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Post by Evangeline on Nov 21, 2008 20:21:13 GMT -5
"He's come close again." Erika warned. "B*st*rd wants to play with us."
"Stop." Malia nudged the racer beside her. They were out five miles from Villa Hermosa, but something was giving the Whaler bad vibes, and Dagmar caught onto it, flicking her aerials and flaring her nostrils.
"More ships." she stared at the horizon.
"One following." Malia said. "Heading inshore, though some miles down from us. I don't know for sure, it just squicks me for some reason."
Carl smiled. They were aware of him now, but what did he care? The elementary abilities that he possessed would cloud weak or inattentive minds and enable him to pass unnoticed in many places. But power was something he wanted more of, and he wasn't fussy about what kind, even if just to rattle someone. In a deliberate fashion, he allowed himself to be seen.
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Post by ebonyviper on Nov 21, 2008 20:54:03 GMT -5
"I know. I picked up on his presence. He chose now to come out from wherever he was hiding?" asked Delfina, "Just what is he up to this time?"
*****
Arrow's eyes widened as he saw a ship on the horizon appear right where the blip picked up by his radar was. It was a large ship with a black hull.
The destroyer turned to Rebecca, "Stay behind me. Something about this ship doesn't seem right."
"Who is that?" asked the research vessel as Arrow pointed Carl out to her.
"Someone who wants to cause trouble," answered the destroyer.
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Post by Evangeline on Nov 21, 2008 22:00:33 GMT -5
"He likes playing head games." Erika wrinkled her nose in disdain. "And if he's got a thing for Freda now as well as you, he'd smell the connection and mess with them just for laughs. If anyone is weak-minded or complacent, he can actually, you know, "get to them."
Randy was still watching the mouth of the cove, his mouth in a snarl.
There was a bit of fog rolling in that day, and Carl had used it to his advantage to shield his moves from the authorities. From his scanner, he had deduced that the stand-in helo at the Coast Guard station was involved in a rescue a hundred miles away, the cutter was getting something overhauled and the station commander was still just getting herself back after his wonderful little joke on her last week. Nobody but those he was following was in a position to give him trouble.
"Good afternoon." he radioed to the couple. "A good time to visit family, isn't it?"
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Post by ebonyviper on Nov 21, 2008 22:24:37 GMT -5
Delfina gasped in realization and looked further out in the cove where Freda was anchored and resting. "Freda's parents... We have to stop him!"
*****
"To visit our daughter," Arrow answered, though kept his voice polite and calm, but formal, "What business is it of yours, Sir?"
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Post by Evangeline on Nov 21, 2008 22:43:52 GMT -5
Randy went back to Freda, calling up to her. "Freda, the A**hole's back again and I think he's on your folks' tails."
Erika sidled over so that Delfina could climb aboard. "I'm not afraid of the b*st*rd any more."
Dawn was talking to the CG station on her cell phone...
Dagmar paused as the sound of another racer-type dopplered in, and she raised her bows to see. "The Coastie again. Who's that guy?"
"That's the new ensign, Elias Jastrow." Malia answered. "And yeah, he IS a hunk. Kinda shy around girls, though. He blushes like the sunset when you talk to him."
Aww... kinda sweet, Dagmar thought.
"Looks like he's out to deal with some trouble." Malia followed the ensign with her eyes. "See, I was right about those ships."
Dagmar didn't answer. The same willful streak that forced her past injury and pain to win races engaged again as she pulled ahead of the Whaler and accelerated in the same general direction.
"WAIT!" Malia did her best to pursue, but was hopelessly outmatched. Whalers might have been "unsinkable", but they weren't "unbeatable".
"I would also like to see your daughter," Carl responded in oleaginous tones. "To tell her of how I feel about her, and to show her my sentiments in every way. She's a very beautiful woman. You should be proud."
Carl stopped some thousand yards from the couple, leering at them.
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Post by ebonyviper on Nov 21, 2008 23:07:55 GMT -5
"What?" Freda blinked in surprise, "He's gonna get them!" She was worried, but hoped that her private communication about Carl to her father had gotten through. The research vessel began to raise anchor, getting ready to head out.
Nerisa was already heading out, having heard what Randy had said to Freda. There was no chance in Chrysler that she was going to be left out of this.
"I have a nice little "gift" for him to let him know that to mess with our friends, he messes with us," Delfina said as she quickly climbed aboard Erika, ready to go.
*****
Arrow hesitated a moment. He remembered the message that Freda had sent to him explaining who Carl was and what he had been doing. The destroyer wasn't bought for a minute, but he decided to try to make Carl unknowingly expose himself.
"So you know my daughter, then? Tell me, how did you come meet her?" asked Arrow.
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Post by Evangeline on Nov 22, 2008 0:10:53 GMT -5
Randy was already dashing out, but Erika overtook him as the scent of Carl reached her nose. There was a snarl on her face as she picked up speed, forcing her passenger to lie low inside her aft well. They were well ahead of the larger craft.
Marty was the only one left behind, hoping that nobody was going to get hurt in this engagement.
Ensign Jastrow was running flat-out, at a quite respectable speed for boats of his type. He could have raced, but a higher duty had spoken to him with a louder voice, to put that blinding speed to the service of his country. The station's deputy commander had dispatched him to intercept Carl and turn him back. Stokes was temporarily out of commission for the overhauling of some inside systems and could not get out of port.
Suddenly, Jastrow realized that he was not alone. On his port, a turbine catamaran advanced rapidly, a female, UV protection sheet fluttering and half-off. Oh, Chrysler, what else now?
"We happened to share a dive site." Carl responded smoothly. "Or rather, I wanted to share. She was not so forthcoming. You really should talk to your daughter about being more... reasonable."
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Post by ebonyviper on Nov 22, 2008 0:29:50 GMT -5
Delfina had to hang on as Erika raced on ahead of the others, wind whipping through her hair.
*****
"That is not what she told me," said Arrow, a smirk evident in his voice, "And I know my own daughter and she is nothing like what you describe her to be."
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Post by Evangeline on Nov 22, 2008 0:43:08 GMT -5
Erika was snarling madly as she made a wide circle around Carl - without the implants, he had no power over her any more. The big ship snarled back, but refocused his attention on Arrow. "Women are natural liars, sir. You should know that by now. Your daughter needs a lesson in sensibility, and soon enough, I'll give it to her, and to that vermin who my former employee allows to ride her."
Erika broke in at that. "Employee?!? I was a ****ing SLAVE!"
Randy showed up about that time, his face a storm cloud. He glared at Carl and snorted angrily.
Jastrow could see this assembly ahead of him, and groaned.
Dagmar continued to keep pace with the CG patroller, getting a closer look at him. He IS cute.. but what the hell is going on here?
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Post by ebonyviper on Nov 22, 2008 1:00:53 GMT -5
Arrow noticed other boats arriving at the scene, including a CG patroller. His radar picked up two more blips heading this way, which soon turned out to be Freda herself and Nerisa. His daughter pulled up short and drifted alongside her mother while Nerisa joined Arrow in facing off with Carl.
He turned back to the big ship and replied icily, "Touch my daughter and I swear to Chrysler I'll kill you!"
Delfina wondered if she could get a word in edgewise in this radio conversation. There were some things she wanted to say to Carl too.
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Post by Evangeline on Nov 22, 2008 1:39:05 GMT -5
"Are you threatening me, sir?" Carl laughed. "Not such a wise thing to do in front of a Coast Guardsman." he indicated Jastrow, who was listening in on the conversation and silently incensed at being used this way by Carl. He wondered what had been going on before he showed up.
"Freda," he broke in on another channel, "Lt. Stokes was in the middle of a systems overhaul and couldn't get out of port, but I'll tell him."
Erika was still snarling, her teeth white and sharp, as Randy came up beside her and Delfina. "As for so-called vermin, Carlie-pie, this one could send some burning love up your stern as soon as look at you, so be careful what you say about her."
Carl snorted disdainfully. "I've already tasted of the wares of this woman, my dear Erika. I was not very impressed."
Erika jeered. "Would you like to talk to her yourself?"
Dagmar's attention went from Jastrow to Erika. Those eyes, that scar... now the name. Her insides leapt and her pump skipped a beat.
My sister?!
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Post by ebonyviper on Nov 22, 2008 2:00:17 GMT -5
"Thank you," Freda responded to Jastrow, "Just let him know I'm alright."
"You were the one who first threatened to do harm to my daughter," answered Arrow, "I think I am within my rights, but let this fine Coast Guard boat speak for himself."
Delfina flicked a wrist and a couple of ice spears formed above her. Then she charge the unique weapons made of frozen water with electricity, thus creating fairly deadly weapons if she handled them properly. "Let's see how unimpressed with me after I hit him with these."
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Post by Evangeline on Nov 22, 2008 2:37:30 GMT -5
<<< last post >>>
Jastrow looked at everyone else, his eyes saying PLEASE STAY COOL, and advanced slowly towards Carl, using his speaker this time so that everyone could hear.
"Mr. Dietrich, you have a number of outstanding warrants for your arrest, in various places. You're a very popular boy, not to mention certifiably insane for baiting not one, but TWO warships." He lifted his long bow in disdain. "But antagonizing a superuser is on the event horizon of the black hole of stupid. We're putting you on notice that if you continue stalking them and goading them, arrest is probably going to be the least of your worries, and our government is not going to care enough about your rust-caked butt to call an inquest because there won't be enough left of it to examine! Is that clear to you, Mr. Dietrich?"
Carl snorted derisively, but something in the way he eyed Delfina suggested that he was looking for a way to pull out with some of whatever he called "dignity". "Really, these people have needlessly prolonged this situation. I was just leaving anyway." He turned into a fog bank, and puffs of smoke and white flares came up out of it as he disappeared.
"Chaff." Jastrow growled. "So we can't see him on radar."
Dagmar, even in this situation, couldn't help a chuckle... "event horizon of the black hole of stupid..." She already liked how this boy could turn a phrase.
"And that's the Carl I've known and "loved" for three hellish years." Erika growled to Delfina and Randy.
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Post by ebonyviper on Nov 22, 2008 12:30:55 GMT -5
"Humph, he's lucky I didn't incinerate him right then and there," huffed Delfina as she let her electrified icicle spears fizzle and melt away, "but I wouldn't mind inflicting mental pain on him, though. I could do it easily enough."
She looked toward Arrow and Rebecca as Freda greeted them with joy, the relief on her face evident that they were okay, "At least it didn't get too dramatic here."
Nerisa studied the fog bank as well, a grimace on her face. "He's using the fog bank as a smoke screen, the same way we warships do to hide ourselves from the enemy. Radar can't penetrate it. Sneaky, elusive S.O.B. That's why I haven't been able to pick up on him lately."
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Post by Evangeline on Nov 22, 2008 14:47:17 GMT -5
The ensign sighed with relief as violence was averted. If Carl insisted on repeatedly poking sticks at rattlesnakes, as apt an analogy for harassing users as there ever was, no one was going to weep for him when the snakes eventually struck back. However, a fight near a tourist area at the height of the season was something nobody needed right now.
Malia, panting, eventually caught up with Dagmar. "What was going on here?" she asked the skater.
"This nasty black ship was here, some German guy." Dagmar answered, "He was really baiting the warships and that - uh - woman-" she indicated Delfina, having never directly met a human. "But the patrol boat cooled things down and told him off."
"Okaaaaay." the Boston Whaler surveyed the scene. For sure SHE wouldn't have stuck her nose here if Dagmar hadn't already charged into the middle of it. But before she could persuade the skater to leave with her, to somewhere SAFE, Dagmar was already off towards the vee-hull turbine girl with whom the human was riding. Malia rolled her eyes and played catch-up again.
"Excuse me." Dagmar came up to Erika and Delfina. "But... could I ask you something?"
<<< Hmmm... what's Ebony doing right now? Could the family be in town? >>>
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