They were 1300 miles out when the engine died.
No explosion. No smoke. Just a low grinding noise that stuttered into silence, followed by a mechanical cough — and then nothing. The boat slowed. Drifted.
Javier stood at the edge of the bridge, staring out at the horizon, his jaw set. One of the crew, a younger guy named Luis, went below deck without being told, cursing softly as he ducked under the hatch.
No one spoke to Brian.
He sat alone near the aft rail, staring out at the place where sky and water blurred. He heard tools clanging below, someone vociferously swearing in bursts. After a few minutes, Javier came over and sat across from him on a crate.
“We’re in the middle of nowhere already,” he said.
Brian looked up.
“And now it’s our lives that are at risk. Not just yours.”
Brian nodded, but didn’t respond.
Javier gestured to the dead engine housing. “You’re still talking like we can push on. Like we should.”
“We’re close.”
“Close doesn’t mean anything out here.”
Brian didn’t flinch. He raised his hand — two fingers held up, like Churchill minus the cigar.
“Your pay is now two times what we agreed,” he said. “You all got a pay rise for your troubles. And that's six times what I agreed with the guy who didn't show.”
The gesture didn’t land with celebration. No one clapped. No one laughed. Javier looked at Brian’s hand, then at his face, then out at the sea.
“I don’t think money means anything anymore,” he said quietly. “Not out here.”
But he gave a small nod. Not approval. Just understanding.
Luis got the engine going again just before sunset.
A sputter, a whine, and then the steady growl of propulsion returning like a heartbeat.
Nobody cheered. Just a few nods. Javier gave Luis a small clap on the shoulder, then went to the wheelhouse without looking at Brian again.
Brian stood alone on deck as the sun dropped behind a cloudless sky. The ocean was still, but not calm — a kind of passive, endless indifference. The wake trailed behind them like a scar.
He closed his eyes, listened to the rumble of the engine, and thought:
What if it doesn’t feel different when I get there?