Demons and Friends
This story takes place about season three. I don't know anyone else who watches the show, so it was not beta read before being posted, so all errors are mine. I'm not Australian, and usually have to use subtitles to get the nuances of the show, so hopefully I was able to capture the characters properly. Apologies for any typos and the many sentences that end in prepositional phrases or dangling something or others. I'm a big 'buddy' / friendship fan and I really enjoyed the screen friendship between Swain and Buffer. So anything I write will have them as the main element. Hope you enjoy the read.
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"What is your purpose here?" The XO, once again, held up her language cards to face the man whom they assumed to be the captain of the boat, who in turn stared at her blankly. She turned to Spider. "I'm not getting anywhere here." Leaving Spider to keep an eye on the so far cooperative, but uncommunicative, crew, she found Boomer and ET searching the deck area. "You two find anything?
Bomber and ET shook their heads. "Nothing up here, Ma'am. It's a fishing boat, but I don't see any fish. Even the paperwork is in order. They just seem to be sitting here." Bomber stated as they followed the XO back to the group of five fishermen.
The XO keyed her mike. "Buffer, Swain, have you found anything?"
After a moment Swain's voice answered. "No, Ma'am. We've been through every room. If they're the drug runners we're looking for, they may not have rendezvoused, yet."
"Okay, you two come on back up. They're definitely up to something dodgy but there's nothing more we can do. We'll have to keep a watch on them, see if they meet up with anyone. "
"Yes, Ma'am."
Below, Swain met up with Buffer and led the way to the stairs. As they ascended, Buffer stopped to inspect what looked like a small cut out in the ceiling, just off the stairs.
Swain continued to the deck and pushed his way past the fishermen at the top in time to hear the XO try to explain to the fishermen that they were free to go.
"Where's Buffer?" The XO questioned?
Swain turned. "He was right behind..." In mid-twist, the floor was gone from under him. His foot, then lower leg, disappeared into the old deck. With a short cry of surprise, he was sitting on the deck. He reflexively attempted to pull his leg out, only to stop when the wood shards painfully threatened to stab into him.
The XO and others moved to assist but all stopped and brought their guns to ready when the captain of the fishing boat suddenly moved and put their distracted officer into a deadly headlock. For a several seconds, there were overlapping shouts, of anger and orders for Swain's release.
Swain tried to keep his airway open by pulling at the captain's arm and at the same time work his leg free, while the captain yelled his own demands. His gesturing made it very clear that they were to leave his boat.
"Release him!" The XO ordered again.
The captain reached into the folds of his clothes and pulled out a small fish knife. In one move, he tightened the headlock, pulling Swain's head back and put the small blade against the exposed throat continuing to enforce his demands for them to leave.
Below deck, Buffer had pried open the cut out and was shining his torch into the dark opening. He was about to radio and let them know that he'd located the drugs they were looking for when there was a snap and someone's leg came through the rotting deck, landing right onto the packages. He backed out of the opening, hearing yelling and commotion above as he cautiously climbed the stairs, coming up behind the fishermen. He stopped before fully emerging when he took in the situation.
"Release him!" The XO ordered.
He was able to make eye contact with her and though didn't see the knife since his view was blocked by the captain's body, everyone's body language tensed even more when Swain's head was jerked back. He had the element of surprise and was about to rush the captain when a shout made him stop.
"No!" The XO screamed. She raised a halting hand toward the captain and with the other, signaled to Buffer to stand down.
Buffer reluctantly hesitated. He had the position.
"Put the knife down! Sir, put it down!"
Buffer clenched his fist around his gun, wanting to do something. He caught sight of the little knife when the captain used it to wave the boarding party off his boat. It was so tiny, it was almost laughable that it could hold off trained Navy personnel armed with guns.
"We're not leaving without him!" The XO insisted.
The knife disappeared from his sight and there was a stifled cry from Swain.
"Okay! Okay!" The XO made quick eye contact with Buffer again before returning her gaze to the captain. "We'll go. Swain, we won't be far. Buffer's got your back. You understand?"
Swain attempted a nod, a poke at his throat made him stop.
As the XO and the remainder of the landing party reluctantly backed away, Buffer silently retreated also. He found a dark corner in the first, dank, room at the bottom of the rusty stairs and waited.
Swain looked around cautiously as he was lead down to the lower deck of the boat. He didn't bother protesting the rough shoves on the way down. It wasn't like they would understand what he was saying, but he did get a cuff to the side of the head for the glare he gave one of his captors when they stripped him of his weapon and vest.
Watching his crewmates leave had been difficult, even if it was to keep him from being stuck worse by the captain's tiny but effective blade. He felt at the cut on his neck. There was only a little blood on his fingers which meant that the cut was only superficial.
He was shoved into a room at the end of the short hallway and a solid thud could be heard outside from something sliding and securing the door. He began to pace the small room, hoping that he'd understood the XO's message.
Buffer watched the men, who'd brought Swain down, return and head to the upper deck. The room he'd hidden in had the door part way open, so he'd left it that way, positioning himself to see out but unless they looked right at him, he thought he was pretty well hidden.
He heard the engines start and the motion of movement. He stifled the urge to leave his hiding place, needing to be patient. Before they'd boarded, the boat had been stationary. It was a fishing boat, but there were no fish, so they had been waiting for someone. He keyed his mike, knowing that Hammersley was no farther than they needed to be, watching them.
"Hammersley, Buffer." He whispered.
"Buffer. Are you both okay?" The CO's voice quickly responded in Buffer's ear.
"Yes, sir, so far. They have Swain locked up but the boat's moving."
There was silence, then..."Confirmed. They're moving away from us, but appear to be staying in close proximity to the island."
"I found the drugs in a space under the deck, right before it went bad. Pretty risky keeping a rendezvous with a warship in the area."
"They know we won't risk our man. Any chance of you and Swain getting out of there on your own?"
Buffer listened to the foreign shouts and orders filtering from above for a moment. "Doubtful at the time."
Flynn sighed. "Right. Well, sit tight. We'll figure something out."
"Yes sir. Buffer out." He looked around the smelly room, his mind searching for anything to form a plan.
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The boat bounced over the waves, forming new waves behind it. The captain looked across the water and shut down the engine, confident that he had successfully put a comfortable amount of space between him and the large warship. He knew they were still out there. There was no way they'd abandon their man so easily, but he had no choice. He needed to make the meeting, get his money and hope to make a getaway. Taking a hostage was not in the plans and was not good. If anything happened to the Navy man, they would never stop looking for him.
He pulled his first mate aside. "Get it ready for transport. I want to be ready when it's time."
The first mate nodded and gathered some help.
The captain sent up a silent prayer as he picked up the mike to contact the buyer that they would be selling their drugs to. It was risky to complete the transaction, but he just wanted it done and felt that having his hostage would keep the Navy boat at bay. He was late and hoped they hadn't left. Gratefully, the radio only took a moment to crackle to life, speaking the language of the captain.
"I trust you have a good excuse for making us wait."
The captain sighed, pleased that he didn't have to struggle to communicate. "We ran into some trouble. The Navy boarded us." He waited while the translator passed along the information.
"I trust they did not find your cargo?"
The captain cringed. "They did but...I captured one of their men and forced them away."
There was silence for a long time
"Are you insane? That means that they are watching us."
"They will not interfere with him here. This needs to go through. When it is done, you will leave. I will take care of the rest."
Again came the silence. "My men are already at the rendezvous on the beach. Meet them there and make the exchange."
"We'll be there." The captain replaced the mike. He turned to his first mate, who was out on the deck with the rest of the crew, having completed the captain's orders. They were looking out toward the ocean as a much nicer boat than any of them had ever been on, cruised into sight from the other side of the island. It was coming closer, but the plan wasn't for the boats to meet. Pulling out a set a binoculars, the captain could make out a fair skinned man on the deck of the clean boat.
He gave them a minute. He didn't blame them for admiring the expensive boat. Even from a distance, it was large and impressive. That's why they were doing this. They each had their dreams and in their country, the money they made from this one deal would go a long way. He handed the binoculars to his first mate, who didn't need them, as the distance between continued to close.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" The first mate marveled, then. "Captain, once the deal is done, how do you plan to handle the Navy man?
Looking back the way they had come, mentally envisioning the warship that he knew was there, he shook his head. "I don't know, yet. I just pray we come out of this with our lives."
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Buffer waited with barely restrained patience while the boat was in transit. Now the engine was quiet and he watched the crew remove the drug from its hiding place. He suspected that their boat must had met up with whoever they were meeting. Once the men returned to the upper deck, with the last of the drugs, Buffer quickly left his hiding place.
He was cautiously making his way down the hallway when he noticed the engine room. He looked between it and the door Swain was behind, then ducked into the engine room.
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Swain paced the small room. When he'd first been locked in, he'd done his due diligence to find a way out, but eventually resigned himself to having to wait for Buffer. He hated waiting. He became alert when the engines went quiet. "Come on, Buffer. Where are you?"
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"There. That should do it". Buffer had just finished putting the proverbial 'cog in the gears' when he sensed a presence. He turned and looked straight into the chin of one of the drug runners. His hand went to his gun as his gaze went up but knew that the noise would bring others. Just as they made eye contact, the drug runner's fist connected with Buffer's face. He turned his head just in time to deflect most of the energy but the blow still knocked him half way a across the tiny engine room. He did his best to roll with the punch and was on his knees by the time the giant stood over him again. He put all his weight into the tackle and drove the man into the wall, fists connecting with precision but having very little effect. He was in trouble.
Then Buffer was grabbed around the waist and was upside-down. The room spun when he was raised up and slammed to the floor. A solid kick to the head had him seeing gray. He was grateful for his helmet, otherwise, he was sure he have a boot shaped hole in his skull. Has it was, he still squeezed his eyes shut and fought not to lose consciousness. He felt the big man hovering over him, his gun being pulled from its holster, then the radio piece being pulled from his ear.
When he finally got his senses back, the man was holding the radio in one hand and pointing the gun at him with the other. He gestured for Buffer to stand. It took him a moment to get his footing, the floor tilting a little too much for his liking. The big guy pointed at the protecting helmet, indicating that it should be taken off. Buffer reluctantly complied, then was shoved toward the door. Buffer sighed, his body language feigning resignation...until they reached the door. With all the speed he could put into it, he spun, slapping the gun away, and again tackled the guy's midsection, pushing him back into the room. This time Buffers efforts were somewhat successful when the man's head bounced off one of the engines. It stunned the man enough to take some of the fight out of him, but his iron grip on the radio wouldn't release. Buffer hit him full in the face, but rather than give up the radio, the man slammed it against the engine that he'd been pushed against, smashing the casing.
With a growl of frustration, Buffer again punched him again in the face. Blood poured from the man's nose and he released the radio. Buffer grabbed it, and quickly scanned the room for the gun. It was nowhere to be seen. He glanced at the man on the floor, who was recovering faster than Buffer would have liked. Reluctantly giving up on the gun, Buffer left the room, slamming the door. He looked around for something to wedge against it but the hall was empty. He quickly moved to the Swain's blocked door and pulled the heavy wood from the brackets.
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Swain stood back from the door when he heard the thud on the other side. He didn't know who to expect when it opened. He smiled when the door eventually pulled open and his friend was on the other side.
"Time to go." Buffer tiredly waved while watching their exit.
Swain quickly ran for the door, the swelling and the sweat running down Buffers face wasn't missed. "What happened to you?"
"A mountain." Buffer panted, leading the way from the room. They both jumped when the engine room door pushed into the wood that Buffer had removed from across the door holding Swain. Now a loud pounding from the other side threatened to splinter it and draw attention to their escape. "A big mountain."
Swain now led the way. He sprinted up the stairs with Buffer on his heels. When they got to the top, they looked out, surprised that no one was between them and the tinny which was tied at the side of the boat. With the banging getting more persistent, they stayed low and ran toward the small boat.
Swain had just jumped in when a shout announced that they'd been discovered. They turned to see the captain, followed by the rest of his crew running toward them. They undid the tethers, then Swain pushed off while Buffer started the motor.
They lurched forward and hit the damp bottom of the tinny when bullets began whizzing past them. Buffer steered away from the island knowing that Hammersley would have moved itself just over the horizon. Once they were out of bullet range, they sat up and watched the crew of the boat running around the deck. The engine could be heard attempting to start but it wouldn't stay. Buffer could see the 'mountain' emerge from below deck and watch them escape. He hoped to never meet the big man again.
To Buffer's dismay, there was another boat not far from the old one. He looked at Swain and knew that they were thinking the same thing. The newer boat looked fast. If it decided to give chase, he wasn't sure it wouldn't catch up before they reached Hammersley. He willed their tiny boat faster.
"Buffer, look at this." Swain lifted a tarp to reveal what he'd found.
Buffer picked up a packet of the drugs. "Oh, they are not going to like this." He glanced back at the boats. They were sure to come after them now.
Buffer reached into his pocket where he'd stashed the radio. He handed it to Swain, who looked questioningly at its broken case.
"A very big mountain." Buffer explained.
Swain nodded and hoped he could still at least transmit. He turn it on, but got no sound. He clicked the transmit button, but it was dead. He sighed and put it into his own pocket. He'd seen the man come from below the deck and tower over the others. "Mate, as big as that guy was, we're lucky that's all that was broken."
Buffer smiled. "Guess I got off easy." He fingered the developing bruises on his face, but stopped. "You smell that?"
Swain sniffed. "Smells like petro." They both followed the smell to the motor and Buffer slowed down the tinny so they could get a look.
Buffer looked it over and slammed his hand down on it. "It's got a bullet hole in it. We're leaking." He opened the top and looked inside. "Almost gone. It's leaked down to the hole. We don't have enough to reach Hammersley." He turned the tinny and headed it toward the island.
"Better hurry." Swain pointed across the waves. The newer boat began to move forward. The older boat popped and sputtered. Black smoke spit out and, it too, began to move only at a slower pace.
Buffer again punched the engine, hoping they had enough petro to get to land. He angled so they could get around the curve of the island and out of sight when they landed. It would give them more time if the bad guys had to look for them, but then what. Leaving the drug to be retrieved was not an option, but if they were caught with it, they would be killed for sure.
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"Something's going on." Nav's announcement brought the bridge crew to gather around the display. "This contact." She pointed to the blip on the screen. "It moved rapidly away from target boat. It was heading toward us, but then turned toward the island."
The XO stood up straight. "It's got to be them, but why...?"
"The two suspect boats are moving." Nav said. They watched the two blips turn in the direction of the one they believed to be their men.
"Get a RHIB in the water." The CO ordered.
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Buffer landed hard onto a wooded inlet, out of sight of their pursuers. They'd formed a plan on the way in…if they had time to carry it out. If they were correct, the water was too shallow to allow the bigger boats to follow. The drug runners would have to switch to a smaller mode of transport to reach the inlet. He prayed they weren't wrong. He avoided the main beach area, opting for the denser foliage line. He jumped to a mossy break in the hanging shrub line and tied them off. "Swain, unload it. I'll find a place to hide it." Swain threw back the tarp, laid it flat and began throwing the tight packages onto it for dragging.
Buffer quickly scouted the area. This was not good. The mossy terrain had nothing, so he ran deeper into the trees. It was farther inland than he wanted, but he found a large, dead tree with a hole in the root area that looked like an animal had burrowed.
He returned to find Swain had finished putting the drugs on the tarp and had already started dragging it toward the woods Where Buffer had gone. He nodded his approval and picked up an end. "Hurry." They struggled with the weight, but made good time. They dug the hole a little larger and dumped their cargo. It didn't all fit, but with a little camouflage, it would be a good place. Someone would have to know where to look to see it if they came by randomly. A few fan leaves over the top, finished the job. They ran back to the tinny and pushing off. Neither speaking the urgency to get away from their first landing spot.
Buffer gunned the motor again and they headed for another landing site on the opposite side of the beach area. Once they got to where they were getting off, they'd push the tinny into the thick, hanging leaves. That way the drug runners may not see it right away and not know exactly where they went to ground.
Swain looked around and pointed at a break in the foliage. "There. That looks like a good spot." It was then that a RHIB came around an outcrop ahead of them. Shouts in a foreign language preceded more gunfire as Buffer nearly threw Swain from the tinny in his attempt to spin it around.
"The beach it is, then." Buffer conceded. They were almost to the sandy shore when the motor began to sputter and died. "No, no, no!" Buffer pulled the cord a couple times in desperation. It was useless. "Let's go!"
They jumped from the tinny and swam the last distance to the shore. They looked back as they stumbled to the sand, expecting to have been overrun already but the RHIB had stopped next to the abandoned tinny. They turned and ran, not waiting for the response when nothing was found.
Bullets again flew past them as they dove into the woods at the edge of the beach. Then they just continued to run. The only direction they cared about was away from the flying projectiles. When they didn't hear any more gunfire, they slowed and began a more erratic path to try and throw off anyone that might be tracking them.
After a few minutes, Swain called to Buffer to stop. At first the only thing they could hear was each other's deep sucking of air. Then, as they caught their breath, they were able to listen to the surrounding woods. It was quiet of human sounds. They began moving again, but at a slower pace, more careful where they stepped. Every now and then they'd hear a gun go off and duck behind the trees, but then it would be quiet again.
With the gun fire appearing to be farther behind them, they finally stopped long enough to rest. Buffer reached into his vest and pulled out a couple of power bars. He tossed one to Swain. "Eat it slow, it's all we have."
Swain nodded his thanks. "Now what?"
Buffer tore open his wrapper. "Now we wait...and don't get caught."
Swain smiled. "That's a great plan, mate."
Buffer grinned back. "I have my moments."
Swain stuffed half the power bar into a pocket and pulled out the broken radio. "Do you have your Swiss on you?"
Buffer dug through this pockets and pulled out the Swiss knife that he carried. He handed it to Swain who opened it and began working on the radio case. "Didn't know you were an E.T."
Swain pointed the small screwdriver tip at Buffer. "Don't get any ideas. I've got enough jobs, thank you." He smiled as he worked. "Needed some credits, took a class. It's been a long time since I've opened anything, but it's worth a shot."
Buffer stretched. "You're a man of wonders, Swaino."
Swain snorted and turn his attention to the radio.
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The fair skinned man jumped from the RHIB and strutted across the sand to the captain of the delivery boat, his translator hurrying after. "Have you found my drugs?" The question was nervously restated in the captain's native language.
"The Navy men...we believe they hid it. I do not believe they would throw it into the sea. We are looking for them, then we will find the cargo."
The man pressed his lips together and motioned his translator in closer as he, himself, leaned in. "If you fail to find these men and get my drugs, I will have my men..." He elaborately indicated the men behind him on the RHIB with the large gun. "...kill every one of your crew. Then they will kill you." He stood back and smiled. "Then, I will burn your boat to the water line."
The captain held the man's eyes, appearing to be unfazed. "You and your threats do not scare me. I will find the cargo and we will make the exchange as planned. Maybe you can get the men you sent earlier to search this way. It may flush them toward us." He pulled a radio out of his pocket and handed it to the man. "This may also help. We took it off the first Navy man."