Chapter 72

David waited until they were seventy five miles out and slipped a mickey in Andrea's tea. Right in the big middle of a continuing rant about assholes and plywood and deserved it and fuck heads ... she passed out. Bang! One second she was fully conscious ... the next, she was incoherent and sliding out of her seat.

He slung her over his shoulder and stuffed her comatose body in the master stateroom ... tucked her in as pretty as you please, closed the blinds and locked the door with the button and shut it.

As soon as he was back in the chartroom he plotted a course for the canal. he issued the new heading to the helmsman ... Rose ... and went to find the Chief.

"I figure she'll sleep for six or seven hours," he told the Chief. "Another two or three hours figuring out why she's locked in and how to unlock the door and we should be damn close to the canal."

"I certainly don't want to go to Jamaica ... it's too close to Cuba ... them fellas is mad at us," Felix said. "If she keeps losing her temper we'll never get to Hawaii."

"How many missiles do we have left?" David wanted to know.

"We had 12 in the racks and two in the launcher ... we've got 12 left. And that reminds me ... I need to reload the launcher."

"Too late ... Rose did it," David declared. "How about everything else?"

"We don't have enough empties to make it worthwhile to reload." Felix wasn't complaining. The rounds expended for the progress made was pretty amazing. In a platoon strength firefight several thousand rounds would be expended for the same results.

"You know, I was planning on this trip being a little exciting ... but not like this."

"Chart to David ... Chart to David." It was Bethany ... harbinger of doom.

"Damn that girl. Chief, don't she ever sleep?"

Felix just laughed.

"Yes Miss Beth," said David ... just a trifle sarcastically.

"Don't you be getting smart with me Mister. I've saved your tight cute ass three times so far. You owe me."

'Tight Cute Ass? What the fuck?' The look on his face showed.

"Yes ... tight cute ass ... if you don't get a move on with Andrea ... it's going to be mine ... and Barb's ... and Angela and Angel's ... Connie's, too."

"Rose and Rosalie?"

"They finally convinced Jake ... you got any idea how disturbing it is to listen to those three at night?" She chuckled, "We did NOT bring enough batteries." Then, her chuckle subsided into a frustrated moan.

"You wanted something?"

"Oh ... yes. We have a shadow."

"Well ... what did you expect?"

"True ... she did lose control there ... for a little bit."

The speaker squawked;

"Pretty Penny, Pretty Penny, District 8, District 8."

Bethany picked up the microphone and keyed it.

"District 8, Pretty Penny."

"Which one are you? Penny."

"Is this a social call or official, eight?"

"Oh yeah ... Penny, secure channel, secure channel. Are your masters awake?"

Hums, beeps, static, a climbing and descending note. "There you are, Penny. Bethany? or Barbara?"

"Yes," she said.

"Ooo ... unfair. Totally unfair. I see Captain David is awake."

"Wait a second ... SEE?" asked David.

"You didn't think we'd let you out in the land of lions, tigers and bears all alone, did ya?"

The slow burn began. "I see. Ok ... what's up?"