Operation Black Shark by Stephen Dando-Collins

Author:Stephen Dando-Collins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
Published: 2016-09-17T04:00:00+00:00

The voice of Ricardo Ramos boomed over the Cleopatra’s PA system. ‘Attention all passengers! It seems that one of you has disobeyed my orders. One of you has used a mobile telephone to contact family members in America, and now they are talking about us on TV. This is not good. Not good at all. If I give an order, it must be obeyed! Or someone will die!’ His tone, initially calm, had suddenly turned to anger. ‘One of you will die!’ he repeated.

In their cabin, Josh looked worriedly at his father. ‘Do you think he means it, Dad? Would they kill somebody?’ he asked.

Ben nodded grimly. ‘If they were prepared to take the risk of hijacking this ship, Josh, they won’t let anything stand in their way. That’s why I let them have our phones. There’s no point antagonising them unnecessarily over a mobile phone.’

If the bad guys were to tap the number one on his phone, it would call GRRR Commander, Captain Liberty Lee. Dialling the number two would connect them with Major General Mike Jones, chief of the Australian Army’s Special Forces Command. Not that the hijackers were likely to do that – they now had thousands of confiscated mobiles piled in empty cabins.

‘I am prepared to give those of you who have not yet surrendered their mobile telephones one last chance,’ Ricardo continued, his voice calm once again. ‘You have thirty minutes to take any remaining phones to the Hub on Deck 4. Place the phone in the middle of the dance floor and then return immediately to your cabin. You will not be punished. Just do as I say and all will be as right as a rainy day. But, if you fail to do as I say and do not surrender your telephone, one passenger will be chosen at random to be shot. My compadres will go to any cabin, pull out one of the passengers and shoot them. The body, it will be thrown to the sharks. It could be you or someone you love. Thirty minutes. Surrender your phone now! The clock is going – tick and tock.’

Ben glanced at the plastic carrying wallet that had contained Josh’s mobile. The hijacker who’d taken Josh’s phone had ripped the phone from the slim wallet, looking for cash or credit cards, knowing that people sometimes slip these into their phone wallets. Josh had in fact been keeping his Ocean Pass in the phone wallet. The hijacker had cast wallet and Ocean Pass to the floor, and Ben had later picked them up and put them on the bedside table. An idea was forming in his mind. Taking up the empty phone wallet, he slipped it into his pocket.

‘Josh, I want you to stay here in the cabin,’ he said, moving to the door.

‘Dad, where are you going?’

‘There’s something I need to do. I won’t be long,’ Ben promised.

‘Weren’t we supposed to stay in our cabins? What if they catch you?’ Josh asked with growing concern.

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