Chapter 33

Tom and Marc came into the plane and pulled the door closed but did not look at us. Fifteen minutes later we were in the air. Tom came back to us while Marc flew the plane.

"What happened back there?"

"This cannot be repeated except to Marc."

"That's fine with me."

"Think about it. My word is very important to me."

"You have mine." From the cockpit I heard the same thing again.

"I'll let Caiti tell you."

She said, "Me!"

"Go right ahead, Sweetie."

She thought then said, "The lawyer and the soldiers were thieves. They led us into a trap with some robbers that set up a roadblock. We suspected this was going to happen so — Mr. Smith stopped the lead car and we jumped out and overpowered the solders in the troop truck. We took their AK-74s and removed the bandits ourselves. When we were done, we handed the empty rifles back and continued on our way."

"Who is we in this case?"

"Why, all of us. I didn't get to go full auto and had to stay single shot. The bandits didn't have flankers and no security at all except the three that fled when the battle was over."

"Did you shoot anybody?"

"Only one, but two others got him too. I'm going to get rid of my old rifle and get a 74."

"Have you killed before?"

"That's not a nice thing to ask a lady."

"Do you really have a Glock in your pack?"

"Sure do. If you show me yours I'll show you mine."

The joke did not go over well. "I think you're too young to go into a combat situation."

Caiti listened to the silent communications and then said, "I think you have no idea what was involved. Tell me what would have happened to all of us if the bandits had won. They were prepared to kill and they did not come masked. We all would have died. Perhaps some of us days later, when the men tired of us. Perhaps, if I got on my knees, they would see that I was a young innocent girl and spare me. Should I have fought to save our lives or accept what some criminal wished to do with us?"

"You have to fight, but others could have done it for you."

"Who? The army was in on the deal. The lawyer and the owner of the business were too. We could only depend upon ourselves. Didn't your own forefathers mention about being vigilant and ready?"

"You should have been left at home where it was safe."

"Fat lot you know. We are harassed on all sides. To stay at home would invite the same thing I tried to avoid with the bandits. I'm not yet seven but I think I have a clearer view of Human nature than you do."

Tom did not reply but he went back to the cockpit. A minute later Marc came to us and said, "There is a storm coming our way and we are going to have to change course. We will still make it to Suffolk ok."

"Any electrical disturbances?"

"Quite a lot actually."

"Stay well away from the storm. I'm warning you that if there is the least chance of us being hit by lightning it will come our way and destroy the plane."

Marc just stared at us then went back to the cockpit and the plane veered even more to avoid the storm he was talking about.

Tom came back later and after the engine noise increased. Tom sat down and said, "How come lighting will strike us?"

I pulled out the silver lightning bolt and handed it to Tom. He saw the medallion still on my chest. He looked at the silver icon in his hands and said, "It looks nice."

Do you remember the old stories about Thor, Woden and Zeus being able to throw a thunder bolt?"

"I liked mythology. I remember the stories."

"With what you have in your hand, I threw a thunderbolt at a car full of robbers. It was over two klicks away. It was the same as if I used a ground to ground missile. The car was destroyed completely and there were three charred bodies in it."

"Why do you think I'm that gullible?"

"Why don't you wait until we are on the ground during a storm? I can safely show you how it works without anybody being the wiser."

"Ok, say I believe you about this. Why avoid the storm?"

"The silver weapon in your hand attracts lightning. It would get hit five or more times during a storm. It would get hit in the air if lightning is anywhere close."

Tom considered this for a while and handed back the icon. He went back to the cockpit and the plane veered even more from it's course. We could now see the brown kelp on the ocean's surface much easier. I pointed out how this area was shallow at only twenty five metres in depth. It was easy to see how this could hide anything that crashed on its surface.

An hour later I heard a double beep and wondered what it was. Matra handed me a case that contained our portal. The light was beeping but the screen was dark. We had found a new site somewhere in the Bahamas. I did not know where it was but the location would be recorded in the computer.

A half hour outside of Norfolk, Tom came back again and said calmly, "I doubt if you got your passports stamped. It's also likely that the police will be waiting to talk to me."

"I'll pay for any inconveniences either of you incur on my behalf. Do not list us as being on board and I'm sure we can avoid any unpleasantness with the authorities."

"The same way you got on?"

"Exactly."

He just looked at me and wondered. We touched down at Norfolk International Airport and pulled into an area for private planes. The family had already started to shift to the car when Tom came back. He did not look hard for anybody because now was a time to use the washrooms and some of the family may be bent over in their seats.

"I hope there won't be any problems in my country."

"I hope so, too. I had hoped there was none in the last country, either. I came as a businessman looking for ships that float in the water, not the air."

"A yacht?"

"A working ship."

"Still three days?"

"It could be less but not much more."

Marc and Tom left but Tom came back after a few seconds and only saw us standing and getting ready. "I'll close up in ten minutes."

"That's fine with me."

We went into the bathroom one at a time and I collapsed the large portal. In less than a minute the smaller portal opened from the parking garage and I stepped through with the larger chain.

Taxis were easy to find and we travelled to a good hotel. Our lack of baggage was attributed to the airline. The family had their packs that looked like they could be carried on. I called Reynolds in nearby Suffolk and got an appointment for tomorrow just before noon.

The phone stayed in use for quite a while as I conducted business. The family ordered a meal and I cut some of my dealings short to be with them.

Matra said mentally, "What do you plan on doing with that spot in the ocean we found?"

"If it's not on land it will be hard to use. Possibly it can be used from a ship."

Jonna said, "I was thinking about the house we were going to build. It may be fun to go to the Caribbean whenever we wanted."

I heard the crack of thunder in the distance and knew that the storm was still on the move. We ate quickly and I bought a raincoat from the shop in the hotel. The rain had only just started when I got into a taxi with a tourist pamphlet in my hand. The Ocean View Golf Course went right to the Atlantic. The rain was getting heavy now and the taxi driver looked oddly at me as I got out.

I lugged out all the silver I brought with me. I went down to the ocean with little difficulty and no witnesses. This area had military bases up the wahzoo and I had to stay away from them. I had to wait an hour and a half until I called Tom and said, "Get up high and look Northwest of the airport. If you have a camera you might get some nice shots."

"Shots of what?"

"Nature's fury, Tom."

"How long do I have?"

"Depends on the storm, not me."

"Thanks."

Tom had lots of time because it was three quarters of an hour later that the silver in the shallow ocean water was hit by gigantic bolts of lightning. There were only four but they were spectacular. I stayed well away and under a bridge until the storm passed. I had to wade out into the water as the tide was coming in. Jonna came to me in a taxi or I was sure I would be picked up by the police for the way I looked. I now had to go shopping to replace my damaged or wet clothing.

The family made sure I was the warmest possible and used body heat. My disposition improved dramatically. Camsa demanded lots of my attention. He loved the whole family, but me more. He was beginning to act a lot more like Porta in the way he responded.

Porta was being held down and her body ravished. Caiti had to keep her quiet with her pussy. She didn't usually last long because she burnt so brightly.

Selna was eating Sonna while Matra was doing the same to Christiane. Everyone was busy pleasing somebody or being pleased. I thought to myself how lucky I was. Not only did I have people to love me but I loved them. My body allowed me to enjoy theirs and not cave-in from the demands made upon it. It was just not my body that saved me but the appetites of my family for each other.

I went to sleep with Jonna sleeping on one side of me and Caiti on the other. The hopes of weaning her off of me and onto Camsa had not worked as I hoped but the results were still favourable.

The next day was sunny and we went on a tour of the town. Near the noon hour I went to see Reynolds in his office.

The man had a florid face and white hair. He eagerly shook my hand as if I was a long lost friend instead of a prospective client or customer.

"How may I help you, Mr Smith?"

"I'm looking for a ship about a hundred to a hundred and fifty feet long. I'm starting a business that trades between Europe and the East. My route includes the Straits of Malacca, Somalia and the Red Sea. All three areas are known for the desperation of the inhabitants. Piracy is common and powerful weapons are available to the attackers. For this reason, I want a military ship with some armour. I, of course, will be putting any weapons onboard."

Reynolds thought for a moment and said, "To be perfectly honest with you Mr Smith, I have to say few of our military ships will be available except those that have seen much abuse. Various friendly powers snap up the better ones and they don't even come to auction. There's a Coast Guard cutter that may suit you. The hull is in a sorry state but the engines are sound. It's not much of a warship but you might be able to find weapons to replace the deck gun and not run afoul of international law and called a pirate yourself."

"Do you have the specifics of this vessel and an idea of the cost to bring the hull back to what it should be?"

Reynolds went into his records and showed me the vessel. The ship was a hundred and twenty feet long and now sported one forward turret. The ship looked fair in that it would work well against Church ships or those of its allies. The cost of repair of the hull was very high. The probable cost of the vessel itself was not bad.

I said, "Could we view this vessel?"

"It's tied up at a dock open to the public at the moment. Since you have paid a deposit, I can send a naval engineer to show you the ship. He can show you what is in need of repair so you get a good idea of what is needed."

"You mentioned before that you would bid for me if I chose to acquire this vessel and then oversee the repairs."

"I have done this many times and the cost of my help at the auction is nominal. My fees for the repairs are fixed so that I am not accused of increasing the price at the expense of my clients."

"That sounds fair. I would like to see the ship."

I was introduced to Martin Crane. He was a man of forty with what appeared to be an overactive metabolism or he had a drug problem. Reynolds assured me that he was very competent.

We rode to the wharf with Crane asking about what I needed. I had to stick with pirate suppression but the pirates I might run into were much more powerful.

We were admitted onto the ship only after my fake ID was checked. My gun was hidden in the car and I only had a folding knife and my lightning bolt.

The interior of the ship looked good to my uneducated eye. Crane pointed out problems that we could not see without tearing out metal. The Navy had already performed some ultrasonic testing and had found some problem areas.

Crane said, "The diesel engines are an old design and the ship is just middle aged. You could do much better with a turbine but it uses much more fuel for the performance gain. A better choice would be to put new and more modern engines in. They are not the problem, though. This was an Island Class Cutter at a hundred and ten feet. The ship was lengthened thirteen feet and this put strain on the hull. That was what caused the warpage we saw before we came aboard. The hull's watertight integrity has been compromised to such an extent that the ship has been decommissioned. The Coast Guard is undergoing a number of problems with its aging vessels."

"What do you estimate the cost of making the ship like new?"

"That is a tall order. If I hazzard a guess, I'd have to say six and a half million for the hull. The latest electronic gear would run two and a half million."

"What other costs am I not considering?"

Crane went into details now and I just listened. Always there was something just a little bit better but more costly. The man loved to talk about ships and the conversation ran into those of the former Warsaw Pact countries.

"They have hundreds of ships that are dirt cheap."

"You could pick up a destroyer if you had the money but I'm afraid somebody else would take it from you."

"Planes too?"

"Oh yes. The Chinese are selling old Mig 17's or what they call J-5's for only thirty grand each."

I knew about this already but I hadn't gone far into it because of transportation problems.

When we got back to Reynolds, the three of us sat down to talk. I was going to use most of Crane's suggestions but stick to the more realistic ones. I wanted some ideas added of my own. I wanted to map the ocean floor so I needed good sonar. I also needed more equipment and other ships to record the echo from their position. Books on every piece of equipment staying on the ship and all the new equipment had to be provided. My expedited delivery time may give problems but there were a lot of shipyards with idle workers. The time required to do the work was still four months at the minimum.

I seemed to like comfort and that meant larger rooms. It was no different from the ships with wooden hulls. The ship was made for war and would probably see action on Bejek so I was careful what I asked for.

When I finished there was a contract made up and signed. I went on the office computer and removed all of the money from one account. If they had software to retain my information, it would get them nowhere because the account had been emptied.

Reynolds went to his own bank and saw that his account was credited along with three million extra dollars and we shook hands one more time.

I met up with the family later and we completed the tour. Sonna asked, "Did you get a ship like one of those in the bay?"

"Only a little like them. Those are big or heavily armoured warships. I got a small one with a little armour. We can go see it but it will be months before it's ready and then I have to find a crew."

Taxis were used again and we saw the ship from a distance or we walked by in small groups. I did not want us remembered as a body.

A public telephone call to Tom got us ready to leave. I listened to his voice and I detected nothing wrong so we checked out the plane through the coin and then arrived openly.

The two men stared at us when we arrived then went about their business. We were in the air within half of an hour. Once in the air Tom came back and said, "I pretended to forget something and came back to the plane one more time. Marc and I had watched the hatch all the time. When I got in, you were gone. Marc came back and neither of us could find you. Are you going to tell us how you did it?"

"We just met. You trusted me and I trusted you. The secret goes much deeper. Let's get to know each other better."

Tom really wanted to know but I said to change the subject, "Let's talk more about our business."

"Ok," he said reluctantly.

"I will complete the deal when you get the forms filled out. You'll get to lease the plane from a company in the Bahamas just as we stated. I heard that there are a lot of Mig 17's or Chinese J-5's around. I wish to purchase a few dozen along with spare parts. They need to be serviced. Are you capable of doing this as well as train others in service and flight training?"