by Bobby Akart
Oddly, the Quino was anchored at both bow and stern. He’d never seen that before in open water. In tight coves, on a lake, for example, he’d seen houseboats anchored on both ends to limit the boat’s swing.
Either way, it was a benefit to him, as the Quino continued to appear uninhabited, and it would act as cover and a perfect staging area for his raid upon the Nautilus. Jake completed his sketch on the legal pad and returned to the compound.
He reached for black spray paint to alter two of the brightly colored fishing skiffs at the village. Inside the storage lockers, he found several sticks of face paint in black and olive drab colors. He located several fixed-blade knives to choose from. Finally, he laid out the rifles for the oarsmen to use.
With the easier of the preliminary tasks completed, Jake joined Ashby in the commander’s office to see how she was doing. When he entered, she quickly wiped a few tears away and continued to study her computer.
“Ashby, what’s wrong?” he asked as he pulled her hair back behind her shoulders. He gently ran it through his fingers, allowing it to spread across her back.
“The devastation, and people’s reactions. It’s chaotic back home. The death toll from the blast itself is in the millions, but respiratory failure has taken the lives of tens of millions. But that was expected, this was not.”
Ashby pointed at a video depicting people beating each other with pipes and aluminum baseball bats outside a FEMA trailer in Minneapolis. The newscast then switched to rioting in the Mall of America, where stores were broken into, looted, and then set on fire.
“They’ve lost their minds,” said Jake as he watched society collapse. “Any word on the border situation?”
“Yeah, and the word is stalemate. Mexico continues to increase its demands of our government to let Americans pass to South America. We increase our requests for assurances the refugees will have safe passage. The Mexicans can’t guarantee it, and they refuse to allow our military access to act as escorts.”
“All flights are shut down?” asked Jake.
“Yes. Ship traffic off the east coast has halted as well. The ash fallout, as expected, is much worse to the east and southeast of Yellowstone. The debris density has risen considerably in Europe and the Middle East. Thus far, the amount of particles detected in the Far East and, more importantly for us, Hawaii, are miniscule in comparison.”
“Good.”
“Lucky, and that is subject to change. Remember, we’re barely a month into this catastrophe and Yellowstone continues to emit noxious gas into the atmosphere. Eventually, the eruptive materials will subside, but it will take years for our atmosphere to absorb the impact. All of this stuff we see in these video clips show man’s violent, irrational reaction to the eruption. The real trouble will come in the months and years to follow.”
“They’ll run out of food, and it doesn’t appear anyone is prepared to step up and help. They’re taking care of their own first.”
Ashby nodded and leaned back in her chair. “I’ve printed out everything you’ll need. Floor plans of the ships. Capacities, too, so you can get an idea of how many people might be on board. Also, I looked on the PADI website and studied the itineraries. At the time Yellowstone erupted, a third dive ship was slated to be anchored offshore. Unless it has moved to another island, it may have sailed back to Cabo, taking passengers from all three ships with it.”
“That’s good to know. What about, um, the other thing?”
“Your bombs?” Ashby said sarcastically. “That’s in there too. Jake, I’m not gonna nag. You know I love you and I’m frightened about this whole thing. If you can think of another way, please consider it. Okay?”
“I will.” He gave her a kiss and pulled the pages out of the printer. He thumbed through them, smiled and kissed her again.
He returned to the small conference room and read through the online information on the use of dynamite and C-4. Dynamite was the more volatile of the two explosives. He could actually detonate it with an accurately placed rifle round, as dynamite was shock sensitive. He recalled seeing blasting caps among the crates in the storage room.
C-4 was different, and it became a logical choice for this particular situation. C-4 was a composite material composed of explosives and plastic substances, which made it moldable. In addition, for Jake’s purposes, it was safe to work with, as it could only be exploded through a shock wave from a detonator.
Jake retrieved the keys from Ashby and hustled off to the explosives storage room. He grabbed three military-issue M112 blocks of C-4, which weighed a little over a pound each. According to the online information he read, one block of C-4 could destroy a truck. The ships were equal to three trucks in length.
Jake needed to create a diversion, and a single brick of the substance might sink a ship, but it wouldn’t generate a significant enough blast to cause mass confusion.
He opened several crates until he located the C-4 remote detonators. He needed to match the frequencies to the charges so only one remote could be used per ship. He loaded several into a box to study his options. After one last glance around the explosives locker, Jake secured it and returned to the conference room.
Now he had to take a crash course in explosives, without blowing himself up.
Chapter 48
The Pacific Ocean
Off the coast of Isla Socorro
After the eruption of Yellowstone, Jake had become a leader. The helicopter crash atop that snow-covered mountain in Idaho had forced him into survival mode. From the moment he’d rescued Ashby from the chopper, through his efforts to save the Mexican children from the clutches of the liveaboard crew, Jake had become hardened. He still loved life and the outdoors. But he was no longer carefree. His fellow man had jaded his outlook on life.
“Some people suck,” he began as he held Ashby one last time before embarking on his mission. “I could go on and on, but now’s not the time. I’m just boiling mad that these idiots would kidnap children to get their way. They don’t deserve to live.”
“I don’t disagree, Jake, but you’ve gotta keep your cool and not make a mistake. Remember what you said to me outside the YVO the day of the eruption. All that’s important is what’s right here in front of you. Me. I love you and I refuse to lose you. It simply can’t happen.”
“It won’t, I promise you. I’ll do my best with what I have to work with, but I won’t lose my life over it. We’ll get those boys back and eliminate a threat at the same time. Then we can breathe easier.”
They hugged and kissed one last time; then Jake joined Miguel in the pickup with the rest of his team. Jake left Ashby standing alone at the top of the steps near the flagpole, suppressing the urge to rush back to her for one more hug.
He would never admit this to her, but he had his doubts about his ability to carry out this rescue. In a way, the loss of Rita, then Dusty had broken his confidence somewhat. The recovery of the boys offered the opportunity to redeem himself.
It took fifteen minutes for Miguel to navigate the rough landscape in the dark. He’d identified a cove that had a trail leading to it from the top of the cliffs. The boats and some of the villagers would be waiting for their arrival.
As they approached the edge of the cliffs, Miguel turned off the headlights and crept along in the pitch dark, thanks to a moonless night. Jake smiled as the night sky enveloped the pickup. Darkness benefits the assassin.
At the top of the trail, several villagers were ready to unload the gear Jake had gathered for their rescue mission. Everyone wanted to help and be a part of the rescue. Within minutes, a group of twenty villagers were standing on the beach of the hidden cove, spray-painting the boats and applying the camouflaged face paint to Jake and the five members of his team.
Using Miguel as an interpreter, Jake explained everyone’s role. They nodded their understanding and their dark, steely eyes confirmed their resolve. Jake checked his watch and looked skyward. The conditions were perfect and the timing was right. It was jus
t past midnight.
The oarsmen began rowing the boats gently toward the Quino, which they would be using for cover. As they went, Jake considered boarding the boat that appeared to be abandoned. He assumed the crew of the Nautilus had stripped the Quino of supplies and consolidated them on board their ship.
Considering what he had in store for the Quino, he considered it necessary to make sure no one was being held hostage on board. Also, it would be an opportunity to work with the young man who would be boarding the Nautilus with him.
Pedro was slender, with somewhat darker skin than others in the village. He was lanky, but muscular. And quiet. During all of the hushed chatter on the beach in preparation for their launch, Pedro was the only person who didn’t speak to the others. He had a mystery about him that Jake would have to ask Miguel about afterwards.
Pedro had drawn one of his knives from a sheath tied around his right thigh. He had a matching leather sheath on the other. He handled the knife with care, but periodically twirled it through his fingers without fear of cutting himself. Jake admired the young man’s focus.
Jake also smiled as his confidence grew in his most important member of the team. Pedro and Jake would be entering the unknown when they boarded the Nautilus. He needed someone who’d have his back as he used his own weapons skills to eliminate threats. Pedro was the perfect guy for the job.
They had crossed the mile of Pacific Ocean in less than thirty minutes, taking care not to create any splashing sounds as they paddled through the water. The Quino remained dark, while the Nautilus had a couple of lower cabin lights illuminated and a strand of string lights that encircled the canvas-covered dive deck.
Jake took a moment to study the Nautilus through his binoculars. He’d memorized the floor plan downloaded and printed by Ashby. The illuminated windows were guest rooms except for one toward the front of the ship. The main cabin and galley had all of its lights on, and the only visible movement of the crew occurred in there.
Topside, Jake couldn’t make out how many people were sitting in chairs under the canopy, but smoke floated over the sides of the boat, indicating they were smoking.
He also identified the two entrances to the main cabin. One was via the stairs above, near the crow’s nest. The other was on the port side. The two entrances would enable Jake and Pedro to attack the crew from both sides, effectively trapping them in the middle.
The rowboat drifted up to the transom of the Quino. Jake and Pedro carefully crawled onto the ship without rocking it. Anchored at both ends, and at ninety feet long, it was doubtful their body weight would make a difference, but Jake didn’t want to derail their mission before it started.
Jake led the way, using his recollection of the ship’s layout from Ashby’s research. He entered the salon through a rear door. When he opened the door, the smell of rotting meat mixed with cheap perfume hit his nose. He and Pedro immediately covered their nose and mouth as the stench of death crossed over their bodies.
He quietly closed the door, and the latch made a slight click when it engaged. Jake looked at Pedro, who shook his head. Nobody was alive inside the Quino, a ship destined for a burial at sea.
It was on to part two of the mission. The two female members of the team were ready to perform their function. Jake had prepared the C-4 to accomplish two things. One was to blast the hull of the Quino so that it created a spectacular explosion to confuse the crew of the Nautilus. Two, apply a third charge near the propellers and engine compartment of the Nautilus. If Jake needed a second diversion, or simply wanted to sink the larger ship, he’d be able to detonate the C-4 and disable the ship without necessarily killing the hostages.
The better of the two swimmers made her way into the water and swam through the darkness to the stern of the Nautilus. The other swimmer slipped below the surface to attach the C-4 to both the bow and then the stern of the Quino.
At that point, Jake and Pedro, along with the oarsmen, had to break cover. They left the swimmers behind, who would now make their way back to shore. These young women knew the risks of swimming a mile in the Pacific Ocean, which was full of sharks. Their loyalty and love for the people of their village gave them the strength they needed.
The newly painted, jet-black fishing boats had moved past the Nautilus, farther out to sea, to a point where the men on the upper deck couldn’t see them. Now it was time for Jake and Pedro to make their move. Jake protected his handgun and the detonators in plastic Ziploc baggies tucked into a fanny pack around his waist.
Using hand signals, he gave the oarsmen their final instructions, and they nodded their understanding. At their present location, they were protected from the debris and could easily close on the Nautilus when Jake found the kidnapped boys. They also understood they were to make the boys their priority. Jake and Pedro would find their own way back if necessary.
With a deep breath and a nod of understanding with his partner, Jake slipped into the water first. It was time.
Chapter 49
The Pacific Ocean
The Nautilus Under Sea
Off the coast of Isla Socorro
Jake and Pedro eased themselves around the inflatable tied off to the port side of the Nautilus and held onto the mesh transom used to load divers and their equipment out of the water. Using a steel stepladder, which extended beneath the surface while anchored, Jake and Pedro climbed onto the ship’s transom.
Jake peered over the stern’s half wall to look for anyone on the dive deck. It was dark and empty. He could hear muffled voices coming from above them where he’d seen cigarette smoke earlier.
The attack would occur at lightning-fast speeds once he detonated the explosions underneath the Quino. He and Pedro would have to split up to be effective. Because Jake had a gun, he opted to take on the crewmembers inside the salon while Pedro used a shock and awe approach to neutralize the men topside.
Jake held off for a moment to allow their bodies to drip dry. He removed the fanny pack and took out the Ziploc baggies. He slid the extra magazines to his .45-caliber handgun into the pockets of his shorts and tucked the weapon in his waistband. Then he removed the two detonators, being careful to keep the one dedicated to the Nautilus separate from the one needed to destroy the Quino.
He took a deep breath and exhaled. Pedro did the same and managed to smile at Jake. They were ready. Jake motioned for Pedro to begin climbing the stairs to the top deck. The young man removed the knives from their sheaths. He held one in his left hand with a fighting grip and carried the other one by the blade. Jake surmised one would fly at its target as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
With full confidence in his partner’s abilities, Jake drew his handgun and stood next to the salon door. He glanced in the window and saw two men playing cards and drinking liquor. They were laughing and oblivious as to what was about to happen to them.
Jake’s eyes darted around the salon and then toward the galley in order to identify any other readily available targets. He was puzzled by this. He felt certain there were more than four men aboard the ship. He clenched his jaw. It didn’t matter. The explosion would flush them out.
He held the detonator high over his head and pointed it in the direction of the Quino. He slid his thumb under the protective shield over the button and pressed it. The resulting explosion was not what he expected at first.
Upon detonation, there was a whooshing sound as water was displaced and the ship’s hull was breached, but that was immediately followed within milliseconds by a massive explosion as the energy displaced by the initial blast moved in all directions around the Quino’s hull.
Jake didn’t hesitate to observe the destruction. He slammed open the door to the salon and immediately shot the two shocked men who sat at the dining table. They both slumped on top of their card game, blood spilling out of their heads across the shiny teakwood top.
Above him, Jake heard a man moan followed by the shuffling feet of a brief struggle. He knew it was over when the loud thump o
f a body dropping to the fiberglass upper deck could be heard.
Jake didn’t hesitate as he rushed down the stairs to the lower deck where the staterooms and the crew’s quarters were located. His first instinct was to eliminate any members of the crew. Logic would’ve sent him to the crew’s quarters, but the tables had been turned on the passengers, if any, located aboard the Nautilus. Most likely, the crew members were in the staterooms, so he started there.
He forced open the first door to his right and found a nude young woman tied to a bed. She shrieked and squirmed in an attempt to cover herself, but Jake was looking for her attacker. As he entered, the door of the stateroom slammed into Jake, causing him to lose his balance and stumble backwards.
Jake didn’t hesitate and quickly fired three rounds through the door and into the nude body of a man behind it.
“Help me! Please! They’re animals!” the girl plead for help, but he didn’t have time.
“How many are there?”
She hesitated for a brief moment and then replied, “Six, I think. Plus others like me. Please!”
But Jake had already exited the stateroom. Then he heard a shotgun blast from above deck, followed by a splash in the water.
“Dammit,” he muttered as he kicked open the door to the stateroom across from him. It was empty. He moved down the short hallway and opened another door.
“Of course,” he said to himself. The leader was in the premium suite on the top of the ship.
Jake quickly approached each stateroom and found them empty. Then he turned his attention back to the crew’s quarters while carefully listening for the gun-wielding man above him. He had to assume Pedro was dead or had fallen overboard. Jake got the sense he was on his own.
A steel door appeared at the end of the hallway, blocking access to the crew’s quarters. A chain was wrapped through the wheel, which turned to open the door. It was padlocked. Jake paused to listen and then retrieved a fire axe off its hooks in the center of the hallway.
