"All right," he said to the Qin Shang Maritime security captain, "come aboard. But don't think I'm not going to report you to the People's Republic harbor authorities."
Cabrillo leaned over the helm, shielding his face with a straw hat so the security guards couldn't see his Western eyes. He casually flipped a few coins over the side as the signal for James and Meadows to swim under the launch. Slowly, one of his hands snaked onto the throttle lever. Then, just as the captain of the security boat and his men were in the midst of leaping across the narrow gap separating the two craft, Cabrillo cracked the throttle open and just as quickly pulled it back, abruptly widening the gap between the two boats.
As if the action was a rehearsed comedy routine, the security cruiser captain and his two men fell into the water between the two boats. Acting on impulse, as Cabrillo predicted, the two men still on the security boat dropped their weapons and fell to their knees, reaching out to their superior in an attempt to haul him out of the water. Their rescue attempt failed as two pairs of arms reached up out of the water, grabbed them each by the throat and pulled them overboard with a wild splash. Then, taking one man at a time by the feet, James and Meadows hauled them under the launch to the opposite side, where they were rendered unconscious by a none too gentle rap on the back of the head before being pushed aboard and roughly dumped in a small cargo hold.
Cabrillo scanned the stern of the United States and the end of the dock for witnesses. He counted no more than three or four shipyard workers who had paused to watch the activity on the two boats. None appeared unduly concerned. The cabin on the security cruiser had blocked off most of the view the workers had from the dock and the liner. As far as they could see, it looked like a normal investigation by the security force. All they could see was Cabrillo's crew still dozing and fishing off the stern of the launch. The shipyard workers soon returned to their jobs, showing no signs of alarm.
James and Meadows climbed back on board and, along with Eddie Seng, quickly stripped the security commander and two of his men of their clothes. A few minutes later all three reappeared on deck wearing the security guards' uniforms.
"Not a bad fit," said Eddie, modeling his damp attire for Cabrillo, "considering that the suit is soaking wet. "
"Mine is about four sizes too small," grumbled Meadows, who was a big man.
"Join the club," said James, holding out an arm and demonstrating a sleeve that barely passed the elbow.
"You don't have to walk down the runway at a fashion show," said Cabrillo while jockeying the launch next to the security boat. "Jump over and take the helm. As soon as we've got the submersible under tow, follow along in our wake as though you were escorting us to the Hong Kong Harbor Patrol dock. Once we're out of sight of Qin Shang's shipyard, we'll cruise around until dark. Then we'll head back to the Oregon and scuttle the security boat."
"What about the five drenched rats in the hold?" asked Seng.
Cabrillo turned from the helm and leered. "We'll enjoy seeing the expressions on their faces when they wake up and find they've been abandoned on an island off the Philippines."
Not having enough oxygen supply to remain underwater, the Sea Dog II was towed on the surface with the upper hatch partially open. Pitt and Giordino remained inside while the security boat cruised alongside and screened any view of it from passing ships and shore. Thirty minutes later the Sea Dog II was quickly lifted back onto the deck of the Oregon. Cabrillo was there to help Pitt and Giordino out of the submersible. With muscles stiff and numb from the many hours of tight confinement, they were grateful for his help.
"I apologize for leaving you cooped up like that, but as you know, we ran into a little difficulty."
"And you handled it very well," Pitt complimented him.
"You boys did a pretty fair job of fighting off the bad guys yourselves."
"We'd still be sitting on the bottom if you hadn't lobbed those grenades."
"What did you find?" asked Cabrillo.
Pitt shook his head wearily. "Nothing, absolutely nothing. The hull below the waterline is clean, no modifications, no concealed hatches or pressurized doors. The bottom has been scraped and recoated with antifouling paint and looks as unaltered as the day she was launched. If Qin Shang has a shifty method of slipping illegal aliens ashore in a foreign port, it's not from below the waterline."
"So where does that leave us?"
Pitt gave Cabrillo a steady look. "We've got to get inside the ship. Can you manage it?"
"As the resident whiz, yes, I believe I can arrange a guided tour of the ship's interior. But consider this. One, maybe two hours from now is all we have before the security guards we kidnapped are discovered as missing. The chief of Qin Shang's shipyard security will put two and two together and figure the intruders came from the Oregon. No doubt he's already wondering how and why ten of his divers went missing. Once he alerts the Chinese Navy they'll come after us as sure as women bear babies. With a head start the Oregon can outdistance most any ship in the Chinese fleet. If they send planes after us before we can get out of their territorial waters, we're dead."
"You're well armed," said Giordino.
Cabrillo tightened his lips. "But not immune to warships with heavy guns and aircraft with missiles. The sooner we get the hell out of Hong Kong and onto the high seas, the safer we'll be."
"Then you're pulling up anchor and skipping town," said Pitt.
"I didn't say that." Cabrillo looked over at Seng, who had thankfully changed into dry clothes. "What say you, Eddie? Do you want to put the uniform of a Qin Shang security chief back on and parade around the shipyard like a big man on campus?"
Seng grinned. "I've always wanted to tour the inside of a big cruise ship without paying for a ticket."
"Then it's settled," said Cabrillo directly to Pitt. "Go now. See what you have to see and get back here fast, or we'll all regret not knowing our grandchildren."
18
"DON'T YOU THINK we're overdoing it a bit?" said Pitt less than an hour later.
Seng shrugged behind the wheel on the right-hand side of the driver's seat. "Who would suspect spies arriving at a security gate in a Rolls-Royce?" he asked inno