Marauder

by Clive Cussler

  He swam over to the small bubble of air that had formed in the corner of the tilted room where Eddie and Raven stayed above the surface.

  “I can’t get it open,” Juan said. He shrugged off the duffel and handed it to Eddie. “This is too buoyant for what I’m about to try.”

  “What are you going to do?” Eddie asked.

  “Blow the lock apart.”

  “It looks too thick for your forty-five to penetrate,” Raven said.

  “That’s not what I’m using,” Juan said. “When you hear the blast, swim for the hatch.”

  Juan took a breath and dived back under. He paddled over to the hatch and turned upside down.

  The other weapon in his combat leg was a single shotgun slug in his heel. It was only for use in dire emergencies. This qualified.

  Keeping himself inverted underwater was no small task. He had to keep clearing his nose with air so that he wouldn’t inhale the seawater. And his natural buoyancy meant he had to hold on to the steel girder beside the hatch to get his foot in the right position.

  He made sure his heel was snug against the latch. His lungs were screaming at him, but he wouldn’t get another chance at this. He pulled the trigger.

  The shell fired with a loud thump. Juan turned right side up and inspected the hatch in the low light.

  The latch was shattered. He pushed against the hatch, and after a moment of resistance, it flew open.

  He kicked himself up and out and found that he was on the stern deck behind the superstructure. The surface was already awash.

  He looked down at the hatch to see Eddie’s and Raven’s heads pop up. He took the duffel from Eddie and then lifted each of them out.

  He shoved the duffel into Raven’s hands and said, “Help Eddie get to the Gator.”

  Then he turned and sprinted up the exterior stairs, taking them two at a time.

  At the top, he saw Sylvia straining to pull Eric out of the bridge. Two dead mercenaries blocking her way didn’t make the task easier.

  She ripped off the gas mask and handed it to Juan.

  “He’s in there.”

  Juan put it on, noting that only the upper parts of the Centaurus’s cranes were now sticking out of the water. One minute left.

  “Will the water short out the rocket ignition?” he asked.

  “I doubt it.”

  “Get some life jackets. Locker one level down.”

  She dashed down the stairs.

  Juan went into the bridge. Linc was on his back.

  “Lying down on the job, buddy?” Juan said.

  Linc responded with a hearty groan. Juan didn’t know if that meant he appreciated the joke.

  Juan reached under the shoulders of the massive Navy SEAL and pulled him to the exit. When he was outside, he laid Linc down and tossed the mask aside.

  Sylvia came back with four life vests. They put them on Linc and Eddie first, then donned their own.

  By this time, the bridge was only thirty feet above the water instead of sixty.

  “All right,” Juan said to Sylvia. “Jump. Be ready to assist Eric.”

  She nodded. Without hesitation, she climbed the railing and leaped into the water below.

  Juan easily picked up Eric. “Time for a quick swim. Hold your breath.”

  He tossed Eric into the water. The moment he landed, Sylvia came over to him to make sure she got his head above the surface.

  Linc was going to be a tougher one to deal with. Juan bent over and pulled Linc’s arm over his back and put his shoulder against Linc’s midsection. He then squatted the entire two hundred and fifty pounds into a standing position.

  Juan edged over to the side with his rear toward the railing. As soon as he felt the steel, Juan tipped over backward just like he did when they were scuba diving off a boat.

  The two of them tumbled through the air and splashed into the water.

  In less than thirty seconds, two hundred and ninety-eight rockets were set to detonate virtually under their feet.

  * * *

  —

  Polk’s eyes fluttered open, and he wondered why he was wet. Dim lights shined from the corners of the room. His last memory was that he’d been looking for that woman. He’d entered the ship’s galley and saw the mercenary’s body. Then he had a vague recollection about his wife, but that was all he remembered.

  The only sound was the water rushing to fill the room. The air was ripe with the salty tang of seawater.

  And then he realized he was no longer wearing his mask.

  He tried to get to his feet, but his legs wouldn’t move. His arms would only make jerky movements.

  He was paralyzed.

  He’d been exposed to the Enervum gas. It had to be that woman. Somehow, she’d outwitted him. He didn’t even know who she was, but he couldn’t hate her more.

  Water quickly rose around him. He thrashed him arms, but they were useless. He tried screaming for help, but he could form no words. His voice became the distressed wail of a terrified animal.

  Polk continued his pitiful cry until it was doused by the water covering his face.

  SEVENTY-SIX

  The Gator motored over to where Juan was holding up Linc. Next to him, Sylvia was treading water with Eric. Eddie and Raven had already been picked up by Linda, and they were on the deck with MacD.

  They came alongside and pulled Eric out of the water, then Sylvia. Linc was next.

  Finally, Juan kicked himself onto the deck and followed the others in, grabbing a metal handhold, like the others had, while keeping a grip with his free hand on Linc’s life jacket to keep him from falling back into the water.

  “Go, Linda,” he shouted.

  She gunned the diesel, and the Gator rose until its hull was gliding across the surface.

  Behind them, the superstructure and cranes of the Centaurus were all that was visible as water bubbled around it. The Sydney Harbour Bridge and opera house gleamed in the distance, framing the hundreds of sailboats and pleasure yachts that had gathered to observe the New Year’s Eve celebration.

  “Midnight coming up,” MacD yelled over the wind. “Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . .”

  Fireworks shot up along the entire arch of the bridge in a glorious display of color. Glittering showers of sparkling crackers rained from its side.

  Not three hundred yards away, the last of the Centaurus disappeared into the harbor. To punctuate its demise, a bright flash erupted underneath the surface as hundreds of rockets detonated simultaneously. A volcano of water exploded upward, lifting a dome of white foam into the air. It collapsed upon itself, sending out waves that diminished in size rapidly as they rippled in all directions.

  The water settled again, and the flash vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

  Linda slowed the Gator and brought it to a stop.

  “Are we clear?” she yelled.

  Juan breathed in. He didn’t feel light-headed or woozy.

  “How does everyone else feel?” he asked.

  All of them were sopping wet except for MacD. Nobody was shivering, though. Even this late at night, the air was warm and pleasant.

  “Other than my ankle killing me, I’m fine,” Eddie said.

  “I think the water neutralized the gas just like we expected,” Raven said.

  “Come on up and join us, Linda,” Juan called. “The weather’s beautiful.”

  They were still catching their breath, not ready to do the hard work of lowering Linc and Eric into the Gator. So Raven and MacD propped Linc against the cupola to make him more comfortable while Sylvia cradled Eric’s head in her lap. Even though he was paralyzed, he seemed quite content.

  Linda climbed up through the hatch and looked them over.

  “You guys are a motley sight,” she said. “Is everyone okay?�
�

  “Some better than others,” Juan said. “We’ve got a few injuries that will need tending. Eric and Linc got hit by the same gas that paralyzed Murph.”

  “Oh, no.”

  “There is good news. I hope.”

  Juan took the duffel from Raven and unzipped it. He took out one of the plastic packs. He opened and removed one of the vials.

  It was unbroken, just like all the others.

  “This is the antidote,” Juan said. He looked at Linc and Eric. “Hopefully, you won’t be in this condition for very long. As soon as we get back to the Oregon, we’ll give these to Julia. She’s going to have a busy night.”

  The fireworks kept going, the pops and bangs a familiar and heartwarming sound.

  “When you told us to sink the ship,” MacD said, “Ah was sure we wouldn’t be seeing y’all again. Ah didn’t like being the one sending you to the bottom.”

  “That’s the Chairman’s Plan C for you,” Eddie said. “Victory snatched from the jaws of defeat.”

  Juan nodded. “Max is going to read me the riot act when we get back.”

  “Speaking of jaws of defeat, what happened to Polk?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I do,” Sylvia said. “He went down with the ship.”

  “What did you do to get away from him?” Juan asked.

  “I gave him a taste of his own medicine.”

  Something caused her to jolt. She fished around in her pocket and pulled out a phone. She let out a sigh of relief.

  Juan was curious about what could be so important about her phone. “Did you miss a call?”

  “This is Polk’s phone,” Sylvia said. “I used the face unlock feature while Polk was unconscious. It’s still open.” She tapped on the screen.

  “Ah have that model myself,” MacD said. “It’s waterproof down to two meters.”

  “When I was looking through it earlier, I flipped through his open apps hoping to find one that controlled the rockets. I didn’t have any luck, but something in the notepad app caught my attention.”

  She turned the phone around to show Juan the screen. There were two lines.

  CroesusCoin account number

  9038 4734 2218 0635

  “Remember when April Jin was drugged,” Sylvia said. “She told us that a cryptocurrency account would be unlocked after the attack was successful. She said it contained nine hundred and eighty million. She even gave us the password.”

  “Enervum143,” Juan said.

  “The only problem is, to unlock the account she said ten news sites had to carry stories about the attack.”

  The word “attack” reminded Juan of another terrorist incident they’d foiled recently. It gave him the inkling of an idea, but he didn’t want to get everyone’s hopes up if it didn’t work.

  MacD looked around as if he were searching for harbor traffic, but the area around the Gator was clear. All the boats were gathered by the Sydney Harbour Bridge to watch the fireworks, which continued to light the sky in a festive display.

  “We can’t stay here forever,” he said. “I expect we’ll see the Sydney Police and Port Authority boats making their way in this direction any time now. We’re probably on camera right now.”

  “I’m sure we’ve got a few minutes,” Juan said, leaning back on his elbows. “And we’re too far away to be identifiable by the port’s cameras in the dark. We’ll see the boats coming and be submerged by the time they arrive. Until then, let’s just rest for a few minutes and enjoy the show. I have a feeling it’s going to be a very happy new year.”

  EPILOGUE

  MALAYSIA

  TWO MONTHS LATER

  Juan had a tradition when the Oregon was getting ready to embark on a new voyage after a long stint in port. He liked to do a walk-through just to keep himself familiar with every corner of the ship and connect with the entire crew. Sometimes, like today, it took a few hours. It was a big ship, and his people were proud to show off their individual domains to him.

  He’d brought the Oregon back to Malaysia to complete the outfitting that had been abruptly paused before Christmas week. The crew finally got the well-deserved holiday vacations they’d been denied, and he’d had time to bring the ship up to full operational status.

  The day was hot and humid, but at least the blazing sun wasn’t cooking him as he completed his tour by walking the deck. An enormous construction shed covered the ship to protect the workers from the elements while they were making repairs to damage caused by the Marauder. It also meant the ship wasn’t exposed to any prying eyes from the outside.

  The work was now complete. All systems were in place, a full load of ammunition was aboard, and the weapons and tech were fully upgraded and ready for battle.

  Juan noticed a familiar face by the port gangway.

  “Sylvia,” he said, “I’m glad I saw you before you left. We’re sorry to see you go.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate all you’ve done for me. And Murph.”

  “You’ve been a valuable part of the team. We couldn’t have done any of it without you. I wish I could convince you to join us.”

  She smiled. “That’s a generous offer. I won’t rule it out completely in the future, but not right now.”

  “Are you off to the States?”

  She nodded. “Thanks to the money we recovered, my research has now been fully funded for the next three years. I should be able to get it back to where it was within six months.”

  When Juan knew he had access to the account Lu had left to Jin and Polk, he’d pulled some strings with the Senators whose families the Oregon crew had saved in Bali. With Overholt’s assistance, they cleverly leaked information about the Centaurus and Enervum gas. News organizations around the world had carried stories about the botched terrorist attack on Sydney during the New Year’s Eve celebration. Lu had been shrewd in setting up his plan, but he never thought to stop the payout if the articles included the word “failed.”

  Not only did the key words unlock the money but they also set in motion a series of events that would have led the Chinese government to send a million of its citizens to Australia if they had really been needed. But with the attack unfulfilled, the Chinese government had to strenuously disavow any involvement with Lu’s scheme, driving the Australians to even closer ties with their western allies.

  The vast sum of cash had been divvied up among Sylvia’s research, a compensation fund for the families of those killed by Lu, Jin, and Polk, and a bonus for the Corporation that substantially fattened their retirement accounts and paid for all of the Oregon’s needs.

  “Will we be seeing you again?” Juan asked.

  “Not if I have anything to say about it,” a voice called out from behind him.

  “You don’t,” Sylvia yelled back.

  Murph skated up to them on his board and kicked it into his hand. His hair was as untamed as ever, and he was back in his uniform of black jeans and T-shirt. This one had been given to him by Sylvia. It read WORLD’S OKAYEST BROTHER. His recovery had taken a bit longer than Eric and Linc’s because he’d been paralyzed for a greater period of time, but he’d gotten back on his skateboard as soon as Doc Huxley had allowed it.

  “I thought you were gone already,” Murph said. “I said good-bye to you fifteen minutes ago.”

  “I’ll miss you, too, you goofball. But I’m waiting to say good-bye to someone else.”

  She smiled, and Juan turned to see Eric walking toward them in his button-down and khakis, beaming as he looked at Sylvia.

  Murph rolled his eyes at Eric’s mooning.

  “Chairman,” Eric said, “everything is ready for our departure.”

  “Thanks, Stoney. Sylvia, it’s been a pleasure. I’m sure you won’t be a stranger.”

  “Not at all. I have lots of reasons to come back.” She planted a big kiss
on Eric, probably to freak out her brother, which apparently worked.

  “Oh, that’s disgusting,” he said, throwing down his skateboard. “I’ll see you in the op center after I go throw up.” He skated off as fast as he could.

  Juan’s phone rang. It was Max.

  “What’s up?”

  “I need to see you down in the boardroom before we head out.”

  “On my way.” He hung up. “I’ll be going, too. Stoney, don’t take too long.” He winked, and Eric blushed. When Juan walked away, he still had Sylvia in his arms.

  As he entered the superstructure, he heard gales of laughter coming from the stairwell. On his way down he met Eddie, Linc, Raven, and MacD going up. Eddie and Linc had a large cooler slung between them.

  “Where are you cackling crows going?” Juan asked.

  “To the bridge,” Eddie said. “We’re the phantom crew today.”

  Since the Oregon was actually operated from the op center, no one was needed on the bridge when they left port, but it would look awfully odd to observers in the harbor if it were empty.

  “We thought we’d consume some refreshing beverages while we’re there,” Linc said.

  “Raven was just telling us about the time she was in a bar outside of Fort Bragg,” MacD said. “Ah wish Ah could have seen those good ole boys’ faces when you whaled on them out of nowhere.”

  “Apparently, they’d never met a military policewoman before,” Raven said. “After that, they never wanted to again.”

  That brought a new round of laughs, and Juan waved them on their way. He went down and entered the hidden portion of the ship.

  Julia nearly bumped into him as she rounded a corner, her eyes intent on her phone screen.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, startled.

  “No problem,” Juan said. “Engrossing read?”

  “It’s an email from Leonard Thurman at the Royal Darwin Hospital. Everyone afflicted by the Enervum has made a full recovery.”

  “That’s good news.”

  “And he says that the nut extract might have other interesting medicinal uses. Several research studies are underway.”