Posting quickly again. Although, I should be studying... Anyway, this chapter is a little short but I don't like overwriting when I don't have to. So without further ado, here's chapter five.

Enjoy and feel free to leave a review at the end.

Chapter Five

Mike was not happy to be left behind while his former crew took off with his ship. Her ship, he mentally corrected himself. Kate had advised him to go home and by home, he assumed back to NAVCOM Cairns. But until they found Edison Xiao, he was not leaving for anything.

In the space of half an hour, the bad news they'd received from Beijing had worsened. The kidnappers' most recent communication had not only specified their demands more clearly, giving them thousands more suspects to sift through, but had put them on a schedule. They were on the clock now. In twelve hours, Edison Xiao would be killed. Actually, it was more like eleven hours and ten minutes. Either way, they were running out of time.

He called in the cavalry ten minutes ago. The nearest assets were eight hours away. It was quite clear that the rest of the fleet would not be able to provide assistance in the search. Coastwatch had organised to get planes in the air, but Mike knew that professional mercenaries would use the cover of the bush's thick canopy to shelter them. It was possible that, however, the Coastwatch planes could spot the boat. Unlikely though, as they were likely to camouflage it well.

Agent Murphy had since abandoned him for greener pastures. Or the proverbial pastures of the deep blue. The AFP and Customs had been able to join the search in a reasonably timely fashion and were acting in a rather subservient capacity. Australian waters were, really, the property of the Royal Australian Navy anyway. Thus far, they had successfully kept the news of Edison's disappearance out of the live news updates and worldwide streaming, but it was only a matter of time before the story broke. That, Mike knew, would mean chaos and much too much publicity for a professional hit. They would abandon the money while they still had a hidden identity and dispose of all the evidence. Unfortunately for Edison Xiao, it would result in his untimely passing.

Mike had little choice but to overlook the marina before him and wait. And hope. Kate, on the other hand, had not moved from her chair on the Hammersley's bridge. Her XO had charted a search area and they were presently moving through the first sector. Every member of her 21-person crew was on watch and when they got close to land, particularly estuaries and bays, the RHIB's were speedily deployed to increase their parameters.

Raffy had taken a crew of four in 'Lightning' RHIB and Dutchy had command of the same number in 'Thunder.' Fully armed and wearing double plates, each team was enabled to search their assigned area thoroughly and without relay to the Hammersley. In effect, Kate had split her crew into three autonomous teams. Sure, they were in radar contact, but they were only required to call in when they found something or finished their search area. And in the large Arafura coast, this would not be very often.

"Area 51 is clear, ma'am," Charge, who was in Thunder with Dutchy, reported with a smile. "No signs of life terrestrial or otherwise."

"But I'm picking up some massive gamma rays," Dutchy added on his own radio.

"Very funny, gentlemen," Kate said, clearly unamused. They had been searching area fifteen, not fifty-one. "On what equipment, might I ask, Dutchy?"

"Charge's great, big-"

"Mhmm." The engineer's growl cut him off.

"Moving to zone 16, ma'am," Dutchy put in, showing great effort to direct his attention back to the task at hand.

"So," Sharkey began, also sitting in Thunder, "who do we think is responsible?"

"Could be any number of a thousand people," Dutchy replied. "The X is thinking money. Stock options or something."

"And the boss thinks it's a political opponent, right?" Sharkey said unsurely. "Something about the national identity of our most powerful industry?"

"Both could be right," the buffer conceded.

Charge was not so sure. "I doubt it. I'm leaning towards the X's theory. It takes a lot of money to do something like this. Too much for a political opponent, I think. Somebody powerful and with a lot of money is backing this."

"Here we go again," Dutchy murmured. "What are you thinking, big fella?"

"What makes you think that I'm thinking something?" Charge retorted.

"What makes you think that I think that you're thinking something?" There was a smile on Dutchy's face.

"What?" Charge asked, confused.

At least Sharkey voiced it. "I'm so confused."

"Who do you think is behind this?" Dutchy clarified.

"Well," Charge began, and Dutchy just knew he was going to disagree with the theory, "I think it's industrial sabotage."

"Industrial sabotage?" Dutchy asked, perplexed.

"Actually, it's a 22 billion dollar deal. This sounds likely," Sharkey agreed.

"Have you run this by the X yet?" Dutchy questioned.

Charge was quick to respond. "No, but I will."

"How did you get industrial sabotage?" Sharkey asked her superior non-commissioned officer.

"Ever see Casino Royale?"

"Who hasn't?" Sharkey returned.

Dutchy's reaction was not as lenient. "A movie, Charge?"

"Bear with me," he requested. "In the movie, if you remember, the villain planned to blow up the prototype for an airline that would bankrupt without it."

"And you think that if this deal doesn't go through, OZ-AL would face bankruptcy?" Sharkey asked. Clearly, she hadn't quite paid much attention to scuttlebutt.

"It has a huge debt," Charge argued. "But at the moment, anticipating the merger, the stocks have climbed, according to the X."

"If someone was to sell their stocks off now and then this deal wasn't to go through…?" Dutchy started, waiting for his partner-in-crime to finish.

"Then the stocks will take a nosedive and whoever it is will make a killing," Charge concluded.

"Oh… that's very good." The Hammersley buffer was clearly impressed with his friend's forward thinking. "You should let the X and the boss know what you're thinking. This theory actually has merit." And under his breath, he muttered, "For once."

Charge seemed to have heard him. "Hey! My theory had merit last time, too, if you remember. When 2Dads was in trouble. I was right about those North Koreans. And those 'diving instructors'." His fingers emphasised his incredulity.

"Yeah, I'll give you that one," Dutchy said, acceptably defeated.

"Before my time," Sharkey put in.

"Zone 8 clear, ma'am," they heard Raffy say over the radio. They had been searching for three hours and had come up blank. And, as it turned out, zone 16 was also clear.

"Copy that, X," their boss replied. "Coastwatch hasn't found anything yet."

"Don't hold your breath, boss," Raffy advised. "This shrub is as thick as Charge's underarm hair."

"I heard that!" the engineer shouted into his receiver. "I have a radio, too."

"Right-O, Charge," Kate said in an attempt to keep the peace. She didn't want them sidetracked at such a critical moment. "Delta 8-2, you copy?"

"Yes, ma'am," Dutchy answered immediately. "Zone 16 is clear."

"Return to the ship," she told him. "That goes for you too, X. We're heading north."