Cruise (25 page)

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Moving the captives from the undersea base to the ship was a task that proved, among other things, how efficient the slavers had become. When they had a pair of women who were ready to be shipped out, they put them through their abbreviated course in SCUBA, unless they already knew enough to use the breathing apparatus without coaching. The wet suits they used were different from conventional models in that the legs of the suits were a single sheath that tightly encapsulated both legs and ended at the ankle. The arms were accommodated in a similar fashion, with a zippered sheath that began at the neck of the suit and completely enclosed both already bound arms behind the back with the hands securely enclosed in a single mitten-like capsule. Once the legs and arms were in the sheaths, the suit was zipped up the front as far as the neck, then the specially designed and integrated hood was pulled up and over the swimmer’s head, covering the eyes and surrounding the face, leaving just enough room for a mask and mouthpiece held in place by an elastic band that went around the head. Even with this, each of the swimmers were not to let go of the mouthpiece because, of course, without their hands, they would not be able to recover it and would probably drown. This threat had a telling effect on the candidates as they were sealed into the suits. They were told that the underwater journey would last about an hour and that they should try to conserve their air supply as much as possible.

Breathing air was supplied by a conventional 89 cubic foot tank held by a harness that went over the arm sheath. Once in the combination suit and SCUBA apparatus, the swimmers were totally helpless. The mask sealed their face and nose and since the hood covered the eyes, they were essentially cocooned in neoprene and breathing compressed air until released. To further enhance this already disabling arrangement, the slavers attached a nylon web harness that had a heavy double suspension rig that connected to two steel towing rings. The swimmers were suited up, and placed in the airlock, which was then flooded and the pilot guides pulled the swimmers outside, placing them on the sandy bottom while the harness rings were connected to a long nylon tow strap connected to the towing ring on the Sea Sled vehicle. This morning, six suited swimmers were lined up behind the sled in groups of three, all tethered together and arranged so that they would follow the sled in two lines. In concept and design, the system looked simple. Once the sled departed the habitat, the bound and helpless swimmers were dragged along behind in a small trail of bubbles made by their air and that coming from the sled. In reality, the towed women were dragged along behind at a level only a few feet above the seabed and more than once they collided with coral reef and rocks strewn across the bottom, making the already terrifying ride even worse.

Wink, an inexperienced diver, was nevertheless terrified once the hood was closed on her wet suit. Her arms and legs, already bound with nylon straps, were stuffed into the suit’s sheaths, pressing the limbs together even more and making her immediately more uncomfortable than when she was in her cell in the habitat. The mouthpiece they inserted into her small mouth was really too big and fit badly, forcing her lips and teeth apart and making breathing more difficult. Having been gagged for so long anyway, the mouthpiece just added to her overall anxiety. But she knew that she had to keep it in her mouth, no matter what and locked her jaws onto the fitted biteplate as she was loaded into the airlock and it was quickly flooded. The twin sounds of air rushing out of the airlock and water coming in were terrifying for the bound and blind woman. The cold saltwater quickly covered her and the others and then the outside doors opened with a hiss of compressed air and they were each dragged outside and placed in their assigned positions on the sea floor. The harnesses were hooked up and the Sea Sled took off, jerking the towline hard and dragging the six bound and suited bodies along the sandy bottom until forward speed and altitude finally lifted them higher as they twirled along behind the sled. This was no joy ride for any of the women. Nothing any of them had ever experienced compared to the multiple sensations they were experiencing. Speeding along through the sea, occasionally bumping into each other or projections from the bottom, they often coursed up and down or in twirling circles as the sled navigated through the shallows offshore and then plunged into deeper water. They headed for the rendezvous with the freighter moored at an off shore buoy used by ships awaiting clearance to enter the port.

Wink tried to accustom herself to the experience. Twice she was dragged along the bottom and she felt the impact of small stone and shells on her breasts and chest which were the most forward and exposed body portions in the suit. The sand and stones moving hard and quickly over her front were, she realized suddenly, not altogether a bad sensation. The 3 mil thickness of the suit both insulated and accentuated the stimulation of the rough bottom as she was dragged along, bounding up and down through the water and sand. At one point, a rock nearly dislodged her mask and Wink fought to clear the flood of incoming water and somehow reseat the mask on her partly exposed face. The other girls fared somewhat better, although this was merely a matter of chance because they were nearer to the sled and thus the arcs that they swung in behind the vehicle were not as wide as those suffered by Wink.

Approaching the freighter, the sled slowed, but the water was so deep here that the towed packages simply hung lower in the water, but did not contact the bottom. Entry to the freighter was through an underwater ramp that was lowered from the amidships portion of the hull. The ramp descended low enough for the sled to slip in and ground out inside the flooded hull. The towed bodies followed and slid along the ramp’s surface until the sled stopped and all towed bodies were inside the enclosed hull. Then the ramp retracted and the water was pumped out of the landing area.

Handlers from the Carlos Andiamo entered the area, unfastened the towlines and harnesses from the six inert bodies, removing the mouthpieces and the tank harness as well. Then the bodies were loaded on wheeled carts, two to a cart, and taken inside the ship. As soon as the area was cleared, it was again flooded, the sled departed and returned to the habitat. The wet suited captives were stowed in a clearing section until they could be unsuited and placed in their shipping containers, which were really little more than large coffins with all of the necessary accessories to keep the contents alive and well during the journey. Although the girls had been told that they would travel in much the same way as they had been kept in the habitat, they didn’t know that while enroute to their new homes, they would be getting additional training and some body modifications, including special jewelry.

Lying on the cool steel deck of the ship with only her mouth and nose exposed, Wink wondered what would happen next.

Chapter Twenty Six

Finding Jean

Following the leads they got from Naomi and Joan, Bibi and her shore team went to the old fort but found nothing indicating that the Norquists and Johnsons had ever been there. Exasperated by not being able to reach the yacht after multiple radio calls, they decided go back to Altuna, regroup and perhaps search for the freighter. They left the two turncoat women in the safe house for the time being.

Once they reached the yacht, it was clear that something was very wrong. To begin with, there was no one on deck. No watch keepers on the bridge and no evidence of anyone on board. The team began their search at once.

What saved Groff was Bibi’s unrelenting search of the yacht’s many unidentified spaces. Purely by chance, Bibi investigated aft of the turbine room and, seeking to find some place a bit cooler, opened a watertight door that was usually locked. No one saw her slip into the darkened passageway and when she closed the door, it was totally black.

Bibi waited for her eyes to adjust, hoping that perhaps some light source might become evident. Lacking that, she turned on the tiny finger LED that she had in her pocket and surveyed the passageway. It was short and headed aft where she found another watertight door and this one too was unlocked, the securing lever left just slightly off center and thus keeping the lock from setting. She opened the door slowly and was greeted by a dimly lit tunnel with circular two-foot wide portholes along both sides. Putting her light away and moving quietly in her usual bare feet, Bibi slid along the bulkhead, peering into the glass ports and trying to figure out what was being stored there. Further along, she noticed that one port emitted a dim light. Stopping at the side of this one, Bibi eased around the edge, just enough to peer through the glass and into the dimly lit interior.

She couldn’t believe what she saw. It was Jean Groff, chained down to the floor of a large tank. She was gagged and held close to the deck by a short chain connected to a steel collar and additional chains on her arms and feet. Even more shocking was the woman standing over Groff with her back to the port, as she slowly beat Groff’s already bruised and scarred ass with what looked like a small version of a cat-o-nine-tails. Bibi shifted her position slightly, made sure she knew which tank she was looking at and then searched for a ladder or hatchway that would take her up one deck to the top of the tanks where she assumed there must be some sort of hatch. She found the ladder at the end of the gallery, climbed silently and peered over the edge of the open hatch. This was the intermediate deck, a sort of mezzanine that held the top hatches of the tanks. Bibi climbed onto the grated steel deck and eased herself down the narrow aisle until she was at the third tank top, which, not surprisingly, was slightly open and through which she heard the woman below talking to Jean. The whipping stopped and the woman was saying something about going to the Andiamo. Gagged, Jean made no comment. Turning to her left, the woman, who was, based on her uniform, a low ranking member of the yacht’s crew, but one that Bibi had never seen before, dropped her whip and turned to the ladder. She climbed it slowly, continuing to berate Groff with a stream of invective and insults. As she reached the top and was about to lift the hatch, it suddenly raised itself and then came down fast on her head and one hand that was on the lip of the hatch way. The woman screamed and let go of the edge, plunging back down into the tank. Bibi was into the hatch and down the ladder right behind her. The woman lay motionless on the steel flooring. Bibi poked her with a toe and then turned to Groff.

“Does she have the keys?” Bibi asked Jean, who was watching the scene with a mixture of surprise and relief. She nodded and mumbled something Bibi didn’t understand. Bibi bent over the unconscious body of the woman and went through her pockets, quickly finding the key set and turning to unlock the multiple cuffs and collars on Groff.

As soon as the gag was out of her mouth and her feet were free, Groff turned to her tormentor, kicked her hard in the ribs, and asked, “Is she dead?” The woman didn’t make a sound or move.

“Sure looks that way,” Bibi said, busy with the rest of the cuffs and locks.

“That makes one less I’ll have to deal with,” Jean said with venom in her voice.

“We need to get you out of here and cleaned up,” said Bibi, helping Jean up the ladder and looking with concern at the multiple layers of scars and wounds all over her friend’s slim body.

“Screw that,” said Groff, reaching the top of the ladder. “As soon as I get some clothes, I’m going topside and put a nine millimeter hole in Anna’s thick skull.”

“Did she put you here?” Bibi asked as they moved slowly along the grating of the deck, headed for their cabins.

“No question about it. She apparently leads the gangs on board and is working to help someone connected with your buddy, Brillcart, to take over the ship, just as soon as all of the guests and crew are either eliminated or taken to the slave camp on the island.”

“From the looks of things, everyone else is already gone,” said Bibi.

“Shit,” spat Groff, still rubbing her sore wrists. “How long have I been down here?”

“Long enough for things to get totally fucked up,” replied Bibi. “And did you say something about Anna and Brillcart?”

“None other,” said Groff with an uncharacteristic hiss in her voice. They were now in the corridor leading to Groff’s cabin and were being extremely cautious. They knew that as soon as they entered the private cabin space, the entry key code could be monitored to show someone in the room and that would give them little time to prepare to the likely hostile response.

“Is the captain in on this too?” asked Bibi. “Cause she’s gone as well.”

“I don’t think so. In fact, it was my impression that Ingram, Norquist and the loyal team are locked up like I was.”

“You open the gun safe and then get some clothes on. I want a couple of items from there and then we go to my cabin and further arm ourselves,” Bibi said, checking the peephole in the door and double locking it while Groff opened her room safe, quickly washed face and upper body and slipped into a black jumpsuit and rubber-soled boots. She stopped for a moment, once she was dressed and helped Bibi rummage around for knives and the two automatic pistols in the safe. She took three clips of ammunition, shoving it into the jump suit’s pockets and giving the rest to Bibi. In less than five minutes since they arrived at the cabin, they were armed. Ready to leave and head for the bridge, they heard a telltale sound in the hallway, the sound of something metal hitting the steel, water tight door. Both women froze and then silently moved to either side of the doorway. Bibi reached over and released the door lock. Then they waited.

It was a short wait. The door was suddenly slammed open and Anna Flores and two other crew women charged into the cabin. All three had black guns, semi automatic rifles, and this proved to be their undoing. The rifles were aimed forward and the invaders were unable to bring the muzzles of their weapons to bear before the defenders attacked. Bibi moved first and cut Flores down with a single forceful karate chop with the edge of her right hand to Anna’s neck, sending the tall woman sprawling on the deck. Groff drove her knee into the side of one accomplice, making her drop the rifle and try to turn to face Groff, who put the automatic pistol to the back of the other one’s head. Bibi swung her pistol at the second woman, connecting with her cheek and opening a deep and immediately bloody cut. In a few seconds, the three attackers had been disarmed and hurt badly enough to disable them.