Voyage into Slavery Chapter 22
Jennings finally made it to the promenade deck. He then went straight for the helipad. The passengers that he hurried past were still enjoying themselves, totally unaware of what was going to happen. Damn that Takachi. Jennings swore to himself. He couldn't wait to give him some payback, for kidnapping Louise, and Kieko.
When he reached the helipad, Jennings saw that the machine was empty. He looked for the Japanese woman, but she was nowhere in sight. Must have just taken her, he thought grimly. He knew where, but Kieko and all the other girls would be tightly guarded. Getting to them, may be tricky.
Jennings wasn't a defeatist though. He wouldn't leave the innocent women to end up, on some slave auction. The determination hardened in him. He then saw the pilot enter the helicopter, and started to check the machine over. As he watched, the pilot got out, and examined the outside. A puzzled look on his face, before he left the aircraft.
Jennings got back in touch with Sarah.
'Great job, Sarah. 'he complimented his sister, 'looks like they fell for it. '
Her reply was grateful, as she was always glad to help her brother out.
'I don't know how long it will work, though. ' He answered, 'See if you can do anything else with the flight panel. I want that Takachi to think he can't leave the ship. '
'Got it, John. 'Sarah then informed him, 'John, I'm picking up another electronic detonation signal. ' Her voice became slightly more shrill, 'Its near Louise's position!'
Jennings had somehow expected this. Takachi wasn't a human being, he was a murderous monster. Using fake bombs to fool him, as he seized Kieko. Now, using a real bomb to threaten not just the ship, but his youngest sister. He felt a fool asking Sarah this, but he needed to.
'Sarah, are you sure the signal is real?'
She didn't admonish him, as her reply took a moment. 'Detonation signal confirmed. Its real. '
'Okay. ' Jennings was thinking fast. He knew the bomb threat had to be dealt with first, and Sarah still had more bad news for him.
'The bomb can be set off by remote. Takachi must still have it on him. '
Jennings agreed with her. 'Get in touch with any ship that's close to our position. Tell them we need immidiate assistance, due to bomb alert. I have to find Takachi. '
Sarah couldn't hide the worry evident in her voice. 'John, please help Louise. Don't let anything happen to her. '
'Don't worry. 'Jennings reassured, 'I won't. 'He spoke the last part, really meaning it.
Just then, Takachi's voice came in.
'That's very brave, Mr Jennings. I salute that, but I have Louise, so kindly do as I say. '
Jennings hardened, but realising he had to be careful at what he said, made an icy response.
'What do you want?'
'I want you to come to me. I do have something you want, especially when I have two of them. '
Jennings still kept his temper in check, as he almost demanded. 'Where are you?'
Takachi sneered. 'Very close, why don't you come and get me?'
Jennings then had Sarah tell him. 'John, he's waiting for you by Louise. '
He acknowledged that, and raced back. The fool was messing him about, he didn't have a choice though. He had to obey, for Louise's sake.
In Liu's personal quarters, the Captain waited impatiently for the report from Yee, and his men. Liu was eager for them to bring the English woman to him. So far, Yee hadn't reported back. He hoped that nothing had gone wrong. So far, this trip seemed to be bringing out many problems. Liu realised that his whole set-up needed a good overhaul. The security and intelligence forces were now infiltrating his system, threatening the whole operation. He'd better find out how. Seeing as Yee hadn't reported back, he picked up a radio, and made contact with his First Officer himself.
'Yee, come in. '
Much to his relief, Yee did answer.
'Yes, Sir?'
'Status?'
'We're closing in on the girl, but we are still seeing the bombs Takachi set here. We have to be careful. '
'Understood. 'Liu did agree with him. 'Just remember, Mr Yee. I want her alive, and in one piece. '
'Understood, Captain. Any news on the girl's brother?'
'I'm sure he'll be heading your way, as we speak. Deal with him. '
'With pleasure, Sir. Yee out. '
Feeling much better, Liu then called Madam Chen up to him. The woman's smile was certainly enough to put the chill on all her enemies. Liu was pleased, that she appeared to be on their side.
'Are the girls safely aboard your ship?' he queried.
Madam Chen still kept her ominous smile. 'All packed up, and ready. Though, there are exceptions. '
Liu nodded in understanding. 'Hopefully, Miss Jennings will be taken very soon, provided her brother has no say on the matter. '
'Oh, I sincerely hope he does. 'The woman produced her knife. Liu watched her carefully, his hands slowly reaching for a hidden gun, under his desk. Madam Chen noticed it, and reassured him.
'You don't have to worry, Captain. The blade is for Jennings’ heart. I promised Louise a front row seat, when I kill him. '
Liu slowly breathed a sigh of relief, though he still watched her sharply.
'You seem very confident of doing that. 'he observed.
'I know I can. 'The smile still stayed, as she then took out a laptop, and opened it. 'I believe we are closing in on another pretty damsel. '
Madam Chen started typing in, and picked up her own radio, asking. 'Are you ready?'
A man's voice came back. 'Waiting for your orders, Madam Chen. '
'Good, remember. I will give you the girl's location with the tracking device, once she makes contact with Jennings. '
'Got it. 'The man responded.
'Remember. I want her alive, and unharmed. ' Madam Chen was determined that her wishes were carried out to the letter. 'Have her bound and gagged, then bring her to me. '
'Understood. '
Pleased, she put down the radio, and glanced at Liu.
'I think Jennings will deeply regret interfering with us, now that we have both his sisters. '
Liu was interested. 'You've seen her? Is she pretty?'
This made Madam Chen smirk. She typed more on the laptop's keyboard, then she turned it around, so Liu could see the screen. A young woman's image showed on it. She wore the white naval uniform of the British Royal Navy. Liu was impressed by her figure. The girl did indeed, look very pretty. Like her sister, Sarah had dark brown hair, falling softly past her shoulders. She was taller than Louise, and Liu really liked the look of her.
'So, she's been helping Jennings all this time?'
'Indeed. 'Madam Chen nodded in agreement, 'but not for much longer. '
Just then, one of her men contacted her, through the radio.
'Ready to transport the cargo, Madam Chen. '
'Excellent. Stand by. 'She then advised the Captain, 'You'd better stop the ship. We'll get it done much quicker that way. '
Liu gave his consent. 'Very Well. '
Before he could do so, Madam Chen suddenly held up her hand. She was hearing Sarah's voice. Quickly, she activated the tracing signal, and waited expectantly. After a few moments, she got it. The radio was in her hands, just as Sarah's location was being revealed. Smiling with eager anticipation, she passed on the information to her men.
Jennings hurried down to where Louise was still being held tied up. He saw the fake bombs, that Takachi had fooled him with. This made him almost snarl, as he usually wasn't so easily deceived. He was already thinking ahead. He'd check out what his enemy would be doing, and prepare his own trap. Sarah was still with him, she constantly fed him updates, especially the four crewmen, who were closing in on Louise's position. He wasn't pleased at that. Jennings realised he hadn't any firearms on him, only his knife. Sarah had informed him, that the four men ahead, did have weapons. Yet, that didn't stop him. Jennings had faced much worse combat scenarios than this, and he swore on his life, he'd get Louise out of there.
Sarah reported to him. 'John, you're two hundred metres away from Louise. '
Just then, Jennings heard something over the headset. He knew that wasn't natural.
'Sarah, what was that?'
She hesitated, unsure if she should tell him. However, he would probably know, and he did.
'Trace signal. '
He suddenly had a bad feeling for his sister.
'Sarah, close the line, and get out , now!'
Much to his annoyance, Sarah refused him.
'No, you and Louise need my help. I'll stay on as long as I can. ' '
Damn it, Sarah-'
'John, please!'There was a hint of desperation in her tone. 'Just get Louise out of danger!'
There was no point arguing, he cursed inwardly. Sarah was right, but he would be unable to help her, should the need arise.
'All right, but get out of there, if the bad guys show up, got it?'
Her voice softened. 'Don't worry. I will. '
He moved on, tense and ready for the fight. Reaching a steel ladder, he started to climb down it, when there was a burst of gunfire. Instinctively, Jennings dove for cover, and hid behind a nearby wall. The gunfire continued, making him hug the wall. Damn it. he wished he'd brought his own firearms to return fire. Fortunately, there was nobody else about, as Jennings scanned for any non-combatants. He still couldn't see Louise, but knew he'd get to her.
Cautiously peering out, he just had enough time, to see two of his enemies, they were firing from up above him. There was no sign of the other two, but Sarah then revealed to him, that they had gone on ahead. Obviously, to delay his advance. He made another careful peek, then pulling out his knife, he threw it expertly, into one of them. The man he'd struck, gasped in total suprise, before he keeled over. His body landed close to Jennings' cover point.
There wasn't a moment to lose, quickly Jennings raced out, pulled the body back, still under fire. Though, the bullets struck the already bloody corpse. Jennings pulled the knife out, and cleaned it. He now had the dead man's rifle. His second opponent was dispatched seconds later. Jennings shot him, as he ran out of ammo.
'John!'Sarah was fully alarmed, as she'd listened to the fight. 'Are you okay?'
He got his breath back, before he could answer. 'Yes, I'm fine. '
He then heard the same sound over the headset. Sarah heard it too. Then, disaster struck. Madam Chen's ominous voice came on. 'Thank you, my dear. You've been a real help. '
Before Jennings could say, or do anything, he heard Sarah give out a muffled cry. Somebody had clamped a hand over her mouth!
'Sarah! Sarah!' He anxiously called for his sister, before Madam Chen's unwanted response came back to him.
'I must congratulate you, Jennings. Having two pretty, and may I say, delicious sisters to savour. It's really made my day. '
Furious, Jennings almost screamed with rage into the headset. 'Let her go!'
There was an evil chuckle from her. 'Oh no. I don't think so. She'll be put for sale, with all my other slaves, once I tire of them. '
He heard Sarah's still muffled protest at this. His own reaction was extreme.
'You bitch! I'll kill you for this!'
Madam Chen smiled, though he couldn't see it. 'I think your death shall precede mine, but I hope we do meet again. 'Her voice suddenly became inhuman. 'Get the girl out of there, and tie her up. 'With a mocking farewell, Madam Chen sneered. 'Goodbye, Jennings. Enjoy your final moments. '
Then, she was gone. Sarah too.
In despair, Jennings held the wall, with his head down. Sarah was now a kidnap victim, just like Louise. Why the hell hadn't she done what he'd said, and closed their line of communication down? He knew the answer. She'd cared. Pull yourself together! he snapped. They'll need you.
Jennings held the rifle in front of him, as he got closer to Louise. He knew where he was, recognising the area, where Takachi and Madam Chen had threatened him before. Scanning the place, he suddenly saw Louise, still tightly bound and gagged to the support pillar.
She looked up, and noticed his entry. Her eyes wide. Jennings put his finger to his lips, and was pleased to see her nod. He had to find Takachi, and the other crewmen.
Next instant, there was more gunfire, forcing him to duck into cover again. He could hear Louise's muffled squeals. Jennings realised she was in the line of fire. He had to move away from her, and keep the bad guys attention on him.
He spotted one of the armed crewman trying to get a better firing position. That proved fatal for him. Jennings was an expert shot, he fired a brief burst, and watched with grim satisfaction, as another body toppled over.
Takachi had a perfect hiding place, as he watched Jennings fight his way closer to the tied up girl. He held his own weapon, aiming it at the Englishman's head. Just a little closer. Takachi grinned. However, he suddenly came under fire himself, as Yee had spotted him. There was an exchange of shots.
Jennings looked cautiously to the source. He was just in time to see Yee stagger, but still firing his gun at Takachi's sniper position. It was just what Jennings needed. Yee fell unmoving, as he saw the First Officer hit again. There was still no sign of the remaining crewman, maybe he'd ran off.
'All right, Jennings!'Takachi shouted. 'Come out where I can see you, or the girl dies. '
He aimed his rifle's laser point at Louise. The beam slowly rose from her bound legs to centre on her breasts. The tightly tied ropes, made her chest stand out very impressively. Louise however, could only watch wide eyed, as the laser beam stayed there.
Takachi grinned, watching the girl's useless struggles. He was also pleased to see, that Jennings had come out into the open.
'Drop the weapon. 'the Yakuza man ordered. That too, was obeyed.
'A slight disappointment, Jennings. I was hoping for more from you, but I suppose you couldn't really do that much. Your sister made an excellent hostage. Before I take her, you can say goodbye to her. '
Louise gave a muffled scream into her tape gag, as she realised Takachi, was going to cold bloodedly gun down her brother.
'Give your pretty sister a farewell kiss, Jennings. 'Takachi taunted. 'Remember, there is still the bomb, the real bomb. 'He felt confident, to reveal himself. He showed Jennings the detonator. 'I assure you, this time its no bluff. One press, and the ship is finished. '
He levelled the rifle away from the girl, the laser beam now pointed at Jennings' heart. Just then, there was another burst of gunfire. It forced Takachi's attention away from Jennings. It was the second crewman, he'd managed to work his way, into his own ambush position. However, he'd missed. Takachi didn't. A single shot rang out. The crewman was killed instantly, with a shot to the temple. Takachi swung the rifle back to where Jennings was, his eyes widened. Jennings wasn't there.
He aimed it back at Louise, but then, the weapon was kicked away from his grasp. Jennings was right next to him, and he was furious. He then allowed Takachi to rise, the Yakuza man snarling to meet him. Both men fought.
Louise watched in horror, as Takachi tried every dirty trick in the book, to beat her brother. Jennings however, held the advantage. He had somebody to defend, as he rained in his blows. Takachi finally fell in a heap, his face battered, and bloody. He lay away from Jennings, and reached for the detonator. An evil smirk was fully evident, as he slowly crawled away. Jennings saw him take something, and realised what he was going to do. Before he could stop him, Takachi pressed the switch. Instantly, there was a massive explosion, that sent both men flying.
Jennings crashed into a wall, knocking him senseless. Louise screamed into her gag, she was still securely bound, to the pillar. So, she wasn't thrown about. She watched, horrified, as a massive sheet of flame, flickered beneath her. The ship seemed to jump upwards, due to the force of the explosion. Then, it came back down with a jolt. Alarms were now blaring throughout the vessel, and she could also hear ominous creaks, and metal slowly giving way. Louise suddenly screamed in fear, as the sea burst in.
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