~ ~ ~
Prav and Zara weren’t the only ones alerted to a change in course. By this time Decker had moved into a position that allowed him to look over Prav’s shoulder. His laptop was attempting to confirm the final download’s authenticity. It was still executing the verification process when Prav ordered one of his security detail to go aloft. “See what that idiot’s up to, will you!” Prav was preoccupied by the final throws of verification. ‘Verifying … verifying,’ his screen flashed.
By the time the Bridge doors automatically opened, the guard sent to investigate had already pulled his gun. Captain Malik lay on the floor. He was conscious, but bound and gagged.
“Drop it!” Connor ordered, emerging from behind.
Prav was losing his patience. “What the hell is this?” he asked.
Zara moved closer to Prav’s table and turned the laptop toward her. “This isn’t the final segment. It’s the DNA of a …”
Prav’s computer had finally locked onto a match. “Of a Rat,” Decker hollered. When Zara looked up, she too felt the sting of a projectile breaking the skin of her neck. In only milliseconds, the second of Gill’s security detail suffered the same fate. Prav’s protection lay at his feet, powerless to come to his aid.
“It’s up to you,” Decker stated, his Taser now pointed at Gill. “Do you want to walk off this ship or be taken off on a stretcher?”
“United States Coast Guard Vessel, this is Warrant Officer Connor Wilson of the Auspicious.” Connor held the mic from a marine radio located within reach of the helm. “I repeat, this is Warrant Officer Connor Wilson of the Auspicious. Please come in.”
Connor turned and smiled at the two men tied up and gagged
The radio came alive. “This is the Coast Guard Cutter Endurance, go ahead Auspicious.”
“I am in control of this vessel, do you copy?” Connor stated.
“Copy Auspicious. Our present course will intersect with yours in approximately fifteen minutes.” The Captain of the Endurance looked behind him and nodded to two men standing in the background. One was wearing the unmistakable attire of the FBI. The other was on the phone. “We’ve got him, Sir,” Allan Forbes announced into his phone. Regional Director Steven Phelps was on the other end of the call.
“Sir, I should tell you that there’s an Agent Dewar with me. The FBI wants a piece of Mr. Gill as well.”
Phelps hollered into his phone. “You can tell Agent Dewar to stand in line. That son-of-a-bitch belongs to us. Gill is my ticket to Washington, do ya hear me?”
“Loud and clear, Sir,” Forbes stated. He then suggested: “Sir, if you don’t mind, I’d like to make another call.”
SOPHIA - Age of Intelligence Page 56
