(I would like to thank all of you who have been following me this far in my long Tintin novel... I hope all of you will enjoy the rest of this climactic saga!)

CHAPTER 50

The speed boat continued racing along the ever rolling waves of the sea for hours as the occupants of the boat covered up in dark robes once again. The boat had six occupants as it bounced from wave to wave. The spray from each bounce splashed like a geyser from behind them with residual splash coming into the back part of the boat. The six men kept their hoods over their heads using the heavy material to try to keep dry as they continued their returning voyage back to the Sea Serpent. With the loud motor and the sound of the waves, conversation was difficult unless you stood really close; so, everyone stared ahead as the night cloaked their movement using only the light of the waning moon and the few stars to continue on their way.

Two of the men stand next to each other steering the boat as one leans over to say something secretively knowing that the noise from the motor and the splashing waves prevents anyone else from hearing anything said.

"So what are you going to tell the boss—boss?" Tom asked Allan.

"We didn't get Tintin, but if I know him well enough, he will come" Allan said confidently.

"What about Gaspar? He wasn't supposed to leave da ship!" Tom commented a little lower hoping the person in question would not hear him.

"That's not our problem. If the boss asks, we tell him the truth. I warned him and I've already stuck my neck out enough for him—his behavior is reckless" Allan replied as they continued across the channel.

"I hope we get to the boat soon, it's getting awfully chilly out here!" Tom complained.

"Quit your whining, we should be arriving soon enough. Now that we have our new guest to join us, I think the boss's anger will be deflected off us since we followed instructions as he asked" Allan nodded with relief.

Tom turned around a moment thinking Gaspar was glaring at him from under his hood, but when he turned around he saw Gaspar carrying on with Mikhail about some exploit as they began shouting over the noise. Ivan and the other man who remained masked sat quietly while hooded.

"You know boss I hear rumors of evil bewitchment among the crew" Tom continued on.

"Aye! It's nothing I care to involve myself in" Allan said adamantly.

"Those two prisoners they say were possessed by something—evil" Tom hesitated.

"Aye, the leaders of the Crimson Heads, those practices of witchcraft and devilry give me the chills, but it isn't my place to question what Mr. Wagner does in secret for our group's advancement. I only carry out his instructions and keep the conversations on business and normal activities" Allan explained.

The cold night sea air began to make Tom shiver as he pulled his heavy robe and hood tighter. The waves weren't that bad this evening, but traveling fast on a smaller boat made for rough travel on the mildly choppy sea.

"So boss, who is this man we are taking to see the boss?" Tom asked.

"I swear! Sometimes you have curiosity worse than a child, don't worry because I really don't know myself" Allan admitted.

Gaspar and Mikhail began laughing really hard as Ivan and the unknown man sat silently shrouded in their hood and cloaks. Tom turned to look not sure what they were discussing and laughing about.

"Leave them be, I have a feeling the boss won't be too happy with Gaspar, so let him laugh" Allan replied.

"So you think you may have killed two of them eh?" Mikhail laughed.

"Possibly…but not the one I wanted!" Gaspar said rubbing his busted nose still feeling injured from the last struggle with Captain Chester.

"Don't worry, you already have the upper hand on him. He had help from Tintin and that other kid" Mikhail assured him.

"That's right, next time Chester won't be so lucky… I should have killed his entire family first" Gaspar said with wicked regret.

Tom nodded as he turned back around as they began to approach the Irish coast. Further ahead, the Sea Serpent seemed to be slowly making its way south.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The speed boat was loaded back onto the Sea Serpent by the crew. Everyone watched as the crew seemed a bit more zombie like than usual. They seemed to be paying less attention to everyone around them, but instead were focusing only on the tasks at hand.

"Excuse me my liege…" Allan said insincerely.

The masked man regarded Allan without saying a word.

"The boss would like to see you immediately upon your arrival" Allan informed him.

The masked man nodded as Allan escorted him up to the bridge.

"Careful you scum! That's an expensive boat you hear me!" Gaspar shouted removing his hood revealing his black bandana. The crew members didn't even turn to regard him but only continued with the task of securing it back in place on the ship.

"What's wrong with you lazy pieces of schizer!" Gaspar roared.

"Something is different with the crew" Ivan noted to Mikhail.

Mikhail looked at each of the crew members, especially ones that were notorious for complaining, but there were no indications in their facial expressions of any emotion.

"Strange…" Mikhail commented.

"Did you hear me you deaf numbskulls!" Gaspar shouted even louder.

"Gaspar! I don't think they hear you, look at their faces!" Tom informed him.

Gaspar took a moment to look at them as they worked. Immediately Gaspar charged and acted like he was going to punch one in the face, but the crew member didn't even flinch.

"Ya slum dogs better not have been eating up the profits you thieving scoundrels!" Gaspar said accusingly with still no response.

"Oi! Lay off em why don't ya!" Tom yelled at Gaspar.

"Why don't you shut your trap you follower!" Gaspar shouted back.

"Now come on you two! We got more important things to worry about!" Ivan cut in.

"Stay out of this Ivan! Mind your own business!" Mikhail defended Gaspar.

"What?!" Ivan looked at Mikhail with a funny look.

"All of you shut up! Gaspar! You're wanted up on the bridge on the double!" Allan shouted out from above them.

Gaspar looked at Tom then to Ivan, "The lot of you are a bunch of sissies!" Gaspar spat as he made his way up to the bridge.

"Here it comes!" Tom laughed.

"What?!" Mikhail walked up to him.

"I don't think the boss is happy with him!" Tom replied.

"Yea, I remember that he was told not to leave the ship, but decided to come with us anyway" Ivan added.

"So what! He was quite useful in dealing with that bothersome Captain Chester and his folk. I'm willing to bet we could have captured Tintin and put all of his friends in an early grave" Mikhail defended him.

"We weren't even supposed to be going there! It was Gaspar's sniveling and complaining to Allan that made put us there while we were waiting to pick up our guest" Ivan retorted.

"If it wasn't for all of that, Tintin would still probably be running in circles" Mikhail laughed.

"All's I know is that he disobeyed the boss…" Tom finished walking away.

"He's a good ally" Mikhail complimented.

"Yea, but he's reckless, and recklessness is not an endearing trait brother" Ivan explained.

"So what! He gets the job done!" Mikhail retorted angrily.

"We'll see… we need to report back to Lento" Ivan replied.

"You go, I want to find out what they want with Gaspar" Mikhail waved him away.

"Humph!" Ivan sneered and walked away.

Mikhail walked up closer to the bridge at a distance trying to see if he could discern anything discreetly.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Allan led their newest member to the bridge. He said nothing to him as he followed quietly. Allan opened the door to the bridge as Herr Wagner stood there quietly reading the gages and monitors occasionally glancing down on the main deck.

"Allan, you've returned!" Herr Wagner replied without looking up.

"Yes, I've brought our newest associate sir" Allan answered.

"I wouldn't say newest…" the masked man finally spoke up.

Allan regarded him curiously somehow thinking that the voice sounded just a bit familiar to him.

"Huh?" was all Allan could respond with as the man took off his long beaked bird mask.

"Dr. Mueller! How nice of you to finally join us!" Herr Wagner sounded a bit elated.

"Herr Wagner, I've heard you've moved up in the ranks quite a bit" Dr. Mueller smiled.

Allan could not believe it was Dr. Mueller and stood there dumbfounded.

"What's wrong with you?" Dr. Mueller asked him a bit jocularly.

"Nothing…I just thought…" Allan responded not knowing what to say.

"Thought that I was locked away forever eh? Well we were waiting for the right time!" Dr. Mueller laughed.

"I hope you were able to accomplish what the less competent could not" Herr Wagner grinned adjusting his shades on the dimly lit bridge.

"Indeed I did…" Dr. Mueller said taking out a small sack setting two cubes on a panel.

Herr Wagner removed his shades for the first time in front of Allan. Herr Wagner's right profile only revealed his ice blue eye as he thoughtfully examined each of the cubes. He picked up the cube with the green symbols inspecting its dimensions.

"Very good Dr. Mueller, I knew I could count on you!" Herr Wagner's voice began to crescendo in excitement.

"So, I suppose you have a plan since we don't have Tintin" Dr. Mueller commented.

"Let's just say, I have several aces up my sleeve my colleague, hehehehe!" Herr Wagner smiled picking up the cube with the yellow symbols.

"Can I ask just one question sir?" Allan couldn't take the suspense anymore.

"Very well…" Herr Wagner said quietly inspecting the other cube. Allan wanted to ask more questions but knew he'd better ask the most obvious one.

"These stones, I know they mean a lot to us…but what on earth does Tintin have to do with all of this?" Allan finally asked the burning question that had been bothering him for some time.

"Tintin? The question of the century! Hehehehehe!" Herr Wagner laughed.

"Hehehehehehe!" Dr. Mueller joined him cackling.

"There is history with the stones and…WHAT!?" Herr Wagner suddenly thundered.

"Is something wrong?" Dr. Mueller asked a bit confused.

"You idiot! Part of the yellow cube is missing!" Herr Wagner shouted pointing turning to look at both Allan and Dr. Mueller.

"Impossible!" Dr. Mueller shouted back completely annoyed by the sudden change in attitude.

"What is this?!" Herr Wagner said pointing to the corner of the cube.

Dr. Mueller was not intimidated by Herr Wagner's red eye as he took the cube looking carefully at it.

"I can see you know! I'm not blind!" Herr Wagner said sarcastically as Dr. Mueller looked at it disbelief.

"You don't have to shout! I'm not deaf you know!" Dr. Mueller shot back.

"Not to butt in but Tintin will be coming" Allan interjected.

"He must have the missing piece to this cube!" Dr. Mueller exclaimed.

"I don't want excuses! Mr. Thompson is right, Tintin will be coming for certain" Herr Wagner's frown turned up slightly.

"How can you be so sure?" Dr. Mueller looked at him suspiciously.

"Because… I have his brother" Herr Wagner said triumphantly.

"Oh! I see! Then we must prepare a fitting welcoming party for him!" Dr. Mueller clasped both of his hands in anticipation.

"Well then you just do that! Allan, call Gaspar for me and take Dr. Mueller to the conference room to prepare our plans" Herr Wagner instructed.

"One more thing Doctor…how did the specimens do?" Herr Wagner asked quickly.

"They've been eradicated… one by Tintin and that loathsome Chinese boy. The other you won't believe…" Mueller licked his lips.

"Go on…" Herr Wagner prompted.

"A young woman, at the house where I found the cube with the green symbols" Mueller answered a bit impressed.

"Hmm… So young Benton must have a girlfriend or wife? She probably got lucky, she is of no consequence to me" Herr Wagner nodded also motioning for Allan to hurry.

"I would not dismiss her so easily… those specimens are capable of killing an above average strength man" Dr. Mueller advised.

"Very well, if she's that foolish to come then she too will meet an untimely end with the others" Herr Wagner said whimsically.

"Aye sir!" Allan didn't delay as Lento entered as Allan was leaving.

"Ah Lento, you must have ESP, I was just thinking I need to ask you something…" Herr Wagner smiled darkly.

Lento watched as Dr. Mueller and Allan left the bridge.

"Yes sir, what is it?" Lento asked curiously.

"When is the dark moon?" Herr Wagner asked looking up toward the waning moon.

"Shouldn't be but a few more days, the moon as you can see is waning" Lento explained.

"Good, I think I may know a reckless and wicked candidate that might just be conducive for our next ritual" Herr Wagner said slowly.

"Hmmm… and who might you suggest?" Lento regarded him with intrigue.

At that moment, Gaspar entered the bridge.

"You called sir?" Gaspar asked crudely as he walked in.

"Why Gaspar, yes…yes indeed I did…" Herr Wagner smiled with a calm demeanor.

Lento looked at Gaspar suddenly taking off his shades in disbelief then looked at Herr Wagner as if the man was crazy.

"I'm sorry sir that I disobeyed your orders!" Gaspar said as if he were suddenly a soldier in the army.

"Well Gaspar… I may be willing to forgive this insolence if you agree to a task when I ask you" Herr Wagner's voice replied cunningly.

Gaspar didn't know what to think. "Of course, what would this task be? Killing someone? Abducting more women? Robbing more folk?" Gaspar asked fervently.

"Not this time… my murderous canon… when the time comes I shall let you know. Until then I need you to help us with a welcoming party for Tintin" Herr Wagner expounded.

"Aye sir!" Gaspar saluted.

"Good, go find Allan…dismissed!" Herr Wagner replied back crudely as Gaspar left.

Lento stood there almost dumbfounded unable to believe what he just saw.

"Is something wrong Master Lento?" Herr Wagner detected a sudden confusion from him.

"Um… just confused sir, nothing more…" Lento nodded.

"Trust me my eager friend…for now return back to the conference room…we have guests arriving soon" Herr Wagner said adjusting some of the gages.

"Guests?" Lento questioned.

"Tintin and his entourage…whoever they may be" Herr Wagner whispered.

XXXXXXXXXX

The Fakir, Rastapopoulos, and Lady Ravena sat in the room looking over a map of the ship when Dr. Mueller suddenly walked in.

"Dr. Mueller!" Rastapopoulos greeted.

"Ah Mr. Rastapopoulos! We meet again" Dr. Mueller nodded taking a seat at the table.

The Fakir had his head down on the table grabbing his temples.

"What's wrong with you?" Dr. Mueller asked.

"An extreme use of my abilities has severely weakened me" the Fakir answered meekly.

"Ah Dr. Mueller, it is a pleasure to see you once again…" Lady Ravena stood up.

"No need my lady!" Dr. Mueller said kissing her hand.

"So how did the experiment and stone collecting go?" Lady Ravena asked as if she was a bit more privy to more classified information.

"The experiment was moderately successful, but it did not achieve the desired effect… we need more tests" Dr. Mueller said darkly.

"And more tests you shall have Doctor" Lady Ravena smiled.

"I have the special cargo of subjects you have requested in the hold" Rastapopoulos commented.

"Excellent! We must get started right away…I have the cursed virus which came deep within the Soviet Chapter" Dr. Mueller acknowledged.

"Please don't tell me I need to hypnotize anyone else…" the Fakir whined.

"No, you're work is finished for now… go get some rest for now" Lady Ravena smiled.

"Thank you my lady, you are too gracious!" the Fakir smiled leaving the room.

"Yes…I know…" Lady Ravena said with a patronizing tone.

Shortly after that comment Lento entered the room and almost seconds later, Ivan began knocking behind him.

"Were all of you going somewhere?" Lento asked.

"We are going to prepare the new specimens for our arriving guests… would you like to join us?" Lady Ravena said almost seductively.

"Why of course…" Lento nodded with a smile.

"Boss…" Ivan whispered.

"Ivan, great timing, you will accompany us down to the hold" Lento nodded.

"The hold?" Ivan asked a bit puzzled.

"Yes…don't ask questions, just come" Lento motioned as they all began to make their way down into the lower decks of the ship.

"Boss… I believe you may have gotten what you wanted" Ivan whispered as they walked.

"What do you mean? About Gaspar?" Lento carefully whispered back.

"Yes…" Ivan nodded.

"Things seemed to have backfired on me…" Lento replied regretfully.

"What was that?" Lady Ravena asked looking back.

"Nothing my lady, just getting some minor details" Lento smiled.

"I see…" Lady Ravena said unconcerned.

"Wow! The Fakir's head must be about ready to explode" Rastapopoulos commented.

"Indeed" Lady Ravena agreed.

Crewmen were working like robots not paying them any attention.

"This is a bit eerie even for me" admitted.

"The All Seeing Eye knows and sees all…best to make sure you're on the right side" Lady Ravena said slowly.

"We should only do two experiments… we don't want to waste our most powerful weapons just yet… we could have not only Tintin's allies, but also the law against us if they are foolish enough to try to intervene" Dr. Mueller sighed.

"Agreed…Herr Wagner has chosen his allies wisely…most of them at least…" Lady Ravena finished sarcastically.

They walked into one of the last holds that had a bay door. The room was dimly lit and there were only a couple of small portal windows high above. The hold was filled with many crates, then in the back, a cage hooked to a strong chain and pulley attached to the ceiling sat empty in the back. Lento jumped back startled by the sudden growling.

"Ah! My pets!" Rastapopoulos smiled.

"Just how many of those do we have here?" Lento asked.

"We have about six…two in each of these three crates" Rastapopoulos replied.

"I thought you would have gotten more of them?" Dr. Mueller looked a bit disappointed.

"These are top breed and mean! Hehehehe!" Rastapopoulos laughed.

"We'll use what we have then, I will insert the vial when you feed them…say fresh meat?" Dr. Mueller smiled.

"Of course!" Rastapopoulos agreed.

"Herr Wagner has something even more sinister up his sleeve…" Lady Ravena replied mysteriously.

"What could that be?" Lento asked even more intrigued.

"Let's just say from some old information that we know one of Tintin's deepest fears…" Lady Ravena listened to the growling coming from the crates.

"What would that be?" Lento pressed.

"Patience…you'll see my eager one" Lady Ravena concluded vaguely.

"Yes, now we only need to set the bait and wait for our prey" Rastapopoulos agreed heartily.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Benton awoke again, but this time to smell of fire? He quickly jumped off his bed and looked around realizing he was back in his grandmother's house so many years ago. Quickly he dashed out of his room and a blazing glow was coming from downstairs.

"I know you have it you old hag!" a man yelled.

"…I don't know…what you're talking…about…" an old woman answered.

Young Benton walked down the stairs slowly as he saw the fire blazing with two men standing over his grandmother.

"Grandmother!" Benton shouted out.

The two men looked up, but this time Benton saw the face of the closest one. He was a tall man wearing a black trench coat and hat. He removed his shades and looked at Benton dead in the eyes. He had an ice blue and a red eye. Benton grabbed his chest in fear never wanting to remember what he just saw.

"There's the kid! He knows where it is!" the other man shouted.

"I'll get him, you deal with the old crone" the other man shouted in a German accent.

"Run Benton! Take the heirloom and run!" the old lady forced out.

Benton turned back to retrieve what his grandmother was talking about while crying "grandmother!"

Suddenly Benton was at a window and he jumped falling into the bushes as the house began to burn brighter. The tall man stared at him from above. That look now burned itself in Benton's memory as he woke back in his cabin aboard the Sea Serpent with a start. Benton took a deep breath remembering the details of the dream and then all the sudden things began to make horrifying sense to him.

"The heirloom! Lucille! The kids!" Benton whispered frantically.

Benton looked out the dark portal. Very little light seemed to be coming from the ship elsewhere. The ship was moving, but in what direction he wasn't sure. There would be no jumping ship in the middle of the sea. Benton began to understand why these people were after him and his brother, but had no clue what the significance of the heirloom meant. The more Benton thought, the stronger the memory became. Then he came to the revelation that the man who questioned him with the red eye was indeed one of the two responsible for the murder of his grandmother.

Benton decided he would do whatever he could to make sure that this man had the most trouble trying to get whatever it was he wanted out of him, albeit he had no clue what this man could want from him now that he had the stone. He would try to reclaim this heirloom if he could.

"Why after so many years does he want it now?" was all Benton could ask.

Benton inspected the room for anything useful that would aid him in possibly escaping and finding a place to hide on the ship. A small cot for a bed with a sheet, blanket, and pillow were some of the furnishings. A desk with a drawer, a lamp, and a wooden chair was the only other furnishing. Nothing was in the drawer.

"Think Benton! Think! You're the brother of a super sleuth investigator!" Benton said out loud in frustration.

"Guards!" Benton said loudly, but no one responded.

"Guards! I'm hungry!" Benton repeated, but still no response.

Usually someone would at least holler out "Pipe down in there!" but nothing. Benton jiggled the door knob and surprisingly it began to turn and the door opened.

Benton slowly opened the door and peeked around the corner. The guard who brought him food and watched his room was standing right there. Benton quickly back into the room. Benton was waiting for the man to come parading into the room to see what was going on, but nothing happened. Benton waited a few more minutes as he could hear the beating of his own heart. Two minutes, then three minutes passed, and still not one response or sound of any movement.

"Things just seem to get more and more stranger!" Benton thought.

Benton took a deep breath and decided to peep around the corner again. Quietly he slowly looked and the same man was standing there quietly leaning against the wall staring straight ahead it seemed. Again, Benton's sense of self-preservation made him duck back into the room. This time Benton waited only another minute. After he heard nothing he decided to slowly move out into the hall. The man still stood quietly perplexing Benton. Any normal person would be able to see out of their residual sight that someone was movie beside them, so what was wrong with this picture?

"Um… sir?" Benton said in a low voice slowly walking closer to the man. The man still stood there quietly with his eyes closed. Benton's curiosity wanted to figure out what was wrong with this man, but his opportunistic side told him to forget about it and not look a gift horse in the mouth.

Benton looked down the long dimly lit corridor. Several more cabins were on both sides and up ahead he could see a pair of double doors. Benton looked behind him to see if the man was following him and all was quiet. This was more than disconcerting to him as something unnatural seemed to fill the air which went against all logic he held firmly in. Benton quickly darted down the corridor towards the double doors. He couldn't tell whether his steps really were echoing loudly or if it was all just in his head.

Benton pushed through the double doors remembering he came this way when he was moved from the previous cell. Then it dawned on him that he wasn't the only prisoner on this ship. A moral dilemma hit him. He could try to sneak up to the top deck and perhaps find a life boat to try to lower into the water, or he could try to help the other prisoners in his initial cell. Benton wanted to reclaim his heirloom too, but knew it might get him caught; besides, his life was more important than some stone with strange green etchings on it. Too many choices demanded quick decisions as he had no clue how much time he would have before he would be missed.

Benton could feel the ship suddenly begin to slow down as the swaying of this ship subsided almost to none. It was late from what Benton could tell, but if they were going into a port, this will make his escape all the easier. Benton sighed one last time looking up the stairwell and looking down. The upward route looked much more appealing as it was much better lit than the downward route as it was almost dark. Benton could almost feel as if his mind was playing tricks on him, but he slowly began descending down the stairway. He hoped that all the unnatural feelings he felt were nothing more than his imagination running wild and that he wouldn't later come to regret his decision.

He could hear each step he took as if it were magnified many times more. The paranoia crept into his mind about being discovered but he willfully ignored it. He counted four flights of stairs that he walked up from, then he was about to enter the double doors until he heard a loud laughing and a few pairs of foot-steps walking his way.

"Yikes! I'd better hide!" Benton thought as he began tip-toeing back up a flight of stairs. He peeked through the double doors up a floor and thankfully no one seemed to be in the corridor. He opened them just wide enough so he could slip through and close the door without making any noise and waited to hear which direction these people would be walking in.

"Those are my lovely birdies! Cute and obedient! Hehehehe!" a devious voice laughed as the double doors into the stairwell opened a floor below him.

"Whatever you say Gaspar, they're not going anywhere" another voice said nonchalantly.

"You think I could have a turn with one of them?" a man with a Russian accent asked.

"Sure! For a Sterling pound that is…after we capture that Tintin" the devious voice responded crudely.

"Come on, I helped you out earlier… give me a better deal" the man with the Russian voice pleaded.

"Well…I'll think about it!" the devious voice said as the steps began to echo in the stairwell.

"Things sure are getting stranger around here!" a forth voice said.

"You can say that again!" the first voice replied as the sound of the steps seemed little by little to diminish in volume. Finally Benton could no longer make out what they were saying as the sounds of the voices and steps seemed to mix together making the sounds undecipherable.

Benton sighed in relief when he heard a pair of double doors further below open and shut. Quickly Benton crept back down a flight of stairs and entered the corridor. This corridor was not long. It only had a few doors on the right side. Benton quickly crept to the end of the hallway putting his ear to the door to listen. Again, it was very quiet. Benton slowly proceeded to open the door. Two men stood slouched against the wall with their eyes closed and arms folded.

"What is happening on this ship!?" Benton wondered.

This room looked like a food storage area perhaps with canned goods and bottles of wine, but why have two men guard it? Benton kept looking around until it hit him where the man on the left stood. He slowly walked up to the wine shelf against the wall and looked behind the man to find a lever.

"Bingo!" Benton thought as he vaguely remembered the secret door.

Benton tightened his fists expecting the noise from the wall shifting to wake the sleeping men. The shelf slid to the left side revealing a small door. He quickly opened it and found a door with a valve mechanism on it. He turned the valve until the door lock released and opened. He could finally see the prisoners as the light from the room shone in.

"I've come to help!" Benton whispered.

The only response he got was some frightened cries.

"No! No! I'm not here to hurt you, I want to help!" Benton tried to explain, but it did no good.

Benton stood by the door and motioned for them to come out.

"Escape!" Benton whispered.

"Es…cape?" one girl whispered back.

"Yes! Escape! Freedom!" Benton whispered gently.

Another girl's voice began speaking in a foreign tongue which he did not understand. After a minute the girls slowly came out of the cell as Benton found a long heavy flashlight that could be used as a club on a shelf. Benton looked at the two Asian girls. They looked bruised and malnourished. Benton figured communication may be a problem, so he began to use his hands hoping they would understand him.

"Shhh…" Benton motioned for them to quietly follow him.

As they walked through the secret door, the two guards caught the girls by surprise. One of them screamed instantly.

"Shh….!" Benton panicked as he saw their eyes open and instantly come for them.

"Shit!" Benton said out loud.

Each man grabbed one of the girls which were enough distractions for him. Benton quickly reacted using the butt of the flashlight to knock one of the crewmen out cold. The other quickly looked to Benton pushing the girl he grabbed aside so he could charge at Benton. Benton swung the flashlight as he ran at him but was pinned him to the wall. The man grabbed Benton's arm trying to wrestle away the flashlight while grabbing his throat. Benton stomped hard on the man's foot but the boots were too strong. By good fortune the man let go and crumpled into the floor. Benton looked up to see one of the Asian girls had grabbed the other flashlight.

"Thanks!" Benton coughed.

Benton didn't waste any time. He quickly began dragging the two men into the cell and quickly sealed them in.

"Es…cape? Sorry…I no speak English…" one of the Asian girls replied.

"Escape!" Benton smiled while nodding.

"Attention receiving personnel! Return to your stations and prepare to receive cargo!" an announcement blared through an intercom startling all three of them.

Benton motioned for them to follow him after he tried to make the room look like nothing had happened. As Benton led them through the corridor he began to realize this was not going to be easy as doors began to open and suddenly he could hear a lot of movement.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The ride south along the Irish coast seemed to be long as everyone remained quiet in anticipation of what might happen next. A couple more hours passed and they had reached the port of Dublin. It was after midnight and not much activity seemed to be going on in the harbor. None of the ships in or outside the port resembled the Sea Serpent from what they could see.

"Do you recognize any of these ships?" Officer Jenkins asked as they slowed down riding around the port.

"No, I'm afraid not…" Thompson sighed.

"Alas, it seems they have given us the slip again!" Thomson sighed too.

"I've never seen it myself" Tintin commented.

Chang was outside the steering room walking along the front and back of the boat keenly observing. After almost thirty minutes of looking, Chang returned.

"See anything?" Officer Jenkins turned to Chang.

"It seems our enemy is more resourceful than we thought" Chang replied.

"They must know we're on their trail" Tintin nodded until he spotted a smaller freighter ship continuing south.

"Officer Jenkins, I say we continue south. If they know we're onto them, then they may be avoiding coming to a port near the main harbor" Tintin suggested.

"That makes sense" Officer Jenkins shrugged.

"That's brilliant Tintin!" Thompson smiled.

"Indeed it it!" Thomson agreed.

Both of the Detectives knew when things became too complicated they could always count on Tintin.

"Maybe we can sneak up on them in the dark" Tintin commented.

"They're expecting us Tintin. We cannot allow ourselves to sink into this kind of false sense of security" Chang disagreed.

"Why do you say that Mr. Chang?" Officer Riley finally spoke up.

"Because, they want us to come…" Chang said grimly.

Officer Riley lit a match to light a cigarette and began smoking.

"All of this talk of supernatural crap really sends chills up my spine" Officer Jenkins replied.

"Don't worry Officer, just guard the boat when we arrive and wait quietly for us. I think we should be fine" Tintin said clearing the air.

"Let's keep a distance from that boat then so they may lead us to the Sea Serpent" Thompson suggested.

"Indeed! They may be working for that other ship!" Thomson agreed.

"How do you know they will lead us to that ship?" Officer Jenkins asked curiously.

"Um…well to be precise…" Thomson started.

"They are heading towards Dublin so it makes sense!" Thompson nodded cheerfully.

"This is Dublin! How long have you two been Detectives?" Officer Jenkins asked a bit condescendingly.

"I mean they're heading south at any rate!" Thomson corrected a bit embarassed.

"Just how vast a network is this cult anyways?" Officer Riley asked.

"It seems like their tentacles reach far and wide and is nothing to be taken lightly officer so we should proceed with extreme caution" Tintin voiced Chang's sentiment.

They rode silently for almost another hour until a patch of fog seemed to rolling in from the coast. Before the fog began to lower the visibility, they could see another ship in the distance for short period which Chang recognized the outline. The fog began to thicken and it disappeared. Tintin swallowed in anticipation as he could feel his palms becoming sweaty. Both Detectives were adjusting their hats and fidgeting nervously. The two HM Custom Guardsmen seemed to maintain their level of professionalism. Chang could feel the tension in the air but realized now was not the time to let fear hinder them. Tintin reached into his pocket and suddenly remembered the small part of the yellow marked cube. Tintin felt a splash of confidence thinking that perhaps maybe this small mysterious piece of stone could grant him some bargaining power should things not go so well.

here...