21

Ianto asked, "Where are we going?"

"The hijackers say they have planted bombs on the ship. I and a few other officers who have managed to get away are looking for them." the man answered.

Jack said, "They're taking the passengers outside on the decks. My guess is they are going to start shooting a few at a time. Do you have any guns on board bigger than these pistols?"

"Yes. There are four high powered rifles on each of the life boats."

Ianto said, "Ideally, it would be better if we could get off the ship in order to line up some shots."

Jack thought that sounded like a good idea. He looked at the officer. "Any chance of dropping a life boat?"

An American dressed as a crew member appeared in the doorway and said, "The first officer told me to tell you they are moving passengers to the outside by the railings on Decks Eleven and Six."

Jack asked, "All the way around the ship?"

"On the port side. There aren't enough hijackers to guard all the way around."

Ianto asked, "How many are there?"

"The officers are not sure, maybe a dozen or so. There could be more. They were among the crew. I think you can trust all officers. Be careful of crew."

"Including you?" Jack asked with his eyebrows raised.

"No, sir. I'm not a crew member. I'm a fire-fighter. I borrowed this jacket from my room steward when he came to wake us."

"Do the officers know about us?"

"Yes, sir. They don't know who you are but they know that you figured out how to get the guns and that you must be military."

"Are you armed?"

"No, sir."

Ianto handed him one of his weapons and a couple of clips of ammo. Jack said to the officer, "Can you drop a lifeboat on the starboard side, someplace in the vicinity of the tender port?"

He gave Jack a sceptical look, shrugged and said, "I can try."

Jack asked, "Where's the key to the gun box on the lifeboat?"

"Under the life jacket box by the steering console."

"If we keep going down these stairs can we get to the tender port?"

"Yes. Go all the way down and then forward. There's a catwalk."

Ianto asked, "Will we be able to start the motor?"

"Lifeboat motors are never locked and they are always fuelled and ready. Just flip the switch and go."

Jack said, "Don't forget, I have the captain's cell phone. Do you know the number?"

"Yes."

"Send me a text message to let me know when you drop the boat."

The officer said, "Okay," and started up the stairs toward the lifeboat deck. Jack and Ianto headed down the stairs. The fire-fighter asked them if they wanted him to go

with them. Ianto asked, "Can you shoot a rifle?"

"No."

Jack asked, "Can you drive a boat?"

"No."

"Then go with the people looking for bombs. That's more up a fire-fighter's alley. You'd be no help to us buddy." Jack took off down the stairs, sliding down the railings like a sailor. Ianto followed, getting the hang of ths man's style. The fire-fighter joined the other officers who descended the stairs at a slower pace, sweeping the interior of the ship with flashlights looking for explosives.

Jack and Ianto arrived at the tender port and managed to get it open far enough to slip through. The cell phone vibrated. It was a voice call. The officer said, "I'm lowering the boat. It is calm enough you should be able to jump onto it from the tender port."

At that moment they saw the bottom of the boat pass in front of them. They waited until it was a few feet below them. It slowed but did not stop. Jack jumped onto the top of the vessel and Ianto followed. They both landed on the balls of their feet, knees flexed and their fingers grazing the surface in case they needed to catch their balance. As the boat settled in the water, they flipped the hatch and dropped into the boat. Jack started the engine while Ianto went after the rifles.

Ianto pointed out, "These are good. High powered. 'Scopes. Lots of ammo."

Jack asked, "Can you drive a boat?"

"No. I've never been on a boat before this trip."

"Okay. That means you're in charge of shooting."

"Shooting, I can do."

"Have you ever shot at a person."

Ianto looked at him and said, "I never needed to shoot a person before now, but my training is sufficient that I believe I can do it."

"Okay. Get yourself situated."

He swung the boat away from the ship and started to arc around the front of the ship. He sent a text message and tapped in the phone number. A few seconds later, the phone vibrated. He picked it up and said, "Captain Jack Harkness, Ex-USMC, we've got a bit of a situation here."

The voice on the other end of the phone laughed and identified himself as the commander of a Coast Guard vessel, "We just had a call from the Commandant at Flat Holm Island. He told me you were on that ship and that he figured you'd manage to get yourself armed and ready to help. Have you?"

"Yes, sir. I am armed and am sort of in command of a life boat right now. The hijackers are herding the passengers out onto the decks. Presumably they're about to start killing people. My friend here and I propose to shoot at least some of the hijackers."

"Who's your friend?"

Jack laughed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, sir. Let's just say it's a fellow passenger who can shoot a rifle. How far away are you?"

"We're close but the hijackers have threatened to blow up the ship altogether if we don't stay back. We're just beyond the horizon from you, but we don't dare move closer. The Navy's sending in a sub, but it may take it a while to get there. Hold on a minute. The Marine Corps and the Navy want to join the call." After some clicking and dialling tones, the Coast Guard came back on the line and introduced a Navy officer on a submarine and a Marine officer.

The Marine said, "Jesus Christ, Jack, can't you even go on vacation without getting into combat."

"Evidently not, Sir." Jack smiled as he recognised a good man he had once served with.

"What's your situation?"

"Hijackers have taken over the ship. They supposedly have planted bombs. They are armed with simple rifles. We don't know how many there are. They were masquerading as crew. There could be a slew of them."

"You have weapons?"

"I have two hand guns and four high powered rifles. I also have a partner who says he knows how to shoot the rifles. I'm driving the boat."

"What boat?"

"A life boat."

The Naval officer laughed, "Leave it to a Marine to figure out how to steal a fucking lifeboat in the middle of an emergency."

Jack said, "Special ops training taught me to utilize whatever resources may be available. I'm simply doing the necessary."

"Excuse me, Captain Harkness, did you mention that your shooter is civilian?"

"Yes, Sir. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how to drive a boat, so I'm going to have to take his word that he can shoot."

"Is he military?"

"Ah, no, Sir but he has had training in another field. I think we don't have time to get into that. How long do you think it will be before the sub gets here?"

"Maybe half an hour. They're bringing a bomb team complete with dogs."

"Tell them to enter through the tender port on the starboard side. The hijackers have the passengers outside on the port side."

Ianto yelled, "I just heard two gunshots and now screaming."