Moments ago, what sounded like an explosion rattled the chandeliers and wall sconces in the dining hall, lighting up the night sky outside the ship's starboard side near the stern. The brightness lasted for a few seconds before growing dark again. Zanderthal noted the disturbance but acted as if nothing happened, his expression a mask of calmness. Five minutes later, Ishikawa entered the room, whispered in Zanderthal's ear, and then left. Sarah couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Had someone fired on the icebreaker? Maybe a rescue attempt was underway? But then everything went quiet, as did the flicker of hope. More likely, they had snuffed out a raid.
Despite the overwhelming urge to run, she remained in her seat and maintained a level of composure that she found ridiculous. She made herself hold it together. Zanderthal would meet any outburst of anger or attempt to flee with swift repercussions. Besides, where would she go? She gazed out the windows overlooking the stern. The only thing she saw was the distant light of another vessel in the same shipping lane.
Hope flashed like lightning. Could it be the Atlantis?
But as lightning vanishes, leaving darkness, her mind driven by years of education picked apart the idea. It was a harsh reality. Scientific reasoning was supposed to be grounded in fact. Evidence shaped theory and thus the truth. Or at least the truth gleaned from data, however limited.
That didn't account for faith.
Faith hoped for the best despite what someone saw or felt, or reasoned with their mind. But that was all she had, and because of that slippery thread, another idea arose. She imagined a lifeboat somewhere on the icebreaker. The ship had to have several, probably mounted on either side past the bridge or near the stern. She was a marine biologist. Although not a sailor, her confidence grew. She could figure out how to lower a lifeboat and navigate it back to land.
While deep in thought, calculating, plotting her escape, she observed Zanderthal and Caroline James. She had to hide her plan from their prying eyes.
Certainly, she knew with any full course meal, dessert was next. Delicate and quaint, Sarah dabbed the corners of her lips with a cloth napkin and aimed a dimple straight for the chairman of Ocean Blue.
"The lobster was delicious."
"I'm glad you thought so," he said, checking his watch. "What is yet to come should be delightful as well."
On cue, the male servant appeared with another tray carrying three cream cheese pies dribbled with chocolate syrup, halved strawberries on top. Once again, the billionaire spared no expense for himself or his guests.
Sarah took a bite and chewed with her mouth closed, the rich flavor reminding her of her favorite dessert at the Cheesecake Factory in Orlando. After swallowing, she fixed her eyes on Zanderthal.
"As elegant as my stay aboard your ship has been, I still can't help but wonder why?"
"Why what?"
"Why you've kept me alive. Whatever it is, I can't imagine anything good coming from it." She waited for a reaction, then said, "You don't expect me to marry you, do you? Do you think you can have me as your bride? I mean, this white dress and all..."
Sarah glanced at Caroline, who appeared miffed at the line of questioning. The woman shifted her gaze to Zanderthal and waited for an answer.
He stared at Sarah, tilting his head curiously, and chuckled. "As appealing as it may be to have you for myself, I have something far more profitable in mind."
"You haven't considered keeping her, have you?" Caroline asked with an air of repulsion in her voice.
"Oh, come on. You two could have learned to get along with each other."
He reached out and felt the top of their hands. Sarah withdrew hers while Caroline warmed to his touch.
"Like I was saying, I have kept Ms. Lawson alive for a reason, none of which has anything to do with lustful passions. At least not my own. I suppose there's no harm in revealing your destiny. After all, you're aware of my operations in Sydney and around the world."
Zanderthal removed a cell phone from the inner pocket of his jacket. He ordered someone on the other end of the line to join them in the dining hall. He suggested they finish their dessert while they waited for the additional guests to arrive. Sarah pushed her plate away, not able to continue. Caroline completed her slice of pie with a haughty display of smugness. She must have been pleased to hear she was Zanderthal's one and only.
Ten minutes later, a group of older gentlemen stepped through the stern facing door of the dining room. All were of Asian descent, dressed in sand colored military fatigues. The men took a seat, one nestling next to Sarah. The oldest man sat at the other end of the table, facing Zanderthal.
The chairman gestured toward the individual with a free hand and a nod. "This, Ms. Lawson, is General Cho of the Chinese Army. He is the highest ranking and senior most official representing their military."
Sarah flashed back to Zanderthal's secluded compound and the men she and Jake passed on their way into the arena. They were the same men who sat at the table with her now, except for General Cho. He must have been mingling with Zanderthal during the night's main event. She studied him. Lines of age clung to his face, his hair still black with specks of white sprinkled along the edges. Sarah cringed as the general allowed his eyes to linger on her.
"We're headed for Hong Kong," Zanderthal said with an icy edge. That answered at least one question in Sarah's mind. "I plan to create an army of superhuman soldiers using my breakthrough in human growth hormones, which I got from my experiments on the world's barracuda population. Can you imagine communist China equipped with a million man army of indestructible, fast moving, quick healing and unstoppable soldiers marching across the plains of Europe and Asia?"
"The NATO Alliance wouldn't stand for such an attack on the free world," Sarah said.
"I admit NATO and the U.S. are militarily advanced powers to be reckoned with. But so is China. Far more than the rest of the world has yet to come to terms with. Imagine paratroopers gliding through the night sky without warning or a declaration of war. This would follow an initial assault, launching thousands of tanks and aircraft. Follow these first waves with an overwhelming invasion of invincible soldiers equipped with the latest in modern warfare. The eastern half of the globe will fall."
The word 'will' stuck in Sarah's mind. This was not some hypothetical scenario, but a highly conceived power play.
Zanderthal continued in stride. "The battle will end before it begins. Western Europe will fall all the way to the Atlantic." Zanderthal paused for a moment and then added, "And I will profit from their exploits financially, of course. If all goes according to plan, General Cho will give me a position in his cabinet as chief science officer. Not to mention, Ocean Blue will be global, number one in marine research and conservation."
"Do you think China's top leadership will stand for this?"
"With the military under General Cho's command, who will stop us?"
The general spoke for the first time. His words were accented, but clearly he had a firm grasp on the English language. "Ms. Lawson, we have grown tired of the world treating us like a communist plague. More to the point, communism is weak. I will replace it with imperial power, such that the world has never seen. But do not fret. You will be the bride of the most powerful general on the face of the Earth." He grinned.
"You're sick and demented," Sarah said. Her insides quivered from the twisted plot and the general's longing eyes.
"Maybe so, but we will rule the eastern half of the world. And the west will bow to our power." General Cho gazed at her and added, "And you will be there at my side."
"I know people who are planning to stop you."
Zanderthal laughed. "Are you referring to the commando team sent to save you?"
Sarah fidgeted in her seat.
"That's right. Poof. They're gone. I'm afraid there are only two men who are coming for you and we will catch them soon."
Renewed hope sprung up in Sarah's heart. "They're still alive?"
"I'm afraid we didn't receive word back from one of our men. And, the moment I spotted a ship on radar, stalking our position, I knew something was amiss." He looked past General Cho at the vessel trailing behind them and then returned his eyes to Sarah. "Do you think they can stop me?"
"You shouldn't underestimate my friends," Sarah said with more confidence than she had. Deep down, she knew it was a bluff, but she couldn't show weakness.
"I wouldn't dare," Zanderthal said. "They're already aboard my ship, and I have set a snare for them. They'll walk right into it."
He checked his watch. "It's time to join Soloman and Cruze. I think they should get a view of you in that dress before I kill them."