• • • • •

It was nearly half an hour later when Flynn arrived on the bridge. In the intervening time the six other men present conversed infrequently, and always in voices too low for Jake to be able to make out what they were saying. When Flynn entered, letting himself in with his own key, the men fell silent instantly.

“Mr Noah, congratulations.” Flynn spoke—and strode—with authority and none of the humility he had shown in the theatre. He had the air of a man very much in charge and in control. “You played your role better than I could have hoped. I was afraid you would have dropped the gun as soon as Gunter put it in your hands. But no! You stood there in the window, for hundreds of people to witness. And then you put up no fight when I sent Jonas and Aki here to restrain you, perfect!”

Jake’s head was reeling, trying to process what Flynn had just said, the implications of his words.

“Gunter? He tried to shoot you…I don’t understand. Why…how…” He couldn’t articulate everything he was thinking.

“Gunter didn’t try and shoot me, he actually shot me. Perfectly, I might add.” He nodded an acknowledgement at the blonde man, who smiled in response. “Not easy to hit a moving target in exactly the right spot, but Gunter is a bit of a sharp shooter. He avoided any major blood vessels, and the bone. Just took a nick out of my shoulder. Like I said, it all went better than I had hoped.”

“You set this whole thing up?” Jake asked, still not sure he understood.

“Hey boys? I think he’s getting it! Yes Jakey, I set it up.”

“But why? Melvin would have won that election hands down. He was a pain in the arse, but he meant well and he gave a reasonable speech. The other guy looked like a loser?”

“Of course Melvin would have won. That’s why he had to die. And the other guy, well obviously he had to go. And now you’re out of the picture too.”

“This was all about getting the captain’s chair?”

“You’re not very bright, are you son? Yes, this was about getting the chair.”

“Why didn’t you just stand against Melvin?”

“Do I really have to lay it out for you?”

“Not really,” Jake said, wondering if he would regret his next words. “I mean, you’re going to kill me, aren’t you? So you don’t have to explain anything.”

“Wow, son of a bitch, you really don’t get it, do you? I can’t kill you! You made me a hero. Take yourself out of your own tiny little head for just a second, and put yourself in the seat of one of those sorry ass passengers back in that theatre. I know this might be difficult for you, you being a bit dumb and all, but just try, okay? So, sorry ass passenger sees some innocent old guy get shot. Then the shooter tries to get Melvin but misses. I dive in to try and save him, and take the bullet. Tragically, Melvin still dies. Loose end, see? Can’t have loose ends. So now I’m a hero for taking the bullet. And then, to cap it off, I catch the gunman. That’s you, dumbo. And to show I’m a caring human being, I don’t execute you on the spot, even though you deserve it. Instead I will arrange a suitable punishment.”

“Great, so you’re a hero, you get elected captain, and two people are dead. I still don’t understand why you didn’t just stand for election. You could have won without killing anyone.”

“Elected captain? I wasn’t just elected captain. I’ve been given the biggest mandate to run this ship in any way I see fit. I was given a standing ovation. They chanted my name. I’m the people’s hero! And the only two people who could have challenged me are out of the picture. One is dead, and the other is guilty of a double homicide. Now there is nobody to question the orders I give. Apart from these guys and a few more of my disciples. But they understand that I am on a God given mission. They are faithful to the cause.”

“Where’s Lucya?” Jake didn’t want to listen to any more of this.

“Your girlfriend is safe. I won’t be harming a hair on her pretty little head, don’t you worry. I need her for the next phase.”

“What phase? What are you going to do to her?” Jake began to struggle in his seat, tried to wriggle free. He couldn’t move an inch.

“The next phase is the breeding,” Flynn said, and walked away.

Forty-Nine

LUCYA OPENED HER eyes. It made no difference, she couldn’t see a thing. She could have been anywhere, could even have been dead. The pain throbbing in the side of her head made her think otherwise though. She had no idea what had happened to her. One minute she was leaving Jake’s cabin, the next, here she was.

She shook her head from side to side, as if doing so might shake out the fog of unconsciousness that lingered within, clouding her senses. Instead it just sent an explosion of pain through her skull. She screamed, but no sound came out. Something was holding her mouth closed. Duct tape? Whatever it was it held fast. She breathed deeply through her nose and waited for the pain to subside a little. Collecting her thoughts, she tried to gauge her position. She was sitting, that much she could tell, but that was about all. Tentatively, she tried to move her hands. They were behind her back, and wouldn’t budge. Something was digging into her wrists. The more she tried to pull free, the tighter it got. She tried to mover her feet. Exactly the same thing happened. She attempted to stand, but discovered that her legs had been bound to whatever it was she was sitting on.

Realising that moving was not an option, Lucya changed tack. Any attempt at movement only served to tighten her bindings, cause pain, and use energy. She had to use her head. Her first task was to try and figure out where she was on the ship. Remaining perfectly still and silent, she listened hard for anything that might give her a clue. There were no sounds from the immediate surroundings. There could have been other people here, but they would have to be breathing very quietly not to be heard. The only noise wasn’t so much a noise, more a vibration. The throbbing of the engines idling at the bottom of the ship. Spending so long at sea, Lucya never normally noticed these vibrations or the noise as the ship cruised the world. It was always there in the background, like wallpaper. Too familiar to be remarkable. But that didn’t mean she didn’t hear or feel it. Unconsciously, those tiny pulsations were always being picked up by her senses, all the time. Everywhere she went, her brain was recording all sensory inputs. And so it was without any effort at all that Lucya instinctively knew from the intensity of the engine vibration that she was on deck nine. Deck nine comprised almost entirely of staterooms. Mostly the larger, more plush suites for those with substantial financial means. Aside from these cabins there were a few cleaning stores, and some technical rooms for accessing systems such as plumbing and heating. She had seen inside the cleaning stores and they were tiny, packed full of linen and cleaning products, so she deduced that she had to be in a cabin. All of the cabins on this deck had balconies. Even the inside cabins had balconies, they overlooked the Palm Plaza. Lucya smiled inwardly. Balconies were potential escape routes. There was hope.

Fifty

FLYNN HAD TAKEN up residence in the captain’s chair. He was looking out to sea.

“Get me someone who can drive this thing,” he yelled.

Jonas and Aki, the two heavies who had escorted Jake to the bridge, headed for the door.

“And a navigator. We need a navigator,” Flynn called after them before they were through it.