Voyagers: Frozen in Time

Chapter 2: Pirate Bogg

The Voyagers landed on a pristine beach – the roughest Jeffrey had ever felt. His body tumbled headfirst and he skidded with his arms out in front of him. He raised his head wearily and spit grains. The sun peeked over the horizon and blasted them with heat.

"Woah! That was crazy! I think we were struck by lightning! Right, Bogg? Bogg!"

Jeffrey raced to his friend. Phineas lay sprawled out unconscious. Jeffrey slid to his knees and hovered over him, putting his ear to his mouth. He was still breathing. He laid his head on his chest and gently shook him.

"Bogg, wake up, it's okay. We're not in Paris anymore, I guess you triggered the omni by mistake or something…Bogg? Please wake up."

Phineas groaned pleasurably and a small smile played on his lips as he sang.

"Oh Susan, Susan, lovely dear, my vows forever true remain, let me kiss off that falling tear, We only part to meet again; Change as ye list, ye winds, my heart shall be the faithful compass that still points to thee…The boatswain gave the dreadful word, the sails their swelling bosoms spread; No longer must she stay on board; They kiss, she sighed, he hangs his head; The lessening boat unwilling rows to land, "Adieu," she cries and waves her lily hand!"

Jeffrey rolled his eyes and pulled away. "Oh brother, Figures you'd be thinking of her, or any woman. C'mon Bogg, no more sea shanties. We have to find out where we are."

Jeffrey reached for the omni. He just about had it, when Phineas' eyes flew open and he clamped hard on his wrist.

"Bogg! You're hurting me!"

"That's right, boy! And you're about to steal a treasure from off my person. Where's my cutlass? I'll show you what happens to thieves!"

Jeffrey laughed nervously. "Stop it, Bogg. We have work to do, oww! Let me go!"

Phineas glowered at him and wrenched his arm tighter. He leaped up and dragged Jeffrey toward the shore. "Where's the ship? I'm taking ya to the Captain. He'll decide yer fate!"

Phineas never kept up a joke this far and he'd never handled Jeffrey so roughly. "What are you talking about? There's no ship. I mean, I don't know for sure. I need to look at the omni and find out. Let go of my arm you dolt!"

"Arr, a smart tongue, aren't ye?"

Jeffrey had enough of the jokes; he kicked Phineas in the shin and freed himself. "Knock it off! We have to look at the omni."

Phineas raised his hand, his eyes blazed. "What in hell is an omni?"

"Hello! It's that thing you were holding."

"I'm not giving that to you."

"Well that's too bad, I need to check the date." Jeffrey attempted to storm past, but Phineas blocked him.

"I'm not taking that tone from a little urchin! You show some respect for yer elders!"

Phineas cuffed him on the cheek. Jeffrey gasped and backed away. He fought to hide tears. Something must've gone terribly wrong with their cosmic trip and Phineas was not in his right mind. Jeffrey noticed Phineas fidget while his gaze softened. Phineas balled a fist. However, he was not about to apologize. In whatever era his mind was trapped in, physical abuse was a common way to discipline children.

"The omni is that little round device you have. We need to look at it to see where we are. Give it to me…please."

Phineas rushed back to the spot where it lay shimmering in the sun. He put it to his teeth and spat.

"Ehh! It's not even gold! It's a piece of lame brass." He opened it and saw the globe and tiny numbers; the blinking light startled him. He tried to turn the dials, but they wouldn't budge. He cupped the omni to his ear annoyed.

"It's just an elaborate compass witha terrible sound!"

He flung it to Jeffrey. He was angry because it seemed familiar yet he had no idea how it worked. Jeffrey was getting more alarmed by Phineas' behavior.

"It's…its not a compass. It's an omni. It's a time-travel device. Bogg, please stop kidding around."

Phineas whacked sand off his clothes. "Who is jesting? Time travel? I know naught of such things! I want to know where my crew is. The squall we hit was blowin' a fright. I saw Jones knocked overboard, but I couldn't save him fast enough. The sea claimed him…I tried! He was to go home to his wife and baby in Amsterdam, that's where we were headed for a rest."

He stared forlorn at the water. "What Island is this?"

"Pirate Jones? That's my name! I'm Jeffrey Jones." Jeffrey said fascinated. His father Bill had been a history professor with a deep interest in Piracy and sailors of the Golden age. He'd claiming he was the descendant of a sailor from the Netherlands.

"Sure, a fine man, much too good to for piracy. Heh, he often said the same of me. Sometimes, a man signed on a voyage to earn money for his family. That was the way with Jones." Phineas kicked at the sand. "Arr! Stop the trickery, boy! Where are we?"

Jeffrey peered at the omni date. "Italy, August 24th, 76AD."

Jeffrey glanced across the bay and saw high marble structures and columns that evidenced they were in the Roman era. The importance of the date still lost on him. He was weak with his knowledge of the Roman Empire. They needed to get to the city for answers.

"Let's go, Bogg. We have a red light. That means history's wrong and we have to fix it."

Phineas folded his arms. He wouldn't budge from the shoreline. "Hold on. Firstly, where do you come from calling me Bogg, boy? I don't know you from Adam. And as for your being a Jones…"

Phineas glanced carefully at his features. The piercing brown eyes, the long, firm nose and black curls – they were reminiscent of his shipmate, but Viktor Jones never spoke of a Jeffrey.

"Nahh, can't be. How did we wind up in Italy? The wind was not that fierce. Where's my ship? And where in God's name did you come from? A stowaway? That's what you are! A cockroach!"

Phineas paced back and forth confused and Jeffrey pitied him, even if his insults hurt.

"I was with you the whole time. Bogg, your ship isn't here anymore. It's back somewhere earlier in time…I mean, later in time. I don't know when."

"The year was 1715, So you can't tell me it's 76AD!"

"Look around you! Did you ever see cities like this in your era?"

Phineas refused to acknowledge the truth. "You said we're in Italy, they have columns, smart britches! Smart children give me pains!"

Jeffrey rolled his eyes. "You're not a pirate anymore. You're a Voyager. You travel through time correcting history and I'm your partner. Don't you remember anything? 1982? Knocking me out a window and saving my life?"

Jeffrey panicked a little when Bogg's expression remained blank. We stuck together. Remember Voyagers Headquarters and the the trial? The Tribunal said I was meant to be a Voyager. We're more than partners, we're friends…best friends!"

"I remember nothing of the sort!" Phineas punched his palm, forcing himself to ignore Jeffrey's hurt expression. "This all must be a dream. The squall, the shipwreck. As soon as it's third dog watch I will wake up with the bells and resume my post."

Jeffrey wasn't getting anywhere trying to bring Phineas' mind to the present, so he decided to humor him. He picked up a piece of driftwood and dragged it across the sand, leading Phineas away from the shore. He had to put his fears aside for now and view this as an opportunity to learn more about Phineas' past. The Voyager rarely talked about it.

"Okay. What's your post on the ship? I'd always wanted to learn more about Pirates. They were so cool."

Phineas smiled and followed along. "Actually, it's quite hot and breezy out there on the sea. But we get cool days depending on our location. If you want to know pirates then ya found the right man! I control the rigging and sails; most often I man the crow's nest."

"Crow's nest? What's that?"

"It's a small platform atop the mast, that's where a lookout stands."

"I get it! Like when you see land, you say, "Land ho!" "

"I suppose." Phineas' eyes took on a lost gaze. "I warned them of the approaching storm. I saw it forming in the distance, like a water spout. I felt it in the air, in the wind. It was the white squall. but the Captain did not want to change course. Had some greedy business dealings in the Netherlands. He swept us right into the eye! The foolhardy rotten bilge sucker!" Phineas snarled. His memories of the storm were too vivid for a dream.

"So…if there was a storm, where is everyone? Where's the ship? Did it sink?"

Phineas looked out to sea horrified. He remembered the terror in his heart, his hands bloodied and raw from clinging to the wood beams as the ship capsized and forced him beneath the black waves. He stared at his hands. They were smooth and uninjured.

"Sink? I…I didn't think of that, I was the best swimmer of the lot." He convinced himself. "That's probably why I made it way out here."

Jeffrey didn't want Phineas to despair. He changed his tactic. The city road lay just ahead. "Hey, Bogg, maybe your crew went into the city, why don't we try and find them?"

Phineas' mood lightened. "Of course. Those dirty buggers would leave me to dry on the beach while they had fun!" He grinned slyly. "Perhaps there'll be beautiful wenches to feast upon."

"Eww! I mean, yeah, sure. Beautiful women to talk to." Jeffrey sighed.

Phineas tousled his hair. "Arr, ye be too young to understand a woman's wicked charms. But give or take a few years and they'll bewitch ya yet! It's not a bad thing! I was not much older than you when I had my first…"

Jeffrey held his hand up. "Ughh, Bogg, it's okay. You don't need to tell me that, really!"

Phineas laughed and shrugged. "Prudish boy! Well then, tarry on!"

Jeffrey remembered a time in Cuba when he had to interrupt Phineas' near liaison with Rita, the Cuban woman they rescued in the red-light zone. He wanted to mention it, but then felt bad. Phineas wouldn't remember.

"Sure, Bogg. One of these days, I'll discover what's really important." He quoted him.

"Ha! Couldn't have said it better myself. That's the spirit!"

Jeffrey stared beyond at a towering mountain shrouded by fog and vapors. He was sure he'd seen it before, perhaps in a book. The road turned from dust to cobblestones as they approached the giant, colorful entryway. It was a magnificent sight. Looking through, they saw a hub of activity and trade. Men, women, and children strolled, glided, and skipped around in sandals, togas and sheathes of brilliant colored dress, and for some, over the top hairstyles and jewelry that displayed their immense wealth.

"Perhaps I died and these are the gates to Paradise!" Phineas stomped on the ground, sending up a cloud of dust. "On earth!" Phineas said enthralled.

"No Bogg, you're alive and so am I, we're just in another time zone."

"You mean another country."

"No, another time…year…we're in Ancient Rome, somewhere near it."

"Now you're jesting again."

Jeffrey wanted to shake Phineas to his senses. "Don't you get it? Aren't you worried about anything? You have no memory of who you really are and you don't even remember me! The Bogg I knew would never hit me like that!"

He sniffled and grabbed his cheek. He didn't mean to bring the slap up again. He wanted to run from this stranger with Phineas' face, but he couldn't lose him. The pirate was liable to go his own way and forget all about him.

"Maybe that was another Bogg! Quit your blubbering, boy, I didn't kill you. The day I really decide to hit you, you'll feel it. And if you keep testing my patience, that day will come very soon!" Phineas threatened.

He paced, trying to shake off a growing headache, and then rushed to the boy and grabbed his shirt collar. "I don't want to hear about omnis, time travel or time zones, do ya understand me?"

"Yes, Bogg" Jeffrey mumbled.

"Good. What I want right now is a tasty spot of grog."

"You don't drink, and it's too early anyway." Jeffrey informed him.

"Tis a fairy sort that doesn't drink! All men drink! All times of day! But aye, I must keep my senses for my ship post. I always climb the rigging and cut the sails. I don't hit the nip like my crew, but a little spirits never hurt anyone. The good book says it helps the constitution. Come along, I'm famished."

Phineas took the lead and Jeffrey glumly followed at a total loss. Their roles had been reversed. Now he'd have to explain what being a Voyager meant and train Phineas. He'd seen plenty of this "amnesia" on TV and movies and it was usually temporary. Maybe it was the same way for Phineas. Jeffrey pretended to take this change of mind and personality lightly, but inside he wanted to scream. He had no idea if and when Phineas would ever remember being a Voyager.