Chapter 19
Anchors Away
“Thanks for the helicopters. That was pretty close.” I said nodding to Dr. Ishmail.
“You all did a remarkable job, really. The Colonel and I were very impressed you were able to take out a truckload of mercenaries with just the weapons you had. We both want to know what happened to the men in the three gunboats though. We found some boat wreckage, but so far we haven’t been able to find any men.”
“You can stop looking for them, sir. They’re gone.” Meea said looking down.
“Gone, gone where?” the Colonel asked sitting up on the edge of his chair giving Meea his full attention.
“Yeah, Meea, how did you stop the gunboats?” Tony asked seemingly amazed as well.
“You know, don’t you, Wilson?” Meea said smiling at me.
Damn that girl is beautiful. “Yes, I believe so, but please go on. Everyone will want to hear this from you.”
Meea moved over from her seat to sit on my lap to tell her tale, like we were around a campfire telling ghost stories. I quickly kissed her on the cheek before she started.
Meea lowered her voice, “When we moved in, Wilson asked me to watch the ocean for anything unusual as a precaution. Some of the dolphins in the area were very keen on me, so I asked a couple of them to watch for incoming boats. I also asked one of the dolphins to go deeper out to sea to bring a couple of blue whales in close to shore. The blue whales got here a day ago, but they stayed a few miles off the coast where the waters are a little deeper and cooler for them.
As soon as the dolphin found the incoming gunboats I sent the dolphins back out to sea to bring in a school of hammerhead sharks. The Blue Whales were already close so I had them intercept and capsize the gunboats a couple miles off shore. Then I sent the whales back out to sea before the sharks arrived. I really just needed them for the heavy work anyway and I didn’t want the whales to close to the sharks that were coming in. Soon after the boats sank the sharks arrived to ensure no survivors could make it to shore.”
“Genius, Meea, absolutely incredible. How did you know what Meea was up to, Wilson?” The Colonel asked, still on the edge of his chair.
“When I was out on the beach this morning I saw two whales off the coast. Knowing Blue Whales never get this close to the coast and the fact that Meea had been spending a lot of time at the beach, I guessed she was lining up her own back up team.”
“AH-HA, very good indeed.” The Colonel said.
“Now that were all up to speed let’s say we get to work. Tony, what do you have for us?” I said getting up to get a drink.
“Great job on the battle front guys. Thanks for watching my back. I believe it was worth it… if you value the whereabouts of three missing SA teams.”
“You found the three teams! Are they alive?” Stacy asked pulling up closer to the table.
“I don’t know if they’re alive, but I do believe I know where they are. Let me explain why no one has found them so far. Everyone has been looking for them in Brazil and Israel because they all boarded planes that show flight plans to these two countries.
So far the Air Force has just been running surveillance planes over Brazil and Israel looking for clues. The CIA has been focusing their investigation solely on terrorist groups that are known for abductions within these two countries as well.”
“You’re getting to the point soon, right?” Marty tapped the end of the machine gun he was still holding on the end of the table to hasten Tony’s story.
“I’m trying to show you why no one knows anything, and that we’ve been chasing ghosts. It’s because we’ve all been looking for the terrorist and the SA teams in just these two countries.”
“The terrorist are a decoy then?” I said trying to understand Tony’s explanation.
“Yes, Wilson, we have been given the old razzle dazzle. The planes the SA teams used were the key. Since we were getting nowhere fast, I thought I would check some of the details to see if we were missing something and I found that the three planes used by our teams to go to Brazil and Israel came from the same airline. Southway Airways. The plane’s flight plans showed that the SA teams were on flights going to Brazil and Israel but I got lucky and found an obscure online maintenance database that indicated that the three planes arrived in the Bahamas instead. When we lost contact with our teams everyone jumped to the conclusion that the planes had stuck to the flight plans that were filed but I’m betting my allowance check those flight planes were doctor up and the planes landed in the Bahamas, with our SA teams onboard!”
“Help me out here, Tony, so you believe the airlines wanted to capture the three SA teams… what’s their motive?” The Colonel asked pushing his hat up to show his entire forehead, looking a little more than skeptical.
“Steven, why don’t you tell the Colonel what we talked about.” Tony said.
“Thank you, Tony, I would be more than happy to oblige.” Steven stood up as he spoke. I wondered if that line came from a movie and the person giving it was standing and if that’s what made Steven get up. I really needed to spend more time with him.
“Well, tell us, son.” The Colonel urged.
“During the 1900’s the railroad dynasty owned the fairy boat business that took cars across the Golden Gate Waterway. It was a very profitable business. When the idea for the bridge was presented in 1922 the railroad fought against it being built and stalled the building of the bridge by more than ten years. Ten profitable years!”
“Thanks for the history lesson, son, but…”
“Let me finish, sir. Southway Airways last year made quite an unusual purchase. Thirty fairy boats were contracted from China, and they are being delivered to San Francisco two weeks from now.”
“How the hell do you know all of this son?” It appeared the Colonel was feeling a bit out done by such a young, wet behind the ear, kid.
“Let me explain, Colonel,” Tony interceded. “Steven has a photographic memory and he scans every major news publication each morning. That and the fact he’s read through a couple entire libraries makes him a pretty up to speed, and a fairly smart guy. Between Steven and me, with his knowledge base and my ability to find and work through the information we make a dam good team.” Tony boasted slapping Steven on the back.
The Colonel leaned back further in his chair pulling the bill of his hat back down. “I see, so you believe this is actually a plot by the airline to destroy the bridge. An airline that no one suspects comes in and makes a fortune in the fairy business, while all along we blame the whole thing on a terrorist group. A group that we’ll never find, since they don’t exist. Well, now that I said it out loud. That’s a hell of a plan they have there. Shit, we chased Ben Laden for years never really knowing where he was. Hmmm, wonder if he really ever existed.”
The Colonel got to his feet. “Very smart group you have here Ishmail. Let me know when you need some artillery.”
Dr. Ishmail got up quickly. “Let me show you out, Colonel.”
Dr. Ishmail walked back in after a few minutes of conversation at the door with the Colonel.
“I believe I’ll have your group work on world hunger next week when this is over.” Dr. Ishmail said proudly, leading us in a weak round of laughter at his own joke.
“I’m not really sure I’m even kidding. Wilson, this is your show, what’s next?”
“We need a yacht here by 7:00 AM fully fueled and with a crew. I need four automatic Gatling guns, the types that are on attack Huey helicopters if possible. We need to get fighter planes to make security and surveillance passes over the bridge right away, and I’ll want communication codes for them in case I need to speak directly to the pilots. Get me a clearance for the Panama Canal so we can pass through un-detained. We’ll also need someone to give us advanced weapons training while we’re on the yacht.”
“And you’ll be going to…?”
“If were protecting a bridge, than we need to be at the bridge. I want the ya
cht because they know exactly where we are now. On the ocean, we’ll be much harder to find, especially if they don’t think to look for us on a boat. I have to keep Melissa out of danger and I believe we’re going to be safer on the water. We’ll also be able to see anything coming long before it’s on us. Are you with me?”
“Yes, Wilson, it all makes good sense. What about the three missing SA teams?”
“I figure if the SA teams are alive now, they will stay alive until an attempt on the bridge is made. They can be used for leverage if they’re still alive. If they’re dead and we go rushing into the Bahamas, it will alert the bad guys and they’ll move up whatever time line they currently have. So were better off to wait and coordinate our SA team’s rescue plan with the plan to stop the attack against the bridge.”
“One yacht, 7:00AM. I’ll add some goodies of my own for you.” Dr. Ishmail said flipping open his phone and started to work on the details before he’d got out the door.
“Pizzas are here, I’ll buy.” Ishmail yelled back as he walked out handing the delivery girl a wad of bills.
“Let’s eat, and then we’ll all need to start packing. I want Tony’s equipment first and then our individual stuff so we’re ready to load the boat by 7:00 sharp.
“Now it’s “Equipment,” not stuff anymore, huh?” Tony said shaking his head at me.
“Yeah, I’m starting to get a better appreciation for your, stuff. When we get Melissa’s parents back safe and sound I’ll buy you some more stuff.”
“Wilson.” Marty called from the kitchen, he had picked up the mail when he grabbed the pizzas from the delivery girl.
“I’m coming.”
“Looks like you can get Tony his own best buy store.” Marty said grinning ear to ear.
“What are you talking about?”
“Our monthly allowance checks are here.” He said holding up eight white pay envelopes.
“Just throw mine on the counter.”
“You don’t throw checks with this many zero’s in them anywhere but Fort Knox.”
“You’re kidding….”
Marty handed me my envelope as the others were opening theirs.
“No you weren’t kidding, WOW!” Everyone was standing there gawking at his or her check. “We won’t live to spend these if we don’t get moving people.” Shit, I was starting to sound like a boss, that can’t be good. I better get some coffee. This is going to be a long night.
“Let’s go, guys, we need to be ready to load the boat at seven sharp.” Marty chided.
We had all Tony’s equipment packed up per his specifications and marked so he could set back up on board quickly. This time he would only need to set up whatever the yacht was not equipped with.
The yacht arrived right on time. It pulled up to the dock that ran up to the back of the Conner’s property. Melissa was awake and eating one of the doughnuts that the FBI men had brought this morning. Another crew of agents stuck around last night in case there was a second wave of attack, even though we didn’t think there was much chance of one. Some of the CIA men helped us out with the packing last night so we were ready to start loading the boat on schedule.
We were all carrying boxes onto the yacht when Marty started yelling.
“Hey Wilson, who ordered a lion?”
I looked over at Meea, my eyebrows tightening. She smiled back at me and darted out the cabin door over to the loading plank.
“Marty, that’s not a lion, that’s my baby tiger.”
I was right behind Meea to see a large cage sitting on the dock and the delivery truck pulling away.
“Meea?”
“I was going to tell you about this, but we got busy and I forgot.” Meea’s shoulders hunched over slightly hoping she would not get rebuked for forgetting to mention this minor detail.
“Kitty,” Melissa said, dropping her half eaten doughnut and running down the plank toward the cage.
“Stop her!” I yelled to Marty who was already on an intercept course.
“It’s alright, Wilson, that’s Kobe. He’s my pet baby Tiger.”
Marty collared Melissa who was now squirming in his arms.
“That’s no baby. He’s got to be at least two hundred pounds.” Marty said looking at Meea like she had lost her mind.
“He’s two hundred and twenty pounds but he’s still a baby, he’s only two years old. When he’s full-grown he’ll be over four hundred pounds. He won’t hurt anyone, really.” Meea said trotting down the loading plank. “I had him in a cage just for transporting. He’s completely tame.” Meea smiled at me with reassuring eyes.
Marty was still holding tightly to Melissa who was reaching out in the tiger’s direction, wanting to touch the kitty.
“You’re sure, Meea?”
“Yes, he lives with my family in our village and everyone knows him. I just thought he would be a good watch dog for us on the trip.”
“Hell, that thing eats watch dogs for snacks.” Marty laughed.
By now everyone was topside looking at the “baby” two hundred and twenty pound tiger on the dock. Meea was standing at the cage now looking at me for permission.
“So, we just let him out and he hangs around not killing us… is that the plan?” I asked looking at Meea. I could tell she was dying to get him out of the cage. I gave a quick look to Stacy, and she gave me a little head nod, I’m sure no one picked up on. It was enough to tell me she confirmed Meea’s confidence.
“Alright, let Kobe out so he can meet everybody.” Meea beamed as she unhooked the cage door.
“Hi Kobe, did you miss me?” The tiger put his head down and banged against Meea’s hip and then continued to curl around her, rubbing her with his head as he circled her. She reached down with both hands and scratched his large head with her fingernails.
“Kitty! Kitty!” Melissa had her hands on Marty’s face to make sure he was looking at the object she wanted. I nodded over to Marty that it was Ok, and he started over to the big cat with the little girl I was responsible for. Within minutes the big cat had everybody’s hands scratching and petting him. The tiger looked like he was in heaven. His purring elevated sounding like a small Volkswagen engine until he eventually flopped down, rolled over and took full advantage of all the attention.
“He’ll let us pet him forever, Wilson.” Meea said as her eyebrows rose.
“I guess he’s safe enough, lets finish getting the yacht loaded and get going.”
Meea walked up the plank and called Kobe to follow. The big cat stopped at the plank and was not too happy about crossing the water. Cats aren’t too fond of water, so naturally we were taking one of the biggest cats alive on a thousand mile ocean trip.
A couple looks from Meea though and Kobe took the plank in two leaps, and found his way down some stairs away from the view of the water.
Once the boat was loaded and we were safely under way, almost everyone sought out a cabin to crash in. Meea was sitting in the main living room on a couch watching Melissa riding on Kobe’s back. Kobe was going around and around the inner hallways that lead around the second floor of the yacht. Melissa was riding the tiger like a pony, using her magnetic power and one hand on an ear to hold her self on tight. She had her other hand in the air waving it around like a cowgirl on a cattle run. In between giggles as she rode past us she would urge Kobe on yelling, “fasser kitty. Fasser kitty.”
I curled up on the couch next to Meea, hugging her to me. She felt nice as she melted along side me. She sighed in satisfaction. We were both dog-tired from the long day but it felt good just to hold her and let the tension from the day pass away.
“I’ll stay up and keep an eye on Melissa. It looks like she had enough rest last night to be good for the day.” I said.
“You think.” Meea laughed, as Melissa went flying through the living room on the back of a speeding tiger. We both laughed. Meea rolled over so she could look directly at me.
“Why did you send Rachel with me to the b
each last night if you knew I had the whales on stand by?” Her eyebrows lifted slightly.
“I had to make sure you didn’t trip and fall on the way to the beach before using the whales.”
Meea didn’t shift her glance from me as her mouth turned down at the corners.
“OK, ok… I knew I could make sure you were safe if I could check on you with Chels on my end and Rachel on yours. I just needed to be sure you were safe, happy?” I confessed.
“Incredibly.” Meea pressed tight to me and the passion from her lips brought me to a heighten state of awareness. She had my full attention, and then she slowly pushed back from me a little and pulled her shirt off… underneath she had on her cute triangle swimsuit top from earlier this morning.
“What are you doing, there is a crew around somewhere, and Melissa?”
“Relax, Wilson. Stacy and I are going up to the top deck to work on our tan and take a catnap in the sun. We’ll have our time later.” Meea purred in my ear.
She purred just like a cat when she was happy, and I definitely enjoyed keeping her happy.
Meea’s purring for me stopped when Stacy came zooming in the room, chased by Kobe and Melissa. Melissa was having a ball on that big cat. I’m sure since Melissa was so light, and the fact the tiger was still young enough it liked to play, they would bond into life long friends.
I made eye contact with Melissa as the tiger and her curled around the buggy. “Come with me Melissa and I’ll get you something to eat, and we’ll let the kitty rest a while.” I said stroking Kobe’s head gently.
Meea called to her pet affectionately. “Come on, Kobe. Let’s go sleep in the sun.” The big cat understood Meea and lay flat so Melissa could hop off.
I took Melissa to the galley and fixed her a snack. She sat at the galley counter eating the chopped fruit and some bread with jam I had prepared.
I made a quick call to Dr. Ishmail while Melissa was occupied, to set up housing for us incase we needed it when we arrived in California. I wasn’t sure if it would be better to work from the yacht or from land once we arrived. Although, I knew which the tiger would prefer.