Chapter 3: A Night Out for Shipwreck
The night was dark and blue. A lone man in a tiny white sailor's hat stood on the docks, gazing out into the murky water. "Mara," he whispered.
"Hey, sailor!" He heard a seductive voice behind him. "You look like you could use some company."
"Nah, I'm just looking for a mermaid." He said.
"For fifty bucks, I can put on a tail."
He turned to rebuke her. The hooker's eyes went wide as she looked over his shoulder. Silently, she backed away and fled in terror.
"Uh oh," Shipwreck thought. He carefully turned around and....
"Oh, damn it Polly! Take that rat out of your mouth!"
"Polly likes rats. MMM good rats. Polly want blood!!!!!!!!!!!!" Polly screeched.
"You're really creeping me out, birdbrain!" Shipwreck cringed inwardly at his bloodthirsty avian companion, the only thing left to him by his father. Crazy SOB.
Ahhh, but that was long ago, and he could no more get rid of Polly than he could get rid of his longing for Mara, the beautiful mermaid who had stolen his heart. Almost every night, he came down to these lonely docks—well, lonely except for the hookers, the hobos, the beatniks, the fishermen, the rats, the mice, the bugs, the graveyard-shift dock workers, the drug dealers, the druggies, the frotteurs, men opening trench-coats to reveal gold watches and jewels, men opening trench-coats to reveal an entirely different set of jewels...and watch and wait for her to return. She had promised him she would one day, and until then, he would patiently wait.
Shipwreck glanced at his watch, noting he had an hour before he needed to return to base for duty. The moon had risen, casting its soft glow on the water, illuminating the pier and his friend Snake Eyes with delicate strokes of light. Wait, Snake Eyes—what was he doing here?
"Snake Eyes, what are you doing here?" Shipwreck glared at his teammate who was currently chasing Polly away from clawing at his head. That accomplished, with Polly mumbling something about blood and meat, he signed something frantically.
"Damn it Snakes, you know I can't understand a bloody thing you say—er, sign! Polly began to screech and cackle in the background. "Write it down."
Snake Eyes shrugged his shoulders and showed empty hands, indicating he had brought neither pen nor paper. "Write it in blood!!!" Polly screeched before Shipwreck shooed him away.
"Really, Snakes, you know that Scarlett and Duke are the only ones that understand you—why didn't you bring a notebook with you?"
Snake Eyes shrugged again, pointing to his clothing. Where in hell would he store a notebook in his skin-tight, black spandex jumpsuit? As it was, his uniform left little to the imagination.
"Well, you should be better prepared," Shipwreck harrumphed.
Snake Eyes used a sign he knew even Shipwreck could understand. It was really irritating that most of his teammates stubbornly refused to learn sign language. Let's see how well they would do as scarred up, mute ninjas. Well, he still had a message for Shipwreck, so he lowered his middle finger and began to communicate with Shipwreck using non-ASL- sanctioned gestures. That seemed to work with his teammates. He did find it slightly embarrassing that he had to play charades all the time. On the upside, he was an excellent competitor when the team actually played the game.
"Slow down Snakes. What—OK—first word, one syllable. Sounds like--- tongue. No? OK—mint. Snake Eyes nodded and flicked his tongue back into his mouth, but not before the Breathsaver on it flew off and landed at his feet. Disgusted, Snake Eyes continued. He began to strut around the dock, chest puffed out, alternately flexing his biceps, posing like Arnold Schwartzenegger at a Mr. World competition, and walking around like he was wearing concrete deodorant. "Uhhhh, Roadblock? No—Gung Ho?" Frustrated, Snake Eyes grabbed his ear, or tried to, given that his ears were as covered in spandex as the rest of him, and pointed at the mint lying forlornly on the dock. "Oh yeah. Sounds like mint. Mint...mint...fint..." Snake Eyes thumped Shipwreck on the forehead with his fingers. "Ohhh, Flint!!!! I got it? That's it?" Snake Eyes nodded exasperatedly while Shipwreck danced about the dock in triumph. "You know, Snakes, Muscles walks more like this," he said, and proceeded to imitate his superior. Snakes Eyes disgustedly turned around and started to walk away. "Ok---ok. Come on, Snakes, next word." This was actually kind of fun. He really must play charades more often.
For the next fifteen minutes, Snake Eyes gestured, and Shipwreck guessed. Base had received word from Lady Jaye that Flint was missing, and Duke wanted everybody back at headquarters. As they walked away together, Snake Eyes asked via hand gestures why Shipwreck was at the docks again.
"You know the answer to that, my man. Mara is coming back, and when she does, you'll all see that she's real."
Snake Eyes mournfully shook his head and patted Shipwreck's shoulder. He pointed to a hooker, the one that had accosted Shipwreck earlier. "What about her, Snakes?"
Snake Eyes made a rude gesture.
Shipwreck's eyes widened in horror. "Snakes! You know I don't do that sort of thing anymore!"
Snake Eyes sadly shook his head again. He pointed to Polly, who was desecrating the rat he had caught earlier. Shipwreck muttered a curse, got his bird, and rejoined Snake Eyes. Before turning to leave, Snake Eyes pointed to the hooker again, who was currently displaying her merchandise for a young merchant marine. He gestured something to Shipwreck, who turned for one last look at the prostitute. "Yeah, I know," he said. "Nice tits."
The night was dark and blue. A lone man in a tiny white sailor's hat stood on the docks, gazing out into the murky water. "Mara," he whispered.
"Hey, sailor!" He heard a seductive voice behind him. "You look like you could use some company."
"Nah, I'm just looking for a mermaid." He said.
"For fifty bucks, I can put on a tail."
He turned to rebuke her. The hooker's eyes went wide as she looked over his shoulder. Silently, she backed away and fled in terror.
"Uh oh," Shipwreck thought. He carefully turned around and....
"Oh, damn it Polly! Take that rat out of your mouth!"
"Polly likes rats. MMM good rats. Polly want blood!!!!!!!!!!!!" Polly screeched.
"You're really creeping me out, birdbrain!" Shipwreck cringed inwardly at his bloodthirsty avian companion, the only thing left to him by his father. Crazy SOB.
Ahhh, but that was long ago, and he could no more get rid of Polly than he could get rid of his longing for Mara, the beautiful mermaid who had stolen his heart. Almost every night, he came down to these lonely docks—well, lonely except for the hookers, the hobos, the beatniks, the fishermen, the rats, the mice, the bugs, the graveyard-shift dock workers, the drug dealers, the druggies, the frotteurs, men opening trench-coats to reveal gold watches and jewels, men opening trench-coats to reveal an entirely different set of jewels...and watch and wait for her to return. She had promised him she would one day, and until then, he would patiently wait.
Shipwreck glanced at his watch, noting he had an hour before he needed to return to base for duty. The moon had risen, casting its soft glow on the water, illuminating the pier and his friend Snake Eyes with delicate strokes of light. Wait, Snake Eyes—what was he doing here?
"Snake Eyes, what are you doing here?" Shipwreck glared at his teammate who was currently chasing Polly away from clawing at his head. That accomplished, with Polly mumbling something about blood and meat, he signed something frantically.
"Damn it Snakes, you know I can't understand a bloody thing you say—er, sign! Polly began to screech and cackle in the background. "Write it down."
Snake Eyes shrugged his shoulders and showed empty hands, indicating he had brought neither pen nor paper. "Write it in blood!!!" Polly screeched before Shipwreck shooed him away.
"Really, Snakes, you know that Scarlett and Duke are the only ones that understand you—why didn't you bring a notebook with you?"
Snake Eyes shrugged again, pointing to his clothing. Where in hell would he store a notebook in his skin-tight, black spandex jumpsuit? As it was, his uniform left little to the imagination.
"Well, you should be better prepared," Shipwreck harrumphed.
Snake Eyes used a sign he knew even Shipwreck could understand. It was really irritating that most of his teammates stubbornly refused to learn sign language. Let's see how well they would do as scarred up, mute ninjas. Well, he still had a message for Shipwreck, so he lowered his middle finger and began to communicate with Shipwreck using non-ASL- sanctioned gestures. That seemed to work with his teammates. He did find it slightly embarrassing that he had to play charades all the time. On the upside, he was an excellent competitor when the team actually played the game.
"Slow down Snakes. What—OK—first word, one syllable. Sounds like--- tongue. No? OK—mint. Snake Eyes nodded and flicked his tongue back into his mouth, but not before the Breathsaver on it flew off and landed at his feet. Disgusted, Snake Eyes continued. He began to strut around the dock, chest puffed out, alternately flexing his biceps, posing like Arnold Schwartzenegger at a Mr. World competition, and walking around like he was wearing concrete deodorant. "Uhhhh, Roadblock? No—Gung Ho?" Frustrated, Snake Eyes grabbed his ear, or tried to, given that his ears were as covered in spandex as the rest of him, and pointed at the mint lying forlornly on the dock. "Oh yeah. Sounds like mint. Mint...mint...fint..." Snake Eyes thumped Shipwreck on the forehead with his fingers. "Ohhh, Flint!!!! I got it? That's it?" Snake Eyes nodded exasperatedly while Shipwreck danced about the dock in triumph. "You know, Snakes, Muscles walks more like this," he said, and proceeded to imitate his superior. Snakes Eyes disgustedly turned around and started to walk away. "Ok---ok. Come on, Snakes, next word." This was actually kind of fun. He really must play charades more often.
For the next fifteen minutes, Snake Eyes gestured, and Shipwreck guessed. Base had received word from Lady Jaye that Flint was missing, and Duke wanted everybody back at headquarters. As they walked away together, Snake Eyes asked via hand gestures why Shipwreck was at the docks again.
"You know the answer to that, my man. Mara is coming back, and when she does, you'll all see that she's real."
Snake Eyes mournfully shook his head and patted Shipwreck's shoulder. He pointed to a hooker, the one that had accosted Shipwreck earlier. "What about her, Snakes?"
Snake Eyes made a rude gesture.
Shipwreck's eyes widened in horror. "Snakes! You know I don't do that sort of thing anymore!"
Snake Eyes sadly shook his head again. He pointed to Polly, who was desecrating the rat he had caught earlier. Shipwreck muttered a curse, got his bird, and rejoined Snake Eyes. Before turning to leave, Snake Eyes pointed to the hooker again, who was currently displaying her merchandise for a young merchant marine. He gestured something to Shipwreck, who turned for one last look at the prostitute. "Yeah, I know," he said. "Nice tits."