Jon Merz - Raider X

“My reasons are my own,” said Cyra. “But I am not part of your war. I prefer to steer clear of anything having to do with such things.”

Schwarzwalder nodded. “And yet, you are my guests and I would prefer that we treat each other with mutual respect. I could have easily simply sunk the Archimedes from a distance with a few torpedoes. Yet, I chose not to because it surely would have resulted in your needless deaths.”

“But you shelled the bridge and killed the crew,” said Thatcher. He didn’t know whether Schwarzwalder knew about the death of Adamson or not yet.

“Indeed but their deaths were a necessary part of our operation. We couldn’t risk the Archimedes sending out a distress call.” He nodded toward the window. “Look.”

Thatcher stepped forward and saw that the last motorboat was streaming back toward Raider X. The Archimedes lolled in the waves and then there was a tremendous explosion midships that broke its keel in two.

Within seconds, the Archimedes vanished beneath the waves.

Schwarzwalder turned back from the window and eyed both Thatcher and Cyra. “I’m afraid you no longer seem to have a boat upon which to return to your country.”

Thatcher shrugged. “I was trying to leave anyway. No harm, no foul as far as I’m concerned.”

Cyra looked at Thatcher and then back at Schwarzwalder. “I was journeying to Lisbon. I don’t suppose there’s any chance that you’d consider dropping us off there, would you?”

Schwarzwalder stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Perhaps. Lisbon is a neutral port, after all. But we are bound for the Indian Ocean and must adhere to the strict schedule that has been imposed upon us by German high command. For me to deviate from that would be tantamount to treason and I do not wish to find myself at the end of a firing squad when the Führer hears about my change of plans. He has tasked us with a nearly impossible quota of ship sinking within the next month once we round the Cape of Good Hope.”

“What about passengers then?” asked Thatcher. “Surely you won’t be keeping them aboard?”

Schwarzwalder shook his head. “We will rendezvous with another ship coming back to Germany and transfer them aboard that. They will dropped off at a location of that Captain’s choosing and they will eventually return home.”

“And as for us?”

Schwarzwalder continued to stroke his beard. “I think I would enjoy your company for a bit longer than that. I am intrigued about your story, Herr Thatcher. And also that of your traveling companion here.” He looked up as his second-in-command came onto the bridge and whispered something in his ear. They conversed in tones too low for Thatcher to hear, but as soon as the XO was done speaking with the Captain, he departed once more.

“I had hoped that we might find something intriguing aboard the Archimedes, but it appears I was incorrect. I’m assuming you only set sail within the last few days?”

Thatcher nodded. “That’s correct.”

“Unfortunate,” said Schwarzwalder. “But a good training lesson for my men. I’m happy with their performance. It was rapid and efficient. Just as it should be.” He seemed to muse for a moment before snapping back to the present. “In any event, my officers tell me that there was something aboard the ship that they did not expect to find.”

“What’s that?”

“A dead captain,” said Schwarzwalder. “It would appear that someone killed him and recently as well.” He eyed them both. “Do either of you have any knowledge of this?”

Thatcher shook his head. “I had only just heard about it when you appeared and disrupted the start of an investigation.”

Schwarzwalder said nothing but looked at Cyra. “And you, my dear?”

“As Harrison stated, we had only just heard about it. Once your ship appeared, we forgot about it completely as you would well expect.”

Schwarzwalder nodded as if satisfied. At least for the moment. Thatcher cleared this throat. “Is it your intention to question the other passengers as well?”

“I’m not sure I see the point,” said Schwarzwalder. “They are all a good deal older and likely incapable of committing such an act. Had the captain been shot or stabbed, then perhaps I would. But my officers tell me the body had the apparent signs of traumatic injury which rules out someone older because someone like Captain Adamson would be able to fend them off and call for help.”

“Captain Adamson,” said Thatcher. “You knew him?”

“Oh, I knew of him,” said Schwarzwalder. “He was a gifted seaman who plied these waves for many years. I had hoped to see him once more, but death is a cruel thing that steals from us that which we take for granted. And this time, it is I who is the poorer for it.” He sighed and turned back to the spot where the Archimedes had been scuttled. “I knew him as a good man. And he would have proven a formidable foe if ever we had crossed swords. I find his murder extremely troubling.” He nodded at both of them. “I think it would be best if I separated both of you and had a lengthy conversation at some point soon with each of you.”

“There were other passengers aboard that ship. But they died when you shelled it as you did.”

Schwarzwalder nodded. “I will bear that in mind. But I’ll keep you separated regardless.”

Thatcher glanced at Cyra but she seemed completely unperturbed by this proposal. Thatcher looked back at Schwarzwalder. “Are we prisoners then?”

Schwarzwalder cocked his head. “Not prisoners of war, no. But I suspect you of perpetrating a crime, therefore I am well within my jurisdiction to hold you until such time as I can figure out who the killer is.” He nodded and two guards stepped closer to bothThatcher and Cyra. “You’ll be held in a cabin and given food and drink. Make yourselves as comfortable as you can. I will speak with you both as soon as we’re underway once more.”

And with that, Schwarzwalder turned back to his bridge and began issuing orders to get underway in German. Thatcher marveled at the crisp responses that his crew gave him. But then he was nudged by the guards and left the bridge.

Cyra nudged him as they walked. “What happens now?”

Thatcher shrugged. “Like the man said, he’ll question us. Try to rest up and get some sleep. That’s what I intend to do.”

The guards stopped first and placed Cyra in a cabin close by the bridge. One of them stayed there after locking her inside. The last Thatcher saw was Cyra looking at him with those incredible eyes of hers. He felt his heart skip a beat but managed to give her a quick smile before the door closed and he was prodded along by the remaining guard.

The descended to another deck and Thatcher did his best to memorize all of the elements that he could as they moved along. At some point, he was going to have to find his way down to the engine room presumably to start an explosion that would sink the ship. Thatcher had no clue how he was going to do that. He hoped that if he was ever able to make his way back to England, he could convince Hewitt to invest in some training for him. Thatcher was no saboteur and being asked to be one without much of any knowledge save for what he already knew, was a bit daunting.

Still, he figured that Hewitt had done enough research into his past to know that Thatcher would be able to effect some type of explosion when it came down to it. It had been years, of course, but Thatcher figured he had enough know-how still bouncing around his skull to make something work if and when he got his chance.

The thought of Adamson’s murder was a peculiar one for Thatcher to wrap his head around. Why kill Adamson in the first place? And who could have done it? Unlike Schwarzwalder, Thatcher wasn’t ruling anyone out. For all he knew, it could have been a disgruntled crew member or one of the other passengers. There was also a good chance the murderer had been killed when Raider X shelled the Archimedes. If Schwarzwalder was hoping to uncover the killer, then he might be completely out of luck. After all, Thatcher certainly hadn’t done it. And Cyra…