Chapter 20

--I can't see a thing.--

--I'm about to plunge to my death.--

-Shut up, you two!--

The three of us were hanging, upside down, to the ceiling of the port's central office. According to Sam, it wasn't the primary control office, but a kind of little brother, so security would be less tight here, and there would be fewer people around. We were now trying to follow Philip, who was attempting to navigate us towards the door, so that he could find somewhere to demorph.

--Right, this is taking forever with the three of us,-- he said. --Maggie, you stay here, get ready to keep a look out over this office. Ferdie, you're with me. Keep an eye on the hallway.--

--I thought you weren't allowed to give orders,-- I muttered.

--Yeah, well, I think the situation's changed in the last few days,-- he said grimly. --Since getting abducted.--

--Yeah, well, just so you know, there's no way this is going to work,-- I said, dropping any trace of optimism I thought I had.

--It is going to work,-- he said. --You see if it doesn't.-- Ah. Just like the old Philip. He powered up his wings. --Come on, Ferdie - it's going to take us hours to crawl over to the door.--

We buzzed over to the door. Now that I was beginning to learn to use the wasp's brain, I was finding the bugs' eyesight much more easy to use. It was great at seeing movement. Movement that would have been too quick for a human to see - like a person's hand trying to swipe me - was like a slow motion movie to my wasp's eyes.

"Damn wasps," muttered a woman below me. "Thought they'd disappeared by now."

I kept out of the way of her enormous hand easily, buzzing along behind Philip. I could just make the huge door frame - a rectangular hole the size of a valley. Philip zipped through, and entered the toilet.

--Keep a look out, Ferd,-- I heard him say. --The last thing I want is anyone coming in when I'm in mid morph.--

I stayed back and waited for him to demorph, clinging effortlessly to the wall. I tried to keep a lookout down the corridor, but, to be honest, the wasp's eyes were so bad at long range vision, I had no idea what I was looking at.

--Everything all right out there, Ferdie?-- I heard Philip say.

--Err, yeah, absolutely,-- I replied.

--Good. I'm about to cross the line back to normal speak so I'll still be able to hear you but won't be able to respond in thought-speak. Keep me updated if anyone comes along, ok?--

--Yeah, sure,-- I said.

After a couple of minutes, the cubical door opened, and a large shape which I assumed was Philip, crept out. Luckily - and rather bizarrely - the place was very quiet. Hardly anyone milling about. Philip walked swiftly down the corridor, looking completely out of place in his morphing outfit, but his thick socks muffling the sound of his footsteps. Then, having located the fire alarm, he punched the little glass window of the alarm, and pushed the button. Immediately, my wasp body tensed. A loud, droning sound echoed around me.

--Philip!-- I shouted. --Get out of sight!--

Philip ran back into the toilet cubicle, whilst the two office workers walked non concerned out of the room.

"If it's another damn terrorist bomb threat, I'm handing in my resignation tomorrow," muttered one of them. "I can't work under that kind of risk…"

"Well, they have to take them seriously, nowadays, Jim. What with the seventh of July and all…" I heard the woman say as they disappeared down the stairs.

--This is going way too smoothly,-- said Maggie from inside the office room. I buzzed inside and landed upside down on the ceiling. From somewhere below, I could smell a jam sandwich. As I'm sure any regular picnicker will know, wasps adore jam sandwiches and anything sweet. It took all of my mental will power to stop myself from flying down and lapping it up.

"Idiots," I heard Philip mutter somewhere below me.

--What?-- I asked.

"They haven't even bothered to lock their computers. Screensavers aren't on yet, either. I can just sit down and go straight in. Sheesh, the security in this place. To think this is an international port.--

I heard Philip tapping away below me. I had no idea what he was up to, or if he was getting anywhere.

--Everything all right in there?-- I heard Sam ask, her thought-speak faint from the distance and almost indistinguishable above the droning of the fire alarm.

"Dammit!" exclaimed Philip. "You made me lose my concentration!"

--Sorry!-- said Sam. Crows must have good hearing.

-Dammit it, Sam! You did it again! Everyone - shut up! I'm trying to override this password."

--Temper, temper,-- I said privately to Sam and Maggie. Sam giggled nervously.

After a few minutes, Philip seemed to be making some progress.

--You getting anywhere?-- asked Sam? --Only, a load of people came out the building a while ago, but they're beginning to make their way back in now.--

"Yeah…just about there," said Philip. I heard a few more seconds tapping, then,

"Ok, guys, I've found one. The HMS Hertford, a British naval aircraft carrier, is currently headed on a trajectory towards New York City. Set off at oh-nine-hundred hours this morning. That's AM, Ferdie. 9 o clock this morning."

--I know what nine hundred hours means,-- I huffed.

He ran us through a list of bearings and a load of other technical mumbo-jumbo, most of wish I didn't understand.

"Which," he continued, "probably puts it about a hundred miles off the south coast of Ireland."

--When's it due to arrive in New York?-- asked Sam

"Estimated time of arrival: sixty hours from now. Scheduled to carry out some task two-thousand miles out to sea."

--What kind of task?-- asked Sam

"Classified," replied Philip. "Thought it might be." He paused, and I heard a little more tapping. "Anyway. Captain's a guy named Commander Lort-Strelitz. Looks a bit like James Bond."

--Brosnan or Connery?-- I asked.

"Roger Moore, now that you mention it," he said.

--Controller?--

"How should I -"

But yet again, one of my friends had been cut off, due to a cruel twist of fate.

Two large shapes could be seen entering the door, coming to a stop in front of Philip.

--Well! Ten minutes in, and already the plan's going to the dogs!-- I chirped. --Took a little longer than I expected, but, hey.--