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"any contact with the enemy?"

"None, I think we've pretty well rounded them up"

"At least twenty hijackers and the VIP passengers are n of them?"

"Negative, not so much as a stray hair"

"Okay, finish securing the ship and have her crew move her out into the fjord"

"No can do," said Dillenger solemnly

"Problems?"

"The ine roo It'll take a week to put the ship back in operation"

"We've got no power at all?"

"Sorry, Colonel Here we are, and here we sit These engines aren't taking us anywhere They also wrecked the generators, including the auxiliaries"

Then we'll have to take the crew and passengers off by lifeboat, using the manual winches"

"No go, Colonel We're dealing with genuine sadists They also trashed the lifeboats Bashed the bottoms out"

Dillenger's dire report was punctuated by a deep growling noise that eh the ship like a drum

There was no vibration this ti rumble It lasted nearly a minute before it finally faded and died

Hollis and Collins were both brave men-no one would ever doubt it-but each read fear in the other's eyes