He was suspecting nothing out of the ordinary with the research crew. The group wanted to go back to the island, anyways. They wanted to try and document the different dolphin species that were suddenly popping up all over. There were breeds appearing that weren't even native to the Caribbean waters that were spotted. They wanted to see how these new breeds were adapting. The four researchers were in a hurry to get out to sea, but they wanted to be prepared, too. Brandon was getting impatient.
"Well, we aren't seeing any freshwater species. They can't survive out here," one of the men muttered over his notes. "And the bottlenose that I saw just the other day has to be a new species!"
"I think it's a hybrid," another man said.
"Is that even possible?"
"If we can get close to it, then we'll know for sure."
"Can we get going?" Brandon asked and adjusted his glasses.
"We have to refuel, and it's happening right now," the first man said.
"Enough talking! We have to refocus! Clark, how are the coordinates?" a blond man asked.
"Well, Gregory, it's getting there. Nothing's changed," the first man responded and stuck a pen behind his ear. His dark brown hair was swept back, but clipped down short from a recent haircut. "Brent, how many new species did you find?"
"About five. It's really weird!" he said. "And there's Richard. Looks like we're done refueling. Let's lock everything down!"
"Finally..." Brandon muttered. Richard was easy to spot with his light brown hair bound back in a small ponytail. The moment he got on the deck, supplies were looked over. Clark looked at his phone from a text from Bobby. He was the leak that was reporting to him on the researcher activity. Texting back what was going on, he pocketed his phone quickly and started up the engines. He was made aware of possible thwarting. He was prepared to help act out his shock.
"So, why do you need to join us? I mean..." Brent started to ask. He had a set of sunglasses resting in his black hair, and he regarded Brandon with a set of equally black eyes.
"I'm the one that bought your fuel," Brandon chuckled. "I also helped with the security measures on the island you're trying to get to. I have a friend out there that I'm trying to check up on."
"Does he know you're here?" Clark asked.
"He does. He told me to find a way to get here. The word on the island was that you guys track down dolphins all the time, and this place is dolphin central," he shrugged.
"You got that right," Gregory chuckled. Provisions were checked with a plentiful stock of water before the boat was released from the safety ropes. When they got about twenty minutes out from their island destination, they noticed that the boat started to get sluggish.
"Check the propeller!" Brent said. "I really hope that they didn't fuck with us..."
"Who?" Brandon asked.
"Best not to say," Gregory said in warning to the others. "Let's just say that we can be in some very deep shit, if we sneak around that island. It cost us almost five hundred bucks to repair what was done last time! If we have any other problems, then we'll have to turn back."
"I'll cover any damages," Brandon said quickly. "I have to reach this island."
"For what reason?" Clark asked. "Look, it's not my business, but we should at least let the island inhabitants know that we're coming. It's a purchased island, and the owners will get pissed."
"Why?" Brent frowned.
"Uh, because it's the right thing to do?" Clark seemed to snort. "It shows we're trying to be honest about approaching them. We know they get pissed off, if we sneak around their borders. And it's a purchased island with security now. We could get arrested for trespassing."
"Yeah, I wouldn't want to get that deep in trouble with them," Gregory sighed. "Let me call the main guy who owns the place."
"I'm sure he'll understand!" Brandon said quickly.
"Look. We already had a few bad runs with these people. We can't afford to cut our losses anymore. Let's play by the rules," he said. Brandon was not happy with this at all, but he had no choice. He had no way to get back to the mainland. "I don't want to be stranded out here."
"I'm checking the underside of the boat," Richard said when he went down into the main room to change into scuba gear. Five minutes later, he was in the water and cutting some tough seaweed free from the propeller. Just when he was about to rise up to the water's surface, Grynkar approached him. He was seen before at the main island home, and the researcher went completely still. He didn't recognize Grynkar, but all of the Merfolk looked the same to him. The merman crossed his arms over his chest and glared. Now Richard knew they were being watched.
When he got onto the deck, they all noticed how pale he was.
"We don't need to call, do we?" Gregory winced.
"No," Richard said and cleared his throat. Brent cringed at this news.
"Shit..." Clark grimaced. "Are we still going to try and get there?"
"You don't have a choice," Brandon said. "I'm funding you."
When Gregory's phone went off, it was answered quickly. He recognized Joel's number, and he took a deep breath before talking. "Hello?"
"Hi. It's Kilnak. The main owner of the island. I'm talking on Joel's phone. I understand that you're on your way here," he said carefully. "and this was after we gave you explicit instructions to call ahead, if you planned any future visits. Right?"
"Yeah..." Gregory sighed.
"Okay. You sound like you were forced into it," Kilnak said.
"In a sense."
"Another is with you that will be killed on sight," he warned. "Yes, we know who may have forced you. So, this is what we will do. You can get as close as you can in a reasonable range. Then let him off your boat. He will have to swim to us the rest of the way. If he chooses not to swim, then he gets sent back with you. He only asked to be brought to the island, right? Not step foot on it?"
"Now that you put it that way, you're right," Gregory mused. "We did want to check on the new dolphin species. If that was okay? We noticed there may be hybrids. As in, dolphins that are breeding with each other that belong to other species of their type. We want to see what changes they have and document their health and survival rates. It's all for public knowledge."
"You can study them from your boat and at a distance. I'll have a few dolphins swim around you," Kilnak agreed. When the phone disconnected, Gregory looked at Brandon with a sigh.
"That was the island owner. He said that he will let us study the dolphins. None of us are to set foot on the island. He'll have some dolphins swim to us," Gregory said.
"Sweet!" Clark beamed.
"Ah, no..." Brandon said. "We have to get to the island."
"He also said that, if any of us wanted to get to the island, we have to swim," Gregory said. Brent cleared his throat and laughed softly. Richard whistled softly at Brandon's look of complete disbelief.
"I don't know if we have any spare scuba gear," Clark started.
"How close can you bring me in?" Brandon sighed with defeat.
"Probably a mile inwards from their security gate. They have a second barrier set up with seaweed now. If we plan to get close, we have to stop just before that extra barrier. Our engine will burn out, if we don't," Gregory said. "So, we can get you that far in."
"Fine," Brandon nodded. "But...how did they get seaweed to stay in place? Wouldn't it float off with the different currents?"
"Not sure," he shrugged. The Merfolk had cleverly built the seaweed into a raft-like circle a foot below the surface and pulled strings of it down to secure it to the ocean floor with heavy rocks. It was constantly monitored and kept after with the dolphins. Not only was it a great way to deter boats, but it provided some much needed plant growth for any stranded fish in the open waters. It was even a bit of a nursery for newly hatched fish and other ocean life that got caught in the seaweed vines.
As the boat moved closer to the island, Grynkar kept following with several others. There were dolphins that happily surfaced and chattered to each other. It was as though nothing was wrong. But, the researchers knew better.
"Okay. The island is half a mile away. You see it?" Clark asked Brandon.
"Yeah. Um...how would I get back?" he asked.
"Not sure," Gregory admitted. "But...well...the owner of the island didn't sound too happy with you being here. I would advise for you to just hang out with us."
"I didn't get this far just to back down!" Brandon grounded out.
"Even if you'll get killed, if you leave the boat?" Gregory asked. Brandon's face paled. "The island natives are ruthless here. If you've been out here before, then you should know this."
At the sharp chittering of a dolphin, Brent looked out over the water. He was surprised to see Joel swimming out on another dolphin's back. He was let up on the deck, and he seemed to glare at Brandon with complete mistrust. He didn't bother with drying himself off, either. He wasn't planning to stay for a friendly visit.
"Joel?!" Brandon gaped.
"Yeah. I have a message for you. Since I own the island, and the natives are pissed," he said.
"What's the message?" Brent asked. Joel kept his eyes on Brandon to show the message was for him. It actually relieved the others. They weren't in trouble.
"I was asked, very kindly, to come here and address you. You were fired from your job. You were heckling Michael, your ex-partner. You leaked private information. If you try to reach the island, you won't make it there in one piece. So, you have to make a decision. If you want to live, you'll keep your ass here. If you want to die, you leave the boat. Okay, my message is delivered, I'm leaving," Joel grumbled and began to hop over the side of the boat. Brandon moved quickly and planted a right hook into his jaw before anyone saw what happened. Joel fell into the ocean waters, and it was Grynkar that caught him safely under the waves. Gregory was in a complete panic now.
"Oh, shit..." Clark grimaced. At the new text he got from Joel's phone, since it was left on the island to keep it safe from water damage, it was a direct order. Get Brandon off the boat! He had to completely agree with it. He didn't know that Bobby gave over his cell number for emergency contact, but he'd question that later. Right now, he had to remove a threat. He moved quickly and charged into Brandon. The scuffle was intense and brutal. Brandon was now struggling to stay on the boat. Richard saw what Clark was doing, and now he moved to help shove the offender into the water. At the angry squeals the dolphins were giving, Gregory saw how many of them were trying to breach and grab at Brandon to help pull him overboard. He had never seen anything like it in his life.
"What are you doing?!" Gregory hissed.
"Giving them what they want!" Clark growled back. Brent's jaw dropped at this, but the realization now sunk in. The island owners wanted Brandon. The dolphins wanted to collect him for them. The boat wouldn't be able to leave until Brandon was in the water. Gregory looked over at Brent. They both nodded.
"I'll sue you!" Brandon screamed when he was tossed into the water. Kep emerged to give a discreet wave to them, as Brandon was now hauled to the island swiftly. The dolphins were now completely relaxed and allowed themselves to be studied and pampered with fish. Brandon was soon hauled onto a beach and tied down with wet seaweed.
"You're a fucking moron!" Michael hissed at him.
"Mike?!" Brandon gaped at him. His glasses managed to stay on, miraculously enough, but were lopsided on his face. Then he saw the female mermaid in the small pool behind him. She actually looked very upset, but it was all concern for Michael. When he glanced around, he saw the Merfolk in full. It was late in the day, but not quite sunset. There was enough light reflecting on the water around them.
"So, who's this asshole?" Tina asked from where she was. She was enjoying a back rub from Sisik. He was putting more sun block lotion on her, and she made no plans to stop him.
"My ex-partner. A leak that told others of where an island was. This island is unregistered to them. We kept it hidden on purpose," Michael said. He looked over at Missa's worried look and found himself sighing. "I'm okay. Just very upset. He shouldn't be here."
"He hurt you?" Missa frowned. Brandon was surprised at how her voice sounded. It was almost as though he was hearing a musical flute talk with a touch of helium.
"Not in a physical way," he said.
"What...are they...?!" Brandon asked with complete disbelief.
"Why should we tell you?" Kilnak asked darkly from where he was guarding Nichole. When Brandon looked over to see them, it was easily seen that his face went three shades whiter. It was mainly because he recognized Nichole. She had her arms around her husband's chest and pressing into his back. "I am Kilnak. Nichole's husband. You punched her father. He was only delivering a message. You are also wanted by some very...powerful figureheads in the Caribbean. So, instead of killing you, which I should, I'm going to turn you in for a very nice and lucrative reward."
"He'll snitch," Lisa said.
"We don't have to let him go back, you know," Josh smirked. "We can just let him drift in the ocean. That should do it."
"Hmm..." Tessoo thought and looked at Joel. He was nursing a rather swollen right jaw. Rick had examined it and declared there were no broken teeth. Annie wasn't sure what to do, as she wanted to help, but Tessoo was guarding over her. Lotisoo wasn't too pleased on everything, and even he was having Lisa keep her distance.
"Why he here?" Sitari asked. "We know?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," Doug shrugged. "I think he's here just to piss us all off."
"Wait," Nichole said. "check him for a phone or a tracking device."
"What?" Joel asked and winced at the pain in his jaw.
"Elder, give Joe some of the floating grass water we get from it. It will help him," Tessoo said.
"Ah! Yes, it will! Joe, crush this in a cup and drink it. It will help you with the pain," Kep said and handed over a couple of freshly plucked seaweed bulbs that were found on Brandon's bindings.
"Can we boil the water to make it a form of hot tea drink? Just to remove any unknown parasites that could hurt us?" Rick asked. Kep nodded at that idea. It would be a safer method for them. The seaweed bulbs were now punctured and drained into a small pot. It was held over the fire and heated until lightly boiling. Then the liquid was poured into a cup. It smelled horrible, like over-ripe, tart juice that was heavily salted, but Joel was surprised to find it sweet with a mildly salty aftertaste. And, much to his shock, the pain and swelling in his jaw began to slowly die off within a few minutes.
"I have no idea what this seaweed is, but it's awesome stuff," Joel chuckled. Kilnak chuckled, but he kept his glaring watch on Brandon.
"I don't want him here," Nichole sighed hard. "I think he has something on him. Why else would he be trying to get here so badly?"
"I wonder..." Michael mused and reached over to pluck off Brandon's glasses.
"Hey! I need those!" he growled.
"Interesting. These aren't prescription glasses. I never noticed that before," Michael said. Now Brandon appeared to start panicking. "And, the plastic where the lenses connect is a very intricate color. Ah. It's all bound together with the glass lens pieces able to pop in and out. It almost looks like it's made to be waterproof. Is there a hammer around here? Maybe a mallet?"
"Check the toolbox," Joel nodded. Ashley was just clucking her tongue and answering the excited texts from her mother. Doug pointed to where the tools were.
"Nikki, if he has a tracer..." Kilnak muttered. Joel was already on the phone with Bobby.
"Do I still get my ring, if my boys pick him up?" Bobby asked.
"If they can reach the halfway point in a speedy boat, it's possible," Kilnak nodded. "And I'll add a necklace to ensure that no others try to use the tracking information to reach us."
"Deal. Send Brandon to me," Bobby insisted and disconnected.
"What's going on?!" Brandon gaped.
"I don't know. You see...I never said that I'd be returning you alive," Kilnak seemed to smirk. Brandon began to hyperventilate. "But, if I do kill you, then Nikki will get upset. So, I think it may be safe to simply muddle your senses a bit."
"Are you going to roar at him?" Nichole grinned.
"Yes. I'm going to roar at him," Kilnak grinned back.
"Um...above the water?" Lisa winced.
"I could," Kilnak chuckled. "But, it would hurt all of you. So, the only other option is to sink him under the water to do it. I hope he knows how to hold his breath."
"Wait! I'll talk!" Brandon said. He remembered how hard the yacht rocked that day. He didn't want it directed at him in full. "I'll...tell you everything..."
"Good. Start talking now," Michael said. He sat down to let Missa snuggle into his side. At the sight of the pod hunters appearing with the coral spears ready to jab him, he knew he had to spill it.
"Okay. So, here's the deal," Brandon said. "the moment word gets out that an island is purchased, I'm always told to find out how. With the location, too. I report the information up, and, if the island looks good, it's checked out in full. Mainly for possible fronts for operations."
"Who do you report to?" Kilnak asked.
"It can vary," he seemed to mope. "We don't just report to ones out here. It's all over."
"Oh, fuck..." Joel seemed to pale. Kilnak's dolphin companion was translating for the others there. "You're a world-wide scam artist?!"
"It's not just me," Brandon said. "Michael was part of it, too."
"I was not!" Michael seemed to growl out at him.
"You just lied," Kep said to Brandon.
"You were part of it by having me as your partner," Brandon muttered. "You helped me achieve what I needed to do. So, you weren't really a part of it. But, you did help unknowingly."
"You played me for a fool," Michael said through clenched teeth and shook his head. "Now I see why you wanted to be in on every meeting. On every island purchase and picture hunt. I wouldn't be surprised if you sent the pictures out to your supposed buyers first."
"I had to do what I was told. And, when I lost my job..." Brandon cringed. "I know the fault was mine. But, now I'm getting hounded for it. I really came out here to see if I could just..."
"Hide from the danger?" Kilnak asked with disgust. "You are actually bringing it right to us."
"And there was a tracker in this. I'm killing it," Michael said when a heavy hammer swung down in the motion to shatter the false glasses. Brandon gave a sense of panic.
"No! Don't do it!" Brandon said quickly. Michael had stopped just before the hammer made contact. "If you do, it will send a small notation as to where they were broken! It's a fail-safe!"
"Aw, hell..." Rick groaned, as Michael dropped the hammer away from the glasses with disbelief. Brandon gave a sigh of relief now. Tessoo shook his head, but it was all truth.
"Fuck me..." Joel grimaced. Then he mused at an idea. "You're currently in the ocean. Okay. Kep, can someone take these and drop them in the ocean really far away from us? I mean, the farther the better? Like...in a dark pit of blackness where they can never be found?"
"Yes, we can," Kep nodded and took the glasses. Some hoots and clicks were given for Grynkar to understand easily and swim off with them. "He is going to swim around different islands first. Some of our dolphins will be with him. After we set a false trail, we shall get rid of them."
"Good. We may have bought ourselves some time," Joel muttered and called up Bobby. "Hey! A question. Did you know that Brandon was giving out information to other outstanding agencies much like your own? If you didn't know, now you do."
"WHAT?!" Bobby screamed.
"So, he was selling information to the highest bidder?" Rick asked.
"No! It was all a location thing..." Brandon tried to explain. "I was just a messenger!"
"He told us that he was only working for one specific group! Mine! Same with the others that worked with him!" Bobby spat out. "Wait. So, if he got fired and is now being looked for..."
"And, if his last location was brought out here..." Joel added.
"Fuck!" Bobby sighed. "I need to contact a few people. And he is definitely coming back straight to me! I know I have some questions for him now. This means that he was getting paid for various key pieces of information. Wait. Now, that makes sense..."
"What does?" Kilnak asked from where he was. He was grateful for Nichole splashing water over his skin every now and then. He couldn't afford to submerse himself right now. He had to hear everything going on around him.
"We had a minor dispute over island properly a couple years back," Bobby said. "There was a group in Florida that was competing with us for an island that was mid-way through. In the end, they won out. We lost a couple good men from it, and said to hell with it. The island wasn't that great, but it was still in a nice enough area. Anyways, we wondered all that time how another faction was able to find the same exact island. We thought it was by pure chance."
"Now we know the truth," Michael muttered and found himself succumbing to Missa's mild shoulder rub. When she slowed up, he gave a small look with a soft smile. She beamed and continued to massage him again now that she knew it was needed. "I had no idea that I was being played. Speaking of which, I need to notify George. He needs to know."
"But..." Brandon seemed to wince.
"No. Fuck you. He worked fucking hard to get to where he is today!" Michael snapped at him.
"You don't understand! If others get fired, he'll get targeted!" Brandon said.
"Aw, hell..." Michael sighed.
"Call him," Tessoo said with a small grin. "All fine."
"If you say so," Michael smiled back and made the call. "George! I need to tell you something."
"What is it?" he asked on the other end.
"Your business has been hijacked by mobsters."
"Really?! Huh. Do you know by whom?"
"Brandon and a few others. Brandon is here with me. He just spilled his guts about this."
"No. Oh, no..." George seemed to whisper. "He was supposed to keep quiet!"
"Wait...what?!" Michael gaped. Bobby was listening in on the other phone. Tessoo was grinning very, very widely. Kilnak was staring at him with disbelief.
"So...he's...part of it...?" Annie whispered. Tessoo nodded.
"Are my islands secured at least?" Joel sighed and seemed to hold his head in his hands, as he sat on the beach. This was too much for me. Ashley moved to hug him to show she was there.
"All fine," Tessoo nodded.
"Yeah, he's right. They are legally yours. But...George...why?" Michael asked.
"It's hard selling islands to the locals, you know? It's the economy," he finally broke down. "I do sell them legally. I don't know who all does what on them. But..."
"Stop. Just stop. But, because Brandon was fired, he thinks he'll get looked for," Michael said.
"No, he won't. He got fired for sexual harassment. It's a legal firing. He's on his own," George grunted out. "I'll inform anyone that contacts me. I won't tell him where he is, either."
"His glasses had a tracking pin in them," Michael added.
"That's not tracking," George chuckled. "It's an alarm to let him know where they were."
"No," Tessoo shook his head at the lie.
"George..." Michael warned.
"Okay, you saw through the bluff. It's not a real tracker, so to speak. In a way, it helps me keep an eye on where he is at all times. Because you didn't know anything, you didn't get one," he admitted. Tessoo nodded at this. "I also trusted you."
"But not with this?" he asked.
"Michael, you are a very honorable man. Honorable men get men like me in trouble," George seemed to laugh out lightly. Michael could only agree to that. "Don't worry. I can cover my tracks. Brandon is on his own. And, you have my word that I won't breathe about this to anyone. Any islands that you get for the people you're working with will be untouched by anyone I deal with."
"He good," Tessoo nodded. Kilnak could only sigh, but he trusted his brother's judgment.
"Okay. I'm holding you to it!" Michael said. The line dropped, and he glanced at Joel's phone. "Well, Bobby, what do you think?"
"George is a good guy. I don't think he knew about all of it, though, with the double contacts," Bobby said thoughtfully. Joel had put him on speaker now to be heard. "He always played by the rules and made sure not to give out the same information twice. So, someone else did to turn a profit under the table. I'm going to want names. I'll leave George out of it. So, Brandon, you need to meet with me. It's mandatory. You work with me, I'll go lenient on what happens with you. You don't want my bosses to question you, right?"
"Um...no..." Brandon grimaced.
"Good. Come to me willingly, and we'll talk like grown-ups. Okay?" Bobby said.
"We have a deal," Brandon agreed.
"You'll get your ring. I'll add the necklace after this shit is cleaned up," Kilnak said.
"Duly noted!" Bobby said.
"A dolphin will take you out to sea. Just hang on to it," Kilnak said to Brandon.
"What?!" he gaped.
"Your clothes are already wet. Just go with it!" Doug smirked.
"He should be watched over," Sitser warned.
"He will be," Kep agreed.
"And, remember," Kilnak said with a chilling glare and a cold tone. "you say nothing about meeting us. Bobby knows about us. But no others. And, trust me. We will find out, if you say anything. So, keep your mouth shut, and accept your fate. Be very glad that you are leaving here alive."
Brandon agreed to the warning, and his seaweed bindings were removed. He left the island with a dolphin. The pod hunters would ensure he got to the waiting boat for transfer. Grynkar had already disposed of the glasses when he got back, and he was now enjoying a well-deserved cooked shrimp dinner. Everything was going fine until Joel got a text from his mother. She was now in the air and on her way to the island. He groaned, but he knew it was inevitable. He only hoped she wouldn't die from the shock of seeing Kilnak's people.