فصل 12

12

Self-Destruct

There were three quick bursts of static on the Joule’s radio, followed by a sustained voiceless transmission.

“Is that normal?” Jack asked Zeus. It had been seven hours since Welch had gone to bed, and Jack and Zeus were still sitting at the Joule’s controls. Everyone else except Kiki had come up to the Conn as well.

“How would I know?” Zeus said. He turned to Ostin.

“No idea,” Ostin said. “Proprietary.”

“Whatever that means,” Jack said. “I don’t want to wake Welch.” “We could call the radio guy,” Zeus said.

“Welch said no Elgen allowed in the Conn.” “So, we keep him outside the door. He steps inside, I’ll drop him.” Jack thought a moment. “All right. You and Ian go get him.” “Okay,” Zeus said.

About two minutes later they returned with the radioman. He looked like they had woken him, which they had.

“You sent for me, sir?”

Jack looked at him. “There were just three loud blasts from the radio. Is that normal?” “No, sir,” the radioman said. “That would mean someone was trying to contact us. But that’s impossible.” “Why is that impossible?”

“No one knows the frequencies except EHQ.” “EHQ?” Jack said.

“Elgen Headquarters.”

There was another burst of static. Then an amber light started flashing on the control board.

“What’s that?” Jack asked.

The man looked afraid. “That’s a problem.” “Why?”

“We’re being hailed by Elgen command.” Jack pushed a button on the panel next to him. “Welch, it’s Jack. We’ve got a problem.” “I’ll be right there,” Welch said.

A minute later Welch walked into the room. Jack stood, and Welch took the captain’s seat. “What’s going on?” “The Elgen HQ is trying to contact us,” the radioman said.

“Get the COB.”

“He’s on his way,” Jack said.

“I’m here,” the COB said, walking into the Conn. “What’s going on?” “EHQ transmission,” the radioman said. “Emergency frequency.” The COB turned to Welch. “Someone at Elgen Headquarters wants to talk to us.” “All right,” Welch said. “Let’s find out who. Open communications.” Hatch’s voice suddenly burst over the Joule’s radio. “This is Admiral-General Hatch. To those who have hijacked the Joule, you cannot escape. We are tracking your movements. You have ten minutes to turn my boat around, or I will detonate the self-destruct.” His voice changed to somewhat less official. “What were you thinking, Welch? You fool.” “Good try, Jimmy,” Welch said, knowing how much Hatch hated it when people didn’t call him by one of his self-appointed titles. “First, may I tell you how genuinely disappointing it is to learn that you’re still alive. Second, I don’t take orders from you anymore. And third, I don’t believe you have a self-destruct mechanism. What sane man would put a self-destruct mechanism on a boat? Especially one that’s carrying all your money. Not that the word ‘sane’ has ever applied to you.” “There is a self-destruct,” the COB frantically mouthed to Welch. Welch glanced at him but didn’t say a word.

“A brilliant man,” Hatch said. “Especially on one carrying all my money. There are pirates in this world, and I, having foresight, as well as sanity, have prepared for fools like you. The Joule is carrying more than two billion dollars in jewels, currency, and bullion. I can sink it and salvage the treasure later. It’s just like changing accounts.” “Then why didn’t you just sink it already?” “I have crew on board.”

“What? You suddenly grew a heart? It’s a medical miracle,” Welch said. “Come on, James. I know you better than that. Hostages mean nothing to you.” “Yes, you do know me. But there are people on board who have information I desire about the resistance. That and the fact that the Joule took three years and three hundred million dollars to build. She’s a treasure herself. All things considered, I would rather not destroy it.” “You’re going to have to,” Welch said. “If you can. Because we’re not turning back.” The captain again mouthed emphatically, “There is a self-destruct.” Again Welch ignored him. “Go ahead, Jimmy. Show me your self-destruct.” “You have no idea how tempted I am,” Hatch said. “But enough of your insolence. I presume you have Ian on board. Tell him to look above the sonar panel, about six feet into the component. There he will find a GSX explosive device with an electronic detonator. It’s not hard to find, as it is marked as such. There is enough slurry to blow an eight-foot hole in the wall of the boat and puncture both ballast tanks.” Welch turned to Ian, who was looking at him. “Can you see it?” “Just a minute . . .” Ian walked over to the panel and began examining it. After a moment he looked back at Welch and nodded.

“Well?” Hatch said.

“He sees it,” Welch said.

“You should know I’m a man of my word.” “Except when you’re not,” Welch muttered. “Why would we come back just so you could torture and kill us?” “If you bring back my Joule, I give you my word none of you will die.” “Or be tortured.”

“Or receive torture,” Hatch said.

Welch hesitated a moment, then said to the COB, “Turn the ship around.” “Smartest thing you’ve done this year,” Hatch said.

“Cut off all communications.”

The radio went dead.

Everyone in the Conn was quiet. After a moment Jack said, “You know he’s lying.” Welch looked at him stoically. “Of course I do.” “I’m not okay with this. I’d rather die instantly in an explosion than return to Hatch to be tortured, then killed.” “He’s right,” Zeus said. “I’m not going back.” “I have no intention of going back,” Welch said, turning back to the captain. “Maintain course. I guessed there was a self-destruct on this boat. I just wanted Hatch to reveal where it was so Quentin could neutralize it.” “That was brilliant,” Ostin said. “Freaking brilliant.” “Can you do it, Quentin?” Welch asked.

“Help me, Ian,” Quentin said.

Ian touched a part of the console. “It’s directly through here. It’s wrapped around with wires and stuff. Looks like a bowl of spaghetti.” “If it’s as surrounded by electronic junk as the captain says, I may take out something else with it,” Quentin said.

“You know the circuitry,” Welch said to the captain. “What components surround the detonator?” “The sonar.”

“We can sail without sonar. Anything else?” “Nothing we can’t sail without. But if it doesn’t work, you know he’ll detonate.” “You prefer to take your chances with Hatch?” Welch asked.

“At least it’s a chance. It’s better than certain death.” Welch laughed. “Don’t fool yourself. It’s still certain death. Your only choice is how you want to take it. Personally, I’m with Jack. I’d take a fast death to a prolonged, torturous death any day. And if you believe Hatch has a speck of mercy in his black, rotten heart, you’re a bigger fool than you know. When you were made an officer, you took an oath to resist capture or die trying. The second you took control of this ship for us, you broke that oath. Hatch will feed you to the rats just out of principle. He’ll make an example of you for the rest of his officers.” The COB knew Welch was right.

“Destroy it,” he said to Quentin. “Before Hatch realizes we lied to him.” “All right,” Quentin said to Ian. He pressed his hand against the metal wall. “Right here?” “About a hand to the right.”

Quentin slid his hand. “Here?”

“Good.”

“How far in?”

Ian held up his hand to help him calculate the distance. “About four and a half feet to center.” “You’re sure?”

“Sure enough.”

Quentin turned to Welch. “Go?”

“Do it.”

Quentin pressed his fingers harder against the stainless-steel panel, then surged. A light across the room flickered and then went out, along with a row of lights on the console.

“There goes our sonar,” the captain said. “And the cooling in the bow mechanical room.” “How will we know if what Quentin did worked?” Cassy asked.

“If it didn’t, we’ll never know,” Welch said. “We’ll all be sleeping with Davy Jones.” “Who’s Davy Jones?” Tessa asked.

“He was lead singer of a rock group called the Monkees in the midsixties,” Ostin said. “But Welch was more likely referring to Davy Jones’s locker, a nautical idiom meaning ‘the bottom of the ocean,’ which is where we’ll all be if Hatch detonates the Joule’s self-destruct.” “I just hope it happens fast,” Tara said.

“The explosive device will immediately kill everyone within a seventy-five-foot radius of that console,” the captain said.

“Why does that sound so comforting?” Jack said, shaking his head.

“I know, right?” Tessa said. “Our life is so jacked up.”