2 The Laughter of The Free

"Hey, wake up. Wake the hell up," Jordan slapped Samuel's face resulting in a groan and a jump out of Samuel. "Are you actually awake this time?"

"Huh what do you mean," Samuel's vision was blurry, but he could somewhat make out the man in front of him. "Where am I?"

"On Captain Garret's ship. Now I've explained this to you three times now, and I'm getting quite irritated." Jordan pushed his glasses back and sat back into a chair that he had set up. "Now then, I guess I have to go over this again."

"Did I pass out?"

"Shut up let me speak."

Samuel's vision finally returned to him, he took in his surroundings, he was inside a room with a single bed and cabinets with syringes, jars of unknown substances, and labeled beakers. He then looked up at the man in front of him. Samuel sat on the ground while Jordan sat in a chair. He focused on Jordan with his deep dark eyes. His staring caused Jordan to change his demeanor, shift in his chair trying to find comfort.

In Jordan's mind, the ocean he rowed on was being challenged. Waves crashed, rain fell as something rose out of the horizon of the ocean. A being greater than even the Captain who walked on the ocean. A featherless bird who took a dive and finally came up for air, with his giant eyes leering at Jordan.

As Jordan felt that, Samuel had one thought in his mind, "Did he tell me to shut up?"

"Anyway," Jordan continued, clearing his throat, "We've clothed you, fed you, and cared for you for the last, I don't know- eight hours? Now that you're looking pretty much awake, can you finally answer some of our questions?"

"Yes, I think so," Samuel's gaze relaxed as he started to look at his own clothes and hands.

"Alright, can you tell us where you came from?"

"Nope."

"Huh."

"I don't know the name of where I came from, but it was pretty terrible. I would like to forget it."

"Why would you want to forget where you came from? Was it that bad?"

"Yes."

Silence arose between them, the air was suffocating, but it was quickly cut away by Jordan, "Do you at least have a name?"

"Sam," Sam stared blankly at Jordan who started to lean in closer toward Sam.

"Did you experience the Infinity Plane?"

"Infinity Plane, hmm," Sam thought deeply without taking his eyes off of Jordan. "Probably."

"Probably?"

"Probably yeah. It was so bizarre, it was like- like."

"Like a cold breeze on a hot summer's day," accompanying the intrusion was the sound of an ocean parting boot steps that cleared the air in the room.

"Captain Garret, good morning sir," Jordan said getting up from his seat. "Wanna-"

"No, I'll be fine standing," Garret said eyeing a Sam whose deep eyes seemed to gouge and control the man who stood in front of him. "This is the featherless bird we picked up?"

"I'm not a featherless bird. I'm human just like the rest of you," Sam said as his brow lowered and stare intensified.

"I hate your staring, bird. But I get it, must have been rough living in that terrible island," Garret said sparking up a cigar.

"Shut up! What do you know," Sam jumped up and stood up, he towered over Jordan, but didn't quite reach Garret.

"Sit down, sit down. Don't try picking a fight when your grasp over the infinity is terrible. I can see your inexperience like a cold breath," Garret took a puff of smoke and blew it out in the direction opposite of Sam.

"Infinity? What is this infinity? What the hell is the Infinity Plane," Sam's hands shook as his mind raced to catch up with the questions he asked. Once they finally caught up, he slumped back down in a sitting position with his head down. "Where's my mom?"

Despite the air already being cleared by Garret, Jordan still felt the suffocation, his body nagged at him to get out of the room. "Sir, I'm going to check with the crew. I trust you can handle this."

"Yes Jordan, go," Garret said without looking back at Jordan. Jordan felt slightly insulted, but quickly made his leave.

There was a moment of silence before the two, no one made a sound, not even the burning cigar.

"Bird-"

"Sam. My name is Sam."

"Sam. Have you ever killed a man before," Garret asked causing Sam to look up in confusion.

"I just asked about my mother and you're asking me if I killed a man before?"

"Yes. You see, I once read a book about a serial killer." Silence rose again, "I forgot about most of the book's plot though, I read it so long ago."

"So what was the point in bringing it up!"

"I don't know. It just popped up in my head," Garret chuckled, but it quickly turned into a hearty laugh. "Sam," he coughed a bit, "Sam, why do you laugh?"

"Why? When I find something funny usually."

"I laugh because I'm free." After those words left Garret's mouth and entered Sam's ears, it rang the memory of him being out on sea and laughing, those words called the memory back like a mother calling out to her children at supper time.

"When you experienced the Infinity Plane and survive. You become free. You've been blessed by the gods or whatever those religious freaks think. Are you religious?"

Sam shook his head. "My mom used to say the same thing, to laugh when I'm free. Also when you say that survive..."

"Yeah," Garret turned around, his back facing Sam, "You can die from experiencing the Infinity Plane. Most likely due to the phenomenon happening at your island, plus you experiencing it. The whole population experienced it with you." Sam clenched his chest with his right hand, the rivers returned as small chuckles came out of Sam. "I don't know any of the hard science, I usually leave that to Jordan. However there is a..."

Sam's chuckles became a full on outburst of laughter, he covered his mouth with his left hand.

Garret continued, "There is a 4.7% chance of surviving the phenomenon. We are among the blessed few." Garret took another puff, and blew it out toward the door of the room. Along with the smoke was the echoes of the laughter that led out back to the deck.

Where the sailor with binoculars woke up from his nap. "How long was I out," he said, "some lookout I am," he mumbled as he looked through his binocular. He scouted the area, nothing was out the usual, just the ocean as far as the eye can see. "Guys! Navy ship inbound!" The sailor yelled down, waking up many sailors out on the deck.

"Navy," a random sailor asked, "Ezekiel's dogs? Just pass them by," another said as a group of sailors gathered at the edge of the ship to catch the navy ship. "We have done nothing illegal and we already paid the navy ahead of time. Everyone go back to your duties or goofing off. Good morning by the way," Jordan said climbing up the mast of the ship.

Once he got to the top of the mast, he grabbed the binoculars of sailor and looked through it in the directions of the navy ship. "What should we do," the sailor said. "We're gonna find out why they want, they seem to be heading in our direction."

"Turn the ship! We're meeting with the navy!" Jordan yelled down as he let go of the binoculars and started climbing back down. The sailors forced themselves to move, they turned the ship, prepared the anchors, and within a few minutes they stopped next to the navy ship.

Jordan moved to the side of the ship nearest to the navy ship and yelled out, "Good morning and happy new year! What brings you fine gentleman out here?"

On the navy ship, a man with the head and a tail of a rat walked in front of the armed navy men. "Howdy do! It's the new years fellow sailors and we have some new laws that Ezekiel just passed."

The sailors on the ship that were next to Jordan groaned, most turning back around to go back to sleep, some even went into the cabins to tell other crewmates about the news.

"Ahem," the rat man took out a piece of paper from his back pocket and began reading. "Onwards from January 1st, I, King Ezekiel, hereby outlaw all pirates and unauthorized ships, dinghies, or other modes of transportation involving the sea." The rat man cleared his throat again, and rolled up the piece of paper.

"Any objections. Oh ho ho. No? Alright," he turned around and raised his hand. "On my mark."

"Woah woah woah," Jordan said, stopping the rat man in his tracks. "These laws are absurd. Why the sudden change?"

"Are you questioning his majesty," the rat man said turning only his head toward Jordan. "I can put you to death for that."

"No, no sir. I just believe that perhaps we can get a free ticket to go home and maybe-"

"Nope. This is final," the rat man turned his head back, his arm still raised, "on my mark!" The navy men readied their guns, aiming it at Garret's ship.

Jordan jumped back, rushing toward the cabin while yelling, "Everyone run, duck," as more crewmates joined him in his warnings.

"Do you hear that men," the rat man began as he started laughing, "what a lovely tune. Fire!"