easy to do with no food or sleep in almost three days. He let out a high whistle; this brought the Senegals up on deck with him. The ship’s Korean crewmen were close behind.
The sheer size of the approaching flotilla left no doubt this would be an all-out assault. So, Nolan had to come up with a defensive plan, making sure it was workable but also as simple as possible.
It took a couple minutes, but finally each man knew what he had to do. The situation was so desperate, though, they could not afford to send one of the Senegals back down to protect the people in the mess hall. Everyone who could shoot a weapon or wield a knife would be needed up top.
Gunner divided up the ammunition. Each Senegal got forty rounds for his M4. Nolan was left with twenty-three. They all had huge Beretta handguns as well, with eight-round clips. Basically their last ditch weapon, they would have to make every bullet count with these, too.
Each Senegal then took a carving knife from the box of cutlery the ship’s crew had uncovered. Using wads of duct tape, they attached the knives to their M4s like bayonets. Then Nolan assigned them positions around the ship: one Senegal at the bow, two at the stern, one amidships starboard and one amidships port. He and Gunner would fill the gaps at the railings on either side of the bridge.
Nolan checked the approaching fleet again and then took one of the steak knives himself.
He was sure of only one thing at that moment: Two hundred and twenty-three bullets would not be enough to win this battle.
* * *
NOLAN HURRIED BACK down to the galley.
Emma knew what was happening, just by the look on his face. He got her back to the mess hall and told her to put all the refugees in one corner, turn out the lights and not move until someone came for her.
“These people are depending on you,” he said. “Stay with them, keep them safe.”
He started to go, but she grabbed his hand, stopping him. In the dim light of the passageway just outside the mess hall door, she looked up at him, but didn’t say a word.
If this had been a movie, they would have kissed here. But it didn’t happen. Nolan simply brushed her cheek, catching a tear just as it was rolling off.
Then he told her again: “Don’t move until one of us comes for you.”
He gently nudged her into the mess hall and closed the flimsy panel door. He waited until he heard her lock it from the inside. Then he looked down at the threshold and saw the light go out.
He took the added measure of killing all the lights in the passageways around the mess hall, hoping to discourage any pirates who might actually get aboard the ship, the ultimate nightmare scenario.
Then he ran back up on deck.
* * *
HE FOUND GUNNER at his position, port side next to the bridge. He was checking over his Streetsweeper. Again, the bad news was he had just three explosive projectiles left.
“More than anyone, you’ve got to be smart in how you use those,” Nolan reminded him.
They looked out on the water. The Bom-Kats were only about a mile away and closing fast.
“Roger that,” Gunner agreed grimly.
The four Korean sailors reappeared on deck. They had something rarely seen on a ship: a wheelbarrow. Two of them, in fact.
They explained that while getting the Taiwan Song ready to be broken, they’d used wheelbarrows to dump debris ripped from the walls over the side.
Now the wheelbarrows could be used for another purpose. The sailors had carried the four barrels of hydraulic fluid up to the deck. They’d also put a fifth empty barrel right behind the bridge, along with some mop buckets. They indicated they were ready to do their part.
Nolan took assorted trash from the bridge and threw it into the empty barrel. Then he told the crewmen: “OK, let’s light a fire in here.…”
But the four sailors hesitated. Intentionally lighting a fire aboard a ship was not only dangerous, it was considered the height of bad luck.
“It’s OK then,” Nolan reassured them. “I’ll do it.”
Once the fire started, the sailors put a brace across the barrel from which a pail full of hydraulic fluid could be hung and heated up. The wheelbarrows were placed nearby, ready to transport the hot liquid once it was bubbling.
Inside a minute, the crewmen had one bucket of the