From the fourth deck, Jimmy and Claire could see that a second line now connected the Titanic to the Olympic, a flexible pipe used for ship-to-ship refuelling. It was being blown violently from side to side and looked as if it might be swept away at any moment. The wind seemed to be getting even stronger.
They ducked back inside and took seats opposite each other in the Olympic's library. They had to decide what to do next.
'If we go down and stand with Jonas,' Jimmy suggested, 'then maybe Pedroza won't try anything.'
Claire shook her head. 'No, Jimmy. Jonas said it could take four or five hours to refuel. Pedroza could just take us away again and they wouldn't be able to do anything about it.'
'Well what then?'
'What if we wait until the last possible minute to go down? Once we see the pipe being retracted, we'll know it's safe. Or safer.'
'But it'll just be the same when we get back, won't it? We know he wants to kill us. We have to do something to stop him, right here, right now.'
'Like what? If Captain Smith and the whole crew haven't been able to get rid of him — how can we?'
'I know. But over there he's got his whole band of mutineers; over here there's just him and Dolphin Arm. And if he has to leave Dolphin Arm to guard Jeffers and Jonas, then there's just him . . .'
'And a gun. And several knives.'
'But he hasn't got what we have.'
'What's that?'
'Your big arse and my lucky penny.' Claire gave him a look, and he quickly apologized. 'Look, all we need is a plan. Something not too complicated. Something that doesn't depend on him doing this, and this and this, before we can do this, and that.'
'We need to lure him somewhere, trap him and . . .'
'Kill him.'
They stared at each other.
'We can't kill him,' said Claire.
'Why not?'
'Because that makes us as bad as he is. And I couldn't do it. I couldn't . . . stick a knife in him. Or shoot him.'
'What then? Tell him he's been a very, very naughty boy and give him detention?'
'I don't know! Could you kill him? Stick a knife right into him and watch the blood burble out of him?'
'Burble?'
'Jimmy — could you?'
Jimmy was from a rough, tough part of Belfast, but he'd never stabbed anyone. 'I killed a gerbil once,' he said.
'That's hardly the— Did you kill him with a knife?'
'I knelt on him. It was an accident.'
'Oh. Well you may not have the opportunity to kneel on Pedroza.'
'So we still need a plan.'
'Yes we do.'
***
Jonas Jones was the first to see Jimmy as he came running into the fuel depot ninety minutes later, his face flushed, barely able to grab his breath.
'Jimmy, lad, where did you spring from?'
Jeffers was overseeing the pumping, while Dolphin Arm and Pedroza kept guard. Before Jimmy could respond Pedroza strode angrily across, grabbed him and threw him to the ground.
'How'd you get out of that cabin, you little rat?'
He took his gun out and pointed it down at him.
'Easy now!' said Jeffers.
Pedroza immediately swung his gun around to point at the First Officer. 'Get on with your work!'
'Just . . .just . . . take it easy, then . . .'
Jeffers turned reluctantly back to his labour. Pedroza snarled down at Jimmy.
'Where's the girl?' he snapped.
'She stayed with it. . .'
'With what?'
'The gold!'
Pedroza's eyes narrowed. 'Gold? What gold?'
'Please,' said Jimmy. 'I'm sorry . . . we were bored. It was easy to get out of our cabin . . . But listen, please, we came to tell you what we found! You won't believe it . . . incredible — an entire room, just full of it . . . gold bars . . . thousands of them!'
***
They had guessed, correctly, that Pedroza's face would light up at the thought of a room full of gold. He already had one potential fortune on his hands with Mamma Joss's medicine, but gold was something else entirely — paper money might now be worthless, but gold never loses its value. He had seized power on the Titanic and had grand plans to take the Olympic back to port. But it still meant that he would have two ships guzzling enormous amounts of fuel. In a broken world, where oil would be jealously guarded by the few survivors, gold would become the means by which such commodities could be bought. Civilizations come and go. But gold remains constant. Through all of history it has been prized above all other metals. It is, was and always will be completely irresistible.
All of these thoughts were whirring through Pedroza's brain as he marched Jimmy towards the eleventh floor. The chef's eyes were wide with excitement, the pulse in the side of his forehead was visibly thumping away and his breaths were coming fast and furious.
Jimmy egged him on the whole way.
'I've never seen anything like it! Bricks made from gold! From floor to ceiling! Claire thinks her dad put all his money in gold and hid it on the Olympic when he realized how bad the plague was! That's why he was so miserable when he lost contact with his fleet! But now it's all ours! We'll be the richest pirates on the high seas!'
Pedroza thumped him hard in the back with the butt of his gun. 'I'm not a pirate! And shut up!'
'Sorry! Sorry! But you should see it! It's incredible! It's . . .'
Completely made up.
Their plan was based on their assumption that:
a) Pedroza would completely fall for their story, and rush up to see the gold for himself.
b) Claire had the ability to jump out from behind the door and stab him with a syringe.
They had both seen Dr Hill administer a certain drug to plague sufferers in the Titanic's hospital. They'd been thrashing about in agony one minute, and fast asleep the next. It was a simple matter of breaking into the Olympics medical supplies room and identifying the correct drug. Jimmy, being a good reporter, had previously noted its name.
They thought it was better that Jimmy, rather than Claire, lure Pedroza into the trap. Or, to put it another way, Claire refused to go, on the grounds that Pedroza might elect to hurl her overboard on the way up. The fact that he might do the same to Jimmy did not seem to unduly worry her.
Jimmy, having had experience with Mamma Joss's medicine, filled up a test syringe then showed Claire how to inject it, using an over-ripe orange they found in the doctor's office. Claire was a little bit hesitant at first, barely pricking the skin and looking away squeamishly. Jimmy showed her again. Her next effort was little better.
'Claire,' Jimmy said finally, 'it's an orange. You can't hurt it.'
'I know that. It's just . . .' She made a face.
'Forget it's an orange. It's Pedroza. If you don't get this into him, he will kill you, and, more importantly — me. Now do it again. Stab him. Stab Pedroza.'
Claire held the syringe tightly, with her thumb over the plunger, raised it, then brought it back down with such force that the orange collapsed flat down on the desk, spraying juice across the room.
'I think you've killed it,' said Jimmy. 'You're officially lethal against fruits. Now let's try the real thing.'
They chose a windowless store room on the fourth level. Jimmy removed three light bulbs so that Pedroza would not immediately realize that the shelves were filled with bed linen as opposed to gold. Claire, meanwhile, had tracked down the Olympic's own newspaper office and found a camera.
Their plan was this:
1. Jimmy warns Claire that he's about to arrive with Pedroza by talking loudly and generally making a racket.
2. Jimmy opens door, pretends to feel for light switch.
3. Pedroza enters darkened room.
4. Claire sets off camera flash, temporarily blinding Pedroza.
5. Jimmy trips him up.
6. Claire plunges syringe into Pedroza.
7. They flee room, lock door, allow 30 seconds for drug to work.
8. Re-enter room, find Pedroza asleep, remove his gun, lock room.
9. Return to fuel depot, hold gun on Dolphin Arm, disarm.
10. Return to Titanic, disarm mutineers.
11. Live happily ever after.
It was a good plan. All good plans remain good plans up until the point where they don't work, and then they suddenly look like bad plans. All good plans usually work up until the point where you add humans, at which point the difference between complete success and utter catastrophe is a very small one.
You cannot blame what happened on the plan, or on Jimmy's or Claire's or even Pedroza's part in it.
If any plan went like clockwork, it was this one.
Jimmy hurried along the corridor in front of Pedroza. As he approached the door he clapped his hands happily together and waved the mutineer forward. 'In here! In here! You should see it! It's fantastic! Gold! Gold! Gold!'
Jimmy pulled the door open and stepped inside. 'I'll get the lights . . .'
Pedroza stepped into the room.
Claire set off the flash.
Pedroza automatically closed his eyes . . . but too late! He was blinded!
Jimmy kicked at the back of his legs, causing him to fall forward.
They jumped on him as he tried to get up, forcing him down again.
Claire rammed the syringe into his leg and pressed the plunger down flat, forcing its entire contents into his body.
They leaped off him, charged out of the door, slammed it shut behind them and locked it before collapsing down.
'We did it,' said Jimmy, breathing hard.
'We did it!'
They were just in the act of giving each other high fives when the door was suddenly thumped, causing them both to jump. The handle was rattled. Then again — but with slightly less power. Then for a third time, weaker still.
They held their breath.
Finally . . . complete . . . silence.
'We have done it . . .'Jimmy whispered.
'We really have . . .'
'How long should we give it?'
'It took half a minute in the hospital — and we probably gave him three times the dose.'
'But still. . .'
'I know . . .'
'Three minutes then . . .'
'Five . . .'
'To be safe.'
It was probably the longest five minutes of their lives. The Olympic was rolling beneath them, making them feel queasy, but they were determined to let nothing spoil their moment of triumph. They had outwitted and overthrown Pedroza, and they were going to enjoy every moment of it. No throwing up over the side of the ship for them. They were conquering heroes. They would fling open the door of the storage room and sweep in to retrieve Pedroza's gun. They would shake their heads over the fallen pirate and say, 'Let that be a lesson to you, evildoer.'
When the five minutes were up, Claire said, 'You first.'
'Ladies first,' said Jimmy.
'Age before beauty,' said Claire.
They smiled at each other.
'Together,' they said together.
Jimmy turned the lock. They both gripped the door handle. They silently counted off one-two-three and pulled open the door.
Pedroza stood in front of them, his gun raised and pointing, the syringe still sticking out of his leg. 'Get in here now!' he growled.
'Oh crap! murmured Jimmy.