Port Side Out

Chapter 19 : Port Side Out

"At least they haven't got at all my money," he said, as they watched the drive shaft being hoisted through the air, and into the ship.

The trip back to England could not have been more contrasting than the one they had just made. Every luxury was provided. Their numbers were only down to four people now, but they lived it up to the full.

Charley soaked for an hour in a bubble bath, then joined the other three for a huge meal in his private dining room.

"Bit different to eating off a metal table, hey?" He cast their minds back to the last ship they had travelled on, and its dining arrangements.

"What's this? A lobster, or a Crayfish?" Natasha struggled with the strange creature on the centre plate.

"I would not eat anything which looks as if it has fought with dying men on the bottom of the ocean." Raj heaped a plate full of vegetables on his plate.

"Well, we got this far. They never stopped my card, but they must know I'm back on the scene by now." Charley gazed out the window, as the Indian ocean floated by.

"What will you do back in London?" asked Natasha.

"I'm not going straight to London. This ship docks in France anyway. I'll get the drive shaft unloaded at a channel port, and see what's the best way of getting it into the country. By then I might have figured out how to get the damned ticket out."

"They'll be waiting for you?"

"I know. But something tells me they won't try anything until I'm on British soil."

"Why?" asked Natasha.

"Because this is peculiarly an English problem. The syndicate, whoever they are, are certainly English. So they will not want me done over by any foreigners. No, they will want to sort this out themselves."

"What do you think they will do?" asked Raj. "They tried getting rid of you, and here you are, turning up like a bad penny? What next?"

"Whatever it is, I finally get to see who's pulling the strings. They ruined my mates, back in the factory, so why do they want to ruin me? And what was the damn factory doing, anyway? Not making machine parts."

"Well, I'm tired," said Raj, stretching his arms. "I'm going to my room."

"Can I come and help you with that problem?" Clare smiled an innocent smile at the boy.

"Yes, that might be alright." Raj would not meet their gaze as they left the table, and the other two disappeared.

"What problem is that?" asked Charley, sipping champagne.

"She wants to see if those dogs bit anything off," said Natasha.

"About time."

The ship travelled up through the Suez Cannel and into the Mediterranean, then finally berthed in Le Havre. Everyone trooped off the ship, and Charley was left with the problem of how he was going to get the drive shaft to England. He stared over the side of the ship on a sunny morning, as people went ashore.

"So have you finally discovered if those dogs snapped anything off?" Natasha asked Clare as they joined Charley on the deck.

"All in perfect working order, I'm pleased to say," replied Clare.

"I'm pleased to hear it. So Charley, what's the plan?"

"You don't have to come with me now. We got this far, you can wire you're money and go back to the states?"

"You kidding me, this is the best fun I've had in years. What about you Raj? Want to help this crazy guy get a big piece of steel across the English border?" Natasha lit a cigarette and blew smoke into the wind.

"How else do I get my money?" he smiled. The ship was so large it actually had tailors onboard, and Charley had ordered a complete set of clothes for them all. Raj now had bespoke suits and sportswear.

"Any plans?" asked Natasha, seeing the smile on his face.

"I was thinking of hiring a small ship and seeing if they would smuggle us into the country. But the British are tougher than anyone else about borders. Up till now, they have never asked us for a passport, because they know I'm rich. But once I step foot on the mainland, everyone will be looking for me."

"France is a great place to hide," pointed out Natasha. "Lot of people go to and from here, and no one says a damn thing. Mercenaries; smugglers, all sorts. You must be able to find someone willing to do a trip?"

"Yes, but it's so obvious. A boat trip slipping into a quiet British port? They'll think it's drugs?"

"As long as you pay them, they won't care," said Natasha.

"But they might let it slip to the outside world. No, what I need is something so obvious, no one will suspect."

"I think I have the solution?" said Raj. "When we were back on the island, there was a man in the factory who told me about French asylum laws. They have so many people trying to get into England, that they cannot cope with them all."

"Yes, they used to store them in a camp, called Sangatte," said Charley.

"Not all of them. There are so many, that they began using ships, not unlike this one." Raj tapped the handrail, as they all looked at him.

"Cruise liners? What the hell are you talking about?" Natasha could not believe the story.

"Not exactly like this, but huge ships, anchored off the coast. They put people in them, to wait for the paperwork, so they can send them back."

"Prison ship!" said Charley. "Yes, I've heard of that going on in England. Where's this ship, Raj?"

"All we have to do is find an asylum seeker and ask them. Believe me, we all know if there are any weaknesses in the system."

"Hey wait up," said Natasha. "This is a prison ship, not a paddle steamer for hire? Once you are on it, you stay there for good."

"These men planned on hijacking the ship and sailing it onto the English coast. Once there, they would all make their dash for freedom."

"I'm not going back on any slave ship," said Clare. "Thanks for the ride, and getting me off that terrible island Charley, but this is it for me. I'm not a girl for too much adventure. It might suit you, Natasha. But I'm not built for all this."

"What about your money?" asked Raj. "Charley says we can all get a share?"

"A million bucks is a lot of money. Look, kid, if you get through, send me a share. OK?" With that, the girl said her goodbyes and left.

Raj was sorry to see her go, but he felt he had to see this quest through.

"So it comes down to the three musketeers, eh?" Natasha lit another cigarette. "So where do we find these hapless ragamuffins?"

Having paid their bill with the shipping company, they transferred the drive shaft onto a truck and set off. The first thing Charley wanted to do, was to find an engineering factory and cut the shaft up to retrieve the ticked, but time was not on their side.

No sooner had they left the ship when the French police wanted to know where they were. It might have been easy to get into the country, but it was very difficult to stay in it. Raj almost stumbled on the police cars, asking about the truck.

He dashed back to the cafe, where the other two sat and told them.

"Just get that car we hired and set off up the coast." Charley was worried they might have been rumbled so early.

"You think they'll just let us go?" asked Natasha getting up from the table.

"If we keep going, we stand a chance. They might mistake us for just another set of smugglers trying to get across the border."

Their adventure might have ended there and then, if not for the appearance in the cafe, of a familiar figure.

"Gerald!" cried Charley, holding his coffee cup in mid-air.

"How you doing kid?" The man walked over to their table and seated himself, with a friendly smile.

"What are you doing here?" asked Charley. "and why did you leave me on that island?"

"Orders," said the man simply.

"Orders? Who's orders? Not mine." Charley stared in disbelief.

"You trod on a lot of toes Charley, you know that. Or rather your friends in Rutland did. I got an order to take you to the island run by Rufus, and leave you there. I'm sorry if you suffered, but it was out of my hands. If I had not done it, someone else would have stepped into my place, and I would be at the bottom of Hong Kong harbour. You do understand that don't you Charley?"

"I think I do understand it now." Charley looked at them all, and then out through the window. "So you knew what a madman Rufus was?"

"He was well known all over the world. When I heard you had made him blow his brains out, I decided to break ranks and help you." Gerald was clearly nervous sitting at the table, with the others staring at him.

"How the hell did you help us?" asked Natasha.

"Well, for a start, it was me that got your religious artefact loaded on the ship. In fact, it was me that got you all on the ship. You can't just wander out of the jungle and walk on board a cruise ship. Did you never guess it was too easy?"

"He has a point there," said Raj. "I always thought we had outside influences acting upon us. I never thought it would work."

"So you helped us. Thanks." Charley sat back to see what else the man had to say.

"I'm taking a big risk even being here," said Gerald.

"Good for you!"

"That's not very charitable Charley," said Natasha across the table.

"Well, what do you expect me to say? He turns up here, after leaving me on a prison island, and expects me to be grateful for being allowed on a ship. I don't think that means I have to piss all over myself with gratitude."

"You are quite right Charley," continued Gerald. "I wouldn't expect you to be very forgiving. But please believe me, when I say that helping you is a big risk. I've arranged for the drive shaft to be taken off the ship and placed on a low-loader truck. There, it can be transported to the factory of your choice. How were you planning on getting the ticket out?"

"He knows about the ticket!" cried Raj, slapping the tabletop in disbelief. "How many more know?"

"The whole island knew," pointed out Gerald. "Your reputation has followed you around the world. You are a very important man now Charley. And a very dangerous one."

"So they are frightened of me eh?" Charley allowed himself a smile before sipping the coffee. "So they will want me even more dead now?"

"Some of them do, but not all. You have some friends. Even ones in high places."

"Will they let me cash the tickets? To get the money?" asked Charley.

"If you make it to the Euro Lottery offices, yes," said Gerald.

"Make it?" said Raj. "You mean they are after us?"

"You can't drive a one-man crusade around the world, and not meet some opposition," pointed out Gerald. "What you are trying to do Charley, is very inflammatory. The whole world will be watching you when you wave that ticket in their faces. You have stirred up a hornet's nest, with this asylum seeker thing. If it was not for me, your friend Raj here would be rotting in a French cell."

"So we haven't got time to cut the ticket out of the drive shaft?" Charley mused over the problem with his coffee. "I've decided to take the drive shaft with us to England and cut it out there. I don't trust anyone here."

"How on earth are you going to get a one-ton length of phosphor bronze through customs?" Gerald seemed almost angry at the dare-devil approach by the other man. "Do you not think there might be some awkward questions?"

"I don't care," replied Charley, finishing his coffee. "This isn't about the money anymore. I have to prove to the people who pull your strings, that I can't be pushed around. Before you say it, I know they could crush me like a pea, but if you still have a guilty conscience, you'll help us get across the border, back into England. With the drive shaft."

Gerald was lost for words and almost rose from the table to walk out the cafe door. But something stopped him. "Alright, I'll do it. What did you have in mind?"

"I knew you would do it," smiled Charley. "You were right. The first day we met, you modestly said, that you were a fixer. I never realised, just how powerful you really are. We must have Interpol chasing all over the world, looking for us, but you held them off."

"Tell him about our plan, with the asylum ship?" Raj wondered if he dare mention the idea.

"Asylum ship?" Gerald almost laughed at this. "What the hell were you planning on doing? Leading your people to glory? A new Jerusalem, or something? You ain't Lawrence of Arabia! Get a grip man, you are acting like a spoilt child."

"There is a sense of poetic justice in this. I don't think for five minutes that these people will make it. But if I can show those fat complacent bastards in London, just how much the world hates them, then I've done some good."

"You realise, you could all get killed doing this?" said Gerald.

"We could have died by being tortured by that madman Rufus. You realise that?" Charley stared back at the other man.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. First, we get the drive shaft onto the ship. From what I can gather, those asylum seekers already on the ships, are close to mutiny anyway. So getting them to seize the ship won't be too difficult. There's a film crew coming down to make a documentary about them. They love playing to the camera. Some of those crews will pay people to stir things up anyway."

"We do appreciate what you are doing for us." Raj thought he spoke for them all around the table. "One-day people will hail your name as a hero of the common man."

"Save it, boy, I don't need patronising by little fools like you." Gerald was angry at this.

"You see Raj," said Charley, "the people who run the big wide world, don't want to be found out. Nor do the little people, who do their bidding. Am I not right Gerald?"

"Yes, and keep that in mind, when you go giving your glory speeches for the BBC. Any mention of my co-operation, and we can deny all of it. It will make you look so ridiculous, you'll wish you were back with those grease monkeys at Cobol."

"Just get us into England," was all Charley said. "Will you be coming with us?"

"Are you kidding?" said Gerald. "You are liable to end up at the bottom of the English Channel. I'll leave the heroics to crazy people like you Charley. Don't try and make contact with me again, we'll get in touch with you." With that, he was gone.

They might have been caught there and then, if not for the strange way the police let the truck move on. Once it set off, the three of them followed in a hired Renault, up the motorway.

Driving all night, they came to the refugee and asylum centre. They spotted it straight away, as the road was lined with hungry-looking souls, all wanting to go one way, and all being sent back the other.

"How are we going to get them on our side?" asked Natasha as they sat in the car and looked at the people sitting on the grass. "We might need the help of your friend Gerald again."

"I know some of them!" said Raj, getting out of the car. "They were on the island. With Rufus."

"My god, I recognise them," said Charley with relief in his voice. "At least we won't have to talk to that shit Gerald."

No sooner had Raj pointed at the car, when a cry went up.

"It seems your fame has spread," said Natasha from behind the wheel.

So it had. Several of the men were from the island under Rufus. A few more from the reign of Doctor Death, and soon a crowd had appeared around the car to see the hero who had helped so many poor wretches escape this far.

When Raj had told them about their plan to smuggle the large piece of metal into the country, unnoticed, they all agreed.

"For the man who had vanquished so many enemies, we will do anything!"

So they set off once again.

The prison ship was virtually run by the asylum seekers. No one in authority wanted anything to do with them, although they were more than willing to help them escape to England. Only the English had other ideas. The ship sat there, getting rustier, and tempers on both sides got shorter.

Charley saw no guards or officials as they loaded the huge metal cylinder onto the ship, and the undocking from the berth was no different than that of the cruise liner. The tugboats all wanted to see the back of the prison ship and helped in any way they could. The harbour master, never even turned up.

As the ship made its way through the choppy waves, Charley looked back to the shore. There stood Gerald, watching them. Charley realised he had come to look at them for the last time, thinking they might all drown at sea.

The first thing which struck Charley about the North Sea was that they were fair-weather sailors. Even on a calm sunny day, it was choppy, and he wondered if the ship would make it. But after two days of sleeping in a chair and closing their eyes as the prison boat wove in between the busiest shipping lanes in the world, they made it to anchor off the Norfolk coast. Some obscure television news channel had sent their camera crew down to film them, and although it never made the headline news, Charley and the others could actually watch themselves on the small set onboard the ship.

By now the authorities had seen them.

"Here they come," said Charley, as they watched the huge Sea King helicopters circle overhead. The big yellow monsters could be seen for miles, and everyone on board grew very nervous.

"Tell them to pull up anchor, and just beach it on the sands." Charley watched as smaller coast guard vessels headed their way.

"They are worried about drowning?" said Raj, as the boats came closer.

"Tell him to head straight up the Wash. That's the inlet up there. They say you can walk from Hunstanton to Skegness at low tide. But remember to get the raft ready for the drive shaft?"

"Maybe we should have cut the damn thing out in France after all?" suggested Natasha, putting on a life jacket.

"Too late for that, and tell them to hurry before the Royal Navy gets here."

The ship pulled up its anchor and fired its engines for the last time. The crew of the prison ship had all served at sea with many navies and knew what to do. They built up power in the engine and headed straight for the strip of coast, pointed out by Charley.

He went down in the hold to inspect the drive shaft and its raft. Charley planned to just drop it in the water and powered by an outboard motor, drive it into the sandy beach. They had covered it in grease to stop water from getting in and destroying the lottery ticket, and Charley looked at it for the last time, before slapping a hand full of grease on the final spot. Sealing it for the journey.

"We have both come a long way, old friend," he said, hovering with a hand full of grease.

He was just about to slap it into place when the explosion ripped through the ship. The hollow charge punched a hole clean through the hull and let the water flood in.

Up on deck, Natasha realised what had happened. She saw the bubbles of the divers as they swam back to their boats, and was wondering what they could be doing down there when the first explosion went off.

"They are trying to scuttle the ship!" she cried out.

"Why would they do that?" Raj was confused as the explosion pounded beneath the ship's hull.

"Seems they don't want us to visit their fair and pleasant land."

"But they would kill us all?" shouted Raj, as one huge blast sent spray up the side of the ship.

"That's about the size of it. The bastards knew they couldn't stop any asylum seekers, so they let us come, and were hoping to drown us. Tell Charley!"

"I think he knows."

"Then abandon ship! Everyone off! Just swim to the land, some of you must get through."

Down in the hold, the water was coming in fast. Charley was already up to his waist and looking at the drive shaft disappearing beneath the cold water. He looked for one last time at the slit with the lottery ticket in it and waited for the water to come in and ruin it forever.

"Bollocks!"

With one last effort, he put his lips to the slot and sucked hard. They had tried this so many times and even had pieces of the ticket come away, that they had stopped quickly.