A Fight to Remember

Who's Ellis?

A/N: Thanks everyone! I appreciate your responses!

September 2029

Somewhere in the North Pacific

Derek

Despite being on the seas for almost three months, I still wasn't used to the rocking. Especially in fifteen-foot swells. Nausea rose and fell with the waves as I examined the two cards of my poker hand. An eight of diamonds and ace of spades. On the table was an eight of clubs and a Jack of hearts. The last card, the river had yet to be played.

"Well hurry up 'Fast Hands'," Mark urged.

Fast Hands was my nickname aboard ship. Something else I discovered about myself, while I wasn't the most physically fit- (I was ancient according to most fisherman standards) My hands were fast and my fingers nimble. I threw bowline knots at record speeds. Need a net mended ASAP? Give it to me, I'll have it done before you notice it's gone. Need a fast throw to grab your gillnet? That was me. So I quickly gained the guys respect, and my nickname changed from 'Old Codger' to 'Fast Hands'. Something I was oddly proud of.

The boat hit a large swell and we all tilted to one side, and then the other. The guys around me seemed to take on a new shade of gray, no doubt hiding the nausea. It made poker hard to play, everyone had the same expression, who could be bluffing? I didn't know. Mark was the most stoic. As the lead hand, he had the most experience and was closest to me in age except for the Captain, Darcy up on the bridge, piloting us to our last net. Mark frowned, his tanned and weathered face clearly focused on not throwing up all over the cabin.

Jeff, the youngest, actually looked calm, though I suspected it was due to the joint he smoked half an hour ago. He was spaced out. He shuffled the two cards in his hands, alternating glances from the cards to the wall to the cards again. Steve, who was now in his third fishing season, cleared his throat and swallowed. He stared straight at me. He was bluffing.

"Call," I said weakly as my stomach flipped. Pushed ten bucks into the pot.

"Damn," Jeff said, folding his cards.

Mark and Steve looked at each other.

"I'll call," Mark said, throwing his ten in. "And raise five." Five more bucks in the pot.

Damn.

Steve rubbed his eyebrow, one of his tells. "Call," he said, and piled cash into the pot. Seeing that, I knew I had him. Mark remained inscrutible, But I didn't like to lose or give up, so I hoped to outplay him. "Raise," another ten bucks went into the pot.

The ship rocked violently, knocking things around in the galley but none of us moved. Jeff chuckled, he was just a spectator now.

Mark and Steve met my bet. Damn, I was hoping Mark would fold, he was on his last twenty bucks- but I guess that meant he had nothing to lose. Steve however, looked scared.

Jeff turned over the last card, Queen of diamonds. Steve groaned and flopped his cards on the table. He had a four of clubs and a seven of hearts. In other words, nothing. Grinning devilishly, Mark slammed his cards face up. "Haha! The pot is mine!"

"Aw man," I sighed in defeat, flicking my cards into the middle. My pair didn't match up to his eight to queen straight.

"Another one?" Mark asked. He was like a puppy playing fetch.

"No," the rest of us groaned.

Mark pocketed the cash. "Alright, but we should try and get a couple hours of sleep in before we hit our last line."