36: A Novel Read Free

waiting cars and the drivers were shouting and honking their horns at the severe breach in etiquette.  He watched long enough to satisfy himself it wasn’t a cop on the bike, then the line ahead of him began moving.
    The truck was already in gear, Trevor holding it in place with the brake.  As soon as the Toyota sedan in front of him moved, he lifted his foot and followed.  The GMC’s tires thumped as he drove onto the ferry.  The Toyota was directed towards a ramp that swept up to a second car deck, but the crewman pointed at Trevor and waved him to continue straight forward into an area at the center of the large boat. 
    He pulled to a stop behind another box truck and shut off the engine.  The nerves from earlier had turned to steely resolve.  He had the power of life and death over everyone on the ferry.  He was in complete control.  He was a Lion!
    The loading continued for several minutes.  Vans and medium sized trucks filled the empty spots around the GMC.  Soon the vessel was fully loaded and Trevor jumped slightly when the Captain sounded the horn in preparation for sailing.  Moments later the diesel engines roared and he could feel their power vibrating the floor and seat of the truck.
    Checking his watch, Trevor noted the time.  He had been instructed to turn the high beams on three minutes after the ferry left the dock.  The huge boat would still be within Eliot Bay and close enough to the Seattle docks for the disaster to be clearly visible from shore.  Maximum exposure, the team leader had called it.
    Looking around, Trevor noted a crewman working his way through the parked vehicles.  He was looking inside each one, pausing to speak with the driver of a truck parked two hundred feet in front of the GMC.  After a moment, the crewman stepped back and the driver climbed down.
    “They’re making drivers leave their cars,” Trevor thought to himself, panic threatening to take over.
    He checked the clock again.  One minute gone, two to go.  The crewman said something else to the truck driver, who headed for a stairwell that led to the passenger decks above.  Trevor’s eyes flicked to the clock as the crewman continued his inspection, quickly approaching.
    Two minutes gone.  Trevor’s eyes were glued to the crewman now, watching as the man drew closer.  He knew when he was spotted, knew it was only moments before he would be told to get out of the vehicle. 
    Reaching out, he moved the turn signal lever forward until it clicked, setting the headlights to high.  On the dash was a small switch that rotated left to right with three stops.  Off, Parking, and Head Lights.  He placed his hand on it and checked the clock, prepared to turn the lights on the instant the clock showed three minutes had passed.
    The crewman paused at the window of the box truck directly in front of his, speaking with another driver who had stayed with his vehicle.  Trevor checked the clock, but it wasn’t time.  He jumped and turned to his right when the passenger window suddenly exploded in a shower of glittering safety glass.
    A woman with long, red hair met his eyes, thrusting something through the opening she had just made.  She was wearing a black leather jacket and black helmet with a clear face shield.  The motorcycle rider that had been cutting in line on the dock!
    As her hand came into the cab, he recognized the object she held.  A gun!  Her eyes were locked on his as she gripped the weapon.  He saw it come in line with his face, the round hole in the muzzle appearing huge.  Then her finger was moving onto the trigger.  All Trevor could think to do was turn the switch.  So he did.  His brain registered a flash from the muzzle of the weapon, then nothing else.
    When the GMC’s light switch was turned on, electricity from the battery flowed through the vehicle’s wiring harness, but was diverted before reaching the bulbs behind the lens covers in the front grill.  Newly installed wires carried