“I want to point out something,” Eric said. “As good as we are, Sylvia and I may not be able to disarm the rockets for a multitude of reasons. What happens if we can’t?”
Juan looked at Max, who said, “Then I sink the Centaurus before the clock strikes midnight.”
“Sylvia and Eric have modified the rail gun controls to be operated by Murph,” Juan said. “All he has to do is
lock in on the target and fire. He’ll be able to do that with a single finger.”
“With my help,” MacD said. “I’ll be on the Gator with Linda. Even though I’ve only got one arm, I can point a laser designator at the hull. As I understand it, the rail gun targeting system will automatically adjust to fire at whatever I point at.”
“Just don’t sneeze,” Raven said.
“Sink her?” Linc asked. “Why not just blow the ship out of the water?”
Murph grunted aloud. “Uh-uh.” Then he used his voice box to say, “Gas cloud.”
Sylvia nodded. “If the rockets detonated simultaneously, it would form a toxic cloud that could still poison a significant portion of the city.”
“Once the ship is sunk,” Eric said, “the water should absorb the Enervum gas even if there is a subsequent explosion.”
“Polk would want to keep something as valuable as that antidote secure,” Juan said. “The two likeliest places to stow it would be in the galley refrigerator if he needs to keep it cool or in the captain’s cabin if he doesn’t. Our plan is to sweep the accommodation block, check the galley, and then take the bridge. Once we’ve captured or killed Polk, his men might give up or attempt to escape. If they don’t, we’ll need to fight to the bitter end. Any questions?”
No one spoke. They all wore serious and determined expressions.
“Then let’s begin to gear up,” Juan said. “We leave the Oregon an hour before midnight.”
SIXTY-SIX
SYDNEY
From his perch on the Centaurus’s bridge, Polk should have been enjoying the New Year’s Eve light show. It had begun at 9:30 p.m. with a minor fireworks show for children who couldn’t stay up until midnight, followed by the Harbour of Light Parade in which boats strung with colorful lights sailed through the harbor.
Instead, he continued to regularly phone and text his wife. She hadn’t responded since her last voicemail to him, and now he was beyond worried. All contact with the Marauder had ceased. He feared some kind of catastrophic accident with the plasma cannon.
Polk considered calling off the rocket launch, but he would feel foolish for aborting the mission if he found out later that the trimaran had a simple communications malfunction. He trusted that Jin would be true to her word and arrive before dawn to celebrate their newfound riches with him.
It was nearing 11:30 p.m. Time to prep for the launch. He pressed the buttons that activated the huge doors that covered cargo bays three and four, the ones closest to the bridge. They folded up to reveal two cavernous openings. From this vantage point, he couldn’t see the holds’ contents, but he knew what was inside.
Each bay held one hundred and forty-nine rockets loaded into vertical tubes. The individual rockets would be guided by inertial navigation systems and GPS signals to their detonation points over Sydney. They were spaced out to cover the maximum area when they exploded, dispersing the Enervum into the air. There was almost no wind tonight, so the gas would achieve its maximum effectiveness. Only the most outlying suburbs of the city would be spared.
Since the Centaurus would be at the epicenter of the attack, Polk and his men would need protection from the gas. A full-face mask dangled at Polk’s waist, as it did for each of the mercenaries on the ship.
Sydney’s vessel tracking system cameras would record the launch from the Centaurus, leaving no doubt about the origin of the attack. Thanks to some anonymous tips from Jin and Polk, news sites around the world would have the basic story by January first, providing the key words they needed to unlock their money.
He just wished he could share this moment with his wife. The lack of contact with Jin continued to gnaw at him. He looked at the security chief.
“Make sure everyone is armed at all times,” Polk said. “We can’t take any chances from this point forward. If any boats approach between now and midnight, kill everyone aboard.”
“Yes, sir.”
Polk picked up a thick metal case, set it on the console, and opened it. Inside was the control panel, with buttons and switches labeled in both Swedish and English. Embedded in the case’s lid was a large touch screen. Above it was “MR-76 Launch System.”
The case controlled the Swedish-made rockets, wirelessly connected to the launch system hidden in the cargo bay.
Polk removed a key from the chain around his neck. He inserted it into a keyhole marked with three settings. OFF, TIMER, and ACTIVE. OFF meant the rockets were inert, TIMER was for a countdown launch, and ACTIVE allowed him to press the red LAUNCH button, firing the rockets immediately.
He turned the key to TIMER. The touch screen lit up. He tapped on the screen to enter the countdown, synchronizing the timer with his watch so that the rockets would ignite at exactly midnight. Then he selected LOCK OUT ALL CHANGES. Now only the countdown timer appeared.
Thirty minutes to go.