Race among the Ruins

"Sorry," said Jared. "She wouldn't leave and I'm wondering why I got stuck with the job of watching her. I came here to dive, not to serve as a babysitter or a prison guard."

"Well come on back in," said Maria nodding at Aaron. Aaron wondered what she was up to.

Steve came running up to the bridge. "Hey, Steve," said Maria. "Remember what we were talking about before?" Steve nodded and looked at her. "Get your scanner and hurry back."

Steve quickly left the room. "Okay Jared, let's hear it," said Maria.

"Well Dr. Clarridge, you've heard it. I wanted to dive with Mr. Anderson. That's the main reason I came aboard. I don't think it's fair for me to be singled out, for something like this just because I happened to see a woman in the water."

"So if you were below checking on your diving gear, like you were supposed to be, how is it that you were even on deck to see her?" asked Maria.

"I don't know," said Jared. "It's just lucky I was."

"Yes, very lucky for me," added Stacy.

"I don't think it was luck at all," said Maria. "Jared, I don't know you. I've had classes with all of the others. So why don't you tell me how you heard about our team." Before he could begin speaking Steve was back. He had some kind of electronic box.

"Isn't that a..." began Aaron.

"It's a frequency analyzer," said Steve.

"Don't car thieves use those to steal your alarm codes," snapped Aaron thinking about his Mustang.

"Yes Mr. Anderson, but that's not the legitimate use of the device," said Steve.

"Earlier Steve was doing HIS JOB," said Maria, looking at Jared. "And he noticed intermittent rogue signals. We thought at first that they might be cell phone usage among some of the guys. You know college students and cell phones. But we're out far enough that there aren't any cell signals. Then Steve noticed that the signals seemed to originate sometimes on this ship and other times from somewhere else. We couldn't figure it out. Steve thought that they might be radio signals or the weather band but the frequencies were way off. We got a bunch of those signals again just before that other boat dumped your EX wife in the ocean."

Aaron caught on immediately. He reached out and grabbed the young man in front of him so quickly that Jared had no time to react. He rummaged through the protesting boy's pockets until he found a small phone that was barely bigger than a cell phone.

"I've never seen a SAT phone this small before," he said. Aaron opened the phone and checked the call log. The last 6 calls were all to the same number. He hit redial and waited for the number to connect. "Robert, you've blown it," he said. "I'll be leaving your whore and your spy on the dock waiting for you. You should have waited a day to use them though. Maria and I haven't told anyone where we're diving yet. Today was only our shake-down cruise to test the equipment. I'll be notifying the university about the tactics you're using though." Then he opened the back of the phone and removed its battery.

"Mr. Anderson, it wasn't my fault," whined Jared. "Dr. Thompson threatened to..."

"Save it," said Aaron. "Go below and take her with you." He looked at Stacy again and shook his head.

"Aaron, I'd have done anything for a chance to get close to you again," said Stacy. "We've been together for too many years to let something this small break us up. We need to talk."

"Stacy, every time I see you lately, living without you gets easier. If you want to talk, get yourself a lawyer. Have him contact my attorney and we can talk during the settlement meetings. Other than that I have no wish to speak to you. You've made your position on me and our marriage very clear so I'm moving on with my life," said Aaron.

"It is not going to fucking happen Aaron," snapped Stacy. "I know I made a big mistake, a giant one in fact. I put other things, like my career in front of us, and I shouldn't have. I regret it now. But there's no way in hell I'm going to give up on us. And there's even less chance of me letting Dr. Titties over there steal my husband."

"I didn't have to steal him you wrinkled old fossil," said Maria. It was kind of funny hearing her spewing insults in that British accent. "You just handed him to me. Maybe if you had some breasts yourself, you wouldn't be in this position. And I don't know how you ever got your doctorate, did you fuck your way to that as well. You don't have the sense to see that you gave up a good man for a notorious womanizer. He has a reputation for screwing his assistants and then firing them."

"So now you're jealous because he screwed you and fired you, so you want to take it out on me by stealing my husband," shrieked Stacy.

"No, he never got to even try to screw me, but he wouldn't have been successful. He'd have failed just like the bastard before him did. He got rid of me before he even tried because he found a bigger whore that he liked better. Easier pickings I think," snapped Maria.

Then the door to the bridge slammed open. "Captain there's a storm headed our way," said a crewman. "We'd better find someplace to tie up. There's no chance for us to outrun it."

The boat's engines revved up and propelled the boat through the water, faster than they'd been going. The Captain and Aaron searched the charts for an island or a secluded cove where the fury of the storm wouldn't be as bad.

Aaron pointed out an island on the chart that was very close to their last position. "I should have thought of that myself," said the Captain. "A lot of the fishermen in these parts steer clear of that island though. They say that weird things happen there."

"Any port in a storm," quipped Aaron. The waves seemed to be rising higher with every passing minute. Aaron suddenly noticed that Maria was leaning against him squeezing his hand. As he looked down and smiled, Stacy who was still standing there also, noticed it. She glared angrily at the two of them without saying anything.

"Maria, you've never been on a boat during a storm before have you?" asked Aaron.

"Actually, I've never been on a boat before," she said quietly.

"Well, don't worry, we'll be fine. I'll make sure that nothing happens to you," said Aaron.

"Maybe you should save some of that reassurance for your wife," snapped Stacy. "The one you swore to forsake all others for."

"You're not talking about the same EX wife who whored herself out to my EX best friend are you? Wouldn't that be kind of ironic?" he asked.

"Aaron, get over it please. I love you, and it only happened once in all of these years and it was only a blow job, for god's sake. It's not like we fucked or anything. That would be grounds for divorce but a drunken blow job, come on. I've never claimed to be perfect, I already told you it was a mistake," said Stacy.

Suddenly Maria burst out laughing. And Aaron just shook his head. "Maria this isn't a good place for you right, now," said Aaron. "Why don't you check on the others?"

"What the hell was "Booty Smurf" laughing about?" asked Stacy. "She doesn't know anything about us or our marriage."

"Save your bullshit for someone who cares," snapped Aaron. "That makes three fuck ups Stacy." Then he went below. Stacy followed him a few minutes after he left. Aaron came to an abrupt stop outside the crew's quarters. He accidentally bumped into Maria who was staring inside the room. A few minutes later Stacy bumped into him.

"Are the others Okay?" Aaron asked Maria.

"Shhh," she said and then gestured with her head towards the room. "Sandra and Jordan are in the Monitor room, still checking out the electronics as if nothing was wrong. Jared is out on the deck whining about how none of this was his fault to anyone who will listen. He wants to talk to you. Dana, Steve and Mike are kind of busy as you can see."

Aaron peered inside of the small room and sucked in his breath as he saw the young woman sucking one of the men's dicks, while the other thrust away between her legs. "Well, let's let them be," said Aaron smiling.

"But isn't it kind of weird for her to be doing it with both of them?" asked Maria. Aaron realized then, that despite the fact that she was more than halfway through her twenties, Maria was not very experienced when it came to sexual matters.

"We'll have a talk about things like that later," said Aaron gently.

"It had better be only a fucking talk!" snapped Stacy from behind them.

"Sorry Stace," said Aaron. "Are we blocking your way? Did you want to get in there, too?"

"Aaron since the day we got married, no one has fucked me, except you," snapped Stacy.

"Four," said Aaron, looking into Stacy's eyes.

"Four what?" asked Stacy. "Aaron can't we go somewhere and just talk. I'm sure we can work this all out."

"Oh no," said Maria. "There's no going off somewhere alone. How do I know you won't try to smuggle him onto your broom with you and fly him off somewhere?"

"Shouldn't you go somewhere and put at least some clothes on?" asked Stacy. "First off, it's getting colder and secondly, you're scaring all of the God damned fish with those things."

"I am a little chilly," said Maria. "But I'm also curious. You seem to be really interested in my breasts. You bring them up in every conversation. Is there something you're not telling us? But I should let you know, I've only done it once with a man. I have no interest at all in trying out a woman. But if I did, it would have to be a young and beautiful one, so I'm afraid you're off the list in both cases."

Maria walked towards the cabin she shared with the other girls. Aaron watched her very carefully as she walked away. She turned and caught him watching her. Stacy slapped him on the shoulder angrily.

The Captain came down and told them that they'd reached the cove. There was a small secluded area that was tree lined and provided a shield from the wind on three sides. There was even a small pier that the fishermen used that was big enough for them to tie the ship to. The tires fastened on the side of the ship should make sure that if the wind shifted they'd be protected from smashing the hull to bits.

"We should be able to ride the storm out here but it's going to be a rough night," said the Captain. "According to the weather service and the news, there was a small earthquake that shifted the bottom and caused the tides to change. Couple that with the winds and the rain and we're in for a fun time."

Aaron put on a slicker and went up on deck. He liked watching the movement of the water. No matter how rough it got. A few minutes after he got there Maria joined him. "I brought you a complimentary Gourmet meal," she laughed. She handed him a bottle of beer and a paper plate with two slices of pizza on it. He looked at her quizzically as she sat down beside him.

"I noticed that this was the beer you always drink, when you aren't trying to get totally blitzed over your ex. And Mike works at a pizza place. He brought four large pizzas aboard with him. He froze them and we micro-waved a couple," she told him.

She sat down in the seat next to him on the rail. There were two Captain's chair-like seats that were bolted to the deck, side by side. There were two similar chairs on the other side of the boat. Fishermen loved them. They could strap into the seats just in case they caught a fish big enough to pull them overboard.

"Thanks Maria," said Aaron. "And not just for the pizza and beer. How the hell did you find Dos Equis? The Hang Dog imported some for me."

"That's where I bought it from," she smiled.

"You've been taking care of me since this whole thing began...or ended," he said sadly. "If it wasn't for you, I'd have still been trying to drink myself to death over Stacy. And if you hadn't been there, when I saw her the second time..." he paused and took a sip of his beer to get himself together.

"Well, I'm just glad you were there," he said.

"There's something you need to know," she said.

"I know what you're going to say," he said. "And I intend to do my best to make it through whatever ruins we find and bring back the best artifacts. And when I do, I'll ask the Dean to give you the professorship."

Watching them from around the corner, Stacy bit her lip angrily to keep from saying anything. If Aaron gave that little bitch the professorship, which was highly possible because the Dean and his nosey wife both liked Aaron, Stacy would be without a job. She might be able to get a job as an assistant but that would be demeaning. That was even more reason that she needed to fix things with her husband. Where the hell was Robert when she needed him? She'd thought that Robert and she were smart but her husband seemed to be a step ahead of them, or to see through their games at every turn.

The worst part was that his spy had been caught. So Robert had no way of knowing what was going on. She was basically on her own. She'd have to win her husband back without Robert's help.

"That's not what I was going to say at all," said Maria. "To be honest, when Elena sent me after you, I was interested in the professorship. After all, I have the degree that the job requires. Maybe I haven't had as much experience as Dr. Thompson or Dr. Anderson. And I hope you aren't offended by me saying this but, I don't have nearly the lack or morals that Dr. Anderson has either. I simply wouldn't do something like that to advance my career. Anyway, over the last few days I've discovered something that means more to me than the professorship."

"What?" asked Aaron curiously. "I thought that for all of you egg headed history types, the professorships were the Holy Grail."

"You don't have one and you're doing quite well," said Maria. "Besides a professorship when you really look at it is just a job. I want a life and a career. I want to go after history and rediscover it. I want to bring those little pieces of history back to the world from wherever they're hidden. And I want the life that goes along with it. And I want to feel the way that I feel now, all the time."

"Sea sick," said Aaron, laughing.

Maria turned and looked at him seriously. "If that's a part of it, that's what I want," she said.

"But don't you think you're a little over-educated for that?" asked Aaron. "This isn't really the chosen career path of the average PHD."

"Don't be silly," she laughed. "I don't care about the career path. I just want the life."

"Okay, now I'm confused," said Aaron. "What's so special about the life?"

"Aaron, it's the person that you share it with that makes the life. What I want is you. I'd never put a stupid job ahead of you. So if I'm going out on boats in the ocean, or climbing mountains, even though I'm afraid of heights, I just want to do it with you," said Maria.

"I'll fucking bet she wants to do it with you," screamed Stacy stepping onto the deck where they could see her. The rolling of the deck made it hard for her to keep her balance.

"Stacy, go below before you fall overboard," yelled Aaron.

"You just want me to leave so you can get comfortable with that little British bitch," screamed Stacy.

"Stacy, I just want you to be safe so I can get you into court and out of my life. But if you'd rather die by being swept overboard n the middle of a storm, that's fine with me," said Aaron. "After all you're supposed to be the smart one."

"Aaron what happened to us?" asked Stacy as the waves crashed into the side of the boat and pushed it against the small pier forcefully. "Less than a month ago, we were perfectly happy."

"That was the problem, Stace," he said. "I loved you so much, that I'd have done anything for you. Anything except share you. When I walked in on you and Robert, it broke my heart. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get over that. So if you need a simple answer, it was you. Your ambition and need to get ahead at any cost happened to us, now all we can do is play out the cards we have."

The next morning the seas were calm. The boat headed back for its home berth. While there they reloaded the supplies they'd used including more Dos Equis and pizza. While there Aaron told the Dean and Elena about their adventures. She wasn't surprised by Robert's behavior. Under the threat of being expelled from the University, Jared came clean about what he'd been doing for Robert.

Aaron also got the news that Robert's ship hadn't come back in from the storm. Many thought that the boat had been caught in open water during the storm and had gone down.

Aaron and Maria met with the Captain just before they went out again.

"Okay, back to where we were before we were interrupted by the storm," said Aaron. "I'm about to show you my secret method for finding the location we'll search."

As Maria and the Captain watched, Aaron took out a briefcase and removed an item from it.

"Do you need a data port to plug that into?" asked Maria.

"It's not electronic Ria," said Aaron.

He placed the small flat board down on top of the chart of the region. Then he placed a small pointed object down on top of the board. Then he placed both of his hands on the pointer and closed his eyes.

"Wait, Ria you have to help me with this," he said. He grabbed her hands and placed them on the pointer with his. "Close your eyes," he told her.

Maria did as he told her. She closed her eyes and smiled. She'd noticed that he'd called her Ria twice. If he wanted to give her a nickname or make up his own name for her it was fine with her. In a way it meant that he was claiming her and she'd wear his mark any day.

She felt the little pointer move, it felt really strange. Maybe the tingles she felt were the result of her touching Aaron. Every time they were close, she tingled all over.

Suddenly the pointer stopped. Aaron marked a dot at those coordinates on the chart. "That's where we dive," he told the Captain.

Maria's eyes snapped open. "What is this thing," she asked. "What about research? What about planning or tide tables?"

"Remember the second verse of the song?" asked Aaron. "I believe in magic, a little monkey shine."

Maria nodded. "What magic?" she asked. "What is this thing?"

"It's a Ouija board," smiled Aaron.

"How the hell is this going to work?" she asked.

"Maria, all of the other teams are out there," he said softly. "They had a nice head-start on us and impeccable research. The result is that they haven't found shit. Everyone has searched this area for centuries. Some people think that everything to be found here has already been found. What does it hurt to try something else? So I'll tell you what. You take the computers below deck. Do all of the research you want. We'll split the time we have left up between us. We'll spend half of it searching your location and the other half searching mine. Is that fair?"

"In for a penny in for a pound," she said. "We're partners and I believe in you no matter what. Whether we find the biggest cache of artifacts or nothing, we're in this together, but there has to be something at stake. If you're right and we find something there, then from now on you're in charge of us. What you say goes no matter what, from here on out, no questions asked. On the other hand, if we search there for our remaining five days and find nothing, I get to make two major decisions that you are not allowed to question, ever."

Aaron looked at her suspiciously. Since things had gone south with Stacy, he'd found himself unable to trust people as much as he once did.

Maria's tiny hand was held out in front of him. "Deal?" she asked.

"Deal," he said quietly as he shook her hand.

It took barely over three hours to restock the boat and make preparations to leave again. Aaron had considered waiting until the following day to embark, but the eager young members of his team were raring to go in earnest. He caved in to their wishes because the sooner they got started the better.