Every Second Counts

  ‘Okay, okay, I hear you.’ Aaron pointed along the side wall of the cabin, past a row of portholes. ‘There’s a door just around the corner.’

  ‘Thanks.’ I took a step away from him. I would search the entire boat if I had to, though how I was going to get Charlie away from Taylor and Riley’s son without a weapon I had no idea.

  ‘Er, wait.’

  I turned back, impatiently, to see Aaron peeling off the jumper he wore over his white shirt. He handed it to me. ‘Wear this.’ He glanced down at my lower half. ‘Man you are soaked, but I’m not giving you my trousers.’

  In spite of the tension, I grinned. ‘I wouldn’t wear your trousers if you paid me.’ I tugged off my own top and slipped on the jumper. Immediately I felt better.

  ‘Let’s go,’ Aaron said.

  I frowned. I knew I could creep through the main cabin without drawing attention to myself. But Aaron had no such skill. I’d be seen by the security guards immediately if he was with me.

  ‘Maybe you could find me something better to wear?’ I suggested.

  ‘Sure.’ Aaron nodded eagerly. ‘There’s probably stuff below deck.’

  ‘Thank you.’ With a grin, Aaron disappeared and I sped away, to find the door that would take me into the main cabin and to Charlie.

  Charlie

  I followed Spider through the air duct. It was hot and narrow. My elbows and knees were soon sore from rubbing against the metal. Agonised thoughts crowded my head. Riley was planning a despicable attack on this boat in order to kill one set of politicians – and many of their families – and frame a bunch of others for the explosion. His aim was to shine through the chaos and win the general election in just four days’ time. And I was the only thing standing in his way. Somehow, I had to find a way to stop the bomb going off.

  But why were Riley and Taylor letting me anywhere near it in the first place?

  ‘Will I have to do anything when you set the timer on the bomb?’ I asked as we crawled on.

  ‘No.’ Spider’s voice echoed down the air duct towards me.

  ‘Then what am I doing here?’

  ‘Ask my dad,’ Spider said, dismissively. ‘Ask yours. They’re the ones who told me you had to be here.’

  I fell silent. Was it possible that this entire mission was – at least partly – an elaborate trap designed to kill me? I shivered, suddenly terrified. Would Riley really go that far? No, it didn’t make sense – there were surely easier ways of getting rid of me.

  My mind raced over what I’d learned in the past half-hour. The truth was that there were lots of things about this mission that didn’t make sense: Why, for instance, was Riley putting his own son in danger by having him set the timer? In fact, why use an inexperienced teenager at all? The EFA was an extremely powerful organisation containing scores of highly trained soldiers. Even if Spider had been shown how to operate the bomb, there must be other people who could do it more efficiently.

  Even more bizarre was the fact that only a maniac would set a bomb off on a boat and expect to survive it. And Riley was no maniac. Taylor had said it was sorted. But how on earth were they planning to get themselves and all the people working for them off the boat without either being hurt in the blast or looking, at the very least, suspiciously well-informed if they left just before the explosion? It was Riley’s party, for goodness’ sake.

  Another minute passed, then I heard Spider pushing at the air duct grille up ahead. It clattered to the ground. We clambered out into what looked like a boiler room. It was completely empty, but the sound of an engine nearby filled the space with a low hum, making everything around us vibrate slightly.

  I stared at the backpack over Spider’s shoulder. Should I make a move to grab it now? I inched forward as Spider crouched down to replace the grille. As he turned, I caught the metallic glint of a gun inside his jacket.

  I froze. ‘Where did you get that?’ I gasped.

  Spider ignored me; he headed past a bank of machines towards the far end of the room. I mentally assessed my chances of overpowering him. Spider was taller than me and wiry. Even if I could catch him off guard, it wouldn’t be easy to wrest the gun off him.

  Maybe my best chance was to try persuading him not to set off the bomb.

  ‘Spider . . .’ I hurried after him.

  ‘What?’ Spider turned to me. His hand rested on the gun. Did he really know how to use it? Taylor had trained him personally, which meant he almost certainly did.

  ‘Please, Spider,’ I said, wringing my hands together. ‘What we’re doing is wrong. Killing all these people.’

  Spider hesitated. For a moment I thought maybe he would listen. His expression softened a fraction.

  ‘Please,’ I went on, ‘we don’t have to do this. We can choose not to.’

  ‘Shut up.’ Spider’s eyes grew cold. ‘I’m not listening to this. I have to set the timer. There’s only twenty minutes left.’

  ‘No,’ I said. ‘I’m not letting you kill everyone.’

  Spider hesitated. His hand hovered over his gun. I sensed his reluctance: he didn’t want to threaten me, let alone shoot me. That gave me a chance. Maybe I couldn’t overpower him and stop him setting the timer, but I could still run and yell a warning to get everyone off the boat.

  I turned and bolted away. Hurtling through the only door, I found myself in another corridor. The door opposite said Storeroom. I hesitated, unsure whether to turn left or right to look for the stairs back up to the main cabin. I was determined to find the other passengers, to start shouting that there was a bomb. Once the news was public, Riley would have no choice but to take the boat back to shore. As I turned to the right, Aaron raced around the corner. His eyes widened as he saw me.

  ‘Charlie!’ he gasped. He ran up to me, stopping in front of the storeroom. ‘I just saw Nat. He’s looking for—’

  ‘Bomb.’ I grabbed his arm, my stomach flipping over at the thought that Nat was here, in danger along with everyone else. ‘There’s a bomb. The timer’s being set now. You have to help me warn—’

  But before I could finish my sentence, a dark blur raced past me. Spider punched Aaron, the full force of his fist ramming into Aaron’s face.

  Aaron spun, then crumpled to the floor clutching his head.

  ‘Don’t move.’ Holding his gun in one hand, Spider gripped Aaron’s arm with the other and started dragging him into the storeroom. In seconds he had shoved Aaron inside and turned the key. Then he grabbed my wrist and gave it a savage jerk. ‘Come on,’ he insisted.

  With the gun pressed against my neck, I had no choice but to let him force me back into the boiler room.

  Nat

  I slipped inside the main cabin trying not to look as self-conscious as I felt. The room was in two sections. This smaller section contained a group of kids and a clown who was juggling with a determined look on his face. The clown didn’t appear to notice me, though several of the kids pointed at my bare feet and damp trousers and giggled. I hurried through to the bigger section of the room. I kept my head down but, even so, I was aware of the security cameras fixed to the walls. Any second I expected to be challenged by one of Riley’s guards, but no one appeared.

  The room was crowded with people standing, drinks in hand, and noisy with chatter. No one paid me any attention as I slid silently around the walls, searching for Charlie. From the conversations I caught snatches of as I passed, I gathered Riley had just been speaking.

  ‘. . . that man is such an inspiration.’

  ‘. . . he plays so well with the voters, of course . . .’

  ‘. . . a natural leader . . . so charismatic . . .’

  I shook my head. If these people only knew what the man was really like, they would think very differently. I kept an eye open for security guards, but there were none in the room – at least none wearing a uniform. I reached the far wall and looked around again. No sign of Charlie or Taylor, though there were several people whose faces I vaguely recognised from the news. Politician
s presumably. Then, with a jolt I saw Latimer. He was talking with Riley and Riley’s blonde girlfriend. Aaron wasn’t with him; he must still be trying to find me some clothes.

  I watched Latimer talking. He was attempting to appear relaxed, but I could see the tension that filled his body. I shifted sideways, behind a high table set with a vase of huge lilac and white flowers, then peered around. Riley was speaking now, a big smile on his face. Latimer was trying to smile too.

  He looked up. Our eyes met. For a split second, Latimer’s expression registered shock, then concern. Then he looked back at Riley, a mask of keen interest on his face. He nodded vigorously at whatever point had just been made.

  I hesitated. It was obvious that Charlie was no longer in the room. Latimer, as Aaron had said, had clearly been right under Riley’s nose since coming on board. And now he had seen I was here and was making no move to expose me.

  My doubts vanished. Latimer was loyal to the resistance and, if I could only get him on his own, maybe he might have some idea of where Charlie had been taken.

  Latimer was making his excuses, saying he needed to go to the bathroom. He glanced at me as he left the group and I knew he wanted me to follow him. Keeping carefully out of sight I watched as he strolled across the room. As he reached the nearest door he turned and met my eyes again. Then he walked out.

  I let a couple of seconds pass. Riley was deep in conversation with the rest of his group. No one was looking in my direction. Keeping close to the wall, I squeezed past more party guests until I reached the door Latimer had just gone through.

  I slipped out into the corridor. Latimer was waiting just along the wall. He looked up, saw me and shook his head.

  ‘Not now,’ he mouthed.

  What was he saying? That it was too risky to talk? Screw that. I had to find Charlie, and Latimer was in the best position to know where she might have been taken.

  I turned towards him, but before I could take a step, a hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me roughly back.

  Charlie

  Leaving Aaron locked inside the storeroom opposite, Spider tugged me back into the boiler room. My heart pounded as he slammed the door shut.

  ‘What is your problem?’ he hissed.

  Furious, I squared up to him. Never mind he was at least a head taller than me and armed with a gun. He was an arrogant bully.

  ‘Aaron could be seriously hurt.’

  ‘He was in my way.’ Spider snarled. ‘Anyway, he’s irrelevant. We have work to do.’

  ‘How dare you say he’s irrelevant?’ I demanded. ‘He’s a person. His life matters. All these lives matter.’

  Spider’s black eyes pierced through me. ‘We’re here to set off a bomb. That’s all that matters.’

  ‘No. I’m not letting you do it.’ I made a grab for Spider’s backpack.

  Quick as a flash, he shoved my arm away and pressed his gun against my neck. ‘Move.’ He pushed me to the end of the room where a metal locker stood against the wall.

  My pulse quickened. Spider was better trained in combat than I’d expected. ‘Over there. Face the wall,’ he ordered.

  I did as I was told. Behind me I could hear Spider fitting a key into a lock and turning it, then his backpack rustling.

  I risked a quick look. He was positioning a phone inside the metal locker. I caught sight of numbers flashing on the screen:

  06:39

  06:38

  06:37

  ‘What’s that?’ I said, my voice hoarse. ‘Is that counting down to the bomb?’

  ‘I told you to face the wall,’ Spider snapped.

  I turned back, then sneaked a glance at my watch. It was totally in line with the countdown, even to the digital second hand. The bomb was due to go off in just over six minutes.

  06:09

  06:08

  06:07

  My heart beat hard as I stared at the wall. A moment later I heard Spider slam the locker shut.

  ‘Move!’ he ordered.

  I stumbled out of the boiler room and back into the corridor. As we passed the storeroom I could hear Aaron thumping on the door. Terror rose inside me as we headed up the steps and back to the main deck. In the distance I could hear people chatting in the main cabin. Nat was here, somewhere. I needed to warn everyone about the bomb. But how on earth did I do it?

  ‘Turn left.’

  I followed Spider’s command. As I walked, he put his arm around my waist. His jacket hung over his arm, concealing his gun.

  ‘Don’t think I won’t use it,’ he hissed.

  I glanced at him. His mouth was set in a determined line but he wasn’t meeting my eyes. Would he really shoot?

  I couldn’t be sure any more.

  Together we headed through the door at the end of the corridor and on to the deck. Spider took me over to the railings at the back of the boat. A security guard was standing there, arms folded. He watched as we approached, but said nothing.

  A long minute passed. The boat slowed and did a U-turn in the water.

  ‘What’s happening?’ I asked. ‘What are we waiting for?’

  Spider said nothing.

  As the boat finished its U-turn and began chugging back the way it had come, the security guard strode along the deck. I stared out across the water. The marina we’d left earlier was just visible up ahead on the right, but at the speed we were going, we’d never make it back before the bomb went off.

  ‘Are we waiting for someone to pick us up?’ I demanded.

  Silence. I glanced at my watch.

  03:44

  03:43

  03:42

  ‘We have to go back below deck, Spider,’ I said, feeling desperate. ‘Stop the bomb. There’s still time.’

  ‘I can’t, Charlie,’ Spider muttered, his gun still pressed against my ribs. ‘I’m sorry, but Taylor said you would do this even though I told him you wouldn’t. Please, it’s not too late. I won’t say you tried to run off.’ He stared at me, helplessly.

  Along the deck, the security guard was now looking out to sea. Four lifeboats hung over the deck to his right. There was no way I’d be able to stop the bomb on my own, which meant I had just over three minutes to get everyone on to the lifeboats and away from the boat.

  I felt sick. How on earth was I going to achieve that?

  ‘Hey!’ The security guard called out in a loud whisper. ‘Rescue motor is nearly here.’

  So we were getting off the boat.

  The guard disappeared from view, leaving just Spider and me at the back of the boat. Spider fidgeted beside me. I thought about what he had just said. I was pretty sure he was going along with this mission in order to prove himself to his dad, and almost as certain that he didn’t really want to hurt me.

  Whatever, I had to take the risk. Otherwise Spider and I would escape and all the people left on board – including Nat and Aaron and Latimer – would die.

  I reached for Spider’s hand. Surprised, he looked around.

  ‘Would you really shoot me?’ I asked.

  Spider’s cheeks flushed and I saw the answer to my question in his eyes.

  ‘Thank you.’ I darted forwards and pecked him on the cheek then, before he could say anything, I turned and ran across the deck, along the right-hand side of the main cabin.

  A second later I came to a door and dived inside. I was in the short corridor that led to the main cabin. I could hear the chatter and the clink of glasses just up ahead. I ran towards the sound.

  ‘Bomb!’ I yelled. ‘There’s a bomb on the boat!’

  Nat

  The security guard loomed over me, his hands pinning me down. He was clearly one of Riley’s men, though he didn’t move with the muscular fluidity of an EFA soldier.

  ‘Hello, Nat,’ he snarled.

  My heart skipped a beat – how come he knew my name?

  ‘What’s going on?’ Latimer demanded. He sounded furious.

  The guard ignored him. ‘Where d’you think you’re going?’ he asked me.

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sp; I struggled, but the guard held me down.

  ‘Let that boy go,’ Latimer insisted. ‘He’s not doing anything wrong.’

  ‘He’s trespassing,’ the guard said. ‘Back away, sir.’

  ‘Get off me,’ I growled. My EFA training kicked in and I raised my knee between the man’s legs. As he doubled over, releasing his hold on my arms, I punched his gut. One fist, then another. I spun him around, pushing him away from me. I raced to the end of the corridor and propelled myself outside. I was on the right-hand side of the deck. On the other side of the main cabin I could hear shouting, though not what was being shouted. Was that Charlie’s voice? Another security guard was heading towards me.

  ‘Come here!’ he yelled.

  I turned and fled, away from him towards the back of the boat. But Riley’s son was there, running in my direction. To avoid him, I skipped sideways, into the path of a lone male guest. Ducking under his arm, I reached the railings on the left-hand side of the boat and glanced across the water. We were still out on the river, but I could see the marina up ahead. I turned around. Riley’s son and the security guard I’d attacked were charging towards me.

  I was cornered. Desperate. I scrambled up, on to the railings. Instinct took over. I couldn’t help Charlie if I let myself be captured. I had to get away. I stood, poised for fraction of a moment on the outer edge of the boat.

  I felt a large hand swipe at me as I dived. ‘Oi!’

  I hit the cold water. Down, into the murky silence. I pulled myself through, straining to see through the gloomy depths. I swam in the direction of the marina, only surfacing when I could no longer breathe. No one had dived in after me. I was safe. I swam hard, heading for the marina. My arms pulled me mechanically through the water, but all I could think was that Charlie was still on the boat.

  I had failed to save her.

  Charlie

  I ran along the corridor, shrieking: ‘Bomb! Bomb!’ The main cabin was just up ahead. The noisy chatter coming from the room was masking my yells. I glanced down at my watch.