Read Online Sea of Terror by Stephen Coonts - Free Book Online
Authors: Stephen Coonts
Tags: Fiction, thriller, Suspense, Thrillers, Action & Adventure, Espionage, Intelligence Officers, Political, Government investigators, Undercover operations, Terrorists, Cyberterrorism, National security, Hijacking of ships, Nuclear terrorism
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office."
"Is there a problem here?"
Darrow looked around and saw two of the ship's Security officers approaching along the pier from aft. He recognized one as a guy named Ghailiani. He didn't recognize the other one, though that was hardly surprising. There were nine hundred Royal Sky employees on board this ship; you couldn't possibly know them all.
"Nah, not a problem," Darrow told him. "I think this shipment is for someone else, though."
"What makes you say that?"
"It's not our inventory form, for one thing. And I can't tell if it's been screened. I don't see a customs stamp, either." All shipments of cargo and provisions were carefully checked before they were loaded aboard ship, by security personnel, by customs officers, and even by public health inspectors. Bombs, smuggled contraband, and diseases were three things that could give the company a very bad public image, and every step was taken to make sure that none of those got on board. "Come to think of it," he added, paging through the manifest, "I'm not sure how he even got in here."
"Let's take a look," the second security man said. "Maybe the right papers are in the back."
Darrow shrugged. "Sure."
The lorry had been backed up until it was directly alongside a huge Dumpster on the pier, and Darrow had to turn sideways to squeeze through the narrow passage. The truck's tailgate came down with a bang, and Darrow pulled himself up onto the cargo bed. It was dark inside, the space filled with a number of large crates masked in deep shadow.
"You have a torch?" he called back. "It's bloody dark in--" He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. "What the hell?"
"What's wrong?" the security officer called from outside.
"I thought I saw--"
Someone grabbed Darrow from behind, a hand clamping down over his mouth, an arm pinning his arms at his sides. A second shadow emerged from behind the crates in front of him, and he felt something hard and metallic rammed against his ribs.
He tried to scream.
Three sound-suppressed gunshots, sharp, hissing chirps, cut through the close darkness. Darrow bucked once, then sagged in the arms of the man behind him.
"Merciful Allah," Ghailiani said in the light outside the truck. "Forgive me."
Chapter 4
Royal Sky Line security queue Atlantis Queen passenger terminal Southampton, England Thursday, 1439 hours GMT
Arnold bernstein stepped through the metal detector, then stopped, reading the metal sign in front of the big white tunnel. "What's this?"
"X-ray scan, sir," the security guard standing next to the tunnel said. "It's completely harmless. Just step through like you did with the metal detector."
"Bernie!" Gillian Harper said, coming up behind him. "Why do they need to x-ray us?"
"They say," Reggie Carmichael said with a knowing leer, "that it looks right through your clothes, and lets them see you naked!"
"Who says?" Harper demanded. "I'm not getting naked for anybody!" They were standing in the short stretch between the metal detector and the white tunnel, confronted by a security guard and the metal sign. The rest of the Harper entourage was continuing to step through the metal detector, and the line was piling up.
"That's right, baby!" Jake Levy said. He was one of Harper's agents, and always had his eye on the bottom line. "Not unless they pay you for the peek."
"I'm sure it's nothing like that" Bernstein said. "See? The sign says it's not intrusive. It's just security!"
"Well, I'm no terrorist!" Harper said, her voice taking an unpleasant e.g. to it. "Bernie, you can get me in another way. I'm a star, for Christ's sake!"
"What seems to be the problem?" the guard asked. He looked weary, as though he'd been handling recalcitrant passengers all day.
"Do you have any i.e. who I am?" Gillian Harper demanded.
"No, ma'am, I have no idea. I'm sorry, but I have my orders. No exceptions."
"Gillian, I think we'd better do as the man says. You can let yourself be x-rayed, or you can let them feel you all over
"Is there a problem here?"
Darrow looked around and saw two of the ship's Security officers approaching along the pier from aft. He recognized one as a guy named Ghailiani. He didn't recognize the other one, though that was hardly surprising. There were nine hundred Royal Sky employees on board this ship; you couldn't possibly know them all.
"Nah, not a problem," Darrow told him. "I think this shipment is for someone else, though."
"What makes you say that?"
"It's not our inventory form, for one thing. And I can't tell if it's been screened. I don't see a customs stamp, either." All shipments of cargo and provisions were carefully checked before they were loaded aboard ship, by security personnel, by customs officers, and even by public health inspectors. Bombs, smuggled contraband, and diseases were three things that could give the company a very bad public image, and every step was taken to make sure that none of those got on board. "Come to think of it," he added, paging through the manifest, "I'm not sure how he even got in here."
"Let's take a look," the second security man said. "Maybe the right papers are in the back."
Darrow shrugged. "Sure."
The lorry had been backed up until it was directly alongside a huge Dumpster on the pier, and Darrow had to turn sideways to squeeze through the narrow passage. The truck's tailgate came down with a bang, and Darrow pulled himself up onto the cargo bed. It was dark inside, the space filled with a number of large crates masked in deep shadow.
"You have a torch?" he called back. "It's bloody dark in--" He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. "What the hell?"
"What's wrong?" the security officer called from outside.
"I thought I saw--"
Someone grabbed Darrow from behind, a hand clamping down over his mouth, an arm pinning his arms at his sides. A second shadow emerged from behind the crates in front of him, and he felt something hard and metallic rammed against his ribs.
He tried to scream.
Three sound-suppressed gunshots, sharp, hissing chirps, cut through the close darkness. Darrow bucked once, then sagged in the arms of the man behind him.
"Merciful Allah," Ghailiani said in the light outside the truck. "Forgive me."
Chapter 4
Royal Sky Line security queue Atlantis Queen passenger terminal Southampton, England Thursday, 1439 hours GMT
Arnold bernstein stepped through the metal detector, then stopped, reading the metal sign in front of the big white tunnel. "What's this?"
"X-ray scan, sir," the security guard standing next to the tunnel said. "It's completely harmless. Just step through like you did with the metal detector."
"Bernie!" Gillian Harper said, coming up behind him. "Why do they need to x-ray us?"
"They say," Reggie Carmichael said with a knowing leer, "that it looks right through your clothes, and lets them see you naked!"
"Who says?" Harper demanded. "I'm not getting naked for anybody!" They were standing in the short stretch between the metal detector and the white tunnel, confronted by a security guard and the metal sign. The rest of the Harper entourage was continuing to step through the metal detector, and the line was piling up.
"That's right, baby!" Jake Levy said. He was one of Harper's agents, and always had his eye on the bottom line. "Not unless they pay you for the peek."
"I'm sure it's nothing like that" Bernstein said. "See? The sign says it's not intrusive. It's just security!"
"Well, I'm no terrorist!" Harper said, her voice taking an unpleasant e.g. to it. "Bernie, you can get me in another way. I'm a star, for Christ's sake!"
"What seems to be the problem?" the guard asked. He looked weary, as though he'd been handling recalcitrant passengers all day.
"Do you have any i.e. who I am?" Gillian Harper demanded.
"No, ma'am, I have no idea. I'm sorry, but I have my orders. No exceptions."
"Gillian, I think we'd better do as the man says. You can let yourself be x-rayed, or you can let them feel you all over
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