James Knapp - The Silent Army

A map of the ship appeared in my HUD, where the location was marked.

You know where you’re going after that?

My target came into communications range when we approached the ship. She’s located a ship-to-shore vessel; that’s how we’ll leave if we can. Right now she’s headed to the medical bay in case I need to physically remove the bomb.

Understood. The software package we provided should allow you to pull the specs from the device. The virus contained in the package will shut the device down once it has the specs.

Got it.

Connect to the device, pull the specs, drop the virus. You’ll know if it worked in less than a minute.

Understood.

If it doesn’t, you’ve got to leave her there. If you try and remove the bomb it could detonate.

The team leader stopped for a minute, orange light flickering in his pupils.

Satellite data confirms well over a thousand revivors active on board the ship, but they’re grouped down in the hold. You’re going to have to be fast. If you can’t disarm the bomb, we have to leave it to blow. If you do, we have orders to sink the ship. Either way, it never gets to shore. Understand?

I understand.

The helicopter dipped suddenly as the wind sheared. The pilot adjusted while rain streaked across the windshield. The team leader signaled, pointing down at the deck.

The helipad’s below us. We’re going in.

Understood.

He heaved open the door. Cold mist sprayed in as we descended. A bright floodlight aimed down through the rain, lighting up the helipad on the deck. Something moved down there.

Hostiles on deck. Computer’s picking up SAM targeting laser.

We banked sharply. A heavy grinding noise started, shaking the floor as a gun turret moved into view through the open door. It angled down toward the ship.

Hold on, Agent.

The chain gun let loose. The muzzle flared up as tracers spit down toward the deck of the ship.

“The laser’s down! I’m coming around!” the pilot yelled.

“Okay, we’re going down!” the team leader shouted, clapping my shoulder. “Don’t get out until I say you’re clear! Got it?”

“Got it!”

Another blast of wind hit, and my stomach flipped as we dropped down. I could barely see the deck until we were on top of it. A spray of foam crashed up along the side of the ship.

“Hold on!”

The radio crackled as we banked around. The chopper bucked hard enough to rattle my jaw.

Agent Wachalowski. The message wasn’t from anyone on the team, and it wasn’t from Cal. It originated back on shore.

Who is this?

I’m contacting you on Ai’s behalf. Why are you approaching the tanker?

Whoever you are, I work for the FBI, not Motoko Ai.

It’s not safe to board the ship.

She made that clear before I left.

The deck was coming up fast. Down below, I saw it tilt as another wave crashed into the hull. The floodlight stayed on the helipad as we hovered sixty feet above it.

You’re going to get killed. We need you alive.

I cut the connection as the pilot signaled to me.

“We’re gonna go in fa—”

There was a huge explosion from the other side of the ship, and a cloud of fire lit up the water around it. Pieces of debris were silhouetted against the flames before spinning down into the water.

What the hell was that? I asked.

There goes your ship-to-shore vessel , the team leader said. Looks like they don’t want anyone getting off. We’re sticking close in case we need to sink her. If you can find your civilian and make it back to the deck, we’ll extract you. Got it?

Got it.

The deck stabilized and the pilot brought us in. It was a rough landing, but he put us down on the pad. I felt the motion of the sea under me as the team leader signaled.

You’re clear.

Roger that. Thanks.

Good luck.

I jumped out, and as soon as my boots clanged down on the metal plating, I felt it move underneath me. Sea spray crashed up the far side of the ship. Behind me, the helicopter lifted off and ascended into the rain.

I made my way across the deck, debris sliding past as the ship rocked. My foot slipped and I went down on one knee just as the head and torso of a revivor rolled by.

Zooming in on the blueprint of the ship, I laid it over my main field of vision.

Cal, I’ve touched down. Where are you?

I’m on my way to the med ward like you said. Where are you?

On deck. I’m coming in now.

I’m telling you, I can get to the ship—

They just blew the ship-to-shore boat, Cal, and you’re rigged with a bomb. I can stop it and get you off the ship, but you have to do as I say.

The chain gun went off from up above. Off on the other side of the ship, it was chewing up the deck.

Cal?

She didn’t answer. Through the wind and the rain, I could see the metal hatch up ahead that led inside. I drew my gun and made a run for it.

The whole thing had scared me, at least at first. One minute everyone was just talking; then the next three guys came in, one of them grabbed Nico, and everything just exploded. I’d never seen him do anything like that before; it was like he was some kind of crazed animal or something. Some other guys had come and helped the security men away, but the floor was still covered in blood and broken glass.

“Don’t worry about the mess,” Penny said. “We’ll get the floor refinished.”

My heart had been beating really fast until Penny put her hand on one of my shoulders. Then a weird calm came over me, and the fear just kind of drifted away.

“He won’t make it,” she said. She’d found the gun in the water and held it up before putting it on a towel. “That was a pretty good fight, huh?”

I nodded.

“He’ll be fine,” she said. “He won’t get there in time.”

I nodded again, then drained the smoked-crystal glass and eased back, letting the hot water bubble around me. Being in that tub was the most relaxing thing I’d ever done. I couldn’t believe I’d waited half my life to try it. Penny sat on the other side of the tub with a bottle of something called grappa, which was clear, came in a tall bottle, and tasted horrible.

“I totally needed this,” Penny said, cracking her neck and leaning back. “I’ve been cooped up in that hellhole for days.”

“Hellhole?”

“Yeah, that man-girl they assigned me to,” she said. “That’s where I’ve been. I had to camp out there until we got her set up. I’ve been sleeping on a secondhand couch.”

“She let you stay there?” Penny laughed.

“Hell no. She didn’t know I was there. It was three days of babysitting and memory manipulation. It gets exhausting after a while.”

“Oh.” I wanted to ask her if she wasn’t afraid of getting beaten up or worse, but it was obvious that she wasn’t, and I was kind of embarrassed to admit that I would have been. I’d seen Calliope up close, and she scared me more than most guys.

“Fortunately, she’s as stupid as they come,” Penny said. “It’s like using a sledgehammer on a nail, with her. Anyway, that’s why I haven’t been around much.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it isn’t. You’ve been through some major stuff lately. I wanted to be here.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I just didn’t say anything. The truth, though, was that I was really glad she showed up.

“That thing with Ted …is that what you meant to happen?” I asked.