Kyle and Samantha were startled as Carmen stormed into the cabin, “She’s here,” Carmen growled, “and she’s coming for us when the storm rolls in.” She snapped her fingers and Kyle shot up to four feet tall, stumbling as he rolled on the floor out of Samantha’s hands.
“Now!?” Kyle asked, eyes wide as though he expected Arisu to burst through a window at any second.
“No, she’s going to come after us when the storm rolls in,” Carmen said quietly, “we… had a bit of a talk.”
“What is there to say at this point?” Samantha asked as Kyle stood up and reached for his clothes.
“She offered to let us go if I would permanently shrink you two,” Carmen said. There was a quiet a minute, then she chuckled, “come on guys, obviously I told her to go to hell.”
“So, what now?” Kyle asked, “we can’t just wait for her, Samantha and I have been brainstorming a little, do you have that gun you talked about?”
Carmen sighed, walking by Kyle and Samantha and into one of the cabin’s rooms. There was a click as she unlocked a safe under her dad’s old bed, and a moment later she returned to them, carrying a bolt action rifle and a small box marked “Winchester 30-06” which she placed on the table in the cabin’s kitchen.
“I’ve only shot this a few times,” Carmen said, looking down at the gun, “I still remember how though… come over here so I can show you guys how to load and fire it.” Kyle and Samantha nervously came over to the table as Carmen explained the bolt action mechanism, how to load and unload it, and where the safety on the side of the rifle was.
“Do you think this is going to help us at all?” Kyle asked finally, “I mean… I guess it’s better than nothing, but I’d like to at least get a chance to practice with it first if we’re going to do this.”
“Obviously if we had the options I’d like an AK-47 or something instead of my dad’s old deer gun, and I’d like to spend a few hours at a shooting range, but we’ve got to work with what we’ve got,” Carmen sighed.
“Do you think we could get away from her again?” Samantha asked quietly, “maybe try to put a little distance between us so we could have more time to figure something out?”
“Nope,” Carmen said, looking out the window as the first snowflakes started to fall, “that storm is rolling in, we’ll get stuck in the snow, and honestly I don’t know if we’re going to get a better chance at her than right here.”
“Let’s go all in then,” Kyle said with a sigh, “I’ve got some ideas on how to do this… first off, we need to let the feds know where we are, she’s stuck here for the storm the same as we are, if… if things don’t go well for us, at least she’ll be surrounded by cops at the end of it.”
…
Agent Wilkins knocked on the door of Melinda’s borrowed office, causing her to look up with a start, “you’ve got a call,” the agent said in a somewhat surprised voice, “it’s… it’s the Mendez girl, the Westwoods are on the line with her.”
Melinda’s eyes went wide, and her mind raced with possibilities as she followed Wilkins to a conference room. A dozen agents were gathered around the teleconference speaker, and they parted as Wilkins and Melinda entered. One man on a computer in the corner gave them a thumbs up, indicating he was tracing the call.
“Carmen,” Melinda said hesitantly, “are the Westwoods…”
“We’re fine!” Kyle called over the line, “you’re on speaker on this end by the way.”
“Carmen’s innocent,” Samantha cut in, “this whole thing was a setup!”
Melinda frowned, “I’d like to believe that, but you understand that I can hardly trust anything the two of you are saying while you’re in her custody, if you would just wait for us to get you-“
“We’re at my parent’s old cabin in Mapleport, Michigan,” Carmen said, “and some woman named Arisu’s coming to kill us, she seems to know you Melinda…”
Melinda was quiet a moment, “yes, she was a student of mine the same as you were.”
“I’m guessing I know who you meant when you always talked about the wrong people getting the treatment,” Carmen chuckled sadly, “what happened with her?”
Melinda sighed, “I’m not having this conversation now Carmen, we’re going to come bring you into custody and figure this whole thing out.”
“You won’t get here before she does,” Carmen said, “one way or another this is ending tonight when she gets here.”
Melinda clenched her fists, her knuckles going white, “Carmen, Arisu is a cold blooded killer, she’s one of the most dangerous people in-“
“You worried I’d end up like her,” Carmen said, a hint of accusation in her voice.
Melinda looked around at the gathered federal agents, hoping for someone to swoop in and save her from this conversation. They looked away uncomfortably, this would be left between her and Carmen it seemed.
“You had a similar anger at the world, among other things,” Melinda said finally, “I… I truly hope you are telling me the truth Carmen, and that this is all a misunderstanding.”
Carmen sighed, “fair enough, I hope I made you proud anyway. Melinda… Arisu and I… only one of us is coming out of this, so if I don’t get to talk to you again… thanks, for everything.”
Melinda’s eyes went wide, “Carmen wait, you don’t have to do this, run from her! Come to me and I can-“ she was cut off by a *click* as Carmen hung the phone up. She sat, stunned a moment, and blinked away a quick tear…
“Well you heard her people!” Wilkins shouted, interrupting the tense silence, “Mapleport, Michigan! It’s Arisu herself, the head snake!” He met Melinda’s eyes, and she nodded, standing up as the group filed quickly out of the room.
…
Carmen hung up the wall mounted phone, an almost ancient relic mounted on the wall of the cabin from the days before cell phones. She’d been a little surprised the landline still worked, but it hadn’t taken much to get transferred to the FBI offices in Chicago. She turned to Samantha and Kyle and forced a smile.
“Well… help is on the way,” she said finally, “I’m not sure what good it will do us though. Any other plans Kyle?”
“Yeah,” Kyle said, looking at Samantha, who nodded, “but… you’re not going to like it.”
Carmen frowned, “what do you mean?”
“We’ve been thinking,” Samantha said hesitantly, “about Valkyrie weaknesses…”
Carmen raised an eyebrow, “we don’t really have any, you’ve just got to keep hitting us until we die.”
“Really?” Kyle asked, crossing his arms, “maybe we should take a walk along the beach?”
Carmen froze, “No thanks,” she said a little too quickly, “I uh-“
“You’re scared of water,” Samantha said, fighting a bit of laughter in spite of the situation, “all of you Valkyries are, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” Carmen admitted, crossing her arms, “it’s like a switch gets flipped, I loved swimming before the gene therapy, now the thought of wading in the shallow end of the pool gets me nervous… what does that have to do with anything?”
“We’re a mile away from a marina on the world’s largest lake,” Kyle said with a smile, “maybe if we add one of those boats to our mounting grand theft auto charges, we could sail out there... it could give us an edge.”
“Forget Arisu, what about me!?” Carmen asked angrily, “guys I don’t think I can go out there, and that storm… I mean you know these Great Lakes storms take down huge cargo ships, right? Like there are songs about it-“
“Do you think Arisu will care about any of that, or do you think she’ll chase us out there anyway?” Samantha asked.
Carmen was quiet a minute, “she’ll follow us,” Carmen admitted angrily, “then we can all drown instead of getting stabbed to death, great improvement Kyle, love the plan.”
“Carmen calm down,” Kyle said, “Samantha and I did a little sailing once we got rich, we’ll get you set up with a safety line, you’ll be safe when the boat is tossing around, her though? If she slips off the deck…”
“She’ll drown like a rat,” Carmen finished, “fuck me… are you guys sure about this?”
“Unless you think you can beat her here in the living room,” Kyle replied, “It’s not exactly ideal, but… I think it’s our best shot at evening the odds.”
Carmen looked out the window, the waves were crashing on the beach now, frothy things out of a dark grey lake that was rapidly growing more tumultuous as the sky overhead blackened and the winds picked up, sending the descending snowflakes sideways. She felt a lump in her throat and an uncharacteristic fear. She took a moment, steadying herself and breathing out slowly.
"Okay," she said finally, giving them a cocky grin that didn’t reflect her feelings on their plan at all, “let’s do it!”
…
“I need boat keys,” Carmen growled, shoving the marina owner roughly against the wall of the small supply shop abutting the dock. Kyle and Samantha winced at the man’s pained grunt, but stayed quiet, standing behind her at their four foot heights.
“Y-You’re the crazy Valkyrie from the news!” the marina owner sputtered, “oh god, please don’t kill me, I-“
“Boat keys!” Carmen barked as the wind howled, blowing the doors of the small shop open and scattering snowflakes inside. The man shakily pointed to a large board behind the register, where a number of keyrings were hung, each with a number.
“Go for number thirty-eight,” Kyle said, peering out at the docked yacht, “it’s one of the bigger ones.”
“You people aren’t seriously going out on the water right now, are you?” the marina owner balked, looking out at the mounting waves.
Carmen wanted to make a sarcastic comment, but a chill was beginning to overtake her that had nothing to do with the cold wind. She sighed, forcing herself to grab the key ring off the board, and with a wave Kyle and Samantha followed her outside. The boat Kyle had picked was about seventy feet long, with an enclosed cabin and a wide front deck no doubt meant for folding chairs and fishing, or simply enjoying the open air.
As they pulled away from the dock Carmen felt the rocking of the boat and the howl of the wind outside the cabin, and fought the urge to shut her eyes. Suddenly she felt someone grab her hand.
“Hey, we’re fine,” Samantha said softly, gripping Carmen’s palm as tightly as she could at her small size.
“For now anyway,” Kyle muttered, gritting his teeth as he turned the wheel, “any chance you could put me up to full size while I steer this thing?”
Carmen blinked, then nodded, “y-yeah…” she focused, and a moment later Kyle’s baggy shirt wasn’t so baggy, and he was standing at his normal height while he guided them out onto the water. He wouldn’t have long like that, but she hoped they wouldn’t be out on this roiling lake long enough for it to matter.
“Samantha, go find a safety harness and get Carmen strapped in, if Arisu shows up, you’ll want to go out there to… deal with her,” he said quietly.
Carmen looked at the flurries of snow falling around them, at the dark blue-grey waves crashing over the deck and rising and falling into the distance… The idea of going out there shook her to her core, and she had to stop herself from squeezing Samantha’s hand hard enough that it might hurt the poor girl.
“There she is,” Kyle shouted over the din of the storm outside. The grass and sands around the marina had been coated white as the snowfall continued, and Arisu stood out easily in her black outfit, mired against the pristine landscape illuminated by the lights of the marina. Her sword was in her hand, and the steel blade reflected the lamplight as it struggled through the first flurries of the blizzard.
Chicken out, Carmen begged mentally, just go, you can’t follow us here, you can’t-
Arisu seemed to answer her by stalking her way to the marina shop, and a moment later they watched as she exited, her own keys in hand. Carmen’s heart sunk, she’d known Arisu was mad enough to fall for Samantha and Kyle’s trap, but being out here rocked by the raging waters… she’d secretly hoped that some sense would turn the other Valkyrie away, that they wouldn’t have to fight in a place like this.
“Carmen,” Kyle said quietly as they watched Arisu leap into a small speedboat, “are you okay? We could… we could try to outrun her.”
Carmen looked at Kyle and Samantha, then back to the small boat bobbing on the waves as Arisu made her way to them, a vicious smile on her face as the wind buffeted her hair. With the fading lights of Mapleport behind her, Arisu looked like a ghost, some malicious phantom escaping a dying world and honing in on the small point of light that was their own boat.
“She was wrong,” Samantha said quietly as the ship rocked on the waves, “Melinda I mean… you’re not anything like her Carmen.”
“Agreed,” Kyle muttered, steering the yacht to bring them further away from shore, “if this is it… Carmen… whatever else happened between us, you’re my friend.”
Carmen blinked away a quick tear, then gave a cocky smirk, “you two losers are acting like we’re already dead, I’m going to kick this bitch’s ass and then you two are buying me dinner.”
She seized the feeling of bravado, riding it as she slid the yacht’s door open. The wind blasted her across the face, cutting at her as a thousand snowflakes flew in to the main cabin. She gritted her teeth and picked up the rifle, forcing herself onto the ship’s deck.
Being out in the open with the water panicked her, but the fire in her burned warm enough that she was able to bring herself to the ship’s front, clipping the cord of the safety harness to the ship’s railing the way Samantha had shown her. The movement of the lake beneath them made balance difficult, the waves were growing higher, and though they’d taken the biggest boat at the marina, water crashed over the sides as it bobbed, spraying the earthy tasting lake water into her face.
She wiped her eyes with a snarl and scanned the horizon, smiling as she spotted the small speedboat carrying the other Valkyrie. With a smile she brought the rifle up to her shoulder, through the scope she could see Arisu’s face, a hateful smile on her face as she closed in. There was something about those eyes of hers that caught Carmen off guard, they were full of a dancing hatred, one that would never sleep, would never die…
Smile bitch! Carmen thought angrily as she pulled the trigger.
The crack of the rifle echoed across the lake, the flame from the barrel shining brightly against a sky that had gone as dark as a black cat. Carmen fought the urge to jump in triumph as Arisu jerked back, a blossom of red erupting from her shoulder as she fell to the deck. Kyle and Samantha cheered from inside the cabin, and she grinned as she nodded back to them.
She quickly worked the bolt, causing the brass shell to pop out, glimmering in the gloom as it splashed into the frothing water. She brought the rifle back up to her shoulder, but Arisu was back at the helm of the speedboat, a look of rage on her face as she zigzagged her approach, making Carmen’s aim difficult. She squeezed off another shot, one that went wide and caused a small spout to erupt in the water behind her target. With a swear she worked the bolt again, but Arisu was almost upon them.
For one brief moment as the other woman’s boat bobbed and rocked Carmen dared to hope it would simply capsize, sending Arisu to the depths, but they weren’t so lucky. The boat flew upwards, climbing a rising wave that lifted the deck above their own. Arisu leapt through the air, landing on their own deck with a *thump* Carmen could feel as the other Valkyrie squared up against her with a smile.
“A gun Carmen? I’m disappointed!”
“Welcome to the States,” Carmen growled, swiveling the barrel as she tried to shoot at Arisu again. The other woman was too quick, and with a mad laugh her hand was under the rifle barrel, jerking it skyward and causing Carmen’s shot to fire off into the swirling black clouds above them. With a jerk Arisu pulled the gun from her hand, tossing it and causing the rifle to skitter across the deck.
Fuck me, hands it is, Carmen thought, rushing at Arisu before she could draw the sword on her back. Arisu grinned, forgoing reaching for her weapon as she blocked Carmen’s blows, the two of them swaying as they struggled to keep their balance on the increasingly rough waves. The shore was far away now, the lights of the town just dim flickering stars against a black horizon, bobbing up and down in the darkness.
“CARMEN!” Kyle shouted a warning from inside the cabin, she and Arisu looked together and her eyes went wide as the ship’s nose dipped, a massive wave rising out of the darkness as the cabin’s lights feebly lit up its surface. The wave crashed down on the pair like an avalanche, knocking Carmen from her feet and sweeping her backwards. She cried out in surprise as the safety harness went taut, yanking her backwards and keeping her from being swept off the deck. She panted a moment, her heart pounding as she shakily forced herself to her feet. Her hair was plastered to her skull by the water, a frigid heavy liquid that chilled even a Valkyrie.
Arisu! Her eyes shot up, darting around the deck and looking for her enemy as the ship bobbed up and down again. The other Valkyrie had her arms wrapped tightly around the ship’s railing, her eyes wide and her face white. Carmen couldn’t help but grin as she walked back towards her.
“What’s wrong? Scared to get wet?” she taunted, throwing her arms wide in a challenge.
Arisu blinked, releasing her hold on the railing as her fire returned, “I must commend you for your choice of battlefield Carmen,” she said, a wide grin forming on her face, “I haven’t felt afraid of anything in years!” She laughed as the deck shifted, riding the momentum and running towards Carmen. She raised her fists to block the oncoming assault, but Arisu dipped low, raining a series of punches into Carmen’s gut that were so fast the falling snow seemed to part around them.
Carmen coughed, struggling for breath as she stumbled backwards, but as Arisu readied for another strike, she brought her elbow down on the other woman’s back, breaking the charge as she brought her knee up into Arisu’s chin.
She was about to kick her foe again when Arisu slipped around her side, drawing her sword with a flourish. Carmen’s eyes went wide and she tried to dart away, but Arisu wasn’t aiming at her body.
“Let’s see how brave you are without this!” Arisu hissed, slicing through the safety tether attached to Carmen’s vest.
There was a jerking feeling as the tether, which protected her from being swept into the stormy waters, went limp. The ship began to dip again as it entered the trough of another wave, and Carmen’s eyes went wide with fear as Arisu grinned at her, gripping the railing again and wrapping an arm around it.
The wall of water crashed into her again, and this time there was no safety line to save her. She was pushed along the ship’s deck, tumbling and scrambling desperately for any hold she could find. Her fingers closed on something solid, and she gripped it, feeling a ripping pain in her shoulder as her movement jerked to a stop. The water slid off the ship’s deck as it climbed again, and Carmen forced herself to her feet, again wiping the water out of her eyes and coughing as she looked for Arisu.
Her heart stopped as she saw the cabin door flailing open, a dark shape moving inside.
KYLE AND SAMMY!
“Kyle!” Samantha cried in panic as Arisu stood over the two of them, grinning like the devil as she raised her sword.
Kyle shouted a battle cry, at his full size she still loomed like a giant before him, but he hoped by charging her he could buy Samantha a minute to do… something.
Arisu just laughed, her massive hand stretching out and catching Kyle by the neck. She almost casually threw him across the ships cabin, and there was a crash and a scream of pain as he flew through the front windshield, breaking the glass as he tumbled out into the storm and the wind and snow rushed in.
Samantha turned to run, but her clothes billowed around her as she shrank, the mocking laughter of Arisu filling her ears as she tripped over her own underwear, fumbling out of the tent sized garments and onto the yacht’s rough carpeting.
She almost cried in despair, tears in her eyes, as Arisu’s fingers curled around her, lifting her in the air. She shut her eyes, not wanting to see that evil grin that stretched across a face the size of a house.
“Look at me!” Arisu growled, squeezing Samantha hard enough that she screamed in pain as something cracked. Her eyes opened, and she moaned in despair as Arisu smiled down on her. “Carmen is dead, washed into the waters you no doubt intended for me!” She glanced out at Kyle’s limp form, “I haven’t had to work this hard in a very long time… I’m going to enjoy you two.” She smiled and licked her lips, “I didn’t have dinner yet…” she started raising Samantha to her mouth.
Samantha’s eyes bulged, “NO!” she squirmed and struggled, ignoring the pain in an arm that was probably broken.
“I like to swallow you little things whole,” Arisu giggled, “you’ll be surprised how long you can stay alive in there…” she patted her belly, “though it’s time you’d rather not have, I think.” She opened wide as Samantha screamed, dropping the flailing girl onto her tongue, savoring her terror as she fought Arisu’s tongue, trying to climb out and escape her fate.
Samantha wept, feeling Arisu’s powerful tongue explore her body, tasting her and toying with her as her mouth filled with saliva, preparing to push her down to Arisu’s stomach, where a painful and humiliating death waited for her. Arisu tipped her head back, a smile on her face as she prepared to swallow.
A blur of motion in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she wheeled around just in time to see Carmen’s hands close on her throat, rage billowing off a face twisted into a snarl that caused her lip to quiver as she bared her teeth. The ferocity caught Arisu off guard, and she choked, temporarily stunned as Carmen lifted her bodily by her neck, slamming her into the wood paneled wall of the cabin.
Her mouth opened, and Samantha tumbled free with a yell of terror. Carmen restored her size without a thought, and Samantha’s hundred-foot fall became a five-foot fall as she rolled to the floor, looking up in awe as Carmen began to pummel Arisu, each blow slamming her into the wall with a speed that went so fast that Samantha couldn’t follow it, her fists blurring as she roared with anger.
Suddenly Arisu’s leg shot out in a furious kick that sent Carmen flying back, slamming into the other wall of the yacht’s cabin with a thud. Her face was bloodied and bruised, and any mirth she’d taken from the fight was long gone as she drew her sword. Carmen groaned, laying limp on the floor as Arisu approached.
She stumbled slightly as Samantha leapt onto her back, pounding at her feebly, tears in her eyes. Arisu just chuckled, throwing her off easily and letting her fall back to the floor.
“We’ll play later,” Arisu said with a wink, raising her sword over Carmen’s slumped form.
She paused as she heard a loud *click* as a bolt action was set, she turned towards the cabin’s door, still billowing in the wind, as Kyle stood, soaked, bloodied, and pale, Carmen’s rifle in his hands and leveled at her. There was a boom and Arisu howled with pain as she took her second bullet of the evening, her blood spraying across the wall behind her as she stumbled back, her sword dropping the floor with a clatter.
Carmen was on her feet again before Arisu steadied herself, leaning down to scoop up the sword as she summoned all of her strength for one final charge. The blade pierced Arisu through the stomach, causing her to gasp as Carmen’s momentum carried both of them crashing through the side window of the yacht’s cabin, tumbling to the deck as the snow swirled around them.
“Have a drink!” Carmen shouted as she hoisted Arisu up, driving the sword the rest of the way through her to the hilt as she forced the other Valkyrie towards the ship’s railing. She grinned in triumph as Arisu began to topple over.
Arisu’s head snapped up, a wicked smile on her face as her arms wrapped around Carmen, dragging her along over the ship’s edge in one final act of spite. Carmen’s eyes went wide as she felt her feet leave the yacht’s deck, the black waters rushing up to meet her as the cut safety line slid uselessly along the boards behind her.
They crashed into the water together, the uncaring black waves greedily taking them in. Arisu gripped her tighter as they fell, those terrible dark eyes focusing on hers as the world blurred and fell away, it was just the two of them, and as they gripped each other Carmen found herself staring back, thinking of everything that had brought her here.
Kyle, Samantha, Melinda… She smiled back at Arisu, and even in the chill of those icy roiling waters, she felt a bit of warmth. We beat you, she thought dreamily as her consciousness waned, We-
Suddenly she felt a jerk on her back as the vest pulled at her, and air escaped her lungs as she realized the line was being pulled. The motion caused Arisu to lose her grip, and Carmen watched as she fell into darkness, a snarl on her face as those evil eyes gave her one last hate filled glare as they disappeared.
…
“Pull!” Kyle shouted, gripping the safety line and gritting his teeth. It was slipping, and it cut into the wet skin of his palms as he and Samantha struggled to keep the tether from slipping away into the waves. One of her arms hung limply at her side, but she wrapped the line around the other, her eyes shut in pain as she tried to help him. His eyes widened as the yacht dipped, and a wave splashed down on the deck, throwing him and Samantha backwards and almost washing the pair off the deck.
Kyle screamed in despair as he felt the line slip out of his hands, but then his eyes went wide, and he shouted in triumph as he saw what the wave had washed back onto their deck.
“Carmen!” Samantha shouted, running towards her. Kyle followed behind, and the pair struggled to lift Carmen’s massive form, one of her arms over each shoulder as they stumbled over the shifting deck back towards the ship’s cabin. The three collapsed inside together, and Kyle summoned the last of his strength to climb over Carmen, beginning chest compressions.
Carmen coughed, the murky lake water spurting over her face as she gasped, sitting up. She looked to the two of them, then slowly smiled.
“You guys… did you save me?”
“We held onto the line for a few minutes, then we got lucky and you got washed back up on deck,” Kyle said, slumping back to the floor. He groaned, the impact of the fight was beginning to set in, and he hurt all over.
“Arisu,” Samantha moaned as her own injuries started to throb painfully, “is she-“
“Sleeping with the fishes,” Carmen said quietly, “you guys have been full sized for way too long, and you’ve added a lot of extra injuries on top of that radiation thing we’ve been working on since this all started…” the pair cried out in surprise as they dwindled, looking up at Carmen’s giant form. She sighed, picking them up as she felt the bruises and cuts from the fight across her own body. She stood up, feeling the deck move beneath her as the waves continued to rock the boat.
“What now?” Samantha asked, rubbing an arm that was already feeling better as the healing side effects of shrinking began.
Carmen smirked, pulling her wet shirt away from her face, slowly sliding Samantha into one cup of her bra, and then Kyle into the other, letting the two nestle against her breasts as her underwear held them in place.
“You two just relax and rest up,” she muttered, shifting her breasts slightly to tumble them a little deeper. She sighed, looking out at the dark waves and the falling snow. With the windows destroyed the cabin didn’t offer nearly as much shelter from the storm as it had, and she bit her lip and blinked snowflakes out of her eyes as she pondered her next move.
I have no idea how to drive a boat, she realized with a laugh. Another wave rocked the yacht, cutting off her laughter and causing her to gulp, fighting a new wave of panic. She ran to the ship’s wheel, biting her lip as she looked over the unfamiliar instruments. She looked out into the blackness around the ship’s lights, and realized that she had no idea which direction land was even in. Evidently the storm had knocked power out for the mainland, because the twinkling electric lights she’d seen before had disappeared.
She smiled as something illuminated the blackness, the far away swirling blue and red sirens, tiny dots on a distant horizon, Et in Arcadia Ego… she thought, Melinda, you really are everywhere… She gripped the ship’s wheel, turning it in the direction of those faraway sirens, fighting the waves as she struggled to bring the yacht back to land.