“Roger,” the two operatives replied in unison.
Gunner entered the bridge. As expected, several bodies littered the floor. He focused on his footing, as the sticky blood was now mixed with rain coming through the blown-out windows.
“I’ve got movement,” said Cam. “Two hostiles, each forcing a passenger down the center hallway.”
“Heading your way.”
Gunner moved quickly down the hall leading from the bridge to the center of the ship. As he moved, he glanced at the mounted plaques identifying the rooms on both sides of him. As they’d learned from studying the deck plan, the captain’s quarters and office were all self-contained in this area.
The pirates came into view. One of them was holding a rifle in his left hand as he ran his fingers through the young girl’s hair.
“Removing my helmet,” whispered Cam. “I’ll be without comms for a minute.”
“Negative!” shouted Ghost into the comms.
“Sir, if I don’t, I’ll scare the shit out of these hostages and they’ll give us away.”
“She’s right. Cam, I’ve got the hostiles. You get to the hostages so they don’t freak.”
“In position. Out.”
Gunner flipped off his NVG lenses as he moved closer to the pirates, using the dim ambient light from the emergency exit signs for illumination. He’d noticed a light switch up ahead. He hoped his hunch was right.
As he moved past the switch, he raised his rifle and steadied it on his first target. With his left hand, he flipped the lights on. The four single light bulbs, protected by galvanized guards, immediately illuminated the hallway. The pirates froze, and then they died. The bullets ripped into the thickest part of their backs and embedded in their chest cavities. Gunner’s shots were perfectly placed to keep from going through-and-through and inadvertently striking a hostage.
Cam suddenly appeared and immediately raised her fingers to her lips. “Shhh! Quiet, okay? We’re here to save you.”
The man and woman immediately hugged one another before they fell into the wall from mental and physical exhaustion.
Gunner turned around and monitored the doors on both sides of the hallway. He walked backwards, his rifle swinging from right to left, until he joined Cam and the two hostages.
“Where are the others?” Cam asked.
The husband responded, “Captain Garland, the African man, and three women are in his office. These two were going to kill us.” He pointed at the dead pirates.
Cam motioned for them to follow her into the top-level atrium where the spiral staircase and elevator were found. “What about the other passengers?”
“We’ve all been locked in our rooms. I think the crew has been kept in their quarters, too.”
Gunner continued to watch the hallway for activity. “Cam, by my count, we’re eight down, five to go.”
She nodded. “Three are probably right down the hall, and the other two are trying to watch a hundred passengers and crew on the lower levels.”
“One per floor,” said Gunner. He turned to the couple, who recoiled at the sight of his Devtac helmet. His muffled voice sounded electronic and robotic. “Do you know if anyone was in the captain’s bedroom?”
“Not now,” replied the husband. He pointed to the dead bodies in the hallway. “Those two men brought us from our quarters and held us at gunpoint until the African came in through a connecting door. He spoke to them in broken English, and they immediately dragged us out of the room. Then you showed up.”
“Were they really going to kill us?” his wife asked.
Gunner ignored her question. “I want you two to find a place to hide. Don’t come out until we give you the all clear, okay?”
“Yes, sir,” the husband responded. He grabbed his wife by the hand and led her through the atrium to the back of a bar.
Cam put her helmet back on and checked her comms.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“Let’s hit ’em through the connecting door. I remember seeing it on the ship’s blueprints downloaded by Jackal.”
“Yeah, I like it.”
“Yep, burst in and call it a day, almost, anyway.”
“We’ll have the last two to mop up,” added Cam.
Ghost intervened to put a damper on their cavalier attitudes. “Close quarters, people. You’ve got three innocents, including a congressman’s daughter, to consider.”
“We’ve got this, boss,” replied Cam. She slapped Gunner on the shoulder and led the way up the hallway. Gunner flipped off the lights again, and both operatives switched to night vision. While he covered Cam, she carefully turned the door handle and quietly slipped into the captain’s quarters.
A stroke of luck benefitted their plan. One of the pirates was standing over the urinal in the head, relieving himself. Cam and Gunner circled around the bedroom to flank the door. A gust of wind struck the side of the ship, causing the man to lose his balance momentarily. It also allowed Gunner to whisper his instructions to Cam without being detected.
“You kill; I’ll catch.”
“Roger,” she whispered back.
Gunner got into position. Just as the man started to zip up his zipper, Cam plugged him in the temple, blasting brain matter all over the glass shower door.
As the man began to fall to the floor, Gunner reached under both armpits and arrested his fall.
“Easy does it, asshole. I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”
Cam stifled a giggle. “You can’t be funny.”
“I’m funnier than Bear.”
“I heard that.” The baritone voice could barely be heard over the wailing of wind in the background. He was on his way to extract the two operatives.
“Let’s go, you two,” said Ghost. “Abduwali is expecting a phone call from Lloyd’s any minute.”
Gunner led the way to the connecting door. He reached for the stainless-steel knob and confirmed it locked from his side. It opened inward toward the captain’s office, allowing them to burst in.
He had his hand on the knob, ready to turn it, when the phone in the captain’s office rang.
“Speak!” the man yelled into the phone. It was the Somalian.
“Ready?” asked Gunner.
“I’ll take the guard,” Cam whispered.
