Sea of Shadows eBook - Navy Thriller.com

70 JEFF EDWARDS
Both men turned their faces away from the door of the shipping
container, and Allen squeezed the handles of the wire cutters. The seal
parted with a metallic twang and fell to the deck.
Allen turned back toward the container. “Clear.” He retrieved the
errant seal and shoved it into a canvas pouch attached to his belt. He
grabbed the latching handle of the Conex box and lifted. The handle
moved slowly, with a groan of protest. “Give me a hand with this,” he
said.
Blandy went rigid. “Shhhh …” He swung the beam of his flashlight
around to cover a narrow corridor between two rows of stacked shipping
containers. “You hear that?”
Allen gave him a sour look. “Knock it off, goofball.”
Blandy’s hand went to his holster. He unsnapped the strap and
wrapped his hand around the butt of his 9mm. “I’m serious,” he said,
playing the beam of the flashlight around in the labyrinth of shadows.
“Somebody’s down here.”
“We’re still in Security Condition One,” Allen said. “That weapon
stays in its holster.”
“Do you see me drawing the damned thing?” Blandy whispered.
“Anyway, we can cock and lock if we’re threatened, even in Security
Condition One.”
“I don’t see any threat,” Allen said. “And I don’t hear anything.”
“Shut up and listen!” Blandy hissed. “There it is again!”
Something thumped in the darkness, followed by a scraping sound.
Then there was silence.
Allen put his hand on the butt of his own 9mm. “I heard it that time.”
He keyed his headset mike and spoke in a low voice, “Blue One, this is
Blue Two, over.”
Chief Deacon responded immediately. “This is Blue One, go ahead,
over.”
“Blue One, this is Blue Two. We have somebody moving around down
here, approximately ten yards forward of my position. Do you have any
teams working in this part of the hold besides us? Over.”
“Negative, Blue Two. Our personnel are all accounted for. I am in
route your position. Take cover and don’t do anything until I get there,
over.”
“Blue Two, aye.”
Allen touched Blandy’s shoulder. “Shut off your flashlight and get
down.”
The beam of Blandy’s flashlight vanished, plunging them into the
yellow-tinged gloom of aging sodium-vapor lamps. The cargo hold was