Chapter 10: Fire in the Deep
The alarm blared through the bridge. Red lights flashed, casting eerie shadows across the walls as the countdown ticked lower.
09:57… 09:56… 09:55…
Jasper Hawke didn’t waste time.
He slammed Kane against the control panel, his grip tightening on the wounded arms dealer’s collar. “Shut it down.”
Kane, blood dripping from his shoulder, only grinned. “Not possible.”
Jasper pressed his pistol against the man’s temple. “Try harder.”
Kane exhaled, his breathing ragged. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t. Once the sequence is engaged, this ship is done.”
Evelyn moved beside them, her voice tight. “How much time do we have?”
Jasper glanced at the screen. Nine minutes.
Idris swore under his breath. “That’s not enough to search for a kill switch.”
Jasper already knew that. His mind worked fast, assessing options. They had two choices:
- Find a way to stop the detonation.
- Escape before they went down with the ship.
From Kane’s smug expression, it was clear he had already accepted his fate. He knew there was no stopping it.
Fine. Then survival was the only option.
Jasper spun Kane around, forcing him against the console. “Where’s the fastest way off this ship?”
Kane chuckled, wincing. “You think I’m helping you?”
Jasper leaned in, voice ice-cold. “You’re coming with us.”
Kane’s grin faded. “You wouldn’t—”
Jasper shoved him forward. “Move.”
They burst out of the bridge, racing down the corridor. The ship groaned as the storm battered it, waves crashing over the deck.
Race Against Time
08:30… 08:29… 08:28…
Idris led the way, gripping the railing as the ship lurched violently. “There’s a lifeboat station near the stern.”
Jasper kept a firm hold on Kane, pushing him forward as they navigated the twisting corridors. The crew was in full panic now, abandoning their posts. Some had already taken lifeboats. Others were too busy scrambling for their own survival.
Evelyn covered their flank, rifle raised. “We need to move faster.”
They burst through a hatch onto the open deck.
Wind howled. Rain pelted down in sheets. The sea raged around them, the ship tilting dangerously.
And then—
Gunfire.
Jasper barely had time to react before bullets sprayed across the deck, pinging off metal.
Kane’s remaining men weren’t going down without a fight.
Jasper yanked Kane down as a bullet whizzed past his head. “Stay low!”
Evelyn returned fire, dropping two gunmen near the railing. Idris ducked behind a crate, cursing. “We’re sitting ducks out here!”
Jasper scanned the deck. They were close. A single lifeboat remained, tethered to a winch. Their way out.
“Cover me,” he ordered.
Evelyn nodded, laying down suppressive fire as Jasper sprinted toward the controls.
Bullets ripped through the air. He ignored them.
The ship jolted again, nearly knocking him off his feet. The countdown echoed in his head.
04:52… 04:51… 04:50…
Jasper grabbed the release lever and pulled.
The lifeboat swung free, hitting the water with a violent splash.
“We’re clear! Move!”
Evelyn and Idris made a break for it, firing as they ran. Kane stumbled behind them, blood staining his shirt. Jasper caught his arm, hauling him toward the edge.
More gunmen charged from the other side of the deck.
Too many.
Evelyn took down one. Idris another. But more were coming.
Jasper made a split-second decision. He spun Kane around and slammed the butt of his rifle into his head.
Kane crumpled.
Evelyn blinked. “We need him alive—”
“He’s dead weight.” Jasper lifted the unconscious man and tossed him over the railing—straight into the lifeboat below. “Go!”
They followed, leaping into the boat as more bullets zipped past.
Jasper hit the release.
The ropes snapped free, and they plunged into the raging ocean.
The Final Blow
02:30… 02:29… 02:28…
The ship loomed above them, listing hard to one side. The fire from its lower decks had spread, glowing against the dark storm clouds.
Evelyn gripped the edge of the lifeboat, gasping for breath. “We need to get clear.”
Jasper seized the oars, rowing with all his strength. The waves fought them, but the current pulled them away from the doomed vessel.
01:15… 01:14… 01:13…
The freighter let out a terrible groan, its structure giving way. A massive explosion rocked the hull, fire bursting from its center.
Then—
Detonation.
A deafening roar filled the night as the ship erupted. A fireball shot into the sky, debris raining down into the sea.
The shockwave sent their lifeboat rocking violently. Water crashed over them.
Then—silence.
Jasper lay back, chest heaving. Rain fell softly now, the storm moving past.
Evelyn pushed wet hair from her face. “Tell me that’s the last of it.”
Jasper exhaled. “For now.”
Kane groaned, regaining consciousness. Jasper leaned over, staring down at him.
Kane coughed, giving a weak laugh. “You should’ve let me burn.”
Jasper’s eyes were cold. “You don’t get off that easy.”
Evelyn looked toward the distant lights on the horizon. “Interpol’s waiting. We deliver him, and this whole operation collapses.”
Jasper nodded. “And then we find out who was really pulling the strings.”
Evelyn gave him a sharp look. “You think Kane was just a pawn?”
Jasper glanced at the wreckage of the ship, still smoldering in the distance.
“The people funding this? The people supplying these weapons?” His jaw clenched. “They’re still out there.”
Evelyn was quiet for a moment.
Then she sighed. “Guess that means we’re not done yet.”
Jasper smirked, leaning back against the side of the boat. “Not even close.”
As the first rays of dawn crept over the horizon, the lifeboat drifted toward safety.
For now, the mission was complete.
But Jasper Hawke knew—
The war had only just begun.
