Isle of the Turtle Hermit
Chapter 2: Island Paradise
They took off early in the morning before the sun was fully up. The ship's crew was made mostly of Jamaican natives, Yamcha, and herself. She spent the beginning of the trip on the top deck taking in the sweet, salty air. Last night she made a slight breakthrough, at least she hoped it was a breakthrough. She wouldn't exactly know if her intuitions were correct until they reached their destination. She was able to interpret the symbols using an archaic numeral system that was created by a tribe somewhere in the Pacific. That was as far back as historians could trace the origin but the evidence was so sparse the scientists could be totally wrong.
"So what do you think is out there?" asked Yamcha coming up from behind her.
She lightly shrugged. "If we're lucky an undiscovered island." To her great delight he chose not to continue the conversation and just left. She didn't feel like talking to anyone at that moment. She needed her alone-time, that's what Hilary would call it.
The Captain came by and said they were close to the coordinates she had given him. She went down to gather her things. As she was climbing back up she heard shouting but there was a strong wind blowing so all she could make out was one word, 'Ague.'
A storm appeared out of nowhere and heavy rains began to fall. Immediately she was drenched from head to toe. The medium-sized boat rocked back and forth but out of some miracle it had yet to tip over. Everyone rushed to find a life jacket, unfortunately there wasn't enough to go around. The wind mixed with the rain and slight fog made everything difficult to see. She thought she could make out Yamcha at the far end of the boat but she couldn't be sure. She hung on to the rail and tried to move with the boat. A gigantic swell developed and came pounding down on the ship. Try as she might she couldn't hang on and she slipped across the deck and fell into the ocean.
Her mind went into overdrive as she struggled to stay afloat. The best thing to do was not to panic. 'Just keep kicking,' she told herself. She couldn't tell which way was up or down but she kept kicking and moving. Her head finally broke through and she took a much needed breath. Then another swell came and sucked her under. This went on for a few minutes, she was losing strength. Soon it was too much for her and she blacked out.
----------
When she regained consciousness she found herself lying on a beach with sand in her mouth. She spit it out and washed her face lightly with the sea water. Her bag was soaked and the papers inside was undoubtedly ruined. Her legs were still a bit wobbly. She looked up at the sky, a perfectly blue sky. The storm was over. She wondered how the boat and her crew fared. With no way to signal the outside world she questioned how she was going to get off this island. Hopefully it was inhabited by someone with a satellite phone.
She marched forward into the dense jungle-like forest and no clear destination in mind. It was near mid-day when she found a fresh water lake. She greedily slurped the cool water and washed the rest of the sand off her body and hair. As she was getting ready to take off her shirt to wash it she heard a noise from the left. At first she dismissed it as an animal but when she heard it again it began to sound more like a person. She changed her mind about stripping and went around to look for the intruder.
After a bit of sneaking around she located the body of the man that was spying on her. She walked up to him and tapped his shoulder.
"Peek-a-boo," she said to him and he nearly jumped out of his clothes.
"Goodness, I almost peed my pants," he said. "Hahahaha."
He was an elderly man with a crooked back and long white beard. "Are you the turtle hermit?" she asked cautiously.
"That's me! Yeah!"
He was overenthusiastic. Probably haven't seen another human being in who knows how long. She didn't know whether to feel sorry for him or to shoot the pathetic thing. It didn't escape her notice that he was paying too much attention to her womanly figure.
"So, honey, what can the hermit help you with?"
He led her to his home which was basically a crude hut made of sticks. She pulled out the wet papers from her bag. The words were mostly washed away but she could still make out a picture of the plates. She pointed to them and asked him what he knew about them.
"The plates mention a turtle hermit. I'm assuming that's you. It says you know the way to the dragon," she said to him.
"Hmm," he stroked his beard, "let me see. Ahh, the dragonballs. I haven't thought of those in such a long time. I was only a wee lad when I stumbled upon them."
"Dragonballs?" she asked, confused.
"Yes, yes, the dragonballs. Are you deaf? That's where the eternal dragon lives or actually that's where he--well nevermind about that. When I was a boy I came across the seven dragonballs," he sighed. "I made a wish."
Her eyes widened. "So it does grant wishes?"
He nodded. "I was so stupid. I wished for immortality. Well as you can see, it came true. I've been alive for five hundred years...or was it six hundred. Maybe it's only been one hundred. Haha, can you believe it? I've lost count. I don't even know how old I am. But none of that matters. What good is living forever if you still grow old and feeble...and alone. *Sigh*."
She really did feel sorry for him but then what could she do. "Where can I find them?"
"I'll tell you but first...you have to take off your clothes," he announced. She punched him in the face. After that he was more cooperative. He also gave her a boat she could use to get back to the mainland.
"I was the last person to make a wish on the dragonballs. Nearly killed me to get them, but I did it. Here's a map. It's not exact," he handed her a piece of parchment. She felt the material.
"Papyrus," she said to herself.
"Smart girl. Oh, before I forget, whenever someone makes a wish the dragonballs become inactive for another um what was it...a thousand years I think...no that can't be right. Well, I don't know. My memory is not what it used to be. They also move to a new location."
She thanked him for all the information and got into the boat.
"I don't have to tell you that it'll be a dangerous journey. Beware the Saiyan!" he called out as she pulled out to the sea.
In the back of her mind she wondered what a Saiyan was but it was too late to go back and ask. The tide had pulled the boat too far out and she didn't have enough gas to dilly dally.
As soon as she got back to civilization she contacted the nearest airport and took off to her next destination: Egypt.
---------
The storm was fierce but soon passed away. The boat was all turned around. They've been moved miles away from where they were. If Ms. Briefs did survive there was no way they'd be able to find her now. Morrigan was not going to be pleased.
"Shit," he cursed. Although technically she was his enemy he still felt a twinge in his chest thinking about her lying dead somewhere. She was the most beautiful assignment he'd ever had. If only things were different, if they weren't on different sides...maybe something could have happened. "Oh, well."
He took out his satellite phone and relayed the latest news to his boss.
"Get back home immediately. We're going to plan B," she ordered then slammed down the phone in anger. He hung up and ordered the crew back to Jamaica. As they got closer to the port he could see some authorities milling around. He hung back on the boat making sure no one could see him from the shore. The police might have found the body he had killed couple of nights ago. The body of the 'real guide' for Ms. Briefs.
Rather than waiting for the boat to dock he jumped overboard and swam away. The crew scratched their heads and stared at him in confusion.
When he arrived back to home base she ordered him to go raid Ms. Brief's house again.
"Take Zane with you," she said as he was on his way out. He grimaced but kept quiet.
This time he headed the group rather than Zane who was second-in-command. He signaled the group to move forward. First he took out the security cameras, then the laser sensors. The guard dogs let out a racket but he quickly shot them with a silencer. With only the butler in the house it was easy picking to get in and restrain him. They used an explosive to blow open the door and took the plates out of the treasure room.
"Well that was easy," said Zane who remembered his last attempt to break into the treasure room. Yamcha frowned and put the plates in his bag. He heard a light click behind him and on some instinct he ducked. Within milliseconds a barrage of bullets came flying through and half the men were killed. Zane somehow managed to survive to Yamcha's dismay and they both ran out of there with only a handful of people left following right behind them.
Hilary had managed to activate the automatic security system for the treasure room. It had built in guns that could pump out 50 to 100 bullets a minute. As he sat there all tied up he wondered where the damn police were.
The police found Hilary tied up in the bedroom the next day. He bitched them out for getting there so late and then called someone to re-rig the security system. He looked around at all the mess the burglars left behind and let out a long breath. It was going to be a long day.
------------- A/N: That was a short chapter. I'll try to make the next one longer. Please review. (
Chapter 2: Island Paradise
They took off early in the morning before the sun was fully up. The ship's crew was made mostly of Jamaican natives, Yamcha, and herself. She spent the beginning of the trip on the top deck taking in the sweet, salty air. Last night she made a slight breakthrough, at least she hoped it was a breakthrough. She wouldn't exactly know if her intuitions were correct until they reached their destination. She was able to interpret the symbols using an archaic numeral system that was created by a tribe somewhere in the Pacific. That was as far back as historians could trace the origin but the evidence was so sparse the scientists could be totally wrong.
"So what do you think is out there?" asked Yamcha coming up from behind her.
She lightly shrugged. "If we're lucky an undiscovered island." To her great delight he chose not to continue the conversation and just left. She didn't feel like talking to anyone at that moment. She needed her alone-time, that's what Hilary would call it.
The Captain came by and said they were close to the coordinates she had given him. She went down to gather her things. As she was climbing back up she heard shouting but there was a strong wind blowing so all she could make out was one word, 'Ague.'
A storm appeared out of nowhere and heavy rains began to fall. Immediately she was drenched from head to toe. The medium-sized boat rocked back and forth but out of some miracle it had yet to tip over. Everyone rushed to find a life jacket, unfortunately there wasn't enough to go around. The wind mixed with the rain and slight fog made everything difficult to see. She thought she could make out Yamcha at the far end of the boat but she couldn't be sure. She hung on to the rail and tried to move with the boat. A gigantic swell developed and came pounding down on the ship. Try as she might she couldn't hang on and she slipped across the deck and fell into the ocean.
Her mind went into overdrive as she struggled to stay afloat. The best thing to do was not to panic. 'Just keep kicking,' she told herself. She couldn't tell which way was up or down but she kept kicking and moving. Her head finally broke through and she took a much needed breath. Then another swell came and sucked her under. This went on for a few minutes, she was losing strength. Soon it was too much for her and she blacked out.
----------
When she regained consciousness she found herself lying on a beach with sand in her mouth. She spit it out and washed her face lightly with the sea water. Her bag was soaked and the papers inside was undoubtedly ruined. Her legs were still a bit wobbly. She looked up at the sky, a perfectly blue sky. The storm was over. She wondered how the boat and her crew fared. With no way to signal the outside world she questioned how she was going to get off this island. Hopefully it was inhabited by someone with a satellite phone.
She marched forward into the dense jungle-like forest and no clear destination in mind. It was near mid-day when she found a fresh water lake. She greedily slurped the cool water and washed the rest of the sand off her body and hair. As she was getting ready to take off her shirt to wash it she heard a noise from the left. At first she dismissed it as an animal but when she heard it again it began to sound more like a person. She changed her mind about stripping and went around to look for the intruder.
After a bit of sneaking around she located the body of the man that was spying on her. She walked up to him and tapped his shoulder.
"Peek-a-boo," she said to him and he nearly jumped out of his clothes.
"Goodness, I almost peed my pants," he said. "Hahahaha."
He was an elderly man with a crooked back and long white beard. "Are you the turtle hermit?" she asked cautiously.
"That's me! Yeah!"
He was overenthusiastic. Probably haven't seen another human being in who knows how long. She didn't know whether to feel sorry for him or to shoot the pathetic thing. It didn't escape her notice that he was paying too much attention to her womanly figure.
"So, honey, what can the hermit help you with?"
He led her to his home which was basically a crude hut made of sticks. She pulled out the wet papers from her bag. The words were mostly washed away but she could still make out a picture of the plates. She pointed to them and asked him what he knew about them.
"The plates mention a turtle hermit. I'm assuming that's you. It says you know the way to the dragon," she said to him.
"Hmm," he stroked his beard, "let me see. Ahh, the dragonballs. I haven't thought of those in such a long time. I was only a wee lad when I stumbled upon them."
"Dragonballs?" she asked, confused.
"Yes, yes, the dragonballs. Are you deaf? That's where the eternal dragon lives or actually that's where he--well nevermind about that. When I was a boy I came across the seven dragonballs," he sighed. "I made a wish."
Her eyes widened. "So it does grant wishes?"
He nodded. "I was so stupid. I wished for immortality. Well as you can see, it came true. I've been alive for five hundred years...or was it six hundred. Maybe it's only been one hundred. Haha, can you believe it? I've lost count. I don't even know how old I am. But none of that matters. What good is living forever if you still grow old and feeble...and alone. *Sigh*."
She really did feel sorry for him but then what could she do. "Where can I find them?"
"I'll tell you but first...you have to take off your clothes," he announced. She punched him in the face. After that he was more cooperative. He also gave her a boat she could use to get back to the mainland.
"I was the last person to make a wish on the dragonballs. Nearly killed me to get them, but I did it. Here's a map. It's not exact," he handed her a piece of parchment. She felt the material.
"Papyrus," she said to herself.
"Smart girl. Oh, before I forget, whenever someone makes a wish the dragonballs become inactive for another um what was it...a thousand years I think...no that can't be right. Well, I don't know. My memory is not what it used to be. They also move to a new location."
She thanked him for all the information and got into the boat.
"I don't have to tell you that it'll be a dangerous journey. Beware the Saiyan!" he called out as she pulled out to the sea.
In the back of her mind she wondered what a Saiyan was but it was too late to go back and ask. The tide had pulled the boat too far out and she didn't have enough gas to dilly dally.
As soon as she got back to civilization she contacted the nearest airport and took off to her next destination: Egypt.
---------
The storm was fierce but soon passed away. The boat was all turned around. They've been moved miles away from where they were. If Ms. Briefs did survive there was no way they'd be able to find her now. Morrigan was not going to be pleased.
"Shit," he cursed. Although technically she was his enemy he still felt a twinge in his chest thinking about her lying dead somewhere. She was the most beautiful assignment he'd ever had. If only things were different, if they weren't on different sides...maybe something could have happened. "Oh, well."
He took out his satellite phone and relayed the latest news to his boss.
"Get back home immediately. We're going to plan B," she ordered then slammed down the phone in anger. He hung up and ordered the crew back to Jamaica. As they got closer to the port he could see some authorities milling around. He hung back on the boat making sure no one could see him from the shore. The police might have found the body he had killed couple of nights ago. The body of the 'real guide' for Ms. Briefs.
Rather than waiting for the boat to dock he jumped overboard and swam away. The crew scratched their heads and stared at him in confusion.
When he arrived back to home base she ordered him to go raid Ms. Brief's house again.
"Take Zane with you," she said as he was on his way out. He grimaced but kept quiet.
This time he headed the group rather than Zane who was second-in-command. He signaled the group to move forward. First he took out the security cameras, then the laser sensors. The guard dogs let out a racket but he quickly shot them with a silencer. With only the butler in the house it was easy picking to get in and restrain him. They used an explosive to blow open the door and took the plates out of the treasure room.
"Well that was easy," said Zane who remembered his last attempt to break into the treasure room. Yamcha frowned and put the plates in his bag. He heard a light click behind him and on some instinct he ducked. Within milliseconds a barrage of bullets came flying through and half the men were killed. Zane somehow managed to survive to Yamcha's dismay and they both ran out of there with only a handful of people left following right behind them.
Hilary had managed to activate the automatic security system for the treasure room. It had built in guns that could pump out 50 to 100 bullets a minute. As he sat there all tied up he wondered where the damn police were.
The police found Hilary tied up in the bedroom the next day. He bitched them out for getting there so late and then called someone to re-rig the security system. He looked around at all the mess the burglars left behind and let out a long breath. It was going to be a long day.
------------- A/N: That was a short chapter. I'll try to make the next one longer. Please review. (
