Navigator – Chapter 9 – A Sunday Short Story

Posted bySuzette BenjaminPosted inSunday Short Story
Image credit: © lovepik.com

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8

Chapter 9

“I can dress myself. Thank you!”

Quipped Maatu half seated on the paramedic cot poolside at the Jumeirah Al Naseem Southeby hotel, while an over-attentive Paramedic insisted that he change out of his wet clothes from his almost deadly dip into the hotel’s sumptuous newly installed infinity pool.

Maatu stood and paused his stride thinking the better of his ungentlemanly behavior a moment ago.

He then bowed in thanks to the Paramedic as he clutched the reusable bag brimming with fresh clothing and a heated bathrobe courtesy of the hotel lobby’s spa.

Suddenly, screams erupted from bystanders around the paramedic scene poolside…

“Look, look!” A male voice shouted.

Meanwhile, a woman standing next to the man, screamed brandishing her fingers, upward pointing at Isabella’s firey exit from the fifth-floor window.

Above…

…in the sky plummeting out of the paisley Persian rug as it unrolled, was Isabella orienting her long limbs to dive into the infinity pool, still dressed in the shredded remains of her one-of-a-kind Vera Wang evening gown.

Leaving Maatu to tend to his own self-care, the Paramedic dove into the infinity pool at the precise moment that Isabella plunged into the water from above with a great splash.

“Let me help you, Madam,” said the Paramedic swimming alongside Isabella as she gasped for air and swam haphazardly making her way poolside.

Greeted by several helping hands, Isabella was lifted from the infinity pool.

Suddenly, parting the concerned crowd, Isabella flipped her soaking wet body upright, and landed on her feet, tossing her wet tresses from her eyes.

She said (addressing Maatu still hugging the brimming reusable bag of fresh clothing):

“Huh, great timing—I could use some dry clothes.”

Before Maatu could respond, Isabella grabbed from his hands the reusable bag with its warm and dry clothing, and rushed shivering to the poolside ladies’ change room a few meters away.

Maatu smiled inside and walked off, his wet feet making squishing sounds as he plodded on the hotel lobby’s pink-marbled floor. He wondered into the Hotel Spa for another go at some dry clothes, shaking his head, he whispered:

“Glad to see you are still alive Ms. Navigator. Perhaps we now have a common enemy. And you know what they say…’The enemy of my enemy…'”

Half an hour later…

”So, what’s our plan, Mr. Assassin?”

Asked Isabella, inviting herself to the seat across from Maatu in the hotel lobby cafe and sitting down abruptly. The two of them were now dressed exactly alike in a pair of sweatpants, a tee shirt, one of the hotel spa’s heated bathrobes, and a pair of slippers.

“Excuse me!” Maatu muttered, sipping his coffee, pretending he was not interested in her “proposal.”

“I figure we could first share what we know about who wants me incapacitated. And go from there.”

Said Isabella as she waved to a passing server, requesting a cup of the freshly brewed house blend Arabica coffee, its aroma enveloped the ambiance like a warm blanket in mid-winter.

And, mingling in between the aromas of coffee was the faintest hint of a few casually placed sticks of the delicately opulent Bakoor incense. Their tiny puffs drifted aimlessly around the cafe tables.

In all, the cafe’s ambiance was a much-needed respite to the senses for these two battle-weary warriors on opposite sides of the law.

While they waited for her coffee to arrive, neither of them spoke.

Waiting for the server to depart out of earshot and sipping her coffee, Isabella spoke:

“Thanks for the clothes and the coffee. I owe you at least a bit of information for your generosity, Mr…uh.”

“For now, I am just a tracer. Ms. Navigator.

“Pleased to meet you Mr. Tracer. Tracer as in illegal DNA, or criminal dark web tech tracing?”

Ignoring Isabella’s prying question Maatu changed the subject:

“Okay, what do you know about this sordid sequence of events in which we now find ourselves, Ms. Navigator?”

Before Isabella could answer…

She lunged over the table and grabbed Maatu who immediately figured out their predicament and rolled with Isabella to the cafe floor under the table as a spray of suppressor-silenced .22 caliber bullets from a concealed Colt SCAMP, laced the chairs where the two sat moments earlier.

Maatu lifted his head briefly to see if he could identify their attacker—against Isabella’s strong advice to the contrary.

It was the same room service attendant who had served up explosives for breakfast earlier in Maatu’s room.

“Run!!”

Shouted Maatu, “…let us get after him. He might know something to help us.”

Isabella and Maatu raced across the hotel lobby. Their spa robes flowed behind them like wings as the two picked up speed.

Isabella slid deliberately on the pink marble lobby floor using her spa robe like a toboggan. She made contact with the assailant’s feet tripping him.

Meanwhile, Maatu lunged at the assailant who had miraculously found his footing and was trying to make good his escape. Maatu took him down with a body slam, Hulk Hogan style, and held him down on the lobby floor.

Before Isabella and Maatu could rise to their feet with the assailant in hand, the assailant spoke in Arabic:

“You have no idea what is going on. And I will never tell you anything” (pointing his chin with disdain at Isabella, as he spoke).

Then, the assailant vanished. No theatrics of any kind. He was between them on the floor one minute and gone in the next…

“Oh, God…The Door!” Said, Isabella.

“It has all been one extended distraction. The man or being we just encountered, the headless one calling himself Legion in my room earlier, the fake Old Sisyphus, the supposed attempt on my life. These past few hours since last night had been orchestrated to force me to believe that I had no choice but to open The Door.”

Her voice trembling— frustrated with herself for not seeing the whole picture, Isabella continued:

“Setho Zang had been waiting on the other side of The Door for who knows how many hundred years, waiting to bait someone with half-angel, half-human blood to speak that incantation. Bugger…I played into her hands.”

“Well, that’s enough feeling sorry for yourself, Ms. Navigator. I suggest that you or uh… we, do something about it, right now!” Whispered Maatu speaking in hushed tones as he led Isabella to the hotel’s Emergency Exit door.

For, their recent chase in the hotel lobby had caused a stir, as concerned guests now eyed the two, apparently displeased with their lack of decorum, prancing around undignified, in the upscale hotel’s lobby.

“Wait, wait, wait, I need some salt!” Isabella said looking back at the cafe tables as Maatu tugged her arm attempting to usher her to the Emergency Exit doors.

“This is no time to look for condiments! What do you need salt for…?”

Meanwhile far far away from Dubai…

An invisible army of ten thousand strong assembled in the dark realm. They were a rag-tag group of ghouls, gargoyles, harpies, banished warlocks, and spell-witchers (the worst of the undead kept alive for millennia, by the incantations of ancient wizards).

These are another class of evil, of the likes that this world has never seen (for they are invisible.) They battle with humans by influencing thoughts. And then they feed on the energy human mayhem has the potential to create. They have been locked away behind The Door, by God himself, since the great deluge written about in The Nag Hammadi Library.

Their self-appointed Commander, Setho Zang queen of the harpies, spoke to the assailant who had just disappeared from Maatu and Isabella’s grip in the hotel lobby:

“Well…”

“Everything is ready, Commander Zang.”

“Is The Door still open?”

“Yes, Commander.”

“You are sure?”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Where are the four horsemen?”

“They will follow you into Earth’s atmosphere once your squadrons get through The Door, Commander Zang…”

****To Be Continued Next Sunday****

Published by Suzette Benjamin

Positive thinker, inspirational, writer, faith

86 thoughts on “Navigator – Chapter 9 – A Sunday Short Story”

  4. 🪂Meanwhile, a woman standing next to the man, screamed brandishing her fingers, upward pointing at Isabella’s firey exit from the fifth-floor window.🪂

    Oh my the episode starts with a whirlwind
    Caught out
    So much attention on Isabella

    Liked by 1 person

  5. 🪂Leaving Maatu to tend to his own self-care, the Paramedic dove into the infinity pool at the precise moment that Isabella plunged into the water from above with a great splash.🪂

    SPLASH!!!!
    Such high-action drama in exactly the same hour
    Does this spell disaster!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. 🪂Maatu stood and paused his stride thinking the better of his ungentlemanly behavior a moment ago. Greeted by several helping hands, Isabella was lifted from the infinity pool🪂

    Can you believe, one Isabella attracting so much attention
    Feels like the helping hands are eagerly beside themselves .
    Infinity Pool ? Was it mentioned in the previous chapter?

    Liked by 1 person

  8. 🪂She said (addressing Maatu still hugging the brimming reusable bag of fresh clothing):

    “Huh, great timing—I could use some dry clothes.”🪂

    😂😂, she did that?
    Courageous and Hilarious

    Liked by 1 person

  9. 🪂Before Maatu could respond, Isabella grabbed from his hands the reusable bag with its warm and dry clothing and rushed shivering to the poolside ladies’ change room a few meters away.🪂

    Lol, she did that???

    🪂Glad to see you are still alive Ms. Navigator. Perhaps we now have a common enemy. And you know what they say…”The enemy of my enemy…”🪂

    Oh my word this is a switch up, what just happened here??
    Isabella has the espionage world eating out from the palm of her hands.
    Come and feed dickie birds 🐦

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I like your expression “come and feed dickie birds” She has got spunk helping herself to his clothes in an emergency.
      And of course Maatu is looking for some help since someone wants to get rid of him.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. 🪂’So, what’s our plan, Mr. Assassin?”🪂

    Lol, in the hotseat

    🪂Asked Isabella, inviting herself to the seat across from Maatu in the hotel lobby cafe and sitting down abruptly. The two of them were now dressed exactly alike in a pair of sweatpants, a tee shirt, one of the hotel spa’s heated bathrobes, and a pair of slippers.🪂

    Who would’ve thought 😂

    🪂Said Isabella as she waved to a passing server, requesting a cup of the freshly brewed house blend Arabica coffee, its aroma enveloped the ambiance like a warm blanket in mid-winter🪂

    Captivating, how you brought us to this point with all these twists and turns in the plot
    Mesmerizing
    Love the aroma of the Arabica Coffee!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Glad you like the intrigue of the two meeting up to join forces out of necessity. Spies rarely work alone. That sort of thing is pretty normal. Of course, trust is never complete…🙃

      I love coffee too, the good quality ones smell even more special.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. 🪂a few casually placed sticks of the delicately opulent Bakoor incense. Their tiny puffs drifted aimlessly around the cafe tables.🪂

    Such a literary ambience you penned here for these two intelligence officers.
    The clingy Bakoor incense adding to a poised but relaxed atmosphere

    Liked by 1 person

  12. 🪂all, the cafe’s ambiance was a much-needed respite to the senses for these two battle-weary warriors on opposite sides of the law.🪂

    I didn’t even read this part. but this is exactly the feeling I got in the previous paragraph.
    Battle-weary warriors, time travelers, for this is who essentially they are.

    🪂Thanks for the clothes and the coffee. I owe you at least a bit of information for your generosity, Mr…uh🪂

    😂Flirtatious start to the ensuing negotiations or terms of collaboration

    🪂For now, I am just a tracer. Ms. Navigator🪂

    Well here we go
    One for you, one for me

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes! I did notice in your previous comment that you already discerned the next paragraph about the cafe’s ambiance…You are amazing!!!
      The terms and conditions are pretty loose. I tell you something, you share a bit….but of course, not everything, mind you!👍

      Liked by 1 person

  13. 🪂Pleased to meet you Mr. Tracer. Tracer as illegal DNA or criminal dark web tech tracing?”🪂

    Oh my goodness, the kind of work I would never thought about … illegal dna!!!

    I love the silence or brushing away that followed this question 😂

    🪂Okay, what do you know about this sordid sequence of events in which we now find ourselves, Ms. Navigator?”🪂

    Getting sticky, let’s see where this lead us

    Liked by 1 person

  14. 🪂She lunged over the table and grabbed Maatu who immediately figured out their predicament and rolled with Isabella to the cafe floor under the table as a spray of suppressor-silenced .22 caliber bullets from a concealed Colt SCAMP, laced the chairs where the two sat moments earlier.🪂

    Hey her reaction is faster than Maatu.
    Laced the chairs!!!! Fantastic imagery
    With those silent bullets
    From a 1969 line
    Dreadful, genius, radical writing!!!

    🪂Their spa robes flowed behind them like wings as the two picked up speed.🪂
    😂, carnage on the way

    🪂toboggan🪂
    Haha that’s an exciting ride
    Using a bath robe as a toboggan, I need to see this movie 🎬 🎞 🎥 🎦 😂

    🪂Maatu took him down with a body slam, Hulk Hogan style, and held him down on the lobby floor.🪂

    Yes!!!! Maatu…WWW!!

    🪂You have no idea what is going on. And I will never tell you anything” (pointing his chin with disdain at Isabella, as he spoke🪂

    All in Arabic, and our linguist understood every word. YES!!

    🪂Oh, God…The Door!” Said, Isabella.🪂

    Last week we were here

    🪂It has all been one extended distraction. The man or being we just encountered, the headless one calling himself Legion in my room earlier, the fake Old Sisyphus, the supposed attempt on my life. These past few hours since last night had been orchestrated to force me to believe that I had no choice but to open The Door.”🪂

    Love how you bring us up to speed with previous events as she recollects…delightful, wonderful crafting.

    🪂Well, that’s enough feeling sorry for yourself, Ms. Navigator. I suggest that you or uh… we, do something about it, right now!” Whispered Maatu speaking in hushed tones as he led Isabella to the hotel’s Emergency Exit door.🪂

    In the midst of this drama, the collaboration is sealed!!! Love it

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Her reactions are faster than Maatu, he is good but he is 300 years old still.

      My pleasure. Thanks for noting the in-chapter recap…👍

      And thank you! for noting the subtle agreement to work together sealed in the heat of the moment. You are a diligent reader. Kudos🙏

      Liked by 1 person

  15. 🪂Setho Zang had been waiting on the other side of The Door for who knows how many hundred years, waiting to bait someone with half-angel, half-human blood to speak that incantation. Bugger…I played into her hands.”🪂

    100 years that’s how long it took to tip the scales in order to destroy Cremona and Isabella’s legacy?

    🪂An invisible army of ten thousand strong assembled in the dark realm. They were a rag-tag group of ghouls, gargoyles, harpies, banished warlocks, and spell-witchers (the worst of the undead kept alive for millennia, by the incantations of ancient wizards).🪂

    THRILLER…. and army of INVISIBLES
    It is going down
    HENCE THE SALT?

    Liked by 1 person

  16. 🪂They battle with humans by influencing thoughts. And then they feed on the energy human mayhem has the potential to create. They had been locked away behind The Door, by God himself, since the great deluge written about in The Nag Hammadi Library.🪂

    This is a battle on another level for the soul of the human race!!
    We see this mayhem
    Cremona was a Coptic Christian right?

    Liked by 1 person

  17. 🪂“They will follow you into Earth’s atmosphere once your squadrons get through The Door, Commander Zang…”🪂

    Pungent scent of a fierce battle ahead.
    Hopefully the doors can be closed in time.

    The Author went beyond call and duty
    Bravo 👏 Bravo 👏

    We loved it.
    I sincerely did.
    We will navigate though our days in anticipation of next Sunday’s chapter.

    Have a wonderful Sunday!!

    Liked by 1 person

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