Stranger Things have Happened...

"You sure know how to sweep a girl right back onto her feet!" she laughed back. "So what's the bonus if I get there early?"

"My place, then sorting through the ships stores, and finally make it to the airport and Spain, only then do you remember you forgot the swords, I'll give you 13 and a half hours. Make the deadline, and you'll get a mystery perk!

"A perk on top of what?" she teased.

"The truth!" I smiled.

"You don't think I tell you the truth?" she tried to sound hurt.

"When it suits you, but what I have, I'll share with you for free," I had a hard time keeping it in. She really should have gone with me to get the company phones. I got all company employees the same phone because I was impressed with the abilities it offered, yet it still remained an all-around efficient phone. One of the abilities it came with was the ability to work the business side of the phone while giving the owner a notation of what was going on on the private side.

The thing, you see, is that to have the communications company make the final 'hook-up link,' it was supposed to be the both of us, but she never showed. So only I and my phone were used until they tracked her down long enough to enter her info. I could 'back door' any phone the company had.

"My Grandmother was a gypsy, and every once in a while, she would see visions of things that were going on at that moment, but from far away," I watched as the signal began to climb in altitude. "Damn! I'm getting chills! In my mind, you're flying along, drinking your Cognac while you're feet are propped up." The sound that quickly followed can only be understood by one who has previously swallowed something halfway down and then was startled so badly that it comes up twice as quickly. I finished the call with, "This is some real 'Twilight Zone' shit, huh? Well, safe travels!"

Ok, I'm guilty of some cheap thrills from time to time, don't judge!

Edmund came through and said he was running short on some supplies, and as such, he was going to buy dinner and bring it back as well. So if I wouldn't mind entertaining the ladies, he would be back in thirty minutes, tops. It was all I could do was watch as the old man threw on a leather jacket and helmet, fired up his three-wheeled Spyder, and off he went.

"Are you about done?" I said over my shoulder.

"What is your meaning for that question?" came the reply

"Everyone has something they represent in this game of yours, but my son and I. We serve no purpose in the game beyond finding the treasure. Unless we are needed for support to your game sometime later at a certain point. Then at that point, we become bait. My experiences have shown me things don't always go well for the bait. I'm well-established, and everyone knows my intentions with both Kat and Carolyn that would only leave my son." I looked to the sky, "Is Spain ready for the hell that will erupt if harm should find my son as a result of all this?"

"We're confident we can keep him from harm!"

"Confidence is what you have before you fully understand the situation!" I said as I turned around and looked down at Grandma. "There's a hardness in James that's coming out. It already has a few times. I got called in the first time and just had to pay the bill for the other kid's arm and shoulder. For the second time, I got called in, and they had it on CCTV. Three larger kids jumped James, and at the end of it all, they told me to pay the bills for all involved. I told them to get a pair of glasses and watch that again.

"I believe My plan is best for my son, but I will need your help to bail me out from time to time. Like now for instance, does the palace have an armory? When I say that I mean swords and shields, you know, all the older weapons. Second, is there still a sparing yard we can use within the walls? Third we need to have the princess discover what's going on so she can watch, that's your job. But she has to be there for the first time no matter what, or its all useless."

Grandma smiled, "I like the way you think, we can't watch them 24/7, so we let them watch each other instead, Perfection!" She looked at me, "I'll have to ask the Master Armorer about the weapons, and I think I have an area that would be perfect for your purpose, right up against the palace wall. It's too bad you or your son doesn't own property in Spain, he'd be able to court the princess the way the laws are set up."

My lightbulb went on, then exploded into 1,000-watt fragments! "Is that right?" I said questionly.

"Mi Captain, know that I would never undermine your intentions, but your face right now is the same as it was when you took us all out in the boat so the family could grow and heal. that might be why they treat you like they do here. But at this moment, there's a block of ice that used to be my spine. What are you planning now?" Grandma asked.

"I don't have any plans, Grandma, at least not yet. But there's something in the air that's telling me war is coming, but it's screaming at me to be ready!"

The old armorer was tickled someone actually wanted to learn something other than just guns. We started with a warm-up peroid, then finished with some hand to hand. I thrashed him thoroughly as was my intent. Then I saw the princess clinging to the cement post she had hid behind since the start. One look at her eyes and I knew they were already a couple, they were just waiting for the time to be right before they can say it.

We stretched out and showered. I told him how he was leaving himself open and then teaching him one by one how to close off his weaknesses. Then three days later, I wound up putting my finger where it shouldn't have been, or should have been, I'll let you decide.

It was one of those nights when everything and everyone pissed everybody else off and it just kept building. I wound up spending the night at Edmund's, I grabbed my backpack and satchel, as well as a large artist's case with the wheels on the other end and pull it with the handle. We got stopped by the cops who made me grab the big stuff, while they wrote Edmund a ticket for too much on a Spyder.

He was pissed about the ticket, I told him to quit being a pussy and make us a sandwich. There was even a table with a cover to eat on that had no books or papers on it, just a medium sized lamp giving off some warm light that had a rack of magnifying glasses up the stem until the light fell over to make it seem like a flower. "Where did that come from?" Edmund asked.

"That is my artists easel," I smiled, "I made it to be other things as well, the chairs and the lamp are yours." I told him as I finished pouring our drinks. "Now give me my damn sandwich, I'm starving!" We talked about everything and anything, until I started asking questions about the "magic box" as I had begun to call it. I played with him for a while before I decided to spring it on him.

"Actually Edmund, I've been meaning to talk with you. You see I need your help with some very old translations in some cave we were digging in and as my best was Jr. Highschool Spanish class. I could use your assistance on the project."

"Mikel, I consider us to be good friends, so of course I'll help you," he replied.

During the course of the meal, I had flipped the tablecloth out from under the lamp, then I filled our glasses again and set the bottle down on the floor. "Let's toast to our success!" I said and stood up. "No script to old, no secret able to hide!"

Edmund grinned and stood, "Hear-hear!" Just as we finished our drinks, I grabbed the tablecloth and gave it a pull.

"I'm ready to start," Then, because I was looking for his reaction, I was able to catch his glass when he dropped it. "How about you?" I quickly made sure he fell back into his chair, then I released the magic-box from its confinement, and then placed it on top. "So, are you going to touch it yet or not?"

"It's been a lifetime you just don't understand!" He said, never looking away from the box for a moment.

"You're wrong there, my friend! I'll leave you two to settle your demons for a moment." I left to use the restrooms. I slow walked it back to the room in time to hear "What's the fuck is wrong with you?" then I heard scuffling and picked up my pace pulling out the knife at my belt. Just as I turned the corner, I saw Edmund standing with the magic box in his hands above his head and a thoughtful eye at a bare space in the wall.

"Hang on there, professor! If anyone is sending that box into the wall, it's going to be me!" I chuckled.

"It's not that, did you notice that small square of wood on the bottom being different?" I nodded my head, "Oh, sorry, thought I was on to something."

"Listen, Edmund, there's a friend that's coming over for a bit. She has certain abilities that could help us. She should be here in about five minutes. Can I talk you into waiting for her at the door and then bring her up. He said he wanted to grab something downstairs anyhow, so he agreed.

I sat there looking at the box, thinking of combinations that might be needed to open this 'magic box.' I let my mind wander, and when I realized how far it had gone, it stopped on the first semi that got stuck under an overpass. The city was going to tear up the bridge, until a boy on a bicycle asked a cop, "Why don't you let the air out of the tires?" or the chaos that the new prescription bottle caps caused, now everyone knows 'push while turning'.

I finished my drink and walked over to the box. "If you decide not to help me, by the laws, I will burn you til there's nothing left and then piss on your ashes!" I grabbed the tab as it popped up and pulled it like I was trying to rip it out. It came up just shy of a millimeter more than before and stayed out, and then I felt the Cross and Crown emblem move under my hand. I turned it a quarter turn to the left I heard four distinct clicks.

It could have been a year or a second before I noticed Edmund and Tammy standing beside me. "Don't touch the box!", then I turned to Edmund, "I need three shots of your hardest liquor you have on hand, if you would." I sat down in my chair and drank the first one. "I would recommend you two have a couple yourselves, anybody got a joint?" They both looked at me like I had lost my mind. "Drinks first, please,"

After we all had a nice buzz on, I looked at Edmund. "Are you ready to rock, my friend?"

"I don't have a joint, Mikel, I don't smoke." He replied.

"I don't smoke either, but if you two do, it's alright with me," I said.

"Then why did you ask for one?" he looked confused.

"I got overwhelmed when I heard something," I replied.

"What did you hear?" Tammy asked.

I smiled, "Click!" and with a flourish, opened the magic-box!

"Oh, my Sweet Sainted Lord!" Edmund said as he collapsed into a chair. "So many answers are said to be within that box."

"As neither of you is in any shape to inspect the contents correctly," She snapped the wrist of her rubber glove, "I'll go first." She used just her fingertips as she handled every document. She also kept taking deep breaths, "God, I love the smell!"

The next thing she brought out was a grey envelope with an emblem printed on the front of a four-inch square. It was of a large vessel sailing right at you, with a dragon reared up behind it, breathing fire as if it was pushing the ship along its journey. The seafoam from the ship's bows swirled up and away, going up the right and left side, leaving a solid black bar along the top to finish the border.

"That goes to Mikel. It's his family's crest," Edmund said.

A tingling ran from my hands up my arms and into my chest. I just now understand that I was following the path started by my Great-Grand Father many years ago, trying to bring it all to its final conclusion. I about yelled when Tammy slipped her arm around my shoulders and asked if I was hungry. "It's been three hours guys, we need to eat. So I'm going to let you boys play with your papers while I cook us up something, Do you have any allergies?

"Bad humor?" The slap I received to the back of my head was playful.

"Extra rat poison on yours, Edmund. How about you? Edmund?" She turned around and looked at him.

He seemed to be coming out of a fog. He blinked his eyes, then sadly smiled. "Do you know how to cook an 'English Whaler,' my dear? preferably without the rat poison, if you would." After getting directions to the kitchen, off she went. Then Edmund filled two large glasses of his homemade moonshine, walked over and placed one in front of Mikel. "Let's talk, my friend,"

We pulled our chairs back, facing each other. Edmund started the talk.

"I've come across some information that involves both our families. By now, I'm sure you know that my Auntie was The Queen of Spain when all this took place. But I found out that the 'affair' between your relative and mine differed from what was reported to the King. It seems your Great-grandfather was related to the Queen in a shirt-tail sort of way."

"They knew there was something more between them but never found out until the Queen invited the entire family to the Palace for a festival of some sort, and a distant cousin commented on how well he had been doing since he came noticed by the King and brought to the Palace.

The Queen introduced herself, and after promising that their newfound relationship would always come second to the needs of the standard they now held. Your Great-grandfather was known as a man of honor and trust back then. After speaking a few times, he discovered she lived for games of mental strategy and memory. So every time he sailed out, he always did his best to bring her back at least one or two new games and teach her how to play them."

"All the time, the Delgado family began playing on the King's insecurities and fabricated evidence of a sexual affair. The king was so weak-minded that he believed almost everything they told him. From what I can gather, everything was B.S.! The Wedding, the reason for the treasure, and even the English involvement! 'They were using the entire affair as a smoke screen to kill your Great-grandfather for his 'sexual relations' with the Queen. The Princess was to be sold at any 'whore house along the way' because "...as she had dishonored her Father and King in the like manner, she should spend the rest of her life doing what she enjoyed most!..."

"The treasure was supposed to have been split between two ships, and they returned home by a different route. At some secluded point, it was to be broken up as arranged."

"The Ryaker and The Onya-Bell," I whispered.

"How did you know about The Onya-Bell?" Edmund asked.

"I think I saw it in the log book on the Ryaker," Hoping he'd believe it.

"OK...Well, because of the foresight of your Great-grandfather, I have family and relatives, but there's a voice screaming at me to take revenge for what has been taken from me as well! You see, this info came from the Queen herself, and it was what probably drove her to suicide, thinking of what was to take place with her daughter and that her husband ordered it to happen."

"If you're asking me for my help setting things right, you had that before you said the Delgado Family. Let's make a deal, you and I. You show me how we need to go, and I'll show you how we'll get there Deal?" I raised my glass

"Oh yes! I saw how you announced that theOrion had been found. Do you have something similar in mind for this?" Edmund arched his eyebrow.

"Would it bother you if I did?" I asked.

"Not at all, just curious." he raised his glass to mine.

It took six months for everything to be ready. The Spanish have to have everything just so in these matters. James and I hit the sparing yard every chance we could, morning and night. While it just hardened my physique, James came through like a chiseled Norse God. I found he had been training with the armorer when I had to be away taking care of things with Edmund.

On one of the last times we spoke before we got ready to set things off, I'd asked Edmund, "Where are the lands my family owned?"

"Your family still owns a lot of land to the west, but the land your Great-grandfather was given for all his victories almost takes up the entire northern coastline right up to the city. Fishermen loved him; if he ever saw one in trouble, he or any of his ships would assist until the problem was fixed. In return, the crew got a couple of fine meals as a 'Thank you.' he smiled.

"I can just remember the chaos he caused when he would go on long patrols. He would hire three or four single fishermen to go with him to supplement the food supplies needed for himself and his crew. No matter what, any fisherman was never disappointed with the pay they received. Quite a few tied up at the dock, ran to the bank to deposit a good bit of it and then ran back to the dock to jump back on the boat before she was reprovisioned and left the dock. Many families got their start that way."

"So he was more of a people person, mellow until provoked, instead of flashy or a showboat.? I asked.

"He never treated anyone better or worse than they desered, unless it included the law or the station they held," Edmund replied.

"If I remember correctly, you were commenting about an upcoming city festival next month where the people can bring their grievances before the King to be resolved, yes?"

Edmund said, "I don't think they're ready for this level of grievance, Mikel. Perhaps you should file a complaint issue in the courts first and..."

"They have had over 100 years to plan if I was coming. Well,, now I'm here and ready to set things straight! Just be glad I don't feel like using 500 lbs. of black powder on this one too! The King and the Delgado family are going to learn. If you try to make my family extinct, we'll return twice as hard to finish the job. We have a date and time, and now we must be ready! I'll be back later on this evening." With that, I slid out the door into the night.

The longer I was in Spain, the darker my skin became and the easier the language became. I would go out and start up the old tales of 'ol' Juan Sanchez Villalobos Ramirez' and all his victories! There were a lot of sailors, old and new, singing the short songs that sailors make up to pass their day at sea. I would always leave asking questions of his wife and family and why we let them fade into nothing while we still enjoyed the things they got for us. I would head out quickly if things got too bad.

The Day of the Festival arrived. It was a beautiful day and an even better evening. The food was great, and I ensured the wine and beer flowed freely for all adults. Soft drinks and Sarsaparilla were available for those who weren't. I was the last one in the portable dressing room I had "T-man-J" rent as we got into our costumes. T-man-J was the same college guy I had to do the light show for the Orion. Back then, his name was Karl Tanner, and he didn't charge me anywhere the six-figure bill I was now holding.

"$109,000?" I just looked at him.

"Give me a break, Mikel. If your ass keeps finding things like this, I'm going to start charging you NFL Halftime rates!" Karl said, "It's not like when you took that dead train company and turned it into the perfect support system for more passengers to reach the main lines that only served the big cities. All that unused rail line that wasn't being used, a little repair, spit and polish, and then rehiring the railroad people, they let go to service their home areas only. Stroke of genius! What was the bill on that? $26,500, I believe. But then you didn't want a laser light show like you do now."

"This one is personnel, Jarl," I almost whispered.

"Look, boss. I've been told the tale," He fixed my throat microphone, "Now it's time to paint the picture!" He told me little Alonzo would lead me out onto the field chosen; he would line me up facing you as needed and then run like hell. When the first lights hit, it will be just you. Then, the second pulse will reveal the rest of the sailors with Edmund behind you on his small podium. You both can take it from there. You have my word. Any word you two say will be clearly heard!"