Chapter 3: A sense of porpoise

"Bubbles just dove over the side of the ship!" Blaine Lucas yelled as he burst through the cabin door.

Turning mutely from his notes, Marcus Hyde blinked over the top of his bifocals.

"What?" He queried after a few seconds, sounding oddly unconcerned.

Certainly he had 'heard' the younger mans pronouncement.

Any decipherable meaning however seemed to be ricocheting around inside of his skull.

"I said." Blaine gasped, obviously out of breath.

"Bubbles Utonium, your protege just took a dive over the side of this ship!"

Marcus continued to stare, at which point he now noticed Blaine was waving something clutched in the hand he was using for emphasis.

Now focused on the object, Marcus saw that it was white, possibly silk with a predominately-blue floral pattern.

It occurred to him instantly then that he did indeed recognize the article, it appeared to be the dress that Bubbles was wearing at dinner!

"Good god man." Marcus stammered, removing his glasses with a sweep of his hand, now becoming suitably concerned.

"Did you tell the crew?"

As if on cue a long mournful wail resounded in the night outside. The sorrowful blare was almost instantly accompanied by the sharp peal of bells ringing in counterpoint.

Even without contextual knowledge of the current situation, a man well-traveled as Marcus Hyde would've quickly identified the sound as the blare of an overboard klaxon.

It served however as impetus for Marcus to rise carefully to his feet while deftly retrieving his cane, before proceeding purposely past a still gasping Blaine Lucas.

Once outside of his cabin he took a moment to orientate before asking.

"Bow or stern Mr. Lucas?" He addressed the bodyguard where he still leaned panting against the cabin door.

"Towards the Stern!" Blaine managed while raising the hand not currently death gripped on the cabin's doorknob, indicating the general direction with a wave of the dress he was still holding.

"On a ship this large, they will most certainly have to swing round." Marcus mused almost casually before he turned back toward where Blaine still sagged.

"We should most likely then head for the bow."

With course chosen, Marcus then started off briskly down the corridor.

He had managed some distance, perhaps a couple hundred of yards when a rapidly recovered Blaine bolted past. It spoke well of the younger man and his physical condition. If indeed Mr Lucas had come sprinting all the way to his cabin from the stern of the ship?

Well, even the most lacking of individuals when it came to knowledge of cruise ships would have to agree 'that this was no small boat'.

Regardless, the interval between their departures from his cabin allowed both men to emerge on the foredeck at about roughly the same time.

Having obtained his intended destination, Marcus steadied himself using the ship's railing as the lurching of the deck testified that the massive vessel was indeed coming ponderously about. He continued his way slowly forwards amid the expected swarms of emerging bewildered passengers, arriving several minutes at the ship's bow proper behind the much swifter Blaine.

He was of course far less concerned than Blaine, or indeed, any, of the growing throng that seemed to be assembling to gawk, because unlike any of them Marcus Hyde knew that Bubbles Utonium could fly.

"Would you have by any chance have an inkling of who it might have been?" A commanding voice made itself heard above the gathering commotion.

Marcus found a moment in which to be mildly surprised when he instantly recognized the ship's captain, a stately figure of a man named Felix Bernard in the processes of questioning a member of his crew.

During an emergency, it would be common practice for the captain to be manning his bridge at least as Marcus understood maritime procedure.

He did not however fancy himself an expert, having never skippered anything larger than a small yacht.

This was after all a cruise ship chartered by the 'World Gov' organization and could hardly be considered a military vessel.

Also it may well have been something as simple as the bow was merely the location the captain was closest too when the alert sounded.

"We are still running a head count sir." The crewman was explaining as Marcus was completing his arrival.

"Let's do what we can to hurry that along shall we?" The captain replied in a no nonsense tone.

"It was Bubbles Utonium Captain..." Blaine Lucas offered emphatically when it appeared that a certain crewman had nothing with which to immediately respond.

Glancing the direction of the bodyguard Captain Bernard suddenly looked visibly stricken.

"Dear god..." He muttered under his breath turning back to gaze out upon the waters beyond.

"Such a lovely young thing."

Like most of the ship's crew, or indeed for that matter nearly anyone having met Bubbles, the Captain apparently had found himself quite taken with the girl.

Even to the point of having, rather publicly insisting on dancing with her after dinner on a previous evening.

It was a common enough occurrence in the travels of Marcus Hyde.

With a sweetness of character and a charming disposition, not to even mention being blonde and drop dead gorgeous to boot, Bubbles never seemed to want for a cadre of admirers where ever she went.

It made it all the more amusing, at least to him that a few years out of the public eye had done much to all but erase common memory of the Utonium's.

To be sure, if you were to evoke the joint name under which the 'lovely young thing' and her sisters were renowned, most would no doubt remember. Some would recollect fondly, while others would recall only with scorn.

Perhaps a precious few would shed a tear at the mention of the name, The Powerpuff girls.

"Ah, dear child..." the captain murmured sadly as he raised binoculars to scan the darkness.

It was a darkness not quite so absolute as it might have been previously owing now to the presence of searchlights brilliantly panning to and fro across the blackened depths.

As the captain was at the rail, there came the concise sounds of disembodied voices about his person. The clipped cross chatter of the ship's communications as crew members and department heads went about their business and relayed relevant information.

Here and there, out and away upon the waters far below, Marcus could also see other minor lights in motion upon the waves. The distant movement of smaller powered outboard crafts, 'Zodiac's' he believed was the proper name for the inflatable launches, moving purposefully as they augmented the search as well.

Marcus found himself studying the Captain's face as it was set in what casually looked like a dispassionate scowl.

He seemed to Marcus's notions to be a steady no nonsense sort of man. The sort of individual that the crisp lines of a uniform and the utterance of phrases such as 'Make it so!' Would seem second nature.

It made the obvious remorse of the man all the more apparent and poignant.

"In heaven's name ... Why?" Bernard concluded.

Neither the darkness of the overcast sky or the eternal waters below, offered any answers to this man of the waves. Nor did either seemed to lend him any comfort.

Additionally Marcus saw no reason that motivated him towards volunteering anything.

A short sharp tone of the radio at his waist however seemed as close as the captain was going to get this evening.

"Bernard here."

"Captain..." A voice on the other end said.

"We have a massive sonar contact sir."

"Source?"

"Well that's the odd thing sir." The voice continued.

"Trident six has already identified the contact as gray whales sir."

The captain paused ... Seeming to digest the information.

"Yes that is odd..." He mused his reply.

"But hardly relevant under current circumstances."

Captain Bernard seemed to visually gather himself as he made a decision.

"Make a note of it for the moment." He addressed the mic succinctly.

"We can make a full report to the proper concerns when we are not involved in a search and rescue."

"I don't know captain." The voice on the radio replied.

"This is a huge contact! A lot more than any pod I've ever seen!"

"And I'll admit to being as curious about it as you are." Bernard retorted, his voice noticeably hardening.

"But I think that our mutual 'whale spotting' will have to wait while one of our passengers is overboard."

The Captain of course could be no stranger to tragedies in this realm in which he had made his life. That didn't mean he'd become so jaundiced not to mourn that any life especially one so young and beautiful should be claimed so needlessly by the eternal deep.

"Bernard out." He concluded his conversation with a decisive tap upon the mic.

It was at that exact moment that the wail of the klaxon and the din of the bell which indicated that there was a 'man over board' abruptly cut off.

In the sudden relative quiet which followed all other sounds which were present seemed inordinately loud.

"Mr. Hyde." The captain then addressed Marcus duly noting his presence without really looking.

"Can you shed any light on these events?"

"I'm afraid I was reading in my cabin." Marcus shrugged, electing not to volunteer additional information. Though Marcus had to admit, he found Bernard's ability at remembering his name amongst over five hundred passengers and crew rather impressive.

As the deck rolled beneath, Marcus chewed his lip for a moment, looking meaningfully toward Blaine.

"Perhaps you can fill in some gaps Mr. Lucas?"

The bodyguard cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"I was standing amid ship, watching the full moon..." Blaine began, quietly looking more than vaguely pained at being the sudden focus of attention.

"When I happen to see Bubbles coming out of the lounge alone.

She was heading aft, So I thought I'd see if she ... You know, wanted some company?"

As Blaine's narrative unfolded, Marcus could of course feel an amount of sympathy for the man, he himself preferred 'working from behind the scenes'.

"Quite the understandable attitude young man." Captain Bernard nodded.

Possibly he had chosen to interject having noted Blaine's increasing discomfort amid the rising scrutiny.

"Please, do go on." The captain added.

"Well, by the time I'd caught up with her she'd reached the ship's tail." Blaine continued, pausing again to glance Marcus's direction.

It was likely that Blaine was experiencing an undue amount of guilt in these matters. After all the duties of young Mr. Lucas did not include certain pertinent information other than what he personally could deduce.

Such deduction however included discovering in the short time since he had been assigned that he had no one whose 'body' needed his protection.

Still, the powers that be insisted that at least one security operative was assigned as a matter of form. Had Marcus resorted to using his particular types of 'influence' to circumvent that edict, it would have rapidly become notable.

Besides, it had shortly become apparent that Bubbles liked the man and that was reason enough for Marcus Hyde!

"Well, I said hello, of course." Blaine continued with a nod.

"She seemed really agitated about something? I asked what was wrong.

She said something about 'This crap having gone on long enough... ' And then she started..."

Blaine trailed off again, this time sparing a glance around the general area. Marcus fancied the bodyguard's pained expression might be from possibly wondering if he might be making a mistake by 'airing' what he was about to in such an open forum.

"Just finish what you were saying Blaine." Marcus urged gently.

"Well, just like that!" Blaine continued after a moment.

"She pulled her dress off over her head! And..." He trailed off yet again, the look of discomfort Blaine was now sporting was no longer quite so mild.

"You didn't try to stop her?" A Crewman next to the Captain interrupted uncharitably while favoring Blaine with a sour look.

"Well, I." The Bodyguard attempted before lapsing into a sullen silence.

He did spare a moment sending a glare of hostility the direction of the crewman whom had just spoken.

"Quite alright son." Captain Bernard nodded while adopting a comforting tone as he laid a hand upon Blaine's shoulder.

"Seeing such a beautiful young woman suddenly..." The Captain nodded and paused, taking a moment himself to consider.

"Unbridled." He concluded choosing the term with infinite care.

"Just might be enough to temporarily short circuit my call to chivalry as well."

The Captain allowed another moment for Blaine to gather some needed composure before adding gently.

"Please do continue."

"Well, there she stood!" Blaine attempted to comply.

"In just these, little frilly lace bra and panties!"

He again paused shrugging helplessly while continuing to wear the look of a man contemplating the gallows.

"Then, while my stupid ass stood there gawking." He continued, now looking resolutely at the deck.

"She just threw me her dress, told me to hang on to it then kicked off her shoes and..." Blaine extended his right hand with a snap of his fingers.

He then turned his wrist clockwise while making a whistling sound, till his protruding thumb was pointed towards the deck.

"Splash!" he finished disgustedly.

There was a moment of hushed silence which followed while most of the assembled attempted to digest the recounting of events. It was broken soon enough when the Crewman to the Captain's immediate right scornfully snorted.

"Think that's going to hold up in court mate?"

Blaine gawked astonished at the man for perhaps a full thirty seconds before the complete import of what the man may have been implying sank home ... and then.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He raged as he started the man's direction.

In the brief time that Marcus had known Blaine Lucas, he had to say that he judged him competent enough in his duties.

Men such as Blaine after all were recruited more for their bulldog sense of loyalty than any other outstanding characteristic.

This was not to say however that Blaine was anything less than a fierce combatant. Marcus had seen the young man disarm three similar sized opponents in shorter time than it takes to relate, all without breaking a sweat. At the moment however, enraged and intimidated...

Well to put it kindly this was not Blaine's finest hour in any way shape or form.

As he moved, no less than ten able bodied men seemed to scramble almost from apparently nowhere, promptly intercepting the bodyguard just as Blaine had closed the distance between himself and his would be disputant.

It was enough to give him pause, finding himself rapidly being surrounded.

"That will be quite enough." Captain Bernard calmly interjected.

Marcus who had been just able to extricate himself from the path the ensuing brawl noticed Captain Bernard seemed to be paying little attention to the altercation.

Rather it seemed that the Captain was now staring intently into the night, appearing to be concentrating on something...

"No one is accusing anyone at the moment Sir." The Captain called almost casually over his right shoulder toward the mob of men even as Marcus moved to where Bernard stood by the rail.

"See something sir?" Marcus asked glancing ocean-ward himself.

"No," The Captain mused.

"But I'm almost sure..." His sentence trailed off as the captain deftly keyed a radio mic clipped to his shoulder epaulet.

"This Is Bernard..." the captain spoke succinctly.

"All stop."

The change was by no means instantaneous however in a very short time, the powerful surging of the ship's engines began clearly to ebb.

As the distinct throb of the vessels heart at last began to still, the captain glanced to the crewman that had so enraged Blaine.

"Mr. Greer, consider yourself on report." Bernard added quietly behind hardened eyes.

Crewman Greer as he has just been so named regarded his superior in obvious astonishment.

"But sir!" was the most he was able to manage before another sharper glance from The captain effectively bit off any further commentary on the matter.

"Yes sir." Greer added dolefully as the omnipresent hum of the ship finished completely ... allowing something else to make its presence known.

In the distance apparently to port, there now came a somber noise of intermittent clanging. The lonesome sound of a bell, ringing out across the dark waters.

Bernard continued to stare intently into the night.

"And I want it quiet!" He snapped loudly.

It was as close to actually yelling as Marcus had ever heard the man come.

As the assembled group fell immediately silent however the Captain slowly nodded.

"Ah, I thought I heard something."

"That's the bells of one of the Japanese coast's twelve mile marker buoys sir." Crewman Greer offered to which Captain Bernard visibly stiffened.

"My word son!" He quipped, turning an amused expression upon the man.