To Ocean's End

by S. M. Welles

  Mido adjusted the velcro straps to his sparring gloves. “We’ll teach you how to throw combos, how to not broadcast where you’re gonna strike, some footwork, and the basics of street fighting.”

  Sam said, “I can teach you some sword fighting as well, or at least how to defend yourself while unarmed. The sword might need to wait until after Le Havre. We really need you light and quick for now.”

  “Sounds good,” Jessie said.

  All of them, including Cancer, spent the next few hours tutoring Jessie, along with her getting to know them a bit and discussing her role aboard the Pertinacious.

  After some blocking drills, Cancer said, “I still don’t want you to become a permanent crew member. It’s nothing personal, nor does it have anything to do with a woman’s ability to fight. You’re turning into an excellent fighter. I very much like strong women, and I’d be very grateful if you help me and the rest of the crew stay alive and whole, but only for as long as Dyne need’s help with his curse. I’d rather you be home safe, like my wife.”

  His words floored her but she stopped gaping and said, “Thank you. I’ll do my best for as long as I stay.

  “How long do you think you’ll stay?” Sam asked.

  Jessie practiced her five-hit combo on the punching bag. She looked at Mido, then back at Sam. “I don’t know. It depends on a lot of things. Right now I’m just trying to build the courage to help lift Dyne’s curse. I don’t want any of you to die because I try to help.”

  “Why thank you, Jessie,” he said. “All of us really hope you stick around and help.”

  Thinking of Jacobi, she looked away.

  Sam lost his smile. “What’s wrong?”

  Damn it. She was so transparent. Her only solace was that at least she’d kept secret her desire to steal their cook to Paphos. So far. Now if only she could downplay the tension between her and Jacobi. She faced the punching bag and executed her newest combo. “How’s this looking, now?”

  “Uh, great,” Sam said, “except for you suddenly broadcasting your moves again.”

  She sucker punched the bag as hard as she could. “I think I need a break.” She started heading for the exit.

  “It’s Jacobi, isn’t it?” Cancer said unhappily.

  Jessie stopped mid-stride as a wave of fear seized her. She didn’t want this to get out of hand. “No. Everything’s fine.” She marched off as she heard Mido tell the others that he’d talk to her. The sound of his jogging footsteps and him undoing his velcro straps hurried up to her. She caught a heavy whiff of sweat and deodorant.

  He said, “Let’s go shower.”

  They hung their sweaty gear in their respective cabins, then headed to the showers with sandals in place of their boots and fresh clothes in hand. Since Mido was with her, she didn’t bother locking the door behind them. They grabbed towels from their lockers, then stepped inside a stand-in shower and Mido began washing her down.

  There was something soothing about Mido scrubbing her body with a soapy wash cloth. There was a hint of sexual energy—they were naked—but overall they were just taking care of each other. Soothing company with no expectations. This was exceptionally good at the moment because she still felt quite satisfied after their intimate time together in Revivre. They kissed now and then since this was one of few private places on the ship. Mido finished scrubbing Jessie’s feet and toes, then she took his own cloth and soap and set to work on his amazing back.

  “Please tell me what’s got you upset.”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “Which is code for ‘it’s something.’ Just tell me. I’ll keep it between you and me.” He reached back for her thigh and caressed it with his fingertips.

  Even though Mido’s entire back was still soapy, Jessie pressed her body to him, wrapped her arms around him, and began scrubbing down his front. She heaved a sigh through her nose and breathed in the soap’s spicy scent. “I don’t want to tell you. Please stop asking.” She pivoted their bodies so the shower rinsed off his back. She kissed his shoulder blade.

  “What did Jacobi do?”

  “Nothing.”

  “It has to be pretty bad if you’re too scared to tell me.”

  “I’m not scared.”

  Mido turned around and fixed his serious gaze on her. She looked away but he cupped her chin in one hand.

  She gazed into his pale eyes until she couldn’t take it anymore. She rose onto the balls of her feet and gave him a kiss, then kneeled on the tiled floor and began scrubbing down his strong legs. “Look, I don’t want to tell you because I don’t want you to hate each other because of me.”

  “What did he do?”

  Jessie paused in her scrubbing, Jacobi’s rape threat echoing in her mind. “He said some really mean things. He just wants me gone. That’s all, so let it go. Please.” She resumed scrubbing.

  “Only if things don’t escalate.” His tone softened. “If things go well, he’ll get his wish, so I guess it’s not a big deal in the end.” He held up a finger. “But… if he does become threatening or dangerous, I will step in. I’ve fallen hopelessly in love with you, Jessie. You’re my world now.”

  Jessie stopped scrubbing Mido’s calf. She looked up into his handsome face, her mouth ajar. After two years in Tethys’s hellhole, Mido’s words were the last thing she’d ever expected to be said to her. He gave her his sweet smile, then began running his fingers through her hair. Her gaze darted to his groin.

  Mido was at half mast. She rose slightly and gave his head a kiss, then sat on her heels and fought back a surge of fear and bad memories of men having their way with her on her knees.

  Mido gasped and shot up to full mast. “Jessie…”

  She felt herself starting to slip out of the present, so she locked her gaze on Mido’s blue eyes and willed herself to see nothing but him.

  He guided her to her feet and kissed her on the lips, then tried press his body to her but she held his hips at bay. He tried to move her hands but she shied away. He stopped kissing her. “What’s wrong?”

  She gave his thighs a reassuring rub. “I love you, too, Mido. Very much. Just give me a moment. Kissing you like that is making bad memories replay in my head.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” He tried to wrap his arms around her but she bodily twisted him around and hopped onto him piggyback. He gently sandwiched her against the wall as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. This was the only way they’d figured out how to let Mido enjoy the feeling of being wrapped in her legs.

  “It’s okay. I’m still glad I kissed you like that.”

  “Oh, god. Me, too. I can’t stop thinking about it.” He massaged her thighs and glutes.

  “One day,” she said softly. “One day. I am determined. And I’m hopelessly in love with you too, Mido.” She rested her head against his and listened to the cascading water as she played with his hair. Running water. Showers. The other three had been just as sweaty and were more than likely waiting their turn to clean up. “But we better hurry up and finish showering before the others come in. I don’t want to move, but…”

  “No. I agree. This is private.” He set her down and they shared one more kiss before rinsing off.

  * * *

  No one spotted a damn thing on the first day, and today was my only other shot before the waters got too dangerous thanks to pirates and such. Even though I figured it was safe to assume I’d get skunked today as well, I dozed in the Harpy, just in case someone spotted anything. Chances are, if I didn’t stay in the Harpy, a fish would show and I’d miss my chance because I was too far away to take a shot. But, if I stayed in the Harpy, or somewhere near it, I’d have nothing but open water to shoot at. That’s how life worked sometimes.

  At some point in my dozing, I fell asleep. The swells, the salty wind, and the blaring sun, they all sapped the energy from me. I didn’t try to fight it. But at some point I was woken from a strange dream where a monkey was using my head as a drum to beat out a mindless rhythm.
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br />   I fully came to when a hand slapped my face. I shook out my head, swiped the air in front of me, and caught an arm, then rubbed my eyes and focused on my captive. O’Toole. Of course it was him. No one else would wake me like that.

  O’Toole was gibbering frantically like an excited monkey. I pushed him away when he raised his hand to slap me again. “Stop that. I’m awake. Now what’s your problem?”

  He gibbered some more, then let out two monkey-like cries as he pointed out over port.

  My lagging brain took in the sparkling swells, then honed in on a huge patch that perfectly fit Scully’s lopsided pancake description. I bolted upright in the turret and stuck my feet in the pedals, then rotated the Harpy and aimed it at the whale flounder. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. O’Toole started running in circles near the port railing, pumping his arms like he was doing the breast stroke. I ignored him as I gauged whether the fish was in shooting range or not. It was a very long shot. Looked just barely in range, but I didn’t want to miss again. However, the closer my ship got, the more likely the thing would show some tail and dive. My hands started shaking.

  Considering how many centuries I’d been around, and all the decades harpoon guns had come back in style, I was a superb aim. Just like guns, I could factor in every last detail to make that killer shot. I angled the Harpy up thirty three degrees and waited for the bow to ride up to the crest of a wave, then fired. There was a hiss of the release of pressurized air and a dull, metallic clank. The harpoon went nowhere. I removed my hands from the triggers. “What the—?”

  Conveniently enough, I’d left the safety latch on. I tugged the harpoon back until it clicked in place, unhooked the latch, and pumped the air pressure tank half a billion times to make sure the damn harpoon would fly. I stood up in the turret and waved my arms like a maniac. “Hey! Whale flounder on port! Sam, Rammus, Cancer—whoever’s up there, move this ship!” I pointed to the bows’ ten o’ clock.

  Sam’s voice rang loud and clear over the system. “I see it, Captain. She’s a big one. I’ll approach her nice and slow.” Sam announced the sighting to the entire crew.

  Just great. O’Toole’s babysitter was busy at the wheel. Now I had to take the shot asap before the idiot dived in. “Call someone to come hold O’Toole down!” I plopped into the seat, took a few seconds to aim for right where I wanted it, and fired again. The Harpy hissed and screeched, and the harpoon got jammed halfway out its chamber. I let out a snarl as checked the psi gauge. It read double the advised pressure, even after being fired once. I opened the pressure release valve and corrected my own stupidity.

  O’Toole bolted for the Harpy and began yanking on the harpoon like he was trying to throw it.

  “O’Toole, stop that!” I jumped onto the deck and tried to pry him off. “It’s a harpoon; not a javelin. Now leave it alone!” He kept reaching for it so I smacked his hand and hauled him away. He whimpered and lunged again, but I yanked him back and bodily blocked his path. He hunched his shoulders. “No, O’Toole. Just keep your eyes on the fish.” He whined. I pointed at the whale flounder. Good god, I wanted to strangle him for unwittingly sabotaging my shot. He followed my finger, pointed to himself, then started running in circles and pantomiming swimming again. “That’s better.”

  I wrestled with the harpoon until it clicked back in place, then mounted the Harpy again. Sam angled the Pertinacious so the fish was at the bow’s eleven o’clock. I aimed but waited to get closer. Seagulls circled it like they do when whales feed. I had just one shot before it’d flee.

  Sam drew us within a hundred yards of the fish, and as I took careful aim, O’Toole came up to the railing and climbed onto it right in my line of sight. “O’Toole! No!” I dive-tackled him like a lizard jumping onto a tree trunk. He lost his balance and folded, half his body hanging over each side of the railing. I pulled him onto the deck. His whimpering reached a fever pitch as he thrashed around until he broke free, then he lunged for the railing again. I grabbed him before he could jump. He gripped the railing in both hands and used that as leverage. “Sam!” I locked my arms around O’Toole’s waist and snuck a glance out at the water. We were eighty yards from the thing and slowly approaching. At the same time, my window of opportunity was rapidly shrinking. Whale flounder didn’t like the sound of props and engines.

  O’Toole planted his feet on the lower railing and dead-lifted us both. “Sam!” I lost my balance and couldn’t secure a foothold on the railing.

  “Captain!” Mido’s voice carried through the air.

  “Hurry!” O’Toole and I teetered over the railing and everything seemed to fall into slow motion as the ocean appeared below me. I had a choice between letting the Irishman go and taking my one shot, or going down with him and lengthening my failure streak. If I let him go, he ran the risk of getting sucked up into the props. On top of that, he couldn’t swim very well. Sure, someone could jump in after him, like Jacobi had last time, but what kind of selfish fool would that make me?

  My hips and therefor my center of gravity were pulled past the top railing. I glanced at the floating flounder and the gulls circling and even resting on it. That was so much money and food right there, and really good eating to boot. I didn’t have to be the one who—

  A hand pawed at my pant leg but O’Toole and I went for an unscheduled swim head first. Just great. My gun was in my coat, as usual. I’d have to carefully clean it later so it wouldn’t rust. Just plain great.

  We plunged under the surface in a haze of bubbles. With a chunk of his pants in my fist, I kicked for the surface but my steel toe boots were less than useless when it came to swimming with a trench coat on. We started to sink. O’Toole began to flail. I called the water to me and brought us back to the surface, but the Irishman was intent on drowning us both. His flailing blocked me from concentrating on controlling the very water I was trying not to inhale. I gave up and focused on keeping our heads above the surface.

  “Heads up, Captain!”

  Scully threw a life ring attached to a rope. I closed my eyes right before it splashed within arm’s reach, then jammed it over O’Toole’s head. He threaded his arms through the ring then began doggy paddling towards the whale flounder. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?” I grabbed the ring and he just paddled in place. When we rose to the crest of a swell, I caught a glimpse of the fish. Holy hell. It was still there!

  Everyone but Jacobi and Sam lined the railing. I waved for them to move aside. “Move if you don’t want to get wet!” Without waiting to see if they listened, I closed my eyes and concentrated, then directed a large column of water to send me and the Irishman back aboard. We slingshotted over the railing, onto the deck, and I landed on my feet and let O’Toole drop to his paddling hands and knees as a thin wave of water spread over the deck. I took in my relieved crew. “Hold him.” Mido and Scully rushed to O’Toole as I hopped into the Harpy. I swung and dipped her a little and took aim at… nothing but water. “No.” I broadened my search but there was no sign of the coveted, lopsided pancake. “No!” I took random aim but thought better of shooting. I rammed the safety latch back into place and swore as I kicked a part of the Harpy I knew wouldn’t break, then I bowed my forehead in one hand and sulked.

  “Lo siento, Captain,” Sauna said.

  “Where did you all go?” I said angrily.

  “Lunch,” Rammus said.

  I heaved a sigh and gave the Harpy a feeble kick, then shook my head.

  Jessie exclaimed, “Whoa!”

  I lowered my hand. Jessie was staring down the side of the boat, her mouth agape. O’Toole was gibbering away, and trying to wrestle free. My crew lined up along the railing, even Mido and Scully with the Irishman, and all of them exclaimed similar awe. I hopped onto the deck and pulled up next to Cancer. I joined them in their concerted gaping.

  The whale flounder was brushing up against my boat.

  I glanced at the Harpy, then at the fish. I could get it from this awkward angle but… for some rea
son it felt wrong to kill it while it was investigating my ship and crew. Wait. I looked at Jessie, who was completely mystified. Could she?

  I wandered up to her side and glanced over her shoulder. The whale flounder had leathery skin like a shark, a specking of darker grey spots patterned like a giraffe’s markings, and one black eye the size of a tire, complete with thick eyelids. The eye sat right in front of Jessie. That was a interesting coincidence. “Jessie.”

  “What?” she said in a subdued voice.

  “Do me a favor and walk along the railing and see if it follows you.”

  One hand on the railing, she slowly walked along the deck while keeping her gaze on the fish. It’s massive eye rotated to follow her, and then it paddled its sting ray-like fins and began keeping pace with her, its flapping gently rippling along its sides. I watched the spectacle for a moment, then let out a thoughtful “huh.” She stopped walking.

  I stuck my hands in my coat, then removed them. Forgot I was sopping wet for a moment there. “This is an interesting development.” My crew was staring open-mouthed. Between me and the quasis, that was hard to accomplish. “So Jessie, how long have you shared this affinity with sea creatures?”

  “My whole life. I’ve never really known what to make of it, until you told me about my avatar status. Fish have always acted like this to everyone if I was around. My friends used to drag me to the beach so we could play with the fish. They wouldn’t show up unless I was there.”

  “So why did you tell me you didn’t have any magical powers?”

  Jessie looked at the deck. “Probably for similar reasons you don’t readily tell people about your curse. I tried telling Tethys about it in hopes he’d stop… stop raping me. Instead, he used me to make more money at fish markets as well.”

  “Ah.”

  “Are they clues as to how to lift your curse?”

  “I wish. It’s just her mark on you.” I glanced at the whale flounder. So much money swimming right there, but… “So, uh, not to be insensitive, but would you have any reservations about us making a paycheck and a lot of meals out of this one?” I pointed to the fish with a thumb.