Chase Hatter's Origin of Pangaea

Chapter Thirteen

Andrew Valentine hopped off of his bike just a few short miles outside of Cleveland, Ohio and walked the rest of the way to a dock along the coast. All different types of boats sat idly, swaying in the water as the waves gently rocked them. A man stood beside the gate wearing a security uniform. He was busy trying to take the perfect picture of himself, experimenting with different poses and filters as Andrew walked up.

"Hello, sir." Andrew greeted. "I am looking for a Captain Joseph Broke. Is he around?"

The guard took a break from his modeling and stared at Andrew. "U-Uh, yeah. He's in that boat over there." The man pointed to an old fishing boat at the end of the pier. Andrew began towards the boat.

"Hey!" The man called out. "When you see Broke, tell him that I need him out of here by next Tuesday if he still won't pay his docking fees. This is the last warning."

Andrew nodded. "Will do."

As Andrew crossed the docks, he admired some of the vessels that sat in the water. Beautiful and big and clean. And then there was Captain Broke's boat; falling apart at the seams and covered in moss and weathered by the worst of nature. Andrew peeked inside for any signs of life and made eye contact with a scruffy looking man reading a newspaper on the boat's deck. The man stared at Andrew from behind his paper.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Andrew Valentine."

"Who?"

"I believe you spoke with Professor Riley about my arrival." The Captain perked up and frowned.

"Oh," he said as he dragged a hand over his face, "the Pangaean."

"... Yes." Andrew agreed. "The Pangaean. Are you alright to fish, Captain?"

"Fish?" The Captain questioned. "Oh, yeah. Look, if we're gonna do this, we gotta do it fast. I need to sell everything we catch in time to pay my docking fees. Then I can get you and that fuckin' dock owner to leave me alone."

"Captain, have I upset you?" Andrew asked. The Captain's eyes narrowed.

"If this wasn't free labor, then you wouldn't be here, kid." Captain Broke explained. "I was in the war fighting against your people. My only regret is that I didn't kill more of you."

"Ah," Andrew began, "a patriot. I am one as well, by design. I will do my best to expedite this process and help you fish at maximum speed, Captain. However, my services end in a week, regardless of what we're able to catch in that time."

"Can't imagine how much help you'd be anyway." The Captain said. "Have you ever fished before?"

"Yes, of course." Andrew said. "My entire trip is designed to utilize some of my best skills. I went fishing with one of my guardians very often as a child."

"Good enough." Captain Broke scoffed. "Maybe you could go to the store and get as much bait as you can carry. We set sail at five tomorrow morning."

"Five hundred hours." Andrew corrected.

Captain Broke growled. Andrew turned on his heels to retreat into the city to purchase bait and other supplies in preparation for their trip.

A few hours later, when Andrew returned from shopping, he found Captain Broke drinking on the edge of the dock beside his boat.

"I've got everything we need, Captain."

"Already?"

"Don't look so surprised. You gave me a deadline and I met it. We should rest. We'll set sail at five."

"Just like that, eh?" Captain Broke asked. "Let's hurry up and get you away from me, then."