For one second—
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
The storm seemed to freeze around them.
Even the ocean felt silent.
Then Elias's voice exploded through the comms again.
"THE ENTIRE SHIP IS A BOMB!"
Chaos erupted.
Everyone started talking at once.
"What?!"
"How big?"
"Is he serious?"
"Tell me he's not serious!"
Simone's voice cut through everything.
"Elias, sweetheart, now would be a really good time to explain that sentence!"
The sound of furious typing echoed through the comms.
Then Elias answered.
And somehow made everything worse.
"I hacked into the original shipping manifest."
The ship rocked beneath another wave.
Rain hammered against steel.
The emergency lights flickered.
"Those containers aren't carrying commercial cargo."
Theo slowly lowered his weapon.
His smile was gone.
Completely gone.
"What are they carrying?"
Silence.
A pause.
Then Elias exhaled.
"Military-grade explosives."
Nobody spoke.
Not immediately.
