Amusement Park

By Chris B.

Much to his embarrassment, Will Jamieson, Chief Medical Officer at the Nelson Institute of Marine Research, realized that the mental groan he released at Admiral Harriman Nelson’s announcement that the NIMR family picnic would be held at Wonder World amusement park, had actually loudly escaped his lips and was heard by all those attending the Monday morning staff meeting. His reaction was met with a quirked eyebrow from the Admiral and amused chuckles from the command crew and other assembled department heads.

“Problem, Will?” Nelson inquired at Jamieson’s uncharacteristic editorial comment on the selected venue for the event.

“No sir, my apologies.” Jamie replied turning beet red as he fixed his gaze on the note pad in front of him. The last place he really wanted to spend a day was at an amusement park. He got the point of the establishment but just didn’t enjoy the rides, noise, or sticky, screaming children. At least the crowds would be minimal as Nelson had announced that NIMR was renting the entire park for the day so that the staff, family and friends would be able to get in as many rides as they wanted without having to deal with the crowds or wait in the long lines that were usually found at the popular park.

Jamie felt an overwhelming urge to reach over and pop Seaview’s captain Lee Crane as he took in Lee’s smirk and his barely controlled laughter at his response. He knew Jamie loathed amusement parks with a vengeance and would face almost anything in lieu of having to spend the day trapped at one. His general view of the establishments was they were just an accident waiting to happen. As a member of the senior staff, Will was compelled to attend along with the rest of the officers to show support for the Admiral and to interact with the crew and NIMR staff on a less formal basis.

As the meeting broke up, Lee sidled carefully up next to Jamieson. “Oh come on Will, it won’t be that bad, who knows you might even have fun. I’m sure you can find some way to amuse yourself for a couple of hours,” Lee said with a devilish glint in his eye.

If looks could kill Lee Crane would have been splayed out on the meeting room floor, based on the glare Jamie shot him in response to the comment. Lee burst out in laughter as did his XO and cohort in crime Chip Morton. The amount of enjoyment they were taking at Jamie’s discomfort was almost too much for the doctor to handle.

“You do realize, your physicals are coming up and paybacks will be hell,” Jamie said returning their evil grins with one of his own. They all laughed and Lee patted him on the back as they turned and exited the meeting room to get on with the rest of their day.

ooOOoo

As Jamie made his way through the gates at Wonder World for the NIMR company picnic, he figured he would spend a couple of hours at the park then ease his way out and enjoy the rest of the day somewhere with a little less noise. To pass the time he decided that he would amble around the park and chat with crew members and NIMR staff as he encountered them. After walking about for an hour he found himself becoming intrigued by the rides various members of the Seaview crew chose or avoided. The more he watched the more he became amused by what he observed.

Of course everyone had to take a turn on the Nautilus, a subsea journey hitting the highlights from the Jules Verne novel; call it professional curiosity. He spotted Chip and Lee with their dates standing in line waiting for their turn. They spied him as well and motioned him over to join them.

“Come on Jamie, you have to ride at least one ride and this one doesn’t go real fast.” Lee said in a rather patronizing tone.

Jamie glared at him then broke into a smile, nodded and agreed to join them for the subsurface extravaganza. They boarded the ride and “oohed” and “ahhed” in faux wonder as they went along; nothing presented on the ride came even close to the nasty denizens of the deep they had met in real life. He spied Lee noticeably wince and pale a bit as they passed the display of the large squid attacking the submarine.

“Friend of yours?” Chip remarked laughingly as he saw Lee grimace at the display.

“Want me to introduce you some time Chip?” Lee shot back with a smile. The officers started chuckling as their dates looked on quizzically.

“Sorry,” Lee replied. “I ran into his big brother on my first mission aboard Seaview and he just about squeezed the living daylights out of me.” The ladies stared in disbelief sure he was pretty much exaggerating whatever encounter he had at the time.

When the ride ended they all climbed out and started discussing where to head next. After many suggestions Lee, Chip and their dates decided on one of the rollercoasters to spice things up after that rather sedate ride. Jamie politely declined their invitation to join them and headed off to walk through the park and observe the crew in action.

As he moseyed along he spied Jake Kowalski with his girlfriend, his brother Stan and his wife and their kids. Nodding a greeting to them Jamie broke out laughing as he heard one of the kids lament, “Oh come on Uncle Jake do we have to do the Pirate’s Plunder again? We’ve already been through it four times.”

Ski blushed at seeing the Doc’s amusement. It was obvious that Jamie was recalling the mission when the pirate Blackbeard took over the Seaview and made Ski his first mate. Jamie smiled widely at Ski and said, “Yo ho, yo ho a pirate’s life for Ski?” Kowalski blushed some more, shrugged his shoulders and then laughed along.

“What was that about Jake?” his girlfriend asked taking in the exchange.

“Oh nothing, just something from work; I can’t really talk about it.”

“Top secret huh?” she replied.

“Very.” Answered Ski as he blushed again as the line moved forward.

ooOOoo

Similar scenes played out over the course of the day and Jamie was shocked to notice that their time at the park was almost up. The two hours he had intended to stay just to be polite had turned into nearly seven. Feeling the need for a bit of refreshment he headed over to the adult saloon at Western World to get a beer and go over all he had seen.

Shortly after settling himself at one of the tables he was pulled from his reverie when Admiral Nelson walked over to his table. “Mind if I join you Jamie?” Nelson inquired.

“Not at all Harri, I just sat down myself. I was finding myself a bit parched and in need of refreshment.”

“What can I get you gents?” inquired the barkeep.

“I’d like an amber lager,” Jamie answered.

“Make that two, and a bowl of chips and salsa,” added Nelson.

“Great. I’ll be right back with your drinks and snacks,” the barkeep replied and hurried off to fill their order.

“Based on your reaction in staff meeting at the choice of venue for this year’s picnic, I’m surprised to still see you here,” Nelson said teasingly.

Jamie blushed a bit in embarrassment. “Quite honestly I’m rather surprised myself,” he said with a chuckle. “As you may have guessed amusement parks aren’t on the top of my list of things to do, but I must admit I’ve found the whole day very amusing and quite enlightening.”

Nelson crooked an eyebrow at Jamie’s declaration. “Really, how so?”

“I’ve spent the entire day observing the crew and their ride selections. It’s given me an extra insight into their minds beyond the psych exams I put them through.”

“Really?” Harri replied intrigued by Jamie’s explanation. “Care to share what you have learned during your day of observation?” he said with a wry smile.

Before Jamie could respond the barkeep returned with their drinks and snack. They thanked him then each picked up their beer. “Cheers” Harri said and they clinked glasses and took a deep swig of the beer.

“Aaahhh.” Jamie said as he swallowed. “That’s just what the doctor ordered.”

Harri smiled and nodded his agreement. “Now as you were saying about the insight you’ve gained on the crew today…”

“Of course,” Jamie replied. “Generally speaking the command crew, in fact the whole crew seems to be adrenaline junkies and for the most part have focused on anything that goes fast and pulls lots of gees. There have been some notable exceptions though.”

“What might those be?” Nelson inquired.

“Well Chip absolutely refused to ride the fastest rollercoaster in the park.”

“Oh, do you know why? Seems like an odd thing for him to avoid.” Harri replied.

“Could be its called Rocket to Venus and purports to simulate a trip to the second planet in our solar system.” Jamie answered.

Harri stared at Jamie for a moment then it dawned on him why Chip might be averse to taking that ride. Chip’s own trip into outer space left him stranded on the planet, his co-pilot dead and him temporarily blinded by an alien device until Lee was also hijacked and was able to come to his aid. He started chuckling and was soon joined by Will; the amused glint in his eye getting even brighter.

“Lee didn’t seem to have the same problem, nor did you as I watched you line up for that one twice.” Jamie chuckled. Harri joined in the laughter and just shrugged.

“What else have you found, I’m extremely intrigued now.” Harri said.

Jamie smiled and reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He opened it up and flattened the sheet out and placed it on the table in front of him. He had created a chart listing the rides and who rode what along with a few notations. “Shall we start with the captain of your boat?” he said with a twinkle in his eye. Harri nodded anxious to see what Jamie had gleaned from his day of observations.

“Let’s see…okay as I said already Lee’s an adrenaline junkie and has ridden every rollercoaster and thrill ride at least twice. I really didn’t find that too much of a surprise. He also really enjoyed the Mermaid’s Grotto, the James Bond Thunderball ride, the Tyrannosaurus Rex Expedition, Beat the Clock and Grand Prix Racers. Care to venture a guess on what color car he chose?” Jamie said with a wink. “Here’s what I did find interesting, the rides he absolutely refused to get on are as follows: Ghost Chasers and the Haunted Mansion; seems he has an aversion to anything associated spectral entities. Actually most of the crew has avoided those rides; that experience with Kruger seemed to shake up the entire crew. Lee’s negative reaction to the suggestion by the ladies they take in those rides was particularly strong. Quite obviously there’s still a lot of anxiety and fear associated with his experience and that does bother me. He and I may need to discuss that at a later date.”

“Other rides that drew a flat refusal were the Pirate’s Plunder, Wax Works wax museum, the Clown’s Closet funhouse, the Mummy’s Revenge, the Werewolf’s Den, the Puppet Palace puppet show, the Inner Whale, you know the mockup of the inside of a sperm whale and the Cyborg Chase. All of those rides have elements that have negatively impacted his life and apparently left enough scars to keep him from willingly engaging in activities that involve any type of association.”

“That’s very interesting,” Harri replied as he considered the implications of Jamie’s revelations. “Anything that we should be concerned about?”

“Not at this point unless it becomes a problem in the future. But it is interesting to get some insight into how those experiences are still impacting him, whether he’s conscious of it or not.”

“What about Chip?” Harri asked.

“I already mentioned Rocket to Venus; the rest of the outer space and alien themed rides didn’t seem to be an issue. That’s pretty much true for everyone. I thought he was going to bolt when Lee suggested King Midas’ Maze; you know the hedge maze littered with all the gold statues Midas supposedly made with his golden touch.”

Harri started chuckling as he recalled ‘Oscar Morton’ as Lee called him. There was nothing funny about it at the time but now it did evoke a smile as he recalled Chip resemblance to a life-sized Oscar statue. “Were there any others he wouldn’t ride?”

“He refused to join Lee on the James Bond Thunderball; I’m sure purely on principle based on his general dislike for ONI, spies and Lee’s continued association with them.”

Harri nodded his head and sighed deeply. “I can identify with that one. I’m sure he’d see his willingness to take in the ride as a sign of acceptance of Lee’s activities.”

“That’s a safe assumption. Lee pretty much accused him of that as he got in line. Chip just rolled his eyes and stalked off to the nearby concession stand.” Jamie said with a chuckle. “It’s been very amusing watching the guys dates as our command crew reacts to some of these rides and then try to explain their way out of getting on the ride. I’m sure the ladies have pretty much determined our boys are nuts.”

Harri started laughing as well as he imagined Lee and Chip trying to come up with excuses for why they avoided certain rides. “Anything else?”

“Chip was equally adamant that they forego the ghost themed rides. He apparently was affected almost as deeply by Kruger as Lee. Does that hold true for you as well, Harri?”

Nelson nodded somberly as the vision of himself descending the spiral staircase, leveling his gun at Lee and pulling the trigger flashed through his mind. Jamie placed his hand on Harri’s shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze recognizing the pain and anguish that memory evoked. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

“That’s alright Jamie. You’re right though that mission still elicits extremely powerful emotions that I don’t think will ever fade, at least for me.”

They both sat there quietly and sipped at their beers and munched a few chips as they forced the memories back. After a moment Jamie continued.

“Let’s see, where was I? Ah yes, moving on to Kowalski. He has been a repeat rider on Pirate’s Plunder much to the chagrin of the rest of him family and friends. It seems Ski really enjoyed his stint as pirate and first mate when Blackbeard paid his visit.” Jamie said chuckling. Nelson joined in as well. “Don’t know if I should share that one with Lee and Chip or not.” He added with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“The rides and attractions he has taken great pains to avoid are Tyrannosaurus Rex Expedition, the Amazing World of Amphibians, Inner Whale and Mummy’s Revenge.”

Harri nodded recognizing the significance of each of the encounters that would have developed an aversion. He was definitely intrigued with the doctor’s observations throughout the day.

“Sharkey has spread his time evenly across the rides. He’s only really avoided Tyrannosaurus Rex Expedition, Werewolf’s Den and Mummy’s Revenge.

Reading Harri’s interest in his findings Jamie offered up his final set of observations. “Should I go on to the owner of the Institute?” he said with an amused glint in his eye.

Harri quirked and eyebrow at him. “Moi? Do tell Doctor.”

“We’ve already discussed your need for adrenaline and speed and your aversion to ghosts so I won’t dwell on those. I did notice that your innate scientific curiosity seemed to outweigh any trepidation you may have had for certain attractions. You spent quite a bit of time in the Inner Whale, along with the Botanical Gardens, and the Amazing World of Amphibians. You were a repeat rider on the Tyrannosaurus Rex Expedition, Nautilus, Beat the Clock and the Mermaid’s Grotto.”

Harri just smiled. “True, they were all quite enjoyable and some very intriguing.”

“The one attraction I enjoyed watching most was Beat the Clock, which required riders to complete puzzles and challenging tasks before time ran out so they could advance to the next station. How many times did you and Lee go through that together; four, five? There was almost a look of devilish delight as you both raced against each other more so than the clock, to get your puzzles solved first; the time bomb challenge seemed to draw out your mutual competitive natures the most. Dare I say ‘like father, like son’?” Jamie added laughing at the hint of red that crept up the Admiral’s face.

“What you didn’t ride was also quite fascinating. You studiously avoided the Werewolf’s Den, Puppet Palace, Clown’s Closet, Mummy’s Revenge and Cyborg Chase. I wonder why?” Jamie said teasingly.

“Oh I think you have more than enough insight to draw your own conclusions, Doctor.” Harri replied flatly the look of amusement in his eyes belying his tone. “You know Jamie, it could also be surmised that your aversion to amusement parks, and this park in particular, is because you’ve been affected by it all.” he said jokingly.

Jamie broke out laughing, “You know that may be closer to the truth than we both care to admit.”

They picked up their beers and toasted each other again and drained them. As they set their glasses down they spied Lee and Chip and waved them over to join them.

“Well you really picked a great location for the NIMR picnic this year, sir.” Lee said as he grabbed a seat next to Harri.

“Gotta agree with Lee on that one Admiral. It’s been a great day all the way around.” Chip added.

“Thank you gentlemen. Jamie and I have just been discussing that very topic and we’ve come to the same conclusion too.” Harri replied and Jamie nodded his agreement. Chip and Lee both looked rather surprised at Jamie’s concurrence with the admiral’s statement.

“I must admit Jamie; I’m rather surprised to see you still here knowing how much you generally dislike amusement parks.” Lee said with a hint of amusement in his voice. Jamie flashed him an enigmatic smile as he folded up the piece of paper before him and stuffed it in his pocket.

“I surprised myself Lee. I found the whole day highly amusing and quite enlightening.” Jamie replied, the look on his face resembling that of the cat that had just eaten the canary.

“Oh?!” Chip and Lee both replied a hint of trepidation and concern crossing their faces.

“Care to share?” Chip asked.

“In due time.” Jamie replied. He and Nelson both broke into laughter causing Lee and Chip to exchange worried looks and squirm uncomfortably in their seats.

“Well gentlemen why don’t you collect your lady friends and I’ll treat us all to dinner.” Harri offered.

“Uh, that sounds like a great idea sir. We’ll be right back.” Lee said as he stood up, Chip rapidly following suit. As they quickly walked away shooting Harri and Jamie worried looks over their shoulder, talking quietly to each other, the older men broke into laughter once again.

“Amusement park indeed, Harri.” Jamie said chuckling as the older men stood and followed after their boys.

The End.