Chapter 6 - The Server RoomNavigating the labyrinthine service corridors of Deck 3 was like walking through the mechanical belly of a beast. The air here smelled of hot oil, salt, and raw marine diesel, a stark contrast to the champagne-and-perfume luxury of the upper decks.
I swiped the keycard I had lifted from Frank’s pocket against the heavy steel door marked AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY: SECURITY SERVER HUB.
BEEP.
The green light flashed. I slipped inside, closing the door silently behind me.
The room was freezing cold, filled with the deafening, industrial roar of towering server racks humming with glowing blue and green LED lights. At the far end of the room, a lone security technician sat slumped in a leather chair, staring lazily at a wall of monitors displaying live feeds from every hallway, elevator, and suite on the ship.
"Frank, you back already?" the technician muttered without turning around, his eyes glued to a monitor showing a couple making out near the pool bar. "Did Davis's kid finally break the bride's spirit?"
"Not quite," I said.
The technician froze. He started to spin his chair around, but I was already there. I brought the heavy aluminum bat down in a sharp, controlled arc, smashing it against the console right beside his head. A shower of sparks and shattered plastic exploded across the desk.
The technician threw his hands up, paralyzed with terror. "Don't shoot! Please! I'm just IT! I don't know anything about the boss's business!"
"Good," I said, pressing the cold, jagged edge of the steel pipe against his throat. "Because if you knew anything, you'd be dead right now. Here's what's going to happen. You're going to lock every single bulkhead door between Decks 4 and 10. You're going to disable the internal ship-wide intercom system. And then, you're going to send a broadcast message to the entire security detail."
His fingers hovered over the keyboard, shaking violently. "A—a broadcast? What do I tell them?"
"Tell them," I leaned in close, my eyes locking onto his with absolute, terrifying authority, "that an unauthorized hostile force has boarded the vessel, and all units are required to report to Deck 3 immediately for containment."
May you like
"They'll... they'll tear you apart! There are twenty armed men on this ship!"
"Let them try," I smiled, stepping back and racking the slide of the service pistol I had taken from the unconscious guard. "I've been looking for a good workout."
Related Stories
