Hidden Steel

PROLOGUE A colossal blood moon hung in the midnight sky and shone as brightly as a winter’s early morning sun. Below, the ocean reflected the Luna giant causing each wave to sparkle, like the lights of a big city. There was a whoosh of spray, and a mighty steel leviathan cut through the tranquil waters. A cruise ship of immense size – a city of the ocean, cruised by, its destination set, but it ran silent and dark, no music or signs of life. Aboard, it was as still and as dark as the grave. Below, in the bowls of the floating city, a group of passengers stood huddled together in fear in the darkened depths of the ship. Sparks flew down from broken power cables like bright orange raindrops. Intermittent flashes from bursts of electricity lit up the darkened lower sections and the faces of the scared passengers. Their wide-unblinking eyes were glued to the electronic counter as it flickered with every change of the countdown. A man knelt in front of them. Even though he was dressed all in black, his broad-shouldered back was made visible by the emergency lighting above the doorway and the internment flash of blue light from the broken power cables. The man as he used his hands to search for a way to switch off the timer, in case there was another way other to switch off the device. “Can you stop it?” Asked a tall blonde woman. The man remained silent, lost in his task, the rest of the world was oblivious to him, as though he were the only one in the room. “Hey, the lady asked you a question,” barked a large American, but the man knew it wasn't personal, the American was scared but acting bravely, mostly for the sake of the ladies – or himself. “Please, Mr Black – can you stop it?” The women asked again, the man they all knew as Mr Black stood up and walked towards them. Mr Black was tall, and his rugged features seemed more handsome as the flashes of light illuminated one side of his chiselled face. He wore all black, and he wore it well. “I need the code, but we have time” he lied – hoping it would reassure the people. He turned and looked at the timer that read 04:45:36. “I have to find the actual device and hope to stop it from there.” He turned and started to walk away but stopped. He half turned towards them and waited for a moment, as if pondering his next move. “Oh, and by the way, the name isn’t Black its Steel, Detective John Steel.” There was a large burst of sparks from the cables, making them shield their eyes. As they looked back to where Steel had stood, they saw only the empty passageway.