Chapter 7


At this time of year the sea looked like it was not even there. After the sun went down about all you could make out where the white caps on the waves. Tony was pretty sure that you could probably not even see that much if it wasn’t for the little microbes that died out at sea and washed in with the tide. Tony was not exactly sure why but, he did know that those things gave off a faint glow when they decayed. It had something to do with the chemicals they secreted. The microbes were forced together by the waves and, because they were so light, they rose up to the white caps. That was why you could see the tops of waves at night.

Tony’s explanation to Amy was not quite as concise as he tried remembering things that were a long time ago in a class room that he was not entirely awake in. Amy pressed her back even closer to his chest. She pulled his arms tighter around her waste. Then she told him, “ok, not exactly the most romantic thing anyone has ever told me.”

Tony just laughed in a friendly sort of way, “well I’m glad it’s only in the not exactly category. That means it’s not the worst.”

“No,” Amy replied, “you haven’t broken your record yet.”

The next flash of lightening illuminated the silhouette of a man walking across the sand from the parking area. Tony knew that angry little walk anywhere. It somehow ruined the mood of watching the storm that was now brewing way out at sea.

When Norm jumped up on the porch he seemed to be his usual single minded self. Tony just asked the guy as he made a bee line for the commissary door, “I thought you went home for the night? Didn’t get enough action during the day light hours?”

Norm stopped at the screen door and then looked at the boy and girl. He was definitely distracted when he said, “I was. I just… is Jake around?”

Amy pulled her shawl a little higher on her shoulders. Tony was constantly pulling it back down. She then nodded her head upwards and said, “I think I saw everybody heading for ops a few minutes ago.”

That made Tony wonder, “did they call you back in? Is something going on?”

“I don’t know Tony,” was all Norm had to say. He went inside and right up the stairs. When he saw the commotion, Norm held his tongue. Something was definitely going on. Cal was at the microphone for the big radio and he was calling out on it, “say again Roby Celeste. Say again. Are you declaring an emergency?”

The speakers were turned up so everybody could hear it. The electronically fuzzy voice replied, “we are taking on water and listing to starboard. We have fire in the engine spaces and I have crewmen down.”

Cal got pretty jumpy at that point, “that’s all I need to hear,” and he grabbed for another microphone that worked the PA system. He tried to use it but, then, he figured out he had to actually turn the system on first. He then called out, “Commander Reilly too Ops! We have a level one, say again, level…”

“I’m right here Cal,” said Barbara as she came stomping up the stairs. “Did you have to wake Shannon up too?” Then she felt of her hair and looked at the fine grains of dust she picked out. They had fallen from the PA speaker, “has it been that long since we used that thing? The speakers are spitting out dust.”

Kent Gold came walking over from the far corner of ops. He held out the paper in his hand, “the weather service is saying we have thirty to fifty foot caps out there.”

Cal whistled and said, “it’s a tramp steamer, the Roby Celeste. If she lists more than,” he shrugged and guessed, “I don’t know, maybe thirty degrees then she’ll go belly up.”

Norm spoke up from the back of the group that had been all but ignoring him, “that’s a Canadian ship, isn’t it?”

Up till this point Jake had been silent and intently watching everything going on around him. Norm’s question just seemed a bit too odd to let go. They were on an alien planet and not another continent. How the hell would the Canadians get a sea going ship out here? He looked as confused as he sounded, “what does that mean?”

Bob Johnson, who was sitting at the computers next to Cal replied, “well, you see, they kind of control most of the shipping on and off of the island. Not officially mind you but, if you want to put in to the cities harbor then they are going to want to have a talk with you.”

Somehow the entire idea was just too absurd for Jake to even consider, “Canadians? Running a protection racket? Somebody correct me if I’m wrong but don’t you have to have guns to do stuff like that? Who the hell gave guns to the Canadians?”

Norm just shook his head, “no offense Jake but, you’re still thinking like you’re back on Earth. Out here in the colonies things don’t exactly work the same way.”

Barbara cut Norm off, and everybody else, before the conversation could go any further, “none of that matters now. When somebody is in trouble we worry about what street gang owns the ship later. In the mean time, there are people out there that need our help. We’re going to give it to them.”

Jake became somewhat amused and when Barbara gave him a nasty look he told her, “I just thought how ironic it is that I was thinking the exact same thing.”

Now Barbara developed the amused look and told him, “well it’s a good thing I said it first Mister Barton. That way, now, I don’t have to agree with you.” Barbara then raised her voice and put on her commanders face, “let’s saddle up people. Who have we got here, right now?”

Calvin told her, “enough. I think Tony’s still here and that gives us eyes in the sky.”

Norm was still somewhat distracted and less than enthused when he told Cal where Tony was. Naturally, Calvin got right up and burst into action. Even Kent was right behind him and calling for a seat on the chopper. Jake only followed and watched but, Norm grabbed the guy and held him back in ops. Jake just shrugged. Norm eyed Barbara and waited for to leave to that they were alone.

Barbara would not give in though. She crossed her arms and became very cross with Norm as she said, “you know I’m tired of you two keeping secrets from me. At first I just thought it was, maybe, I don’t know, you were both planning on dumping my body out at sea and taking over. Then I realized, you don’t have too, you guys already think you’re running this place.”

Norm kept his cool and told the woman point blank, “you know I don’t do rescue missions, Barbara. That’s Calvin’s thing and not mine.”

“You’re right Norm,” Barbara said with her arms still crossed, “you’re the just the guy who runs off and kills people instead.”

After thinking on it for a second, Norm shook his head and said, “yeah, that sounds about right.”

Now Barbara took some very deliberate and forceful steps in their direction, “so stop trying to placate me Norman Scoggins. I know when I’m being played.”

Jake raised his hand and when he got her nasty glare he said, “can I point out, now, that yes I am supposed to be running this place or, do I have to wait my turn in front of the principal?”

“You just try running this place without me Mister Barton,” Barbara told him with an evil eye. “See how long you last.”

Jake nudged Norman and told him, “you know I’m beginning to wonder if that first guy really shot himself or somebody else did it for him.”

Norm seriously replied, “don’t get her started on that guy, Jake.”

Barbara snapped with a single and bitter word, “NORMAN!”

Norm gave up and then just told her. He did look to make sure they were the only three in the room before he did. “The city emergency line got a call a little while ago. It came in on a line that belonged to some guy named Dorsey Pendleton.”

Barbara backed up and thought about it. She then brushed the entire thing off and said, “that’s not our problem. Why did it send you driving back out here?”

“Well,” Norm hesitated. He tried to explain, “it was a pretty weird call. The guy said he was being haunted by ghosts and they were trying to kill him and…”

“Norm,” Barbara huffed out, “I do not have time for this bullshit, so, tell me now or you can find out just exactly how little of a bitch I was today.”

Norm grunted and then blurted out, “he said he was calling from Twenty-Five Norman Hills Drive.”

Jake had actually found this exchange between his two, alleged, top subordinates every bit as fascinating as he had expected it too be. Jake had never actually believed that Barbara could beat somebody like Norm into submission but, she had done it quite easily. It looked to Jake as if he was going to spill the entire story until he came out with that address.

The biggest problem here, for Jake at least, was that he had no idea why that address was significant. It was though. Barbara suddenly retreated in her own little shell. She almost looked like she wanted to stumble. Without another word to Norm,

Barbara picked up the PA system and called Calvin back up to the Ops center. Calvin came in a minute later and was babbling away about preparations.

Barbara waived all of Calvin’s questions off and told him, “you do it.”

Calvin blinked, “excuse me? What?”

“You heard me,” Barbara told him. “You’re in charge of this mission Agent Brandt. You’re the most experienced guy we have at water ops so, you’re in charge.”

Calvin still did not fully comprehend what Barbara had just told him. He actually blinked and then replied to her by pointing out, “yeah I’m the most experienced except for, maybe you?”

“Just do it,” Barbara said as she rushed out of ops. Calvin followed shortly thereafter and, Jake noted, the poor guy looked like he was about to faint.

When everyone was gone but, Norm and Jake, it was Jake who suggested, “maybe I should go with them.”

“No man,” Norm told him. “Don’t worry about them. They can handle this. This is more up to their speed. Trust me, they’re better at it than you are.”

Jake sighed and then said, “all right, fine. So then do you mind telling me what in the hell is really going on?”

“You know that little list we been watching,” Norm asked him. When Jake nodded, Norm went on, “Dorsey Pendleton is on it.”

“Good enough for me,” Jake told Norm. He then asked, “and the address? The one that just turned Barbara into bowl of mush?”

Before Norm could answer someone else came stomping up the stairs. Norm almost thought it was Barbara returning but, in this case, it turned out to be the younger Reilly. Shannon stopped at the top of the stairs, threw out her arms, and angrily demanded, “what the fuck is going on?”

Norm told the girl, “it’s nothing sweetheart. They got a freighter out there taking on water, that’s all. Everybody is going out there to help.”

Shannon looked a little confused and then pointed back down the stairs, “if they’re going out to sea on a rescue op then why did Mom just grab her gun and car keys?”

Norm’s jaw fell open, “she did what?”

Jake pushed Norm towards the stair, “go stop her. Then maybe you can explain to me what the hell is going on!” When Norm ran down the stairs, Jake found himself looking at the fourteen year old who was slightly agitated. He supposed that he could not blame her. She’d had a trying day. Everyone around the station had and, as far as Jake could tell, that all had one cause by the name of Barbara.

When Bob Johnson came running back up the stairs he seemed to have a lot on his mind. He almost ran over Shannon in the process. Jake watched the guy jump on the radios and computers as he started trying to do equipment checks. Shannon was watching too. She began nagging the guy about how he was doing everything wrong. As it turned out, Jake discovered, the kid was actually right about most of it. It gave Jake an idea.

“How short handed are we on the field team,” Jake asked Johnson.

Bob just shrugged and looked back at Jake, “I don’t know? I mean you can’t ever have too many people on something like this.”

“Good idea Bob,” Jake told him. “Pack your gear and head for the boat.”

Bob became confused, “who’s going to man ops if I do that?”

Jake raised his hand and then pointed at Shannon, “looks to me like she knows what she’s doing.”
The idea seemed ridiculous to Bob and his expression showed it. Shannon even seemed a bit unsure but, she did meekly volunteer, “well I did grow up with all this stuff. Course I know it but…”

“But what?” Jake nodded to the little girl, “looks to me like we all have to do what we have to do. Don’t it look that way to you?”

Shannon pulled the chair out from under Bob and he went crashing to the floor. When he tried to complain the teenager told him, “go get your shit Bob. I got this.”