THE LAST SHIP 7

HOSTAGE

Vulture and cobra team entered the separate warehouses, first making sure the coast was clear before they proceeded into the buildings. Mayo and Flores walked up to a shipment of oil drums that was about to be put in crates with a shipping manifest. "Lonestar Energies. They're based in Corpus Christi, Texas."

"Where are they sending the oil?" Flores asked.

"Corpus Christi, Texas," Mayo replied.

Flores radioed Julia and Colby. "Hale, Levine come in."

"Reading you loud and clear," Julia radioed back.

"Turns out our oil company is American after all."

"It is?"

"Lonestar Energies, based in Corpus Christi, Texas. Fitting name for an oil company based in Texas."

"You won't bet." Julia radioed her other team mates. "Cobra team, have you found anything in your warehouse yet?"

"Nothing yet vulture team."

"Roger that."

**********

Mike kept pacing on the bridge as he listened to the radio conversations between vulture team and cobra team and from time to time he would look out of the window in the direction of the Saudi coastline. Danny Green kept looking at him concerned. "Admiral, our land teams will be alright."

"I hear you XO." Nothing anyone could say could calm his nerves knowing his daughter was out there in potential danger. 

Julia walked up to a small office and opened the door while Hale searched through the rest of the top floor. Inside the office was a desk, a computer and two steel filing cabinets. She opened them to find a bunch of files inside with information regarding the oil company and the shipping company and some company papers. She paged through them one by one. "Dammit...USS Chandler do you read me?"

"Reading you loud and clear lieutenant," Mike replied on the radio.

"You won't believe what I found."

"What did you find?"

"The shipping company that ships the oil to the United States belongs to none other than king Nasser Noorani."

"Roger that lieutenant." Mike hung up the receiver and looked out of the window again in the direction of the Saudi shore. "That son of a bitch." He then turned around to step off the bridge for a brief moment.

"This is cobra team, we found some more evidence. Information is too sensitive to discuss over the radio. We will brief Admiral Slattery as soon as we are back on the Chandler."

Kara took the receiver of the ham radio and pressed the button to speak. "Roger that cobra team."

"Where's Admiral Slattery?"

"He left the bridge cobra team."  

"Cobra team, this is vulture team, let's head back to the ship," Cabrera spoke over the radio.

"Roger that vulture team," cobra team replied back.

Moments later they all gathered at the docks to leave for the USS Chandler when they noticed Julia wasn't there. Cabrera took his radio to hail her. "Lieutenant Levine, do you read me, over?" Cabrera looked at Hale who seemed very worried. "She was supposed to be with you. Where is she?"

"I decided for us to split up and search the upper floor," Hale replied.

"We weren't supposed to split up. We were supposed to stay together and have each other's backs. Dammit Hale! I'm going to look for her. If I can't find her you are going to explain to Admiral Slattery why his daughter didn't return with us to the ship."