“Attention all passenger. We will now be starting our descent into Manila. Please return to your seats…”

  Zach stretched out as best he could. It had been a long trip and the jet lag was already threatening. As the announcement finished, the flight attendants came by. In the name of waking up, he downed a pack of freeze-dried coffee and lukewarm water before anyone could take his cup away.

  He checked his appearance. There were stains on his jacket from earlier, but that was it. Dr. Samuel would be waiting for him at the baggage check-in. She had insisted on it. But first customs.

  He groaned. Maybe he should try to down another packet of coffee even without any water.

  A person came and sat down in the seat net to him. Zach rubbed his eyes.

  Wait…

  Keeping his fingers over his face, his eyes turned towards the person to his right.

  The person was male. Wasn’t the person next to him for this flight female? Or was it the last flight? Was it jet-lag?

  Moving slowly and deliberately, he packed up without saying a word. The flight landed in due time. The passengers thusly formed a crowd flowing from baggage claim to customs, and from there to spilling out of the airport altogether.

  Zach leaned against a pillar; he needed the support. Pulling out his phone, he checked for any messages from Dr. Samuel.

  Text me when you’re able.

  I’ll pick you up in my car.

  He texted back. Almost immediately, a response came.

  Look for the purple thing.

  Zach squinted at the phone. Thing?! The jetlag must be doing strange things to his brain.

  A high pitch sound echoed into his ears. The sound grew louder and clearer. He turned towards the direction of the noise, where something skidded around towards his direction. It appeared to be an electric purple boat on wheels.

  “You have got to be…”

  “Yoohoo! Mr. Smith!”

  The vehicle skidded to a stop before him. A figure lumbered a bit above him within the confines of the boat. Soon enough, a face framed with a clean cut of bobbed gray hair appeared peering over the passenger window.

  “Are you Mr. Smith?” the head called.

  Zach numbly nodded.

  A hand popped out of the window. “Good! I trust you had a pleasant flight?”

  He nodded again.

  “Alright! Let’s get you situated.”

  The head and arm disappeared and the door popped open.

  “Climb up! Oh, your bag first.”

  He glanced down to his bag. “Right.” He handed it up.

  The hand reappeared, grasping the handle and dragging it in. Pulling his carry-on’s strap over his should, he reached for the nearest handlebar. His feet sought for purchase on the side, but failed, resulting in his knees slamming against the slippery wall.

  “Ow!”

  “You have to use the steps in the door!”

  He looked to his right. There in the door, were slots of depressions and additional handles. He switched to climbing the door instead. Up at the top another handle was within reach that could be used for pulling himself and the door into the boat. He did so, careful not to hit anything.

  “I’ve got your bag put away.” The head reappeared, but this time with the remaining body of a woman.

  Zach successfully dropped into the passenger seat. Putting down his carry-on, he managed to breath, “Dr. Samuel?”

  “That’s me!” She jutted out a hand. “Glad you could make it!”

  He took the hand. “Thank you. You can just call me ‘Zach’.”

  “Sure. You can call me Mystique, then.”

  “Okay. Ah.” He shook his head.

  “You okay?”

  “Jetlag.”

  “Ah, of course!” She sat down in the driver’s seat. “It’s still a ways before we switch back to the water, but when we do, I’ve got a bed made up for you to use.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Back to water?” he repeated, not sure of his hearing.

  “Of course!” She slammed on the gas.

  The jerk knocked his head against the window.

  “Oops! Sorry about that!” She honked the horn as the vehicle moved. “Not used to having passengers, ya know?”

  Zach rubbed his head, nodding.

  “Anyway, we still have a ways to go before getting to the site. No planes go there. Well, not unless you charter them yourself. I’ve found an amphibious vehicle to be more cost effective in that regard.”

  “I see.”

  “This one even has amenities akin to a house boat. Helps when travelling around here. Don’t have to constantly pack and unpack.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  She looked at him and then turned back, wafting a hand towards her passenger. “You’ll see soon enough.”

  Traffic was horrendous, especially with a vehicle that barely fit into a single car lane. The route Dr. Samuel took veered all over the place, seemingly dependent on her mood and what turn-off was available. Eventually, the monstrosity swung into a little port, too small for anything but a fishing boat.

  “This is where we launch!” she announced.

  She drove full kilter into the water. Zach was highly appreciative of the seat belt.

  “Once we get out into open water, I can turn on the autopilot.”

  Zach gripped the available handles for dear life. “Got it.”

  Another two near misses later and they were out into the open water beyond the port. Dr. Samuel poked and prodded at the console. “There. That should do it.” She unbuckled her seat belt and got up, heading back. “This way.”

  Zach took a deep breath and unclenched his grip on the handle. Unbuckling his seat, he followed towards the back. Despite the cramped space, the length of the boat managed to cram in signs of a kitchen and eating area. Dr. Samuel stood at the hall to the back, beckoning. He followed her there.

  She tapped the wall twice, revealing a bunk bed with his bag stored underneath in one place and a tiny bathroom in the other place. “You can wash up and sleep here. It’s going to take a while before we get to the site.”

  Zach leaned against the doorjamb of the bathroom. “Much appreciated.”

  She shrugged. “I had to have something available if I had brought any students along.” She walked back into the kitchen. “Knock yourself out.”

  The investigator used the bathroom to the best of his ability. The sway of the boat kept threatening to bonk his head again. Once his head hit the bed, he was out, too tired to care about the nature with which he was arriving to this site.

  Light streamed through the cracks in the cubby of a room, dancing across the occupier’s face. He squirmed a bit before deciding to get up. Sliding his feet to the floor, he reached to the doorhandle but failed to find it. Instead, he began to brush the dark wall with his fingers until tracing a depression.

  Click!

  The door swung open, light flooding into the room. It took a moment to adjust to the increased light, the outline of the lower deck forming. Dr. Samuel was no where to be seen.

  Overall, the space wasn’t that bright apart from one window that was at just the right angle for sunlight to stream in.

  Not sure what else to do, Zach got ready for the day. As he came out of the bathroom, there was still no sign of the client.

  Where else…?

  He wandered up the stairs to the driver’s seat.

  Empty.

  “Good morning!” came a cheery voice from behind.

  “Gah!” Zach whirled around to find Dr. Mystique lounging on the roof of the boat.

  “Whoops! Sorry! Didn’t mean to startle you there.”

  Carefully grasping the ropes, he clamored onto the rooftop. There the sun blazed down in all its might on the water and white surface of the upper deck. Several chairs and a couple of tables were set up here and there, along with a single sail of a shade. Dr. Mystique was in the one chair under the shade.

  “It can easily feel a bit cramped down there,” she explained, while holding up a pile of papers, plus one tablet. “So, I try to use this space when I can.”

  Zach blinked several times in the bright environment. “Uh, do you happen to have coffee?”

  “Sure. Behind you.”

  “Where?”

  “The consol next to the driver’s seat.”

  “What?”

  She shrugged. “Came with the package. Makes good espressos.”

  Zach slowly made his way to the coffee maker. “How did you find this thing?” he asked.

  “It was at this … Well, I would call it a ‘garage sale,’ over in Manila. I got really lucky that day.”

  “Yes, you did.” He got his coffee and wandered back onto the upper deck, situating on the only other chair set in the shade.

  Mystique decided to start a light conversation. “How did you sleep?”

  “Surprisingly well.”

  “Could it be due to the jet-lag?”

  “Quite possibly.”

  “What about seasickness?”

  “What about that?”

  “I forgot to ask about that earlier, but do you tend to get seasick?”

  “I…I’m not sure.”

  “You’re not? Have you ever been on a boat before?”

  “Of course! Just not like this.”

  “Ah, I see.” She set down the papers and picked up three scraps of paper. “Well, to let you know about our itinerary, we’ll be making a stop to pick up some supplies at around noon before going the rest of the way to the site.”

  “We’re making a detour?”

  “The site’s quite far off. Any supplies we need are picked up by whoever’s going to and from there.”

  “What about Manila?”

  “Hm?”

  “I mean, were you not able to pick up supplies while we were in Manila?”

  “Do you think this thing would fit into a normal parking lot?”

  “Uh, no?”

  “Exactly! Loading this thing up in Manila would be a nightmare. I’d have to rent a car or something.”

  “Right.”

  Mystique shuffled through the scraps. “We’re going to a place with a market right next to the dock. It has everything we would need there. It will also give a chance to stretch our legs for today.”

  “Today? How far is the site?”

  “We’ll get there late tonight.”

  “O -uh…”

  She turned to him, a concerned look crossing over her face. “Oh, I know that look.” She jumped up. “I have something that might help with that.”

  “Help with…” He suddenly felt light-headed.

  “I’ll be right back.” She disappeared and reappeared with water and a couple of bottles. Offering the bottles, she added, “I have options for different mads.” She then turned back to go under the deck again. “You haven’t eaten anything yet, have you?”

  “No.” How was he supposed to swallow anything like this?

  “That probably made it hit faster. Let me get you something to eat.” She froze. Looking back, she asked another question. “How does fish sound?”

  “No!”

  “Got it!” She disappeared.

  Several hours later, after eating breakfast and losing it before the medication finally kicked in, Zach was the one on the lounge chair, still recovering from that bout of seasickness. Mystique sat in the chair next to him, reading from the pile of papers.

  A melodic chime rang out from the console.

  Dr. Samuel immediately moved to the driver’s seat.

  “What is it?” Zach called.

  “We’re nearing the waypoint,” she called back, “and a chance to get you back on land for a bit.”

  Zach placed his hand over his eyes. “Anything good to eat there?”

  “Oh? You’re getting your appetite back now?”

  “Just no fish!”

  Silence.

  “Dr. Samuel? I mean, Mystique?”

  “I’m sure we’ll find something.”

  “What?”

  “I’m sure we’ll find something that isn’t fish.”

  It dawned on him. They were on the ocean and going to a fishing port. It’s going to be hard to find anything without fish.

  “Carp.”