Lost Together -> James Conrad

02

My feet carried me towards the ship as I adjusted my bag.

Vietnam isn't my favorite place in the world but it could be worse. At least we're leaving in a few hours. I stepped towards the stairs leading to the ship where a dark skinned military colonel stood.

"Can I help you, Miss?" He asked.

He was looking at me suspiciously. If this is because I'm a woman, things will not be ending well for him. I've heard enough comments about it already. I gave him my pass slip trying to not looked irritated.

"Ah, Lissa Beckett. Aspiring writer." He commented.

"Something like that." I mumbled.

He frowned as if remembering something. If he's from the military, then it might be connected to my last name. Danny often travelled with soldiers on his expeditions. He was a known face.

"Are you related to Danny Beckett?" He asked.

I nodded already used to the question. My brother was a respected face among the government. Some knew him, some knew of him. Nobody, however, knew what happened to him.

"He's my brother." I confirmed.

The military colonel pursed his lips and nodded. I could see this was going to be a pity party. One that I had no intention of attending. It was two years ago and I'm sick of people being sorry for his death.

"Sorry for your loss, Miss Beckett. He was a great man and an even better explorer." He complimented.

I took the slip from him feeling uncomfortable. He didn't know Danny, not really. None of those people did.

They pretend like they were so close to him only so they could cry a little bit and get over it. The real people who cared for him are still in pain.

"I'm aware." I retorted.

I entered the ship and was led to my cabin. It wasn't anything special. Just a few necessary pieces of furniture. I didn't stay long as we had a briefing to do. Hopefully, I'll get more details about what they're actually doing.

"Hello and welcome, I'm landslide field supervisor, Victor Nieves. This is my colleague, Steve Landsat. Our expedition takes us to a place every man has avoided for centuries. As our satellites show, the island is surrounded by a storm system allowing it to remain hidden from the outside world." Victor explained.

My eyes scanned the map of the island. It looked bigger than I expected. It had small islands around it. Islands is a strong word but still. With the size of it, it should've been explored before. It looked like the sort of thing that my brother liked.

"But with Colonel Packard's helicopter transport, we will be the first breakthrough to the other side." Victor stated.

He then stated who was on the team. San, Brooks and Randa.

San was the only woman except for me and another woman. She was of Asian origin, whether it was Korean, Japanese or Chinese, I don't know. I don't wish to insult her by guessing.

Brooks I already knew. Short dark brown hair and dark skin with glasses on his face. He stepped forward to speak to us.

"We'll use explosives to shake the Earth to create vibrations helping us map the subsurface of the island. We'll strategically drop seismic charges to better help us understand the density of the Earth." Brooks explained.

I narrowed my eyes. There are better ways to do it than to put an entire ecosystem at risk. They could be endangering new and old species. And they claim to do it in the name of science.

"You're dropping bombs?" A man questioned.

I turned my head to look at him. His british accent was what caught my attention. His hair was blonde and styled back showing his blue eyes. He looked quite fit and most definitely taller than me.

"Scientific instruments." Brooks corrected.

I rolled my eyes. That's a fancy way to say explosives. I can't believe my brother was a part of this. How did he stand listening to these people who cared so little about the worlds they were endangering?

"You hear that boys? We're scientists now." An officer commented.

His group laughed and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again. Soldiers were so smug sometimes. Doing one small thing doesn't make you a scientist. You need knowledge and experience. All they have are guns.

"You guys are not scientists." Steve retorted.

His voice was laced with bitterness. I raised my eyebrows at that. I don't like the soldiers either, but I'm not being obnoxious about it. It seems I don't like anyone here.

"We'll then land and make base camp for ground excursions led by Mr. Conrad." Victor explained.

So that's the British dude's last name. It reminds me of the word comrade. He doesn't look that friendly though. Victor called someone Jack Chapman to say something.

"Alright, once on the island, storm interference will block all radio contact with the ship. That means we'll be by ourselves. Three days later, refuel team will meet us on here on the North end of the island. That may be our only safe departure window for an unknown period of time. So tip for everyone, don't miss it, please." Jack explained.

The room started to get empty and I decided to get back to my cabin. All I got from the briefing was that they were dropping bombs and that there was a storm right before the entrance to the island.

"Miss Beckett!" I heard a call.

I stopped walking and turned around. It was that woman I noticed before. She was holding a camera in her hands. Must be the photographer I've heard about.

"Yes?" I asked.

She looked at me apologetically. I'm not used to that look. Pity, doubt, anger is more common. She looked friendly enough though.

"I'm so sorry I'm bothering you. I just wanna say what a big fan I am of your work and of your brother's. I mean, the book you two made was phenomenal." She rambled.

I raised my eyebrows. So she was a fan. I didn't see that coming. Most of the books I wrote were a collaboration with my brother. He would find islands and places to explore, I would make up a story about them.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes. The way you two combined geographical maps and legends into a story of a female traveler is amazing." She commented.

That one was my idea. I didn't like sexists that much so I wanted a female traveler. My brother protested it was unrealistic, but the readers loved it. Especially the female ones.

"Well, it's about time women are treated with the respect they deserve and for the men to stop objectifying us." I stated.

She grinned at my statement. Most people looked at me as if I was a weird for saying such things. But I wanted to be treated like a human being, not simply a decoration for a man.

"A feminist, I like it." She commented.

I held out my hand. This woman is quite different from any I've met before. They're all quiet and shy. Most of them also looked horrified when I told them I was a writer and that I wasn't married.

"Call me Lissa, please. And you are?" I asked.

She realised she hadn't introduced herself and cringed a bit. Her embarrassment amused me. It's usual me who is embarrassed so this is a positive change.

"Oh right. I'm Mason Weaver. I'll be joining you on the expedition." She stated.

I nodded as we walked towards our cabins. We chatted a little bit before going our separate ways. Nice girl, smart, confident. It's going to be nice working with her.