Episode 7: Here Ye Be Pirates
Part 2
Nick stomped to his room, grinding his teeth as he stared ahead without blinking. He couldn’t believe that stupid Di-Crapio! “Work of art, my ass…” he muttered with disdain. “More like a kid’s stick doodle.”
When he walked into his room, he immediately reached for the PSP Pearl had upgraded for him. Not only would he be entertained on the boat ride he would have to endure, but the device contained some handy weaponry, too. Since the Disney mission, Pearl had churned out lots of new technology in her self-imposed sabbatical from fieldwork. As Nick turned the PSP over in his hand, a fleeting thought crossed his mind. If only he hadn’t been stuck on Big Thunder Mountain. If only he could have reached the Castle in time, then he could have stopped Drums… somehow. Things had definitely been strange since Shazam’s death, first Pearl’s tech and now the new 009…
Sneering, Nick grabbed his favorite guns from where they hung on his wall. Where did Vitruvi-lame get off anyway? What the hell was with that stupid nickname? Di-Di? Was he serious? It made him want to vomit. On him, preferably. Just before his date with Diamond… who should be with Nick on this mission. Nick rolled his eyes. Instead, he was stuck with Avril. “Fucking figures.”
Nick’s watch beeped, and Emerald’s face popped up on the screen. “Are you ready yet? We ain’t waiting for your ass all day, Malibu Ken.” Speak of the she-devil.
“Damn, I don’t even get fifteen to prep?”
“No, Jay said K wants us on the jet immediately.”
“Where are we meeting the boat at?” Luckily, the HimTak jet served as a passenger jet that could carry agents and a cargo jet that could transport their speedboat from headquarters. A rental wouldn’t have the necessary tech upgrades for covert operations.
“Fucking Florida… again.”
“Fine, let’s go. Maybe we can drop your ass off in Canada on the way there. Not even the U.S. government should be punished by having you as a citizen.”
“Oh, go find a blow-up doll and get over it.”
He really hated today.
***
Thankfully, he really loved the day after. They had gotten to Florida late the previous evening, and Jay had made the executive decision to hit the ocean at daybreak. The view was breathtaking as the sun gently rose to greet their boat, with no sounds except the soothing waves.
Nick had always loved the ocean. It was so tempestuous, never predictable. Yet the ocean didn’t change suddenly; it remained true to its nature, fierce and, he supposed, somewhat angsty. The ocean was exactly what it seemed: wild and free. Nick had felt connected to it since he was little when he would walk to the beach hand in hand with his older sister, Jessica, and their little brother, Aaron.
His love for the waters had never wavered and kept his spirits up, despite the resurgence of the painful memory.
“This is bullshit. I’m stuck in a boat with Blunder Boy, out to try and take down pirates…” Emerald would rather leave the crazy missions to Carter. And the pirate costumes in the back of their boat were just as crazy as the ridiculous duck costume she endured at Disney.
“Go overboard then, for all I care.” Nick gritted his teeth.
“Why don’t I toss you there?”
“Guys…” Jay interceded, finally sick of the endless arguing. “Save it.”
For a moment, Nick remained focused on Emerald, then he stared out into the endless ocean with a smile. He couldn’t help it; he loved the beauty of the sea. “I’m good — we’re sailing to…” An impish look gleamed in his eyes as the smile became a smirk. “…Bermuda… Bahama…” he began to sing.
Jay couldn’t help but chuckle. Then he decided to join in. With the calm waters surrounding them, it was easy to forget the fact that they were on a serious mission and just enjoy the ride. “…Come on, pretty mama…” He smirked and leaned over to Emerald, giving her a flirtatious kiss on her cheek, which landed dangerously close to her lips.
“You’ve got to be shitting me.” She kept her small grin at Jay hidden. Emerald was not actually going to join in on this stupidity.
“Key Largo, Montego… baby, why don’t we go… Jamaica…”
Jay dramatically spread his arms. “Off the Florida Keeeeeeeeys… there’s a place called Kokomo…”
Nick and Jay began harmonizing the classic Beach Boys song as they continued to sing the lyrics. Random bursts of song were typical occurrences for Carter, but who knew 003 could sing so well? Nick drummed out the beat in perfect rhythm on the wall of the boat, in the fashion of bongo drums. Did K want Emerald to suffer? She was starting to think he did…
“Aruba, Jamaica…”
“Oooh, I wanna take ya to Bermuda…”
“Bahama…” Jay lowered his sunglasses to give Emerald a seductive look. “Come on, pretty mama…”
“Key Largo, Montego, baby, why don’t we go…”
“Oooh, I wanna take you down to Kokomo…”
K owed her. Big time. And he was definitely going to know it when they got back…
“Aruba, Jamaica…”
“Oooh, I wanna take ya to Bermuda…”
“Bahama…”
…As long as she didn’t kill them first. She wasn’t making any promises.
***
Back and forth, the dark-haired man paced inside his purple bedroom. It had been his hiding place since HimTak had defeated him yet again at Disney World.
“Things will be different this time.” Dr. Rough subconsciously stroked his favorite underling, Dr. Twitches. He held onto his little friend so tight that the animal’s claws started digging into the “doctor’s” tanned arms in protest. Dr. Rough didn’t care; it was comforting to feel his little claws dig in. At least he had a constant reminder that his friend was with him. After losing him in his attempt to take over Disney World, he wasn’t taking any chances at losing his pet again. A harness encircled Dr. Twitches’s body; its leash wrapped around Dr. Rough’s arm like a corkscrew. The ferret chattered shrilly, but Dr. Rough found the restraint absolutely necessary, especially while they were out at sea.
“Ah, Dr. Twitches, my faithful companion…” Dr. Rough held him tighter. “My new plan will not be as easily foiled by 00Carter and those fool agents at HimTak. We have already… I should say, Drums has already struck them a blow from which they will not easily recover. The loss of such a beloved agent will subdue them.” Dr. Rough smirked. “We will strike at their lowest and provide a suitable replacement. Soon I will know all. I will know when HimTak will move to strike against me. I will know when they are on to my scheme and how to avoid their attack. There is no way my plans will fail now! And, oh, my next plan…” His cackle became a gleeful giggle before he could catch himself and continue his monologue to no one in particular.
“Oh Canada…” he began to sing to himself. “How thee is … underestimated…” Petting Dr. Twitches calmly, he added, “and that shall fall into my plans perfectly.
“And Dr. Twitches, I can’t tell you enough about this agent I have found to play both sides.” Carefully, so as not to crush his friend, Dr. Rough jumped on the bed and kicked his feet up, locking them at the ankle, much like a teenage girl dreaming about the cute boys in the band The Backalley Boys. “He is just too perfect; I don’t know how I ever managed to find this one. Where has he been hiding all this time? Such evil in him that I have only seen in one other person, besides myself, to this point… but we all know Drums would never be able to infiltrate HimTak. No, they all know him too well. But this agent… oh, they will never see this coming.” Dr. Rough could feel a chuckle brewing in his chest, but before he could let it out, the sound from the television set across the room brought him back to the present.
Sitting up on the bed, he found the remote and turned up the television. A lanky, well-dressed, and attractive reporter appeared on the screen, standing in front of some docks.
“Survivors of the recently destroyed cruise liners, the Mariner and the Absolute Chaos, report sightings of a giant sea monster emerging from the ocean near the Bermuda Triangle. These accounts have the Coast Guard on extra security sweeps. Perhaps, what is more terrifying than what is being described as a giant squid-like creature, are the tales of ghostly pirates raiding the ship shortly after the monster’s appearance. Out of the hundreds that disembarked on these two ships, only handfuls have returned to shore safely.
“The Coast Guard is baffled by this mystery but is adamant that they will find out who, or what, is behind these attacks and put a stop to them. When asked about the giant monster claims, they had no more comments.
“One local man did, however, have plenty to comment on when it came to the claims of the giant squid.”
The screen panned out, showing a reporter standing next to a man decked out in large fishing rubbers, hooks of all sizes dangling from his clothing. A fishing hat was perched on his head, the flap flipped upwards, casting a glare back towards the camera. In his right hand were two large hooks connected to normal-size fishing rods. His left hand held the largest fishing net anyone could buy.
“I am here with a gentleman who goes by the name Captain Nemo,” the lovely, red-haired reporter continued. “Captain, you are claiming that the reports of the giant sea squid should not be taken lightly.”
“Well now, ma’am, this here squid’s evil incarn-ate and needs to be killed dead. I’s the right person for that job.”
“And how do you plan on catching this monster, Captain?”
“Well, sees, there’s my ship.” He pointed over to a dilapidated boat anchored in the farthest dock from the camera. “That’s the Nautilus, and she and I have seen some nasty things. We are pre-pared, ma’am. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have me a squid to hunt.” Without another word, the man set off towards his boat. The camera panned back to the reporter, who had a baffled look on her face.
“At that, this is Lorena Lee for Channel 5 News.” She giggled uncomfortably before the reporters in the studio began to babble again.
As he continued to pet Dr. Twitches, Dr. Rough’s mind began to race with possibility. He flipped through the channels, finally stopping on a nature program about sharks. As he stared at the wide, open ocean on his television screen, a sinister grin crept across his face.
***