UnAlaska

27. Return

Danilo rode in the bridge elevator for a tense thirty seconds. He was wearing a plain white A-shirt, covered in blood. He had taken off his uniform shirt, cut it into strips, and used it to tightly bandage his arm. He had been shot twice in the upper arm. They were clean through-and-through. Neat holes punched by burning hot lead. He knew he would live, but he needed medical attention.

He was embarrassed and ashamed to return to the bridge this way. He had been picturing a triumph. He imagined radioing the crew with an 'all clear.' He saw the kidnappers dead, growing cold on the metal floor. He pictured rescued children hugging him tearfully around the neck, and Brian and Juni reunited. Nothing had worked that way. The worst had happened, and now he had to hang his tail between his legs and ask for help. He had to share the dreadful news.

The elevator opened. At least his key card still worked. He was greeted by the smell of stale coffee. He could feel the quiet buzz of tension without release. Heads swiveled toward him. Their eyes widened as they saw his blood soaked shirt.

Jacqueline turned to face him. Her face moved through a flash of different emotions as he walked closer. Confusion, recognition, horror, and anger. "Danilo, what the fuck did you do?"

He walked closer to the loose circle of deck officers in silence. He raised his head and met Jacqueline's gaze. "He's dead."

"Who?"

"Brian."

There was a collective sharp inhale. Helen gasped. "Oh my god. Where is he?"

He found an empty office chair by the circle and fell into it. "On the cargo deck."

Jacqueline stared daggers at him. "I need you to tell us exactly what happened. Leave nothing out." She crossed her arms. "The FBI is on route, too. You'll have to tell this story all over again."

Danilo sighed. "I understand." He looked pale, sweaty, and deflated. His hair was matted. "Brian and I found the two kidnappers on the crew directory. Two Russians who joined a few months ago. Pavel Kozlov and Dmitry Andreyev."

Jacqueline nodded at him to continue.

"At the security office, we opened the armory and loaded two shotguns. We went to the daycare. The Junior Wayfarers. We found an empty syringe of sedatives there. Probably used on one of the children."

Helen shuddered involuntarily.

"The trail of the Amulets stopped at the freight elevator. We found a small supply closet nearby. The kids' amulets were all jammed in a garbage can. They were in a big bundle. We figured they dumped the kids' amulets, rode the elevator down, and then disabled theirs when they reached the cargo deck."

He let out a sigh. "We went to the crew dorms. We found Dmitry's roommate in his bunk. Dmitry was an old Russian paratrooper, and proud of it. We found the duffel bag under his bed. The contingency."

Jacqueline sucked air through her teeth. "Shit."

Danilo nodded sternly. "Shit is right. It wasn't a bomb. It was full of guns and tactical gear. Probably the sedatives, too. It was dropped off to pull off the kidnapping."

Jacqueline rolled her head back. She massaged her neck and stared at the ceiling. "Well, that makes sense. It's embarrassing, though. That we didn't see it."

Helen shrugged. "They made it ambiguous. They knew we'd see the duffel and think it was a bomb. It was the right size. The confusion was part of the plan."

Danilo nodded again. "These guys know what they're doing. We went to the cargo deck to confront them. They had cut the power. It was completely dark and quiet. They were heavily armed."