Becker Diving and SCUBA
Nassau, Bahamas
The better part of the day had passed with the two would be adventurers chasing down every lead they could think of to help find the dock of U-3519. As punishment for dragging Sam even further, Will was forced to use Harrison’s ancient desktop that sounded like it would catch fire at any moment. Several dozen websites of questionable origin gave way to excesses of information about the Thule Society, U-Boats, and secret missions; yet none gave way to what they were looking for.
“Hmm…” Sam said after closing a webpage that was plastered with swastikas. “Reports say that U-3519 was sunk by a mine off the coast of Norway February second and was captained by Richard von Harpe.”
“Well Richtoffen did say that they were reassigned for the Thule Society, so maybe they got the SS to cover it up,” Will replied. “Speaking of which,” He continued. “Guess whose father was a close personal friend of Rudolf Hess, the supposed founder of the Thule?”
Sam immediately answered with conviction “Captain Lieutenant Dietric Richtoffen.”
“Bingo! What’s more, our good Captain Richtoffen was reported missing in early March of ’45. If 3519 had sunk in February then he wouldn’t have been on it and there’s no point in listing him as missing…” William trialed off and let Sam’s pessimistic nature fill in the blank.
“Which means there is a good chance that our prize might be at the bottom of the Atlantic…?”
“Bingo,” Will said again, softly this time. “But,” He carried on enthusiastically. “I’m not gonna’ let it stop me.”
“Of course not! After all, you’re William Hollis, adventurer extraordinaire! Envy of Watson and Crick!”
“The DNA guys?”
“Shut up.” Sam turned and saw bright lights on the ships in port as tourists partied on and off deck, the lights acting like beacons against the darkened sky. “I could really go for a break.”
“Nah, you just wanna’ party.”
“True. And hey, it’s not like we’re in a hurry. If it’s been there for the past seventy years then it’ll be there until tomorrow.” Sam stood and stretched, rubbing his fingers through his hair to make himself look somewhat presentable. “You coming? There might be hot foreign girls…”
“Might be?” Will asked skeptically as he shut down the ancient desktop and stood, following Sam downstairs and out the bungalow that Harrison called an office; a few hours before, Sam’s uncle had wandered off with some mumbled excuses about seeing his lady and left them to their work. “Son, this is the Bahamas. There will be hot foreign girls.”
“’Son?’” Sam asked as they climbed aboard the skiff that Harrison used to ferry people and supplies from the main island. Cool air laced with dissolved salt blew over them as they left the island and headed into the deep water.
Will felt dwarfed as they came along side one of the cruise ships and he had to turn his head all the way up to see the top of the ship, which was lost in the darkness, perceivable only by the navigation lights. Just beyond the terminal where passengers got on and off the ship was a place known to locals as Festival Place and it was lit up bright enough to drown out most of the stars in the sky. Typical islander music and loud voices could be heard from the dock as Sam tied up the boat to an empty slip.
“You planning on get drunk tonight?” William asked as they walked up the concrete walkway. “Or just try to nail one of the aforementioned hot foreign girls?”
“You know they have names.” Sam corrected.
Scoffing, Will cut back, “Yeah, names you won’t bother to learn.”
As they rounded the final turn to the party, they both had to stop and marvel at the size of the party that was being thrown. Scattered around the enormous open sided event hall were various food stations with chicken, fish, pork, and various fruits and vegetables grilled over open flames with attendants serving up thick slices to hungry guests. Tiki styled bars served up domestic and imported beers alongside the fruity neon island drinks.
Surges of people stood around watching the performers dance and juggle fire, drinking drinks and swapping stories. William always found it amazing how much someone was willing to talk about themselves to complete strangers while on vacation; something he never did on the few times his did travel.
“Here,” Sam practically yelled in his ear just to be heard from the din of the crowd. In his extended hand, he held a domestic beer with little pieces of ice clinging to the bottle. Will took it and downed a third of it in one long gulp, feeling the coldness and bubbles travel down his throat.
“Thanks,” He said after the coolness had faded. Sam tried to walk away but William grabbed his arm in an effort to stop him. “We’re not done. Tomorrow I wanna’ finish talking about you coming with me.”
“Sure sure,” His friend replied, obviously distracted. “For now let’s get drunk. If you tell them it’s on Becker Diving, they’re free so drink your fill. And don’t forget to eat something!” He yelled as his melted into the crowd.
Will sipped his beer again and tried to look casual as he made his way toward a group of girls clustered at one of the many bars. One, with blonde hair the color of early morning sunlight, caught his eye as he leaned against the bar and ordered another drink. Normally he would have been so nervous that his heart would be pounding in his chest so hard that the edges of his vision would darken. But not tonight, whether it was the beer he drank way too fast or the fact that he would never see this girl again if she shot him down gave him courage.
“Hi,” He said with a crooked smile.
At first, she didn’t reply and his heart sank despite the liquid courage. But she gave a double take and gave him a sweet smile. “Hi. Native?”
“Nah, I’m from Cali.” He said, holding out his hand. “I’m Will.”
“Amanda,” She replied just as sweetly before. “Me too! Where in Cali exactly, Mr. Will?”
“Berkeley. I’m a technology major there.”
A puzzled look fell across Amanda’s almond shaped face. “UCLA? Aren’t classes still in there?”
“Yeah,” He admitted sheepishly. “But my friend and I decided to take an adventure. Get out and see the world, ya know?”
Amanda, for all her credit, laughed heartily at that. “I know exactly what you mean. That’s actually what I’m doing. Well, me and my family.”
William, caught up in the moment shared her laugh and sipped at his fresh beer. Large fans affixed to the ceiling churned the air and he caught a whiff of floral shampoo that came off Amanda’s hair. Her blue eyes sparkled in the soft light and her rep lips pulled back to reveal a set of sparkling white teeth.
“So what kind of adventure are you and your friend looking for?”
Will sipped at his bottle, realizing that it was empty and hoped the girl did not notice. “Well now,” He started coyly. “I can’t tell you that. After all it’s a secret.”
“Oh, come on! You can’t do that to me!” She pouted her upper lip and Will nearly melted.
“Well... to be completely honest, we’re searching for a lost Nazi submarine base which may or may not exist somewhere in Brazil which might hold the answer to a mystery that an unknown gunman may or may not be willing to kill us over.” He felt like coming completely clean for just once tonight about what he was up to. When he said it out loud however, it sounded so ridiculous that he suddenly completely understood Sam’s reluctance to keep going.
Amanda on the other hand saw nothing but humor in it as she nearly doubled over in genuine laughter. When she finally came up for air with the giggles, Sam tried laughing along with her but it just came out as an awkward chuckle. “Okay then Mr. Jones. What are you really doing out here?”
“My friend’s uncle owns the diving shop on the other island.” So far, he hadn’t lied to her in the least bit and was feeling proud of it. “I’m just down here to relax for the summer before I start my internship at a tech company in Silicon Valley.”
“That’s so cool,” She said with what seemed genuine enthusiasm. “The Silicon Valley part… and the diving shop part too, I guess…”
“Wow, you actually know what Silicon Valley is. That’s awesome.”
“Yeah, I know that I don’t look it, but I’m a bit of a nerd.” She replied sheepishly.
“I don’t believe you.”
They shared another laugh before she added, “Well, I guess you’ll just have to see for yourself one day…” Amanda looked like she was going to say something else before someone shouted her name and she walked off with a smile and a wave at Will, who just stood there staring after her, his stomach doing flips. “Good luck on finding your question-less answer!” She called out over her shoulder.
He watched her short red dress disappear in the crowd before turning back to his drink wondering if he would ever see her again and sadly deciding the odds would most definitely not in his favor. Sometimes he hated his mind for being so quick and accurate at math.
“It’s no myth, Mano.” A deep, accented voice spoke up from the other side of the bar.
Will turned around and saw the bartender peeling a lemon and starting directly at him. “I’m sorry,” He started in a confused voice. “But what?”
The bartender, who’s dark skin revealed that he was some form of Central or Southern American, smiled broadly. “The German Submarine base. It’s no myth. I’ve seen it.”
“You’re joking. How?”
“I grew up near a little village in Brazil. The elders told of a place made of concrete with ships that had no sail.” He answered with a shrug. “One day a few of us kids got curious and went to go see what they meant. It was only a little while ago that I finally figured out what it really was.”
A question was forming in his mind and Will was about to ask more before some, most likely, drunken tourist called the bartender over to sloppily order a drink. The girl forgotten, he turned around and hastily rushed off into the surging crowd in an effort to find Sam.