Battle of the Ampere

  The two guns suddenly lifted into the air and flew to the end of the hall. Torstyn, Quentin, and Kylee emerged from the darkness, walking toward the brig. They casually walked past the two guards, who were on the ground writhing and screaming with pain. Kylee pulled the electric keys from the second guard’s pocket without even bending over and unlocked the door.

  “What took you so long?” Hatch asked.

  “Get up,” Quentin shouted at the guards, “before Torstyn explodes your brains! Then strip to your underwear and get into the cell.”

  The second guard stood. With blistered hands he quickly tore off his clothes. “Whatever you say, sir.”

  The first guard pulled off his boots, then just lay there. He looked like he was in shock.

  Quentin looked down at him. “You have a problem with my order?”

  “No, sir. I can’t . . .” He grimaced. “My feet . . .”

  Quentin looked at the man’s feet. They were bright crimson and severely blistered.

  “Then crawl in,” Torstyn said. “Or should I just melt you here?”

  “No, sir,” the guard said. He hurriedly pulled down his slacks, screaming as they brushed against his feet. Then he crawled into the cell, whimpering.

  “Both of you on your knees with your hands on the back wall,” Hatch said. “And don’t waste my time.”

  When both guards were against the wall, Hatch shut the cell door behind them.

  “Just a few minutes ago you both were laughing,” Hatch said. “What happened? Did you lose your sense of humor?”

  Neither guard answered.

  “I asked you a question.”

  “No, sir!” they shouted in unison.

  Hatch turned to the second guard. “What did you call me? A nutjob?”

  “I’m sorry, sir,” the second guard said.

  Hatch turned from the cell. “Not as sorry as you will be. Come on,” he said to his youths. “Let’s go pay a visit to the board.”

  The four of them walked down the hallway, back toward the elevator.

  Hatch picked up the guard’s pistol, put it in his right pocket, then pulled the satellite phone from his left pocket.

  He pushed a button and just seconds later a voice answered. “Engage,” Hatch said, then he stowed the phone back in his pocket. He turned to Quentin. “Where are Bryan and Tara?”

  “They’re covering the main floor,” Quentin said. “I’ll let them know we’re on our way.”

  “No, have them meet us here,” Hatch said.

  “Yes, sir,” Quentin said. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. “Tara, it’s Q. Come down to the first floor. Use the forward elevator.” He returned his phone to his pocket and turned back to Hatch. “They’ll be right here.”

  Less than a minute later the elevator stopped on the floor. Tara and Bryan stepped out.

  “What’s going on up there?” Hatch asked.

  “Everything’s calm. I think the board members are still meeting.”

  “Does anyone know you’re on board?”

  “Two window washers spotted us,” Tara said.

  “And?” Hatch asked.

  “They jumped overboard.” Bryan laughed. “Tara made them think the boat was filled with cobras.” He turned to Quentin. “One of them did the most awesome belly flop. It was epic.”

  Hatch didn’t look amused. “Did anyone see them go over?”

  “We don’t think so,” Tara said. “We didn’t see anyone else. And we could barely hear them screaming.”

  “All right, listen up. The three board members loyal to me are under house arrest on the second floor. We’re going to free them, then pay the board a visit. There are currently fourteen guards on board. Four of them—Woodbury, Spafford, Harlan, and Mull—are loyal to me and are awaiting my orders. We’ve locked two in the brig, and the other eight will need to be neutralized. A helicopter with twenty of our best soldiers is on its way from the Faraday. It will touch down in exactly twenty-eight minutes. Quentin, I need you and Tara to make sure they encounter no resistance on landing, understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” Quentin said.

  Tara nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “Kylee, Bryan, and Torstyn are with me. We’ll take out the three guards on the suite level, then meet up with our four guards on deck.” He turned to Tara. “Did you see any guards on the bridge?”

  “Two.”

  Hatch looked Tara in the eyes. “Dispose of them.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Quentin, take out all communications. I don’t want an SOS going out to any other ships in the fleet. Not all of them are loyal to me yet.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll take out the bridge before we get there.”

  “Don’t take out any of the controls or radar. We still need to float this tub.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Also, take out the video console. I don’t want them seeing us on the second floor. I’ll give you five minutes. Call me after it’s down.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Go.”

  Tara and Quentin stepped into the elevator. It was less than five minutes later that Hatch’s phone rang.

  “We have the bridge, sir. The consoles are down.”

  “Good. Stay there until I arrive.” He turned back to Torstyn and Bryan. “Let’s end this.”

  Inside the boardroom, Schema looked somberly over the group.

  “Then it’s unanimous,” he said. “Once we reach open sea, Dr. Hatch will be exterminated.” He burst out in a fit of coughing, then breathed out slowly. “It will be a relief to be free of him.”

  Two Elgen guards, Spafford and Mull, stood watch outside the boardroom door with their guns drawn.

  There was a loud beep on Spafford’s communicator. He turned to Mull. “It’s time.”

  Mull nodded. He glanced once more down the hallway and then, together, they opened the boardroom doors and walked in, closing the doors behind them.

  “Gentlemen,” Schema said. “You’ll have to leave. This meeting is still closed.”

  The guards leveled their guns at the board members. “You are all under arrest. Put your hands on top of your heads. Now!”

  “What are you doing?” Schema asked.

  Two secretly pushed a button under the table.

  “I said, now!” Spafford repeated.

  “I suggest you drop your weapons,” Two said to the guards. “I’ve alerted the guards.”

  “Shut up!” Mull shouted. “And get on your knees and prepare to meet the admiral of the Elgen fleet.”

  “The admiral?” Two said.

  “Admiral Hatch,” Spafford said.

  “Have you gone raving mad?” Schema said.

  Then the door opened and Hatch walked into the room. He was flanked by Quentin and Torstyn and followed by the three disposed board members.

  “Guards, subdue him!” Schema shouted, pointing at Hatch.

  Hatch just shook his head. “Clueless as always,” he said. “They don’t take orders from you.” He turned to Spafford and Mull. “Well done, men.”

  “Your little coup won’t work,” Two said. “I’ve alerted the guards. It’s just a matter of time before you’re back in the brig.”

  Hatch looked at her for a moment, then said softly, “You’ve alerted what guards?”

  Just then the boardroom door burst open and a dozen guards in black uniforms ran into the room. They were led by a squad captain dressed in purple.

  “Those guards,” Two said. She turned to the captain. “Thank goodness you’re here. Dr. Hatch has gone rogue. Arrest him.”

  The captain just looked at her, his eyes narrowing in contempt.

  “I gave you an order!” she shouted.

  “These aren’t ours,” Schema said to Two in a low voice.

  “You’re correct, Schema,” Hatch said, looking more amused than angry. “Which, honestly, I find refreshing, as it’s so rare that you’re right about anything these days. But, I suppose, even a broken clock is right
twice a day.”

  “What are you up to, Hatch?” Schema said.

  “I’m relieving you of your command,” Hatch replied. He turned to the captain. “Secure them.”

  “Yes, sir.” The captain turned back toward the board table and shouted, “Everyone stand with their hands behind their backs. Now!”

  None of the board obeyed, but looked to Schema for direction. Schema stared at Hatch defiantly.

  “You were given an order,” Hatch said.

  No one moved.

  “No?” Hatch said. “Okay, then. Captain Welch, shoot one of them.”

  “Yes, sir,” the guard said. “Which one?”

  “It’s your choice.”

  He turned his gun on Three.

  “Wait!” Schema said, holding up his hand. “You don’t have to do that. We’ll do what you say.”

  “Indeed you will,” Hatch said. He turned to the captain. “Next time someone hesitates to follow an order, shoot them.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Hatch looked at the board. “Leadership is such a burden. You know how it is, Schema. If you threaten to cut off someone’s finger for breaking a rule, you’re going to have to cut off a few fingers before everyone figures out that you mean what you say. So which one of you is going to be our demonstration? It’s your decision. Here’s your first opportunity to show us. Everyone stand up.”

  Everyone quickly stood.

  “Now sit down.”

  They sat down.

  “Stand up!”

  They stood up.

  “Now . . . stand down.”

  Half of the board sat down, the other half wavered, confused, crouched somewhere in the middle. Everyone looked at Hatch nervously.

  “What do you want us to do?” Four said.

  Hatch grinned. “I’m just toying with you,” he said. “Sit down.”

  Everyone sat.

  “What’s your point, Hatch?” Schema said.

  Hatch’s grin turned to a scowl. “My point is I’ve listened to you fools for too long. From now until the end of your miserable lives, you will do precisely what I say. Everyone stand.”

  They all stood.

  “Secure them,” Hatch said to the captain.

  “You heard him,” the captain barked. “Everyone put your hands behind your backs. Do it now!”

  Everyone obeyed. Two of the soldiers walked around the room zip tying the board members’ hands together. Suddenly, Ten spun around, attempting to grab the soldier’s gun. One of the guards fired an electrode from across the room, dropping Ten to the ground.

  “Secure him,” the captain ordered.

  Two soldiers grabbed Ten, tied his arms behind his back, tied his feet together, then dragged him away from the table, laying him at Hatch’s feet.

  “What are your orders, sir?” the captain asked.

  Hatch crouched down next to Ten. “Were my orders too complex for you?”

  “You’re not going to get away with this,” Ten said.

  “Of course I will,” Hatch said. “Throw him out.”

  Schema said, “You don’t need to do that, Hatch. He’s sorry. Aren’t you, Ten?”

  “I’m most certain of that,” Hatch said. He turned to the captain. “Open a window for me.” He pointed to the middle panel of the external glass wall. “That will do.”

  The captain pointed his submachine gun at the tempered glass and pulled the trigger, ripping out a large section. The smell of gunpowder filled the room.

  “There’s your exit,” Hatch said to Ten. “I hope you’re a good swimmer.”

  Ten was trembling. “I’m sorry. I’ll do whatever you want.”

  “Will you?” Hatch asked.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. I want you to drown.”

  Two soldiers dragged Ten over to the hole in the glass, then turned back to Hatch. Hatch nodded. The guards lifted the man and threw him out. The sound of his screaming could be heard until a distant splash ended it.

  “Good-bye, Ten,” Hatch said. He turned to the captain. “Think he can swim with his hands tied behind his back?”

  The captain shook his head. “No, Admiral.”

  “I don’t think so either,” Hatch said. He looked over the rest of the board members. “As I was telling you, you always have to cut off a few fingers before they get the point. Anyone else care to test my resolve?”

  The board members just stared at him fearfully.

  “Maybe you do learn. Take over, Captain.”

  “You will comply with our every word,” the captain said. “All of you come to this side of the room and kneel.”

  Everyone except for Schema hurried to the starboard side of the room, next to the glass. The captain walked up to Schema and pulled him out of his chair, forcing him to kneel, then kicked him in the stomach. Schema gasped, then fell to his side, coughing fiercely.

  Hatch turned back to the three displaced board members, Six, Seven, and Eleven. “Take your rightful places,” he said.

  The three expelled board members hurried back to the table. Hatch looked at the other board members. “Funny how things change. Just an hour ago you pitied these three. Now you would give anything to be one of them, wouldn’t you? I told you there would be consequences.” He turned and looked at Schema, then slowly walked up to him. “Living in Peru, I couldn’t help but learn a little about the Incan culture. They were far more advanced than most people realize. They created architectural feats that stump our modern architects. They created massive pyramids that we cannot duplicate. They performed successful brain surgery.

  “True, they had their brutal side and practiced human sacrifice, but here, too, they showed their keen intellect and understanding of the nature of politics. Whenever an Incan king conquered another kingdom, the fallen king was sacrificed in front of his subjects so there would be no mistaking who was in charge.”

  Schema turned pale. Hatch crouched down in front of him. “You didn’t really think I was foolish enough to come back here unprepared?” Hatch rose and faced the kneeling board members. “Just another example of your chairman’s remarkable shortsightedness.” He turned back to Schema. “You are relieved of your chairmanship. Be grateful I haven’t relieved you of your life.”

  “You’ll pay for this, Hatch. This is mutiny.”

  “Admiral Hatch,” Hatch said calmly. “Of course it’s mutiny. And pay? Where exactly would I send the check? To whom? If you’re implying that this scenario might somehow end differently than me in charge and you in prison, you can disabuse yourself of that notion. There is no cavalry. Everyone answers to me. That’s the inherent problem with delegation, Schema. Somewhere along the line the power gets . . . short-circuited.” Hatch turned to the captain. “Captain, lock them all in the same cell in the brig. Cell One.”

  “Yes, Admiral.” He spun around. “All of you on your feet. Now!”

  The members of the board all struggled to their feet.

  “What are you going to do to us?” Two asked.

  “You will be given a trial. But don’t worry. I will be just as merciful as you planned on being to me.” He turned around. “Captain of the guard, I want former chairman Schema hung upside down by his feet. I want the last of his loyal subjects to know that he’s been conquered.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Schema turned white. “Don’t do this. You need me.”

  “I need you like I need a kidney stone,” Hatch replied. “Take him out.”

  Two soldiers lifted Schema to his feet and carried him out. Six other guards walked the rest of the board members out.

  As they exited Quentin started to laugh, followed by the rest of the teens. Hatch smiled. “That was more amusing than I thought it would be. I’m almost sorry it’s over.”

  After the board members had been removed, Hatch walked to the head of the conference room table. He pulled out Schema’s former seat, pausing before sitting. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this. Please allow me the pleasure o
f savoring this moment.” Hatch took a deep breath, then slowly sat in the chair. A dark smile crossed his face. “It’s about time.”

  Seven began clapping, and she was quickly joined by the others still in the room.

  “Thank you,” Hatch said. “You may sit. Quentin and Torstyn, let me have you up here next to me. Quentin at my right, Torstyn at my left.”

  Everyone sat, the former board members in their assigned seats, the teens taking the empty seats closest to Hatch.

  Hatch stood and walked up to the cabinet against the port wall and opened it, exposing a whiteboard. “The information I am about to share is C10.”

  The teens’ expressions turned more somber.

  “Is that understood?”

  “Yes, Admiral,” the teens replied.

  “Call me sentimental, but you, my electric eagles, may still call me ‘sir.’ ”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The board members looked at one another. Eleven raised his hand.

  “Yes?” Hatch said.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, Admiral. But what is C10?”

  “Explain C10, Quentin.”

  “Yes, sir. C10 is the highest level of Elgen confidentiality. It means that what we are about to be told may not be repeated outside of Admiral Hatch’s presence, even with one another. The penalty for divulging C10 information is death by torture.”

  “Is that clear enough?” Hatch asked.

  “Yes,” Eleven said. “Thank you.”

  “Let me see the Elgen salute,” Hatch said.

  The youth raised their left hands to their temples. The other board members watched, then imitated.

  “Very well. What I’m about to share with you is called Operation Luau.” Hatch wrote the words on the whiteboard: OPERATION LUAU.

  He turned back around and tossed the pen on the table. “We need a land base. We need a place to carry out our experiments and build larger EMP weapons—a base far away from prying eyes, and invisible to the CIA, KGB, MI5, Mossad, or even any local government. A place with political autonomy. I have found just the place in the South Pacific, midway between Hawaii and Australia, near the islands of Samoa and Fiji—the Polynesian island nation of Tuvalu.”