“Got a nice ride, don’t I?”
“Stop bragging.”
“Where are my ships?”
“They just headed to the Bahamas for a vacation.”
“Funny. I’m sure they’ll have a lovely view of the UAE navy.”
“C’mon, let’s go.”
From his vantage point on the pier, Richard surveyed the three cruise ships that would bring the invasion force to the shores of California. Each ship housed roughly three thousand human troops and a thousand Hal robots ready to take the UAE by surprise. Each vessel also carried fleets of drone ships controlled by Hal. Richard was certain they could take California in less than a week and push their way east to The Pulse Zone.
“General Dupree, sir, are you ready to embark?” A gray-haired general stood at attention and snapped a smart salute.
Richard returned the symbolic gesture. “Yes, General Bedford, permission to come aboard?”
“Permission granted, sir.”
Richard and Max followed the general up the ramp to the quarter deck. Richard tried hard not to let the attention of his arrival go straight to his head. Captains and lieutenants shouted “Attention, officer on deck!” when Richard moved from one part of the ship to the next. Max and Richard made it to the ship’s bridge where they were greeted by the captain of the vessel, Lt. Commander Konkoly.
“General Dupree, it’s an honor you chose the Freedom of the Seas as the flagship for this invasion. Thank you, sir.”
Max was confused. “Flagship?”
The captain looked surprised. “The presence of the most senior officer designates this as the task force’s flagship.”
“Ah, I see.”
The captain continued. “Sir, we will be underway in just under ten minutes. Once the other captains give the green light, we’re headed to California.”
“Carry on, Captain.”
“Aye, sir.”
A few minutes later, the comm officer reported all ships ready to get underway.
Captain Konkoly announced, “Helm, once we are clear of the harbor, make best speed to San Francisco.”
“Aye, sir. I estimate forty-one hours to San Francisco at twenty-two knots.”
“Gentlemen, would you care to join me in my quarters for a drink? This is cause for celebration.”
“Lead the way, please,” Richard said.
“XO, you have deck and the conn.”
“Aye sir, XO has the deck and the conn,” answered the XO.
A few short minutes later, the three men were seated in the captain’s massive quarters.
“I must say, Mr. Konkoly, your quarters are freaking huge,” Max said as he rested his cane against a table.
“Tell me about it. This place is twice as big as my house. If it wouldn’t be considered fraternization, I’d have twenty people living in here with me.”
“Captain, command does have its privileges. Enjoy it.”
“Is that an order, General?”
“Only a suggestion.”
“General, if I may, how much resistance do you expect on the shores?”
“If Hal is right - and I’ve never known him to be otherwise - practically none. We should be able to spill right into the streets of San Francisco and knock on Jimenez’s front door.”
“I’d love to see the look on his face,” said Max. “Gonna take him prisoner or just shoot him on the spot?”
“I’m gonna pull the trigger myself.” Richard stood and nodded to Max, who took the signal and grabbed his cane. “Captain, thank you for the drink. Max and I have much to discuss, and it’s getting late.”
Captain Konkoly rose and shook their hands. “Thank you. It’s an honor to meet you both.”
Richard marched from the room and turned to find Max lagging several paces behind. “Leg not getting any better?”
“Worse.”
“Go to bed, Max. We can talk in the morning. We have the better part of two days on this luxury liner.”
“I think I’ll convince my wife that this is our honeymoon.”
“Good idea.”
Max and Elizabeth were shaken from their slumber at 2:45 a.m. as a loud explosion rocked the boat.”
“Son of a bitch! What the hell is going on?”
Elizabeth was tossed violently to the floor as the room tilted thirty degrees. “Max! I’m scared! Something is very wrong!”
“Something hit us. I’ve got to find Richard.”
Richard was no stranger to boats, given his years as a Navy SEAL, so he knew the ship was under attack.
“Hal, goddammit! You said our path was clear! What the hell is going on?”
“Sir, we are under fire from an unknown location. I cannot detect the projectiles before they hit the ship.”
“How in the hell is that possible?”
“Unknown, sir.”
“Max and Elizabeth?”
“Sir, Elizabeth is safe in her quarters. Max is on his way to yours; I suggest you head back to meet him.”
As Richard turned, he caught a glimpse of Max at the other end of the hallway. “Max! Stop! I’ll come to you! Just hold on!”
“What the fuck is going on?” The question was quickly consumed by the deafening roar of alarms.
“We’re under attack!” Richard yelled, anchoring his arm securely around Max’s shoulders for guidance. “C’mon! We gotta get to the bridge!”
“What’s the status of the vessel?”
“Sir, three direct hits to the bow. She’s going down; nothing will prevent that.”
“Excellent! We can’t have her in the way. Continue firing.”
“Sir, the other two vessels are in range. The lead is closing in on the first.”
“Attempting rescue, I’m sure. Open fire on both vessels.”
“Aye, sir.”
Richard and Max made it to the bridge, only to find that no one had a clue what was happening.”
“Hal! Goddammit! What’s going on?”
“Sir, I’ve launched the drone fleet to investigate. The ship is being struck by torpedoes from an unidentified submarine.”
Captain Konkoly’s eyes reflected his terror. “A sub? The UAE wouldn’t fire on a cruise ship! Why are they doing this?”
“It’s not the UAE! It can’t be. American subs aren’t sophisticated enough to escape Hal’s detection! We have to abandon ship! We’re going down!” screamed Richard.
“Sir, even though the drones are not meant to be submerged, I managed to successfully lower one for two-point-nine seconds before it went offline. I was able to get a reading on the submarine and obtain a proper identification. It’s the Chinese.”
Richard stared in horror at Max and Captain Konkoly. Before they could reply, another torpedo slammed into the side of the boat, one hundred nineteen feet below the bridge. Captain Konkoly was instantly killed from flying glass and debris blown into the bridge. Richard was propelled out the window opposite the captain into the water below. Max was thrown into the back wall, crushing his L2 vertebra.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Charles, you almost killed me, you know,” Jackson said to the mysterious assassin.
“You knew exactly what was going to happen. You were to leave the auditorium when your boss took the stage, but you chose to intervene. I must insist that you explain yourself.”
“Excuse me? You work for me. I’m not accountable to you for a fucking thing!”
“Jackson, please. Let’s not say things we might regret.”
“Oh, yes, my apologies. The last time we met, you killed two of my men for offending your polite sensibilities.”
“I only killed the foul-mouthed one; you killed the other. Don’t blame me for your actions, sir.”
“The two were the closest of friends, and one watched as you beat his buddy half to death. I have no doubt he was going to kill you for that.”