Chapter 9: Port

The ship made it safely to the small island inlet that served as a quick fuel and supply stop. After the fisherman and his son finished securing the ship to the dock, Aaron and Marta expressed their heartfelt thanks and gratitude warmly. The captain genuinely wished the couple well as they hopped off the deck and made their way down the short pier but felt relief at their departure. He would follow Aaron's instructions to continue to the busy industrial port harbor on another island in the area before turning back for home. He knew not to ask any questions.

Aaron guided Marta towards the rear of a village store that overlooked the island docks. They tried to limit their exposure by staying out of sight as much as possible as they worked out a means back to Manila. Marta was left to watch the docks and keep herself hidden while Aaron ventured out to somehow secure a return transport of sorts.

Bored as time dragged on while she waited, Marta mentally plotted out scenarios and tasks for Manila until she noticed a large speed boat pull up. An athletic Caucasian man hopped off and secured the craft as dusk settled. A pretty blond emerged with an overnight bag and joined the man on deck and they proceeded toward town arm in arm. Martha jumped up and glanced around, anxiously searching for Aaron. After a few minutes passed with no sighting, she made her way hesitantly towards the dock, careful no one was watching.

Marta made her way stealthily on board the boat and tested the latch to the living quarters below deck. It was locked tight. She lowered herself to examine the lock and fiddled with the mechanism.

"Pirate," a low, deep voice accused from closely behind her.

Marta nearly jumped out of her skin. It took a few seconds before her brain could catch up with her racing heart and realize it was Aaron. She turned to glare at him but he stood there casually with an amused smirk.

"Good eye," he complimented her, lifting his chin toward the craft. "Let's make sure they're staying on the island tonight before we abscond with the boat."

Marta's frown dissipated and nodded her head in agreement. Aaron helped her off the deck and kept hold of her hand as they returned to the rear of the village store that had closed for the night. "How long should we wait?" she asked.

"A half hour should be more than plenty," Aaron responded, leaning her gently against a supporting post among boxes of supplies. "They would've returned for anything they'd forgotten by then. We'll be sure they're down for the night then we'll be clear to..."

"Pirate?" Marta interjected, arching an eyebrow at him with a smile.

He restrained himself from saying 'Aye, aye' and consoled himself with making the most of the twenty minutes, or so, to kill. He placed his hands on her hips, pulling her to him, then pressed his lips to hers. He reveled in taking liberty with their stolen time, indulging in lingering kisses with wandering hands.

About fifteen minutes later Marta pulled away and asked "Are we in the clear yet?"

Aaron groaned at the loss of contact but admitted, "Yes." Then, more seriously, he added, "For now; but really? Never."

"Kill joy." Marta retorted as she escaped under his arm to make her way towards the unlucky couple's Bayliner.

"No, that would be you," he corrected her, his words coming out strangled and thick. He adjusted his pants before following her down the dock.

Well underway in their journey back toward Manila, Aaron sent Marta below deck to sleep. The guidance system on-board led him accurately in the dark, overnight. He wanted to switch boats before dawn at a prominent island preselected for the purpose. Making good time, he felt relief to reach the destination with enough time to negotiate a passage on a small touring cruise ship. Waking Marta, they abandoned the speeder and made their way up the gangplank after most of the passengers had disembarked for their day's excursion.

"Aren't you nervous the speed boat's owners will have reported it missing by now?" Marta asked as Aaron closed the hatch of their small interior cabin.

"No; there were no rentals or hotels within sight of the docks on that island so the odds are in our favor," Aaron yawned. "Obviously there's a chance a search will be on for the Bayliner a little later today, but the departure for Manila on this boat is 3pm so we'll be OK. I don't doubt for a minute Byer will figure out it was us who hijacked that speeder, though, and it won't take long for his team to pinpoint this cruiser as our next transport. They'll know that we've headed back to Manila, but not until tomorrow afternoon, at the earliest. We sail overnight and will be there in the morning."

He kicked off his shoes and sunk to the lower bunk wearily. "We'll need to be off the grid by then. I have to get at least a few hours sleep before we figure out how."

Aaron was asleep faster than Marta thought possible, under the circumstances. She relished a long shower in the tiny bathroom compartment. Noting the boat was empty, with most of the passengers touring the island, Marta left their room and found her way to the buffet restaurant.

Cautiously facing the ocean view in a corner with her back to the room, Marta ate ravenously until she felt she would burst. She grabbed a few baked goods, fresh fruit and cartons of milk for Aaron and headed back to the cabin. Hoping Aaron was still sound asleep, she quietly slid her key card and flipped the latch to enter the room silently. Having stepped in, she glanced up to face the barrel of a handgun and a wild-eyed Aaron with his veins visibly bulging on extended arms aimed at her head. She froze in fear.

It took less than one second for Aaron to register that Marta was not the threat his ingrained training had reacted instinctively against when his sleep was interrupted. A myriad of conflicting emotions overtook him as he blinked into a fully awakened state. He hastily slipped the gun back into the back of his jeans and rose his hands in acquiescence, with remorse. "I'm sorry, Marta," he said, his throat rough from sleep.

As the ice in her limbs melted, she was able to nervously lower the items she carried to a nearby table. "It's OK," she assured him, trying to stifle the tremor in her voice as she told him, "I brought you some breakfast."

Aaron's hand raked down his face. "It's not OK," he said, with an anxious grimace. "In a number of ways."

"What do you mean, exactly?" Marta asked, handing him a banana, her nerves settling.

"It's not OK I aimed a gun at you," he said with disgust. He took the banana from her and began to peel it, adding, "But it's not OK I hesitated either."

"Well, I'm certainly glad you did."

"Me, too; this time. But next time, when it's not you? In that moment of hesitation, I would've been taken out and you'd be next. Those new and improved agents won't bother to confirm their target before taking a shot. If I've been able to come up with any weakness from our last encounter with one, it was the single-minded disregard for anything but the mission."

"They're reckless?"

"Almost."

"A weakness?" Marta questioned, hope rising. "You've found a weakness?"

"It's more a dangerous trait," Aaron clarified, sitting down to finish off the food Marta had brought back for him. He noticed her shoulders had slumped. "But maybe we can exploit it."

Marta's eyes rose to meet his and they smiled.