Veronica Stone

Pt. 6

It was a beautiful view, the blueish black silhouette of the cargo ship stenciled onto a flamingo sunset. She gently sipped her coffee, (it was still hot) and lapped one leg over the other. No one would have thought this was the same woman who just had a breakdown the way she sat regally on her stool, and that's how she wanted it. That's what the woman should see. 

Warm pride swelled Veronica's heart as she watched the sharks pop up out the water beside the ship one after the other, their riders spraying the decks with their submachines and assault rifles before gravity pulled them and their sharks back into the water. They were never issued devil's cloth suits for the sharks like Madness’ dolphins so Veronica spent countless evenings training them to keep that unpredictable sporadic rhythm. She was too far to tell exactly what the pirate's reactions were but her men's timing was perfect, they'd be scrambling away from the edge looking for cover like roaches when you turned on the light. It made her smile. She hoped Madness had taken note at least. She'd be one to chime in at the slightest thing that impressed her but Veronica knew, impressed or not, she wouldn't say a word right now. She was probably still snooping about picking off the snipers. That was what afforded Veronica the privilege of sipping coffee in plain sight like a queen. At least she'd see that when she was through. 

Trevor was busy keeping count, calling each name in the right rhythm so Veronica signalled the lizard feet herself. 

"Feet! LETS GO!" 

It hurt her that she wouldn't see them from this side of the ship but she knew how it was going. 

Mahmud was taking lead because this was his favorite maneuver while Shamsiah, the more skilled one, followed behind, actually leading the rest. Veronica could practically hear the hearty smacks of the flippers chopping through the water in her mind. It brought back memories of pool training; no one was taking to her biblical analogies, everyone was laughing at Ahmed tripping and slamming face first into the water, and Mr. 'Former Primary School Track Star’ Trevor was sulking because he was consistently outpaced by his girlfriend. 

Those were good times, and didn’t everyone come out great? They were pros with the lizard feet now. Maybe she had it all wrong.

Da was when Trevor USED to be your second in command, tell me wuh he is now girl.

Veronica couldn’t respond to herself, she knew it was her fault, she had been too relaxed. 

Well focus this time. 

Her eyes swole but the tears didn't burst this time. She channeled her energy and her pain into assessing the situation. She would hold it together. She had no choice.

Veronica took another sip from her flask trying to ignore the dents her tense grip made in the stainless steel and breathed slow, steamy, hot, coffee tinged breaths. The calming kind.

The guys started up and that made things easier. She couldn’t tell what was louder, Mahmud’s birdlike cackle or the guns barking. What she knew was that it was the sound of a job well done. The maneuver was basically a flank to the other side of the ship, she trained them well to dash across the water with the lizard feet once the dolphins gave them a running start. The toughest part was leaping off the water’s surface and gaining enough air time to fire, remove the flippers and land ready for combat. Veronica issued pills to assist with that, especially for the heavier of the group like Rayyan (he’d gone through a bad breakup a few months prior and it showed). It felt good to know training paid off and it felt even better knowing Madness was there to see it.

“Snipers done clean up!”

“Since when?”

Veronica really just wanted to get an idea of how much her friend had seen.

“Cho! Yuh love too much detail me did catch up in yuh show! Lawd dem bwoi move sweet! Shoot sweet too!”

Her 'bwois'.

Veronica was alight with a proud warmth. 

But she didn’t didn’t let it show. 

“No you are supposed to report the moment the objective is completed Madness, how am I to know-”

“Baxcovah! Yah feel me aguh let snipa lick yah? Ah ‘ow long mi do dis now? Ya insult me Roni, ya insult me!”

“I’m just trying to keep order Miss. Winston.”, Veronica reassured firmly, battling back a triumphant grin. 

"Well me feel seh yuh can keep orda pan de ship come nah!" 

Veronica hesitated. 

"That's not my position, you know that", She lied. She was right but she knew she really wanted to go. 

"Suit yaself!"

Veronica swallowed. It was what the woman would've wanted. She didn't just hop into a battle on a whim, she gave orders, she followed the rules, there was no time for play. That's how she got that medal. At least that's how everyone told it. If only Veronica could talk to her, know for sure. She squeezed Mansa Musa almost for reassurance, as if her voice were trapped in there. She felt a little better.

Then she returned to focussing, flipping through channels, monitoring her men. She was able to sulk and command at once. Multitasking. She was still upset, frustrated and disheveled, but she could function. She could function enough to have proved herself that day had it not been for Madness. The girl seemed to be actively trying to keep Veronica in debt to her. Like a cruel torture dressed up in quirky personality ticks.

"Man Madness what de C@#$ you doing up dere doan tell me das you gine up dere wat de bird!"

"Trust me nuh? Ah learn dis at Vincent fette last year it gon be good!"

"Madness, I-", Veronica gave up. She wouldn't let that girl get to her. All she had to do was show Madness SHE knew how to handle herself, if Madness wanted to do nonsense that was on her.

"Whatever you doing mek sure you don't hurt my men.", Veronica bargained. She was TRYING to come across unbothered but her bouncing leg and grinding jaw screamed otherwise.

"Say no more!", Madness laughed. She was soon to the top of the ship's loading crane. From Veronica's distance she was a shadowed figure scampering up the giant metal rod like a crazed chimp, but then Veronica noticed something else.

"Das somebody wid you!?"

"You know mi na like spoil surprise jus watch nah" 

Oh brother.