Category: short story

the lone sailor Part 11 finale

Ian HunterLeave a comment

the next time the Russians came on board they were sober

they talked non-stop event through lunch

on the sail back they were more relaxed

Melissa flirted with them and they started to drink vodka shots

the Russians left with big hugs saying thank you for being great hosts

Michael and Melissa cleaned the boat ready for the next charter

A van pulled up and their backup CIA crew called them over

get in the van now we are leaving the island they said

they drove to the other side of the island and boarded a speedboat

it was a short ride to St Martin where another van drove them to the airport

A private charter jet was waiting for them

a few hours later they were in CIA headquarter in Washington DC

a large debriefing team was assembled in a meeting room

sorry for rushing you guys out so fast but we had no choice

the Russians planned to have you both killed tomorrow

a hit squad was going to shoot you and sink the boat out as sea

the Russian crime bosses had financed middle east terrorists for attacks worldwide

they met on the charter boat to make final preparations

they figured it was a safe place to talk because they knew their villa was bugged

they have just started to short sell stocks in a big way

the plan is to make huge gains when the markets crash after the terror attacks

the terrorist cells will be arrested just before they go into action

the Russians will lose Billions but unfortunately we cannot arrest them

they are already heading back to Moscow now

the team moved to the operations center tracking stock investments

the commander gave the order to raid the terrorist cells

anti-terrorist squads all over the globe sprang into action

all the arrests were carried out with no casualties

Michael and Melissa were congratulated on a successful mission

Michael said he was tired of being under death threats and was quitting the CIA

he announced he was going to sail around the world as he looked at Melissa

she smiled saying no more lone sailing for you because I quit too

the lone sailor part 10

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Melissa took him down to see the boat the next morning

a fifty foot sailing boat is perfect for day cruising

sailing alone the first week so Michael could learn the island coves

they tested the hidden surveillance cameras and microphones

in the evenings they hit the trendy nightspots on the island

Melissa was stunning and attracted a lot of attention

she passed out brochures for their day charters

soon the bookings came in and they got into a routine

Michael spent the early morning getting the boat ready

Melissa went to buy food and supplies

setting sail mid morning while Michelle served drinks

setting anchor in a cove and preparing lunch while their guests swam

the gourmet lunch was served with fine wine

sailing back to the harbor late afternoon

Melissa kept everybody topped up with cocktails on the way back

word soon got around that this cute couple were the best charter crew

after a few weeks they started to get bookings from Russians

the initial parties were just wealthy oligarchs 

but then their prime targets made a booking

these guys were big time Russian crime bosses 

They came on board already half drunk from the night before 

neither of them wanted to swim so Michael served more drinks

he just smiled when they spoke Russian to him

more Russian talk when Melissa served lunch

she smiled saying I have no idea what you are saying but it sounds so sexy

the Russians roared with laughter and downed more vodka

Michael was amazed at their capacity for drinking hard liquor

when they were leaving they re-booked for one week later

that evening night Michael got a secure email from CIA headquarters 

the translated transcript from the Russians conversations made chilling reading

they had said many times that Melissa was going to be killed and thrown overboard

that was a test to see if we understood Russian said Michael

the lone sailor – part 9

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he woke up from the surgery with a very sore face

they told him it would take three weeks to heal

during that time he listened to recordings about his new identity

his new name was Michael Fowler

once his face was healed he started an intense training program

there was a lot of physical training to build up his strength and stamina

he was amused by the hand to hand combat classes

desperately hoping he would never have to kill anybody

he was tested every day on his new identity

answering questions about his background, childhood and education

he was surprised how quickly he learned to embrace his new persona

he even liked the new shape of his nose and chin

his basic training was soon over

he moved onto training for his first mission

he was going to be a charter captain in the luxury island of St Barths

it was a playground for the very rich including the Russian mafia

he would mingle with the other charter boats

taking small groups on day charters around the island

eventually he would have some Russian passengers

whose conversations would be monitored by intelligence officers back in the US

he flew into St Martin on a regular commercial flight

then took a small plane onto St Barths

the small island runway requires a deep diving decent over the hillside

he was relived when the small plane landed without running into the sea

he was told he would be met by a second member of his crew

he heard somebody in the small crowd say hello Michael

a beautiful woman held out her hand my name is Melissa she said smiling

he knew he was going to enjoy this mission

she drove him in an open top jeep to a small villa on the side of a mountain

this is paradise he said looking at the stunning views

Melissa smiled and said remember we have to play the part of a married couple

she pulled him close and kissed him passionately

the lone sailor – part 8

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the lone sailor looked puzzled and fired off questions

what do you mean work for us at the CIA

what exactly is going on here and what country is this

why did those soldiers torture me

the CIA officer explained that they were in Colombia

to help support the Colombian government

in is war against the drug cartels

they move most of their drugs by sea

using a network of small boats to meet larger ships well off shore

this way the large ships are not vulnerable to detection in ports

one of the small boats carrying a drug consignment went missing last week

the cartel and the Colombian authorities think the package was transferred to your boat

thats why they both came after you when you ran aground

the Colombian military was trying to extract cartel information from you

the cartel is blaming you for the disappearance of a large drug consignment

they have put a big price on your head

of course you are free to leave here and take your chances

or you can work for the CIA

we will give you a totally new identity

and everybody will believe you died at sea

the lone sailor was still puzzled

he turned to the CIA officer and said

I wonder who fed the cartel that false information about me

it must have been someone with something to gain 

and another thing how did you know I was approaching the coast

was somebody tracking me during my voyage

the CIA officer smiled like a guilty man trying to deflect the truth

well thats all speculation but the fact is you are a marked man now

we have all your new identity papers prepared

once you agree you will go into training

we will teach you how to forget your old life

and with some cosmetic surgery you will be a totally new man

the lone sailor -part 7

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they connected the wires to a big box

one of them smiled as he pressed the button

the electric shock lasted about three seconds

the pain was excruciating

the commanding officer entered the tent

so you had a taste of the electricity

that was only low level

we will go higher and longer until you confess

he told him he was not a drug smuggler

he gave his US identity details and the name of his vessel

I am just a lone sailer

you have to believe me

the uniformed officer turned a few dials and hit the button again

this time the shock was more intense and longer

he almost passed out in agony

listen Americano next time the shock might kill you

a while later he returned with a second man who was not in uniform

the commanding officer said he is all yours now and left

the second man spoke with an American accent

no more interrogation we verified your identity

he was taken outside and put in the back of a car

I am sorry you had to endure that but its over now

the car drove out of the military compound

he found sunlight painful after so many hours in a dark tent

he asked where he was being taken to

we are going to a safe house for you to rest and recover

you will not be harmed I promise

he fell asleep during the journey

they arrived and entered a large house

a smartly dressed man greeted him and said

everybody thinks you died at sea

you are the perfect candidate to work for us at the CIA

the lone sailor -part 6

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the uniformed figure stepped up to him

on the ground face down he yelled

he was roughly handcuffed and dragged upright

more military men appeared

a commanding officer approached him

we just saved your life from the cartel

but if you agree to cooperate we can protect you

we can give you a new identity

if you resist we will torture you

what is it to be he demanded

the lone sailor just said OK

he was thrown into the back of a van

it was a long uncomfortable ride

he was laying on the floor still handcuffed

wondering what was in store for him next

eventually the van stopped and he was dragged out

he looked around what appeared to be a military compound

armed men on watchtowers

jeeps and tents

he was dragged into a tent

he was told to undress and shower

after being photographed and fingerprinted

they gave him an orange jump suit

a doctor examined him and took blood

he was chained to a post 

left alone with some bread and water

he felt like a condemned man

saved from death but now imprisoned

a while later two men came in

they said nothing at all

he was tied to a chair

they attached wires to his hands and feet

the lone sailor – part 5

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he went on deck to take  a look 

the boat had beached close to a shore

he could see vegetation

images of food and shelter filled his mind

he threw out the anchor and waded ashore

it felt weird when his feet touched land

he was unsteady and weak

but the joy of being on dry land was immense

he explored a short way along the beach

this was not a tiny island

he hoped it was inhabited

otherwise he would still need rescuing

he decided to build a small raft

to bring the contents of the boat ashore

it was getting dark when he brought in the last load 

the next day he woke up hungry

coconut milk quenched his thirst

the flesh of the coconut filled his belly

he was startled when a voice yelled out

hey you put your hands up

he turned to see a man with a gun

where is the package he demanded

he had no idea what the man wanted

what package he answered in a weak voice

I am not playing games with you

just tell me where the package is or I will kill you now

honestly I never had any package on my boat

the man pointed the gun at him

a shot rang out but he felt no pain

the man with the gun fell to the ground

a uniformed figure stepped up and picked up the dead man’s gun

scene is secure he shouted

the lone sailor – part 4

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he looked into the broken mirror

hardly recognizing himself

salt blisters on his face

his skin was dark and burned 

drinking water reserves were low

he cut down his rations

he drank the blood of a captured sea bird

resisting the temptation to drink seawater

he had very strange dreams

one was about talking fish 

he woke up with a captured fish in his hand

realizing he was hallucinating again

he knew he would die if his mind took over

he would either drink seawater

or swim to an imaginary beach

he had to keep control

he started talking to himself out loud

do not drink seawater 

do not try and swim ashore

he repeated this constantly

he tried to shelter from the sunlight

spending the nights up on deck

he rigged up a torn sail to collect rainwater 

but there was no rain

he lost his journal overboard

he stopped recording the days

his memory became foggy

he had no idea how long he had been drifting

he woke up suddenly with a jolt

the boat lurched to one side

he realized he had run aground

or maybe just hallucinating again

the lone sailor – part 3

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he was holding the fishing line

as the shark took off

the line sliced into his hand 

blood dripped into the water

he was angry with himself

as he bandaged the wound

more sharks circled the boat

they had tasted his blood and wanted more

best to stop fishing while sharks were around

he had to go hungry

until the sharks gave up

they kept circling the boat

he started to doubt if he would be rescued

he was far away from land

no shipping lanes nearby

the boat was becalmed

he briefly considered ending it right there

surrender to the sharks

instead of a long lingering death

but his will to survive was strong

after three days the sharks gave up

or were they just hiding he thought

he soon caught a fish 

brought it in without a shark interception

he was weak from lack of food

it took a few days to recover

then he spotted land

frantically paddling towards it

after a few hours he was totally exhausted

his injured hand was bleeding again

there was no land at all

he concluded that he was now hallucinating

the lone sailor – part 2

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his survival training kicked in

stay calm and don’t panic he thought

survey the damage and make an inventory

being extra careful not to injure himself

the boat was slowly taking on water

all the power was gone

he bailed it dry with a hand pump 

the engine would not start

all the electronics were dead

either waterlogged or fried by lightening

most of the food had been washed overboard

the fresh water tank was intact

there was a crack in the hull that needed patching

he cut out part of the sail

secured it over the crack with ropes

this slowed down the leak significantly

the next priority was food

fortunately he had some line and hooks

fresh fish was eaten raw

leftovers used for bait

he managed to rig a small sail

but the boat was effectively drifting

no sign of any passing ships

he kept a journal to record events

on day eleven he spotted a ship

he was elated to be rescued

sending up flares

but the ship never saw him

on day fifteen he was fishing for food

bringing in a medium sized fish

suddenly the water exploded

a shark snatched the fish on the surface