Dark Rule (COIL Book 3), page 5
"This changes things." He cupped his mouth. "Sam! How bad is the damage?"
The woman climbed onto the back of the rover.
"Some scratches. A few dents." She shook her head. "It looks like they hit him hard enough to do damage to their own hull. I'll get the techs to check out the equipment, but none of the cables are broken."
"You're a lucky man, Marlon." Niles glanced at him. "But we've got another problem. Patrick Gibson still hasn't disposed of Guntari. You gave him a weapon?"
"Last night. A handgun and a knife." Marlon felt his pulse quicken. "He may be waiting for the right opportunity, though we discussed that it might be better to get close to Guntari and Captain Sardan, even act like he's on their side."
"Well, I don't like it. I wanted Guntari dead. Patrick's up there in the captain's suite and in the cockpit with Captain Sardan. If I wanted to give Sardan the crew, I'd jump overboard myself! You messed this up, Marlon. There was already ample opportunity for Patrick to kill the African. We don't have time to cuddle up with our enemies when there's so much at stake."
"You want me to take care of Patrick?" Marlon asked—a gamble given his current play. "We were doing fine without him."
"But this guy is good, Marlon. Even with that leg brace, he moves like a veteran of more than he admits. I don't want to lose any more people—even people who don't follow orders." He growled loudly over the wind. "When it's time to move into Gilgal, we'll need to disperse weapons to the others. Captain Sardan isn't dumb enough to take us all on. But if Patrick isn't still with us, then our job just became a lot harder."
"I'll keep an eye out." Marlon felt a tremble deep in his stomach. Patrick had the keycard to the armory. Working with the government man could easily blow up in his face. "What'll we do about the drilling now?"
"We'll need four operators down there, one submersible drilling while a second one watches for an attack." Niles cursed. "That means putting more people at risk down there, and fewer loyal people up here to hold the ship. I feel like something is working against me."
"When Gilgal falls, I want to be down there." Marlon grit his teeth. "They tried to kill me this morning! When my instruments went dark, I was in total blackness. They'll pay for that!"
"You'll get your chance. Just do your part to gain access to their docking chamber. Nothing else matters right now."
"So, you haven't said what happens after that, Mr. Niles. I've assumed, of course."
"Well, we're not going to ferry them to safety, if that's what you're suggesting. You'll be in charge of disposal. I don't want any bodies washing up on Australian beaches."
"Okay, I'll take care of it." Marlon scoffed, as if he wasn't ready to vomit at the order to massacre and dispose of the Gillies. "Plenty of sharks around."
"Any of the defectors still alive in Gilgal, bring them to me first. I want to look them in the face when they realize they've lost and I've won. I will rule Gilgal. No one will stop me. No one can."
*~*
Chapter Five
Nathan Isaacson chewed his tuna sandwich slowly as he sat on the Materia's settee. The dining table was ten feet away, where Niles' men ate. No one spoke. Everyone seemed to sense the tension from the presence of Captain Sardan, who sat between Nathan and Guntari.
The news of the Gilgal attack against Stajner and Marlon had reached Nathan hours after Marlon surfaced. At least, Nathan had heard the report, but he hadn't yet spoken to Marlon in private to discover how much of it was true—since Stajner had reportedly been unconscious. There was always a risk that an asset might reverse his loyalties and turn on his handler, so Nathan remained cautious as to Marlon's potential betrayal of him. Joining Captain Sardan and Guntari didn't necessarily make Nathan safe, nor did the keycard under his shirt, though those matters certainly helped.
Trust. That word kept repeating itself in Nathan's mind, and he knew it was of God. There were no accidents with God, and there was certainly no waste. Nathan had come aboard the Materia to find Chen Li, but God would use him to move in the lives of all whom God desired—for God's good pleasure and glory.
Rising from the dining table, Marlon walked to the galley where he washed his plate in the sink. Nathan took his opportunity, even in sight of the others, to speak with Marlon. Opening the fridge, his back to the dining table, Nathan spoke quietly out of the side of his mouth.
"We need to talk."
"I can't get away. There've been developments." Marlon turned the water pressure higher. "I may've made things worse for all of us, even the Gillies."
"They attacked you?"
Marlon shook his head and sighed loudly for the others at the table.
"I got them a message that we're about to rescue them." He glanced at Nathan. "I saw Chen Li. She's alive."
Nathan's body tensed. That meant his mission was ready to move to the next level, however cautiously. Only a couple days ago, he'd thought the idea of an underwater habitat was a joke, or a test for him. But this was real. Chen Li was three thousand feet below the surface of the water, living in a plastic, dome-shaped city with other Christians.
"Captain Sardan wants Guntari and me to take out at least five of you to even the odds." Nathan studied a carton of powdered milk. "We're running out of time. Something big needs to happen, and fast."
"You've got to give me back my gun!" Marlon shook his head in frustration. "How am I supposed to defend myself?"
"Trust. Just keep the Gillies alive," Nathan whispered, and noticed the woman named Sam craning her neck and approaching the galley. Marlon, however, had turned away from her, and opened his mouth to speak again to Nathan. Speaking anything within earshot of another crewmember could expose their alliance, so Nathan interrupted him by tossing a food container at Marlon. "What'd you say to me?"
Shock flashed over Marlon's face, but then he noticed Sam. Appearances had to be maintained. He rushed Nathan from three paces away.
Though Nathan had instigated the mock fight, he wasn't braced for Marlon's mass when he tackled him. Sam screamed and the others started shouting as Nathan grappled with the man built like a bull. They exchanged blows to the body, bruising but not damaging, until three divers jumped between them and pulled them apart.
"I'll kill you!" Marlon growled and pulled against the two men who held him back. "You're dead, Patrick!"
"That's enough!" It was Niles, absent until then. He stepped past Captain Sardan and Guntari, moving through his own men and women to reach the galley. Nathan looked down at the shorter man, who held his semiautomatic handgun across his chest. "Patrick, is this how you react to your hosts? We don't need this! Not now! The enemy is down there! The enemy is Gilgal! We need to work against them, not against each other!"
"Get your hands off me!" Nathan shook off the diver who held him, and forced his way through the crowd to reach Captain Sardan and Guntari. The three of them left together.
In the captain's suite, Captain Sardan applauded lightly, a rare smile on his lined face.
"We have them so scared, they're ready to explode!"
"Yankee." Guntari smiled, showing discolored teeth. "Warn me next time you are to cause a distraction. I'll be ready to take one or two of their number."
"It's a plan." Nathan slapped Guntari on the shoulder. "I just reacted to what he said. It was something about burning us off the boat tonight."
"They wouldn't!" Captain Sardan looked at Guntari. "They can't touch me while I still have the access codes to the power systems. I decide when the lights come on. I decide when they dive. They have to keep me informed on the progress with Gilgal or I shut them down. They don't shut me down!"
"Everything from the hot water to the oxygen tank compressor, we control it, Yankee. They can't burn us out." Guntari sat on the edge of the captain's bed. All three men, including Nathan, had moved into the captain's suite for better protection. "They can't do anything without power."
"Unless they've figured out a reroute." Nathan nodded at the captain. It was time to put more pressure on the crew. Pressure meant mistakes, and with all the lust for blood on board, Nathan needed every edge he could get. "Are we sure they haven't found a reroute? Are we now expendable?"
The question stung Captain Sardan's pride, and Guntari was silent as well. The captain paced the cabin, then paused to stare out the window at the afternoon horizon.
"If we want to control Gilgal, we must get inside first." Captain Sardan stood like Napoleon at the window, his hands braced behind his back. "If Mr. Niles has changed tactics, we need a new plan."
"I don't see how we can get into Gilgal first." Nathan frowned, though inside he was rejoicing. The layers of tension he'd added since coming aboard had disrupted both parties' plans, and Marlon's misinformation about the Gillies' attack had changed everything. "Gilgal has turned offensive, and we have no access to the submersibles."
"Patrick and I can hold them off, but not forever." Guntari said. Nathan had come to realize the man was valued more for his physical skills than for his mind. "I agree—it's time to either take the ship completely or abandon ship and find a way into Gilgal ourselves."
"Mr. Niles will never let us gain access to the submersibles." The captain resumed his pacing. "We'll have to take them by force, both submersibles. Patrick and I in one. Guntari, you in the other."
"How will we get into Gilgal?" Guntari shook his head. "Mr. Niles and his men have already tried everything. The Gillies will die before they open their docking port."
"We could raise the jammers to communicate a threat by radio," the captain suggested as Nathan bided his time. "We'll tell them we'll blow the central chamber dome with explosives if they don't open the docking port."
"But once we're inside Gilgal," Guntari said, "Mr. Niles will control us from the outside, like he does with the Gillies now."
"No, we can't pull up the jammers." Nathan tightened a strap on his leg brace. "A distress call could reach the coast and the Coast Guard would be on us inside an hour. We need something that helps us take over the Materia and Gilgal both at once."
The men were silent in thought for a few moments. Nathan prayed he'd remain receptive to ideas from God, guidance one way or another that would give him peace while his companions were in complete turmoil. In his life, Nathan didn't stand on a reality based on the ups and downs of experience. Rather, he based his reality on what God's Word revealed to him as truth. And only that which came from truth was worthy of swaying him to act or respond.
From what Nathan remembered about Gilgal in the Bible, it was a transition camp for the Israelites after they crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land. As Nathan understood it, the Gillies were Christians, but with a view of the world that wasn't God's will for Christians. How could God's people, who knew the truth of Jesus Christ, shine like lights in the darkness when they were hiding from the world?
However misplaced their zeal to be separate, the Gillies needed to be saved from Niles and the captain—before one or the other of them got the upper hand and killed them all. Nathan had to do something and quick. If he continued to fuel the fires between the two sides, they'd only explode and do more damage. A sufficient amount of instability and heightened level of division had been attained, he decided. Now, it was time to conquer, to use his achieved position to gain his objective.
"I have an idea." Nathan stood, a confident smile on his lips, which he hoped would persuade his companions if his words didn't. "For a moment, we make peace with Mr. Niles and his people."
"What?" Guntari swore in his native tongue. "No! Never!"
"Wait." Captain Sardan held up his hand. "You have a plan, Patrick?"
"For the good of us all, we make peace until we get control of Gilgal—until we're inside."
"Mr. Niles will never let us inside to take control." The captain squinted in thought, making his wrinkles multiply. "How can we take Gilgal?"
"Everyone knows Marlon and I are enemies."
"That's clear."
"If he and I agree to work together to be the first ones inside Gilgal's docking port, then I'll turn on Marlon and take Gilgal for the three of us."
"But what about Mr. Niles destroying Gilgal after we get it first?" the captain asked.
"Once we control Gilgal, Mr. Niles will disable the jammers and open a channel of communication. He knows we won't call the authorities, not after we've shed the blood of the Gillies, unless we want to keep them alive. We can make any demands we want once we run Gilgal—and admit only who we want through the docking chamber."
"It's ruthless." Guntari looked to Captain Sardan. "I like this Yankee."
"This could work." The captain set a digital notepad on his lap. "The terms for peace will have to appear authentic, or we risk an ambush ourselves. To amend your idea, Patrick, I suggest you and Marlon enter Gilgal first, yes, but then Mr. Niles and I will be in the second submersible. By the time we dock, you'll have subdued Marlon, and you can take Mr. Niles captive when he enters Gilgal with me. The rest of his people will concede to my leadership if he's dead."
"Are you certain you can kill Marlon?" Guntari asked Nathan. "He's a powerful man. You felt his strength earlier."
"I'll crush him." Nathan clenched his fist, hoping his face displayed a hatred he didn't have. It was harder to pretend to dislike people than show the compassion he truly had. If an opportunity opened to share the gospel with just one of the crew, he wouldn't hesitate. Nothing more would show the hand of God on the mission than a miracle of repentance in a man's heart.
Nathan was ready.
#######
From one end of the dining table where Nathan was seated, he counted those present. The whole crew on board was there, even Marlon, who sat across from Nathan with a cold stare on his face aimed at Nathan. Most of the crew stood aside and a few were seated at the table, but all seemed to hold their breath while Mr. Niles studied the document.
Proverbs 21:5 was on Nathan's mind. He'd been patient and diligent, trusting the Lord. Prayer had been his constant pastime, and examining his personal motives had kept his heart seeking after God's will. Other men with his same abilities could've strayed into the realm of seeking glory for themselves or compromising standards, but Nathan sought God's glory. True, he didn't have a Bible on board, but he'd been instructed by Corban Dowler to read and memorize Scripture daily for just such a mission. The Word was in him. It saturated him. He lived by it. And now he faithfully waited to see what God worked before him, then he'd prayerfully step forward again. Chen Li and the Gillies had to be protected.
After Trevor Niles read the agreement, he pushed it away from him.
"I agree to this peace accord," Niles finally said, spoken through an exhale as if involuntary. But his crew wasn't so comforted by the idea, it seemed. They exchanged whispers until Niles held up his hand. "Look at me. The agreement is sound. Marlon and our new friend, Patrick, will enter Gilgal first, after we convince the Gillies to open their port to us by threatening with an explosive detonation. Then, Captain Sardan and I'll enter Gilgal second, at which time the four of us will use our firearms to take command of Gilgal. Once we control Gilgal, Captain Sardan will return to the surface. Is this agreed, Captain?"
"It is." Captain Sardan played his treachery so well, Nathan noticed. He wasn't the only actor by far. Marlon glared at Nathan with what anyone would guess was genuine contempt. "I am a ship's captain. Gilgal can't operate without a surface tender. With me controlling the surface and Mr. Niles controlling Gilgal, we can manage a profitable partnership to provide for future projects and clients."
"We'll all need access to the armory," Captain Sardan said. "Used with discretion, of course."
"Of course." Niles nodded, and looked to Marlon. "Marlon, portion out the appropriate weaponry from the armory for the first boarders, though I'm aware the four of us are already sufficiently armed."
Nathan didn't respond. He'd actually thrown all the bullets for the two guns he had over the side of the ship, but if the plan went well, there would be no need for them, especially in Gilgal.
"Very well." Niles rose from his chair. "At midnight, we detonate an explosive to get the Gillies' attention. They'll open the chamber port or there'll be a second detonation, and we'll be rid of this place. They have to know we're not bluffing. My dreams—your dreams—will be realized tonight. I will rule Gilgal!"
*~*
Chapter Six
All of Gilgal shook, but Chen Li knew it wasn't an earthquake since the rumble of an explosion still thundered in her ears. Rolling out of bed, she tugged on the deck shoes she'd worn since fleeing the Materia. She joined the other gathering residents of the underwater habitat. They all looked up at the plastic dome and around at the equipment, whispering in fear, expecting a breach.
"It was an explosion—somewhere close," Nicholas Astroff said, holding his wife's hand. He and Lana were like father and mother to everyone in Gilgal, even to Li, who was their most recent arrival. "Check the sub-chambers. Look for flooding and contain it. Quickly!"
Most of the seventeen men scattered, but Nicholas, a sixty-year-old native of Michigan, remained next to the entrance of the food processing section of Gilgal—one of six sections, not counting the five sub-chambers that hadn't been flooded.
"Li?" Nicholas drew her to the side to speak in private. "What do you think they're up to now?"
"Well, it's midnight . . ." She shook her head. "Detonating ordnance at this depth makes no sense unless they're trying to send us a message."
She looked over her shoulder at the group of nineteen women and fourteen children who Lana was leading in prayer. There were far more souls in Gilgal than Li had first supposed—and more than Trevor Niles and Captain Sardan were aware of. Supposing she could make a difference inside Gilgal, Li had left her undercover COIL assignment on the Materia two months ago. But she'd made no difference. Now, she was just a prisoner like the rest of them. Li was reminded how far God had brought her from living on the streets of Hong Kong, and the British Christians who'd given her a new home. Then she'd met Corban Dowler. Her training had been extensive, but only her faith in God and His loving arms gave her any stability now.
