Asiatica 5679

ACT SEVENTEEN

Espada Line Cebu 162, somewhere in the Philippine Sea

Landon emerges from behind the pillar. The main deck of the cargo ship is in disarray from the firefight the other day. Containers have fallen from the tops of their stacks, and lie precariously upended atop the catwalks. The pirate at the end of the way is not looking in his direction. He dashes forward, moving into cover once more. Across from him, Michael is in cover also, only visible from this angle. The pirate can be heard turning, pacing, then turning back again, at the end of the walkway between the containers. 

"Go!" Michael whispers, harshly, and the two men dash forward into the next set of cover, muffling their footsteps by tip-toeing. The rusty metal of the ship's hull creaks under particularly heavy steps, but luckily they remain swift enough to avoid this. Once again, the pirate can be heard patrolling back in their direction, before turning once more and continuing his route. They dash forward again, underneath a fallen container, its contents spilled atop the catwalk's mesh roof. As Landon takes his cover once-more, the ship creaks beneath his feet, and the guard's patrolling footsteps stop at the end of the walkway.

Michael and Landon stay silent, with baited breath, as the only sound becomes the lapping of waves at the hull. The pirate turns and analyses the walkway. He steps forward, deviating from his normal route, and slowly making his way down the walkway, towards where Michael and Landon are hiding. Suddenly, something falls from the upended container, and rolls to a stop in the middle of the walkway. It is an electronic toy, and lights up, moving and blaring a quiet set of music, before shutting back down once more. The pirate is close enough that he can be heard sighing, and walking over to the toy, which sits just a bit further down the walkway than Landon and Michael.

He strides over to it, lowers his gun, and leans down to it. He is within view of Landon and Michael from their opposing hiding spots. If he turns around now, he'll see them. Landon knows exactly what must be done. He dashes from his hiding spot, straight towards the pirate, lunging at him from behind. The pirate turns suddenly, and raises his rifle to block the approaching assailant. Landon clatters over the gun, and the gun in turn clutters over the pirate. Landon and the man become locked in combat. Landon immediately smacks the gun away, and it clatters across the metal floor towards Michael, who shoots up to grab it. Landon places his hands around the pirate's throat and squeezes, but the pirate reaches for his knife.

The two struggle, as the pirate cannot quite reach his knife, and Landon cannot quite seem to kill this man. Michael picks up the rifle, and runs over to the two fighting on the floor. He raises the AK above his head, and brings it down on the pirate's head, immediately knocking him out. Landon falls backward off the body, and clambers to his feet, panting from the struggle. "I think you killed him."

"I hope so," Michael responds. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I couldn't risk him seeing us." Landon reaches for his shoulder, rolling it and grimacing. "So what do we do with him?"

"Chuck him overboard?"

"I suppose so..."

Sure enough, the two male sports teachers pick up the possibly already dead Asian pirate and walk him down towards the open window in the side of the ship. The wall on the main deck is only a few metres tall, and has portholes dotted throughout it. Michael uses his rifle to bash the mesh cover in, and it falls into the ocean below. He picks up the pirate by the arms the two hoist him through the hole, and watch as he falls several metres into the ocean below, landing with a splash, and presumably drowning. 

On the bridge, Leanne and Rosabella still sit bound at the back of the room. The pirate leader stands at the centre of the room, and there are a few other pirates spread around the room doing various tasks at various consoles. Suddenly, a pirate shouts points at something in the water below them, very close to the side of the ship. The pirates all approach the window, and the pirate leader collects a pair of binoculars, before looking down himself. He mutters something under his breath.

"Women!" he barks. "Were you alone in that plane of yours?"

Rosabella and Leanne hesitate. "Why do you ask?" Rosabella answers.

"There's a body in the water down there," he says, still facing out the window. "And quite frankly I'd like to know who put it there." He lowers his binoculars, turns, and walks toward them. "Its' occurred to me that I have failed in my duty of properly introducing us. My name is Xuan Trong, and I am in charge around here. Now who the hell are you?"

"You know enough about us, surely. What, do you want our tax file numbers next?" Leanne answers.

"No, but I'd certainly like your names and occupations."

"Marissa," Rosabella answers swiftly. "Marissa Macey. I'm a... teacher." Leanne looks at her.

"And you?" Xuan insists.

"Theodora... Poole."

"Forget your own last name did you?" he laughs. "Whatever, your names aren't that important, you're a teacher too?" Leanne nods. "So what were you two doing on that little aeroplane of yours?"

"Family holiday," Rosabella answers once more, quickly. "I can't speak to what she was doing there, we didn't know each other prior to this."

"I was going overseas for Research," Leanne says.

"Ah, wasn't that easy?" Xuan Trong laughs, falling for the blatant lies he has just been delivered. "Now who else is on my ship?"

"I'd assume your crew, and the old crew," Leanne answers sternly.

"You know what I mean."

"If you're attempting to insinuate we know of some sort of stowaway who killed that person in the water, I'm afraid you are wasting your time," Rosabella states.

"There is plenty of time at sea," he smiles. "So I think I'll chance it. You should know if you lie to me, well, I hardly need a hostage. There's plenty more downstairs." Rosabella is reminded that there is many other members of the Cebu's crew who are also being held hostage within the ship's main sections. 

"We aren't lying. We're alone." 

A pirate begins to shout at the front of the Bridge, Xuan turns his attention away from the two teachers and back to the other pirates. He shouts back, and Rosabella turns to Leanne. "I think they'll find Mike and Landon soon, now's our chance!"

Xuan looks down and sees the two male teachers running across the main deck, towards the doors which lead inside. One of them wields a rifle. "You fucking lying skanks!" he shouts, drawing his gun. He turns suddenly and fires at the two women, but is met with empty chairs, cut cable-ties, and an open door. "The fuck... kamu fucking idiot, kamu salah mengikat mereka!" he raises the gun and shoots at one of his own men, who falls backward, and dies in the corner of the bridge. "Temukan mereka!" he barks at two others, who pick up their rifles and charge out of the room after the escaped teachers.

Xuan now stands alone in the bridge. He paces to the captain's desk, where he looks down at the blood smattered papers. He slams his hands onto it, and lets out a deep scream, sweeping the paper onto the floor as he does so. "Teachers... outplayed by a pair of teachers!"