[9-10] Cabana Boys (Hiro and Deadpool)

[Karl Jak]

Hiro
Karl Jak

Deadpool
Yacht

At some point during the ride, the burping of the engine and the jostling of the truck’s cabin lulled Hiro into something that you could almost consider sleep.
 
“This doesn’t look right.”
 
Karl’s voice and the sudden jolting of the vehicle to a stop was enough to pull the samurai back into the waking world.  Pulling himself up so he could lean through the rear window of the truck, Hiro winced and wiped some sweat from his head before glancing out through the windshield.  While there were some trees around them, the road they were on led to a beach that was dominated by a singular structure.
 
A large lighthouse made from white stone.
 
“Lighthouse?”  Hiro groaned as he noted some consternation spread across counselor Karl’s features.  “How many lighthouses does this island have?”
 
The producer, starting to scowl, removed the keys from the truck and pulled out a map from his shorts.  He looked it over for a few moments before folding it back up and stuffing it back into the pocket.  “This is the place, Mr. Protagonist, but I don’t recall a lighthouse.”
 
“Didn’t you build this place?”
 
Karl silently stared for a few moments before nodding his head.  “Yes, of course.”  The man leaned back and tapped his index finger against his temple for a few moments.  “Then again, there’s a lot crammed in this tight little mind of mine, so maybe the details go jumbled.”  The man chuckled as he turned and smiled at the samurai.  “We’ll just have to get out and look for it.”
 
“For what?  A bunker?”  Hiro asked as he slowly made his way down to the tailgate.
 
“Yes,” Karl quipped as he offered a hand and proceeded to gingerly lower the man down onto his feet.  “It’ll be underground.  All of my islands have at least three of them.”
 
“…for?”  Hiro inquired.
 
“The competitions,” the producer explained.  “The bunkers allow a small crew to monitor various events to ensure that they go smoothly.  If not, the bunkers all have various fail-safes to protect the integrity of the competition and the lives of the participants.”
 
“Aren’t you little games about murdering people?”
 
“Obviously,” Karl chuckled as he rested a hand on Hiro’s shoulder.  “But they have to be murdered in a way that doesn’t violate the contract they sign when they register.  We at Syntech have integrity, Mr. Protagonist.”
 
“Of course, of course,” Hiro stated sarcastically as the two started away from the truck.  “So the bunker is our way out?”
 
“Yes.  Unless there was some kind of seismic shift, we should be able to connect with headquarters and figure out some method to leave this island.”
 

***

 
From the ocean side of the lighthouse, a large vessel came streaming toward the old wooden docks built at the stone structure’s base.  Finding some difficulty with steering the ship, Deadpool could only shrug as the yacht crashed through the pier and came to a rest in the sand along the beach.  A quick glimpse through the windshield showed that they weren’t more than a few yards out of the water.
 
“Easy fix.”  The mercenary muttered as he made his way out to the top deck of the yacht.  One hop later, he was standing on part of what remained of the dock.  Before making his way toward the lighthouse, he glanced back to make sure that the yacht hadn’t been penetrated by any of the wood.
 
Still a virgin.
 
Turning back toward the lighthouse, Deadpool smiled behind his mask as he sauntered toward the structure.