Chapter 24 #2
“Same here,” Adam said. “But there are scientists down here. The lab is bigger than the size of this ship. It has to be bigger below the water.”
Marina came on. “The boat is registered to an LLC out of Greece. No connection to anyone we know, but it’ll take me some digging. See if you can figure out what’s down there.”
Steph rustled through the pages and pages of technical papers on the desk while gunshots echoed to her from somewhere else.
Scanning hand-drawn diagrams and notations Sebastian had made in the margins of a report about network connectivity of something called Polaris.
She looked at the computer screen, scrubbing her hands across her cheeks.
“They were holding Doctor Warrington here, and he was working on something. He killed himself.” Her breath hitched.
“Whoever is behind this, they built this place under everyone’s noses.
How is something like that even possible? ”
“We’re all really sorry—” Adam’s sentiment cut off as more gunshots rang from elsewhere on the ship.
Dan swung out of the room and fired two shots down the hallway.
Steph scanned the papers and what was on the screen. “I’ll bring all this with me. It’s some pretty advanced computing. Maybe you can make sense of it, Marina.”
Dan appeared back in the doorway.
“I’m on the bridge,” Jay said. “There’s no one else up here and no sign of Vesper. I don’t think she’s on board. If she ever was.”
Adam didn’t respond. Silence filled the comms channel.
“Nix?” Kai, maybe. “You read us, Phoenix?”
“I read you.” Adam coughed. “I’m good. I’m through the lab door, but the scientists scattered.”
Marina said, “Steph, is that computer connected to the internet?”
She checked the desktop. “Doesn’t look like it.”
“Probably intentionally air-gapped.” Marina paused. “Does one of you have a flash drive?”
Marina’s question got a few scattered answers.
Steph checked the desk drawers and found only a couple of paperclips and a broken pencil. “Nothing here.”
“Grab what you can. It’s time to go.” Dan switched sides, leaning against the wall on the far side of the doorway.
Steph gathered up papers and followed him out the door.
“On our way to the bridge,” Dan said. “Unless you need help, Nix?”
Adam didn’t respond.
“Is someone coming?” Steph glanced back over her shoulder, but the hallway was clear.
She had the gun, and an armful of papers, but there would be no rescuing an asset today. Sebastian had taken his own life because he’d believed it was the only power he had left. The only control he had left to exercise over what happened to him next.
“Don’t like it.” Dan glanced both ways down a connecting hall. “Something is off.”
“Is that like intuition?”
“You could call it that. Some folks call it discernment.” Dan ducked to avoid the bulkhead and stepped through a doorway. “I choose to follow the Lord and yield my life to Him. In return, He provides me with wisdom. Strength. Everything I need to not just survive this world but to find some peace.”
“I think Sebastian could’ve used some of that.” As for her, nothing could alter the course of her life. Not even the God she had prayed to, a long time ago. One she had lost faith in.
After all, nothing ever changed.
Dan reached a set of stairs. “I’m going down to the lab to back up Nix. You head up and get to the bridge.”
Over the comms, she heard, “Coming aboard now.” Ice paused for a few long seconds. “Nix, you read?”
Adam never responded.
Steph wanted to know what had happened in the lab, but she’d agreed to Dan’s plan of him going down and her going up.
Being belowdecks did feel a little like being trapped, and she wanted air.
Steph raced up the set of stairs to the main deck, where night had fallen outside. The clouds in the sky reflected the city lights back, reassuring her with the close proximity of aid if they needed it. But how would they explain their presence here?
“Jay, how do I get to the bridge?” Steph heard something behind her and turned.
A dark figure rushed at her, and the tackle sent her to the deck. Hard. Pain eclipsed everything and the weight of the other person settled on her. Fingers grasped her neck. The papers scattered, and the gun slipped from her grip.
“You got away once,” a woman said. “That won’t happen again.”
Steph brought her hands up between her assailant’s arms and shoved them out, dislodging the hold on her neck. She rolled, pinning the person with her legs.
An elbow swung out and hit her in the side of the head, and then she was flat on her back again. The woman’s face swam in front of her.
Vesper.
Steph heard a crackling sound, then everything flipped like a switch. Lightning ignited her body, and she felt her head loll to the side. Her arms and legs tingled.
Stun gun. A second later she was facedown on the deck.
Then she was moving, being dragged. She tried to get control of her limbs, but nothing would cooperate.
Whatever kind of stun gun that was, she’d never felt like this before.
Her head banged something hard. She cried out, but it was only a gurgle.
She reached with her fingers and tried to grasp hold of something, anything that would halt her movements.
Her body rolled up and over and then she was falling through the air.
Steph hit the water with a splash.