Chapter 4 - The Ghost Boarding
The conspiracy was much deeper than a single corrupt officer hoarding rations on a Navy vessel.
If the Captain was involved, the entire command structure of the Resolute was completely compromised and acting as a rogue unit.
I took control of the zodiac's steering column and pushed the throttle forward, turning the small craft back toward the massive warship.
The night had fallen completely, giving me the perfect cover of darkness to close the miles between us without being detected.
The Resolute was a floating fortress of gray steel, but I knew every blind spot on her hull from my interdiction training.
I cut the engine a few hundred yards out, allowing the dark ocean currents to carry the small boat toward the stern.
I grabbed the grappling hook from the zodiac's emergency kit and threw it silently toward a low hanging maintenance ladder.
The metal prongs caught the steel grating with a soft clink, holding firm as I tested my weight against the thick black rope.
I abandoned the rubber boat and began the agonizing climb up the side of the ship, my wet muscles screaming in protest.
I slipped through an unlocked exhaust vent, dropping quietly into the dark and oily corridors of the lower engineering levels.
I needed to get to Deck Four to retrieve my evidence and figure out exactly what Kane and the Captain were hiding.
I moved like a ghost through the shadows, bypassing the automated security cameras by crawling through the overhead ventilation shafts.
The temperature dropped noticeably as I descended the final stairwell toward the heavily restricted storage sector.
The massive steel blast doors leading to Deck Four were completely sealed, but the electronic keypad had been hastily left unlocked.
I pulled the heavy latch downward, wincing as the rusted metal groaned loudly in the silent, empty corridor.
I stepped into the dim light of the storage deck, keeping my stolen pistol raised and ready for any sudden movement.
Before my eyes could adjust to the darkness, I felt the cold, hard steel of a gun barrel press directly against the back of my head.
"Drop the weapon, or I swear I will blow your brains out right here," a shaking voice whispered in the dark.
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I froze completely, my finger hovering over the trigger as I recognized the terrified voice behind me.
It was the young signalman I had tried to save from dehydration on the flight deck just hours before.
