All That Glitters

The Royal Merchant

They had all gotten up around the same time. Since it was one of the roosters that decided to pluck JJ's eyes. Almost like they knew of his betrayal. John B ran some water over his eyes to ease some of the pain but he still had a cut or two from where it's beak broke skin. The commotion alone woke the Pogues.

It was the start of a bright and early day. Pope somehow convinced his dad to let him borrow his boat for fishing. Heyward agreed because he still felt bad about what happened the previous day but he told Pope, " You fish now and you're gonna finish stocking the back room when you get home ". Pope agreed mostly because he knew the stockroom had been finished for days and he probably just wanted him to move some boxes around.

An unfair trade but a trade nonetheless.

JJ happily manned the steering. He was having a blast listening to the directions John B gave him and following them perfectly.

"All right, JJ. Pin her here."

"Roger that! X marks the spot."

John B pulled the drone out and plopped it into the water off the side of the boat. "Ladies and gentlemen, to going full kook."

Kie grasped the long yellow tether and began feeding it into the ocean. Feeling the current take the drone further and further down.

Pope stayed behind the console. Teetering with the controls. John B held a tablet in his hand that showed the exact coordinates of where his dad said the wreck was.

"JJ, we're right over it. Ten seconds northwest." He called out, watching the blip on the screen shift along with their movements.

"Got it! Ten seconds northwest." He carefully steered making sure to follow his directions.

Kie reached the first marker. "One hundred feet!" She made a mark on the boat with some chalk.

Pope caught sight of a squid that spooked him for a second. Causing John B and JJ to jump. "You find something?"

"No no. Sorry."

"Don't do that to me, man." JJ sneered.

Pope rolled his eyes and continued to watch what the drone saw. "And to quote The Hobbit , " down, down, to Goblin Town. Down, down, you go, my lad ."

They sat there for a good few minutes. Watching Kie call the markers. She got to four hundred before the wind started to pick up again.

"Hey, guys. The tide's turning!" She warned.

John B checked the tablet again. Watching the blip drift off.

"Hey, JJ?"

"Yep?"

"Ten seconds easy. Alright? South-southeast."

"Copy that!" His eyes grew wide. Before complying and correcting their course.

"JJ! Twenty seconds mid-speed, all right?! South!" The wind was starting to howl. John B could barely hear himself.

"Copy that! Aye aye." JJ did his best. Fixing all the instruments and steering the way John B told him. When he felt something, he looked back and saw Kie struggling with the tether. "Keep the tether out of the prop, Kie!"

"I'm trying!" She sounded annoyed.

John B urged him on regardless. "Keep going, JJ."

"John B, is that good?" He turned around to look over his shoulder at him.

John B gave him a thumbs up. "We're good!"

Kie called seven hundred feet. And that was when they heard the thunderstorm that had been brewing around them. The wind picked up considerably. Thrashing Heyward's boat as it broke the waves that the wind was creating.