Marauder (Oregon Files 15)

He’d brought the Oregon back to Malaysia to complete the outfitting that had been abruptly paused before Christmas week. The crew finally got the well-deserved holiday vacations they’d been denied, and he’d had time to bring the ship up to full operational status.

The day was hot and humid, but at least the blazing sun wasn’t cooking him as he completed his tour by walking the deck. An enormous construction shed covered the ship to protect the workers from the elements while they were making repairs to damage caused by the Marauder. It also meant the ship wasn’t exposed to any prying eyes from the outside.

The work was now complete. All systems were in place, a full load of ammunition was aboard, and the weapons and tech were fully upgraded and ready for battle.

Juan noticed a familiar face by the port gangway.

“Sylvia,” he said, “I’m glad I saw you before you left. We’re sorry to see you go.”

“Thanks. I appreciate all you’ve done for me. And Murph.”

“You’ve been a valuable part of the team. We couldn’t have done any of it without you. I wish I could convince you to join us.”

She smiled. “That’s a generous offer. I won’t rule it out completely in the future, but not right now.”

“Are you off to the States?”

She nodded. “Thanks to the money we recovered, my research has now been fully funded for the next three years. I should be able to get it back to where it was within six months.”

When Juan knew he had access to the account Lu had left to Jin and Polk, he’d pulled some strings with the Senators whose families the Oregon crew had saved in Bali. With Overholt’s assistance, they cleverly leaked information about the Centaurus and Enervum gas. News organizations around the world had carried stories about the botched terrorist attack on Sydney during the New Year’s Eve celebration. Lu had been shrewd in setting up his plan, but he never thought to stop the payout if the articles included the word “failed.”

Not only did the key words unlock the money but they also set in motion a series of events that would have led the Chinese government to send a million of its citizens to Australia if they had really been needed. But with the attack unfulfilled, the Chinese government had to strenuously disavow any involvement with Lu’s scheme, driving the Australians to even closer ties with their western allies.

The vast sum of cash had been divvied up among Sylvia’s research, a compensation fund for the families of those killed by Lu, Jin, and Polk, and a bonus for the Corporation that substantially fattened their retirement accounts and paid for all of the Oregon’s needs.

“Will we be seeing you again?” Juan asked.

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” a voice called out from behind him.

“You don’t,” Sylvia yelled back.

Murph skated up to them on his board and kicked it into his hand. His hair was as untamed as ever, and he was back in his uniform of black jeans and T-shirt. This one had been given to him by Sylvia. It read WORLD’S OKAYEST BROTHER. His recovery had taken a bit longer than Eric and Linc’s because he’d been paralyzed for a greater period of time, but he’d gotten back on his skateboard as soon as Doc Huxley had allowed it.

“I thought you were gone already,” Murph said. “I said good-bye to you fifteen minutes ago.”

“I’ll miss you, too, you goofball. But I’m waiting to say good-bye to someone else.”

She smiled, and Juan turned to see Eric walking toward them in his button-down and khakis, beaming as he looked at Sylvia.

Murph rolled his eyes at Eric’s mooning.

“Chairman,” Eric said, “everything is ready for our departure.”

“Thanks, Stoney. Sylvia, it’s been a pleasure. I’m sure you won’t be a stranger.”

“Not at all. I have lots of reasons to come back.” She planted a big kiss

on Eric, probably to freak out her brother, which apparently worked.

“Oh, that’s disgusting,” he said, throwing down his skateboard. “I’ll see you in the op center after I go throw up.” He skated off as fast as he could.

Juan’s phone rang. It was Max.

“What’s up?”

“I need to see you down in the boardroom before we head out.”

“On my way.” He hung up. “I’ll be going, too. Stoney, don’t take too long.” He winked, and Eric blushed. When Juan walked away, he still had Sylvia in his arms.