Apocalyptic Pirates 6, page 3
“It’s the internet.” Dia shrugged. “If you’re looking for a serious debate, you’re not going to find it in the comments section of a YouTube video. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed since the meteorite storm.”
“Yay,” Shannon muttered under her breath.
New comments were popping up under the video faster than I could read them out.
“There are so many of them,” I marveled.
“It’s big news,” Ally said. “This would horrify me if I found this out. I mean, I was there, and I watched it happen, and it still makes me really anxious when I think about it too much.”
“Really?” I patted her arm reassuringly. “You don’t have to be anxious, you know. It’s okay. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. To any of you.”
“I know.” Ally gave a watery smile. “I know that you’ll protect us, Drew. It’s not that, though. It’s the knowledge that the American military is capable of something like this. That’s what’s worrying.”
“I can’t argue with that,” I acknowledged. “But we have to remember that this isn’t going to be a case of every military person being corrupt and dedicated to this conspiracy. There are going to be hundreds and thousands of men and women in the services who are going to be horrified by what’s happening.”
Shannon nodded fiercely, and I knew she was thinking of her father and grandfather, who had both served in the army. Dia’s grandfather was a retired General. We’d met the old soldier, and I had a very clear idea of what his views would be on this matter. He was a legitimate man of duty and honor.
“It’s the institution itself,” Letty said. “And the higher-ups in charge. Not the individuals within the structure.”
Shannon smiled and touched Letty’s arm.
“Thank you,” the Indian woman said in a grateful tone. “I know you’re not the biggest fan of the armed forces, and I can’t blame you for it, so I really appreciate you saying that.”
“Hey, I believe it.” Letty gave her a warm smile.
“Oh, yes,” Ally added. “I didn’t mean to imply anything, Shannon, Dia. I know your families would never be a part of this.”
“We know.” Dia nodded. “I get what you’re trying to say. It’s like when you first learn about MK-Ultra.”
“When you learn about what?” Ally queried.
“MK-Ultra.” Dia’s eyes opened wide. “Oh, my god. Do you not know about MK-Ultra?”
“I might regret this,” Ally said with a chuckle. “But no, I don’t. What’s MK-Ultra?”
“It was a top secret government program in the 1950s and 60s.” Dia’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “The CIA were trying out new methods to perfect their interrogation techniques, and they basically spiked loads of people with LSD without their knowledge or consent to see what would happen.”
“Oh, shit.” Ally’s mouth dropped open.
“Wait,” I said with a grin. “You left out the best part. A lot of the experiments done on people were meant to enhance latent psychic abilities. So as well as the brainwashing and interrogation stuff, they were also trying to develop mind control.”
“Are you serious?” Ally squealed.
“They were trying to create the X-Men?” Letty gasped.
“For real.” Dia nodded vehemently. “And that’s the thing, when you first hear about it, you’re like, no fucking way, there’s no way that shit actually happened. But it fucking did! It actually happened, and it sounds like the rejected plot of some dumb movie because it’s so hacky.”
“A movie that Letty would totally watch,” Shannon said with a giggle.
“I have a really interesting taste in movies, okay?” Letty said with dignity.
“That’s crazy, though.” Ally’s light-green eyes were still boggling in disbelief. “That makes all this dragon stuff seem almost tame.”
“Yeah.” Dia nodded. “And it’s like, when you first learn about it and you realize that the government did something like that and just covered it up for years, it’s like… what the hell, you know? It’s like finding out that your dad cheated on your mom. Well, no, actually, I think learning about MK-Ultra freaked me out way more than when my dad cheated.”
Ally let out her breath in a long exhale.
“Hey.” I stood up and stretched my arms above my head. “Maybe that’s enough conspiracy theories and comment sections for one day. I definitely need to look at something that isn’t my phone for a while. This thing is vibrating like a fun toy from Victoria’s Secret.”
“I had several of those,” Shannon said and dropped me a wink that sent a delicious tingle all the way down my spine.
“I should make a start on fixin’ supper.” Letty sighed. “Lord, the world keeps on turning, don’t it? Meteorites fall, governments scheme, but still we got to get dinner on the table.”
“Here, I’ll help you,” Ally offered.
“I already set the table,” Dia preened.
“Thank you both,” Letty replied with a laugh. “Ally, you can help me mash some butter beans, if you’d like?”
The two of them went down the hatch into the kitchen.
Dia took herself off somewhere– despite her proclamations about a holiday, I strongly suspected that she’d gone to give the yacht engine one last check over– and Shannon went to organize and reorganize our arsenal of weapons.
I needed something involved enough to distract me from the bottomless pit that my comments section was turning into, and I wanted to do something that was useful rather than vegetative, so I got out the drone that we’d traded for a while back and sat cross-legged on the yacht deck to do some reconnaissance.
The drone had a camera screen on the portable controller, and it was a matter of some skill to keep my eyes focused on the footage on the screen, take notes on the landscape and our surroundings, while also navigating the drone with enough dexterity to avoid crashing into the trees and bushes that seemed determined to grow in the most awkward angles that would knock the drone out of the sky.
But I managed to get the drone up to a respectable height, and I hovered it above the trees for a moment while I got my bearings.
The estuary of Estero Negro stretched away in front of us, and behind us was the mouth of Rio Naranjo, which led back to the ocean in one direction and further up into Costa Rica in the other direction. The area directly around the yacht was closely crowded with palm trees, and a little further on there were more trees with huge, twisted roots that stretched into the water like the long, thick, wrinkled arms of a giant.
I piloted the drone through the tops of the trees where the leaves were less thickly gathered and I hoped I was less likely to smash the drone into a tree trunk.
I did disturb a couple of parrots who flew into the air letting out loud shrieks of protest.
There was a little brown monkey as well, but it seemed curious rather than outraged like the parrots, and it scampered to the edge of the branch where it was sitting and cocked its head quizzically at the drone as it flew by, and reached out its wrinkled black fingers as though to grab the device out of the sky.
I was worried that the little guy might end up slicing his hand open on the drone’s blades, which would be bad news for everyone involved, so I swiftly directed the drone out of the way and continued on my scouting mission. I was heading further up Rio Naranjo, and I flew close to the river and didn’t venture too deeply into the more thickly wooded areas as I wanted to be aware of any threats that might come at us from the water and cut off our escape route.
Through the drone’s grainy camera, I could see that there was a gap in the trees up ahead. I flew the drone cautiously in that direction and came out in a gap on the riverbank where the trees had been cut down to make a clearing. There were several huts here, and even a rusty red pickup truck, along with a collection of bicycles and one dirt bike leaning parked against the trees.
This must be a village. It looked in surprisingly good condition, considering it was based in the heart of dragon country, but it was basically a collection of a few small shacks, so maybe it was tiny enough to escape the dragons’ notice.
I hoped that the villagers’ luck held out and they managed to carry on existing under the dragons’ noses. I wasn’t sure how much longer that state of affairs could continue, but maybe they had defenses on the forest side of the village that I couldn’t see from here.
I didn’t want to attract any attention through the drone’s presence in the sky, so I kept it high up and just did a very quick sweep to get an idea of the area. There were maybe ten or twelve huts in the village, and I could see a few people moving about closer to the trees, so I wheeled the drone back to the river.
I flew it back to the yacht and then sent it in the other direction along the estuary.
Here, there was even less life than along the river. There were plenty of trees, and I spotted a few crocodiles sunning themselves on the muddy banks and blending in perfectly with the murky earth, and I saw a flock of blue and pink birds that might have been a kind of parakeet. They wheeled and soared in the sky like a cloud of confetti at the world’s most intense gender reveal party, and I wished I could take a picture of them. Sam would have gotten a real kick out of seeing something like that.
I closed my eyes briefly as the memory of my daughter slammed into me like a freight train. Sometimes I missed her so much that it took my breath away. There would be a weird gnawing pain in the middle of my chest, and for a second it would become so strong that I couldn’t breathe.
I had to keep these moments from the others. I didn’t really think they would understand properly. They were all big-hearted and nurturing women, but there was something about having a kid of your own that just changed things in a way you could never predict. Hell, before Sammy was born, I could never have fully understood the depth of what I was feeling now.
I guessed it was something primal– something primeval and instinctual. She was my kid. I was hardwired to protect her at all costs.
It was in my DNA, and Sammy was in my blood and my bones like no one else.
My throat tightened, and I huffed out my breath sharply between my teeth.
“Get a grip, Peeltin,” I muttered sternly to myself.
It had only been a couple of days since I’d last called my family and dropped the bombshell of why it had taken us so much time to make it through the Panama Canal.
Mom had absolutely lost it when she heard that we’d been on a mission for the Panamanian government, and even though my dad never really lost his cool, he probably came as close to it as he ever would.
Funnily enough, Sammy had been more interested in the actual specifics of the mission rather than who the mission had been for. At first I’d been a little puzzled, but the more I thought about it, the more gratifying it was that she would just accept without question that her dad would undertake secret missions for foreign governments. My parents’ amazement was gratifying as well, but the fact that my daughter calmly accepted that I could do cool and crazy things like that gave my paternal ego an intense boost.
I would see her again soon. I knew that for a fact. I just had to focus. The sooner I knew this area was safe, the sooner I could try and find a way to get through these days in a way that was bearable, maybe even enjoyable. And that would make the time go faster, and before I knew it, Sammy would be in my arms again.
I set my jaw and piloted the drone back along the estuary to the yacht before sending it up into the sky to get a bird’s-eye view of everything.
There was the village with its location made plain by the little bald spot in the trees that was the clearing where it was based. There was the river. There was the estuary. There was the ocean.
“Dinner!” Ally called from the hatch.
And here we were.
I directed the drone back down and landed it on the deck. I picked it up and stored it away carefully, and then I squared my shoulders and headed down the hatch.
“Smells good!” I commented as I took my place at the table.
“And doesn’t the table look charming?” Dia said with a grin.
“Oh, yeah, definitely,” I assured her, and her answering giggle lifted some of the melancholy that had been hanging over me with all my thoughts of Sammy and how much time this detour would cost us.
For dinner, Letty had made each of us a salad bowl. Quinoa, chickpeas, and butter bean mash was a big departure from the Southern woman’s usual fare, and I saw Dia hesitating before she took her first mouthful.
But, as usual with Letty’s cooking, it was extremely tasty.
The quinoa was plain, but it was balanced out by the other flavors going on in the dish. The butter beans were smooth and lemony, the chickpeas were almost meat-like with spicy seasoning mellowed by a creamy mayonnaise, and Letty had sprinkled the whole thing with roasted balsamic seeds that added a surprising pop of flavor when I was least expecting it.
Letty watched us all eagerly as we dove in.
“Wow,” Dia said after a moment. “Is this what healthy food is really like? Now I understand why people become health nuts.”
“This is delicious, Letty,” Ally said as she took another mouthful. “I’ve had a lot of grain bowls in my time, and this is one of the best I’ve ever tried.”
“Yeah, Letty,” I added. “It’s not at all what I expected you to whip up, but damn it’s tasty.”
“Thank you.” Letty smiled happily. “I know it ain’t like my normal dishes, and my auntie would roll her eyes at the quinoa, but whoever stocked the pantry was a huge fan of legumes. We got enough dried chickpeas and lentils back there to last for years.”
“It’s nice to have something lighter as well,” Shannon said as she speared a chickpea on the end of her fork. “I love your pies and biscuits, Letty, you know that, but when it’s so hot like this, it’s really nice to have something so refreshing.”
“I’m so glad y’all like it.” Letty smiled around at us all. “I’m not going to lie, I was a bit worried about serving this dish up tonight, especially the quinoa.”
“Oh, no, why?” Ally protested. “You know we’d never say a bad word about your cooking.”
“So far you haven’t,” Letty chuckled. “I didn’t know if I was pushin’ my luck this time. I always want y’all to be honest with me, and especially when it comes to food. I couldn’t bear it if I served up something y’all didn’t like and no one said anything.”
“I’d say something,” Dia mumbled with her mouth full.
“That’s true,” Letty acknowledged. “And I’d be glad of the feedback, too.”
“Really?” Dia lifted an eyebrow.
“Well,” Letty conceded with a rueful smile. “I’d have to sit and stew for a few moments with my feelings, but then I’d get over it.”
“Like the commenters on the video.” Ally looked over at me. “Have there been any updates on it, Drew?”
“I haven’t checked,” I replied. “To be honest, it’s a bit overwhelming looking at it all. But you’re right, it’s been a little while, so we should check in and see what’s happening.”
I pulled out my phone and took another mouthful of mashed butter beans while I waited for the app to load.
It finally opened, and I scrolled through my notifications. There was more of the same: hate comments, troll comments, weird, backhanded compliments. But there were also more genuine comments left by people who were thanking us for uploading the video.
Thank you for taking this. I can always trust the Good Pirates to tell the truth about things that others would rather keep quiet about.
I don’t have a television anymore, I just have my phone, and every time you upload one of your videos, I feel a bit more connected to the rest of the world. Thank you.
This is crazy, I can’t believe you managed to shoot this footage. I hope you guys managed to get out of there safely.
Appreciate all you do, man, never give up.
“Well, those are nice,” Ally commented.
“Yeah.” Shannon patted my shoulder. “How does it feel to be a hero, Drew? A beloved international icon?”
“Beloved, sure,” I snorted. “Half these people would feed me to the dragons themselves if they could.”
“And three-quarters of them want to give you a medal,” Dia said.
“I think your percentages got mixed up a little bit there, hon,” Letty said with a chuckle.
There was a huge influx of private messages in my inbox as well. I glanced over them briefly as I always did, but then one username caught my eye.
Ocelot12345 had sent me a private message that simply said: Thank you, guys. A pleasure doing business with you.
I smiled as I showed the women.
“Oh, my god,” Ally exclaimed. “Do you think that’s Sergeant Rodriguez?”
“Maybe,” I replied. “I guess he can’t officially message us to say thank you, so maybe he decided to use YouTube.”
“I hope so,” Shannon said with a smile. “I liked him. I hope he’s doing okay now.”
“Me, too.” I nodded and dropped my phone back on the table. “So…”
“So?” Shannon pushed.
“Are you guys happy to stay here for a few days?” I asked. “It looks like the noise online won’t die out for a little bit longer, so I think hiding here is still our best bet. It’ll cost us time, but we can’t get to Hawaii if we’re in a Coast Guard holding cell.”
“Do they even have holding cells?” Dia mused. “I reckon they would just throw us in with the life preservers and pool floaties.”
“Pool floaties?” Shannon repeated. “How much do you actually know about the Coast Guard?”
“Absolutely nothing,” Dia said without a scrap of shame.
“Sounds about right,” the Indian woman sighed.
“I think it’s a good idea to stay here,” Letty said in a firm voice that pulled us back on track. “I think it makes sense to stay as much out of the main traffic as we possibly can. This estuary is pleasant, and we’ve got so much food and supplies that we’re going to be fine for a long while yet.”
