VOYAGERS! - The Voyager Chronicles
DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1
(The First New Adventure)
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)
October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)
Previous disclaimers apply
Chapter 11 - TURNING UP THE HEAT
Several days had passed. During this time, the saboteur had managed to continue with his malicious mischief with uncanny precision. Columbus, Bogg and Jeff still had no clue as to who this person was or why he was trying to stop this voyage. Columbus' patience had now been stretched to its limit as he was highly agitated at the unending events of destruction on the three ships. He and the two voyagers knew they were running out of time, since the ships would set sail in a couple of days.
It was morning. Bogg and Jeff were sitting at the table in the admiral's quarters discussing the previous actions of the saboteur and attempting to find a method to his madness. Columbus was pacing the floor, shouting and waving his arms about in the air, visibly upset.
"I just don't understand it!!" Columbus yelled as he threw his hands into the air. "We've been to Hades and back to try to get the funding and approval for this voyage. Just when I think everything is falling into place, this yellow-bellied scoundrel has to interfere. What injustice have I done to him that would warrant this level of retribution?".
"I wish I knew." Bogg replied. "Every time I try to get close to him, he gets away. The guy's a professional, otherwise he would have slipped up by now."
At this point in the discussion, Bogg and Jeff began to revisit a topic which they had discussed with Columbus some two weeks earlier.
Jeff watched as the angry explorer paced the floor and gritted his teeth.
"Chris." Jeff prompted. "In all of your travels, have you met anyone who would have any reason, no matter how small, to do something like this to you?"
"No!" Columbus replied rather sharply.
Bogg chimed in. "Chris, think back. You are the only one that can provide us with the answers we need."
"I know Mr. Bogg but now is not the time. I'm simply too upset to think about it at the moment." Columbus walked over to Jeff and knelt down beside him.
"My young friend, please forgive me for my rudeness." Columbus asked humbly in a soft tone. "I am not quite myself today."
"Chris, it's ok, don't worry about it." Jeff reassured.
Columbus stood up and walked over to the drink cabinet and poured himself a glass of rum. After taking a good-sized gulp of it, he brought his glass over to the table where his two friends were and sat down. For several moments, he sat there staring down at his glass, eerily silent, while replaying old memories in his mind.
Suddenly he responded. "I just don't know. Gentlemen, I really just do not know who could be doing this to me."
"Here we sit, some two days from casting off for the new world and we have some unknown person in our midst doing his best to stop this voyage from occurring." Columbus said, feeling helpless at this point. "The problem is, we are no closer to identifying him today than we were weeks ago."
"Bogg." Jeff whispered. "What about Drake? Could he be the one that is interfering with this voyage?"
"No, kid. I don't believe so. " Bogg whispered. "The man I saw in the moonlight was not Drake. Besides, this is not his style."
Columbus, having overheard their conversation about their old enemy Drake, looked up from his glass and asked. "Gentlemen, who is this Drake you speak of?"
Bogg caught somewhat off-guard started to respond. "Uh…well…"
Jeff quickly took over. "He is one of our old rivals."
"Do you think he could be the one causing all this trouble?" Columbus asked.
"No. This is not his style." Bogg replied. "If he wanted to sabotage this mission, he would have done something weeks or even months ago to stop it for good."
In that instant, the three heard quite a bit of yelling coming from outside.
"I wonder what all the noise is about?" Columbus asked.
The three rose from the table, walked over to the window and began to peer outside. In the same instant, a visibly shaken Carlos came charging through the door.
"Admiral, sir! There is a fire in the cargo hold! Come quick!" He exclaimed.
The three turned and ran out the door. Upon exiting the admiral's quarters, they could see the plumes of smoke rising from the cargo hold entrance. By the time they made it to the scene, the entire crew was involved in a bucket brigade, struggling to extinguish the flames. Jeff and Bogg jumped in and assisted them in their efforts. In the distance, the crews of the Nina and the Pinta saw the smoke billowing into the air and came running over to help.
After about 15 minutes of hard labor and what seemed like thousands of buckets of water, Bogg, Jeff and the crew finally extinguished the flames. Once the smoke had cleared, Carlos and several of the crew climbed down to assess the damage and then returned to the deck.
"Well, Carlos, how does it look?" Columbus asked.
"Sir, there is no major damage to the structure of the ship, just some scorched timbers. I'd say about a third of the cargo and supplies have been destroyed."
"How long do you estimate it will take to clean up the mess and gather new provisions?" Columbus asked.
"If we stop everything else and concentrate all our efforts, we should have it taken care of by the end of the day." Carlos replied.
Bogg turned to the first mate. "Carlos. Jeff and I will also help with the cleanup efforts, right kid?"
"Yea, Bogg. We can't let a little fire stop this voyage." Jeff acknowledged.
"So, when do we start?" Bogg asked.
Carlos surveyed the crew on deck. "With all this manpower, I'd say there's no time like the present."
Bogg, Jeff and the crew climbed down into the cargo hold and began the task of cleaning up after the fire. As they helped haul out the remains of the burnt cargo, the voyagers discussed the event.
"Bogg, what do you think happened here?" Jeff asked.
"I'd say our guest is back. " Bogg said pointedly. "I have been on many a ship in my lifetime. In all those years, I've never seen cargo just suddenly catch on fire. He's here. Call it intuition, second sight or whatever. I don't know how I know, but he's here. I can feel him."
The two reached the deck with a half-burned crate of cargo, carried it over to the edge and threw it overboard.
"How do you think he got aboard?" Jeff asked.
"I'd say he has now taken on the role of one of the crew. Otherwise, how could he make it to the cargo hold to set the fire without raising suspicion?"
"You've got a point." Jeff agreed. "If he has infiltrated the ranks of the crew, that should make it easier to catch him. Right?"
"One would think so kid. But, remember, this guy is intelligent and shrewd. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made it this far. He's going to be a tough nut to crack."
The two walked back over to the cargo hold entrance and began to climb down.
"Kid, from this point forward, we are all going to need to be on our toes. This guy is dangerous and looks like he will stop at nothing to keep this voyage from occurring. From now on, I want you by my side wherever I go so that I can keep an eye on you. I have a bad feeling about all of this and I don't want you to get hurt."
After hearing Bogg's last statement, his Jeff's eyes grew big as a fearful look came over his face. "Ok, Bogg. I won't leave your side."
The two Voyagers along with the crew continued their tasks of cleaning up and bringing aboard fresh cargo after the fire. Later that afternoon, they completed their work and called it a day. Bogg and Jeff left the ship to get cleaned up and afterward went back to the inn to grab a bite to eat and turn in for the evening.
--------------------------
The next morning as the two Voyagers were making their way to board the Santa Maria, they were quickly met by Columbus, who was standing on the dock waiting for them.
"Good morning, Gentlemen."
"Good Morning" Bogg replied.
"If it's ok with the two of you, I need for you to help the crew of the Nina today. They are behind in completing their repairs and with only one more day left before we set sail, it is crucial they finish on time."
"Sure Chris, no problem!" Bogg said eagerly.
Jeff and Bogg left the Santa Maria and walked over to the Nina. Once they arrived, Carlos was standing on deck waiting for them.
"Carlos, what are you doing here?" Bogg asked.
"Oh, I see the admiral recruited you also." Carlos said with a chuckle.
"Well, it's like this gentlemen, the preparations for this ship are far from complete. We have only one day left to finish here before we begin our voyage. I have brought some of the crew over from the Santa Maria in hopes of completing the preparations by this afternoon."
Suddenly, from the entrance of the cargo hold, one of the crew yelled up at Carlos.
"Sir!"
"What is it?" Carlos asked the crewman.
"Sir, we have sprung a leak and we're taking on water, fast."
"What?" Carlos asked in a state of disbelief.
As Bogg stood there looking and listening to the crewman, he noticed this guy looked very familiar. In an instant, he felt a rush of adrenaline coming on as he realized it was the man he had seen in the moonlight.
"Hey, you!!!" Bogg shouted as he pointed to the crewman. "Carlos, it's him, the saboteur."
The crewman, now aware he had been recognized, left the cargo hold and began running across the deck in an attempt to flee.
Bogg turned to Jeff. "Kid, stay here, I'm going after him." He said as he took off running across the deck in pursuit.
"Bogg, be careful!" Jeff shouted.
Bogg continued to chase after the crewman and finally caught up with him. In a desperate move, he took a flying leap toward the crewman and landed on his back. He grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him down on the deck. The two struggled for a while before Bogg finally had him subdued. He turned the crewman over on his back and looked at him with a mischievous grin.
"I'd say one good punch deserves another."
Bogg then slugged the crewman in the jaw.
After this little bit of retribution, the crewman found himself somewhat dazed. With Bogg's internal spring wound tight and his body running on pure adrenaline, he grabbed the crewman by the collar and began to interrogate him.
"Who are you and why are you trying to sabotage this voyage?" Bogg shouted. The crewman, still in a daze, rolled his eyes and said nothing. Bogg shook him quite aggressively and posed the question again.
"Hey, can you hear me! I said… why are you trying to sabotage this voyage?"
The crewman began to emerge from his state of confusion. He put on a devilish smile and began to speak in a in a raspy voice. "You still do not recognize me."
Bogg, now quite aggravated with the crewman and his actions, exclaimed, "Recognize you! Yea, I know who you are now! You are the old man I met in the marketplace!"
"Yes, I was the old man in the marketplace." The crewman replied. He let out an evil laugh and then continued to taunt the Voyager. "You still don't recognize me, but that's the least of your worries now. Columbus will not complete his voyage! I will make sure of it!"
He struggled once again to be free of Bogg. As he and Bogg continued their battle, Carlos finally arrived on the scene to help further subdue his captive. The crewman continued to wrestle with Bogg and Carlos until he managed to break free of them both. He quickly ran to the edge of the ship and dove off into the water.
From a distance, Jeff had been observing the intense struggle between Bogg, Carlos and the crewman. After watching him get away, he quickly ran over to where Bogg and Carlos were standing.
"Are you both ok?" Jeff asked.
"Yea, kid, we're ok." Bogg replied as he attempted to catch his breath. "Just a little battered and bruised."
"Bogg, this guy is as strong as ten men." Carlos said as he wiped the stream of blood from his chin. "Even the two of us, as strong as we are could not restrain him. Now I understand what you went through that night on the Santa Maria."
"He's definitely strong and cunning as a fox." Bogg said wryly.
"Bogg! " Jeff exclaimed. "Haven't we forgotten something?"
"What's that kid?" Bogg asked.
"Remember…the leak!"
"Aww…Bats Breath!" Bogg exclaimed.
"Oh no…the leak!" Carlos exclaimed. "Let's go!"
Bogg, Jeff and Carlos quickly ran below deck to look for the leak. By the time they arrived, the water in the hold was ankle deep.
"Carlos, we have got to find this leak and plug it." Bogg exclaimed.
"I know!" Carlos replied. "But where do we start?"
Jeff noticed the water was rising fast and they were running out of time. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Hey, we can find the leak by listening for the sound of rushing water. Shhhhh! Listen!"
Bogg and Carlos stood silently as Jeff listened for the sound of rushing water. In an instant, he pointed to some crates in front of him and yelled out to them, "Bogg! Carlos! The sound is coming from over there!"
Quickly, Bogg ran over to the port side of the ship, pushed some crates aside and revealed the leak. The water was coming in from a hole that had been bored through the side of the ship. Without wasting any time, he began searching for something to plug the hole. Suddenly, he grabbed a piece of wood lying on a nearby crate and ran back over to where the leak was. After wrapping the end of it with a piece of cloth torn from his shirt, he jammed it into the hole. At that point, the water stopped and the leak was temporarily plugged.
"Mr. Bogg, it looks as if you have done this before. Your reactions were purely instinctive." Carlos said.
"Yes, Carlos, I have had to plug leaks before." Bogg said as paused for a moment. "I've never had to plug one like this though."
"What do you mean?" Jeff asked.
"Well normally, when a ship springs a small leak, it usually occurs at the joints between the timbers. It's due in part to the flexing of the wood or to an improper seal. If you look closely here, you will see a hole has been cut through the hull of the ship."
Carlos and Jeff walked over to examine the area where the hole was found. As the two stepped closer to the area, Carlos stumbled on an object that was lying underwater.
"Are you alright?" Bogg asked as he steadied his fall.
At this point, Carlos reached into the water and pulled out a large metal object and held it up in front of his friends.
"Yes, Mr. Bogg, I'm ok." Carlos replied. "However, I almost broke my foot when I stumbled on this."
"What's that?" Jeff asked.
"It's some sort of boring tool." Carlos replied as he closely examined the device.
"What's that used for?" Jeff asked innocently.
Stunned by Jeff's question, Bogg put his hands on his hips, looked down at the water and shook his head in disbelief. Trying his best to hold back a laugh, he looked at his partner and attempted to answer his question with a straight face.
"Kid, it's used to bore holes in wood."
Jeff lowered his head and looked down at his feet.
"Oh…" He said bashfully. "I know…I know…that was a really stupid question."
"Bogg began to break up with laughter.
"Kid, don't worry about it. I know I have asked many of those questions myself in the past. You have to admit, it was funny." After their moment of comic relief, the two voyagers returned to the business at hand.
"Carlos, I'd say that's the tool he used to make the hole I just plugged." Bogg said.
Carlos looked around at the flooded cargo hold and then shook his head.
"The admiral is not going to take too well to this bit of sabotage. I guess, I better get some crew down here to bail out this water." He walked over and began to climb up to the deck of the ship.
"Carlos, before you go up top…any idea who our saboteur is?" Bogg asked.
"I really don't know who he is. I know every crewman on these three ships but this guy, I have never seen him before." Carlos replied as he disappeared through the cargo hold door.
"Bogg, you saw the guy up close this time. Were you able to recognize him?" Jeff asked.
"Yes! I know who he is now. Well, at least I know where I've seen him before."
"Where?" Jeff asked. "Who is he?"
"Kid, you remember when we landed in Grenada months ago?"
"How could I ever forget that soft landing in the hay." Jeff replied.
"Remember when we went into the marketplace and spoke to the man who was selling vegetables."
"Yea, Bogg. He's the one who told us about Chris and where we could find him."
"Well, he's our saboteur."
Totally amazed by Bogg's reply, Jeff exclaimed. "The saboteur? You've got to be kidding, right? He was an old man! How could an old man possess the strength to overtake both you and Carlos?"
"I'll tell you how, kid." Bogg said pointedly. "He wasn't a tired-old man he was just playing one."
"You mean he was in disguise?"
"Yep. It was a good performance. I'd say he could have won… a Grammy for it."
Jeff laughed and corrected his partner. "You mean an Oscar. Grammys are for music."
"Whatever, kid. I'm just saying he sure fooled the two of us. There's one thing about my encounter with him that was quite strange though."
"What was that?" Jeff asked.
"It was something he said to me during our struggle."
"What did he say?" Jeff asked.
"Well, he said. 'You still do not know who I am but that's the least of your worries now. Columbus will not complete his voyage and I will make sure of that.'"
"Wow! That was strange. So I guess we are supposed to know this guy?"
"Yea, it seems so. But, who is he and how does he fit into this picture?" Bogg asked in a rhetorical manner.
"Hopefully, we will find answers to those questions before Columbus sets sail." Jeff said