Curse of the Sea: Book One of The Admiralty Archives

by Joni Parker

“To Portsmouth, of course. It just so happens that I have a meeting to attend. Perfect timing.”

  “Great!” She smiled and noticed all of them bowed their heads to their mobile phones. She glanced at Nelson’s phone over his shoulder. He seemed to be chasing a car with his thumbs.

  “Blast!” The Admiral turned to Captain Jonas. “Chestermann just sent me a text. He wants to see me before we leave.”

  “Yes, Admiral.” Captain Jonas pushed a white button beside his head. “Driver, take us to the Ministry first.”

  “Yes, Captain.” A male voice came out of the speaker.

  Alex turned around and looked at the driver through the glass screen as he turned to the right. He stopped at a red light and then, proceeded into traffic.

  Alex stared out the back window, fascinated by the vehicles. She had a view she didn’t have when she was in the police van. At a red light, the limo stopped, but she was the only one interested as the men were still engrossed in their mobile phones. Nelson was touching the screen rapidly with his thumbs while the Captain read something. The Admiral was swiping his hand across the face of it and chuckling.

  A few cars behind, a dark red car sat waiting for the light. It was similar to the one the bald man had been in. She leaned to the left to see the driver.

  Captain Jonas saw her move, turned in his seat, and looked back at her. “What is it?”

  “There’s a dark red car about three cars back. I can’t see the driver.” Alex pointed out the back window.

  “I can. He’s bald.” Nelson stretched his head to the right.

  Alex sat up, craning her neck. She gasped. It was the same bald man she’d seen earlier. “Do you know who he is?”

  “No, never seen him before.” Nelson shook his head. “Why?”

  “I saw him this morning outside the building when I met the Admiral.”

  “So?” Nelson shrugged.

  “What’s this?” Admiral Teller turned around to look.

  “I’m not sure,” Alex said. “I think it’s the same bald man I told you about—the one with a gun.”

  “Really? How interesting.” The Admiral smiled. “How do you know?”

  “I don’t. I just have this feeling about him. I think he’s an assassin.”

  “And how would you know?” Captain Jonas sneered.

  “As you know, Captain, I was trained as one. I know one when I see one, even here.”

  “When was your last assignment?”

  Alex blushed. “I can’t tell you.” She didn’t want to tell him that her last mission was several years ago.

  Admiral Teller turned to the Captain. “Take some precautions.”

  The Captain glared at her, but pushed the button. “Driver, there’s a maroon car a few cars behind us. We need to see who’s driving it.”

  “Yes, Captain.” The driver checked his mirrors.

  The light turned green and the driver sped away from the traffic behind him. He turned right at the next street and left again. The light was red. He stopped and waited.

  “Maroon car ahead at the intersection, Captain.” The driver pointed ahead.

  “I see it. Is that him, Alex?” Captain Jonas leaned forward.

  “Yes, that’s him.” She noticed a dent in the fender.

  “I’ll get a picture.” Nelson held up his mobile and took a picture. “Got it.”

  Captain Jonas spoke into his mobile. The light turned green and the limo driver sped ahead. He turned left into a parking garage, where a metal gate opened and closed behind them.

  Several men in camouflage uniforms raced to the car. Nelson showed them the picture and they ran out.

  Chapter 40

  UNIFORM BIN

  The Admiral took Alex by the arm and escorted her into the building. They went through building security and the Captain signed Alex in as a visitor. She was handed a pass to clip on her jacket.

  “Where are we?” Alex glanced around.

  “The Ministry of Defense. I have to attend another meeting before we leave. Leftenant, take Alex to the uniform bin and find her a uniform to wear,” the Admiral said.

  Nelson scratched his head. “Is that legal?”

  “She looks too conspicuous in these clothes.”

  Captain Jonas nodded. “Also, send a picture of the car to Security.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Captain Jonas followed the Admiral down the hall. Once they were alone in the lift, Jonas turned to the Admiral. “May I ask, Admiral, what are we doing with this girl?”

  “We’re being nice to her. She knows how to get our men back and we’re going to help her.”

  “She’s dangerous. They told me about her. Look at what she’s done. She murdered six of our citizens and just admitted to being an assassin.”

  “I know, Jonas. Now, be nice to her and that’s an order. She’s still willing to help us. She’s arranged to have this entry point appear at Portsmouth Naval Base, so we have to get her there. I’ve been working with Admiral Chestermann to get representatives from Hunter Dawn there, so we can meet the sailors when they return to officially conclude the exercise. I’ll still have to take the blame for the loss of the ships, but at least, the sailors will be home.”

  “But why put her in a uniform? It’s against regulations.”

  “Don’t you see, Jonas? She’s a soldier and feels like she’s been betrayed and abandoned by everyone, especially us. We must bring her on our team and support her, just like we would any other sailor.” The Admiral clenched his fist. “We need her on our side.”

  “You have this figured out.”

  “Partly. She’s quite a clever girl. I honestly didn’t expect her to find me, especially on Saturday.”

  “So, Admiral Chestermann didn’t call you. You called him.”

  “Precisely. I’ve been trying to work this out for the past few hours. I’m sorry I didn’t include you, but there wasn’t any time to explain. Thank you for coming in so quickly. She appeared out of nowhere.” He paused. “Jonas, I haven’t apologized to you for what happened during the exercise. I shouldn’t have had you so far back from the rest of the ships. If you’d been closer--”

  “That was why it was an exercise, Admiral. There’s no need to apologize.” Captain Jonas grinned and followed him into the lift. “However, I do intend to keep a close eye on this young girl. I don’t trust her.”

  “Let me know if you detect anything unusual.” The lift doors closed.

  ***

  Meanwhile, Nelson escorted Alex to the stairs and they went down two levels. They emerged in a hallway where there was a sign for the uniform bin.

  “What’s a uniform bin?” Alex pointed to it.

  “It’s where people take their old uniforms and turn them in when they leave service, so someone else can use them,” Nelson said. “It doesn’t cost anything.”

  They went into a small room, filled with shelves and paper boxes.

  “All these?” Alex looked around in surprise.

  “People come and go. I’ve found some good clothes here. Some were hardly worn.”

  “I know this isn’t legal. It wouldn’t be where I’m from either.”

  “I guess you’ll blend in better in a uniform, especially if there’s a gunman hunting down the Admiral.” Nelson chuckled. “Think of it as a disguise.”

  An old woman came out of the back, brushing dust off her white blouse. Her gray hair was tied back with a red bandana. “Good morning, Leftenant. What are you doing here on a Saturday? I came in to unpack some boxes we got in late yesterday. Got meself all dirty, it appears.” When she smiled, her face filled with wrinkles, but her blue eyes sparkled.

  “Mrs. Gibson, I need to find Leftenant Alex some uniforms. Do you have any that would fit her?”

  “I can find you something, but you should go to the store and get proper ones. What happened to yours?”

  “They were destroyed in a fire.” Alex lied.

  The woman waded over to some boxes and began pulling clot
hes out. “What size?”

  “Six tall? Does that make any sense?” Alex shrugged.

  “Let me get a measure of you. It’s better that way, anyway.” Mrs. Gibson went to the back room and brought back a tape measure. “Come down to my level, Leftenant.”

  Alex knelt down on her knees.

  “You can run along if you like, Leftenant Nelson. This may take a while.” Mrs. Gibson waved at him.

  Nelson grinned. “I’ll check back in an hour.” After he left, he sent a text to Captain Jonas to let him know Alex was in the uniform bin. Within seconds, his phone rang. “Nelson here. Yes, Captain, I’m being nice to her. I heard the Admiral speaking to Chestermann earlier. How is she going to bring those men back from that island?”

  “I don’t know, but go along with it. Get over to Security and see if they found out anything on that red car and call D.I. Tyler and let him know we’re taking her to Portsmouth. By the way, thanks for coming in.”

  “No problem, Captain.” He shrugged. An hour later, he returned to the Uniform Bin to find Alex completely dressed in a man’s naval uniform with black pants, white shirt, and a navy- blue sweater called a wooly-pully; a black beret sat on her head. She even wore an old set of shoulder boards marking her as a Leftenant. Alex turned around for him to see. Her hair was pulled back into a braid, although her ears remained covered, hiding the blue hair. In addition, she wore a pair of black shoes that needed no shining.

  Mrs. Gibson had found her a cloth duffel bag to hold the rest of her clothes. Alex could hardly believe all the clothes she got and most were hardly worn. It even included two sets of camouflaged uniforms, a pair of camouflaged combat boots, gray scrubs to use as pajamas, and new underclothes in a package. Alex carefully put her beret inside the bag and closed it with a zipper.

  “Thank you so much for your help.” Alex bent down and embraced Mrs. Gibson.

  “Pretty good.” Nelson stared at her uniform as they left.

  The lift took them to the top floor. Alex grinned as she stepped out behind Nelson into the offices of Admiral Sir Chestermann, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff.

  Chapter 41

  VIDEO

  Alex had never seen an office so large. Five wooden desks were lined uniformly along the walls and picture windows looked out over a river.

  “Good afternoon, Leftenants. The meeting should be over in a few. Have a seat.” A middle-aged woman turned back to her computer.

  Alex watched her for a few seconds, amazed at the speed of her fingers. Then she set her duffel bag down on the floor and strolled over to the window. There was no rain or fog, but the overcast sky made it look like it could pour at any moment.

  Nelson came up beside her. “This is the River Thames. It’s the largest river in England. See that building there? That’s the Parliament building, where they make all of our laws. Across the river is the Millennium Eye. It’s a large ferris wheel that you can ride in.”

  “Where does it go?”

  “In a big circle.” His fingers traced a circle on the glass.

  “Is that Trafalgar Square? It has a statue of Admiral Nelson. Was he a relative of yours?”

  “I wish. No, he was our greatest admiral. He only had one arm, you know. Lost in combat. Great man.”

  The door opened from the next room and men and women dressed in uniforms filed out carrying laptops or computer tablets. A few of them stared at Alex as they went by. To Alex, it seemed more like a glare, but she smiled anyway. Captain Jonas came over and nodded to her as if he approved of her new look. She hardly recognized him—he was smiling.

  Admiral Teller was speaking to another man when he came out. The other man patted him on the back and glanced at Alex and came over. “Are you Alex?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Chestermann, here. A pleasure.” He shook her hand vigorously and held on. “Do you have a few moments?”

  Alex glanced at the Admiral who nodded. “I guess so.”

  “Come with me.” He took her inside the conference room where several people were cleaning up. “Leftenant Archer, run that video again for me.”

  The young Leftenant straightened and nodded. “Yes, Admiral.” He opened his laptop and plugged it in.

  “Have a seat and watch this.” Admiral Chestermann sat in his chair at the end of the table and Alex sat to his left. Admiral Teller, Captain Jonas, and Leftenant Nelson took seats to his right. A few seconds later, the video started. It began with a short introduction.

  “Hello, world, I hope you get this. My name is Michael Sims from KTON-TV in Houston, Texas on assignment with my cameraman, Tom Dooley. We were assigned to cover the crew of the USS Lonestar and send videos home so families could see the important jobs their sons and daughters are performing. However, we’ve run into a slight problem. A storm came up out of nowhere and our ship felt like it was lifted in the air and landed hard in the water. So hard that our hull was damaged. Here’s a video of what we saw.”

  The scene changed to chaos in the sleeping quarters where water was gushing in. Daylight could be seen through a gaping hole in the side. “Everyone escaped without major injuries and the area was sealed off. The ship’s captain, Captain Louise Williams, ordered the ship to general quarters and an assessment was made. The ship needed immediate repair. At the time of this storm, we were hundreds of miles from the closest land; yet when we looked out, we saw land on the horizon. The ship was evacuated. We sat in rubber dinghies until a small wooden ship sailed up to us.” The Kite appeared on the screen with its sails billowing in the wind.

  Alex covered her mouth in surprise. “It’s the Kite.” When Crestan’s face appeared on the screen, she turned to Admiral Chestermann. “That’s Crestan. He’s the ship’s captain, a friend of mine. How did they do this?”

  The video continued. “Several crewmembers from the HMS Camelot were on board and helped us evacuate the injured to this ship. My cameraman and I both sustained minor injuries and we were taken on board.” The camera zoomed in on the faces of Crestan and several crewmembers and featured their pointed ears. “According to those helping us, the crew of this ship are Elves. We’re being taken to the island, just a mile away. It’s called Seaward Isle and is located at the end of a wormhole somewhere in space. Yep, that’s what they said.”

  The next scene was at the healing house where the two men arrived for treatment. As they went in, Captain Jonas stalked out.

  “Captain Jonas, that’s you!” Alex glanced over to him and smiled.

  Inside the healing house, the two men were seated on a cot waiting for treatment when Alex arrived at the next cot.

  Alex gasped. “Oh, that’s me.” She watched as she put her hand over the man’s broken arm and healed it with her blue light, except the light wasn’t visible in the video. The healing of the man’s arm was. She smiled at the camera and touched the reporter’s arm. It was bleeding from a deep cut. Once again, she healed it with the blue light from her hand and the before-and-after shot was shown on the video. After she fixed the cameraman’s injury, she turned away.

  Admiral Chestermann raised his hand. “Pause the video. How did you do that?”

  “This blue light comes out from my hand and I can use it to heal people. I was only using it on minor injuries. The more serious ones were treated in the MOT, the Mobile Operating Theater.”

  “Continue.” The Admiral sat back.

  The video soon came to an end. “Is there more?” Alex asked. “Where did you get this?” Tears formed in her eyes. She swallowed hard and wiped them away.

  “Are you all right?” Chestermann handed her a tissue.

  “I’m fine, just a little homesick.” She was a lot homesick after seeing that video.

  “We wanted to ask you where this came from.”

  “I don’t know. I remember what happened, but I don’t even remember those two men. There were a lot of people at the healing house and everyone was yelling at me to help them.” She paused, knowing this was the video Ecstasy ha
d told her about.

  “So, no one gave you anything to bring with you.”

  “Only the counter-potion.”

  “It’s a simple process of elimination. If I didn’t do it and you didn’t either, that leaves Ecstasy,” Captain Jonas said.

  “All I know is that it wasn’t me.” Alex hated letting Ecstasy take the blame, but he was missing, anyway. Besides, he’d sent it to someone else. He didn’t put it on YouTube.

  “Where is Ecstasy?” Chestermann asked.

  “I don’t know. He disappeared. That’s why I had to ask Admiral Teller for help.”

  “I see. Speaking of which, I’ve delayed your journey. Thank you for your help.”

  “What help?”

  “You’ve just confirmed that this video is authentic and we do need your help to get our sailors home. Thank you.” He stood up and the lights went on. After shaking her hand, he left.

  Alex followed Admiral Teller and Captain Jonas out the door. Admiral Teller stopped and grinned at her. “You look like one of my sailors, Leftenant Dumwalt. Time to go. Do we have everything? Luggage?”

  “Everything’s in the car except for Alex’s,” Nelson said.

  “Did we get a room for her?” the Admiral asked.

  “No, I’ll take care of that right now.” Nelson pulled out his mobile.

  “I can’t get over it. You look like one of us, Alex.” The Admiral chuckled. “Excellent. How do you feel about it?”

  Alex grinned. “Good.” She did feel better about her situation. Someone wanted to help her—someone actually cared. Maybe she could get home.

  “Room’s all set, Admiral,” Nelson said.

  “Excellent, let’s be off. Have a good day.” The Admiral waved at the woman sitting at the desk.

  Chapter 42

  THE DUKE’S PUB

  The limousine was waiting in the garage. “I’ll put your bag in the boot, Leftenant,” the driver said and took her duffel bag to the back of the limo. They climbed inside. The car left the garage and ran into rain.