Mateo turns and eyes me. “She’s here.”
“Arya’s safe,” Una says, likely to the other girls. “Thank you. Tell her we’ve missed her.”
“Will do.” Mateo clicks off the radio. I give him a nod so he knows I heard.
On the radar screen, the blip belonging to the Sisters drives at breakneck speed for the four vessels. Muffled bombs crack and pop as they strike their targets. The blips of Nerissa’s ships start to split, breaking the formation that pins us in between them. Two speed toward the Scylla, leaving us with the lead vessel and one more to handle.
Mateo rounds to me. “Looks like your girls may have saved the day.”
I hope so, but it’s still early. I rack my brain for a way to end this battle as soon as possible. “Do you have any explosive charges on board?”
“A few, why?” Mateo asks.
“If you can get in close enough, I can swim over and plant them.”
“If you plant them near the propulsion system, it will light the ship right up,” James says from behind me.
“Exactly my thoughts. Can you get them for me, Captain?”
Mateo slaps Elijah on the back causing him to wince. “You have the bridge.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.” Elijah steers the Tiger Lily as Mateo grabs James and me, tearing us from the bridge and below. In the supplies station, he flings open a cabinet, exposing a large metal box. James seizes one side and Mateo the other. They drag it out onto the floor and Mateo unlatches the top, pulling back the cover.
Inside sits multiple explosive devices, in their own compartment. A yellow symbol of a bomb exploding, and the words Danger Explosives reads across the face of each one.
Good reminder, I chuckle to myself.
“You know how to use one of these?” Mateo asks.
I nod. “Slap it on the hull, activate, and hightail it out of there.”
“That’s pretty much the drill. You won’t have a lot of time, so work fast.”
James leans in to get a glimpse of the bombs. “You’ll need at least four of those to breach the hull. Warships have a thick skin.”
“Then, I’ll take five.”
“Activation requires at least ten seconds at best,” Mateo explains. “So that part will take you a good minute if you’re lucky. We’ll keep the Syndicate occupied and cover you if we can.” Mateo rifles through the back of the same cabinet as before and produces a backpack. He drags open the zipper, and inside are sections that look specially made to hold each explosive pack. He places the pack next to the box and carefully loads the compartments.
We scan the plan, drawing out a map on a touch screen table in the supply room. James pipes in with all he knows about the propulsion system’s location and where the best location to plant the bombs would be.
He draws an X on the stern with his finger. “You’ll want to affix them here, about a foot apart, to cover the area. Set them and swim back here as fast as you can.”
“I’ll need five minutes to get it to the ship. I’ll get them all attached then activate them once they’re set. The closer in you can get me, the faster I can get back onboard the Tiger Lily, but I get you might not be able to do that. You don’t happen to have an underwater comm?”
“Not one that could withstand getting wet that long.” Mateo turns to James. “You still with us? You probably know people over there.”
James looks up. “They’re likely to kill us. Not sure if I have a choice.”
Mateo disengages the display and grabs the backpack. “We should get going.”
Once we’re back up top, Mateo affixes the pack to my back. My shoulders sag at the weight, but I square myself, pushing against it.
“You’re tougher than you look.” Mateo yanks the straps tight as I clip them securely over my chest.
“I get that a lot. Now let’s get this over with.”
We reach the port of the Tiger Lily and James spins me to him, leans in, and presses his lips to mine. A hot jolt shoots up my spine as he releases me.
“Good luck!” he yells over the blasts.
I flick my eyes to Mateo. “Don’t float him.”
Mateo nods. “You have my word.”
I give James one last glance and turn to jump feet first into the waves. The heavy equipment drags me further than I expect, but I quickly recover and let out a series of sonar clicks to assess my surroundings.
I blast forward into the water toward my target. The pack drags in the water, slowing me down a bit. Bombs rip the water around me, and I struggle to push through the choppiness and pressure, but I keep my sonar active to warn me when one is on the way or in my path.
With no time left to spare, I make it to the reverberating hull and unsnap the pack straps pulling the pack from my shoulders with shaking hands. I tread water to maintain my position. The backpack slips from my right hand and I grapple for it, catching the edge with my fingertips. I tug it up, heart pounding, and guide the straps under my arms again, carrying the bulk of the pack over my chest. I inhale a deep pull of water, the liquid pushing out of the gills on my neck.
After a beat, my hands stop shaking, and I unzip the top of the pack enough to haul out one explosive. I guide it to the hull until the magnetics take over, sticking itself firmly to the metal. As Mateo instructed I space them all one foot apart. As I move to push the final one in place, the vessel lurches, forcing me away from the ship. The pack slips from my grip.
“No!” I gurgle, scrabbling to catch the explosive before it falls into the abyss, but all I come up with is water as the rectangular device slips into the deep.
I shake my head and zoom for the hull again. Four is fine. Four will work.
Without wasting another moment, I press the buttons on the first explosive pack.
Five minutes reads on the display, and the countdown begins.
I do the same to the rest, pushing the buttons until I reach the last one. When I’m finished, I return to the display.
Four minutes and two seconds… one second...
I release the empty pack. It gently glides from me. Pushing from the hull, I rocket my way back to the Tiger Lily using a few sonar clicks. The vessel's positioned northwest. I break the surface just off the port side of the ship.
“She’s back!” James shouts from the deck. He lowers a rope ladder for me to board. A bomb explodes to my right, shooting water over my head, so I dive once more and surface beneath the ladder. I stretch for the rungs and make quick work of the rest.
Mateo rounds the corner onto the deck as James yanks me on board.
“Did you—”
From behind us, the air trembles with an explosion. I flinch and turn to see the stern of the lead warship engulfed in flames. Wendi lets out a cheer from the front of the ship and the rounds continue firing against the remaining one.
“Have you heard anything from the others?” I pant.
“The Scylla sunk one, but it’s been radio silence from Pan. He has us in the dark. We know the Atlas is still showing on the radar.”
“Captain!” Elijah’s voice shouts over the comm Mateo holds in his hand. “Vessel one is pulling away. They’re retreating.”
The Syndicate ship to our left bubbles and groans, already pitching too far to one side, the sea consuming its metal frame. I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s something.
Without warning a whoosh sounds above, and I look up to see a helo shooting through the sky, heading westward, in Peter’s direction. Ahead of it, the horizon lights up in flames and smoke.
“Captain!” Elijah’s panicked voice sounds again in the comm.
Mateo clicks the comm. “What?”
“Tug’s on the radio. They need help, now!”
Chapter 14
Peter
More adrenaline charges my body the higher I fly. About fifty yards over the Atlas, I watch one of the lead Syndicate vessels rip apart, fire soaring into the sky. Metal rends with a long screech, running a shiver up my spine. I throw my hands to my ears. Blaste
d enhanced hearing.
From all sides, Syndicate crew members jump from the deck. Below, Ethan pumps his fists in the air. He points, boasting to Riley. It must have been his shot that took it down. He’s definitely going to add that to his list of kills. It’s a big kill, too.
I hover now, scanning the sky. To the east, there’s three helos on approach. Heat from the engines distorts the skyline around them. Twin rotor blade engines tilt forward, moving them toward me at high speed. I inspect my rifle. The plasma indicator reads fully charged. I flick off the safety.
Time to play.
Like the bait I am, I rocket through the clear blue sky, the helos hot on my tail. I race to retain a couple hundred yards between us, but visions of being blown to bits and becoming fish food boil in my brain.
Keep it together, Peter.
I reconnect to gravity and drop from the air, shooting under their bellies. The helos slow, shifting their blades the opposite direction. I tether myself to the earth just before I smash into the sea. Targeting the lead craft, I focus the rifle scope, setting the sight on the rear tail rotor. A quick discharge knocks me back, feet skimming across the water before I can steady myself. The helo spins, coughing charcoal smoke into a spiraling cloud above it. Direct hit. It veers away from the others and crashes into the ocean, exploding as the blades chop sluggishly through the saltwater. In seconds, the NeverSea consumes it.
I pause a second to catch a gulp of oxygen then turn back. Crap. Facing me now, the craft on my right launches a missile my way. Breaking the gravitational connection, I slingshot into the air. I look down to an inbound heat-seeking death missile headed directly for me. Twisting my upper body to get a better angle, I fire a few rounds to confuse it.
Nope, still gaining on me. I’m dead.
I shut my eyes, but somehow it explodes before hitting me. Waves of heat and energy roll me into a frantic tumble. I crash into the water, my back smacking the surface, limbs stinging as I drift under. Pain shoots through my core and into my momentarily paralyzed limbs. Fighting the urge to suck in air, I convulse. Everything in me wants to inhale, but I clench my throat and pinch my lips shut. I drift until something grips my arm, propelling me up. My face breaks the surface and I gasp in a grateful breath.
“How many times do I need to save you from drowning before you realize water is my thing?” Arya gasps. “Stick to the sky, will ya?”
“Yes ma'am, Squirt,” I mutter, trying to catch my breath, life returning to my limbs.
A large white blur flies past us as it glides over the water’s surface, the Sisters’ craft skimming along. Several plasma rounds rattle off from its sides. Pops of light flash in the sky as each helo explodes, shrapnel falling into the ocean.
“That’s my girls.” Arya gleams with pride. “Aren’t you happy they took out that missile, too?”
I wince. “Ah, so blowing up missiles with my mind is not one of my gifts?”
“Nope.”
Arya’s hauling me back toward the Tiger Lily’s last location when a smaller Syndicate warship cuts off our path. I tread water on my own, the ache in my back nearly gone now. Short-range mounted gunners open fire at us. Hot plasma sizzles and boils all around.
“Pop me out of the water,” I say. “You take them from below and I’ll take them from the top.”
Arya nods and dips under. A splash of heated water from a plasma round near me sprays on my neck, stinging like a jellyfish. I scoop up some water and cool the burn. That shot was close.
Without warning, Arya grabs my calves and forces me from the water. Lifted free from the ocean’s grip, I’m able to fly. Looking down, I find Arya’s left. Zigzagging from the gunfire as fast as I can, I soar over the warship, glancing to my empty hands. Damn, I lost the rifle during the blast. Guess I need to do this the hard way.
I dive to the port side, blindsiding one of the gunmen. A swift kick to the head knocks him back, sending him toppling over the railing. Soaring back up, I spot Arya scaling the hull of the ship, right beneath another of the gunmen. She holds onto rounded rivets, pulling herself up. Just under the rail, she snags his leg and rips him through, casting him into the water. He didn’t have a chance. She lowers back into the deep blue, disappearing once again.
Gunfire screams past me from the side. I hit another of Nerissa’s men while Arya handles two. Not wanting any more trouble, the remaining crew on the warship give up and retreat out to the open NeverSea. We don’t follow them. We have enough to worry about.
The Scylla surfaces just behind Arya, water running down the rounded pearly hull. Its wake knocks Arya back a bit before she regains her position. Their vessel is nice. Sleek lines, four retractable plasma cannons positioned on all outer edges, and it’s fast. Like, real fast. Just like Arya, it can dive and navigate underneath the sea with no problems.
One of the oval aft hatches pops up. A girl with virtually white-blonde hair pokes her head out, calling, “Arya! You OK?”
“Marin!” Arya shouts back, bobbing in the water. “Yeah, I’m fine. A little tired, but fine. How’d you guys find me?”
“We detected a huge movement of the Sea Witch’s boats. We knew it had to have something to do with you.”
I grin up at Marin. “Oh, hey, I’m fine, too, by the way.”
Arya shakes her head. “Ignore Peter.”
Marin stares at me and smiles, biting her lower lip.
“Marin, look away,” Arya instructs firmly. “Trust me on this one.”
“Whatever,” I huff.
A second beautiful, darker-skinned girl peers out the opening. She’s not smiling, though.
“It’s the Atlas,” she tells Arya frantically. “The Tiger Lily just radioed in right now. A helo intercepted them. They were boarded.”
Arya glances up at me, and without words, we’re on the move. I lean forward, grabbing at the draw of the Earth and thrust myself west toward them on the horizon. Below the surface, Arya keeps pace, trailing my shadow.
It doesn’t take long before the Atlas comes into view. There’s no sign of the Syndicate helo. I land on the deck just off the bridge. Through the window, I see the crew gathering inside. Ethan sees me land and rushes out. His face is pale, eyes wide.
“They’ve got Tug. We didn’t see—No one saw—They took him!”
“Slow down,” I urge. “Where are they now?”
“They flew off with him.”
“When?” I search the horizon for any sign of the helo or warship, but they’ve vanished.
Arya drags herself over the top sliding between the railing. I forgot to lower the ladder, but it didn’t slow her. Now on her feet, she dashes over to me and Ethan.
“What’s going on?” she asks, wringing the water from her hair.
“I’m not sure yet, but they took Tug,” I relay. “Ethan, what direction did they go?”
“They’re long gone. With the engine broken, we can’t pick them up on the radar.”
Terex and Riley join us on the deck. Terex runs his hands through his messy red hair. Worry fills their faces.
“How did this happen?” I ask Ethan, my voice elevated.
“Somehow they disabled all the controls in the bridge." Ethan folds his arms over his chest. “A few of Nerissa’s goons rappeled from a helo. We missed them. We were too focused on the warship.”
“They charged the bridge,” Terex continues. “We had no time to warn the guys on the turrets. When they noticed, it was too late.”
“Why did they take Tug?” Arya asks.
“They were looking for Pan.” Terex turns to me. “I don’t think they wanted to leave empty-handed. I whacked one of them good, but they jumped me and knocked me out. Riley found me, but it was too late. The helo was out of sight and Tug was missing.”
“I can’t believe they got Tug,” Ethan snarls. “Right under our noses. I was too caught up in the battle to even notice what was going on behind me. Why capture him alive?”
“They’re using him as bait,” I say. “Pro
bably draw us into a trap.”
Almost at the same time, the Tiger Lily and the Scylla reach the Atlas. Their engines reverse, coasting them to a stop just off our bow. On deck, Mateo’s fists are locked on the Tiger Lily’s railing, his jaw clenched.
“Pan!” Mateo barks. “How could you let them steal Tug?”
I'd prefer not to fight with him now, and to be honest, I do sort of feel as if it’s my fault. I should’ve stayed on the bridge. Leaving my crew alone is not something a good leader does.
“He saved the rest of us,” Ethan snarls at Mateo. “If he hadn’t led those helos away, we’d be plankton now. Lay off him.”
“It’s alright, Ethan.” I raise my hand in his direction. “I lost a man on my watch. I take responsibility for that. I will get him back.”
Mateo’s quiet now, shaking his head, stewing on the Tiger Lily’s deck. I don’t think he’s in the mood to get into it with us now.
“Guys?” Arya breaks the intensity of the moment. “Get it together and make a plan.”
“Yeah, the Sanctuary is busted up and now they know where it is,” Terex says.
“We could go with the Sisters to their habitat,” Wendi insists.
“Uh, no. No, you can’t,” Una replies from the open hatch. “We never bring outsiders there. Never. Plus, there’s nowhere to dock your boats. Might as well put up a big signal for Nerissa to find us.”
She’s right. It’s too risky. I’m not going to place Arya in more danger. Restless murmurs fill the air from both crews.
James straightens up. “I know where we can go. Smeid’s trading post. It’s the one place we can go to regroup.”
The Lost Boy’s moan almost in unison. Smeid has screwed us over more times than I can count. His bartering deals are always one-sided, and he looks out for one person—himself.
“Smeid’s?” Wendi scoffs. “You’re kidding me?”
“Sorry, Wendi, but he’s right,” I admit. “That jerk is the only one who can locate Neverland—and Tug. The minute we captured James, they would’ve moved it.”
“It’s protocol,” James says.
NeverSea: Echoes of the Lost (Book One) Page 9