Running Dark by Jamie Freveletti

Author:Jamie Freveletti
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2010-03-23T16:00:00+00:00

29

SUMNER FOUND CAPTAIN WAINWRIGHT ONCE AGAIN ON THE bridge. The ship continued to move, something Sumner considered to be a good sign. Wainwright waved him over to the ship’s console.

“We got the radar up long enough to see them moving away. It went down again right after, but they were here.” Wainwright pointed to a green blip that stayed frozen on the radar screen. “Do you think they’re done?” he asked.

“Not at all. I think they’re just heading back to get more grenades, crew members, or both. How long to Berbera?”

“Two days at least. More if the engines give out, which is a strong possibility. My real goal is not Berbera, but to go farther out from Somali territorial waters. The distance will give us a little more safety from the pirates and will allow foreign ships to come to our aid.”

“How long does it usually take for aid to reach a boat under these circumstances?”

“Eight hours is average.”

Sumner grimaced. “That’s a long time.”

“That’s an assumption. I have no way of guaranteeing even that. And none of it’s going to happen if we don’t get out of territorial waters. Tell me about the sentry duty.”

Sumner recapped the recent skirmish, leaving out Clutch’s craven retreat but giving Marina her due as the one to fire the deciding shot. He also told him about Schullmann’s cage idea.

“We’ve got a bunch of aluminum rods in one of the electrical rooms and steel supports for them. They’re railing replacements. Feel free to use them. Steel sheets will be harder to come by. I don’t know that we have any. Ask the mechanic if there’s anything he can cannibalize for the metal.”

“I also think we should arm the passengers,” Sumner said.

“With what? We don’t have arms for the crew, much less the passengers.”

“The crew should be given knives from the kitchen. The passengers—screwdrivers, ice picks, anything they can use to fight as the pirates board.”

Wainwright’s face hardened. “Absolutely not. These guys carry AK-47s, and they won’t hesitate to use them if they meet with resistance. Anyone fighting will be mowed down. I’d rather have the passengers taken hostage than risk a bloodbath.”

Sumner rubbed a tired hand over his face. “Listen, I was taken hostage once, and it’s not a situation I would wish on my worst enemy. These guys will drag the hostages to a deserted area and leave them in a pit. They’ll barely feed them. The ones who don’t die from the exertion and stress might die from starvation. It’s my advice that the passengers be allowed to fight back.”

“I appreciate your view on the subject, but I can’t allow the situation to escalate. The moment those pirates climb over the railing is the moment we surrender.”

Sumner could see that the subject was closed. “I understand. Then we’ll just have to do our best to ensure that they don’t board. How long can we continue?”

“Twenty minutes.”

Sumner headed down to the mechanical room. Schullmann stood next to an engineer and directed him in broken English.

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