Stone noticed deck crew beginning to remove the ropes holding theMinervato the pier.
“Wait. Are we leaving? Commander Choi from the Coast Guard is supposed to join us.”
“She arrived thirty minutes ago. You two are the last.”
She led him through a doorway and up a set of stairs to the bridge, where four people in uniforms were spread among different posts.
The room was very high-tech, with dozens of TV screens throughout and controls that looked like they’d been developed more for video games than for controlling an oceangoing vessel.
“Captain Marks?” Josie said.
A man with salt-and-pepper hair, who looked at least a decade older than the others present, turned.
“Josie,” he said. “Are these our guests?”
“They are,” she said. “This is Stone Barrington and Dino Bacchetti.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Barrington,” the captain said, shaking Stone’s hand. He then turned to Dino. “And, of course, I’ve heard of you, Commissioner Bacchetti. It’s an honor to have you aboard.”
“The honor is all mine,” Dino said, his earlier grumpiness gone.
“Captain,” one of the other crew members said.
He glanced over, and she gave him a nod.
To Stone, Dino, and Josie, Captain Marks said, “I’d love to chat, but I have a ship in need of getting underway. Perhaps later?”
“We look forward to it,” Stone said.
Josie led him and Dino out a door at the back of the bridge and down a different set of stairs than the ones they’d come up. From there, they went down a short hall and through a bulkhead into a large room.
The new space was even more high-tech than the bridge and, to Stone, looked like a futurized version of a NASA control center. There were dozens of workstations, each with monitors and keyboards and devices Stone didn’t recognize. In addition, several larger screens were mounted to one wall.
While there was enough room for a couple dozen people to work, only seven were present, none of whom appeared to be much older than thirty. Most were dressed like students who didn’t care how they looked.
The only exception was Commander Choi, who was in her tropical blues, a uniform designed for both utility and comfort.
As soon as she saw Stone and the others, she joined them.
“Good morning, Mr. Barrington,” she said. “Good to see you again.”
“Good morning, Commander. I take it you’ve already met Josie.”
“I have, sir. And have also thanked her for arranging this.”
He motioned to Dino. “Do you remember my friend, Dino Bacchetti?”
“Of course, from the hospital,” she said, extending her hand. “Good to see you again, Commissioner.”
“Same, Commander,” Dino said, shaking with her.
“Let me introduce you to Sam,” Josie said.
She guided them over to a woman wearing a New YorkYankees baseball cap, with her pink hair in a ponytail poking out the back.
“This is Dr. Samantha Logan,” Josie said.
“If you call me Samantha, I won’t answer,” the woman said. “It’s Sam.”
