Comet And Steve: The Despondent Girl Part 2

#3

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The despondent girl and I, paced back and forth as we tried to solve this puzzle. Currently, we were standing in the hull of a freighter ship. Surrounded by stacks of shipping containers, with our only visible way to escape being a locked door. Yes, I checked.

“This is hopeless!” The despondent girl cried as she slumped to the floor. “We’re never going to get out of here. You’re going to be killed, I’ll be taken who knows where, and I don’t even know your name!”

She covered her welling tears in her trembling hands.

I sat down next to her and said “Well, my name’s Comet. And his name is Steve.”

“Wait, the dogs name is Steve?” She asked.

I chuckled and answered “Yeah. My neighbor’s daughter named him.”

The fear remained in her eyes, but a trace of hope seeped through the cracks of her weak smile.

“My name’s Jessica.” She added.

Without warning, the door flew open revealing two bumbling henchmen. They staggered down the steps into the room and grabbed Jessica and I by the arm.

“Where are you taking us?!” I demanded as Steve snarled at them.

They didn’t say a word as they dragged us through the door, leaving Steve to himself in the hull. It seemed like we walked for miles before the hulking henchmen threw us into the bridge, where the head man himself was awaiting our arrival.

Meeting The Captain

“Oh, I see you two found each other.” He sneered as he stepped away from the helm.

He stood, as a captain would, with confidence and proudness. But under his pure white suit, a filth and treachery hid.

He pulled off his hat and handed it to one of the crew, then continued “So, you must be Jessica. I’m sorry your father didn’t tell you about our little arrangement. But I’m sure we’ll be able to make things comfortable for you.”

Jessica wriggled in the guards clutches.

“On another note, who are you?” He asked me.

I figured silence was the better option, so I kept my mouth shut.

“I suppose it doesn’t matter. You won’t be causing any trouble for us.”

I didn’t like his tone, especially when one of the other crew members retrieved a gun that had been tucked in his pants. Before the guy could move any closer, the boat made the most jarring sound. The room began to rock, and the the captain, along with the crew, shot glances around the bridge.

“What’s going on!?” The captain demanded.

The Final Act Of The Despondent Girl

No one could answer him. He ran to a monitor by the helm, and began clicking through a variety of video footage from the entirety of the ship. Finally, he stopped at a feed from what looked like an engine room.

“WHO BROUGHT THE DOG ON BOARD!?” He demanded as he pointed to the screen.

I looked around him, and saw none other than Steve, happily chewing away at every exposed piece of wire, and pulling apart anything he could get his teeth around. Mechanical grinding echoed through the boat once more.

“Get that dog! All of you! Go!” The captain ordered as he walked towards the door.

I think the goons holding Jessica and I were a little startled because they let go of us and began running out the door.

“Not you!” The captain shouted as he ran towards them.

I saw my opening, and lunged at the three in the doorway. Apparently Jessica had the same idea and hurdled herself at the enemy as well. We shoved the three out of the room and bolted the door behind them.

“Well? You seem to have some sort of plan. What do we do now?” Jessica asked.

I grimaced and replied “I’m following Steve’s lead.”

“Oh great!” She quipped.

I ignored her and ran to the controls of the boat. Looking at the monitor, I saw that the crew had made it to the engine room, but Steve had escaped and was now running along the decks of the boat. The grinding and cracking of the ship hadn’t stopped though. So, after looking at the other instruments and seeing that they were all going haywire, I realized Steve had done more than just chew on some wires. Judging by the sounds of the boat, he had jeopardized the integrity of the ship itself.

The End Of The Despondent Girl

“Um, Comet? The captain’s gone.” Jessica informed, unsettled.

I looked back and saw it was true. Then I looked back at the monitors and saw the crew abandoning ship.

“We need to get out of here.” I told Jessica.

“I think that might be a good idea.” She replied.

She opened the door, and as I walked through, Steve came running to me.

“Trust me Steve!” I shouted as I grabbed him around the legs, and bolted towards the edge of the boat.

Just as my feet were leaving the deck, Jessica called from behind “Wait!”

I turned, and fell off the side of the boat. Making a glorious splat into the frigid water below. After I made it back to the surface, I called to Jessica, but she had vanished. Then, a sudden boom sent the boat up in flames. Everyone in the water was tossed to the docks by a massive shockwave, and Steve and I were barely able to duck into the nearby buildings before the crew started searching for us.

Steve and I went back to the dock a few hours later to see if we could find Jessica, but she had vanished without a trace. Taken in the boat explosion. We wandered back to the apartment, and sat in silence. It was probably for the best that we had lost our appetites too.

I couldn’t help but wonder what she had gone back for. Why didn’t she just run away? What could have been so important that it was worth risking her life to go back? I guess I’ll never know.

Before my thoughts could consume me, I heard a knocking on my sliding glass door. I turned, and saw Jessica. Finely dressed, put together, and smiling as she knocked once again, and I froze in place. Then, Steve popped his head up, and looked at her.

“Please tell me you see her too Steve.” I begged.

Explanations

He barked and leapt off the couch towards the door. Soberly, I followed, and let in the ‘supposed to be dead’ Jessica.

“So, I should probably explain what happened.” She began.

“Um, yeah. That’d be nice.” I stammered.

“Well, while we were running for our lives, I caught a glimpse of a black duffle bag. That’s when I ran back, and the boat exploded. I was blown through the window of the bridge, and landed in the water with just a few scratches.” She explained.

“Ok then, two questions.” I began “Why was the bag so important, and how did you know where I live??”

“Well, I followed you home when you came looking for me. And as for the duffle bag….” She gave a devilish smile. “I figured my dad owed me one, so I stole the money he sent me with.”

“WHAT?? How much was there!?” I asked.

“About one million.”

My jaw dropped as I considered this sum.

“So, what are you going to do now?” I finally asked.

“I am going to go live with a family my father ruined. They own the Cheng’s Chinese restaurant on the west side. My dad stole the recipes from their most famous dishes for his new book, and forced them to relocate and rebuild their menu from scratch. They were the first people I thought of and they were kind enough to take me in. I should be able to find a place to live from here and I’ll get out of my dad’s way for good.” She finished with confidence.

I nodded, and watched as she made her way out the sliding glass door.

“Oh, and one more thing.” She called back. “To thank you for helping me, I’ve made a deal with the Chengs so that you can have free meals there whenever you want.”

“Really?” I asked astounded.

“Of course. It was the least I could do.” She added as she walked through the courtyard.

That’s It!

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