The Voyage
Van stood at the railing of the cruise ship Goddess of the Sea smiling. The wind whipped his hair back as the ship left the dock. It was a small ship as far as cruise ships go but it didn't matter to either of them. They were going to be out of L.A. for the next two weeks. Van smiled over at his partner.
"Can you believe we're being paid for this?"
"Nice isn't it?"
Two days earlierBillie, Van, and Deaq sat around Billie's table discussing their newest case. Billie pulled a picture of a man out of her folder and laid it on the table in front of them.
"This is Nicholas Marmarou. We have reason to believe he's smuggling assault rifles into South America and exchanging them for drugs via cruise ships. I've been told he and three of his men are booked on the cruise ship Goddess of the Sea scheduled to leave in two days for South America."
"Billie, please tell me you want Van and me to keep an eye on him." Deaq said hopefully.
"Yeah Deaq, that's what I want." She looked back and forth between them smiling. "Now of course if either one of you thinks you might get sea sick."
"Us? Seasick? No Billie I don't think so." Van said giving his partner a smile. Images of beautiful South American women dancing in his mind.
"Just remember, you're on a case, these men are dangerous. Don't go off thinking you're on some kind of a vacation. Marmarou's men would just as soon kill you as look at you. We're talking major bucks here. I need you two to go in there and find out who on the cruise line is helping them and how they are getting the guns off the ship and the drugs on."
"When do we leave Billie?" Deaq asked.
"The ship leaves in two days. It's a two-week cruise so make sure you pack enough clothes. I heard there's a TV camera crew traveling with the ship to film a documentary about cruise ships. Stay out of their way. I don't want your faces plastered all over the TV." She smiled at both of them as she handed them tickets. "I just happen to have these ready for you. I didn't think you would refuse them."
The Cruise Ship"I could get very use to this life." Van said watching a group of women walk by. They smiled at him and he smiled back.
"Well don't get too comfortable. Here comes Marmarou."
He walked by them with three other men. Van and Deaq kept looking out at the ocean until they had past then watched as they walked along the deck.
"I wonder if that's all of his boys?" Van asked.
"I don't know, but if they're running as much dope as we think, they ain't going to take kindly to our taking it from them."
They watched as Marmarou and one of his men headed for the lower deck. The other two continued walking on the upper deck.
"Well it looks like we better start earning our paycheck." Van said as he and Deaq followed the men. They split up, Deaq following Marmarou, and Van following the other two men.
Their surveillance revealed nothing. The men simply strolled around the different decks then returned to their respective cabins.
Van and Deaq met back at their rooms.
"What do you think?" Van asked Deaq.
"I don't know, they just acted like any other person on a cruise. They walked around, stopped to get something to eat, had a few drinks, then went back to their rooms."
"My two did the same thing."
"Do you think they spotted us?"
"I don't see how."
Later in the week
For four days Van and Deaq kept their eye on Marmarou and his men but they were turning up nothing. Van and Deaq were sitting on deck chairs outside their cabin when Marmarou and his men casually strolled by. Once more they broke up into groups of two. Deaq and Van split up and followed the men. Marmarou and one of the men headed toward the recreation area followed by Van, and the other two headed for a lower deck with Deaq following them. Deaq watched as they stopped for drinks, sat at the bar and talked to a few women, then left. They acted like they didn't have a care in the world. Not at all like drug and gun runners who would be constantly looking over their shoulders, suspicious of everyone. Deaq was just about to head for his cabin and wait for Van when everything suddenly became quiet. The engines had stopped. Deaq hurried to the upper deck wondering what was going on. Hearing gunshots he ran toward the sound, concerned for his partner. As he ran, he past people running in the opposite direction away from the gunfire. When he got to the pool area he could see a man shooting his automatic rifle in the air. Deaq looked around taking in the scene. Five other men stood near the man, each also holding a rifle. The captain and his crew also stood on the deck. One of the gunmen kept his weapon trained on them. Deaq spotted Van on the other side of the pool standing with a group of passengers including Marmarou and one of his men. He was relieved that his partner wasn't the cause of the shooting. Their eyes met and Deaq saw the confusion in Van's eyes. He didn't know what was going on either. The man finally stopped shooting and another man Juan Bordelles, who looked like he could be the leader, stepped forward.
"I am taking control of this ship. If anyone tries anything they will be killed immediately." He loudly shouted. Seeing the TV crew, the man motioned them over. "Can you broadcast live from the ship?"
"Yeah." The nervous cameraman said.
"Okay, I want this on TV."
"It will take me a second to hook up."
"Hurry it up. I want to go on immediately."
The camera crew made all the connections needed and signaled Bordelles that they were now broadcasting live. Bordelles walked over to one of the men standing in the group of people Van was with and pulled him out of the group. Van made a slight move toward them but stopped, realizing there was nothing he could do. Bordelles stood with the man in front of the camera.
"I have taken over this ship. I want my brother Manuel Bordelles released from prison or I will kill a passenger every three hours. And to show I'm not kidding..........." Bordelles sliced the man across his stomach, not enough to kill him but enough to make him bleed. The man grabbed his stomach, a shocked look on his face. His wife and daughter cried out as they watched. Bordelles then drug the wounded man to the side of the ship. "The sharks will be well fed if my brother is not released." Bordelles looked over at the passengers. "I want everyone to go to the railing and watch. I want you to see what will happen to you if you do anything to make me angry."
When no one moved one of Bordelles's men fired his rifle in the air then pointed it at the passengers.
"Move it!" Bordelles shouted.
The people reluctantly moved to the railing. The man struggled in vain with Bordelles but he was no match for the man. He was shoved over the railing and into the ocean. Deaq and Van looked at each other. They both knew there was nothing they could have done to help the man. Not with six men armed with automatic weapons standing not far from them. They listened as the man's fearful screams filled the air. The area was known for sharks and soon the man's screams turned into painful ones as the sharks attacked. Most of the women screamed and a few fainted as the water turned into a sea of blood. Van and Deaq glanced at each other. They both knew what each other was thinking because they were thinking the same thing. Somehow they had to find some way to take these men down.
Bordelles turned back to the camera.
"That was number one. Every three hours someone will die. First the men, then the women, then the children. They will all die until my brother is freed. I want him flown by helicopter to the ship. Just my brother and the pilot. I want a helicopter large enough to hold at least twelve people. Some of the hostages will go with me as insurance. They will be killed if anyone attempts to stop us. I'll be waiting to hear from you."
Bordelles made a slashing motion across his throat and the camera's were turned off.
Candy StoreBack in L.A. Billie was just getting ready to leave when her phone rang. It was Captain Parish.
"Billie, did you happen to have the news on?"
"No, I was just leaving, why?"
"You told me last week that you were sending your men to the Goddess of the Sea to keep an eye on Marmarou."
"Yeah, that's right, why?"
"It was just on the news. Someone's taken over the ship."
Billie turned on the TV and flipped through the channels looking for a news station.
"Marmarou?" Billie assumed something had gone wrong and Marmarou had seized the ship.
"No we don't think so."
"What do you know so far?"
"They were broadcasting live from the ship a few minutes ago. One of the passengers has been killed."
Billie shut her eyes for a moment and hissed in a breath of air.
"Do they know who?" She asked dreading what the answer might be.
"No, but it wasn't one of your men."
She breathed a sigh of relief.
"What are we going to do about it?"
"There's nothing much we can do. It's up to the government. But as we know Billie, the government won't give in to terrorists. I'm afraid this is going to get ugly."
"They have to do something."
"I'm sorry but that's all I know so far. I'll keep in touch and let you know if I hear anything."
Billie sat back down on her chair, a stunned look on her face. She had found a news station that was replaying the tape. She listened to Bordelles making his demands and shook her head sadly as she watched the man being killed and heard Bordelles talk about killing more passengers. What did I get you boys into?
The Cruise Ship"Okay, everybody go back to what they were doing before this little incident, but when you hear the ships horn blow I want all the men back on deck for the next selection. Just the men. If you fail to come, you will be shot on sight, and five people will die instead of one."
The passengers wandered off stunned and terrified, the family of the dead man sobbing. A few of the passengers tried in vain to comfort them. Van headed over to Deaq and they walked down the deck together.
"Do you have any idea how we're going to get out of this one?" Deaq asked Van.
"No, I was hoping you had a plan."
"There's no way we can take those men, not with the weapons they have."
"Well we can't just sit around here and let them pick off the passengers one by one."
"Great, now we don't just have Marmarou to worry about, we got these jerks too."
"Marmarou." Van said as he thought of something.
"What about him?"
"We might not have the weapons to take these guys down, but he does."
"You're not thinking of going up to him and asking to borrow them are ya?"
"I don't know. Under the circumstances he might just hand them to us if we can get him and everyone else out of this mess."
"I don't know partner. If he finds out we're cops he might just turn us over to that..............what the hell did he say his brother's name was?
"Manuel Bordelles."
"He might just turn us over to this Bordelles fellow."
"And we can't just grab Marmarou or one of his men to make them tell us where the guns are because if they notice someone's missing he said he'd kill five."
"We're basically screwed." Deaq said shaking his head.
"Well, we have to do something."
"The only thing I can figure is we gotta find Marmarous's weapons. They have to be somewhere in the cargo hold."
"Well we better start looking, in three hours someone else is going to die."
"Yeah, and it could be one of us." Deaq said what they both were thinking.
The cruise ship also doubled as a cargo ship. The ship might have been small but the entire lowest deck served as a cargo hold. It would take many hours to search the entire area. Hours they didn't have. Three hours later when the ships horn blew they quickly headed to the upper deck. The entire male population of the ship stood around nervously. One of them was going to die.
Candy Store
Billie watched as the live broad cast came back on. She looked carefully as the camera scanned the passengers. Finally she spotted Van and Deaq. She couldn't even imagine what they were going through. She wasn't sure how they'd react if one of them was picked by this man to be the next to die. She knew if either man was picked the other wasn't about to stand around and watch his partner die. She knew there was a chance she could lose both of them.
The Cruise Ship
Bordelles walked around among the men while the camera followed him. His men stood at different positions around the group aiming their rifles at the passengers. Deaq and Van felt helpless. There was nothing they could do without endangering everybody. As Bordelles neared them they could tell that he was actually enjoying the choosing process. When his eyes lingered on Deaq, Deaq could feel his partner tense up next to him. If he was chosen to die he prayed Van wouldn't attempt to stop them. He would only die with him. Bordelles gave Deaq a small smile then grabbed the man next to Deaq. The man attempted to run but was stopped by one of Bordelles's men. Deaq and Van watched as the man was pulled in front of the camera and was also slit across the stomach. The man screamed in terror as he was pulled over to the railing. Van and Deaq both shut their eyes and turned away from the scene. It was killing both of them that they could do nothing but watch the horror in front of them. The man was then thrown over the railing.
"Two have died and I have heard nothing about my brother!" Bordelles shouted into the camera. "I will kill every last one of them unless my brother is released." Bordelles turned and stormed off.
Van turned toward Deaq.
"God, I thought for a minute that he was going to choose you." Van felt horrible for the man that died but relieved that neither one of them had been chosen.
"If it would have been me I don't want you trying to be a hero. We'd only both end up dead."
"The same goes for me. If they take me don't you go doing something stupid either."
"Agreed." Both men knew they were lying. If Bordelles had chosen either one of them there was no way the other would stand idly by.
"Well we got three more hours. Let's find those guns." Van said as they both turned and headed back to the cargo bay.
The Candy Store
Billie pulled herself away from the TV. For a horrible minute she thought she would be watching either Deaq or Van being killed. She picked up the phone and called Captain Parish.
"Parish."
"Captain this is Billie. Have you heard anything about the ship?"
"All I know is that the government is analyzing the situation."
"What the hell is that suppose to mean?!! I have men on that boat and I don't intend to lose them!"
"Lieutenant Chambers, I already told you we have to let the government handle this. We have no jurisdiction in the matter."
"No jurisdiction! What the hell are we suppose to do, sit on our butts?! Two men have been killed already! How many are going to have to die before the government does something?!"
"I'm sorry Billie, I'm sure the government is working on a plan."
Billie hung up feeling useless. There was nothing she could do but pray Van and Deaq would somehow survive this nightmare along with the rest of the passengers.
The Cruise Ship
Three hours later the ship's horn blew and they once more gathered near the pool, still having not found the guns.
Bordelles looked through the men and finally grabbed one of them. A boy who couldn't have been more then twenty.
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen." The boy said blinking back tears.
"You're old enough." He pulled the boy in front of the camera.
Van finally lost it.
"He's just a kid!" Van shouted stepping forward.
Deaq shut his eyes for a moment. Damn it Van His heart was pounding with fear for his partner. He had just made himself stand out in the crowd.
"You want to take his place?" Bordelles asked walking toward Van.
Deaq tried to grab Van's arm and hold him back but Van shook him lose and stepped up to Bordelles. He couldn't let them kill the boy.
"He's just a boy you son of a bitch!"
"I asked you a question. Do you want to take his place?"
"I'm not looking to die today but he's just a kid. Yeah, I'll take his place."
"Van No!" Deaq blurted out. He watched in horror as his partner was pulled away. Deaq started to reach out for him but Van looked back and shook his head no. He was scared, knowing he was about to die, but he didn't want to take his partner with him. He knew he had made a mistake opening his mouth because now Deaq was the only one left to try to find the guns. But there was no way he could let them kill the boy. He was determined if he was going to die, he was going to die with dignity. Deaq's body felt like ice. His heart felt like someone was twisting a knife in it. How could he stand there and watch Van die? He watched, his heart pounding, as his partner was pulled in front of the camera. Deaq frantically looked around for any kind of help but knew there was none coming. Tears filled his eyes.
"We have a hero in front of us." Bordelles said to the camera. "I know how you Americans like your heros. So I think I'll keep this one around for a while." He pushed Van toward his men. "Tie him over there." He motioned toward the basketball court.
Bordelles's men pushed Van over to one of the poles at the basketball court and pulled his hands behind him tying him to the pole. The camera's followed as Bordelles walked over to Van.
"I've got something for you hero." He said as he took his rifle butt and slammed it into Van's stomach. Van doubled over and fell to his knees gasping for air as he tried to catch his breath.
Bordelles looked over at one of his men who was standing next to the boy.
"Cut him!" He grabbed Van by the hair and pulled his head up forcing him to watch.
"No!.......No please.................don't do this!.........He's just a kid!" Van gasped out.
Deaq looked on in horror as Bordelles's man cut the boy across the stomach. Tears flowed down the boy's face as he was pulled over to the railing.
"No..........please!" Van pleaded.
His pleading was in vain. The boy was pushed over the railing. Van shut his eyes and shook his head sadly as he listened to the boy's cries. Deaq, though grateful that his partner was still alive, felt sick as he heard the cries and then the deadly silence that followed.
"This man will stay here until it is his time to die. No food, no water." Bordelles said as he walked away.
The camera zoomed in on Van before turning off.
The Candy Store
Billie sat back in her chair and left out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Van had almost died in front of her and in front of his partner. She couldn't even imagine what Deaq must be going through. Her heart broke for the boy that had been killed and for his parents.
The Cruise Ship
Deaq walked over and knelt down next to Van. He was surprised that Bordelles's men didn't chase him away but he knew that they knew he was no threat to them.
"You okay?"
Van nodded.
"I'm sorry about the boy Van."
Van looked at him and Deaq could see the sadness in his eyes.
"My God Deaq he was just a kid. He had his whole life in front of him."
"I know. That bastard has no heart. I'm going to have to find those guns."
"Deaq I'm sorry. I shouldn't have opened my mouth. Now you're on your own." Van was feeling guilty. The boy had died anyway and Deaq would have to try and find the guns and take these men out on his own.
"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm going to get us out of this." Deaq gave Van a reassuring smile.
"I don't doubt it." Van gave him a small smile back. He tried to fight the totally helpless feeling he had. Three people had died so far and he was sure he was as good as dead also. He was worried for Deaq. If they caught him snooping around, they'd kill him. He tried to stand and with Deaq's help he did. He winced in pain as he straightened up. Van was pretty sure Bordelles had cracked one of his ribs.
"I'll be back." Deaq said, he knew he had to find those guns. It was their only hope.
"You be careful partner."
Deaq patted Van on the arm and left.
Deaq went back to the cargo hold and quickly searched the best he could through the rest of the cargo. He knew he couldn't do a thorough search, he didn't have the time. Nothing. There was only one thing left to do. Talk to Marmarou. As Deaq searched for him he knew he could be committing suicide. Marmarou could have him killed on the spot or tell Bordelles he was a cop and turn him over to him in order to save himself. If Bordelles found out he was a cop he'd would more then likely be the next to die. He finally found Marmarou in his cabin. He knocked on the door. One of his men opened it.
"I need to talk to Marmarou."
"Who are you?" The man asked.
"I'm a cop. I know about the guns."
"Let him in." Marmarou said hearing Deaq.
Deaq entered the cabin, one of Marmarou's men stood near the door blocking his exit.
"Look, I'm not going to play games. I'm a cop and I've been following you. We know you've been running guns to South America. We're all going to die unless we do something to stop this man. You show me where the guns are and I promise you I'll testify on your behalf."
Deaq wasn't sure how Marmarou was going to react. He just sat on his bunk staring at Deaq not speaking for a minute.
"You are a foolish man coming here. I could have you killed." Marmarou finally spoke.
"Yes you could, but that won't help either of us. This man is going to kill everyone on this ship including you and your men, and those guns are the only way to stop him."
Marmarou gave Deaq a small smile.
"You know, the joke is on both of us. I have no guns on this ship. I am merely on a cruise."
For some reason Deaq believed him. With no guns on the ship there was no way he could take on Bordelles's men. Deaq kept his eye on Marmarou not knowing if he was going to be allowed to leave. Marmarou nodded to his man and he backed away from the door. Deaq left.
A little while later the ship's whistle blew and he headed back to the pool area. The male passengers looked nervously at each other waiting to find out who the next person to die would be. Deaq searched the skies for any kind of help. Surely the government wouldn't leave them all die out here and do nothing. The skies were clear, not a plane in sight. He shook his head sadly as he watched Bordelles pick another man out of the crowd and carry out his ritual. When it was over Deaq went over to Van.
"I can't find anything. I don't think there are any guns down there. I..........I talked to Marmarou and he denied that the guns were on the ship. I believe him. Maybe he somehow got word that he was being watched and is using this ship as a decoy."
"You talked to Marmarou! Deaq, he could turn you over to Bordelles!" Van was worried there was no telling what Marmarou would do now knowing Deaq was a cop.
"I don't think so. He could have turned me over right away. The only hope we have now is if somehow I can get a gun from one of the guards."
"That would be suicide."
"Well I know I'm not going to get any help from anyone on the ship. They're all scared to death."
"Deaq, there's nothing you can do. Unless we get help from somewhere else.........."
Just then Bordelles walked over and stood in front of Van. He reached over and grabbed Van's shirt, pulling on it till he tore it off of him.
"Let's see how bad the hero burns." He looked up at the sun. "Looks like it's going to be a hot one." He smiled and walked away.
"Damn it Van! I wished there was something I could do to help you."
"The best thing you can do is stay away from me. If you hang around here, he might come after you next."
"No way. I'm staying with you as long as they let me." There was no way Deaq was going to let his partner alone, even if it meant dying with him.
Later
The day slowly turned into night. No one was allowed on deck during the night and for some reason the killings stopped at night. But no one slept. Fear kept them awake as they waited for the selection to begin again in the morning. Two days past and more men died. The sun and heat were taking a toll on Van. Most of the time he sat listless on the deck barely able to stand. He was badly dehydrated, his lips dry and cracked, his skin burnt red by the sun. Deaq stayed by his side as much as he was allowed. When he was made to leave he watched his partner from the recreation room window. He suffered as much mentally watching his partner, as his partner was suffering physically. Van was slowly dying in front of him and there was nothing he could do without risking everyone's lives.
The Candy StoreThe phone rang in the Candy Store and Billie jumped for it
"Hello."
"Billie, it's Parish. I've got some news, not much, but it's something to hold on to."
"What?" She was thankful for any kind of hope.
"All I'm able to tell you is that the government is planning some kind of move tomorrow. I'm not sure what but something's in the works."
"God I hope it's in time." Billie could tell from the live broadcasts that Van was slowly dying. She didn't know what kind of condition Deaq was in mentally but she knew it would be killing him to not be able to help his partner. God please let them get to them before more people die She prayed.
The Cruise Ship
With the third night came a violent storm. Deaq sat at the window watching his partner throughout the night. He blinked back tears of sympathy and frustration as he watched the rain and wind whip at his partner's body. Van held his head back and opened his mouth trying to get any drop of moisture he could. In the morning as the sun finally broke through the clouds Deaq once more went to Van's side. He sat shivering, his clothes soaked through. Deaq instinctively reached toward him.
"No touching!" A gunman standing nearby shouted.
"How are you doing?" Deaq asked knowing it was a stupid question.
"O.......Okay." Van said through chattering teeth. Even with the sun starting to heat up the deck he was freezing.
"God Van I'm so sorry. They won't let me do anything for you." Deaq knelt next to Van tears welling up in his eyes, the feeling of frustration and helplessness overwhelming.
"Nnnnnnot yyyyyour fault. My bbbbbbig mmmouth gggot me into tttttthis." Van said shivering uncontrollably.
Deaq looked on in fear as he saw Bordelles approaching. He stopped in front of Van smiling.
"Not so tough now are you boy?"
"Gggggo to hhhhhell." Van managed to get out. Bordelles swung his rifle at Van hitting him in the face. A gash opened up on the side of his face and blood poured down his face onto his chest. Van felt blackness closing in on him and gladly gave into the darkness. He was glad to be away from the agony of the last few days. He slumped forward the only thing holding him up were his arms tied around the pole. Deaq started to make a move toward Bordelles but stopped when he brought his rifle up and put it against Deaq's chest.
"I think your friend is ready to feed the sharks."
Deaq felt a sharp stab of pain in his heart at Bordelles's words. He couldn't let this man kill his partner. He tried to think of something he could do but there was nothing. His concern and worry for Van was suddenly replaced by hate for the man standing in front of him.
"You son of a bitch! You think you are such a big man! Well you are a coward hiding behind your guns!" Deaq snarled.
Bordelles laughed.
"In this whole ship only you and your friend had the balls to talk up to me. But unfortunately it is his time to die. Don't worry your time will come soon." Bordelles reached over and pulled Van's head up by his hair. "Seems like your friend has passed out. Guess we'll have to wait till this afternoon to put him out of his misery. I want him alive and screaming before the cameras as the sharks dine on him." He released Van's hair and his head sunk back to his chest.
Bordelles walked away.
The horn blowing on the ship signaled another man was going to die. This time Deaq ignored the gunmen's warning not to touch Van. He sat down next to him and gently put his arm around him, instead of the cold body he was expecting to feel, heat radiated off of Van, he was burning up with fever. Van's head fell onto Deaq's shoulder as he pulled him close. The blood from the gash on his face ran down Deaq's chest.
"Rest easy partner, rest easy." Deaq said soothingly. He shut his eyes as tears threatened to run down his face. Sometime today his partner was going to die.
Late that afternoon
Two more men died that morning. Deaq stayed right by his unconscious partner's side, never leaving it. Glad that at least now he wasn't suffering, but by late afternoon Van started to stir. He moaned as he tried to straighten up. Deaq hoped Bordelles or his men wouldn't notice but he did. He walked over.
"Looks like the hero's awake and ready to die."
Deaq instinctively pulled Van closer.
Bordelles smiled down at Deaq.
"And you............you will be the last to die." Bordelles reached down and cut Van lose from the pole. He grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Deaq tried to stop him but was grabbed by two of Bordelles's men. Van stumbled along side Bordelles who pulled him in front of the camera and pulled out a knife.
"Let him alone you son of a bitch!" Deaq screamed as he fought the two men holding him.
Bordelles smiled and looked toward the camera.
"My brother is to be released or I will start killing two every three hours. And now you Americans get to watch the hero die." Bordelles said as he slit Van across the stomach. Van hissed in pain and in his weakened condition his knees gave out as he was pulled over to the railing.
Deaq frantically struggled with the men holding him. God no! Don't let them do this!
As Van was shoved over the side, Deaq broke lose, ran to the railing, and looked down.
"Van!" Deaq screamed seeing his partner struggling in the ocean. He started to climb up on the railing, somehow he had to help his partner. His eyes widened in horror when he saw a large fin approaching Van.
"Oh my God no! Van behind you!"
Deaq watched in horror as Van attempted to turn around. Then watched as the shark fin disappeared beneath the surface. Van sunk below the water but resurfaced only to be violently yanked down again. The water turned bright red.
"Nooooooooo!" Deaq sunk to his knees, tears streamed down his face.
The Candy Store
Billie stared at the TV screen in shock. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. Van was dead and the horrible way he had died made it more difficult to bear. Tears ran down her face as she watched Deaq's reaction. Her heart broke for him. She knew he'd never recover from this and doubted she would either.
The Cruise Ship
As the other passengers started leaving, Deaq remained by the railing. He couldn't move. He was frozen to the spot in shock and horror from what he had just witnessed. That was no way for Van to go out. Not like this. His heart ached for his partner. He couldn't believe Van was dead. He glared at Bordelles who looked at him and smiled.
"Your friend died bravely, I didn't even hear him scream."
"You're a dead man! If it's the last thing I do I'll see that you pay for this!" Deaq shouted at Bordelles who gave a little laugh then turned and walked away.
Deaq sat by the railing for the next hour then finally stood up and looked over the side. He watched the ocean slap against the side of the ship, the blood now gone.
"I'm gonna get him for you Van. He's going to pay." He said through clenched teeth. He took a deep breath. "I'm gonna miss ya partner." He said choking on his words.
He spent the rest of the day wandering around the decks. His only thought, how to get to Bordelles and make him pay. It was dark when he heard the gunshots and yelling. What now, he thought hurrying to the main deck. When he got to the deck he watched as men dressed all in black stormed over the side of the ship onto the deck. Deaq recognized them immediately. The Navy Seals. Finally help had come but not in time. Deaq winced inwardly at the thought that if only they had come a few hours earlier. But now he had something else he had to do. He was determined to find Bordelles. He identified himself to one of the Seals and was handed a gun. He knew the Seals were well trained and would track down each of the terrorists but he wanted Bordelles for himself. He ran past screaming passengers. He ignored them, his only thought, to find Bordelles.
He began searching up and down the decks. He past the dead bodies of two of Bordelles's men and watched as the others were rounded up. He ran into the dining hall and froze when he heard someone behind him. He slowly turned around to face Bordelles.
"Well it looks like you and I both will die today." Bordelles said as his finger tightened on the trigger. A shot rang out and his rifle clattered to the floor. Deaq looked to his left and saw Marmarou standing in the doorway holding a rifle. Deaq held his breath, he had told Marmarou that he was a cop and he expected any minute to have the gun turned on him. Instead, Marmarou smiled at him and nodded. He turned around and left. Deaq took the opportunity to grab Bordelles and pull him out onto the deck. He drug him struggling over to the railing.
"You will be the last one to die today." Deaq said as he pushed Bordelles against the railing.
"I will see you in hell." Bordelles spat as Deaq pushed him over the side.
Deaq looked down into the dark water. In the night he couldn't see anything but he heard Bordelles's painful screams. Deaq smiled to himself.
"That was for you partner." He said looking up at the night sky.
The entire raid was over in less then half an hour. Three of Bordelles's men were dead the others captured. Deaq sat down leaning against the railing. He was exhausted. He watched as the Seals rounded up the passengers. The one who had handed him the gun walked over to him.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Why couldn't you have gotten here a few hours earlier?"
"Sorry, we had to strike at night. We had word that there were two L.A. cops on board. Where's the other one?" The man looked around expectantly then back at Deaq who shook his head sadly. The man understood.
"I'm sorry. Was he a friend?"
"Yeah, he was my partner." Deaq looked down sadly then back up at the man. "How did you get here? I didn't hear any planes."
"By sub. We were off the port side for the last few hours, but we couldn't surface till dark to avoid being spotted."
"Too bad you couldn't have gotten here days ago. A lot of people died."
"We were the closest sub around and even we were miles away."
Deaq stood up.
"I need to call my Lieutenant and tell her what's going on."
"I'll take you up to the crew's quarters, you can use their radio."
The Candy StoreBillie grabbed the ringing phone.
"Yes." She said anxiously.
"Billie."
"Deaq! God it's good to hear from you. What's happening?"
"The Navy Seals stormed the ship. It's over."
"Oh thank God."
"Billie............Van's gone......He's dead."
"I know Deaq, I know. I saw it on TV. I'm so sorry."
"I...........I wanted to stop them...........but I couldn't."
Billie could hear the pain in Deaq's voice.
"Don't go blaming yourself. There was nothing you could do without the possibility of one of the passengers getting hurt or killed."
"God Billie, there was so much blood. I can't believe he's gone."
Billie shut her eyes. How was Deaq going to live with that last image of his partner? She changed the subject.
"What about Marmarou? Did you find any guns?"
"There are no guns Billie."
"Could he have been involved in this in anyway?"
"No.............Actually he saved my life."
"Saved your life? I can't wait to hear that one."
"Well Billie, I better get going. They want everyone out on the deck."
"Okay Deaq, you take care."
Billie shut her eyes trying to control her emotions. She felt an awful loneliness knowing she would never see Van again. She was grateful Deaq was alive but knew things would never be the same.
The terrorists had disabled the ship when they had taken it over, so the passengers were going to have to be airlifted to San Diego in the morning. Once there they would go to a hospital and be checked out before being released. Deaq notified Billie and she told him she'd meet him at the hospital.
The San Diego Community HospitalLate the next day Billie sat in the waiting room at the hospital waiting to pick up Deaq. She finally saw him walking down the hall toward the waiting room. Her heart broke for him. He seemed so alone, his eyes never leaving the floor. When he got to the room he looked up and gave her a small smile. She hurried over to him and hugged him.
"Billie lets get out of here. I just want to go home."
Deaq didn't really want to go home, he didn't know where he wanted to go. Home would only make the reality of what had happened hit harder.
"Let's go." Billie took his hand and headed toward the exit.
Just as they stepped outside the Navy Seal who had talked to Deaq on the ship ran over to them.
"Hold on a minute!" He put his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "I've been looking all over for you. Wait here, just a minute. I need to get you something."
Billie looked at Deaq and he shrugged. He had no idea what the man was talking about. Ten minutes later the man came back.
"Can you step back into the building for a minute?"
"What's up? Did I forget to sign something?" Deaq had no idea what this was about.
"I think you're forgetting someone." The man stepped aside smiling.
Sitting in a wheelchair was Van. He looked at them and gave them a tired smile and raised his hand slightly in greeting. He had IV s stuck in both his arms, was pale and looked like hell, but he was alive.
"Van! Oh my God! How?!! What?!!.............." Deaq ran to his partner and knelt down beside him. "Let me get a good look at you partner!" Tears glistened in Deaq's eyes. He couldn't believe he was actually here looking at the partner he thought was dead.
Billie walked over, tears ran down her face.
"My God how did you................?!!" She leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek, then gently hugged him.
The Navy Seal smiled.
"I'm sorry that I put you through all this." He said to both of them. "A few of us were in the water when he was thrown in. My buddy grabbed his leg but he kicked away from him. Guess he thought it was a shark. But anyway, a shark did show up and we pulled your buddy down, and shot the shark. That's where all the blood came from. We shoved a regulator in your friend's mouth so he could breathe and took him back to the sub. He was really out of it when we got him on board. Burning up with fever, dehydration, and exhaustion. He couldn't even give us his name. We pumped some fluids into him and started him on IVs. Only this morning did we learn who he was. He kept asking about you." The man said to Deaq. "He kept asking if you were okay."
"I'm fine now." Deaq said a big smile on his face. "You scared the hell out of me buddy!" Deaq said to Van patting him on the back.
"Sorry, partner. The last thing I remember is seeing the fin in the water then being pulled under. I remember not wanting you to watch."
"Well, I'm going to owe you one. You took about thirty years off of my life." Deaq gave his partner a soft punch on the arm.
"Now wait a minute." Billie spoke up smiling. "No one is going to owe anyone anything. If either of you put me through something like this again, I'll kill you myself."
Van smiled at Billie then looked up at Deaq.
"What happened to Bordelles? Did they get him?"
"Bordelles is history." Deaq felt a slight stirring of guilt as he thought of what he had done to Bordelles. He was a cop and shouldn't have left his emotions control his actions. But a slight smile came to Deaq's face. But it was worth it. Bordelles had paid for what he had done to all those passengers who had lost their lives. And for what he had almost done to his partner.
Later in the weekVan had to stay in the hospital for a few days in order to get his fever down and to get fluids into him. After making sure Van would be okay, Billie flew home and Deaq stayed with his partner until he was well enough for Deaq to be able to drive him home.
Deaq was glad that there were no guns discovered on the ship and Marmarou was free. He knew if it wasn't for Marmarou, Bordelles would have killed him. He also knew in the future they might meet again under different circumstances. He would deal with that when it happened. Right now his only concern was getting Van back to L.A.. He looked over at his partner and smiled.
"Hey, how 'bout stopping for some sea food?"
"Just drive Deaq, just drive."
The End