Part 16 (1/2)

19

THE MOVEMENT ON THE MONITOR WAS BARELY discernible. By all rights, the Aleut security guard should have missed it. A fortuitous glance at the bank of video monitors revealed a slight ripple in the water from one of the video feeds, aimed just astern of the tanker. The guard quickly hit a zoom b.u.t.ton on the roof-mounted camera, catching sight of a dark object in the water seconds before it disappeared under the surface. Most likely a wayward harbor seal, the guard presumed, but it offered a good excuse to take a break from the dreary confines of the security station.

He reached for a radio and called the watch aboard the Chichuyaa .

”This is plant security. Video picked up an object in the water off your stern. I'm going to take the runabout alongside for a look.”

”Roger, sh.o.r.e,” replied a sleepy voice. ”We'll keep the lights on for you.”

The guard slipped on a jacket and grabbed a flashlight, then stopped in front of a gun cabinet. He eyed a black H&K a.s.sault rifle, then thought better of it, tucking a Glock automatic pistol into his holster instead.

”Best not to be shooting seals this time of night,” he muttered to himself as he walked toward the pier.

THE LNG CARRIER EMITTED a cacophony of mechanical sounds as the chilled gas flowed through the pipes stringing off its deck. Dirk knew there would be a few workers about monitoring the flow, but they were bound to be stationed in the bowels of the s.h.i.+p or at a control panel inside the pump house. Though the dockside area was dimly lit, the s.h.i.+p itself was brightly illuminated and rendered a high degree of exposure. Dirk figured they would need just a minute or two to slip on and determine if the s.h.i.+p's pumps were operating.

Slinking along the dock, they made their way to a main gangplank affixed amids.h.i.+ps. Their sodden dry suits squished as they walked, but they made no effort to conceal the noise. The whir and throb of the nearby pump station was louder than ever and easily drowned out the sound of their movements. It also obscured the sound of an outboard motor chugging toward the covered dock.

The security guard ran the small boat into the dock facility without lights. He loitered about the stern undetected for several minutes, then cruised down the outboard side of the tanker. Pa.s.sing the prow of the s.h.i.+p, he started to circle back when he caught sight of the dive gear hanging on the wharf. He quickly killed the engine and drifted to the dock, tying the boat up and then examining the equipment.

Summer saw him first, noticing a movement out of the corner of her eye as she turned to ascend the gangplank. Dirk had already taken a few steps up the ramp.

”We have company,” she whispered, tilting her head in the guard's direction.

Dirk glanced quickly at the guard, who had his back turned to them. ”Let's get aboard. We can lose him on the s.h.i.+p if he spots us.”

Ducking low, he raced up the gangway taking long strides. Summer matched his pace a few steps behind. They were clearly visible from the guard's vantage, and they expected a shout from him to stop, but it never came. Instead, they zipped to the top of the ramp, escaping his scrutiny. But when Dirk was a step from the s.h.i.+p's open side rail, a faint shadow appeared on deck, followed by a dark blur. Too late, Dirk realized, the blur was a swinging truncheon aimed for the side of his face. He tried to duck in midstep but was unable to dodge the blow. The wooden club caught him with a stinging blow across the crown of his skull. His dry suit hood softened what would have otherwise been a lethal blow. A kaleidoscope of stars crossed his eyes as his knees turned to jelly. Off balance when the blow struck, he reeled sideways, his hip crus.h.i.+ng against the gangplank's side rail. His momentum was all high, and his torso easily flipped over the side while his feet went skyward.

He caught a brief glimpse of Summer reaching for him, but her frantic hands slipped away. Her mouth opened in a brief scream, though he failed to hear her voice. In an instant, she was gone, as he tumbled into s.p.a.ce.

The impact seemed to take forever in coming. When he finally collided with the water, it surprisingly induced no pain. There was just a cold smell of darkness before everything turned to black.

20

THE SHADOW AT THE TOP OF THE RAMP DRIFTED into the light, revealing an ox of a man with a thick unkempt beard that brushed his chest. He stared at Summer through fiery eyes, his lips turning up in a slight grin as he waved the truncheon casually in her direction.

Summer froze on the gangplank, then subconsciously back-pedaled as her eyes darted from the brute to the murky waters below. Dirk had struck the water hard, and he had yet to surface. She felt the ramp shake beneath her feet and turned to see the dock guard sprinting up behind her. The Aleut security guard was uniformed and clean-shaven, appearing to be a safer prospect than the heathen on the s.h.i.+p. Summer quickly took a step toward him.

”My brother is in the water. He's drowning,” she yelled, rus.h.i.+ng to move past the guard. He quickly pulled the Glock automatic pistol from a side holster and leveled it at Summer's thin midsection.

”You have trespa.s.sed on private property,” he replied in a monotone voice that was short on mercy. ”You shall be held in custody until company officials can be contacted in the morning.”

”Let me take her into custody,” the s.h.i.+pboard brute barked. ”I'll show her some real trespa.s.sing.” He laughed with a bellow, spraying a shower of spittle across his beard.