Sudden Death

Hours before the dinner party, an aircraft was spotted and quickly disappeared.

I had to keep this quite and hidden from everyone because we still didn't know who could be trusted. I wasn't sure if the aircraft was for our protection yet.

The dinner party was a brilliant idea. We calmed the general and his team down a bit with food and drink. It was like entertaining an enemy wondering when they would pull out a weapon and kill us all.

The cook, Oliver, brought out course after course and before long, everyone was laughing, eating and telling stories of their sailing experiences in the West Indies.

Claude, who was the head of intelligence for the group, sat quietly away from the dining area but in ear shot to overhear the ongoing conversation of his comrades ocean tales.

He seemed extremely nervous but stoic at the same time. I decided to walk over and thank him again for allowing us to entertain his team on such short notice.

The yacht was a loaner for this secret occasion but I was not allowed to let him know I knew about the mission. Perhaps that is why I kept catching him staring at me as if he was trying to read my mind.

It was my job to get Claude and his team to Grand Cayman safely and quickly. For all they knew, they were being transported from their vessel to a yacht for fun and entertainment until it was time for their next mission.

We staged the top deck with undercover team members in swim suits during the day and evening attire at night so if anyone wanted to take a closer look, it would seem that a rich elite was sailing the seas parting with friends.

Claude was open to speaking with me and he seemed to be more at ease with the second shot of whiskey I insisted he and I have. "A toast!", I exclaimed the second time. "To a safe voyage!"

We both clinked our glasses and stared at each other as we drank. A little bit of whiskey dripped from my mouth. I was not a big drinker and for some reason the second shot did not taste good at all. It seemed bitter and had a horrible after taste.

We began speaking of the ocean and how time stands still out here with no one around but the fish, sun, moon and the smell of the ocean air to keep us company.

"Another shot?" I asked. Claude smiled and lifted his arm so I could refill his glass. We both nodded with acceptance and polished off the third drink.

My stomach started to ache. I even began belching and had to excuse myself.

I suddenly woke up. Somehow I passed out on the bathroom floor. My heart was racing. I realized I had left Claude and his team alone in the dining area. How many hours had it been?

I jumped to my feet and ran to the dining area. No one there. I looked up at the clock. It was 10:45pm. I had excused myself at 7:15pm.

I ran to the top deck of the yacht. No one there.

I began pounding on the cabin doors. No one answered.

I ran to find the captain and he was gone!

I fell to my knees gasping for air. How could everyone just disappear?

Where did everyone go?

I went to the engine room only to find Claude's team tied and gagged.

"Where is Claude?!" "What happened here?" One of the team mates said they took Claude and killed the captain. "Who took him?" I yelled. "I don't know." "We were held at gun point and then they tied us up", yelled one of the team mates who didn't have a gag on. "I don't know where they took Claude or who killed the captain."

My head began to swirl. I felt like I was going to pass out.

Who is sailing the ship then? How is the yacht still moving?

I ran back up to the top of the deck.

Then, I suddenly realized, we were off course. The sun began to come up and there was no land in sight. We should have been able to see the Cayman Islands by now.

I went to grab my phone but it was missing from my pocket. I went to grab my gun that was strapped to my chest and it was gone.

I had no way to radio in my urgent cry for help.

I ran back to the captains area and all the radio equipment was smashed and in pieces.

Then something shiny caught my eye. I leaned down and a small ear piece was lying on the floor.

It looked like a mini recorder.

I realized then it was a small camera. I scrambled trying to find something that could connect to it so I could play back the audio and video.

Success! Somehow I rigged it to the broken equipment and it turned on. Thank goodness for my years of training and tinkering with equipment.

My heart sank after hearing the audio and watching the footage.

Claude had been beaten and thrown overboard. The group who did this wore masks, had night gear and plenty of weapons.

The only one who knew about the mission and the fact there were spies on board was now at the bottom of the ocean. The team would receive their briefing once we reached port in the Cayman's. They knew nothing about the mission. They just thought they were given some R & R and half naked women to view during the day and dance with at night. It was a party and for all purpose and intentions, that is exactly how it needed to look and feel.

Hours before the fall...

I sat back and relaxed. I had to play it cool. I sat within ear shot of my team. I acted like I was tired so I could evaluate all of them. We knew there was a spy on the team but we had not figured out who just yet.

Kevin and I kept making eye contact. I wondered if he was the spy and if he could be trusted. I was told that Kevin would take us on a fun yacht trip to the Cayman Islands for some R & R and from there, we would be picked up to gear up for Gitmo. Our final mission was finally here.

I couldn't help but giggle a bit when I realized Kevin could not hold his liquor. By the third shot he had to excuse himself.

I decided to go up to the top deck for a quick smoke.

I looked up at the sky and thought of what life would be like once this mission was complete.

Suddenly, I felt a hard blow to the back of my head and the warm blood began dripping down my face and back. I began to faint but managed to pull off the mask of the man who hit me and now was throwing me overboard. His face remains embedded in my memory.

I couldn't stay awake until I fell into the cold ocean.

The cold ocean water woke me up and now I realized my hands and feet were bound.

I began to kick as hard as I could to reach the surface but it was no use.

The zip ties were too tight and I could not pull them apart.

I began to take on water and tried to spit it out. I began to choke.

When I woke up, I was bound and in a white gown on a table. Was I dead?

Was this the simulation? I could not determine what was real anymore.

I was suddenly jolted from this nightmare and I found myself screaming for someone to help me.

Minutes later she showed up. "Ready?" She asked. "Ready for what?" I asked.

"Why, for the mission of course." It suddenly hit me. My team were the spies and Kevin was caught in the middle of all this.

Or was he?