Free Only the Dead Live Forever by W. J. Lundy Page B

breakers online. Bill and Tony would be a
lot of help. They are the platform engineers, so this is their
expertise.”
    “Very well. Take
Wilson and Craig back to the lounge and grab Bill and Tony. Let’s get this
place powered up,” Sean said.
    He walked
outside and away from the building, followed by Brooks and Brad. They stood
against the railing looking down at the sea. The seas were still choppy but the
clouds had all but disappeared. Looking down, they could see that a number of
the vessels that had been there earlier were now gone; they’d probably been
destroyed from being smashed against the platform’s pylons in the storm, or
came loose from their moorings and drifted away.
    A large
Pakistani-flagged fast attack craft and another smaller military ship still sat
tied side by side below them. The smaller of the military ships showed a great
deal of hull damage, but the other looked to be in good condition. Farther off,
a large fishing boat sat, drifting away from the platform but still connected
by a long length of stretched heavy rope. There was no sign of life on any of
the ships; they looked dead in the water.
    “What are your
thoughts on the FAC?” Sean asked Brooks.
    “Hmmm, looks
like a MRTP-33. Hull looks okay from here, but I’d have to get in the water to
really check it out. I don’t know; guess if we followed the coastline we’d be
okay. We could always trade up later,” Brooks answered.
    “You really
thinking on driving that thing eight thousand miles?” Brad asked, looking to
Sean.
    “Well, sailing
actually. Those ships are pretty reliable; would make a good platform for
raiding ports as we make our way home. Nothing says we can’t find a better
method along the way, though.”
    “Okay, but how
the hell are we going to get all the way down there?” Brad asked.
    “Guess we fight
our way down,” Sean replied.
    Tony and Bill
came up behind the trio talking at the rail. Tony looked down at the ship.
“Chief, I didn’t mean to listen in but we don’t have to take the lower decks at
all.”
    “How’s that,
Tony? You care to explain?”
    “Well shit,
Chief, if you plan on taking that there boat, you would have to resupply it
with the crane anyhow; I mean to lower down fuel and such. The crane and
operator’s station are up here. I could drop you and your men right on top of
that thing without ever going downstairs.”
    “Son of a bitch,
now that’s a good idea, Tony!”
    “Yeah, you’d
still have to get down there and secure it though—make sure none of them things
are on board and keep them from jumping on it from the docks. I figure you
could sneak on, untie it, and then attach it to one of the pylons farther out.
That should keep them off ya.”
    “That’s good
thinking, Tony. How are we coming with the power?”
    “Should be on
shortly, Chief. The kids are bringing over more fuel right now, so guess I
should get back over there.”
    “Good work. And
thanks, Tony. Let me know if you have any problems.”
    Bill and Tony
turned to walk away just as the Marines rounded the corner with a cart full of
fuel drums headed to the power station.
    “Let’s keep that
in mind for a while. I figure it’s time to get back to work. We need to clear
the control building before sunset … I don’t expect much trouble, the doors
were swung open and the windows were broken out when I sealed it up earlier,”
Sean said.
    They gathered up
and walked past the power station. Brad peeked in the door and saw a flurry of
activity. The Marines were working hard, refueling the power plants. “I think
we can handle this on our own, guys,” Sean said. Brooks and Brad nodded in
agreement. They had been through far worse without the help of anyone, Brad
thought to himself.
    The men finished
the walk to the one-story steel building. There was a large tower, not unlike
an air traffic control tower, only on a much smaller scale. The tower extended
a good seventy-five feet into the air and appeared to be