Panthera Spelaea
Cleanup

The Captain was overseeing the recovery of the boats and bodies. He kept his crew on alert for a follow-up attack, with everyone staying in body armor with weapons ready. “I need to speak to the Switchers and their mates immediately,” he said gravely. “In my office, please.”

A few minutes later, we had our armor off and weapons stacked in the corner of his opulent office on the main deck. The room looked flawless, except for a few spiderwebs from bullet impacts on the thick windows. One of the junior stewards, still wearing her body armor and sidearm, made sure we had drinks and then closed the doors behind her.

“Your crew was magnificent,” Duncan said. “The attacking team never knew what hit them.”

“And that is my worry,” Art said. “It’s one thing for Mikhail Abrahmov to suspect John is a cave lion switcher. It is quite another for the timing of this attack to be so precise.”

Edward looks confused. “What do you mean?”

“John’s been on board for several days, and an attack on us while on land is far easier than one at sea. I can only think of one reason why they would do it now instead of a day or two ago.”

“We were at full cruising speed, moving away from the island of Sardinia. What changed before the attack? Why then, and not earlier when we were closer to land and more vulnerable?”

Ekatarina figured it out first. “Me. I came aboard hours before the attack.”

Art nodded. “If all they wanted was John, they could have taken him any time. One dead switcher would be enough to save Mikhail’s life, and it doesn’t matter which one it is. Once he touched one of our bodies, the Gift would save him. It would cure Mikhail’s cancer, and he’d revert to physically being in his mid-twenties at the peak of health. That’s a powerful lure, but it doesn’t explain what happened. No, they waited for Ekatarina to be here, along with every other switcher in the world.”

I saw it too. “This wasn’t a kidnapping.”

We were interrupted by a knock on the door. “Enter,” Art yelled.

Art’s Security Chief stepped inside. Zach was Art’s grandson, a former Navy SEAL, and one dangerous-looking individual. Even my lion was wary of him, like with a fellow predator. “Sir, we found two injured attackers and were able to question one. He is a mercenary, hired two weeks ago along with three friends. He doesn’t know who is paying the bill, but he confirmed their mission priority. The attackers were to kill everyone on board the Elements, then leave without touching anyone.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, Grandfather. Their backer wanted them wearing gloves, and they were not to touch any victims, even to check if they were still alive. If there was any doubt or survivors, give them a headshot.”

Killing a ship full of people, including the CEO and leadership of a major international corporation, was a big fucking deal. How did Mikhail think he could get away with it? “So it’s fair to say they knew there were switchers on board,” I said.

“Yes, sir. And if they were supposed to leave after the attack, that means someone else is coming.”

Fuck. “One helicopter overflight will show Mikhail his attack failed,” I said.

“We need to convince him it worked,” Art said. “Here’s what we are going to do.”

It took twenty minutes to make it all happen. Some of the dead attackers were stripped and dressed in yacht uniforms, then left in visible places on the decks. Only two of the four boats were still usable, so the other two were scuttled. None of the men carried radios, and none of the boats had communications gear onboard. It just confirmed they were on a ‘fire and forget’ attack plan.

The crew hid inside in case an aircraft, drone, or even a satellite would fly over. Zach had them watching and waiting for the next boat or helicopter to come our way.

Zach put the wounded men and the rest of the bodies in the working boats. “Tell your boss you got your ass kicked,” Zach told the two men as he cut them loose from the stern. “Pray he doesn’t have you killed for your failure.”

I watched them speed away from the yacht towards land. “How can you let them go? Don’t they know too much?”

“Who said I was letting them go? It’s a forty-minute run to the nearest point of land, and the timers on the bombs in their boats go off in thirty minutes. With their injuries, they’ll never stay afloat long enough to live.” He shook his head. “They were dead anyway. You can’t cover up an attack of the scale they had planned without killing the assault team. Mikhail would make sure of it.”

“I can’t believe this has been in planning for days.”

“Probably since you fled Russia.” We’d learned a few other things; the group was well-financed and diverse. Zach sent photos of the assault team through encrypted communications to several family members embedded in European and American spy services. Art’s people identified most of them, all ex-military and known mercenaries. The boats, clothing, protective vests, and helmets were all new and matched what was used by Italian special forces. Their rifles were top-of-the-line Heckler-Koch HK433 assault weapons with ACOG TA31 4x32 optics. Zach was having his armorer clean them up and place them in our armory.

Art broke it down for us in his office. “Mikhail began planning this weeks ago. He couldn’t put something together in Sardinia based on your arrival, as even I didn’t know that would happen until a few days ago. Mikhail also had no reason to believe Ekatarina was coming. Somehow, he knew I was a switcher, and I am far easier to locate than Ekatarina was. John was in the wind. Perhaps Mikhail knew I’d bring John in to protect him?”

I didn’t understand. “You’re saying that Mikhail expected me to be here?”

“I think he found out more than I’m comfortable him knowing,” Art replied. “You could have been seen at the airport or the helicopter service, even when you got dropped off. I’m sure he knew you were here.”

“And if he had people watching, he’d figure out Edward and Duncan and Ekatarina arrived by helicopter.”

“Yes. Still, Mikhail held back the attack until Ekatarina arrived, which is deeply troubling. It means he knows who the shifters are, he knows we were meeting on the yacht, and he waited until we were all here. Why would you choose to face FIVE switchers instead of one? And why on a superyacht instead of a remote beach?”

There was only one reason that made sense. “Mikhail isn’t the only one who wants to be a Switcher.”

“Family? Friends? Perhaps. It means they know how many there are in the world, and now they know WHO they are. Kill everyone and have your pick of animals, or keep touching people until you get the Gift.”

Duncan sat back and drained his whiskey in one gulp. “That doesn’t answer how Mikhail found out you were a switcher or how they were able to monitor the Elements to keep track of who was here. The Captain would have noticed any boat following us.”

“And that brings me to my next conclusion. We have a mole.”

“Security alert, three helicopters approaching,” the Captain sent over the PA system.

Art stood up. “Whoever is behind this, whoever wants the Gift, is on one of those helicopters.”

“Gear up,” I told the girls. “It’s time to end this.”

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