The public address system crackled, then boomed to life, the captain's voice echoing through the ship's corridors. Amrey and Mark jolted, the clatter of cutlery against ceramic a stark punctuation to the captain’s words. A shared, unspoken dread hung heavy in the mess room. This was it.Their scheme, whatever it was, had been exposed.
Mark's face, usually a mask of calm determination, flickered with a mix of disbelief and raw panic. He pushed back from the table, the metal legs of his chair screeching against the floor. "I have to go," he muttered, more to himself than to Amrey. There was a frantic energy in his movements as he turned and bolted from the mess room, leaving Amrey alone amidst the scattered remnants of their interrupted meal.
Amrey watched him go, a knot of anxiety tighteni
