The Secret World

Chapter 3, Old Man of the Sea

In the past few days at the safe-house Penny found comfort in Beau, his eccentric personality was a lively one. Unlike Mister O who seemed only to care about his mission, Beau was a lot more personable. She did find it strange that between the man and the vampire, she felt more comfortable to confide with the vampire. Mister O was almost impossible to understand, his walls were well guarded and overly fortified to penetrate. Beau was an open book, he would gladly answer anything she asked which always went from one story then to another. Her only complaint was that despite constant refusal, Beau had been persistent in flirting and trying to get her to bed.

Penny had now been feeling a bit flustered at the constant haste that Mister O had been pushing with the group. Less than twenty minutes ago she had been sitting at the safe-house unaware of Mister O's ghostly engagement. Now there she was in a vehicle being rushed in the middle of the night off to an open field where they met up with a helicopter surrounded by armed gunmen.

It was an Illuminati strike team donned in dark blue digital camouflage similar to that worn by the U.S. Navy. Over their torsos they wore black tactical vests with a velcro patch of a blue triangle with a circle in the center. It was the mark of the Illuminati, the all seeing eye within the pyramid. Along with the pyramid, they had velcro name tags on their vests, though as much Penny was able to see they weren't using real names. Instead they seemed to be nicknames or call signs, and one in particular caught Penny's attention with the name, "Big Papi," which to her amusement the man seemed to be the shortest among the strike team. Another item on their uniforms that caught Penny's attention was a velcro patch on the pocket of each of their left arms, an angry ogre with a beard holding up two fingers with the logo reading, "BOHICA."

Along with the dark blue digital camouflage and black tactical vests, they all had on black helmets with mounted scopes for night vision and infrared lenses. Their faces were covered with black balaclava masks giving them an even more elite paramilitary look. Black gloves with hard knucked armour, black knee pads and heavy black boots, M4 carbine assault rifles. They each had the very same pistol that Mister O carries, a customized M1911 .45 caliber as a side arm.

As they approached the helicopter while the propeller blades continued spinning, Mister O had passed the car keys to another man in a dark suit that dismounted the helicopter. Mister O then signaled both Penny and Beau to get in the helicopter and then followed behind, soon the strike team followed in after him as well. Before Penny had a chance to buckle herself in, the helicopter had taken off and ascended into the black night.

Watching and observing Mister O and others in the helicopter as they donned headsets attached inside the helicopter, Penny found one behind her and was able to listen in on all the communication within the aircraft and watched as one strike team member with the name tag, "Doc Holiday," interacted with Mister O. Another unique item Penny noticed about Doc Holiday, was above his name tape he had a patch of a skull, more specifically the skull icon of the Marvel comic book, "The Punisher."

"Hey, O, I need to check your wounds," Doc Holiday advised, "What happened?"

"Had to meet up with a liaison from the Council of Venice at a Class A haunting site," Mister O responded while rolling up his sleeve, "the site went to shit real quick and turned out to be a Class C haunting."

"Gotta love them pissed off ghosts," Doc Holiday responded as he observed Mister O's arm, "O, your wounds have healed clean, no scar tissue present."

Another strike team member's voice responded in the helicopter communication line, "Must be nice, O! Whoever thought getting stung by a fucking bee would be a good thing?"

Beau had been sitting across from Penny and also listened in. He saw the look of confusion on Penny's face and leaned forward twisting a dial next to where her headset had been connected, "Hello, darlin'. It's just us now in our own private channel," he said with a big smile.

"How is he healed so fast?" she asked. "What are they they talking about with bees?"

"Hold on a minute, mon cheri. I know ya itchin' to know more and I don't blame ya one bit. But, as far as Mister O goes, yer gonna have to ask him yerself," Beau replied.

"He's bloody impossible to talk to!" Penny responded in a frustrated tone, "I'm grateful that he was part of my rescue like you were. But, seven days. Seven bloody days in that shit apartment! I've tried to talk to him but he constantly changes the subject with his infinite questions about the damn relics."

Beau smiled at her as she vented her frustration, "Ya know, darlin', you're awfully cute when ya get so feisty like that," he flirted.

"Beau!" she responded in more frustration, "How do you put up with him?"

"I'll make ya a deal," Beau offered, "I have a diary and you can read it. But, there is something I'd like in return?"

Penny looked at him with sense of confusion, "Don't tell me you want to bite me."

"Maybe I do," Beau replied in a deep seductive tone causing Penny's eyes to pop open in surprise, "but it's not your neck I want to bite. It's those luscious lips, the bottom one especially."

Penny continued to look at him in shock with big eyes through her eye glasses breathing deeply, "What?"

"All I want is just a kiss, darlin'," Beau reiterated.

"A kiss?" Penny asked still breathing deeply.

"Yes, just a kiss," he assured, "I might not be able to tell ya about O, but I can tell ya what I've seen being around him. It ain't pretty, but if ya really need to know the offer is there. But, if you find what you're looking for, well I intend on tasting those lips."

She stared at him for a couple minutes with a look of annoyance with a hint of temptation, "Deal," she agreed. She always had an irresistible urge to uncover secrets and discover unknown wonders. Being around Mister O had definitely raises more questions, then Beau offers an opportunity for her to have full access to a written record of the life lived by an actual vampire in exchange for a kiss. There was no way Penny was going to pass this opportunity up, though she won't admit her swooning over Beau's charisma at times.

They continued into to fly into the dark night, a dim red light illuminated the inner cabin of the helicopter. Penny looked around inside the helicopter and watched Beau as he sat relaxed with one leg crossed over the other while his hair freely blew in the wind. Carpe Diem was the best way to describe him, always living in the moment. He had a smirk on his face as he retrieved an item from his pocket. A pocket watch? Maybe a locket or a compass, Penny wasnt sure. She just wondered what he could be daydreaming about as he had the most enchanting smile while looking at it.

Then she looked at Mister O as he had donned a head harness with a mounted nightvision scope while he and Doc Holiday continue looking at some documents from a folder. Mister O was definitely the opposite of Beau, how they came to work together is also a mystery to her.

Sitting on the edge of the helicopter near the open doors on both sides of the helicopter, Penny observed the rest of the strike team members sitting looking outward. She could never imagine in her wildest dreams that she'd be flying in a helicoter with a vampire along with the Illuminati. Then her curiosity got the best of her as she decided to switch the communication channel back to listen in on Mister O, but found the pilot speaking.

"Proteus, this is Black Gryphon. How copy?" the pilot spoke.

"Black Gryphon, this is Proteus," another voice responded, "Am I human, or am I an eye in the sky?"

"You are neither, reality is an illusion," the pilot responded.

"Very well, Black Gryphon," Proteus responded, "You are clear to land the bird."

The helicopter then descended from the darkness. Penny felt a bit uneasy, she knew the helicopter was about to make a landing but could not see where. Beau uncrossed his legs and grabbed his hair to keep it from whipping all over his face while Mister O began stuffing all of the documents into the envelope.

Penny held on tightly to what she could grab as the helicopter continued to make its landing. The lower they descended, the more she was able to see the blinking lights below them. The decent had finally slowed down until the helicopter touched down on the helipad. As the propeller blades stopped chopping away at the air and everyone dismounted, she took a step out.

Penny felt the metal ground sway as she heard the sound of crashing waves, "Are we on a boat?" she asked surprisingly, "We're on a boat, aren't we?"

The strike team members laughed at her response, she looked and saw Beau giggling a bit. Mister O on the other hand still had a stern look, "Negative, Ms. Godfrey," Mister O answered, "we're on a ship. Beau will show you around until then make yourself comfortable and plan on being here for awhile."

Penny rolled her eyes at his snide remark and then observed what she could within the ship. From what she could tell, the ship had been made to look like a freighter ship with big container boxes. She then followed Beau as he led her below decks. As they approached Beau's quarters, he opened the door to allow her to enter before him, "Ladies always goes first," Beau invited, "Welcome to Chez-LaCroix."

Penny looked at him with a silly smirk, "The House of LaCroix?"

"Well, I do my best, cher," Beau responds as Penny enters his stateroom compartment. Unlike the haze gray bulkheads of the ship, Beau's stateroom was rather decorative. Many of the art and decor resembled a mixture of Victorian England as well as the Cajun South of Colonial Lousiana. The bulkheads were covered with a purple shade of wallpaper, actual oil lamps illuminating the room with light. The only thing digital in the room was a fireplace with a looped recording of a fire that seemed to distribute heat and gave off the faint aroma of wood smoke.

It truly had a cozy feel to it. Carpet decks, on one of the bulkheads was a map. A strange map with maelstrom icons and tags with dates. One of the things that surprised Penny was the fact that Beau didn't sleep in a coffin, rather it was a king sized bed with a black frame. Each corner had wooden poles with drapes for privacy.

"Don't be shy, darlin'," Beau commented as he sat on the edge of the bed. He then patted the mattress to his side, "There's enough room for the two us, I reckon.".

Penny rolled her eyes at him as she set down her belongings, "Um...no. Beau, please can I just read the bloody journal?"

"Sure thing, darlin', it's under the music box." Beau responded, "Take the whole chest, and you can read it in the social quarters," said Beau as he pointed at a door on the opposite end of his stateroom.

He then reached over and operated the music box. It was a dark brownish red wooden box with a winding lever on the side with a red metallic sound resonator above. Penny then noticed a little plaque in the front that read, "DIE ROTE NIXE." The music played, it was a very enchanting melody, one that she noticed seemed to have Beau enthralled in a euphoric state.

She then carried the chest into the social quarters as Beau refered to it, as she entered she noticed it was more like a break room of sort. Another compartment that connected to other staterooms. Sure enough the door leading to Beau's room was labeled with his name. Next to his room, Mister O, and then Big Daddy, and Doc Holiday. Looking around, Penny noticed the endless posters of bikini girls, sports teams, as well as a sign that read, "BOHICA Country." Still baffled by the meaning of BOHICA, she just dismissed it as some sort of inside joke.

In the breakroom, she saw someone sitting on a couch cleaning his gun while the TV in front of him seemed to play a recording of a sports game. He had brown hair and a beard. He was wearing the strike team uniform without any of the tactical equipment, therefore Penny was unable to see any name tapes as his shirt was not the normal button down top, but a pull over raid style shirt with fire resistant and cooling texture in the torso area with the normal pocketed camouflaged sleeves.

"Make yourself at home, we don't bite," he said, "Actually, one of us does bite, and you just left his room and he's harmless. Jake Holiday, ma'am, Strike Team medic as well as part of the ship's triage. Most call me Doc Holiday, sometimes Doc for short, but you can call me whatever is comfy for you."

"Oh, okay...I'm Penny," she responded unsure how to to respond. After observing him to be back fully focused in his activity, she went about her business. She looked around and noticed a brass statue of a mermaid near Beau's door. It was a rather odd thing, yet she knew if it was Beau's then she probably shouldn't be surprised. Near Mister O's door, a long heavy punching bag wrapped in duct tape, an obvious sign that it had been used quite often.

Penny finally decided to make herself comfortable in a table and bench in the center of the break room. Placing the chest on the table, she opened the chest to find envelopes with letters inside. To make matters worse, none of the envelopes were labeled.

Penny sighed in frustration, picking up the first envelope she opened it and began reading the letter inside. To her surprise, Beau's handwriting was exceptionally well written and artistic.

++++++++++

"February 27, 1921

"I have been alone for a long time. Am I truly the only of my kin who walks the path that I do? My only crime that I'm guilty of is serving my master, loving my maker. The Scarlet Disciple continue to punish me, though they no longer hunt me, they hunt those that are close to me. They deny me the pleasure and security of kinship.

"They who were of my kin, the Scarlet Disciple have tormented me, for each time I begin to form a nest, the only form of family that of my kin can truly have, they are hunted down and punished for my false sins. My family, my children, my brethren, they're gone now. All gone. I am truly afraid to start anew, for those I bring into my nest will forever be hunted along with me.

++++++++++

"November 21, 1921

"Enlightened one, has thee forsaken me? Oh, my enlightened teacher, why has thee shown me a different path of my kin, why has thee allowed me to learn to feel again? I can no longer hear the song of the siren. Only a dark solitude lies ahead of me, thee has assured me a destinity of a greater purpose. If only I have known what painful lonesome destiny that I have been fated to live, then I would have much rather been slain by your blade. Plunged deep into my heart before it could learn to remember how to feel, to hurt, to shatter into woeful pieces. Oh, enlightened one, I beg thee to let your blade deliver me from a torture too excruciating for any living creature to endure.

"It is such a foolish thinking, a child's thought to imagine that the monster are the fangs lurking in the dark. No, the true monster is the lack of fangs in the darkness. Nor blade, not even fire. In the cold darkness, not even my own shadow stands next to me. My enlightened mentor, I beg thee to show me my purpose or end my suffering by your noble hand."

+++++++++++

Penny set the letters down and covered her mouth in a bit of emotional shock. In the little time she knew Beau, she never imagined him, the charismatic "lady killer" having such a moment of sadness. Tears fell down as she took a deep breath. She then closed the chest and carried it back into Beau's stateroom.

She placed it back under the musicbox. Pushing one of the drapes to the side, she found Beau in a deep slumber. His back was turned towards her as he slept on his side. He also seemed to have changed into old Victorian style pajamas of expensive fabrics.

Penny removed her shoes and climbed into the bed behind Beau, feeling a deep sympathy after reading about a lonesome time in his life, she couldn't help but give him a kiss in the side of his head and put her arm around him as she slowly faded into sleep only to wake up suddenly just a few hours later.

Breathing hard with cold sweat running down her face, she found Beau still asleep. She hasn't had much sleep since the night she opened the relic never knowing if she'll dream that same strange dream again. She got up immediately and put on her shoes and grabbed the chest full of letters that made up Beau's diary and made her way back into the break room.

To her surprise she found Mister O, Doc Holiday, and Big Papi all standing in front of the mermaid statue. Big Papi who had removed his mask was definitely older than the other two, he had a bald head and tanned skin along with a gray handlebar style mustache and looked of Hispanic descent. She also noticed Mister O in different clothing than earlier, this time he was now wearing the same uniform as the strike team.

"Do you hear anything?" Mister O asking Doc Holiday as he had his ear pressed up against the statue.

"Uh, nothing," Doc Holiday responded.

Mister O then pulled his pendulum from his pocket and held it out in front of the statue. It hung still for minutes, "Nothing," he acknowledges.

"We could probably hook it up to an EMF detector, or use full spectral lenses, or even have Dr. Phillips use one of his experimental equipment to see if it's giving off any trans dimensional frequencies," Doc Holiday recommended.

"Beau's so full of shit, I bet he's just fucking with us!" Big Papi insisted with a bit of a Texas Mexican accent, "I bet he's on the other side of the door laughing his ass off at us!"

Penny simply walked passed them as they seemed so in tuned with the statue. Though she did find it odd for them to be so focused on it. It was beautifully crafted of bronze with no sign of rust. The look of the mermaid was quite captivating, she looked as though she was standing upright with the waves embracing her as she looked over her shoulder. Though the expression on the mermaid's face was that of sadness.

"Ms. Godfrey," Mister O called out, "You can use my quarters temporarily for lodging, I don't sleep in my rack anyhow."

"Your rack?" Penny asked in a confused tone.

Mister O sighed, "My bed, I don't sleep in it. You can use my quarters for privacy, just do not enter the office area," he instructed as he lead her into his quarters. It was a lot more close quarters than Beau's and a lot more gray in color. Mister O did not have any of the decorative wallpaper, carpet decks, instead it lacked expression, only a small bed with a curtain for privacy sitting above a horizontal locker. If anything, Mister O's bed had more qualities of a coffin than that of Beau's bed.

Penny walked in and sure enough, the bed looked as though it hadn't been touched in a long time. She saw the office area within Mister O's quarters, it was more like a cubicle and made his quarters feel even more tight. But, one thing Penny did notice, within the confines of his coffin bed, the row of Native American dream catchers. But, even with the close quarters, Penny was delighted to see a small table and chair next to another stand up locker.

"You can put your stuff in that locker," Mister O instructed, "But, no matter what, do not enter my office and please do not try to wake me if you see me asleep. If it is an emergency, have Beau, Doc, or Big Papi wake me." He then entered his office and closed the door leaving Penny alone and feeling a bit awkward.

Penny took a deep breath and exhaled. Looking around and her new temporary living arrangements, she set the chest down on the table and sat down for a moment. She knew her personal belongings were still in Beau's room, but she decided to go ahead and read the journals instead. She continued to shift through the various letters in the chest that made up the journal searching to find one that would resemble anything to do with the mystery behind Mister O, the Illuminati, and this secret world.