Against The Current

Chapter 10

It was the smell that hit her first, a strong mix of melted paint and plastics. It was the pain in the back of her head that hit her next, a throbbing ache that radiated through her skull and down her neck. Emma cracked her eyes open slowly and found her vision was blurred; she blinked several times to get some focus.

'What happened?' She asked herself.

Had someone knocked her out? Had they then lit the building on fire?

A thick and heavy smoke filled the room and flames licked at the walls. She was lying on her side on the hard floor, the heat from the flames teasing her feet. Emma rolled onto her stomach and started pulling herself towards the door. The smoke was unpleasant and she tried to minimize the amount of air she was breathing in as she pulled her shirt over her nose.

The sharp pain in her head was increasing and Emma knew from experience that any moment now she could lose consciousness again. The hallway was nearly in her reach so she pushed her body forward with as much strength as she could muster.

Emma could hear voices calling out and tried to respond but her mouth was too dry and a weak murmur was all she could get out. She was so tired and her eyelids felt so heavy. The last thing she could make out before her eyes closed was the silhouette of dark shoes.

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Killian hopped out of the small jeep they used to get around the docks and stared up at his crowning glory.

The 'Jewel of the Realm'.

It had been the final ship that Liam had served upon. When Killian had taken over the company his first instinct was to scrap the ship, it was old and served as a bitter reminder of all that he had lost. Instead a blunt conversation with Robin at a seedy bar had not only left him with a black eye but also with a new perspective. He had sunk millions of dollars into the ship and retrofitted the 'Jewel' so it had every modern convenience available. There was no need for what happened to Liam to happen to anyone else that worked for Corsair's.

"Aren't you glad I gave you that right hook?" A smug voice questioned him from behind.

Killian nodded slightly before retorting, "Aren't you glad I didn't fire you?"

Robin just laughed and moved to stand beside his boss, "Shall we?"

The men spent several hours pouring over every inch of the vessel they could lay their hands on. They had started with the engine room and had discovered that Killian was right with his accusations. The fire had started because several key wires had been loosened after the maintenance crew had been through. They had yet to discover the reason for the sabotage but every key point in the Emergency Plan had been followed to a tee. The cargo had been left unattended!

Killian stepped out onto the upper deck and breathed in the salty air. He felt like he was chasing his own tail, all of his leads seemed to hit dead ends. It was extremely frustrating. He was used to having such a tight reign on every single aspect of his life that he couldn't understand how something this monumental had escaped him.

"Is that smoke?" Robin's voice questioned as he joined him out on the deck. Killian's eyes flicked up and he gazed out at the shipping yard. The dark smoke was billowing into the sky creating an extreme contrast with the beautiful blue of the sky.

"Is that?" Robin asked quietly. Ice filled Killian's veins as he recognized the building on fire as his offices.

"Emma," he whispered. Before Robin knew what was happening Killian was heading below deck and off the 'Jewel'.

Killian felt the adrenaline coursing through his veins as he dashed towards his Jeep. Robin had been hot on his heels and Killian cursed the seconds he would be delayed waiting for his security officer. All he could think about was the blonde headed spitfire and hoped she wasn't daft enough to play fire-fighter.