Kelly Carlson ducked her blonde head out from the boat’s small cockpit when she heard the thumping over the uneven planks of the ramp. She’d been in Palmas Del Mar overseeing the purchase of another boat and the subsequent repair of its port-side engine. It still wasn’t perfect, but they weren’t going far, and she’d remain behind to continue the work.
She called Chris out of the salon to help Lee load the servers onboard and secure them for what was shaping up to be a short but somewhat exciting ride, given the morning chop.
Near the stern, Neely Lawton had already boarded. She was waiting, quietly staring out over the water. She didn’t appear anxious or excited. Instead, it was one of apprehension, knowing they were headed back to a place not far from where her father had just died. A place where he gave his own life to save them all.
That they were going back to the same area, and for the very same reason, was more than a little sobering.
A few hours later, Captain Emerson had an equally concerning thought. He didn’t know exactly what they were after, but given the close proximity to where the Bowditch was lost, it wasn’t exactly a stretch to suspect a relationship. And like the Coast Guard’s Base Commander, his orders too had come directly from Admiral Langford, which was unusual. It made Emerson wonder just how many others were aware of their new “mission.”
“They’re here, sir,” Harris said, sticking his head inside.
Emerson stepped back outside through the bridge door and joined his first officer at the railing. Harris handed him the binoculars and pointed out past the pier.
He spotted the Teknicraft aluminum-hulled catamaran heading directly toward them and recognized Chris Ramirez standing outside the pilothouse at one of the forward railings. He couldn’t make out anyone else except the two dolphins swimming next to them, occasionally jumping between the swells.
He returned inside and grabbed the handset, raising it to his ear. When his head engineer Tay answered on the other end, he asked the same question he’d asked less than a half hour earlier.
“How close?”
From the Pathfinder’s stern, Tay nodded confidently. “We’re ready, Captain. We’re done reinforcing the tank and it’s filling now. I’d say ten minutes.”
“Excellent. We’ll need to transfer them as quickly as possible.”
“Yes, sir.” Behind Tay, the heavy, fabric sling swayed slowly in the breeze. “We’re all ready for that too.”
“Well done. Let us know when everyone’s aboard.”
“I will, sir.”
Emerson hung up and placed the handset back in its cradle in front of his communications officer. He returned outside and peered back out over the water, this time handing the binoculars back to Harris.
“Any idea behind the urgency, sir?”
“Nope.”
Alison and Chris watched impatiently from the side of the metal tank while the tall orange winch moved Dirk smoothly across the open deck, lowering him into the tank beside Sally. After some difficulty unwrapping the sling, Tay’s team double-checked the integrity of the tank before giving a thumbs-up.
Behind them, Kelly squeezed Alison’s shoulders. “That’s my cue.” She winked at Chris. “You sure you have everything before I untie?”
Chris nodded, hiding his disappointment. “I think so.” He started to add something to keep the conversation with Kelly going but didn’t know what else to say, without it sounding corny. Instead, he tried to stand there and appear cool while she hugged Alison.
“Drop me a postcard.”
Alison laughed. “Sure. I’ll put it in a bottle.”
Kelly turned and headed for the gangplank. “I’ll be watching the store, so let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Kel. Will do.”
Alison’s eyes wasted no time. She turned to Tay, who was already on the phone confirming that they were ready.
The rest of the crew had begun pulling in the Pathfinder’s giant lines from the dock when Captain Emerson appeared above and promptly descended the ladder.
He raised his voice over the ship’s engines as they rumbled to life. “Dr. Shaw. It’s nice to see you again.”
Alison shook his extended hand. “Thank you, Captain. I guess this makes adventure number three.”
He smiled. “I suggest we don’t count the first two.”
Alison couldn’t agree more. The first time she and the team had to be evacuated from the Pathfinder by the Coast Guard. The second trip ended with the terrible fate of the Bowditch. As Steve Caesare once said, they weren’t exactly batting a thousand.
Emerson turned to Chris. “Mr. Ramirez.”
“Hello again, Captain.”
After looking at the dolphins, Emerson said, “Are we all set here? I understand we’re on a tight schedule.”
“Yes, I think we’re ready when you are.”
“Very good. I’m afraid we have some larger swells than usual, so for safety reasons I’ll need to ask you both to remain above on the main deck. You should still be able to keep an eye on your friends from there.”
Alison followed the captain’s gaze up one flight. “That’s fine. Can we remain outside?”
Emerson nodded. “Of course. The wind is quite strong, but no one freezes in the Caribbean. Mr. Kenwood is setting up his equipment upstairs.” He looked around the stern. “I presume Commander Lawton has already reported upstairs.”
“Yes. She headed up as soon as we arrived.”
“Very good. If you’ll follow me.”
They both fell in behind the captain and climbed up a white ladder, painted to match the hull. When they reached the next level, Emerson turned to face them before continuing. “I’ll let Mr. Kenwood know where you are. Is there anything else we can provide for you?”
“Thank you, I don’t think so.”
He nodded again. “Hold on tight.”
After he had departed, Alison turned to Chris. “You ready?”
He took a deep breath and wrapped his grip around the metal railing. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I just never thought I would be back on this ship again so soon.”
“Me either.”
Chris looked down at Dirk and Sally, relaxed and moving slowly inside the tank. “Things are getting a little crazy, huh?”
“You could say that again.”
“Kind of… scary crazy.”
Alison looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. Everything just seems to be happening awfully fast. The things we’re learning are way beyond what we ever expected.”
“It’s true. But if we’re right about these plants…”
“I’m not talking about the plants, Ali. I’m talking about,” he paused, shaking his head, “all of it. IMIS, the translations, Dirk, and Sally. We never dreamed of finding this much. Humans went for so long thinking dolphins were just smart mammals. A step above pets really. Now we find out they have culture, heritage, a history of their own.”
Chris sighed. “It makes me think about how much history we humans have been ignoring, all around us. Every species has a history. A heritage. History isn’t just what’s happened or where we’ve been, Alison. History is about our place in the world.”
Chris paused, trying to figure out how to put his feelings into words. “I guess what I’m saying is that it’s all kinda scary. It’s scary to find out how much exists around us that we’ve just been oblivious to. Or maybe apathetic. It also makes me wonder just how much more Dirk and Sally know.”
“We’re finding out.”
“We are. But it kind of feels like we’re stumbling backwards into all of it, doesn’t it?”