***** Vol.1 Chap.32 Avoiding being discovered *****
The Mayflower steamed towards the destination with Kristin inside a crate in the hold. She must remain in hiding and wait for George. She moved a few boxes around to make a more comfortable nest.
Bored to no end, she wanted to take a brief nap. Two men came into the hold. From the sound of their steps and their conversation, they might be the security guards coming down for a smoke because she almost choked on the foul smell from the cigarettes.
One complained to the other. “What a drag! We have to work double-shift even at sea!”
“Yeah. We are not paid enough for this.”
“Did no one talk to the captain about this?”
“Bad, bad, bad. Chuck, our security chief, tried to approach the captain about this twice, but the captain always surrounded himself with all the important guests that Chuck never even have a chance to say anything.”
“This is a really a bum deal.”
“It is bad all around. We had to work double shifts all last week. Now, even on board, we still have to work double shifts.”
“The captain is so paranoid.”
“What is he afraid of? Gee. We are already at sea!”
“I don’t know. Chuck said he overheard the captain saying something about a Sobin…something person who might try to sabotage the mission…”
Kristin’s ear perked up.
“The captain tried to locate the crazy lady right before departure and no one had seen her.”
“What’s this thing about this Sobin… or something?”
“Chuck said that the captain had been telling the passengers that she, once a prominent scientist in underwater research, had gone mad in the last few months.”
One guard took a long drag on his cigarette and said, “We better go back to our post before anyone misses us.”
She smelled and almost choked on the yucky taste of tobacco through the cracks of the wooden crates.
“Yeah.” The guards then headed for the door, leaving a cloud of dense smoke and a shaken Kristin hidden inside the crate.
Well, you got to give it to Jonas. He watches his back. She cautioned herself. Well, I better be careful of my own steps too.
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As she considered more, she concluded that talking to Jonas was futile. The moment she came out of hiding, her plans of even seeing the sub would be over. She would be put into the brig immediately. What a predicament! She had to do something, but what?
As she pondered on the next steps, a hoard of footsteps trampled down to the hold. Her heart skipped two beats fearing that she had been discovered. Footsteps were heard all around the very crate hiding her. One person might be leaning on the crate. Her brows trembled and her hands sweated.
“Okay. Listen up! Spread out. Those of you just coming down find yourself a spot.” Somebody shouted.
That must be Chuck.
More footsteps. Someone bumped her crate again.
“Listen. We have new orders from the captain just now. He was convinced that there may be a stowaway on board. It is the mad scientist. Her name is Kristin Sobinowski. By the captain’s order, if anyone sees her on board, she is to be immediately apprehended and held in the brig for the entire duration of this mission. Anyone caught helping her should also be apprehended and thrown into the brig. The whole incident should be kept as quietly as possible and under no circumstances should any of the guests be told.”
“Who is this Sobin… something person?” In anger, one guard yelled out.
“What did she do?” Another guard followed grumpily.
“She must have ticked off the captain real good.” A third guard chimed in sourly.
“I don’t know.” Chuck, holding out his hand, said, “but those are the captain’s orders.
“This Sobin… person must be some spy from some terrorist country.”
“How do we recognize this Sobin… person is? What does she look like?”
“Hey, guys. The name is Kristin Sobinowski, and the captain gave me a recent picture of her. Pass this around.”
“So, what do we do now?”
“The captain had ordered us to search the entire ship, including the passengers’ quarters, discreetly, of course. We should search their cabins only after they have left their cabins for their meals. John and Tony, you two start with the hold here and search everywhere. Everyone else, let’s go topside.”
Lots of footsteps going upstairs. John and Tony walked around the hold, banging at the crates.
“Well, there is no one here,” John said to Tony.
She said to them silently, “Get out of here then. Go search elsewhere.”
“Are we supposed to search every crate also?”
No, no, no. Panic rising.
“I don’t know. Are we?”
“We checked all these crates already at the dock before loading.”
“Okay, let’s just open a few of them and check them.”
“That sounds good to me. There is no way we can move some of these boxes. And if we have to check every box, we will be here till morning and I doubt if we can even get through half of these boxes.”
“Okay, let’s start with that one over there.”
They walked over to one side of the room and used the hammer and crowbar to jack open a crate and peered inside.
“Be careful, Tony. We don’t want the passengers to get wind that we have been snooping around their crates. Besides, some of them may be quite delicate. I hate to be responsible for any breakage or damage.”
“Okay, Okay.”
“Here, Tony. Help me with this crate.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, nothing here.”
“Nothing on that other one, either.”
The two men opened a few more crates here and there. They kind of worked half-heartedly, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Of course, they had not looked at the right crate hiding a stowaway. She was relieved that they had not come close to her crate.
“Let’s call it for the day.”
“Sounds good.”
Kristin sighed in relief. Now what?
Eventually she had to come out of the crate. But if she came out, where would she go and what would she do? She had no answers. Perhaps she could make her way to the kitchen and ask George for help, but that would be risky. No way would she implicate George in helping her get on board.
The sub…
The draw rose in her more than ever.
The sub….
Yeah! But why? And how?
So many questions and doubts, but no answers.