky red satin coverlet under his back. To his right, her left arm stretched across his chest and her left leg over his legs, her red hair tousled and twisted, Pam slept with her mouth slightly open, her warm breath regular against Jake's neck.
To his left, JJ's blonde hair, also tousled, but not at all twisted, flared around her head as she lay on her back, her right arm lying across and down Jake's stomach, her hand cupping his privates.
Jake slowly lifted his head and looked around the room, trying his best not to disturb his naked bedmates. Scattered near the sides of the bed were several ostrich, flamingo and marabou feathers, and on top of the refrigerator/freezer were two empty cartons of Neapolitan ice cream and a squeeze bottle of chocolate syrup. An odd-looking harness hung on ropes halfway to the floor from the ceiling, and a riding crop, whip and several narrow strips of leather with gold studs and metal connecting rings were piled on the floor below it. Next to that was a scattering of plastic and rubbery items that he recognized only with some difficulty.
All of that slowly reawakened his memory, and he smiled, lay his head back down and gradually drifted back to sleep.
An hour later, he awoke again as Pam lightly slid her fingertips across his cheek, chin and lips, then kissed him gently on his lips.
“Time to get up, sleepyhead,” she whispered. “The helo's coming for JJ in less than two hours, about 8:30.”
“Mmmm,” Jake mumbled.
She kissed him again and his eyes opened. He smiled up at her smiling face and pulled her head down for another, deeper kiss.
“No, no, no, not now; we don't have time; really. Time to rise and shine.”
“I can rise, possibly.”
“Sorry, Jake; later. But come on now; we gotta get going.”
“Okay, okay. Where's my teeth?”
“Right here, hon.” She pointed to a small glass on one of the nightstands.
“Thanks. Okay, okay, I'm up. Shower.”
“But don't ask me to join you this time. Later, okay?”
“Okay.”
As he stood up, he noticed that the suite had been completely straightened and cleaned; nothing remained to show what had gone on there during the night.
“Wow, you two are good.”
“Thanks, Jake, but you don't need to keep repeating that; you said it enough last night.”
“Okay, okay.”
“Shower time.”
“Right.”
As Jake headed into the shower, Pam took the coverlet, sheets and pillowcases off the bed and left the suite, closing the door behind her behind.
While Jake showered, he discovered a certain tenderness in one part of his anatomy, but he managed to get through the shower with no further damage or injury.
Half an hour later, walking carefully in loose-fitting khakis, flip-flops and a fresh tropical shirt, he joined Pam and JJ on the foredeck at a table set with a sumptuous breakfast buffet.
- 31 -
November 13, 2012
4:07 a.m. local time
80 feet above the Aegean Sea
“No, no, no! Be careful with that! It is extremely fragile.”
“Settle down, Doctor. My guys are careful enough to get it on board with no damage.”
“But it is a prototype; the instruments are delicate and finely tuned. The slightest” --
“Shut up and sit down, Doc, or I'll have you gagged.”
“All right, all right.”
“Craig, leave him be, but your guys do need to be careful. The client won't be happy if he can't finish his work.”
“Okay, Becks; sorry.”
“Okay. How are we doing? How soon can we lift off?”
“Maybe another 15 or 20 minutes, but we'll have to be in the air in 30 at the most; radar's showing a big storm heading our way.
“We've still got to clean up the inside, load those drums and pack all the clothes and weapons we took off those mercs.”
“And you've got pics or videos of all of 'em?”
“The ones that were still recognizable. But we got blood samples from all the extra pieces for DNA, if needed.”
“Good.
“Doctor, I'm bushed. Mind if I” –
“Bushed?”
“Exhausted.”
“Ah.”
“Mind if I sit with you?”
“Not at all.”
“Thanks. I'm sorry for how I treated you earlier.”
“No, I understand. What is it called? The warmth of battle?”
“Heat of battle.”
“Ah. Heat of battle.”
“Yup. So, you doing okay?”
“Thank you; I am much better now. These last two months have been terrible, ever since I was kidnapped.”
“I can only imagine. This place musta been cold at night. But now you're free.”
“Yes; thank you so very much.”
“How long did they keep you here?”
“Only for about the last week.”
“Where were you before that?”
“I do not know; they always covered my eyes when they took me outside my room or my lab. I know it was warmer, and there was no ocean in the near.”
Becky managed to avoid raising an eyebrow at the Germanic idiom. “How far away from here, would you guess?”
“I do not know; it was many hours on an airplane and then perhaps another hour on a – a helicopter.”
“Wow. I'd imagine you were very frightened. I know I would be.”
“I was terrified. They threatened to beat me if I did not do my work.”
“Did they?”
“Beat me?”
“Yeah.”
“No, not until tonight.”
“Who did that?”
“I do not know his name, only that he was German and the others called him, ah – in English it would be 'Leader,' I think.
“And you're German, too, right?”
“No, I am Swiss.”
“Really? I have a cousin who plays hockey for the Lugano team.”
“I do not have any interest in sport.”
“Too bad. He's a very good player.”
“Oh.”
“So this German beat you tonight. Why?”
“I do not know. I – perhaps he was frightened of whoever had hired him to hold me prisoner when he thought that he had failed, so he took it out on me.”
“Do you know who hired him?”
“No, I do not. Obviously it was someone who wanted my work for themself. But I do not know who it was.”
“How did he beat you?”
“With his pistol.”
“That had to hurt. Especially your nose and cheekbone.”
“Yes, it is still quite painful, even with those pills.”
“Yeah; it takes a while for them to kick in.”
“Kick in?”
“Take effect.”
“Ah.”
“I've had too much experience with 'em.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, the stories I could tell.”
“I can only imagine.”
“That guy who beat you, he was pretty big, wasn't he?”
“Oh, yes; yes, he was.”
“Much bigger than you.”
“Yah, much, much bigger.”
“Like what, 240, 250 pounds?”
“Uh” –
“Oh, sorry; let me see. 110, 115 kilograms?”
“Perhaps 120, yah.”
“And you're maybe half that?”
“Nein, I am 70 kilos.”
“Um … so about 150 pounds. Hmm.
“So tell me, how did you get his pistol away from him?”
“I – I – uh – he turned away from me and I just reached out and took it.”
“Wow. Right out of his hand?”
“Uh, no; he – uh, he had put it back in his holster.”
“And you just grabbed it?”
“Yah, yah.”
“And shot him?”
“Yah, yah.”
“Right in the back of the head?”
“Yah.”
“Good shooting; I'm impressed.”
“Oh, I was – what is the word – fortunate?”
“Lucky?”
“Yah, lucky.”
“Very lucky.”
“Hey, Becks, turn on your radio. Fiona's trying to call you.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks, Craig.
“Hey, Fiona, what's up?”
“I can't reach Cam.”
- 32 -
November 13, 2012
7:06 a.m. local time
On the Red Sea
“Good morning, girls,” Jake mumbled, pouring and gulping down a huge glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice as he gingerly sat down at the table.
“Good morning, Jake,” Pam and JJ chorused brightly.
“Well, you two sure look bright and bushy-tailed. I'm totally drained.”
Pam and JJ glanced at each other and again chorused, “In more ways than one,” and laughed.
Jake joined in, but weakly, as he picked up a croissant, smeared it with peanut butter and strawberry jam, bit off half of it and chewed it only briefly before swallowing. Then he reached for the bottle of multivitamins on the table, shook one out and washed it down with more OJ, then finished the other half of the croissant.
“Ah, that's good.” He filled his plate with Canadian bacon, Eggs Benedict, home fries and a slice of ham and dug in, washing it down with more orange juice.
“Almost human again,” he said between bites, about a quarter through the plate.
“Good morning, Mr. Almost Human,” Pam said, smiling.
“Welcome back, Jake,” JJ added, also smiling.
“Okay, how do you two manage it?”
“Manage what?”
“To be so energetic and happy this early after everything that went on last night. I'm still exhausted.”
“It's really simple, Jake,” Pam said, smiling even wider.
“Yeah, it is,” JJ added, also smiling wider.
“So what's the secret?”
Pam and JJ glanced at each other and said simultaneously, “We're vampires,” still smiling.
“Excuse me?”
“We're vampires.”
“Vampires?”
“Not the bloody kind; we suck energy,” Pam said, smiling.
“From men,” JJ added, also smiling.
“I sure experienced that a lot last night.”
Pam and JJ both laughed. “That too,” JJ said.
“But we mean energy,” Pam added.
“And we do mean vampires,” JJ said, frowning as seriously as she could at Jake.
Jake stared back at her, frowning lightly, then more darkly, then letting his eyes go totally flat.
“You're using the wrong word, gals. It's not 'vampires,' it's – wait for it – it's 'females.' Ah-ah,” he said, shaking his finger, “think about it.”
After a moment, Pam started laughing, her deep belly laugh. “Ah, now he's back.”
“Damn, no gotcha there,” JJ added, looking over at Pam and breaking out into laughter herself.
“No, no, no; I'm
serious, gals.”
Pam and JJ stopped laughing and stared at Jake.
“Gotcha,” Jake said, breaking out into his own laughter. After a beat, the women joined him.
“By the way, JJ,” Jake added, “it's good to hear that you're able to talk normally this morning.”
“It took a long time to wear off. 'By dug id dub.'” They all laughed even harder.
After catching her breath, Pam finally said, “I do have something serious to tell you, Jake.”
Jake gasped and blurted out, “Oh, no; you're not both pregnant, are you?”
Pam laughed, “No, no, no. Just that the helicopter is getting here early, about 7:30.”
“That's just a few minutes.”
“Yup. There's a bad storm coming from the north.”
“Oh, that's a relief,” Jake said, breathing a sigh of the same.
“That there's a storm coming?”
“No, that neither of you is pregnant.”
“Oh, Jake,” Pam said, laughing and hitting him lightly on the arm.
“Okay, seriously, I've gotta tell you both, last night was one I will never forget. It was incredible.”
“For me, too,” Pam and JJ chorused, then glanced at each other and laughed.
“So what was in that spray?”
“In what – oh, that,” Pam said, smiling, “just some anesthetic and a few secret things. It's still experimental, but it worked, didn't it?”
“I'll say. Three hours 45, that's a new record for me, by at least – oh, maybe eight minutes.”
“That's what we were going for,” Pam said.
“I love new records,” JJ added. “I even set a couple new ones myself.”
“Ten in ten?” Pam asked.
“Right. And six in five.”
“I lost count,” Pam said.
“Oh, you were right there with me,” JJ said.
“And you were no slacker, Jake,” Pam said.
“Like I said, a new record,” he replied. “I thank you both; it was wonderful.”
“For me, too,” JJ said. “We'll have to do it all again sometime.”
