“He said they missed me!” exclaimed Dalmar as he stepped onto the ladder. “They thought I was dead. But nothing can kill Dread Pirate Dalmar Abdi!”
“Any news of Klea?” asked Jonah.
Dalmar looked up and asked his men. Several shook their heads. Dalmar shrugged. There was no message to translate.
“Tell your men we wish we could show them more hospitality,” said Jonah, gesturing to the four bodies on the deck. “But they’ve arrived just in time for a funeral detail.”
“We understand,” said Dalmar. “We have seen much death as well.”
Beside them, Hassan busied himself by attaching roping chains and other weights to the feet of the body bags. Finishing, he stood up.
“I believe we’re ready to bury the bodies of the mercenaries,” said Hassan. “Anyone want to say anything?”
“Good riddance,” said Alexis.
“I say something,” said Vitaly, stepping forward. He bowed his head and cleared his throat, hands folded in front of him.
“Go ahead,” said Jonah, nodding as everyone circled around the three black body bags. When Vitaly began to speak, Dalmar stepped off the ladder to stand beside him.
“You have died,” began Vitaly. “Captain Jonah killed you. But that does not mean he think you bad men. Some of you my friends and I am very sad you dead. There many reason for soldiers to come to far side of world. Together we did bad things, but some of us did bad things because we know nothing else. And for many soldiers, war never stop, even if fighting stop. May you find peace in death you not find in life.”
With that, Vitaly and Hassan slid the three bodies off the submarine’s deck, one after another. They each splashed into the water and disappeared into the depths in a cloud of expunging bubbles. The act felt sacrilegious, cruel, a debasement of the human body to consign it to such foul waters.
“I don’t know if that was a eulogy or an exorcism,” Alexis mumbled.
Hassan looked at his mother’s body, then to Jonah.
“I know I’m supposed to say something,” he said, loud enough for the entire crew to hear. “But I can’t. And I can’t bury her with them. Not in these waters — they represent everything she lost her life fighting.”
“Brother Hassan,” said Dalmar, stepping forward and wrapping a massive arm around the doctor’ shoulders. “Allow me to take our mother’s body. I will bury her to the customs of my tribe. She will be placed in consecrated ground forever facing the Holy City. I swear to you she will be honored as a beautiful Moroccan princess. My people will protect her grave and they will always welcome you as a clan elder.”
“I’d… I’d like that,” whispered Hassan.
The crew of the Scorpion surrounded Fatima’s body and slipped their hands underneath her wrapped form, raising her up. They silently carried her to the pirate vessel. Solemn pirates reached down and lifted Fatima the final few feet, laying her body on a low interior bench in the cool shade.
Away from the others, Dalmar looked Jonah in the eyes and placed a hand on the American’s arm.
“I must leave now, my friend,” said Dalmar. “May you be victorious in your quest. May you find success or die honorable deaths. And when you need your army, you will have it.”
CHAPTER 20
Anconia Island rose tall and proud into the moonlit night, skyscrapers jutting against the pinpricked fabric of the heavens. Far below the glass and steel buildings and their massive rising columns of supporting concrete and steel lurked the submarine Scorpion. Thirty feet beneath the surface and masked by the man-made island, Jonah felt nothing but confidence in their hiding place as he marched into the command compartment.
“Captain’s naked,” said Vitaly, shielding his eyes as Jonah Blackwell strode in wearing nothing more than a tan and a large waterproof bag slung over one shoulder.
“Again?” blurted Alexis.
“What do you mean, again?” said Jonah.
“Ha!” shouted Vitaly. “Alexis is Peeping Tina.”
Jonah plopped the waterproof bag onto the deck and sighed.
“Fine!” said Vitaly, exasperated. “If nobody ask, Vitaly ask. Captain, why must you be naked?”
“My Russian friend, I assure you there is a perfectly logical reason for being naked,” said Jonah, gesturing towards himself. “Our mission demands it. Indeed, this is tactical nudity.”
Hassan stuck his head through the hatch, and glanced at the assembled crew.
“What are you waiting for?” asked Jonah. “Come on in!”
“Jonah, I genuinely do not understand your orders.” Hassan stepped gingerly over the hatch threshold and into the command compartment, wearing nothing but a tea towel over his privates and a flush on his face.
Alexis whistled and then looked behind her as if it wasn’t her.
“Vitaly should get naked, too?” The helmsman pretended to begin unbuttoning his shirt. “Maybe this Vitaly-kind-of-party.”
“Please don’t,” said Hassan with a groan.
“Here’s the deal.” Jonah hefted the waterproof bag again and prepared to climb up to the lockout chamber. “We’re not going to surface the Scorpion. We’ll exit the lockout chamber, swim up through the water and sneak onto Anconia. Once we’re out of the water, we crack open this dry-bag and dress in mercenary clothing. Just like crossing the Rio Grande.”
“I’m Moroccan,” said Hassan, playing indignant. “Not Mexican. And another thing — I understand the concept, but wearing nothing, not even a pair of underwear? What difference could a pair of underwear possibly make?”
“I… didn’t think of that,” admitted Jonah.
“Too late now!” Vitaly laughed. “We have seen yelda already.”
“Guys!” said Jonah. “You’re thinking about this all wrong. Imagine you’re telling this story at a ritzy country club someday. Would you rather say you broke into a high-security facility, or that you broke into a high-security facility while buck-ass nekkid?”
“It does have certain ring,” admitted Vitaly. “But what is club of country?”
“Just be safe,” said Alexis. “Vitaly got us into the systems — I’ll be watching over Anconia’s internal security feed the whole time.”
“Our guardian angels,” said Hassan. He risked a glance at Alexis.
“Sure,” said Alexis. “But a guardian angel that won’t be able to do a damned thing if you get caught.”
“Not planning on getting caught,” said Jonah.
“Name one thing you’ve done that ever went according to plan,” said Hassan.
Ignoring Hassan’s crack, Jonah stepped onto the ladder to begin the climb towards the lockout chamber in the conning tower. “Onwards and upwards,” he said. “Alexis, you’re in command until I’m back.”
“Holding station thirty feet below surface,” said Vitaly. “You clear to exit.”
Hassan followed behind Jonah, glancing up as he put a hand on a rung of the ladder. He grimaced and looked away.
Jonah opened the door to the lockout chamber and climbed into the closet-sized space. Hassan squeezed himself in next to the American and sealed the hatch behind him. Alexis followed up the ladder, finding her station at the controls, watching them through a narrow portal.
“This is going to be a cinch,” said Jonah. “We flood the lockout chamber, open the exterior door, and swim out. There’s a lot of air in the waterproof bag, it’s going to rocket us straight to the surface. Just hold on.”
“I’ll have you know I nearly died the last time I attempted this,” said Hassan.