Ocean Blue (Sea Lab Book 1)

CHAPTER 62

HERCULES AUSTRALIS

Jake hated the fact they had no radio contact with Cat and the Atlantis. To further complicate matters, he and Tony felt the ship power up and begin slicing through the choppy waters of the Tasman Sea not long after coming aboard. But they made good progress in implementing Jake's backup plan. The two men snuck around the icebreaker's lower level distributing the contents of Cat's bag at six spaced out locations along the ship's port side.

But something wasn't right.

The steel corridors with its rivets and grease stains seemed to absorb the light from the fixtures scattered throughout the ship's bottom level. The dank interior reeked of oil and rumbled like a locomotive throughout, especially near the engine room. But the fact Jake had encountered no crew members troubled him more than the poor lighting and the engine noises. He at least expected to run into a few wayward deckhands along the way. He had no intention of shooting anyone unless he had to, but if necessary, he intended to cold-cock one or two men with the Glock's handle.

Going unchecked this far gave him jittery nerves. It was almost as if Zanderthal knew they were aboard and was laying out an open path for them to follow. Yet they had spotted no security cameras around the moon pool or anywhere else on the ship. The icebreaker's captain could have noticed the Atlantis on radar a few miles out and informed Zanderthal to expect guests. Jake hoped the chairman didn't have anyone following them as they moved about the ship. If someone was watching them from the shadows—literally—that clung to the hallways and stairwells, it would ruin their advantage of surprise.

But after finishing their rounds, Jake and Tony were somewhat confident no one had spotted them.

Then a thought occurred to Jake.

He wanted to look at the moon pool room before heading for the next level. When they entered its confines, they discovered someone had retracted the floor, sealing it closed. He should have accounted for it. The crew wouldn't leave the pool open with the ship in progress since the water pressure could flood the room and create drag on the ship. Someone came behind them and closed the hole so the vessel could get underway.

Maybe they missed the person come and go, and no one was onto them?

Tony strode over to the side closet to check their dive gear. It was still there, and no one had tampered with it. "A stroke of luck could explain everything," he said.

"I don't buy it. Just be on the lookout for Zanderthal's guards, and his chauffeur, Takeshi Ishikawa. The man's a monster, and it might take both of us to overpower him. I don't desire to kill anyone, but a bullet between the man's eyes seems more practical than a fistfight."

Tony agreed.

With no sign of Sarah on the ship's lowest level, they took a stairwell to inspect the next floor. Jake led the way down an empty corridor—again dimly lit with dingy steel walls. His wary eyes scanned the area ahead of them like a prey searching for a hidden predator.

Jake jerked back when Tony snapped open a side door. It was another storage closet. "Next time, how about a heads-up?"

"Sorry," Tony whispered. "You never know which door Sarah might be behind."

"If it's unlocked, don't count it. I don't think they're giving her free rein of the ship."

"Like us?"