Chapter 18
The courtyard belonged on a tropical island more than it belonged in this floating metropolis. Two clear waterslide tubes mirrored each other’s twists and turns as they fell from the highest stories of the ship to a pool a hundred yards away.
A piercing scream echoed in the distance and someone shot through a clear tube overhead. Cowboy sat with Harrison, Charlotte, and Abby at a table beneath a palm tree in the lush oasis of vegetation.
Harrison leaned forward in his chair. “I’d rather not talk in the security room anymore. Someone is communicating with the cruise line. Sending daily check-ins and reports.” He took a sip of his coffee, his hand shaking the cup.
“I thought the radio wasn’t working,” said Cowboy.
“There are protocols to be followed. If we completely stopped transmitting, they would send help to find us, but no one has come. They must be in contact somehow.”
Charlotte tapped her fingernails on the table. “So the radio isn’t out, it’s just been rerouted.”
“That’s right,” said Harrison. “And we know they’re controlling the navigation system. But what if there’s more?”
Cowboy furrowed his brow. “Come again?”
“What if it isn’t just the radio that’s been moved? We know their virus affected our security cameras. Who’s to say they haven’t tapped into those, too?”
The idea that a hidden enemy could have eyes all over the ship was beyond unnerving. Cowboy thought of the first mate preparing the helipad for HERO Force’s arrival and felt a sudden rush of concern for his teammates.
“Almost like a second bridge,” said Charlotte.
Cowboy shook his head. “So let me get this straight. This ship has been taken over by somebody — or a bunch of somebodies — without ever showing their faces? How the fuck is that possible?”
“And what are we going to do about it?” asked Abby.
“How many cabins are there on the ship?” asked Cowboy.
“Two thousand seven hundred eighty, not including the crew.”
Too many to go door to door, especially considering the people they were looking for could easily move from one room to another. Cowboy’s mind was whirling. They had a seemingly insurmountable task ahead of them and nowhere near enough resources to accomplish their goals.
Charlotte leaned forward. “You know, when I went to dry my hair this morning, I couldn’t believe how few outlets there are in the staterooms. I’ve got pretty nice digs, and I only counted two.”
“Five thousand people use a lot of power,” said Harrison. “We try to limit consumption.”
She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. “But these things you’re talking about — monitors and radios and computers — they use a lot of power.”
Harrison’s head shot up. “That’s it! We don’t have to search all the staterooms because most of them couldn’t supply the amount of power these guys need to operate.”
“How many of the staterooms does that eliminate?” asked Cowboy.
“Almost all of them. There are only a handful of luxury suites that could handle it. A dozen, maybe less. And the restaurants, the casino, the theaters with all their lights. But this narrows down the list of possibilities significantly.”
“Then we start there.” Cowboy stood up. “I say we stay together. It’s too risky to split up when we can’t communicate with each other.”
Harrison nodded. “Agreed. Let’s get started.”