I was the last person in the room. After every mission, whether big or small, we would all meet up in a small room filled with computers to make sure everyone was all right. Even Duke was allowed in the room. I guess you would say he had special permission.
It was just the five of us. We were all loners, and none of us cared. We grew up on our own, so we did not mind when we were by ourselves for a long period of time. However, when the five of us—six, including Duke—were together, it was as if no one could outsmart us. No one was stronger, and no one had more faith than us. What we knew stayed between us.
As I entered the room, everyone looked back at me. I suppose I should have been the first person there, seeing as how everyone kind of saw me as their captain. We were all equal partners, but every football team needs a quarterback.
“It’s about time you showed up. Tell me something, Howard. How is it that the one who called this meeting is not only the last one through the door but is also forty-five minutes late?” said Heather, leaning against the wall next to door.
I did not mind, because no matter how much the team yells or barks at each other, we all respect each other, as we work hard and do our part.
Persistence—or Natalia, as we all call her sometimes—was sitting backward in a chair and looking at the floor, being her usual quiet self. I figured I would avoid her. She would never show that she was mad, but when someone would do anything wrong in her presence, you knew by the look she gave.
Shaltu was leaning against the computer and picking his teeth with his small homemade knife. He had created it back in India for protection. It was about seven inches long and made of stone, wood, and vines. He did not really use it anymore. That one was more for show.
“She’s right, Howard. We all have things to do,” said a deep voice. Paul was sitting on the floor and scratching Duke’s neck.
As I settled in, I looked at Paul with a smirk. “Are you done?” I asked sarcastically. I never cared how a woman spoke to me. It was like water rolling off a duck’s back, but I would not let another man talk to me any kind of way. Nevertheless, I was not a fighter. Fighting was bad business, and as much as we loved exploring, we were also businesspeople.
“Now I’m here, am I not?” I said as I turned to face everyone. No one had any more reason to argue. Everyone listened as I began to talk.
“First of all, I want congratulate everyone in this room for the new discovery on the dive back in Belize. Who knew there would be a giant sinkhole inside of a giant sinkhole?” I said, smiling as everyone began to clap and congratulate each other. “Heather, we would not have even found it if it was not for your coordinates and quick thinking,” I added, admiring her capabilities while pointing at her.
She lifted up her hand playfully to gain a little recognition. The others patted her on the back.
“Shaltu, I want to express my gratitude. I would have run out of oxygen if you had not met me underwater with a tank. I appreciate it,” I said warmly.
His motion did not change at all from picking his teeth with his knife. Everyone mocked my warm expression, followed by a sarcastic smile and a laugh. Perhaps it was because of the fact that we were never the type to give heartfelt speeches. Nevertheless, a thank-you was in order.
I turned to face Persistence. She looked at me sharply. It was not hard to see that she was still dwelling on the fact that I was late. As much as we were friends, the last thing I wanted to do was anger her even more. “I would also like to thank Persistence for her—persistence. When the engine had basically fallen apart, we were out there all alone, and there is no doubt in my mind that we would have been stranded had you not been there to fix it. By the way, I’m going to have a talk with the man who sold us that boat. No one can improvise like you,” I said, complimenting her.
Persistence, still sitting backward in her chair, just smiled. I could tell that she wanted me back in her corner.
“Now here’s to looking at you, Paul and Duke. I know you did not do much on this trip, but I will tell you this: no one can cook up an omelet special the way you guys do! Everybody, give them a round of applause.
After a moment, I yelled, “As for you, Duke, you’re eating big-people food tonight!”
Duke barked excitedly. Maybe it was because he was not used to having steak, mashed potatoes with gravy with rice, and vegetables.
Paul, however, was a little upset that he did not have a chance to do much on the past expedition. He knew no one was at fault. There just simply were not enough exciting jobs.
“The most important thing is that everybody is safe,” I said. “Now that we have all of that out of the way, we can get down to business. Let me start off by saying everyone will be getting paid the same as usual, which will be a hefty amount next week. Now let’s talk about our next mission. Duke, you might want to pay attention.” I looked toward Duke. He sat up quickly with both ears straight up.
I continued. “Heather gave me the coordinates. We are headed one hundred miles west of Perth, Australia, and three hundred miles south. As big of an expedition as this is, the Australian government does not feel it is safe or worth sending any soldiers out. Nevertheless, they want to claim rights to the discovery, so they called us. Any questions?”
As I looked around the room, I saw Persistence’s hand go up. I pointed to her to show that I acknowledged her.
“If they’re so afraid or don’t think it is worth it, how did they make the discovery in the first place?” she asked.
Everyone looked at Persistence and then toward me in curiosity. They looked more hesitant than enthusiastic. That was not like them. I was quite surprised, but I did not let them know.
I answered her question. “Apparently three people were out on a birthday trip scuba diving. One of them was literally sucked down by the water. Two people lived to tell the tale. You know the story. No one thought twice about it until a torn-up boat mysteriously appeared in the same location where the man had drowned. The Australian Coastal Patrol became curious and sent two volunteers out there to check it out. They never made it back in time for dinner. Now they’re worried that there might be something bigger than a shark in the ocean,” I explained.
Shaltu pulled his knife away from his teeth and stared at it for a few seconds. He sucked his teeth before saying, “What about you? Do you think something is down there?” Usually there was a lot more movement when we were all together, but for some reason, this mission, before I was even finished explaining it, had everyone on edge.
I answered, “Personally, Shaltu, I think a lot of stuff is down there, but as for something that can suck people under and make torn-up boats appear out of nowhere, I have no idea. That is what we are paid to find out. And if there is something down there, then it is our job this time to make the discovery and hand it over to Australia. Everyone should know by now what to do.”
Shaltu went back to pick his teeth with his knife. All of them bowed their heads.
Dear Lord,
I thank You for this day You have blessed us with.
I thank You, Lord, for letting us all see another day.
Lord Jesus, You keep us safe on every expedition we go on,
And we give You praise, honor, and all the glory.
Continue to watch over us, as we never know what we may encounter.
Thank You for blessing me with an awesome team.
In Your name I pray. Amen.
We lifted up our heads. The meeting was over.
“With that being said, dinner is on me. Who wants Italian?” I announced.
No one thought for a second of turning down the offer. It was actually humorous the way everyone was ready to go out to eat.
“Unfortunately, Shaltu’s knife and Duke have to stay behind,” I instructed. It was comical the way Shaltu and Duke moaned at the same time.
“Duke, I promise that when we get back, Paul will make you a big dinner with steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, rice, and vegetables,” I added.
Paul heard what I said. He looked back at me in disbelief. “Howard, have you lost it? I know I am a great cook, and I love Duke as much as everybody on the team, but I am not going to waste that kind of time or food on one person, let alone a dog,” Paul said. He did not yell. He did respect Duke as a member of the team, and he did not want him to hear what he had said.
It was a private section of the restaurant where we were all eating and drinking. I stood up and began to speak. Everyone stopped what they were doing.
“Now everyone, I hope the food is great, but I need to make an announcement. I need you all to make sure you have your cell phones on you, and keep them on and charged at all times, that way you will know when I call you, so you can get the final rundown. I cannot stress that enough. Keep-your-phones-on”, I explained. They did not bother moving. Their attention was still fixated on me. Everyone was waiting on what I had to say next. “We are going to meet in the same room as usual to talk more about our mission. Again, I need your phones to be on. Is there any questions”, I asked. The next morning, everyone had a chance to go home with their families. “Can I ask you something”, Paul politely asked his wife while she made them both coffee. It was early in the morning and Paul was getting ready for work. He did not do much when he was not away on missions, but he still came in everyday to clean up. The two were in the kitchen. Paul’s wife Autumn stopped to listen to him. Paul was not sure how to ask. “Do you … Mind what I do”, he stuttered, looking for words. Autumn was not sure what Paul meant. “What I mean is that I hope my job does not bother you in any way”, he quickly said. Paul’s wife looked at him and smiled then walked towards him with open arms to give him a hug. She leaned in to kiss him then backed up. “Honey, you love this family. I know everything you do is for us. And I know that every time we are together we make the most of it, so no I do not mind. Just make sure you’re careful”, Autumn said sincerely. Then the day had come. Everyone started to get a call their cell phone. Howard “The Explorer” is what each screen read. They did not hesitate to drop what they were doing and go to work. They realized when their vacation was over. We all met up in the same small private study room, all of us and Duke. Each person took their seat before I started to talk. However, Shaltu as normal for him would lean up against the wall and pick his teeth with his knife. Of course Shaltu being part of team was never a distraction, so he picking his teeth with a knife was normal. “Alright, here is what is going on. Tomorrow, Friday night, at seven-o-clock pm. we have to be at International Airport Houston. We are taking United Airlines to LAX. Once we reach LAX we will be taking Quantas Airlines to Melbourne Tullamarine Airport. Once we land in Australia we are taking Air New Zealand to Perth. As a gift from the Australian government we are all riding first class. Our flight here leaves at nine-thirty pm. I have the tickets right here. Duke you even get to ride for free. Get ready for Jetlag everyone”, I explained as I pulled out five tickets from my dark brown leather blazer. I handed each one all their tickets and information. “Now once we get to Perth we will meet up with the Australian Navy in a room sort of like this one. They will provide us with a boat and all the necessary equipment. Heather will give us the coordinates, and then from there we can head out and find whatever current is sucking people in”, Howard said not taking whatever current that was sucking people under water seriously. Finally after a lack of sleep, loss of time, and Three days later, the six finally made it to Perth. Throughout the trip, I kept thinking of Duke. He had been on planes before, but this had to have been the longest trip he had ever taken. With all the turbulence, lack of space, and the switching of planes, even he must have been scared. Nevertheless, once we landed in Perth, my team and I had met up with two Australian Navel officers who were standing up straight and holding a sign that read, ‘Howard Phillips Strongwaters’ in big brown letters. I was walking Duke with the rest of my team behind me. “Are you Howard Phillips Strongwaters”, asked one of the Navel officers with a straight face, as we approached them. “They call me Howard, and this is my team, I said with a smile”, I answered. The expressions on the officers faces almost made them look like identical twins if it was not for the fact that one was tall and lanky and the other was short and with a little more muscle. “Welcome to Australia. May you and you team please follow us please”, they said without any emotion. It seemed as though they took their job a little too serious. My team and I were all escorted to the parking lot and were greeted by two giant dark blue SUV’s. After loading the trunk with suit cases and getting in, we drove off to the docks. As planned we met up with the rest of the Australian navy in a small room. It was sort of like the room back in Houston. The difference was that this room was guarded by two armed guards. Before we stepped inside, another man in a uniform approached us. “I am Lieutenant Commander Peirce of the Royal Australian Navy. I trust you and your friends have had a nice flight”, he said with his arm stretch out willing to shake Howard’s hand. He seemed a lot more relaxed than the other two gentlemen who had picked us up at the airport. Except for our ears which were still popping from the plane, everything was great. “It was fine sir, Thank you. You have a beautiful country. If you don’t mind sir, I would like to feed our dog and then get right down to business please”, I said plainly. Perhaps it was because of the long trip why I sounded so anxious. Nevertheless, I, being from the Navy, knew how and when to show others respect. “Absolutely, and to be quite honest, I think calling in a special team after a few missing bodies is a bit a bit overly dramatic, no offence of course”, The Lieutenant Commander said in a strong Australian accent as he finished walking with us into the room. I did not mind. My crew and I were not here to find any missing bodies. We were strictly here to find out the source of the problem, and sell the discovery if there was one to Australia. Paul was the last one inside as he shut the door. “Believe me. There is no offence taken at all”, I said as I walking up to the front of the room to face everybody. The room was fairly dark and a flickering light-bulb from a spinning ceiling fan lit the room. There was some light barely squeezing through a small window. The room was filled with my team along with Lieutenant Commander Peirce and his officers. “Alright, I’m going to make this short and straight to the point. I don’t know how long we are going to be out at sea. So team, once we hit our Coordinates, we are on our own. That brings me to food. Lieutenant Commander Peirce there is five people and dog going on this expedition. I trust there is enough food and water for two weeks to feed all of us”, I said looking at Lieutenant Commander Peirce with my arm extended out to Heather. I honestly did not mean to snap at Lieutenant Commander Peirce, and I do not even think he took it that way. Lieutenant Commander Peirce was sitting on top of a table with his decorated jacket and hat resting next to him. He was an admirable guy. He was forty years old and had served most of his life in the Australian Navy. He talked as though nothing bothered him. Lieutenant Commander Peirce signaled to me, asking to take over. I gave him the stage. Before he began to talk, he set a heavy duffle bag on the desk. He looked directly at me. “Listen Commander. It was Commander was it not”, he asked putting an emphases on Commander, as if he was trying to get to me. Maybe he did think I snapped at him, and maybe he did take offence to it. “It still is”, I quickly answered before he could continue talking. I earned my stripes, and that was one of the few things which I took very serious. He gave a fake smile. “Forgive me. Listen, Commander You will find more than enough food for you and your team on a first class mini yacht docked outside with everything you need. Also the weather should not be too bad. We triple checked the reports. There should be a little bit of rain here and there but nothing big”, Lieutenant Commander Peirce explained. He turned to the duffle bag, and pulled out five small beautiful closed boxes made of mahogany wood. “I also have one more present, which is courtesy of our Australian government. May I present to you five Oris Pro Diver Pointer Moon watches. We have had them sized to forty-three millimeters. It was extremely difficult. Two have been custom made for women. It is just a token of our appreciation”, he said, as he opened one of the boxes, and faced it toward everybody. As beautiful and as exciting as the new watches were, my team remained professional. Lieutenant Commander Peirce looked at me. I read his facial expression. He was wondering if there was anything else that needed to be said. Seeing how there was not, my team and I walked up to the desk to collect our brand new gifts, After putting them on we were all instructed on how to set and work them. I was actually surprised to see how they all fit perfectly on their new owners. I would not be telling the truth however if I said it was easy to take off my watch. It was a graduation present given to me from one of my professors at The University of Arizona when he found out that I would be joining the Navy. Since then, the only time I really part with my watch is when I go in the water. After being properly introduced to our new personal gifts, we all cleared the room. Lieutenant Commander Pierce led the way followed by his officers. Only a few strides behind them were Shaltu then persistence. She was followed by Paul and Duke. Heather and I were the last ones out of the room. I closed the door behind me. The sun was brightly shining, and there was a cool breeze in the air. My team and I were led to what was a brand new mini yacht docked and ready to set out to sea. “She is all yours. I had the rest of your luggage stowed away earlier”, Lieutenant Commander Peirce said to me discretely while the rest of my team was becoming familiar with the vessel. “You and your team don’t seem to be too enthused. Would you like to go aboard and get a feel for it”, he asked. I checked my brand new watch as a cool breeze blew by. I then looked at the calm water brush a little piece of driftwood against the dock. “There is a certain amount of professionalism put into this job. I have to lead by example. I’m sure you understand that sir. Actually to be quite honest, judging by the tide, we should be leaving now if we want to make good timing. I must say though it really is a nice watch. 3,300 feet did you say”, I explained hoping that he did not think I was a mean person. He let out a short laugh. “It is a nice watch. It tells you the tidal range too. I’m thinking about getting my own”, Lieutenant Commander Peirce said in agreement. Heather stepped off the boat while everyone else was still looking around. “Howard this boat is incredible”, she said in amazement. As said, there was more than enough food, everything we needed was there, and all of our luggage was stowed away for later. Even Duke had a pantry stacked with different varieties of dog foods. After my team was done checking to see if everything was in order, we were ready to continue on with the mission. Lieutenant Commander Peirce let out a short smile of satisfaction before looking down to check his watch. “Well now, if everything is alright on our part. My crew and I will bring you out to sea”, said Lieutenant Commander Peirce. He put both of his fingers to his mouth and whistled to signal his crew. There were three other navel officers on board a boat awaiting the Lieutenant Commander’s order to lead me and my team out to sea. They were docked right in front of us. I was unaware that they were for us. Lieutenant Commander Peirce turned around and started to walk to his ship. “Sir, that really is not necessary”, I said, before he could take a step. He turned back to look at me. He was staring at me directly in the face. “No Commander, it really is necessary. Please allow me. I insist”, he responded as if he were doing me some sort of favor. However, by the sound of his voice and by the look in his eye, it seemed as if he were challenging me. I was not sure if I offended him or how I offended him. Nevertheless, I did not plan on seeing him or his crew again. We had our boat. We had our mission and we had our coordinates. My team and I were all aboard our brand new boat ‘The Firmament’. As customary with us, before and after every mission, we would say a prayer. We stood together and bowed our heads.
Dear Lord
As we begin another mission I pray first of all that you protect us
and that You please keep us safe.
Lord, we do not know what to expect or what to find
Whatever is out there, we ask that you give us the strength to take it head on.
In Your holy name we pray, Amen
We all lifted our heads, and broke apart. The boat was already on. I took the helm. The boat in front of us was already ahead of us. The radio had sounded. “Commander Strongwaters, This is Lieutenant Commander Peirce. Is everything alright on your vessel? I notice you’re a little behind”, he said wondering why we were right behind him. It was probably because he was not expecting us to say a prayer before we leave. Nevertheless, eventually we followed them through the port and out to sea. He and his men guided us through plenty of giant oil tankers and small cruise liners. Lieutenant Commander Peirce I suppose wanted to offer some last words of wisdom. “Now remember, when you are out there will be no contact with us. So please be careful. No one has any idea what is out there”, he said over the radio in a comforting voice. My crew and I however, did not mind him saying what he did. I simply turned off the radio and asked Heather for her coordinates.