“I bet you will too.” Nick FaceTimed with Rachel, using his other communication device for family: an iPhone. It incorporated a built in battery, which was time consuming to remove if he needed to be untraceable. “Hey Rach, Gus and I want to go take care of that business I talked to you about. Danger has six more free sessions, because we bought zombie black hoodies for the walk to school tomorrow. She said you can come with her if you want.”
“No thanks. That one session was enough for me. We’re in the holiday store above you. I’m freezing, so I want your hoodie, and don’t you dare say I told you so about wearing warm clothes!”
Nick smiled. “Deal. It will take us at least an hour, but those rides will take that long anyhow. I’m sorry you’ll have to wait out here, but I don’t want Danger left alone.”
“Amen to that. I’ll be fine. You be careful. See you in a minute.”
“Okay.” Nick disconnected. “Here’s your first ticket. Your Mom doesn’t want anything to do with it. I bet her face will light up when you score a first though. Then she’ll start thinking Jean the Assassin thoughts, and be depressed for the rest of the night. I think you should stay in the number five slot so as not to worry your Mom.”
Jean grabbed the ticket. “Not happening. Number one here I come. Give my handler the other five.”
Gus and Nick were still laughing when Rachel arrived, arms crossed in chilled fashion. “Okay… what’s so funny?”
Nick told her while helping Rachel on with the black hoodie. She pulled the hood over her head, and zipped the hoodie immediately, tying the hood tightly under her chin. “That figures. Tina’s staying in the warm store for now. I’ll take Gus’s hoodie for her. Hurry back.”
“We will. Jean should be starving by the time we return, so we’ll head over to Lou’s Fish Shack the moment Gus and I finish.”
“We’ll be fine. You’re the one I’m worried about.”
Nick kissed Rachel. “Don’t be. I have my dry-suit. This is maintenance to make the project much easier to complete. It will only be a mild jaunt of discomfort.”
“I get the shivers imagining how a swim in that water would be. Go on. Gus, I see you dressed for the arctic as did the Terminator here… smartass.”
“Never doubt the Terminator when he warns you on any condition, Ms. ‘I know it all’. I’ve already gone through my training sessions of being wrong a hundred percent of the time when going against the deadly oracle here. Next time, you’ll know better.”
“I concede your point, but I’m pissed having to do it. God, this hoodie feels good. Okay, I’m set. Get out of here.”
Nick enjoyed the whole discourse. He gave Rachel’s hand a little squeeze, and led the way toward the entry point he and Gus had picked out near the Marina East docks. They had already spotted the Shalimar - one of the larger yachts ported there. The sleek cruiser had Gus salivating. Nick plotted his water trek around the outer moorings with range finders. His dive goggles were low light enhanced, but gave off no detectible glow. In the icy cold San Francisco Bay waters, it would be easy to get disoriented with the currents at work. The underwater tracking device he would be wearing could be checked periodically, but Nick figured the lights visible inside the marina area would be easy to keep track of.
*
“Rachel was right,” Gus said in a hushed voice as he helped Nick on with his weight belt. “I’m shivering just imagining you going into that water.”
“It’s that cold wind blowing across here,” Nick replied, adjusting his dive goggles with his already gloved hands. “I won’t feel it in the water. The water temp is around fifty here, and this dry-suit is good to much colder temps.”
“If you say so.”
Nick checked his lightweight spare air tank in a pouch near his shoulder for easy reach. After making sure the waterproof high intensity mini-light worked, Nick eased down over the rocks to the water’s edge where he put on his dive fins. They were smaller than full size, but would be fine for his swim out to the Shalimar. With a final wave to Gus, Nick adjusted his snorkel, and went into the water.
“Say hello to Jaws for me.”