The Sea Rats

by David Leadbeater

  She knew what that meant.

  Stand down.

  Alicia fought the urge to attack, to defend, and allowed her hands to relax. Then Pigswill smashed her across the forehead with the butt of his gun. Instant sharp pain exploded inside Alicia’s head. Black motes danced in front of her eyes. She half fell from her seated position, landing on an elbow, and brought an arm up to ward off any further blows.

  “I saw you,” Pigswill said. “Did I say you could stand? You wanna take her place?”

  Alicia fought the haze of pain and met the man’s eyes. They were black slits in an angry, frowning face. This was one of those do or die moments, but if she acted now, she could blow the entire operation.

  Get people killed. Innocent people.

  “Can’t speak?” The pirate raised his gun, threatening to hit her again.

  “I’m sorry.” Alicia continued to shield her face, speaking through gritted teeth, hating the words that came from her mouth. “I was scared.”

  Pigswill leered closer, letting his eyes travel across her body and rest on her legs. Alicia peered underneath her elbow, imagining all the painful and debilitating things she could do to this man right here, right now.

  Her heart and soul told her to attack. Her head—was it the new leadership values she was feeling?—implored her to wait. Take it. Save the anger for later.

  “You have nice legs, chéri.”

  The pirate reached out to touch her. Alicia was just happy to have diverted his attention away from the innocent young woman. At that moment though, there was a commotion at the rear of the restaurant. Alicia looked over to see four more pirates entering, none of whom she’d seen the night before.

  “Stand back,” a bearded man barked at Pigswill. “You’ll get your chance later.”

  Pigswill grunted and rose, then made a point of licking his lips whilst staring at Alicia. It took everything she had not to laugh in his face.

  “Spread out,” the unknown pirate told his men, “and search them all.”

  At first, Alicia’s heart started to beat faster. If they were searching the passengers, then she and her colleagues would be unmasked. But surely they’d done this already more than twenty-four hours ago, when they’d boarded the ship and commandeered it? That was one of the reasons they’d felt safe to come aboard with weapons and comms systems.

  It soon became clear that the pirates were singling out certain people out of the almost 200. They were older men and women, traveling as couples. The pirates separated them, dragged them to their feet and then over to the window. Alicia saw some quiet conversation, the body language of the pirates becoming quite vicious. One man in his sixties was slapped hard and then a revolver pressed against his temple. The man fell to his knees, begging for his life.

  Alicia bit her inner lips until the blood flowed.

  If they kill him, I will kill them.

  There was no doubt. She couldn’t sit and watch this happen.

  The new, bearded pirate hauled the unfortunate old man to his feet. Then, he simply left him alone, turning to frisk his companion. Their pockets, bags and handbags were emptied out and rooted through. Any valuables were kept by the pirates.

  Alicia stared, trying to figure it out. Why older couples? Why couples? They were keeping the valuables but that didn’t appear to be the only thing they were looking for.

  The brunette that Alicia had saved leaned over at that moment. “Thanks,” she whispered.

  Alicia eyed Pigswill, who was searching a woman carrying crutches. “No worries. I’d like to break every bone in his body.”

  The brunette looked surprised but then nodded. “Me too.”

  “Did they do this yesterday?” Alicia asked her, indicating the actions of the pirates.

  “Search everyone? Yeah. But then they started separating the older couples and asking questions. I figure they didn’t get to them all.”

  Alicia nodded. “There’s a lot to think about when you hijack a ship.”

  “What about you? I haven’t seen you before.”

  Alicia frowned. “Been keeping a low profile. Like you should do. First chance you get find some clothes and cover up. These bastards are perverted and I’m afraid what they will do to you.”

  “But not yourself? Those shorts show a fair amount of leg.”

  “I can handle myself.” Alicia turned away, noticing Scarface glance over in her direction. Maybe he’d heard a fragment of their conversation. She didn’t make eye contact, just looked at the floor. From the direction in which the older passengers were being interrogated came more sounds of punching and cries of pain.

  “Cooperate,” the bearded pirate shouted. “And it will go better for you. Fight us, and it will not go easy. This will not end soon.”

  Alicia frowned once more on hearing his words. This will not end soon. Surely they wanted it over as quickly as possible.

  Wasn’t that what Somalian pirates did?

  Maybe they were expecting delays in the ransom negotiations.

  The search went on for the best part of an hour and then the original three pirates left, leaving three more to cover the hostages. The day shift. Alicia sat back and evaluated them.

  And still the thought ran through her head: These guys aren’t here just for the ransom. They’re looking for something or someone.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Mai kept herself small and inconspicuous. This wasn’t a time for visibility. A point Alicia appeared to have forgotten. That shouldn’t be surprising, but then if Mai herself were in Alicia’s position—what would she do?

  Mai hated to admit that she would undoubtedly do the same. She allowed her mind to drift as the pirates questioned the older couples. Recently, Alicia had been pushing for some kind of leadership over the team. Luther and Molokai were talking about branching out, starting their own Strike Force crew if the government would allow. If not, they were even considering going private. That was the trouble when your team consisted of only alphas.

  They didn’t follow forever.

  Where did that leave Mai?

  Drake and Alicia had their cozy relationship, and Mai didn’t harbor any ill will toward them. It was healthy and it was a requirement if they were to stay sane dealing with the darker side of humanity as they were often forced to do. Mai felt deeply for Luther. They were on a good track, but where was it going? Where would they end up? Did that matter, or was it all about the way you got there?

  Mai had seen her share of life. From the greatest highs to the worst lows. But, at the end of it all, she stood alone. Or did she? Would Luther step up if she forced the issue?

  What issue?

  Mai didn’t even know. Relationships weren’t her area of expertise. Never had been. She could go so far, but then when the next level of shit was required—that’s when Mai stepped out. That’s probably why she had pulled away from Drake. She and Luther were close to that level now.

  She glanced over at him, the large man trying to look small. Still, he stood out. There was no hiding his physique. Big, bare arms corded with muscle; that shining bald head and sparkling eyes. He was a handful to be sure, and Mai liked a handful. She enjoyed being close to this man.

  But could she quit her team for him?

  Out of habit, she stored the questions away for another time. She found something else to focus on. The pirates had finished terrorizing the old couples and were leaving, all but three. Mai scanned the big space. The restaurant was a domed area at the center of the ship, roomy and air conditioned. Large windows marched down both port and starboard sides, looking out over the Indian Ocean which, at this time of the morning, was sparkling nicely. Potted plants and trolleys, chairs and furniture were scattered everywhere. The pirates lounged at their leisure, casting the occasional glance at the passengers, uninterested unless they could bully or terrify them.

  Mai heard Drake through the comms bud in her ear.

  “Move around the area. Let’s get a feel for these surroundings and where they mi
ght lead.”

  They already knew the restaurant’s plans, but it was one thing seeing something on a blueprint, quite another to experience it in real life. Mai shifted, taking care not to be seen out of the corner of any pirate’s eye, using furniture and plant pots to hide behind. Fellow passengers watched her but didn’t give her much heed, figuring she just needed a change of scenery as, sometimes, they all did.

  The area toward the ship’s bow narrowed, leaving little space for them to work. A deck above them, was the ship’s bridge, the domain of the captain and his officers. Mai knew there would be pirates up there, guarding and directing proceedings. She knew the main corridors and elevator banks were at the back of the restaurant, toward the stern. That was where they would start their work.

  “Are we clear?” Drake whispered.

  Mai checked the pirates’ positions once more. They were lounging and smoking, staring out to sea.

  “Go.”

  Drake darted away, checked the corridors toward the bow, and was back in five minutes.

  “Okay, there’s one pirate out on deck. Too far away to recognize if I’ve already clocked him. Usual firepower. We should check the other corridors.”

  For the remainder of that afternoon, Mai, Drake, Alicia and Luther took turns checking the lay of the land in the vicinity of the restaurant. There was another pirate shift change late in the afternoon. Alicia mentioned that Pigswill was back, hatred apparent in her voice. Mai noticed that the brunette Alicia had saved had taken the opportunity to cover up. Hopefully, it would save her some grief.

  Mai met the eyes of a younger pirate as he passed her by. She figured that with nothing ventured there’d be nothing gained, so she spoke up.

  “How much longer will we be here?” Her voce was soft, non-threatening, just a simple question.

  The pirate glared down at her but seemed to soften when he saw her appealing eyes. “Few days. Get comfy.”

  He was walking off, but Mai tried again. “Does it really take that long? Is nobody out there interested in us?”

  The pirate frowned. “Yeah, they’re interested. Our boss will be ruthless with them, make no mistake. This is a business, nothing more.”

  Mai opened her mouth to keep him talking, but one of his colleagues shouted him over. It was clear then that the pirates aboard this ship were lackeys, even their leader, all answerable to the African kingpin called Salene. As the afternoon wore on and turned into evening, Mai and her colleagues saw how the toilet breaks went, how each pirate took a group of people and watched them, how heads were counted in and out, and how those that took too long were beaten.

  “Night’s coming,” Drake told them over the comms system. “We have to make this night count.”

  This was their first and possibly only chance to obtain a full headcount and location of all the pirates. This was the crux of their mission.

  Mai waited for the sun to go down and the dark hours to arrive.

  *

  Drake stayed low to the carpet as he inched his way around two enormous plant pots, staying out of sight of their guards. It was a slow, dangerous process. Luckily, between him and the pirates, people were still moving, getting comfortable, chatting, and generally causing distractions. Alicia and Luther were ready to instigate more.

  Drake didn’t need them. He was past the furthest plant pot, crawling around the back of a three-seat lounger and out of sight. If one of the pirates entered from deeper within the ship now, or from the elevator banks, he was in full view. Drake stayed low and ran for the nearest corridor, then waited a moment.

  No shouts. No sound of running footsteps.

  He looked around. Yes, they were lucky their pirate guards were an indolent, sluggish bored bunch but he still had a lot of work to do yet. It stood to the reason that the pirates had been here around thirty-six hours now and had settled in, content that they had terrorized the passengers enough to keep them passive. The pirates made it clear time and time again that anyone caught wandering the corridors or hiding in their cabins would be shot.

  Drake had received confirmation that the authorities were trying hard to raise the $150 million ransom, as well as identifying the passengers on board that might be worth far more. At this rate, if nothing happened in the next twenty-four hours or so, Drake saw a SEAL attack coming. It wouldn’t go well. Still, he had at least one more night to make his report.

  Drake made his way aft, following the corridor until he came to a fork where, at head height, a white ventilator grill sat in the wall. The heating and cooling shafts were large, easily wide enough to accommodate a man, and they snaked the length of the entire ship. Drake removed a small hand-drill and, as quietly as he could, undid two screws. Then, holding his breath, he grabbed hold of the bottom edge of the shaft and pulled himself up inside, using only his upper body strength. Finally, he made sure the white grill was as close to flush with the wall as he could make it so as not to arouse the suspicions of a passing guard.

  “I’m in,” he said through the comms. “Stand by.”

  Mai’s reply was full of relief. “Good to hear.”

  Alicia’s was predictable. “About bloody time, Drakey.”

  Dahl’s reply was textbook from on the Bainbridge. “Don’t get stuck, Tubby.”

  Drake spent a moment studying the ventilation shafts’ layout. If he wanted to venture up or down a deck he would have to exit and start again on the new level, but they had chosen to start on this deck because it made sense that the pirates would have their lair close to the restaurant. That would mean less time spent running around the ship for all of them. Drake doubted the lair would be on the bridge and there was little else up there. Deck 5 made the most sense.

  Slowly, making sure he stayed soundless, Drake started to crawl forward. It was hard going. The shaft’s sides were smooth, offering little purchase, but he could use them to push himself along a little. After a while his knees grew sore and, he knew, in another hour they would be burning.

  He crossed Deck 5 from one end to the other through the next several hours, studying every scenario that presented itself through the small grilles. At every exit vent he paused and checked what lay beyond. He saw kitchens where previously unseen pirates lounged. He saw the casino and the cinema. There were more pirates sat around here so that his total count climbed above twenty.

  It was fast becoming a nightmare scenario.

  Drake paused for a minute to ease his aching muscles, wiped sweat from his forehead and addressed the comms system.

  “There’s a lot more of them than we thought,” he said. “I need one more of you inside the shafts.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  For the remainder of the night Drake and Mai went their separate ways, exploring the ship’s maze of ventilation shafts. As they went, they marked on their blueprints the position of every pirate they found, figuring it was the best way to reach a conservative total. They kept in constant touch with Luther and Alicia and sent updates to the USS Bainbridge when they could.

  The presence of twenty-plus pirates was making the mission about as hard and dangerous as it was going to get. Not more dangerous for the Special Forces teams, but for the hostages. More hostile guns meant more chance of an innocent getting shot in some nightmare crossfire.

  Drake mulled the situation over again and again as he searched up and down, mostly to take his attention away from the growing pain in his knees and elbows, but also because there something was niggling him. First, the pirates’ demands were in line with what he expected, including the demand that they take approximately ten wealthy people away to squeeze even more dollars out of them. It was standard pirate practice. Then there was this guy Salene, who appeared to have his filthy little mitts in every pie, tainting them all with his corrupt decay. Cue the stand-off with the Americans, the raising of the ransom, and the days of negotiating.

  It all followed the same pattern as previous events.

  But there was something else. Twenty to thirty pirates was ove
rkill for just under 200 passengers. The fact that most of them were lounging in the cinema or casino proved that. And Alicia had confirmed that they were searching all of the older couples for something. They’d checked valuables and passports. ID cards. Were they looking for something or someone?

  All of which pointed to the fact that something else was going on aboard the Le Rabot.

  Drake voiced his suspicions to the USS Bainbridge on one of his few rest stops. When he checked his watch it was about time to be heading back.

  There had been no sign of the pirates’ leader. Clearly, he had a separate HQ.

  “Coming back,” he said through the comms.

  “What do you have?” Luther wondered.

  “Not a lot for hours of scraping my bloody knees raw. Seventeen pirates, including the three in the restaurant. Lots of lounging around and doing nothing. Mostly standard firepower. Some grenades.”

  “Mostly standard firepower?” Alicia echoed.

  “Yeah, I saw two loaded RPGs. One of these guys had one clamped between his legs, polishing it.” Drake sighed. “One good shock to his system and he’d never have known what hit him.”

  “Should have flashed your arse,” Dahl said from the Bainbridge.

  Drake ignored that. “There are a lot of empty rooms down this way. The shop’s been ransacked. The Bureau de Change emptied. No signs of foul play with the passengers though.”

  “That’s good,” Luther said. “And surprising.”

  Drake agreed. They’d been expecting that some of the pirates might have dragged a few hostages away for a terrible purpose, that some may have been murdered, but Drake had found no evidence to support that.

  “Their boss is keeping them in line,” Alicia said, “or this Salene from afar. I can’t see any other reason for the pirate pigshit I’ve seen in action to be holding back on their baser values.”

  “That may change,” Drake said. “The longer this drags out.”

  Mai then made her own report. “I count fourteen pirates. No lair. Same armament, no RPGs. Basic radios for communicating. I have to point out that most of these men are at rest. They’re playing no part in the hostage situation.”