Zak took a sip of his bourbon. His hastily arranged trip to the Arctic had been undertaken without a detailed plan, which made him uncomfortable. But there was little to go wrong. He would drop a team of Goyette’s geologists on the north coast of the main island to search for the ruthenium mine, while he examined the Mid-A merica mining operations in the south. If necessary, he would put Mid-America out of business with the aid of an armed team of security specialists he had brought aboard, along with enough explosives to detonate half the island.

A door to the wardroom suddenly burst open, and a man in black fatigues and parka walked hurriedly over to Zak. He had an assault rifle strapped to his shoulder and carried a bulky pair of night vision binoculars in one hand.

“Sir, two rubber boats approached from the bay and tied up at the dock just astern of the barge. I counted seven men in total,” he said, slightly out of breath.

Zak glanced from the man’s binoculars to a bulkhead clock, which read half past midnight.

“Were they armed?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. They moved past the loading facility and onto the adjacent public dock before I lost sight of them.”

“They’re after the Polar Dawn,” the captain said excitedly. “They must be Americans.”

The Polar Dawn was docked only a few hundred feet away. Zak had noticed a throng of locals crowding around the American cutter when he had first arrived in Kugluktuk. He walked down and had a look for himself at the captured vessel. It was teeming with Mounties and Navy guards. There was no way that seven men would be able to retake the ship.

“No, they’re here for the crew,” Zak said, not knowing the ship’s crew was being held in the old fish house just a stone’s throw away. A devious smile crept slowly across his face. “Very kind of them to drop by. I think they will be a fine aid in ridding us of the Mid-America Mining Company.”

“I don’t understand,” the captain said.

“Understand this,” Zak said, rising to his feet. “ There’s been a change in plans. We depart within the hour.”

With the mercenary in tow, he abruptly marched out of the room.

Chapter 53

53

RICK ROMAN DUCKED BEHIND A PAIR OF EMPTY fuel drums and looked at his watch. The luminescent dial read 12:45. They were twenty minutes ahead of schedule. Humping the Zodiacs down to the water’s edge the night before was going to pay dividends now, he thought. They’d be able to make a clean evacuation without fear of losing the cover of darkness.