Around Ricardo, the others cheered wildly, but he barely raised a smile. ‘Make the transfer,’ he said to Ana-Maria.
She tapped in more numbers and numerals, and waited. She frowned. ‘What is taking so long? Come on, come on!’ Minutes dragged by, and then the figures on the computer page changed. A look of relief washed over Ana-Maria’s face. Grinning now, she turned to Ricardo. ‘It has gone, Ricky. The money has been sent.’
‘Gone where?’ Consuela asked, looking worried.
‘Do not worry, it is safe,’ Ricardo said. ‘We have transferred it to another bank, in Switzerland.’ He grinned. ‘The wonders of electronic banking. Each of you will be sent your agreed share, from the Swiss bank to the bank accounts set up for you. That will teach the cruise line to give me ultimatums. Now all we need is for those lazy Americanos to turn up.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Where are they?’
‘There they are, Ricky!’ Volcán cried, pointing to the northwest. ‘Carter and Leroy are coming!’
Taking up the captain’s binoculars, Ricardo followed his underling’s pointing finger. Sure enough, he saw a white boat speeding towards them from inside Cuban territorial waters. It was the Yankee Blade. ‘For once, they are almost on time,’ he said. ‘Volcán, get some crew members to open one of the hull doors on Deck 1 and then load our treasure aboard the Yankees’ little pirate ship.’
‘Right away. Yo, ho, ho!’ Off he went, in high spirits.
Along both sides of Deck 1, four large watertight doors were set into the side of the Cleopatra’s hull. All could be opened from within the ship, and when they opened they hydraulically went down to the horizontal, forming a boarding platform. Whenever the ship had to tender its passengers ashore, as at Haiti and Jamaica on this cruise, it was from one of these platforms that passengers embarked and disembarked. As Ricardo had instructed, Volcán dragged several crewmen from their quarters and forced them to open a Deck 1 door in the middle of the port side. The motor cruiser was soon sidling up to the boarding platform, and Volcán made Kaiser crewmen secure the lines thrown up by Carter.
‘All going to plan, buddy?’ Carter called up to Volcán.
‘Sí, sí, is better than good, amigo. Get ready for a lot of cargo.’
Over the next fifteen minutes, scores of full garbage bags were brought by hijackers to the boarding platform on trolleys and tossed down to Carter and Leroy. This was the pirates’ treasure that Ricardo had spoken of: cash, credit cards, jewellery, expensive watches and mobile phones taken from passengers and crew. As Carter and Leroy packed them aboard the cruiser, the bags soon filled every space below deck on the Yankee Blade and spilled out onto its main deck.
While this was going on, Chuppa went to the three-bed Cleopatra cabin occupied by Juan Santana, his wife Connie and brother Manuel on Deck 2. ‘Come with me,’ he ordered. They followed him without complaint as he led them down to Deck 1 and the boarding platform with the loaded Yankee Blade waiting below. There, he gave the three of them red bandanas. Connie removed the blonde wig she was wearing and tied a bandana around her skull.
As Nan Fulton had worked out days before, Juan Santana was also wearing a wig. He peeled this off, revealing an almost bald head, before handing the wig to Chuppa and also tying a bandana in place. Chuppa then passed Volcán’s eye-patch to Manuel Santana, who put it on along with a red bandana. With these additions, he looked remarkably like Volcán.
‘And you have something for me?’ Chuppa said, holding out his hand.
The Santanas reached into their pockets and brought out their Ocean Passes, which they handed to the hijacker. A stairway was lowered to the cruiser, and the three Santanas went down this and boarded the boat. As they clambered aboard the Yankee Blade in the darkness, the Santanas looked up to see scores of passengers watching them from their cabin windows above. Smiling, Manuel Santana waved to them.
A little before seven o’clock, Chuppa knocked on the door of the captain’s cabin on Deck 10.
‘Come,’ Ricardo called from within.
Chuppa entered to find Ana-Maria now without her bandana and Volcán pulling on a long-sleeved shirt that was too small for him. In the bathroom, Ricardo was just finishing shaving off his beard and moustache. Chuppa handed the blonde wig to Ana-Maria, who immediately went to the mirror. As she pulled on the wig, Chuppa went to the open bathroom door and held out the dark, curly wig that had been worn by Juan Santana. After drying his face with a towel, Ricardo settled the wig on his head and adjusted it until he was happy with how it looked.
‘What you think, amigo?’ he asked Chuppa. ‘Am I not now Juan Santana?’
‘The resemblance is amazing, chief,’ Chuppa replied. ‘How did you find such people as the Santanas?’
‘Cousin Antony found them in Miami. It took him a while to locate lookalikes, but the results were worth it. For a measly thirty thousand dollars they agreed to play their part.’
‘Cheap at double the price, chief.’ Chuppa eyed Ana-Maria and his grin grew wider. He looked at the photo of Connie Santana on her Ocean Pass. ‘In that fair wig, you are the Santana woman.’
‘That is the idea,’ Ana-Maria said, taking the three Ocean Passes from him.
Chuppa shook Ricardo’s hand. ‘Good luck, chief.’
‘And to you, my fellow pirate,’ Ricardo said. ‘Enjoy your riches, amigo.’
At 6.28 in the evening, a small oval US Navy submersible slid silently to the surface astern of the Cleopatra, just two metres away from the big ship. The black rubberised hull of the submersible, which was designed to absorb radar and sonar signals rather than reflect them, combined with the darkness of the night to make the little submarine almost invisible. By using the submersible’s swivelling propellers, its skipper expertly kept the little craft alongside the big ship’s hull yet far enough away to ensure it didn’t bump into it and make a noise that would give it away.
A hatch opened in the little craft’s foredeck. Out slipped Angus Bruce and Chris Banner in full special ops night gear and with weapons slung on their backs. The little boat was bobbing about in the light swell, but these two men were GRRR’s marine ops experts and both kept their feet with practised ease. Each aimed a grappling gun at the Boat Deck above and fired. The sound of the guns going off was only faint. Up flew two grappling hooks with lines snaking behind. Both hooks grabbed fast to the Boat Deck rail.
Using just their hands, with their feet dangling, the two men swiftly scaled the lines, hauling themselves hand over hand up the ropes. They had practised and executed such climbs hundreds of times. Within seconds they had clambered over the rail and set foot on the Boat Deck. Below, Hazard and McHenry had emerged from the submersible’s hatch and they now grabbed the dangling lines. Up they went, with the agility of monkeys in the jungle, joining the first pair on the Boat Deck.
Baz and Brian Cisco were the last to emerge from the submersible. Up the lines they climbed, hand over hand. Even before they reached the others, the submersible’s skipper had closed the hatch and the little sub disappeared beneath the waves, returning to the Jimmy Carter to collect the second GRRR party.
Once Baz and Cisco were on the Boat Deck and all six of them had unshouldered their weapons, Hazard slapped Angus on the shoulder, pointed down and raised one finger, indicating Deck 1. Angus nodded. To the others, Hazard pointed upward and raised five fingers twice, indicating Deck 10. All nodded. Hazard clicked his fingers at Banner and pointed forward. Banner moved ahead, taking point. In single file, the others followed, with Baz bringing up the rear, toting his Minimi.
They crept down towards Deck 3, panning left and right with their raised weapons as they went. As Chris reached Deck 3, he walked into a three-man patrol led by Arnaldo. Yelping in alarm, the three men in red bandanas reached for the AKMs on their shoulders.
‘Drop your weapons!’ Chris Banner commanded.
One of Arnaldo’s companions hesitated. The other, Patricio, attempted to bring his weapon to bear on Banner, who fired a single round from the M
P5SD on his hip. The silenced submachine gun spewed out the bullet. Thuck! Patricio staggered back and collapsed on the carpet, his AKM falling by his side with a clatter.
At the same instant, Arnaldo opened fire. AKM rounds slammed into the wall, centimetres from Banner’s ducking head before he swiftly withdrew back around the corner to the stairwell, unharmed. Duke Hazard came up the stairs immediately behind him.
‘Three hostiles,’ Banner coolly advised. ‘One down.’
Hazard nodded and, keeping low, poked his head and the barrel of his M4 around the corner. He was in time to see Arnaldo and his remaining companion retreating to the right, taking cover behind the lift shaft, while the third man lay on the carpet with a hand clasped to his shoulder, groaning with pain. There were passenger cabins behind them; in case his rounds passed through cabin walls and hit passengers, Hazard held his fire and pulled back beside Banner.
‘Two hostiles now in cover at two o’clock,’ he advised.
Banner nodded. ‘Gotcha.’
Sheltering with his back to the wall, Arnaldo grabbed the walkie-talkie from his belt. ‘Chief! Chief! Armed police or soldiers on Deck 3!’ he transmitted, close to panic. ‘Patricio is down.’
‘Where on Deck 3 are they, imbecile?’ Ricardo came back.
‘Forward stairs,’ Arnaldo breathlessly advised.
‘Hold them there. I will send others to help you.’
‘Hurry!’
Meanwhile, the GRRR team had bunched at the top of the stairs behind Banner and Hazard, pressed against the wall.
Hazard turned to Angus Bruce, who was third in line. ‘Fulton and Grover are in Cabin 3034, to the left of the landing. Make a run for their cabin on my “go”. The three of you then circle around behind these guys and take them out.’ Having studied the Cleopatra’s deck plans several times, Hazard knew that the corridor on the port side turned right at the front of the ship and crossed at right angles to link up with the corridor running along the starboard side. ‘Banner will cover your run with smoke,’ he added. ‘You got that, Banner?’
‘Copy that,’ Banner replied. Reaching into one of his pouches, he withdrew a smoke grenade.
‘Ready? Go with the smoke!’
Banner pulled the pin on the grenade, then lobbed it around the corner, onto the carpet of the landing near the downed hijacker. The grenade lay there hissing for a moment, then detonated with a pop. With a whoosh, it began to ooze grey smoke that rose up to fill the air.
Hazard waited ten seconds until the landing was enveloped by the smoke, then waved Angus forward. ‘Go! Go! Go!’
At the crouch, Angus went up the last few stairs past Hazard and Banner, then dashed through the smoke. As he crossed the landing, he kicked the downed hijacker’s weapon across the carpet, well out of reach. ‘Stay where you are!’ he barked to the man as he passed.
Angus arrived at the corridor that ran along the port-side forward. Coming to the door to Cabin 3034, he found Charlie, Ben and Caesar waiting outside. Charlie and Ben were each on one knee with their Hi Powers in hand. Caesar recognised Angus and began wagging his tail. His expression seemed to say, Another of my playmates is here!
‘Angus, what’s happening?’ Charlie asked.
‘We walked into three hostiles,’ Angus explained. ‘Chris took out one, who’s down, wounded, on the landing. The other two are hiding on the other side of the lifts. Hazard wants us to circle around behind them and deal with them. Ben, is your family okay?’
Ben nodded. ‘Josh is with Maddie and my mother in 3036. I’ve told them to lie on the floor until this is all over.’
‘Grand.’
‘Okay, let’s move it,’ Charlie said.
They ran forward, following the corridor as it jagged right. As they entered the port-side corridor, a cabin door opened and a curious elderly man stuck his head out. ‘We heard shots,’ he said at the sight of them. ‘What’s going down? Can I help?’
‘We’re Special Forces. Get back inside and lie on the floor,’ Charlie ordered in a hushed voice as he led his companions by. ‘Now!’
The startled passenger swiftly retreated, closing the cabin door. Ahead, partly hidden by smoke, Arnaldo and his colleague crouched against the corridor wall, looking aft. Sensing that someone was behind them, Arnaldo began to turn.
Charlie had his Hi Power levelled in a two-handed grip as he appeared through the smoke like an apparition. ‘Drop your weapons! Now!’ he commanded. ‘Or you’re dead men!’
With a look of terror on his face, Arnaldo slowly placed his AKM on the carpeted floor and then raised his hands. ‘Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!’ he implored.
Beside him, his white-faced companion merely let his weapon fall from his grip and lifted his hands high. His AKM clattered to the floor. Charlie, Ben and Caesar were on them in seconds. The pair was bundled against the wall, face first. Angus produced two sets of handcuffs from his belt, and Arnaldo and his colleague had their hands cuffed behind their backs and the walkie-talkies stripped from their belts.
Charlie clipped one of the walkie-talkies onto his own belt. ‘Who is your leader?’ he asked the pair. ‘How many of you are there?’
‘Our leader is Mickey Mouse, and there are thousands of us,’ Arnaldo spat back.
‘Very funny,’ Charlie responded. ‘Save the jokes for your trial. I’m sure the judge will just love them.’
Angus called to Hazard and the others at the stairwell. ‘All clear over here!’
‘Banner, take a look at the guy who’s down,’ Hazard commanded. ‘The rest of you, follow me.’
As Hazard, Baz, McHenry and Cisco ran through the smoke to join the others, Chris Banner dropped to one knee beside Patricio. The wounded hijacker looked up at him with fear in his eyes.
‘Help me, amigo,’ Patricio implored.
Charlie, as GRRR’s on-ground commander, now assumed command. ‘Chris, what’s the bloke’s condition?’ he called.
With one hand, Chris rolled Patricio onto his side. ‘He’s a lucky man. The round went clear through his shoulder,’ he reported. ‘But he’s bleeding.’
‘Bandage him up,’ Charlie instructed, ‘then we’ll put him and these other two prisoners in Cabin 3034. Okay with you, Ben?’
‘Totally,’ Ben agreed.
‘Tim, give Chris a hand.’
‘Right on it.’ McHenry hurried to Banner’s side, and together they stripped the bloodied shirt off Patricio. All the GRRR members carried first-aid packs in one of their lower trouser pockets. Working quickly, Banner removed his pack. He and McHenry then began applying bandages to the hijacker’s bloodied shoulder.
‘Ben, you, Caesar and Angus head down to Deck 1 to neutralise the IEDs,’ Charlie directed. ‘The rest of us will make for the bridge.’
‘Roger.’ Ben handed Charlie his Ocean Pass to open the door, then hurried down to Deck 1 with Caesar and Angus.
As soon as the bandaging was complete, McHenry hauled Patricio to his feet. Banner shouldered the hijackers’ weapons, and all three prisoners were taken across the landing to Ben’s cabin. Banner locked the two prisoners in 3034, telling Arnaldo and his comrade to look after their wounded friend. Charlie assigned Banner the job of standing guard outside the door, but not before he ripped the cabin’s phone from the wall to prevent the prisoners from contacting comrades.
As Charlie and the others returned to the landing, Baz was the first to spot the changing numbers on one of the lift indicators.
‘Charlie, there’s a lift coming down!’ he warned.
Charlie and his companions eased down onto one knee and trained their weapons on the lift doors. When the shiny silver doors slid back, they revealed Chuppa and two other hijackers. These were the reinforcements that Ricardo had promised Arnaldo. They stared with a mixture of shock and horror at the array of automatic weapons trained on them.
‘Step out, lose your weapons and raise your hands!’ Charlie commanded.
‘And don’t even think of trying anything,’ Hazard warned.
‘We got the drop on you.’
Sheepishly, the three men stepped out and disarmed, laying their weapons on the landing and raising their hands.
‘Not very smart, mate,’ Bendigo Baz remarked as he clapped handcuffs on Chuppa. ‘Taking a lift to a combat zone? What were you thinking?’
‘I was not thinking,’ Chuppa lamented unhappily. ‘I am a fool!’
‘I wouldn’t argue with you on that score, mate,’ Baz returned.
Once the men were handcuffed, they were bundled into Cabin 3034 with the other prisoners and under Chris Banner’s watchful eye. That left eight hijackers still unaccounted for, although the GRRR men could only guess at their number at this point.
‘Let’s go,’ Charlie said. ‘To Deck 10.’
He, Baz, Hazard, McHenry and Cisco headed up seven sets of stairs at the double. As fit as they were, even they were breathing hard when they reached Deck 10. Ahead lay the door which led to the captain’s cabin and bridge.
‘If we go through that door,’ Hazard cautioned, ‘we’ll walk right into their guns.’
‘Is there another way onto the bridge?’ Charlie asked.
‘Nothing, from what I could see on the blueprints,’ Hazard answered.
‘Shark Catcher should know if there is maybe an emergency exit from the bridge,’ McHenry suggested.
Nodding, Charlie beckoned to radio operator Cisco.
Aboard the USS Wasp, Liberty, Jinko and Captain Valenti were anxiously looking at the screens in front of them in the warship’s operations centre. One image that held their attention was the black-and-white picture of the Cleopatra being transmitted from above by the EITS. As they watched, they saw a small craft pull away from one side of the cruise ship and speed off into Cuban territorial waters to the north. The trio would later learn that this was the Yankee Blade, making its escape once the GRRR operatives had made their presence known aboard the Cleopatra via the brief battle on the Deck 3 landing.
Operation Black Shark Page 17