PART V: The Circle Closes

The following morning...
Tuesday, June 13th, 2017

Marseilles, France

09:00 GMT+2 (07:00 GMT June 13th)

OCEAN VIGILANTE

It was a day for those who needed rest, to rest – at least until the operation planned for that night.

For Dave and Mindy, it was heaven to awake in their very own home-from-home. The sun streamed in from starboard and Mindy gently slipped out from under the sheets and she slid open the glass doors which led onto their private, enclosed balcony. The heavily tinted glazing prevented anyone from seeing inside from beyond. Mindy stared out at the beautiful paintwork of CALEDONIA as she stretched her limbs.

"You do know that you're completely naked, don't you?" Dave chuckled as he wrapped his muscular arms around his wife from behind.

"Didn't think you'd mind," Mindy responded coyly as she groaned at every touch of his hands on her body. "I need a shower – you comin'?"

"Is that a double entendre?" Dave asked as he shrugged off his shorts.

"I've no idea," Mindy responded with an evil grin. "But it's fucking hard!"

Dave scooped a giggling, naked Mindy off her feet and carried her into the enormous shower.

A while later...

09:40 GMT+2 (07:40 GMT June 13th)

OCEAN VIGILANTE

"Good morning, Mindy!"

"Morning, Josh."

"You seem to have a spring in your step," Chloe grinned. "Has Dave had you this morning?"

Mindy grinned broadly as she took the coffee Chloe was holding out to her.

"I never fuck and tell."

"That is a truly disgusting comment at this time in the morning," Stephanie complained as she stuffed bacon in her mouth.

"What she said," Anne-Marie agreed.

"Mum was boned by Dad, last night," Becky said proudly.

"Boned?" Willow asked.

"It means to have sexual intercourse or to be fu..." Becky began boldly.

"I know what it means," Willow laughed as Becky grinned and Chloe blushed.

"Hi, guys!" Megan called out as she breezed in with Curtis.

"You need to ease up on that collar, Megan – you can see the marks," Mindy grinned fiendishly as the twelve-year-old girl's face flushed a deep shade of red.

"She wanted to play 'naughty kitty' last night," Curtis muttered.

"Curtis!" Megan exclaimed.

"Oh, Sorry!" Curtis grinned.

"I had to use my spare collar which is a little tight," Megan admitted. "Someone borrowed the one Curtis got me for my birthday."

"That would be me," Shannon grinned as she and Marc appeared. "Marc?"

"Ewww!" Annabelle exclaimed as Marc handed Megan a bright pink leather collar. "That is just so wrong!"

"You cleaned the jizz off it?" Megan asked as she shoved it in her pocket.

"You picked easy-clean leather," Marc quipped.

"I am sickened," Stephanie pointed out as she stood up and stalked off.

"Was it something I said?" Megan grinned.

"Who upset Steph?" Danny asked as he appeared from forward.

"Not me," Anne-Marie responded quickly.

"For a change!" Mindy chuckled.

"I think Megan freaked Steph out with her talk about jizz and her collar," Becky responded. "Why does Megan wear a collar, anyway?"

Annabelle leaned over and she whispered something into Becky's ear. The nine-year-old's eyes bulged and then she got off her chair and marched around to Megan. Megan grinned as Becky looked directly up into her eyes.

"You need help."

Everyone burst out laughing, even Megan.

Just across the water...

09:40 GMT+2 (07:40 GMT June 13th)

CALEDONIA

The same scenes were unfolding aboard CALEDONIA as everyone came awake.

Marinette and Adrien were incredibly surprised to see Yvette willingly take a seat beside Owen who, it had been revealed, had been terribly upset about Yvette getting caught up in the ambush. Maybe that kiss in Paris had kindled some sort of a friendship between them – Marinette hoped so as she so hated the constant bickering and one-upmanship. Everything was relatively calm at the breakfast table until Harper and Rylee appeared, and then everything went very rapidly downhill from there with the assistance of Dakota and Kate who had both opted to act their shoe size rather than the ages they actually were! Rachel and Alya who were cooking and preparing the breakfast, simply ignored the goings on as they concentrated on those who were behaving. The boys were in their element as most of the girls – with the exception of Amber – were dressed in extraordinarily little; just enough to allow them to go out in public.

"Craig – leave Olivia's breasts alone and get eating!" Cassie directed as she patrolled the animals.

Olivia groaned as Craig removed his left hand from Olivia's upper regions. Simon, it seemed, decided to get in on the action and he placed a hand on Rylee's left bump. At least that was until Rachel glared at the boy, a sharp bread knife in her right hand as she cut into a loaf of bread, and Simon deftly removed the offending hand from Rylee's chest area.

"Good choice, Simon," Rachel confirmed as Rylee's pink cheeks, reddened a bit. "Happy birthday, by the way."

Simon grinned – he had turned twelve that morning – and Rylee had given the boy an amazing kiss while her left hand had ventured down inside his pyjama trousers. He had even received a kiss from Tanya – although she had not shoved her hand down the front of his pyjamas. There was a small amount of cheering for Simon as Rylee gave him another kiss. Then Harper caused a stir as she inadvertently pointed a knife at Scarlett who then chose to take offence at the action.

"Take that out of my face, you scratty little whelp!" Scarlett growled as she reached up with her right hand and deftly bent the knife backwards with her bionics.

"I never meant...," Harper began as she stared at her now rather useless item of cutlery.

"Oh, Harper!" Tanya grinned.

"I know," Harper grimaced. "Wrong time, wrong place – as usual!"

"Okay, guys and girls!" Cameron called out. "Those of you taking part in tonight's operation, you gear up at five, brief and eat at six, and deploy at nine. Before you go have fun, or go about some depraved activity, ensure you have your kit together – yes, Olivia, that means getting your shit in order before you give your assets to Craig. I also want the defence teams to be ready by five as well. You all know what is at stake. Carry on."

Olivia knew what priorities were important, and despite her desire to have Craig's hands exploring her, she knew that she had responsibilities.

"Craig – can you make sure the twenty-four has a full tank of diesel?" Jasper asked.

"On my way," Craig said as he grabbed Olivia's hand and they both vanished.

"You know that Craig won't just be filling the tank of the RHIB with diesel, don't you?" Cassie chuckled. "He'll be inserting his nozzle somewhere else."

"Hey," replied Jasper defensively. "Just keeping morale up – they'd both sneak off anyway."

"True," Cassie admitted. "Oh, crap! No, Harper! Kaitlin, you little...! Rylee: why would you do that?"

Jasper laughed as Cassie headed off to intervene and disrupt the latest Predator drama.

After breakfast...

10:10 GMT+2 (08:10 GMT June 13th)

OCEAN VIGILANTE

The hot tub was occupied by the Lizewski clan.

By unspoken agreement, everyone stayed well away, allowing Dave, Mindy, Stephanie, Jamie, Danny, and Anne-Marie some much-needed lone family time together. For Mindy, it was an opportunity to soothe her aching body. Anne-Marie had given Mindy a once over as they had slipped into the hot water.

"Do you have a thing for collecting cuts and bruises, Mom?"

"Not really," Mindy admitted. "Shit just finds me."

"That's Stephy's lame excuse," Danny laughed.

"It's not lame," Stephanie stated defensively. "It's the truth."

Dave laughed.

"You two are so much alike," Jamie commented.

Stephanie grinned as she sat next to Mindy with Jamie beside her. Dave sat with the twins on either side of him, Anne-Marie next to Mindy. One of the many things which really annoyed Mindy was that she rarely got to enjoy alone time with her young family. Stephanie also enjoyed spending time with her siblings – even Anne-Marie – and especially with her parents.

"We miss you both when you go away on trips," Anne-Marie admitted, and Danny nodded.

"We actually miss you, too," Mindy said as she gave her youngest daughter a hug. "We talk about you all when we're away."

"You do?" Danny asked.

"Yes," Jamie confirmed. "Steph and Mindy make a point of remembering those who are hundreds or thousands of miles away."

"I didn't know that," Anne-Marie admitted.

"There's a lot you don't know," Stephanie grinned. "Mummy here decided to take us through some strangely named towns and villages..."

Jamie groaned.

"We went through Kissing, Petting, Wank...," Jamie explained.

"Ewww!" Anne-Marie grimaced at that last one.

"Marc and Shannon then got a little carried away when we passed through Fucking," Stephanie advised. "Jen is still really mad about that."

"That is disgusting," Anne-Marie admitted as Danny laughed loudly.

"Then the speed freak decided to take us onto the Stelvio Pass. But Cassie got the better of Mindy and that psychotic woman led the charge around some vicious twists and turns," Stephanie continued. "Then Andrew took us both."

"What would you know about being psychotic?" Jamie grinned.

"Oh, we know about being psychotic!" Mindy and Stephanie said together.

Dave smiled as his family laughed. It was wonderful to see everyone happy. He knew that there was a hell of lot weighing on his wife's mind as she tried to plan everything herself. None of them had the slightest idea how long the operation would last, or if they would even succeed. They had never fought anything on such a scale before, but despite their numbers, they fought for good, and good always prevailed – eventually. As he looked around the hot tub at each member of his family, he worried about what might happen before the operation was over. His wife and oldest daughter had already been in a car crash which could have ended with a lot more than just a few cuts and bruises. There was also the trip into Cambodia which had not exactly gone according to plan, and instead of returning with just their target, they had also returned with two teenage girls. Speaking of whom.

Two scantily clad fourteen-year-old girls appeared up on the sky deck and they froze. Ariana and Freya felt like they were not supposed to be there as they felt like a pair of jackrabbits caught in the headlights on a dark road at night. They knew all who sat in the hot tub and one of the six enjoying the water, gave them both chills and sometimes nightmares.

"Sorry," Freya said as she pulled Ariana back towards the steps leading to the deck below.

"No," Mindy called out. "I'm wrinkling real bad. I need to go sunbathe."

Ariana forced a smile.

..._...

Mindy climbed out of the water, and she chuckled as the two girls moved across to the opposite side of the deck as Mindy walked past.

Stephanie just rolled her eyes as she followed Mindy down onto the deck below where they made their way forward onto the foredeck to where the sun pads and sun seats were located. Naturally, they were already occupied. Chloe lay on her front, the strap of her bikini top undone to allow a more even tan. Beside her lay Mathilda, her own bikini top undone. Sprawled on the sun seats, Megan, Abigail, Saoirse, and Shannon were also taking in the rays.

"Have you no dignity?" Stephanie growled as she spied Abigail sunbathing topless.

"No dignity . . . no boobs either," Abigail responded from behind a set of dark glasses.

Stephanie gave up, knowing that she would never win that argument. However, she scowled as Shannon piped up.

"No dignity – lost that a long time ago . . . but I do have boobs!"

Megan's mouth dropped open as Shannon dropped her bikini top on the deck and lay back to absorb the rays on her bare chest. Mindy laughed. Mathilda got up and asked Mindy to tie her bikini top before she vanished to shower and change. Mindy then laid down on the mat, face down.

"You want your back slathered in factor fifty?" Chloe asked her friend.

"Please, Chloe – I don't want to be toasted."

Chloe reached over and she released Mindy's bikini top before she then squirted on some sun cream.

"Yow!" Mindy exclaimed. "Cold!"

"Quit your bellyaching!" Chloe ordered as she began to massage the cream in. "Pussy!"

Mindy grumbled away while Chloe just laughed as she ignored the grumblings.

That evening...

17:45 GMT+2 (14:45 GMT June 13th)

OCEAN VIGILANTE & CALEDONIA

The fun was over, and the operation was due to begin.

Everyone aboard was getting changed, whether they were directly involved in that night's mission or not. Everyone would be wearing an FCCSv2 with those remaining onboard the two yachts covering up their suits with civilian clothing and with no mask.

Sixteen were going into harm's way that night and they were getting fully kitted out with body armour and weapons. All would be masked, and all would be wearing full body armour along with head protection. On both vessels, everyone gathered in the main saloons to grab some food from the buffets and await the joint briefings which would be delivered by a secure directional microwave video link connecting the two vessels. There was a full emissions blackout in operation around both vessels to avoid any chance of eavesdropping, incidental or otherwise.

At 18:00 the giant video screens on both vessels came to life and the commanders of Fusion and Vengeance stepped forward with Mindy starting the briefing.

"This is a crucial operation to take down two key supporters of the Axis of Evil, and hopefully obtain some major intelligence. We take out this couple, we will seriously upset the flow of cash throughout the Axis of Evil. I expect everyone to give their best. But I also expect everyone to come back alive. Those not on the assault will be detailed to defend these vessels which is just as crucial a task. Now, I will handover to Cameron for the main briefing."

The two TV screens changed to show the layout and schematic of a large yacht as well as a small image of Cameron which was shown upon the TV screen on OCEAN VIGILANTE.

"This is Comète. She is a French registered superyacht currently moored a little over three nautical miles to the south-west of where we are right now. The yacht is massive. She is rated at 2,293 tonnes and with a length of 247 feet, she is ninety-two feet longer than Mindy's toy – sorry, Mindy – with a beam of some forty or so feet and a draft of just under twelve feet. The yacht has seven decks, two of which are merely platforms, and was built last year in Germany and she operates with a standard crew of twenty-two. There are expected to be twelve guests aboard, plus the marks, along with approximately eighteen security detail personnel. As you can see, she is of a radically different hull form to what we are used to seeing. She is also fitted with a heli-pad which we believe to be equipped with a Bell 429 helicopter which is currently aboard."

The image on the TV screens changed to show three-dimensional renderings of the head and upper torsos of both a man and a woman.

"Our targets for tonight, are this man and this woman. They are Séverin Coulomb and his wife Marie-Claire. They are to be taken out in anyway necessary. Collateral damage is authorised but do not go out of your way to take down the crew or the other passengers. At this moment, we are unsure of who else may be aboard, so take care. Where possible, stealth is to be utilised for boarding, executing the targets, and then extracting."

The image on the TV screens changed again, this time to show an electronic nautical chart.

"We will be making use of the Pacific 24 RHIBs, one of which is in each boat garage. Each will hold six for the assault and two crew members. There will be a five-point-nine nautical mile transit to the south and then around the south end of the Pomègues island before coming up into the Baie du Grand Soufre. There the assault teams will board the Comète at the stern on the lower deck and carry out the mission while the two RHIBs keep out of sight in the darkness. Each RHIB will be equipped with single Minimi machine gun on a mount in the bow. Egress will be to the north around the southern tip of Ile Ratonneau, here.

"The assault teams know who they are, but for all present, they are as follows. Romeo Oscar One will consist of Hit Girl, Shadow, Stormtide, Foxtail, Rampart, and Wildcat. They will be transported by Romeo Oscar crewed by Kick-Ass and Trojan. Romeo Charlie One will consist of Nemesis, Stripe, Ajax, Intrepid, Resolute, and Arbiter. They will be transported by Romeo Charlie crewed by Sleuth and Termino. Defensive teams are as follows. Aboard Ocean Vigilante will be Delta Oscar: Tempest, Splinter, Rage, Hellcat, Tigercat, and Songbird. Aboard Caledonia will be Delta Charlie: La Terreaur, Polaris, Noxa, Custos, Necis, and Glide.

"If all goes well, we will depart Marseille at oh nine hundred. If things go wrong, then the bridge crews aboard both vessels are prepared to leave at a moment's notice. Hailee aboard Ocean Vigilante and myself aboard Caledonia will command those bridge crews. Jen and Rachel, as always, are on standby for any injuries sustained during the operation. Are there any questions?"

There was some muted conversation from both vessels, but otherwise no questions.

"Briefing over – let's stay safe and all come back alive!" Cameron concluded.

The TV screens both clicked off.

That night...

20:55 GMT+2 (18:55 GMT June 13th)

OCEAN VIGILANTE & CALEDONIA

The two shiny and brand-new Pacific 24 Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boats had been siphoned off from an original order of sixty such craft for the Royal Navy, each of which was built in Portsmouth, England.

Each RHIB weighed in at a little under three tons and was 7.8-metres in length with a beam of 2.6-metres. A single 370-horsepower inboard twin-turbo diesel engine could propel the craft at almost forty knots through very rough seas. The heavy duty 500-millimetre diameter inflatable collar was constructed from neoprene, carbon fibre, and Kevlar and could resist light to medium calibre rounds. At the rear of each RHIB, a collapsible A-frame allowed the craft to fit inside the boat garage of each yacht. Once at sea, the A-frame would be raised, atop which were their masthead navigation lights, communications antennae, GPS antenna, EPIRB, and (due to it being RN spec) a blue strobe light, and finally, an inflatable self-righting pack and the mount for a radar-reflector (which had been removed for the mission). On each side, their port and starboard navigation lights were fitted.

Behind and below the A-frame, the single, steerable jet-propulsor extended into the water from the rear of the RHIB with a foldup boarding ladder. Ahead of the A-frame, two shock-absorbing seats with footholds were fitted where the coxswain and a crew member would sit behind a tall console, the coxswain on the left side. Immediately ahead of the console was the single point lifting clip to which an eye could be fitted for lifting the craft out of the water. Ahead of the lifting clip were six more shock-absorbing seats with handholds and footholds, fitted in pairs. Ahead of those, a single aluminium mount was fitted to carry a mounted weapon – be it a machinegun, rocket launcher, or something nastier. Instead of the usually bright day-glow, retro-reflective red patches fitted along each side, atop the inflatable tube, each patch had been flipped over to reveal a matte grey to match the colour of the inflatable tube.

Aboard OCEAN VIGILANTE, their Pacific 24, known as ODYSSEY had emerged from the boat garage on the starboard side in total darkness before being lowered into the water alongside. Kick-Ass and Trojan climbed aboard and while Kick-Ass started the engine, Trojan went forward to mount the Minimi. Once the engine was running and throbbing with a dull throaty roar from the engine exhaust, Hit Girl, Shadow, Stormtide, Foxtail, Rampart, and Wildcat climbed aboard from the boat garage and took their places before Trojan cast off, with Kick-Ass edging them slowly forward.

As Kick-Ass approached the stern of CALEDONIA, he could see a matching Pacific 24, known as GREY FOX, similarly loaded with Nemesis, Stripe, Ajax, Intrepid, Resolute, and Arbiter and with Sleuth at the wheel and Termino in the bow at the Minimi. Each vigilante wore an aircrew life jacket atop their equipment just in case there was a problem during the transit, and they would be discarded before leaving the RHIBs and boarding the COMÈTE.

"Romeo Oscar and Romeo Charlie, you are clear to depart," Battle Guy announced over the secure encrypted radios at 21:00.

Kick-Ass and Sleuth each advanced their throttle and at six knots, they headed out towards the Mediterranean Sea.

21:04 GMT+2 (19:04 GMT June 13th)

ROMEO OSCAR & ROMEO CHARLIE

Distance covered: 164 yards

All around them, it was dark, but here and there were vibrant flashes of light in varying colours and periods.

Navigation was via GPS, but with the backup of the various navigation lights each of which burned or flashed in the darkness in differing patterns of white, red, green, and yellow. At that moment, to port, a single green light flashed once every four seconds – that was the light marking the Pointe de la Desirade. Coming around to their port bow, another green light flashed to mark the western end of the southern mole protecting Marseille's port from bad weather. To starboard, a rapid flashing red light was visible to mark the western end of the northern mole. There were also many white masthead lights marking vessels at sea, each of which had to be avoided, especially as most would be unable to see the blacked out RHIBs which were just then increasing speed to twenty knots as they altered course a few degrees to port.

With the southern mole to port, they altered course again, towards the southwest and increased their speed to thirty knots.

21:07 GMT+2 (19:07 GMT June 13th)

ROMEO OSCAR & ROMEO CHARLIE

Distance covered: 1.94 nautical miles

In the darkness to starboard, a yellow light flashed twice every six seconds to mark the eastern end of Île d'If.

For those aboard the RHIBs as they altered course to starboard to pass down the east coast of Pomègues, it was both scary and exhilarating as they bounced over the waves at thirty knots. It was to be the longest leg of their transit, but it would still only take five minutes of violent shaking, cold spray, and excitement. Wildcat and Stormtide had the foremost seats in Romeo Oscar and they were loving every minute of it as their gauntleted hands gripped onto the soft foam of the curved hand grip ahead of their seats. Ahead of them, gripping onto the Minimi and flexing his knees with every impact, Trojan kept watch across their bows.

Forty yards to port, an identical RHIB, Romeo Charlie, pounded through the waves on a parallel course. Sleuth was in his element. He had long forgotten how much fun it was to drive a fast boat at sea. On the console before him, he had a screen which displayed an electronic nautical chart with his course and current position highlighted. Ahead and a few degrees to port, he could make out an isophase white light illuminating for four seconds before going dark for the same amount of time. That light marked Cap Caveaux, the southernmost tip of Pomègues which they would round, keeping the cape four hundred yards to starboard. There was a stiff southerly breeze blowing that night, which was a little chilly to say the least, Sleuth thought.

Up in the bow, Termino was having the time of his life as his knees absorbed the shock each time three tons of RHIB crashed down into the water before racing up the next wave.

21:12 GMT+2 (19:12 GMT June 13th)

ROMEO OSCAR & ROMEO CHARLIE

Distance covered: 3.96 nautical miles

Hit Girl let out an involuntary scream as their RHIB tipped over to starboard as they made a ninety degree turn onto a north-westerly heading.

Beside Hit Girl, Shadow was grinning so hard it was beginning to hurt. As they hurtled on over the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, ahead they could see a green light flashing a group of three every twelve seconds which marked the southern tip of Ile Ratonneau, just over a nautical mile away to the north, which was to be their northerly exfiltration route. As they rounded Pointe de la Luque and entered into Baie du Grand Soufre, they were able to see the COMÈTE less than a mile away – which was not difficult as the seventy-five metre vessel was lit up from bow to stern with deck lighting as well as her single masthead anchor light.

As they closed more detail was evident and they slowed significantly, eventually creeping along at just four knots to avoid exposing their white bow waves which would be readily visible against the darkened sea. The operation was now at its most critical point – if they were detected, then they would have to abort. The vessel currently had her bow pointing to the north as the tide departed for its eight-hour return trip to somewhere. That aspect allowed the two RHIBs to separate and come at the target from two directions. Each deck, aft of the bridge was brightly lit and there was an eerie blue glow from around the swimming pool on the sun deck. The Bell 429 helicopter was also present, illuminated by the amber and green flight deck lighting up on the same sun deck level as the swimming pool.

"Too much light," Shadow muttered to herself as the yards dropped off and they closed to two hundred yards.

Everyone prepared to move. Weapons were checked and brought to full readiness with a round in the chamber. Each of those boarding was armed with the venerable and reliable Heckler & Koch MP5SD-N2 submachine gun. The integral shalldampfer (from where the weapon acquired its designation) or sound suppressor reduced muzzle velocity by between 16 percent and 26 percent dependent on the ammunition used. It was a perfect weapon for covert use and of a fair size for use inside a yacht. The weapons were fitted with a retractable buttstock and a lanyard which secured the weapon to the user's body armour. All carried a pistol or two, for backup, all of which were also fitted with suppressors.

"Oscar One numbers and Charlie One numbers, standby to board in ninety seconds," Hit Girl radioed as the RHIBs came around to the stern of the superyacht.

The waters were illuminated for dozens of yards around by underwater lighting which, Kick-Ass realised, could be a problem.

21:17 GMT+2 (19:17 GMT June 13th)

OSCAR ONE & CHARLIE ONE

COMÈTE – LOWER DECK

As the RHIBs came alongside, twelve rapidly jumped across onto the COMÈTE, and the RHIBs moved off, back into the safety afforded them by the darkness which rapidly enshrouded them.

Stormtide led off, taking Oscar One up the port stairs to the next deck up. Charlie One stayed on the lower deck and Intrepid led off, making directly for the glazed watertight door which led inside the vessel and to the centreline passageway which led directly to the four main guest cabins. Intrepid had memorised the deck layout, but she could refer to her wrist-mounted computer screen at any time to pull up a detailed schematic of the vessel. As they approached, she fired off a small device attached to the side of her submachinegun. The device fired a glob of a gooey substance which struck the dome security camera mounted above the doorway on the deckhead and safely rendered it useless. As she eased open the watertight door – which was not locked – her lightweight boots set foot upon a planked wooden deck which she knew to be made from real teak. As she swung her weapon to the right, she spied a small alcove which was empty of threats. Immediately behind Intrepid, Arbiter came through the hatch, her MP5SD raised up and pointed over Intrepid's left shoulder. As she covered the corridor heading further into the vessel, Resolute came through the hatch and he covered Intrepid as she checked out what turned out to be a storeroom as expected, off to their right.

As Ajax, Stripe, and Nemesis entered, the team moved off and they headed forward, Nemesis closing the watertight door behind them.

OSCAR ONE: Hit Girl, Shadow, Stormtide, Foxtail, Rampart & Wildcat

COMÈTE – MAIN DECK

At the top of the port stairs, Stormtide crouched down, the muzzle of her MP5SD moving with her eyes as she scanned the deck around her.

The stairs had freaked her out as they were backlit, illuminating her. The deck around her was just as brightly lit but cluttered with various items belonging to waterborne craft. Beside her was one of the three main boat garages. There was another directly across the vessel, each of which held an exceptionally large shore boat. The starboard boat garage door was open, she could see, and the shore boat's hull was wet – someone had come aboard quite recently. As Foxtail touched Stormtide's left shoulder, Stormtide stood up and she moved forward, her lightweight boots making zero noise as they came down upon the wood planking which formed the deck – it was real wood, without lacquer, so no squeaking. But the walls were very white, and she felt so very exposed as she moved, clad as she was in black clothing and carrying a black weapon. Stormtide and Foxtail made it past the shore boat garages but then Stormtide raised her left hand and Foxtail repeated the movement causing Hit Girl, Shadow, Rampart, and Wildcat to crouch down wherever they could find the tiniest amount of cover.

Over to the left, stairs led upwards to the bridge deck – someone was coming down, their shoes clearly evident on the teak treads. Ahead of them was a sliding glass door with curtains closed beyond the glass. Stormtide grinned as she realised that they were not being observed.

"Contact in three, two, one...," Stormtide radioed.

It was a member of the security detail. He wore an expensive suit, but his haircut said military. He held a small handheld radio in his left hand which was fitted with a small wire which led to an earpiece in his left ear. The man was quick thinking, Stormtide considered, as he reacted instantly to a blacked out individual skulking around onboard. He reached under his jacket and he withdrew a pistol. That move was the death of him, but relief for the invading forces. He should have radioed in a warning – yes, he would have been just as dead, but at least he would have alerted his command centre. Stormtide did not think, she just reacted, putting a subsonic nine-millimetre round into his forehead. Foxtail caught the falling handgun before it could make a sound on the deck and while Wildcat and Rampart provided cover, the pair dragged the dead man into the port boat garage, and they shoved him under a convenient tarpaulin.

"X-ray down – security detail by the looks of him," Stormtide reported as she and Foxtail moved to take point.

The sliding glass door faced them, and with immense care, Stormtide slid the door to the right.

CHARLIE ONE: Nemesis, Stripe, Ajax, Intrepid, Resolute & Arbiter

COMÈTE – LOWER DECK

Intrepid grinned as she passed through an opening and she found herself in a fitness suite.

"Homely," she commented as she swept the space with her eyes and the muzzle of her MP5SD.

She was joined by Arbiter and Resolute who moved to check out the adjoining spaces; a sauna and jacuzzi to port with a massage parlour to starboard. Directly ahead of Intrepid hung a black and red vertically striped punch bag on a chrome hook. All was clear, no threats, so Intrepid approached the watertight door set into the bulkhead ahead and on the centreline. Intrepid pulled open the hatch with Arbiter ready, her MP5SD pointed directly down the white corridor which was revealed. The corridor was narrow and burrowed through the upper level of the engine room, between the two massive Caterpillar diesel engines which propelled the superyacht. Again, nobody was in evidence, but that could not last as the next hatch would bring them upon the four guest cabins, as well as stairs which led down a deck to the crew quarters on the tank deck. Very cautiously, Intrepid and Resolute headed down the narrow corridor – their compact sizes meant that they could both cover the passageway ahead with ease. Ajax covered their rear while Arbiter and Stripe prepared to dash after Resolute and Intrepid should things go bad. Nemesis was left to take in every movement and figure out anything amiss as they moved.

All went well as Intrepid and Resolute reached the end of the narrow thirty-foot corridor and they paused at the next watertight hatch. At a wave from Nemesis, Resolute pushed open the hatch, very slowly. The boy carefully peered through before he opened the hatch more than a few inches – just enough to be able to see down the next corridor. He was not pleased with what he saw; the corridor was narrow and well lit – there would be nowhere to hide should they be discovered, and bullets tended to love straight lines such as corridors. Once the rest of the team had joined them, Resolute and Intrepid stepped through the hatch. Directly to their left were the stairs descending into the crew quarters. Resolute covered the stairs as Intrepid moved forward to a non-watertight door through which he could see the doors, left and right, to the first pair of guest cabins. While Ajax stood guard at the corridor leading aft and Resolute covered the crew stairs, Nemesis, Arbiter, and Stripe followed Intrepid through the final door.

That was when they heard voices.

OSCAR ONE: Hit Girl, Shadow, Stormtide, Foxtail, Rampart & Wildcat

COMÈTE – MAIN DECK

The door slid to the side, soundlessly, and was obviously borderline soundproof as voices could suddenly be heard.

Stormtide and Foxtail found themselves in a dimmer environment, much to their relief. To the right was a table and benches. To the left, a large couch which sat on a rug which in turn was laid out before a large artificial fireplace.

"Homely," Foxtail commented as she moved to the left and passed between the couch and the fireplace.

Stormtide kept to the right and both were able to take cover behind two solid partitions either side of an opening into the next space from where voices could be heard. The two girls listened, and they identified the voices of three men and two women – none of whom appeared to be crew. Both checked their wrist monitors and they called up the images of their targets just to refresh their memories. Should either be present, it would simply be goodnight, and then they would move onto the next target. From the vessel's schematics, they knew that to their left would be two couches, facing fore and aft, a low table in between. To their right would be a teardrop shaped dining table which could seat eight. The clinking of glass indicated that drinks were on hand. Neither of them had the slightest idea about any security detail or crew who might also be present in the room. As Rampart and Shadow came up behind Foxtail and Stormtide, all four prepared to move with Wildcat and Hit Girl providing cover and overwatch both behind and ahead.

There were indeed, three men and two women conversing. Each held a glass of wine in their hands as they stood in a vague circle between the table and the couches. As the four black-clad, masked, gun-wielding vigilantes stepped silently into the broad open space, they were able to take two paces before one of the women saw them and she dropped her wine glass to the deck. In the two seconds it took for the glass to fall, Rampart clocked a movement to her right and behind where a crewman stood with a silver tray. The man was reaching for a concealed pistol beneath his white jacket. Rampart's right leg came around and the man fell back as her boot struck his chest and his head kissed the bulkhead, knocking him senseless. Stormtide took down one of the men, flipping him over and taking the butt of her MP5SD across his forehead. Before either of the women could scream, they both hit the deck about the same time as the wine glass. The third man chose to fight, but he was clobbered by Foxtail before he could do much more than throw a single punch at Shadow.

Hit Girl stepped into the space to find her team checking the faces of the unconscious guests. A digital photo would be taken of each guest and uploaded to the OCEAN VIGILANTE for identification by Battle Guy and Hal. Wildcat moved over to the starboard side where two large sliding doors had been opened to admit the fresh Mediterranean breeze; she checked up and down the deck outside, but she saw no one. She also checked the corridor which led forward – she could hear many voices which appeared to be coming from the deck above.

"Clear!" the youngster reported to Hit Girl. "I think this was a private party; I can hear more voices coming from the deck above.

"We have a mark?" Hit Girl inquired.

"Negative on the marks," Rampart responded.

"Good kick," Hit Girl chuckled as Rampart grinned beneath her mask.

Shadow and Stormtide moved into the adjoining galley where they found a cook and another crewman preparing some cheese and biscuits for their guests – both were secured with gags and flexicuffs.