Chapter Twenty-Five

The Katana slowed to a sedate pace as it neared the Dradle Industries fleet. Bobbing in the bay, the Messernacht and Oxothor were pointed out to sea, ready to engage any enemy that showed up. Beyond them was the Callaghan. On the rear of the hospital ship sat the Seahawk helicopter that had carried the wounded Lisa. Ramius surveyed the scene, his mind turning over the events that had taken place. The screen beside him flickered and the image of Jordan appeared. "Welcome back Katana," he said. "Glad to see you."

"Same here," replied Ramius, exhausted. "How's Lisa?"

"Surgeons finished about ten minutes ago. She's going to be fine."

Ramius sighed in relief. "Beautiful. What about the Dark Trident?"

"The signal disappeared from our scanners about twenty minutes ago. We have to assume that the Big T is down."

Ramius swore. "Right then. We'd better get moving. No telling how long it will be before Global Anarchy finds us."

"True. I'll give the orders to get underway."Then, Jordan did something very odd. Very swiftly, he blinked twice. It was a lightning fast move, but Ramius caught on to it. He breathed a curse, and then cut the screen. "About turn!" he screamed. "Get us out of here!" The Katana slammed into a starboard turn, accelerating as the hydro-jets spun up to full power. But it was too late.

Abruptly, the sea to the stern of the Katana flickered, pixelated. Then, with a thud, a ship decloaked. However, this was not the Dark Trident. This ship was darker, bristling with cannon and missiles. This was the Maquina, the flagship of the Mexican. A Stalin-class battleship, it had been purchased by the Mexican as a heavy-hitter escort for his various activities. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the Maquina was truly a force to be reckoned with.

The screen flicked back to life. This time however, Jordan was gone. Instead was the image of Tranous. "Welcome back Mr Manor," he said pleasantly. "If you'll be so kind as to shut down your engines."

Ramius glared out at the battleship that blocked his path. "Ignore him," he shouted to his crew. The Katana continued to close the gap. Finally, the Maquina responded. Cannons indexed around to bear on the Oxothor. With a roar, the side of the Maquina turned to fire as the cannons blazed. The Oxothor wasn't just destroyed, it was annihilated. Tranous spoke again. "Stop your engines or the hospital ship is next."

Ramius slowly turned to the helm. "All stop." The Katana slowly drifted to a halt as the hydrofoils appeared on the horizon. Around the headlands, and from within the various inlets, the fleet of Global Anarchy emerged. The frigates, the freighters, the massive helicopter carriers; all emerged as the trap closed on the Dradle Industries fleet. And all Ramius could do was watch as Zodiacs cruised up to his vessel. From one inflatable, a number of soldiers climbed aboard. A minute later, the bridge door was flung open as a G.A officer stormed in and slammed a rifle butt into his face, knocking him out.

An hour later, Ramius was thrown roughly out of a truck. As his blindfold was removed, he observed the scene in front of him. He was on a cliff, approximately forty metres above the water. Waiting there was Scott Tranous. Beside him was Jordan. All around them were G.A. troopers, leaning against their trucks and motorcycles. Out on the water, the Global Anarchy fleet was heading out to sea. Only five ships remained; four of the hydrofoils were guarding the Katana and Messernacht, ready to open fire if either attempted an escape. The Callaghan sat unopposed. The Maquina sat across the bay, ready to engage any vessel entering the bay. Ramius observed this scene, and sighed. "So I assume that Jordan and I are going to be dealt with then?"

Tranous nodded. "Of course. I can't leave you both to interfere with our plans again."

"But I'm hungry," grumbled Jordan. "I can't go into the great beyond hungry. I won't enjoy it."

Ramius snorted with laughter. Tranous merely scowled. "You two destroyed years of planning, months of logistics. Millions of dollars worth of equipment. All I wanted was a better world. Is that so much to ask?"

Ramius looked the terrorist leader in the eye. "I like my planet anarchy free, if you don't mind."

Tranous closed his eyes briefly. "Well gentlemen, the world will have to go on without you." He drew his sword. "Goodbye."

"One question," Ramius said quickly. "What will happen to Lisa?"

Tranous gazed at Ramius. "She will be our prisoner, until we find a use for her."

Ramius nodded slowly. "I only ask that you do not harm her."

"Same here," interjected Jordan

Tranous smiled slightly. "I respect you both as warriors, Jordan Junicol and Ramius Manor. As such, I will not harm the girl. However, this is where our association with each other ends"

Ramius and Jordan nodded. Scott lifted his sword high in the air. The sun glinted off the blade as the light hit it.

Then, like lightning, Tranous brought down the sword.